Four and a half months later...
Karuka gratefully stepped off the boat. Despite having logged months and months and months at sea since arriving on Althanas, she'd never grown to love the water. She'd just learned to tolerate it. More than two months had passed since the previous stop, and she intended to make this one her last. The captain had warned her that this nation, Jalaan, was not a good place for her to settle. She had replied that she really hadn't much choice.
It was beautiful enough. Tall trees topped with broad leaves swayed in the sea breeze. The air carried notes of fruit and spice. Brightly colored fabric adorned buildings and people, and in the distance she could see a large step pyramid dominating the city. The humid heat was slightly oppressive, but that would get worse before it got better. She didn't need to be clairvoyant to know that.
People bustled through the docks. The majority of them were a little bit darker than she was, but of course there were the pale tan people from the continent to the north and even a few white people from further afield. The locals had a sort of restless anxiety beneath their professional dealings, and Karuka could feel the island's tension even through her sandals. Something was at a breaking point.
The phoenix on her shoulder shook and sneezed his discontent, and she reached up to pet him. "Easy there, Taodoine. It'll n-oh! I felt that one." The redhead frowned down at her growing belly, rubbing the site of the kick. Though she was nearly five months pregnant, the fact that the child she carried was her first, paired with strong abdominal muscles, meant that she was only just starting to need new clothes. "Settle in there, Taische. Like I was tellin' Tao, it'll not be so bad. Betcha we find a place t' settle here before you're even born."
Taische. Treasure. Each firstborn O'Sheean was unique; a continuation of the clairvoyant line that carried its founder's name. An O'Sheean's firstborn would always be female, any subsequent children would always be male. She was a treasure to her mother. Treasure - the type that sparkled and signified material wealth - was also among the most important things to this particular baby's father. When they made their way back across the world, when this child met her father, hopefully she would be even more precious to him than gold.
Not for the first time, Karuka wondered if she'd done the right thing by leaving Rayse. While their differences would probably be ruling their interactions more than passion ever had by now, he'd probably have been inclined to provide for his daughter and be there for her. The way he'd spoken of his own father, she couldn't see him willfully making the same choices. The way things were, it would be at least five or six years before they could travel again. Maybe more.
Someday, wee bit, you'll be quite a surprise. And you'll be in for quite a surprise.
With a deep breath and a determined stride, Karuka shook aside the questions of the past. It was time to make a new future, and she bet that big pyramid was as good a place to start as any.