Thuraya climbed into the seat next to the driver, who nodded his greeting to her. Thuraya smiled at him politely. She then banged on the carriage attached to the horse, calling, "We're leaving!"
"Okay, "Galen replied.
Thuraya gave the driver a thumbs up. The driver replied with his own thumbs up, taking the reins and whistling at the horses. Thuraya asked, "What is your name?"
"Phyllis, ma'am. Phyllis Dolivo."
"Would you like to know your future?" Galen's groan could be heard from the cart. "Ignore him."
Phyllis glanced at her before refocusing on the road. "Are you one of those fortunetellers?"
Thuraya scoffed, "Do I look like a fake?"
Phyllis shrugged, "I tend to stay away from that kind of folk. I'm content with only knowing my present."
"Aren't you curious?"
"I am, but I'm sure you know the stories, miss."
Thuraya smirked. She certainly knew the stories he talked about. Kings who sat upon their thrones unable to enjoy their luxuries because their fear drove them to insanity. Thuraya asked, "You think you’ll be another victim?"
"I think that it's best to not tempt the fates."
Thuraya laughed, "There are no fates."
Phyllis side-eyed her. "Do you not worship the Ethereal Mistress and her hall?"
"I do, but I know how to separate reality from myths."
"Myth? The fates are the pavers of destiny. The harbingers of the future. Shouldn't a fortuneteller worship them?"
"I'm not a fortuneteller, and why should I worship something that doesn't exist? There are no fates; there is no destiny."
"I pray that you will be free of these blasphemous thoughts."
Thuraya shook her head, "Believe what you will. Who is your patron?"
"Marusei."
"Interesting. Are you from Kurak?"
"Yes," Phyllis said proudly. His tan skin made Thuraya think he was an Erasiman native. Thuraya's darker skin was more reminiscent of Kurak than his.
"It's a beautiful country. I long to visit again."
"Erasima is a beautiful country in its own right, but I miss the rolling dunes of my hometown."
Thuraya hummed her agreement. "How long until we arrive at Muhitpol"
"If we keep this pace, it should be eight hours."
"Including breaks?"
"Yes."
In the back, Galen sat against the wall and listened to the conversation between Thuraya and Phyllis, distracting himself from his and Severin's painful parting. He replayed what was said over and over in his mind, desperately seeking where he went wrong. Why had Severin overreacted? He tried to look at it from a human's perspective, but he only thought himself into circles. He cursed himself. He should have worked harder to make Thuraya agree to taking Severin with them. All the thinking tired Galen out, and, before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.
Galen awoke to Thuraya shaking his shoulder. Stretching his arms, Galen popped his stiff joints. He climbed out of the seat and was greeted to Muhitpol, a port city. The salty sea wind ruffled his hair, carrying the distinct smell of fish and tar. Even from the outskirts of town, Galen could see the masts of the docked ships. The bustle of the city reminded him of Stolital, but Muhitpol managed to appear more chaotic. Fisherman yelled at passing people, holding a myriad of colorful fish in their hands. Sailors and dockworkers rushed between the ships and the docks. Leviathan hunters stood vigilant next to their ships, holding a protective hand over their harpoons.
Thuraya said, "Galen, come help us with the bags."
"Got it." Galen, Thuraya, and Phyllis unloaded the bags and placed them on a luggage trolley. Once that was done, Thuraya paid Phyllis a sizeable amount. He tipped his hat before hopping back onto the coach.
"Nice man," Galen commented after he left.
"A superstitious man. Did you hear what he said about fates? Nonsense."
"Unlike you, the rest of us haven't spent a chunk of our life residing with the gods. Forgive us if we get anything wrong. It's not like they talk to us."
Thuraya, unlike other asteris and humans, spent the majority of her adolescent life on the plane of the gods, the cosm plane. While Galen would always show reverence to his creator, Irkala, Thuraya's relationship with him was more familial. Irkala raised her like a daughter, doting on his first creation like he did with no other asteris. Irkala had not yet perfected the process of creating life, so Thuraya had a weak magical core. Because of this, she aged much more than the average asteris. She could not be considered an old woman, but her appearance was that of a middle-aged human rather than a thirty-something. She could not brew potions, cast spells, enchant items, or draw runes. A peculiar predicament for someone with a magic core. However, she was able to peer into the future. Despite her ineptitudes, other asteris felt drawn to give her the same reverence Irkala boasted. Galen, her closest friend, felt it to a lesser degree.
"They don't really talk to me either," Thuraya replied.
"The point is that you have inside knowledge the rest of us don't."
"Whatever."
Galen and Thuraya wheeled their trolley through the busy streets deftly dodging all in their path. Their shrewd eyes making sure no pickpockets stole from their bags. Thuraya searched for the correct ship. The docks hosted a large variety of ships in all shapes and sizes. Thuraya suddenly pointed to a medium-sized vessel with three masts.
"There it is!" Thuraya exclaimed.
The two hurried onto the deck with their luggage. Thuraya went to talk to the captain of the ship and Galen emptied their bags in the hold. They met back up in the mess hall. Over the meal, they discussed their plan for the future.
"Once we get Nessa from Vera, we'll have to leave the country immediately. I haven't figured out where we should go. Do you have any ideas?" Thuraya said.
"Trahitra?" Galen offered.
"That won't work at all. They're in the middle of a revolution."
"Really? When did that happen?"
"You must pay better attention to worldly matters, Galen. It started last year. No place to raise a child."
"Zamsune?"
"That would work. It's big enough to hide in and many foreigners visit, so it would not be unusual for us to be seen there."
"It's decided then," Galen said. He and Thuraya refocused on the food in front of them, but Galen fidgeted in his seat before long. Thuraya looked at his nervous movement, and said, "Speak."
"It's about Severin," Galen blurted out.
"Of course," Thuraya sighed, pushing her food away. This would be a tiring conversation.
"He was so unreasonable, acting like I was abandoning him. I said I would be back. Why was he so angry?" Galen ranted.
Thuraya sighed again, "Galen, we will be gone for seven years."
"Seven years. That's all he could repeat. It's not that long."
"Yes, it is! Even if seven years was soon, it matters that it is too long for him."
"For him?"
"Some may be willing to wait that long, but he won't. He can't."
"If others are willing, why can't he?"
"Because that is not who he is. From what I've seen, the boy has ambition that drives him to be more. That kind of man won't wait. Not for you. Not for anyone."
"I would wait," Galen said.
"You are not him."
"I don't want to talk about this anymore."
"Harsh truths are hard to swallow."
"What time will we meet Vera?" Galen directed the conversation back to their plans. Thuraya and Galen spent the rest of the night discussing logistics. That night when Galen was lying in bed, he thought about what Thuraya had said to him. He fell asleep before he could organize his thoughts.
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