Waterborne (Wanderlust 3)

Chapter Thirty-Eight

"We gather with the blessings of our various deities."

Ivern's voice carried across the Walloxa. He stood by the helm, looking very much like a priest on a dais. The crew had gathered as they would in a church. Soren stood near Ivern, gaze downcast. He thought of the people in his crew and appreciated the way Ivern had altered the traditional Teltish ceremony opening.

Ivern skipped over the usual prayers that followed, just as they had discussed. "Today, we ask the Goddess to bless the soul of Captain Tanden, who was taken too soon at only twenty-nine. He captained the WDN Wanderlust for just ten years, but for those of us who were with him for the entire time, it felt much longer. He led us on more adventures than seems possible. To the very top of the continent, to the very bottom. All eleven countries. His adventurous spirit will never be forgotten. Though we cannot give him a Teltish burial, we find peace knowing that the Goddess will welcome him into her Realm with open arms. His soul will continue to watch over us."

There was a moment of silence, broken only by the sounds of the ship. It felt right, as if the waves and seagulls were saying goodbye to someone who had truly belonged to them.

It was a Teltish ceremony, and so Soren waited until Ivern gave him a slight nod. Then he stepped forward, and took a deep breath.

He had only half prepared for this. Thinking about Tanden being gone was still too raw. He couldn't focus on the thought for too long before breaking down. But he had insisted. Tanden wasn't a Crelan, but he behaved like one. Ivern had agreed that the traditional Crelan phrases would be a nice addition. And more importantly, he had assured Soren that the Teltish Goddess wouldn't be offended.

"Captain..." Soren faltered. Although it didn't currently hurt, he pressed a hand against his wound. "Tanden. My lord, my Captain, my husband. The smartest, most charming man on the ocean. You have earned your place with the Old God of the Sea, or the Goddess." Despite the hollow feeling in his chest, the next thought nearly made him smile. "You've earned your place at the dinner party in the sky."

The idea was comforting, whether it was possible or not. It was nice to imagine Tanden, surrounded by goddesses and gods. Of course he would be charming them, flipping between languages as easily as breathing. Tanden was irresistible and fascinating. Not even deities could possibly resist him.

Lost in thought, it wasn't until Ivern touched his shoulder than Soren remembered that he was supposed to move the ceremony along. He tried to force the thoughts away and found Ara's gaze in the crowd, then nodded.

Ara climbed up the steps to join them on the quarterdeck. "Jale was—" He seemed to realize he was talking too quietly, swallowed, and tried again. "Jale was Tallenese. I am, too, in a way. We pray with songs. I'm going to sing our funeral song. It's about... wishing her well, wherever she is now. Um... right." He clasped his hands together and took a deep breath.

His voice was shaky at first, but grew more confident as he continued singing. It was a beautiful song, slow and mournful. Ara stared down at the deck as he sang. The crew listened quietly, every one of them perfectly still. It seemed like even the seagulls and waves quieted down respectfully.

When Ara finished, he reached up to wipe his teary eyes. There was another long moment of silence. Soren hated to break it, but they couldn't lose too much of the day of travel.

Awkwardly, he cleared his throat before speaking with all the firm authority he could manage. "We need to get moving. The people who took Tanden and Jale from us are still ahead. Let's catch up."

There were grumbles of agreement from the crew. Ivern immediately began calling orders. Down on the main deck, Jerios used flags to communicate with Elorie's ship. Her voice faintly carried across the water as she shouted orders to her own crew. It suddenly occurred to Soren that he was leading a tiny fleet.