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“It’s a compass that points to the ship. The coordinates are there, too. We’ll be able to find it and use it ourselves. What do you say, Dagger? I think you’ve earned yourself a ship.”
The idea is freeing and calming.
A ship.
We could go anywhere in a ship. Ezra and I could take on the world together in a ship, but I have the dawning realization that I don’t really want to go anywhere. I kind of just want to stay here. I kind of just want to be where I am, who I am. I kind of just want to enjoy Sapphira for a little while.
I’ve been on edge for so long trying to stay out of trouble and trying not to piss off my employers that I’ve forgotten how to live. I’ve forgotten that life is about more than just survival. Life is about the people you’re with.
And oh, I really want my life to be spent with Ezra.
“It’s incredible,” I say, and he pockets the keys.
“Come on, darling,” he says. “Let’s get on our way.”
“Are we going to the ship right now?” I ask, worried the adventure is about to end. Once we get to the ship, that’s it. Our journey is over. Ezra will probably return to the city of Diamond and me? I’m not sure where I’ll be.
“Of course not. We still have to find the fereers,” but the words have barely left his mouth when we hear a strange, high-pitched chirping noise. It doesn’t sound like a bird, but it doesn’t quite sound like an animal, either.
“What is that?” I ask, glancing around.
“Shhh,” he whispers, sounding excited. “It’s fereers. They’re close.”
The noise comes again and he nods, then holds up four fingers. Four fereers. I’m guessing we’ve somehow stumbled across a nest, which is great news. It means that in just a few minutes, Ezra is going to get the creatures he’s been hunting. He’s about to get his win. He’s about to complete his mission.
I’m silent as he pulls the bow out. He presses a button and the little cylinder-like object expands into an extraordinarily huge, amazingly fancy bow. How will he even shoot that thing? I’ve never seen a bow so huge. It’s almost as tall as me, yet Ezra makes holding it seem easy and simple.
“It’s lighter than it looks,” he explains in a quiet whisper. Then he motions for me to follow him. He moves stealthily, steadily through the grass. He moves with the grace of a dancer, which is incredible for someone of his size.
Who am I kidding?
It’s incredible for someone of any size.
He moves past a few trees and around a corner. I follow closely behind, trying not to be too loud. When I round the bend, I see what he’s looking at. Down a small hill is, as he described, a huge nest. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The nest is more like a small hut with an opening at the top. Inside are four large, long creatures.
They look like a large snakes with legs, but they’re furry: not scaly.
Then I notice something that’s strange.
There are Myrkky berries all around the nest. They’re everywhere. The fereers are eating something inside their nest. Are they eating the berries? The berries that are poisonous to humans? The berries that almost killed me?
“What are they eating?” I ask quietly.
“They’re immune to the poison,” Ezra whispers. “Now, do you see why so many hunters won’t even bother coming here? No one wants to risk someone on their team accidentally eating those damn things.”
I can certainly understand it. If these berries are as dangerous as he says, losing a team member who wasn’t paying close attention would be easy.
Much too easy.
Ezra suddenly lets out a long, low whistle, and the fereers stick their heads up. He snaps his fingers and they instantly start running. He raises the bow and shoots off his arrows at a rapid pace. They’re so fast that before I realize what’s happening, all four fereers hit the ground at the same time. Ezra didn’t even break a sweat.
“How the hell did you do that?” I ask. “And why did you whistle first?”
“I wasn’t about to shoot into a nest,” he says. “And as for how,” he pats the bow. “Apparently, this really is the best.”
“New toy?” I raise an eyebrow.
“Something like that.”
