With restless steps, Atau marched past homes made of wood, built in the blocky, huddled style of Arcavia's south. He walked down the pier along the coastline until he could see the place where the buildings were rudely cut off by the uneven walls that enclosed the city. When he turned, Atau could see the local ruler's large keepschurch in the distance, as it crowned the center of the horrible maze that was the city. Without a word, he went back to his paces.

Although it was a sight Atau hadn't seen in well over a year, he felt precious little nostalgia at the moment. Instead, he only felt annoyance creep up his stomach as he was reminded of the Bornish influence all around him. After another two laps, Ivo returned to him, back from his mission. The slim sailor was his former second in command. While he was captain of his own ship now, he still did some of the fleet's organisatorial work, and that was exactly what he had been tasked to do this time.

“How many are missing, Ivo?” Admiral Atau asked with his eyes still fixated on the harbor before him. Meanwhile, Ivo offered a proper salute before he replied.

“Admiral, for now, twenty-seven of the crew are unaccounted for.”

“That's a lot more than I thought.”

Annoyed, Atau turned around to face Ivo. According to their plans, they had only wanted to make a short stop in Borna. Pack some fresh fruit, let the men blow off some steam after the first leg of their journey and maybe gather some intelligence. At this point, they should have long been on their way east. However, now the fleet's admiral still stood in front of his ship in the harbor, while his second had run around to try and assess the extent of their problems.

“Well, they haven't been on shore leave for too long,” Ivo said. “They were told to come back by noon, and it is still not evening yet. After the months at sea, there's a good chance at least a few of them have slept in with a hangover. They might show up a bit later if they've missed the midday call.” Ivo looked around and made sure that no one was nearby before he continued.

“On top of that, there are also a handful who had... special missions near the keep and shipyard who didn't make it back yet. They might be in trouble, but we can't exactly call them mutineers. And then there's some who must have just missed their homes, so they left to see their families after over a year they spent halfway across the world. While that does sound bad, I still wouldn't call that a betrayal, at least. You know how much the crew respects and admires you.”

“They're all good men, so we don't need to be worried about them, is that what you're saying?” Atau spat on the ground in derision. “The Eaststar was missing an ethanol compass, did you know that? You don't think that was a coincidence, do you? Or maybe the good men were just taking our secret technology to show to their families.”

“Is that true?” Ivo asked. At first he looked incredulous, but as Atau continued, anger began to boil in his eyes.

“It gets better.” Atau nodded while a grim smile dominated his face. “Everard is still missing, and he knew our semaphore codes. Whether they've been reimbursed by the Bornish or just got caught and questioned doesn't really matter. Losing those guys means that we've helped our enemy, one way or another. The missing men won't know exactly how the telescope or the ship's wheel work, but at least they'll know they exist, so copying them or making something similar will be much easier for the Bornish as well. We should never have anchored here.”

“But the men were already getting restless after months at sea. If we hadn't landed along the west coast, it would have been bad for morale,” Ivo said. “Also, we needed to land here if we wanted to gather intelligence, and at least in that regard, we succeeded. It was the right decision.”

“True enough,” Atau said as he looked at the busy crowd all around him. Much had changed since the last time he had been here. Back when they had left, Borna's harbors hadn't been this lively, though the country's new position as the strongest naval power on Arcavia's west coast had greatly changed its fortunes.

Where before, everything had happened at a more measured pace, the entire city was in a buzz. Everyone just seemed half a step faster than what Atau had seen in the past, to reflect the greater purpose that surrounded the nation now.

Like an inferior version of Saniya.

While the activity couldn't match up with Atau's own home, it was still a change that could be felt as soon as he had stepped off the ship for the first time. Now he understood what Corco had always said: The world was changing, and they weren't the only ones to bring about that change. Nothing exemplified this more than the priests in dark cloth who were walking around the pier and called out to believers and non-believers alike.

“Either way, we brought more than enough crew for the rest of the journey. The twenty-seven won't be missed during operation,” Ivo said. “And at least we're rid of the traitors now. At least we've already managed to send a ship back home.”

“I don't think that's something we should be talking about right now,” Atau cautioned with a look over to the priests. “There's eyes and ears everywhere. Let's get on the Homeward first before we continue.”

During their stay here, Saniya's sailors had seen the city's shipyard which had grown at least thrice in size since the last time they had been here. Even from the outside, it was a constant buzz of activity. While Atau had expected the Bornish to increase the production of their ships after the armada they had brought to Medala's shores, he had still underestimated their ambitions. With the new knowledge of Borna's operations, he had to send one of his ships back home to warn Corco. Of course he couldn't know if these new, bornish ships would ever make the long journey to Medala or if they were intended to project power along Arcavia's coastline, but they couldn't take a risk in the matter.

Thus, he hadn't even made it past Arcavia's west coast yet and he was down an entire ship in addition to the twenty-seven men. Already annoyed, even more trouble awaited him. The priests had been lingering around his ships for a while now, and as soon as they saw him move towards them, they stepped ahead to block Atau's way.

“Please wait, good man. Do you not wish to relish in the wisdom of Saint Ioannis, to learn of the true purpose our Lord Arcavus has for you?”

“Out of my way,” an impatient Atau said, but the three priests only huddled together closer.

“You would not wish to appear as a heretic, would you? A short conversation would surely not-”

“I said out of my fucking way!” the admiral shouted, as he shoved all three priests out of his path as if they were children. Before they had even hit the ground, the admiral was halfway up his gangway.

“Again with those fucking priests,” he said as he looked back at the group of proselytizers on the ground. While several dock workers came to help the men of god, the priests focused their nasty looks and nastier words in Atau's direction. The Admiral only offered a sneer in response.

“Bastards.” Ivo spat into the water before they reached the railing. “Always hated those Ioannites. They're stubborn like mules, can't take a no for an answer.”

“I don't think the locals see it that way. It looks like their influence is still growing somehow. I've heard stories that the king of Borna has converted to the Ioannian confession recently.”

“Yeah, the news is all over the city,” Ivo confirmed, though he scratched his head in confusion. “It's more than just rumors too. Seems like it really happened.”

Back when they had still called the city of Etra their home port, the Ioannites had been a small group of religious radicals who valued work and money over birthrights. When the Fastgrade fleet had left for Medala, they had been a fast-growing confession, but were still delegated to the fringes of Arcavian society. At that time, they had been the religion of the craftsmen and merchants in the free cities, of those who had been disadvantaged by the status quo. Yet by now, even some high-ranking nobles had been won over by their teachings.

“You know what that means, right?” Atau growled, as if his mood couldn't get any worse. “Their Bornish King wants a war.”

“War? What does war have to do with the Ioannites?” Ivo looked as confused as he looked shocked.

“The Arcavus church is pretty strict about religious order,” Atau explained. “Their old confessions don't even have proper priests, apart from their kings and lords. You really think the other rulers would just give up that power to those shitty priests down there? The more traction the Ioannites gain, the more likely an armed conflict becomes. The Bornish king only makes things worse with his decision.”

He pointed down onto the pier, where the priests had moved on to easier targets. While the Ioannites were brazen, they weren't dumb enough to oppose an entire fleet of galleons.

“But if he risks a war this way, why would their king convert? Maybe he's been convinced by the arguments of the priests and he has seen the light?”

While Ivo was a native Arcavian, he had never been the most religious soul, or the most political mind. On the other hand, Atau had heard enough complaints about Arcavus from Corco to write his own book on the topic.

“You only say that since you don't see Borna's benefits in a religious conflict. Compared to the northern lordships of Arcavia, the southern ones have always been considered lesser. Arcavus was a northerner after all. So the kings and dukes in the south are often considered more distant descendants of God while the northerners are more pure-blooded. It's an issue of prestige, gives the south all kinds of disadvantages during wars and negotiations. Not sure if it's the guns or the increased overseas trade, but it looks like Borna's been emboldened to overturn the established order of things and shake control of the north.”

“So they want to fight a war over it?” Ivo guessed. Meanwhile, the priests had retreated from the harbor for now. Though there was always a chance they would return with the guards to get their revenge, Atau wasn't afraid of a conflict so long as he had his fleet behind him.

“They want a religious revolution, and they don't care about the deaths needed to make it reality. Looks like there's stormy times ahead for Arcavia.”

“At least that's some good news for us.”

“Yeah, let's hope Borna and Cahlia waste all their time and energy in fights against the northern lordships and leave Medala alone.”

For a while, the two sank into silence as they awaited the arrival of their stragglers. As the shadow of Atau's ship took up more of the pier, his mood soured further. However, the worst was yet to come, as the Homeward's lookout arrived with a message.

“Reporting, Admiral,” Atau heard from behind him. When he turned, he saw his subordinate stand with the stiff salute he had practiced countless times. Despite his bad mood, Atau did his best to match the man's energy.

“At ease, sailor. What's the report?”

“The Eaststar has returned.”

“What!?” Confused and angered, the admiral stormed towards the ship's stern pointed at the western horizon, where the Eaststar had disappeared hours earlier. He couldn't fathom why they would be back already after he had sent them to report back to Medala. Had his own men mutinied? No, they wouldn't disobey his orders and then just come straight back to be punished, would they? Though with the recent slew of 'disappearances', he wouldn't be surprised by anything.

However, his questions were answered once he reached the quarterdeck.

Although it was silhouetted by the setting sun, he could identify the Eaststar by the beautiful, sleek hull that was so typical of Medala's ships. Yet the proud vessel was overwhelmed by the shadows of no less than three giant ships traveling behind it. The red shimmer atop the waters only intensified the sinister threat. Although he didn't see their flags due to the sun, he could guess their allegiance before his outlook spoke out again.

“They signaled as soon as they came into view, admiral. They said that on their way to the open waters, they were held up by a Bornish fleet. They were ordered to turn around and return to the harbor straight away. They weren't hit by cannons, but they got a couple warning shots across the bow.”

“So the Bornish don't want Laqhis to know what they're doing in their shipyards, huh? Looks like those ships are coming for Medala after all,” Atau mumbled to himself, a heavy lump in his chest.

“Admiral, what should we do?” Ivo asked in an wavering voice. Arau sighed in reply.

“There isn't much we can do.” He turned towards his men. “Tell the entire fleet: anchors aweigh. We're setting off as soon as everyone's ready.”

“But the men-”

With only a small jerk of his head, Atau silenced Ivo's attempt at reconciliation.

“Whoever's not on board by now won't be coming back either way. You said it yourself: We still have enough men for our journey, so let's just throw out the useless baggage early.”

As the outlook stormed off to relay the admiral's orders across the fleet, Atau turned back towards the shadows of the ships in the distance.

“As for the Bornish plans for Medala? At this point, we're outgunned and outnumbered, and they know that we've tried to inform Saniya. Risking another ship in an attempt to get back would be pointless. All we can do now is hope our folks at home can deal with whatever Borna wants to throw at them. It's not our fight anyways, not now. Let's just be off towards less hostile waters. Whatever unknowns await us there, it can't be worse than this.”