Page 79 of Seaborn and the Seven Seas

By the time the pod fell behind us and the whale didn’t resurface again, the children had lost interest and gathered for the morning meal. Hellena herded them toward the same place they’d eaten yesterday, promising there’d be more to see later if they ate first.

After the meal, Jimin rounded up the children with mops nearly as tall as they were, putting them to work scrubbing the deck. What should have been a chore turned into a game.

Hope swung her mop like a sword until Faith splashed her with the bucket, cold water spattering across both their feet. We all had a good laugh. Sunny sang a half-remembered tune under her breath while she worked, the rest of them picking it up until the whole deck rang with their voices, off-key and delighted, scrubbing in time to a song none of them quite knew all the words to.

Hellena found me near the mast, watching the children, and settled beside me with a small, tired smile.

“Where is he taking us?” she asked, nodding toward Theron, who stood at the wheel, watching the horizon.

“He has a contact,” I said, holding her hand. “Someone he trusts. He says you and the children will be well looked after.”

Hellena was quiet for a moment, her eyes following the children as they worked. “Each of us carries gemstones,” she said. “We kept some in our pockets on the day we escaped. I didn’t think to mention it before now. If Theron needs them for safe passage, for whatever it costs to keep us somewhere safe, we’re willing to give them up.”

My chest tightened. After everything they’d already given—their years, their labor, the people they’d buried along the way—they were still ready to hand over the one thing that might be worth something, just for the promise of safety.

Some of us took safety for granted.

“I’ll tell him,” I said. “But I don’t think he’d ask that of you.”

The rest of the day passed slow and easy, the ship cutting steady through open water, the children’s energy finally burning down by afternoon into quieter games, then naps in patches of sun along the deck. The elders settled into the rhythm of the sea better as the hours wore on, color returning to faces that had been gray that morning.

By the time the sun dipped low, and the first stars appeared overhead, the ship couldn’t get close enough to dock, and we were ferried in smaller boats toward shore.

Houses rose in layered tiers up the side of a great hill, stacked one above the other, golden light spilling from the windows. At the base, a waterfall poured down a cliff face, catching what little daylight remained and flashing silver.

Beside me, Hope had gone silent, staring out at the same view, beside her Faith’s and Sunny’s eyes rounded in awe.

“Is that real?” Hope whispered. “I’ve never seen such a beautiful city in my entire life.”

It was, without question, the most breathtaking city I had ever seen so far.

“You’re only seven.” I laughed. “You still have many more to visit.”

“Auris,” came the voice that made my heart skip a beat. “Richest kingdom of the seven seas, next to Caelum. If you ask that question to the merchants who live here, they’ll tell Auris is the best kingdom of them all, usually before you’ve even asked.”

“It’s beautiful.” Helena sighed. “I don’t mind living here. I’m from the Red Sea, Kingdom of Solara. All our homes are set on sand.”

“It’s so hot there.” Hope grimaced, her friends agreeing.

Well, that answered where they came from.

“Do you live here, Pirate Theron?” Sunny asked timidly.

“No.” He snorted. “This…” he tapped the deck with his boot. “Is my home.”

The kids snickered, their laughter contagious.

“When we reach land, don’t speak to strangers,” Theron said, his gaze bouncing from one person to the next. “My contact runs one of the trading houses near the upper terraces. Jeju pearls move through here more than anywhere else in the seven seas, which means people like the Seelie queen’s buyers move through here too. It’s safe, but if you come across the wrong crowd, it can be dangerous.” His gaze landed on me. “Stay close.”

Why did those words sound so personal?

“Time to board the boats!” Ranis shouted from the forecastle deck.

Jimin echoed the call from the top of the ratlines, making sure everyone heard, then slid down the rope, his braid bouncing against his back. The children gawked at him, wide-eyed, when he landed without a sound.

Getting everyone into the smaller boats took longer than I expected. Crew members worked the ropes at davits along the rail, lowering each boat hand over hand until it bobbed level with a rope ladder strung over the side.

One by one, the children climbed down. Ranis was already below in the rowboat, arms out to catch anyone who slipped. The elders went next, slower, gripping the ladder with white-knuckled hands while Jimin steadied the rope from above and murmured, reassuring each of them in turn.