Across the Midnight Sea

Chapter 11: Verek

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"Imre" his mother's voice called to him. "Where are you my darling?"

Imre could smell the nutmeg in the air, his mother had made cookies. 

He loved it when she made cookies, hers always tasted so much better and he knew why. She had told him her secret recipe-she always added love in hers. No one else did that that's why other peoples cookies never tasted as good.

"Imre...where are you?" a sing-song melody of a call.

His mother's voice was so beautiful. He loved it when she sang him to sleep at night.

"Where are you my Golden one?" she said using his pet name.

Sparks of joy bounded through Imre and he jumped up from behind the sofa throwing his hands into the air.

His mother let out a startled laugh, pressing the palm of her hand against her chest. 

"Emricus!" she said his full name and Imre stuck his hand in his mouth, his bottom lip trembling and then his mother was laughing. "You little rascal." She smiled, throwing back the soft silken sash she often wore to keep off the chill and lunged towards him playfully.

Imre squealed in delight and ducked away behind the chair peeking his head out from around the side.

"Rawr!" she called out clawing at the air.

Imre laughed and ran.

He only made it a handful of steps before she scooped him up into her arms and twirled him around the room laughing right along with him.

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Imre tried to cling to the dream as long as he could.

In his sleep her could see her face. 

All love, all for him... for her baby boy.

The ache in his chest was a palpable thing as the excited murmurs of his fellow Shaynari pulled him from his slumber against his well.

First light was only barely peeking out over the tree tops and Imre closed his eyes again trying to see his mother's beautiful face more clearly. 

In a cruel torture he found harder he tried to remember the face from his dream, from that untainted memory, the further it slipped from reach until remembering became to bitter for reminding him of all he had lost.

The exited buzz from his fellow Shaynari reached Imre's ears without touching his heart.

Today was the final leg. It was the only day on the Canal journey where the Tamerian slave drivers did not have to wake their slaves. It was the one day where a true reward waited for the Shaynari once their task was complete:

Rest.

A temporary peace, and water and food and the luxury...the pure luxury, of a bath. Those rewards waited only a few hours away. 

The sooner the Shaynari slaves pulled the boat up that final leg of the Canal the sooner they would have their day's rest.

Ships departed from the dock starting at high noon as that was the best time for the cleanest run out into the midnight sea. It was the window when the currents would take you on the safest path, away from the island of Lost souls and out into the deep currents that would carry you smoothly down to the Shaynari coast.