Two of them sat in the boat, a simple dinghy. Waves lapped the finish which had once been white, but was now chipped and dull. Taki rowed while Luthos sat. The former certainly complained.
"You should take a turn rowing," Taki groused.
Luthos snorted at the notion. "Absolutely not. I'm the mind, you're the muscle."
"I have a mind, too, you know!"
"And right now the only thing that mind needs to be doing is minding the rowing."
"We're supposed to be partners, Luthos."
"And we are! Our skills complement each other. It is a perfect match. We'll find the Makadaran and be hailed as heroes. What could be better?"
"Someone else doing the rowing, perhaps."
"I must concentrate on navigation. I believe we're approaching the Northcliffs. They should be just beyond those mists."
"You said that eight hours ago."
Luthos clicked his tongue, standing up so quickly that his purple robes swished in the breeze. "I am allowed to adjust my estimates. My sense of direction is impeccable, and I know we are heading the right way."
"My arms aren't so sure," Taki teased. "When can we eat?"
"We must conserve our provisions. A small snack before we sleep tonight, then a proper meal tomorrow. Well, as proper as we can have on this vessel. Bread and dried meat."
"Won't we drift aimlessly? We could end up off course."
"A magical anchor will keep us in the right position," Luthos grinned. "I do plan ahead."
"Too bad you don't have magical rowing arms."
"Yes, yes, keep complaining, it makes the time pass more quickly."
"If there's a reward for finding the Makadaran, and surely there must be, I should be entitled to a larger share for doing this much work."
"I spent ten years at the wizards' academy, preparing for this. My contribution is greater."
"I fought in wars for ten years, honing my martial prowess. At the least, we should be even."
"Please. Any fool can wield a blade."
"If he is a fool, he won't wield it for long."
"Meanwhile, those of us who've aspired to a higher potential choose to manipulate the world with our minds rather than our fists and brutish weapons."
"If you wish to impress me, manipulate us closer to shore."
"I must conserve my energy for whatever we face at the Northcliffs. It is said dark forces protect the Makadaran."
"If he is even there."
"We cannot take the risk that he isn't. Your blade will not help us against these forces. You will be grateful for my acumen when the time comes."
"I will be grateful for a time when I'm not rowing, which I suspect will be very soon given how rapidly I am tiring."
"Tiring of rowing, or tiring of me?"
"Both, to be sure."
Quietly, they ate their snacks, drank water sparingly from their canteens, then slept. True to his word, Luthos made the incantations to hold their ship in place for the night. "This should keep us immobile for several hours." The ship no longer swayed with the waves, but sat motionless atop them. Taki found it unsettling.
The two of them curled up, Taki drawing his cloak around his body, Luthos swaddling deep into his robes. They dozed off beneath the twin moons.
Taki awoke first to the realization that their ship was no longer held in place. "Wake up, Luthos!"
His partner did so, bleary-eyed and annoyed. "Why do you disturb me?"
"Your spell didn't hold, you nincompoop! We are adrift."
Luthos harrumphed. "We cannot be far off course. Allow me a moment to orient myself."
While Luthos oriented, Taki scanned the skies. Dawn had not yet broken and he could still see most of the stars--only they weren't the stars he was accustomed to. But there was an even more glaring omission: "Luthos! The moons!"
The mage opened his eyes, turning toward the sky. There was one moon, not two. It did not look like the ones he was familiar with. "That is unexpected."
"Could we have drifted over the edge of the world and found ourselves on the bottom?"
"Impossible. We'd have fallen off if that were the case. We'd be floating aimlessly in a void."
"This sky is not ours, Luthos. How else do you explain it?"
"We have moved in ways unknown to me. Please. Allow me time to get my bearings."
Taki grudgingly kept his mouth shut for a while, pulling his yellow cloak a bit tighter in the chill breeze. It was quite a bit colder than when he'd fallen asleep. Nevertheless, he waited for Luthos to assess.
After a long pause, the wizard spoke. "This is not our world. I no longer sense the materia. This sky is alien. These waters are alien. Sinister means have brought us to this malevolent place."
"We know nothing about it. On what basis do you judge it 'malevolent'?"
"It is devoid of magic. It can be nothing but malevolent."
"I've gotten through my life just fine without spells and enchantments. I fear not this place. You, however, now find your vaunted skills far less useful."
"My intellect remains formidable even in the absence of magic." He pointed over Taki's shoulder. "Row that way."
"Why?"
"It takes us with the current. If there is land to be found, we will reach it faster."
"Unless land is the opposite direction."
"Either way, we will know sooner than we would by pushing against the current."
"You say we but you aren't the one who rows."
"Taki!" Luthos blurted in frustration. "This is a daunting situation. We must remain calm."
"I am calm."
"Then you may calmly row in the direction I asked."
Row, he did. Both hoped for land or perhaps another ship, any sign of civilization. For hours, there was nothingless. Taki nearly gave up when Luthos spotted something through the fog. "Land!" he proclaimed.
Taki hoped it wasn't a hallucination. He turned and saw something dark in the distance. Certainly, something was there. The only thing to do was approach it.
The morning fog eventually cleared and they obtained a more complete vista. The land was not near, likely another few hours' rowing. Still, it was land. They needed only to reach it.
As they made their way, a sign both promising and ominous appeared to them: a large vessel, unknown in design, heading toward them at impossible speed. Curiously, it lacked sails of any kind, and appeared to be composed of metal rather than wood. Taki stole a glance and his rowing slowed to a stop. "What were you saying about there being no magic in this world?"
"We have come to a peculiar place," Luthos agreed. "We must find allies."
The larger ship came up alongside and no doubt took them for lost tourists. Words were shouted down at them which they did not understand. "Can you help us?" Luthos shouted back. The pleading tone must have come across, as a contraption leaned over the side of the ship and lowered toward them. Before they realized what was happening, their tiny boat was lifted up in the air, and soon hovered above the deck of the larger one. It eventually lowered sufficiently that they could climb out. A group of half a dozen men regarded them puzzlingly, making inquisitive noises.
"I am Luthos, a battlemage of the Western Reaches. This is Taki, a warrior-monk of the Midlands. We bid you thanks for your assistance. I believe we have strayed far from home and will require your aid to return. Your vessel is clearly powerful."
The group of men huddled, chatting among themselves.
"This is a fishing vessel," Taki observed, looking over the deck, but especially noticing the smell.
"Improbable. Such power bestowed upon mere fishermen? It beggars belief."
"Consider it beggared," Taki mused. "Look at the men. Look at the deck. Take in the air. These are not warriors, and likely not wise men. They use this powerful ship to catch fish. They must be able to obtain them by the thousands. A day's haul from this vessel could feed a city. A fleet of such ships could feed a nation. It is astonishing to contemplate, but the evidence of our eyes speaks true."
Luthos shook his head in disbelief. "We have truly come to a mind-boggling realm. Even their language is unintelligible. Perhaps a primitive, limited tongue."
"They seem to have no difficulty communicating with one another," Taki smirked. "Face it, my friend. We are the foreigners here."
The two of them were allowed to stay aboard so long as they kept out of the way, as their hosts made clear with strong gestures and shouts. Taki was proven correct as the ship took on a massive quantity of shimmering fish. As darkness approached, the ship turned back toward land. As they drew near the shore, Luthos and Taki saw lights--a city.
The architecture of this place proved no less odd than its naval technology. Buildings were shaped oddly in perfect angles, not a cobblestone in sight. Mountains towered in the distance. Tall posts with steady-lit torches atop them illuminated the streets, neatly paved in something smooth and dark. Luthos and Taki were escorted off the ship, politely but firmly. Luthos asked what they were meant to do now, but received no response.
"It would seem we are on our own," Taki concluded. "We should find shelter for the night."
Wandering from the piers, they soon found a brightly lit thoroughfare with storefronts. Some of the goods on display--food, mainly--was somewhat recognizable. Other items were incomprehensible. In time, they came to a brown building whose exterior shingle brandished a bed. "An inn, surely," Luthos surmised.
The innkeeper, an elderly woman, shook her head at their nonsensical utterances. Ultimately, she took pity upon them, leading them to a small room with a single bed.
"Not your most opulent accommodation, is it?" Luthos critiqued.
Taki elbowed him roughly. "Never mind my companion's ingratitude," he said apologetically. "We are humbled by your kindness."
The woman nodded at them in a way that told them she had no idea what they were saying. As if beginning to understand their predicament, she demonstrated the use of the light switches.
"Incredible," Luthos gasped. "I must know, how do your torches operate this way?"
She could not answer, rather excusing herself hastily.
"I'll sleep on the floor," Taki announced. "That bed looks too soft."
"Then I'll sleep on the floor, as well," Luthos announced, as if it was a competition.