Page 73 of Fate of Echoes and Embers
“Why are you smiling?” she asked, joining me.
“Do you remember when I gave you a tour of the ship?”
She laughed. “I could hardly walk without feeling as if I would stumble at any moment.”
“And now, look at you.”
We finished preparations, sailing out without the use of magic. That is, until we were away from port, when I reached for the currents beneath us, guiding the ship forward with Issa at the wheel.
Lying out the map on a barrel beside me, I traced out the route. “The waters turn treacherous here, so we’ll avoid the southern pass and keep to the eastern current. I’m not expecting to see any other ships today, not in this area. Most avoid it altogether, and so if you do sense magic, we can assume it’s the Crystal.”
“I’ve wondered since the start what it might feel like, to be in the presence of magic so strong?”
“How does it differ? When you sense something like me, for instance, as opposed to an ancient artifact.”
“You are entirely different,” she said, a twinkle in her eyes. “When you’re near, I feel as if I can hear my heartbeat in my ears. I feel warm, suddenly?—”
I laughed, interrupting her. “Cheeky human. You know that’s not what I meant.”
“Oh,” she said, trying not to laugh. “You were speaking of your magic?”
I couldn’t resist. Holding the map down with one hand, I kissed her on the cheek. When Issa playfully swatted me away, saying she was attempting to concentrate, a vision of Mev doing the same to Kael on the lower deck came to me.
At the time, I’d thought their easy banter was not something I would have for myself, knowing it came with strings I had never been interested in tying.
“Issa—” I started.
“Um, Marek. Didn’t you say an unnatural stillness in the water could be a sign of an impending storm?”
She was right.
I headed to the railing, watching the horizon. Our steady, rhythmic rocking had abated.
“The glassy calmness of the water and lack of temperature shifts lead me to think it may be an anomaly.” I returned to Issa. “Our proximity to the Depths may be the cause. Many have reported such things, though I’d not have thought we were close enough to see any effects. Anything yet?”
Issa closed her eyes, her hands steady on the wheel. She took a few deep breaths, and then opened them once again. “Nothing.”
We sailed in companionable silence for some time, changing places, then talking and observing. If we were not headed toward arguably the most dangerous place in all of Elydor, it would have felt natural. And more than a little enjoyable, sailing with someone curious about every movement, willing to learn how to navigate the seas.
Someone as intelligent and passionate as Issa. Her response to me… It took every bit of restraint that I’d learned in my long lifetime to lie with her all night and not touch every curve. I hadn’t dreamed of the Depths, navigating what would be waters so treacherous it would take skill beyond, possibly, even my capabilities.
I dreamed of her.
Making love to Isolde. Sailing with Isolde. Life… with Isolde.
When I agreed to this mission, I could never have imagined there would be more at stake than myself. If I died in service to Nerys, to Elydor… it would be an honorable ending to a life well lived. But suddenly, there was a possibility of more. I was no longer risking just myself but a glimmer of hope that Issa had suddenly given me.
“Issa,” I said, looking to the sky. “Do you feel that?”
Confused, she shook her head. “Feel what?”
“The temperature dropped.”
“It did?”
“You were right. A storm is brewing.”
No sooner had the words left my mouth than a gust of wind hit the sails forcefully, yanking the rigging hard. The gentle ripple of the water suddenly became churning waves.
