9. Sage #2
“So, what exactly is it you’re offering?” I asked.
“I will help you get that necklace off and relieve you of its burden,” he said easily. “And then I’ll take you home, like nothing happened.”
“Sounds like a lot of you getting what you need and not a lot in it for me.” Though the idea of having this necklace released from me and being free of it had me giddy deep down. But I’d been tricked many times before and had no interest in being made a fool again.
He rolled his neck. For the first time, it felt like I could potentially detect some… worry?
“Fine,” he said, shrugging. “If you want to be stuck with that curse around your neck forever, be my guest.”
“What do you mean curse?”
He lifted a brow. “Something that magical and powerful is most certainly some kind of curse. Not something I would want to be tied to.”
I tried to keep a steady keel, but I could feel the intense rush of nerves washing over my body. My heart pounded against my chest, blood rushing through my ears. It was a feeling I did everything in my power to keep at bay.
Stop. Stop. Stop.
Trying to force it never made it any better, but what else was I supposed to do?
I looked down at my shaking hands, trying to steady them.
“Sage,” he snapped at me.
He drew my attention, making me gaze right into those hazel eyes.
“Take a deep breath,” he said.
I tried following his directions. It was something I had always been told, but it didn’t do much.
But I was surprised when he grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. One that was almost so hard it hurt. Yet it was… grounding in a way.
“You’re not going to battle, we’re just talking.”
My brows scrunched, temporarily taken out of my spiral by his confusing words. “I know that?”
“Yes, but you need to tell yourself that.”
“It sounds foolish.”
He shrugged. “Maybe, but it could help.”
I blew a breath through my nose. What he was suggesting was silly. It was obvious this was only a conversation.
I’m not going to battle, we’re just talking.
Even though I said it in my head, the reminder was… helpful, if only a little.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for my words to distress you.”
I swallowed. “I-I’m fine,” I said, my mouth feeling dry like sandpaper.
He sunk down a bit, adjusting his tail so it took up more space, and subsequently putting him closer to my height.
“All I’m trying to do is help you,” he said. “It is for personal gain, this is an important client, but at the end of the day, you’ll be free from this forever. Doesn’t that alone make it worth it?”
My eyes bounced around his face, looking for a shred of dishonesty, but I struggled to find any. I held the necklace in my hand, twirling it around as I thought.
“And you’re sure this… Maralda can get it off?”
He nodded. “I’ve seen her deal with much worse curses. She’s the only way.”
“How long will we be gone?” I asked.
“The forest is a week’s trip one way including a stop for supplies. So barring any delays, two weeks.”
I thought it through. My mothers wanted me gone for a full month anyway. I was only planning to lounge around Stonevale, so what would an extra week be?
This would by far, be the dumbest idea I’ve ever gone through with, and with my record, that’s impressive. “I’ll do it.”
His shoulders relaxed, obviously relieved I agreed. “Okay. So we need to set sail immediately, before anyone notices you’re gone. You should… write a letter.”
“A letter?” I asked.
He nodded. “Letting your parents know you won’t be back. I can’t have the entire Peradonian Navy after me.”
“That won’t be necessary,” I said.
“Why’s that?”
Because I was sent away for being trouble, only to land myself into quite a bit more.
“I had planned an extended trip,” I said instead. “I’m not expected home for a month.”
“That’s… ideal,” he said.
“What about my stuff?” I asked.
“What?”
“I want my bags. And my dresses.” I didn’t know why I was being so demanding. Maybe I just wanted to feel some sense of normalcy in this situation that was definitely anything but.
“Fine, I’ll need to retrieve all your belongings anyway, so people don’t think you disappeared.”
I nodded, glad to find him agreeable for once. “So… how will we get there?” I assumed the horses needed to be ready, but I wondered if he had a carriage in tow. I was a horrible rider and always opted to sit inside the carriage.
He drew his brows, as if the question was obvious. “What do you think you’re standing on, princess?”
Now it was my turn to be confused. I assumed we were in some kind of inn, was I wrong?
At my non-answer, he said, “Why don’t you check the window.”
My stomach rolled, but I hopped up onto the desk again, careful not to get caught in my skirts, and peered out the small window.
Nothing but ocean for miles.
“Are we on a ship?” I asked, my stomach rolling.
“Sure are,” he said. “Welcome aboard the Violet Ghost.”
My brain ricochetted as I tried to pinpoint a single feeling. I wasn’t in the ocean, but I was on it.
“N-no,” I said. “We have to go by land. We have to get out of here.”
I tried to push my way past him, but he caught me easily in the tiny room, his tail coming up to wrap around me. “No can do, flower,” he said. “It would take much longer by land, and we’d have to trek too much of the forest. Ship is the best way.”
“I…” what was I supposed to say? I’m too afraid of the ocean? I wasn’t even in the ocean, technically. “We just can’t.”
“It’s not a choice,” he said clearly. “Do you get seasick or something?”
I swallowed. “Something like that.”
“We’ll just keep you below deck then,” he said. “There’s much less movement down here.”
Could I do that? If I kept the window shut and never had to look at the ocean, could I manage that?
At this point, it seemed I would have to try. “Fine. But I can’t go above deck at all. Don’t ask.”
“Deal. Any other demands?”
I huffed, now that he had what he wanted, his attitude came right back. “Yeah, go away.”
He let out his own little puff of amusement. “Fine, I can do that. Someone will bring your things shortly.”
“Okay.”
He nodded one last time, looking at me briefly before leaving, shutting the door behind him, leaving me in silence.
I was in the ocean.
On the ocean.
It was different.
I had to keep telling myself that, or else I would go mad.
With nothing to do but wait, I grabbed the sheet off the bed and went to one of the crashed drawers, where I’d seen a piece of twine earlier. Using those pieces, I got back on the desk and created a make-shift curtain, covering the window.
Out of sight, out of mind or whatever.
All there was left to do was wait.