The Witch's Patron

Chapter 5

Noori spun on her heel and spotted what Toddrick had – the hazy mass of a ship riding the winds across the water toward them.

Saved by a ship, she thought, leaping into action and away from the uncomfortable conversation.

The dates in Dak Owusua's ledgers that note when certain vessels could be expected to return to Fernweh were more like best guesses than anything one could set their clocks to. Unfavorable winds, a rogue wave of illness, issues with cargo – there were all kinds of reasons one of their regular customers might be delayed. But if there was one ship Noori knew she could always count on, it was the Halcyon.

The ship was the pride of Fernweh. A massive three-masted galleon, the Halcyon was the largest trading vessel to call Fernweh its flag state. She sailed regular routes up and down the coast, but also made long, treacherous voyages overseas to lands Noori had only dreamt of.

Noori adored everything about the ship, from her great billowing sails to her gleaming, well-tended hull. She especially loved her figurehead, the finest she had ever seen. Protruding from the Halcyon's prow was a dramatic scene; a curling spray of waves carefully carved from wood and at its centre, a mermaid as beautiful as she was mighty. Long tendrils of hair cascaded from her crowned head, and in her hand she held aloft a daunting spear thrust forward, toward adventure. For years, Noori had gazed up into the resolute face of that mermaid — her wooden brows fixed over her dauntless stare — and was entranced.

But the beautiful figurehead wasn't the only reason Noori watched her father's schedules closely, waiting for the Halcyon's return home. Both she and Toddrick were alight with excitement for the same reason, and her name was Captain Saskia Denali.

Captain Denali was a legend, and anyone who loved the sea was prone to loving her as well. Like Noori, she had spent her entire life on the water, and rose to her title at an impressively young age. That she knew her craft was without question, and she commanded her crew with unshakable confidence. She had a kind heart but took no guff from anyone, and with her unblemished track record for getting both her cargo and her crew to and from ports safely, she deserved every bit of her heroic reputation. Noori adored her almost as much as she did her own father, and that was no small feat.

When the rope ladder was tossed down, Noori wasted no time. She leaped from the Mystic Sal, Toddrick's admonishing squawk barely carrying over the crashing water beneath her, and began her climb. As she neared the Halcyon's deck, she could hear the welcoming cries and calls of her crew, many of whom Noori had known her entire life. She grinned and pulled harder, climbing as though the ladder was burning up beneath her. By the time she reached the top — and Denali's outstretched hand — she was out of breath but laughing all the same.

"That wasn't the smartest thing I've seen you do," said Captain Denali, pulling Noori in for a tight embrace. "What if you had missed the ladder?"

Noori wrapped her arms around Denali's shoulders and squeezed. "I never miss. Besides, I was so excited I probably could have leapt up half the rope if I had tried."

Denali laughed, a loud booming sound that ended with a twinkle of girlish delight. "Still a show-off, I see. I'm glad to see not much has changed."

The two women withdrew enough to survey each other. There was such fondness in Denali's smile, and it warmed Noori enough for her to forget any lingering tension from her conversation with Toddrick. She traced with creases that surrounded Denali's hazel eyes with her own. Denali wore her age gracefully, and Noori admired her all the more for it. Every line and scar told the story of years worth of adventure.

With a couple firm pats on Noori's shoulder, Captain Denali moved toward the aftcastle and motioned for her pilot to follow.

"I'm glad to see you," she said, beaming down at Noori. "I wasn't sure if Toddrick would be out at sea by now."