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“But you just said—”
“We’re not exactly normal, though, are we?” Heath hurried on.
Both of Brody’s eyebrows were raised now. “Suddenly I understand why you wanted my sister and not me.”
“No offense, Brody,” smiled Heath. “But your skills with plants won’t help us much out here, unless the ship gets tangled up in seaweed or something.”
“Whereas my ability to manipulate wind will,” said Bianca. She gave Heath a shrewd look. “So it’s my magic you want, not me.”
Heath shrugged again. “What’s the difference, Bianca? Your magic is an inextricable part of you.” He smiled hopefully. “Can you do it, do you think? Speed us up?”
“Probably,” she said. “But you do realize, don’t you, that reaching the same area in two days instead of three won’t make the waters more passable when we get there?”
Heath gave her a look. “Yes, I do have a basic grasp of how ocean travel works.”
“So what’s the point of getting there faster?”
“Well,” said Heath, casting a glance behind him to make sure none of the crew were listening, “no one else knows this, but there’s a reason the water is impassable. There’s an island out there, and it’s surrounded by a magical ring of protection, like the one around each of the dragon colonies.”
Brody was frowning. “How do you know this?”
“Reka and I found it,” Heath said. “He flew straight through the magical barrier without any issues, of course. He was the one who identified what it was. To me it just felt like a sort of ripple of power passing over my body.”
“Well, in case you hadn’t noticed, your dragon friend isn’t with us now,” Brody pointed out. “So how is the ship supposed to pass through this impassable barrier?”
“We have magic,” said Heath simply. “From what my grandmother has told me, power-wielders can pass through the dragons’ protections. I doubt the dragons intended that, but when the barriers were created, there weren’t any humans with magic, were there?”
“But what about the crew?” protested Bianca. “Even if you’re right about us, you don’t have any idea whether the ship itself can actually get through, do you?”
“Well…no,” Heath admitted. “But what’s the harm?” he added hastily, at their expressions. “If we can’t get through, we’ll just have to turn around. We will have wasted a few days, but it’s worth the risk. I have to at least try to get to that island.”
“Why?” asked Bianca, looking concerned for his sanity. “Why is it so important?”
“And why don’t you get Rekavidur to take you, if it’s so urgent?” Brody added.
Heath didn’t look at them, his eyes instead on the eastern horizon. “Reka and I aren’t on the best of terms right now,” he said quietly. “And I need to get to the island because last time I was there, someone was…injured, because of me. And I need to know if that person is alive.”
There was a long silence. Heath could sense rather than see the twins exchanging glances, and he had no doubt they were wondering what they’d gotten themselves into.
“There are people living on this island?” Brody asked, his voice a little strange.
Heath still wasn’t looking him in the eye. “Not exactly.”
“Heath.” There was a warning in Brody’s voice. “Should we be making contact with whoever these people are? Are we endangering Valoria by seeking them out?”
“Of course not!” Heath looked up quickly, locking gazes with his cousin. “I swear, there’s no risk to our kingdom. This is…a purely personal matter.”
Brody was still frowning, but after exchanging another glance with Bianca, he let the matter drop.
“I’ve never tried to direct a ship before,” Bianca said softly. “I don’t know much about sailing. I might send us the wrong way, or break the mast or something.”
“Just start small,” Heath encouraged, “and build if it’s working.”
Despite her show of reluctance, Heath got the sense that Bianca was a little excited by the challenge. He’d watched his relatives struggling with the growing suspicion toward their powers, reining themselves in and being especially cautious about how they used them. It must be liberating to be able to unleash her magic, try to do something big and dramatic, somewhere far away from the judging eyes of the court.
At first Heath could hardly tell the difference. Bianca sent a gentle breeze curling around the sails, encouraging the ship eastward. He only knew she was doing it because he could sense her power, branching out from her and reaching into the air in invisible strands that formed an intricate, ever-moving pattern.
But she seemed to get a feel for it quickly, and her power was soon drawing more wind toward them, gathering behind and around the ship, sending it speeding across the surface of the water. Her enthusiasm outstripped her finesse for a moment, and the boat lurched alarmingly to starboard, causing Brody and Heath to clutch at the railing.
