"We'll be off now. Thank you for your hospitality, Madra… Bodroy," Olivia said as the trio handed over the keys to their rented rooms.
"It's what you paid for," Madra replied curtly. "No need to thank us."
She took the keys, hung them on their respective hooks along the wall, and walked away without another word.
Bodroy folded his arms, offering the trio a more sympathetic look. "She's still upset about what happened earlier today. The forest… it brings back memories." He gave a small nod. "You three be safe now. And try not to be so reckless."
"We will," Lucius answered. "We'll be more careful going forward."
With that, they stepped out of the inn.
The night breeze met them immediately, cool against their skin and heavy with the scent of salt. The sea air was sharp yet strangely calming, and the faint crash of distant waves carried through the quiet town. Lamps glowed dimly in scattered windows as they made their way south toward the docks.
When they reached the pier, only a single crewman waited there, a lantern swinging gently from his hand as he stared out into the dark waters. At the sound of their approach, he turned.
"Good. You're finally here," he said. "The captain's been waiting. Follow me."
He stepped into a small rowboat that now occupied the space where the larger ship had once been moored. The trio climbed in after him. Once they were settled, he pushed off from the pier and began rowing into the open water.
The town slowly receded behind them. The few lit buildings grew smaller and dimmer until they were little more than distant specks against the shoreline. Ahead, the dark shape of Demba's ship loomed against the starlit horizon.
When they drew alongside it, the crewman gave a sharp whistle.
Moments later, two steel hooks attached to thick chains were lowered from above. They latched onto either end of the rowboat, and with a groan of metal and rope, the boat was hoisted into the air.
Olivia instinctively gripped the side as they rose steadily toward the deck.
Once level with the ship, the rowboat was pulled inward and secured.
"Alright," the crewman said as he stepped onto the main deck, "that's my part done."
Lucius climbed out first, then turned to help Olivia across. Flavian followed close behind, only moving once he was certain she was safely aboard.
"Welcome to my ship," Demba's deep voice called from the shadows.
He stepped forward, lantern light catching the sharp lines of his face and the curve of the saber at his waist.
"Come," he said. "I'll show you where you'll be staying."
He turned and began leading them toward the lower deck, the wooden boards creaking beneath their steps as the ship gently rocked against the tide.
"Here we are," Demba said, stopping outside a narrow door. "These will be your quarters for the next few days. The mess hall is further down this corridor, and each room has its own loo. My quarters are on the top deck. Tomorrow morning, I'll need the three of you to meet me there."
With that, he turned and walked off, his boots echoing faintly along the wooden passage.
Once he was gone, the trio stepped inside.
The room was modest: two sets of bunk beds fixed against opposite walls, a small table bolted to the floor, and a lantern swaying gently from the ceiling as the ship rocked with the tide. No one else occupied the space.
"Well," Flavian said, breaking the silence, "let's get as comfortable as we can."
He sat on the lower bunk of one bed. Lucius claimed the opposite lower bunk, while Olivia took the top, lying back and staring up at the wooden planks above her.
The muffled sounds of the crew preparing the ship drifted faintly through the hull.
"We'll reach Alten soon enough," Flavian continued. "Now that we know how dangerous the region truly is… what's the plan?"
Olivia exhaled slowly.
"Honestly? I don't know," she admitted. "That's why I told you both I should go alone. I didn't want anything happening to either of you because of me."
Lucius scoffed, sitting upright. "Yeah, right. Like we'd just let you run off on your own. You really think we'd stay behind and pretend everything's fine?"
"I'm grateful you didn't," Olivia said quietly. "But I'm not walking this path with some grand strategy. I'm just moving forward one step at a time. I'm not confident about anything." She pressed her palm to her forehead. "All I know is that I need to find that ring… and get my mother out of that wretched place."
The room fell silent again.
"Olivia," Lucius said more gently now, "you've never been the planning type. You've always been… spontaneous. Since we were children. That's exactly why I'm here."
She gave a faint huff of a laugh.
"I know."
Flavian leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "Spontaneous is fine when the stakes are small. But this isn't one of those times. We need to prepare at least mentally for whatever that region throws at us."
Olivia stared up at the ceiling, eyes unfocused.
"I can't think beyond the ring," she admitted. "It's like everything else fades away. That's all I see."
Lucius hesitated before speaking again.
"I understand wanting to free your mother," he said. "Especially with your father being… the way he is. But how exactly is this ring supposed to help her? What does it actually do?"
That question lingered in the dimly lit cabin.