The following day, on the sunlit beach by the lagoon with calm waters whispering out to the two anchored ships, Criston stood before Javian and Mia. The crews of the Dyscovera and the Al-Orizin gathered around, happy to celebrate the fine event.
The sailors were surprised by their decision to stay, but everyone could see the verdant power of the new continent. Even Kjelnar seemed tempted to remain behind on land in Terravitae, but he had already shifted from one world to another, and he was anxious to return to his original home before he gave up anything else.
Criston held the ancient tome they had taken from inside the ice cave, the combined Captains’ Log of Aiden and Urec. Considering how their understanding had changed, it no longer seemed appropriate to use just the Book of Aiden to perform the wedding ceremony.
“This is certainly one of the more pleasant duties a ship’s captain can have,” he said, raising his voice so that all the people could hear, “to join two people in marriage. Javian and Mia, you have chosen to bind your lives together, the way that we bound our two ships, and thus survived our journey. The two of you will now have to rely on each other to set your course, weather the storms, and anchor in calm waters.”
Javian looked at Mia with shining eyes, and when Criston called on them to make their mutual vows, the young man stumbled on his words. “Now that we’re here in Terravitae, it seems strange to say, ‘May the Compass guide you,’ for the Compass has guided us. Mia, I promise to love you and take care of you. I promise to work with you and make your life as happy as I possibly can. I’ll rely on you and support you.” After that, Javian didn’t know what else to say.
Criston chuckled. Mia spoke her own vows from her heart, and Criston raised his hands and pronounced them wed.
They all looked up to see Ondun and Ystya walking down the grassy slope to the beach. The bearded figure strode up to them, beaming. “And I grant my personal blessing to your union. You will be the first couple of a new generation here in Terravitae, our first settlers, our first pioneers. You have this whole land to roam for now, but I’m sure others will soon come. You may use a dwelling in the old city as your shelter, or build your own homes, if you wish. The climate is mild, and Terravitae has plenty of food.”
“Be careful,” Saan said, “or you’ll convince all of our crewmembers to stay behind.”
But that was not the case. Especially with Ondun to guide them, they were all eager to begin the voyage home.
Per Ondun’s command, all crewmembers from both battered ships had come ashore, leaving the anchored vessels empty. Together, the Tierran and Uraban sailors followed Ystya and her powerful father to the headlands above the beached Arkship.
When Ondun walked among them, several overawed sailors fell to their knees, and some spoke prayers using whatever words the sikaras or presters had taught them. Offhandedly, the powerful old man blessed them all, because it was expected, but he seemed disconcerted by the worship. “It is time to go end the war in your lands, so that I can return here and search for the rest of my people, if any remain.”
From the cliffs above the ocean, Criston was amazed to see the two patchwork vessels drifting up the coast toward the remains of the Arkship, like iron needles drawn by a lodestone. Now they floated in surprisingly calm waters not far from the black rocks and churning surf.
“Ah, I think that’s close enough,” Ondun said. “I tried to be gentle.”
During their long voyages, the Dyscovera and the Al-Orizin had been battered until they were little more than debris held together with nails and rope.
Beside his father, overlooking the crumbling Arkship, Saan gave a skeptical shake of his head. “I can’t see how either ship could hold together for a week, much less all the way back to Ishalem. We barely have any sailcloth, and they’ll break apart the moment we hit rough waters.”
“I have exactly the same doubts,” Criston said, “but I’m curious to see what Ondun intends to do.”
The old man pondered. He didn’t seem discouraged at all. “Though these ships are damaged, there is enough to work with. From these seeds we will fashion an Arkship.” He took his daughter’s hand. “Ystya and I have the power.” Ondun smiled at her. “Will you work with me now to create a new ship?”
“If you show me how.”
Ondun turned to the visitors. “This might be somewhat unsettling, but you will be safe up here.”
As he and Ystya concentrated, joining their magic, Criston saw the Al-Orizin and the Dyscovera sway in the water and begin dismantling themselves. Planks flew apart, waving in the air like living things, and merged. Seasoned boards stretched like the fronds of fast-growing plants. The decks separated, realigned, and clashed together.
At the base of the cliff, the timbers of the broken Arkship thrummed. Hull boards and ribs snapped apart, flew across the water like debris in a hurricane, and fell into the cauldron of ship assembly.
Kjelnar, who had supervised the construction of many ships, stared with wide eyes as three separate vessels fused together, expanding into one gigantic ship.
The bent and splintered masts stood upright of their own accord. Wood shards flew into the air, but instead of scattering they melded into new spars, strung with new rigging ropes. The clack and clatter of a million pieces falling into place at once was deafening.
Ondun and Ystya laughed joyfully all the while.
The tatters of sailcloth stitched themselves together. Swatches of canvas and silk flew up like paper caught in a breeze and swirled around to make a colorful patchwork of new sails.
The vessel rocked in the water, as if undergoing the struggles of birth. The ocean frothed around its hull. Driftwood pulled in by the vortex was smoothed out and incorporated into the new construction. Soon all the remnants of the Arkship were gone, absorbed into the vessel.
As the last components flurried about and fell into place, the gleaming knurled horn of Raathgir the ice dragon drifted to the new bow and settled into a notch left specifically for it, pointing the way back home. The smell of fresh wood, rain, and the open sea filled every breath as Criston watched.
Finally, the transformation was complete, and Ondun drew a deep, satisfied breath. “I trust this new ship meets with your approval, Captains?”
Saan spoke up. “It’s a fine vessel and worthy of carrying you and your daughter from Terravitae to the world of mankind.”
“I am glad you think so,” Ystya said, flushing with pleasure at the compliment.
“Shall we be off, then?” Ondun said.
Criston bowed. “The voyage is yours to command, my Lord.”
While the two crews had expected to spend days filling water barrels, harvesting fruit, digging fresh roots and plants, hunting game and preserving the meat for the return trip, Ondun insisted that such measures were unnecessary. “Don’t worry—we won’t be voyaging long.”
Though supplies and equipment had been lost during the recent storms, Criston left Javian and Mia with tools and materials to help them set up their new home in the ancient stone ruins. With the continent’s temperate climate and lush bounty, the two would have everything they required. Pioneers. Javian and Mia said their farewells to their comrades.
Criston embraced the young man as they stood at the edge of the golden ferns, looking out to sea. “You’re sure about this?”
“Absolutely, Captain.”
Mia added, “We’ll be fine here, sir. It’s Terravitae.”
Criston was anxious to row back out to the marvelous new Arkship. “We’ve all had to place our faith and hope in what Ondun told us, and if He’s correct, He and Ystya will soon come back here, maybe with other ships. You two won’t be alone for long.” He smiled. “After all, we know the route now.”
Taking the last ship’s boat out of the lagoon, Criston looked back to see Javian and Mia waving goodbye, and he was sure they did not doubt their choice.
* * *
The new Arkship was ready to sail. Ondun gazed out to sea, as if imagining the far horizon. “Now that Ystya has convinced and inspired me, I find myself in a hurry. I could summon the breezes, but that would not suffice. Let me call up some assistance.”
He extended his hands out over the ship’s bow and sent a strange call into the depths. Within moments large shapes appeared in the water—the scaly forms of golden sea serpents with heads like seahorses.
“These steeds will pull the Arkship across the world,” Ondun said. “They’ve been waiting a long time for a good run.” The golden seahorses let out shrill hoots from their blowholes and swam around the new Arkship, much to the delight of the mer-Saedrans in the water.
Ystya wore an overjoyed smile; her skin and hair glowed with dazzling light. She turned to Saan. “We are so happy we can help. You’ve done me a favor, and now I want to show you so many things.”
He was unable to find words. His deep affection for Ystya, possibly even love, had been overwhelmed by complete awe once he found out who she really was. He shook his head, still disbelieving. “You were such a shy and innocent girl when I took you under my wing. Now…I don’t know how to act with you.”
She found that funny. “I’m no different than I was before.”
Using his magic, Ondun uncurled long ropes from piles on the Arkship’s deck, and the braided strands gleamed like spun gold. Using the magical rope, Ondun harnessed the five golden serpents to the Arkship’s bow, as if they were horses drawing a chariot.
The mer-Saedrans swam astern of the Arkship. King Sonhir floated in the waves, gazing to the high decks. “We will try to keep up with you!”
Ondun called back down, “Easily managed. As this vessel sails, you’ll be swept along in her wake. I will pull you with us.” He seemed mischievous. “It will be a fast ride, though. We have much distance to cover.”
The two captains called for the anchors to be raised, and most of the crew eagerly went to the sides to watch the departure. Ondun’s voice boomed like thunder. “We are off!”
The seahorse-monsters lunged forward, pulling the Arkship. Criston turned to gaze one last time at Terravitae. Adjusting his spyglass, he could just make out two small figures—Javian and Mia—waving from the beach.
The land dwindled behind them in only a few minutes, and the hard breeze in Criston’s face told him how swiftly they were traveling.
The Arkship’s wake frothed and churned, and he saw numerous dolphins bounding in the water. King Sonhir, his daughters, and other mer-Saedrans swam alongside, Kjelnar among them. The big Iborian shipwright waved and shouted, “We’re still with you, Captain Vora!”
As they raced along, Ondun stood with Criston and Saan. Ystya’s father seemed twice the size of a normal man now, swelled with the power he was using, but when Criston looked more closely, they were about the same height. Ondun flashed a mysterious smile. “For you, Captain Vora, I have asked others to join us. It was a struggle to release them from that woman’s greedy clutches, and they’ll have to return to her in time. But she isn’t much of a fighter. Not this time.”
Though the wind whipped in his face and stung his eyes, Criston saw the shadowy outlines of a fleet of spectral ships sailing after them, carried along by ghostly winds. He recognized the Luminara in the lead.
“It seemed fitting to bring your lost loved ones,” Ondun explained. “So they can see their homes one final time and say farewell.”
Criston felt a lump in his throat and he could barely whisper a thank-you. He had already lost Captain Shay and his fellow crewmen once. And he hoped that after he got home, he would be able to find Adrea again. He knew that Saan would help.
“How long will our voyage take, my Lord?” he asked.
Ondun leaned back with a placid look on his face. “Not long. The world is not such a big place, once you know all of it.”