233 Back Again (1/2)
With restless steps, Atau marched past homes made of wood, built in the blocky, huddled style of Arcavia's south. He walked down the pier along the coastline until he could see the place where the buildings were rudely cut off by the uneven walls that enclosed the city. When he turned, Atau could see the local ruler's large keepschurch in the distance, as it crowned the center of the horrible maze that was the city. Without a word, he went back to his paces.
Although it was a sight Atau hadn't seen in well over a year, he felt precious little nostalgia at the moment. Instead, he only felt annoyance creep up his stomach as he was reminded of the Bornish influence all around him. After another two laps, Ivo returned to him, back from his mission. The slim sailor was his former second in command. While he was captain of his own ship now, he still did some of the fleet's organisatorial work, and that was exactly what he had been tasked to do this time.
”How many are missing, Ivo?” Admiral Atau asked with his eyes still fixated on the harbor before him. Meanwhile, Ivo offered a proper salute before he replied.
”Admiral, for now, twenty-seven of the crew are unaccounted for.”
”That's a lot more than I thought.”
Annoyed, Atau turned around to face Ivo. According to their plans, they had only wanted to make a short stop in Borna. Pack some fresh fruit, let the men blow off some steam after the first leg of their journey and maybe gather some intelligence. At this point, they should have long been on their way east. However, now the fleet's admiral still stood in front of his ship in the harbor, while his second had run around to try and assess the extent of their problems.
”Well, they haven't been on shore leave for too long,” Ivo said. ”They were told to come back by noon, and it is still not evening yet. After the months at sea, there's a good chance at least a few of them have slept in with a hangover. They might show up a bit later if they've missed the midday call.” Ivo looked around and made sure that no one was nearby before he continued.
”On top of that, there are also a handful who had... special missions near the keep and shipyard who didn't make it back yet. They might be in trouble, but we can't exactly call them mutineers. And then there's some who must have just missed their homes, so they left to see their families after over a year they spent halfway across the world. While that does sound bad, I still wouldn't call that a betrayal, at least. You know how much the crew respects and admires you.”
”They're all good men, so we don't need to be worried about them, is that what you're saying?” Atau spat on the ground in derision. ”The Eaststar was missing an ethanol compass, did you know that? You don't think that was a coincidence, do you? Or maybe the good men were just taking our secret technology to show to their families.”
”Is that true?” Ivo asked. At first he looked incredulous, but as Atau continued, anger began to boil in his eyes.
”It gets better.” Atau nodded while a grim smile dominated his face. ”Everard is still missing, and he knew our semaphore codes. Whether they've been reimbursed by the Bornish or just got caught and questioned doesn't really matter. Losing those guys means that we've helped our enemy, one way or another. The missing men won't know exactly how the telescope or the ship's wheel work, but at least they'll know they exist, so copying them or making something similar will be much easier for the Bornish as well. We should never have anchored here.”
”But the men were already getting restless after months at sea. If we hadn't landed along the west coast, it would have been bad for morale,” Ivo said. ”Also, we needed to land here if we wanted to gather intelligence, and at least in that regard, we succeeded. It was the right decision.”
”True enough,” Atau said as he looked at the busy crowd all around him. Much had changed since the last time he had been here. Back when they had left, Borna's harbors hadn't been this lively, though the country's new position as the strongest naval power on Arcavia's west coast had greatly changed its fortunes.
Where before, everything had happened at a more measured pace, the entire city was in a buzz. Everyone just seemed half a step faster than what Atau had seen in the past, to reflect the greater purpose that surrounded the nation now.
*Like an inferior version of Saniya.*
While the activity couldn't match up with Atau's own home, it was still a change that could be felt as soon as he had stepped off the ship for the first time. Now he understood what Corco had always said: The world was changing, and they weren't the only ones to bring about that change. Nothing exemplified this more than the priests in dark cloth who were walking around the pier and called out to believers and non-believers alike.
”Either way, we brought more than enough crew for the rest of the journey. The twenty-seven won't be missed during operation,” Ivo said. ”And at least we're rid of the traitors now. At least we've already managed to send a ship back home.”
”I don't think that's something we should be talking about right now,” Atau cautioned with a look over to the priests. ”There's eyes and ears everywhere. Let's get on the Homeward first before we continue.”
During their stay here, Saniya's sailors had seen the city's shipyard which had grown at least thrice in size since the last time they had been here. Even from the outside, it was a constant buzz of activity. While Atau had expected the Bornish to increase the production of their ships after the armada they had brought to Medala's shores, he had still underestimated their ambitions. With the new knowledge of Borna's operations, he had to send one of his ships back home to warn Corco. Of course he couldn't know if these new, bornish ships would ever make the long journey to Medala or if they were intended to project power along Arcavia's coastline, but they couldn't take a risk in the matter.
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Thus, he hadn't even made it past Arcavia's west coast yet and he was down an entire ship in addition to the twenty-seven men. Already annoyed, even more trouble awaited him. The priests had been lingering around his ships for a while now, and as soon as they saw him move towards them, they stepped ahead to block Atau's way.
”Please wait, good man. Do you not wish to relish in the wisdom of Saint Ioannis, to learn of the true purpose our Lord Arcavus has for you?”
”Out of my way,” an impatient Atau said, but the three priests only huddled together closer.
”You would not wish to appear as a heretic, would you? A short conversation would surely not-”
”I said out of my fucking way!” the admiral shouted, as he shoved all three priests out of his path as if they were children. Before they had even hit the ground, the admiral was halfway up his gangway.
”Again with those fucking priests,” he said as he looked back at the group of proselytizers on the ground. While several dock workers came to help the men of god, the priests focused their nasty looks and nastier words in Atau's direction. The Admiral only offered a sneer in response.
”Bastards.” Ivo spat into the water before they reached the railing. ”Always hated those Ioannites. They're stubborn like mules, can't take a no for an answer.”
”I don't think the locals see it that way. It looks like their influence is still growing somehow. I've heard stories that the king of Borna has converted to the Ioannian confession recently.”
”Yeah, the news is all over the city,” Ivo confirmed, though he scratched his head in confusion. ”It's more than just rumors too. Seems like it really happened.”