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The OP MC 8 Chapter 5
🕑 Added 2021-07-31 13:00:07 +0000 UTCI made a new save point even though I was reluctant to give up the chance to kiss Zenda again, but I reminded myself there would be more opportunities in the future. My time with the Zaborian historian had only just begun, and it was already off to a great start.
Now, I had work to do.
While my speech was grand, and I meant every word, I still had a lot to figure out, but I was confident I could succeed yet again.
The Pirate King would soon be quaking on his ship.
Red Hands, the bane of pirates everywhere, was coming for him.
Then I trotted down the dais, and I marched straight up to Risthan with a friendly smile on my face. I held out my hand for the man to shake, and once his fingers tentatively gripped mine, I pulled him into a sideways hug. The Arajian's eyes widened in surprise, but then his gaze flicked behind me, and I knew Sarosh was approaching us.
“Hey, Risthan, thank you for coming to bring the news about Arajah,” I said to the silver-haired older man. “I am going to save your land from the Pirate King.”
The shocked look that followed my words was priceless, and I made a mental note to lock it into my memory.
“But… But… How did you know?” Risthan frowned in confusion. “You know my name, and yet we have never met. How did you come to know of Arajah?”
Before I could answer, I heard feet behind us, and I turned to meet the silver-haired priestess. Risthan eyed Sarosh like a cornered dog, but she kept her eyes on me as she approached.
“I am very interested in the answer to that question as well,” Sarosh said as she crossed the distance to us. “You speak of Arajah like you know it well, Bash, but it has always been a well guarded secret. Who told you? Was it this man?”
“You still doubt my power?” I arched an eyebrow at my High Priestess.
“No, of course not,” Sarosh said in a hurried voice. “I am awed, but not doubtful.”
Then the two Arajians exchanged a heated glance, so I quickly stepped in between them to make the introductions. I put on my most friendly smile and lifted my palms up in a placating manner.
“Risthan, this is my priestess, Sarosh,” I said as I gestured toward the gray-eyed older woman. “Sarosh, this is Risthan, the man I told you about.”
I flashed Sarosh a pointed look, and my priestess nodded subtly.
Good. She hadn’t forgotten our conversation.
“It is good to meet you at last, Risthan,” Sarosh said with a polite tight-lipped smile. “I wish you came with better tidings of our homeland.”
“You do not seem surprised by His Grace’s words,” the silver-haired man observed.
“He warned me of your arrival before we came to the library,” Sarosh informed him in a calm tone. “My new master is strong and powerful. He knows all things.”
“All things?” Risthan demanded.
“I even know about your island’s secret magic,” I said.
“You have told this man the great secrets?” Risthan spat at Sarosh.
“Hey, she didn’t tell me anything,” I interjected. “Enough bickering. You two need to get along, for the sake of Arajah. Now, let’s go somewhere we can talk about all the details.”
My priestess sighed, and Risthan inhaled sharply, but the fight left their eyes as swiftly as it had entered. They would negotiate peacefully, but I didn’t have any expectations of making them like each other.
Still, if I was to save their homeland, I would need both of their help.
“Yes, Great One.” Sarosh slid her hands into the sleeves of her robe and bowed from the waist, but then she pulled herself up with a regal air as she glared at Risthan. “I am eager to hear this one’s reasonings for leaving the sacred land.”
Again with the sacred promises crap.
It was a good thing we were taking care of Sarosh’s homeland before returning to Sorreyal, though, since it would help her leave the past behind her when she took on the mantle of Bastianville’s First High Priestess. I wanted her to put one hundred percent focus into her new life, and to leave the shadows behind for good.
“I will also need you to speak with the rest of the survivors of Za Isle,” I informed my priestess. “Tell them about what you’ve witnessed from me, and answer any questions they may have about our new religion.”
The priestess’s eyes flicked around the room briefly as she considered the survivors of Za Isle with an empathetic look.
“The Zaborians will be difficult to sway from their ingrained philosophies,” Sarosh warned. “But I will do as you ask.”
Pride swelled in my chest at how much the silver-haired older woman had grown since we’d first met, and I was more determined than ever before to make sure her homeland was okay before I returned to Sorreyal.
“That’s my girl,” I teased as I flashed her a wink, and Sarosh’s lips twitched into the faintest hint of a smile. “I’ll also need to find Captain Black-eye if we’re going to be leaving Nanau soon.”
Then I turned to the man in the maroon robes, and I gave him a broad smile.
“Your desire to help my people means a lot to me,” Risthan said with a bow of his head. “Thank you for understanding my plight and not judging me for coming to you for aid.”
“Will you journey back to your homeland with us?” I asked. “You could be a helpful guide since you were the last one we know of who left.”
“Arajah thanks you,” Risthan said with a stiff-backed bow of his own. “And so do I. It would be an honor to travel with you, Your Grace.”
“Then you have to call me Bash,” I insisted and flashed him a sideways smirk.
“What is the meaning of all of this?” The High Priest of the Zaborial Isles stood on the dais and stared in my direction as a stern frown creased his brow. “I brought you here to help the survivors of Za Isle once more, but you speak of pirates…”
“Pirates will soon come for Nanau, too,” I warned in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “It may seem like that’s impossible, but if they can do it in Arajah, they can do it here. No one can stand on the sidelines in this fight, or you mark yourselves as allies with evil.”
Worried whispers swept through the crowd, and fearful glances flicked to those standing nearby as though the pirates were disguised among us already. Companions took a step away from each other, and then all eyes returned to my face as though they just realized I was the answer to all their problems.
Fuck.
I spent the next few hours calming and recruiting the Zaborians in the audience chamber, but it was exhausting to speak with so many people over and over again. I made a few social blunders and had to reset, but I’d made my way around the room several times when mid-day struck again.
My stomach growled a loud complaint, and I gazed longingly at the door to the corridor. It was time for lunch, but my entire day’s plans had shifted a little. I hadn’t been thinking about food at all until now, but I decided it was time to get something to eat.
I trotted over to the dais where the women were all embroiled in conversations with the Zaborian survivors while the High Priest watched from his throne-like chair, and I bowed my head politely to Zeydon as I approached.
“I have done what I can for your people today,” I informed the High Priest. “The rest will be up to you.”
The High Priest considered me for a moment, and I could feel him gauging the energy of the room, but it was much more relaxed than it had been when I’d first entered the audience chamber.
“Thank you for taking the time to speak with them again,” Zeydon replied with a tilt of his head, and his sky blue eyes held nothing but warmth. “I wish you the best on your next adventures.”
I took a deep breath as I gathered my courage, but then I asked the question burning in my brain.
“I’d like to borrow some volumes from the library,” I said as I prepared to reset back to my save point just in case he told me no.
Zeydon frowned and thought it over for a moment, but then he exchanged a silent look with his daughter, and Zenda nodded almost imperceptibly. My heart thudded in my chest when the First Daughter’s sapphire eyes landed on me, and I was sure the heat shared between us was obvious to all, but the High Priest seemed oblivious to the energy exchanged between me and his daughter as he turned back to me.
“I will allow you to remove three books from the shelves,” the High Priest said. “But they must be returned before your voyage back to Sorreyal.”
“Sounds good to me,” I said as a grin spread across my face, and relief flooded through me.
Then I gathered up my women and Sarosh from their positions throughout the room, and I couldn’t help but notice how their eyes twinkled with faith. They’d been sharing tales of my greatness with the Zaborians who could speak the common tongue, but Zino had been busy moving around the room to assist the others the whole time.
Zeydon seemed to have no problem allowing me to mentor his people, but I imagined he felt pretty confident about their cultural conditioning. I wondered how he’d feel about me after his followers began to defect to my cause, but I’d cross that bridge when I came to it.
“I think we’ve done all we can for today,” I said to my women. “Let’s get some lunch and figure out what our next steps are.”
“Oh, thank Bash,” Eva sighed as she clutched her stomach. “I’m starving. If I had to wait much longer, I would likely die.”
“Can’t have that, now can we?” I laughed, and I wrapped my arms around my wife’s shoulders as the others said their goodbyes and fell into pace behind us.
I didn’t head straight for the door, though, and I veered toward Risthan with my companions in tow. I could feel Sarosh stiffen behind me, but I ignored her and gave the man a friendly smile.
“Would you care to join us for lunch?” I asked once we were within earshot.
“Me?” The silver-haired man looked up in surprise, but I gestured for him to follow me, and he quickly nodded. “Thank you, Your Grace.”
“I have some more questions for you,” I said over my shoulder as I headed toward the door. “But we would all be more comfortable somewhere else.”
“Can’t argue with you there,” Risthan chuckled despite himself.
I flicked one last look at Zenda across the room, and I wished we’d been able to say goodbye in private, but I would see her again soon enough. I would need her help finding a few books for me to check out from the library, after all, and there was no way I was setting sail again without something to read.
Zenda’s sapphire eyes locked with mine over the heads of the Za Isle survivors, and I stood frozen in place for a long moment as many unspoken words were exchanged in that one look. Then I pressed my fingers to my lips, and I blew the beautiful Zaborian historian a kiss from across the room. The blush upon her cheeks was immediate, but a smile pulled on the corners of her lips as she cast her gaze to the floor.
Zeydon frowned, and I realized he’d observed the exchange, but I didn’t care anymore. It was about time the High Priest gave his approval of the match, anyway.
My companions and I made our way through the corridors of the library, and a short while later, we were trotting down the steep staircase into the city proper. We passed by the Ocean Song Inn on our way to the Crowded Duck tavern, but Rishtan hesitated at the threshold of the drinking establishment, so I signaled for the others to go ahead while I waited with him.
“Drinking is forbidden in Arajah,” he informed me with a worried frown. “You seek to turn me away from my beliefs.”
“Not at all,” I assured him as I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Sarosh usually drinks juice while we’re here, so I’m sure you’ll be fine. Come on, we have much to discuss, my friend.”
Risthan nodded with minimal reluctance, so I pressed him into the shadowy interior ahead of me, but then I had to blink to readjust my vision to the dim lighting.
The women had already claimed a table in the empty common room, but there were plenty of seats for all of us. I motioned for the Arajian to sit first, and then I took the place at the head of the table. I nodded to Sarosh and Risthan before I flashed Evangeline and Caelia a charming smile, and finally I cast my gaze around the tavern in search of Zuana.
Right on cue, but probably beckoned by the women when they entered, the blue-skinned, green-haired angel danced through the kitchen door with a laden tray balanced on one hand. Zuana flashed me a broad smile as she rounded the bar, and a moment later, we all had cool beverages to sip.
“Thank you’s” echoed around the table, but then the waitress left us alone in the common room once more, and I allowed everyone to drink in silence for a little while before I cleared my throat to get their attention. Risthan and Sarosh exchanged a probing look before their eyes met mine, but my two beautiful women couldn’t seem to take their gaze off me.
I winked at Eva and Caelia, and then I began what I predicted to be a long conversation. I considered making a new save point before I got started, since I had a lot to do in a small amount of time, but in the end decided against it.
“Tell me about Arajah,” I commanded in a firm tone, and then I leaned back into a comfortable position in my chair to sip my bubbly fermented fruit juice.
“It is forbid--” Sarosh began.
“I don’t care what the rules are,” I cut her off. “You have sworn your oath of loyalty to me, and this is your chance to fully prove it. Speak now, or forever hold your peace.”
“Are we getting married, Bash?” Sarosh arched one delicate eyebrow, and she pursed her lips in a way that told me she most definitely did not want to marry me.
I slowly and dramatically set down my cup and crossed my arms, but I included Risthan in my hard gaze. The silver-haired older man fidgeted in his seat, and he coughed into his fist.
“Arajah is a very special land,” Risthan said in a hesitant tone, and he cast a sideways glance at Sarosh but continued when she didn’t interrupt him. “We are all born with a fierce, protective love for the island and all its natural inhabitants. Then it is ingrained into our culture that we are tasked with a sacred duty, and to fail in our purpose means certain doom to all we love.”
“What’s it like?” After his description, I was genuinely curious. “The island itself? Tropical, desert, mountainous?”
“All that and more,” Sarosh breathed, and her gray eyes filled with emotions as memories flooded over her. “The coastal lands are the most vibrant, but the center is dry and arid. Many dangers lay across the realm, and it takes years of training to learn to navigate the wilds of Arajah.”
“Have either one of you gone through this rigorous training regime?” I pressed.
“I have,” Risthan supplied, and he tilted his head apologetically when Sarosh’s gaze snapped to his face. “I can guide you through the realm, but I cannot promise we will be welcomed home with open arms. We are both deserters, and shamed.”
“I don’t care what sort of guilt your moms can heap on your shoulders.” I shrugged. “My beef is with the Pirate King and anyone helping him destroy people’s lives. Now, what can you tell me about this secret magic on the island?”
Sarosh and Risthan both inhaled sharply, and neither one of them readily volunteered another word. Eva and Caelia raised their eyebrows as the silence lengthened, and they shot me a quizzical look, but I merely shook my head and continued to wait.
“We cannot divulge anymore than you already know,” Sarosh said with a shake of her head. “You know too much as it is. I am sorry, Great One.”
“If I’m to help this island, I need to know everything,” I pointed out. “That means all the dirty secrets. What could be more powerful than a god? Also, why did the God of the Purge choose the two of you and not the rest of the Arajians?”
“The king has been providing the Pirate King with slaves to abate his thirst for blood and gold.” Risthan shuddered. “My parents ended up being taken away after being caught in a petty shoplifting crime.”
“Start at the beginning,” I requested. “The king is working with the pirates, but what does Arajah get out of the deal?”
“Arajah has no army,” Sarosh supplied. “We are pacifist unless absolutely necessary. We often form alliances with other islands for protection.”
“This is the case with the pirates,” Risthan continued. “The king sacrifices a number of people each moon cycle, and the pirates don’t attack our shores to rape and pillage.”
“How many people live in Arajah?” I questioned.
“There were thousands when I was a girl,” Sarosh said. “The schools were all full, and I had to wait half a year for a spot at lessons.”
“You must have attended the lower tier schools,” Risthan observed with a sniff, and Sarosh bristled.
“Enough,” I said as I sliced the arm with my hand, and the two Arajians fell silent. “Risthan, tell me about your life in Arajah and why you left. The God of the Purge offered to give you the power to defeat the pirates in the afterlife, but why not try to do something to stop them here first?”
“My family was not rich, by any means,” Risthan explained, and the silver-haired older man shook his head as his eyes filled with memories. “We had servants, and I never had to craft a day in my life, but not even that was enough to protect us in the end.”
“What happened?” Sarosh’s eyes softened as she took in the older man’s story.
“There were no more peasant class sacrifices available,” Risthan said, and his shoulders slumped. “The offering was still short by two, and the king announced the children would be next, so my parents volunteered in our stead. My brother… He was never the same again. We both knew what would happen to them…”
“Where is he now?” This story was just getting good. “Your brother.”
“In Arajah, I hope.” Risthan sighed, and his gaze fell to the table. “I left him to his ranting and raving, but he is a grown man, so his destiny is his own.”
“While you’re not wrong,” I said in a cautious tone. “Why didn’t the two of you try to do anything to stop the pirates from taking your parents?”
Risthan’s eyes were full of emotion when he lifted his face from the table, and the pain there nearly crushed my heart like a boulder falling on my chest.
“What can two men, born and raised as pacifists, do against a fleet of sword-wielding pirates bent on raping and enslaving everyone they encounter?” Risthan’s voice wavered slightly. “I will avenge my family someday, but to do so alone is just as much a suicide quest as following the God of the Purge to my death.”
“Well, you lived to tell the tale so far,” I pointed out as a wry smirk twisted my lips. “And you’ve come to the right place for help.”
“He is correct about that,” Sarosh added, and she looked at the Arajian man with a new empathy in her gray eyes.
We spent the rest of the next few hours discussing Arajah in more and more detail as the two silver-haired people became more comfortable opening up to me, and even Eva and Caelia began to ask questions of their own. The island realm sounded beautiful and dangerous at the same time, and my curiosity was certainly roused, so I was eager to depart on my next adventure.
I still had a lot to do between now and then, though, so I reset back to my save point with a wave of my will.
Chime.
I was back in the audience chamber with all the Zaborian survivors of Za Isle, and I’d just given my speech promising to eradicate the pirate disease from the Eastern Ocean.
I spotted Risthan in the crowd, and I quickly moved across the distance to him and started up our conversation again.
“You know of Arajah!” the silver-haired man blurted out with widened eyes full of shock. “Did your woman with the silver hair tell you?”
“Nope.” I grinned. “Found out all on my own, thank you very much. It’s nice to finally meet you, Risthan.”
“How? How did you…?” Risthan blinked at me in surprise for a moment, but then Sarosh was at my elbow, and the two exchanged a scanning glance. “Who is this oath-breaker?”
“We have a lot to talk about,” I said as I put up my hands in a calming gesture. “Meet us for lunch at the Crowded Duck down in the city proper.”
“What will you tell the Zaborians in my absence?” Risthan crossed his arms over his maroon robes. “Secret battle plans for stealing Arajah’s secrets?”
“Your secrets are safe with me,” I assured him as I resisted the urge to chuckle. “You’re welcome to stay and see for yourself, though, but it will take me a few hours to talk to everyone in here.”
Then, without waiting for a reply, I turned and marched toward Zino. Sarosh stayed by Risthan’s side, and I could tell the two were already embroiled in a heated debate by the time I approached my translating friend.
I wrapped my arms around Zino’s shoulders as I led him around the room to the people needing the most attention, and I swiftly crossed the room from Zaborian to Zaborian until all that remained were the basic well-wishers and want-to-touchers. When I was finally finished with the crowd, my stomach growled right on cue, and I said my goodbyes to everyone.
Zeydon again agreed to let me remove three volumes from the library with the promise of returning them before I went to Sorreyal, but this time, I mouthed a silent “thank you” to Zenda before I blew her the kiss.
We were at the Crowded Duck a short while later, but this time, I skipped a lot of the questions I’d already covered and delved into the current situation as well as our plans for the immediate future. There was a lot of strategizing needed if we were going to pull this off against insurmountable numbers of pirates.
It looked like I needed to summon the crew of The Quest sooner than I expected.
The God of Time was never bored.
But if anyone could end the plague of pirates upon the sea, it was me.
Zenda arrived early the next morning with three books stacked in her slender pale blue arms, but I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the sapphire depths of her eyes long enough to read the spines. The bald-headed beauty smiled serenely up at me, but she blushed coral pink when my tongue darted out to moisten my dry lips.
Someone was thinking about kissing.
And it was probably both of us.
“Couldn’t stay away from me, could ya?” I chuckled knowingly as I led the way to an empty table in the crowded common room of the Ocean Song Inn. “And you come with gifts? I thought I was the one trying to woo you…”
Zenda’s blush deepened darkly at my words, and I grinned victoriously, but then I caught the titles of the books in my peripheral vision.
My eyes widened as my mouth fell open, and I gingerly ran a finger along the spines as I checked what my eyes had seen.
“A Craftsman’s Guide to Dragonscale Armor, All About Dragons, Magical Items and How to Make Them.” I whistled appreciatively. “Zenda, this is exactly what I wanted, how did you know?”
“Are you pleased?” Zenda batted her eyelashes over her large, gemstone eyes, and my heart melted into a gooey puddle.
Instead of replying, I cupped her cheeks with both hands, and I leaned forward to brush my lips softly against hers. Zenda’s mouth parted slightly, and I tasted honey on her breath, but I wanted to leave her wanting more, so I pulled away. Zenda’s eyes were closed, but her mouth remained open for a moment as she regained her composure, and I saw a gleam of white, pointy teeth.
Weird.
I wondered briefly what similarities the Zaborian historian had to fish, but I had to admit mermaids came to mind a lot around the islanders.
“Come with me,” I said on an impulsive whim. “We’ll conquer the world together, you and I.”
“Your Grace!” Zenda gasped, but I could see the desire in her eyes as they snapped open. “My father would never allow me to leave the islands.”
“You’re sure about that?” I smirked. “Has a god ever asked for your hand in marriage before?”
“But you already have many women,” Zenda argued. “Surely you would not want a foreigner for a bride.”
“Zenda, First Daughter of High Priest Zeydon,” I said as I lowered myself to one knee. “I want you. Come with me. Be mine.”
Zenda bit her bottom lip and worked it over in a worried manner, and I could see the internal debate raging in her eyes. She was silent for a long moment, but then she nodded decisively, and the blue-skinned historian goddess melted into my arms.
Our kiss was deep and passionate, and I didn’t hold back, but Zenda pulled away sooner than I would have liked.
“I must speak with my father,” she said as she placed a hand over my heart. “You must go to Arajah without me, but I wish to return to Sorreyal with you.”
“Do you want me to come with you to talk to him?” I arched an eyebrow. “Could be helpful to hear a god’s perspective on things.”
“It will be best if you are far away when I tell him I am in love with you,” Zenda said. “He has access to powerful magics, and I wish to avoid a scene if at all possible. Give me time, and he will come around. I promise.”
I flashed the First Daughter a shit-eating grin before I crushed her into my arms in a tight hug.
“Do what you have to do, my goddess,” I murmured in her ear before I released her. “You’ll be able to visit whenever you want once I set up the fast travel amulets.”
“You are more powerful than most would first guess,” Zenda mused with an awed shake of her head. “I am sure you will be victorious in the battle for the sea.”
“It’s looking more and more like war,” I said in a grim tone, and Zenda’s sapphire eyes darkened with foreboding.
“Come back to get me,” Zenda commanded in a clear, firm voice.
I nodded. “You can bet my immortal life on it.”
We parted ways reluctantly, but Zenda was in a hurry to start discussing and negotiating with her father, and I was eager to get into contact with the crew of the Quest. I went down to the docks to inquire about any signs of Captain Black-eye or his men, but no one who spoke the common tongue recognized my descriptions. I’d almost given up when I saw a man delivering letters around the docks, and an idea struck me.
Maybe I could summon the captain back to Nanau?
I approached the man with a friendly wave and explained my predicament, but when I gave my name, the man held up a hand to stop me.
“Sir Sebastian, do you go by Red Hands?” the courier asked.
“Yes.” I grinned. “Does that mean you have a letter for me?”
The courier nodded as he rifled through his bag, but an instant later he was shoving a rolled up piece of parchment sealed with wax into my hands. “I was told it is for your eyes only.”
“Thanks.” My grin widened as I broke the seal and recognized Captain Black-eyes swirly text.
Ahoy, Red Hands, the Pirate’s Bane!
We return to Nanau yet again,
Would be nice to drink with a friend
Should arrive by full moon’s rising
A foul wind bringing ill tidings
“How long ago did you pick this up?” I asked, but the courier was already turning away from me to move down the docks. I scanned over the words again to double check them, but it seemed as though there was something odd about the way it was written.
Was it a code?
In any case, the message was clear. I just needed to wait for them the night of the full moon in the Crowded Duck tavern, and then we could all catch up while we drank. I was eager to hear the captain’s opinion of the current state of the Eastern Ocean, but I would see even more of it for myself soon enough.
I returned to the inn, and I spent the next several days shopping with the ladies, reading books with Zenda, or ministering to the locals. By the morning of the full moon, I had a handful of people clamoring to come back to Bastianville with me, but I urged them to continue to serve me from their homeland.
The God of Time needed to spread his wings.
The night of the full moon found me and the three women sitting around the table, but all of our eyes continuously flicked to the entrance as we waited for our friends. It was well after dark when I heard a familiar laugh down the road outside, but before I could even register the sound in my brain, Captain Black-eye’s intimidating form entered the dimly lit space.
“Ahoy, my friend!” I called across the crowded tavern common room. “I have a table with plenty of chairs, fine liquor, and old friends coming out of nowhere.”
“Red Hands!” Black-eye cheered and pushed through the crowd to embrace me tightly like a brother. “How I’ve missed your handsome face!”
“I’m a married man, captain,” I teased. “You shouldn’t be talking to me like that.”
“I missed you, Your Grace,” Wallace Jags, the first mate of The Quest, greeted me with a clasp of my forearm. “Need someone to show these lads how to tie a proper hitch.”
“I’m more than happy to do so the next time we set sail,” I chuckled. “And luckily enough, you’re here now, so I can do that.”
Black-eye’s eyebrows rose up into his hairline. “You’re ready to return to Sorreyal so soon?”
“No,” I explained. “We’re going to Arajah.”
The captain exchanged a glance with his first mate, but then they turned back to me.
“Sounds good to me,” Captain Black-eye said, and he clapped me on the shoulder. “When do we set sail?”
I grinned and led the men over to the table before pressing the drinks I’d already ordered for them into their hands. Then I hiked one leg onto the stool like the pirate on the bottle of Captain Morgan rum, and I lifted my glass in the air.
“To the many adventures of The Quest crew!” I hollered, and the sailors erupted into a loud cheer that shook the rafters a little.
We set sail a day later, and a crowd of Zaborians gathered on the docks to see us off. I recognized many of the survivors’ faces among them, but the one who stood out to me immediately was the gemstone eyed beauty I locked gazes with as soon as she came into view.
Zenda.
I didn’t even know if she had a last name, but I was determined to make her mine. I was also eager to hear an update about where things stood with her father, so I quickly crossed the distance to the blue-skinned goddess.
“Safe travels, Your Grace,” the First Daughter said with a perfect curtsey. “Return victorious to the shores of Nanau.”
“I will.” I grinned. “How are things going with your dad?”
“I assume you refer to my father?” Zenda’s melodic laugh was literal music to my ears. “Be patient. These things take time. Zaborians are slow movers as we flow with the energy of the world, and that has no concept of time.”
“You’ll get a pretty good grasp on time hanging around me,” I teased. “I am the God of Time, after all.”
“As I am well aware.” Zenda graced me with another laugh, and then she stood up on her tip-toes to press a chaste kiss against my cheek. “Until I see you again.”
“I’m definitely looking forward to the next time I lay my eyes on you,” I murmured in her ear as I wrapped her in a quick embrace, but then I took a deep breath and turned toward the planks of The Quest.
Sarosh and Risthan stood on the starboard rail as I boarded behind Eva and Caelia, but I cast one last longing look back at Zenda before her bald-head merged with the crowd of blue-skinned Zaborians.
The crew hoisted anchor, and ropes were looped before being put away, but then a collective groan filled the air as the men laid into the paddles. Nanau slid slowly away, and I could no longer pick out Zenda from the crowd of ant-sized people when the sails were unfurled.
“Head east at full speed!” Captain Black-eye barked out commands as he strode across the deck, and his black waistcoat billowed behind him with each step.
“Aye, aye, captain!” The crew hollered back in perfect unison, and soon the ship was a bustle of activity.
I saw Caelia and Eva show Sarosh and Risthan below deck in my peripheral vision, but I was still spellbound by the sight before me.
The coastline in front of Nanau glittered like a silver strand in the sunlight, but even from this distance I could still make out the blur of turquoise robes on the dock.
One of them was Zenda, and I didn’t want to look away until she was completely out of sight. I would return for her, but every minute apart felt like a millenia.
Such was love.
The wind was brisk in my face, and it lifted my hair from the nape of my neck and sent tendrils swirling around my eyes. I squinted into the breeze, but I didn’t look away from the harbor for several long moments.
Finally, I turned toward the prow, and I lifted my chin.
The God of Time was setting sail yet again.
