Queen of Summer's Ice (Book 2)

Chapter 7

     It definitely was not a hard to get onto an early morning ship, although at first captain Cyrus was ignoring us, until he needed help finding something in the dark morning and I provided the light from a simple flame. He then insisted that his ship was the fastest and most reliant. But that wasn't what I wanted to hear, he then proceeded to tell me that him and his men have been out on the ocean while the earthquakes had happened, but could only tell me more as long as we all started sailing. Food needed to be caught, and bills needed to be paid. So without any hesitation Nazim and I were heading off for the day to help them hunt.

     I stayed back and watched as the men strung up the ropes and did what they did best, they sailed. The sun slowly started to creep just above the moving ocean, dancing like the blue and yellow flames that I loved to make. Even as the wind lead us away from land, the sounds of the city slowly waking up could still be heard. The sun brought it out of its nights slumber. It wasn't my first time on a ship, but I was far from being a professional. There was no point in helping these men out when they could probably sail this ship blind.

     The ships dark wood echoed my footsteps as I headed for where the captain and Nazim now stood. All the workers varied in what they wore, some would wear long sleeve linen shirts to protect themselves as much as they could from the summers sun; others were topless, not bothered by the suns strength. And Cyrus was no different. He was a man in his early thirties, dark ebony skin with his years on the ocean as a sailor, short afro black hair, muscles toned along his body and his hands were surrounded with callouses from years of hard work. But he had a bright smile on his face now that he was out on sea.

     "His grace has been telling me about the new dangers of sailing," he said as soon as I was within ear shot. "Come your majesty, we should discuss this in private."

     I nodded my head, I haven't really spoken much this morning. But luckily Nazim was ready to fill in where I didn't. To be honest, I just wanted to go home. To my castle, to see my people that actually cared for me. And more importantly my kids, my husband. But the gnawing feeling that this was going to be a never ending battle between the other seasons and I, to get their trust, was never going to happen. And I didn't like the way I left things with my dad. I mentally sighed, I know that he's been through a really rough past as being winters captive, but I couldn't help the feeling that now my mother was gone, that he just found to put the blame on me.

     I shook my head and thoughts out of my head again, now was not the time to dive into the deep hole of misery. I couldn't very well throw a hissy fit just because I couldn't be home right now. But when I get back I'll try and have another talk with him.

     We entered into the captains room, it was fairly roomy I'm sure compared to the other workers, but its not as if they've ever stayed in the ship fairly long. There was nothing valuable beyond a certain point in the ocean where they would fish. At least none that we know of. All the other ships and boats that voyaged after the safe mark in the past have never made it back. The only thing that would come back would be broken pieces of their ship, years later washing on the shore. Whatever was out there, wasn't safe. Especially because a royals powers were gone after the safe point. Almost as if the real ocean, the vastness of it, couldn't be controlled. It would sure explain why no one had the ability over water, one temper tantrum and the world could be flooded.

     "When the earthquakes happened," Cyrus spoke, taking a pause to drink some water. "There was nothing to be felt here out in the ocean. Not until the only big one hit. We were the only ship out on the ocean that close into shore to feel that tsunami. And even then we were miles away. There was nothing to warn us, just the empty ocean around us. The waves slowly pulled us into the ocean first, and then as if she changed her mind, she spit us back out towards land."