The following day dawned bright and beautiful, a stark contrast to the darkness I felt in my heart. We were nearing the end of the quest, and I could feel my life ebbing away, even as the oceans within roared to power. After Vlad, Kide, and I showered again, we left the Pinnacle Athens and made our way down to the Piraeus. Our walk to the harbour was easy. The cracks in the ancient stone vanished over the course of the night. That didn"t diminish the weariness I felt. Kide had an arm around my waist, steadying me as sheer exhaustion had control over my body. None of the old men who scurried about the docks stopped us, though we received plenty of looks telling me they recognized us from our haphazard entrance yesterday.
Our thirty-five-foot yacht was waiting, moored where we left her, an
