The Voyage of the Spirit of Fire

	The briny smell of the ocean passed through the Fuergan city of
Kyor on the wind, and it was a smell that sickened Giowen ab Solrhat.
 The ocean, which once was the love of his life, he now despised.
 Having been on dry land for less than a day after months of being
on the ocean, he knew he never wished to leave again.  The iron
bars on his window, however, told him that he'd have very little
option on that matter.
	The cell door opened, and three men came in.  One he knew to be
his jailor, another was Jertin ab Kiman, the local magistrate,
and the third was Giowen ab Honifet, who Solrhat knew was his
step-side-uncle, and member of the Fuergan Syndicate Council.
 Solrhat's sudden return had obviously drawn attention.  Honifet
looked at Solrhat in near disgust.  He had only met his step-side-nephew
once before, but he remembered Solrhat to be a young man of promise
and distinction.  Here was Solrhat,  in rags, his hair beyond
unkempt, his face unshaven and his eyes looking off in a far distance.
 Solrhat's head came up to Honifet slowly.
	"Oh, hello, Uncle," he said, "I'm afraid I wasn't expecting guests...
I have little to offer you."  Solrhat reached into his pocket
and pulled out a dead beetle and held it out to Honifet.  Honifet
gagged and turned away.  Solrhat shrugged and bit into the insect.
	"Is this what you summoned me for, Magistrate Jertin?" Honifet
asked, "I have no time for this."
	"Giowen," the magistrate said, "This man is a member of your family,
and after a year and a half of being missing he returns home on
a Brgish ship in this... condition.  You have a responsibility
to make time for this."
	"And what would you have me do?"
	"He's been telling bits and pieces of his story since he arrived.
 We are going to take his official statement, and it is in the
interest of everyone, including the Syndicate, to know exactly
what happened to the Spirit of Fire."
	"Very well," said Honifet, "I will witness the statement."
	"Thank you, honored one," said Jertin.  He turned to the jailor,
"Are you ready to make the record?"  The jailor nodded, producing
pen, ink and paper.
	"Very well," said the magistrate, and he looked back to Solrhat,
"State your full name for the record."  Solrhat perked up and
looked more coherant almost instantly as he spoke.
	"My name is Giowen ab Solrhat Jitan Wedin mik Jelista dai Triasham
lek Malreth vil Teja sim Giok."
	"Do you recognize and accept this member of your family as witness
to your testimony?"
	"He is Jorchal Giowen ab Honifet, of the Syndicate.  He speaks
for all Giowen.  Of course he can witness."
	"Then proceed with your testimony of the fate of the Spirit of
Fire."
	"We launched from the city of Giowen in late summer.  We were
bound for Druthal, Maradaine specifically, but instead of sailing
south around Imachan and back around, we were exploring an idea
for a new route to the east."
	"East?"
	"The idea was the the Great Eastern Ocean would eventually circle
back to the Western, thus creating a faster route to Druthal."
	"A strange idea,"
	"It was based on some sound logic which I cannot recall right
now.  Nonetheless east is where we went."
	"Your position on the ship?"
	"I was the Second Trader."
	"So it was not your expedition?"
	"No, my brother's.  Jolsan."
	"And you were carrying?"
	"Textiles.  Mostly Turjin silks, and some other varied inventory.
 I don't remember too well."

	"Proceed, then."
	"The trip started out normally enough.  We even started the same
way we normally go for a trip to Druthal.  But after a few days
of sailing south, we turned east, as planned.  We were all quite
excited, at least Jolsan and I were.  The crew, actually, was
somewhat aprehensive.  But Neel-- he was the ship captain-- he
was almost crazed with glee.  This travelling east thing, it was
Neel's idea, you see.
	"We sailed pretty close to the northen coast of Turjin.  I'm not
sure why, entirely, since that isn't safe-- you know how the Turjin
are.  But we did it anyway.  It wasn't too much problem, though,
as we only passed one Turjin ship during this time and they weren't
taking too much interest in us.  But I think keeping land in sight
kept the crew a little calmer.  That might have been Neel's plan.
 I thought he knew best.  When he wanted to stop at one of the
ports in Turjin, I thought he was crazy."
	"'It is really very simple,' he said to me, 'I'm perfectly willing
to accept that I may be wrong.  We may have to turn back.  But
we should be as stocked as we possibly can be from as far east
as we can get.  That way we can go much further.'  I suppose he
was right, but I didn't like the idea of stopping in Turjin. 
You know how they are, and I like to keep business with them to
a minimum.  One wrong word and they could end up cowering from
the wrath of their god or slaughtering you and everyone you are
with.  Nasty people, the Turjin, but believe me, they are nothing.
	"I get ahead of myself.  We stopped at a port town called Jutetka
or something like that.  We took on a few more barrels of fresh
water, mostly just replacing what we had used aleady since leaving
home.  We took on some food as well, but not much, since the Turjin
seem to have no idea how to cure meat, they use some spices that
are simply painful.  I stayed aboard ship the whole time.  Not
Jolsan, of course.  'Come Solrhat,' he said to me, 'May be our
last chance for dry land for some time!'  That may have been,
but I would prefer the sea to Turjin any day.  
	"We were planning on leaving port first thing in the morning,
but that was changed by circumstance.  It was late at night, and
while I was not on watch, I was awake and at the bow of the ship.
 I heard the commotion before I saw anything.  Then, out of the
darkness, a few figures came running.  It was Jolsan and a number
of the sailors.  What he was doing carousing with them I don't
know, but there he was nonetheless.  He was also clutching his
side, bleeding.  But when he saw me, he shouted, 'Untie the dockings,
hoist the sails!'  At first I was simply shocked, but then I saw
that a number of Turjin were chasing after them.  Large Turjin,
with swords.  Immediately I began shouting orders to the few crewman
who were up and on watch, while the ones on land scrambled onto
the ship as quickly as they could.  Luckily, our quick work had
gotten the ship far enough from dock when the Turjin got there
that there was nothing they could do.  
	"I went to check on Jolsan, to find him in annoyingly good spirits,
in fact I am sure he had been in drink.  His wound was not serious,
and he merely smiled and said, 'A little adventure, brother? 
How about it?'
	"'What was that all about?' I asked him.
	"'I have no idea,' he said, sitting up, 'Quite frankly I didn't
understand a word those Turjin guards were saying.  Needless to
say, they were upset at us and a hasty departure was necessary.'
 To this, I had no arguement.  I was not at all comfortable with
being at Turjin.
	"Neel was, of course, confused and a little upset, but what could
he do about it?   Go back to Turjin?  Not likely.  By midmorning
he was back into his usual excited mood.  At that time he and
I were standing at the aft of the ship watching the last images
of land vanish on the horizon.  'This is it,' he said to me then,
'We are truly off.'  He didn't know how right he was.