Page 12 of Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches

After a few knocks, the door opened and Sebastian appeared on the other side.

He’d taken off his coat, revealing a crisp white button-down shirt with the top two buttons undone.

His face was clean, and the cut by his eyebrow was bandaged.

All in all, he looked better physically, though Kieran knew it had to have been traumatizing to take a beating like that.

“Hi,” Kieran said, immediately cursing the way his voice cracked as he said it. He cleared his throat. “Are you feeling better?”

Sebastian nodded. “Do you think you could help me find ice? I want to try to get the swelling down.”

“Sure—I’ll show you the lay of the land. And offer proper introductions to everyone now that you’ve had a chance to get fixed up.”

“I’d appreciate that. Apologies again for all this.” He gestured to his face, cringing. “I didn’t plan on such a dramatic entrance. I assure you it’s not how I typically present myself.”

“Hey—it’s okay. We’ve all had our fair share of cuts and bruises.” Kieran waved his hand dismissively. “Plus, it’s nice that someone else could take a turn at a dramatic entrance. Usually, it’s just me getting made fun of for wearing too many frills.”

Kieran expected a laugh for that, but Sebastian simply nodded and stared at him for a long beat, then two, still all business.

Kieran pursed his lips. Tough nut to crack, I suppose.

“Your fashion sense is quite flashy,” Sebastian blurted out, realizing that he’d been silently staring for a few seconds too long. His cheeks filled with color, and he averted his gaze, adding, “It’s, ah…nice.”

Kieran smiled at that, offering a small flourish with his ruffled sleeve. He’d had a taste for the ostentatious since he was a child, especially when it came to clothing, and he had no shame in showing it. “I’ll take that as a compliment. Come on. I’ll give you the grand tour.”

He gestured for Sebastian to follow, and the other boy shut his new bedroom door behind him, barely making a sound. Compared to the way Briar and Delilah moved around without regard for the noise they made, it was almost jarring to meet someone who strove for silence.

Kieran pointed out his own room as well as Briar and Delilah’s. He figured he could save their introductions for last, since he could hear them laughing through the door and didn’t want to interrupt. Instead, he led Sebastian out onto the main open-air deck.

“It’s chillier now than it was the last time,” Kieran said with a laugh as Sebastian instantly tensed at the cold.

When Sebastian shot him a questioning look, Kieran added, “It’s my second time traveling aboard this ship.

Last time was with my friend Delilah—the tall girl with the curly hair you saw earlier—for her Calling in the spring. ”

Kieran looked around at the tables and chairs set up around the perimeter, facing the open sky.

Since the last time he’d been aboard, Ariel and Santiago seemed to have started using the deck for storage, judging by the stacks of wooden crates he saw there.

“But with the right coat, this deck is great for stargazing. I come out here a lot when I can’t sleep. ”

Sebastian tilted his head to examine the aeroship’s balloons and crow’s nest. “It seems…quiet. I can’t hear the wind at all.”

Kieran explained: “My great-aunt Adelaide traveled with us the last time, and she wove us a spell to keep the wind away so we could stay outside without its being too loud to speak.”

Sebastian’s eyebrows rose. They were thick and black like his hair, with a sharp angle that gave his resting face an intimidating look. “I’ve heard that all the Pelumbras are witches. Is that true?”

Kieran nodded. “Yep. For the last two hundred years or so, they haven’t allowed any nonmagical folk to marry into the family. Don’t want to accidentally dilute the bloodline.”

“?‘They’?” Sebastian repeated, cocking his head. The cold had begun to turn his cheeks and the tip of his nose pink. “You’re a Pelumbra. Do you not associate with them?”

Kieran nearly laughed. “Oh, definitely not. If it hadn’t been for Delilah, I’d be dead because of them. My twin too—she’s the redhead who’s attached to Delilah at the hip. But that’s a long story for another time. Let’s get out of the cold.”

Sebastian gratefully nodded and followed Kieran to the stairs that led to the lower decks.

Kieran took them two at a time, practically bouncing with excitement at getting to show off his home away from home.

He showed Sebastian the kitchen—where they got some ice for Sebastian’s split lip—then the study and the dining room while recounting a few stories from the previous journey, like finding Delilah in Kitfield, her hometown, and persuading Briar to join them in Port Lorring.

Sebastian nodded as he took it all in, his eyes seeming to map out every corner of the ship.

Although he offered nods and one-word responses to show he was listening, Sebastian wasn’t much of a talker.

He seemed much more concerned with whatever was going on in his head.

Kieran was generally good at reading people, but Sebastian’s face and voice gave very little away.

Then again, he’s probably anxious about Elias.

Maybe he just needs to get his mind off it.

Kieran decided to take that as a challenge.

“But enough about me,” Kieran said, gesturing to the stairs to the lowest deck. He sat on the banister and used it to slide down to the bottom while Sebastian followed stiffly behind him using the stairs. “Tell me about yourself.”

Sebastian pursed his lips, considering the request as he looked around the deck.

It was the one in which Kieran spent the least amount of time.

It boasted two rooms: the observation deck—a mostly window-enclosed room with a view of the clouds and the land below the ship—and the bedroom that Ariel and Santiago shared.

Kieran led Sebastian toward the observation deck.

Following Kieran to the big open room at the back of the ship, Sebastian finally asked, “What would you like to know?”

The day was cloudless after Gellingham’s recent snowstorm, and they could see all the way to the ground.

Ariel had spent the few days before picking them up researching the best way to the Lake of Whispers, which was only a two-day journey to the east, in the direction of the sea.

Now they were passing over the villages outside the city, the pale-green Gell River winding through them like a massive serpent.

“Hmm,” Kieran considered, stroking his chin. “Well…how did you wind up working for Elias Barclay?”

“Nothing very exciting,” Sebastian explained, stepping closer to the windows to get a better view. His shoulders, wider than Kieran’s, were tense. “He was hiring, and I was looking for a job. His was the best-paying one I could find.”

“Saving money for something in particular?” Kieran pushed. He hoped he didn’t sound nosy, but then again, it seemed as if getting Sebastian to open up was going to require a bit of prying.

Sebastian paused, as if mentally weighing the words hanging on his lips. Finally, he said, “Not really. I mostly just send money to my younger sisters in Shui City.”

“It must be hard to be far from your family,” Kieran said, hoping it might push him to share more. “Are your parents around?”

“No. They’ve both passed.” Sebastian stuck his hands in his pockets, not meeting Kieran’s eyes. “It’s just me and my sisters.”

“It sounds like you had to grow up really fast,” Kieran said, standing beside Sebastian as they gazed down at the landscape.

He wondered if he was too close, but let the thought go when Sebastian didn’t move away.

If he squinted, Kieran could just see the edge of Shui City, and he wondered if Sebastian was thinking of his sisters now.

Sebastian nodded but didn’t say anything more.

Silence overtook them, and Kieran immediately felt itchy. Some people, he knew, were comfortable with silence, but he certainly wasn’t one of them.

He blurted out, “So how, um, old are you exactly?”

Sebastian stared at Kieran for a long beat. Kieran’s heart rate picked up. That stare was enough to make Kieran sweat, although not necessarily in a bad way.

“Pardon me for asking,” Sebastian said, “but is this a…job interview? I can’t say I’ve prepared, so my apologies—”

“What? No!” Kieran had to hold in a laugh. “I’m just trying to get to know you, Sebastian.”

“As an employee?”

Kieran sputtered a giggle. “As an employ—? No. Listen, I know I offered you this job, but that doesn’t mean I’m your boss.

It doesn’t work like that on this ship. Me, Delilah, Briar, Ariel, Santiago—we’re not coworkers.

We’re…kind of a weird little family. Obviously, you don’t have to be best friends with all of us, but it would be nice to get to know you. If you want.”

“Oh. I…suppose I misread that.” Sebastian looked away, seemingly trying to hide the blush that had spread across his cheeks.

“Sorry—I’m out of practice when it comes to casual socializing.

Elias is the only person I’ve talked to for months now, and he preferred that I limit our conversations to work topics. ”

“Seriously? What an asshole.”

For the first time since Sebastian had boarded the ship, Kieran had managed to coax a smile out of him.

Kieran brightened at the sight of it—Sebastian’s resting expression was quite severe, so even a small smile softened him significantly.

It took him from intimidating to roguishly handsome.

Especially with the way his hair hung slightly in his nearly black eyes, which glinted in the sunlight.

And how white his teeth were behind those pouty, pale-pink lips.

Not that Kieran noticed that, of course.

Sebastian said, “It’s all right—it’s behind me now. Plus, I can safely say I prefer it here already. And, ah—to answer your question—I’m eighteen. My birthday was last week. You?”