Page 33 of Storm and Sea

“Um, I have a question, but,” his eyes darted to Atreus.

“Can it wait?” Atreus asked through clenched teeth.

“It’s not a worry; we are almost done,” Giovanni said, tossing the soiled rag in the sink.

“I’ll take it from here,” Atreus said, inserting himself between the two and pushing Nyel to the back.

“What is it?” he whispered heatedly.

“What are these?”

Nyel pointed to the rows and rows of letters on the page. Atreus let out a sigh. “They’re words. Human symbols make sounds and form words. The words we use to speak.”

“So, the book is talking?”

“Sure.”

“Wow.” Nyel said, looking at the stained pages like they hid the world’s mysteries, “I wish I understood what it was saying.”

Giovanni’s voice boomed from the front. “I can teach you a few letters,” he offered, clearly eavesdropping.

“Really!?” Nyel asked, sliding past Atreus and to the front. “You know how to understand this?”

Giovanni laughed. “A little. Only the basics. If you want to learn more, you must ask my daughter. She can read, write, and spell like a scholar.”

Atreus’s gut twisted. He’d tried to read. Many, many times. No matter how hard he studied, the symbols on the page seemed to move before his eyes. Like the letters were dancing, taunting him with their hidden meaning. He was an idiot.

“Can you read?” Nyel asked him as though sensing his guilt.

“Uh, no. Not really. Signore Marcello has tried to teach me, but I’m pretty hopeless,” he finished, hanging his head.

Giovanni bumped a shoulder into Atreus, his mustache quirking as he spoke. “Most of the men and boys on this island cannot read a word. We’re fishermen, after all. And I’ve never seen anyone weave a net or repair an engine as quickly as you can.”

Atreus couldn’t force away his grin at the praise. “Thank you, sir.”

“What did we talk about with the formalities?” Giovanni huffed, shaking his head. “Well, I say today’s work is finished. Are you sure you don’t want to stay the night?” he asked, “Your friend is welcome too.”

Atreus’s stomach went queasy at the idea of Nyel spending so much time in close quarters with humans. So many risks. So many chances to be exposed.

“No, we should go back to our—” A clap of thunder shook the room. Nyel let out a yelp of surprise, and the overhead lights flickered. The rain was coming down harder than ever.

They weren’t going anywhere.

“You were saying?” Giovanni asked with a smirk.

Atreus clenched his jaw, his brows furrowed. He wanted to kick Nyel, who looked like a child pleading for a treat at the market. The storm had set the wheels of fate in motion, and he was powerless to stop it. Shoulders slumping in defeat, Atreus deflated with a heavy breath.

“I’ll prepare two rooms then,” Giovanni said, a smug expression twisting his mustache. He left the shop and climbed the stairs to the living quarters.

“For most of my life, I have lived by a set of rules,” Atreus said quietly, his voice low enough that only Nyel could hear as he stared after his mentor. “Don’t get too close. Don’t expose yourself. Don’t take risks.”

Nyel said nothing, clutching the fish encyclopedia like a child would a teddy bear.

“Then you show up. And now I’m breaking every single one.”

“Why so many rules? This human, Signore Marcello, he seems like a good person. I think he cares about you a lot.”

Atreus spun on him. “You’ve been here a day. Don’t act like you know anything,” Atreus snapped. “Every second in this town is dangerous for us. One wrong move, and it might be our last.”