My smile stretches wide across my face, and Lachlan mirrors it.
One by one, they return to the depths and I push away from the side of the ship and head back to the picnic on the crate. With each bite, I feel the strength return to my limbs.
“Did we restore magic?” I ask, picking up a chunk of cheese.
“Aye, just like last time. As soon as the crystal was sealed in the cave, magic exploded. I’m lucky your wings dinna reappear or carrying ye would ha’ been difficult.”
I roll my eyes and begin looking around the ship. The crew is steady at work, checking rigging, and wiping the salt water off the railings. But no land in sight, and with the sun setting in the west. We must be headed north and are somewhere between Scota and Ishtar.
With a mouthful of cheese, I ask, “So, how close are we to shore?”
“We’re a couple miles off the coast of Ishtar,” Dragut answers, perching on the crate next to me. His knee-high leather boots squeak as he crosses his legs and presses the soles against the mast.
Lachlan crosses his arms over his chest and leans onto the side of the beam. “Since we’re getting in late, we’re going to stay with Ashur before hunting down the last crystal Boudicca mentioned.”
“You’ve been here, right?” I ask, plucking a grape from the bunch and popping it into my mouth. The sun has dipped below the horizon. A golden shelf holding up an otherwise amethyst-colored sky.
Lachlan nods his head. “A few times. But I think you’ll like it.”
I raise a brow in question, feeling like there’s more he’s not saying.
“I hate sand,” he grumbles.
“There’s sand?” My voice rises, my gaze flashing between Dragut and Lachlan for confirmation.
“Loads of it.” Lachlan heaves a sigh, clearly annoyed already about our future excursion, but my heart races. I have always wanted to see sand dunes.
“How soon will we be there?” I ask, hopping up and looking around.
Dragut chuckles. “An hour, tops. Look there’s land.” He points to the bow where land does indeed begin breaching the horizon.
A few small lights blink into existence. My eyes widen when a dozen more begin blinking to life. Before long, the entire horizon is blazing with dazzling lights that sparkle in the distance.
“What is that?” I whisper, not taking my eyes off the dazzling display.
“That’s Eridu, the major city in Ishtar,” Dragut replies, his eyes also sparkling from the distant city lights. As the land grows, a small sigh escapes him.
“Do you not like it here?” I ask quietly.
Dragut shakes his head. “If there was ever land for me, this would be it.”
“Ashur lives in Eridu and will take offense if he does nae host the queen,” Lachlan explains.
“That’s fine,” I murmur, still mesmerized by the lights. “What’s the city like?”
“They have unique buildings here, made of clay and stone. The streets are full of vendors selling their wares and it often smells of spices and delicious foods. But it’s also hotter here than in the capital, with very little rainfall. The whole west side of the island is all sand dunes.”
“It sounds magical,” I breathe.
Lachlan snorts. “Yeah, if ye like to be pelted with sand that sticks to ye because you’re all sweaty from the blistering heat.”
“We’ll be docking soon. I’ll get your packs and supplies ready to disembark,” Dragut calls over his shoulder as he saunters away.
“Is he not even getting off with us?”
“Nae, he’ll dock here while we unload, and then head back out to sea to wait for us to call him back. Then he’ll take us to Olundy.”
“How long will we be here?”
