Page 2 of Buoy
“Please.” Rhys’ heart thumped painfully in his chest. “Don’t break it.”
“I’m careful.” But as he said the words, Soren tripped, falling to his bottom. He clutched the stone to his chest, keeping it safe. “Sorry.” In a move as graceful as any dancer Rhys had ever witnessed, Soren stood and handed the stone back.
“Thank you.” Rhys gripped it tight. “It’s for my father. It’s supposed to help his pain.”
Soren’s stomach growled again, and he wrapped his thin arms around his waist.
“Don’t they feed you?”
“The adults get first pick, and if we’re running low, I don’t get much of anything.”
Rhys handed him another roll, which he took and nibbled on slowly, seeming to savor every bite.
“So. Do you like flying? I love swimming. Is it anything like swimming?”
“It’s like nothing else.” Rhys enjoyed swimming, but it was nothing compared to flying.
Soren watched him as if he wanted Rhys to elaborate, but he bounced to another topic. “Are your horns like fingernails?” He wiggled his fingers. “Or do they have feeling?” His eyes were so big. And the color shifted in the sun. Some moments they were sapphire blue, others more violet, or indigo. It was magic, Rhys was sure. But what kind he didn’t know.
“How do your eyes do that?” Rhys stepped forward, wanting a closer look. Soren’s ears weren’t pointed, he wasn’t fae. At least not full fae.
“Do what?” Soren crossed his eyes and stuck his tongue out. As he did, a bit of green surged into his irises before it faded away.
“That.”
“Dunno. Just happens? Whatever it is. Can’t see myself.” Soren shrugged, and he took a few steps backward.
They were at the end of the dock.
“You could come to my house? My parents would feed you as much as you wanted.”
Soren shook his head and heaved another great sigh. “Can’t go past the dock.” He waved a hand over the last plank and let out a yelp. Sparks flew around his wrist and he pulled it back. “Captain’s orders. Thinks I’ll run away. But where would I go?” Shuffling, he clasped his hands behind his back. “I want to explore, though. Always cooped up on the ship. It’s boring unless he has me…” He shook his head, and his long hair dropped in his face. “Too much. Too much. Too much.”
“I won’t tell anyone,” Rhys whispered. What was his secret?
“I would.” With that, Soren turned and ran, long hair whipping behind him.
“I’ll come back tomorrow. With food,” Rhys shouted, but didn’t know if Soren heard him.
Rhys didn’t know what Soren would like to eat, so he piled his basket with baked bread, smoked fish, cheese, apples, and jerky. When his parents asked what he was doing, raiding their food so early in the morning, they added even more. He didn’t tell them the child was a pirate, knowing they probably wouldn’t approve.
The sun was just rising when he left his house. Roosters crowed, and the morning workers skittered across the cobblestone street along with him. The docks were busier than he realized they’d be at that hour, and he didn’t see Soren. Not on deck of The Golden Drake, not on the docks, nowhere.
Rhys paced, clutching his basket close and reciting spell recipes in his head to keep himself occupied. He was sure Soren would find him eventually. Unless…
“You really came back.”
Rhys whipped around to find Soren—his pale face smudged with dirt—watching him with big eyes. His hair was a tangled mess that hung over his shoulders. He wore the same oversized shirt from the day before, still barefoot.
“I didn’t think you would.” He dropped his gaze to the basket and Rhys handed it over. “You really brought me food?” Peeking under the cloth covering the goods, he hummed in delight.
Looking around every few steps, Soren led Rhys to a short dock between two ships that hid them from The Golden Drake. “I don’t want Vex or Bellani knowing about you,” he whispered, and dropped the basket to the worn boards before sitting cross-legged.
Rhys joined him on the rough wooden slats and watched him pick through the food. Soren nibbled a bit of almost everything before deciding on the smoked fish. They sat in silence as he ate his fill. Rhys wasn’t sure what to talk about. At the academy, he’d find a way to talk about magic, but he wasn’t sure what Soren’s experience was.
“Thank you for all this.” Soren waved an apple at Rhys before taking a chomp. Juice ran down his chin and he wiped it away with the back of his hand. “So, how long have you lived here?”
Rhys shrugged. “Twelve years. My whole life. Other than when I’m at the academy, that is.”
