Solan’s expression darkens, but it’s Calythra who speaks first. “Where, exactly, would you go?”
I frown, the question hitting me harder than I’d expected. “Somewhere safe. Somewhere far from all of this.”
“And how would you get there?” Calythra’s tone is matter-of-fact, cutting through my flimsy hopes like a blade. “You don’t know this world. You don’t know its dangers.”
I bristle, but Solan’s hand on my arm stops me from snapping back. His voice, calm and steady, cuts through the tension. “Jack, this world isn’t like yours. The dangers aren’t just in the people. They’re in the land, the waters, the very air you breathe in some places.”
Jamie shifts uneasily in his seat. “But we have tons of deadly creatures in Australia. Right, Uncle Jack?”
Solan exhales, his golden eyes locking onto Jamie with a seriousness that makes my heart ache. “It’s a little different here.There are three main land masses in this world. This one—” He gestures vaguely. “—is the only habitable one. The Green Waters separate the condiments, but they’re filled with creatures so large, they could swallow a water vessel whole.”
Continents. Shit, and only one can be lived on.
“Wait, what? Like, something big enough to take down a giant ship?” Jamie’s voice rises slightly, his face paling.
“Think of them like the monsters in your big waters,” Solan continues, his tone grim. “But worse. Much worse.”
I think back to theklaustrason the first day in Terrafeara and struggle to hold back a shudder.
Jamie’s jaw tightens, and for a moment, he resembles his mother so much, it hurts to look at him. “And the other countries?”
I exhale a heavy breath, feeling a knot tighten in my gut. “Solan’s right. Leaving isn’t an option. Not if we’re talking about crossing the ocean.” I glance at Solan, then Calythra. “What about the land?” I ask, backing Jamie’s request for more information about what he called “countries.” I have a feeling things work very differently here and that everything is governed by a single monarchy. “You said there are three land masses. What about the others?”
Calythra answers this time, his voice low and grim. “One’s a wasteland. Too wild and dangerous for anything to survive for long. The other is plagued by earth fire and shakes.”
Jamie blinks, clearly confused. “Earth fire?”
It takes me a beat to figure out what Calythra means. “Volcanoes,” I say, my voice quiet. “And shakes are earthquakes.” Or at least I think so.
The realisation dawns on him, and his face falls. “So… this is really the only place we can stay?”
Calythra smiles, the expression kind. “I’m afraid so, kid.”
I slump back in my seat, the weight of our reality pressing down on me like a physical thing. My chest feels tight, my mind racing with all the possibilities—none of them good. “Brilliant,” I mumble, deadpan. “So, what? We’re stuck here, dodging a tyrant queen and hoping not to piss off the wrong people?”
“Basically,” Calythra says with a shrug.
“Encouraging,” I grumble, earning another sharp-toothed grin from him.
Jamie’s voice, quieter this time, pulls me from my spiralling thoughts. “Someone has to stop her, right? If she took people and is making them do bad things for her. She’s using them as slaves, right, Uncle Jack? We did a whole project at school, and Mr Johns said….” He pauses, his brow furrowing as he searches for the exact words. “He said slavery isn’t just about chains and whips. It’s when people get treated like they’re not people. Like they don’t matter. It’s the worst thing you can do to someone. And if no one stops her, it’s like saying it’s okay, right?”
His words hang in the air, heavy and sharp, cutting through my haze of worry. I glance at Solan, whose golden eyes are focussed on Jamie with an intensity I can’t quite place. Calythra, too, has stilled, his usual smirk replaced by something unreadable.
I swallow the lump forming in my throat and force myself to respond even as my chest tightens at the weight of Jamie’s understanding. “You’re right, mate. It’s not okay. It’s never okay.”
Jamie’s gaze meets mine, steady and unflinching. “So… someone has to stop her,” he says again, the quiet determination in his voice making it clear that he’s not asking this time. He’s telling me.
His words hang in the air, heavy with the kind of idealism that only comes from youth. I want to tell him he’s wrong, thatit’s not our fight, but the truth is, I don’t know if I believe that myself.
I place a hand on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze. “Let’s focus on staying alive first, yeah?”
He nods reluctantly, but I can tell the fire in him hasn’t dimmed.
The conversation shifts to plans and next steps as we finish our meal. Solan and I exchange glances, the unspoken understanding between us clear—we need to tread carefully with Varek. I’m about to suggest we start preparing when a thought hits me, sharp and unwelcome.
“Wait,” I say, pausing mid-motion. “If we’re going to talk to Varek about staying and helping… what’s their plan for us all?” Yesterday, Varek didn’t disguise the hard-on he had that he was welcoming a fated pair or a young human. But I refuse to be used as a pawn or for our growing power.
“We’ll make it clear that our priority is Jamie’s safety,” Solan says.“And yours, always,”Solan adds in my mind, his tone firm.
