Page 30 of Witchsea

“I’ll just keep asking until it gets annoying.”

“It was annoying the second you spoke.” He yanks the last of the rope down and begins to tie it. I watch the island coming up in the distance, nothing big or different about it. It isn’t Moonend, and I’m glad for it. Draven has refused to speak to me about the island because it’s apparently better I see it and then decide how badly I want the key.

This is a smaller island, mostly, with one tiny mountain that trickles down and forests covering the rest of it. There’s a town made of yellow huts just off the sandy beaches. Yellow straw roofs sit atop yellow brick huts. It looks like a paradise, all soft and gentle and out of the way of the world so that it hasn’t been corrupted by it yet. Fruit trees line the entire beaches, with big circular fruit hanging off them.

“Supplies. This is Sunlin, and it’s the last island before Moonend. We’ve been traveling for three weeks, and it will be another two weeks after this.”

“Thanks for the information and the surprising lack of spite in your tone. How long are we staying here?” I look hopefully at the new island. Havenward was a gray mess, lacking anything beautiful, and the great library was plain terrifying. This island? It looks pretty and special, and I could tell Rowe all about it. I just need to actually get off this ship, and I’ll need to convince Ren to let me, somehow. “A couple of hours, nothing more. We can’t risk it because of you.”

“Ah, there is the spite,” I mutter. He glares at me before checking each of the tied ropes. What for, I don’t know. I suspect it’s just so he doesn’t have to speak to me.

I turn, sensing Ren’s presence right before he stops at my side. He has no cloak on, not that anyone needs a cloak in this warm weather, but I almost wish he did with how he looks right now. His sleeves are rolled up, the buttons of his dark shirt are undone a little at the top, and the sight is way, way too inviting. “I know trying to keep you on board is completely fucking pointless, so once again, you’re with me. There is little danger on Sunlin.”

“Oh, another one of our day trips. How sweet,” I chime. I’m not thanking his smug face for allowing me to leave anywhere.

He looks over at Limi, who is sitting a few feet away, licking her paw. “The cat stays.”

“I do not like water and I am not leaving the ship,” Limi states directly into my mind.

Chaos looks at Limi and he glowers. “I’d rather it went with you.”

“Make sure you eat that one if they piss you off or if I don’t come back,” I tell Limi loudly.

She stretches her paws out in front of her, tail pushing in the air. “I do not listen to you.”

Limi walks away and I lean into Chaos. “She said she would eat you first.” He pales and turns, walking in the opposite direction of Limi.

I bite back a smile as I turn to Ren, who is leaning on one of the posts, his arms crossed and his lips tilted in amusement. “Lying is bad, mortal.”

“How would you know she didn’t say that?” I ask, but it’s hard to hide my smile that tells the truth. Ren shakes his head with a deep laugh and goes to let a boat down off the side of the ship. Freckles comes rushing over as I overthink what that was between Ren and me. Was he laughing with me, and not at me, for once?

“I love this island and it’s a shame I can’t leave the ship without someone, and we don’t have enough people on board to spare someone to take me.” She sees my guilty reaction and her eyes widen. “Oh no, it’s not your fault. It’s likely mine for not being very good at fighting and things. I should take you up on your offer and join you for training with Mellyn.”

“If you really want to go, you can take⁠—”

She touches my shoulder. “No, you haven’t even seen this place, and I’ve been a dozen times. Maybe you could pick up some of their clothing dye for me? Ask Ren to give you the gold, and we can settle it later. The dye they do here is unique and the very best. I have an awful lot of gray fabric I could change into vibrant colors and get it to sell much better with that dye.”

“Alright, I’ll do my best.” I smile, and when she smiles right back, I feel her warmth right through to my bones. “I’ll find you to tell you all about the island when I’m back. I promise.”

“Careful with those promises. I’m a witch, remember?” She winks before walking off. After Ren’s done lowering the boat and has secured a big dagger and a bag of a small army’s worth of gold to his belt, he climbs down into the boat. With the curl of his hand, he tells me to come with him, but I don’t let that annoy me. I’m too excited to see this island to care about it.

I climb down the ladder into the boat before he starts rowing, using the oars to move us fast through the water to the island with his sheer strength. The water is smooth and easy today, and I rest back with ease, throwing my head back and soaking up the sunlight as it shines down on me. When I lift my head, Ren is staring at me, and he turns away the second our eyes connect.

It only takes a short while until we’re pulling up on the shore, and Ren gets out to drag the boat onto the sandy beach before I jump out of it. The white sand is sparkling in the sunlight as I reach down and grab a handful of the warm granules, smiling to myself. “Tell me this island is as beautiful and peaceful as it looks. Tell me there are no slaves or poverty here.”

“It’s paradise,” Ren murmurs. “The king hasn’t touched it, and therefore, it is still free and wild and beautiful.” Ren is looking at me as I let the sand fall through my fingertips. “But every time I come here, I know one day the king’s reach will find this place and destroy it.”

The thought of this lovely place being like Havenward fills my mind, and I push it away. “Take me to see it, please.” He nods and begins to walk through the sand towards a pathway. The yellow brick pathway leads straight into the center of the island, into a massive market spreading down wide paths, and it is full of people. There isn’t a beggar in sight, only happy people going about their day and children sitting in the shade, playing games.

Yellow must be a theme, because they are all wearing the same color, just in various shades. Yellow dresses, which sway in the breeze, or tops that do little to hide the women’s bodies. The men, they are only wearing long skirt-like fabric around their waists, and wooden necklaces fall to the middle of their chests. I tug at my long-sleeved top that is beginning to feel warm in the sun.

Ren holds out a bag of gold. “Go shopping, get whatever Freckles wants, and I expect you to get some things for yourself too.”

“I don’t want anything.” I take the bag for Freckles’s sake. “And I have my own gold, if you would give me my bag back.”

He smirks. “I told you, that’s payment.”

“I thought the map was—” I stop as he steps up into my space.