Zaraline's point of view
Early the next morn, I was just waking up at the crack of dawn to find Marius quietly scrawing away at a piece of parchment on his desk. He glanced up at me, my movement likely catching his eye.
"Good that you're awake. I was just about to wake you myself. We leave soon."
"Really? So soon?" I sat up, rubbingn the sleep from my eyes. I reached for the brush I had the guard outside retrieve for me, to begin brushing the tangles from my hair.
"I got lucky with boarding passage on a ship called the Sirens Call. I also had a servant clean and repair your old dress for you. It's already packed."
I furrowed my brows. "That's... very considerate of you. Thank you."
"You're welcome," he calmly replied as he continued to write. Just then, a thought crossed my mind, as strange as it might've sounded, I voiced it.
"Do you ever sleep?"
"I do. I will admit I don't get much of it though."
"Why not?"
Marius briefly glanced up at me before looking down at his parchment. "A couple reasons I'm not keen on discussing at this moment. Prepare yourself to leave. I will be passing this off to a courier, then it is down to the socks we go."
~
The Siren's Call was no impressive ship, surely. At the bow of the ship, the wood was carved into the elegant form of an actual siren, her arms held aloft as though she were soaring like a bird.937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdt7s0Lf65w
As I carefully made my way across the plank, A sense of relief bloomed in my chest. I was leaving this wretched city and returning to the north, where I belonged. Although, if I was being truthful with myself, the idea of venturing beyond the Weygate mountains was far more frightening. Not all of the stories could possibly be made up, and none of them were good.
I stood against the railing, out of the way, as I watched sailors come back and forth, carrying the last of the crates on board. And then before long, we were well on our way.
I watched the city of Alderas slowly begin to shrink as the salty wind tossed my hair about my head.
By the time it was but a but a speck, I heard footsteps approaching, and saw a man lean against the railing in the corner of my eye. I glanced over. It was one of the soldiers that had gotten on the ship with Marius. It was the blonde one, who would be gorgeous if only he'd let his facial hair grow. I recalled his name started with a C... Was it Calavius? Yes, I think that was it.
"Zaraline, correct?"
"Yes," I replied, angling my body to face him, yet still leaning against the railing.
"Marius says we're going North to face a dragon. Just the five of us. And you don't even look the least bit terrified."
"I'm terrified of having to cross the mountains. Facing the dragon will be the easy part."
"Really, now? What's so scary about some mountains? Aren't you afraid of getting eaten?"
"Well," I began, "Some folk speak of tall and slender wraiths with blue skin who haunt the mountains. They supposedly do a variety of awful things to travelers who dare attempt to cross the mountains. Others say there are witches who animate great golems of ice that patrol the only passages between the mountains."
"That scares you more than a dragon?" Calavius scoffed. "You northerners have always struck me as strange."
"I can easily say the same for you southerners. Truly, have you ever met a dragon?"
"Met a dragon? No way in the three hells have I -ever- met a dragon. Why? Have you?"
"I have. She was nice, and told a lot of jokes. As I child, I thought they were hilarious, but looking back now, they were awfully corny."
Calavius tilted his head, his eyes narrowed. A small grin tugged the corners of his lips. "Really, now? Tell me one, then." There was one in particular I remembered.
"Why are all dragons great storytellers?"
There was a moment of silence as Calavius tried to think of the answer. "No clue. Why?"
"Because they all have tails."
His grin grew a bit wider. "You're right. That's pretty corny." He half-turned, facing me now as he also leaned against the railing. "Are all dragons that jovial?"
"I don't know. Are all Humans good people?"
"I see your point."
"Exactly," I told him, before turning back to face out to sea. By now, the shore was but a thin sliver on the Horizon. In the distance, a deep roll of thunder echoed over the Bay of Storms.
ns 15.158.61.5da2
