Heiress of the Sea

Chapter 2

The ship creaked back and forth, the sea and the rain spraying the deck as the sailors moved around, pulling ropes and bringing down the large triangular sails, letting the ship conform to the powerful sea and the wind.

I shuddered when I realized that this could, perhaps, be Goridian's doing. No...it couldn't be. He was only a sorcerer, and one needed to be a God to cause such an earthly raucous.

Most wouldn't have believed that a God as strong and wise as Triton could possibly be overthrown by a sorcerer like Goridian, but it was possible. In a moment of weakness, Triton signed over his rights to Goridian thinking he had no other choice. The truth was, Triton had simply been tricked by Goridian's conniving games, and for the past nine years had paid the price for it.

"So, all you want is to be taken to the shore?" a voice called from behind me.

I turned, and realized I was facing one of the sailors, his face speckled with the spittle of the ocean and the sky. I smiled, just a bit.

"Yes, if you wouldn't mind," I responded politely.

He appeared amused, his eyes wrinkled slightly. "Did you have a specific place in mind? The shore is a bit vague of a request."

I blinked, crinkling a brow. "Doesn't that make it easier for you, then?"

He roared heartily, his broad shoulders shaking, bending back in laughter before returning to his work with ropes.

"I suppose you're right," he said, coughing down a few last chuckles.

The truth was, I actually had no idea where to go. Triton had simply said 'where the sea and the land merges', which was, I realized in this moment, quite unhelpful. I hadn't thought to enquire with fear simmering within me.

The fear of never escaping, the fear of being forced into marriage with Goridian...

I quivered at the thought.

We sailed into the bright peach morning, the sky clearing by the time the sun rose. The day's events lulled me into a few hours of asleep, and I awoke with tangled hair and the taste of salt on my lips. There was still leftover relief keeping me on a high from the previous day. However, I was guilted in remembering that my task had just begun.

Escape was only the first part, and definitely not the most taxing.

I sat at the tip of the boat as we sailed towards the land, a place I'd been dreaming of for years. Triton had only been once himself, but he often spoke about the feeling of grass rather than sand under foot, and the feeling of being free to move about for miles upon miles. It was a million times more expansive than the Sea Kingdom, and a million times more populated, as well. Gods of all kinds dwelled in the Kingdom of the Land, along with their inhuman and human subjects. Just the thought burned a hole of anticipating angst in my stomach.

As we grew closer, I devoured the sight in front of me. Real trees, and hills and the soft, lush grass I'd heard about. Humans—plan and simple, yet so beautiful—walking around, little furry things scampering about around them. My eyes were gobbling up every detail I noticed; every single observation.

"Never seen the land before?" asked the bushy-bearded sailor.

Slowly, I shook my head no.

He chuckled softly. "Ye must be quite in awe, then."

"Absolutely," I responded. "I can't believe my people dwell in the trenches of the sea when they could live somewhere like here."

A deep, pained breath escaped the sailor's lips. "I can't promise it's going to be as good as you're expecting, girl. It may look like magic, but it's really not."