Varula, the fringe religious group that experimented in control over Wyld Magic. In a court of law, merely controlling monsters and threatening people wouldn’t have carried a death sentence, but no one questioned the captain’s actions aloud.
However, Ameyron looked around at the others during the unceremonious body dump, and he saw Benu’s head bent, his lips moving in a silent prayer. He felt a pang of guilt at the way things had turned out. Was there something he could have done to stop the serpent sooner and prevent the violence from escalating?
“I hope your god guides you better in the Dry Lands,” Ameyron muttered to Eirenaios’s soul. As a researcher, he didn’t pay attention to theological debates, but he’d seen enough divine intervention to know that only a foolish man ignored the gods. And for all the despicable actions of his cult, Varula was still honored as the son of Deyos.
On Captain Mynta’s orders, the crew claimed anything of value in the dead man’s belongings, and the rest was also dumped. Ameyron expected the captain to claim the empty cabin for herself, but to his surprise, she gave the honor to the only married couple—first mate Rei and the navigator Yuri. He hadn’t seen much heart in Mynta when he first met her, but perhaps what she said about the crew being her family was true.
All that remained then was to assess the ship’s condition and make necessary repairs. Ameyron worried that they’d have to go back to Sympaia or even Kyratia, and the voyage would be delayed for days, but the captain reassured him that they’d be underway as soon as possible.
In the end, only minimal damage had been done to Miscreation. Somehow the serpent’s movement had knocked the ship free of the rocks it had already crashed into, and Yuri managed to steer the limping vessel onto the nearest sandy shore. Fortunately, the small, flat-bottomed design of the ship didn’t need a dry dock for repairs. At low tide the next morning, Yuri and Leina patched up the hole in the hull using supplies of cured wood kept in the hold for just such emergency repairs. The port side railing on the main deck also had to be replaced in a few spots from the weight of the monster.
When the tide came back in, they were on the ocean again. Most of them had only had a few hours of sleep after the excitement, but the captain came to Ameyron with a grin. “Ready to sail when you are. Still want to go to Melusine?”
He rubbed sleep from his eyes and turned west, away from the morning sun. “Yes, let’s at least get there and assess the location.”
Mynta nodded and turned to the crew. “Cast off! Same heading.” She winked at the mage. “We had a rough start, but things will be better from now on, you’ll see.”
Ameyron leaned against the rail, feeling the wind in his hair and smelling the salt spray. “I think after that ‘rough start’ we should be able to handle anything!” And he laughed.
Aristia wrapped her arms around the railing and leaned out, looking at the water rushing past. She was glad the ship was on the move again, and happy that the sea serpent had her egg back, but she also felt sad to be leaving her friend behind.
Then she saw Mage Ameyron bearing down on her. She almost turned and ran off, but she knew that she couldn’t avoid him forever. She was supposed to be his apprentice. So the little girl stepped down off the railing and gave her teacher a polite bow.
“We’ll talk in my cabin,” he said shortly, then turned and walked away without looking to see if she’d follow.
Aristia hurried to follow him inside. The cabin she shared with the mage felt cramped once the door was closed: almost all of the space was taken up by his research materials, from papers scattered across every flat surface to the crates of books stacked against the walls. The only time they had open space on the floor was during the daytime when her trundle bed was stowed underneath the mage’s bed. She stood in that spot with her hands behind her back, because there was no clear space for her to sit down.
Ameyron pushed some of his things off a chair and sat down, but he seemed to forget about clearing a space for his apprentice. He looked her up and down, then said flatly, “You knew the sea serpent was following us.”
She hesitated, chewing on her lip. Would he get mad if she told the truth? “Um, yes, master,” she said finally. “I could hear her. That’s how I knew she was following her baby.”
The mage took out a battered old notebook from his breast pocket, one she hadn’t seen before, and scribbled something down. He looked sternly at her again. “The imaginary friends you talk to—are all of them monsters?”
“They’re not really monsters,” Aristia protested, jutting her chin up stubbornly. “People just call them that because they’re afraid. Most of the ones I hear never attack anybody, except when they need to protect themselves. Like the mama getting her egg back. That man was very mean to steal it from her.”
Most people looked at her crazy when she talked about her friends, which was why her ma had told her to keep it a secret, but the mage only made another note and stared at her with curiosity. “Interesting theory. How do you ‘hear’ them? Is it like a voice in your mind?”
Aristia pointed to her left ear—the bad one that didn’t hear regular sounds anymore. “I hear it in this ear, instead of everything else. When you saved me two years ago, that time I was so sick, it changed. Now I hear people in one ear and monsters in the other.”
Ameyron beckoned her closer and made her tilt her head so he could examine her ear, but if he saw anything different about it, he didn’t explain it. He made an even longer note in his book. Finally he said, “We’ll have to test your ability to see what the extent of your power is. I’ve never heard of something like this before.” He held up an admonishing finger. “But I don’t want you to speak of this again, understand? The crew on this ship is already suspicious enough.”
Aristia paused again. “I think some of them are really nice,” she said slowly, thinking of the nice cook who’d let her help with the food.
“They’ll make you leave the ship if they find out the truth,” he said, gripping her by the shoulders. “Do you want to go back to scrubbing floors with the rest of your family?”
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she shook her head hard. “No, master. I want this chance.” Her ma had lectured her about the great gift she was being given, to get a real education and the hope of a better life. The whole family was counting on her to make something of herself so she could help the rest of her brothers and sisters.
“Good.” Ameyron gave her a distracted smile and let her go.
Aristia went back out on deck, her mind whirling with questions. She was afraid of how the mage would test her, but it was the first real interest he’d shown in her since she’d come aboard as his apprentice. If it meant helping her family, she would do whatever it took to make Ameyron happy.
THANK YOU
Thank you for reading The Voyage of the Miscreation! I hoped that you enjoyed it. Either way, I would love to hear your thoughts on the story. Please consider writing a review on Goodreads, LibraryThing, or the store where you bought the book. Your feedback can help other readers decide whether or not they might want to try the book out for themselves. Word-of-mouth is the most important way for new books, especially ones by indie authors, to get discovered by readers.
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I really appreciate everyone who writes a review for me, whether good or bad. You can also contact me directly with your thoughts on my website using the links provided.
LINKS
Website: https://www.kristenwalker.net
Check out my website for my writing blog and more information about my books.
Mailing List: https://www.kristenwalker.net/newsletter/
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Wyld Magic: https://www.wyldmagic.com/
More information about A Flight of Marewings and other stories in the Wyld
Magic (epic fantasy) series.
Fae of Calaveras: https://www.smalltownwitch.com/
Information and extras about my teen urban fantasy series, including the novels Small Town Witch and Witch Hunt.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kristen Sarasvati Walker grew up in Northern California, running around barefoot in the woods and climbing trees with a notebook to write down stories. She lives with her family, including two rescued cats, in a house full of books. Her personal website is at https://www.kristenwalker.net
The Voyage of the Miscreation #1: The Voyage Begins Page 10
