Justin
“Still think it was the best time of our lives?” I whisper. The clock I brought on the journey rings, reminding me I have work to do as the sun crests the Winter Mountains. It’s been almost eight months since we, the Divide Expedition, left Adecthelion. It’s been almost six since we spotted land. So much has happened since then. Most of the ship’s crew left almost the minute we got out of the boat, going back to Era to share our discoveries and acquire more explorers and supplies. Now they’re back. They were spotted yesterday, but they’re touching down on South Beach today.
Walking out of my house, the forest shudders with the late summer wind. I grab my bow, taking twenty arrows from my generous supply. It’s always good to have something to defend yourself with. Wilhelmina, a Mythos from the crew, runs up beside me and yawns. “Are we leaving for the beach, sir?”
“Yes. Let’s see what the crew dragged in.”
“How long is it going to take?”
“Oh, probably about an hour or two. Why do you think I woke up so early?”
“You always wake up early. You watch the sunrise every morning, since it reminds you o-” She finally realizes her mistake. “I’ll shut up now.”
“You’re fine, Wila. I enjoy our talks.”
“Okay. So, have you heard how Isara’s doing?”
“Yes. How old is her little one now?”
“Oh, about four or five months.”
“Really?”
“Yeah! Isara’s just glad her husband is coming on the boat.”
“I still can’t believe she left her husband to come on this suicide mission while she was pregnant. It blows my mind.”
“Yeah. I can’t imagine giving birth on an island with no medical assistance other than a couple other women. We seriously don’t have a single doctor on this entire island. Why did we even leave without one?”
“Who knows. We’re all a little stupid here. Whatever. Hindsight’s 20/20, as always.”
The beach looms in front of us. Surprisingly, Wilhelmina and I are the last ones. Marudeva stands there, looking quite noble, as always. Isara holds her sleeping child, looking a little anxious. Clay has dug himself a little hole in the sand, where he sits, waiting. [James] waits patiently, but not without a slightly crazy look in his eyes, muttering something about the dock or port or something. Hugo checks the time on his watch while Viatora taps her foot quickly on the sand. The rest of the crew that stayed with us stood in their respective groups, and I can’t help but notice the stand-in. My soul hurts.
“You’re just in time.” Viatora huffs and motions to the boat, finally pulling into port. Clay stands up, and everyone gets ready. They’re here.
***
Cas
My grandmother’s words ring in my ears as the ship approaches land. You better get some sense in your head before it’s chopped off.
I smile. Well, Grandmother, I’m not dead yet. And we’ve reached land. My destiny awaits. The sun is shining bright, reflecting off the crystal clear, pure aqua-colored waters. The white sand of the beach is almost blinding, like freshly fallen snow. Strange, oddly comforting smells are everywhere, and I feel overwhelmed by the onslaught of new things, as well as the heat that soaks through my light grey ensemble. The original crew that embarked on the journey that finally allowed me to get away from my grandmother stand on the shore, looking regal and dignified as their clothes ripple in the breeze. With my suitcase in hand, I step off the boat and follow the crowd down to the beach. The Divide Expedition members study the newcomers. The crowd’s boisterous conversation dies down, and an expedition member addresses the crowd.
“Good people of Era. You have traveled far to come to a place of freedom and novelty. You have come from far and wide. In your absence, we, the members of the original Divide Expedition, have taken dominion over certain parts of this vast island nation. We stand before you as representatives of each nation, and ask you to choose where you will make your new homes.”
The crowd rumbles in confusion and outrage. I’m quite intrigued, actually, and push my glasses up a little further on my nose to see the members properly. The woman speaks up again.
“Now, nobody moves until you’ve heard where everyone is, alright?” She clears her throat. “My name is Viatora Marshall. I have dominion over the great mountains you see behind me.”
“My name is Hugo Kand, and I claimed the savanna.”
“I am Jack, and I keep care of these pristine beaches.”
“I’m Justin. My territory is the forest.”
“My name is Clay. I have the Underground, people.”
“My name is Marudeva Cardell, and I rule the desert.”
“I am Isara Graye, and I-” A man pushes through the crowd and hugs Isara, laughing. “Oh! Ha! One moment. I have the open plains.”
The crowd separates into sections, joining the leaders and introducing themselves. I, on the other hand, take a moment to think about it. It’s about then that I notice an extra group of people, keeping to themselves, only chatting with the ship’s crew or a select few members of the Divide Expedition. It doesn’t seem like anything’s wrong, just something strange. They stood next to the leaders, but didn’t say a word. It’s then that one of the leaders, Justin, walks up to me. “Hello. How are you?”
“Oh, um, I’m good. Tired from the journey, but good.”
“That’s good. Have you chosen a domain yet?”
“No, I haven’t gotten the chance to. I try to make my decisions with extensive thinking and logic.”
“Well, would you like to meet everyone and see who will be your government?”
“Sure. It wouldn’t hurt to meet them.”
“Perfect. Well, let’s start with me, I guess. I’m Justin.” He sticks out his hand. I reciprocate the gesture of welcome. “Nice to meet you. My name is Casandria.”
“Do you have a nickname?”
“Cas will do.”
“Awesome. You probably heard earlier, but I took the forest. We’ve got apple trees, oak trees, chestnut trees, all kinds of trees. We’ve also got all the kinds of bushes you can imagine, basically, it’s the best. It’s never too hot, we’ve got ample supplies to last through the winter, and we’ve also got my Satyr Mythos friend, Wilhelmina.” He leans in a little with a smirk on his face. “I just call her Wila. She doesn’t like it too much, but it’s shorter than Wilhelmina.”
He leads me over to the other leaders. “That’s Isara. Her husband just got here, and she’s got a baby, too. The plains are pretty cool, other than being sort of hard to hide in, but it is beautiful. That’s Clay. He’s weird and lives underground, but he knows his trade better than anyone else I’ve ever met. So, who knows? He could get some awesome stonemasons and construction workers on his team and make the new Underground Monarchy.
“Over here is Viatora. She led the whole expedition, and she lives up in the winter mountains. They’re really cold, but really beautiful. The guy she’s standing next to, Hugo, he’s the Emperor’s second kid. He decided to come here instead of taking a position in the council, and honestly, I think he’s going to hand over the savanna to someone else. I never really thought governmental work was for him, though he does really like Viatora…
He stopped when his gaze rested on a man in yellow robes, Marudeva. “This is Marudeva. He’s got the desert, and he’s a-”
“Justin. Please, be cordial.” Marudeva rolls his eyes. “I know you think very little of me, and not very kindly either, but at least pretend. There’s a lady in our presence.”
“Viatora’s a lady, and with the title to prove it, and she doesn’t mind my opinion nor my choice of words one bit.”
“You barely know this young woman whatsoever.”
“Neither do you.”
“Hmph. Maybe you could introduce her to the Waterfall Island Regent Council. I’m sure she’d love it there.”
“Back off, Marudeva.”
“Alright. But perhaps you should think about backing off as well.”
Viatora pushes them apart. “Why don’t you both go back to your territories and quit harassing each other? Geez, I’ve half a mind to send you both back home. Now, if you’re done biting at each other, would you please let this young woman pick where she’s gonna stay?”
Justin and Marudeva mumble and walk back to their places. Viatora sighs and looks back at me. “Alright, honey. Have you decided on a place?”
I think for a second, looking into the faces of each and every person. “I think I want to stay in the forest.”
“Alright, now that that’s settled, everyone get back to your places. We’ve got more people now, and we can actually organize society. Introduce everyone to your areas, and let’s get this show on the road.”
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