The Wicked House of Caroline

“Gerard, you’ve made it.” Deo finished securing the rope and walked over. Gerard bowed his head.

“Greetings, my lord.”

“Where does this basket lead to?” Deo looked up, following the rope that seemed to disappear into the fog.

“It’s attached to the legs of a rokh-”

“A rokh!” Wrath’s excited voice cut off Gerard. Beks looked over her shoulder and saw her little sister’s small figure jumping off the last two steps and scrambling to come closer with wide eyes. “Where?”

“He’s right above us,” Gerard replied, pointing up.

“Gerard, this is my younger sister, Dorothy-”

“Introduce me as Wrath!”

“Yes, this is my younger sister, Wrath,” Beks said as she reached out and put her hand around the back of her sister’s shoulders to bring her forward.

Gerard bowed his head. “Greetings, Lady Wrath.”

“Yes, hello. How are you? I am well. Can I see your rokh?” Wrath rushed through the pleasantries without waiting for an answer, and got straight to the point.

“Dorothy of Caroline,” their mother’s stern voice came from behind her and she winced.

“Please,” she added.

Beks let out a sigh. “In a moment. Gerard, how did you find us?”

“The fog isn’t visible on the island or to those already there, and we saw the ship, as well as a large flare. Sir Lloyd swears it was Lord Deo, so I came out to check.”

Beks heard her brother let out a small huff and gave her a haughty look. “I knew my people were dependable.”

She ignored him and continued speaking to Gerard. “Can you get us to the island?”

“Yes, there is a very narrow entry current, but after our tests, it’s only identifiable from above.”

“I’ll follow you, but we’ll need to wait until we get out of the fog,” Beks replied. “Let them land and rest. It may be a while.”

Gerard nodded and looked up. He let out two short whistles and then a long one. Above them, still unseen by Beks and the others, there was a bird’s scream.

Wrath let out a gasp and clenched her little fists in front of her, as if trying to contain her excitement. “It says it’s coming down!”

“Everyone!” Gerard said as he climbed out of the basket. “Please move aside. He needs room to land.”

“Do as he says.” Sybil waved her hand to instruct her crew to step back while she and her husband reached them.

Gerard tilted the basket to one side and rolled it from side to side to move it further away in order to give the bird more room.

Beks began to feel gusts of wind coming from above. She tilted her head as the steady gusts grew stronger. A dark shape began to appear in the fog, rapidly growing sharper the closer it came down. The large talons appeared with leather straps to help secure the basket ropes to it, then pale feathers on the underside dotted with random dark ones.

The bird’s wingspan stretched out, darkening the section of deck where she stood, before the boat creaked with the weight of a rokh. Beks’ brows shot up. She thought that it was either Tempest or Thunder, the two adult rokhs, that would’ve brought Gerard, but this bird was slightly smaller and the coloration was a bit different.

Their head twitched and seemed to look around as they adjusted their wings. They seemed to finally see Beks and let out a squawk before waddling from side to side in order to face her.

Wrath gasped and her grip on Bek’s arm tightened. “He says he’s Cloud and if you remember him!” The little girl’s face was flushed red and it was unsure if it was because she was excited because of the rokh or because she understood.

Beks drew her head back and gasped. She then furrowed her brows and leaned forward. “Cloud? Baby Cloud?”

The rokh began to let out a high chirp, excited and tried to come closer, but there was little room for him to maneuver with the basket there. He drew his head back and made an irritated noise.

“Sister, he says it’s him and if she’s impressed. He’s now carrying people,” Wrath translated.

Beks smiled. She nodded. She gently pried Wrath’s hands from her arm. “Let me talk to him. You stay here; he may not be good with strangers.”

Wrath looked disappointed, but nodded, understanding. Animals had boundaries, after all.

Beks took a step closer to Cloud, walking around the basket. She lifted her hand and let the rokh smell her hand before leaning forward and rubbing the side of his head against her hand.

“Look at our little baby Cloud! He’s grown so big! He can lift up a whole basket with people now!” She praised the bird who lifted his head, tilted it back, and let out a few short screeches.

“He says he learned faster than his sister....he has a sister!?” Wrath gasped. Her eyes were wide and she trembled in her spot. She looked down, as if unable to comprehend what she had just learned. “There are two...two....” She then opened her mouth once more, but no words came out.

Thad stood beside her and crinkled his eyes, giving her a somewhat disgusted look. “Are you overwhelmed?” His sister didn’t answer, and instead remained standing there, dumbfounded. “I take that as a yes.”

“This is amazing. I’ve never seen anything like this,” Laurence said as he stood to the side and reached out to touch the basket. Gerard turned around, appearing ready to answer any questions. His eyes dilated and he immediately fell to one knee.

“Blessings to His Majesty King Laurence!” His voice boomed across the deck. “Lt. Commander Leon Gerard salutes His Majesty!” Beks tilted her head to the side. Had Gerard seen Laurence before? At that moment, Laurence was wearing regular clothing. It was good quality, but it wasn’t anything eye-catching or ostentatious as he would’ve worn in Kadmium.

They also weren’t in the palace. Laurence wasn’t wearing a crown, let alone seated on a throne.

Laurence raised a single brow and seemed to have the same question as she did. “You recognize me?”

Gerard kept his head bowed, one hand over his knee, as the other was in a fist on the ground. “Yes, Your Majesty. The Battalion Commander had a family portrait in his quarters.”

Laurence gave him a small nod. “You may rise.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Gerard rose to his feet, bowing once more and saluting Laurence before stepping back. He was quickly introduced to Lady Eleanor beside Laurence.

“Gerard, how did you see us?” Beks asked. “My brother’s flares were quick.”

“We have sentry points on the beach where we go fishing and on the lower tier of the mountain ruins, which has a better view. We’re still working on additional sentry points,” Gerard replied. “It was the sentry on the mountain that saw the flares and alerted us. Battalion Commander said that if it were Lord Deo, as Sir Lloyd suggested, then come down and retrieve him, as it was likely that you would have returned, as well.”

Beks lifted her other hand to her chest and pressed against it, relieved that they had tried to enter on the side facing the mainland. From the lower tier of the mountain ruins, they could only see the section of sea between them and the mainland. Had they tried to enter from the ocean side, the sentry wouldn’t have seen the flare.

They would’ve been just another ship being deflected away from the island.

“It seems we were lucky, Cloud,” she said as she gave the rokh a gentle scratch under the chin.

“I was worried when I got closer, there was a pirate image on the sails,” Gerard said with a slight laugh. “But luckily, I saw my lady. Snowflake and their highnesses will be relieved to see you safe.”

Beks pursed her lips. “You said that there was an ‘entry current’?”

Gerard nodded. “It’s a very narrow channel of water that is unaffected by the defensive current. From our tests, the ship will still go through the fog, as Prince Lucian believes the fog comes from a different set of defensive steles; however, the entry channel will carry the ship to the island instead of expelling it from the fog.”

“What are the chances of a ship being caught in the entry current?” Beks asked.

“Very slim, my lady. The entry current moves location. Jonas has spent time tracking it, but there doesn’t seem to be a set pattern where we can predict where the point of entry will be,” Gerard told her.

This was both good and bad. Good in that as a defensive measure, the chances of it being breached were small. However, it was inconvenient for those who lived on the island.

“Lt. Commander Gerard, how many ships can go through at once?” Sybil asked.

Gerard glanced at her and then at Beks and bowed his head. “One ship at a time, Your Grace. Not only is the entry current narrow, but when more than one ship follows, the current is broken and disappears.”

Sybil lifted her hand and rubbed her chin. “Then, once we get out of the fog. We will need to notify the other ships. I must prepare messages to send to the other two.”

“Gerard, you’ve already guessed, but she is my mother, Duchess Sybil of Caroline, and the man behind her is my father, Duke Robert of Caroline,” Beks said, still standing beside Cloud, who had rested the underside of his beak on top of her head. “And the young man next to Wrath is my second brother, Thad.”

Gerard bowed his head, exchanging greetings with the older couple and the child.

“I will go and prepare the messages first. As soon as we are out of the fog, we’ll need to find the escort ships and send the messages on the parrots,” Sybil told them. She frowned a bit. “And you said before that you don’t know where the current will release us?”

Beks shook her head and then looked at Gerard. “Jonas says that ships are usually released at opposite sides of the island from where they were entering.”

“I understand. I’ll prepare the messages now.” Sybil turned and walked in the direction of the captain’s chamber. Beks couldn’t see the door from where she was, but her mother could find anything on her ship while blind folded.

“So, it’s bypassing the island all together,” Laurence said with a knit brow. He nodded, satisfied once more. “As a safety precaution, it’s quite good.”

“When we exit the fog, my lady and I will search for the entry current. Once we find it, we will return to you and lead you there,” Gerard told them. “The entry current must align with the length of the ship, otherwise, the ship will simply sail through it, unaffected.”

“How many tests have you done?” Beks asked.

“Not me, but Jonas. Since the Dranga and I arrived, he has formed a research team under the instruction of the princes. Observations are still being made, my lady.”

“Regardless, it seems that we’ve learned a lot. Commendable work,” Beks replied with a satisfied nod.

“Sister....” Wrath’s voice was strained, as if she were hesitant. Beks turned to look at her and smiled.

“What is it, Wrath?”

Wrath lifted her little arm. “Can I...can I come with you when you go on the basket?”

“I’m afraid not, my lady.” Gerard answered for Beks as he knelt down and shook his head. “Cloud is still young. He’s not a full grown rokh yet, so two people are the maximum he can carry. I’m already quite heavy, and we’ll need to go high to find the entry current.”

Wrath’s face fell. She lowered her head, but nodded. “Then...then can I at least touch him?”

Unexpectedly, Cloud let out a squawk and took a step back. Wrath gasped and her face flushed red. Her little hands clenched at her sides. “I am not!” Cloud squawked twice more and turned his head away from Wrath.

Beks raised a brow. “What did he say?”

Wrath sniffled. “He says I can’t touch him because I’m sticky. He says that the children on the island are sticky!” The child bristled. “But I’m not sticky!”

Thad raised his brow. “Are you sure about that after you got honey all over your bread this morning?”

Wrath sent him a scathing look.

Beks walked over and gently stepped between her two younger siblings. She put her hands on Wrath’s shoulders and pulled her back a step. “When we reach the island, you can wash up. Then I am sure that another rokh will let you touch them.”

Wrath wrinkled her nose. She turned and faced Beks, pressing her face in Beks stomach to comfort herself after the disappointment.

“Have the Dranga people settled well?” Deo asked. “How long was the journey?” Beks was curious as well. It was one thing to travel with just one or two more people, but an entire state in exodus was something else.

Gerard nodded his head. “Yes, my lord. We began to arrive a month ago and as of last week all the families are accounted for.”

Beks tilted her head to the side and frowned. “What do you mean began to arrive a month ago?”

“A large group migrating attracts attention,” Laurence said as he stood on the other side of the basket, inspecting the rokh, who looked at him, as if curious. “They must’ve split to attract less attention.”

“His Majesty is wise,” Gerard said with an acknowledging bow. “While everyone wanted to reach the island as soon as possible, safety was our primary consideration. If we left all at once and as the entire group, we would likely attract unwanted attention that could get us in trouble.

“Sandra and I selected several of Dranga people’s best warriors and younger leaders. With the aid of the Elders, the people were split and sent out on three different roads, two of which avoided Kadmus. They were told to follow the road to specific stops to check in. It took a month longer than initially planned, but everyone has reached the island.”

The wave of relief filled Beks and she nodded her head.

Lady Eleanor stepped forward, looking away from her fiancé who was now gently stroking the neck of the rokh. “Then, everyone is safe on the island?”

“Except for the teams who have left to gather supplies on the mainland, my lady,” Gerard replied with respect. “While the island has plenty of wild game and vegetables, it is missing many things, including tools, processed metals, and other day to day supplies. Small groups of Dranga and Wild Dogs go to the mainland to gather supplies.”

“How are you paying for all of this?” Deo asked with a slight frown. The Dranga people weren’t wealthy and what little money they had been able to carry with them would barely be enough to support them through the migration. Where did they get the money for supplies?

Gerard scratched his bald head and looked at Beks. “The Battalion Commander and Prince Lucian. With the aid of the Wild Dogs, the Battalion Commander was able to retrieve some money he had hidden away.”

Beks wanted to ask since when did they had money on the island, but didn’t want to raise her suspicions in front of Deo or Gerard. Considering the twin’s history of being sent out of the palace at such a young age and forced into the army and Temple, all of their royal allowances remained in the bank. Since they were considered missing, Luther and his father couldn’t get to the money, at least not immediately.

“Do they have enough?” Beks asked.

Gerard shrugged, helpless. “That, I am not privy to, my lady. The Dranga people have pooled their money into a communal fund to repair the ruins, but it isn’t enough for everyone to get the supplies they need at once, so they are sharing the supplies. They have selected two sites, and currently, ruins in the center north quadrant are being repaired.”

“How are you bringing things from the mainland?” Robert asked.

“We have purchased two brigs, Your Grace. In order not to draw attention to the island, the ships go to different locations each time they’ve set sail so far.”

Robert nodded. “And where did you get the sailors?”

Gerard appeared a bit proud. “Your Grace, the Wild Dogs are not only legion soldiers. We possess specialists for things like sailing, as per the Battalion Commander’s orders.” Robert uttered a satisfied hum and nodded. Gerard turned to Laurence. “And Your Majesty, the Battalion Commander has begun to oversee training of the remaining Wild Dogs in preparation of your arrival. Prince Lucian is overseeing the civilian resettlement with the aid of the Dranga Elders.”

“My brothers have grown well,” Laurence said, his voice a bit tight as pride filled his eyes.

“My lady, the princes have been expecting you much earlier than us. When we arrived, due to how long it took us to migrate down, we expected to see you here or have already left to continue your search,” Gerard told her.

Beks gave him a shake of her head. “I made a ridiculous miscalculation on the location of the stele, so I had to take my brother and Father further away, which increased our travel time. It is my fault. We tried to return to the island, but were caught in the fog and pushed away.” She paused and looked at Gerard with some concern. “They weren’t angry at you for not returning with me, were they?”

“I informed them that you were with Lord Deo to search for His Grace, my lady.” Gerard replied, but didn’t answer her question. “It was the Battalion Commander who told me to follow all your orders, so I followed your order to return with the Dranga people since you would be safe with Lord Deo.” His eyes darted to the side for the moment. Beks held back her frown.

She made a mental note to speak to the twins. It wasn’t Gerard’s fault, and she was likely safer with Deo than Gerard from ability alone.

“The fog is starting to thin. How long does it usually take to clear it? Have you timed it?” Deo asked, holding his arm in front of him. Beks looked down and then up. The fog was indeed thinning and now, from where she stood, she could see both ends of the ship, though it was a bit hazy.

“The fog is only visible to those who have acclimated to the biha on the island. This is Jonas’ and Prince Lucian’s current theory. However, when our people return after days away, even if they didn’t see the fog when they left, they saw it again when they arrived. Jonas did some tests and the duration of a ship in the fog varies from a quarter of an hour to almost an hour,” Gerard replied.

“It shouldn’t be too long now, then,” Deo said.

“My lord, were the other two ships Her Grace was speaking of the two ships in the distance from where you entered?” Gerard asked. Deo nodded and Gerard’s eyes crinkled. “The ones with the pirate insignia?”

“We’re also on a pirate ship, Gerard,” Beks reminded. Had he forgotten since he saw them? She pointed up at the sails above them. She could barely see the kraken symbol, but Gerard could.

The man squinted as he looked up and then back at Beks. “Are there more of you?”

“No, just the three of us,” Beks replied. “We had two ships escort us as a precaution against the Kadmus navy.”

Gerard frowned at once. “Are they still patrolling outside Kadmus’ territorial waters?” he asked. “The last news we were able to gather from the mainland, the navy was told to focus on the trade routes and stay within Kadmus waters.” He lowered his voice and leaned forward. “Apparently, pirates were sinking their warshi.....” His voice trailed off as he seemed to realize something.

He lifted his head once more. He looked from the sails to Beks and back.

“Whatever you’re thinking, the answer is yes,” Deo told him in a dull voice.

Gerard paled a bit. “What...what pirate fleet-”

“Maritime Legacy,” Lady Eleanor replied. Gerard sucked in a sharp breath.

“The...the pirate fleet?” he whispered. Beks nodded head once. “The most dangerous, not to mention the largest, in the ocean?”

Beks nodded once more with her lips in a tight line. “I know. My Great Aunt founded it and is the current fleet commander.”

Gerard seemed to hold his breath. He stood in place, his eyes staring blankly ahead of him, as if unsure what to do with that information.

“It is fine, Lt. Commander,” Laurence said with his arms around the rokh’s soft chest. “Maritime Legacy came to my aid. We are in their debt.”

“Oh...all right,” Gerard said in a strained voice, as if unable to believe it.

“I didn’t think a soldier would know of the pirate fleet,” Beks said.

“Just because you are trapped in Kadmium doesn’t mean everyone else is,” Deo replied. “Maritime Legacy is infamous.”

“It’s almost to a legendary status,” Lady Eleanor added. “I’ve heard some families who live on the coasts use the fleet to scare their children.”

Beks pursed her lips. It was a bit difficult to accept this when it was her mother and Great Aunt who represented the fleet to her. In a way, it was almost insulting that her mother and Great Aunt were treated as monsters to make children behave.

A whistle came from behind her and Beks turned around. Her mother came out of the room with two tightly rolled pieces of paper pinned between her fingers. After she whistled, two colorful parrots swept down from where they were waiting on the ropes above them.

Her mother stuffed the messages into tiny metal canisters on their legs and then let them sit on her shoulders.

“How much longer until we’re out of his blasted fog?” she asked.

“Soon, my love,” Robert said, taking one arm gently in his. “Lt. Commander says time varies but it’s not longer than an hour from when we entered. It can be as short as a quarter of an hour.”

“Once the ship is aligned with the entry current, it will control the direction of the ship,” Gerard told them. “Let it do so. There is another set of steles closer to the shore, just before a drop. At a certain distance, the currents, both defensive and entry, will no longer be in effect and the ship can move as normal.”

“Which part of the island will we arrive at?” Beks asked.

“Surprisingly, my lady, no matter where we enter the entry current, we will also be taken to the beach where we fish,” he replied.

Beks furrowed her brows. “Then this means that the time it takes to get there varies.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“What about when a ship is leaving?” the Duchess asked.

Gerard’s face lit up. “The stele controlling the defensive current will not affect a ship sailing away from the island, though the crew will need to be acclimated to the biha on the island in order to remain unaffected by the fog.”

“How long does one need to acclimate?” Robert asked.

“Your Grace, tests are still being conducted, but it seems to vary. Jonas has yet to find any correlation between speed of acclimation and other factors, such as age, size, or biha well size,” Gerard replied.

“How long did it take you to acclimate?” Deo asked.

Gerard thought for a moment. “I’m not sure, my lord. When we first arrived, we came through a cave network. When we arrived the second time, I spent much of my time with the resettlement and didn’t pay attention. It’s been some time now, so between now and then, I’ve acclimated.”

“Then, for the most part, if a ship returns after some time away, will they need to be escorted in through the entry current?” Sybil asked.

“Yes, Your Grace. As with Lord Deo, each ship has a fire biha user whose purpose is to release a pattern of flares into the air when they near the island from this side to alert the sentry. Then they wait for someone on a rokh to guide them back.” Gerard let out a sheepish laugh. “I am usually the one who does so, as I have wind biha and can assist in aligning a ship to the entry current.”

“How did they find out about the entry current to begin with?” Beks asked.

Gerard shrugged once more. “You will need to ask Jonas and Prince Lucian, my lady. They are the ones who are studying it. I’m afraid I only know the basic details.”

“That’s fine, Lt. Commander. Thank you for your explanation,” Laurence said in a regal voice. “It is reassuring that the island has such defenses and barriers to keep it secure.”

Beks lifted her head and could see the sails above her. The crow’s nest was still shrouded in a bit of fog, but she could make out its shape.

“The fog is thinning. We should get ready to go up,” Beks said.

Gerard nodded. He turned towards the rokh, only to find that Cloud was happily being pet by Laurence. “Your Majesty....I’m afraid we need Cloud to take flight.”

“Already?” A hint of disappointment crossed the king’s face.

“I don’t know who’s worse; you or Wrath,” Lady Eleanor said with a roll of her eyes as she pulled her future husband away.

“At least he got to touch him....” Wrath muttered with envy as Deo pulled his youngest sister away from Beks.

“Lord Deo, untie the line. The rokhs take off and when they do, the basket will be pulled to the side as their take offs aren’t completely vertical,” Gerard told him. “Once they’re in the air, they’ll circle around and lower the basket for us to climb into. We need to hold on to the guide rope so as not to lose the basket.”

“Understood,” Deo said before going to deal with the rope.

Gerard turned back to Cloud and let out a series of whistles. Cloud puffed up and let out a screech before waddling to the side to face the water and extending his wings. Wind rushed up from beneath his wings and across the deck before he jumped over the side of the ship.

He dipped below the railing and the rope attached to the basket went with him. The basket was pulled to the side, but before it could topple over, it was pulled into the air at an angle, also off the railing.

Gerard took the rope from Deo and began to feed it, allowing the basket to float overhead while the rokh steadied itself above. Then, Gerard pulled the basket back, adjusting it so it could return to its original position. Once it was down, he handed the rope back to Deo and helped Beks climb in.

When the two of them were inside, Deo released the line. Gerard let out another series of whistles and they began to ascend. Beks looked over the woven side of the basket. Wrath and Thad waved at her; the former with sadness and the later with excitement. Beks waved back just as the fog covered them and the ship.

“The fog is thinning, but I still see it,” Beks said.

“Once you acclimate, you will not be affected, my lady.”

Beks nodded. “Tell me the truth, did Laz punish you for leaving me behind?”

She was still looking over the edge, but heard Gerard’s sharp intake of breath. He hesitated for a few counts and Beks wasn’t sure if he just didn’t want to tell her or was trying to find a way to express what happened without angering her. Perhaps both.

“The Battalion Commander and Prince Lucian were very worried about you, my lady. Prince Lucian was absolutely certain that your disguise had worn off already and was anxious that you would be caught.”

“I was with my brother and father; I would be fine.”

“Yes, but at the time, they only knew that Lord Deo was with you. We did not know if you had already found the Duke of Caroline,” Gerard pointed out. “The Battalion Commander punished me to sentry tower duty until you returned.”

Beks let out a heavy breath. “I’m sorry for getting you in trouble, Gerard.”

“I understood the circumstances at the time, my lady, and that the Battalion Commander would punish me for leaving you, regardless of your order or who you were with,” Gerard replied. “Though, they had a right to be concerned. They didn’t know how long your disguise would last.”

Beks raised a hand and touched the streak of orange hair on the side of her face. “This was a surprise, but it lasted far longer than we thought. It was still orange when I found my father, when we left the mainland to try to search for my mother, and when we found my mother and younger siblings.” She paused. “In fact, there is a good chance it would still be in place had I not had another biha explosion-”

“You had another biha explosion?” Gerard cried out and paled. He’d heard about what happened the first time and had told his wife, resulting in Sandra becoming even more determined to follow along and become Beks’ lady in waiting throughout their short journey.

Beks waved her hand to dismiss his worries. “It was...controlled. My family was there and I was in safe hands.”

She did not mention the fact that she had fallen overboard during Stromwal, or that a leviathan had saved her after it frightened her to the point that she panicked and had an explosion.

“Are you all right? Is there any lingering sequelae?” Gerard asked with furrowed brows. “Our Wild Dogs have medics and they are on the island. You should be checked when we arrive.”

“It’s fine, Gerard. I had an explosion on the way to Sagittate and when I woke up, I was in my childhood bedroom there,” Beks told him. “Doctors and healers checked on me. Even before I was taken ashore, I was safe on my mother’s ship.” She made a vague hand motion over the side of the basket and Gerard followed it with his eyes. His brows knit together. “My lady, that ship below is the Duchess’ ship? Is it from Sagittate?”

She could almost see the confusion on his face, as the sails had the bold Maritime Legacy insignia.

“It’s not from Sagittate, but it is my mother’s ship.”

“But that is a pirate ship.”

“Yes.” Beks stared at him and watched him go through a myriad of silent emotions. Confusion, worry, curiosity, and finally, resigned acceptance. He nodded his head, as if pretending he hadn’t asked.

“Let me tell you what the entry current looks like, my lady.” She almost laughed at his blatant attempt to change the topic.

By now, they’d risen high enough that Beks could see the cloud of fog below, but nothing else. She squinted. She couldn’t even see the mountain peaks of the island, which should’ve been visible. Perhaps it was because she was not yet fully acclimated.

“I still see fog.”

“We will fly along the edge of the fog,” Gerard told her. “The entry current goes beyond the edges of the fog. First, observe the sea. It’s all a similar pattern, for the most part. There are streaks of light reflected from the crests of the waves. What we’re looking for is a thin band that looks like a ribbon floating in the water. That band is darker with far less streaks of light reflecting off the water’s surface, as there are far less waves. Think of it as a stream cutting through the ocean. And if we go too high, we won’t see it, but too low, and we won’t notice it. We must remain at a certain altitude.”

She could only imagine the amount of time it took for them to study this and get some semblance of a system down. As they flew around the perimeter of the fog, Beks looked for any anomaly in the water below that stuck out from the edge of the fog.

Gerard stood behind her, looking at a different side. They’d almost circumnavigated the fog when Gerard let out a yell.

“Did you find it?” Beks rushed to his side.

“There!” Gerard pointed below. Beks squinted and leaned over the edge. It was faint, but it was as Gerard described: like a dark ribbon of water that had minimal reflection, almost floating aimlessly in the sea. Now that he pointed it out, it was obvious. “Let’s get back to your mother’s ship.”

“Leviathan’s Throne.”

“The what?”

“That’s Mommy’s ship’s name. Leviathan’s Throne.”

Gerard furrowed his brows. “That sounds familiar....” He brought his fingers to his mouth to let out a long whistle. “Cloud! Back to the ship!” Above them, a screech was heard, acknowledging the order. Cloud dipped to the side and headed towards the pirate ship that had anchored near the two other ships.

Gerard looked over the edge as Cloud brought them lower. The rokh’s accuracy was impressive, especially for such a young rokh. Beks couldn’t help but feel proud of Cloud, who she used to carry when he was a ball of down. They neared the ship at about the same height as the quarter deck.

“Did you find it?” Deo shouted from the bow.

“Yes! Hoist anchor! I will use wind biha to align the ship in the entry current!” Gerard shouted back.

Deo nodded and looked towards their mother, who turned around and gave the order. Gerard let out two short whistles and they were lifted up once more.

“You’ve been using your wind biha to move ships?” Beks asked with raised brows.

“My lady, I feel as if my biha well has grown. Throughout the journey, I’ve practiced the exercises Lord Deo had taught to some biha users. I didn’t think much of it at first, but when I continued them on the island, I could’ve sworn there was an increase,” Gerard said with wide, excited eyes. “Once the ship is close to the entry current, I use my biha to align it precisely within the entry current’s path. Then the current does everything else.”

Beks raised a brow. “Then...if you’re going to push the ship from here....?”

He gave her a sheepish look. “My lady is here to assist! Please help me make a good impression on His Majesty.”

Beks let out a small snort. She would’ve offered, but was amused that Gerard hoped to have her help.

“All right, let’s see how far you’ve come with technique,” Beks said. She put her hand on his shoulder and poured biha into him. “Does it still take the same amount of time to gather biha?”

“Longer now that my well is larger. The speed appears to be the same, but the amount needed to be full is greater. The Elders of Dranga said that there should be a way to increase efficiency during use, so I don’t need to use as much biha for a single task.” He scratched his head. “I have not yet figured how to.”

Beks pursed her lips and thought for a moment. “When we’re settled, I’ll introduce you to my brother’s wind biha master. Thad has progressed well and can fly from ship to ship.”

Gerard sucked in a sharp breath and then let his jaw drop. “He can fly?”

Beks nodded. “Let’s align the ship first.”

Gerard nodded, appearing to quell his enthusiasm in order to focus on the task. He turned to face the ship and began to gather biha. Beks tilted her head, surprised that she could feel something in the air collecting in Gerard’s arms. A moment later, he brought them forward and began sending gusts of wind into Leviathan's Throne’s sails.

The ship creaked and tilted as it was turned forty-five degrees portside and then pushed forward, towards the entry current.

Beks stood behind Gerard, her hand on his shoulder and keeping a steady stream of biha flowing into the man so the process could go smoothly. According to Gerard, he’d done this at least a dozen times already with their brigs, but not with anything as big as her mother’s ship.

“Where did Her Grace get such an impressive vessel?”

“Spoils of looting the Paraxes Navy.”

Gerard bit his lips, as if regretting having asked.

He whistled to realign Cloud once more before turning the ship back to face the island and merging it into the entry current. He leaned from side to side, as if checking to make sure the ship was centered in the current, before nodding, satisfied with his work.

He lowered his arms. “It’s done! The current will take them to the island.”

The ship’s sails were lowered, and Beks could almost feel the awe radiating from the crew below as the ship continued to slip into the fog.

“Bring me back to the ship and then notify the twins that we’ve arrived.”

“Yes, my lady! Remember that when the current stops carrying the ship, they should be safe to drop anchor. If they wait a few moments, the fog in front of them will thin enough for them to make out the shore. From there, they can row in.”

Beks nodded. They entered the fog once more, but while she became disoriented and unable to see her hands in front of her, Cloud had no problem finding the ship. Gerard yelled to make room so that the basket could land and Beks could climb out before they ascended again.

The instructions he gave were relayed to her mother once Beks used the railing to guide her back to the quarter deck.

As they ‘floated’ along and the fog thinned out, Beks furrowed her brows with a sense of déjà-vu. She had also floated along on the bottom of an overturned carriage, drifting aimlessly in the sea because she didn’t have anything to use to paddle her way to shore. It wasn’t until the carriage ran aground on a sandbank that Beks found herself on a beach.

Was she unknowingly caught in the entry current when she first arrived? From Gerard’s words, the chances of accidentally being caught in it was small. Numerous factors had to be perfect. The entry current moved, it was narrow, and if another ship had crossed its path while she was on it, the entry current would disappear and she’d be pushed out of the fog.

It was too lucky to be considered sheer luck.

“Captain, the ship has stilled! We’re out of the entry current!” Grandpa Ilo shouted from the helm.

Sybil narrowed her eyes. “Hoist sail, take us a bit further in, until we can see land. Once we do, drop anchor!”

“Yes, Captain!”

The sails were adjusted and the ship moved forward with caution so as not to run aground suddenly.

Beks leaned forward on the railing and could make out a fine strip of pale sand through the fog. “I see the beach!”

Her mother didn’t hesitate. “Drop anchor!”

The crew seemed to move all at once. The sails were adjusted, the sound of the anchor chain filled the air, and the row boats were prepared. Since they could see land in front of them, they knew which direction to row.

There was a screech above them and Wrath gasped and looked up. “The rokh is here!” She scrambled to the nearest rowboat and was about to climb on by herself, but was stopped by Lady Eleanor.

“Don’t just climb into it when it’s still being readied. What if you get hurt?” the woman said with an exasperated sigh.

“We need to hurry!” Wrath insisted. She looked past Lady Eleanor and towards Laurence. “Your Majesty, don’t you want to see the rokh-I mean, your brothers?”

Beks raised a brow at her younger sister squirming under one of Lady Eleanor’s arms.

Laurence laughed. “Of course, but let’s not do anything dangerous before we see them. My brothers, and the rokhs, aren’t going anywhere.”

“Dorothy of Caroline.” Their mother’s scolding voice reached her ears and Wrath drew her head back, going limp in Lady Eleanor’s arm.

It must’ve felt like eternity to the child to have to wait for the rowboats to be prepared. When they finally were, she was the first to climb on. Impatience was written all over her face as she twisted the hem of her tunic. Beks was sure if Laurence weren’t King and on the rowboat with them, Wrath would have demanded he hurry up or be left behind.

Her family and Laurence and Lady Eleanor took one rowboat. No one was needed to row, as her mother had tested the waters and proclaimed that they were ‘normal’. She moved the rowboat herself at faster than normal speed with her biha.

The wind blew at Bek’s face, nice and cool despite the humidity. As they approached the shore, the landscape became clearer. The pale beach stretched far with a few jagged outcroppings of stone, the dark tree line of the jungle not far behind, and several small fishing boats that were used to sort fish in fine nets.

“There are more people than I thought,” Laurence said as he looked over the beach. There were at least two dozen people all along the beach, by their boats sorting their day’s catch. “Deo told us how many people were in the Dranga state. Coupled with the thousand plus of the Wild Dogs and any of their family members, that’s a significant amount of people. Will the island be able to sustain that many?”

“There is a large valley in the east that is suitable for farming,” Beks replied. “But it must be clear to do so. There are also historical records of terrace farming on the mountain sides, as well as abundant game and fishing.”

Laurence took a deep breath. “We will need resources to retake the throne.”

“Horses, medicinal material, fields....” Beks said. Coincidentally, the mountains around the Alpine Route Inn didn’t just have ore, but medicinal materials. Mr. Kesse had each property purchased through one of their companies carefully assessed to find what resources could be extracted or raised on them.

If they were able to take the crown swiftly, then they didn’t need many more resources than she already had access to. In the event that the campaign dragged on, they would need more. It was best to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

She looked back at the island. As abundant as it was, it wasn’t enough.

As the rowboat got closer, Bek’s eyes landed on a large blob of pure white that stood out against the dark background of the jungle. Her heart quickened as pressure built on the bridge of her nose.

The rowboat ran aground the soft, pale sand. Before Sybil could say anything, Beks jumped into the knee-deep water and began rushing to shore.

She threw her arms wide open, ignoring how wet she was getting from all the seawater she splashed up. For months when she was on the island, they were inseparable. She missed him more than she missed anyone else on the island and worried that he would get lonely.

The red-eyed white horned serpent seemed to spring forward, shooting past two identical men who had both begun to raise their arms. As soon as the serpent swept past them, they seemed to freeze, as if realizing that the one Beks was rushing to embrace was not them.

“Snowflake!” Within moments, Beks disappeared from view, lost inside the coil of a serpent who was nuzzling her head with his own. “I missed you so much! Did you miss me? I’m sorry for leaving for so long!”

Beks found herself laying on top of Snowflake’s back, carried around proudly.

“That’s...that’s a horned serpent!” Wrath’s piercing voice seemed to cut through the entire beach. Beks, still hugging her serpent, turned to the side and saw her sister, trembling in her father’s arm and pointing at them, her eyes wide and her jaw dropped.

Thad, like the adults, had waded through the water to get to shore, also carried a look of awe when he saw Snowflake. For a moment, Beks was a bit proud that she had such an awe-inspiring beast.

Beks beamed and hugged Snowflake once more before sliding off. She took a step forward to introduce her younger sister to the horned serpent, when she was suddenly struck with a feeling that she’d forgotten something.

“Blessings to our King!” Two voices spoke as one and echoed around her, prompting Beks to turn around. “Welcome to Gurani Island, Your Majesty, Our Royal Brother Laurence!”

Her face heated up with embarrassment.

Had Laz and Lucian been there the entire time?

Laurence stood in front of them, just a few steps from where the waves caressed the shore. Laz and Lucian knelt down on one knee, heads bowed and fists over their hearts in a show of obedience and subservience to the monarch.

Their clothes were still worn, showing some tears and stains. They likely hadn’t bought any new clothes since she left. Their long dark hair had been pulled back into neat high ponytails, giving a semblance of neatness.

Laurence seemed to take in the sight of them. His brown eyes reddened the longer he stood there, looking at his brother’s heads. Aside from his eyes, his expression was austere. A step to his left, Lady Eleanor looked at the twins with more warmth in her gaze.

No one spoke after the twins knelt and welcomed their king.

After some time, Laurence took a deep breath. He lifted his chin. “Rise, Prince Lazarus. Rise, Prince Lucian. Blessings and honor be upon you both.”

“It is our blessing and honor,” the twins said simultaneously. They kept their heads bowed as they rose to their feet. They then brought their hands to their sides and lifted their heads. Their motions were synchronized, as if they’d practiced.

The two princes looked at their brother, whom they hadn’t seen in person for what must’ve felt like ages. Beks could see Lucian’s lower lip tremble as both twins’ eyes reddened. Even when they were children, they held the utmost respect for Laurence.

Without a word, Laurence stepped forward. He grabbed one prince with each arm and pulled them towards him, pressing their heads together and he struggled to hold back a cry.

He didn’t speak, but Beks noticed his shoulders were shaking.

Two arms, one from each of the princes, rose and wrapped around his upper back, holding him in place.

She wasn’t sure which twin spoke, but his voice was laced with unexpected desperation.

“Brother, don’t leave us like this again.”