The Wake of Saints by A.M. Hamill

Author:A.M. Hamill [Hamill, A.M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ghosts in the Library
Published: 2024-07-16T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter eighteen

Isa

After a long journey north, Safia and Isa finally reached the sea and found a Gadleen merchant ship willing to give them passage to Zhišan. Isa was not excited by the prospect of returning to the waves, but she reminded herself that this wasn’t Ossia. She wasn’t facing the Storm Ring. The seas here were kinder.

Safia, at least, seemed completely at ease as she kicked in the door of their cabin, dumped her bags on the floor and slumped on the bed.

“Nice enough,” she said, patting the mattress. “It’ll do for a couple of weeks.”

There was barely space to move between their two narrow beds. Isa’s head brushed the ceiling as she walked. But the door locked. Isa might go mad from claustrophobia, but she would sleep safely at night.

As the boat set off a short while later, Isa felt a familiar, cramping anxiety in the pit of her stomach. Nothing in her life had ever caused her such a feeling before, but the sea frightened her. She remained below decks while Safia went upstairs to enjoy the breeze and chat with the crew.

Barely half an hour passed, however, before Safia returned, two bowls of questionable-looking, sludge-like food in her hands. She almost spilt them on the bed as she squeezed through the door.

“Awful killjoys up there,” Safia said. “Could hardly get a word out of them.”

“Let them work,” Isa said.

“But they’re not working. They’re sitting around, playing cards and drinking. They look at me like I’m something the tide washed up. You think they’d be a little pleased to have a pretty young woman on board.”

“It’s probably best not to attract their attention.”

“So, what? We just sit in this box for the next two weeks staring at each other?”

“That seems to be our only option.”

Safia looked none too pleased but didn’t argue. She didn’t make it far through her bowl of sludge either. Fortunately, it had been a busy few days, and she fell asleep reasonably quickly.

Isa, still nauseous, sat awake for a long while before putting the candle out. Yes, it was going to be a long few weeks. But with every crash of the waves beneath her, she was closer to home.

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