The journey back to the river at the edge of the Sandy Desert was quiet. Liam thought of Jrasta and wondered what fate remained for him. Would the soldiers do him harm? Would he get away? Was he in danger from Kenny the Dragon? Would he manage to get back to Kings-Home on foot?

He kept replaying the whole incident in his mind. He even wondered if they should have left Jrasta's horse behind. He knew that would have been foolish. One of the soldiers simply would have taken it.

Only Jep seemed to be happy. It might have had something to do with the unobstructed view from the back of Jrasta's horse now that there was no one in the saddle in front of him.

They broke for a late supper when they reached the river. As they set up camp, Liam realized it was a lot more work without their friend and mentor. There were, of course, some things Liam didn't appreciate about Jrasta. He tended to make conversations quite difficult. He had an odor about him that was a little hard to handle. He snored... not just a little bit, but he snored like there was something seriously wrong with his nose. Liam remembered the hours he and Ezra had spent not being able to fall asleep because of the terrible noise coming from that man's sinuses. Despite all these things, it was clear they all missed Jrasta.

Finally, Jep gave them a look, and they realized they needed to pull themselves together. Jrasta may not be with them anymore, but he was a strong fellow, and he would make it through. They had a quest, and they needed to focus.

That night after supper, they sparred again with swords and hand to hand combat. Liam and Ezra were getting to the point where they could, for the most part, hold their own against DOHNK. Ezra even managed to disarm her a few times.

When they awoke the next morning, they were about to cross the river and head back through the Sandy Desert when DOHNK made a suggestion. They pulled out Jrasta's map and found Kenny's pit, the Desert, the jungle and approximately where they were. DOHNK wondered if they should avoid the path they'd taken to get there and follow the small river south to where it joined up with the Achtor River. She told them that the river flowed west back toward Kings-Home, and they might be able to gain passage on a boat. That detour could save them days of travel.

It sounded like a good idea, and the group turned south immediately. The Achtor River wasn't far, and by the time they broke for lunch, they could see the water in the distance.

By late afternoon, they were approaching the water's edge where they came upon a small town with a harbor. The people were wary of strangers coming from inland, and they found the people unfriendly. Most of the town's visitors came by boat and stayed on the boats. The people didn't appear to trust anyone from outside. They called the place Sandyport after the desert a short distance away.

They made their way straight to the docks and found a ship large enough to take all four of them and their horses. The ship was a merchant vessel which sold material and furs from upriver.

They set sail the very next morning. There was a strong wind coming from the east, and they made good time heading west. The captain of the ship, a short, round hairy man with a hook for a foot and a peg for an arm was quite friendly and seemed to enjoy their company. He asked all about their travels, and they told him just about everything, except of course that they were on a quest and had the key to the King's Chest in Liam's pocket. They weren't sure who to trust and thought it was better to keep the detail secret.

The trip back was uneventful the first day, but their situation changed on the morning of the second day. They were lazing around on the deck, chatting with some of the sailors, when the boat lurched to the side. DOHNK was sitting on the rail at that moment, and if it wasn't for Liam grabbing her arm, she would have toppled right into the water.

The captain burst out of his quarters and began giving orders. The sailors rushed around to obey. They fully raised the sails and tied everything down. They also made sure the horses were secure in the hold below, and they told their passengers to stay close to the mast. With the sails at full, the ship picked up speed in the water.

When all the orders had been followed, everyone stopped and waited. Liam started to ask what had happened, but the Captain just held up his hand for him to be quiet.

The boat lurched again, but that time everyone except two of the most seasoned sailors were knocked over. Within seconds another more violent lurch happened, and then the boat started to creak like it was about to break apart.

Everyone looked around in fear for a few silent moments before the captain hollered, "It's the Kraken!"

I hope you are enjoying Arestana: The Key Quest. Keep reading to find out what happens next! If you want to get a hold of this entire story, you can pick it up from Amazon, Chapters, Foyles or just about everywhere else!

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