1st of Fall, 518 A.V.
Fingers tapped on the wooden railing of the ship to the agitated drizzling of raindrops. Syna had abandoned the sky to Leth’s shimmering lights hours ago, though the thick clouds left only the moon to shine upon the sea. Koroshtoph rubbed his middle finger against his thumb and narrowed his eyes at the horizon. Nothing. Any time now, Sunberth was supposed to emerge from the darkness over yonder. The same had been true an hour ago. He let out a short grunt and carried on accompanying the pulse of the rain with his hand.
“Eager to get to paradise, eh Korosh?” the raspy voice of Gruder came from behind, blending between the creaking of the wood, and the gentle crashing of the sea against the hull, “`Course, you’ll need to find someone to kick yer head in first.”
Koroshtoph could almost sense the wry grin on the man’s face.
“Heard its an abundant service though; ‘Round every corner and just fer the price of yer worldly possessions.” Gruder burst into laughter.
Koroshtoph let his fingers rest on the wood and leaned forward to look down at where the keel split the ocean. “I appreciate the concern.” Though his tone was sardonic, he had grown to enjoy the man’s company more than he liked to admit. He pushed away from the railing and turned towards Gruder; the sailor’s face bore the exact expected expression. “Weren’t we supposed to be there by now?”
“Enjoy the ocean while you can, friend. We’ll be there in a few days’ time”–he glanced up–“depending on the weather.”
“Yesterday it was just a day. I’m beginning to think you’re talking out of your ass.”
“Well, it did put you in a better mood didn’t it? ‘Sides, I wasn’t anticipatin’ a storm.” For a moment, Gruder’s face turned a shade more somber, then he looked back at Koroshtoph with a grin. “Ever been on a ship when Zultrav’s having his way with it?”
He had been. More than a season of his life he had spent on a ship, and all of it together in one long voyage which, at this point, could not reach its conclusion soon enough. “Yeah, we’ve had some stormy days on our way to Zeltiva.” Koroshtoph thought he saw a flash of disappointment on Gruder’s face. “That bastard’s made me lose my lunch on more than one occasion”–he shrugged–“but I’ll live if that’s the worst of it.”
Lightning split the sky to the east and thunder joined Gruder’s roaring laugher. “Looks like he’s stepped up to your challenge.”