Page 77 of Fate of Echoes and Embers
“I feel it too,” I said, looking back at the map. “There are no markings, no maps that account for this stretch of land. Take the wheel?”
Issa slid seamlessly to it as I descended to the lower deck. “Where to?” she called.
I pointed to the shore, realizing belatedly Issa had never docked this way. Popping my head back up, I grinned. “Just keep her steady forward. I’ll do the rest.”
“But—”
With a wink, I positioned myself toward the shore, its sandy coastline clear of any rocks, and waited until we neared. As we did, I lifted my arms and pulled on the calm water beneath the surface, coaxing it forth. Mist thickened around me, eventually solidifying. With a sharp crack, the mist condensed, water freezing beneath its weight. Ice formed in jagged, uneven patches which I smoothed, stretching outward toward us.
A dock. Not perfect, but it would do.
I rejoined Issa, who was staring wide-eyed at me. “I’ve never seen… that is… you made a dock of ice.”
“I did. Would you like to learn how to bring us in? There are no other ships”—I waved my arms—“to concern ourselves with.”
“Uh…” Issa was staring at my dock. Though I pretended it was of little significance, that particular piece of magic was tricky. I knew few, and only one who was of a similar age as myself—Nerys—who could manage it. “Aye,” she said finally.
Taking the excuse to stand behind her, I guided Issa andTidechaserto shore. Forgetting, apparently, that she’d worried earlier about what we might find on this particular stretch of undiscovered land, Issa raced down to inspect my ice dock.
Pleased she enjoyed it, pleased to be alive… I joined her, carefully leading us ashore.
“There,” she said, pointing to a rocky ridge close by. “If we climb it, perhaps we can see more.”
I’d been thinking the same. From the ship, we could see the island wasn’t mountainous. It was rocky, though, similar to Gyorian’s terrain. But its trees were more like the ones in Thalassari, not surprising since the climate was as temperate here as my home.
“What do you see?” I asked her, Issa in front of me, just in case she slipped. It was steep, made more so by the fact that Issa must have been exhausted after our ordeal.
“Nothing. No homes. No people. No animals that I can see.”
She was right. It was sparse, though much larger than I first assumed. An unmarked, abandoned island. Nothing more.
As we made our way back, I looked for food, berries maybe, but there was nothing to be found. We couldn’t stay here for long.
“We will rest,” I said. “And then start back. There is nothing here in the way of sustenance. Thankfully, we have plenty of fresh water aboard and some provisions.”
“Marek?”
We’d nearly reachedTidechaser.
“Issa?”
“How are we getting back?”
A fine question. We stopped before reaching the dock. Both Issa and I were soaked still. As the waves lapped gently in front of us, I pulled Issa into me.
“I will find a way that isn’t through the Depths.”
Her relief was immediate. She sagged against me and began to shake. It was the after-effects of what we’d been through, now that the danger had passed and the island proved not to be a threat. I held her, an idea forming.
“We’ll take off our clothes?—”
“Marek,” she scolded, pushing off my chest.
I laughed. “And lay them out to dry. Would you prefer to sail home like this or in dry clothing? Besides, I would prefer to navigate at first light.”
“We will remain docked tonight?”
“Aye,” I said. “And return home at sunrise.”
