Our Little Gods 1: RABATEA, the first World of the Daughters.

Chapter 13.

The enormous potbellied vessel had been anchored off the city of Azul in the Red Bay for four days now, to the boy's great dismay. The 'Pride of Salah' had sailed from the Lower Limore harbor of Medsit down the Wide Sea, around the Maharaïa, staying as far as it could from the treacherous waters of the crater and up the White Banks bringing goods and trade to the Holy Islands and the cities of the Triadic Seas. Five days ago it had been in Ael harbor ready to depart for the wealthy Ferollian cities and then Gash before starting on its return journey. While it was getting shipshape in the small harbor its crew and passengers witnessed a vast procession of monks and acolytes chanting as they walked down the streets of the city to the harbor. They were escorting three canopies under which walked beautiful young men dressed in white robes and adorned with the symbol of the three goddesses. A splendid ceremonial barge waited for them moored to the main dike and as they boarded it the monks and acolytes threw what looked like flowers in the air. The Limorite captain of the Pride commented to the boatswain that finding so many flowers so early in the spring quarter must have been a real challenge. But the Riserlies were blowing steadily and it was time to sail on to Feroll, so instead of going to the passengers who had been admitted to the fore gallery cabin, the stern one being already occupied by four young Ziomite aristocrats who bought passage to Gash in order to go hunt the great predators of the wilderness of Utesh. The captain walked to the main castle and and gave the signal for departure. The main deck had been cluttered with pinnace, launch and cutters of different size and make while they sailed but as soon as they had reached Azul they had all vanished towards the city carrying the wares to be sold and the passengers who had business or leisure to do ashore. The boys had looked on as Maasil waved back at them diminishing in the distance as the sailors of the Pride rowed powerfully towards a city they were clearly not to be allowed to.

Terrey was lounging on the heap of folded sails catching the early spring sun. He was watching Farenn as the adventurous boy climbed the rigging and used the many ropes to move from mast to mast going from one end of the ship to the other. Presently he had almost reached the eagle's nest near the top of the main mast and from below where he was there seem to be very little mast and almost no rope left to hold on to. The boy's mind wandered to what had happened just before leaving Ael. They were in Limero's cottage, Farenn and him looking over some maps while Limero showed them the trip they will make before going to the mountains. It had started as an odd lightheadedness and a sensation of heat going up the spine. He remembers standing up right in perfect unison with Farenn and the look of alarm on the old master's face. He could see Limero was saying something, most likely shouting but there was no sound but the powerful ringing in his ears. Then he started seeing the signs, the stuff Maz couldn't shut up about, the god letters was it? GodWord, yeah, that's it. He remember his own mouth opening and sounds coming from it. The same as came from Farenn's. And all of a sudden it was over. It had felt... good... better than that, it had felt awesome. Farenn was there in the room but in his head as well and Oneg too even tho he wasn't there in the room... He had known that Oneg had been the one reading, somehow he had known almost like he had been there, with him in the cramped cell with the blue eyed boy chained to the wall and the myriad of squares scattered around.

Terrey looked at Farenn at the very top of the main mast hugging what looked like a piece of wood no bigger than a twig. It's not really safe he thought. I wish he would come back down to me. Farenn turned around twisting his neck to look down directly at him. He unslung his legs and started down to the eagle's nest and then he climbed down the rigging ladder to the main deck and lied on the folded sails, in the sun next to Terrey.

That evening the launch came back with Limero on board, soon followed by the rest of the crew and the passengers of the stern cabin. Late that night when the moons rose above the horizon the ship raised its sails and silently left the Red Bay. By noon the day after they rounded the cape of Sinti and entered the Channel that links the Ironglass Sea to the White Banks. At sunset on the second day they reached the point where the warm waters of the Gashian Sea and the Channel meet the cooler ones of the White Banks, the infamous fog of the area could be seen as a white grayish wall that seem to refuse to enter the Channel itself and drifted between the coast of Gash and the Manyfold Hills coast of former Rabatea.