Magic of Wind and Mist by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Author:Cassandra Rose Clarke
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Saga Press

CHAPTER TWO

It was hard to get back into our earlier routine after what had happened. I couldn’t look at Frida and Kolur in the same way, and every time I went up on deck, I’d find reasons not to stand too close to them. They made it easier, too. Frida never spoke to me, never even met my eye, and Kolur would only bark out orders for me and Isolfr to complete whenever he could think of something. We always did as he said. There was nothing else to do.

One night, I dreamed the ocean was full of pearly green blood. The Penelope II sat in the middle of it, caught in a still spot, and Kolur had a long thin knife, and he stabbed Isolfr through the heart, and Isolfr dispersed on the air and turned into sea mist.

I woke up with a shout and drew my legs in close to my chest. My blankets were piled up on the floor and I chattered from the cold. I reached down and grabbed one and pulled it around my shoulders, although it didn’t do much to keep me warm. The ship was moving, rocking with the motion of the waves, but I knew I wasn’t going to fall back asleep. Not until I made sure that Isolfr was okay.

I pulled on my boots but kept the blanket wrapped around my body. It was too cold to get dressed properly. Then I called up the light in my lantern and carried it out into the corridor. The boat seemed empty, abandoned. Flashes of my dream came back to me: the green sea, Isolfr’s face, his expression frozen in fear.

The door to the crew quarters was shut. I knocked once, but my heart was beating too fast and I had to know if he was still alive, so I opened the door without waiting for any answer. Even awake I couldn’t escape the sick fear of the dream.

But when the door swung open, I found Isolfr sitting on top of his cot, mending his coat.

He looked up at me, startled. In the light of the magic-cast lanterns he looked more like Isolfr than Pjetur.

“You’re okay,” I said, and then immediately felt stupid.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” He frowned, and then his eyes widened. “Did something happen? Are we under attack?”

“No.” I slipped into his room, closed the door, and hung my lantern on the hook in the wall. “I had a dream.”

Isolfr picked up his mending again, although he was still looking at me.

“That’s all?” he said.

I hesitated. Now that I knew he was fine, my earlier fear seemed absurd. “I dreamed that Kolur killed you. Like he did the water spirit. And I just wanted to make sure—”

Isolfr stopped mid-stitch. “Oh,” he said, and then pulled the thread the rest of the way through. He set the coat aside.

“Yeah, it was stupid.” I hugged myself tighter, still not completely warm. “But I knew I wasn’t going to be able to sleep—” I slumped against the wall, suddenly exhausted by the weight of my emotions.

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