“I’d think you’d had enough of ships,” Japheth said.
“The sea’s in my blood, warlock!” Thoster replied. “And I ain’t quite ready to give up my captain’s title. I’ve gotten used to it.”
“It suits you,” Anusha said.
“Westgate is close,” said Japheth. “You could find yourself a ship there in no time.”
“Exactly what I was thinking,” replied the captain. “And from the sound of things, Xxiphu’s been hanging over the Sea of Fallen Stars for more than fifty years; to most, it’s always been floating up there. I hear it hasn’t been too much of a threat, at least lately. But all of us know the horrors that crawl inside that hollow seed.”
“So what?” Japheth said.
“Well, it bears watching, is all,” Thoster said. “By someone who has dealt with the likes of those aboleths before. Once I find a ship to my liking, and a crew, and a steady income stream-”
“From piracy?” said Yeva.
“I’ve taken ownership of the occasional Amnian merchantman’s cargo, true enough,” said the captain. “And I don’t regret it. However, we’ve skipped ahead decades, and things are different. From what I’ve been able to gather, trade along the Inner Sea is good. It ain’t anywhere near where it was before, but it’s a damn sight better than what I was dealing with back in the 1390s. I think I’ll give honest shipping a go. Besides, with my advantages, I figure I’ll earn a king’s bounty in short order.”
“Could you use a first mate?” Yeva asked.
Thoster’s smile slipped. “Everyone I promoted to that position of late has turned up dead,” he said. “It might not be a healthy post to accept.”
“I’m made of sterner stuff than most, remember,” said Yeva. “Nor can I drown if I fall overboard. Though I might rust.”
The captain’s grin returned, and he clapped her on the shoulder. He winced at the impact, but said, “How could I forget? I would be honored, my lady, to have someone as accomplished and as, um, solid as you to help me out.”
Eventually only Japheth and Anusha remained at the gravesite. Japheth watched the sun wester. The orb struck shimmering highlights off the distant Lake of the Long Arm.
Anusha nudged him. “You all right?” she asked.
“Sure,” he said. “It’s just we’ve been caught up in this thing for so long. I don’t really know what’s next. Do you want to back to New Sarshell? I can try to work out a shortcut with my cloak and Neifion’s castle as a stopover.”
“Hmm. Things have probably changed beyond recognition. Marhana Manor will no longer be mine to claim. On the other hand, I hear Behroun isn’t dead.”
“What? That weasel half brother of yours would have to be over a hundred years old!”
Behroun was the author of many of the ills that had befallen Japheth. The merchant had manipulated him by threatening to destroy his pact stone, and the mere thought of the man’s smirking face made his blood boil.
“Knowing him, he’s used foul magic to extend his life,” Anusha said.
Japheth shook his head. “I wouldn’t mind paying him a visit,” he replied. “A last visit.”
“He does have much to answer for. But I don’t think I’m up for confronting him. For us, only days have passed. For Behroun, eighty years have gone by.”
“Ah yes,” Japheth said, sighing. “I keep forgetting what that actually means.”
Whatever the man was up to, he wasn’t the same person who’d blackmailed Japheth. He might have reformed. Or have become irredeemably evil. Either way, he probably hadn’t given the warlock and his missing half sister even a passing thought in more than half a century.
“Maybe you’re right,” he said. “At the very least, I do have something to thank him for. Without his grimy schemes, I’d never have met you.”
She smiled. “See? There you go,” she said. “Everyone has something to offer.”
They watched the horizon take a bite out of the sun. Dust in the air painted the sky iridescent orange.
“I would like to return to Impiltur eventually,” she said. “But not immediately. After so much time, it’ll be different. I’d rather go somewhere completely new. Someplace I don’t have any expectations. We could go anywhere!”
It still made him almost giddy when she used the word “we.”
He gazed at her. The slanting rays of fading day made her angelic. She was everything to him, bright and vital, and filled with eagerness for life. Just being near her made him glad. He was beginning to believe she felt the same about him.
“What’re you thinking?” Anusha asked.
“Oh, that you’re wonderful,” he said. “And about the future. Can we make our way in a world that’s forgotten us?”
“Let’s find out, Japheth,” she replied. “Together.”