Edwin mumbled as he touched his head, the pottery hurted him slightly, but he was okay unlike the innkeeper was going to be, if Ghyreian had the chance to finish her spell and Edwin ran away from the innkeepers counter so that he wouldn`t be fried too.

The man burned and was soon, but a burning corpse and Edwin got up. He yuked at the smell of burned flesh and shook his head.

"Well I don`t have to bother paying for the drink..."

Edwin said as he disappeared to the back rooms looking for wine or at least some ale.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Ghyreian smiled complacently at her handiwork. She grabbed some old ale and dunked it at the nearest minotaur's head. The beast grunted, snarled, and blinked confusedly.

"Get up, you - " Ghyreian quickly caught herself and swallowed the insult. She prodded the man-bull in the shoulder.

"Eh?" the minotaur was still trying to get its bearings. Evidently it had been drunk.

"Who's you captain?"

"What captain?" he demanded in slightly accented Common.

Ghyreian bit her tongue in exasperation. One look at the beast's jaw reminded her that he could snap off her neck without the least bit of hesitation. "You're a sailor?"

"All minotaur are seafaring," the other snorted in contempt. Getting up, he towered a full two feet over the dark elf's head. "Who told you about us?"

"A man named Wevar living on the other side of Zaradene."

It was impossible to tell the minotaur's reaction. But at least he wasn't making any threatening gestures. "I know Wevar - " He paused, glanced around. "Hey why are we - "

Evidently this minotaur was not the most intelligent of the lot.

"You got drunk," Ghyreian said brusquely. "Where's your captain?"

_________________

Edwin began looking trough the bottles, he tsked a lot at the quality until he found a nice bottle of wine. It was hard to find, but it was clear the owner had been saving it. Edwn walked back to the room where he left Ghyreian and poured some wine in a glass he picked up behind the counter as she spoke with the minotaur.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

"Right here, elf."

Ghyreian whirled around and suppressed an exclamation. Looming before her was easily the most massive land-walking beast on Krynn she had ever seen. He towered a full nine feet tall, a hulking mass of bristling red-brown fur and horns the length of her arm. The minotaur grinned, hefting a battleaxe as long as she was tall. The firelight glinted off the spikes on its end, burnishing the fine steel of its double-blade to a blood crimson. The minotaur caught her staring and displayed an impressive mouthful of fangs. Lifting the axe with one hand, he swung it mockingly, languidly.

"Like my weapon? Crafted by the Thorbardin dwarves, it was. And no," he added with a menacing grin, "I didn't fall for your sleep spell, believe it or not. We minotaur are resistant to magic."

Already the others were stirring. The lead minotaur made an imperious gesture for one of them to hold Edwin. With startling swiftness he grabbed a handful of silver-black braids, twisted her head back, and brought his axe swinging down in a graceful arc. Ghyreian saw the double-blade flash, saw it come down in what surely must pronounce her doom. But the minotaur stopped it a hairbreadth away from her neck. He caressed the shining blade against her white flesh for a moment, then turned to leer at Edwin.

"One move from you, and the she-elf dies."

_________________

Edwin looked at the events with a slightly scared eyes and then sighed from relief as the axe stopped, the minotaur turned to him and spoke. Edwin just stood there leaning on the counter as the minotaurs stood on his sides. Edwin looked at the leading minotaur.

"Look we aren`t here to fight, but just to do business you see..."

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

"Business?" the lead minotaur grunted. "We don't have any business you'd be interested in, wizard. Don't get your hopes up."

"What happened to 'the honor of Sargas'?" Ghyreian demanded, wrenching away from the minotaur's grasp. She resisted the urge to rub her bruised neck and scalp. The other man-beasts rumbled a threat.

"What 'honor of Sargas'?" the lead minotaur growled. "I didn't kill you, did I?"

"We need a passage to Ergoth," Ghyreian said imperiously.

_________________

"And fast most presumably..."

Edwin continued and drank some of his ale, the minotaur looked at Edwin quickly, but turned at Ghyreian as Edwin continued.

"And we will pay well..."

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

"Let's see the color of your steel," the minotaur growled.

_________________

Edwin tookout few coins of the other bag and threw few coins on the counter and one for the minotaur leader, the minotaur seemed very paranoid and tried if they coin is real. Edwin smiled slightly, but was prepared if these weren`t the most honest men they could find.

"So is it real enough for you?"

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

The minotaur grunted, made a grab for the money bags. Edwin swiftly held them out of reach. The bull-man grinned.

"Just testing your reflexes. My name's Kourth. Don't bother telling me yours. Come on this way and I'll show you my ship." He waved at his crew, who rumbled and did their best to intimidate the mages.

Ghyreian exchanged a look with Edwin before she followed them out into the night.

_________________

Edwin shrugged with a careful look on his face and exited the inn with them, he looked at all the minotaurs as they arrived to the ship and Edwn looked around until he stopped at Ghyreian.

"You know for some reason I believe this is going to be a very odd trip..."

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

"What makes you think that?" Ghyreian replied with a pointed glance at their new shipmates. "Traveling with minotaurs is something we do daily, is it not?" She ascended up the gangplank and stepped on deck. Despite herself and although she knew nothing of seafare, she found herself admiring the ship. It easily dwarfed the other vessals docked out beside it, but for its size the curve of its hull, the motion of it rocking gently on the waves, could have belonged to a swan.

Kourth caught her looking and grinned, patting the ship on the hull. "Old Wevar got this ship from Mithas. Crafted by minotaurs, she is."

_________________

Edwin too looked around the ship and then looked at the crew, finally pointing his eyes towards the minotaur leader.

"Well... are we leaving tonight or tommorrow morning?"

Edwin asked with an impatient look, but of course knew that they had to get food for the sail.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

"We'll be getting prepared for the journey to leave tomorrow at first light, mage." Kourth thought for a moment, then added. "Of course, the expenses for staying at an inn have already been solved for you."

Before any of them could react two minotaurs moved behind them, grasping hold of their arms with iron grips. Ghyreian had the distinct sensation of something hitting the back of her head, an explosion of pain, then nothing.

_________________

Edwin was knocked out cold too and fell into the same darkness with a curse on his lips for this betrayal hoping that they wouldn`t be turned inn to the local authorities.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Darkness. Inpenetrable and complete. Her elvensight came into focus and she located a redlined form beside her. She reached out warily to make sure it was Edwin, then nearly sighed in relief. She felt the floor beneath her. Wooden planks. And there was a rocking motion that was making her sick....

Nuitari preserve me! she thought with a curse as she staggered to her feet. The rocking seemed to become ever the more pronounced, and she worked to urge the contents of her stomach back down. The door atop a set of stairs swung open. A tall, hulking form stood outlined against the sunlight. At the sight of Ghyreian, the minotaur grinned.

"Just in time, elf. And now if you will come quietly I'll take you two to the captain."

_________________