Page 185 of Keldori By Daybreak

“Don’t worry about that,” I said and looked at Captain Davyn. “Once we leave the ship, it’s yours.”

Davyn froze and narrowed his eyes. “What’s mine?”

“The ship,” I said. “And the crew. I don’t need a fishing boat. I just need a ride to the Tortoise.”

Davyn and his daughter shared a furrowed look.

“How will you get off the Tortoise?” Vinia asked.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I can’t drop a bunch of kids young enough to be my own children on a deserted island and sail away,” Davyn grunted.

“You have to,” I said.

“Father, she’s giving us the boat,” Vinia hissed.

“She’s hardly older than your sister!”

“My sister will never have to work another day in her life if you let this kid give you the boat!”

Davyn looked between me and Vinia. “I can’t abandon kids in the middle of the ocean.”

Just my luck to end up with the ship captain who was too decent.

“You aren’t abandoning us,” I promised. “Please. Take the ship. Leave us there. Make sure no one follows us.”

“Father.” Vinia grabbed Davyn by his arm. “If they could get the Baron to give them a ship, I’m sure they know what they’re doing. Please. Take them to the Tortoise. Take the boat. Mother will be furious if you don’t.”

Davyn shook his head at me. “You promise I won’t be leaving you to your death, miss?”

“I promise,” I insisted.

He tutted and shifted the tiller to direct the boat in the direction Vinia had pointed.

“Fine. But you send word to me that you are okay once you are able, alright? I won’t have this weighing on my conscience.”

“Deal.”

Davyn, with one hand on the tiller, pulled Vinia in by her shoulders and pressed a kiss against the scarf holding her hair out of her face.

I wondered how long he’d captained the ship and how long he’d dreamed it might someday be his. He at least seemed a decent man and good father to his daughters, something I didn’t have much experience in.

I settled against Una and closed my eyes again, but a shadow blocked out the sun filtering through my eyelids.

Orla stood over me, wringing her hands.

“I can’t stand this anymore. We have to decide right now,” she asserted. “Are we angry at each other or not?”

I looked up at her in surprise. Admittedly we hadn’t had much of a chance to catch up since Tamora had freed her from the train, but I’d been busy acquiring a boat and healing Ciarán. “I’m not angry at you. Are you angry at me?”

“I don’t know.” She sat beside me to lean against Una. “We had a big fight.”

“A lot has happened between then and now,” I reminded her.

“Right.” She nodded. “But what happened?”

“My mom told us you were missing part of the journal transcription and that you might drown, so we had to come after you,” I said.