for the moment.
‘They grow up and leave you – it is all very inconvenient.’ Derryth mused as the ship slipped out of the harbour.
‘Indeed. Luckily I still have a few more to keep me company!’ He was surrounded by the rest of his children and the girls were all crying – most would be staying in Dor and not going to Kishdah. He had decided to take only his children with Ancuman blood. Having the Twacuman children there would present too many additional problems.
Much to her annoyance, Halla agreed to stay behind to take care of the children that remained.
Because he was leaving her again, she insisted that they spend every night together. In his room that night, with their two naked bodies snuggled up to each other, energies spent, she asked what had been left unasked.
‘So how long do you think you will be away? I’ve only just got you back and you are leaving again.’
‘It will take more than one summer. When I come back, it will be in Trokiak – then I will deal with the Bretwalda.’
‘I will be there waiting. Then will it all be over?’
‘I honestly don’t know. But what I do know is that I seem to have recovered a little energy – looking at your naked body in the moonlight has that effect.’
‘Thank the Gyden; I thought I was losing my touch.’
~oo0oo~
Farrun arrived the next day and they proceeded to load the vessels as long as light held and it was still safe. By the end of five days, they were up to the last few vessels – Conn’s junks and then the fastest, his schooners.
Depending on the speed of the vessel and the winds – which Conn expected to be good – the journey would take between thirty and thirty-five days – and with the five-day start that the older vessels had, they should arrive about the same time. Their destination was Saba, and more specifically the port of Sala. He already knew that this was the largest port on the west coast of Saba and possibly all of the Southern Isles. Conn had already mapped the position of all of Kishdah – it had taken some time but Njil had done some exploration of the open waters in the largest and fastest schooner ever built – a three mast vessel, and had plotted the location of all the islands. It did concern Conn that there was so much still unknown about the islands themselves, but that was a problem for another day.
The next morning, after farewelling his family, Conn climbed aboard the last ship as it prepared to leave the harbour. Farrun stood with Njil on the upper deck as he prepared the large ship to glide away from the dock and into open sea. Farrun had agreed to travel with his father and Conn joined him on the main deck as they watched Dor disappear.
As well as his children, Sir Njil and his crew, Farrun and fifty of his Nobatian wiga, the balance of the passengers were Twacuman. His children included his blood daughter Asbera il Nobatia and his three adopted children; the sisters Disetha and Albega and the fifteen-year-old Vigbert; all scions of Axum. There was also the four Nobatian wiga led by Fridfina. Fridfina was now in her thirties and had a special relationship with Conn – demonstrated by her regular visits to Conn’s cabin late at night, soon after they headed to sea.
Conn also requested that Eldarr join his personal staff, and travel with him and Farrun. Rendel agreed, and Eldarr stayed behind after his father’s boat had departed. He was confused when Conn included him in all their strategy meetings as well as expecting him to eat with them at night. He was totally confused when Conn assigned his daughter Albega to be his personal liaison.
Albega was initially surprised as well, when he informed her a day before Eldarr arrived. ‘Papa, I understand that you want to have him trained as quickly as possible but I don’t understand why you have chosen me?’
‘Albega, do you know that you two, as distant cousins, are very likely going to be some of the last links to the last Healdend of Makuria.
‘They grow up and leave you – it is all very inconvenient.’ Derryth mused as the ship slipped out of the harbour.
‘Indeed. Luckily I still have a few more to keep me company!’ He was surrounded by the rest of his children and the girls were all crying – most would be staying in Dor and not going to Kishdah. He had decided to take only his children with Ancuman blood. Having the Twacuman children there would present too many additional problems.
Much to her annoyance, Halla agreed to stay behind to take care of the children that remained.
Because he was leaving her again, she insisted that they spend every night together. In his room that night, with their two naked bodies snuggled up to each other, energies spent, she asked what had been left unasked.
‘So how long do you think you will be away? I’ve only just got you back and you are leaving again.’
‘It will take more than one summer. When I come back, it will be in Trokiak – then I will deal with the Bretwalda.’
‘I will be there waiting. Then will it all be over?’
‘I honestly don’t know. But what I do know is that I seem to have recovered a little energy – looking at your naked body in the moonlight has that effect.’
‘Thank the Gyden; I thought I was losing my touch.’
~oo0oo~
Farrun arrived the next day and they proceeded to load the vessels as long as light held and it was still safe. By the end of five days, they were up to the last few vessels – Conn’s junks and then the fastest, his schooners.
Depending on the speed of the vessel and the winds – which Conn expected to be good – the journey would take between thirty and thirty-five days – and with the five-day start that the older vessels had, they should arrive about the same time. Their destination was Saba, and more specifically the port of Sala. He already knew that this was the largest port on the west coast of Saba and possibly all of the Southern Isles. Conn had already mapped the position of all of Kishdah – it had taken some time but Njil had done some exploration of the open waters in the largest and fastest schooner ever built – a three mast vessel, and had plotted the location of all the islands. It did concern Conn that there was so much still unknown about the islands themselves, but that was a problem for another day.
The next morning, after farewelling his family, Conn climbed aboard the last ship as it prepared to leave the harbour. Farrun stood with Njil on the upper deck as he prepared the large ship to glide away from the dock and into open sea. Farrun had agreed to travel with his father and Conn joined him on the main deck as they watched Dor disappear.
As well as his children, Sir Njil and his crew, Farrun and fifty of his Nobatian wiga, the balance of the passengers were Twacuman. His children included his blood daughter Asbera il Nobatia and his three adopted children; the sisters Disetha and Albega and the fifteen-year-old Vigbert; all scions of Axum. There was also the four Nobatian wiga led by Fridfina. Fridfina was now in her thirties and had a special relationship with Conn – demonstrated by her regular visits to Conn’s cabin late at night, soon after they headed to sea.
Conn also requested that Eldarr join his personal staff, and travel with him and Farrun. Rendel agreed, and Eldarr stayed behind after his father’s boat had departed. He was confused when Conn included him in all their strategy meetings as well as expecting him to eat with them at night. He was totally confused when Conn assigned his daughter Albega to be his personal liaison.
Albega was initially surprised as well, when he informed her a day before Eldarr arrived. ‘Papa, I understand that you want to have him trained as quickly as possible but I don’t understand why you have chosen me?’
‘Albega, do you know that you two, as distant cousins, are very likely going to be some of the last links to the last Healdend of Makuria.
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