Chapter 35

That night, as the sun set and the city fell quiet, Karim gestured for us to leave our quarters. We would embark on the ship under the cover of darkness, and tomorrow, we would set off for Zarion.

I pulled my cloak closer around me, making sure my face was covered, as we carefully made our way to the harbour. Luckily, we saw no one, and as the captain welcomed us to the port, I heard Karim draw a sigh of relief. The crew gave us curious looks as we boarded, but no one questioned our presence, and instead, they only showed us to our cabins, which turned out to be nothing more than two holds stacked to the roof with crates.

Karim had given us strict orders not to be on deck until we’d left Ulm, so we spent most of the night rearranging the cabins to make them into something where we could rest. When the light finally appeared on the horizon, I squeezed myself into something that with the best intentions could be called a bed with Aki and Selene and waited for the ship to take off.

I stared up at the ceiling as I heard the crew shout orders, and the ship began to move. So we were off. I sighed. I knew I should sleep, but with everything happening, I was too restless.

“I will never get used to sleeping in the day.”, Aki said, echoing my thoughts.

She stirred between us.

“Tell us a story from your world…”, she continued.

I sighed. The last thing I wanted was to think about everything I had left behind. The past was the past for a reason. The room suddenly felt crowded, and with the ship leaving port, we were allowed to be on deck. I got up.

“I need to get some air”

I wrapped myself in my cloak and left before any of them could protest.

The deck was less busy than I had expected, but in the end, what did I know about sailing? So far, nothing on our journey had looked like any movie I’d ever watched, so I guess I was happy I at least hadn’t gotten any dumb idea that would get us killed.

I walked over to the railing. A few of the crew members glanced at me as I passed them, but I could see it was out of curiosity, rather than seeing their deity. I was happy they didn’t recognise me, and I hoped it would stay that way for the rest of the journey.

I looked out over the water. The air was fresh, and a gentle breeze filled the sails. Everything felt so calm, but I knew it wouldn’t last for long. I sighed. I’d been lucky so far, and we’ve managed to come all the way here. But for how much longer? I didn't regret coming here, but I still wasn’t who they wanted or needed me to be. I stared at the vast river carrying our ship. When would I make a mistake that would cost my friends dearly? I didn’t want to let them down, but I didn’t know how long I could pretend until someone found out. I sighed.

Friends… Selene… It was better not to think about it. I turned to watch the deck. The journey would take several days, and I wished I had something to do that would take my mind off things. Thinking too much about these kinds of things wasn’t healthy…

I saw Selene come up on deck, and she walked over to me.

“You should rest, Rina”

She leaned against the railing, glancing at me. I sighed and looked away, and I heard her whisper,

Soft like a feather,

hard like a steel,

shine like a star

in the starry sky.

I shook my head.

“I am not her, you know it.”

“Rina...”

Her voice trailed off, and she turned to watch the water.

“I am sorry…”, she murmured.

“Not your fault…”

I turned to her and she took my hand.

“I don’t regret it”, I continued quietly.

“You just wish it would be different”

I wanted to shrug off her question, but something in her voice made me hesitate.

“How do you…?”

“Because sometimes I wish for it too..”

She looked at me, and our eyes met, and neither of us dared to say anything.

“Shall we get some rest?”

She broke the silence, and I was happy to take it. I nodded.