Caenum’s question was sudden, nearly as soon as they returned home. “You’re… really risking a lot for me, aren’t you?”
“I don’t consider it a risk, really,” was Oria’s simple answer. “The Commandments tell us to do what we think is right—to listen to Orestis’s teaching and Sachiel’s guiding voice. I’m confident in my decision to help you. There’s nothing you’re going to be able to say to convince me otherwise.”
He looked like he wanted to argue, but decided against it. “Then… at least you should know—what led me to be here, that is. Maybe you’ll change your mind if you hear the full story.”
“Nothing will change my mind,” she repeated with a frown. “I’m not going to abandon you. I won’t force you to say anything, either, if you’re still not willing…”
He shook his head. “You’ve helped me this long. An explanation’s kind of overdue, isn’t it?”
They both wandered to the kitchen table and sat down. She still didn’t think he looked ready to admit it, but… he must’ve been confident in his decision to do it. He took a deep breath and began his story.
“I’d like to think it was because of something more… noteworthy. Like we were running away from something, or we had some grand ambition for it. Honestly, though? We were a bunch of dumb kids who thought we’d be able to handle whatever we came across.
“It sounds… really stupid in hindsight. But we were bored, we were confident, and we were looking for some kind of adventure. We thought… ‘hey, we all have powerful Water magic. Let’s go where no one else has gone before—see what’s beyond the coast.’” He laughed, but it was hollow. “Only one of us had actually been in a boat before then. A bunch of dumbasses, right?
“We figured, if we kept going south, we’d find something interesting eventually. Maybe even something no one’s seen before. But I don’t think it was an hour in that we realized what we were in for. I… honestly don’t remember much of it. Whatever happened, though, I ended up here with at least most of the ship. I… don’t think the rest of them were that lucky. I can’t bring myself to hope that they’re somewhere else in Idkor, and finding someone nice like you to take them in, or that they’re back in Qizar…”
He looked at her, regaining confidence. “That’s why I think you should just leave me to do this on my own. This is all because of my own dumb mistakes. I’m not about to drag you into the mess I made.”
“I’ve said it plenty of times before and I’m going to say it again. I’m not going to abandon you.” Oria tried to make sure everything proved it—that her gaze, her voice, and her actions all proved she meant what she said. “I’m going to see the end of this with you. I don’t care what you did to get yourself here, you still need to get back home, and you’re not going to be able to do it alone.”
At that moment, he seemed conflicted. It looked like a part of him wanted to be grateful; the other was still desperately wishing she’d change her mind.
She decided it was best to move on and discuss their plans. “I was thinking we could head to the docks tomorrow morning. It sounded like there was at least a few ships heading back to Fleyw Bresh—with the gods’ favor on our side, we should be able to board one of them.”
“Yeah…” he mumbled with a slow nod.
…
It was strange. She knew this would be her last day in Idkor—the last time she’d see her family, or those strangers she called friends. From this moment on, there was no turning back for her. Once she left these waters, she was a traitor; her name would be associated with those who preferred the ways of the Fleyw Bresh to the longer-standing traditions of True Qizar. Yet… she didn’t feel like she was leaving everything behind. The longer she thought about it, the more she wondered if this place had ever felt like home.
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In front of onlookers, she would claim to believe everything she’s ever been told. In private… occasionally, she would catch herself contemplating the actions of others. The fine line that distinguished the commoners from her, and her from the higher-ranked nobility. The ways the church upheld the Commandments, every now and again in her private studies encountering fragments that didn’t match… and, thinking to Madam Magia, never daring to ask. Perhaps Fleyw Bresh had the truths she was hoping to find; perhaps this was all Sachiel, assuring her that this was the plan Orestis had for her.
And if Caenum was looking for a sign of her faltering, he found none of it. They casually made their way to the docks under the guise of seeing what they had to offer. Not once did Oria doubt where they were going, or what she would be leaving, even as those familiar strangers made smalltalk.
Maybe in Fleyw Bresh, she’d find others who didn’t always force conversation with a fake smile.
It was not Oria that seemed to get more doubts the closer they got to the docks, but Caenum—she understood, now, what he must’ve been considering. She wished she could give him any more assurances than a whispered, “It’ll be alright.”
They boarded the first ship they were confident was heading for Fleyw Bresh. She was almost certain one of the crewmembers saw them, but… she heard no shouting, no calls pointing out a traitor. The two of them found a peaceful place, one where they were unlikely to get spotted.
Only then, as they began to move away from True Qizar, did Oria dare to start any true conversation.
“I think I heard them mention that it was only going to take a day,” she pointed out gently. Caenum barely seemed to be listening. “And it sounds like their stop is within the Forgotten Isles. That’s where you’re from, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” he mumbled distantly. “It… might even be the same town. We got a lot of trade from here.”
“Well, then that’s all the better, right? It won’t be long before we can find your parents.”
“I guess…”
Understanding a fragment of his apprehension, she remarked, “They’re going to be glad to see you.”
“I know. Mom will probably be all over me for the next couple of weeks… or months…”
She dared to say, “They’re not going to think you’re responsible for this. Nothing that happened was under your control and they’ll see that. It isn’t going to change anything.”
For a moment, he was quiet, though his eventual response was still a mumble. “On one hand, I know you’re right. On the other hand… I hope you’re wrong. Things shouldn’t just go back to normal as if nothing ever happened. I think I’d feel worse if it did…”
“Well, no matter what happens, we’ll figure it out,” she promised. It was one of the few things she was sure of. “Together.”
He gave a blank nod. “I’m… going to try to get some sleep…” He only moved further away from her to get something for him to rest his head on. Then he laid down next to her, and honestly did seem to fall asleep rather quickly.
She tried to relax, too, though she couldn’t quite bring herself to do it. What if someone saw them? Sure, there were no evident signs that they had, but… maybe they were just waiting. She’d heard whispers, before, of what happened when others tried to stowaway. While some were called out and given due punishment—a mild sentence—others weren’t “discovered” until they were already out to sea.
Then they decided to let Daphni’s waters and its inhabitants decide what kind of punishment the stowaways deserved.
Now, that alone was already a not-very-pleasant thought process. It didn’t get any better with the fact that they were in the lower deck of a ship—overhearing all the footsteps, all the shouting, and whatever else went on above them. She told herself that they were going to be fine, though. She needed to be calm, so then perhaps Caenum would be reassured as well. Nothing bad was going to happen.
Nothing bad was going to happen…
And those footsteps were definitely not just above them, and they were almost certainly getting closer.
Oria prepared herself for anything, but she tried not to panic. She made special care not to disturb Caenum—if he had powerful Water magic, it was very likely it would react based on emotion… and, well, being in a boat in the middle of already unstable waters was bad enough.
By the time she knew any opportunity to escape was gone, she’d built up her resolve. When the sailor caught sight of her, and moved to get closer, she was ready to state all of her reasoning.
But her resolve was ruined by one simple statement: “Relax, kid. I’m not here to do something bad to you.”