His nostrils flared as he grunted, “Your only job is to call out as soon as you spot another ship, understand?”
Before she could make a comment about her understanding of the simplistic task, she stopped short. To him, she was only a child, and naive obedience would be her best defense. “Yes, Captain,” she said, nodding.
“Good, now go.”
Kamira’s eyes wandered to the lookout point high above. It was definitely only big enough for one person. A thread of nervousness snaked down her spine as her stomach flipped at the thought of being so high above the ship. She had never been afraid of heights, but she had never been put in a position to develop that fear either.
“Go ahead,” the Captain said again, gently pushing her toward the netting that led up to the lookout. If she could successfully climb the wobbling web of ropes, her prize would be the wooden railing at the top that would prevent her from tumbling back down.
Kamira stretched out her arms, grabbed onto the coarse netting, and took a deep breath. Her grip was firm as she began to climb. Contrary to when she’d climbed the anchor rode to stowaway on the ship, the rope ladder was surprisingly easy. But as she scaled higher, the wind swept harder, twisting the netting and she held on tighter.
She kept her gaze fixed on her destination, refusing to look down until she reached the perch. When she finally made it and her feet were firmly planted on the sturdy platform, she peered over the railing, gasping in awe at the stunning view all around her.
The sparkling ocean spread out farther than she could see in a mixture of bright turquoise and the darkest blues. “Extraordinary,” she breathed.
“Alright up there?” called the Captain from far below.
“This is amazing!” she hollered down to him. “It’s the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen!”
She looked down at him grinning from ear to ear. Her eyes must have been playing tricks on her because it looked like the handsome young Captain was smiling back at her. It was the first time she had seen anything other than a scowl or a hard glare on his face, and it gifted him with a youthful glow. She averted her gaze back to the rolling blues and greens of the sea, hiding her smirk at the small crack in his hard demeanor.
“Keep your eyes open for any oncoming ships or shallow waters. I know it’s hard to notjustfocus on its beauty, but we don’t want to be surprised.”
“Aye, Aye, Cap’n,” she yelled back, bringing her hand up in a mocking salute.Ah, there is that glare again, she thought as her mouth spread into a satisfied grin.
There was no land in sight—Aksahri was long gone, and they were surrounded by nothing but water. It was a heady feeling, but it was also freeing to be so far out to sea, away from everyone and everything. Adventure was not something she realized her soul had craved until this moment. She was untethered from a life shackled to a husband. She was free from a life of hiding her gifts, never able to use them—well, to an extent. She didn’t know how this crew felt about Sorcerers. Did they agree or disagree with the Emperor? What would they do if they found out? Would they shoot her on the spot?
She would worry about that later. Right now, she was surrounded by the element that made her heart sing: water.
She took a cautious look at the crew below. None of them were paying her any attention. The waves were calling her name, begging her to play with them. Shecoulduse her gifts, practice a bit of sorcery this far out in the ocean, and no one would even know it.
Kamira closed her eyes and focused on the sprawling sea. She couldfeelthe currents,seethrough the depths of the deep-blue water. She tugged against it lightly, feeling the water move at her command, eliciting laughter. Yanking harder, Kamira directed the ocean to spin, reveling in the tickle of her sorcery as it coursed through every inch of her body.
It had been cooped up for so long, aching to break free and invoke its power on the world. It was exhilarating and refreshing to taste that freedom. She drank it in, every last drop. As the power continued to flow through her, Kamira pushed against it harder, using more of the thrilling force that belonged to her.
“Captain!” someone yelled far below. “There’s a whirlpool! Hard-a-port!”
Kamira’s eyes shot open at the pirate's words, looking out at the ocean for the first time since she began using her power. She took in a sharp breath at the sight. She had caused the opposing tidal currents to collide in a swirling fury, creating a gaping hole of dark water.
She glanced to the helm to see the Captain spinning the wheel hard to the right. The ship lurched and she squealed, holding on tightly to the railing of her lookout. The Captain pressed himself against the ship’s wheel with all his might as he fought the spinning current that had begun pulling them toward the whirlpool she had unintentionally created.
“Bleeding skies!” Kamira cursed. She had to stop it before they were all pulled under.
Closing her eyes, she brushed against her power, easing its ferocity, calming it as she pushed the currents away from one another. She could feel the water as it heeded her call, conceding to her will.
“Zev! You one-eyed donkey! Did you not see the swirling current of death coming our way?” the Captain yelled up to her.
“S—sorry, Captain! I was looking the other way.” She called back. “It came up out of nowhere!”
“You’ll be shark bait if it happens again, understand?”
Kamira swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. She could have killed them all. If she were to practice her sorcery further, it would have to be on a smaller scale. It was apparent that she had much to learn about the limits to her gifts.
7
Doraan
“Wereyouevergoingto tell me about our change of course?” Doraan stiffened as Cormac’s deep voice drifted over his shoulder from behind him.
