Page 14 of A World Enough

Margot laughed. “You don’t sound too convincing.”

“Honestly…I don’t think so.”

“This breeze is like heaven,” Brogan said.

Camber couldn’t believe Brogan had lasted till they had nearly crossed the bay to talk for the first time. She gave Brogan a pointed look.

Their boatman chewed on his hujal root, a practice that was addicting and detrimental to life. He took it out of his mouth and spat the disgusting brown saliva overboard.

“Your friend doesn’t look like she’s from around these parts. She’s burning up in our heat, and that accent! Not to mention those blue coloured pantaloons she’s wearing.”

Brogan looked down at her jeans. “These are—”

Camber cut her off. “They are spiritual clothes where she’s from.”

Brogan raised an eyebrow to Camber.

She continued, “I met her on my travels and promised to bring her to see the two moons at nightfall.”

“Ah, there is no more beautiful sight.”

That appeared to appease him. The boat travelled past Temple City, and Brogan looked at it in awe. “What is this?”

“It’s the Temple, where the gods commune with us, if we are lucky,” the boatman said.

Brogan was obviously not good at taking instruction, because she kept talking.

“It looks like Egypt.”

“Egypt?” he said in a questioning voice.

Brogan cast a worried look to Camber. Good, she knew she had to shut up.

“It’s just a place I read about once.”

“Hmm. How long since you’ve been back to Temple City?” he asked Camber.

“Not long. I last met my family there, when my sister’s baby was to be blessed.” Camber thought she’d covered that quite well.

“The gods are a blessing to this world.”

“Yes, a blessing.”

Camber managed to keep Brogan quiet until their journey was over. She thanked the boatman and started to clamber over the sand dunes. There wasn’t an elaborate dock here, as very few people travelled this way.

As soon as they were over the dunes and the boatman started on his way back, Camber rounded on Brogan.

“What is wrong with you? I told you to be quiet and follow my instructions if you wanted my help, or is it that you don’t want my help? You’re trying to expose me?”

“Expose you?” Brogan took steps forward until she was inches from Camber. “I could have done that many times, but no, I haven’t, and that’s because I’m telling the truth about who I am, but you don’t want to trust me.”

“I trust no one, and I’m going out of my way to help. I haven’t come on this journey lightly. I could have been gone.”

“Don’t ever shout in my face like that,” Brogan said.

“Why don’t you just find your own way.”

“Fine, just give me my things out of your little magic bag, and I’ll be gone.”