An Aimless War (Greatest Thief 2)

Chapter Five

I didn't like the ship.

As soon as I stepped onto its deck I hated it. Even if I tried to ignore the water around us, it was impossible to not feel the slight swaying as it was hit by waves. It was a medium sized ship, easily larger than the little fishing boats, but not as big as the huge warships and cargo ships that floated further out in the water. Sailors rushed around us, and some of them were already up the two masts. I watched them a little jealously. The view would be amazing from up there.

Tannix walked across the deck as confidently as if he owned the ship himself, which for all I knew he might have. I followed him across the deck to a set of stairs, which led up to a slightly higher section. I recognized the wagon wheel used to steer the ship. Nearby, a man who was probably the captain was looking over a piece of parchment.

"Captain Roland," Tannix said.

The man looked up, and smiled. "Ah, you've finally arrived. Are you ready to set out?" Like Tannix, he struck me as someone who was used to being in charge. He was dressed fairly simply in a dark jacket, pants and boots. In sharp contrast to his simple dark clothing was his hat, wide-brimmed and decorated with a blue feather that fluttered in the wind. A thin, slightly curved sword hung from his hip.

"Yes, we can leave. I apologize for taking so long; there were some things to clear up," Tannix said.

"Nothing to worry about, lad. The weather's been holding, so we should have an easy sail. I reckon we'll reach West Draulin early tomorrow morning."

The man had the slight accent I had heard from sailors before, and he didn't look quite like a Telt. His face was tanned, but his skin was still paler than mine. His neatly trimmed beard and long hair were very dark instead of Teltish blond. His eyes, too, were not quite Teltish—green as opposed to the usual blue.

He continued speaking, "One of my lads will take your bag below to my quarters. I take it Tandrin's staying behind?"

Tannix nodded. "For now, at least."

The captain passed the parchment he was holding off to his sailor. "Well, let's be on our way, shall we? Lads!" He started to call out to his sailors in what sounded like complete gibberish.

It suddenly really occurred to me that we were going to be leaving the safety of the port, and we would be doing it in the dark. "Tannix? Did... did he really mean it when he said we'll reach West Draulin tomorrow?"

"The trip takes about a day, less in nicer weather."

"You didn't tell me it would take that long."

"You've seen maps."

"That doesn't mean I had any idea how far away it was!" I lost the fight again my mounting panic. "I can't be on this boat for that long. I don't like water. I can't swim. What if there a storm and I fall over the side and—"

"Finn, stop." Tannix put his hands on my shoulders, and just that simple touch was enough to put my racing thoughts on hold. "Nothing's going to happen. I will not let you fall off of the ship and drown. I swear to the Goddess. Besides, Captain Roland is more than capable of getting us to West Draulin safely, and his crew is very experienced."

I took a few deep breaths. "It isn't the people I don't trust, it's the water. I don't like water. I never have."

Tannix paused. He glanced towards the open water beyond the port's protective walls. His eyes were the same colour as the water. The same colour as his blue tunic. West Draulin's colour was blue because of their connection to the water. What if I hated West Draulin?

He looked at me again. "Finn, you have a water god, correct? What's his name?"

"He... uh... Roe."

"Roe," Tannix repeated thoughtfully. "I thought... no, I guess that makes sense. Come here." He let me go, and walked over to the side of the ship.