Spellweaver

by Tamara Grantham

  Heidel appeared from the wheelhouse and stood at the ship’s railing. Her black, braided hair glistened in the sunlight, although the expression on her face was brooding. Something had her upset.

  She scanned the crowd. When she found me, she motioned me forward.

  “Well,” Brodnik said, “looks as if they’ll let at least one of us on. Lucky, you are.”

  Judging by the look on Heidel’s face, I wasn’t sure I agreed with him. I pushed through the group and made my way to the gangplank. The Wults parted as I approached, and Heidel motioned a crewman to open the gate. He unlocked it with a click, and the metal hinges squealed as it opened. After I stepped onto the gangplank, I made my way up the steep wooden walkway. When I reached the ship’s deck, I followed Heidel, though she gave no explanation as to where we were going or what we were doing.

  Although the ship had seemed untidy on the outside, I noted the deck had been scrubbed clean and the ropes and bindings had been neatly stacked. The rich scent of wood rosin filled the air. It must have been one of the oldest ships in the fleet. Most modern ships had integrated magical-mechanical systems similar to the technology used on the light carriages, though I had no clue if the magical ships were still functioning. The Sea Ghost had none of that.

  Heidel turned to me. “I trust you are in good health this morning. You’ll need your strength for the madness going on inside.”

  “Why? What’s going on?”

  “The captain—Tobin, I believe—is a right fool. If the sea doesn’t take us, his stupidity will. His claims are bolder than my brother’s, though I wouldn’t have thought that possible.”

  “What claims has he made?”

  “Traveling the far seas and finding a portal to Earth Kingdom. Sailing the Pacific—wherever that is—and surviving attacks from great white sharks—whatever those are.”

  “Yes, that does seem a bit far-fetched.”

  “Ha!” she laughed. “That’s only the half of it.”

  We stopped at the wheelhouse’s door. Heidel opened it, ushered me inside, and then shut the door behind us.

  Inside the room, three men stood around a table where a stack of maps had been laid out. I recognized King Herrick and my father, and the thin fellow with the dark, frizzy beard must have been Captain Tobin. The captain looked up as I entered the room and then walked toward me. He wore black leather clothing studded with copper buckles that jangled as he moved. His graying beard and mustache were neatly groomed, although his bushy eyebrows seemed to clash with his otherwise well-ordered appearance. His necklace seemed the most unusual aspect of his appearance. He wore a tiny skull attached to a gold chain. Was it a fairy’s skull?

  My stomach soured. Most people thought it bad luck to display a fae creature’s remains in such a vulgar manner. I wasn’t sure I believed the bad luck thing, but I certainly found the act distasteful.

  Captain Tobin gave me a polite smile, revealing unusually white teeth. His thin frame was so emaciated that he reminded me of the skeletal maidenhead attached to the front of his ship.

  “You must be the doctor from Earth Kingdom?” he asked as he stopped in front of me.

  I cleared my throat. “Yes. I am.”

  “I’m pleased to have another traveler from Earth Kingdom onboard. Already we have so much in common, don’t we?”

  “Oh, yes.” I attempted to smile. “I suppose so.”

  “Come, Olive,” King Herrick demanded from his spot at the table. “We need your opinion.”

  “Mine?”

  “Aye, that’s what I said, didn’t I?”

  I walked to the table and stood beside my father, who gave me a weak smile. Heidel stayed near the door as Captain Tobin hovered near my father and me.

  King Herrick gave a tedious explanation of how the outer islands were volcanic in nature and not part of the mainland. He went on to describe how the pixie Mochazon had found the king and his people and had relayed the information that the only safe place for the magical bloom would be on one of the outer islands. But which of those islands, they had no clue.

  Captain Tobin pulled out a knife and stabbed it on the map. The blade protruded from a drawing of one of the larger islands. “There is no confusion,” he said. “This is the place the bloom should go. I have traveled these islands. I know these waters. The larger island is the most magical and the most guarded. If any of the islands are the right place, this is the one. I believe we should search it first.”

  King Herrick crossed his arms. “You make bold claims, Captain. Forgive me if I do not trust your judgment.”

  The captain raised an eyebrow. “Then where would you have us go? To the middle of the Rheic Sea, where the straits will crush our boat to splinters?”

  “Not all the islands are charted. If this place is as sacred as they claim, then I doubt it would be on your charts. I do not trust in your maps.”

  “I have drawn these maps myself. I assure you that you will not find any others more precise.”

  The king harrumphed and then turned to me. “Olive, you are the sky king’s ward. You have some knowledge of the islands, do you not?”

  I wanted to tell him that I knew next to nothing about them, but this was my chance to impress the king, so I decided to play it smart. “The prophecy says, ‘over the sea of a thousand faces, let the silver light show the way. The bud will only blossom under the stars of the mirror-white sand.’ I’ve done some research and learned that the sea is indeed the Rheic Sea, which is why Mochazon had you travel here in the first place. As to which island the bloom belongs on, I can’t say for sure. But it must have something to do with the mirror-white sand. Captain, do you know if any of the islands have unusual sand?”

  He scratched his beard. “There is—or was—powerful magic on those islands. I’ve seen many unusual things—the creatures, the trees and plants, are all as if they were formed on another planet, but as for the sand… The larger island is the only one with white sand. The rest have only black volcanic sand. It has to be the place.”

  “But the prophecy speaks of mirror-sand, not ordinary white sand,” King Herrick said. “How can you be sure it refers to this island?”

  “I can’t. Not until we search it out. But there is only one way to do that.” His voice rose. “We must search it out!”

  My father shifted beside me, making me realize that he hadn’t spoken a single word since I’d gotten here. Not even King Herrick’s huffing drew his stare away from the maps.

  “You cannot possibly know everything there is to know about those islands,” the king said. “Your maps don’t even match the atlases. This island,” he said, jabbing a drawing of a smaller island colored in pink, “doesn’t match any of the other charts. You haven’t included the sea currents in these charts, or a compass, or a scaled measuring system.”

  “I have no need of such things.”

  I scrutinized the map. I hated to admit it, but I did see King Herrick’s point. The maps were cleverly drawn in a professional manner, yet they lacked all the basic items an actual seafaring map would have included.

  Captain Tobin pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it to his mouth, then sniffled as he placed it back in his pocket. “I do not use such methods to navigate. I have an uncanny ability to predict sea currents; my compass I carry in my head; and there is no need for a scaled measuring system when you’ve traveled the ocean as many times as I have. All the information I need is in these maps. You would be wise to trust my judgment.”

  “In your head? Your carry your compass in your head?” King Herrick’s cheeks grew red.

  I spoke up before he pulled out his sword. “Perhaps we could reach a compromise,” I said. “How many souls will be traveling aboard our ship?”

  “Thirty-three,” the captain answered, “including six of my crewmen.”

  “Then perhaps we could split up. Half of us could travel to the smaller, uncharted islands, and the rest can search the larger island. We’d cover more ground. And we might just fi
nd the right place faster, which would be to our benefit.”

  “Not possible,” the captain answered. “This is not some light carriage that can drop you off anywhere you please. It would take days for me to navigate to those uncharted islands, and days more for me to travel back to the larger ones. These waters are the most dangerous in the Rheic Sea. The reefs surrounding the islands can split a ship apart. Not to mention the dragons. No. We must choose one spot to anchor our ship and no more.”

  “Yet you claim to know these islands better than anyone,” King Herrick said. “And now you are too afraid to take us where we wish?”

  “I am not afraid,” Captain Tobin answered, “I am prudent. There is a difference.”

  King Herrick pounded his fist on the table. “We have paid more than enough for your services. You must take us where we wish.”

  “I will not. You cannot ask me to take you where I will not go.”

  For the first time, my father spoke up. “Then we will not ask you. We will travel to the larger island as you suggest. Once there, a few of us will take the longboats and discover the smaller islands on our own.”

  The captain’s mouth gaped. “What?” he sputtered. “You can’t! I dare not take my ship through those straits, and you propose to take boats? You will not survive such a voyage through those seas. You will be smashed to bits before you set sail.”

  “Then we will pay for the boats in full.” King Herrick dropped a bag of coins on the table.

  The captain’s eyes widened. He scratched his beard as he stared at the satchel. “Gold?”

  “Look for yourself.”

  With wiry fingers, Captain Tobin opened the bag. He pulled out a coin, inspected it, and then dropped it in the bag. “Very well,” he finally answered. “But this will only buy three of my longboats. That is all I am willing to part with.”

  “Three?”

  “I dare not risk parting with any more than that.”

  “Fine.” The king crossed his arms. “Three will be enough.”

  “In that case,” Captain Tobin said, “we set sail for the larger island, and then you may fulfill your death wish however you please. I will not interfere with your fool’s mission—as long as I am paid, that is.”

  “Take it,” King Herrick said.

  The captain snatched up the bag and put it in his coat pocket. “This solves only one problem. Once we reach the island, how are we to restore the magic? No one has told me how this is to be done.”

  I held tight to my bag, feeling the familiar warmth of the bloom’s orb beneath my hands.

  Geth’s warning stayed with me. I knew it would be wise not to trust anyone on board with the knowledge that I had the flower in my possession.

  “We will take care of the magic’s restoration,” my father answered.

  “How?” the captain asked. “I do not like being kept in the dark on my own vessel. How can I be certain that I am not risking my ship and crew for nothing?”

  “Enough,” King Herrick said. “You have been given more information than you need as it is.”

  The captain wouldn’t relent. “I know of the prophecy. It speaks of a magical bloom. Have you brought it with you?”

  “It is not of your concern,” King Herrick repeated with steel in his voice.

  I felt certain King Herrick was about to pull out his blade when shouting came from outside. Heidel crossed to one of the room’s windows. Her face soured as she focused through the glass.

  “The Wults have broken through the gate,” she said.

  The captain cursed, and the door banged open as he stormed out of the room.

  “Well,” my father said with a weak smile. “That certainly could have gone worse.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  I followed Heidel and the others out of the wheelhouse and onto the deck of the Sea Ghost, where a dense fog had rolled in. Tiny droplets of mist dampened my skin, and the air had a briny, salty scent that I tasted on my tongue.

  Below us, the captain and his crew tried to quell the Wults. The unruly crowd vied for position at the bottom of the gangplank. I stood at the edge of the railing and searched for Kull.

  “Have you seen your brother?” I asked Heidel after King Herrick and my father had disappeared into the ship’s interior.

  “He is helping the princess, I believe.”

  “The elven princess?”

  Heidel nodded.

  Why would Kull be helping the princess? I thought back to last night. I hadn’t seen Kull since I’d talked with my father.

  “You will share quarters with me and two others,” Heidel said, interrupting my thoughts. “Princess Euralysia and Lady Ket will also bunk with us. I have already tried to renegotiate these arrangements, but my father will not have it. He feels I should keep you under my watch.”

  Great. Just what I always wanted. My own guard dog.

  “Your father doesn’t trust me, does he?”

  “No. But you still have much to learn of our ways. My people believe that trust must be earned.”

  “And I suppose I haven’t earned his trust yet, have I?”

  “No,” she answered.

  Scanning the crowd, I tried not to let my annoyance with her show. The last thing I wanted was an angry guard dog.

  The Wults and elves finally began to board the ship. As the crowd thinned, I still hadn’t found Kull. Heidel gave me instructions to find our cabin on the third level below deck, and then she turned away and entered the ship’s interior. I remained where I stood.

  Finally, when I felt that Kull must have drowned in the sea, he appeared out of the mist. Princess Euralysia limped by his side, and Rolf walked closely behind them.

  I raced down the gangplank to meet them. Princess Euralysia looked worse up close. Her usually silvery-blonde hair was now a lackluster gray that hung in limp strands over her face. Her lips were cracked and dry, and her eyes were shadowed and seemed unfocused.

  My previous feelings of jealousy began to diminish as they walked up the footbridge.

  “Hello, Olive,” the princess greeted me.

  “Hello,” I answered.

  Kull smiled weakly as the princess limped beside him. Rolf gave me his customary grin. I couldn’t believe the princess would come on such a dangerous journey in her health, but I suspected she felt she had no choice. If the magic were not restored, there wouldn’t be any elves left to save.

  When the three made it onto the ship, Euralysia leaned against the wooden railing to catch her breath.

  “Olive,” she said between breaths, “it is good to see you again. You look well. Much better than me.”

  I wasn’t sure how to answer.

  “Kull says you’ve brought the bloom?”

  I eyed Kull. I hadn’t wanted anyone to know, but I supposed that was my own fault. I hadn’t warned him not to tell anyone. I would have to correct my blunder as soon as I got a chance.

  “It is safe,” I answered.

  “Good.” She closed her eyes for a brief moment, looking ready to collapse.

  “Shall I take you to our cabin? Heidel tells me that you will be bunking with us.”

  “Yes,” she answered quickly. “Yes, please.”

  I took her by the elbow and led her toward the hatch leading downstairs. Kull followed us down until we found our cabin.

  The ship was easy enough to navigate. Whoever had built it had done so with a plan in mind. The floors all had a specific purpose. The galley and officers’ quarters took up the first floor. Passenger cabins took up the next two floors. Freight compartments took up the bottom level. We descended the stairs until we found the third level down. The candles’ flames flickered behind etched glass, lighting the rooms in hues of soft yellow.

  Framed pictures of mermaids and water dragons filled the walls. I stared in fascination at the paintings. For the most part, mermaids resembled their Earth-world portrayals, but there were a few differences. Mermaids didn’t have skin. Instead, colorful scales covered their flesh,
and their hair was reminiscent of a jellyfish’s tentacles. I’d never seen one up close as they were a reclusive species and preferred to stay hidden from land dwellers.

  We made our way through the hallways, our footsteps making the wood-planked floors creak. The cabins were small and built for efficiency, each having four bunks—two bunks on one side and two on the other. Two up and two down. There were compartments beneath each bed, and some rooms even had a small porthole.

  I found our room at the end of the hallway. Euralysia took the empty bottom bunk on the right. Heidel had already claimed the bunk on the left. She sat on her bed sharpening her goblin knife.

  Lady Ket stood by her bunk as she unpacked her things. She pulled out more knives and short axes from her bag than clothing. Typical Wult.

  I was left to choose the only bunk left, above the princess.

  Ket looked up from unpacking as Kull helped the princess to her bed. “Kull?” Ket said. Her eyes widened.

  “Ket.” He nodded, standing a little taller. “I did not realize you would be making this journey.”

  “Yes,” she answered. “I must have impressed the tribe leaders when I slaughtered the jagamoor attacking our village.”

  Kull raised an eyebrow. “Jagamoor?”

  “Yes,” she answered. “I suppose it runs in the family.”

  Heidel stood abruptly and sheathed her knife. “Ket, Kull, I will have a word with you. Alone.” She brushed past Kull to enter the hallway.

  “She’s still as sociable as ever,” Ket said to Kull.

  “Yes,” he answered, “some things never change.”

  “I know,” Ket said.

  A look passed between the two. Did it mean something?

  I pushed aside my misgivings as best as I could as they left the room. Euralysia remained on her bunk with her eyes closed, her breathing shallow and unsteady.