After spending a few leisurely days in the Knowledge Islands, Solam prepared to set out for Candlekeep. This time, however, Solam and the others could not take their original large ship and had to transfer to the small boats used by the residents of the Knowledge Islands. Candlekeep had no harbor capable of accommodating large vessels.
As mentioned before, Candlekeep was not actually very large. It was built on a small island—or rather, a peninsula. One side was sheer cliffs, while the other was connected to the Way of the Lion by a fairly narrow road. There were no good deep-water harbors nearby, and large ships could easily run aground there. Therefore, people arriving at Candlekeep by sea generally had to transfer to small boats at the Knowledge Islands, travel to a small port about five kilometers from Candlekeep, and then continue overland.
Solam was naturally no exception. He could only leave Korgan Bloodaxe, Harris, and the other rough men who had little interest in seeing Candlekeep behind on the Knowledge Islands. Although the islands had a strong scholarly atmosphere, they still offered entertainment that suited Korgan Bloodaxe and the others. After all, no matter how cultured a place was, people could not escape their seven emotions and six desires.
Not many people accompanied Solam to Candlekeep this time—only Trism, Loris, and Xianna. Although Wahid and the others had sailed with Solam to the small port, they did not intend to enter Candlekeep. Those men all came from criminal gangs and were practically half-illiterate. They could recognize words, but anything beyond that was asking too much of them. So, they decided to remain in the small town outside Candlekeep, gathering information while waiting for Solam and the others.
Solam led Trism and the two women along the Way of the