lyra
She had heard many stories of the sea around Diamus. The first sailors she met in the Mar took pulls of grain liquor and drunkenly told her of how each drop of water looked like a gem pulled from the mines in the heart of Priam. How it was as warm as the baths in Verini, clear like it too. If you looked off the edge of your ship in calm waters, you could see the teeming fish and corals.
Many times, Lyra had sailed to Sol Victus. Never to the capital, mind you. A stop at a smaller port city was much faster the bulging port. The waters were lighter than in Oceanis Decro, but nothing like what she had been told.
And then she actually sailed to Diamus.
...
It was a large ship, enough room to hold two months worth of supplies for her and her crew. During this particular expedition, the stores were crammed full of gifts and wares from around Oceanis. Iridescent krystallin from the ice caves of Oceanis Myna, massive fillets of smoked and dried fish from the Xoan strait, rings and blocks of Levian iron, bolts of woven, patterned linens from the southern islandsーand a great deal more. She and her crew had accumulated their stock (sans the fresh food) over the last year, prepping for the Celebration.
It was customary for the Mar to send what was nearly a fleet to the festival. Not for protection, no- the festival was one of the least violent affairs in all of the earth. The sailors and seafolk of the Mar were simply renowned as some of the best partiers on the earth.
Lyra was happy to be lumped in with this group.
Her crew bustled around the ship, climbing rigging and tidying the deck. Most of the crew wore the white and blue common garb of the Mar. It was a hot day, burning in the sun of the open ocean. The crew had rolled up their clothes, bearing their sun-stained, hairy legs and arms rippling with muscle. Some of the crew had short, choppily cut hair, done so that it would stay out of their eyes. Others had long tresses, greasy from travel yet dried with sea salt.
Lyra’s own hair was thrown into a large, messy bun atop her head, a few black tendrils spilling down her neck and the sides of her face. She only wore a tank top and rolled shorts in the heat.
“Tiani,” One of Lyra’s crew called from the lower section of the deck. “We’re about a half-day off from the land, right?
Lyra looked into the distance, squinting down the horizon. The air shifted and waved with heat.
“Yeah, sometime in the early morning, we’ll arrive. Let the crew know to sleep in shifts, starting early.” Lyra looked back to the girl, who nodded and rushed off to spread the word.
Lyra strode passed the navigator at the wheel, who nodded respectfully. She stood at the front of the ship, looking out and seeing the faintest glimmer of land as the water began to lighten.
She thought back to Retien and it’s rocky shores. The water was dark and angry, crashing against the ancient stones that rung around her island home.
The water calmed her even then. It did not matter if the waves raged or lapped, they were the heartbeat of the earth. She let her eyes drift shut, showing her face up to the sunshine, a slight burn on her cheeks.
And then she felt it.
The dying wind.
Slowly, the sea’s breath was wavering. It had been all day to some degree, but it slowed to a near lull.
“Tiani, those dark clouds from earlier are getting closer. ” One of her crew called, a thick-armed woman from outside of Kix named Dekka.
The sea whimpers before it weeps.
Sure enough, dark clouds were gathering in the south. They were far off, but they would eventually catch up the ship based on the anger of the clouds chasing them. The crew had weathered many storms, but it was best to avoid them, even if Lyra was able to show off. The wind picked up again, wildly, only to die a few moments later.
Notably, Lyra used her cerchi liberally at the sea. There was no reason not to. On the mainland, abilities like her’s caused far too much of a commotion. Too many crowds, questions, things she didn’t know or could say-
But, on the sea it was different.
She could feel the salt and sun down to her bones, the wind ripped through her hair一 even the earth was somewhere beneath her feet. Her crew was relatively stable and they all knew of her abilities. Their attention and awe felt rewarding but not suffocating.
She was in her element amongst her kin.
Lyra turned back to the rest of the ship, shouting, “Everyone secure the deck!”
There was a mad scramble with accompanying shouts. Knots were tied, sails were shifted, and the crew went into position to secure the larger items that were free on the deck.
Lyra was only acutely aware of this routine. Her hands were gripping the thick wood and metal of the ship’s railing. The slosh of waves against the bow, the gusts of wind blowing from the coming storm, the salt of the airㄧ even the solid earth far beneath the waves trembled against her feet.
“We’re ready when you are, Tiani!” One of the crew shouted, the shuffling having died.
Lyra raised her arms, the air beginning to tangle around them. Stray hairs battered her face as the wind moved with her. She moved her right arm back, winding up. The water below churned with excitement, not commanded by Lyra, but in awe just the same.
She held the position for a moment, hand as far from each other as possible, left palm down, right palm up, buffering the wind that swirled and begged to be released.
She threw her right arm forward, eyes flashing open. The sail’s caught Lyra’s gust, far more powerful than the tepid air before. The boat surged forward, the gust continuing as Lyra continued her back and forth motion. The water below was cut by the metal hull, the crew cheered and jeered one and other.
“Go, Tiani!”
“We’ll be in Diamus within the hour at this rate!”
“She’s so cool!”
Lyra grinned to herself.
All of the theatrics were mostly morale boosters. She could move the wind with intent and motion, but that wasn’t any fun for her or her crew. The journeys they took could get long and a bit of divine magic never hurt anybody.
Lyra kept the motion as the wind around them was now steadily faster, the water allowing them to move quicker. They would outrun the storm without any issue, and they would arrive in Diamus.
The trip was going smoothly. They all had been lately. The supplies runs for the months prior sometimes felt too easy. Lyra blamed her cerchi, her touch and gift lending them good fortune. She never told the crew. Some hunches were hers to hold.
Lyra shook her head, hair falling from her decrepit bun.
No official business until the Celebration is over. Just have a good time for once.
Lyra nodded to herself as the crew resumed their normal positions, chattering excitedly as Sol Victus grew nearer and nearer.
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