I leaned over the side of the boat, the waves rocking the ship in a steady flow up and down as we cast off from shore. The world spun around me, and I threw up my breakfast into the Golden Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh-ho, somebody\u2019s still missing their sea legs,\u201d\u00a0a sailor yelled from behind me, laughing loudly. Finnan had retreated somewhere else on the boat, far away from me. Not because he was also seasick but because he was a sympathy puker. He\u2019d bolted the minute my pink, freckly face started to turn green.\u00a0Coward.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Captain Serpentis was at the Onyx Glory\u2019s helm, steering us through the rough patch of tumbling wake as we set sail toward the depths of the sea.\u00a0\u201cIf I\u2019d have known you had the stomach of a babe, I might not have let you join my crew, Kithri,\u201d\u00a0he shouted over the crash of the salty waves. The rest of the crew chorused in laughter, going about their duties on the deck of the ship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The mainsail unraveled as we got further from the shore, catching in the wind and pulling us into the cerulean waters.\u00a0Why\u2019d they call this the Golden Sea if the water was blue?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n My stomach settled a little as we transitioned from shoreline to deep waters, but it could just have been that I had nothing left in my stomach. I groaned, sliding down against the wooden hull of the ship to sit on the deck with my eyes squeezed shut. Only six days of this. I could make it that long. At least, I was pretty sure I could survive it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Who\u2019d have guessed that adventuring took a stomach of steel?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sun\u2019s warmth disappeared as a shadow loomed over me, dulling the light behind my eyelids.\u00a0\u201cFinn, it\u2019s still not safe for you to be over here,\u201d\u00a0I said, assuming my friend had rejoined me instead of cowering wherever he\u2019d run off to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot Finn,\u201d\u00a0an unfamiliar, nasal-toned male voice answered me.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m assuming your friend isn\u2019t interested in learning the medicinal arts with how fast he ran from you when you started getting sick.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou could say that again,\u201d\u00a0I muttered, not opening my eyes. Water crashed against the side of the ship and the deck tilted. I groaned again, feeling the dizzying, stomach turning coming back to me.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n A large hand picked my limp arm off the ship deck and held it up, placing a smooth ceramic in my grip, and gently pushing the item toward my face. \u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve been perfecting this anti-nausea tonic for years,\u201d\u00a0the man said.\u00a0\u201cHalf the ship is on it, so I don\u2019t know where they get off laughing at you for being sick. They\u2019re sailors and they can\u2019t all keep their biscuits in their bellies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I sipped at a hot liquid, a sweet-spicy smell curling up my nose and momentarily dulling the scent of seaweed and sweating, unbathed seamen. The tonic\u2019s taste matched its sweet and spiced scent, reminding me of one of Ma\u2019s special Wintertide desserts \u2014 ginger spice cake. My stomach finally truly settled. I finished a few more gulps of this miracle potion before opening my eyes and releasing a sigh of relief into the hot air of open waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The man was squatting in front of me and grinned a wide, toothy smile, after seeing me come to. His expressive brown eyes lit up happily as I took another grateful sip of the tonic. His thick, dark brown hair was styled in a short, slicked back cut that didn\u2019t budge, even with the sea wind.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHave we met before?\u201d\u00a0I asked. Few humans came to Hill Hollow since our accommodations for tall-folk were severely lacking, but it wasn\u2019t out of the question. There was something familiar about him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The man inspected me with a thoughtful curiosity but then shook his head.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m not sure. I\u2019ve been to many places in my life, so it\u2019s a possibility.\u201d\u00a0His cheerful and easygoing nature became more apparent with every second we spent staring at each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHave you gone to Hill Hollow Shire in the last ten years or so?\u201d\u00a0I asked.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s only a few days\u2019 walk inland from Bhay Bridge Harbor. A small farming community, mostly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He shook his head again.\u00a0\u201cI did learn about Hill Hollow after news of the Stormreach raid but haven\u2019t had the time to venture that far into Dellegan, unfortunately.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0\u201cHmm,\u201d\u00a0I said, ignoring the fact that he mentioned the raid. I squinted, hoping that would spur further recognition. He did sort of look like a man I remembered from one of my dreams. It was a dream about six humans, three men and three women, who were all living in a big city and good friends with each other despite having very different lives. Some of them even lived in separate homes that were connected by a shared hallway. The man before me looked exactly like the sweet one who really liked eating food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I probably shouldn\u2019t say he looked like someone I\u2019d dreamed of,\u00a0right<\/em>? I didn\u2019t even know his name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m Toni Piccnich, by the way,\u201d\u00a0he said like he was reading my mind or something. We shook hands, and he smiled again.\u00a0\u201cFeeling better now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n My stomach hadn\u2019t roiled in protest in at least two minutes. That was a record at this point.\u00a0\u201cMy name\u2019s Kithri. Is your job to be the ship\u2019s miracle worker?\u201d\u00a0I asked, laughing and accepting his help to stand. He was about the height of two of me stacked on top of each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toni laughed.\u00a0\u201cIt has a nice ring to it. But it wasn\u2019t a miracle, I\u2019m afraid to say. However, I grew up and studied at a convent on the Whispering Isles to be a traveling healer. I was looking for work in Port Grendlys when the captain found me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPort Grendlys?\u201d\u00a0I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toni nodded with a flinch of understanding. Apparently, it was very evident that I\u2019d not been far from the shire.\u00a0\u201cA port city in X\u2019onair, right above the western Aridlands.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n X\u2019onair<\/em>? That was so far away. Was that where these Whispering Isles were, too?\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve never heard of it,\u201d\u00a0I replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMost haven\u2019t if they haven\u2019t lived a life at sea, so you\u2019re in the majority here.\u201d\u00a0Toni said, patting my shoulder with a flat hand.\u00a0\u201cAnyhow, Captain Serpentis offered me the job on board after I cured a couple of his sailors of scurvy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid they not think to bring fruits or veggies on the ship with them?\u201d\u00a0I asked, scratching my head. I\u2019d never stepped foot on a ship before, but knew those were essential foods for staying healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey do now,\u201d\u00a0Toni cackled,\u00a0\u201cAnd I\u2019m happy to make a wage telling them things they outta already know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finn\u2019s curly back hair caught my eye from across the ship. He was peeking at us as we chatted, over a banister on the upper deck at an incredibly safe distance. I waved him over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cToni, this is my best friend, Finnan Windwick. He\u2019s an extraordinary librarian\u2019s assistant from Hill Hollow Shire. And, now that we\u2019re friends, you can call me Kit, if you like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toni shook Finn\u2019s hand vigorously, speaking in fluent Gnomish, too fast for me to understand. Finn\u2019s eyebrows practically disappeared off his forehead for how fast they shot up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My<\/em>\u00a0Gnomish wasn\u2019t the most practiced. Finn and I only used it for code when we were around my family and wanted to talk about something Ma and Da would disapprove of my partaking in. I also learned all the Gnomish curses, which came in handy at this particular moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSnail\u2019s eggs! You know Gnomish?\u201d\u00a0Finn gasped, responding in his native language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toni nodded enthusiastically and said,\u00a0\u201cYes!\u00a0Something, something\u00a0<\/bdi><\/bdo><\/em>the Whispering Isles, and\u00a0insert\u00a0<\/em>more details explaining what he was talking about<\/bdi><\/bdo><\/em>, Veeshray.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Veeshray was the ruling deity of those who lived on the Whispering Isles, as well as in different religious sects around the world. It was said that the god built the archipelago to house all those who wished to serve the god of prophecy and salve of the downtrodden.\u00a0No wonder Toni\u2019s medicine had worked a miracle on my stomach.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The cool touch of shadow hit my back as I attempted to interpret the speedy Gnomish conversation between my best friend and new friend. I looked behind me and craned my neck to meet Captain Malcolm Serpentis\u2019s gaze. His cool, gray eyes sparked with the same kind of trickery I recognized in Finnan\u2019s general existence and demeanor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCaptain,\u201d\u00a0I said, saluting. I\u2019d been told I didn\u2019t need to, but I liked to salute. Conversation halted behind me as Toni and Finn realized we\u2019d been joined by another member.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He stared down at me, a sense of humor hiding behind his commanding presence.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m happy to see that our new recruit is no longer greener than the sea,\u201d\u00a0he said after fully appraising my state of being.\u00a0\u201cNow, there\u2019s rigging to be collected and a poop deck to scrub. Mr. Piccnich, I ask you to see a couple of sailors who suffered rope burns when untying the sails. There\u2019s plenty of time to chatter after the dinner bell rings tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finn caught me glancing sideways at him and put a finger on his long, pointed nose.\u00a0\u201cI won\u2019t be going near anything named a poop deck,\u201d\u00a0he said once the captain had walked away.\u00a0\u201cBest of luck to you on that chore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat a gentleman,\u201d\u00a0I scolded him while also worrying about what in the world a poop deck was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ***<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the next three days, I learned about the different parts of a ship. A poop deck wasn\u2019t what I\u2019d initially thought it was \u2014 \u00a0it was\u00a0much less<\/em>\u00a0grotesque than I\u2019d first imagined \u2014 and I quickly learned all of the different duties of a deckhand. It was pretty similar to doing chores around oak home. The same amount of complaining about chores happened around me on the ship as it did at home, that was for certain. Only it was towering grown-ups muttering about their tasks this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I also learned why the Golden Sea was named as such. Each morning and evening, when the sun descended into or ascended from the water, the entire sea lit up sparkling gold, like the very touch of the sun set it on fire. It was the most beautiful sight I\u2019d ever seen. More beautiful than fresh honey cakes out of the stove.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n In nineteen years, I\u2019d never said a sight was more beautiful than honey cakes. Finn\u00a0had to<\/em>\u00a0agree with me when I told him about my ranking of the Golden Sea that first evening on the ship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On our fourth day on the sea journey, the sky darkened, and the sea began to thrash about with terrible violence. In the far distance, I saw an island with giant, craggy mountains reaching up into lightning-filled clouds, like they were grasping for the power of the storm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toni had muddled some strange yellow-green plant in a bowl next to me as I mended some nets for Captain Serpentis. I pulled out my coal and drawing pad, quickly sketching the island as it grew incrementally bigger on the horizon. I\u2019d fill in more detail when I had time later when we were finally off this rickety, rocking ship.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI expected Tonirn to be a lot bigger than this,\u201d\u00a0I said absentmindedly as I sketched a mountainside disappearing into the fog of clouds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toni looked up from his muddling, confused.\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019re not sailing that fast to already be there,\u201d\u00a0he said, but then followed my gaze to the landmass ahead of us.\u00a0\u201cOh, that\u2019s not Tonirn, Kit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n How was I supposed to know what a faraway country would look like when approaching by ship if I\u2019d never seen it before?\u00a0\u201cWell, what is that then?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The stone muddler clinked against the bowl as Toni continued to press his mush.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s Stormreach. I should have thought to warn you\u2026\u201d\u00a0Toni said an apologetic sigh followed after he trailed off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I gulped but found it hard to swallow. Some of the raiders who attacked my village were probably still alive, living on that island.\u00a0\u201cI didn\u2019t realize we\u2019d be passing Stormreach as we traveled to Tonirn,\u201d\u00a0I said, trying my best to keep my tone flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe never usually run into problems with the\u2013\u201d\u00a0Toni halted mid-sentence, very clearly thinking about what he was about to say.\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ve never had problems with the inhabitants of Stormreach before now. We\u2019ll pass by and be on our way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finn rushed down to us from the helm on the main deck. He\u2019d helped Captain Serpentis navigate the last couple of days while I learned some map-making skills or practiced another one of my useful talents, such as sewing, for instance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got a problem,\u201d\u00a0he said, looking back frantically at the looming island of Stormreach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I closed my eyes and shook my head.\u00a0\u201cYou have to be joking. Toni just said they\u2019ve never had problems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was wishful speaking,\u201d\u00a0Toni admitted.\u00a0\u201cWhen the inhabitants of Stormreach are on their island, they\u2019re are harmless. But when they\u2019ve set sail\u2026 \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finnan closed the distance between us and grabbed my trembling hands. This couldn\u2019t be happening to me. I wasn\u2019t ready to face them yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCaptain Serpentis said to prepare the ship for boarding. He told me to go with you into the captain\u2019s quarters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy do we need to go into his quarters?\u201d\u00a0I asked. I wasn\u2019t sure if I\u00a0wanted<\/em>\u00a0to know the answer to my question, but I did need to know why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCaptain Colten Hellbringer, dread captain of the Stormreach, has a thing against the small-folk. Doesn\u2019t matter who you are,\u201d\u00a0Toni said, nervously adjusting the binder under his loose, black shirt. Why would a pirate who mostly stuck to the seas have a vendetta against small-folk, who generally stuck to farmland? Was this pirate Captain Hellbringer part of the raid on my village? Had he continued on in other shires like Hill Hollow?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n My mind wandered to the northern shire of Dellegan, Deep Root. Finn grew up there and never mentioned an attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A moment passed in painful silence. Neither Finn nor Toni could answer the question burning its way to the surface within me. But then, Captain Serpentis strode down the stairs from the helm toward us.\u00a0\u201cYou two need to get below deck now,\u201d\u00a0he instructed, pointing at Finn and me and motioning for us to leave.\u00a0\u201cPiccnich, he\u2019ll be looking for salves. Best go start preparing them now so Colten spends as little time on our ship as possible.\u201d Captain Serpentis\u2019s tone gave light to his true feelings \u2014 Hellbringer was a menace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI won\u2019t go until you answer a question I have about this Captain Hellbringer,\u201d\u00a0I said, keeping my seat despite Finn tugging on my arm. Captain Serpentis looked away from me in shame, and I already knew what his answer would be. But I wanted to hear him say it.\u00a0\u201cDid Captain Colten Hellbringer lead or take part in a raid on Hill Hollow Shire ten years ago?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Captain Malcolm Serpentis didn\u2019t meet my gaze.\u00a0\u201cHe led it. He brags about quite often,\u201d\u00a0he said, clenching his fist until his knuckles turned white hot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I couldn\u2019t stop the words from leaving my mouth as I thought them.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m going to kill him for what he did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Continue the adventure into chapter five here.<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n