The Scarlet King Read Free

sighting only occasional seabirds. Now they
were to see a land filled with strange critters and plants. They
traveled very comfortably in the ship called Red Dragon, which had
been outfitted with great care to provide for comfort. The envoy of
the Red traveled not without his luxuries. The sailing crew were of
those of the Red as was the Captain, but all security personnel
were of the Southern Kingdom. The negotiations for peace had
carefully spelled out the personnel to ensure that those of the Red
could not seize control.
    Jason was met by Jeremy as he proceeded
towards the dining facility. Mostly they ate food prepared by
Jason's chef, but occasionally shared a meal with the envoy. These
meals were always prepared by both chefs, and all food tasted for
possible poisons before presenting at the table. The breaking of
the fast was the quietest meal of the day, but Jeremy still had
stories to tell. Jason tired not of hearing Jeremy's stories. Today
he relived their first adventure on the Island of the Flightless
Bird. By the time they arrived on deck, daylight was developing
fully and the eastern sky was painted in oranges and reds. They
found Larby stomping around the foredeck with his peg leg, looking
somewhat unhappy.
    Jason asked, "What bothers you on such a
beautiful morning?"
    "It is the color of the sky that bothers me
such,” said Larby. “You see beauty but I see a storm coming and the
Captain sees it not."
    Jason asked, "What would you have us do?"
    Larby chewed on his lip before responding. "I
would make a run for the harbor of my people. We may yet be able to
beat the storm."
    It was Jason's turn to be quiet. He looked
forward to visualizing the island he so wanted to see, but no land
was yet visible. He thought again about the stories Jeremy had told
about the storm they had experienced. If he thought only of himself
he would risk the storm to see this magical island, but others were
aboard. He turned towards Larby and asked, "The harbor of your
people would be secure if the storm does approach?"
    Larby but nodded his head and spoke not. They
stood in silence while Jason considered his options. If he were to
believe this young man he really had no options, for the safety of
the entire mission may be at stake. With a large audible sigh he
turned from looking forward and told Larby, "I so wish to see this
island where you were rescued but I would not endanger the mission
for my own desires. Inform the Captain that I would change course
to the harbor of your people."
    It was midmorning before the envoy, Don the
Great, appeared on deck. He noted their course and asked, "Why have
we changed course?"
    The Captain responded in the high tongue of
those of the Red and pointed towards Jason. The envoy nodded a
reply and walked forward to where Jason was sitting with Jeremy and
Edna. He asked, "You changed your mind about seeing this island
with the flightless bird?"
    Jason replied, "I would see this island, but
fear for the mission if the storm does arise. Larby is of the sea
and knows of the storms in this part of the world. I would trust
his knowledge."
    "As you wish,” the envoy responded. “The
Captain thinks but a little rain is coming and sees not a storm
using his weather glass."
    Jason asked how the weather glass worked and
the envoy just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Something in the
air causes the fluid in the tube to rise or fall depending on the
weather. Our sailing people seem to trust it."
    Darkness was approaching and a line of clouds
was visible on the horizon. They would arrive at the harbor of
Larby's people about dawn. At sundown the weather glass was again
checked. The Captain was obviously surprised, for the fluid was now
much lower. He told Jason, "It appears that your fishermen may have
been correct after all. Hopefully we will reach the harbor before
the storm arrives."
    The sky was full of reds and purples after
the sun dropped below the horizon, but off to the south was only
darkness. The