I know I shouldn’t have expected Portia to still be there, but I was still a bit disappointed and somewhat uncomfortable by the time we arrived at the Desert Rose in Kandota.

“She is not here,” Cailu said with a raised brow.

“Yeah, I know. I see that. Just, uh, give me a little bit to find her.”

“Perhaps she is on her ship,” Cailu continued.

“Let’s check there,” said Tristan, nodding. “This place probably lost its luster pretty quickly. If she’s not there, then we can split up and look for her.”

“Yes,” Cailu said, mirroring his nod, “a fine idea.”

Sure enough, Portia had stripped down to a black bikini as she sat on the edge of her sloop, fishing rod in hand, feet kicking in the wind. She’d grown awfully tan since the last time we saw her—well, more so than usual. Her skin glistened like bronze, beads of sweat littering her body. She adjusted the bottom piece of her bathing suit, exposing incredible tan lines.

Portia gasped and threw the fishing rod behind her before she shot to her feet. “About time you showed up! What in the heck were ya doing? You know how long I’ve been waiting here?”

“Yeah, I know, sorry—” I started.

“Uhh, buh-buh-buh-buh,” Portia interrupted with her index finger held up. “No. No, boy. You listen to me. I am not your personal—” she suddenly stopped, her brow furrowing deeper. “And who… who are these other people?” She inhaled slowly, her eyes widening. “No. Don’t tell me. They’re not coming with us, are they?”

“They’re, uh… coming with us.”

“This boat will not be suitable,” Cailu said, his arms crossed.

“Oh, it’s you,” Portia said, hopping into the shallows. “One loss wasn’t enough for ya, huh?” Portia’s smile continued to tug at one end of her mouth. “Probably don’t even remember me.”

Caliu tilted his head in apparent thought. An expression of realization swept over him. “Ah, yes. You played a fine game of cards. Ages it has been since I was so thoroughly defeated.”

“Wanna go another game? My wallet’s feeling a little light,” she said, wading through the shallows and stepping onto the sand, her eyes digging daggers into me. “Ya know, since someone left me here ages ago and food ain’t free.”

I avoided her gaze. 

“What was that you said when you left? ‘This won’t take as long as Shi Island.’ Are you kidding me?”

“Sorry, Portia. A lot of things came up.”

Portia sighed. “I’m sensing a pattern here.” Portia readjusted the strap of her top and put her hands on her hips. “I thought about packing up and leaving.”

“My sincerest apologies,” Tristan offered as he stood forward, a hand on his chest. “We would have contacted you sooner, but the task proved to be much more difficult than we thought it would be. Cailu here,” he gestured to the elf, “assisted us and made sure we saw it through.”

“Hey, okay, fine, cool it.” She looked at me once more. “Always with the eloquence, this one. Hey, you. Matt.” She pointed at me. “This is a sloop, not some grand ship employed by the Queen. We were struggling enough just to make room for yours and Tristan’s Parties.” She did a quick count, frowning deeper with each person she pointed at. “And you want to add three more?”

There’d be no easy way out of this, so I simply nodded my head.

“Yeah,” I said. “We would, uh, need to add three more people.”

Portia set her jaw. “I can’t believe I’m actually doing this. You owe me big, Matt.”

“Mou ii. I’ve got you covered, Portia. For everyone.” Ravyn snatched a sizable bag of Bells from her pack and waved it in the air. “This should help the days we’ve been gone, too.”

Cailu raised a hand and started to say, “I will also—”

“No. You won’t.” Ravyn cut him off. “I’m done owing you shit.”

He stared at her thoughtfully but said nothing else.

Portia reached forward and grabbed the bag, sliding the leather cord to the side and sifting through the Bells. Taking a few out to examine their color and size, she nodded. “This doesn’t let you off the hook, Matt. Not yet.”

I sighed with relief. “Thanks, Portia.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just get on board.”

“Matt,” Cailu said as he set a hand on my shoulder. “May I have a word?”

Oh, great. What is it this time?

“Yeah, sure.” He took me behind a nearby building and leaned against the wall. “What’s this about?”

“A sloop may not be appropriate for the journey to Nyarlothep. I would suggest we port on San Island and embark on a ship from there.”

“Why?”

He frowned. “The tides and Encroachers are vicious, Matt. There is always the potential for a Defiled attack. Portia’s abilities aside, it puts our Parties at great risk. A stronger escort is necessary.”

“Are you sure about that?” I rested my shoulder against the wall opposite. I was grateful for his advice, but what had started as personal advice was starting to sound more like my dad was trying to control the whole ride there. Don’t make me turn this boat around. Frankly, I was getting sick of it.

“Yes. Portia has the right of it. Such a vessel is unfit for an alliance of our size. We risk capsizing the sloop or worse with our numbers.” He glanced around the corner of the building before looking back at me. “I understand if you are attached to Portia. But I must stress the importance of our mission.”

“Right.” I couldn’t stand what I was hearing, but I couldn’t fault him either. If the waters were even half as dangerous as Keke and every other catgirl had told me it was, then his warning of an attack was valid. If that happened, combat on the sloop would be dangerous. I didn’t need any nautical training to know that. “So then, what, you want me to say goodbye to Portia, too?” I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth.

“Is that what this is about?” Cailu stood away from the wall, straight-backed and imposing in his [Paladin] armor.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean that. Yeah. I know you’re right.” Ceres’s words echoed in my head. Pride tarnishes even the finest of heroes, Kelmer. “So, San Island, then?”

Cailu drew a long breath. He looked like he wanted to say something but abstained. “Allow me to speak with Portia for a time.”

“Why?”

“If she has gained your trust, then I would have her with us when we collect the ship.”

My heart soared. “So, she would be a hand on the deck?” Did I use that term right?

“Aye, that is correct.”

I couldn’t hide my relief. “Then, yeah. Go ahead.”

Cailu nodded and returned to the group. I followed close behind, curious as to what he was about to do. When we returned, Ceres was asking Portia questions about her time away.

“Portia,” Cailu stated.

Ceres stopped mid-sentence and backed away with a bow.

Portia frowned. “What?”

“Matt has informed me that you have been the one to escort him and Tristan around Nyarlea. Is that correct?”

“And the girls. Don’t forget them,” I added.

“I did not.”

Portia smiled. “Yeah, that’s me.”

“Do you have experience on larger ships?”

“Quiz me. I won’t get a single question wrong. My dad was the best there was.” She chuckled. “Named my sloop after him, in fact.”

Cailu rubbed the stubble of his chin with his pointer and thumb fingers. “I have expressed to Matt that a sloop is unsuitable for the journey to Nyarlothep, considering our numbers.”

“Nyarlothep?” Portia’s eyes narrowed in irritation. “Matt, you could’ve led with that.”

“I will ask this. Is this sloop suitable for the journey?”

“No,” Portia said without hesitation. Cailu glanced at me while Portia continued. “If that’s where you need to go next, Matt, then you’re going to need a full-blown ship for that. Especially if you still want to bring everyone here along.”

“So, we have to part with Portia?” Cannoli said, her voice thin.

“Sorry, all,” Portia shrugged. “I can take you somewhere else if you want, but even so, taking this many people on a sloop makes me uncomfortable.”

“How tragic,” Kirti mused.

“Quiet,” Cannoli hissed.

Cailu sighed. “Matt trusts you, and you have managed to escort him to each island on a sloop. So I would like to offer you a position on one of my ships,” he said. As Portia opened her mouth, Cailu interrupted with his hand up. “It would be temporary. You would not be under any obligation to stay on board once we have been delivered to Nyarlothep. Your sloop would be taken care of during the journey.”

“A real ship, huh?” Portia wore a complicated expression. I thought I saw sadness, confusion, anger, and frustration in the way she worked her jaw and wrinkled her nose. “Yeah. Fine.” She extended her hand. “It’s a deal.”

Cailu reciprocated and shook her hand. “We have an accord.”

Once everyone was on board, we set sail for San Island. There was barely any room to stand, let alone walk. 

I stood behind Portia for a while. She was quieter than usual, and while I knew it was probably none of my business, I still wanted to know what was going on in her head.

“Hey, you doing okay?” I asked.

Portia took her time to respond. “Yeah. I’m fine.” Her eyes were on the ocean, but her mind seemed to be somewhere else. “Pops always promised to take me on a galleon one day. Just wish he could be here for it.”

“Did he teach you much about them?”

“About as much as a man without a lick of artistic talent could show me.” Portia laughed. “We’ll see what I remember.”

“You can teach this guy without any artistic talent what you learned. I’ll be right here, struggling to keep my balance.”

Portia laughed. “Thanks, Matt. You’re a good guy.”

The rest of the voyage was smooth. We shared the story of Ichi Island with Portia, and with time, she returned to her usual scrappy self.

Two days later when the sun was setting, we arrived on San Island, my back screaming in pain. I longed for a good night’s rest in a comfortable bed with a few good drinks in my belly. We’d taken turns in the one extra cabin, earning about two hours worth of a nap each. I was too afraid of falling off the boat to sleep otherwise. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one, as there was a collection of yawns as we stepped out onto the Port of Meow.

“Gosh, feels like ages since I’ve been here,” I said.

“Nostalgic, huh?” Keke said, taking to my side.

I thought back to the fight we had right before stepping onto the port. We were bloodied from the battle with the fishcats. At the time, Cannoli looked like she’d seen a ghost. Now, well…

Yeah, I’ll just agree. Probably not a great memory to revisit— “Ye—” 

“You mean when we were caked in blood?” Ravyn asked, half-laughing. “Very nostalgic.”

Why is she like this?

Cailu offered praise and smiles to the girls who approached us en masse upon our arrival. It was wild seeing him swap personalities in seconds. Words that sounded almost disgustingly charming came out of his mouth, his sour demeanor returning within seconds of their departure.

I still couldn’t stand this guy.

Cailu led us around the port’s lip. We passed by several merchant vessels, a wide variety of catgirls unloading crates from the neighboring ships. Unlike the ones earlier, these girls didn’t seem to care one way or the other about Cailu, Tristan, and myself.

“There,” Cailu said without stopping. “That is my ship.”

‘Large’ couldn’t even begin to describe this boat. It looked straight out of a pirate movie. Flags of white with the same emblem Cailu wore upon his breastplate fluttered in the wind. The wood was dark and suspiciously clean for a piece of wood that sank in the salty water all day. I didn’t have the words to describe what a gargantuan and beautiful piece of craftsmanship it was.

“What is that called?” I asked, pointing at the center flag.

“Oh, that’s—” Portia started.

“That—” Ceres interrupted.

The two apologized in unison.

“I forgot you liked ships, Ceres,” Portia noted.

“Yes, I adore them. As a kitten, I learned to build ships in bottles.” Ceres tapped the tips of her fingers together. “It was something of an obsession of mine.”

“Why don’t you tell Matt what that’s called, then?” Portia smiled.

“The main mast!” she proclaimed proudly. “The one behind it is the mizzen mast, and the last one is—” She stopped and smiled wide. “I shall give Sir Matt a hint.”

Oh boy, here we go.

Ceres’s boots clicked against the stones as she moved to stand in front of me, her hands behind her. “What precedes the word ‘after’?”

Picture of elegance, this one. Okay, uh, let’s see. “Before?” I cringed.

“Yes!” She turned and pointed to the mast once more. “Therefore, the mast at the front is called…”

“The… before mast?”

Portia put a hand to her mouth and snickered. “Close.”

I buried my face in my hand. “Just tell me.”

“The foremast!” Ceres said.

“You know your stuff, Ceres,” Portia said, smiling.

Cailu cleared his throat and stood before us. “Once I give the word, we will depart by sunrise tomorrow.”

“Hah?” Ravyn balked. “Can’t we just sleep in for one fucking day?”

My legs were killing me, so I raised my hand. “I second that.”

To my relief, Tristan also raised his hand. “Please. I am exhausted. I’d love to spend a day on San Island, anyway.”

One by one, we all raised our hands. Even Kirti.

Cailu sighed. “Fine. We shall rest for two days.”

“Two days?” I asked.

“Yes. It is important that we leave by sunrise. You may do as you wish until then.” Cailu departed, his cape billowing as he walked, Kirti at his side. 

Tristan nodded to an expectant Zahra. She offered a bow and ran to catch up with Cailu.

In two days, we’ll be on our way to Nyarlothep.