Captain Markis was kind enough to lend his cabin to the team. Food was brought up from the galley for them to have lunch while they celebrated. The table was piled high with food to pick and choose from. Theonis had a plate in his hand and was idly stuffing food into his mouth. Sometimes someone would pat him on the back and he’d jump in surprise. The whole affair had the atmosphere of a dream.

Dimileios cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention.

“I’d like to officially welcome our newest member, Theonis,” he said. “He’s done more than enough to prove that he deserves to be here. Now, let’s have a  drink.”

Dimileios picked up two bottles from the table and everyone grabbed a cup. One bottle was ouzo, the other tentura. Theonis chose the latter. It was a dark orange-red color and smelled distinctly of cinnamon and citrus. He drank it slowly, trying to get used to the complex taste.

“We’re going to have to get new supplies for you,” Kosgoris was telling Theonis. “Crafting one of the medical alarms will be expensive and time consuming; we’ll have to find someone who can do that as soon as possible. You also need a tent that doesn’t have any holes in it, but since you don’t have any work of your own, we won’t need to get you a work tent.”

“Are you going to find something specific to do or are you going to just help the rest of us out from now on?” Satiria asked.

“I don’t really want to be a pack mule for the rest of my life,” Theonis said, taking another sip of his drink and wincing. “But I’m not entirely sure what I can do that nobody else can.”

“It was actually really helpful to have you around,” Lias admitted.

Theonis grunted in reply, not looking directly at Lias.

“It’s good that you’re staying,” Kateni said with a mouth full of mutton.

“Yes, it would have been sad to lose you,” Satiria agreed.

Lias gave Theonis a hard pat on the back, adding, “You’d be miserable without us, right?”

“Maybe,” Theonis said simply, taking another drink.

Lias frowned and stepped away.

“We’re all glad that you’re deciding to stay on,” Dimileios said. “Isn’t that right?”

There was a small clamor of agreement. Myrova shrugged.

“Myrova?” Kosgoris asked.

“I’m glad he’s not going back to where he came from,” she said. “Better here than there. But it’s a big world and I doubt he’ll be content to simply stay with us for very long before going to explore it.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Lias said. “We’re amazing.”

Kateni raised her glass in agreement before taking a drink.

“So,” Lias continued, turning to Theonis, “Now that you’ve got some time, do you want to learn a little more about cartography?”

“I’ll think about it,” Theonis said dismissively.

Lias scowled and poured himself another glass of ouzo. Theonis filled his plate some and made his way over to where Kateni, Satiria, and Myrova were standing. Kosgoris and Dimileios stood off by the windows, talking quietly about something.

“Is something wrong?” Theonis asked Myrova.

She was giving him a weird look again.

“No, it’s nothing,” she said, turning away.

“You know what?!” Everyone turned to look at Lias, who had stood back up and was scratching his shaved head. “I don’t understand what your problem is, kid! I’m just trying to talk to you and you’re being very rude.”

“Lias,” Dimileios said quietly, stepping toward him, “I think you’ve had enough to drink.”

“It’s not my fault that the kid is so damn sensitive,” Lias snarled. “I didn’t do anything wrong. Anyone would have done the same thing in my situation. I had no choice. I shouldn’t have to be punished for that.”

Dimileios placed a hand on Lias’ shoulder, but he pulled away and stormed out of the room.

“Forget about him,” Kateni said.

“He’s certainly being a piece of shit right now,” Satiria said, reaching for Kosgoris’ hand as he approached her.

“It’s fine,” Theonis insisted.

He walked over to the table and poured himself another drink. The pleasant buzz certainly helped his mood a little. Theonis listened to the others talk, nodding along quietly while his mind wandered.

He was never going back. It was still weird to think about. He’d never see his old friends again. He’d never see his old boss again. He’d never see his own mother again. Theonis frowned. He was going to miss her. And for as shit as it could be at times, he was used to his little village and enjoyed getting to wander around from time to time. Even the architecture, while it left a lot to be desired, was familiar in a comfortable way.

Theonis was jolted out of his stupor by a loud boom.

“What was that?!” Dimileios cried, running for the door.

Everyone followed. Theonis had to shake his head and steady himself before trailing after them. He shielded his eyes from the daylight outside and began to stumble. Someone caught him and held him up. It was Myrova.

“Shit.”

Theonis turned his head to look where everyone was staring. His heart sank. A ship made from a familiar dark wood was sailing nearby, getting closer as it readied its cannons. He saw a cannonball fly through the air and closed his eyes just before hearing a loud crunch as it made contact with the Polaia.

Kateni took off, heading below deck. Myrova started dragging Theonis toward the stairs as well. He tried to resist, but was still a little too dizzy to put up much of a fight. She dragged him down the stairs and leaned him up against a pillar, telling him to stay there and stay safe before running back up the stairs.

Shaking his head, Theonis stepped away from the pillar. He was breathing fast and his entire body was fidgeting. Adrenaline took over and he managed to stand up. People ran past him carrying polearms; a few even had swords. They were going to fight.

Theonis saw Kateni walking quickly, her own sword at her belt and another in her hand. She stopped briefly when she reached Theonis.

“Can you stand straight?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Theonis insisted, wiping sweat from his brow.

“Then take this,” she said, placing the sword in his hands. “Stay here. Stay safe.”

Theonis opened his mouth to protest, but she ran up the stairs before he could come up with something to say. He looked at the sword hanging limply in his hand. What was Theonis supposed to do? She’d told him to stay. Theonis didn’t want to fight. But those were his friends up there. They were in trouble and they needed him.

Shaking his head once more, Theonis walked swiftly up the stairs and out onto deck. The pirate ship was right up beside the Polaia, the pirates dropping their boarding ramps so they could walk right over. They too were carrying swords and polearms. A few pirates left on deck carried bows and were taking aim.

Theonis ran over to where Kateni and Myrova were standing. They gave him a brief glance before turning their attention back to the pirates. Myrova darted forward, her hands glowing red, and released a jet of flame at one of the boarding ramps. The pirates caught fire and started thrashing, falling off the ramp into the water below. Archers released their arrows, but Myrova’s hands glowed green and the arrows bounced harmlessly off the large barrier surrounding her.

The pirates on the other ramp got onto the ship and charged at the crew members, who engaged them in combat. Theonis and Kateni stuck close to Myrova, watching the rest of the scene play out. Theonis was in way over his head. What did he think he was doing here?

“Archers, keep the mage distracted!” he heard a voice from the other deck call.

Theonis scanned the opposing ship and his heart skipped when he saw a woman in a familiar long red overcoat and hat. It was his mother! His mother was the captain of the other ship!

“Mother!” he cried out over the din of battle. “Mother! It’s me, Theonis!”

His friends turned to look at him, both bewildered. On the opposite deck, Captain Sophiria started looking around, confused. Theonis waved his arms to get her attention. When she spotted him, his mother took a few steps closer to the railing and stared.

“Theonis?!” she cried. “What are you… Stop! Stop the attack!”

It took a while, but the noises of battle slowed down as everyone stopped to see what was going on. Captain Sophiria climbed onto the boarding ramp and walked onto the Polaia. Theonis tried to take a step forward, but Kateni grabbed him by the arm and Myrova entered a combat stance.

Captain Sophiria walked right up to Theonis and cupped his head in her hands.

“I can’t believe it,” she said. “It’s really you. But you’re… tell me what happened, now.”

Theonis explained the story: how Yoris had thrown him overboard and he’d been saved by the Polaia, joining them on their expedition, and how they were headed to the capital to report their findings.”

“Oh, my son,” Sophiria said quietly. “All this time and I didn’t even know you were missing. Come on. We’re leaving. I’m taking you home.”

“I… I…” Theonis paused and gulped, then said quietly, “Only if you leave my friends alone.”

Kateni’s grip on his arm loosened and she let go. Captain Sophiria nodded, then turned and barked at her crew to return to their ship, the Stefarida. And at that moment, Theonis’ legs finally gave out.

Captain Sophiria stayed on the Polaia with a few guards while most of her crew returned to her own ship. The crew of the Polaia stayed up there with Kateni and Myrova, just to ensure that Theonis’ mother didn’t try anything. Theonis returned downstairs to pack the few clothes that he’d been given. He left the book that he’d borrowed from Myrova on the bed.

He was going to miss this. Everyone had finally convinced Theonis to stay and he’d really been looking forward to the adventures they would have. But Sophiria was his mother. He couldn’t leave her. So Theonis grabbed the small bag of clothes and left his cabin for the final time.

The rest of the team were waiting up on deck for Theonis, along with Captain Markis. His mother was standing by the boarding ramp, tapping her foot impatiently. Theonis spared her a glance before walking up to his friends.

“Goodbye, everyone,” he said, looking down. “I wish that it didn’t have to be this way. I wanted to stay, I really did.”

“We understand,” Dimileios said.

“Take care of yourself,” Satiria said.

“I hope you find what you’re looking for,” Myrova added.

Kateni suggested, “Find someone to continue sparring with. Get stronger.”

“Don’t change for them,” Kosgoris said. “Stay true to yourself.”

“I will,” Theonis assured him, before turning to Lias. He was still ambivalent toward him, but figured that he should do this properly. “Goodbye, Lias.”

“Yeah. Goodbye. Stay safe.”

“I’m going to miss all of you,” Theonis said. “Maybe we’ll meet again one day.”

“Perhaps,” Dimileios said.

Captain Markis added, “Thank you for this. A full pirate attack would have been devastating. I won’t forget this.”

“Thank you,” Theonis said.

He reached around his neck and took off the pendant, handing it over to Myrova.

“If I take it with me, it’ll just get stolen,” he explained. “Take care of it. Examine it in-depth like you wanted. Hopefully you’ll learn something that can help people.”

“Hopefully,” Myrova said, slipping the pendant into the pocket of her pants.

Theonis sighed. He knew that he was giving up the life that he’d planned to make for himself in exchange for one that was decided for him. But he couldn’t just tell his mother to leave without him. With one last look at his friends, Theonis walked over to where his mother was standing.

“Let’s go,” he said quietly.

She nodded and let him get onto the boarding ramp first. The crew on the other side were all watching Theonis. He kept his gaze on the ground as he hopped off the boarding ramp and onto the deck of the Stefarida.

The boarding ramp was drawn up and Captain Sophiria told the crew to set sail again. She told her first officer to take charge while she got Theonis set up. Then she began escorting him below deck.

“We’d only decided to attack the ship you were on because it was in our way,” she explained. “We were already on our way back to Stemini after a successful trip. It was pure chance that we ran into you. I thought by now you’d be back on Stemini preparing to serve on another ship already.”

Theonis nodded, not trusting himself to say anything. His mother led him to a cabin and opened the door. There was a small bed and table, along with a rug, but not much else.

“I’m sorry it’s not more decorated,” his mother said. “We don’t often use this room. You’ll be eating your meals with me, but otherwise you’re to spend all your time in here until we get back home. Don’t interact with the crew unless you absolutely need to. We’ll be back within the week. I expect that the first thing you want is a haircut, right?”

“Right,” Theonis mumbled, trying to push his hair out of his eyes.

“What happened to you?” she asked. “Why do you look like this?”

“It’s nothing,” Theonis said, not looking at her.

“I don’t believe that.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Sophiria scowled.

“Very well,” she said. “I’ll have someone come get you when it’s time for dinner.”

Theonis had seen his mother’s quarters before when he was younger, but it always surprised him. They were much more extravagant than Captain Markis’ quarters. A large four-poster bed with silk sheets rested against a wall. A large ornate desk surrounded by chests sat in one corner. There was a large table made of expensive dark wood in the center of the room. A large ornate rug took up most of the center of the room. Two antler chandeliers hung from the ceiling. It was nicer than her actual home in Angalis.

Theonis wasn’t very hungry, even if he was glad to finally be eating a meal with his mother. They hadn’t seen much of each other since he moved out. No, they hadn’t seen much of each other before that anyway.

“I wish you would tell me what really happened to you,” Sophiria said. “I almost didn’t recognize you, at first. Was it something that mage did?”

“No, of course not,” Theonis replied. “Myrova would never. This was just… It’s not important.”

“…So be it. With a proper haircut and some heavy lifting, you’ll be back to looking normal in no time. We’ll be there soon enough.”

Theonis nodded, poking mindlessly at his food.

QuillRabbit

Oh, no. Oh, dear. Things seem to have turned around in a way that nobody quite expected. Will Theonis ever be reunited with his friends or is this goodbye for good?

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