Page 12 of Beneath the Haunting Sea
She looked back to where her mother stillleaned against the port rail, purple dress bright against the sky. She told herself there was nothing wrong with her—a few solid days of food and sleep would set her right again.
“I’ve never seen anyone, man or woman, as enamored with the sea as she is. Except maybe you.”
Talia jumped and turned to see Hanid climbing up beside her, his silver hair mussed from the wind. He gave her a wry smile.“It’s like the sea is in your blood.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she snapped.
He shrugged. “Most people get horribly seasick their first time aboard ship. You and your mother seem entirely unaffected.” She didn’t know why this line of questioning was making her so irritated. “I guess the sea air agrees with us.”
“I guess it does.” Hanid studied her a moment more, then shook hishead and chuckled to himself. “Glad to have you sailing with us, in any case. Women are good luck aboard ship, you know. The Waves seem to prey mostly on the men.”
“What do you mean?”
“You haven’t heard the stories?” He spread his hands out toward the sea. “The Billow Maidens, singing in the storms to wreck the ships and drown the sailors. Their songs are so beautiful men can’t resist, runningtheir ships onto reefs or rocks, throwing themselves into the sea just to follow the music.”
The wind flung a snatch of her mother’s song into Talia’s ears, and she cursed, which made Hanid laugh. “It’s all superstition and nonsense.”
“Maybe. But maybe not. I’ve been to the ends of the earth, Miss Dahl-Saida—not everyone is as apathetic about religion as you Enduenans. I can’t dismiss such storiesentirely.”
“Aren’t you Enduenan?”
“My parents were. But I was born in Od and lived on Ryn. I served in the Emperor’s army and was part of the failed campaign against Denlahn. I climbed the tallest mountain peak on Halda and saw millennia-old offerings to the god Tuer: wine and fruit and grains, as fresh as the day they were laid on his altar. I met a woman in Ita who kept a temple to the windgoddess—she swore the goddess spoke with her, and was teaching her how to weave the winds.”
Talia shook her head in disgust. “That’s absurd.”
“She didn’t seem to think so.”
“Doesn’t mean she was sane.”
“Perhaps not.” He smiled. “In any case, Miss Dahl-Saida, I didn’t come up here to harass you. Captain sent me to ask if you needed anything.”
She glanced once more toward her mother, who wasstill by the rail, staring transfixed into the waves. But Talia couldn’t worry about her right now. “A proper tour of the ship would be nice. And ink and paper, if I may.”
He saluted her smartly and quirked another smile. “At once, m’lady.”
The sun slid into the sea, staining the water scarlet and the same fiery orange as Ayah’s hair. Talia sat tucked up on the poop deck, her legs growing numbunderneath her.
Dear Ayah,she scratched onto the paper Hanid had given her. She paused to glance west toward the sinking sun. She’d begun mentally composing a letter to her friend on the endless carriage ride, but now that it came time to pen it, she didn’t know what to say.I miss you, perhaps, or,I should have told you I am the Emperor’s daughter.Or,I hope Eda didn’t turn you out of the palace just because you’re my friend.
None of that seemed right. She rubbed one finger along the feather of her pen, and dipped the nib back in the inkwell.
There’s a sailor called Hanid on this ship who’s even more religious than you. He talked to a woman once who claimed she communed with the wind goddess and he believed her. But at least he’s full of information, too. He told me all about our ship, theLazy Jackal,which hails from Evalla and is paid for on the Emperor’s coin, but makes port all over the world. The Captain is part of Evalla’s private navy, and one of the most esteemed sailors alive right now. Do you know, he’s so renowned he’s allowed to port in Denlahn without fear for his life? He’s very polite to my mother and me, but there’s no use trying to convince him to turn the ship around—Eda’s gold is heavy in his pocket, and Hanid seems to think she’s promised him land as well. Maybe even Irsa, though I try not to think about that.
TheLazy Jackalsails first to Ryn, and then on to Od and Ita before returning to Enduena. We’re carrying figs and tea, cinnamon and other spices, mounds of cotton, and barrels upon barrels of rice (Hanid pointed them out to me when we were down in the cargo hold). There’s also a half dozen pigs and one small goat to provide fresh meat and milk for the voyage, but so far all I’ve had is fish and biscuits. I expect I’ll be heartily tired of them by the time we reach Ryn.
My mother and I are not allowed to leave Ryn, not ever. I hope you will come and visit instead. The inhabitants swear the Tree was there once, which I hope will tempt you—you can investigate their claims and write them all down in a dusty book. I can laugh at you and all will very nearly be like it was before.
I do wonder why you never told me how beautiful the sea is—you were on a ship for months coming from Od. There are so many shades of green and gray. My mother thinks she hears it singing.
Her throat tightened, and she stilled her pen.The last of the sunlight was just glancing off the water, and she turned to see her mother still perched by the rail. She hadn’t moved an inch all day.
Chapter Six
TALIA WAS FAST ASLEEP IN THE CABINbelowdecks when the storm came. She started awake to the violent tilting of the floor beneath her and waves slamming against the sides of the ship, so hard she thought it might break apart. She climbed out of bed to look through the porthole, but the ship jerked her backward and sideways, throwing her in a heap against her mother’s bunk. Somehow,her mother slept on.
She fought her way to her feet again, grabbing the edge of the porthole and digging her fingers into the wood around it. She peered through the glass.
The black sea leapt at the ship, clawing to get in. A flash of light exploded over the water, followed by a near-deafening crack of thunder. The vessel seemed to shake—the world seemed to shake.
