The Captain's Entertainer (Zolan Book 4)

7

🌊 ELYSTIA 🌊

Sidra and I walk across the camp. The masters and entertainers are busy preparing for a festival. The blue flower has been defeated, and they're paying tribute to the gods.

I was blissfully ignorant while living on Terra as the blue flower was sprouting and terrorizing Zolan. Now I'm quickly learning so much about this world. I especially look forward to hunting in the forest. Already, my fingers miss the tautness of my bowstring. The whistled sound of the arrow flying through the air and the thud as it hits its target. I'm my happiest when I'm holding my breath right before releasing the string.

I glance at the sky. It's calm now. Nothing like it had been earlier as it flashed with a storm I've never seen before. I went outside to get a glimpse of the sky's glory to enjoy the spectacle, but was interrupted by a mysterious (and rather rude) man.

I touch my temple, remembering his fingertips. His chest rumbled as he spoke to me, but he was gone with the wind. I didn't get to see either the storm or the stranger.

He must be a master of the camp. Maybe I'll run into him again.

"Let's rest in our tent," Sidra says.

I nod, smiling at the thought that we have a home. It's a small tent draped over two beds and a wobbly table, but it's our tent. Perfect for a new start.

Entertaining is easy. I'm unsure why masters need us to tie their shoes, but I will always get the job done.

Most of the other entertainers are busy preparing for the festival. Sidra and I are still awaiting orders. I couldn't help but notice their furs—or lack thereof. They wear short, sheer dresses. Not hide. They want to attract the masters, and I can't blame them. The masters are handsome, fierce warriors. With stoic expressions that don't offer much, but bodies that promise protection, endless stamina, and satisfaction.

My face heats at the thought. The men of Terra are lean, but not as bulky and devastatingly muscular as these masters.

In our tent, Sidra and I lay in bed. She plays with a deck of cards as I stare at the grey tent. It's nothing like the view I had on my top bunk on Terra. As happy as I am to be here, I can't help but miss my home.

"I think I'll get some shut-eye. Can you watch me?" I ask Sidra.

Sidra chuckles. "Watch you?"

"Yes. At home, I sometimes sleepwalked. I don't know if this is something Zolans do on the mainland."

She stops shuffling the card and looks at me solemnly. We might be able to trick the camp for a few weeks, but eventually they'll realize we're not like them. They'll ask questions Sidra and I aren't ready to answer.

"Very well. I'll watch you and make sure you don't wander off."

I smile and roll over. Whenever I sleepwalked, my family took care of me. My desire to explore the world was so strong that I always tried to walk out into the night. It's as if I heard the call of the ocean even while unconscious, and wanted to dive into it.

I drift off, the sound of chatter and footsteps keeping me up. I fight my sleep, fearing that the camp will be gone once I awaken.

🌊

The smell of smoke consumes me. I stir, glancing around my dark tent. Sidra's bed is empty. She's gone.

I frown and sit up, but quickly realize that my wrist is tied to the center post holding the tent up.

I chuckle. Sidra is either the worst babysitter or the most ingenious one.

I work on her meticulous knot, freeing myself a minute later. I follow the smell of smoke and find a large bonfire. There are logs propped all around the fire, but there're empty. There's a male sitting dangerously close to the fire, his bare back facing me. His hair is cropped short, but a horrid scar runs up his spine and neck. The damaged skin is a lighter shade of red.