Chosen

Chapter One

Two days ago, I woke up and everything had changed. Suddenly there were two Jesse Cohens. Between them was the accident.

The Winter Sky docked yesterday. Apparently it was something worth celebrating because every single inhabitant of the New Conwy gathered into the banquet hall to do just that. But to me, it was just a boat full of things and people that I knew nothing about.

Being at a party should have been reason enough to be happy. I wasn't, but I was doing my best to fake it. I kept thinking about the old Jesse and how he would have known how to behave here. He'd know everyone's name. Probably called a few of them friends. And he'd feel like he fit. But me? I was just trying to get through the night. Somewhere along the way, I let the smile slip from my face. Gwenyth noticed. When I turned my head, I caught her studying me intently.

We sat side by side at a table near the front of the room. Though the rest of the massive room was filled with long tables crammed with bodies, we were the only two at ours. She was the first person I saw when I woke up, and she'd rarely left me since. She hadn't said so outright, but I came to understand that we meant something special to each other. Or, at least we did before the accident changed everything.

The brazier mounted behind her set her hair aglow like a red flaming halo. I'd thought she was pretty before, but with her hair glowing, she was beautiful. She noticed me staring and smiled, her whole face lighting up and her blue eyes crinkling at the corners. Yep, she was definitely beautiful. Her small hand reached out to cover mine. She had a way of making me feel like I was the only guy in the room. Gently, she asked, "How's the head?"

"Mostly okay. Still hurts, but not as bad as earlier."

"That's good to hear. I'm sure you'll be back to your old self in no time."

I laughed. My old self. "I hope so," I told her.

Another smile and then she launched into meaningless smalltalk. It was her way of putting on a brave face, but the facade was full of cracks. That's where the worry slipped through when she thought I wasn't looking. It was tangible...and contagious, like a heavy weight pushing against my chest.

I had to look away.

I settled my eyes on hearth. A giant fire roared inside of it, all licking and curling and dancing glowing flames. Trays of food came out one by one, brought by waiters that looked like all the other guys in attendance. They put down a new platter filled high with food to replace the empty one, and then sat with the others to share the spread. The smell wafting from them should've been appetizing, but it made me feel a little sick. Ale flowed steadily, inspiring laughter and music. One boy pulled out a flute, and another, a drum. Soon, they were all singing and dancing. The song sounded familiar. Had I heard it before? I leaned forward to listen. It had words, even though they weren't singing them. I don't know how I knew, but I knew. The words eluded me. They were there, on the edges of my memory, just out of reach. Convinced I was on the verge of remembering, I'd grab for the words and find them gone. It was beyond frustrating, trying to capture something that wasn't entirely there, but stubborn me just couldn't stop reaching for them.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the ship's captain striding over to our table. He was young, like all the rest of them, but youth had no effect on his presence. One look at him could tell you that he was someone to be respected, even if the ale had loosened his walk and given it a slight lean. "Milady," he said. The word rolled off his tongue lazily as he bent over to kiss Gwenyth's hand.

"Kai," she returned warmly. "Enjoying the festivities?"

"Always." He threw me a cursory glance. His expression advised that whatever he was about to say wasn't meant for my ears. I averted my eyes.