Boarding the weird vessel was a process of organised chaos. We simply had to follow after the Naga who came to guide us, our small group moving through the hustle and bustle like a fish through the sea, unconcerned with the activity.

From up-close, the ship was even more alien and impressive than from afar, especially on a magical level. The whole structure was infused with Astral Power, on a level that easily rivalled the Mages’ Guild we had visited the day before, only instead of a hodgepodge of power, thrown together by many spellcasters over the years, without a unified theme or plan, the magic holding the ship together was a work of beauty. It was a dense tapestry of interwoven magic, acting and moving in sync, the individual flows all part of a greater whole. With Lenore’s sight, I even noticed some distinctly different flows, different elements, working in concert in a way I had yet to see.

If not for Sigmir walking behind me, I might have stopped and stared, mesmerized by the incredible magical engineering around us, but her hand on my shoulder kept me moving, even as most of my mind started to zone out, immersed in my observations.

“Greetings, I am Wavecaller Vajira,” the voice of a Naga jolted me out of my thoughts and I focused on our present situation. The Naga who had come to get us was standing behind a proud-looking female Naga, similar in attire and demeanour to Wavespeaker Kelartis. There was a palpable air of power around her, a sense of command and confidence, the projection that the space we were in was hers. Unless I completely missed the mark, this being was the leader of the ship. That Naga had just addressed Adra and her words reminded me that Kelartis had told us the Wavecaller would send someone for us.

“Greetings, Wavecaller,” Adra returned the greeting, before introducing the rest of us. After introductions, we were subjected to a brief, if slightly intimidating, study, as the Wavecaller’s eyes seemed to bore through us. I wasn’t certain if there was a skill involved, but I didn’t feel the usage of one, leaving me a little disturbed. Once the Wavecaller seemed to be satisfied, she nodded to one of the other Naga.

“That is one of my assistants, Tideseeker Relani,” the addressed Naga stepped forward, giving us a polite nod, “She’ll be your point of contact and she speaks with my voice,” she announced, getting nods of acceptance from us.

“That being said, I hope you will have a calm and pleasant journey,” she gave us a nod, before turning and, after receiving our thanks and farewell, slithering out of the room she had greeted us in, most of her entourage following behind. The Tideseeker remained with us and gave us her own introduction. I thought her voice sounded a lot less secure and quite a bit younger than the Wavecaller had, but their snake-like features made judging body language and facial expression nigh impossible.

“Now, there are a few rules passengers need to obey, for the safety of the ship. These are non-negotiable and if you cannot oblige, you will be asked to get off the ship immediately.” the Tideseeker warned us, sounding polite but determined. Thinking about the things I had heard about sea travel on Mundus, I could understand her stance, if there was a good chance to encounter deadly sea monsters if you weren’t cautious, I’d want to have some clear and hard rules in place, too.

As we intently listened, the Naga slowly and carefully went over the rules, warning us what we had to be cautious of and even giving us a couple of tips, on how other land-dwellers had dealt with the sensation of sea travel in the past. Apparently, the enclosed Naga vessels had a habit of making people seasick, and without a horizon to balance your mind against, it got really bad, really quick.

But the main point of the talk was to make sure we knew what not to do. Things like loud sounds, powerful, magical emanations, anything that had a chance to attract attention towards the ship was to be avoided at all cost. Unless specifically ordered by the Wavecaller or one of her deputies, doing so would result in a one-way trip into the ocean, without the benefit of any sort of floatation aid. If you wanted to play with the sea monsters, they were happy to facilitate the trip and let you do just that - As long as you didn’t drag them along with you.

Suitably warned, and after enduring a couple of jokes and teasing looks regarding noise from the others, we were shown to the passengers’ quarters, a long and narrow hallway, lined with simple sleeping nooks. There were almost no creature comforts, only the bunks and simple sanitation facilities at each end of the hallway. Looking around, I realised just how boring the journey would be. There were no windows to look out, not that there would be a lot to see, no entertainment but what we brought and the limits placed upon us meant we could only train in the most limited fashion.

With the realisation came the question, did I want to stay with Sigmir, simply to spend time with her, or did I want to log out, so I could get some entertainment and stimulus. In the end, it would most likely be a mix of both, something I should see as a blessing.

“This will be your home for the next week.” Tideseeker Relani told us in her sibilant accent, before gesturing to the door we had just entered through. “If you will follow me, I will guide you to the mess, where you can have food outside the designated times.” she motioned for us to join her.

As we walked, she further explained the journey to us, especially the shift system they used and when we were asked to remain in our quarters, so we weren’t underfoot during shift change. There was little we could do but shrug and accept it, and soon, we had been guided through the public areas of the ship. My earlier judgement seemed to be confirmed, this would be a boring journey unless something went horribly wrong. In that case, it would be a boring journey with a sudden, incredibly deadly, ending.

Soon after we returned to our quarters, a few more travellers trickled in from their own guided tours, most of them looking both apprehensive and excited. They were a mixed bag in age, appearance and race, a couple of dwarves, a few halflings, and even a pair of valkyries. The curious thing was, they moved as four obvious groups, not formed by race. My guess was that they were groups of adventurers, looking for greener pastures, an assumption I thought justified due to their pretty uniform state of physical fitness and a faint sensation of power I felt from them.

The odd group out was one made entirely of humans, with clearly defined roles within their group. Some of them were guards, with a pair being the ones they were guarding. I idly wondered what their story was but decided that the cautious look those guards were giving the other groups didn’t invite socialisation.

The different groups split up without much ado, each claiming a part of the room and taking up the beds there, with very little conversation. The passenger quarters were easily large enough to allow everyone their space, as limited as it was, and soon, a faint, magical emanation tingled my nose, right before a magically projected voice reached my ears.

“All hands, prepare for departure.” the voice, which I recognised as Wavecaller Vajira’s, ordered and there was a faint feeling of excitement running through the ship, as I sat down on Sigmir’s bunk, not willing to climb up into the one I would be using.

Next to me, Sigmir grabbed my hand, squeezing it with almost painful strength and I realised that she was shivering.

“Are you alright, love?” I quietly whispered, moving to put my other arm around her, while still holding her hand.

She gave me a nod, “I will be,” she tried to assure me, but the look in her eyes spoke of something far different.

Instead of trying to figure out what was scaring her, I simply held her close, as the ship beneath us started to move with a subtle jolt. From now on, our fate was entirely in the hands of the Naga crew.

That realisation gave me my own shiver of discomfort and I realised what scared my beloved so much: We were no longer masters of our own fate.

Pushing down my anxiety, I focused on the warm body in my arms, trying to soothe the woman in my arms, who suddenly looked so very vulnerable.