The Wicked Heroine

by Jasmine Giacomo

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Before dawn the next morning, the Kazhak put out to sea. After breakfast in the nearly-empty dining hall, Meena ascended the curving staircase to the upper deck and looked back at the receding view of Ha’Hril and Heren Garil Sa from her position behind the steering shelter. The volcano had shot out a particularly large cloud of steam and ash this morning, and the sunlight filtered through it, leaving ray fingers reaching toward the western horizon.

  She felt oddly complete with the key in her possession again. With its return, distant memories grew sharper, however. Lost in thought, she leaned on the rail and stared back at the volcano island until it could not be seen any longer, even from the height of the Kazhak’s deck.

  Sudden footsteps made her look behind her.

  “Meena, he’s awake!” Sanych said, breathless. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

  “In a running, obvious sort of way?” Meena scowled, looking around at the crew that had noticed Sanych approach her.

  “No! Not ‘til I saw you just now,” Sanych replied, stung.

  “All right. Did you know?” Meena asked, tipping her head toward Salvor’s location below deck.

  “About his being a…? No, I had no idea. He’s very charming and open about most subjects, but others, we just didn’t talk about. When I brought something up that he didn’t feel comfortable discussing, he’d distract me with–” the young girl blushed, and Meena raised her eyebrows. Sanych darted a look at her, a shy smile flashing across her lips.

  Meena sighed, shaking her head, a faint grin on her lips. “Let’s go see what he has to say for himself.”