The Orion's Daughter : To Lands Beyond

Mysterious Matters

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Chapter Fifteen | Mysterious Matters

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My mind numbed.

Home?

Return... home...

Why? For what purpose? Why would he be sent across the ocean to find me? Perhaps this was a ruse? A way to get me back to my homeland only to be thrown in irons and tried for the crimes I suspected I was guilty of? This desperate matter?

I looked into the sapphiric eyes of my friend and could detect no lies. In fact, I detected worry. Anxiousness.

Then something occurred to me.

Was he sent because I would have a more difficult time refusing him and his invitation? Was he sent because he and I had a history and friendship that was forged when we were just children?

This seemed a more likely answer in my mind.

And, sadly, whoever sent him, whether it be the counsel or some other power, was right.

I wanted to hear what my friend had to say. I wanted to know what Captain Aludor had to say about these "circumstances" that surrounded this fateful meeting with my friend here on the shores.

I glanced back to Terrilyn and Raina, catching both of their eyes gazing up at me, a plethora or emotions swirling around them. Confusion. Curiosity. Worry. Apprehension.

I knew what they were thinking without them even opening their mouths.

They worried that if I left the mainland and boarded the ship that I would not return; not because I didn't want to, but because I would be restrained and unable to.

No.

This was not going to be goodbye.

This was my home now - and they were my family.

An idea sprouted in the corner of my mind, and I elected to act upon it. Families stayed together, and now was especially the time to ban together. I turned to my friend and nodded solemnly.

"I will agree to board the Bennevis under the condition that Raina Toro and Terrilyn Lun may also accompany me. They have never been aboard a sea vessel, and the experience to be aboard such a prestigious ship is one they cannot be without," I said.

Wofur looked at me curiously, an obvious suspicion twinkling in his eyes as he followed my train of thought, but then he nodded in agreement.

"I believe I can agree to those terms," he said. "Shall we depart now? We ought not waist the daylight if we are to return you by nightfall. This matter is an urgent one, and Captain Tanna Aludor is eager to speak to you about it."

I honestly didn't think my friend would agree so easily. Unless he had gained some skill to deceive someone, especially me, he was being sincere in the urgency of the matter. I turned to Terrilyn, whose eyes were dancing with excitement, and Raina, who appeared cautiously optimistic, and spoke to them in their common tongue so none of my fellow Orion could understand to ensure discretion. It would also provide an opportunity for me to voice my concerns without expressing discourtesy.

"Raina, Terrilyn, would you accompany me to the ship? There is a pressing matter that seems to require my attention," I stated.

Terrilyn was the first to speak up.

"Yes, but... Steele... what is going on? Why are they all looking at you like that?" asked Terrilyn.

"Steele, are you asking us to make sure you are not taken?" Raina asked quietly, to the point where I almost couldn't hear her. I smiled and, in that moment, knew she saw the answer in my eyes. Terrilyn, moments after, spotted the same reaction. Her hand fell naturally to the hilt of her blade, which made me smile.

Despite her size, she was ready to defend herself and me.

What a beautiful, fierce woman.

When did she get to be so grown up?

"We'll soon find out," I said as I laid my hand down for them to ascend. Mother and daughter exchanged a thoughtful look, knowing they needed to be on their toes should they come with me, before stepping onto my palm. Age and nerves made my hand shake, but I safely set them on my shoulder where they tethered themselves safely.

"Amazing," murmured Wofur in the language of our homeland as he watched our interaction. "You speak their tongue with such fluency."

"Years of practice," I said, nodding my head at the compliment. "Now, as you said, we are losing the light."

With that, I stepped behind Wofur toward the dinghy and slipped into a seat between four boyish faced Orion boys. They looked at me with the reverence and prestige that I used to possess back in my homeland when I commanded armies. There was a knowing look in their eyes - like they had heard of me and studied me.

Perhaps they were surprised that the man - the legend - was not quite what they were expecting. Perhaps they saw my thinned face and lean muscles and thought that the stories of me could not be true.

As the dinghy rowed out to the ocean and toward the hull of the ship, I continued to notice the subtle glances of the young men around me, getting a read off of who I was and how I presented myself now. Each time I would turn to meet their gaze, their eyes shifted away immediately.

I smiled to myself and glanced over at Terrilyn and Raina who kept vigilant watch to my front and back.

What did it matter who I used to be?

Unless... it was the reason they came.

As the ship grew from a speck on the horizon to a size that was now foreign to me, I thought how odd it would be to walk among people - Orion - again. I had been a giant for so long that I was curious as to what it would be like to be among my own once again.

There was little time to ponder this though. Before I knew it, the ship's shadow blocked out the light of the sun and the dinghy rode up beside the Bennevis.

I tooka single, calming breath and prepared myself for whatever was ahead. I couldonly hope Terrilyn and Raina were doing the same.