25. Joy
JOY
“I held my breath for Jameson, for my new friends. For my new family.”
- JOY’S JOURNAL ENTRY
“Wake up!” Florence shook my body so vigorously I fell to the floor, hitting the wooden slats with a thump. She pulled the thin sheet from me, allowing the cold air to rush at my warm skin. Goosebumps trailed from my toes to my fingers.
Cold air.
I shot up to a seated position and swung my legs over the bed.
“You’re going to need more than that,” Florence stared at the long t-shirt I slept in.
Moments later, suited and buttoned into huge, musty fur coats and fleece trousers we had found in the cupboards full of cobwebs, I braved the outside. To my surprise, ice coated the floor of the deck.
“How did this happen in one night?” My startled voice was almost lost to the howling winds of the Northern Continent.
“We passed into the Northern Continent early this morning when I was on watch,” Florence spoke, snapping an icicle from the railing.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” I asked sharply.
“What would that have achieved? A grumpier version of you with less sleep? No thank you,” she shrugged.
“I don’t know if you are aware but my friend, my brother, is somewhere, trapped, alone and afraid.” I stomped closer to her, careful not to slip on the ice. We stood eye to eye, so close I could feel her warm breath against my frigid skin.
“Next time, wake me up.” I spoke through gritted teeth. I turned to walk away, but she grabbed my arm, spinning me back toward her.
“What is your problem?” she asked, suddenly defensive and loud.
“My problem?” Anger bubbled inside of me, what was my problem? Who did she think she was? “My problem is that as soon as I think we’re on the same page or you’re even a remotely decent person and not just the careless fool who allowed Jameson to be taken in her place, you go and do something stupid without even thinking about the consequences. This is not some sort of trip or adventure or vacation, we’re on a stolen boat, with a crew of four people, hunting my brother who could already be dead for all we know.” I huffed a giant breath, allowing some of my anger to leave with the air.
“It was a mistake, Joy, I was afraid!” Her voice was strained and low. “Must I live with this guilt forever? Will you ever trust me? I have spent my entire life running from those who wish to kill me just because of something I inherited. I have been running, just like Erin and Jodie have, for so long that I have forgotten what it is to stop and be still. I have forgotten how not to be selfish, and I will not apologize for being a survivor, I will not apologies for becoming the person that they made me become.” A fat tear slipped down her cheek, and she wiped is fiercely.
“I am sorry about Jameson, I really am, and I will do everything in my power to get him back to you.” She rested both of her hands on my shoulders softly. “But you cannot blame me forever, I won’t let you.” Her molten eyes were stark and clear. She was standing her ground, and I had no choice but to let her. I nodded softly.
“Okay,” I whispered; I was wasting precious energy blaming Florence when I should have been focused on Jameson.
“Okay,” I repeated more to myself than Florence.
“Burning hell, it’s freezing out here!” Jodie skidded across the decks in her attempt to run toward us.
“Careful!” I chided, reaching for her. She righted herself and swung an arm over my shoulder.
“Don’t worry, baby, I’m always careful” she winked softly.
“Is this your attempt at flirting?” Florence said, tapping her finger against Jodie’s nose.
“Yes,” she turned her gaze to Florence and rose an eyebrow. “Why, do you like what you see?” She pulled out her best smolder and the three of us burst into fits of laughter as Erin walked out onto the icy deck. She took one step forward before falling, gracelessly, onto her butt.
“Smoooooth,” Jodie drawled, her arm still resting on my shoulder.
“Oh, piss off,” Erin muttered.
We laughed and lit felt so good, even as our toes became numb, and our eyes became misty.
But then suddenly Florence stopped laughing. Her gaze fixed on the darkening horizon. A small voice wriggled between my bones softly.
Turn back, Joy. Turn back now.
I sucked in a deep breath, attempting to calm my racing heart.
“We’re here,” I looked over to Florence. “Aren’t we?”
She nodded solemnly.
“This is the place, if Jameson is anywhere, he’ll be here,” she stuttered. “With the Sorcerers.” Something other than wariness crossed her face, something almost like relief or familiarity.
I turned to Jodie and Erin; the sisters huddled close.
“This is where we leave you,” I stated, I would not risk another person I had come to love.
“No,” Erin stepped forward. “We all go or none of us go.” She reached up her hand and rested it gently on my cheek.
“You don’t get to play the hero all by yourself,” she looked over to her sister and then back at me. “And you don’t have to, we’re in this. We’re with you, until the end.”
“You can’t, it’s too dangerous,” I argued, petrified of losing one more person, let alone two.
“We’ve been in danger every day of our lives, what’s a couple more hours?” She smiled and I rolled my eyes.
“Yes, but going headfirst into danger…” I gestured to the massive island coming to view beside us, “Might be pushing it a bit, don’t you think?”
The sisters looked at each other and then back at me, before shaking their head.
“So, we’re doing this? All of us?” I looked between the women that stood before me, their heads held high and their hearts completely wild and free.
“Okay, write your love letters and send ‘em home.” I smiled and looked over to Florence, her face a mixed of worry and fear and something else I couldn’t quite place.
“It’s time to save my brother.”
Strapped with knifes, powers and prayers, we docked our ship behind a cluster of Spruce trees and began to trudge up the sand. Florence pulled a small gust along with us, wiping away our tracks while Jodie kept us warm with individual fires in each of our hands, hot enough to beat the chill but not enough to burn. The sea sloshed gently behind us as Florence finally released her hold on the wind and we darted into the nearby trees.
“I’ve been here before, many years ago.” Florence’s eyes grazed for a moment before returning to us. “Follow my lead. The entrance is up ahead. Maybe two or three miles. Once we reach the doors, Erin, I need you inside the minds of the two guards at the gates while simultaneously making a hole within the front door,” Erin stared at Florence, her eyes wide.
“Can you, do it?” Florence had become cold and serious once we reached the shore, no more fun or games once we set foot on the damp sand of the beach.
“Yes,” Erin stated.
“Jodie,” Florence turned to her, and she beamed back, “I need you in my back pocket, no unnecessary fires and you wait for my signal.” Jodie’s face sank slightly. “The best chance we have in saving Jameson, is if we do it quickly and quietly. I don’t want a repeat of the Marley’s tavern incident of three summers ago,” she stated, and Jodie smiled, folding in a laugh.
In all the chaos I had almost forgotten that these women had known each other for years, they had lived together and fought together. A new kind of hope spread within my heart.
“Joy,” finally Florence turned to me, “I know where the dungeons are, but I also know that they are huge, I need you to seek out Jameson, use your bond and pull on the tether that is tied between you. You can find him; you need to find him.”
Worry crept over my face. Find Jameson? Pull on our bond? Did Florence know that I was powerless? Did she know I was only Human?
“How?” I asked. Florence took my hand and squeezed.
“Close your eyes and think only of him,” her voice was so smooth as my eyes fluttered shut.
“Think of the time you’ve spent together, of how much you love him,” she whispered. “You may not have powers, but magic lives within us all.” The enticing smell of magic filled me once more.
“Find your brother, Joy, it’s time to bring him home.”
Determination ran through my veins as I reached for him. Where are you, Jameson? Help me find you.