Far away from the capital, the dark sea stretched endlessly beneath the night sky.
A lone cargo ship cut slowly through the black waters, its wooden hull creaking softly as the waves rolled beneath it.
The ship was not particularly large, but it was far from small as well. It was built for practicality rather than elegance, designed to carry goods between the scattered ports to the southern sea.
For its purpose, it worked perfectly.
And right now, it carried one passenger who technically should not have been there at all.
Erend stood near the railing at the front of the ship, staring out across the endless ocean.
He had managed to board the vessel earlier that day when it departed from port with cargo bound for the southern regions. Of course, he had not paid a single coin for the journey.
Instead, he had quietly used a simple hypnosis spell on the captain.
It had been easy.
Erend shifted slightly and rested his arms on the wooden railing.
