The golden dragon landed by skiff, almost swamping Veritas. The Elf stared in disbelief at the two lone figures huddled on the dragon's back.
The bleakness of the riders seemed to spread across the waves to the passengers waiting on board the Lonely Star. There was no need for questions. All knew that disaster had struck. There only remained the details of how each friend had met her fate, and what Mithadan intended to do now.
The Mer-Man Levanto rose from the waves and clutched at the side of the small boat. The distance prevented the observers from hearing his words. They could only see his gestures of anger and disbelief. Veritas leaned down and placed a palm on his face, but he back angrily away.
Daisy leaned far out over the rail, watching as Mith gently handed Bird into the arms of Veritas and climbed wearily into the skiff. Along with the grief, a great fear descended on the small stowaway. She was the only halfling left on the Lonely Star. And the one other companion on the ship who had defended her was gone as well. How would she be treated by the others now? Would they somehow even manage to blame this disaster on her in some way? Daisy had read in tales of people who were thought to bring bad luck to a ship, and how the crew had rid themselves of the cause of such ill fortune. She backed away from the rail as the skiff hoved to, and the ladder was lowered.
And then she saw Kali. Kneeling on the deck, head bowed, hands splayed over his face. She walked tentatively up to the misrable Hobbrim and laid a hand on his shoulder.
The strange face was twisted with grief. Only the eyes reflected the ancestry that he and Daisy both shared. "This is my fault. All have suffered and died for me! I wish that I had never found you all. I wish I had remained in my cave."
"No, Kali. Don't say that." Daisy slowly put her arms around the shaking shoulders of the Hobbrim and began to rock him back and forth. "There, there. It will be alright. Please don't cry. There, there..."
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