“Somewhere on board, there’s a device the elves used to see long distances.”
The Patryn could have used his magic to enhance his vision, but that would have meant again relying on himself. He had the feeling, however confused, that if he put a purely disinterested object between himself and the star, the object would reveal to him the truth.
Rummaging through the ship, he found the spyglass, tucked away in a chest as a curiosity. He put it to his eye, and focused on the sparkling, twinkling light, half-expecting it to vanish. But it leapt into view, larger, brighter, and pure white.
If it was a star, why hadn’t he seen it earlier? And where were the others? According to his lord, the ancient world had been surrounded by countless stars. But during the sundering of the world by the Sartan, the stars had vanished, disappeared. According to his lord, there should be no stars visible on any of the new worlds.
Troubled, thoughtful, Haplo returned to the bridge. I should change course, fly toward the light, investigate it. After all, it can’t be a star. My Lord has said so.
Haplo put his hands upon the steering stone, but he didn’t say the words, he didn’t activate the runes. Doubt crept into his mind.
What if My Lord is wrong?
Haplo gripped the stone hard, the sharp edges of the runes bit into the soft, unprotected flesh of his palms. The pain was fitting punishment for doubting his lord, doubting the man who had saved them from the hellish Labyrinth, the man who had established their home in the Nexus, the man who would lead them forth to conquer worlds.
His lord, with his knowledge of astronomy, had said there could be no stars. I will fly toward this light and investigate it. I will have faith. My Lord has never failed me.
But still Haplo didn’t speak the runes.
What if he flew toward the light, and his lord was wrong about this world? What if it turned out to be like their ancient world-a planet orbiting a sun set in cold, black and empty space? I could end up flying into a void, flying on and on until death claimed me. At least now, I have sighted what I hope and believe are clouds and where there are clouds there might be land.
My Lord is my master. I will obey him unquestioningly in all things. He is wise, intelligent, all-knowing. I will obey. I will. . .
Haplo lifted his hands from the steering stone. Turning away moodily, he walked over to the window and stared outside.
“There it is, boy,” he murmured.
The dog, hearing the troubled tone of his master’s voice whined in sympathy and brushed his tail against the floor to indicate he was there if Haplo needed him.
“Land. At last. We’ve made it!”
He was certain beyond a doubt. The clouds had parted. He could see dark green beneath them. Flying nearer, he saw the dark green separate into varying shades of green-patches that ranged from a light grayish green to a deep blue-green to a mottled, yellow and emerald green.
“How can I turn back?”
To do so would be illogical, a part of him reasoned. You will land here, make contact with the people as you have been ordered to do, then, upon leaving, you can fly out and investigate the sparkling light.
That made sense, and Haplo was relieved. Never one to waste his time in useless self-recrimination or self-analysis, the Patryn went about his duties calmly, making the ship ready for landing. The dog, sensing his master’s growing excitement, jumped about him, nipped at him playfully.
But beneath the excitement and sense of victory and elation ran an undercurrent of darkness. These last few moments had been a dreadful epiphany. Haplo felt unclean, unworthy. He had dared admit to himself that his lord might be fallible.
The ship sailed nearer to the land mass and Haplo realized, for the first time, how fast he’d been traveling. It seemed the ground was hurtling toward him, and he was forced to rechannel the magic in the runes on the wings-a maneuver that reduced the speed and slowed his descent. He could actually make out trees and broad, empty expanses of green that appeared to be suitable for landing. Flying over a sea, he discerned in the distance other bodies of water-lakes and rivers, which he could only barely see for the thick growth of vegetation surrounding them. But he found no signs of civilization.