“I like a good rat,” Ratcatcher said. “Tasty when they’re plump or thin. Tasty all around.”
Dawn said nothing but eyed the sea bird disdainfully. She swooped down, landing on my shoulder. “The sailors say they can’t sail into the swamp. They’ve heard the plants will come alive and eat their ships like leviathans of the deep sea.”
She had spoken loudly, and I reached into my pocket, fishing out a strip of dried meat. Throwing back her head, she swallowed it whole.
“Do some scouting.” I scanned the islands, the blackened earth and charred trees not giving way to new growth. I knew it was the Imperium’s habit to poison the soil—there was a reason that Forsaith would never grow their orchards again—but Tavornai’s annual rains should have washed away some of it. There should be some hint of green on the ground.
“Am I looking for anything in particular?” Dawn pecked gently just above my ear.
From the rigging, Terror made an annoyed sound, his voice loud, screaming about betrayal.
“We are looking for imperials living here. House Chaliko.” I turned toward Tallu as I spoke, making it look as though I was addressing him. The Chaliko family had once given sanctuary to surviving blood mages and paid steeply for the mercy by being sent into exile in Tavornai. They should be able to help us.
Dawn pecked at my hairline again then pushed off my shoulder, flapping toward land. Terror and Ratcatcher followed her, leaving me and Tallu on the deck.
Around us, sailors slowly stopped their work as we drifted further into Tavornai.
Fog began as a whisper of fingers just above the ocean, and by the time we reached the larger islands, it had become thick. Even squinting, I could barely see more than two arm-lengths beyond the side of the ship.
Ours was not the vanguard ship; we were tucked safely in the middle, which was the only reason we survived.
Up ahead, there was a crunching sound followed by a crash. The man acting as captain shouted for the ship to stop, the call going out to our small fleet.
Sailors rushed to drop the anchor, and the massive chain rang loudly, echoing against obstructions made invisible by the fog.
We heard shouting and screams. Sailors called across the ships, the word coming back that the first ship in our small fleet had hit a branch that spread across the narrow route we were sailing. It had toppled their mainsail, and the resulting impact had destroyed their boat. The surviving sailors were swimming to the ships, although I heard screams and splashes. What dangers lived in the waters beneath us? Did Tavornai have its own sea serpents and were they taking imperial souls to the afterlife?
“What happened?” Tallu demanded. From his position at thewheel, the captain tensed, his hands tightening on the wood before releasing it. He gestured for a nearby sailor to take the helm though the anchor had pulled us still.
Slowly, the captain stepped down from the top deck, and I heard footsteps behind us, glancing back to see General Saxu in his full armor approaching from below deck. Commander Rede was at his side, both of them wearing military cloaks pinned at the shoulder with golden dragons.
By the time the captain reached us, General Saxu was on Tallu’s other side. The sailors and soldiers were still, and I could feel the tension in everyone’s bodies as we all waited to see the outcome of the confrontation.
“Your Imperial Majesty.” Slowly, the captain sank to his knees, prostrating himself on the deck. “I beg your forgiveness. I beg for your leniency. We cannot go any further.”
The silence was profound, and I glanced at Tallu, waiting to see how he was going to react.
“You assured us that you would have no trouble reaching the shores of Tavornai, and yet I see no shores.” Tallu gestured around us. The fog was thick, but water lapped at the ship on all sides, and the anchor had sunk deep. We were not near land.
“Wehavereached them,” the captain said, his voice choking before he raised his chin. “Tavornai is not a swamp as you or I know it. The land has grown into the ocean. I have been a sailor for a long time; I served under your grandfather as a boy. That was the last time I saw the elven kingdom. I did not know it had already gotten this bad.”
“Explain,” General Saxu said. “In his reports, General Namati made no mention of what you speak of.”
“The trees grow into the ocean. Our anchor is not stuck to sand or rocks beneath us, but the roots of trees.” The captain’s neck arched, as though he was about to raise his head before he remembered who he was speaking to. “I believe without the elvesto mind them, their land has grown thick with… foreign magic. Dangerous magic.”
“You are suggesting that the swamp has expanded?” General Saxu said. “No tree can grow in saltwater. Your maps must be wrong.”
“No, high general. My maps are not wrong. Mymemoryis not wrong. There should be an open route between the islands and the Tavornai shore, as there was when we first conquered it.” The captain took a deep breath, his next words barely a whisper. “I see no way through.”
Slowly, the screams and splashes in the water fell to silence and there was stillness, a quiet that grew as Tallu said nothing. I squinted out again, blinking as the fog cleared slightly. The captain wasn’t wrong.
There was a tree so close that if I leaned far enough out, I might touch it. Its bark was smooth, and long roots dripped from its branches, swaying in the movements of the waves.
“We must consider our next move,” Tallu said. “Until the fog clears, we have no way out of this mess you have piloted us into. Ready the ship to defend against an attack. We must be prepared. General Saxu, with me.”
Tallu turned, his robes spinning behind him, and on the deck, the captain slumped, relief visible in the hunch of his shoulders as he pushed himself up and back onto his feet. He began shouting orders as General Saxu and Commander Rede turned to follow Tallu. I squinted at the tree, waiting until the fog covered it again before following Tallu below deck.
As I took the steps down, Lerolian caught up with me. I didn’t dare look over to see his expression.
