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THE SEA BREEZE RUFFLED her hair, teasing at the leather thong holding it back. Rebecca smiled faintly at the wind's playfulness and she breathed in the salty air. Unlike her first two journeys on ships, this one hadn't bothered her in the slightest. The crossing from the Old World had been smooth as silk, the wind remaining strong behind them. Captain Ellison had nodded approvingly to her after the second day, obviously pleased with their progress. The cry of a gull above her made her look up, spotting the bird immediately as it soared on the wind, its bent wings holding it aloft effortlessly. She watched it as it circled the ship twice before turning back to the distant smudge of land on the horizon.
"We'll be in port by this afternoon." she heard Captain Ellison call from behind. "That's if the wind continues to hold fair."
Rebecca turned away from the railing to look at him, nodding quickly.
"The wind will hold, as it has since we left the Old World."
Captain Ellison nodded and joined her at the rail, leaning on the dark stained timber to look at the curling white bow wave below.
"I was surprised to see you at the harbour." he said quietly. "After your first sailing with us you seemed quite adamant that you wouldn't be stepping foot on another ship."
Rebecca smiled in remembrance at the memory.
"I admit that I hadn't enjoyed it." she told him. "But if not by ship, how else would I get home again."
He chuckled and glanced at her.
"How indeed?" he agreed. "But there must be any number of ships you could have caught. Yet you were standing at the dock waiting for us before we had tied off."
Rebecca turned her back on the sea to look at the Captain.
"Most of those ships were either crewed or captained by One God followers." she answered in disgust. "I suppose I could have taken one of the few ships crewed by New Worlders but I heard that your ship was only days out and so I waited."
Captain Ellison chuckled, shaking his head.
"I suppose the wind told you that we were coming?"
Rebecca nodded. After having to hide her abilities for so long, it was refreshing to be able to speak so easily about the elementals. Beside her, Captain Ellison sighed and turned to lean his back against the rail.
"I for one am glad to have you aboard again." he told her frankly. "Smooth sailing and a fast journey are what all sailors pray for. And you have delivered that for us, twice."
Rebecca smiled faintly.
"I'm thankful that I have had the chance to make the return journey. I wasn't sure I would be."
They were interrupted by the sound of soft footsteps on the deck behind them. Captain Ellison smiled broadly in greeting as Rebecca turned.
"We are almost there." Katherine stated. "A few hours from harbour and solid ground."
"We are indeed." Ellison acknowledged.
Katherine smiled faintly at him and turned her attention to Rebecca.
"He's asking for you."
Rebecca nodded. The older woman looked tired and drawn, though it was good to see her out of the cabin. If their places were swapped Rebecca doubted that she would have even gotten out of bed. Her eyes drifted to the bandage wrapped arm cradled in a sling against Katherine's chest. The loss of her hand would forever be a painful reminder of the terror they had faced, and so narrowly defeated.
"I'm alright." Katherine told her, seeing where Rebecca's eyes had gone. "When that demon took it off I thought I was done." she admitted. "Then you were there and you cauterised it before I could bleed out. I can't thank you enough for that."
"I wish I had been able to kill Argah Tephe faster." she muttered.
Katherine sighed and nodded slowly.
"It would have been nice if you had."
Taking her leave from Captain Ellison, Rebecca crossed the deck and ducked into the companionway to the cabins. She hesitated at the door to their cabin, taking a steadying breath before putting on a smile and pushing the door open. Her smile became genuine when she saw him sitting up in his bunk, finally awake and looking aware of his surroundings.
"How do you feel?" she asked, coming into the cabin and closing the door behind her.
Daniel looked down at himself and nodded slowly. "I feel better than I have for the last month." he told her. "Having a punctured lung and broken ribs hasn't been the most enjoyable experience."
Rebecca crossed the cabin to sit on the end of the bunk. Looking at him, she frowned at the patchy beard that had grown across his jaw. Despite his injuries, he had insisted on going with them on the journey home rather than stay at the monastery to recover. Daniel gingerly raised a hand to scratch at his beard.
"I know, I look terrible." he added, correctly interpreting her look. "As soon as we reach a good inn, I'll have a bath and shave it off."
Rebecca laughed softly and nodded. "You do need a bath."
As quickly as her amusement had risen, it faded away and she looked at the empty bunk across the cabin. "I wish he could have come back with us." she murmured. "He should have come back with us."
Wincing as muscles pulled at half healed wounds, Daniel reached out to lay a hand on Rebecca's. "It was his choice." he told her gently. "William knew what he was doing when he led us to that temple. He knew there was a chance that some, or all, of us wouldn't come home. That there are three of us here is a miracle. We faced the greatest darkness the world has known, and because of that the Path holds firm. The world is safe again because of us. He was willing to pay the price for that."
Rebecca nodded silently, her eyes not leaving the empty bunk. Eventually she sighed and looked away. Putting her free hand over Daniel's, she gave him a faint smile. "We did save the world, didn't we?" she agreed reluctantly. "It's a pity that the world will never know."
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