Page 160 of The Sea of Zemira (The Zemiran Chronicles 1)

She and Lincoln threw their heads back, laughing at her joke.

“Cheers, mate,” she said, lifting her chin. “To the best battle we have ever fought.”

The crew felt the ship move forward, pulling away from the shore as Kitten turned the helm north. Ardley puffed out his smoke from his pipe into the air.

The wind suddenly picked up as Anaru broke through the clouds. The dragon circled the ship, for the crew had become a part of her —they were family.

“Where to, Captain?” Kitten asked. “North, south? Anywhere ye want to go.”

“Wherever it is you’re going,” the crew heard the familiar voice, “May I join you?”

Nola wore the bandana Lincoln had given her, tight black pants slick against her long legs, and a maroon shirt showing off the curves of her body. She pulled out her bow and quiver of arrows and jumped from the ship’s edge and onto the deck.

Oh, to the bloody Gods, you are stunning, Lincoln thought. My stowaway.

The smile on the captain’s lips was so big, his charming dimples dipped. He ran straight to her but stopped short as Nola pulled out the Kroneon with the ruby within.

“What—” Mazie started, running to the siren, but Nola handed it to her.

“King Elijah gave it to us,” the Queen D’Sea said. “It belongs on this ship. It belongs to us.”

Lincoln shook his head. “It’s too dangerous to turn back time, Nola,” he said. “We cannot change the past. Remember?”

Kitten reached out, only to run her fingers over the rustic metal. She had not touched the Kroneon yet, and it being so close to her excited the golden-eyed pirate.

“We can always go into the future, even for just a glimpse?” Kitten asked.

Mazie nodded. “Well, let’s give it a go then,” Raven said, but Hill reached out, taking it from Mazie’s hands.

“Alright, what do I do?” he asked eagerly.

The crew shifted slightly, nervous to see an artifact so fragile in Tipsy’s hands.

“Easy, mate,” Lincoln warned. “That thing almost got us killed, remember?”

Hill waved his hand in the air. “Bah, just press down, eh?” he asked.

Nola looked over her shoulder. “It doesn’t press down,” she said. “it turns right or left.”

Tipsy gave Nola a quizzical look. “No, it presses down. Look.”

“No!” the crew shouted quickly as Hill pressed the ruby into the compass.

It lit up, warming his fingers, but he held tight to the compass, looking straight ahead. A flash of light seemed to split the very air in twain, revealing a dark pathway.

“What the bloody hell is that?” Ardley asked.

“Blimey!” Boots said, watching Hill’s hand tremble so badly Nola had to reach out and take the Kroneon from him.

Nola let out a heavy sigh. “The Kroneon. It does not only move forward or back in time. It opens time,” she said, turning to Lincoln, whose eyes were wide from shock.

“A portal,” Lincoln said. “Bloody hell.”

“Well,” Mazie interrupted. “Not when do we want to go, mates. But, where?”

Nola’s breath caught in her throat; she could barely breathe.

Boots stomped his peg leg on the deck and straightened his hat. “Are you ready for our next adventure, Kitten?”

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