The arrival of the ship at Alcyan Ford caused a stir in the village. In recent years, the village had built a wooden dock to facilitate the loading of crops to the southern cities. This is where the Topaz docked. The inhabitants were only familiar with commercial ships. They had never seen a prestigious ship, except for the Cristal twenty years earlier. And never had a royal fleet ship with its two escort cruisers pass their homes.
During the docking maneuver, the villagers had gathered to watch the spectacle. Their attention was immediately drawn to the arrival of Deirane, who leaned over the gunwale to see what had become of her village. The older ones remembered her as the girl who had been tattooed with diamonds by a Drow. The younger ones believed in the tales of the elders, and now
