Page 9 of The Searching Songbird

“Violet's going off to University by herself, and she and I are the same age.”

“It's not the same. She's going to a respected establishment within the kingdom.”

“Flores has an excellent reputation. It's supposed to be one of the greatest cities in Roshka, full of people from every kingdom, living together in harmony. Just think of how much I could grow as a performer, just by being there.”

He sighed, rubbing an agitated hand over his beard. “If you're absolutely sure you want to do this...”

“I am.”

“Then I'm going to insist you let Captain Melbrooke take you on his ship. I'll feel a lot better if I know you're with someone I trust, at least while you're traveling.”

“When will he be making the trip? I was hoping to leave as soon as possible.”

Her father narrowed his eyes at her. “What's the hurry?”

I'm afraid if I wait too long, I'll be too late to save her. “I'm just anxious to get started. You know how it is...”

He pressed his lips together, studying her. “I'll have to check with him first, but I'm fairly certain he'll be leaving here sometime next week. He usually sails from Tallis to Flores, with a short stop in Devon on the way. I assume next week is soon enough...?”

“Yes, of course. Next week is perfect.” She jumped to her feet, moving around the table so that she could throw her arms around his broad shoulders. “Thank you, Papa.”

He grunted, clearly unhappy with the whole thing, but he wrapped his arms around her, none-the-less. “I happen to know a few people down that way, the Carroways. They own a tavern in the upper village and occasionally take in borders, as well. I'd like to write to them, let them know you're coming. I know you want to make your own way in Flores, but it would make me feel better if you had a safe place to stay when you arrive.”

“That would be nice. Thank you.” She pressed a kiss against his rough cheek. Stepping back, she looked over at her sisters, who were watching the scene with matching grins. “I'm going to Flores!”

She let out an excited squeal, and her sisters laughed as they rushed over to envelope her in a group hug. She squeezed them back, thinking about how much she would miss them. It was almost enough to diminish her excitement. Almost. She had a mission to focus on, after all.

She was going to find the dragon.

Chapter Six

There weren't many passengers on board the Star Drifter to begin with, and among the handful of paying travelers, there most certainly weren't many women. In fact, there was only one. So, it wasn't all that surprising that this particular young woman, with her golden hair flying freely in the wind and big, blue eyes sparkling with excitement, should garner as much attention as she did.

Draven ground his teeth in annoyance as yet another crew member slowed his steps to gape at her. What was her father thinking, allowing her to sail off to a foreign land without any kind of companion along for protection? Well, there was the supposed phoenix the boss had warned him about, if you counted fairy-tale creatures as companions. But still. She was a damn siren, just asking to be molested by one of these unscrupulous louts who kept leering at her.

Speaking of unscrupulous louts, aren't you on board for that very reason? Minus the molesting part, of course, but his motives could hardly be considered noble. It was a stroke of luck, really, when he'd discovered she was planning to sail to Flores. Although it was located on the southern coast of Roshka, it really wasn't all that far from Antos, and her disappearance would be much less suspect.

And yet, it grated at him how easily she put herself in danger.

“Grant.”

A hand clamped on his shoulder, and he started. Captain Melbrooke stood beside him. “Did you find everything you needed? All settled in?” The question was congenial enough, but there was a hardness to the older man's voice that caught Draven off guard.

“Yes, sir. I stowed my bag down in the bunk already and thought I'd get some air, stretch my legs a bit.”

“Good, good. Glad to have you on board.” He didn't sound glad, but it was hard to tell for sure. Perhaps he was naturally gruff from having spent so much time at sea.

“I'm grateful to be on board, sir. My sister's waiting for me in Roshka, and I'm eager to reach her.”

“We'll get you there in no time, if these winds keep up.” The captain shifted his gaze over to where the target stood by the rail. “Should be a pleasant trip, so long as everyone minds themselves.” He cut his gaze back to Draven, his eyes narrowing to slits. “And just to be clear, Miss Delaney is the daughter of one of my closest friends. Should anything happen to her while she's in my care, the consequences would be... severe.”

So, she wasn't alone, after all. Good. Only because I'm not planning to make my move until we're in Roshka. I wouldn't want someone else getting to her first. That's all.

“I'm sure her father will be happy to know she has someone like you looking out for her.” He met the captain's eyes, giving him what he hoped was an earnest expression. The older man grunted in reply, giving him another hard slap on the shoulder before walking off and shouting at a crew member who had stopped to speak with the target. The man paled at the captain's harsh tone and scurried away.

He'll have his work cut out for him, keeping the rats clear of that one.

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Draven turned on his heel and sauntered off down the deck. A stiff drink and some poker, that's what he needed. The target would keep until they arrived in Flores. He forced himself not to glance back over his shoulder for one last look, even as the memory of those blue eyes all lit up with excitement made him itch to see the real thing one more time.