Page 58 of Eternal Surrender

There was a pinewood table that Alex had obviously dragged in here at some point, but I couldn’t remember when. I took a closer look at what he was working on, admiring the handmade wooden ship, and next to that a finely carved mast yet to be attached; as well as an assortment of miniature paint pots awaiting their application.

The intricate design would have taken him weeks to complete or longer. I read the name on the side of the vessel. The Blue Rose.

The ship groaned like a living thing, her sails whipping and crying in the storm. Me, counting waves and praying to a God that had abandoned me long ago, that I would survive the journey to England, as a storm threatened to tear the ship apart.

I jolted up, grabbed the boat and flung it against the wall, shattering it into pieces.

Alex’s replica of the very ship Orpheus had sailed upon over from Spain in 1805 was now unrecognizable.

There was a blur of movement in the corridor.

“Alex?” I called out, seeing no one there.

Strange how a place can be familiar and yet foreign at the same time, this once sanctum of mine was now stifling. The only thing offering consolation was Alex, and I needed to see him.

I scoured the castle.

At last, I found him balancing upon one of the turrets facing the ocean, staring out at the nightscape, deep in thought.

I braved to shake him from his daydreaming and said, “I owe you an apology.”

“I didn’t think you were coming back,” he said.

Neither did I.

Alex turned round. “Ingrid’s still looking for us, isn’t she?”

“I can handle her.”

His expression was full of confusion.

“I’m sorry about your boat,” I said.

“It reminded me of a tumultuous time. I never shared that with you. . .”

“I thought you might like it.”

He was trying to appease me, trying to keep his brother safe, keep me safe.

Several seagulls swooped low, flying across the horizon, and I envied their ability to take flight with no explanation required.

“I promise we’ll find our way through this.” I took a step closer. “A way back.”

Alex shrugged. “You really believe that?”

“Come down, please.”

His coat flapped against his legs. “All this is my fault.”

“Hardly.” I sidestepped toward the wall and peered over at the sheer drop.

Alex caught my reaction.

Again, I gestured for him to come down.

He hinged on snapping. “We can’t be friends.”

“You don’t see Jadeon in me, is that it?”