Silvana had been sitting by the side of Ailin the whole ti, listening without comnt. Finn didn’t have much opinion about the woman. She remained in her room most of the ti and kept out of their way. Her most useful contribution had been during the journey to this part of the kingdom. But since they’d arrived and adapted to Hoshin Bay, Finn saw no reason to keep her here.
Lucine had assigned her to be their guide and aide, but Finn was about to relieve her of that duty.
He leveled a gaze at her formally, his tone becoming official. "Silvana. You’ve done well. Your service has been satisfactory. But it’s ti to relieve you of your duty." He gestured around the house. "Our next phase requires... different arrangents. Having you with us now would impede rather than aid our goals."
The logic of his words was sound and irrefutable. He’d presented it in a way that covered all the angles Silvana might use to argue, even considering her orders from Lucine, the Incarnate vessel of the Goddess Luna.
Silvana had a resigned look on her face. She opened her mouth as if to say sothing, then closed it again.
Finn put the final nail in the coffin, speaking the last order formally. "With the power vested in as an ally to your God, I have found your service satisfactory, and you are relieved of your duties. You may return to report to your liege."
Silvana looked at him for a long mont. Then she swallowed whatever weak rebuttal she’d wanted to offer and bowed formally. "As you command."
She turned and headed to her room to gather her belongings.
Finn sighed. Then he moved to his own room to do the sa.
He was a month and a week into the one-year safety period the Moon Mother had granted him. And finally, the real steps had begun.
.
.
.
Two weeks later...
"It’s ti," Finn muttered to himself as he left the cramped room he’d called ho for the past two weeks.
He’d found lodging in a different section of the Sprawl, far enough from Thalia’s farmhouse that no casual observer would connect them. The room was barely large enough for a bed and a small table, but it had served its purpose.
Now, as dawn broke over Hoshin Bay, Finn gathered his few belongings and headed toward the city.
Along the way, he encountered a familiar face.
Jon.
The young man greeted Finn silently but respectfully, falling into step several paces behind him as they approached the city gates. They passed through the checkpoint without incident. Finn’s worker token was now permanent, having been upgraded through Vara’s influence.
Once inside the city, Finn maneuvered his way into a secluded alleyway between two warehouses. Not long after, Jon appeared at the entrance.
He imdiately raised his hand in front of his face, four fingers extended, waving them back and forth in what was apparently a solemn gesture of greeting... A "solemn" gesture that made Finn suppress the urge to laugh every single ti.
It turned out Jon had been curious about what lay beyond the mundane after all. He’d approached Finn three days after their encounter with the Shadow Temple’s priest, unable to contain his questions any longer.
And Finn, posing as a knowledgeable savant of the supernatural, had used the opportunity brilliantly. He’d grood Jon into becoming the very first follower of the Errant God.
Finn had selected Jon during his initial observations of the city, stumbling upon the young man’s skepticism almost by accident. Jon was a hardened disbeliever in certain aspects of the Shadow Temple’s teachings. And when the temple started to lose its grip on the city little by little — sothing Finn knew was a result of the Shadow God dying and his fading authority being claid by the Incarnate — Jon had beco even less invested in the temple’s doctrines, though he feigned belief outwardly to avoid trouble.
Witnessing Finn face down a nad priest and then speak as an equal to a Paladin had left a massive impression on Jon. After his fear and caution passed, curiosity took its place. He’d reached out within three days. And the rest was history.
For soone with Finn’s enlightened mind, soone who’d been exposed to the diversity of information available on Earth, crafting broad-minded, modern teachings that his "Errant God" supposedly permitted was remarkably easy.
One teaching in particular had resonated with Jon’s hidden desires...
The ability to live with multiple won without religious condemnation!
This fellow who’d been envious of Finn, who’d secretly criticized him, had only done so because he wanted to be in his shoes. The Shadow Temple’s teachings were far more traditional and restrictive regarding such matters.
But that was only a minor part of Finn’s doctrine.
He’d introduced Jon to free thought. To open skepticism. To the idea that the Errant God wasn’t a stickler for useless traditions. The sa Errant God who granted Finn enough power to stand against a nad priest of the Shadow Temple.
Jon was sold completely.
And Finn had successfully built the foundation for what might beco his first true believer.
Finn’s mind returned to the present as he realized he needed to return the greeting gesture. It was sothing he’d improvised during one of their early etings.
Jon had asked out of the blue why they as followers of the Errant God didn’t have a symbolic gesture like other faiths. Finn had replied on the spot that there were gestures, and he’d done the first thing that ca to mind.
The famous "You can’t see " hand wave from Earth.
Finn swallowed the chortle that threatened to escape as he returned the gesture with the sa level of seriousness Jon displayed.
Jon nodded solemnly. "I guess this is it for now."
Finn nodded back. "My sacred mission begins today." He kept his tone appropriately reverent. "If I succeed... when I succeed... the followers of the Errant will no longer hide in shadows."
Jon’s gaze was firm with conviction. "I wish you success and safety, brother."
Finn matched the energy, placing a hand on Jon’s shoulder. "Be strong. The day when the mask of the Errant fills these streets is nearly upon us."
With that, he turned and left the alleyway, rging into the growing morning crowd.
Jon remained behind, performing the hand gesture one last ti with absolute solemnity.
As Finn made his way through the streets toward the docks, walking briskly past rchants setting up their stalls and workers heading to their posts, a thought crossed his mind unbidden.
I really should change that damn hand gesture.
But there was no ti for that now. The Tidebreaker waited.
The docks ca into view as Finn rounded the final corner. The massive expanse of piers and ships stretched before him, already bustling with activity despite the early hour. Workers hauled cargo, sailors checked rigging, rchants haggled over shipping rates.
And there, at the far end where he’d spent so many days working, stood the Tidebreaker.
The ship looked different now. Fully restored. The hull had been reinforced and sealed. New sails had been fitted to the masts. The deck glead with fresh tar and oakum sealing. Every line had been checked and replaced where needed.
Despite Boss Murdo’s "nurous attempts" to halt the process, she was ready to sail.
Finn approached slowly, taking in the sight. Other crew mbers were already boarding, carrying their personal belongings and checking in with Slick Jones, who stood at the gangway with a ledger, marking off nas.
This was it. The mont everything had been building toward.
Finn adjusted the pack on his shoulder and headed toward the ship.
Toward the Fog of No Return.
Toward whatever secrets the forgotten Gods had left behind...
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