The Curse of the Blessed

Chapter Sixteen

Captain Rayan led us toward the bow of the ship, stopping beside the wall. I moved to climb the stairs to the bit of deck above us, but she shook her head at me, sweeping her hands over the cloud in front of us. A door swung open. She started down a long staircase, and we followed.

The buzz of conversation was my first hint that we were getting close. We went halfway down a hall and turned into a doorway, and there we were. The room in front of us was full of people. Down here, the walls and floor were of a darker color, much more solid, with brackets for torches at regular points. Couches, and chairs, and strange looking piles of cloud were covered with people. They talked amongst themselves. Clear, happy laughter rose occasionally above the mess of voices. They were all heights and shapes and ages, all different. I couldn't help but relax.

Then Captain Rayan cleared her throat, and all eyes turned toward us. I tensed again. The attention was uncomfortable, and I had to remind myself to breathe slowly, to not panic. Lark noticed and gently set her hand on my shoulder.

"Are these the new Blesseds?" a girl from the front asked. She was young and thin, with olive skin and raven hair, and a subtle smile which made me like her instantly.

Captain Rayan nodded. "These are..." She turned to me. "I forgot to ask. What are your names?"

"I'm Fyra," I said.

"And I'm Lark," Lark added.

Reed and Bran looked at each other hesitantly, and Reed spoke first.

"Reed."

"Bran."

"It's nice to meet you," said the girl. "What are your powers?"

"I can control deathbirds," I said.

Lark looked at Reed, and after a moment of silent communication, she turned back to the others and said, "I work magic with violin music."

"I draw things to life," said Reed.

Bran hesitated. "Uh... We don't exactly know what I do. It has something to do with magical energies, though."

Captain Rayan shot a radiant smile his way. "Is that why you could destroy my ghosts?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure."

"Ah well," said the girl from the front of the crowd. "You'll have plenty of chances to figure out what your powers are while you're here. I didn't figure out exactly what I could do until I'd been here for..." She turned to the elderly woman who sat beside her. "Two years?"

"I believe it was two and a half," said the woman.

"They haven't yet decided whether they're staying or not," said Captain Rayan. She turned to us. "You have a mission, don't you? A quest? You are from that cursed village?"

"Yeah," said Reed. "We are."

"And your quest is... to lift the curse?"

"Yes."

"You're just children."

Bran shrugged, a sour look on his face. "That doesn't matter to them."

"They're afraid of you," she said knowingly. "They always are. But here, you don't have to worry about that. We protect our own. Sharla?"

The girl at the front grinned, her attention instantly snapping from us to Captain Rayan. "Yes?"

"Would you be willing to accompany them for a while? You know, the usual thing for newcomers—give them the tour, introduce them to everyone, and keep them from getting too lost."