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The creorked through the afternoon, but they seee the ship had taken They could hoist one of the sails, the mizzensail, but they couldn’t control it to catch the wind, or to steer the ship in any desired direction

Thus was their condition when Catti-brie called out an alert from the crow’s nest Deudermont and Drizzt rushed side by side to see what she was calling about, both fearing that it ed as she was and without Robillard, the proud Sea Sprite ht

No pirate blocked their path, but directly ahead loo Deuder no explanation, only shrugged in reply This was no usual occurrence The sky was clear, except for this one fog bank, and the temperature had been fairly constant "What would cause such athat I know of," the captain insisted "Man some oars!" he yelled out to the crew "Try to put up a sail Let us see if

we can navigate around it"

By the time Deudermont turned his attention back to the sea before the his head doubtfully, for the fog already loo us," the captain breathed in disbelief

"Swiftly," Drizzt added, and then the droith his keen ears, heard the chuckle of Harkle Harpell and knew in his heart that this was the wizard’s work He turned in tih the hatch belowdecks, and started to follow Drizzt stopped before he reached the hatch, though, hearing Deuderasp and the nervous cries of"What is it?" she asked, near desperation

Into the gray veil they went The sound of splashing water went away, as did any sensation of ether andsome enemy to climb aboard from the dark mist

It was Guenhwyvar who gave Drizzt the next clue of whaton The panther came to Drizzt’s side, ears flattened, but her expression and de more curiosity than fear

"Dimensional," the drow remarked

Deuder," Drizzt said "The wizard is using his et us off the open sea"

Deuderhtened at that notion, so did Catti-brie’s-at least until both of them took a moment to consider the source of their apparent salvation

Catti-brie looked out at the thick fog Suddenly, drifting in a daed ship across e

"What do you ether fiercely and translated his question into the watery, gurgling language of the water elemental

The reply cah of such a creature to understand that it had the means to

know the truth of the matter This one had been cooperative, as eleo, and Robillard did not believe that it was lying to hione, vanished froh of relief when he heard the next reply, that the ship had not sunk, had simply drifted out of the waters

"Harkle Harpell," the wizard reasoned aloud "He has gotten them into a port Well done!" Robillard considered his own situation then, alone and so far froenerally easterly direction, and explained that he would need the creature until the next dawn Then he took out his spellbook, a fabulous leatherbound and watertight work, andhis teleportation spell

Then the wizard sat back and relaxed He needed to sleep, to gather his strength and his energy The ele he would use his spell to put hiuild hall in Waterdeep Yes, the wizard decided, it had been a difficult and boring feeeks, and noas a good time for some restful shore leave

Deudermont would just have to catch up with him later

The Sea Sprite drifted in a surreal stillness, no sound of water or wind, forwas so thick about the very low over the rail to even see the water He didn’t dare reach out and touch that gray liquid, not knohat Harkle’s spell, if this was indeed Harkle’s spell,

At last they heard a splash, the lap of a wave against the prow of the ship The fog began to thin alh they couldn’t see their surroundings, everyone on board sensed that soed

"The smell," Catti-brie rereement Gone was the salty aroma, so thick that it left a taste in your mouth, replaced by a crisp summer scent, filled with trees, flowers, and the slick feel of an inlet swaed, from the empty, endless

whistle of the wind and theof lesser waves and the trilling of

"Songbirds?" Drizzt asked

The fog bleay, and all of the crew breathed a sigh of relief, for they were near to land! To the left loomed a small island, tree-covered, centered by a se stretched in front of the Sea Sprite, reaching from the island to the shore, to the docks of a fair-sized, walled town Behind the town, the ground sloped up into tall mountains, a landmark that no sailor could miss, but that Deuderger than the rowboats the Sea Sprite carried astern All the crews stood, staring blankly at theship

"Not Waterdeep," Deudermont remarked "Nor anywhere near to the city that I know of"

Drizzt surveyed the area, studying the coastline that curled back behind them "Not the open sea," he replied

"A lake," Catti-brie reasoned

All three of them looked at each other for a moment, then yelled out, "Harkle!" in unison The Harpell, expecting the call, scraht up beside them, his expression full of cheer

"Where are we?" Deudere saidhis ar wide

"I’ ye’ll have to do better than that," Catti-brie put in dryly

Harkle shrugged and lowered his arms "I do not know for sure, of course," he ad-but wherever that ht be, I cannot tell"

"The spell?" Deuder of fate," Drizzt answered before Harkle could "The sah the drow’s every word, his smile wide, his expression one of pride and accorily

Harkle stammered for a reply, but a call from the water cut the private conversation short "Yo ho, Sea Sprite!"

The four went to the rail, Drizzt pulling the hood of his cloak over his head He didn’t knohere they were, or what recep-

tion theywould be less warm if these sailors discovered that the Sea Sprite carried a drow elf

A fair-sized fishing boat had pulled up alongside, its crew of six studying the schooner intently "You’ve seen battle," an old graybeard, see boat, reasoned

"A storm," Deudermont corrected "As fierce a blow as I’ve ever known"

The six fisher looks They had been on the water every day for the last month and had seen no stornizing the doubting expressions

"How far can you get?" the old graybeard asked, looking about at the ever-present shoreline

"Ye’d be surprised," Catti-brie answered, casting a sidelong glance at the blushing Harkle

"Where did you put in?" the graybeard asked

Deudermont held his hands out wide "We are the Sea Sprite, out of Waterdeep"

The doubting expressions turned into open sraybeard echoed

"Are we in another world?" Catti-brie whispered to Drizzt, and the drow found it hard to honestly comfort her, especially with Harkle Harpell behind it all

"Waterdeep," Deudermont said evenly, seriously, with asway from home, captain," another of the fisherraybeard corrected

"And all of it land," another added, laughing "Have you wheels on the Sea Sprite?" That brought a chuckle fro close to investigate

"And a team of horses I’d like to see," a hter

Even Deudered a smile, relieved that he and his ship were apparently still in the Realms "Wizard’s work," he explained "We sailed the Sea of Swords, five hundred miles southwest of the Moonshaes, when the stor Our wizard"-Deuderet us into port"

"He ot us off of the open sea," Deuderhter died away "Where we surely would have perished Pray tell ood sailors, where are we?"

"This is Iraybeard replied, then pointed to shore, to the walled town "Carradoon"

Deudernize the names

"Those are the Snowflakes," the skipper continued, indicating the mountains

"South," Catti-brie said suddenly All eyes turned to her "We are far south of Waterdeep," she said "And if we sailed south froet to the Deepwash, then to Vilhon Reach in the Inner Sea"

"You have the place," the graybeard announced "But you’d not draw enough water to get that ship to Shalane Lake"