Page 29 of Lore of the Tides

And not just land—there was a village in the distance.

Chapter 9

The ship was too large to dock at the anchorage inside the crescent-shape harbor, so it moored well outside. Syrelle stepped into a rowboat hooked onto the ship’s side and offered his hand to Lore. She brushed his hand aside and climbed into the boat without his help, though the skirts of her dress made it difficult. The two guards that had shadowed them from Lore’s room climbed in behind her. A slight nod from Syrelle, and sailors began the process of lowering the dinghy.

The sailors’ eyes were daggers trained on her as the rowboat made its descent; Lore was half convinced that if Syrelle himself hadn’t been in the boat with her, they would have let the ropes slip from their hands to let her tumble into the sea, boat and all.

Lore averted her gaze and pulled the hood of her cloak forward until her face was swathed in shadow. Stilling her hands in her lap to stop from fidgeting with the fabric of her cloak, she turned her back on them, gazing outward toward the village.

Which was remarkable.

Houses and buildings were carved directly into the sheer cliff face that erupted from the ocean, and Lore’s eyes, mesmerized, followed gleaming pathways that wound back and forth across the mountains like stitching in a quilt. Though many houses andbuildings dotted the cliffs, most people seemed to live on the water. Docks built from various types of wood and debris and stitched together with little more than hopes and dreams, speared out in every direction from the short rocky beach.

Slanted houses built one on top of the other sagged from rot caused by constant exposure to the water and the thick, salty air. The entire village looked like the smallest storm should’ve blown every house out to sea, and yet it was a marvel, a testament to resilience.

As their rowboat drew closer to the docks, Lore heard the cries of fae children as they ran down the docks, their bare feet slapping against the wet planks. Some pushed themselves on rafts from one dock to another, their small arms using poles to traverse the slim channels teeming with watercrafts with expertise that surprised Lore. A few boats with tapered edges, these ones better built than the rafts, were filled with brightly colored fruits in knit bags, nuts and spices in woven baskets, and buckets of what looked like salted fish. Others had netting, fishing poles, and fabric piled high as their sun- and salt-weathered owners pushed their boats through the floating village, calling out prices and wares.

One guard steered the dinghy farther into the village, keeping to the outskirts, where the hustle and bustle of the water city was calmer. Their boat was designed to simply transport those from the ship to land; it was not made to traverse the inner channels. It was much too wide and lacked finesse.

“Where are we?” Lore asked, breaking the silence on the boat.

Syrelle smiled, falsely taking her question as a sign that she maybe hated him less since he’d been oh-so-benevolent to let her free from her prison for an afternoon. Truthfully, she would’ve asked the guards, but one guard was looking slightly panicked as he tried to steer the boat, and the other, Thadrik, gave her the creeps.

No matter. Syrelle was quick to give her a reply. “Galjien, as you can see, is unaffected by the blight that the Alytherians suffer from. Their children are numerous and live carefree lives here inthe shallows. Some don’t step foot on land until school age. The water is all they know; all they wish to know.”

Peals of laughter carried on the wind. It rang with the joys of freedom.

“It seems a sort of paradise.”

“You aren’t the first to say this; my grandfather felt the same and spent a few summers here.”

“Ah, I see. Your grandfather must have broughtAuroradelhere.”

“He did. I am hoping that you might catch a signature of it. Maybe if you can feel where the book has been, then it will aid you in our search.”

The dinghy bumped into the dock, jarring Lore a little. She gripped the railing tightly as Thadrik hopped out to tie the boat to a hook jammed into the dock. When the boat was secure, Thadrik tossed a coin to an eager youth with storm-cloud eyes waiting on the dock, to watch the boat while the small group headed into the village.

Lore wasn’t sure she trusted these docks. They rose and fell with the pulse of the ocean, and these ones on the outskirts weren’t as frequented and, therefore, were slick with algae.

She was glad she’d put on the new boots; despite their beauty, the soles had a surprising grip to them. If she had worn her slippers, she would have already slid off the dock, and no doubt cut herself to shreds on the barnacles that had made homes for themselves on every surface they could. Including the sea turtle that lay sunning itself on an abandoned raft.

Lore had never seen such a large turtle before. The ones at home in ponds and rivers had shells no larger than the palm of her hand. Yet here was this gentle sea beast, calmly sleeping, its shell alone larger than the wheel of a six-person carriage.

As she followed Syrelle’s broad shoulders farther down the docks, Lore wondered what would happen if she pushed him off the edge.

No doubt her effort would be wasted. She doubted she could successfully push him, but what if he did manage to stumble and fall? It would be quite satisfying to see his surprised look when his face broke the surface of the water and he pulled himself back onto the deck, his clothes soaking wet. But what good would that do? It would be better to wait until they were on the edge of a cliff.

Lore remembered when they sat side by side on the edge of his cave, their feet dangling hundreds of feet above the raging ocean and jagged, deadly rocks. She could have taken the fish he’d offered her and given him a shove in exchange, but back then, she hadn’t known that he was an imposter.

But then again, the bastard hadwings. Lore resisted the urge to push him and followed him, Thadrik, and the other guard into the village.

Lore was surprised when a pair of antlered children broke away from a gaggle of kiddos and ran toward them.

“Uncle Syrelle! You’re back!”

UncleSyrelle?What?

“Inesca, Iither! Come here!”

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