Midnight (DISCONTINUED, INCOMPLETE)

25 || Island of the Golden Apple

"Not sleep well last night?"

Ash opened her mouth to reply to Haylan, but instead, another yawn came out. "Just a bit of trouble."

"I have no idea how you sleep in that thing," Carnell said. "Don't you feel weightless and move around a bunch?"

"My back touches the bottom of the boat, actually. There isn't much weightlessness," Ash said, stifling yet another yawn. She leaned her head against the side of the railing of the steps.

"And we sleep in hammocks on a ship at sea, Carnell. We all move around while we sleep," Willow added.

"Don't recall asking you, Goo-Hands."

"Don't need to ask me for correcting stupidity, Fire-Breath."

Carnell's back straightened, his eyes narrowing in a challenge. The smile on Willow's face suggested she planned on meeting it. Before either could continue, though, Haylan spoke up.

"I think they're starting."

That sent their mouths snapping shut as all of them turned to face the center of the ship. Lorica stood there, Gytha and Mavis on one side, Garman on the other. Caspian was technically on the same side as Garman, but he was so far away he was leaning against the railing. His head lolled back as he gazed out toward the sea.

Lorica's eyes swept over those gathered on the top of the deck – about thirty, though Ash had stopped counting because it put her to sleep – pausing on a few before moving on.

"As I'm sure you all know by now, the island behind us is said to hold the key to returning Gytha's brothers to being human again. Gytha will share the details with everyone, and we will decide how to proceed."

"Why didn't I get a communal?" Ash asked as her eyes drifted above Lorica and to the mentioned island. It was nothing great so far. Just dense, uninviting trees and the small beach they were stopped on. An overall boring island.

"Because that was just to get information, not break a curse," Willow said. "Now, shush. I've never heard the full details on this."

Ash rolled her eyes, but as Gytha stepped forward and cleared her throat, she found herself leaning forward. She was just as eager for the details as Willow. Just what kind of things did one have to do when breaking a curse?

"For those of you who don't know, my home was once under attack by pirates. My brothers made an agreement with the fairy. She would give them the ability to fight off the pirates by letting them attack from the sky and by the sea." Gytha looked down at Mavis, running her hand atop the large bird's head. "This wasn't quite what we expected."

"Never is," one of the gathered crew members grumbled. There were a few muttered agreements.

"Fairies use good magic. Don't have to be good people," Willow added in a whisper to Ash.

"After we chased off the pirates," Gytha continued, "I approached the fairy to demand she change my brothers back. She said she only would if we brought her back some magical item she's been looking for. It was on a mystical island that was always changing location."

Oh. Well, maybe the boring island wasn't so boring.

"The fairy didn't know how to get here. She just left that part to me. According to her, though, there is a special apple on this island. And that's where things get weird."

"Nothing new for us!" Carnell called. A few people laughed. Others glared over another interruption.

Gytha was one of the ones to grin. "Well, this may be weird even for us." That caught everyone's attention, silencing them again. "According to the fairy, there is a bull on the island that we must face because it is guarding an eagle. This eagle can lay a golden egg, and from that egg comes a golden apple. That's what she wants. Honestly tempted to take a bite out of it just to see what's so special."