Buddug and Mabfwar had left to make their way overland to the town of Burdigala on the northern coast of Gaul, and from there onto Britain. They had assumed Baecr would be too injured to journey with them, and Abbadon had volunteered to look after him. Baecr asked him why. Abbadon told him it was because he had been a friend of Saghi’s.

Palinor comes over. 

Baecr spent the next two days watching the river roll by. Within days, he could stand unaided and take a few steps, clinging to the boat rail in case he fell. Despite a persistent headache and intermittent spells of dizziness, he managed to stay on his feet. Both subsided as more days slipped by. After five days, he could walk normally, and his sight was no longer blurred.

Palinor had been attentive, easing the pain in Baecr’s head and shoulder, but a greater struggle loomed. Baecr was now suffering from opium withdrawal. Contrary to what Palinor had promised, there was no opium available to feed his addiction. Instead, under Palinor’s watchful care, Baecr endured several days of unpleasant detoxification. The process was brutal, but with Palinor’s help, Baecr managed to endure.

By the end of the week, although still weakened, Baecr felt fit enough to travel. He and Abbadon agreed to continue their journey to Britannia. Palinor, with a mixture of concern and resignation, provided a map of a road over the mountains to Gaul and secured the aid of a guide.

Palinor’s original mission was now redundant, and he intended to sail back to Rome once The Glaucus was repaired and Baecr sufficiently recovered. He suggested that Baecr return with him, citing his injury as a reason to avoid the perilous journey ahead.

But Baecr, though recognizing he was not yet fully fit, felt a deeper calling to continue. While his better senses urged him to return to Rome with Palinor, a larger part of him was driven to pursue his goal of finding Marcus. The prospect of reuniting with Buddug held little appeal; his focus was singular.

Palinor arranged for a guide to accompany Baecr and Abbadon. Before they set off, Baecr observed a heated exchange between Palinor and the guide. Eventually, the guide agreed to join them. When Baecr inquired about the argument, Palinor revealed that the guide was superstitious and fearful of the mountain pass. To persuade him, Palinor had paid him extra, intending to reclaim the money from Seneca upon his return to Rome.

“How does a sailor like you know about the mountain pass?” Baecr asked.

Palinor smiled faintly. “I haven’t always been a man of the sea, though I’ve grown to prefer it.”

As they prepared to part ways, Palinor cautioned Baecr about the journey ahead. “It will be perilous, but I am certain we will meet again under more favourable circumstances.”

Abbadon seemed encouraged by these words, but Baecr remained sceptical. The path ahead was uncertain, fraught with danger and the shadows of his past. Yet, driven by a resolve that had grown stronger through his trials, he stepped forward into the unknown.