Sirens And Sins {HIATUS}

2. Ebullience

Whoever said being a prince was easy was a huge liar.

Marshall Kaylock, the youngest prince of a kingdom known as Glaeya, had spent the better part of his journey staring out towards the sea. It wasn't because he had never been to the sea before, nor did it have something to do with the fact that this was the longest journey he had ever embarked on. Marshall just couldn't stay confined to one place. If he spent even two minutes in his cabin, he would feel restless and lazy. If he stepped away from the bow, he would feel as if he would miss out on something very important. 

His fiancee Evelynn Darcy considered him mad. Marshall liked to think of himself as eager. 

The Dulthys, his royal ship, sliced through the waters with a speed that would make the birds jealous. The large, purple sails billowed in the window as they headed east. Marshall paced back and forth, eyes sparing glances at the sea at any moment he thought important. Evelynn was still in her cabin, resting, as usual, this time of day. His guide, by the foreign name of Samire Hobbse, was tracing lines on the world map flattened on a nearby table. They could have consulted the map at the cabin, where the wind and salty sprays didn't threaten to ruin the delicate parchment, but Marshall couldn't allow it. He could not miss a moment out in the open air. 

"How far inwards into the Elst Sea do you think we are, good sir?" He asked the former sailor. 

Samire stared at the map, then looked up at the wide expanse of gray surrounding them. "Not far enough," he muttered. The thick accent of his made his words blur together into one long word. "We've not even made it to the Bloodied Black cliffs yet." 

"Peculiar name," Marshall remarked. "Where do you think that is?"

Samire left the map on the table and joined Marshall at the bow. He squinted at the sea, wrinkles around his dark brown eyes deepening. He straightened up and pointed. "D'ya see 'em cluster of black, pointy rocks there?"

Marshall gave Samire a toothy smile. "My good man, you know I can't see that far." 

His guide rolled his eyes, unimpressed with Marshall's smile. Marshall was used to people all around the kingdom of Glaeya melting at the sight of his good looks and charming smile, although Samire must have just been immune thanks to age. Either that, or he had been lied to by his nanny all his life and was not, in fact, the most handsome boy in the whole world. Marshall internally made a note to tease his aging nanny about when he came back home.

"D'ya see 'em cluster of black blobs o'er there?"

Marshall, indeed, saw a cluster of blobs on the horizon. 

Samire grunted. "That's the Bloodied Black Cliffs. Us sailors like to call 'em the Blood Ship Cliffs for fun."

The prince studied the blobs. They were supposed to mark the entrance to the Elst sea, a shortcut into east waters. No ship had ever passed through the cliffs in years, local pirates claimed. It was suicidal. 

But it was also the fastest way to get to where he needed.

"How long until we get there?" Marshall asked the guide.

The portly man chewed on his ragged pinkie nail. "Not too long, not too long," he muttered. "Possibly half an hour, maybe more if my calculations are correct." 

Marshall leaned against the edge, breathing in the smell of salty freedom. If there was one good thing that came out of this somewhat forced journey, it was the exposure to life at sea. Marshall was slowly falling in love with it. The salty smell of the air and the occasional stinging spray of water was so foreign to him, he wanted to spend enough time to imprint it into his mind. Once Marshall returned back to Glaeya, he would have to move somewhere closer to the water and acquire his own proper ship. The Dulthys was beautiful, but it wasn't his.