Page 17 of Beacon

My eyebrows rose in curiosity, earning me one of his wide grins.

“I hoped you’d be intrigued. I shall satisfy your curiosity momentarily.”

We neared a side entrance where the posted guard admitted us. Though his stoic expression didn’t falter, surprise filled his eyes upon seeing a common girl accompanying the prince. Heat warmed my cheeks, an embarrassment that lingered as Prince Owen guided me through the hallways, seemingly oblivious to the prickling stares of the servants we passed when they saw me on his arm.

“The palace contains a rather large library, though one not nearly as impressive as you’d find in any of the kingdoms on the mainland. My eldest brother managed to acquire many books during his seafaring days, acquisitions that included several maps.”

Thankfully, the walk to the library was short, allowing me to take refuge from the curious stares of those we passed in the corridors. Though not large, the room was grand, with a floor and balcony lined with towering shelves, all packed with gilded volumes. Prince Owen seemed proud to show off the collection, but his cheerful expression quickly faltered.

“I’d forgotten you can’t read, but not to worry, I can assist you on your search. Luckily, literacy isn’t a requirement to read maps, so they should still be of use to you.” He led me to a table and heaved open the atlas resting upon it. “If you show me your father’s route, I can send a search party to look for him.”

My gaze snapped up from the map I’d been perusing to gape at him. He’d truly send some of his men to search for a mere lighthouse keeper?Why?

Crimson stained his cheeks at my blatant shock. “There’s no need to be surprised. It’s the least I can do after you rescued me. Please allow me to repay you.”

He looked so earnest that I could only nod. At my acceptance, he scooted the atlas towards me in invitation to peruse its vast array of maps. I flipped through the book, staring wide-eyed at each in turn, overwhelmed by how many it contained. Despite living near the ocean, I was unfamiliar with maps, leaving me unsure where to begin.

When the prince realized this, he rummaged through the shelves for a book that, based on the illustrations it contained, seemed to be about various trades. I flipped through it until I found a drawing of fish to indicate Father was also a fisherman.

Prince Owen brightened. “That narrows things downs considerably.”

He flipped to a section containing maps that outlined various fishing routes, but considering I had no knowledge about Father’s fishing locations, these proved useless, leaving me no further information to offer. Father too had become withdrawn following Mother’s death, and without the words to ask him questions, my knowledge about his trade was limited.

The prince studied my expression as intently as he perused the maps and noticed my discouragement. “Knowing he’s a fisherman is a great start. I can begin an inquiry with the other fishermen in the area to learn more about the areas they fish in hopes of narrowing down the route he might have taken. So don’t be discouraged, we’ve still made progress.”

Despite his encouragement, my frustration wasn’t so easily abated. I wasn’t sure what the prince could learn through his inquiry. Father’s routes varied based on which lighthouse he left from, and the one he’d departed from a few weeks ago wouldn’t be from any of the locations other fishermen knew about.

He frowned. “You still seem disheartened, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to figure out his route; there are only so many from the island where we met—” His brows furrowed when I shook my head. “Did he not leave from there? But…where else could he have left from? No ships ever leave the royal beach, leaving no other possibilities from your two lighthouses.”

I held up two fingers, shook my head again, then lifted my other fingers one by one. Surprise widened his eyes.

“You own more than two?” At my nod he nudged the atlas towards me. “If you could show me where the others are, then I could…” His words faltered when I firmly closed the book. “Do you not know how to find them on the map?”

I shook my head, feeling entirely useless. How could I possibly tell him about our lighthouse’s other locations? The easiest solution would be just to simply show him. As reluctant as I was to divulge the lighthouse’s powers, the prince’s sincere intentions to assist me would amount to nothing if I couldn’t offer him the information he needed, which included showing him the place Father had last set sail.

Part of me was thrilled at the thought of being able to show him the lighthouse’s secret, a wish that extended beyond the practicality doing so required. I couldn’t explain my desire to share this part of my life with him. I beckoned him to follow, and despite his puzzlement, he obeyed.

I led him outside and retraced our earlier steps towards my lighthouse. Once we’d entered and reached the top of the twisting staircase, I retrieved a lilac crystal from the chest, clicked it in place, and lit the flame. The magical glow filled the room, causing the lighthouse to shift as it transported us to the secret island. The prince’s eyes rounded in amazement. The moment the lighthouse settled, he hurried to the window to take in the changed scenery.

“We—what—?” His mouth remained agape as he turned to me. “What happened? Did the lighthouse move?”

I tapped the side of the lighthouse and pushed my hands in a downward motion towards the floor to indicate that the lighthouse had stayed before motioning to us and walking across the room to indicate we’d been the ones to change locations.

“Amazing.” His wide gaze took in the scenery outside the window. “Wait…I recognize this place. This is the island where we met.” He seemed satisfied to have finally solved the mystery of how I could live at different lighthouses so far apart from one another. “Is this where your father set sail?”

I shook my head and took out a green crystal to slide beneath the flickering flame. The lighthouse shifted and transported us again, this time to my home village where my uncle was currently staying. I pressed a finger to the prince’s lips to instruct him to be quiet while I checked whether the coast was clear. I tried to ignore the pleasant warmth such a simple touch caused as I listened for any sound of Uncle downstairs, but all was quiet; he was likely having his usual drink in the village pub. My shoulders sank in relief that I wouldn’t be forced to see him.

I led Prince Owen to the beach to show him where Father’s boat had disembarked, along with the piece from his boat that Octavius had brought me. He traced his finger over the remainder of each letter ofStarfishcarved into the wood, his expression solemn. After a moment he lifted his gaze to search the horizon, lost in thought.

“I’m not sure how to even begin looking for him. The easiest way to find your father would be our family’s enchanted map…but unfortunately, Captain Farrell has borrowed it for his current voyage. He’s not due back for several weeks, which is too long for us to wait to take action.”

I furrowed my brow in surprise at his reference to an enchanted map, but he didn’t seem to notice.

He bit his lip, considering. “I can use the time he’s at sea to make inquiries as well as send out search parties until the map can provide us with a clearer direction.”

Though I appreciated his assistance, I was still left discouraged. My shoulders slumped in defeat, and he rested a gentle hand on my arm.

“It’ll be alright, Marisa. We’ll figure something out. I promise.”

---