The Wand & the Sea by Claire M. Caterer

Author:Claire M. Caterer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Chapter 29

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Captain’s Orders

A few mornings after they’d set sail, Holly stood on the deck of the Sea Witch, proud of her calm stomach and steady sea legs. She stood beneath the main staysail and gazed up at Kailani, who stood in the crow’s nest with a spyglass to one eye. Holly thought she’d love to be like Kai, as she was called, at home on the sea, inspecting the sails and hull, giving orders to the crew. More than one of them stopped to watch her when she scrambled up the ratlines in her bare feet, her long black hair swinging down her back, but if she caught them staring, they busied themselves with swabbing or pulling on the braces. Holly leaned on the ratlines and nearly stumbled over Ben, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the ship’s waist.

“Oggler taught me this trick,” said Ben. “Keep a low center of gravity. And keep an eye on the horizon. It’s helping with the—you know. My stomach.”

“Which one’s Oggler?”

“The guy with the eye patch. He’s helping Pike at the steering wheel—I mean, the helm.” Ben pointed astern. Holly remembered Oggler. Pike was no more than seventeen, with short, curly brown hair. She double-checked his face for stubble to make sure she’d judged his gender right.

Kai waved at Holly from the crow’s nest. “Come up, if ye’ve a mind to,” she called down.

“Do you think it wise?” asked Jade, who shadowed Holly’s every move.

“I’ll be okay.” Holly put her foot into the ropes.

She was used to climbing. At home she had topped every rock wall in town, even the forty-foot one at the giant sporting-goods store. Still, it was dizzying to see the deck shrinking the higher she went. Jade became a small black dot amidships as the wind puffed out the flapping spanker sail to her left. And even when Holly reached the crow’s nest, she wasn’t at the very top, where she spied another crew member hanging above the topsail.

“Too high for ye?” Kailani asked, grinning.

“I’m fine. It’s beautiful up here.” Holly steadied herself against the ratlines. The stiff breeze blew back her hair, and tiny salt crystals peppered her glasses. “I can’t believe how far we’ve come.”

“It’s the sea portal. Only the captain knows where to open one. They’re connected, one t’other, like tunnels. One portal will seek out another. Here, have a look.” Kai handed Holly her spyglass.

The sea stretched on forever. The masts creaked in the stiff breeze, the deck below looking not quite big enough to land on if she were blown off into the air. Holly wrapped one arm around the mast, feeling foolish as Kai stood holding on to nothing, and she scanned the horizon. It wasn’t much to look at; only a straight line of unending blue, topped with whitecaps and leaping fish and—

“There!” she cried. On the southwestern horizon she spied a bump with little sticks poking out of it. They looked like trees. “I see land!”

Kailani’s eyes widened and she took the spyglass from Holly.

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