"Yeah, I know," he replies. "It's been nice being here."

"Maybe you could stay longer?" she asks hopefully.

"I wish I could, but I'm unable to," he tells her. "I need to help get Jiron and Miko out of the Empire and back home."

"I understand," she says. "Maybe when things change, you could come back and visit?"

"Perhaps," he says, "but that is highly unlikely."

"I suppose you're right," she agrees.

Arm in arm, they walk down the street until they come to her house. A light is on in the front room. "Mother is waiting up for me, it looks like," she says as they come to the front door.

"I guess this is where we say goodbye," he says to her.

Suddenly, she embraces him and places her lips upon his, giving him a warm and eager kiss.

When she breaks off the kiss, James is left breathless and a little fl.u.s.tered. "I'll miss you," she tells him.

"I'll miss you too," he says when he finally gets his voice working again.

She turns and begins to open the door when she pauses and says, "Goodbye James."

"Goodbye Meliana," he replies as he watches her enter her home and close the door.

Feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, he makes his way back toward Nate's family estate. Visions of Meliana and the way her lips felt on his fill his mind until he realizes he's already back to the door to his room. He doesn't even remember walking back, he must've been on autopilot.

Opening the door, he finds Jiron snuggled in his bed with one of the serving girls he's been seeing.

"How'd it go?" he asks from the bed, not the least bit embarra.s.sed.

"It went well," James replies. "Want me to leave?"

"Don't have to if you don't want to," he replies. "We're done anyway."

James goes over to his bed and gets undressed in the dark and then slips under the covers. Thoughts of Meliana keep him awake long into the night before he can finally fall asleep.

Chapter Two.

The next morning after waking up, James discovers the girl who had shared Jiron's bed with him the night before had already left. Jiron is lying there sleeping so peacefully, he almost doesn't want to wake him up. Almost. He and his girlfriend had awakened James up twice during the night and he'd found it incredibly difficult to fall back to sleep while 'that' was going on in the bed next to him.

He gets up out of his bed and walks over to Jiron's with a mischievous smile upon his face. Grabbing hold of his mattress, he upends it, spilling Jiron onto the floor with a thud.

After hitting the ground, Jiron gets to his feet quickly with a knife in his hand. Looking around, he sees James standing there with the mattress still in his hand. "Get up," James tells him. "We've got a ship to catch."

"What did you do that for!" he yells, anger in his eyes.

"For keeping me awake all night," he says as he replaces the mattress.

The anger quickly disappears and a grin takes its place, "Sorry about that. She was a randy one, she was."

Returning to his bedside, he begins to get dressed. Jiron follows suit.

James notices him putting his new clothes inside his pack and asks, "Taking them with you?"

Jiron glances over to him and nods, saying, "Yeah, I think Tersa would like to see me in them. You?"

Shaking his head no, he replies, "Green just isn't my color." Jiron just laughs.

After they're both dressed, they shoulder their packs and leave the room. James leaves the box of slugs, he already has enough, what with his belt filled as well as a small pouch of them within his pack. Out in the hallway, they turn toward the stairs and go up to Miko's room. Finding it empty, they go on down to Nate's room where they find him saying goodbye to his friend.

"Come on, Miko," James tells him. "We gotta go."

"Bye Nate," he says to him as he goes over and gives his friend a hug.

Patting him on the back, Nate says, "You take care, now. Come back if you can."

"I will, promise," Miko says as he fights back tears forming in his eyes. The last week with Nate had been one of the best of his life. He really feels bad about leaving him.

"You take care of him," Nate says as he looks to James.

"As best I can, you can rest a.s.sured," he replies.

Jiron shakes Nate's hand and then the three friends leave his room. Going back down the stairs, they make their way along the corridor toward the main door.

On their way, they're stopped by Miriam who gives each of them a sack. "What's this?" James asks.

"It's traveling money," she explains. "My parents thought it an ample reward for saving their son."

"There must be over fifty golds in here," Jiron says as he feels the sack.

"Actually, each holds seventy five," she tells him.

"Thanks!" he replies as he puts the sack in his pack.

"You're welcome," she replies and then proceeds to give each a goodbye hug. When she gets to James, she says, "You better hurry, Captain Caril won't like it if you keep him waiting."

"I will," he says to her. "Say goodbye to Meliana for me."

"Next time I see her," she says as she gives him a hug. She says goodbye to both Jiron and Miko before they turn toward the door and leave.

Walking down the street toward the dock, James says, "I hope this Captain Caril wouldn't have sailed without us."

"I doubt it," replies Jiron. "He's doing it for Nate's family, so I think he'd at least give us the courtesy of waiting a little bit."

"How long do you think it'll be before we're back to Cardri?" asks Miko.

"She said probably a couple weeks," James explains. "We're not going straight there, but are hitching a ride as they go along their trade route."

"Oh," he says.

Sails can be seen on the horizon as they near the docks. Once there, they ask the Harbor Master which ship is Captain Caril's and he points to a two masted vessel, further down.

"Thank you," James says to him as they proceed down to the ship.

When they arrive at the Foam Breaker, James hollers up to the ship, "Permission to come aboard?"

A man, obviously the captain by his dress, comes to the gangplank and looks down at them standing there on the dock. "You James?" he asks.

He nods his head. "That's me, and this is Miko and Jiron." he says, indicating the others standing next to him.

"Come aboard," the captain says before turning and moving back away from the gangplank.

As they start walking up the gangplank, he begins shouting orders to his crew and the lines are cast off. Once they're on board, the gangplank is pulled in. The mainsail gets unfurled and the ship begins to move as the wind fills it. The helmsman turns the wheel and the ship pulls away from the dock on its way to open water.

"We appreciate you taking us on," James says to the captain.

"You're welcome," he replies in between barking out orders. Turning his attention back to them, he says, "There's a room at the stern you can use while you're aboard. There are some goods stored there, sorry about that, but it's used as an auxiliary storage compartment."

"Thank you," James says. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

Nodding, the captain adds, "Just stay out of the crews way and we'll get you where you need to go."

"Which ways the stern," Miko asks.

The captain points to the rear of the ship.

They head in that direction and come to a door leading into the raised portion at the end of the ship. Opening the door, they find a small room, half filled with boxes and bolts of colored cloth. "They must keep this stuff here so it won't be ruined by the rain," suggests James.

"Probably," Jiron says as they enter the room. Within, they find three hammocks slung one above the other, between the walls. Miko eyes them suspiciously when James informs him, "They're for sleeping."

Miko goes over to them and says incredulously, "You're kidding!" He takes a hold of the bottom one and pushes it. He just stares at it as it swings back and forth.

"No, seriously," he says as he sits down on the middle one and proceeds to lie down. "In tight quarters such as are on a ship, this is the only way to maximize s.p.a.ce for the crew and still have plenty of s.p.a.ce for the cargo."

Eyeing them dubiously, he sets his pack down in the corner. He comes over to the lowest one and opens it up, sitting down on it. Attempting to lie down, he suddenly flips over and lands on the floor.

Jiron bursts out laughing at the sight.

James flashes him an annoyed look and he soon stops. Turning his attention back to Miko who had gotten up from the floor red faced, he says, "It takes some practice." Hopping down from his hammock, he holds Miko's open for him and says, "Here, sit down then lift one leg over."

Miko hesitates a moment, but then comes over and does as James says. Once he's straddling the hammock, James says, "Now, lie back and nestle in between the sides. Once you're secure, bring your feet up together so you remain balanced."

Nervous about hitting the floor again, Miko takes it slow and lies back until he's nestled in the hammock. James keeps a firm hold of it while he's getting in. Then, lifting his feet, he brings them into the hammock until he's completely settled within it.

James lets the hammock go and it begins swaying with the rhythm of the ship riding the waves.

Miko panics and grips the side of the hammock tightly as soon as James lets go, but soon realizes that he's not going to immediately fall out. After a few moments of not falling out, he begins to relax. His nerves settle down and he starts to enjoy the swaying rhythm the hammock makes with the rocking of the ship.

"Ever been in a hammock before?" James asks Jiron.

Shaking his head, he says, "No, never even seen 'em."

"Want me to help you in?" he asks.

"No thank you. I'd just as soon sleep on the deck," he says as he makes a s.p.a.ce for himself over in the corner.

"Suit yourself," James tells him.

Going back to the door, he makes to leave when he hears Miko holler, "Don't leave me in here!"

Smiling, he goes back over and helps him to get out of the hammock. Taking Miko with him, he leaves the room and walks out on deck where the salt air whipping off the water almost knocks him over in its intensity. Gaining his balance, he moves to the edge of the ship by the rail where he gazes out over the water.

Back the way they'd come, the land is now only a thin line on the horizon. Everywhere as far as he can see is water, blue-green water with a sky of crystal blue above them. A grin breaks out upon his face, always happens when he's riding a boat. Taking a ferry back home elicited the same reaction. It just feels good to have the wind whip around you with just the sound of the bow breaking the surf. He stands there mesmerized by the experience.

Miko stands beside him, affected the same way. Coming in on Nate's cousin's ship from the mines had been less enjoyable. He'd been sick plus had had the added worry of Nate's condition on his mind as well. Now, though, he can truly experience it. Ever since Al-Kur when the slave wagon had stopped to pick up several more slaves from a ship at anchor, he's wanted to do this.

After standing there in quiet contemplation, the captain comes up behind them and says, "We're making for Maradan, a city on a local island near here. We have some cargo to unload and others to procure before leaving. We'll be spending the night at dock before lifting anchor in the morning."

"Maybe we could do some sightseeing?" James asks, turning around.

"Might not be a bad idea," the captain agrees. "When we leave there, it'll be four more days until we drop anchor again."

"Anything worthwhile to see on the island?" he asks.

"Not really," he tells him. "There are several nice inns if you want to take advantage of them while we're there. It's possible you may find something of interest, though my men tend to just stay on the ship while we're there."

"Thank you anyway, captain," James says.

"No problem," he replies, "just thought you might want to know." He then turns, and climbs the stairs to the deck over their room where the helmsman stands at the tiller.

James glances to Miko, "Wanna do some sightseeing while we're there?"

"Sure," he replies, "better than being cooped up on this ship."

Just then, a large creature similar in nature to a whale from back home, suddenly crests the water and falls back, causing water to geyser up into the air.

"What was that?" Miko asks, wide-eyed.

"Not sure," James answers, awed. "Back home it might've been called a whale."

"It was incredible," he says as he gazes out across the water, hoping to see another.