~~~The Smoking Sea~~~
Artys POV
"Any news from your friends in Essos about the dragon eggs?" I asked Soyrn, my eyes still fixed on the sea.
"None, except for those three that were sold at the auction house in Pentos — they came from Asshai," he said, leaning against the wooden bulwark. "But Illyrio Mopatis bought all of them before we could place a bid."
That fat bastard.
"Why didn't you bid higher? It's not like I lack gold."
"They were already sold, my lord." He gave me the long-suffering look of a man who had explained himself too many times already. "Had you concluded your business in Volantis sooner, we would have arrived before the auction ended."
"That woman dragged the conversion out with all that religious nonsense," I muttered. "And spent half the time trying to seduce me on top of everything else."
Soyrn's expression shifted into something dangerously close to amusement.
"Did you enjoy your time with her, my lord?"
"No," I said flatly.
He accepted that with a small nod, then looked back out at the water.
"So after this treasure island of yours, we head to Elyria and Tolos?"
"No. First Meereen." I turned toward him. "Tell me, Soyrn — how many Unsullied can a merchant purchase before people start asking questions?"
He thought for a moment.
"A few hundred."
"And if a dozen merchants happen to purchase them separately at the same time?"
His eyes narrowed.
"A thousand."
"Exactly. While I'm in Meereen, you go to Astapor. Pose as a Pentoshi merchant. Split the purchase among a dozen men and send them in as separate buyers. We don't need to raise attention."
"And what you're about to do in Elyria and Tolos won't attract attention?" he asked dryly.
"The slaves will revolt," I said, holding his gaze.
Soyrn stared at me.
"Of their own accord, naturally."
"Naturally," he repeated.
"I merely intend to be present when freedom arrives."
"How fortunate for them." He shook his head slowly, the corner of his mouth turning upward.
"Protecting the innocent and all that," I added with a smirk. "As every noble knight of the Seven Kingdoms swears when he takes his knighthood."
"Protecting the innocent," he said, deadpan. "I must say, my lord, your sense of theatre is impressive."
I gave a modest nod.
He didn't let it go.
"Speaking of the Vale — the ten legions," he said, folding his arms. "We stopped the training as you ordered, under pressure from the lords. We are still paying their salaries. Three gold dragons a year each. I am not complaining, but what happens when you call them and they still answer first to their lords? Your entire plan needs those men loyal directly to you. What if it doesn't happen that way?"
"It won't be a problem," I said. "The lords of the Vale are sworn by oath to House Arryn. Once my old man is gone, I am the lord. They follow the seat, not the man sitting in it."
"But all that investment in the meantime—" he started.
"Just—" I began.
"LAND! MY LORD — THE ISLAND!"
The shout came from the crow's nest above, cutting clean through the wind and water.
I straightened immediately.
Finally.
"Someone get me a spyglass."
A servant appeared almost at once, pressing the brass instrument into my hands. I raised it to my eye.
There it was.
A small island. No trees. No greenery anywhere in sight. Only dark stone rising out of the water at the edge of the Smoking Sea, with the bloody mist of old Valyria hanging behind it like a curtain drawn across the end of the world.
No wonder sailors avoided this place.
Let's see what that treasure map is actually worth.
"Prepare the boats," I shouted. "Get the men ready." I paused. "And bring Lady Kinvara — she comes with us."
The deck erupted into controlled motion around me.
Soyrn appeared at my side.
"I don't think there will be any men on that island," he said quietly, studying the rock through his own glass.
"It's not the men I'm worried about."
Even from here, the place felt wrong. Stories of Balerion and Princess Aerea's journey to Old Valyria came to mind — what she had brought back with her. Those worms. I was not taking any chances with whatever blood magic the Valyrians had left behind on that rock.
"My lord, what is happening?"
I turned.
Lord Royce stood at the entrance to the lower deck, blinking like a man freshly woken.
I glanced sideways at Soyrn.
For once, he actually looked embarrassed. "I mixed it into his supper as instructed. The dose should have kept him asleep for at least a day."
"Then why is he standing in front of me?" I muttered, low enough that Royce wouldn't hear.
"It appears Lord Royce possesses a rather robust constitution."
The last thing I needed was the old bronze asking questions about where we were going.
"My lord, why are the men—"
Royce never finished the sentence. His eyes glazed over, his knees buckled, and he dropped face-first onto the deck.
Soyrn looked down at him thoughtfully. "Seems it merely needed more time."
I turned toward the nearest Unsullied.
"Hen sȳz iā lentor."
*Take him to his cabin.*
The Unsullied struck a fist against his chest.
"Hen sȳz."
It shall be done.
He lifted the unconscious lord as though he weighed nothing and carried him below like a sleeping child.
A few minutes later, a dozen small boats cut through the dark water toward the island, oars rising and falling in silence.
Five hundred Unsullied. Kinvara. And me.
The island was too small for the ships. The Malenia and the rest of the fleet remained anchored well clear of the rocks, waiting.
I had made sure none of the Silver Knights or household guards came with us. These Unsullied would never speak of what they saw.
Grandmother had been wise to leave me those seven hundred.
As we drew closer to the island I shifted my gaze sideways. The water around us had changed colour no longer the familiar blue-grey of the Narrow Sea but a deep, strange green. And as we approached, the air itself grew hotter.
Behind the island, the Smoking Sea began just visible through the white mist that hung at the edges of the world.
Gods. What were those incestuous freaks doing out here.
Kinvara settled gracefully beside me as the island grew larger.
"You seem tense, my lord." There was concern in her voice. Or the performance of concern — with Kinvara, the distinction was often difficult to make.
"I'm fine."
Who wouldn't be worried. If it weren't for the treasure, I wouldn't look twice at this place, let alone sail to it.
"If there is anything I can do to ease your mind..." She let the sentence trail away while her hand drifted toward my thigh.
"My lady." I caught her wrist before it travelled any farther. "I appreciate the offer. But I am far too young for you."
"Your body says otherwise," she murmured.
"That is beyond my control. But I assure you, I have no interest."
She smiled — that particular smile, the one that screamed calculation behind every pleasant curve of it and withdrew her hand without protest.
I looked past her toward the Unsullied rowing the boats. Every one of them stared straight ahead, utterly indifferent to anything happening three feet away.
This is why I like them.
"Let's focus on the island," I said.
The boats scraped against rock and came to a halt. I was first over the side, boots splashing into water that was, against all expectation, warm.
What a world — even the sea water is warm here.
I scanned the barren landscape. Nothing but jagged black stone in every direction. I turned toward the Unsullied captain.
"Rȳbagon ēdruta hen nyke jorrāelagon. Tolī, drējī, se ānogar iksā ñuha."
Search every inch of this island. Cave, tunnel, or opening — report it to me.
"Nyke ȳdra, muña." He bowed his head.
As you command, master.
He struck a fist to his chest, then barked orders to the rest. The Unsullied dispersed immediately across the island in disciplined silence.
"Come, my lady," I said to Kinvara. Six Unsullied fell in behind us.
We walked in silence. The ground was uneven beneath our boots, black stone rippled and hardened into strange shapes by whatever had come before the Doom. Steam rose from cracks in the rock in thin white threads.
Then I spotted it.
A rock formation that rose slightly from the flat surface, with an opening at its base — narrow, but wide enough. Angled downward into the dark.
Looks like we found it.
I pointed toward the nearest Unsullied.
"Jump down. Tell me what's underneath."
"Nyke ȳdra."
As you command.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward and dropped into the gap, disappearing into the dark below.
"What do you expect to find here, my prince?" Kinvara asked.
I sighed. I hadn't told anyone except Soyrn about the treasure map.
"How many times must I tell you to stop calling me that? I'm not a prince."
"Whether you like it or not, you are the chosen champion of the Lord of Light. The prince that was promised." She glanced toward the cave entrance. "And as his servant, it is my duty to accompany you to the depths of hell itself if necessary. A cave beneath an island in the Smoking Sea is hardly a challenge by comparison."
I shook my head. "You Red Priestesses ever wonder what kind of nonsense comes out of your mouths? Every sentence sounds like a prophecy."
She smiled serenely. "I hear only the will of R'hllor."
Before I could reply, a shout echoed up from below.
"Muña! Dāria gȳlvī se ñuhys sylvie issi iōragon!"
Master! There is a shipwreck below — and many wooden boxes!
A shipwreck. Here. Inside a cave. I didn't even know what to say — how in the world did a ship get inside.
Now that was interesting.
I stepped back from the opening.
"Ȳdra. Īlva biarves. Naejot iā lenton."
Come. Everyone follow. We are going inside.
One Unsullied departed immediately to gather the rest of the search parties. The others began descending into the darkness. Kinvara and I followed after them.
Once inside, the path sloped gently downward. The further we went, the darker it became — daylight fading behind us, the mist of the Smoking Sea vanishing entirely. Loose stone shifted beneath our boots.
The air grew warmer, thicker, tasting faintly of ash and something older.
And then somewhere ahead — the faint flicker of light reflecting off water.
The passage widened as we went deeper.
The cave was enormous. A small crack ran along the ceiling far above, letting in a thin blade of pale light that fell straight down onto the water below. And what water it was — a small underground lake, crystal clear, nothing like the dark sea above.
Through it I could see the bottom clearly.
There was the wreck of a ship. Around it sat piles of wooden boxes, each large enough to hold a grown man.
The Unsullied stood waiting in silence beside the water's edge.
Soyrn would lose his mind if he saw this.
I walked slowly to the edge of the lake and looked at the nearest Unsullied.
"Ȳdra — zȳhon sylvie naejot nyke."
Go — bring one of those caskets to me.
"Nyke ȳdra, muña."
As you command, master.
Four of them dropped into the water without complaint. The casket rose to the surface a minute later — buoyancy doing most of the work — and I helped them drag it to the shore.
"Jorrāelan."
Open it.
An Unsullied stepped forward and brought the butt of his spear crashing down on the lid. The wood split and shattered inward.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then slowly, as the lid fell away, the sight inside was what can I say pleasant to look at. Gold coins mixed with jewellery, catching what little light the cave had to offer and throwing it back in all directions.
"There should be tens of such boxes below," Kinvara said, looking from the chest to the lake.
"Yes," I said, with a smile I didn't bother hiding.
Perhaps that treasure map had not been a waste of money after all.
POV Ends