The Wicked House of Caroline

“Why do you need it?” Deo was much more resistant to giving her maps than she expected. Beks frowned.

“I just want to check something.”

Her brother studied her face, suspicious. “Check what?”

She couldn’t tell him that she wanted to use a map to properly track the locations of several naval and army units that, according to Nexus, had strayed from their usual patrol paths. She sighed.

“I want to get an idea of the route we’ll take to the West Islands.” That was not a lie. She did want to get an idea of where they’d be sailing and see if they could get close enough to the island. That was just one of the things she wanted the maps for.

Deo’s brows furrowed and she could see a hint of worry in his eyes. “Beks,” he said as his voice softened. “It was a mistake anyone could make. You don’t need to obsess over maps because of it.”

The corner of her eye twitched. Did her brother think she was traumatized after miscalculating the number of fortresses? Perhaps a bit, but she had to refocus her energy elsewhere. Her father and Mr. Reidan had gone back to the docks to pick up their paperwork and tomorrow, the fishing vessel that would take them to the West Islands would arrive.

Beks wanted to prepare herself.

“You’re overthinking it. I just want to review the route. Didn’t I do this when we were traveling from the High Desert, too?”

Deo mulled it over and finally relented. He handed the tube with the rolled-up maps to Beks. Worried he may change his mind, Beks snatched them and darted into her room, slamming the door behind her.

She opened the lid and shook out the maps. As she spread them out on her bed. She began to sort them by region, isolating the maps that had the coasts, nearby islands, and the entire ocean between them and the continent of Freysha.

As she weighed down the corners of a map that followed along the western and southern coasts of Sevoy, the continent where Kadmus was located, she saw a flashing light from the corner of her eye. Beks turned her head and straightened up, walking towards the urapearl on her desk.

She touched it would her hand and Mr. Kesse’s face appeared. “This is a first, Mr. Kesse. Usually I call you,” she said as she pulled out the chair and sat down. “Good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon, Mistress of Nexus.” His voice was more rushed than normal and his eyes darted around. “I apologize for this urgent call, but I’ve just received additional information that will affect your travels.”

She furrowed her brows and cocked her head to the side, giving the urapearl a questioning look. “How so?”

“It is confirmed that you and the members of your family are listed in the current version of the White Papers sent to Kadmus’ allies.”

She took a sharp breath and her body tensed. “Which members?”

“All of them.” Mr. Kesse appeared upset. “Include Lady Dorothy and Lord Thaddeus.”

Her eyes slowly crinkled up as a low breath left her lips in an effort to calm herself. It wasn’t that it was a surprise that they were listed, but it was a surprise that ‘they’ included two children. On her lap, her fingers clawed against the fabric of her skirt.

“Wrath and Thad are included? They are minors,” Beks said, barely restraining the anger in her voice. “They weren’t marked for exile. They shouldn’t have been listed.”

“Young children had always been exempted from the White Papers, my lady. We also don’t know why they were included this time,” Mr. Kesse replied. “As any changes to the list must be approved by the monarch....”

“Then Luther, that bastard, approved to include them.” Beks’ voice trembled. If her ex-fiancé were in front of her right now, there was no guarantee she’d be able to stop herself from throwing hands on him. “Exiles are recorded in the legal and punishment books. Did they make a mistake and add them accidentally?”

“I don’t know, my lady,” Mr. Kesse told her in a helpless voice. “It is possible. The previous senior staff under the late Queen and His Majesty King Laurence were pushed out and replaced. The replacements could very well simply not know the correct procedures and made a mistake.”

Beks ground her teeth together. “Even if they did, Luther would have to review the list and approve. There are only six in my family and he knows all of us. He should’ve seen their names and had them removed.”

The less documentation they were on, the better off they were. Four adults were bad enough, but the entire family? To know that her two younger siblings could now be arrested and legally detained by virtue of having their names on a list reserved for adults was more than a little frustrating. It was dangerous.

Some allied countries limited their participation with White Papers to simply prohibiting identified people from doing business on their ports and getting on ships. Other countries, especially those trying to gain the favor of another country, would go as far as to arrest those on the White Papers and deport them to their country of origin, as if they were criminals.

“I advise you consider disguises for your younger siblings once you reunite and are traveling,” Mr. Kesse said.

Beks drew in her lips and chewed on them before giving him a nod. “I understand.”

Mr. Kesse frowned more so. “There was also an ‘emergency’ change to the White Papers.”

That can’t be good. Beks could already feel her stomach twisting with anticipation. She gave the man a nod to urge him to continue.

“Several allies have agreed to allow Kadmus naval ships to be stationed just outside the entrance and exit of their main sea routes of their territorial waters.”

Beks frowned. “To do what?”

“Check the passenger list of vessels.”

“Which countries agreed to this insanity?”

Mr. Kesse looked down and seemed to read from a piece of paper. He named several coastal nations, all who participated in the White Papers. A few of those allied countries who participated weren’t listed, but Paraxes and the Principality of Varkana were.

Beks almost pushed herself away from the desk and stood up to pace and calm herself when she heard. Paraxes’ involvement was expected, as they were a close ally of Kadmus. At the same time, the blood of Paraxes’ royal family ran through Laurence, whose father was a prince. Laurence’s paternal grandfather was still king of Paraxes, yet they unknowingly agreed to some that would become an obstacle for Laurence’s supporters and his return.

The Principality of Varkana’s economy was centered on trade, so, of course, they would agree to the requests of powerful trading partner.

Beks closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She stood up and got off the chair, cross the room to her bed and shuffling through the maps.

“My lady?” Mr. Kesse asked from the urapearl.

“So not only has the entire Kadmus navy began wider patrols going well past Kadmus territorial waters, but they are assigning ships to essentially function as sea checkpoints for vessels leaving large, allied ports?” Beks stared so hard at the map of the coast in front of her that she could’ve burned a hole with her eyes.

“I’m afraid so, my lady.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What happens if they find someone who is on the list?” The list was initially focused on limiting economic strength that could threaten the monarchy, but now it seemed like it was being used to search and detain people.

“It is likely that they would be detained by the navy.”

She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Why is everything he approves a massive waste of time and resources....” Beks muttered. “Daddy said that Kadmus merchant vessels and naval ships were recently targeted by pirates, shouldn’t the navy focus on them?” The kingdom would lose taxable income if a merchant vessel never made it to shore, not to mention the obvious threat of pirates harassing naval ships.

They had no economic reason for harassing naval ships, which made the entire thing strange, but if they caused trouble for Luther, Beks had little reason to be upset with them.

“In the regions between the West Islands and Kadmus, naval vessels continue to do patrols, but they have been ordered to inspect any ship going through the area.”

“They have no jurisdiction to do that in waters that don’t belong to them.”

“They are aware and are focusing on ships that cross the territory.”

Beks walked back to the desk and placed her hands on the edge of the table. She hunched forward and took a deep breath. “These inspections...what do they entail?”

“From the orders we’ve gathered, they are to check the identification documents of all passengers and crew on board, then do a sweep of the ship to see if anyone is hiding, though the official reason is to check for pirates or pirate contraband. If found, the ship, passengers, and crew would be escorted back to shore.”

This was going far beyond what the White Papers were supposed to be used for and Beks couldn’t help but be annoyed.

“I understand, Mr. Kesse. Thank you for the immediate update. We’re scheduled to leave tomorrow.”

The man frowned. “This means that there is a good chance that these measures will already be implemented.”

She took another deep breath. “I’ll make sure we are careful.”

“You should also be wary of the pirates. They seem to be focusing on Kadmus vessels.”

“We won’t be taking a Kadmus associated ship, Mr. Kesse,” Beks replied. “Does the general populace know about the attacks on merchant vessels and the navy?”

“The court is trying to keep the news quiet so as not to alarm the people into panic buying and inflating the costs of particular goods all at once, and to prevent foreign merchants from avoiding the much-needed trade.”

Beks rubbed her chin. “Alarm them. Say that the king and court aren’t doing anything to stop them. The angrier everyone is at Luther’s incompetence, the better.”

Mr. Kesse nodded. “Yes, my lady.”

“Have any of our businesses been severely affected?”

“No, my lady. Most of our focus has been on land.”

“All right. Then for now, that’s all.”

“Should we spread news of the Temple working with the court for charitable works within Kadmus?”

“No, not right now. I don’t want other countries scrutinizing Kadmus or the Temple too much and find them a threat.” Beks shook her head and frowned. “I don’t want His Majesty to deal with a foreign threat because of Luther.”

“Yes, my lady.”

She ended the call and closed her eyes, her head hanging down as she recalled the information she saw the old man at the fish monger’s attic writing on the paperwork. Such identification documents would include main physical descriptions: height, skin, hair color and style, eye color, and any distinguishing markings.

Her father seemed to have asked for changes to be made so as to avoid being properly identified.

“Beks, I’m taking your brother out. Do you want to come?” Her father knocked on her door and Beks lifted her head. She stared at the covered curtains in front of her.

“No, I’m still busy...budgeting,” Beks said. She grimaced at once at her pathetic excuse.

“Then we will be back later,” her father replied. “Do not leave the inn.”

“I know,” Beks said. She wasn’t a child nor did she feel like taking unnecessary risks at the moment.

Her father must’ve gotten the documents already, meaning now it was time to change their appearance a bit by dying their hair black.

Beks loomed over a map and traced the areas of water, estimating where the naval checkpoints would be. If they were going to the West Island, they were bound to run into at least one naval ship once they sailed out of Varkana.

She needed to calm down. They had their fake documentation and the ship they would be passengers on the next day was arranged for them, so no questions would be asked.

Beks rolled up the coastal maps and moved back to a large map of Kadmus. Mountainous and narrow, these official borders mainly touched smaller kingdoms and principalities, as if buffering the space between Kadmus and larger or more powerful kingdoms. The largest on the continent was east, past a mountain range, a desert, and then forests to get to the sprawling plains that were the far borders of Langshe.

The buffer countries were far less populated.

Several Kadmus battalions would take advantage of this by searching around the edges of the empire. Beks already received news that several battalions had been rerouted from their usual patrols or moved closer to the borders.

What was more was that Nexus had told her that Legion Two’s Prime Battalion had seemingly dispersed and vanished.

Legion Two’s Prime Battalion was the Wild Dogs.

Beks didn’t know how Laz did it that his entire battalion lost their pursuers and seemed to disappear. No one reported to the Legion Commander after the initial report that Laz was going to search for his brother, the Third Prince, months ago.

Family members of the Wild Dogs said that they either hadn’t seen their relatives or that they did come, but left soon after. It was assumed that they’d returned to their post, not disappear. The Kadmus military had no idea where they went.

Nexus didn’t know what happened exactly, either.

She was quite impressed with whatever Laz arranged.

Thinking about Laz, led to thinking about the twins, which led to thinking about Laurence. It had been some time since they contacted Sagittate.

Since they managed to contact Sagittate through her father’s urapearl at his desk in his office, after days of trying, her uncles arranged for someone to guard the urapearl to report when someone called. She sat back in front of the urapearl and waited for it to connect. When the image cleared, a man with short, dark red hair greeted her.

“Beks, are you all doing all right?” Uncle Erik resembled her father, but unlike her father he didn’t have a beard and had two thin braids on the left side of his head.

“We’re fine, Uncle. We’re on the move and preparing to search for Mommy. I’m calling to check on your situation as we’ve learned that Kadmus is rearranging the legion patrols around the borders.”

Uncle Erik’s face turned ugly at once. “It’s quite clear what they’re trying to do.”

“I don’t recall any such measures being made with other exiles. Once an exile was pushed out, it was as if they didn’t exist.”

Uncle Erik let out a small snort and seemed to lean back and cross his arms over his chest. “Other exiles don’t pose a threat like Carolines,” he said. “Their people across the isthmus haven’t left yet. If anything, it seems that more and more people are gathering. I wouldn’t be surprised if they brought one of the battalions here to try to retake us.”

“They never took Sagittate. Sagittate voluntarily joined the kingdom,” Beks said. Her uncle’s lips curled up into a satisfied smile.

“That’s right!”

“But Uncle, the Kadmus navy is also being rearranged. Their patrol areas have increased and they’re more aggressive in searching ships. They’re also doing checkpoints in allied waters.”

Uncle Erik’s face darkened once more. “They really believe you all are a threat.” He snorted. “Well, they’re not wrong about it.”

“Stromwal doesn’t completely shield Sagittate, either, Uncle. I’m worried that they may try to go around it to reach other parts.”

Her uncle seemed to brush off her concern. “Don’t over think it. We have sentries all around the territory with the best biha users in the continent,” Uncle Erik said. “If the breech Stromwal or manage to get around it, it is a small effort to sink them before they reach our shores. Only the ships your parents have approved of can enter our waters unharmed.”

“Thank you, Uncle.”

Her uncle opened his mouth, but turned his head. He nodded and looked back at Beks. “Hold on, you have a visitor.”

She tilted her head to the side and watched as her uncle rose from his seat and left. A moment later, Laurence’s face filled the screen. He was still thinner, but he looked far better than the deathly pale figure she’d last seen in person.

“Brother Laurence!”

“And me!” A pretty young woman pushed Laurence’s head to the side a bit so she could be visible as well. Beks beamed.

“Lady Eleanor!” The Marquis’ daughter laughed. She moved to stand behind Laurence and draped her arms around his shoulders, resting her head against his so both of them could be seen at once. “How are you both doing?”

“Beks, I walked here on my own,” Laurence said as his eyes crinkled up. “My room is across the fortress from here, but I was able to make it without aid.”

“That’s why he’s a bit out of breath,” Lady Eleanor said with a giggle. Her eyes were filled with warmth as she looked at Beks. “Have you found the Duchess and the children yet?”

Beks shook her head. “Not yet. We’re about to set out to find them.”

“Good, good,” Brother Laurence told her. He seemed to hesitate a bit. “What about my brothers? When will you see them again?”

Knowing that he had been anxious about the whereabouts of the twins, Beks had told him as soon as she was able to speak to him directly. He’d been relieved, but at the same time, distraught that Laz had lost his hand.

“I’m not sure. We don’t know how long it will take to find my mother, brother, and sister,” Beks said. “We planned to return to the island after we found them.”

Laurence seemed to take a deep breath. “About that, Beks. I have a request.”

The corner of her lip curled up. “You are still the king to me, Brother. You don’t have requests. You have orders.”

His eyes crinkled up with mirth once more. “Then, I have an order for you.” She nodded, signaling him to proceed. “Once you find the Duchess and your siblings, I want you to come to Sagittate.”

Beks tilted her head to the side. “To Sagittate?”

“Yes,” Laurence told her. “Come and get me from Sagittate. I want to see my brothers.”

╔═════════════════ ∘◦ ♔ ◦∘ ═════════════════╗

If she were being honest, seeing her brother and father with black hair similar to hers wasn’t as jarring as she’d thought it would be. They still covered their heads, but when she saw them with dyed hair, they didn’t not look like her brother and father.

What was jarring was that her father shaved off his beard, making him look much younger than he was. He and Deo looked more alike than she thought, and when she voiced this, her brother had shuddered.

The group of four had sold their horses and gathered their belongings to board a large fishing vessel. As they boarded, Beks saw the same cephalopod emblem she’d seen her father tap in the back-alley fishmonger’s, on a wooden disk just above the hull of the ship’s bow. It was very subtle and if she hadn’t seen it before, she’d think it was just a decoration.

Even a fool could see that these people were connected through some sort of network. There were five men on board the fishing vessel and they’d come to the deck to greet them. They were all dark-skinned men with dark hair. From their accents, they were from the West Islands. Beks wanted to ask if they knew her mother, but restrained herself.

She thought that the vessel would still have some fish or have that fishy smell, but it had been thoroughly cleaned and she and her small party were given a small room with bunk beds built in.

“Now that I think about it,” Beks said as she climbed out of the galley to the deck. “I’ve never been on a boat.”

“Yes, you have,” her father said. He was standing on the port with the ship’s captain. “You were an infant and don’t remember. We took you to the sea because your mother wanted to bond with you over water.”

Beks furrowed her brows. She remembered a lot from when she was a child, but only from when she was about two.

“What’s the plan?” Deo asked as he stood beside them.

“We’ll set course directly to the West Islands,” Robert told them. “Don’t worry, they’ve prepared enough supplies to take us there.”

“Will we get to go fishing?” Beks asked. Both her father, brother, and the captain standing nearby looked at her.

The captain was a tall man with graying hair and smiled. “If my lady wants to fish, we can fish when we are further out.”

“Will that take up too much time?” Beks asked.

“Not at all,” the captain told her. “It is good to have fresh food, as well.”

She was a little excited at the thought. Maybe she’d catch something big, then she could brag to Laz and Lucian.

“Our route will take us further away from the mainland, except when we’re going through the entry of the gulf. We can’t go too far out of the way or we’ll be making a large arc to get to the West Islands,” Robert told them.

“If that’s the case, can we try to go towards the island?” Beks asked. “I want to see if we can get through the barriers.”

Her father thought for a moment and looked at the captain. He said something in Tahier and the captain cocked his head to the side in question. He looked at Beks.

“My lady, there is no island that close to the Gates of Gurani.”

“Gates of Gurani?”

“The whirlpools,” her father told her. “You said you’ve seen them yourself.”

Did they mean the whirlpools that were spread around the southern coastline where she’d fallen from the cliff? On the map, there seemed to be a large area where there were whirlpools.

Now that she thought about it, she’d managed to avoid them when she drifted out to the island.

“Why are they called the Gates of Gurani?”

“It’s what they’re called in Tahier. I do not know what they are called in Jasper, my lady,” the Captain replied.

“All right, well...is it possible to pass that area?”

The Captain nodded. “If her ladyship wishes.” He glanced at Robert, who nodded.

“All right, then we’ll go there on the way to the islands.” He handed the captain some papers. “But first, we need to get through the Kadmus checkpoint.” He looked out towards the sea and Beks followed his gaze.

She squinted and could see a dark cluster against the horizon. Deo walked towards the rails of the ship and narrowed his eyes. “Varkana is allowing this? How many boats and ships will be delayed because of that checkpoint?” “They may want to please the new ruler,” Robert said. “And word of his fiancée as the Temple’s new oracle has also spread. To please them is to please both Kadmus and the Temple.”

Beks clenched her hands at her sides. Her brother seemed to notice and put his hand on her shoulder. “Trash deserves trash, Beks.”

“I’m not upset that they’re together, I’m upset because I don’t like that the Temple appears too close to Kadmus. Not every country is an ally.”

“We will pass with ease, my lady,” the captain told her. “We were already checked when we entered.”

Beks closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “In that case, should we hide? Should I remain downstairs?”

“That is not necessary, my lady. When the ship was stopped and checked, they walked through and checked our paperwork. At best, they took a glance, and then sent us on our way,” the captain told her. “With the amount of ships waiting to get through, they can’t spend too long on any particular ship, so they’re rather lax.”

“We’ll have to stay on deck when they search,” her father said. “But the search at the check point shouldn’t take long at all.”

She doubted her father, but as she watched the ships in front of them come to a stop between two Kadmus naval ships, and a set of four sailors board to search and check documentations, she believed him.

The sailors seem to just walk through the ship and then leave before telling the ship to go and ushering in the next one.

Still, when their ship stopped, dwarfed by the larger ships on either side of them, she couldn’t help but be nervous. Her heart was racing and she kept her head down. She sat on some wooden crates at the stern, trying to mend a fishing net with two of the fishermen and Deo. They glanced at the sailors who walked past, but tried to appear relaxed.

One of the sailors checked the papers the captain presented to him and looked at each person on deck. He appeared satisfied that the people matched the documents and let out a shout.

“They’re clear!”

“Ship is clear, sir,” one of the sailors said as he came up from the galley. The officer checking the documents returned them, then disembarked with his men.

“That’s it?” Beks said when they sailed past the two naval vessels.

The captain tossed his head back and laughed. “You appear to be disappointed, my lady.”

“It feels like it was a lot of work for nothing,” Beks said with a frown. She wasn’t mad that the check didn’t entail more, it just felt like a waste of time.

The captain held up a small piece of paper. “We have been checked upon leaving, so if we are stopped again, we can show them our clearance papers. As long as we don’t stop at a dock, we won’t be searched again.”

She let out a low breath of relief and nodded. “Good.”

“My lady, you’re very good at this,” one of the old fishermen said as Beks’ dexterous fingers wove through the thread through the net.

“Can we catch fish with this net?” Beks asked. She would count them as fish she caught if they could.

“When we get further out,” the old man said.

“Why are you so interested in fishing?” Deo asked.

Beks continued to mend the net. Her voice was low and she replied in Sagittater. “I was never allowed to leave the palace, but the princes would go out from time to time to hunt or fish. Brother Laurence has a ship left to him by the late King Consort and is actually a good sailor and likes to fish. He says a lot of good things about it, so I want to try.”

She could feel her father and brother’s intense looks as she lowered her head.

“Anything you want to do, you tell me,” her father said as he stood in front of her. A look of determination was on his face. “Daddy will make sure you have a chance to try it.”

Beks looked up and smiled. “All right,” she said. “Once Brother has returned to his seat and most things are settled, we’ll go on a family trip.”

Deo glanced over at her with a raised brow, as if asking ‘what about your husbands’? Beks pretended she didn’t see his questioning eyes.

Her father’s face lit up and he smiled. “Yes, a family trip! I haven’t forgotten. It will be a good chance for you to see the world.”

“We can spend time on the island, too,” Beks said. “I’m certain Thad and Wrath will love it.”

Her father patted her head. “I also want to see this island,” he said with a gentle gaze. “It is my daughter’s island.”

╔═════════════════ ∘◦ ♔ ◦∘ ═════════════════╗

“Are you sure it’s there?” Deo asked. The ship bobbed up and down with the waves and despite her worries when they’d left port, Beks never got seasick. At first, she thought the waters were just too calm, but even when they reached the open ocean and the waves were more violent, she was fine.

After three days of travel over water, including one day where they spent most of it fishing, she’d managed to catch a few fish about the size of her forearm. They weren’t very impressive; in fact, the fishermen said they were very common fish, but they were still delicious to eat.

Beks stood on the bow, looking towards the direction of the mainland. From where they were, she couldn’t see the slightest sliver of land in the horizon, but the captain had taken out a map and showed her where they were.

The cliff where she’d been pushed from was, if the calculations were correct, directly facing her.

Her hands tightened over the wooden railing. That meant that between the cliff and where they were now was the island. As expected, there was no sign of land anywhere. However, something inside her tingled, and she couldn’t help but feel there was something different in the air.

“The crew have their doubts,” Robert said. “But there isn’t any danger in trying, right?”

Beks shook her head. “The current will divert us, but there isn’t any danger. The whirlpools are on the side closer to the mainland.”

“Then, we just go forward?” Deo asked.

Beks nodded. Her hands and feet were cold as a sense of anticipation filled her. Robert turned to the captain and gave him a nod. The captain returned it and began yelling. Above them, the sounds of the sails and masts creaked as they were turned to catch the wind so that they would move forward.

Beks took a deep breath to try to quell her quickening heart.

She looked up. “The sky is clear today.”

Both her brother and father looked up with some confusion. “Yes,” Robert confirmed. “Not a cloud in the sky.”

Beks narrowed her eyes. That will change. “Remember this.”

They gave her confused looks, but didn’t say anything. Next to her father, the captain looked through a spyglass occasionally. They still couldn’t see anything on the horizon. The crew seemed to hold their breaths, unsure what to expect.

After a while, the fishermen were glancing around and whispering. Nothing seemed to be happening, so they returned to the various tasks they were working on, such as cleaning, fixing equipment, or preparing the meal for the night.

Deo leaned over the railing and sighed. He seemed to have expected something shocking, too. Robert and the captain seemed a bit more resolute and patient, remaining silent and standing beside her, watching the horizon.

Beks’ chest began to tighten and she narrowed her eyes. She could feel her skin begin to get goosebumps despite the humid, hot air. Deo suddenly stood up straight, a serious gaze on his face fixed forward.

Robert glanced at him and smirked. “You feel it, don’t you?”

Deo gave a small nod of his. “The biha in the air isn’t this thick even back home,” he said in a quiet voice.

All at once, the bright sunlight of midday vanished.

It was as if the entire ship had fallen into the shadow of an even larger ship. Behind her, Beks heard the fisherman shout and ask where the fog had come from.

Beks lifted her hand in front of her and she smiled. She could barely see her fingers wiggling in front of her.

“You can’t see anything,” her father said. He went quiet for a bit. “Are we moving?”

“We’re moving,” Beks replied. “But you can’t tell. The water is steadier here and you can’t see far enough to check the sails or look at the water to see where we’re drifting.”

“My lady, should we drop anchor?” the captain asked.

That was a good question. She actually didn’t know if they’d keep moving if they dropped anchor. “Try it and see.”

The captain let out a shout, and behind her, there was shuffling and talking. The fishermen couldn’t see each other, so they verbally let each other know where they were in the dense fog. Metal clanking was heard and then a splash as the anchor was released.

Beks had heard it before when they stopped to fish. The anchor chain would make a lot of noise when it was uncoiling and dropping into the sea. However, this time, after the splash was heard, there was only a brief moment when the clanking was heard, and then it came to an abrupt stop.

Beks tilted her head to the side. The water couldn’t possibly be that shallow. She could see how deep the water was around the island from how dark it was when they were on top of the mountain.

Rapid chattering came from the crew and the captain turned around. He frowned and rushed towards the stern.

“The anchor either reached the seabed or snagged on something,” Robert said. “Is the water shallow?”

Beks shook her head. “It’s not shallow. There’s a visible drop not far from the shore.”

“The ship is still moving,” Deo said as he looked up. “Isn’t it?”

“I’m just starting to sense biha, and it must be strong for me to even feel a little, but I know we’re moving. We must be in the diverting current.”

“Are you sure?”

She looked towards her brother and could just barely make out his doubtful face. “I am as sure about it as I am about this fog.” She looked back towards the water. “When I was on the mountain top watching, you could see the ship moving sideways.”

“Can you see the fog from the mountain?”

Beks shook her head. “You can’t see the fog from the island. You only see it outside the island.”

“Then what do we do?” Deo asked. “Do we drift until we hit land?”

“The current will move us away from the island,” Beks replied. “My guess is that once we come out of the fog, we’ll be out of the current and can sail as normal again.”

“Your guess?” Her brother balked.

“When I first encountered the fog, I was on a floating overturned carriage,” Beks reminded him with a frown. “And I ended up on the shore.”

“Then why can’t we end up on the shore?”

“Because every other ship I witnessed was diverted,” Beks said. “I don’t understand why I was the exception, either.”

Deo stared at her for a moment. “You really are an Inheritor.”

Beks let out a heavy breath and rolled her eyes.

“The anchor....” the captain said as he reached them. “It is...it is floating.”

“Floating?” Beks and her father and brother repeated it at the same time. “The anchor is made of iron. It’s solid, how can it float in water?”

“It is drifting beside the boat, we can see part of it bobbing up and down,” the captain said in a breathless, dumbfounded voice. “I’ve never seen anything like this. We didn’t see any fog earlier, either. I don’t understand.”

“The fog will lift,” Beks said. “It’ll take less than a quarter days’ time. We’re just being moved around to avoid the island.”

The captain shook his head and looked out towards the gray blur in front of him. “There is an island?”

“It’s best you don’t speak of this again after we pass,” Robert told him in a low voice. “We may have crossed some lines and shouldn’t be here.”

“Yes, yes....” the captain nodded. “That much is clear. This sort of fog is dangerous...what if we run aground?”

Bek lifted her hands again. She could now see her fingers, meaning the fog was thinning out. She looked ahead of them. They would emerge from the fog soon.

She walked to the stern and stood in place, wanting to see how the fog disappeared from view once they passed it. The fog grew thinner and thinner and the heat of direct sun began to penetrate. Around her, the fishermen looked up and around.

The blue, cloudless sky had emerged. The fog lingered behind them as they seemed to melt out of it. She could see the low, gray mass, but above it, she couldn’t see the peaks of the mountains that she should’ve. She narrowed her eyes. Was there something else shielding the island?

“It’s gone!” Deo shouted behind her. “It’s like it was never there!”

Beks hadn’t taken her eyes off the fog and fought off the urge to blink. What was her brother talking about? She frowned. The fog was still visible, like low cloud cover they were leaving behind.

Her eyes grew dry and she blinked.

It was fast, just a flicker of her eyelids, but when she opened her eyes, the fog was gone. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes narrowed. Blue, cloudless sky. The fog never existed.

“That’s amazing....” she whispered under her breath.

Suddenly, the ship lurched and a loud creak and crack sounded. Beks grabbed on to the railing to steady herself as she looked over her shoulder. The fishermen had run to the side where the anchor had been dropped.

“It’s reached the bottom,” Robert said as he narrowed his eyes. “We must be out of that current.”

“A current strong enough to carry an anchor and prevent it from hitting the seabed...I can’t carry that anchor if there were two of me,” Deo said with a frown. “How strong is that barrier?”

“The island is bihar-rich and the biha utilized reflects its strength,” Beks replied. “I’m sure if we tried to go back, we’d only be trapped in it again.”

“Your mother once told me that there were places in the seas were ships were lost and then spit out, completely disoriented and unsure where they were when they emerged from those spaces,” Robert said as he looked down at the water and narrowed his eyes.

Beks took a deep breath and leaned over the railing, looking back towards where the fog was. She lifted her hand and rubbed her chest. She was so close. So close. She raised her eyes once more, looking up to where the mountain top should’ve been. Do you see me?

“Are you all right?” Deo asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Beks drew her lips inward and bit them.

“I am just wondering,” Beks said. “If they miss me as I miss them.”

His brother's face softened and he put his arm around her shoulder and rested his head on top of hers. “We’ll find a way to get back. You were able to get in, so there must be a way.”

Beks nodded.

Though she had resigned herself to passing the island, unable to reach it, she was still filled with disappointment when it actually happened. She was more disappointed and heartbroken than she thought she’d be.

Despite her best efforts to distract herself with reading the tablets she’d memorized and occasionally fishing, the days to the West Island passed slowly.

They maintained their distance from the mainland, as the closest country to them on the mainland was Kadmus and they didn’t want to run into any of the naval ships patrolling just outside its borders. They hadn’t seen land outside of an occasional island for almost a week when their luck ran out.

They were at least another week from the West Islands when the first mate’s yell made Beks drop the fish she was about to descale and gut for dinner.

“Naval ship!”

Deo stood up from where he was seated by a bucket of fish, knife in hand. He put the knife into one of the boxes beside him and walked towards the side of the ship where the yell had come from. Robert was already standing there with the captain, both wearing grim expressions.

“Which navy?” Deo asked, almost hesitant to ask.

“Kadmus.”

“How desperate are they to have come this far out of territorial waters?” Deo said as he narrowed his eyes.

The captain frowned and turned around to give orders. From what Beks had learned, he wanted to turn the ship around and try to avoid being sighted.

“Don’t we have that search paper from when we left Varkana?” Beks asked. “If we show it to them, won’t they just let it go.”

“It depends on who is in charge,” Robert said. “Some people take themselves too seriously and may claim we need to be searched. Out here, there is nothing we can do to stop them.”

“It is better not to be stopped at all,” the captain said as he ran up to the wheel. The small ship heaved as it turned to the side.

The crew worked fast to adjust the sails, but a fishing vessel, even one that traveled long distances, wasn’t a match for a military vessel. The sun had begun to set and dinner hadn't been started, but the naval ship caught up with them.

Beks grit her teeth as the long wooden ship waved a flag, signaling for them to stop.

The captain was scowling, but her father remained composed. “It’s fine,” her father said. “We have the paperwork. At most, they’ll repeat what they did when we left port, only with a bit more scrutiny.” He glanced at Mr. Reidan, who stood to the side. “Remember what we discussed.”

Mr. Reidan lowered his head and nodded. “Yes, Your Grace.”

The captain let out a heavy breath and ordered the anchor to be dropped. A splash was heard and Beks returned to where she had been helping make dinner. So far, she’d learned to make several fish dishes. Several other members of the crew and her brother began to busy themselves in an attempt to avoid suspicion.

Most of the cooking was done outside, on a small clay oven. In the West Islands, kitchens were outdoors, in covered spaces, but no walls to allow the smoke to disperse. Beks found that she preferred this, weather permitting. She poured the fresh water into a metal pot to make a stew when a loud bang filled the air.

She glanced towards the side of the ship, where the gate had been opened to allow for a gangplank to be placed connecting them to the larger ship. A rope was tossed down and orders were given from the Kadmus ship to secure their fishing vessel. Perhaps it was because the waters were more unsteady there than in Varkana, so they wanted to prevent the ships from drifting too far apart.

Or it was because they didn’t want them to escape.

A half dozen sailors marched on to the ship and the captain waited to meet them on deck. He had their papers ready for inspection. When the sailors reached the deck, their leader held out his hand and took the documents.

“Search the ship and gather the passengers and crew.”

“We have already been searched at Varkana,” the captain said.

“It doesn’t matter. Search again!”

Beks held back her frown. On the ship, she wasn’t wearing her veil, so she kept a neutral look on her face.

“You four! Get up! Come with me!” One of the sailors reached them on the stern and Beks cocked her head to the side, looking at him confused as if she didn’t understand Jasper. The sailor looked frustrated and made a motion to where the captain was waiting. “Follow me!”

Speaking louder isn’t going to make us understand. Beks wanted to roll her eyes, but instead glanced at her brother and the fishermen with them. The oldest of the fishermen who had taught her how to cook fish dishes ‘translated’ into Tahier. It was only then that Beks nodded. She wiped her hands and followed the men.

Everyone seemed to line up on the deck in front of the lead sailor, so Beks stood between her father and brother. The lead sailor looked over the papers, stopping in front of each person as he asked them questions.

He got to her father. “You are from Avello?” he asked in a gruff voice. He was from Southern Kadmus, if Beks identified his accent correctly.

“Yes,” her father said. His Jasper suddenly had a different accent.

“Why are you going to the West Islands?” the man asked. “Everyone else here is from the West Islands.” His sharp eyes lingered on the three of them.

“We are going to see my wife. My children were born in Avello, my homeland, but their mother is from the West Islands,” Robert told the man. “I’m afraid their grandmother is ill, so we will go there.”

Considering that Beks and Deo had darker skin than their father, but lighter skin than their mother, it was quite obvious they were of mixed ancestry. The sailor moved to Beks and looked at her. He squinted and didn’t seem to see anything wrong before stopping in front of Deo. She almost let out a breath of relief.

The sailor narrowed his eyes and looked at Deo’s. Deo tried to avoid direct eye contact.

“Your eyes are gray.” Beks’ heart shot to her throat. She stood still, but Deo nodded. The lead sailor turned back to Robert. “As are his.”

Beks almost wanted to yell that there were plenty of people with gray eyes.

Robert looked confused as well, or at least pretended to. “Is that bad?”

The lead sailor was silent for a moment. He took a step back and lifted his chin, looking over Robert and Deo once more. After some thought, he nodded his head. He called over his shoulder.

“Check them.”

“What?” The captain frowned and took a step forward. “What have they done? What are you doing to them?”

Four of the sailors who’d finished checking the ship stepped forward. Robert and Deo both took a step back as two sailors each reached for them.

“What’s going on?” Robert shouted as his arms were grabbed. He made a small, futile attempt at shrugging people off, but the two men held on to each side of him. One grabbed his arm and the lead sailor walked forward, his eyes glistening with excitement. He grasped Robert’s sleeve and pulled it up.

The expectation, bordering on triumphant, smile on his face fell. Without a word, he rushed to Deo and pulled up Deo’s sleeve. Neither man had an exile marking.

Their entire arms had been coated by a special opaque paint that covered the dark markings. It would last weeks. Her father hadn’t told her how he knew about it or how he even knew where to get it, but she was fairly certain it wasn’t used for legal purposes. It didn’t matter as long as they wouldn’t get caught.

The lead sailor frowned and rubbed the spot of Deo’s arm that was supposed to have the marking. Confusion clouded his once excited face.

“What’s going on? What are you doing?” Deo tried to pull his arm back and scowled. “Don’t touch me!”

The lead sailor frowned. He looked at Deo and Robert with dissatisfaction. Beks watched in silence.

“Impossible....” The lead sailor was barely audible. He looked at the two of them once more, unconvinced. “There must be a trick.”

“What trick?” Deo asked as his face reddened. “We haven’t done anything wrong!”

The lead sailor frowned. “The only thing different is their hair.”

“Sir, they don’t have the markings.”

The lead sailor shook his head. “No...take them on board!”

Beks drew her head back in surprise. Her father and Deo also looked stunned.

“Why are you taking them on board?” the captain demanded as he rushed forward to try to stop them. “They are my passengers!”

“What was their fare? We’ll pay for the difference,” the lead sailor said as Robert and Deo were pushed forward by the other sailors, their arms were pulled back and Beks frowned.

“The money isn’t the issue,” the captain said.

“Why are you taking us?” Robert refused to take a step further. “We have done nothing wrong! We are only going to see my sick mother-in-law and my children’s mother!”

“It’s just a precaution. You are not being arrested for doing anything wrong.”

“We haven’t done anything wrong!” Deo stressed.

The lead sailor stepped aside as a few more sailors came down from the naval ship to arrest Robert and Deo.

“Don’t resist. We are searching for criminals and until we’re certain that you are not them, we will have to take you into custody. I’m afraid you share a suspicious feature with them.” The lead sailor handed the captain a small pile of papers, but kept two sheets in his hand. “So, you will have to come with us.”

“Come with you where?” Robert shouted. “What suspicious feature?”

“Your gray eyes,” the lead sailor said as he lifted their identification documents. He glanced up at their hair. “Hair can be dyed, but eyes cannot.”

Robert and Deo both appeared stunned at this. Beks didn’t like where this was going. Her father and brother could fare well against a good handful of people, but an entire crew of a naval ship? She couldn’t let them go alone.

“Where are you taking my father and brother? Will they come back?” Beks stepped forward, mimicking her father’s fake accent. Her father’s eyes tried to tell her not to speak and to stay where she was.

The lead sailor looked her over. He studied her face, but both her hair and eyes were disguised. Most people also didn’t know what Rebecca of Caroline actually looked like past her orange streak.

“We only need to check their hair color,” the lead sailor said.

“Our hair is uncovered, what is there to check?”

“We will try to wash off any dye. If it is natural, you can return to your boat. If it isn’t....” The lead sailor’s eyes narrowed.

“This is ridiculous-” The captain stepped forward once more to block them, but the glistening edge of a blade cut between them. He sucked in a sharp breath and stepped back as a sword pointed at his chest.

“We are acting under the authority of His Majesty King Luther.”

“These are not Kadmus waters,” Beks said in a low voice.

The lead sailor glanced over at her. “Bring her, too.”

“No!” Robert and Deo shouted at the same time, but Beks pulled her arms away from the men who reached for her.

“Don’t touch me! I can walk on my own!” She snapped. She held her head up and followed behind her father as they were forced up the gangplank to the other ship. The lead sailor gave the others a nod to let her do as she pleased.

He looked over his shoulder at the captain of the shipping vessel. “You can wait or you can leave. It’s up to you.”

The captain scowled, but didn’t answer. Mr. Reidan was left, looking down. The plan if the trio were caught was to leave him behind to avoid capture. Her father didn’t want to incriminate him further.

Beks reached the deck of the naval ship and found several armed men waiting aboard to arrest her father.

Behind them, the clatter of wood was heard. Beks looked over her shoulder. In the setting sun, the gangplank to the fishing ship was pulled up and the gate was closed and locked. She narrowed her eyes.

“Who are you looking for?” Beks asked as she tried to remain close to her father and brother.

“Exiles who have been threatening the king,” the lead sailor said as he looked at them.

“How can exiles threaten the king?” Deo asked, feigning ignorance.

“The future queen’s guards had been attacked as a warning.”

“Pardon, what?” Beks blinked as if she’d heard the most absurd thing. “As a warning? A warning for what?”

“That doesn’t concern you.”

“You’re going to tell us that much and then not explain?” Deo sneered.

The lead sailor looked past them. “Get a bucket with water and the dye remover!”

“Yes, sir!” A few men ran off to get the items, but Beks, her brother, and father remained surrounded by sailors with spears in one hand and swords at their hips.

“I can take six on this side,” Deo whispered to his father.

“We don’t know how many are below deck,” Robert replied in a low voice. “Don’t be rash.”

“I can set fire to the ship.”

“While we’re on it?” Robert shot his son a side-eyed glare. “You want to sink it? Your sister is wearing her petti skirt. She can’t swim with it on.”

“I can’t really swim, either. And while sinking it isn’t bad, but this is a Class Three Tidal Cruiser. Do you know how much these costs?” Beks said with a frown. Both her brother and father gave her a look.

A large wash tub half filled with water was placed on the deck in front of them and the family of three looked towards it. Another sailor poured in another bucket of water while a different one measured out some thick, clear liquid in a wooden cup and then poured it into the tub. He put his arm in and stirred the water, making it bubble up with soapy froth.

Deo frowned.

“Get on your knees!” the lead sailor ordered.

Deo looked over his shoulder and Robert lifted his chin defiantly. “I only kneel to the gods, my king, and my wife.”

The lead sailor scowled. “Then break his-”

A loud creaking was heard as the wooden ship suddenly tipped to one side. Beks nearly lost her footing at the sudden movement. The ship rolled back into place, but bobbed unsteadily. For such a large ship, for it to lean over suddenly meant they’d either hit something, or something hit them.

The crew began to yell and look around. “What was that?” the lead sailor asked. He looked towards the side where the fishing ship was, but the sailors on that side shook their heads. The lead sailor frowned. “Never mind. Continue-”

Another thud was heard and this time the ship was jostled to the side, knocking several people off their feet. Beks’ arms shot out to steady herself as a sharp creaking filled the air.

“We’re in the middle of the ocean...is it a whale?” Deo asked. Both he and Beks looked at their father.

Robert’s lips were curled up, smug.

Beks narrowed her eyes at him. “Daddy?”

“As soon as the ship is hit once more, run and grab onto the mast to keep steady,” he told them. She opened her mouth to ask why, but the ship was suddenly hit once more, causing it to turn in the water. “Go!” He pushed Deo forward, through a break in the surrounding sailors. He grabbed Beks’ hand and pulled her with him.

She saw them reaching for the metal pieces on the mast and extended her hand to grab on. Just as her fingertips brushed the iron, someone screamed.

She turned her head towards the sound and her eyes went wide. Water sprayed all over the deck as a long, thick tentacle easily as large as the ship’s masts unfurled out of the water and slammed across the deck, sending sailors scattering.

Beks’ eyes dilated as her mouth opened. She heard someone’s terrified shout from the crow’s nest above.

“It’s a kraken!”

Beks almost choked. “They’re real?"