Dancing in the Legendary Sea - Chapter 5 Part 2

She walked a little faster than yesterday. It was fortunate that Mount Kintos was not high. Passing under the shade of the woodland, the sea became closer and sparkled under the moonlight. The moment when she unconsciously thought the scenery was beautiful, she realized something was different.

“The ship has been moved.”

Just yesterday, it was in a fairly visible position. But today it had been moved into the shadow of the coastal cliff. The tide itself couldn’t have done it, but a person could. She quickly realized what happened. The man took measures not to be detected from any people’s gazes from the mountain.

“Did he move the boat despite his dim eyesight?”

She felt a little anxious about whether he could kill her in his physical condition.

“But I’ve come all the way here.”

If she goes back now, her hardships during the day will all be in vain. Lokira made up her mind and snooped in from the cave entrance to see if the man was still there. The wall of the cave was also covered with moonlight, and there was a shadow laying down. Suddenly, Lokira realized that she didn’t even know the man’s name. She hesitated about what to say. The man wasn’t even wary of her existence, as if he had already assessed her.
“It’s you again? I told you to go away.”

His low, growling voice rang. It was disrespectful. Lokira instinctively withdrew. But when she recalled the priest’s cold eyes, the man also became less scary than before. After making sure the cloth had covered her head well, she gave strength to her voice and responded,

“I brought something because I had leftovers.”

She had never spoken so boldly like this, so towards the end, her voice cracked which she tried to clear up with a cough.

“If you starve to death in the sanctuary, the injustice will increase.”

“Leave it alone. I got my luggage off the ship.” The man retorted.

Evidently, there was something Lokira couldn’t see initially next to the man. It was a bow. It was much bigger and thicker than the one worn by the watchman. It was also accompanied by a black, painted arrowbox. Something that was as big as a forearm shone on the belt. It was a knife with a thick blade like an axe. There was also a logging tool used to cut branches. He was a man who really knew how to handle weapons. The word ‘murder’ suddenly became clearer, and Lokira trembled. The horrible crime stories of the outside world Roxias occasionally told suddenly ignited. But she didn’t want to run away like last night. Lokira said, holding the package tightly,

“It seems like you are very strong to move your boat, and even brought your luggage with that body. I was wondering all night if you had died.”

“It wasn’t a big deal. I’m different from you.” The man shrugged, and acted like it was nothing.

“Still, there wouldn’t have been anything for you to eat. Have you ever eaten bread soaked in seawater?”

Lokira put down the package and untied the knot. Barley bread, cheese and olives were spread out. She brought all the dry meat that was for dinner. No matter how salty and damp the cave was, the delicious smell of food wafted through the air. Lokira squatted down with a hand on her chin.

“I am giving it to you because it’s leftovers. Give thanks and eat it.”

Lokira was amazed at what she just said. How could the words come out like this without hesitation? The habit of always complimenting with nice words while hiding her innermost thoughts was gone. Was it because the man doesn’t know she has horns and hasn’t tried to harm her yet? Like tempting a rat, she waited for the man to eat the food that was laid out in front of him. This was exactly what she did to make the rat come out of the hole.

The rat was her friend in her secluded and boring life besides Roxias. However, she was disappointed that the rat had a short life span. This man was just like that rat but exponentially bigger. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, but the temptation of food was also immense. Whatever he picked up during the day would have been insufficient for his body, especially for someone as tall and big as him. Then the man shouted,

“Back!”

Immediately, Lokira pushed the food package over and backed away five steps. From a distance, she watched the man devour the food. She thought it was infinitely more fun watching him than the rat gnawing on bread. The man stacked the bread, cheese, olives, and meat and ate it all at once. It looked like he was hungry. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lokira asked the man,

“Where are you from? Chios?”

“I hurt Chios’ princess.”

Lokira thought it would be nice to correct what the man said at once, but the man was on the alert.

“It’s terrible to be on terms with a crazy woman. I had to do what was needed.”

“Then are you from Athens?”

“No.”

“Thebes? Mycenae? Sparta?”

“Don’t pry.”

“Seeing that you speak Greek, you probably are not Egyptian nor Assyrian. The northern Amazon is a country soley populated by women, so it’s not possible for you to be from there. Are you a Celt from the west or the Huaha tribe in the east?”

“You don’t have to keep guessing. I look like a Barbarian!”

The man shouted, but that’s not consistent with how such people look. Lokira wasn’t surprised this time. The man was talkative, and he really had no intention of harming her. As soon as she noticed it, her fear went away little by little. He was obviously familiar with the sea as he had crossed the Aegean Sea by himself. However, it was absurd to be on such a small boat. Usually, supply ships coming from Mykonos or warships visiting the alliance were large in the distant light.

“Just answer me. Should I list out all the members of the Greek alliance?”

In the meantime, she found that the food had disappeared, and stared at him in astonishment.

“You said you wouldn’t eat it, but you ate it all. You’re not going to tell the person who gave you food, neither hometown nor name?”

The man picked up the last few olives and put them back down. He gathered his dark eyebrows together and groaned for a moment. Lokira was struggling deeply between her need for survival and her social dignity. After a while, he ate the olives. Only after had he quenched his thirst with a water jug, did one of his blue eyes open and looked at her,

“I don’t think you’re asking this to inform others, Artemis Priest, who keeps away from men and is unlikely to want being misunderstood at night.”

“No, you doubted that? She responded to him. “If I get caught, I’ll be beaten by the high priest. So, will you not answer my question?”

“Orionis.” He replied suddenly and coldly. It was a little unexpected, so Lokira’s eyes widened. The man spoke seriously, without any sign of joking.

“My name is Orionis from Thira; others usually call me Orion. You can call me whatever you want.”

Lokira opened her mouth in bewilderment. Indeed, the man was not an unfamiliar immigrant. Thira was a land she had heard of. It was located south of the Aegean Sea and is a part of the Greek alliance.

“If it’s Thira, it’s definitely a great region.”

“Fine. I am from Atlantis. But what is the thing on your head that you are trying to hide?”