The dawning sun was hidden behind the massive thunderheads floating above the Northern Sea. In front of it, the towering fogbank leading the impending storm toward land was still shielded from the light and sat upon the still-calm waters like a massive dark gray pillow.

No sooner had the sky begun to lighten than the three vessels plowing through the waves and swells away from World's End shifted their course from north by northwest to an easterly course back toward the Cold Narrows. The winds had been mild and steady through the night, but now they seemed to disappear almost completely leaving the small flotilla in danger of becoming becalmed. The West Wind, towing the Asherouboros, which had been the slowest of the three vessels during the evening, now surged ahead by virtue of its oar-beasts efforts.

When morning was fully broken, King Frega apprised his position. They had sailed a substantial distance beyond the tip of the Cape where the Brotherhood ships patrolled and had done so undetected. Their progress, however, had been slower than hoped and while they were a full twenty miles from the nearest enemy ship, they were still within range to be seen by a sharp-eyed lookout with a telescope. It was only a matter of time until they were spotted and Frega had little doubt that the Brotherhood's vessels would move quickly to intercept them once they were. He ordered signal flags raised to call a quick meeting onboard the West Wind to determine the best course of action. Sails were lowered and oars were shipped and soon representatives from the two other ships were lowered on boats to make their way to the West Wind.

Captain Varga stood next to Frega, Egbert and Bobo awaiting their arriving comrades. He gave his assessment of their position while pointing out the approaching fogbank which loomed a mile behind them like a massive cliff.

"We ain't got wind just now, but that's gonna change right quick as that storm moves. The fog'll be here in less than an hour and we'll be sailin' blind...bright side is we won't be seen by no one...'course we won't be able to see them neither, nor the storm for that matter, till she hits us."

"What is our best course of action, Captain?" Frega asked, "How do we get past the Brotherhood ships and on our way to Xenoth?"

The Captain took a bite out of an apple he retrieved from his jacket pocket. He shook his head.

"Only one way for it...sail as far east as we can in the fog and as soon as the gales start a whippin', we turn due south and run before the wind. That storm'll be blowin' right on our tails and we'll be on a dead run past them scarlet ships. If we don't capsize or run aground, we might do it. We'll need to get as big a lead as possible, 'cause when they start chasin' us, we're bound to be slower, what with pullin' the monster and all."

"I leave it to your expertise Captain, do all you can."

"I will, King Frega. Will you be at this meeting?"

"I leave it in your capable hands, you can brief me when everyone goes back to their ships. We're not going anywhere for at least a short while, so I'm going to catch some rest. Please have someone wake me when we get underway," the wolf yawned.

"Oi'll wake you, Frega," Egbert offered, "I rested last night and Oi'm too nervous to sleep."

Frega clapped the mole on the back.
"Thank you my friend, I appreciate it." He walked toward his cabin. The captain nodded at his companions, then walked to the quarterdeck to welcome the other captains onboard, leaving Egbert and Bobo leaning on the rail staring at the ever nearer mountain of fog. Egbert turned to face his rodent friend. Bobo had walked over to the mainmast and drawn a chalk circle about head-high in its center.

He walked back next to the mole and took off his vest, revealing the crossed bandoliers holding two dozen daggers, which he always wore. In the blink of an eye, Bobo's paws and arms began to move in a flash, pulling knives from their holster and launching them toward the mast. In barely twenty seconds all the daggers had been thrown and rested imbedded within the confines of the small chalk circle. As he retrieved his knives, prying them from the mast and returning them to his bandoliers, he turned toward Egbert and chuckled.
"That takes care of my practice for today. Guess I'll enjoy the cruise."

Egbert had become very fond of his erstwhile bodyguard. He stared out to sea as he spoke.
"What are your plans once this is over?" the mole asked

"You mean assuming we don't get killed, eaten or drowned?" Bobo chuckled.

"Yes, assuming that." Egbert smiled.

"First off, I'm gonna ask that tyrant of a boss o' mine for some time off." He clapped Egbert firmly on the back, "That would be you."

"Yes, Oi got that," Egbert put on a mock-stern face, "Oi'll take your request for time-off under consideration."

"Anyway, I'll probably head back to my family for a visit," Bobo continued, "just to show them that I made something of myself. A bodyguard for Lord Egbert of Gleneden, they'll be real proud of me and my brother Moba will be jealous as a starvin' ant watchin' a picnic."

"Oi hate to rain on your parade, but Oi'm not that important or famous, Oi'm just a loibrarian." Eggy smiled.

Bobo laughed.
"You're one of the most famous beasts on Arishamal. A real hero," he smiled slyly, "not a king or wizard, mind ya, but pretty famous and after I make up a few stories about ya, even them wizards and kings'll envy ya."

"You are incorrigible," Eggy said playfully poking the nutria in the ribs, "if you must lie about me, make sure to tell everyone how handsome Oi am."

Bobo laughed.
"Even I ain't that big a liar."

Robbi had slept for the entire evening, recovering from the extreme effort she had put forth in her shepherding of the Asherouboros out to sea. She was slightly taken aback when the she finally came on deck and saw the fogbank, now a mere hundred yards behind them, ready to engulf the West Wind. The small wizard spotted Egbert and Bobo, who had been joined by Winky, Groggs, Chumley and Thoris and hurried over to them.

Robbi was glad to see that Zian had remained at World's End with his family to serve as a representative of King Frega. He protested initially at being left behind, but his objection faded upon seeing his wife and child and the need to protect them in the dark days ahead finalized his acquiescence to Frega's request.

Robbi smiled brightly as she greeted her friends. They filled her in on what was planned and she strived to hide her concerns and put forth an air of confidence. As the ship prepared to make its run into the narrows, the group dispersed. Robbi pulled Chumley aside.
"You're an expert on the Asherouboros," she began.

Chumley laughed.
"Ah don't know about that, but ah 'ave spent a fair amount of time with 'im."

"Well, you seem to know him pretty well," she corrected herself, "What I'm trying to figure out is when to give him Arisha's gift."

"The two flasks of 'er essence?" Chumley asked.

"Yes. The problem is I don't know what it will do for him. He was driven by a lust for her essence for so many centuries. He seems so calm now. Do you think this gift will make him crazy? Do we give it to him now or at the last moment? I just don't know...what do you think?"

Chumley sat silent for a while before answering.
"Ah don't honestly know, do ah? 'Owever, at the moment ah think the point is moot. We're about ta charge the enemy with a storm bearin' down on our bum, ain't we? Not much we can do till we're clear of those scarlet buggers."

He looked up to see the sails beginning to rustle as the wind continued to pick up. Glancing over his shoulder he noted the fogbank, now nearly upon the three ships.

Chumley continued, "In any case, mah luv, in about ten minutes we ain't gonna be able ta see anything, that's a right messy patch o' pea soup that's about tah swallow us up."

Robbi looked at the encroaching fog.
"You're right about that. I suppose we'll decide when to deliver Arisha's gift when and if we make it safely past those ships," she sighed, then asked another question, "do you think the tank will make it through this storm if we get caught in it?"

"Better than us," Chumley chuckled, "it's at sea-level with big old balloons 'oldin' it up...it ain't gonna sink, but we might."

Robbi laughed.
"You're just a bundle of sunshine aren't you?"

"Yeah, that's me, ain't it?" the garrulous rat was about to continue when the lookout shouted from the top of the mainmast.

"They spotted us!"

All eyes turned toward the cape. Chumley took out a small spyglass he was carrying and peered through it. The Brotherhood ships were mere specks, as before, but now they clearly seemed to be red, an indication that their scarlet sails had been raised.

Onboard the West Wind, the oars were re-manned and the sails unfurled. The wind continued to increase in intensity and a light rain started to fall as the three ships began to move in a south-easterly course toward the Cold Narrows. As they began their run, the fogbank finally engulfed the three vessels, shrouding them in a dense impenetrable cushion of mist.

On board the vessels, the atmosphere became surreal. Beasts scurried along the decks and up the masts unseen, shielded by the dense fog. Nothing could be seen beyond a foot or two. On the West Wind, Captain Vargas stood at the helm with his navigation beast at his side calling out their bearing every few minutes to keep the surging ship on the correct path.

Shortly after the fog descended, bells began to chime at regular intervals on all three ships to allow their location to be known and avoid accidental collisions. The three ships separated until it sounded as though they were forty or fifty yards apart.

It was a nervous time. The wind had gone from an erratic breeze to a steady gust as the storm moved ever closer on their tails. Rain, in impossibly large raindrops began to pound the deck and from time to time the entire fogbank flashed in a brilliant burst of white as lightning flashed somewhere in the clouds behind them followed by the ominous low rumble of thunder.

There was an eerie, muffled quiet in the mist, broken only by the bells, thunder and shouting of orders amongst the crew-beasts. Even the heavy plops of the raindrops on the wooden deck and strokes of the oar beasts seemed distant and shielded. The sails finally caught the full measure of the growing gales behind them and billowed to their full volumes. 

As the West Wind picked up speed, their passenger, the Asherouboros, was pulled through the swells at an increasingly brisk pace, the wash of its tank's motion through the sea causing small waves to wash over the front of the tank. The beast came to the surface in curiosity. It raised its head above the surface, enjoying the sensation of rain, surf, and ocean washing over the top of its body.

Captain Vargas noticed that the bells of the two ships escorting him became more distant as their run continued, but he was in no position to correct this. His focus was to maintain their southerly course, running dead ahead of the wind toward the Cold Narrows and past the Brotherhood sentinels.

After half an hour of cutting through the seas, the sound of the other ships bells were bare audible to anybeast aboard the West Wind. Then a new set of sounds pierced the fog. A symphony of distant shouts and screams could be heard, the sound of wood striking wood, of scraping and scratching. Lookouts tried their best to peer through the mist to find the source of the disturbing cacophony, but to no avail. Captain Vargas pressed on in desperation, ignoring the ghostly cries within the veil.

At just under an hour into their blind dash, the wind shifted. The swirling zephyr changed course from due south to east. The captain struggled to keep his vessel headed toward the narrows, lowering sails and doubling the stroke count of the oar-beasts to keep the ship from being driven on to the unseen mainland shores. The wind pushed the fog east and as suddenly as it had been engulfed, the West Wind found itself out of the fogbank, moving once more slowly along the outer bank of the cape on the verge of entering the Cold Narrows, but they were far from alone.

To the horror of every beast aboard the West Wind, two Brotherhood ships, primed for attack, lay directly in their path, no more than a hundred yards ahead of them. The hundred foot high fogbank continued to retreat slowly to the east, revealing a heated battle between the two remaining Brotherhood ships and the Goddess and the Freedom. The Freedom was well, having managed to start a raging fire on the deck of it's foe. The Goddess however had collided with the remaining Scarlet brig in the fog. Both ships were ensnared in fallen masts and riggings. A large hole at the point of collision on the starboard side of the Goddess was taking on water uncontrollably, causing the allied sloop to slowly and inexorably sink into the icy waters.

Battle stations were manned aboard the West Wind, as the two Brotherhood ships maneuvered closer, like predators readying for the kill.

Outarmed and outmanned, the crew of the West Wind prepared themselves for the worst. Everyone on board knew that the Scarlet monks would take no prisoners and give no quarter. It would be a fight to the death. Prayers were said and friends hugged as the two enemy vessels continued to approach for the death blow.

Chumley and Thoris stood in the bow, armed with cutlasses. They shielded Robbi behind them.

Chumley turned and hugged the small wizard doing his best to sound positive.
"Well, darlin', it ain't lookin' good, but we've been through worse, ain't we? What you gotta do now is get them flasks Arisha gave ya and take a boat down to the tank to protect Ashy with your spells and such."

Robbi protested.
"I'm not leaving you guys, I can cast shields...protect you!"

Thoris shook his head.
"Chumley'th right, what matterth ith protecting the Asherouboroth. Thereth too many of thoth monkth. They're coming from all thidth, all you could do ith prolong the battle, not change the outcome. If we looth Ashy, we looth the world..."

Chumley interrupted.
"Yeah, 'e's the Secret King, ain't 'e? Go on Robbi, we'll cover ya."

Robbi began to well up with tears, knowing her friends were right. She turned to retrieve Arisha's flasks when she suddenly heard something.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Whath what?" Thoris asked.

"That sound...it sounds like singing." She turned toward the fogbank behind the enemy ships.

Chumley craned his neck, straining to hear.

"Yeah, ah 'ear it too...what is that?"

Frega came running up, he wore a grin from ear to ear.
"That my scraggy black friend is the sound of victory!" he pointed at the face of the fogbank. The volume of the music rose until the lyrics of the song were clear.

"Pull you mighty wolves of war,
Pull with all your might!
Pull proud you sons of Lokias,
Pull so that you may fight!

Tense your arms and legs of steel,
Lay backs into the board!
Pull those wooden oars you hold,
As though they were your sword!

Backward, Forward, stroke that oar,
Through oceans bright and clear!
Pull faster now you lupine knights,
The enemy is near!
Pull faster now you lupine knights,
The enemy is near!...."

Frega pointed proudly to the boundary of the fogbank.
"There!" he shouted.

As they watched, Gladiverserac, massive wings outstretched and riding the sharp winds burst through the white wall of fog leading the charge ahead of three Dragon Boats, each with huge metal figureheads bearing down on the Brotherhood ships. Robbi waved furiously at her friend.

"Good girl, Gladys!" she shouted.

Egbert and Bobo joined their friends, sharing in the relief and amazement. Frega draped his powerful arm around Bobo's shoulder and looked down at him.
"Well master Bobarus, you said you wanted to see our Dragon Boats, what do you think?

Bobo clapped his paws.
"They gotta be the most beautiful things I've ever seen!" he proclaimed jubilantly.

They were indeed beautiful ships. Long, slender and sleek, with fifty oars to a side and a single thick central mast holding a massive rectangular sail decorated with a massive wolf's-head over crossed war-hammers. Each boat held over two hundred Lokians. Their slim design and razor sharp bow, powered by hundreds of powerful warriors shot the craft across the waves like a missile launched from a crossbow. The figureheads at their front were thick steel, molded into the shapes of mythical Lokian dragons that extended twenty feet ahead of the body of the ship and were parallel to the sea.

The two Brotherhood ships menacing the West Wind had no time to evade their attackers. The Dragon Boats struck the enemy vessels at full speed, driving their figureheads deep into the wooden sides of the ships. The large holes crushed into the hulls provided access, as wave after wave of fearsome wolves rushed onboard. Soon the air was rent with the sounds of battle. It did not take long for the monks to strike their colors and surrender.

The Dragon boats disengaged from their targets and two of them moved to the battles still raging around both the sinking Goddess and the Freedom. Then, as quickly as the mayhem had begun, it was over.

When the fog cleared, the results of the conflict were obvious and impressive. The Brotherhood ships that were rammed by the Dragon Boats were still sea-worthy, though barely. The gaping holes smashed through their sides by the figurehead rams were above the waterline and not a immediate danger.

The Brotherhood ship that had been set ablaze was in the process of sinking and its crew and boarders had abandoned it and were being helped onboard the Freedom. The crew of the Goddess was rescued by one of the Dragon Boats. Only one of the Brotherhood ships was unscathed and the rescued crew took it over as its own, immediately re-naming it the Second Goddess.

King Frega assembled the officers of the defeated fleet onboard the West Wind and informed them of their fate.
"We are not going to kill you, though I have no doubt we would not have met the same fate had you won. You will assemble your crews, all your weapons will be taken, all but a single sail will be taken. You will be escorted to World's End by one of my Dragon Boats which is also evacuating the wounded. If you stray off course, you will be sunk and left to swim ashore.

"There is a storm approaching," he pointed to the ominous rumbling sky, "and the holes in your hull would certainly not fare well in rough seas, so I recommend that all your energy be directed to safely making port. Your war is over! You will be taken into custody once you arrive. Accept your fate and you may have a life ahead of you. Now go, the storm approaches," he concluded. There were no arguments and no questions.

The monks filed off the West Wind and boarded two of the crippled Brotherhood ships. They were all disarmed and any larger weapons on the ships such as catapults and deck-crossbows were torn from their housings and chucked overboard.

When the wounded were all transferred to the escort ship, Frega had a brief conversation with the Lokian officer in charge and waved him off. He returned on board the West Wind and gave orders to transfer the tank-towing duties to one of the remaining Dragon Boats. Soon, as the defeated Brotherhood ships limped eastward toward World's End, the Arishamal fleet headed west, entering the Cold Narrows, towing the Asherouboros and trying to put some distance between them and the increasingly violent storm bearing down from the north.