“Forcina, the Sorceress who cursed us. She…well, she visits us sometimes, with no warning at all. She can show up at any time.”
Kamira frowned at that. “How? We are in the middle of the sea? How does she find the ship?”
Cormac shook his head rather frantically. “She is the most powerful Sorceress I’ve ever seen. I don’t know how she does it, but that's not important right now. What's important, well, it’s more than important—it's absolutely imperative she does not know you are on the ship.”
Kamira bit her lip, frowning. “Why is that?”
“Because there is a reason that you were able to go outside the confines of her curse and board our ship when no one else could. I think you are what we need to break it. If she saw you, she would know something is wrong. She would realize the same thing I have and kill you in a split second. She will not hesitate to do it. Do you understand? ”
“Y—yes, I understand.” Kamira’s heart began to race in her chest. Just how powerful was this Sorceress to have Cormac so out of character and frantic? She hoped this Sorceress stayed far away until she was off this ship, and their curse broken.
She still wasn’t completely convinced that this curse existed, but her test with her gifts from earlier and Cormac’s words were beginning to change her mind. She wondered if there was far more about her people and the power in her veins that she didn’t know.
“We will find a way, Cormac. I will help you all go home for good.”
19
Doraan
“TheEmeraldPeaks,”Doraanwhispered. A light snow had begun to fall as they sailed through the frigid Uskdar Sea. There was a deep silence this far north. A calm that came with the snowfall. Doraan looked out over the sparkling white dusted mountains. They stood like sentinels, towering high above them as a reminder of their strength and protection over Sumaaria. The clouds were thick above them, blanketing the tops of the peaks and hiding any glimpse of the city within from view.
Cormac stood beside him, his thick beard collecting snowflakes. “We’re getting close,” Doraan said, his voice low and gravelly. “These waters are more treacherous than any we have sailed before. We also don’t know if any of those Sumaarian ships are hidden here. We need to stay on high alert.”
His quartermaster nodded solemnly. “They’d be daft to dock their ships out here, but you’re right. We have no idea how many there are or if they are hidden within the caves lining these mountains. They could be anywhere.”
As they sailed further north, the snowfall grew heavier, to the point they could barely see a few feet beyond the bow of the ship. The strong wind whipped across the sails and pushed theCursed Soulas Doraan fought to keep the wheel steady, turning against it. The cold air bit into their skin, burning to the point of agony. Doraan could see the crew shivering against it, but they were almost through the worst of it. Just another few days and they would be to their destination. He would stop at nothing until they made it to Neilmaar.
Suddenly, a high pitched cackle cut through the air. Doraan spun around, his hand already on one of the pistols at his hip. That laugh never brought anything good with it. “Forcina,” he growled, as she prowled out of the dense fog behind them. She had known exactly where they were. She was following them, tracking their movements.
“Where are you going sweet Doraan?” she purred. “You are very far away from home.”
Doraan said nothing, only crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the unwanted visitor. She had made an appearance too many times this past week. He didn’t like it. She had a reason for it, and that thought made his skin crawl.
She chuckled. “Not going to tell me, hm?” Her thick, fur-lined cloak boasted a hood of wool and black fur, leaving only her face and the end of her braided dark-red hair visible.
She opened her mouth but closed it again, cocking her head and narrowing her eyes at him. “Something feels different here.” She turned in a circle, cloak billowing out around her, looking at each member of the crew. “You’re all a bit more on edge than usual. You are hiding something from me, aren’t you?”
“The only thing we are hiding is a hull full of rum.”
Forcina laughed—a malicious, grating sound that rattled his eardrums. “Oh, Doraan, you know I can smell a lie from a mile away.” She smirked, taking a few steps closer to him. “But I’m not here to play games this time. I have news for you.”
Doraan cast a quick glance to Cormac, who was staring at Forcina with an unwavering look of disgust. “What kind of news?” Doraan asked.
She smiled a toothy grin that looked more like she was baring her fangs. “Well, I suppose it might be quite sad news for you. Although, happy for many others.”
“I’ve no interest in your news, Forcina. Leave and let us be on our way.” He waved a dismissive hand at her, tired of her perpetual games. He couldn’t care less about whatever she was trying to do, but one thing was for certain; he needed her off this ship so that she didn’t see Kamira. If she knew someone had been able to board the ship, she would not only ruin his entire plan, but there was no knowing what she might do to Kamira.
“Oh, no? You don’t want to know about dear old mom and dad? You don’t want to know what they have been up to since your ghostly visit?”
“Frankly, I couldn’t care less about what they are up to. They proved they are no longer my parents, so I am no longer their son.”
Forcina flashed a sinister grin that made her features appear feline, as if she were ready to pounce at any moment. “More lies, my dearest Doraan. You are such a fool. Must we constantly talk in this endless loop? Why can’t you ever just be honest with me?”
“Because you are nothing more than a cowardly snake!” he roared, unable to hold down his temper any longer. “You could’ve helped your people. You could have saved them and figured out a way to overthrow my father long ago, but instead you cursed his son—a son he doesn’t even care about. So who’s the real fool, Forcina? Because it’s pretty clear to me.”
Forcina’s face twisted into something far more deadly—eyes like sharpened blades, mouth set in a hard line, the vein on the right side of her neck twitching with her ire as she lifted a hand. Cormac stepped in front of him shielding Doraan from the anger she was about to unleash. He pulled the gun free from the holster at his hip and pointed the barrel towards her face, no more than an inch away. The air sizzled between them.
“You’ve terrorized the lad enough, witch. Go back to whatever dark pit you crawled out of and leave us to live out the rest of our days on the sea in peace.”
