It was almost sunset
when Rabbo, Athena, Merryn, Wenna, Angus and Solee arrived at the village
square.
Athena was dressed in
a white short skirt with red and gold trim. She had on a thick silver belt that
circled her waist and pointed down in a “V”. Her top was a low cut backless
tube top. Her sandals had silver straps that crisscrossed up her legs to just
below her knees.
The twins were
dressed in matching toga’s that had silver and green trim. They too had sandals
with silver straps that crisscrossed and came up to just below their knees.
Athena had brushed
and brushed their hair so that it looked like they had a halo of almost gold
around their heads.
Rabbo’s fur too
shined so brightly that he felt like that he would blind people if the sun hit
him just right.
Bastet came walking
up from where the harbor was wearing a long purple toga that shimmered in the
late evening sun. As she came closer Rabbo noticed that she could see her legs
though the fabric.
The toga its self was
low cut with slits up the sides that showed Bastet's long legs when the wind
caught the toga with a gentle breeze.
Walking next to
Bastet was Merwyn who was wearing a kilt of red, green and blue with a white
shirt and white socks and knee high boots with the white socks turned down over
the tops of the boots.
From the house that
they were all staying at came Angus who was dressed in the same manner as
Merwyn and on Angus arm was Solee who was wearing a short red backless toga
that only went down to mid thigh. They all walked towards each other finally
coming together at the far end of the village square.
Around the dancing
area more tables had been added and at the far end furthest away from the small
group was a long table that had places set for twenty two people.
Suddenly the touches
that dotted the dancing area ignited themselves as did the candles on all the
tables.
A great hush fell
over the square and all the locals turned towards the main administration
building and from there came Yhva with the other Sirians.
In pairs they walked
towards the dancing square then around it towards the long table that they
would be seated at for the feast that was to come.
But instead of
walking to the table they stopped at the edge of the dancing area turned and
faced the far end of the square were Rabbo, Merwyn, Angus, Bastet, Athena, Solee
and the twins were standing.
The group of Sirians
bowed towards Merwyn and the others.
“This is going to be a bloody formal affair” said Merwyn to everyone
in his group. “Ok the twins up front then
everyone pairs up with myself and um who is going to be on my arm”
“I will” said Athena on the group telepathic mode.
They lined up with
the twins in the front followed by Bastet and Rabbo then Angus and Solee and at
the back Merwyn and Athena.
As they marched forward
a faint low hum and a droning sound with a musical hint could be heard filling
the air. Then a tune could be picked out.
The tune made both
Merwyn and Angus stop briefly in mid stride. Both Merwyn and Angus stiffened
and slowly in a measured pace walked forward.
“Dad you ok? What’s wrong” said Athena on the group mode.
“Just the tune my dear daughter” said Merwyn.
“It’s our old regiment march” said Angus with a sad tone in his
voice.
As they walked
forward slowly flags suddenly unfurled from the front of the administration
building and they were a mix of regiment flags that Merwyn had commanded and of
the states of the planet that they had come from.
“Dam this is going to be dam formal indeed” said Angus on the group
mode.
Again Merwyn and
Angus hesitated then continued their walk forward aware that all eyes where now
turned toward the little group.
Suddenly without
warning Wenna squealed in fear and started running back down the little
procession running straight up to Athena and burying her face in Athena’s
skirt.
“Mommy I’m scared”
cried Wenna as Athena reached down and picked her up.
“Hey its ok mommy’s
here. Its ok baby shhhhh” said Athena rocking Wenna in her arms.
“That’s torn it” said
Merwyn leaning into Athena.
“I am not going to
push my own daughter way” said Athena her voice hissing.
“I know and now the
truth is out it will be easier on us all” said Merwyn.
Merwyn looked up the
line and saw Merryn turning back trying to look brave while still walking
forward.
“Come here sweetie”
said Merwyn.
Merryn turned and
came running down the line and leaped into Merwyn’s arms. She wrapped her arms
around Merwyn’s neck and buried her face into Merwyn’s shoulder.
Once again the small
group walked forward until finally they reached Yhva and the other Sirians.
Yhva bowed low and
then looked at Merwyn.
“General Merwyn
commander of the 4th mountain army I bid you welcome to our
celebration of arrival on this your planet” said Yhva in a loud voice.
In the back ground
faintly could be heard the young man who acted as translator translating for
the villages who could not speak or understand Sirian.
The crowd cheered
wildly scaring Wenna and Merryn even more and making Rabbo jump.
“Come join us in this
feast of thanksgiving and welcome and also in your honor” said Yhva.
Yhva and the other
Sirians walked towards the long table mixing with Merwyn and his small group.
“Why did you hide the fact that Merryn and Wenna where Athena’s children
and not Bastet's” said Yhva on Merwyn’s private telepathic mode.
“Mostly to protect them from Ra and partly because we were not sure if
you would be offended when you found out their parentage” answered Merwyn
on the same mode.
“Then you are their father” said Yhva. “I think I understand why you and Athena wanted to keep that secret. But
children have away of letting the truth be known”.
“Yes they do. It was hard for all of us to keep that secret. It worries
me still that Ra might try something. And if he harmed them or Athena I would
become something I don’t wish to be. I promised my bond mate Isis that if
anyone harmed our daughter or her children I would return the harm a thousand
fold before I faded” said Merwyn dryly.
“I don’t think that will happen. As I said earlier in our meeting I will
keep the peace but if pushed I will side with you as my people and I owe you
for helping us. And beside I do not wish to see a new Toner on this or any
planet” said Yhva still on Merwyn’s telepathic mode. “And Ra seems to be modeling himself on Toner”.
“Very true. And I assume that you know how bad Toner really was seeing
as you are his grand son” said Merwyn keeping his tone neutral.
“How did you figure that out” asked Yhva very shaken.
“I met your grand father a few times. I even spent a couple of weeks
talking with him” said Merwyn. “But
let’s not talk about the passed tonight. You and I are both here to celebrate a
new beginning and not to look back to the past. But we must never forget the
horrors that were visited on our people”.
“I agree tonight is for enjoyment. But I would like to hear more about
my grand father. I was not born yet when he faded. So I never got to know what
he was truly like just what I heard with my own ears and that was enough. My
father was almost as bad and I hated what they did. I promised myself that I
would never be like them. My mother once told me about the great hero that did
not want to fight. The great hero that wrote poetry and would sooner sit by a
river and watch the beauty of the world than fight a battle or a war. I have to
admit she kind of made you into a hero for me. And I so needed a hero as well
my grand father and father where too busy destroying anyone who did not agree
with them. What really pushed me over the edge was when my father had my mother
killed for preaching in the royal residents about all of us living together in
harmony. Seeing her killed before my eyes really turned me away from the path
that my father and grand father wanted for me. To survive I had to act like I
was of their mind and that was hard. I wanted to cry but I could not. And now I
can’t cry. I try I want to sometimes but the tears just don’t come. But I
remember what my mother said about you once. She said that you were honest fair
kind and treated all people as equals. And that if ever I was lucky enough to
meet someone like you I should listen to their council and act upon it” said
Yhva. After a brief pause Yhva added “Only
Pele knows who my father and grand father was. Please let’s keep it that way. I
am ashamed of whom my father and grand father was plus they would not trust me
anymore as they would fear that I would become like my father and grand father”.
“I understand” said Merwyn.
Pele walked over
carrying two plates and placed one plate in front of Yhva and the other in
front of Merwyn.
“Eat up and enjoy”
said Pele as she turned away to get a plate for herself.
Athena who was
sitting next to Merwyn was busy cutting Wenna’s steak into small pieces.
Athena turned to ask
Merwyn a question when her eyes met those of Yhva. For a moment they both just
looked at each other and then turned away both blushing.
Rabbo sat in a chair
that had block of wood and a cushion so that he was at the right height to eat
without any problems. Sitting next to Rabbo was Hestia who kept adding uncooked
vegetable to his plate when he was not looking.
Finally Rabbo turned
and looked at Hestia “would you not mind piling my plate so high with all those
veggie”
“I just want to make
sure that you don’t go hungry” said Hestia.
Rabbo laughed “does
it look like I miss a good meal or are you fattening me up for some other
reason”.
Hestia laughed “I am
sorry just after being of half rations for so long and all the food we now have
I just don’t want to see anyone go hungry. I am still getting use to being able
to eat when I want and feel like it and not just one small meal a day”.
“It must have been
hard for you and the others” said Rabbo as he used his fork to stab a carrot.
“It was. We barely
had enough food when we where on the fourth planet. But here we have more than
we can handle and eat. And everything taste so good too” said Hestia with a
thoughtful look on her face. “Rabbo have you ever been so hungry that you will
eat anything and that you spend your time thinking of the taste of something so
simple. Something like that carrot you are about to pop into your month”.
Rabbo looked at the
carrot that he had on his fork and thought about it for a moment. Then he
looked at Hestia for a moment smiles popped the carrot on his mouth and ate
slowly trying to think about its taste rather than the words that Hestia had
just said to him.
“To be honest I have
never been that hungry” said Rabbo as he swallowed the carrot.
The formal meal went
on until well after dark with light talk between the occupants of the head
table.
Once the formal meal was over the
entertainment started. Pele walking out into the center of the dance square
holding a long thin silver tube with keys and valves all down the top.
Pele brought the far
end up and started to blow gentle into the long silver instrument making a
strange soft almost haunting sound that filled the whole village square.
For the next fifteen
minutes Pele played a number of different tunes on her flute before she came to
her finally playing a lively tune that had people’s toes tapping.
Then Erin
walked out to the center of the dance floor with Breasal and Bladud.
Erin
had a violin that she placed under her chin and started to play solo while
Breasal and Bladud stood watching holding their instruments.
The tune that Erin
played was a lively tune that soon had people clapping along and once she
finished the applauses started and the people stood up making it clear that an
encore was needed.
Once Erin
had played her encore Breasal and Bladud walked up next to her and together the
three of them moved off to one side of the dance square.
Bladud had a strange
looking instrument that Rabbo had never seen the likes of before.
The instrument had
three long tubes that stood up over Bladud’s right shoulder a bag that went
under his right arm another tube that he placed in his mouth and finally a tube
that hung down and that he had placed the fingers of both hands.
Breasal held in his
had a small brass trumpet.
Erin
looked at both Bladud and Breasal and together the three of them started to
play a dancing tune.
Yhva stood up and
walked over to Pele who was standing off to one side. He took her hand and lead
her out onto the dance floor and together the started to dance.
Merwyn turned to
Athena and offered his hand and together they walked out onto the dance floor
and joined Pele and Yhva.
After Erin Breasal
and Bladud played the first dance Solee walked up carry another Violin that she
gone and gotten from her ship while Pele had been playing her flute. She walked
up next to Erin and spoke softly to her before she
joined them to play the next dance tune.
The next forty five
minutes Solee, Erin, Breasal and Bladud played tunes
that were Sirian dance tune that almost all the Sirians had grown up with.
Then once Solee,
Erin, Breasal and Bladud had finished their set they stepped down to refresh
themselves and to let the dancers cool their toes from all the dancing that
they had been doing.
“I did not know that
Solee played the Violin” said Rabbo to Bastet and Merwyn.
“I did not either
Rabbo. I think there is more to Solee than just the ocean and sailing” replied
Merwyn sipping on his wine to refresh himself.
“Oh there is a lot
more to Solee that neither you nor Rabbo now about” said Bastet laughing.
Five of the local
villages walked out to the far end of the dance area and stood silently waiting
to be noticed.
Once all the talking
had died down they started to play their instruments which was a local dance
tune that brought those of the village that had not danced out on to the dance
square.
Rabbo noticed among
them Athena and Yhva dancing together closely and clearly talking to each other
about something that amused them both.
Rabbo reached over
and grabbed the wine flask that was sitting close at hand. As he did so he
noticed that the twins where curled up against Bastet who was gentle caressing
Wenna’s hair.
“Bastet you want me to take them back to the house” asked Rabbo on
Bastet's private mode.
“Not just yet” replied Bastet on the same mode.
Rabbo refilled his
small wine goblet and watched as Merwyn leaned over and started to talk with
Angus about the music and the Sirians had played and that it so reminded him of
his younger days before he was an oath keeper.
After a while Rabbo
hopped down a little unsteady and stood up on his hind legs and looked around
to see what was going on.
Rabbo could see lots
of people dancing and some of the Sirians where dancing with some of the local
people.
Rabbo saw that off to
one side Angus and Solee where snuggled together kissing and talking while
Bastet stayed at the main table talking with Merwyn and taking care of the
twins who were now almost a sleep.
The local musicians
played for a while longer before they needed a break and so that those that had
been dancing could stop and cool their feet and to quench their thirst.
Athena came skipping
over and sat down in Merwyn’s lap stole his glass of wine and looked at Rabbo
who had returned to his chair so that he would not get stepped on as people
moved around.
Yhva sat down next to
Merwyn and was about to talk when Erin looked over.
It was clear that
there had been some brief interplay as Yhva turned his head looked towards the
harbor.
“Pardon me I need to
deal with an issue” said Yhva.
Yhva turned to Athena
and took her hand and kisses it gentle.
“My lady could you
save me a dance. Sadly I need to deal with affairs of state” said Yhva as he
stood up and walked towards the harbor.
Rabbo turned and
watched Yhva leave and wondered what could be going on down in the harbor as
such an hour that would require Yhva’s attention.
Rabbo closed his eyes
and traveled down to the harbor.
Once at the harbor
Rabbo saw Bastet's ship, the trading ship plus the normal fishing boats that
were all docked. But just outside the breakwater Rabbo saw three large ships
that the sea raiders used to attack Athens.
Rabbo was about to
return to his body when he heard Yhva voice in his head.
“Glad you came along my furry friend. Tell me are they warships or
traders” said Yhva.
“They are warships. They are same kind that raided Athens a few years ago. Ra has warships like these
but I don’t know if they belong to Ra or not. Would you like me to look closer”
asked Rabbo.
“If you could please” replied Yhva.
Rabbo moved out across
the water to the three ships that had just dropped anchor and were getting
ready to send boats in.
The men in the boats
had on just white kilts and as far as Rabbo could see they had only short
eating knifes with them. Plus eat boat had only three men in them.
“I don’t think they are Ra’s people. But I am going to look on the ships
to see what if anything is going on” said Rabbo.
Rabbo moved onto the
first ship and was surprised to see that there was jumble of broken wood and
wounded men laying all over the place. He then moved across to the second ship
and saw that it was pretty much the same. When he reached the third ship Rabbo
was shocked to see dead and wounded laying mixed together and huge chucks of
broken wood littering the whole ship.
Instead of telling
Yhva right away what he had seen Rabbo hailed Merwyn on his private telepathic
mode.
“Merwyn there are three ships here that have been in some kind of fight
or storm. There is lots of wounded and dead on one ship and the other two have
lots of damage. I just thought you might want to know” Rabbo informed
Merwyn
“Thank you dear rabbit. One of Bastet's sailors just arrived and said
that there was a huge storm off the coast early this afternoon and that the
ships could have been caught in the storm”.
Rabbo then relayed to
Yhva what he had seen on the three ships and that from the three ships three
boats where heading his way with three men in each boat.
“Thank you my furry friend” said Yhva.
As Rabbo drifted back
across the water Rabbo saw that the translator had joined Yhva at the harbor
and that there were two others walking down the pathway towards the harbor. As
he passed them he saw that they were Pele and Erin who were both carrying large
white bags.
Rabbo returned to the
village square just in time to see Merwyn and Athena dancing together.
Most of the other
Sirians were dancing as well as a lot of the locals.
Angus and Solee were
nowhere to be seen and Bastet had Wenna on one hip and Merryn on the other.
Bastet headed towards
the house so Rabbo followed along behind as he was feeling sleepy and the
thought of sleep had become very appealing to him.
Rabbo awoke once
during the night and that was when he heard Merwyn and Athena come in and go to
the bedroom next to the twin’s bedroom.
The second time he
woke up was when Wenna was poking at him as he lay on the window sill.
“Mom said mup as
breaky is ready” said Wenna poking Rabbo again.
Rabbo slipped off the
window sill hopped to the bathroom and brushed his teeth and fur before hopping
down the stairs slowly one at a time.
In the dinning room
sitting at the far end of the table was Merwyn Angus Solee Bastet Athena and
Merryn.
Wenna came thumping
down the stairs behind Rabbo and then she skipped across to Athena and pulled
herself up into the chair next to her sister.
“Rabbo you saw the
ships last night. Tell us how many men do you think were on each ship” said
Merwyn.
“The first two I
would say maybe ten healthy on each ship and about the same number wounded. As
for the third ship I don’t want to think about that death ship. They had
wounded and dead all over the place” said Rabbo trying to keep the tone of his
voice level.
“Death ship” said
Athena.
“Please I don’t want
to talk about it” said Rabbo.
“How much damage to
each ship” asked Solee?
“I don’t know all I
can say was that there was wood all over the place and that they sat low in the
water. I am just glad that I could not smell anything” Rabbo answered.
“I think we should go
and look and then find Yhva to see what we can do to help” said Angus.
Merwyn Solee and
Angus stood up and walked out of the dinning room.
Athena placed a bowl
of fresh greens in front of Rabbo and then returned back to Merryn and Wenna.
“I saw you dancing a
lot with Yhva last night” said Rabbo looking at Athena.
“I was just being
nice” answered Athena who started to blush.
“I wish I got some of
that nice last night” said Bastet.
“You did after Merwyn
went to sleep” giggled Athena.
Bastet giggling hard
as she looked at Athena.
Wenna reached over to
her sisters plate and grabbed a half eat slice of toast off the plate making
her sister squeal.
Wenna jumped down
from her chair and while taking a bit from the toast ran off towards the door.
Merryn jumped down
and was about to give chase when she closed her eyes and made Wenna’s feet
stick to the floor.
Wenna squealed in anger
and tried to turn and face her sister.
Merryn came running
over grabbed the half eaten slice of toasted and went running towards Athena
and Bastet who were sitting watching the twins.
Rabbo looked at
Merryn as she climbed back up on her chair and wiggled close to him while still
keeping an eye on her sister whose feet were still stuck to the floor.
Wenna closed her eyes
and the one hand that Merryn had placed on the table became stuck to the table.
“Will you two stop
it” said Athena trying to sound upset and failing.
Merryn looked at her
sister and closed her eyes again and Wenna was able to lift up her feet from
the floor. As she lifted up one foot then the other she floated back across the
floor towards her sister that still had one hand stuck to the table.
Wenna stuck out her
tongue and Merryn was able to free her hand from the table.
Rabbo finished his
bowl of greens and hopped down from the table and headed to the kitchen to put
his bowl in the sink to be washed.
Merryn slid off her
chair with her now empty plate and followed Rabbo into the kitchen.
Rabbo levitated
himself up so that he could place the bowl in the sink then he turned and
reached for Merryn plate so that he could place that too in the sink.
As Rabbo and Merryn
went back into the dinning room there was a knock at the front door.
Wenna slipped down
from that table leaving what was left of her breakfast and was about to run to
the door when Athena spoke.
“Wenna finish your
breakfast” said Athena sternly.
Bastet got up and
walked towards the front door.
A few moments later
she returned with Yhva next too her.
“You have a gentleman
caller darling” said Bastet giggling.
Athena turned and
looked at Yhva and smiled. She stood up half bowed and then sat back down to
finish feeding Wenna who had now become more interested in Yhva than the last
of the food on her plate.
Rabbo hopped back
into the dinning room and suddenly he remembered something that had been buried
deep in his subconscious. The voice in his head was not a telepathic voice but
a memoir of a conversation “Athena will fall for a man that will break her
heart”.
Rabbo wondered if
Yhva was that man but thought it best to keep his thoughts to himself as he
could not remember what the context was of the conversation but he was sure
that it was from one of his dreams from when he had traveled forward in time.
Yhva sat down looked
at Wenna “You best do as you mum tells you and eat up your breakfast so that
you can grow up big and strong and as beautiful as you’re your mum”.
Wenna looked up at
Yhva with her mouth wide open and huge eyes.
Merryn skipped back
into the room stopped and looked at Yhva poked out her tongue and blew a
raspberry before running past and up the stairs to wash up after breakfast.
“I am sorry about
Merryn” said Athena blushing. “Just sometimes she is full of herself and she is
not use to all these people she keeps meeting”.
“That’s ok I do
understand. I kind of grew up alone in a manner of speaking so I know what it’s
like” said Yhva. “Actually I am here to request your help. Well you, Bastet,
Angus, Solee and Merwyn really. Where is Merwyn by the way?”
“I am not sure where
my father is” said Athena.
“I think he is down
at the harbor helping load my ship” said Bastet not wishing to tell Yhva the
truth.
“Oh that’s good
because it’s down at the harbor where I need help” said Yhva.
“Is it something to
do with the three ships that arrived last night” asked Bastet.
“Yes it is. I would
like help treating the crews and repairing their ships so we can get them out
of here. Something about them does not feel right” said Yhva looking very
thoughtful.
“Ok let me finish
taking care of my two monsters” said Athena “and we will be down to the harbor
as quick as we can”.
“Thank you so very
much” said Yhva bowing.
“Oh would you like
something to eat while I take care of the monsters” said Athena blushing a
little.
“I would love a
little toast” said Yhva looking at the toast that was sitting in the toast
rack.
About an hour later
Rabbo, Merwyn, Athena, Solee, Angus and Bastet stood on the harbor wall looking
at the three very battered ships that had been moved in behind the mole to
protect them from any storms that might hit them.
The ships themselves
were a mess of broken wood sail and rigging.
Rabbo, Bastet, and
Athena turned and walked over to the warehouse that had been turned into a
hospital for the sailors.
Lying in make shift
beds were about twenty or so sailors while the remaining somewhat healthy
sailors sat in a small group talking with the village translator.
The translator walked
over to Rabbo, Yhva, Athena and Bastet. “They are saying that there were six
ships and that the storm came out of nowhere. One moment the sky was overcast
and then next thing they knew they had what they called high seas and huge
waves hitting the ships. The leader of the group was on one of the ships that
sunk. As they said “it was huge waves that grow and grow and just turned the
lead ship over and over spilling the crew and sinking the ship”.
“The storm just
sprung up” said Bastet looking at Athena.
“Yes my lady” said
the translator. “They said that wind started blowing from a different quarter
and the seas became high and that they had no time to umm reef the sails”.
“I don’t like the
sound of that” said Athena.
“Me either” answered
Bastet very thoughtfully.
Merwyn and Solee came
walking in talking to each other about what needed to be done to the three
ships to get them ready to sail again.
Bastet turned and
started to explain to Merwyn and Solee what the translator has said about how
the storm just sprung up out of nowhere and how the lead ship had been sunk.
Suddenly around them
a thin shimmering dome sprung up.
Merwyn grinned and
looked at Yhva “You will have to pardon me for putting a shield up over us. But
I don’t want Ra hearing or seeing us”.
“You think this is
Ra’s work” said Yhva.
“I am pretty sure of
it. Now the question is why? And I am pretty sure I know the answer. But we
need to question the sailors as I know Ra won’t just attack head on like that.
There has to be more than just a single attack. But I do think that these poor
sailors were just test run to see how he could animate a storm and use it” said
Merwyn looking back out the door towards the southwest.
The group walked over
to the sailors who where being treated for their wounds and who were in make
shift beds.
Though the translator
Merwyn asked each sailor what he saw and what they thought happened. The story
was pretty the same for all of them.
At the end of the
make shift beds one old sailor weakly sat up and looked at Merwyn.
Speaking weakly and
hoarsely he said with out the aid of the translator. “The sky was grey and the
sea was calm with just a breeze that pushed us along. Then the sea seemed to
start to boil and the waves got bigger and bigger fast. I did not even have
time to order the sail reefed. The wind picked up the same way. It was mere
heart beats from the sea starting to get high and the wind picking up. It was
almost as if the gods themselves were in control of the storm and that they
picked us to vent their fury on. I saw that just a boats length away that the
sea was as flat as plate yet all around us the sea was so high and the winds howled
with fury. Yet if I could have gotten our boat just a length further away I
would have been safe”
“What were you doing
out so far in what are clearly coast ships” asked Merwyn.
“We were not that far
out. We could still see land and then some how we got further and further out
and we could still see land as if it had not got further away” said the old
sailor. “When I was young they use to talk that the gods of the south would
push the wind around like that. But I never believed that. Now I do. The southern
gods had to be behind it”.
“I think you might be
right” said Merwyn.
Merwyn looked at Yhva
with a knowing look.
Rabbo hopped over and
hop up on the chair next to the old sailor and looked at him.
“I heard what he said” said Rabbo on Merwyn’s private telepathic
mode. “I think Ra was behind the storm. I
mean it sounds like someone was pushing that storm around”.
“I have to agree” answered Merwyn in the same mode.
The group of Sirians
with Rabbo and Solee walked back outside to the harbor and looked towards the
three ships that were being towed in so that they could be repaired.
“They look like
warships” said Rabbo looking at the ships as they got close.
“They do don’t they”
said Angus.
“No darling” said
Solee as she slipped her arm around Angus’s waist. “They are part time warships
and part time traders. See how they are wider in the hull and that the stern is
rounder and there is no ram at the water level”.
“Oh” said Angus and
Rabbo.
“You know when we
head back to Athens that we will
have to take turns watching to see if Ra tries a storm on us” said Merwyn.
“I think that might
be his plan” said Athena. “I don’t mean to sink us with a storm. But to tire us
by making us watch him. That way we will be weaker if he does attack us”.
“Good point” said
Bastet and Merwyn together.
“I hate to say this.
But if they attacked the six ships and sunk three it would be a good idea if we
left here as soon as possible as right now Ra and the others would be
recovering from their attack” said Angus.
“Sadly you are right
Angus” said Merwyn sounding like the general that he had once been.
Merwyn turned to
Solee “How long before you could set sail”.
“Once I round up my
crew we could be out of here in an hour” said Solee.
“Make it so” said
Merwyn as he turned back to Yhva.
“I am sorry but we
have to leave. I need to think of my family first before any pleasure. And in
light of this possible attack by Ra I think for the safety of my family that we
should leave here. I would like to stay longer but I don’t want Ra attacking us
when we are at sea. So please forgive me for departing so fast and in such a
manner” said Merwyn bowing to Yhva.
“To be honest I was
thinking the same thing. If you would like I will travel with you as an extra
mind would help you” said Yhva smiling. “I can always come back on a trade ship
later”.
Athena smiled and
looked at Merwyn with a hopefully look on her face.
“Thank you Yhva for
your offer but you are needed here. I do appreciate your offer. Honestly I do
and clearly Athena would like your company but your place is here with your
people” said Merwyn.
“I best get the
children and our belongings from the house” said Bastet about to turn away.
“I have that already
taken care of” said Yhva turning and looking up the pathway towards the village.
The twins came
skipping down the pathway with Pele and Erin. Behind them were a couple of the
local villagers carrying the bags that held their belongings.
About twenty five
minutes later Solee returned with her crew who were loaded up with items that
they had picked up around the village that they had purchased from some of the
shops that had been set up.
Merwyn was the last
to board the ship and as he got to the gangplank he turned and looked at Yhva
who was standing on the harbor looking at Athena who was standing at the bow
looking back.
“He is up to
something” Merwyn thought to himself.
Click on Mark Crocker for bio and list of other works published by Pencil Stubs Online.
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