Page 11 of Queen's Griffon

“Can’t blame him. He lost his dad the day Verlora fell.”

“You were there?”

Simhi shook her head. “Oh no, I’m too young for that.” Her lips curved into an impish grin. “My mom was one of those who fled with my brother. You might have seen him on board. Big fellow, goes by the name of Kreed.”

“He’s the first mate,” Avera murmured. She’d seen the brutish man, but never actually spoken more than a few words to him while seasick—kill me now, make it stop, oh god give me the bucket.

“Yup. He doesn’t remember though. He was just a young boy at the time.”

“Are there many Verlorians on Saarpira?”

Simhi nodded. “A few hundred. Place was just a shanty town of a few dozen people when the evacuated ships sailed into its bay. Mum says those first few years were hard. The island wasn’t meant to feed the hundreds that descended.”

“Why not settle on another continent?”

“Because Mum said at first everyone thought it would be temporary. We lost many in the beginning of the exodus. A few returned to see if it was safe. They never came back. Once folks realized we couldn’t go home, many left Saarpira to settle elsewhere. But some chose to remain. Over the years, we built homes and businesses. It’s actually rather civilized now.”

“Except for the part where you became pirates.”

Simhi didn’t apologize but she did grin. “Had to feed the folk somehow.”

“Do your people want to return to Verlora?”

“I reckon the older ones do. Saarpira ain’t fancy. To hear the stories, Sitnalta, the capital, was the most incredible city in the world with the streets practically paved in gold.” She rolled her eyes and laughed.

“It could be true,” Avera offered with a smile. “Even if not, it was pretty remarkable. Some incredible inventions emerged from Verlora. I used to collect them.”

“You like fancy gadgets?” Simhi inquired.

“Very much so. Growing up, I had few friends.” A kinder thing to say than none. “I kept myself occupied by taking apart the machines I could get my hands on.”

Simhi laughed. “You sound like me mum. Always tinkering. She fixes things back in Saarpira. Me and Kreed, we’re all thumbs with that kind of stuff. Captain ain’t too keen either, but if you run into Garth, he might show you some of his stuff. He’s one of the old-timers, so if you ever want to hear some stories, he’s your man. He’s the reason we still have an engine on board. Not that we use it much, what with fuel being expensive and hard to come by.”

The mention of an engine lit up Avera’s expression. “You think he’d show it to me?”

“Ayuh. He loves talking about his baby.” Simhi giggled again. “Why don’t I introduce you?”

Simhi led Avera into the bowels of the ship, literally. They descended too deep for portholes and natural light. A smell Avera didn’t recognize filled the air.

Simhi saw her sniffing. “That’s the oil you’re smelling. Black liquid that, when lit, burns until it’s all consumed.”

“I saw some once in Fraegus Spire. The guardian who lived there, Opal, used it to keep her cave warm.”

“I didn’t think Daerva had any oil.”

“We don’t trade in it,” Avera stated. “I’m not even sure where Opal got it from.”

“What’s a guardian do?”

Avera hesitated before murmuring, “She watches over something evil.”

“Hope she does a better job keeping it in check than the Verlorians did.”

The reply had Avera frowning. “Are you saying Verlora was taken down by an entity intent on harm? I thought you said it was one of Basil’s science experiments?”

“There are a few theories about the fall of my country. The most widespread is the claim it was only the volcano. That once it blew, it just kept going, corrupting the land and air.”

“What’s a volcano?” Avera asked.

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