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“Would you like to say bye to the rest?” Sebastian asks, but I quickly shake my head no.
“I think it’s better that I don’t. I don’t want to lie to them and tell them I’ll be back. Eva is different. She understands more than the others.”
Sebastian studies me for a long moment, his mouth opening and closing as if he’s looking for the words to say. The guards interrupt, dropping my chest behind us and making me jump.
“In that case, I think our ride is here, anyway.” He points to the ship in the bay.
In the distance is a ship. Its sails whip in the wind, full and proud. But it wasn’t the size or grandeur of the ship that caught my attention. It was the flag. A stark, black canvas with a white skull and crossbones. From the worn wood of its hull to the battle scars etched across its side, it looks just how I envisioned it would.
Sebastian leads the way, guiding me toward the island’s edge where a small rowboat is tied. An orc holds the paddles, beaming at us as we approach. I recognize him from the gauntlet. He’d sat far off of the crowd along the cliff by himself.
“I was starting to think I’d never see you again,” the orc calls as we near.
“I’m a bit harder to kill than that.” Sebastian smiles, helping me into the rowboat. It rocks and wavers, and I quickly take a seat. For a moment, he leaves me to grab my things, disappearing around the courtyard wall.
“I’m Zephyr, by the way. I don’t think we met.” The orc holds out his hand. I take it, eyeing the twisted horns on top of his head and his jade-colored skin. He holds almost an ethereal beauty to him. Strong, yet perfectly chiseled features make up his face and his dark brown eyes are bottomless.
“Scarlet,” I answer. I’m not sure anyone has ever offered me a handshake before. Most people bow or curtsy, primarily to the king, but they normally look past his children like they’re statues. It’s nice—different—and something I could get used to.
“It’s lovely to meet you, and I hope Hook wasn’t too much of an ass. I tried to teach him to be civil, but sometimes the pirate in him runs a bit too deep.” His full lips curl around short tusks.
“I’ll have you know,” Sebastian says, setting my trunk in the boat and dusting off his hands before stepping into the boat. “I was a perfect gentleman.”
My cheeks flame when Sebastian winks, his bright green eyes locking on mine. “Is he always this charming?” I ask, speaking to Zephyr even though I don’t look at him.
The orc belts out a laugh, pushing us off the pier so he can start rowing us into the bay. “Not in the least. I was about to ask what you did with him? Is my real best friend stashed in that trunk or something, because I’ve never seen him so much as smile twice in a given day?”
“That’s enough.” Sebastian sets his jaw, his face going blank as he looks off toward the ship.
The waves lap against the sides of the small boat as Zephyr rows. There’s a rhythmic creak of the oars filling the silence. My life, as I know it, will never be the same. The large castle I’ve called home grows smaller, the towers still disappearing into the clouds above. This place might’ve been my prison, but it was also the only place I’ve ever called home… and now I’ll never return to it.
Sebastian sits across from me on the wooden bench, Zephyr behind him. I have to squint against the light bouncing off the water’s surface and until yesterday, I never knew just how deep that water went. After seeing the bay emptied for the gauntlet, I know just how far I’d sink if I went overboard.
The hell flame casts a haloed light around Sebastian’s form, growing stronger as the moons move out of the way. In reality, they’re not truly moons. They’re islands, but a permanent boundary hangs between them and us. It locks our realm off from the other six and even though the dragons are extinct within this realm, they still thrive outside it and those islands are their home.
I suppose if I were a dragon, I’d want to stay near the hell flame too. I’d want to bask in the warmth of it. Sebastian, though silent, must sense my awe and wonder. I catch him staring at me with an air of curiosity.
Dragons have always fascinated me. I thought at first it was because they were the things my father hated, and I loved them out of spite or rebellion, but the more I read, the more my curiosity grew. Really, the only thing that rivals my interest in the winged creatures my father stripped of this land is the plants and the magic that filled the void their species left behind. The ecosystem is fragile, and magic never truly disappears. In their absence, our world adapted, putting their magic into something else.
Zephyr’s strong arms make short work of the distance and before I know it, the wooden ship is towering over us. The black sails are filled, arching away from the mast, but the ship stays in place despite the current. Elemental magic… They must have an air elemental onboard, ensuring the ship stays still long enough for us to board.
“You ready to take your hat back?” Zephyr’s gruff voice breaks the silence. I doubt he’s talking to me.
Sebastian smirks. “Anything interesting happen while I was away?”
Zephyr weighs his head from side to side, twisting his lips. “Depends how you look at it. Nelvin may have gambled away a date with Smee and she almost floated him overboard for it.”
“Floated?” I ask. I’ve never heard that word used as an action before.
Zephyr nods. “In simple terms, she almost threw him overboard.”
“That sounds like something my sister would do,” Sebastian says, laughter resonating in his voice. I didn’t realize he had a sister… I suppose there’s a lot I have to learn about him.
As we approach the ship, a rope ladder is thrown down, and I can hear the boisterous voices of the crew, their excitement palpable. They missed their captain, that much is clear.
“He’s back!” someone shouts from up top, and a resounding cheer echoes. It’s dozens of voices strong as people rush to the railing.
Zephyr is the first to climb up, his movements graceful. When he reaches the top, he lowers something down, a platform of sorts, and Sebastian loads my trunk onto it so it can be raised up and moved onto the ship. Returning to my side, he offers me a hand, silently helping me move to the edge of the rocking boat so I can reach the ladder.
