Perspective: Aretan
After the death of Third Prince Malich at the hands of Zarenna, Baetnal had looked for all the world to be a nest of angry termites. When Nelys and I had left Zarenna and Seyari behind at the Third Prince’s estate, the noble district seemed as if Zud’s domain would emerge to cover the city. No unbound demons appeared, thankfully. I understood well the extent of Navanaea’s military might, but to see the royal guard away from the palace district and swarming was a more shocking sight than even some of what I had seen these last few days.
We’d exited the estate before the alarm was raised. I took notice of a clearly nonnative couple who entered the estate shortly after we exited. The red-haired woman seemed for all the world a civilian, but the large man with her was covered head to toe in polished armor. I would stake my reputation on the woman being a mage of some repute. I had no idea who they were or why they were in the Third Prince’s estate, but I would bet they were involved with his schemes in some way.
Nelys, the small companion of the demon and half-angel, was safe. It may be better to say they were physically unhurt. I’d not seen the boisterous young human act so demure. I worried for them, but I felt I could do little more than provide a shoulder to lean on.
I reflected on the feeling I had gotten from Aena in her temple. Restlessness, and a desire to do something other. It felt right to travel with Zarenna, Seyari, and Nelys. We had parted for now, but perhaps that was necessary? I intended to keep my word.
Weeks ago, I would have balked at the notion of our Third Prince’s true nature. Having seen it secondhand, I could only say I agreed with Zarenna for killing him. The rest of Baetnal did not agree. I prayed to Aena for the safety of the demon and her friend.
Florian’s caravan left for Liseu the next morning out of the western gate. Every person I saw entering or leaving the city was subject to extreme scrutiny. So, we agreed to smuggle Nelys out the way Florian told me he usually did for his illegal goods. They were still melancholic from their ordeal, but agreed easily to hide in a small, well-concealed compartment. Nelys wasn’t discovered and the caravan made it out onto the route west.
The road to Liseu had been dusty and crowded. The near-jovial atmosphere that had existed on the way to Baetnal was gone, replaced with stale routine. We had no unusual encounters, but the caravan was stopped by patrols on three occasions.
They inspected everyone carefully, and asked after two people who were clearly Zarenna and Seyari. From the patrols, I found out Zarenna had a human form. With how human she acted; I was surprised I’d not seen that side of her. Each time a patrol examined us, Nelys hid in a secret compartment. They weren’t asking after them, but we all knew they were aware of their association.
They were also aware of ours, and each time the questioning delved deeper than I would have liked. My background and Florian’s honest belligerence were essential in getting them to leave us alone. I was hopeful Zarenna and Seyari had slipped the net. Each patrol we’d encountered consisted of two dozen trained soldiers, including at least one mage. Standard for keeping our borders against the desertkin, which is what I imagined they were called in from doing. Dangerous, even for a demon and a half angel. Closer to Baetnal, the patrols would be much more frequent.
As we rode with the caravan away from Baetnal and my homeland, I worried for Zarenna and Seyari. Of all people, it was Nelys who assured me the two of them would be okay. Over time, they seemed to rise part-way out of their melancholy. I realized their childishness was partially untrue. I had no doubt they were young, but Nelys seemed possessed of an unshakeable optimism that burned away at their worries. Almost.
I hoped they were alright, but any time I asked after their mental wellbeing, I was politely, but firmly rebuffed.
It wasn’t until we could see the coast and the many islands of the city of Liseu that they truly spoke up.
“Hey Aretan? What’s the plan again?” Nelys’s voice sounded almost normal. They rode behind me on my horse, as they had most other days during this journey.
I looked across at the sprawling Turquoiser capital, then turned to look at them over my shoulder. “We will seek passage by ship to Lockmoth, in the Ordian Empire.”
Nelys nodded. “Okay.”
I fully expected the conversation to end at that moment. I started to turn back.
“Hey Aretan?” Nelys’ said in a small voice.
I stopped and looked at them. “Yes, Nelys?”
They looked around us. We were riding to the side of the main column, near the front. No one was paying us mind, let alone listening in.
“Do you ever wish you were something you weren’t?” Nelys clutched through their rough shirt at the blue coral pendant underneath.
Their question caught me off guard. I took a moment to think about my answer. “Perhaps,” I answered honestly. “In what way do you mean?”
They clutched the pendant tighter. “Like your body was wrong?”
I shook my head. Seeing their face twist, I quickly clarified. “Not my body, but I felt what my family had planned for me was wrong.” I met their gaze with some difficulty. “You may recall what I spoke about when we went to the temple of Aena to help make antivenom for Zarenna? That was not the whole truth. My mother is the high priestess of the temple, and my father is a regional noble. I had been groomed from a young age to take the title of high priest. My parents had even managed to allow me, as their only child, to inherit our landed title as well.”
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“But you didn’t want that?” Nelys’ voice perked up.
I nodded. “I didn’t. Growing up, I spent my days reading about the wonders of Navanaea between my lessons on the Eight and on Navanaean nobility. My desire to see the region has matured into a desire to see the whole of Varra. I also want to continue to study demons, but I worry of the dangers involved.”
“Why couldn’t you do all that and be high priest?”
“As a high priest, I would be a representative of Aena on Varra. I could not leave the High Temple grounds without reason. I do not even know how I would manage my father’s lands on top of such duties. I doubt I would even have had any time to escape and read.”
“Oh. That sucks.” Nelys looked down at the worn, sun-bleached saddle we both sat on.
I gave a dry laugh. “Yes. I do not know about a wrongness of body, but I know that Aena has accepted my path in life. I am certain you will find acceptance yourself.”
Nelys was quiet for a long while. Eventually, they spoke again, as we neared the walls of the mainland portion of Liseu. “Will you accept me?”
I laughed genuinely. “Of course! I already do.”
Nelys seemed to relax. They nodded intensely.
***
The whole of Liseu was a maze of islands, bridges, dockyards, and ships huddled against the rolling chaparral of the Central Sea’s eastern coastline. Despite my familiarity with a small part of the city due to my frequent contracts here, I knew very little of the place. Florian ensured we entered Liseu in a timely fashion.
I gave command of my mercenaries to my second. I’d apprised him of my departure during our long trip from Baetnal. He didn’t know entirely why I was leaving, but I am certain he knew it had to do with my personal wanderlust. My desire to explore the world had been sparked again by that wonderfully odd demon who had traveled with us for a time.
As a parting kindness, I even did the paperwork for the finalization of our mercenary contract. Florian haggled the final price less than I had ever seen a Turquioser merchant haggle. I ended up with my crew’s rate paid in full. I booked a room at a middling inn not too far from where Florian had told us we might find an Ordian ship.
I was finally able to relax that night. The seafood was fresh, but different from what I was used to Navanaea. Nelys practically inhaled their meals. I was only too glad to see them feeling mostly back to normal. I’d expected more of a lingering effect from whatever trauma they went through, but since the conversation we’d had just outside the city, the atmosphere around them was much brighter.
We began to talk more as friends. I hadn’t really known why I’d told Zarenna I’d meet her and Seyari in Lockmoth with Nelys. The feeling I’d gotten from Aena was certainly a factor. I was glad I made the choice I did.
We spent the next few days searching for passage to Lockmoth. I’d picked the city since I imagined it to be easy to find a ship to. However, relations between the Coast and Ordia had grown colder recently, according to the merchants. Hardly any ships were taking passengers.
My years as a mercenary combined with my lessons gave me an uncanny ability to haggle and persuade people. My mercenary company had been well-contracted for good reason. Eventually, and for a grossly high price, we found a ship that would take us to our destination without ulterior motive. I had to hope as much, anyway.
Unfortunately, the ship would not leave for a week. Nelys wanted to take the time to see the city. To be honest, I did as well. Careful of my coin purse, we toured the sights that Liseu, the City of Islands, had to offer. We couldn’t afford many of the attractions we wanted to see, but exploring one of the most important port cities in the world offered a tantalizing glimpse into the wider world.
The evening before we left, Nelys and I sat downstairs in our inn to plan a list of places we wanted to go. I’d come to greatly enjoy their company, and they seemed like they had nowhere they needed to be. I had expected we would travel with Zarenna and Seyari to see Zarenna’s home country, but beyond that, I wanted to see the world. I wondered if there were more demons like Zarenna out there. I would need to be careful and temper my expectations. Perhaps also my blade.
Shortly after we’d arrived in Liseu I’d purchased a basic enchantment for my polearm and for one of Nelys’ daggers with my dwindling money. I knew enough about demons to know that, without magic, a human would be hard pressed to harm one.
If we were able to meet with Seyari and Zarenna in Lockmoth as we planned, I was certain I’d meet more things, or people, who were beyond human. Not all of them would want conversation. I had fought magical beasts, but never a demon. That would certainly change, even if I’d rather it didn’t.
All of these plans, however, hinged on whether I was able to stay away from Navanaea for much longer. The death of the Third Prince would rock the Navanaean nobility. Should my home threaten to tumble, I would return to set it right.
We spent the last day talking in our shared room. The evening wore on and the inn’s common room became crowded. I was not much of a drinker, and Nelys was a lightweight, so we were two of the only sober people in the place. Thankfully, most of the crowd at this inn seemed to keep themselves functional.
There was a bard playing tonight. Different from the last, his voice rang out a lilting melody I’d heard only a few times before. The words carried easily across the murmur of the thinning late-evening crowd:
I’ll tell you a tale of a man from Liseu
He sold the whole world, just to us lucky few
We packed up our ship and we left while the dew
Was still fresh on the grass
Was still fresh on the grass
Away to the north, sails and spirits held high
Our storeroom was full and the winds they were mild
Far past our home lands and on toward the wilds
Where we would meet our doom
Where we would meet our doom
We followed the map to an island most green
A home to strange folk, stranger sights still to see
Who gave us their fruit so we gave them our mead
They told us not to go
They told us not to go
The slopes here were steep but the cave it was wide
Three weeks in the jungle, mayhap he had lied?
A temple of rock and this heat so alive
He spoke not all the truth
He spoke not all the truth
The words were sung in Turquoiser, as you would imagine. The song’s subject matter had done little to dim the content atmosphere of the room. As for myself, I couldn’t help but frown. The message of the song was bleak. The waters of the north were known to be dangerous, and tales of strange lands were far less common than the silence of those who never returned.
I turned to my companion. Nelys seemed interested in the song, but wore an odd expression. Regret, perhaps? I looked down and realized I’d written ‘northern seas’ on a list of places we had talked about visiting.
Nelys lifted their bit of charcoal. They hesitated over the words. With an unsure hand, they crossed ‘northern seas’ off the list.