The Jewel of Orlegon

Chapter 9: Experiences at sea

For the first time in her life, the young woman could gaze upon the island where she had grown up. She realized the immensity of the volcano, which practically dominated the surface of Nimeo. Contrary to what she had often thought, the abandoned temple was not halfway up the summit. Seen from a distance, the island was a dark green spot amidst the turquoise ocean, topped by the dark silhouette of the sleeping giant. Saisio was a mere whitish point at the tip of Nimeo.

"Are you okay?" Nanthamo's voice rose next to her.

"I'll be fine," she replied, striving to conceal the emotions that overwhelmed her, "it's just that... I've always dreamed of leaving. And now that it's happening, I'm not sure if I'm making the right choice."

"Someone like you couldn't have stayed on this island."

"Why?"

"Too much potential for such a tranquil place. You would have either withered away and never broken your seals or become a danger to others the day you did break them. Leaving someone with abilities like ours without guidance is risky."

"If it's so dangerous, why call at twenty then?" Alteria asked, surprised, "from what you explained, many break their first seals long before."

"That used to be the case," Nanthamo explained, leaning on the rail as well, "in the past, Enartians would look for their own as soon as they manifested their gifts, mostly during childhood."

"Why did they stop?"

"Ieza might explain that better than I can. From what I understand, the idea was that by allowing future Enartians to grow up with their families, they would learn the values and issues of the people they defend. They would be better equipped to understand the concerns of the people. Whereas if you raise children with superior abilities among themselves, they'll never feel like they belong to the same people as others. That must have led to problems in the past."

Alteria could well imagine the detachment these extraordinary children might have felt from others. She wondered what she would have become if her seals had broken earlier. Would she have been more accepted, or even more feared? Would she have used her abilities to secure a different position on the island? Would Minea have dared to attack her?

"Well, the sight will remain the same for a while," Nanthamo said, pulling her from her thoughts, "shall I show you your cabin?"

"I have a personal cabin?" the young woman asked in astonishment.

"Unless you want to spend your nights with a noisy crew of sailors. And soldiers on top of that."

"Does it matter if they're soldiers?"

"You can add to the baseline noise level the regular training fights in their quarters," the young man explained with an undisguised smile.

Burning with curiosity about his companion's familiarity with the maritime world, Alteria refrained and chose instead to follow him to the passenger cabins. Along the way, all the crew members they passed respectfully nodded at them and quickly stepped aside to let them through.

"Is it always like this?" the young woman eventually asked, noticing a sailor who had climbed onto the rail so that they could descend the stairs side by side.

"With the military, yes. They respect us as much for our abilities as because we, like them, are soldiers."

"I didn't quite understand earlier. The commander called Ieza 'Mar,' but you called him 'Setven.'"

"Selven," Nanthamo corrected, "that's his exact title, but the commander is too far from the upper ranks to know about these things."

"Mar, selven, nahori," Alteria enumerated, thinking, "these are words I've never heard before."