Part 2: The Ipseity Pendant

Theonis stepped out of the shop and into the bustling streets of Yialetta. He was bombarded by the sounds of the crowd running like a river through the cobblestone streets. Forced to weave his way through the overwhelming mass of people, Theonis held tightly onto the little package that he’d bought for himself.

The capital was bigger than the four towns on his home island combined. It was a massive, sprawling brick and stone city with more people in one place than Theonis had ever seen before. Even after a few weeks, he would still occasionally get lost.

But he knew this district. And, more importantly, he knew how to get to the port from where he was. Clutching his little package to his chest, Theonis started pushing against the crowd. A cool breeze sprayed the beginnings of a drizzle into his face. Theonis started walking faster.

Even though he didn’t have to do it, Theonis took a detour, heading through the older part of the city. Many of these buildings had marble facades, and according to Satiria had been left over from the Miravian Empire. Wealthy homeowners and businesses had taken over and renovated most of them, but Theonis did pass a public bath that he had thought of visiting multiple times, only to let his nerves get the better of him.

“What I wouldn’t give to live here, though,” he muttered to himself, passing a limestone wall with a relief of a chariot drawn by horses carved into it. “What I wouldn’t give to belong here.”

While Dimileios was at the capitol building trying to secure the adventuring team another job, everyone else had been given the run of the city. Theonis had spent his time people-watching, just trying to figure out how ordinary Pelakevians lived their lives. He’d tried their food, bought their clothes, and watched their live entertainment. It was fascinating. Theonis absolutely loved every moment of it.

And yet, his heart ached. He’d grown up on an isolated island with a very restrictive culture. Why couldn’t he have been born somewhere like this instead? Why did he have to be an outsider?

“Oof!”

In his distraction, Theonis didn’t see the child who had run into him. The boy, who was wearing only a hempen skirt and sandals, bounced off of Theonis and fell to the ground. The girl behind him, wearing a similarly plain dress, stopped and covered her mouth in surprise.

As the boy got up, Theonis felt a pang in his chest. He’d always wanted to wear a skirt growing up, but it just simply wasn’t done on Stemini. Boys in Pelakevi got to wear them, though. How rotten was his luck?

“Sorry, Miss, didn’t see you,” the boy said quickly before the two of them darted off.

A heat rose in Theonis’ cheeks and he started walking faster. That had been happening a lot over the past couple of weeks. People kept mistaking him for a girl. His hair wasn’t even that long! Just because he had a feminine body didn’t mean he was a girl.

“I should be insulted that they’d even think that,” he murmured, trying to ignore the fluttering in his chest.

It was getting dark by the time Theonis made it to the port. But he’d had enough experience navigating the docks that he had no trouble finding the Polaia. One of the crew members, who was standing watch in case of trouble, waved to him as he approached. Theonis grinned.

“Hey, Adon,” Theonis said, beginning the walk up the gangplank.

“Thought you might have gotten lost,” Adon replied.

“It’s only happened three times now,” Theonis replied quietly. “Have a good night.”

“You too.”

Theonis made his way below deck to his room. He opened the package and pulled out a small silver and brass compass, placing it into the drawer of his bedside table. His room wasn’t very impressive; beyond the bed and the table was a chest where he kept his clothes. Otherwise it was bare. But it felt like home.

The next day, Theonis needed a bit of relaxation. He found his way above deck and leaned up against the railing to watch the city from afar. Up here, he could bask in the salty air and the sound of seagulls. Several crew members were milling about, taking care of the sails and riggings. Kateni was nearby, practicing movements with her sword; Theonis could hear her footsteps and occasional grunt without having to look at her.

“What would it be like to live here?” Theonis mused. “How would I afford it? I could probably get a job in town. But then I’d have to leave all my friends behind. I guess it wouldn’t be worth it. Besides, I don’t even know anybody here.”

“Talking to yourself, Theo?”

He turned to see the crew member who had just walked up. It was Polithea, a dark skinned woman with short curly hair. She was Myrova’s friend, but Theonis and her had gotten close over the past month. Accompanying her was another crew member, Ziniil.

“Am I?” Theonis asked. “I must be going stir crazy.”

“See?” Ziniil asked Polithea. “This is what happens when people don’t have enough work.” Turning to Theonis, he added, “There’s plenty to do. After all, it’s not fair that we have to work while you don’t.”

“Hey, I’m working. Besides, you relish these easy workdays, don’t you?”

“No comment,” Ziniil replied, folding his arms.

Theonis chuckled, turning slightly to glance at Kateni. In the time he’d been here, Theonis had managed to make some friends with the crew. But he only ever saw Kateni practicing her weapons. Otherwise, she was locked in her room.

“Theonis?”

“Hmm? Sorry, just thinking.”

A new voice added, “Ooh, that’s new for you.” Myrova, accompanied by Satiria, came to a stop and looked down so she could lock her rainbow eyes with Theonis. “Be careful you don’t overexert yourself.”

Theonis smirked and rolled his eyes. He was getting along a lot better with Myrova and Satiria than when he’d first joined the team. Satiria could still be a stick in the mud, sometimes, but she had a good head on her shoulders.

“I’ll see you later,” Satiria told Myrova, nodding to Theonis before turning and walking away.

“And we have work to do,” Polithea said. “Be gentle with him, Myrova.”

Once they were alone, Myrova leaned up against the railing with Theonis to stare out at the city.

“Have you been busy?” she asked.

“Kosgoris and I are almost ready for another trip. The animals are getting restless. So is the crew.”

“I wish we weren’t stuck here.”

“Me too.”

Theonis kept an eye on Myrova. She was still staring out at Yialleta. When she realized he was watching her, Myrova flashed him a little smile. Theonis’ heart skipped a beat and he turned away, trying to hide his blush.

Sometimes, Theonis thought that Myrova might actually have romantic feelings for him. They’d grown close, and he occasionally spotted her watching him intently. But then she’d sometimes act distant with no warning, refusing to even look at him. He had no idea what was going on in her head.

“How is the pendant doing?” Myrova asked suddenly.

“Hmm? Oh, it’s fine.” Theonis’ hand clutched at the pendant hidden under his shirt. “Why do you ask?”

“No reason. Just keep it safe, okay? The last thing we need is to lose the Ipseity Pendant.”

“Ip—What does that mean?”

Myrova didn’t look at him.

“Forget it,” she said, detaching herself from the railing. “So, me and Satiria were going to go find a tavern and hang out tonight. Do you want to come?”

Theonis nodded, but replied, “Only if I can bring Kateni.”

“The more the merrier. We can all bring someone.”

The group gathered on deck that evening. In addition to Theonis and Kateni, Myrova had brought Polithea and Kosgoris was accompanying Satiria. That made sense; they’d grown close since Theonis had joined the team.

“You can get us back here once it’s dark out, right?” Satiria asked Theonis.

“Yeah, absolutely.”

“Great. Then let’s go.”

The group wandered the city for a bit, sticking to the cheap districts where the buildings were made of wood and exposed brick. Satiria took the lead, asking locals where they could find a good place to drink. She led the rest of them to a large, very loud building and wandered inside.

“This’ll do.”

The tavern had a wide open floor covered with tables. A bar sat along one wall opposite wide open arches leading into the kitchens. The place was dimly lit by candles both along the wall and in chandeliers. As they took their seats at an empty table, Theonis had to wave away the musty, smoke-filled air.

Theonis sat between Kateni and Myrova; Polithea sat on Myrova’s other side. Satiria and Kosgoris sat beside each other, their chairs physically very close. Two empty chairs remained on one side of the table.

“I bought a few more books to read,” Satiria began, “but I’m running out of shelf space for them. I’m going to have to get rid of some, but I can’t find any that I don’t need.”

“We could put some shelves up in my room,” Theonis offered. “There’s not much in there right now. Just put the books you don’t use as often in there.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Slowly, the group slipped into a comfortable conversation. Very occasionally, Kateni would offer a tidbit or two, but was mostly quiet. She was much more focused on her drink than her friends. Theonis wondered if she was somewhat lonely before he came around.

“Theonis?”

“What?”

He turned to look at Myrova.

“I was saying that we should train the donkeys to sniff out magical artifacts.”

Theonis grinned.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “And maybe we give them little shovels and pickaxes they can hold in their teeth. Make them do all the work.”

Polithea added, “Do you think that we can get them to do the riggings for us, too?”

“Excuse me,” Kosgoris interrupted. “My animals are for carrying cargo only. If you want them to do more, you have to put them on the payroll.”

Everybody laughed; even Kateni grinned.

“When do you think we’re getting out of here?” Satiria asked. “I’m aching to get back to work.”

“There has to be a substantial enough rumor to get us started,” Myrova replied. “People are always talking about old Apositan settlements. Surely he’s found something worth pursuing by now.”

“Maybe there just aren’t very many left undiscovered,” Theonis suggested.

A new voice replied, “Oh, I wouldn’t know about that.”

Everyone turned to look at the newcomers. The man who had spoken had pale white skin and short brown hair. He was dressed in a fine blue coat and was wearing eyeglasses. The woman beside him was similarly light-skinned, with blond hair in braids and a simple dress of a design Theonis didn’t recognize.

“May we sit?” the man asked. They both took a seat before anyone could respond. “My name is Aylmer, and this is my second-in-command, Eiscilla.”

“Charmed,” Eiscilla said curtly.

Aylmer continued, “We’re not from around here, obviously. You can probably tell that just from my accent. We’re staying on our ship, the Prudelyn, in the harbor. You’re all adventurers, aren’t you?”

“You could call us that,” Satiria replied, lacing her fingers together. “We work for the capital, uncovering ancient settlements.”

“Wonderful,” Aylmer replied, smiling just a little too broadly. “We’re adventurers, too, from Luvetcher.”

“You’re far from home,” Satiria told him.

“I have to be.” Aylmer scanned the group, smirking. “My team and I are going to find something that nobody has ever been able to prove still exists. We’re going to find the Ancient Apositan capital city of Agathula. What’s more, we’re going to find the fabled Agathula treasure vault.”

“Ridiculous,” Satiria protested, beginning to stand up. Kosgoris placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. “People have been looking for nearly a hundred years. It was very clearly destroyed.”

“So you would think. But we have a worthwhile lead.”

Myrova asked, “What do you want with that treasure?”

“To be honest? Nothing. The treasure will be brought back to Luvetcher and auctioned off to the highest bidder.”

“Outrageous!” Satiria cried, springing to her feet.

Aylmer’s smile broadened. Theonis glanced between him and Satiria, then sank down in his chair. All his friends looked uncomfortable. Satiria looked furious.

Then Aylmer glanced over at Theonis and smiled softly. He rested his cheek in his palm and raised an eyebrow. Theonis felt his heart flutter and a small blush rose to his cheeks.

“Well, it was lovely chatting with you—” Aylmer said, standing up.

“Delightful,” Eiscilla added, following his lead.

Aylmer continued, “—but we must be going. It was nice meeting you all.”

His gaze lingered on Theonis as he said this. Aylmer and Eiscilla left swiftly and Kosgoris was able to coax Satiria into sitting back down. For a while, the group was quiet.

“I think we should start heading back,” Polithea suggested.

In the dark, Theonis led the way down nearly empty streets to the port. He trailed slightly ahead of the group, who were muttering among themselves. But he wasn’t paying attention. Theonis couldn’t get the way Aylmer had looked at him out of his head.

“Theonis, are you sure you’re alright?” Myrova asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he drawled back.

“You aren’t acting fine,” Kateni told him. “This isn’t normal for you.”

“I’m okay, I promise,” he said, turning suddenly to face the group. “I’m just thinking about stuff, that’s all.”

“Completely unbelievable!” Theonis blinked and focused his attention on Satiria, but she wasn’t even looking at him. “I can’t stand people like that! And the absolute nerve he has to come right up to us and brag! It just infuriates me so much!”

“It’s okay,” Kosgoris said quietly, placing his hands on her arms. “Listen to me, everything is alright. Just breathe deeply and slowly, okay?”

Satiria seemed to listen to him. Theonis didn’t get it, though. Aylmer had seemed downright charming. What was Satiria getting so worked up about? What exactly had Aylmer done wrong?

Once on board the ship, there were a few brief goodbyes and everyone returned to their own rooms. Theonis collapsed onto bed, his own head swimming from both alcohol and the memory of Aylmer’s expression. He couldn’t stop thinking about Aylmer and had no idea why. What was this feeling?

The Prudelyn. That was the ship Aylmer was staying on. Theonis should seek it out. Maybe they could talk some more.