Theonis had to get up at the crack of dawn and quickly scarf down a bit of dried bread and raisins for breakfast. Kosgoris showed him how to pack up his tent really quickly and helped him get his pack on. Theonis was quiet. After the night before, he didn’t want to talk to anybody right now.

They were on the move quickly. Theonis walked quickly and avoided looking anyone in the eye. At least they’d arrive at the ruins before nightfall and the next phase of the expedition could begin. He was one day closer to being home.

“When we get to the site,” Kosgoris told Theonis, “I’ll need your help setting up the cooking station and preparing the first aid supplies. Have you ever done anything like that before?”

“No,” Theonis replied. “I’ll just have to get used to it, I guess.”

Kosgoris’ demeanor shifted, just a little bit. He knew now that Theonis had been listening in the night before. Theonis didn’t wait for him to respond, falling behind to walk with the animals so he didn’t have to talk to anyone else.

Things were quiet until lunch. Once again, everyone stopped briefly to have a small meal. The food wasn’t anything special, but it was the quiet that really bothered Theonis. Everybody but Lias the cartographer and Kateni the guard were sitting as far away from Theonis as possible.

“Did you sleep well?” Kateni asked Theonis between bites.

“I did,” Theonis lied.

“Good. You’ll need your strength for what’s to come. This line of work is too much for some people.”

“I worked on a very unforgiving ship before I fell overboard,” Theonis said. “I’m perfectly capable of passing any test you may have for me.”

“We’ll see, won’t we?”

Theonis snorted. He didn’t trust Kateni not to see him as a threat to the group. He was just a pirate in their eyes, after all.

Lias had finished his meal quickly and pulled the map out of his pack to continue studying it.

“Theonis,” he said suddenly, “if you’re almost done, can I talk to you in private for a moment?”

“Oh, sure, I guess.”

The two walked a short distance away from the rest of the group. It was nice to be away from their glares, at least for a moment.

Lias asked, “Have you ever learned how to read a map before?”

“No, I haven’t. Why?”

“Would you like to?”

“I… okay?”

“Alright. Now look here. These are called contour lines. They represent the elevation and shape of the terrain…”

Theonis actually found himself drawn into the explanation. He was a little disappointed when the rest of the group finished eating and they had to get back on the road. He stuck close to Lias, however, who was willing to keep sharing some info about maps.

“I actually started by learning navigational charts,” Lias explained. “For the longest time, I was just the navigator on board the Polaia under Captain Markis. Eventually, though, Dimileios realized that he needed someone to help the group navigate their way through the wilderness to get to the sites, as well as to map out the settlements they explored so we could turn that information over to the capitol. So he asked me to start coming along.”

“How long ago was that?”

“About a year now. It’s been a real treat getting to see the ancient ruins up close. And I’ve learned quite a few new skills along the way.”

“That sounds exciting. It seems like you got lucky and found a good ship to work on.”

“Lucky indeed. I don’t think that any other job would be quite as satisfying as this one.”

Theonis frowned and said, “So… explain to me what exactly the job is, because I still don’t really understand.”

“What do you mean?”

“What does the group actually do?”

“We research old documents and myths and investigate rumors that may lead us to Ancient Apositan settlements, and then we set sail to search for them. Then we map out the settlement, do a few sketches, collect whatever artifacts—magical or otherwise—and bring all our findings back to the capital. From there, they send the navy to secure the site and begin more in-depth research. Really, we’re just sent out to prove that the site exists.”

“You collect magical artifacts?” Theonis asked.

Lias nodded, elaborating, “The artifacts get turned over to the Academy of Magic for studying. A lot of the magic that mages study today was discovered from researching Apositan artifacts.”

“So… who are the Ancient Apositans, exactly?”

“If you want to know more about history, you should speak to Satiria about it. She knows more than I do.”

Theonis glanced back at Satiria, who noticed him watching her and jumped slightly. He sighed. That wasn’t going to happen.

As the sun started to hang low in the sky, the forest came to an end and the group walked out into the open. Theonis’ breath caught in his throat as he took in what he was seeing. They were on a hill overlooking what was clearly an abandoned town made of white stone.

The town was arranged in a circular pattern with straight roads converging in the center around a tall pointed pillar. The largest building in the town sat just behind the pillar, with long columns holding up the roof that were visible even from a distance.

Even from here, most of the buildings looked decrepit, but the variety in the architecture was obvious. Every building looked a little different than the last, in the shape of squares or circles or triangles with roofs that were flat or pointed or slanted. Some had columns, some buildings were as long as the roads themselves, others had open gardens at their center. It was a far cry from Theonis’ little village of Angalis.

“Alright,” Kosgoris said. “We’ll set up camp down there just on the edge of the town. Kateni, check the nearby buildings for nesting animals. Everyone else start unpacking.”

Everyone set up their personal tents first, then got to work setting up the larger tents that would house their workstations. Theonis was a little slow getting his own tent set up, but once he was done Kosgoris asked him to come help set up the cooking station. Despite what Dimileios had said, Theonis didn’t put a lot of effort into being helpful after what he had heard all of them say about him the night before.

“Do you really do all the cooking?” Theonis asked.

“All the cooking and whatever medical treatment is needed,” Kosgoris replied, setting up a fire pit. “Normally, I have to pack light on the medical supplies, but with an extra person to carry the weight I was able to be a little more prepared this time. If you’re done there, head into the woods and collect some firewood. You’ll need to make multiple trips; we need enough wood to last the night.”

Theonis wanted to get this done as quickly as possible. Fortunately there were plenty of large sticks and broken branches littering the forest. And searching for firewood alone meant that he had plenty of time alone with his thoughts.

What must life in an Ancient Apositan city have been like? It had to be more interesting than life in Angalis. Did they ride horses? They must have, right? And if their ruins were scattered across the archipelago, then that meant they had boats. People probably traveled all the time, visiting amazing cities as just a normal thing to do.

He wanted to see more. He wanted to know what cities were like nowadays. Growing up on Stemini had left him completely ignorant of what actually went on in the outside world. How much was out there to learn?

Eventually, Kosgoris told Theonis it was getting too dark to keep going and he should see if anyone else needed help. Theonis avoided Myrova and Satiria. Kateni didn’t need anything, either, which just left Lias.

“Sure, I could use some help,” he said cheerfully. “Make sure that the papers and ink I use are properly organized over there, will you?” Theonis did so, and Lias kept talking. “I saw how amazed you were when we first arrived. I was just like you on my first expedition. It really is a sight to behold. You never entirely get used to it.”

“I’m really glad that I got to see it, at least once in my life,” Theonis said. “This is going to be an amazing story to tell everyone when I get back.”

“It certainly will. I’d be amazed if they believed it.”

As night fell, the explorers made their way one by one to sit around the fire where Kosgoris was heating up some seasoned meat and vegetables. Theonis received a plate and just had to soak up the scent for a little while before actually eating.

Everyone sat a little closer together than they had at lunch. There was still some unspoken tension in the air, but things weren’t nearly as bad as they had been over the past two days. Quiet conversation sprang up, nobody speaking too loudly in case they disrupt the calm night that had descended on them.

Finally, Dimileios cleared his throat and announced, “I’d like to remind everyone not to wander around in the dark. We all need to get some sleep so we’re ready to work in the morning.”

There was a murmuring of agreement, but Theonis wasn’t fooled. He knew that the message had been for him. Theonis rolled his eyes. He didn’t need to be told not to get into trouble.

Theonis retired to his tent to try and get some sleep. He didn’t overhear any conversations about him tonight, if only because his tent was too far away from the fire. Slowly, the others started retiring to their own tents, and eventually the campfire went out. Theonis was still awake.

He just wasn’t tired enough. Despite what Dimileios had said, a walk would probably do him some good. He wouldn’t be long; nobody would even know that he was gone. So Theonis quietly slipped out of his tent and made his way to Lias’ workstation. There was a lantern there along with some matches. Once he was out of the campsite proper and standing on the edge of the abandoned settlement, he lit the lantern and took a good long look at the buildings around him.

Theonis was trembling a little bit. This was exciting. He’d never been anywhere like this before. Taking a deep breath, Theonis started walking deeper into the abandoned town.

“This is amazing,” he breathed, getting as close to one of the buildings as he could.

The light from the lantern wasn’t strong enough to illuminate a whole building, but each one had decorative elements carved right into the stone. Whoever had been in charge of designing these had put a lot of effort into making them look good.

He wandered the streets, figuring that he must be getting closer to the giant pillar he had seen from the hilltop. He was used to Angalis, where the buildings were all built almost identically and in blocky rows. The streets here curved and twisted. How did people live in a place like this? Following directions must have been difficult.

What did the capital do with these ruins? They didn’t have them destroyed, did they? That would be awful. Settlements like this probably couldn’t be salvaged and turned into new towns, unfortunately, but it would be a shame to lose them.

“Oh, shit,” he muttered suddenly, turning around. “Where am I?”

Theonis suppressed a yawn and shook his head. Surely if he just followed his tracks back, he’d wind up where he started. He tried to ignore the trembling that he felt as he started walking back. As long as he was careful, he was sure to—

“Fuck!” he cried as the street suddenly ended and Theonis found himself staring at another building.

Okay, new plan. If he got to the edge of the settlement, he could just walk around the edge until he found the camp again. That would work fine. He didn’t need to panic.

Theonis could see the pillar rising up above the rooftops in one direction. As long as he walked away from that, he’d get to the edge of town eventually. He spotted a building that was mostly in ruins that he could easily cut through. Theonis climbed carefully over the rubble to get inside, marveling at how big it was.

Something flickered on the ground in the distance. Curious, Theonis walked over. Whatever it was, it was catching the light of the lantern. He got close and knelt down, brushing away some dirt to reveal a small gold necklace with a small but elaborate gold pendant wrapped around a large emerald.

It was beautiful, even covered in dirt. Theonis picked it up and it was a little warm in his hands. What he wouldn’t give to be able to return to his little village wearing something as gorgeous as this as proof of his adventure. If only people wouldn’t mock him for it! If Theonis had been born a girl, he’d be allowed to wear things like this.

“Well, fuck that,” he said, putting the pendant on and hiding it beneath his shirt. “If nobody can see me, nobody can tell me what to do. They hate me anyway.”

Once he was outside the building, the streets started to look a little more familiar. All he could see was the silhouettes of buildings against the night sky, but he thought he recognized some of them. Maybe he was on the correct road back after all.

He thought about the pendant. If anyone asked, he’d lie and say that he brought the gold necklace with him. Theonis wanted to keep the pendant to himself. And why not? If they saw him as a pirate, he might as well act like a pirate. Not that they were any better. These explorers were every bit the thieves that they accused Theonis of being, just of a different kind.

Thankfully, the road did lead back to camp. Theonis turned the lantern off and returned it to where he found it, then made his way back to his tent and pulled his boots off before curling up on the bedroll. He pulled the thin blanket over him and closed his eyes, quickly drifting off to sleep.