Page 91 of A Warrior's Heart

Troy wrapped his arms around me and tucked his face against my chest. I understood his unease, for I felt it too. The fog was so thick that I could barely see the ship’s figurehead at the bow.

“Perhaps I can see something from above,” Nereus said before climbing the mast. He reached the crow’s nest and pulled out the spyglass. “All I see is white.” He turned on the perch, still looking through the instrument as he did. “In all directions. It’s disorienting.”

“I need you to stay up there,” Kellan called up to him. “Watch for any signs of mountains. Even at this slow of a speed, it could be a fatal hit to the hull if we collided with anything.”

“Aye, aye, captain.” Nereus focused ahead with the spyglass, more determined now than before.

Shar snorted from beside me. “He is so easily amused.”

“You love him,” I said.

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Shar’s purple eyes moved to me. “I love no one but myself.”

I believed him. Almost.

“I’ll make us some lunch,” Eva said before going below deck.

Cain followed her down the steps.

“Never thought I’d see the day when Cain fell for a lass,” Shar said. “He spent the entire night in her bed too. Usually, he fucks them and returns to his bunk.”

Troy smiled. “Eva seems to like him. I’m happy for her.”

The fog seemed to roll on for forever. I was not one to usually be bothered by tight spaces, yet my chest began to tighten at the thought of never again seeing the sunlight. I had to fight the urge to dive overboard and swim the rest of the way. However far that might be.

“I see something!” Nereus shouted.

Troy had been sleeping against my arm and jolted awake.

“The top of a mountain,” Nereus added, peering closer.

“How far?” Kellan asked.

Suddenly, the ship broke through the wall of fog and we found ourselves on the other side of it. Blue water, sunny skies, and land lay before us. It was a momentary shock to the senses after being submerged in the fog for so long, and I squinted against the sun. A mountain was ahead, the tall peak touching the clouds.

The ship slowed even more before stopping altogether as Alek adjusted the sails. He hopped down the same time as Nereus did. They nodded to each other before walking over to us.

“Can we travel around it?” Reif asked. The land stretched as far as the eye could see on both sides.

Ervin grabbed onto a rope and swung up to the railing. “I can swim the perimeter and report back.”

“There’s no need for that,” Lorcan said, a look of awe in his green eyes. “We’re here.”

“Here?” Troy asked, shielding his eyes with his hand as he looked toward the land. “I thought the trident was in the sea.”

“It is,” Lorcan responded. “The trident is pulling me straight ahead. There must be a bay beyond those trees.” He glanced at all of us. “We need to go ashore.”

***

“More trees,” Troy whined as we walked through the wooded area. “My legs are still recovering from the forest in the southern isle.”

“You’ll live.” I ruffled his hair, and he grumbled at me. “Obstacles only make you stronger.”

Lorcan chuckled. “You say that now, but the moment he stumbles on a rock and pouts his lip at you, you’ll carry him.”

I said nothing, knowing he was right.

Being so close to the trident, Lorcan’s spirits were high. He wasn’t nearly as exhausted as he’d been only days ago. He seemed more like his old self, more like the boy I’d raised.