start and sat up.
“About time,” said Aires, smiling.
While she went to open the curtains, Sennar discovered himself to be, of all places, in the captain’s quarters.
“Two full days of sleep.” She walked back over and sat on the bed. “Aren’t you ashamed?”
Sennar rubbed his eyes. “Where are we?” he asked in a scratchy voice.
Aires bowed slightly. “Welcome to the Vaneries, my dear sorcerer.”
“The Vaneries?” Sennar repeated back, confused.
“Yes. We’ve reached the unknown islands from the map. That’s what the inhabitants here call them. There are four islands in all. The largest, where we are now, is populated. The other three are mere islets, basically just oversized rocks. Wait until you see the way they look at us. We’re the first people they’ve ever seen from the Overworld,” Aires boasted.
Sennar collapsed back onto his pillow.
“That bad, huh?” she chuckled.
Sennar nodded. “That’s the way it always is. Spells that difficult completely sap a sorcerer’s energy.”
“You scared us there, you know? When I climbed up to the lookout tower you were white as a corpse. Then when I realized you were sleeping … I was ready to slap you across the face.”
“Exactly what I needed then …” Sennar sighed.
Aires pushed his hair out of his face. Her expression turned serious. “I owe you a thanks. We all do. If it wasn’t for you, we’d all be dead, Sennar. Of course, if it wasn’t for you we wouldn’t have come here in the first place, but …”
The sorcerer caught himself blushing.
“You just worry about getting some rest for now,” Aires said as she got to her feet. “The ship’s in pretty bad shape. It will be another few days before we sail again. Once it’s fixed, we’ll take stock of the situation.” When she’d reached the door, however, she stopped and turned around. “Ah, I almost forgot,” she said, with an odd smile on her face. “So, is she beautiful?”
Sennar was caught off guard. “Who?”
“Don’t play dumb.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he stammered.
Aires burst into laughter. “Our sorcerer’s a liar! For two days now you’ve been repeating the same name. So who is this Nihal?”
His heart sunk.
“Come on, don’t make me ask a third time,” Aires insisted. “If a man calls out a woman’s name in his sleep, it can mean only one thing—he’s in love.”
Sennar could hardly contain his embarrassment. “I … I mean, it’s not …”
She sat back down on the edge of the bed and looked mischievously down at him. “Don’t worry, I’m not the jealous type.”
“She’s a friend,” Sennar let out.
Aires raised an eyebrow. “What sort of friend?”
“A friend, that’s all,” he replied, trying hard to keep an even tone.
Aires wasn’t fooled. “Am I mistaken, or did I hear a touch of regret when you said ‘that’s all’?”
“She’s a childhood friend,” Sennar spluttered. “We studied sorcery with the same teacher. That’s the whole story.”
“Is she a sorceress?”
“No. Soon she’ll be a Dragon Knight.”
“A woman knight,” Aires said with interest. “I like this girl. And she’s beautiful?”
Sennar lowered his gaze. “I don’t know. I mean, I think she’s beautiful. Yes, she’s beautiful. Can we end this little interrogation, now?”
Aires paid him no mind. “And does she love you? Because it’s obvious you love her.”
Sennar tilted his head back and stared up at the ceiling. “Aires, I’m begging you …”
“So does she?”
“No, she doesn’t love me. She’s in love with someone else, a knight who died in battle. Are you happy?”
“A dead man’s not much competition, when it comes to love,” Aires teased. “You know what your problem is, Sennar? You sell yourself short.” Then she stood and slapped him playfully on the cheek. “Give it some thought.”
For the next couple of days, a visit to the captain’s quarters became a sort of
“About time,” said Aires, smiling.
While she went to open the curtains, Sennar discovered himself to be, of all places, in the captain’s quarters.
“Two full days of sleep.” She walked back over and sat on the bed. “Aren’t you ashamed?”
Sennar rubbed his eyes. “Where are we?” he asked in a scratchy voice.
Aires bowed slightly. “Welcome to the Vaneries, my dear sorcerer.”
“The Vaneries?” Sennar repeated back, confused.
“Yes. We’ve reached the unknown islands from the map. That’s what the inhabitants here call them. There are four islands in all. The largest, where we are now, is populated. The other three are mere islets, basically just oversized rocks. Wait until you see the way they look at us. We’re the first people they’ve ever seen from the Overworld,” Aires boasted.
Sennar collapsed back onto his pillow.
“That bad, huh?” she chuckled.
Sennar nodded. “That’s the way it always is. Spells that difficult completely sap a sorcerer’s energy.”
“You scared us there, you know? When I climbed up to the lookout tower you were white as a corpse. Then when I realized you were sleeping … I was ready to slap you across the face.”
“Exactly what I needed then …” Sennar sighed.
Aires pushed his hair out of his face. Her expression turned serious. “I owe you a thanks. We all do. If it wasn’t for you, we’d all be dead, Sennar. Of course, if it wasn’t for you we wouldn’t have come here in the first place, but …”
The sorcerer caught himself blushing.
“You just worry about getting some rest for now,” Aires said as she got to her feet. “The ship’s in pretty bad shape. It will be another few days before we sail again. Once it’s fixed, we’ll take stock of the situation.” When she’d reached the door, however, she stopped and turned around. “Ah, I almost forgot,” she said, with an odd smile on her face. “So, is she beautiful?”
Sennar was caught off guard. “Who?”
“Don’t play dumb.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he stammered.
Aires burst into laughter. “Our sorcerer’s a liar! For two days now you’ve been repeating the same name. So who is this Nihal?”
His heart sunk.
“Come on, don’t make me ask a third time,” Aires insisted. “If a man calls out a woman’s name in his sleep, it can mean only one thing—he’s in love.”
Sennar could hardly contain his embarrassment. “I … I mean, it’s not …”
She sat back down on the edge of the bed and looked mischievously down at him. “Don’t worry, I’m not the jealous type.”
“She’s a friend,” Sennar let out.
Aires raised an eyebrow. “What sort of friend?”
“A friend, that’s all,” he replied, trying hard to keep an even tone.
Aires wasn’t fooled. “Am I mistaken, or did I hear a touch of regret when you said ‘that’s all’?”
“She’s a childhood friend,” Sennar spluttered. “We studied sorcery with the same teacher. That’s the whole story.”
“Is she a sorceress?”
“No. Soon she’ll be a Dragon Knight.”
“A woman knight,” Aires said with interest. “I like this girl. And she’s beautiful?”
Sennar lowered his gaze. “I don’t know. I mean, I think she’s beautiful. Yes, she’s beautiful. Can we end this little interrogation, now?”
Aires paid him no mind. “And does she love you? Because it’s obvious you love her.”
Sennar tilted his head back and stared up at the ceiling. “Aires, I’m begging you …”
“So does she?”
“No, she doesn’t love me. She’s in love with someone else, a knight who died in battle. Are you happy?”
“A dead man’s not much competition, when it comes to love,” Aires teased. “You know what your problem is, Sennar? You sell yourself short.” Then she stood and slapped him playfully on the cheek. “Give it some thought.”
For the next couple of days, a visit to the captain’s quarters became a sort of
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