The Taleweaver

Homecoming, part four

They boarded the ship early in the morning. To Arthur, who hadn't stood upon the planks of a wooden ship previously in his life, it was a novel experience. This was more the kind of adventure he preferred, but he'd been warned that the waters were unsafe around here, and it was with mixed feelings he went to inspect his cabin.

It turned out to be smaller than he'd expected, smaller even than the cramped quarters he got used to while still with the caravan. Two bunks and a narrow table bolted to the far wall took up most of the space. Below the bunks there was hardly space enough to stash away a travelers luggage, not that they had much of it.

Their departure from Belgera had been far too hurried. Their flight from Belgera, Arthur corrected himself. This far very little of his travels had turned out to be uneventful in the truest sense of the word, and by now he fervently longed to be bored for a few days.

They set sail, and to his pleasant surprise Arthur didn't feel anything of the seasickness he'd heard stories about. Arthur snickered. He probably had told viewers about it during one of his shows. He'd told so much of what he didn't know of from own experience during the years on Earth.

Arthur spent most of the morning watching the harbor grow smaller behind them, getting used to the movement of the ship under his feet. There was a sound of sailing, a creaking and heaving he'd only been told about, but he had never before been on board a wooden sailing ship. The shrill shrieks of seagulls were familiar to him though.

They were on their way home. Strange that he would consider Verd as home, but it was the only place where he'd spent some time since his arrival here. Arthur shrugged the thought away. There would be more time to decide what was a home or not later, but until then he was satisfied with looking forward to feeling the stone of the magical capital under his feet once again. Maybe he wouldn't be extracted, but he held little hopes.