Chapter 9

“Hello, Mayor. I am Edvard, Captain of the Drake. This is Miss Annabelle Quentin, owner of our vessel.” The captain introduced the group, gesturing to each of them in turn. The mayor grew more excited when Wil and his companions were brought forward, his face lighting up as he felt the intensity of their mana.

“Good! Very, very good! We are blessed by the Lord of All for his benevolence and assistance! Come! Meet my companions. This is Edmund, my brother. He is responsible for our humble island’s trade with the continent.” The mayor said, standing next his brother as he spoke.

Edmund was nearly a twin of his brother, deeply tanned and equally short. Where the mayor wore simple cotton clothing, his brother was wearing more expensive robes that would not look out of place in Elbing or any other prosperous town.

He was even wearing the Mercantile Associations symbol around his neck, a small set of silver scales that designated him as a member.

“Forgive my ignorance, Mr. Durand, I was not aware of your island’s connections to any trading group.” Quentin said, stepping forward to shake the Edmund’s hand.

“No forgiveness required, Miss Quentin. We are only a small island, trading in simple goods with Illyria and Lund. Truth be told, must of our inhabitants rarely leave the island, nor do they wish to. We rely on intermediaries to carry commodities to market and bring supplies back. I understand that the merchants may be…reticent…to share their trade secrets with other traders. We have been comfortable with the status quo, no need to rock the boat with our partners by seeking additional trade.”

Quentin nodded at the statement, not finding it strange at all. Most merchants, after forming a profitable partnership, would guard it closely. Revealing the island to others would mean more competition. Edmund Durand seemed knowledgeable enough on the subject, she was interested in leaning more of what the island offered. Quentin could practically smell the profit here.

“Very good! I am sure you will become fast friends of trade! Now, to my better half! This is my wife, priestess to the Lord of All, Sophia!” The mayor bowed his head slightly as he introduced her to the group.

Dressed in deep blue robes, the mayor’s wife was a handsome woman. Deeply tanned, with jet black hair, she carried herself with grace and authority. Around her neck was a simple gold chain, with a symbol of three wavy lines hanging from it.

Wil narrowed his eyes at the symbol, recognizing it at once. It was the symbol of the God of the Seas, Aruna. The church of the Sea God wasn’t a cult, but an orthodox church recognized by the Illyrian Empire, just not a popular one.

Although most Illyrians worshipped the Twin Suns, many other gods existed in the heavens above.

Aruna’s churches were mostly in the western province, the only part of Illyria with access to the sea. Even Aachen had a cathedral dedicated to him, the merchants there were particularly fond of giving offerings to the sea god before crossing the Azure Sea.

“The God of all Oceans, Aruna, welcomes you to Miquelon. May you find calm seas and gentle winds here.” The priestess blessed their arrival with a small bow.

Wil shared a smug look with Mara, as if to say, ‘looks like your cultist bet is a bust!’ Before returning the priestesses’ bow with the others.

“We thank the Sea God for his help in ensuring our safe arrival, priestess.” Quentin said. As the leader of the group, and a resident of Elbing, she was more than familiar with the customs of the god’s worshippers.

“Good! Good! Please, follow me! I will show you around our village. We have accommodations available if you wish, and Edmund will arrange meetings with our shipbuilders and craftspeople to see to your needs. And, of course, my wife will be available in our humble church if you wish to offer thanks to the Lord of All for your safe arrival.” Mayor Durand explained, practically bouncing on his heels as he shepherded them forward.

“That sounds wonderful, Mayor. Captain, why don’t you meet with the shipbuilders while Mr. Edmund and I discuss our needs?” Annabelle asked, looking to Edmund to see if that would be fine.

“We can meet in my office, if that is acceptable?” The island merchant nodded at Quentin’s word, gesturing for her to follow him.

“Wil, would you and Mara visit the church and offer our gratitude?” Quentin asked, giving him a look that said, ‘do not offend these people and mess this trade deal up on me’.

“Of course, Miss Quentin. I would love to.” Wil said, barely concealing his sarcasm.

Walking down the long wharf, Quentin, Martin and Bell separated from the others to meet with Edmund, while Edvard and Garman went with the mayor to see the local craftspeople about repairs.

Wil and Mara followed the priestess down the wharf and through the streets of the small, island village. Despite the concerns he had before they arrived, he had to admit, Miquelon seemed to be a perfectly idyllic place. Everywhere he looked, he saw happy, healthy people, going about their business.

After spending so much time in Aachen, he had developed a bit of a sixth sense for evil and negative intent. It was hard to spend any time on the wall and not notice when it was absent. He couldn’t feel anything here, except for well-intentioned and friendly people.

From the wharf, Sophia brought them along the well-packed, dirt roads. Everywhere she went, people would smile and greet her, nodding politely at the strangers she was escorting.

No one was frightened or concerned by their presence, merely curious at the newcomers. The worst offenders were the children, running circles around them and asking questions so quickly that Wil could barely pick out one word in ten.

Luckily, Mara had a way with children, and soon she was chasing them around the street, answering questions as quickly as they were asking them, leaving Wil a moment of peace from the onslaught.

“I apologize for them, we rarely have visitors. Edmund fills their heads with stories of Illyria and Lund, they are merely curious about you.” Sophia said, smiling as they continued on their way, Mara playing catch up after a minute.

“No problem at all!” Out of breath, the young woman shook her head at the apology as she rejoined him.

“I was curious as well, why did the mayor refer to Aruna as the ‘Lord of All’? Forgive me if I’m being rude, but it wasn’t one of his titles that is familiar to me.” Wil ventured as they walked slowly through the street towards a white stone structure ahead.

Clearly the building ahead was their destination, it was at the edge of the small town, with the only road leading to its front entrance. Clean and well-kept, it was surrounded by lush green lawns and beautiful wildflowers. On the front of the stone façade was the same symbol Sophia was wearing, three wavy, blue lines.

“No, it isn’t rude at all to be curious.” Sophia said, laughing at the question. They stopped just outside the entrance of the church, she turned towards him as she spoke.

“Armon was born here, on the Island. He’s never even been past the bay! He gets horribly seasick.” She said, pointing at the bay behind them. Turning, Wil could easily see the Drake sitting heavy in the water, the storm damage clearly visible on its hull.

At the mention of seasickness, Mara laughed and glanced at Wil. Not appreciating her humor, Wil rolled his eyes before flicking the annoying young woman on the forehead with a finger.

“It seems it is an affliction you share?” Sophia smiled, before gesturing around her. “My husband names Aruna the ‘Lord of All’ because to someone born and raised on this island, the sea is all.” She explained, before gesturing towards the church.

Walking the three steps to the front door, Wil and Mara followed Sophia into the building. Pleasantly cool and quiet after the heat of outdoors and the bustling village, Wil felt himself relax as they walked down the short aisle, towards the altar in the center.

Made of worn, round stone and driftwood from the beach, the altar gave off a feeling of power from the ocean. Wil could smell the sea and feel the strength of the mana emanating around them.

Placed in the area were various offerings from the villagers and the crews of the other merchant vessels. Wil spotted bags of coins, baskets of fish and fruit, even a worn emerald gem, polished by the tide.

Wil dug into his bag, looking for something appropriate to offer a god. He settled on his old sword, the one he first carried into Whitewater. It was non-magical but made of fine steel. He had replaced it in Aachen with his current weapon, but he had hung onto his previous blade for sentimental reasons.

It felt appropriate to offer something personal to the altar, and he had no use for it any longer.

“I have a confession, Sophia. I’m not the most devout person. I’m unsure how to go about making an offering.” He said, placing the blade on the floor next to the altar, with the other items. Mara placed a dagger next to his, giving him a shrug after she had done so.

“The manner of giving isn’t important, just that the offering is meaningful.” Sophia said, standing next to them. She gave a deep bow to the Altar, whispering a prayer. After a moment, she straightened and gesturing for them to take a seat on a set of nearby chairs.

“I have a confession as well, Wil.” Sophia said, settling on the chair facing the pair.

“You see, Aruna spoke to me during the storm. He told me you would come, that he was sending us help in our time of need. He would be guiding a champion to protect us from a great evil.” Sophia explained, staring at Wil as she spoke.

“Forgive me, but why would the God of the Sea send someone like me to help you? As I’ve said, I’m not a devout follower of any of the gods. And besides, I haven’t seen anything around so far that you need my assistance with. Did Aruna name me specifically?” Wil shook his head at her words, not believing that he was sent here for any purpose.

“No, but you know as well as I do that gods do not speak so plainly. He gave me this.” Sophia channeled her mana briefly, and Wil assessed her mana to be a Rank 3. An object zoomed out from the offerings near the altar, where it had been tucked behind, out of sight.

Snatching it out of the air, Sophia handed the item to Wil. It was a ring.

Made of gold, it was heavy, with a flat, wide portion on one side. Turning it over, he saw that on the front was a Noble House Symbol, two stags locking horns. The symbol of House Brookmoor.

Seeing the symbol and feeling the weight of the band in his hand, he knew. It was his ring.