Chapter 1
Salt coated his cold hands as he hauled himself out of the rowboat.Turbulent, grey waves pounded the ship, like his heartbeat in his ears, an insistent chant on this grim, winter day.
You failed.You failed.You failed.
He focused on the worn rungs, sun-bleached and barnacle-covered.The wind harangued him, plucking at his hair and shirt, while the sea circled below like a hungry animal.At the top of the ladder, a strong hand clasped his forearm and pulled him on board.A tall young man with a mop of dark curls engulfed him in a fierce hug.
“Congratulations!”Endre exclaimed.He pulled back, and the joy in his grey eyes bled away.“Bastion?Are you all right?”
Bastion didn’t respond.
He hadn’t expected this, to be immediately faced with Endre’s pride and excitement, and for it to solidify defeat deep in his gut.It permeated every fiber of his being, a gaping maw that threatened to swallow him whole.He wanted to sleep and never wake up.
Endre’s brow quirked almost imperceptibly, and he draped an arm across Bastion’s shoulders.His concern always had the weight of deep compassion–something Bastion felt unworthy of right now as his friend steered him through the expectant crew.
“Bring food and wine!”
“Something hot,” Bastion mumbled.
“Something hot!”Endre echoed, the command in his tone second nature.Men jumped to obey, bowing and skittering away.
The sharp scent of lamp oil met them as they entered Captain Artem’s quarters.Over a desk bolted to the floor, a lonely lantern swung, casting wild shadows over the dark walls as the ship groaned and rocked.Books and maps littered every available surface, and a few grandiose paintings caught the light, as eager as flowers for the sun.Endre moved towards a pair of brocade chairs off to one side, scooping a blanket off the back of one.He swept it over Bastion’s shoulders as they sat.
Bastion barely noticed.He should have been shivering wildly from the cold, but he wasn’t.
“What happened?”Endre asked, gently.In the darkness, his moon-pale face stood out, his worry more obvious now that they were alone.
Bastion shook his head and dropped his head into his hands.
“Nothing,” he choked out.“Nothing.”
The word had the finality of a death knell.It hung in the air, empty and mournful and completely unprecedented.Only the drum of the sea outside breached the silence.
After a long moment, Bastion sat back, rubbing his temples with his thumbs as a deep sigh escaped him.Endre frowned, his brow pinched.
Thump!Thump!Thump!
“Enter!”Endre called.
A man backed into the room, carrying a tray of cured meats, cheese, and a bit of dried fruit.Another followed with two steaming pints.
They set the food on a small table between Endre and Bastion and left, failing to conceal their wide-eyed curiosity.They might have been in the middle of the ocean, but seafarers were still as eager for a scrap of gossip as the nobility.
Bastion glanced at the food, but didn’t reach for it.The movement of the ship amplified the sick feeling in his stomach.
Endre broke the silence.“I don’t understand.What do you mean–”
“I mean thatnothinghappened.No visions, no ghosts, no gods.”Bastion reached for one of the pints, pausing before it met his lips.“I’ve just been stuck on a deserted island for the last fortnight.”
He took a long drink of the spiced whiskey cider in hopes of washing his bitterness away.It tingled, the cinnamon strong enough to clear his sinuses.He downed half of it, wishing it were hot enough to scorch his tongue, before noticing the blanched look on Endre’s face.
“Bastion,” he said.“It’s only been three days.”
Bastion sneered and rose, throwing the pint away with enough vehemence that Endre flinched.A metallic clang rang through the room as the vessel hit the wall, barely missing one of the paintings.Its contents dripped down the wood paneling, glistening in the swinging lamp light.
“If that much time passed,somethingmust have happened,” Endre reasoned.
“No,” Bastion said.He began to pace, the blanket falling from his shoulders.“The Accounts all confirm that time flows differently on the island, but that doesn’t mean somethinghappened.”
