Chapter 8 "Up Above and Through"

Sailing to Loctar took almost four days because of a horrible storm on the second day out of Beltizar. Erwaith anchored the Silver Hawk along the shore during the worst of the storm to avoid being stranded or sunk. They arrived in Loctar early in the morning of the fourth day and docked at the main wharf. A cool breeze blew in from the Northwest over the water that sent chills into the travelers’ bones. It was an unusual change.

Loctar was a sleepy town when compared to Beltizar, but it was in no way a ghost town. The wharf was busy with fishermen mending nets and singing old sea songs. One old gentleman, wearing a tattered waistcoat and wool knickers, was busy playing an old lute while another, dressed in a pair of long wading pants and dirty long sleeve shirt, filled the air with an old folk tune on a shawm. Children danced merrily and made up new verses to the ancient melody. The gray wooden dock swayed with the waves. Several older fishing boats were turned upside down in lin