I focused on unpacking to keep my mind distracted. Opening the drawer beneath my bunk, I placed a few of my things inside. I left Father’s memory charm and the magical orb in my bag, trying to decide what to do with them.
“It’s difficult to be with a man like him,” Euralysia said.
I jumped. Hadn’t she been sleeping? “Excuse me?”
“His political duties always seem to interfere, not to mention his temper, his overbearing attitude—yes, he is not an easy man to get along with.”
I wasn’t sure why she’d decided to bring it up, but she had been engaged to him once. Perhaps she had some insight into the matter.
“It’s hard when you realize that you’ve become the other woman,” she continued. “You think it will never happen. And then it does.”
Her words came like a punch to my stomach. She was talking about me. Kull had dumped her for me.
“Were you in love with him?” I asked.
“At first, no. At first, I felt he was crass, rude, overbearing. But when I spent more time with him, I began to see him differently. I admit that I began to love him. I shouldn’t have. Our alliance had been tenuous from the start, and when he met you, I knew I did not have a chance with him.”
“I’m sorry,” was all I could think to say.
“Don’t be. You’ve no reason to take the blame. The fault was mine, for I believed in something I knew was false.”
I felt like I might collapse, so I sat on Heidel’s bunk instead. Euralysia’s words were crushing. What happens if I become the other woman?
No. I couldn’t let myself think that way. I had no reason to doubt Kull’s feelings for me. He loved me, and if I doubted our love, it would lead to nothing but distrust and bitterness.
“How will you hide the orb?” the princess asked, changing the subject.
The orb. Right. I’d completely forgotten about it.
“I would help you with an illusionment spell, but…” She sighed and looked at her hands.
How must she feel without her magic? I’d lost half my magic and felt as if I’d lost a limb. “I’m sure it must be hard without your magic.”
She looked up at me, her eyes swollen and shining with tears. “It’s not so bad,” she said. “There are others who suffer worse than me. The dragons, the fairies. It is not so bad for me.”
I had never really liked the princess. The few times I’d met her, she’d seemed proud and aloof, but now I was beginning to see her in a new light. She’d always been extremely gifted in magic, and her knowledge of the inner workings of Faythander’s politics was impressive. Perhaps now would be a good time to pick her brain.
“Princess, what do you know of Geth?”
A haunted look crossed her face. “He isn’t who he seems,” she answered. “He wears a human mask, but he is a goblin. He acts and thinks like a goblin. He will not hesitate to trick those around him to get what he wants. I do not know his motivations, but I know this—he will use whatever means necessary to get what he wants.”
I held my pack close, feeling the familiar, smooth glass of the orb through the canvas. Was it a fluke that I’d been able to escape so quickly? I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. Geth had told me himself that his spies would be watching. Was it possible they were on this ship?
“If that’s so,” I answered, “then what should I do to keep the orb protected?”
Her eyes grew heavy. She didn’t answer.
I wasn’t sure she’d heard me. “Princess?”*
“Yes,” she said. “I am pondering your question.”
As she lay there with her head on the pillow, her silvery hair spilling around her head and elegantly pointed ears, I realized that I was speaking with someone more connected with magic than I had ever been. She wasn’t human; she was elven—a creature of fairy. I’d always considered myself a decent practitioner, but my powers were insignificant compared to her abilities.
“An illusionment spell would certainly be powerful enough to hide it,” she said, “though if our enemies are able to sense magic, it would be easy to detect.”
“I agree. With the fading magic, an illusionment spell would stick out. My father can normally accomplish an illusionment spell without leaving behind a magical trace, but at the moment, I’m not sure he’s up to the task.”
I also don’t entirely trust him.
“Yes, an illusionment spell would only draw our enemies to us.”
“Maybe a simpler spell? A masking spell, perhaps?” I asked.
“No.” Her labored breathing sounded uneven. “No, it won’t be enough. You must… find a balance…between the two spells.”
A balance? I wasn’t sure what she meant. Was there another spell I wasn’t aware of? An illusionment spell would make the orb completely invisible and untouchable. To someone without magical abilities, it wouldn’t exist, but the trace of magic it left behind would be noticeable to anyone with a practitioner’s skills. A masking spell would simply camouflage the orb. It could still be touched if one knew where to look. I must have been overlooking something. I stood and paced our small cabin.
Now and again, I glanced at Euralysia. When I was sure she was sleeping, I closed our door and locked it with a click. I stood by the compartment beneath my bed and slid the drawer open.
With careful fingers, I lifted the orb out of my bag. Its familiar feeling of magic warmed me. With its soft ocher light filling the room, I stared transfixed at the radiant white petals of the blossom floating inside the crystal. I was humbled to be in its presence, humbled to be its protector. Its steady hum of power overwhelmed me. It seemed odd, but I felt as if the magic knew me, as if it wanted to reach out to me—to tell me something—though I couldn’t detect any more than that.
I held it over my drawer. As its magical light reflected off the smooth-grained wood, an idea struck me. I didn’t need an illusionment spell or masking spell. I needed them both.
Letting the pure magic boost my own powers, I cast a simple masking spell on the orb. Its light faded and blended with the wood. When I felt confident that it wouldn’t be seen, I placed it back in my bag.
Euralysia was right. The illusionment spell, while a powerful enchantment, would still be easy to detect if one knew anything about magic, which was what I counted on as I grabbed a gray scarf out of my bag.
The magic to fuel the illusionment spell would come at a price. I braced for it as I released my magic and let it flow into my scarf. The soft feel of the fibers vanished. All traces of my scarf had vanished. Only a small touch of magic remained, calling to any magic users who were savvy enough to detect it.
Assuming someone aboard the ship had ill intentions, and assuming they were familiar with magic, this spell should be enough to throw them onto the wrong track. At least for now.
Now, I was faced with an even harder task—to find somewhere safe to store the real bloom, which on a ship of this size, wouldn’t be easy.
CHAPTER TWENTY
I exited the sleeping quarters with the orb hidden in my bag. Shutting the door behind me, I left the princess to rest and followed the hallway, searching for anywhere to hide the bloom. In all honesty, nowhere was safe. Although the ship was quite large, there were still only a limited number of places for a person to search. Maybe I was being too paranoid by hiding the bloom, but I only trusted a few people on the ship, and I didn’t want to take chances. Not with Faythander’s fate involved.
I had made it to the bottom level of the ship when Kull found me. His roguish grin caught me off guard. He grabbed me in a tight hug, then brushed a kiss on my forehead. His familiar scent of sandalwood, coupled with the warmth of his arms, made my previous insecurities vanish.
“I’ve been looking for you,” he said.
“You have? I thought you were busy with your sister and what’s-her-name.”
“Ah, yes. So I was.”
“What did you talk about?”
“Nothing of consequence. Heidel wor
ries too much. She feels this trip will be perilous and begged us to reconsider making the journey. It’s nothing new. She’s been trying from the beginning to keep us off this boat.”
“She wanted you to leave the ship?” This was news to me.
“No, she wanted us all to leave.”
“Me included?”
He nodded.
I scrutinized him. “Don’t you find it odd that she would try such a thing? Kull, I know it’s hard for you to see, but she may still be helping Geth. She still carries that goblin blade around, and she’s trying to keep me from making the journey. She may still be under Geth’s influence.”
“No, it’s not possible.”
“Why not?”
“Because she is my sister. I grew up with her. We’ve always been close. I know her motives better than I know anyone else’s. She has had the goblin’s blade since she was a young teenager and found it by accident while on a hunting expedition. It means a great deal to her, and I would not ask a warrior to part with her weapon.
“Also, she feels it is her duty to protect those around her, and she will do what she can to make sure that happens. That is why she wished us to stay on the mainland. I can assure you, she is no threat to anyone.”
“You really think you know her that well?”
He gave me his half grin. “Yes. You needn’t worry about my sister. As I have said, I know her better than anyone else, which is why I was able to escape my previous conversation with her.”
“How did you accomplish that?”
“I was able to leave with the excuse that I’d caught the sailor’s squirts—that the frequent intestinal evacuations were afflicting my bowels. After that, I came down here to hide. Why are you down here?” Kull asked.
“You told her you had diarrhea?”
“Yes, well, it worked out quite well—one of the best excuses I’ve come up with in many years. She didn’t even argue with me.” He paused. “Of course, a bit of acting was involved.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You worry me sometimes.”
“It is well that I do. Your life would be a complete bore without me.”
“In that case, I’m glad I keep you around. Where else would I go to hear of one’s digesting woes?”
“Of course! You understand me exactly,” he said, hugging me.
I fingered my pack’s strap, deciding I’d heard enough, and thought it best to change the subject. “I need to find a safe place for the orb. Even though I don’t have a clue where to put it.”
“Let me help,” he said.
“You know where to hide it?”
“I may have an idea. Several days ago, I helped the crewmen load supplies. I noticed something odd whilst loading stacks of oilskin tarps in the storage compartment. If you’ll follow me, I shall show you what I found.”
We wandered the hallway until we discovered a large room at the hallway’s end. After entering through a narrow door, we weaved through stacks of wooden crates and barrels. Mounds of burlap bags filled the empty spaces between the stacks. Dust particles flitted through the air, highlighted by rays of light that shone through the cracks in the ceiling.
We stopped when we reached the back wall. Kull had to shove a crate out of the way, making its wooden bottom scrape the floor. I glanced back at the door that was barely visible through the stacks of crates, hoping the noise hadn’t caught anyone’s attention.
After Kull had exposed the wall, he pointed out a square of wood that didn’t match the rest of the paneling. “This is what I found, though I’m not sure what it’s hiding—or if it’s hiding anything at all.”
I stepped closer to the board to get a better look. With the cobwebs clinging to everything, it looked as if no one had been back here in quite some time. “Can you remove it?” I asked.
Kull stuck his fingers between the boards. It took him a couple of tries, but the panel finally came off with a crack, leaving him with two pieces of broken wood.
“Well, that’s one way to do it,” I said.
“Can you fix it?”
“I think so. But let’s see what’s inside first.”
We found a compartment hidden in the wall. The light was barely bright enough to give us a good look inside, although I was able to spot a few dusty items sitting on shelves. Reaching inside, I pulled out one of the smaller items to get a better look and then realized I was holding an old-school Walkman. I popped the lid open and found a cassette tape inside. Tears for Fears had been written in magic marker across the front.
“That’s odd,” Kull said. “Is it a magical box of some sort?”
“No, it’s from Earth.”
“The Earth Kingdom? How did it make its way here?”
“No clue.”
I replaced the Walkman and scanned the other items. A tatty textbook called A History of the Louisiana Purchase sat on the top shelf. I pulled it out to get a closer look. Some of the pages stuck together as I stopped on a map, dated 1803, with the Louisiana Purchase taking up the center swath of the US.
After closing the book and replacing it on the shelf, I scanned the other items. A shrunken head, with a tag tied to the cornrow hair that read Genuine Amazon Artifact, sat on the center shelf. On the bottom shelf was an old fax machine with a heart-shaped I LOVE LAS VEGAS sticker stuck to the front.
Weird.
“Do you think I should hide the orb in here?” I asked.
Kull eyed the cabinet. “It’s obvious someone has placed these items here to keep them hidden. However, it is also possible they may come back for them at some point.”
I wiped the dust off a shelf. “Except it doesn’t look like it’s been used for some time. I’d say whoever put this stuff here has forgotten about it.”
“True. It’s your call.”
I held my pack and debated my situation. With the masking spell, even if someone did come back here, it wasn’t likely they would notice the orb, and since the spell was such a simple enchantment, it wouldn’t draw the attention of practitioners. It seemed like a suitable arrangement, but still, I hesitated to remove the blossom from my bag.
“Perhaps I should just leave the orb in my bag,” I said. “I’d have to keep it with me all the time—and sleep with it—but at least I would know it was safe.”
“I would not advise that course of action. Having the orb constantly in your possession would draw attention, and, if someone with ill intentions were searching for the bloom, your bag would be the first place they would check.”
“You think so?”
“Yes. I’ve had experience with this sort of thing. Hiding it down here would be preferable to keeping it with you. It would be out of the way and difficult for anyone to find, especially if we properly camouflaged the area, which I will help you to do.”
“I suppose you’re right. It just doesn’t feel right leaving it here alone.” I lifted the orb out of my pack. Although the spell kept it hidden, the magic warmed my hands as I reluctantly placed the orb on the shelf. However, I felt better once it was there. The darkness coupled with the masking spell made it completely invisible.
“It should be safe,” he said.
“Let’s hope so.”
I took the two broken panels from Kull and used my magic to piece them back together. As soon as I fit them to the wall, my magic fused the panels. I didn’t want to ward the wall for fear of detection, but anyone trying to get inside would have a hard time doing it.
“You’ve restored it quite well. It looks as if it’s never been touched,” Kull said.
I admired my handiwork. Not long ago, it would have taken me much longer to accomplish a spell such as that. Even without my magic at full force, I’d still managed the spell. I guess I was getting better, even if I hadn’t realized it.
“Hello?” a voice came from behind us.
We rounded, and Kull motioned for me to hide behind the crates. Kneeling beside him, I held my breath as footsteps echoed through the room. I peeked over the crate’s edge to see
who had entered the room.
A short man with a stocky frame paced the room. I’d seen him before—Firro, I think, was what the others called him. He was missing an ear and wore an eye patch over one eye. Wrinkled, shiny skin covered his face and neck. I’d seen patients with those sorts of scars before. Back in med school, Galveston had been home to the Shriner’s burn unit. I’d seen my fair share of burn patients. Skin grafts had replaced his charred skin. It made me wonder how he’d been injured.
“Is someone here?” he called. He looked around the room, his one good eye swiveling in its socket.
Kull and I stayed behind the stack. With luck, he wouldn’t notice us and turn away.
“Hello?” he called again. “Is anyone down here?”
I realized that with only one good eye, he couldn’t see very well. He mumbled something as he searched the room, and then he tripped and knocked over a stack of boxes. The wooden crates scattered across the floor. Cursing, he attempted to stack them but soon gave up and turned away. Letting out an irritated sigh, he stopped at a large barrel and pried the lid open. Quickly, he removed something from the drum, replaced the lid, and stumbled out of the room.
I let go of my pent-up breath. “That could have been bad,” I whispered.
“Yes, we’re lucky it was only Firro and not someone worse.”
“We should leave before someone else finds us.”
Kull hastily rearranged the crates to hide the cupboard, and then I followed him as he crept out of the room, praying I didn’t knock anything over as we left the bottom floor and entered the stairwell.
My pack felt light on my shoulders as we made our way to the top deck. I knew the orb was still in danger of being discovered, but at least I’d found somewhere halfway secure to stash it.
Kull opened a narrow door, and I followed him above deck. Sea spray wetted my cheeks, and the bright sunlight bathed my skin as we crossed the deck. The fog had burned away, leaving a cloudless sky overhead. We stopped to stand at the railing as the ship sailed from the harbor and into the open sea. Crewmen unfurled the sails, and the canvas caught the wind, making the sails billow.
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