There. She could feel it. Something was rising from the depths, fighting its way through the unholy cold. She could hear it calling to her, and the echoes of pirate song filled the air. She focused even harder, and the edges of her vision began to go dark. She started to swoon, and Farran knelt immediately by her side, propping her up and wrapping one hand around hers, lending her his strength.
He no longer looked entirely human. Out of the corner of her eye, Lai could see the same barnacles that grew in her room at the Five Sides as they began to rapidly spread across his clothes. His skin started to turn almost grey, its hue matching the water now clamoring for their attention. Seaweed crept through his hair and beard, and the air smelled of smoke and some sort of powder. And blood.
“You are the captain,” Farran whispered. “This power is yours, do not let it own you. You decide how much you can handle.”
With one final effort, Lai screamed, her voice bouncing off the ice and filling the open air like a thunderclap. And then, the ship erupted from the water right in front of them, shattering the ice all around it as it emerged. With a gasp, Lai pulled her hands back and scrambled to her feet, backing up so quickly she almost fell over again. The whole group rapidly retreated from the cascading mounds of snow the vessel pushed out of its way as it rose. And then, there was stillness once more, and Lai stared in awe at the pirate ship she’d called forth.
It was steely grey, and covered with a sheen of blue and silver ice. It had clearly been wrecked, and sunk, long ago. But before their eyes, the frost was creeping its way along broken masts, filling in holes with ice, and stretching itself across shattered boards, holding the pieces of the ship together. Far above them, on the deck and in the rigging, ghostly figures began to appear. Specters of pirates, made of ice and mist, manning their old stations and preparing the ship for departure. Lai could hear them beginning to sing as they worked.
“My crew,” said Farran. “Those that didn’t survive when we sank here, almost seventeen years ago.”
“They’re skeletons?” asked Lai, horrified.
“They are memories,” corrected Farran. Behind him, Darby shuddered and hunched his shoulders, as if trying to disappear deeper into his cloak. “Every one of them a good man, and a better pirate. We couldn’t ask for a more able-bodied crew to sail this ship.” He clapped his hand, and the crew above sprang into action. Ladders were lowered for people to start climbing aboard. Large planks on pulleys were used to raise up the horses and the equipment, and soon only Lai and Farran were left on the frozen ground, waiting to ascend.
“So,” said Farran, “what do you think of her?”
Lai was running her hands along the hull, feeling the ice and wooden planks beneath her fingers. “She’s perfect,” she said truthfully. “I can’t imagine any better ship in the whole world.”
Farran cleared his throat, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Well, I imagine the two of you will get along beautifully.” He reached out and placed a hand beside hers, gazing as fondly at the damaged ship as though it were his oldest friend. “This,” he said, “is The Laila. This was my ship when I met your mother, Adella. This ship is where we fell in love. Where we lived for years. Sailed the world together. And, where we found out she was carrying you.”
“This ship, it’s where I got my name?”
“It is where all of the most important moments of my life have happened,” said Farran. “Including this one.” He gestured to the nearby rope ladder. “Are you ready to board, Captain Blackroot?”
Taking one last look at the ship from below, Lai grinned broadly at him, and made her way quickly up the ladder. Everything on The Laila, from the woodwork to the sails, felt at once familiar and excitingly new. She wanted to explore everything, to see every inch of the ship until she knew it with her eyes closed. Her heart shouted that it was ready to go, and the magic in her blood answered. The moment she set foot on deck, the ice beneath the ship began to crack once more, melting rapidly into ship-worthy ocean. She felt every eye turn to her as she marched confidently to the helm, not needing to be told where it was or how to man it.
Lai took her place behind the wheel, and looked up at the icy pirates overhead. There was no need to shout orders, they knew what she desired in her heart. Immediately the sails were hoisted, and a gust of wind filled the canvas with a satisfying snap. Fox was by her side, smiling proudly at her. Farran joined them on the quarterdeck, and saluted. “Anchors aweigh, Captain Blackroot.”
“It’s Captain Laila,” she said firmly. She turned to Fox. “Well then, wayfinder? Where do we go from here?”
Unstopping a bottle of blackest ink, Fox leapt onto the railing, balancing himself precariously on the frosted beam. He poured out the entire bottle, and a map began to etch its way into the ice and wood of the deck. A map to where, Lai didn’t know. But with the wind in her sails, and the ocean beneath her feet, she knew she was unstoppable.
Sailing off into the darkening sky as night fell around them, Lai started to sing. And, as the crew joined in, the voices of the living and the dead joined in flawless harmony, telling the world: the pirates were coming.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To the Cards, as always: I could not be the person I am, and live the amazing life I do, without your love and care. I would never have made it this far on my own, and I can never thank you enough for that.
To Dad and Laura: Thank you for combing through literally every typo and hiccup, to help me polish this manuscript so quickly. For every time you dropped everything to read the chapters I’d sent you, I APPRECIATE YOU! Let’s do it all again next year, shall we?
ALSO to Dad: These maps just keep getting better and better! Thank you for crafting the places I've imagined into a such a perfect work of art.
To Fiona Jayde, my cover designer: You did it AGAIN! Thank you so much for continuing to bring my vision to life!
To every member of my team at Random Encounter Productions: Thank you for putting up with me nightly as I scrambled to finish this book on time. For every time any of you stepped in to cover the tech, or held me as I cried after an emotional show, or just accepted my meltdowns, I can’t begin to put my gratitude into words.
To Cody: You’ve always believed in me. For that, and for so many other things every single day, thank you. I couldn’t wish for a better partner to chase dreams with.
And, finally, to Mom: You raised me with a sense of purpose and passion. Now, it’s time to put it to a test. Thank you for who you taught me to be. I’ll try and do us both proud.
Inkspice (The Mapweaver Chronicles Book 2) Page 33