"And that`s the long and the short of it, captain," Trevor finished explaining. He, Amerigo, and Chicken were again in the captain`s quarters, this time explaining why the two picked up by the Hereafter did not need to go home, but instead to be dropped off even further from the shore.

　　"You are requesting, on their behalf, that we go beyond the continental shelf in order to let these small creatures besiege an underwater fortress?"

　　The elf spoke calmly but firmly. Trevor gulped.

　　"You`re asking me to follow a chart revealed to you in a dream so that a halfling and a kobold can dive down to dark depths and confront the same power that has been raising the water level worldwide for the past some-odd years?"

　　The navigator`s mouth went dry.

　　"And in doing so, you expect me to risk the life of my ship and those onboard by sailing forbidden waters with hard-earned goods in storage?"

　　The captain`s stare was casual but nonetheless icy. It zapped out of existence what little hope Trevor had for helping the two castaways. He didn`t dare to look down at either of them. He focused his effort at taking the captain`s glare.

　　It had been pointless, Trevor thought while trying to produce answers for the questions that hung in the air like vengeful spirits. The fate of the world hung on the shoulders of a small lizard person no one had heard of, guided by a bearded fellow who wore seaweed, who had to go to a place seen in Trevor`s dreams?

　　"Consider it done," the captain said suddenly.

　　"But what about everything you just said?" he blurted.

　　"For someone who works with stars, I would expect you to have a little more faith, Mr. Tweesly. I entrusted the care of these two creatures to you, and if they are involved in some fate, as you say, it`s not my place to obstruct them." He worked his wrist as he talked with his eyes closed. "As my navigator, I trust you implicitly with affairs of the heavens."

　　Trevor let out the tension he had been holding.

　　He turned to Gorestomp and continued, "I will, however, entrust with you the plan of attack."

　　****

　　Preparations began immediately for the delivery of the two castaways to their ultimate destination. Trevor found the chart from his dream quicker than if he had known what he was looking for to begin with.

　　With the heading devised, Gorestomp worked with Trevor on the specifics of his dream.

　　"It was like a black needle in a sea of ink. I was able to sense windows and doors&it was laid out like a keep. And always there was this pulse coming from it."

　　The minotaur listened sternly as Trevor raved. Finally, he spoke.

　　"Judging by the location and your description, it must be deep underwater indeed." He spread his hands on the charts Trevor had left out on his desk. "However, the attack we felt at the mining docks tells me something as well. They were primitive, uncoordinated, and small in number. If that is the force they send to test the coastlines, it makes me hopeful that it describes their main body."

　　He looked at Chicken and Amerigo.

　　"They will need a distraction."

　　****

　　"You`ve never had t`mine in flooded conditions, lad," Cookie said, filling a keg with the concoction that drove off the merfolk in the attack at the shore.

　　"We call these depth charges. Th`wick burns underwater. It`s easy t`set even in damp conditions. Give it a knock and you`ve got till it stops glowin` t`get out of there."

　　Trevor held up the measure of string that Cookie had coated in a secret concoction of substances.

　　"Some lead in it to help it sink," the dwarf said idly, like reciting a recipe, dropping some heavy metal into the keg before adding more powder.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

　　"Now, how are ye goin` to get the blighter down there? He can`t exactly breathe the stuff, can he?"

　　****

　　"You used religious magic?" Trevor exclaimed when Amerigo`s explanation of their underwater escape was translated.

　　"Why? What`s wrong with that?" Chicken said, suddenly worried. He looked from Amerigo to Trevor.

　　"Nothing," he said testily, bouncing a knee, "It`s just that religious magic is only the least reliable form of spellcasting ever devised. I mean, do you want your life in the hands of a being who merely exists for the sake of argument?" He threw his arms up. "Sounds safe to me!"

　　Chicken looked at Amerigo out of the corner of his eye before asking, "There`s another way?" It hadn`t occurred to him that he could have drowned without him ever even knowing it.

　　Amerigo huffed.

　　Trevor lit up. "Of course! Anything gods can do," he said, pulling a book from under a stack of papers and opening it, "we can do better."

　　Chicken looked on the page Trevor had produced. On it was a little figure with a circle for a head, and lines for arms and legs. It was waving at him.

　　****

　　The Hereafter shuddered, suddenly immobile in the water. Silence reigned in the lee of the creaking jolt.

　　Trevor gripped the sides of the barrels secured to the deck as all productive activity halted. Gorestomp, who Trevor had been sure wasn`t there a moment before, put a hand on his shoulder. The minotaur was looking out at the horizon.

　　The water on the port side began boiling, attracting the attention of all eyes on deck. They were rewarded with the rising of a great serpent`s head rising on a great serpent`s neck from the water to the sky.

　　It hissed like the biggest tea pot, before its rows of sharp teeth parted. It said, "Identify yourself vessel. You are in our waters, and we demand tribute."

　　There was no movement on deck. Trevor gripped the top of the barrels hard enough to turn his knuckles as white as the serpent`s scales. Then, the door to the captain`s quarters opened.

　　Gorestomp strode smartly on his brilliant gem-hooves, arms folded neatly behind his back. The serpent tracked him, its eyes deep within the mask of dark horn that concealed its face. The minotaur, his trinkets tinkling, halted in front of the serpent, snapped a quarter of a turn, and slowly looked the serpent up.

　　He bellowed, "Great serpent of the open waters! We are a mere shipping vessel, moving small quantities of rudimentary goods quickly! To spare us your wrath, we have prepared tribute! We happily give you a portion of our supply of goods! Please! Take this single barrel of sulfur in exchange for our continued safe passage on our return trip!"

　　The minotaur`s words were given in a loud but even monotone. There was no trace of humility, nor of irony.

　　Trevor watched as a deck hand maneuvered the indicated barrel. It looked insignificant before the enormity of the serpent. Its head loomed low for a closer look.

　　An eel-like tail rose gently out of the water on the starboard side and snaked over the deck to the upright barrel. The sight of this sent the deck hand scurrying, but Gorestomp regarded it magnanimously. The tail tapped the tribute once, tipping it slightly to let it wobble back.

　　The gigantic and terrifying serpent head turned on Gorestomp as though the minotaur had just stung it. It hissed again like a sudden rend in a pressurized tank.

　　"What is this?!" it demanded, "This is your tribute?" The ship creaked in pain, apparently being squeezed by the angry serpent.

　　Gorestomp closed on the barrel in one step and flipped the lid off, revealing a surface of powdered sulfur.

　　"This represents the meager portion of goods we are shipping, serpent. You demanded tribute and we have come prepared to comply."

　　"Double tribute, elf ship! Two barrels or your lives!" Again the ship gave an agonized groan.

　　Gorestomp calmly held up a hand and snapped once. Immediately a deck hand went to work and another barrel was brought abreast of the first. The lid was removed and a second surface of powdered sulfur was exposed to daylight for the scrutiny of the serpent.

　　An enormous and dark blue forked tongue waggled close to the barrels. Trevor held his breath.

　　A slight stuttering hiss grew in intensity until Trevor realized it was the serpent chuckling.

　　"Yes," it said, "these will do nicely." The covers to the barrels were replaced, tapped back down with a mallet.

　　"Tribute is made, serpent," Gorestomp said in a particularly official tone. "Take them, and we have your guarantee for safe passage." He no longer needed to shout, with the serpent`s head so close now.

　　The tail encircled the two barrels like living rope. "Safe passage, elf ship," the serpent said, its neck retracting below the sea. Like a reverse kraken attack, the serpent`s head, and the two barrels, disappeared below the waves.

　　The Hereafter was free again. Trevor could feel the deck lolling beneath his feet again.

　　He ran to the railing on the starboard side, trying to see the barrels beneath the black-green-blue surface of the water.

　　"They`re on their own now, Mr. Tweesly," Gorestomp said as he approached the edge next to the bookish navigator.

　　He said nothing in reply. The minotaur continued.

　　"This was a successful test. Now we know another way the serpents can be fooled."

　　He gave a meaningful look at the full barrels lashed in small groups to the deck.

　　"It couldn`t smell beyond the sulfur and into the secret compartment underneath." He patted Trevor on the back in an overly gentle way, compensating for their differences in size.

　　Trevor turned to the minotaur, incredulous. "You were only going to give it the one barrel," the navigator said accusingly.

　　Gorestomp cleared his throat. "It negotiated as expected."

　　Trevor turned back to the water, his glare ineffective.

　　"There`s little more we can do now but wait, Mr. Tweesly," he said before walking away. Trevor eventually pulled his eyes from the sea and also walked away from the railing.