“Kalinda uelle Mak!” Terious exclaimed as he briefly lost his grip on the oars. “What in the name of all the ten seas is that!”
“A missing piece of memory,” Ehomba told him, not flinching away from the aqueous apparition. “Part of a tale told since childhood to the young people of my village by those of the Naumkib who have been to sea.” Manipulating his expression in what he hoped was the appropriate manner, he made a round circle of his mouth and blew softly. “It is a sargassum man.”
IV
The initial reaction on board the Grömsketter to the sudden eruption of the gilled, beleafed, brown-and-green homunculus directly in front of Ehomba was one of confusion and alarm. His sleep disturbed, Ahlitah stirred reluctantly to wakefulness. Simna and Hunkapa Aub rushed to the railing, and it was the swordsman who broke out into a broad grin and hastened to reassure the crew.
“It’s all right! I told you my friend was a wizard. See what he has summoned up out of the sea.”
“It didn’t look like he called anything up,” declared one of the crew from his position in the rigging just above the helm deck. “It looked like they were starting to back clear of the weed and the malformed thing just arose in front of them.”
Simna threw the sailor a look of transient anger, then smiled anew at the uncertain Stanager. “No, Etjole called it forth. You’ll see. Everyone will see.” He returned his attention to the patch of drifting weed where the confrontation was taking place.
I hope, he thought uneasily.
Out on the open water, observing that his lanky passenger had not lost his, Terious regained his composure. “A what man?”