Following Tides -Book II - Sascha & Yuri: "Epilogue"

“Following Tides II - Sascha and Yuri's Tale”

T H E   F O L L O W I N G   T I D E S   S E R I E S
PART II  - SASCHA & YURI
Author: D. Sanders a.k.a "The Fablespinner"
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CHAPTER SEVEN  -- "EPILOGUE"
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Tomas stood on the deck of his ship “the Handmaiden” inheriting it when his Great-Grandfather had retired to the Isle unwillingly at eighty-eight years old. Sonja insisted and he did as his wife ordered. Tomas had been it’s Captain now for four years, and at almost twenty years old he was a handsome man indeed. Not quite as broad as his father, his mother had a little influence on his build beyond giving him her eyes and her love of the water and surfing. He was looking forward to seeing his parents again as Safe Harbor Isle came into view. Being an only child, he had received his parent’s undivided attention growing up, and his mother had a hard time letting go when he’d turned fifteen.
 
Now however she and his father had a new little one to care for. Not of their own, Yuri had never been able to conceive again after the incident no one talked about, Tomas only knew vaguely what had happened and had learned that from Ilya discreetly when he was about thirteen and was wondering why he had no other siblings when that family was famous for spawning broods of offspring, Ilya gently told him the barest truths to stop him inadvertently hurting his mother’s feelings. Tomas never told his mother he knew, he loved her too much to let her know he knew... she hadn’t wanted him to know.
 
The new babe had been a rescue off a ship demolished by a storm. Only seventeen people of a crew of fifty had survived, and the child’s mother had been in labor when they’d pulled her on board “the Golden Sun”. She was so dehydrated and weak she hadn’t survived even with Yuri frantically trying to save her and the baby.
 
The child had no surviving family and the only other survivors of the ship insisted Yuri was the best replacement mother the child could have so Yuri had kept the girl as her own to raise. Tomas was looking forward to meeting his six-month old little sister. He’d only ever seen her in the mirror when his mother and father hailed him with the news. His mother, always the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, even if she was technically a boy. Tomas knew that much about his mother’s true aspect, she looked radiant as she held the baby in her slender arms. He had never known his ‘mum’ as a male, just like he had never known his Uncle Ilya’s female aspect, but according to his father even in male form, Yuri had been breathtaking. They had married very young, and were still quite young enough to chase after another baby even with a full-grown son of their own.
 
Tomas was in a wistful mood as he thought about his parents. Soul-bound to one another since early childhood, He was envious in a good way. Not that he hadn’t experimented with lovers of his own, Male or Female, he got that from his father. Gender was irrelevant, the person on the inside is what Tomas was attracted to and he’d had half a dozen conquests or so. Fun-loving, no strings attached mutual interest. Nothing he’d call even remotely love. Affection or lust nothing more substantial. He wasn’t in a hurry to settle down, he’d know when he met ‘the one’ eventually. Until then he was enjoying life as Tomas Saschavich, Wizard Captain of “the Handmaiden” and sometimes amateur bard. He was a fair hand on the mandolin and had a rich tenor when he sang. He plucked about in his free time, winning men and women to his bed with the turn of a ballad or two. His father called him a Randy Cur and his mother would roll her eyes, look pointedly at her husband and cough “ahem” politely. Sascha would at least look apologetic. Like Father like son apparently.
 
“The Golden Sun” was already in port when “the Handmaiden” made her moorings and his parents were waiting for him on the pier as he raced down the plank to greet them. His father was holding the baby so Yuri could throw herself into her sons arms the minute he touched deck. Tomas kissed her soundly and twirled her around before setting her back down. “Still the most beautiful woman in the world to me, mummy.”
 
Yuri laughed. “Goodness, you haven’t called me ‘mummy’ in ages.” She laughed taking the baby so Sascha could squeeze the life out of his son.
 
“You just made her night, Good boy.” Sascha laughed as he let his son go to hold him at arms length for inspection. “Almost as Tall as Daa now.”
 
“I think this is it Daa. Not changed in a couple of years at least, I got some of Mum in me too you know.” Tomas winked a huge green eye at his mother before leaning over to look at the baby. “Hullo bright eyes. Can big-brother have a look at you?” Yuri handed the baby to her brother and he smiled down at her. “Better brush up on stunning spells Daa. She’s gonna be a looker.”
 
“Aye. No worries, any boy daft enough to woo her too quickly or insincerely will have to face me.”
 
“Oh for gods sakes. You both are horrible. We have a few YEARS yet before Tatiana’s even old enough. S’truth!” Yuri rolled her eyes taking the baby back in her arms.
 
“You know what they say Mum. Daa’s little girls and all and Mummy’s boys. Who was it cried for days when I turned fifteen?”
 
“That’s different.” Yuri protested and Sascha laughed.
 
“He’s got you there love. He was the biggest Mummy’s boy of all.”
 
“Still am.” Tomas kissed his mothers head, laying an arm about her shoulders proprietarily.
 
Yuri glowed. “Son, you’re earning points tonight!” Sascha laughed as they headed back to the Isle happily as a family reunited.
 
~*~*~*
 
Four months flew by and Tomas was up in his observatory scrying. Snow and Ice met him and a spinning compass pointing due north and an Isle he’d never seen came into view. “What on earth?” He was confused and pulled out his charts and maps. There was nothing charted in that direction from Safe Harbor so he asked for the course again just to double check. And once again the same images came.
 
“Oh ho! Interesting...” He jotted notes on a map and took them to his father.
 
“There’s nothing there on any maps.”
 
“I know, but I checked it twice in my bowl Daa. Same course both times and it was definitely an Island. Looks like I’m off on an adventure.”
 
“Take extra stores, that water is full of Icebergs and not a supply Island for six weeks hard sailing in any direction.”
 
“I’m going to, already stocking extras. I’m going to take Elena as Healer this tour of duty. She’s from cold climes and we work well together. I don’t want to take a journey like this without a good experienced healer. I’m also taking Igor; he’s the best mapmaker we have. We’ll at least chart a new Island if nothing else.”
 
“Aye, good thinking. When you off?”
 
“Stocking now, three days I think, four if we drag our feet, five if mum tries to tie me down.” Tomas winked at his father who chuckled.
 
“Your Mum loves you. She still sees her baby boy.”
 
“Like you don’t daa?”
 
“I never said that.” Sascha winked folding up the map. “But I can’t deny you’re a good captain. Call us if you need us.”
 
“Absolutely. Good night Daa.”
 
“Night son.”
 
~*~*~*~
 
Four Days later “the Handmaiden” set course and sailed north with two extra passengers. Alexandre and Sonja.
 
Tomas worried for their health, they were both over ninety even if they didn’t look it yet. They both had strong blood and adventurous spirits and Wizards and Healers did live a long time naturally. Magic extended normal life spans by a good fifty years or more in most cases. Great-Great-Great Grandfather Anastas had lived to almost one-hundred and eighty before he’d passed. So at the least Alexandre and Sonja had about twenty or thirty years left in them if they retired properly. Which they weren’t about to do it seemed. “We’re not in the grave yet boy!” Alexandre grumbled. Sonja just smiled.
 
“You’re going into cold climes. I like Elena lived in very cold waters; I want to be here just in case she needs a hand. Cold has it’s own dangers. Extra power to keep the ship warm will come in handy with your Grandaa at the very least. He’s not so old he can’t produce heat, he is full of hot air.”
 
“Woman, I’ll give you hot air!”
 
Tomas laughed. They were still ornery, that was for certain and extra help might not be a bad thing after all. Besides, Alexandre hated retirement with a passion. He was still a formidable Wizard and he just had to have one last time on the sea. Once a sailor, always a sailor. Retiring to a landlocked life never sat well when the sea was in your blood. Tomas was going to let him have it. He even vacated his cabin for them, and they balked adamantly.
 
“This is YOUR ship now son. Your Gran and I just need a bed; I don’t need room to keep charts and maps anymore. I am no longer this ship’s Captain. You are. Keep your rooms, next door is fine, Sergei’s old bedroom is more than sufficient.” Alexandre and Sonja insisted and refused to budge. Tomas just did as told as they sailed north into the unknown on an adventure that beckoned them ever northward.
 
The image in the bowl never changed. Tomas would watch it for hours, anticipating. He knew. Deep down he knew he was going to have the adventure of a lifetime.
 
Something was there that he was meant to find.
 
And find it he would.
 
 
~*~*~*
 
END of Part II
To be Continued in Book III …