There’s no place like home
-Excerpt from ‘The Mage of Zo’ by unknown author
Rose had managed to save up quite a bit of gold during their adventures. Clearing a couple of convergences would do that for you.
Saying goodbye to Yasmin had been difficult, but she made her promise to come and visit when she was ready. That might take a while, but she wasn’t the kind of girl to go back on her word.
She’d given her a leather satchel stuffed with art and writing supplies, refusing to take a single copper for it when she shoved it into Rose’s arms. “Just show me some of your beautiful work when you come back,” she’d said.
Parting ways with Felix was far more difficult. They’d been together a long time. Rose’s life at sea had begun staring into his eyes and for now, it was ending the same way.
They shared a hug that lasted a minute longer than it needed to. Well, there was never a hug that lasted too long, but she had a ship waiting for her.
A friendly merchant who was making the long voyage from Clissolt to Albumott had agreed to take her along for the ride. He’d only charged her a couple silver and she’d even get a cabin of her own, separate from the crew.
“I’ll never forget them,” she said to Yasmin, the woman’s melancholy smile being enough of an answer.
“I can’t believe you turned me into a pirate and now you’re running off,” quipped Felix. “I’ll be back home in Derridas if you ever decide to set sail once more.”
A tear rolled down her cheek as she turned to the quays, frowning when she saw there were four trailing into the ocean. That didn’t seem right, but she wasn’t going to question it.
“Sorry for the wait, Captain. I won’t be seeing my friends for a while and-”
He held up a hand to stop her. “Don’t worry about it, lass. I get it. Seen the same scene play out plenty of times during my life. Anyway, your cabin’s the third on the right. Might get a little noisy sometimes, but I’m sure you’re used to it. The journey to Albumott should take us two weeks.”
“That seems pretty slow.”
“I bet you’re used to those fancy ships with dozens of sails and perfect shapes to cut through the waves. This old girl might not be a racer, but she’s weathered a hundred storms and ten thousand nights at sea with me. You’ll not find a sturdier ship in the whole of the Bluestone Sea.”
“That makes sense,” Rose replied with a nod. All the ships she’d been on until now had been top of the line, built for speed and battle. “And you mentioned a friend of yours could ferry me up from Albumott to Fairwater Bay once we arrive?”
“Aye. It might take a day or two to get hold of him, but he should be in town. Usually charges a few coppers for the trip, depending on how many he’s taking. If you let me know where you’re staying I can send a message when he’s ready.”
“Alright, thank you very much. I’ll probably spend most of the trip in the cabin but if anything happens let me know, I can handle myself in a scrap and know my way around a ship,” she replied, tapping the pistol in her belt.
“Well, there shouldn’t be any pirates along this route, but I’ll keep that in mind,” the captain said, shaking his head and walking over to his crew to shout orders.
They scattered and began rigging the little merchant vessel to set sail while the captain pushed them off the quay.
Rose waved at Felix and Yasmin as they drifted out into the open ocean. It would be a long time until she saw either of them again, but she hoped that day would arrive eventually.
And she hoped she would have better stories to tell them than the one they’d been a part of. Though it had been wonderful while it lasted.
***
Just as the captain said, the journey was rather uneventful. Other than a sudden storm that hit him a week into the trip, nothing happened.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Rose spent her time drawing and writing, attempting to work on her dual wielding while she did. Her efforts eventually bore fruit, but it felt like a pittance given how much time she’d spent.
Skill up!
Drawing 20 > 21
Dual Wielding 13 > 14
Your occupation has advanced!
Apprentice Scholar 22 > 23
Writing hadn’t gained a level at all, which was frustrating. But there were still a few days left until they reached Albumott at the southern end of Emerlan Isle, so she continued to practice.
***
“Finally!” Rose exclaimed, leaping to her feet and scaring the wits out of the sailor who’d been keeping watch beside her.
Skill up!
Writing 16 > 17
Focus 17 > 18
Your occupation has advanced!
Apprentice Scholar 23 > 24
In the distance, the town of Albumott was just coming into view. The journey had been rather boring, but Rose was glad she’d managed to gain at least one level in all the skills she decided to work on.
Advancing her occupation another two levels was a massive boon as well. She would do her best to try and complete it while she visited home—it was a difficult job, but she wanted to set sail once more with a better foundation.
She went back into the cabin and began to gather her stuff. She made sure to separate the dirty, salt-licked clothes she’d worn on the voyage from the clean outfits.
The satchel Yasmin had given her was home to all of her writing and drawing supplies as well as random bits like the letter from her parents. She’d kept it as a memento, occasionally rereading it as they travelled.
She wasn’t sure where she planned to stay, so in the end she asked the captain for a recommendation. That also made it easier for him to find her when his friend was ready to ferry her home.
Rose could’ve made the journey by land, but Emerlan Isle was all rocky hills and cold weather. She didn’t want to brave it.
After her time at sea she’d begun to feel far more comfortable with a rocking ship beneath her feet than the unmoving land.
Even now as she walked through the cobbled streets of Albumott she couldn’t quite settle her churning stomach. Though that could’ve also been the strangeness of being back in her homeland.
She’d have to give it a few days and see how she felt then. Finding the inn wasn’t difficult—Albumott was bigger than Fairwater Bay, but not by much. When she mentioned the captain’s name to the portly innkeeper in the reception, he’d cracked a big smile and offered her a discount.
At this point she didn’t really care about a few coppers, but she wasn’t going to refuse his kindness. That was how you made enemies.
The room was a lot shabbier than what she’d grown used to, but it reminded her of home. A simple wooden bed with a straw-filled mattress and a wooden bathtub.
Dinner was grilled fish and potatoes. Not like her mother made, but close enough. A tear rolled down her cheek as she took the first bite.
Rose wasn’t sure if food would ever taste the same since Nasar died. She hoped it would. The man would turn in his grave if he knew she wasn’t eating properly.
***
At breakfast two days later, Rose was slowly chewing on a piece of toast when she heard two men at a nearby table suddenly raise their voices.
“What do you mean, you bastard! Don’t say that about the king. He’s a good man and he’s served the Isle fantastically over the last three decades,” cried a salt-and-pepper grandpa.
“Hey, lower your voice! You’ll get me dragged away in the middle of the night speaking like that. I never said King Bartholomew wasn’t a great ruler. I just said that perhaps he shouldn’t antagonise Minenblum right now. He’s got to think of us common folk and our safety,” hissed the other, grabbing the grandpa’s arm and dragging him back into his seat.
“Bah! Minenblum won’t do anything. They’re far too busy dealing with the loss of the Shadow King and the rising threat from the west. Who’d bother invading this rocky bit of grass just to claim a few scraggly doori?” chuckled the grandpa, waving a hand dismissively at the younger fellow.
“Well, that’s easy for you to say, Dad. You’ll probably kick the bucket before anything happens.”
The old man started coughing and slapped the other guy’s head. “Don’t say that crap, you ungrateful bastard.”
“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean it. But you have to admit I’ve got a point.”
Rose tuned out of the conversation after that, having lost interest in their bantering. But she’d learnt something interesting. Minenblum seemed to be on the warpath.
The Shadow King… Didn’t Trent say something about him. Was that the bastard who came for us after he killed Commodore Saff? Rose suddenly realised who the old men were talking about.
Why would Minenblum invade the Emerlan Isle, though? That grandpa’s right, there’s nothing valuable here… Rose couldn’t figure out an answer. She would need to look into what was going on in the world before doing that.
However, she was loath to dig into anything further flung than home right now. She’d returned to visit her parents and forget about her woes, if only for a little while.
Just then she heard the door to the restaurant swing open and a familiar face strolled in. The captain looked around the room before finding her and walking over.
He sat down opposite her in the booth. “I’ve got some good news and some bad news. What do you want first, lass?”