Page 54 of The Sea Witch
While they rowed toward the shore, Alys studied the island. From what she’d been able to assess, it wasn’t more than three miles from one end to the other. Just beyond the shallow white sand beach, the land was heavily forested with thick-trunked trees and swathed in green shadow. Past the forest, the land rose up in a sharp volcanic peak, but there were no ominous rumblingsor columns of smoke to indicate that an eruption might happen anytime soon.
“Will we stomp through anyone’s settlement?” she asked Ben.
“It’s been decades since anyone lived here,” he answered.
At last, they reached the beach, where waves the color of Ben’s eyes crested and crashed.
Remembrance flickered. Yet this beach wasn’t the same as the one they’d visited in their dream. Just the same, he also scanned the shore, searching for a hint of what might be.
Everyone disembarked to drag the jolly boat up the sand. It was agreed upon that Cora and Thérèse would stay with the small vessel while Alys, Ben, Stasia, and Susannah sought the waterfall.
“Lead us to it, Sailing Master,” Alys commanded him.
He gave a rueful smile. “We’ll learn its whereabouts together.”
She glowered at him. “No time for fibbing and games. Take us to the Weeping Princess.”
“The one time I came to this island, I was in search of pirates, not legendary waterfalls.”
Stasia let out a long string of curses.
“You said we’d have need of you once we were ashore,” Alys snapped. “That supposedlyyouknewwhere we were going.”
“I can make myself useful on an expedition,” he answered, “even if I don’t know where we’re headed.”
Alys stepped closer to him, and demanded in a low hiss, “Then how did we see it in your dream, if you’ve never actually been there or clapped eyes on it yourself?”
“That, I cannot say. When I came here before, we had a sailor with us, Burgos, descended from the people who once lived here. He told me of the waterfall, but we never ventured inland to find it.”
“Yet you and I, wesawit in our dream.”
“Perhaps...” Ben’s brow furrowed. “Perhaps something in itcalls outto be found.”
She rubbed her chin. “If the fail-safe uses magic, it might link with the dreamwalking somehow. There’s still so much of magic I—” She stopped herself. Telling him how little she knew of the ways of magical power gavehimtoo much power.
“Tracking is one of my skills,” he said.
“Goddamnit,” Alys growled. “I should make you wait with the jolly boat.”
“But it’s safer to have more of us in our party,” he pointed out. “In case anyone gets into trouble.”
“You’retrouble.” Yet what he said made sense. Besides, she could more easily keep an eye on him if he was with her.
Finally, she snarled, “Anythingsuspicious—”
“Your second-in-command is quite eager to shoot me.”
Alys planted her hands on her hips and looked toward the thick steaming jungle, where, God willing, the fail-safe was hidden.
“Move out,” she said decisively. “And if youdotry anything, Sailing Master, it’ll bemyflintlock that tears through that body of yours.”
“The terrain off the beach is too rugged and rocky to make passage possible,” Ben explained to the group. “The lone means of going forward is ascending the gradual slope of the volcanic peak.”
“Scout for us, my lovely girl,” the quartermaster said to her magpie. The bird twittered and then flew off. She caught Ben staring at her and snarled, “What?”
“You talk to that bird with more warmth than you use with humans,” he answered.
“Humans have far less wit than Eris.”
