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The cabin boy looked up but didn't smile back, those blue eyes icy. "I highly doubt you would be enough to protect anyone." He made a taking sound and shook his head. "In fact, I'd trust a Fae child more than you."
"Wha —" I spluttered, brows high.
Jaiel let out a soft chuckle and held out a hand. "I promise we will be careful. Okay?"
The boy stared at the hand for a moment, then stepped in and hugged the prince. "I'll hold you to that."
Jaiel stared up at me with wide eyes as he awkwardly patted the boy on the back. "You're an odd kid, you know that?"
The boy let go and laughed. "Sorry, but we both know you're the odd one." Then he spun on his heel and ran off.
"Saints, he reminds me of someone …" Jaiel said, rubbing at the studs in his ear.
"Well, with that strange farewell, we should probably start loading our stuff onto the dinghy." I gestured toward a small group of men preparing a small wooden boat.
"Quite right." Jaiel sent one last glance at the cabin boy, then shook his head, grabbed the pack sitting at my feet, and motioned toward the dinghy with a cocky grin. "Your carriage awaits, my Queen."
Chapter 18
Kaiya
Packs stored and firmly settled on the dinghy, I picked up the oars. A cool breeze whispered across my bare forearms, and I couldn't suppress the shiver that darted through me.
Jaiel cleared his throat and removed his cloak, holding it out to me with one hand while he reached for the oars with the other. "I'll row first."
I froze, staring at the thick piece of blue fabric dangling from his hand, and my heart did an awkward flip.
"What are you doing?" I asked. "I have my own cloak."
He shrugged and pushed it toward me. "You don't have it now, do you?"
I shook my head, trying to ignore the way his scent wafted from the fabric. "Rowing will warm me up fine."
He made a tsking sound, then muttered something under his breath about stubborn partners and stuffed it away.
I picked up my oars and stole a glance back at the ship. It had set sail and was already shrinking in the distance.
"How — how's it going so fast?" I asked.
Jaiel didn't even look up. "Water Fae." He dipped his oars into the water. "Likely the captain and a few of the deckhands."
"Were they doing that with us on board?" I sped up, trying to match his pace. "It didn't seem like we went that fast."
He shrugged. "As you saw, the Fae are a capricious bunch, full of superstition. I'd hazard a guess they were afraid my monster would steal their Fae gifts if they used them with me aboard."
Steal their gifts? That made no sense. Not even a relic could do that.
Shaking my head, I focused on rowing and stared out over the ocean. It shone a deep, rich blue in every direction. Brilliantly reflecting the colors of the late afternoon sky amidst the rocky outcroppings peppering the waters around the Isle. Beyond them lay stark cliffs, striated in rich gray and orange layers, smoothed by time.
There was still no smoke signal, though.
My chest tightened. We were two lone agents floating toward some kind of Guardian and an extremely dangerous island … and before we'd even landed, we may have already lost our support team.
"How many times have you done this?" I asked, trying not to let the fear fluttering in my belly show. Jaiel was the only person I'd heard of who had entered the Isle and lived to tell about it.
"I've done this watery stretch alone a handful of times. But once I reached the Isle, I'd usually travel with … other company."
Of course. Eli had been his partner in the Rogues and had been born and raised on the Isle.
