294 Set Sail
Tonight's dinner was quieter than normal. Will's family, James, Helen, Marcus, Cherry, Katherine, and her children. Elder Thaddeus, Archimedes, and Nisha all gathered for dinner.
While the food was festive, the mood was melodramatic. With the somber atmosphere, table conversation seemed forced.
After dinner, Will's family gathered in his drawing room for dessert and tea.
In the drawing-room, the emotions were palpable. Will looked at his parents, wife, and kids lovingly, before he could speak a crying Camille interrupted him.
"Father don't go," Camille begged. Her eyes were red.
Will could tell he'd been crying for a while. He could tell Helen and Elizabeth's were also red.
"Father come home safely," Camille cried running up to him and throwing her arms around his next.
Will hugged his daughter, and whispered, "I'll come back! Don't worry." He did his best to comfort her but to no avail.
Seeing his sister, Edward did his best to fight away his tears. His sniffling nose and scrunched-up face betrayed him.
"Father…I'll…do…my best," Edward sniveled out.
"You'll do a good job, son. I trust you," Will said shaking Edwards' outstretched hand firmly.
Feeling his father's hand, Edward ran and hugged his father. Tears rained down his cheeks.
His kids said their farewell, Will looked at his parents and Katherine.
"We'll talk when you get back home," James said, giving Will a quick handshake.
"Mother," Will said hugging Helen who collapsed in his arm.
She wept bitterly. Knowing Marcus and Will were leaving to fight the mythical race. A race that so far was invincible. The thought of losing her sons was too traumatizing.
As Will hugged his sobbing mother, Marcus and Katherine joined the hug to comfort Helen.
"Thank you, I'm fine," Helen said after a few minutes.
Will released her and turn to his wife. Elizabeth looked sad but didn't cry. She understood her husband. She understood the people of Terra needed his strength. A grandmaster could make a difference in a war.
"I'll miss you," said Will hugging Elizabeth.
"Come home often, even if it's for an hour. Don't make the same mistake twice," she reminded him.
During the last war, with Albania. Will failed to teleport home even once. The only thing that kept Elizabeth the same were the criers who reported the news.
"I'll come home when I can," Will promised.
He'd plan to come to Tirana anyway to visit Diego.
"Promise me, that when you come home, you'll see me first before your clerks, city administrators, or Diego," said Elizabeth almost reading Will's mind.
"I promise to see my family first," Will agreed.
"Good. When you come home you can see your newest child," Elizabeth said kissing Will.
"Okay—your pregnant?" Will said in disbelief.
Elizabeth nodded happily.
"She's pregnant," Will said loudly, but everyone looked like they already knew.
"You all knew?" Will asked confused.
"Congratulations, son," James said
"Congratulations," everyone repeated.
And with that, the melodramatic mood lightened and became festive.
With Cherry and Elizabeth pregnant the Ballard family would be expanding again. The rest of the evening was spent celebrating, laughing, and telling family stories.
That evening Elizabeth and Will slept together. While Will slept, Elizabeth couldn't. Her nerves kept her awake and she spent the night looking at Will and resting her hand on her stomach.
In the morning, while the rest of the house slept. She woke up with Will and watched him pack. Elizabeth didn't cry until she saw Will, Nisha, Marcus, Micheal, Elder Thaddeus, and Archimedes walked through the spatial gate.
Will and company stepped into Elliot's warehouse office. The warehouse was located adjacent to Duress' pier.
"Good morning, Great Sage, Boss Will, and Marcus," bowed Elliot.
"Good morning, Elliott, please escort us to the ship," requested Will.
Elliot escorted them outside to King Roland's majestic ship, HMS Nike. The Nike was a three-masted, fully rigged majestically ship. decorated. It carried a single canon on the forecastle and 40 canons on the deck.
"Are they here?" Elder Thaddeus asked.
"Yes. Great Sage. The other grandmasters are already aboard with his majesty. The HMS Nike shall signal the command raise anchor and set sail," Elliot explained.
Elder Thaddeus led the way as they walked up the ramp onto the Nike. When they walked on board, Grandmasters Abe and Wang, the Marine Academy Grandmaster Puller, Southern Magic Academy Grandmaster Park, and King Roland were speaking to each other.
"We're here let's go," barked Elder Thaddeus.
Hear Will was on board, Fortuna's captain came and saluted his employer.
"Your majesty, what is your command?" said the old black-bearded captain. "We are ready to set sail on your command."
"Take us out," King Roland decreed.
"Aye, aye, sir," the captain saluted again and left.
While the other grandmasters spoke to each other, Will found a comfortable chair to sit on.
King Roland asked Will's shipwright Claud vont Ahmed to build this vessel after defeating Albania.
Before getting on the ship, Will gave Elliot special instructions. He has Elliot place barrels of dirt, rocks, and sand in the storage area.
After his bout of sea sickness traveling to Poglorica, Will hoped the barrels of dirt and rocks might help like Dramamine.
As the ships jerked away from the pier, Will felt his connection to land disappear. Although he could easily feel the earth at bottom of the pier.
Thankfully, as a grandmaster, he could sense the bottom Birmingham Sea with [Radar]. But, Will knew that as the ship travel further out to see, he'd eventually lose his connection to the ground. And, that's when he'd hoped these barrels of the earth would help him.
As Will was thinking to himself, Elder Thaddeus sat down next to him and said, "Truthfully, I don't much care for the sea either. When I was grandmaster ranked and below the sea always made me feel queasy. This is the first time, I don't feel sick on the overwater, but only time shall tell."
But before Will could respond, King Roland shouted in excitement.
"Look at that," King Roland said pointing to the hundreds of ships following behind the HMS Nike. "I've never seen such beauty!"
***
In Gadreel, Camille and Edward had breakfast with their mother before school. Both children could tell that their mother had been crying, even though, Elizabeth did her best to hide her tears.
"Mother father shall be all right. We'll see him again once he reaches the Qhosnir Empire," Edward said projecting self-confidence.
"Yes, I know," Elizabeth nodded.
"A lot of my friends' parents already left for Duress. I hate this war and this damn war," said Edward pounding his fist on the table.
Everybody strengthener or mage in the kingdom, who graduated from the academies, regardless of age was required to fight.
King Roland commanded that every abled body person must fight, but only one parent need to go to war. Those individuals who refused to fight or deserted the army were ordered to be executed on sight.
While they ate quietly, Henrietta entered, curtsied, and said, "Pardon me, mistress, the young lady has a letter."
"It's fine to give it to her," Elizabeth said curiously.
Camille gracefully took the letter and began to read.
"Oh, mother it's from Maxwell, he's—," Elizabeth's words choked in her mouth. Tears began flooding down her face. She tossed the letter onto the floor and ran up to her room to cry on her pillow.
"Hand me the letter," said Elizabeth.
Ms. Park handed Elizabeth the letter.
"Dearest Camille, my 4th-year class was drafted into the war. By the time you receive this letter, I've already left for the southern shores. I'll think of you always and I hope you do the same. I'll ask your father permission to write you letters. Sincerely Baron Maxwell von Mueller."
"Oh Camille," Elizabeth thought. "Mother Gaia, Goddess Demeter please watch over my family.
***
Before King Roland left for Durres, he appointed Duke Francis Regent. Duke Francis stood on the balcony and off into the distance.
"Rollie, Francis, and Will should've set sailed by now," Duchess Charlotte said.
"Yet here we are, expected to govern a grieved and broken kingdom. We're understaffed and under-resourced. With the majority of men gone, who shall plow the fields? How do we collect taxes? And how do we defend ourselves?" the duke asked.
"The women shall plow the field and gather the harvest. The palace may be understaffed, but we'll get by, we always have. As far as funds, I'm sure you could as your grandson Edward. I hear he's now in charge of Will's assets.
And defense shall fall to city lords like it did in the past. As long as we hold Tirana and Yorkshire, we'll get by," the duchess replied with a warm smile.
"Then we'll maintain the kingdom until they return," said Duke Francis resolutely.
