"No wonder that our ancestors emigrated from this nasty world…" Lynette murmured before entering the portal flare.
The city of Ariadna met them with the bright merry sunshine coming down from the clear blue sky. But the merchants and tradesmen were anxiously closing their shops, dismantling the booths, packing goods into sacks and baskets, rolling carpets up. Hurrying in all directions, detachments of soldiers supplemented the total muddle.
Lynette and Andreas returned to the yacht and saw Jim and Iven waiting for them at the gangboard, remaining outwardly imperturbable in contrast to alarmed sailors and merchants bustling near other ships confusedly.
"Trolls have been noticed near the city," the Elf explained the stir, "it's the rumour of the day."
"The monsters are hunting for me," Lynette was the first to come aboard, "we must sail away now, my presence can endanger these people."
They departed without delay and headed to the midday aquamarine expanse of the open sea, the surf rustle and crying gulls.
On looking back they saw the pursuers. A dozen of big boats made an appearance floating down the river through the city, hefty trolls swarming on the decks like dark shaggy spots, halberds in paws.
Hundreds of knights and soldiers lined up along the embankments, composed a kind of a phalanx, tight rows of shields bristled up with levelled lances, manifesting their eagerness to conduct a defence.
However the monsters didn't attack them, even hardly paid any attention to them, just passed by, intently chasing the prey ahead. Lubberly set sails made the boats careen, but the trolls took long oars. Barking something out rudely, the chieftain was urging the rowers forward. A gloating howl and gruff commands became heard when the hostile flotilla came out of the estuary and began to catch up with the yacht.
"They are going to grapple with us," Andreas checked whether his sword could be unsheathed easily. Standing beside him, Lynette tightened the belt of her scabbard. No shade of any fear but concentration in their eyes.
Jim dashed to open a larder hatch and took a not very large battle-axe out, the blade glinted with bluish steel.
"What shall you do with them?" Andreas slightly wondered when Iven, who had already put a quiver and a bow on his shoulder, hurriedly fetched three Elvish lanterns from the lower deck, in daylight they looked like big white convolute rosebuds in silver casings, small chains to carry or hang by.
"They can dispel all kinds of darkness," the Elf smiled a little enigmatically. Then he twirled one lantern by the chain like a sling and hurled it towards the enemies. It flew above the sea, burst in the air and scattered a sparkling golden mist above the two leading boats, a quiet crystal chime accompanied the flickering of that bright cloud.
"Elvish magic!!! It burns!!" the trolls screamed and dropped their oars rushing about the decks in panic, trying to avoid any touch of the weightless chatoyant veil. The two unruled boats collided and cracked breaking into pieces, squealing monsters clumsily flopped into the water, splashing and floundering.
Some playing and whirling amber puffs reached the yacht but did no faintest inconvenience to the four friends.
"Fragrant like roses," Lynette scented.
"The nectar from flowers grown by Elves," Iven nodded smiling.
"Ooh! Let me try too!" the Dwarf flung the second lantern vigorously, it exploded in the middle of the flotilla, and the new shining cloud produced a greater disorder, a louder whine, the boats began to veer round, bump against one another and capsize.
But one vessel did get closer, roaring trolls started to jump from it and climb the yacht board impudently. Iven strained his bow and shot one monster. Jim hewed the second brute with the axe not to let him step onto the deck. Andreas knocked two more assailants down into the water with swift blows of his saber.
Lynette took the last Elvish lantern from the steering-wheel where Iven had hung it and hurled it onto the enemy boat prow. Trying to escape from the shining golden nectar gushing out, the mob of remaining trolls heavily brattled towards the stern, bawling in horror. That panic rush made their vessel careen and overturn.
"Hey, we should spare illumination appliances!" Iven exclaimed in a joking discontent.
"But we did have a fun!" Jim went to the steering-wheel and rotated it to lead the yacht out of the magical mist diffusing in the air.
Andreas noticed an iron panoply glove dropped by one of the trolls, got a hold of it with the tip of his sword blade, raised it from the deck and threw it overboard. After that he sheathed the saber.
The battered and disorganized pursuit lagged behind and vanished from sight. Soon the shore evanesced too, only the azure sea scintillating all around. Drifting in the blue sky above the horizon, massive clouds were even more splendid than the nectar haze. From afar they resembled majestic snow-white castles, unknown fabulous kingdoms, sails of mysterious ships. A moment of peace.
"Where shall we go now?" Lynette stood beside Andreas.
"Maybe, to the University Lighthouse?" he looked at her, "the professors can advise us what to do…"
"It is rather a long way. I offer to make a short stop at that island," Jim gazed at a bluish silhouette, a group of conical mountains looming in a distance, "Dwarfs come there to mine minerals."
The wind favoured them to approach to the solitary piece of land quickly, and in a minute they could distinctly see the lush verdure, wild forests on uneven slopes, shrubs on high cliffs.
"A chance to have a lunch on a steady ground," Lynette commented the view in an undertone.
Antique wind-lashed colonnades and arbours of white marble, grass thrusting up between slabs of footworn paths. Polished with waves, a broad staircase was leading straight into the water and could serve as a wharf.
The yacht came up to the half-sunk stairs, Iven and Andreas furled the sails and lowered their new ladder. Jim went ashore, Andreas threw the mooring rope hank for him to tie the ship to a vertical fragment of a crashed column.
After disembarking they arranged a lunch on stony benches in one of the arbours. Tankards, a deep wooden plate with a pile of buns on it.
"Dryads abandoned this place many years ago," Iven looked around, "but their portal must be somewhere over here."
"Do you feel it with your Elvish magic?" Jim was eating and drinking with a good appetite.
"Elves don't know any magic," Iven took a bun from the plate, "we just live in harmony with nature."
"Well, I agree that the Universe has a vital power. I feel better among greenery than in a desert," Jim went on trying to understand, "but why do wizards utter different incantations? And what is the Dark Witchcraft?"
"To wield that power one must formulate his wish clearly. Thoughts can be vague, but words make them definite… And the Dark Witchcraft is nothing but a despicable hypnotism…" the Elf raised his tankard but didn't drink, listening to something he turned to the old footpath flanked with bushes and a dilapidated colonnade.
Seven Dwarfs were wearily walking along that road towards the arbour. Dark jackets and trousers, boots and hats, sacks hanging on shoulders, pickaxes in hands and battle-axes in belts, all their working clothes and tools had a cover of dust. The most imposing bearded Dwarf was obviously their leader, his mates looked younger and not so mighty.
"Thanks Goodness! If only you knew, Jim, how we are glad to see you!.. and your nice yacht!" the leader pronounced in a joyful bass.
