Roran moved across the deck with quiet efficiency, checking lines and securing supplies.His hands moved with the confidence of someone born to the sea, each knot tied with practiced precision.Near the bow, Ashe stood sentinel, her tall form rigid against the lightening sky, eyes scanning the shore with predatory focus.Of Kaine, there was no sign—he was likely below deck, making final preparations.
Thalia drew a steadying breath.One step onto that gangplank would transform her from soldier to deserter, from academy defender to outright rebel.A court-martial awaited if she was discovered.Perhaps worse.But the alternative—remaining at Frostforge while others searched for her family—was unthinkable.
Her decision made long before she'd left her quarters, Thalia stepped from the shadows and strode toward the ship with purposeful steps.No furtive glances or hesitation now; such behavior would only draw attention.She walked as if she belonged, as if her presence on this mission was expected rather than forbidden.
Ashe spotted her immediately, eyes widening a fraction before her face settled back into its usual stoic mask.With a nearly imperceptible nod, she moved to intercept Thalia as she boarded.
"You came," Ashe whispered, gripping Thalia's arm and steering her swiftly toward the hatch leading below deck."Quickly, before someone sees you."
The hold yawned open beneath them, a cave of shadows and whispers.Thalia descended the narrow ladder, her eyes struggling to adjust to the dimness.The air hung thick with the scent of salt-soaked wood, preserved grain, and the sharp tang of metal—weapons, Thalia guessed, secured in oiled wrappings against the damp.
"Behind those," Ashe directed, pointing to a stack of grain pallets secured against the starboard hull."If anyone comes down to check supplies, you should be hidden well enough."
Thalia nodded, already moving toward her hiding place."When do we depart?"
"Within the half-hour.Kaine's finishing the provisions manifest, and Roran's plotting our course."Ashe's expression softened slightly, concern replacing her usual reserve."Are you certain about this, Thalia?The consequences—"
"I've never been more certain of anything," Thalia cut in, her voice low but firm."My family is worth any price."
Ashe studied her for a moment longer, then nodded sharply."I'll come for you once we're safely away from the fjord."
Then she was gone, ascending the ladder with silent grace, leaving Thalia alone in the hold's velvet darkness.Thalia made her way between stacked crates and barrels, finding the space Ashe had indicated.She wedged herself into the narrow gap between the grain pallets and the curved hull, pulling her knees to her chest.The wood creaked around her, the ship's skeleton settling and stretching as it prepared for voyage.
Above, footsteps scuffed across the deck.Muffled voices called to one another—Roran's easy tenor, Ashe's clipped responses, and then Kaine's deeper tones, resonant even through layers of timber.Thalia closed her eyes, focusing on the sounds, trying to piece together their final preparations from the fragments that reached her.
"...wind from the northeast..."That was Roran, his voice rising and falling with the cadence of someone reading weather signs.
"...three days' rations, plus emergency stores..."Kaine, practical as always.
The ship shifted beneath Thalia, a gentle rocking that became more pronounced as the mooring lines were cast off.Water slapped against the hull, a rhythmic percussion that marked their separation from land.She felt the moment they caught the wind—a sudden tension in the timbers, a shudder that ran from stem to stern as the sails filled and the schooner leaned into its purpose.
They were underway.There could be no turning back now.
Thalia lost track of time in the hold's darkness, lulled by the ship's gentle swaying and the constant murmur of water against wood.The pendant against her chest had quieted, its pulses less frequent now that the journey had begun.She dozed fitfully, startling awake at each creak of the ladder or shift in the ship's motion.
The hatch opened, spilling pale light down into the hold.Thalia tensed, pressing herself deeper into her hiding place, but relaxed when she recognized Kaine's silhouette against the brightness.
"Thalia?"he called softly, descending the ladder."It's safe to come out.We're well away from Frostforge now."
She unwound herself from her cramped position, muscles protesting after hours of stillness."How long have I been down here?"
"Just over two hours," Kaine replied, moving between the stacked supplies toward her."The wind's favorable.We've made good progress."
In the dim light filtering from above, his face was all planes and shadows, his eyes catching what little brightness there was.He looked tired, Thalia realized—not just from the morning's preparations, but bone-deep weary, as if he carried weights no one else could see.
"Are we clear?"she asked, stepping toward him."No pursuit?"
Kaine shook his head."None.The departure went smoothly.As far as Frostforge knows, it's just the three of us on a sanctioned mission."
Relief flooded through her, followed immediately by a renewed sense of the danger they faced."And now we sail to the South."
"Yes."Kaine's voice was sober."Thalia, I need you to understand the full scope of what we're risking.Not just court-martial if we're discovered, but death if we're captured.The Wardens show no mercy to spies."
"I know the risks," she said, but Kaine shook his head, stepping closer until she could feel the heat of him in the cool darkness.
"Do you?Because I'm not sure I do, not entirely."He ran a hand through his hair, a rare gesture of uncertainty from someone usually so controlled."We're sailing into a harbor controlled by an enemy that outnumbers us by the thousands.Who has already conquered one of the continent's strongest ports.Who is desperate enough that they'd rather die than reveal their plans."
Thalia met his gaze steadily."I know," she repeated."And I'm still here."
