“The one! The same!” The dragon-snake reared up from among its coils, its red-green eyes flared. Whispering to itself, seething, it slowly calmed, settled back down. “By the way, what are you called, Patryn?”
“Haplo.”
“Haplo.” The snake seemed to taste the word, found it to its liking. “Then, Haplo, I will tell you how it is that this Samah has returned again to a universe he and those of his accursed race nearly destroyed.
“After the Sundering, Samah and his Council of Seven looked over the four new worlds they had created and chose the most beautiful among them on which to make their home. They brought with them their favorites among the mensch, to serve as their slaves, and founded their city of Surunan on a magically created landmass which they call the Chalice.
“Imagine their surprise when they discovered that their beautiful world was already inhabited.”
“Your people, Royal One?”
The dragon-snake modestly lowered its head in acquiescence.
“But where did you come from? Who created you?”
“You did, Patryn,” said the dragon-snake softly.
Haplo frowned, puzzled. But before he could question further, the dragon-snake had continued on.
“At first, we welcomed these newcomers to our world. We hoped for prosperous, peaceful interaction with them. But Samah hated us, because he could not enslave us, as he enslaved the wretched mensch. He and the other Council members attacked us, completely without provocation. Naturally, we defended ourselves. We did not kill them, however, but sent them running back to their city in disgrace.”
“You defeated Samah?” Haplo asked, dubious. “The most powerful of all the Sartan who ever lived?”
“You may have noticed a certain odd property of this seawater . . .” said the dragon snake suggestively.
“I didn’t drown in it, if that’s what you mean, Royal One. I can breathe it the same as air.” “I wasn’t referring to that.”
Haplo shook his head. “I can’t think of anything else.” “Indeed?” The snake shifted its bulk slightly, almost as if it were laughing. “I would have guessed the seawater to have the same effect on the magic of both races—Sartan and Patryns. Most peculiar.”
Haplo could scarcely breathe. The terrible joy that filled his being produced an actual, physical pain in his chest. He needed an outlet for his emotion, reached for some food, though he wasn’t hungry.
The seawater in this world destroyed Sartan magic! And on this world, surrounded by seawater, was the Patryn’s most hated enemy. Haplo lifted a wineskin, nearly dropped it. His hands shook with elation. Carefully, he laid the wineskin back down. Be calm. Be wary. Don’t trust these creatures.
He tried to appear casual. He took a bite of something, not knowing or caring what. “But all this you describe must have happened many generations ago. How is it possible that Samah is alive, Royal One? Perhaps you’ve made a mistake.”
“No mistake,” said the dragon-snake. “But . . . the food. Is it to your liking? Will you have more of anything?”
Haplo hadn’t tasted what he put in his mouth. “No, thank you. Please go on.”
The snake obliged. “We hoped that, after we had chastised them, the Sartan would leave us alone, allow us to pursue our lives in peace. But Samah was furious at us. We had made him look the fool in the eyes of the mensch, who, seeing these godlike creatures brought so low, began to talk openly of revolt. He vowed revenge on us, no matter what the cost to his people or to the innocent mensch.
“Using their magical powers—you may guess, by the way, that the Sartan had now an extreme aversion to seawater— Samah and the Council wrenched loose the seastar from its stationary position in the center of this world. The seasun began drifting away. The water grew colder, the temperature in both their Chalice and in our seamoon began to drop. Thus, though it meant that they themselves would be forced to abandon the world, fleeing through Death’s Gate, the Sartan hoped to freeze us to death.
“Of course they would have, in the process, frozen the mensch, as well. But what were a few thousand humans, dwarves, and elves, compared to the vast numbers already sacrificed to Sartan ambition during the Sundering? The mensch discovered this evil plot, however, and rebelled against their masters. They built ships and fled into the Goodsea, chasing after the seasun.