Savia's Heart [Sequel to Bastian's Song] [HIATUS]

[ 18 ]

[ Eryn ]

The mystery of the magical ice plagued Eryn as she loaded her ship for the final leg of her journey. Repairs were completed quickly and, within a week, she set sail for the town of Huw--all without any signs of Phaedra. Despite the bitterness at the lost friendship, Eryn couldn't blame the redheaded mermaid for not visiting. She didn't even mind that Phaedra had managed to swipe the entire pouch of valuables that had been her bargaining chips.

In fact, the meeting would have gone a lot smoother if not for one particularly annoying member of her crew. The dark-haired man was at least wise enough to sense that she was upset with him. Vee stayed hidden from her for most of the journey.

When she did see him, he seemed nervous to approach, and she made sure to give him a look that had him scurrying back to the charts he kept in his office. It would be safer for both of them if she waited until her anger had subsided before they spoke once more.

As the Freedom slid along the coast, Eryn considered what she would tell Savia. Their time together had been short, but intense, and she had learned a few things about the mysterious vampyre that had certainly cemented their friendship. That knowledge also meant that Eryn understood just how complicated the search for Savia's heart would be.

She sighed.

Sven cleared his throat to get her attention. "Are you done staring off into the distance, captain?"

Eryn grinned. "I wasn't staring, Sven. I was admiring. It's a beautiful coast."

Her first mate shook his head. "You've that look on your face. The one that says you're thinking about the future."

She turned to face him, lifting one brow as she did. "Is that a bad thing? I thought you always wanted me to be more mindful of the next step."

He shrugged. "As much as I would enjoy a more mindful type of thought from you, captain, I've gotta be honest. Your thinking face is just...very unnatural."

Eryn's mouth fell open in surprise. "Wha?"

Sven laughed, his face becoming flush with the action. When he finally recovered, he had to wipe tears from his eyes and Eryn had moved from surprise to offense.

"You can't just say things like that to your captain, Sven!" She hated that her anger made her sound more like a squawking seagull than an intimidating force to be reckoned with.

"Says who?"

"Me! I say so. And I'm the captain, so what I say is all that matters!"

Sven bowed his head, every inch of the motion full of mocking obedience. "Oh, aye, captain. Of course."

Eryn crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at him. "I'm allowed to think! And I don't appreciate your...your malicious compliance. So stop that."

Sven stopped bowing his head and flashed her a smile. "I'm sorry, captain. I let my mouth run ahead of sense."

She relaxed almost immediately. They had been working together too long for her to stay angry at him for any length of time. And she knew him well enough to understand what he said always had a reason behind it. So she considered what he could possibly have meant.

He waited patiently for her, his broad body acting as a shield against some of the wind that whipped their sails forward. 

Realization washed over Eryn and she gave him a short, self-deprecating laugh. "Why can't you ever just say what you mean? You make me work too hard, Sven."

Sven's smile only grew wider, and he looked pleased with himself. "I can't help it that you're a bit dense when it comes to people, captain. That's why you hired me, ain't it?"

Eryn rolled her eyes. "I hired you because you look like a bear of a man and I thought you were kind of cool when you punched out that baron."

He laughed. "That arse deserved what he got. And you're not wrong. I am very manly."

"Yeah, yeah. I got it. You're the amazing Sven and I bow to your superior ability to annoy people by beating around the bush."

Sven made a rude gesture at her, and Eryn felt it was his own weird brand of affection. It warmed her heart. She shooed at him. "Go on then, bear-man. Get back to work. I ain't paying you to loaf around and insult me."

"Aye, captain." He turned and walked away from her, his hands in his pockets and his hair flying in the wind.

Eryn leaned her back against her ship's railing and smiled as she watched him go. Maybe he was right, and she shouldn't dwell too much on things that she couldn't predict. As much as she liked to know what she was getting into, there were too many factors to consider for this particular adventure. And she did some of her best work when she was thinking on her feet.

"Don't worry so much," she muttered to herself. Eryn took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She willed her worries to go with the breath she expelled from herself and felt herself relax even more. 

She turned back around and watched the blue waves as they carried her to her destination. It wasn't long before the small village of Huw was in sight. Because it was a small fishing village, there wasn't room for a ship as large as the Sky's Freedom, so Eryn took a dinghy to shore.

Eryn hopped out of the boat and splashed her way up the beach, dragging the boat behind her until she was sure it wouldn't be carried off by the sea while she was gone. Eryn waved to the villagers as she walked through the huts and up the hill toward Savia's home.

Why the vampyre insisted on living so high up was something Eryn would never understand. Wouldn't someone who could die by being in the sunlight want to be as low to the ground, or even under it, rather than so high up? It was almost like she was daring Helios to smite her himself.

Eryn whistled as she walked, swaying with the rhythm of the ocean still in her legs. Her timing had been perfect, as the sun was setting when she finally crested the hill that Savia's home sat upon.

She strode up to the front door and lifted a hand to bang on it. The song rose into the air, soft and hesitant. Eryn turned to the direction it came from and crouched low to the ground. She snuck forward along the front of the house and peeked around the corner.

There, beside Savia's home, a dark-haired young man was pulling down clothing from the line. His voice wavered in pitch, swinging high and low like a drunken sailor trying to get out of a cushioned seat.

Eryn pulled the dagger from her boot. Perhaps Savia no longer lived in this home. Or perhaps the man had taken it from her by force. Her fingers tightened on the leather handle. She inched forward, pressing her body flat against the wall.

With a deep breath, Eryn lunged toward him.

Sorry! That's really all I can say about the lateness of this chapter and the last two weeks. Life really got away from me, but I'm hoping to get back on schedule now. Thank you so much for your patience. :)