Chapter 24

After Agon had told his mother about Anjatta’s plan to return to their homeland on another ship, Luwani var Dosha had surprised her son. She didn’t demand an extended manhunt for her wayward daughter. Instead, she demanded to immediately leave Katerra and return to Ibanee with the highest possible speed. Even though he felt a bit guilty to put such a strain on his oarsmen, Agon obeyed his mother. The Storm’s Bride war galley had left Katerra an hour before The Sullen Mermaid. The maximum speed of the war galley, with all of its oarsmen working at full capacity, was much faster than that of a common cargo sailing vessel and would accomplish the journey to Ibanee in only three days. The Sullen Mermaid, even under favorable winds, would need at least two days more to reach Sanjaba, the capital of Ibanee.

The Storm’s Bride had passed the Ewu delta the previous evening and was sailing the Garossa Sea in the early morning when they came across another Ibanee war galley - one of the numerous patrol ships in the area. Agon wasn’t happy about his mother’s request to contact the vessel’s captain. Alas, he had to follow his orders which meant he had to support Luwani in any way she requested. Luwani var Dosha’s private conversation with the captain of the patrol ship didn’t bode well in Agon’s opinion.

“What did you order the captain to do?” He asked his mother after the captain had left again.

“I asked him to look out for Anjatta and to instruct every patrol ship he’ll come across to do the same,” Luwani answered easily enough. “I’m worried about your sister, does that surprise you?”

Agon was not surprised and neither did he believe it was all his mother had requested of the captain.

Sybelien was the first of the three young women in her cabin to wake up in the morning. At least that’s what she thought until she noticed a distinctive motion of her bedfellow, revealing her mistaken assumption.

“Your hand is on my chest,” she whispered, sounding slightly alarmed.

“I’ve always embraced you when we shared a bed and never before did you feel the need to point it out to me,” Anseyla replied, not alarmed but rather amused. “Besides, my hand doesn’t just lie on your chest; I’m fondling your new boobs - they feel amazing.”

“Yesterday, you apologized before we went to sleep but I’m not even fully awake yet and you’re already harassing me again!” Sybelien huffed.

“I’m not harassing you; I am caressing you which are two totally different things.”

Sybelien wriggled out of Anseyla’s embrace and fled their bunk. Then she picked up her clothes and hastily dressed; albeit not fast enough to escape her girlfriend’s comments.

“Your boobs don’t only feel good, they also look delicious,” Anseyla observed, licking her lips.

“Shut up,” the no-longer-so-little blonde hissed.

“Fine, you grouch - I’ll keep silent if you don’t want to be complimented but unless you get yourself some new clothes that fit your new body others will comment as well.”

Sybelien looked at herself and grimaced. Her pantaloons merely reached past her calves and the fabric was straining to contain her hips and butt. Her shirt had grown too short and small as well; at the bottom, two fingers wide of bare belly were exposed and the upper part prominently constricted her bust - or rather, her newly prominent bust was straining to break free of its constrictions. However, she didn’t ask Anseyla for new clothes but left the cabin while grumbling and cursing to herself.

“Are you certain your constant teasing won’t cause Sybelien to retreat into her shell?” Anjatta asked, climbing out of her bunk to get dressed, too.

“My teasing is just a reminder that I’m watching her,” Anseyla answered. “My overly shy girlfriend needs to be wooed constantly; otherwise she’ll never believe my advances are a serious, heartfelt desire.”

“I’m wondering if there is anything at all you take seriously,” Anjatta pondered on their way to the ship’s mess.

Evanis, Rhaseris, and Jabbit were the last to arrive for breakfast in the ship’s mess. Kuwasi and Anseyla were grinning at the trio, Anjatta avoided looking at them, and Sybelien regarded the late arrivals with quite an unfriendly glare. Her punitive gaze didn’t have much of an impact on Evanis. She ignored it the same as the smirks of her sister and Kuwasi. Jabbit seemed to be oblivious to both as well but at least Princess Rhaseris reacted; she lowered her eyes and the color of her cheeks turned a lovely shade of carmine.

Sybelien kept up her reproachful gazes during breakfast and both princesses - although for different reasons - reacted with an awkward but silent acknowledgment. Nevertheless, no one talked about the elephant in the room - and especially not about the noises this elephant had made last night. It left an unnatural gap within the table talks until Evanis successfully distracted Sybelien.

“What’s with your clothes, Sybil?” She asked. “Did you wash them in too hot water?”

In response to the question, Sybelien made everyone realize that her glare could become much hotter than previously exercised and then she stomped off, loudly cursing.

“That was mean!” Anseyla commented, still giggling.

“What’s her problem?” Kuwasi asked. “Or is it just her time of the month?”

“Sybil is suffering from the changes her body is going through,” Anseyla explained. “Her monthlies are only one part of the problem.”

“Really?” Jabbit asked, guilelessly. “I can help her.”

Then he left the table to search for Sybelien.

“You don’t mind if he helps Sybil, do you, Eva?” Anseyla asked, smiling brightly at her big sister.

“No, I don’t mind,” Evanis graciously allowed. “As long as she doesn’t use him up so much that he’ll be useless to me afterward.”

“You two are terrible!” Rhaseris commented.

Kuwasi agreed with a grin and Anjatta with a blush.

About this time in Katerra, Shoban’Rohass awakened. It was unusually late for the Alorian High Priest to begin his day but the last days had likewise been unusually trying and frustrating. Yesterday wasn’t as bad as the disastrous trial-day had been but it wasn’t all sunshine either.

The search for the escaped heretic had not found any trace of him or his cohorts. They seemingly had vanished from the face of the world.

The priesthood’s propaganda was off to a good start. The Emperor didn’t interfere and let the priests preach undisturbed in all of Katerra, which was good but also mildly suspicious. Even the Midnight Council let them proceed unperturbed – at least, for now - which was even more suspicious.

At least the Ibanees royals had finally left Katerra again and hopefully wouldn’t return too soon to become another issue.

Thus, his Excellency had decided that some extra sleep time was well deserved and would help to regain his strength and the needed sharpness of his mind. Rested and with refreshed confidence, he opened the shutter of a window overlooking Katerra ... and his improved mood dissipated at once.

As the Emperor had promised, the new day saw the banners of the Rossano’Shenta flying at every flagpole of the city. The hoisting of the Imperial Alorian flag also birthed a multitude of rumors but during the day on the streets only one of these rumors would persistently sustain itself. This rumor said a daughter of Callandrea Rossano’Shenta had survived the massacre of her family. Now she had returned to Katerra and lay claim to the Alorian throne. For a rumor, it was surprisingly close to the truth.

Jabbit followed Sybelien into the ship’s freight hold where she was ransacking one of her girlfriend’s baggage chests. She first groaned and then cursed some more when she noticed him.

“What do you want?” She even managed to make her question sound like a curse.

“You don’t feel well and I want to help you,” he answered.

Daringly dauntless, he walked closer to the furious blonde.

“Why are you so angry at me?”

“I’m angry at you because all this is your fault! You turned Eva, Ansa, and even the little Princess into your constantly randy sluts. And I don’t want to become the next bitch in heat!”

“I didn’t turn anyone into anything,” he answered with a frown.

“I don’t believe you!” Sybelien countered. “And even if you didn’t change them, you are changing me!”

“What you call a change is your body healing and becoming what it was always meant to be before it was damaged.”

“You’re a god; can’t you make me healthy without all these other changes?” She groused.

For a while, Jabbit didn’t say anything. His head tilted to the side, he just looked at her. Sybelien was watching him too, silently, and waiting for his answer. Her anger was gone and a new feeling was taking its place.

“I’ve never done something like that but I can do it, I think,” he finally answered. “Give me your hand.”

She looked at the open hand he held out to her ... and didn’t take it.

“Can you help me find some fitting clothes?” She asked, rather timid.

Jabbit smiled at her. “Do I look like I know how to dress properly?”

“We could ask Ansa for help,” Sybelien suggested, returning his smile. “I’m sure she would love to dress both of us.”

However, they decided to not seek help and continued searching on their own, instead, certain Anseyla would offer her help soon enough anyways - whether they asked for it or not.

While Jabbit and Sybelien searched for fitting clothes in the ship’s freight hold, Princess Rhaseris stood at the stern of The Sullen Mermaid and enjoyed the sunny late autumn day. A steady north-western wind still promoted the speedy advance towards their destination and she was watching the wake of their ship as it crossed the gentle waves of the Garossa Sea. That’s how Anjatta found her fellow princess companion.

“What are you watching so intently?” She asked.

“Dolphins!” Rhaseris answered, happily excited. “I heard of dolphins following ships. A captain visiting my father told me about them; they are really smart and so cute and playful. There is a whole shoal of dolphins following us!”

“I’ve seen Dolphins before,” Anjatta commented, gently smiling. “They are playful indeed. That’s why they usually swim in front of ships; challenging for a race, I guess. A dolphin’s dorsal fin is shaped like a crescent, with its curve towards the rear.”

“But the fins of the dolphins following us look like triangles, not crescents,” Rhaseris interrupted.