The small skiff carrying Squeeker and Squawker Fishpaw made its way lazily over the calm waters many miles south and east of Xenoth to the ancient harbor of Port Saud. The two brothers were feeling safe and happy for the first time since they had hired on with the Deev.

Squeeker made it clear to his brother that as soon as they delivered their message to Colonel Taois they would be done with war and fighting and would disappear into the depths of Arishamal, away from the control of the Minge. Squawker did not protest, suggesting instead that they run away as soon as they were on land without even searching the Deev colonel out. His brother, however held out the hope that they might yet be paid, hoping that the terror and anguish they had been subjected to might yet prove at least slightly profitable.

The three beasts accompanying them on the boat had been chosen by Squeeker carefully. Each beast shared the Fishpaw's desire to escape their obligation to the Deev and each planned to scatter to the four winds as soon as their paws touched land. Every beast onboard felt a joyous freedom, a great burden lifted off their shoulders when Port Saud was finally visible in the distance.

Port Saud could not be counted among the Great Cities of Arishamal. It had been in decline for centuries, attacked from the east by the ever encroaching desert called Qin-a-Scyth or Child of the Scythe, which had been spawned by the hot winds of the Scythian Desert to its south. The sands of the Qin-a-Scyth surrounded Port Saud in a giant crescent with the only ready accesses to the city being a narrow strip of wetlands hugging the sea to the south, on which the only road to the city was built and the still flourishing harbor which most travelers and merchants used.

While not a major city in present times, Port Saud had once been the greatest of all the cities on the Island Continent. Centuries before Thoth, before Wiccinas or Seth-e-Raman, it had been the center of civilization. Great kings and conquerors ruled within its boundaries. Stone edifices and marble palaces, long crumbled and buried beneath the sands, once lined its skyline. Five hundred years before the world's scholars sought out the new libraries of Wiccinas, the great minds of Arishamal planted the seeds of science and culture to grow and spread within the confines of Port Saud.

One would never guess its illustrious history by its present day appearance. That is not to say that Port Saud did not have charm or appeal, it did. It was now a town with a slow pace of life bathed in warm winds and a pleasant climate, a popular destination for harried merchants and bureaucrats escaping the hustle and bustle of the larger, more crowded cities.

The city's function now was one of catering to visitors, of meeting their needs and satisfying their desires, both wholesome and otherwise. Where in the distant past there had been palaces and libraries now stood inns, eateries, and saloons. What little industry and agriculture that remained was now centered in a small lush valley on Port Saud's eastern boundary, fifty miles square, nurtured by an underground spring and surrounded by the shifting sand dunes of the Qin-a-Scyth. A few plantations growing dates, figs, and desert grapes represented the only agriculture still thriving in the arid clime. Other deserted and overgrown plantations dotted the valley, serving no purpose other than temporary housing for visitors and squatters.

The heart of Port Saud was centered around its harbor. Not as vibrant as the docks of Seth-e-Raman, yet still busy with fishermen peddling their daily catch and merchants offering exotic treats from the far reaches of the continent.

Port Saud was more a community than a city. There was no mayor, no city government, only a loose conglomeration of merchants and businessmen who decided on the immediate needs of the city and saw to it that whatever was needed to keep their city profitable was acted upon. The closest thing to an authority figure present in Port Saud was the Harbormaster, Dextram Crefor, a wizened otter with few scruples and expensive tastes. He carefully watched all the incoming vessels, determining which could most successfully add coins to his purse. He levied fines, charged imaginary taxes and performed desired services, all without regard for any ethical or moral standard beyond his own greed.

He had, through his many years of hustling, picked up titles and positions no one else wanted. Besides being harbormaster, he was the local land registrar, approving leases and land transfers, district assayer, allowing him to grant mining rights and buy precious metals at a great discount, and magistrate, giving him oversight on most local matters of law. He was a polymath of corruption, but only greedy enough to satisfy his reasonably meager goals of wealth and never so much as to raise the ire of his fellow Port Saudians.

What was remarkable about Dextram was that despite his many shortcomings, he actually managed his various positions efficiently. True, he skimmed here and there, took bribes and allowed villains occasional refuge, but in the end the city ran smoothly and unhindered thanks to his tireless pursuit of personal gain.

When the Fishpaws finally guided their skiff alongside one of the dozens of small docks lining the oceanfront of Port Saud, they had mixed feelings. Relieved at the prospect of hopefully disengaging themselves from the Deev and possibly even getting their paws on some funds, they attempted to maintain a cheery disposition. Unfortunately, Port Saud brought up countless bad memories of their childhood, of their struggle to survive and of the distain which the locals had heaped upon them. It reminded them that despite their efforts to make better lives for themselves, they would end up no better than when they started their adventure.

Squeeker let out a long sigh as he walked along the dockside, resigning himself to the feeling that the two brothers were among that class of beast which never improved their lot in life, upon whom luck never smiled. He glanced over at Squawker and couldn't help from grinning. His hulking brother wore a huge smile, reveling in the familiarity of his surroundings and oblivious of the depressing circumstances those surroundings represented. Squawker suddenly looked around in confusion and nervously addressed his brother.
"Where'd them coves what sailed with us go, Squeek?"

"They scrambled to the winds soon as we docked. We won't be seein' them no more."

"Maybe we should too," Squawker suggested.

Squeeker became annoyed and snapped at his brother.
"And do what? Run where? Like it or not this is the only place we know. This way at least we might get some scratch ta show fer our troubles. We're gonna need ta eat, ta sleep somewhere dry and safe...ya need money ta do that, unless ya wanna become thieves agin and end up hung or in jail."

Squawker began to tremble and small tears poured down his cheek.
"I'm sorry Squeek, I ain't smart like you. I didn't think of none of that. I just knows I been scared every second since we met them Deev and seen more beasts killed than I ever wanted ta see. I been havin' bad dreams and don't know what ta do ta feel better," he struck himself several times on the forehead, "I wish I weren't so stupid, I ain't no help ta you at all."

Squeeker regretted snapping at his brother as soon as he had done it and now felt intense regret at seeing his brother blubbering. He stopped and gave the much larger ferret a comforting hug. He spoke to him softly.
"You ain't got no reason to be sorry, Squawk, and you ain't stupid, you're real smart. I couldn'a made it through this alive without yer help. I'm right proud ta be yer brother. You trust me one last time. We'll deliver the message to Taois, try ta get our pay and that'll be it. If'n it even looks like things are goin' sour, we skedaddle straight away. Is that okay by ya?"

Squawker sniffled a bit and then broke into a broad grin returning Squeeker's hug a little too forcefully causing his brother to grimace. He released him from his grip and cheerfully answered.
"That sounds just fine!" a look of mild confusion crossed his features as the pair continued down the street, "Where are we goin', Squeek?

Squeeker smiled slyly.
"Meetin' an old acquaintance."

"Who?"

"Old Dextram. Vasheron said he'd know where Taois could be found."

Squawker let out a loud laugh.
"Dextram? That sneaky coot?"

"Yeah, Squawk, the lord-high crook of Saud himself."

They walked on wordlessly for a while until Squawker turned to his brother and asked earnestly.
"Do ya really think I'm smart?"

Squeeker smiled and clapped his brother on the back.
"I surely do, bro, I surely do."

The building that served as the headquarters for the harbormaster belied his importance and wealth. It was a simple adobe structure, perfectly square, about forty feet deep and twenty feet wide. Unimposing and sitting at the center of the harbor-front, the only indication that it was home to a beast of significance was the intricately carved, thick mahogany door which served as it's only entrance.

Squeeker knocked loudly on the door and waited. Squawker studied the carvings on the entrance. The door was covered in animal figures engaging in combat, not war, but a competition of some sort. As he was about to ask his brother about the carvings, the door swung open and a female rat with yellowed teeth stood in their way. She looked at the two brothers and cackled.
"As I live and breath, if it ain't them useless Fishpaws," her expression became stern, "what d'ya want?"

Squeeker spoke for the brothers.
"We need to see Dextram, its important. He'll be upset if'n ya don't let us see him."

"Is that so?" the rat said suspiciously. She turned and began to walk back into the building calling back to the brothers, "Wait here! I'll see if he wants ta bother with yas."

After a short time she returned and motioned the brothers in.
"He'll see ya, but you best not be wastin' his time. Go on in and sit down. Don't be blabbin' till he talks to ya."

The brothers entered the building quietly. The decoration of the interior space was extremely strange, a muddled mixture of exotic and expensive objects d'art and junk. Dextram sat facing them in a chair that not only looked like a throne, but was in fact a royal seat from an ancient king which the otter had purchased at great expense. As if to offset the beauty of his chair, his foot-paws rested on an empty stained wooden crate.

The rest of the room was oddly decorated as well. The walls and ceiling were unpainted and cracking, its corners cluttered with cobwebs, yet in the ceiling's center hung a crystal chandelier which would have done a palace proud. There were no tables per se in the room, rather, it was dotted with eight sawn sections of an oak tree, each two feet high and two feet wide with painted tops.

One of theses makeshift tables was placed next to the throne and served to support Dextram's generously sized flagon of wine. Another was placed as a small table in front of a plain wooden bench upon which the Fishpaw brothers had seated themselves facing the otter.

The remaining six stumps were scattered throughout the room to serve as platforms for those artifacts which the otter especially prized. Three of the stands held carved jade statues of incredible beauty, but the fourth supported a plate of sardines, the fifth, a crude dragon made clumsily from broken sea-shells, and the final stump held an immense ball of yarn wider and taller than the table itself.

Dextram shook his head slowly and smiled at the two ferrets as he addressed them.
"I though you two were long dead. Still rollin' drunks?"

Squawker spoke up.
"We're honest beasts now."

"Is that so?" the otter stared at the two ferrets intensely. "Well you two honest beasts, what brings you two into my den?"

"We was told to contact you by Prince Vasheron," Squeeker said cautiously.

The otter's demeanor changed from one of amusement to one of concern. He sat up straight.
"Vasheron? You are with the Deev?"

"We serve on his ship, Dextram Crefor."

"I would never guess you two to be entrusted by those devils. What is it Vasheron wants from me?"

"He just wants you to direct us to Colonel Taois. We have instructions from the Prince to pass on."

Crefor sat silent for a short time then stood and walked to a series of nails protruding from the wall. He lifted a key from one of them and tossed it to Squeeker.
"Taois has yet to return to Port Saud, but this key will allow you entrance into the Deev compound. There is no one there at present, but you may wait for him there. Are you familiar with the old date plantation called Golden Palms?"

"I knows it!" Squawker said enthusiastically, "Its way outta town...really big too."

Dextram smiled.
"They paid a nice sum for it...had to be big enough fer all of them." The otter leaned forward and spoke barely above a whisper, "You wouldn't happen ta know where them devils keep their gold, would ya? I'd be willin' to share it with ya. I seen it...great big chest of coins."

"We don't know nuthin about that," Squeeker answered.

The otter lost interest and waved the pair out.
"Too bad. I told ya what I know, now go and keep me out of any dealings with the Deev...don't come back here. Just make sure ya tell Vasheron I did all I could to help."

"We'll do that, Dextram. Thank you," Squeeker said standing. As the brothers were about to exit, the otter called to them.

"Be careful around them beasts, the lives of others don't count for much to them."

"We will...and thanks again," Squeeker reiterated as he and his brother left the harbormaster's presence.

Golden Palms Plantation had stood deserted for fifteen years until it was acquired by the Deev. An immense structure, with over fifty rooms, it had proven too large and too expensive to run for its former owners. Dextram was delighted when he brokered the sale and transferred ownership at a more than healthy commission and fee. He increased his reward substantially by arranging to clean and refurnish the now dilapidated property in preparation for Vasheron's arrival. To the otter's credit, while it was true that he overcharged the Minge many-fold, it was equally apparent that he had done a magnificent job, restoring the building and grounds to their former, splendid glory.

It had taken the Fishpaws the better part of a day to reach the plantation. It was an easy trip, a well-graveled road led all the way from the harbor to the front gates of Golden Palms. Had the brother's been in possession of a carriage, the journey could have been accomplished in just over an hour.

A tall ornate wrought iron gate emblazoned with two large crossed, gilded iron palms, blocked their entrance into the front gardens which led to the main house. Squeeker retrieved the key which Dextram had given them and was delighted when it easily opened the imposing gate.

The two brothers walked slowly to main entrance, taking in the lush gardens, filled with broad-leaved plants and mysterious yellow, pink, and blue-hued stalks of flowers.

The front door was unlocked and the ferrets entered to find themselves in a beautiful marble-lined entry room. It was large and opulent, with a high domed ceiling and spiral stairs leading to a second floor. Three halls radiated from the entry and the Fishpaws began to explore them.

Squeeker was investigating a small, but comfortable looking bedroom when he heard his brother call out. He quickly ran down the hall to the source of the shout. He rushed into the room to find his brother grinning like a two year old, they were in the kitchen. Squawker was dancing in little circles with his paws raised above his head.
"Have ye ever seen anything like this...this big, in all yer days?" he asked.

"I gotta admit that I ain't Squawk. This is the biggest cookery I ever seen."

It was indeed an enormous kitchen, with several stoves, cutting blocks, and preparation tables. There were three fireplaces, one for grilling, one housing a large cauldron for soups and stews, and one with a rotating spit for roasting. Squawker discovered the pantry and squealed in delight at finding it filled to the brim with vegetables, salted fish, grain, and eggs. He turned toward his brother.

"I like this place, can we stay?"

Squeeker smiled.
"We gotta stay. We gotta deliver the message to Taois, don't we? This is where he'll be comin' and we'll be here to meet 'im. I just hope he takes his time in returnin'."

"Kin we sleep here too?" Squawker asked eagerly.

"Yeah, sure. We'll take one of them smaller rooms so the colonel don't think we're greedy. I seen one, they're real nice...nicer'n anything we been bunkin' in."

Squawker looked his brother in the eyes, still smiling.
"I hope them Deev never come back."

Squeeker's smile became a little sad.
"Me too, Squawk, but we ain't that lucky. They'll come all right...," his smile brightened, " till then though...We got us a palace!"