We reached Aesry with little incident and arrived to even less hooplah. As Damaria and I gazed up the trail, the distant twin spires of the sentinels barely visible in the light of dusk, we decided against making that long climb. Even when uneventful, sea travel can be wearisome. The businesses that hug the shore just below the long climb up the rim of Aesry's dormant volcano are primarily for sailors and traders, but any comforting bed would be worth the noisy background of sailors on shore leave. A few coins over Denison's Pub's counter, and we were set for the night.

Unwilling to sleep before nightfall, my healer and I walked a little way to the wave-swept shore to watch night roll over us.

I am home.

My feet have lost the constant itch that I have experienced for the last two years. Instead of resting in the toes, it has moved upward into my heart and chest. An anxiousness to be done with it all and an admitted fear of what may come next. There are still many creatures I must face here on Aesry, though, so such thoughts are to be put aside. If there is one thing I have learned upon this quest, it is that a mind in motion has little time to worry itself to distraction.

I am home.

Damaria and I spent a couple of hours upon that beach, watching the shadows lengthen as the sun set to the far west. As the ocean turned from green to blue, to a darkness equal to the sky above, we talked of circles and waves and completion. There are moments of peace even in turmoil, and no doubt such conversations would be of little interest. We held back the cool night air as long as we could, until the wind of the water brought with it the bitter taste of fall. There was a warmth within and beside me, though, that was resistant even to this chilly breeze, so arm-in-arm we walked back toward the Inn.

I am home.

The docks greeted us with a louder noise than even one accustomed to the ways of sailors is used to hearing. It sems the Lybadel from Riverhaven was soon to dock with a bit more cargo than that with which it had departed that city. A band of island defenders was forming to help offload this cargo...more specifically, the dead and wounded caused by a pirate attack. The Lybadel's route is a quick but dangerous one, with the crew often having to fight off Red Sash pirates seeking to board her. Passage is, at least, free for any who are willing to help defend the ship.

We gathered at the docks, watching the Lybadel limp in under tattered sails. A few figures waved from the gunwhale and then disappeared from sight. The ship drew close to the dock, and the same unseen figures tossed down ropes to be tied off by the shorehands. The group who was gathered, the darkness and my own poor memory hiding their names from me at the moment, climbed aboard to see who would be needing aid. When we had reached the deck, those would have rendered aid soon realized they must first fight to take back the Lybadel. The Pirates were still aboard.

Whether it was an intended ruse to allow the pirates to pillage Aesry or they had been left behind by more cowardly comrades is unsure. Regardless, they obviously expected no quarter and would grant none to any who stood in their way to freedom. The groups merged into a general melee that covered the top deck of the Lybadel.

One-on-one, a pirate is a deadly opponent, swift for his light armor and flashing cutless. I could barely manage my own against one of the cutthroats, and we would trade swings and blows equally. Eventually better armor and stamina would win out and the pirate would fall, but not without leaving his mark. When more than three would face me, I would swiftly have to turn defensive and raise a banner to allow a breather. As a group, their tactics are quite dangerous.

The deck was swiftly covered with the loot and gear the pirates had amassed from their victims. The coins and gems, slicked by the blood of both of the pirates and the island's defenders, made the ground treacherous. One by one, the pirates fell. It was as if they were more at ease upon the open sea, and even being tied to the docks sapped the fight out of them. The defenders soon outnumbered the Red Sash, but the pirates preferred death by the blade than by the rope.

Thanks to the empaths and folks who helped drag the wounded and stunned off ship, we had not lost anybody. The corpses of those who had fallen in mid-trip were eventually found hidden where the pirates had tossed them. I saw the Black Knight and Quassia there in the midst of the fray and gave them hearty greetings.

After such a battle comes the time for healing, and I spent it aiding the harness of my Muse. By the time we were finished, near half the night had passed. We again made our good-byes and sought out the Inn for slumber. Only as I passed that threshold did I realize that another monster...sadly, one arising out of the more evil of the ten races...had been met. I kissed Damaria goodnight and promised to find sleep soon after I wrote this entry.

I am home...I just wonder how many times I must repeat it to myself before the realization sinks within the soul.

May your morning bring sweet awakenings, Gentle Reader. Good night.

>to be continued<