Chapter 14 - The Architecture of Freedom
By nightfall, the Aegis was ten miles off the coast of Florida, gliding smoothly through the calm dark waters of the Atlantic.
On the upper sun deck, Julian sat on a lounge chair, a thick book resting in his lap. The stars above were bright, clear, and unburdened by city light pollution.
Arthur brought out a tray with two glasses of fresh lemonade, sitting down in the chair beside him.
"You look peaceful, Julian," Arthur said softly.
"I am, Arthur," Julian replied, closing his book. "For nine years, I thought every person I met was an enemy trying to take something from me. Today, I realized that people only fight when they think there isn't enough room on the boat."
"And is there enough room?" Arthur asked, sipping his drink.
Julian looked back toward the dark outline of the coast, where thousands of tiny lights flickered along the shore.
May you like
"There's an entire ocean, Arthur," Julian smiled gently. "We just have to stop building walls on the water."
Arthur nodded silently, looking up at the vast expanse of the night sky. The hum of the superyacht's engines was no longer a threat, no longer a weapon of intimidation. It was simply the sound of a ship moving forward into the quiet dark.
