Perilous Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #2)(14)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

Henry laughed. “Not exactly.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just wait and see.”

***

The smell of salt let me know that we were almost there. Some people hated the smell of the ocean, but I’d always loved it. Even from a distance, I could hear the waves lapping at the shore as birds that looked and sounded a lot like seagulls flew overhead. The Lenia Ocean appeared as endless as the Atlantic Ocean I grow up around, and I was momentarily overwhelmed when we reached the shore. The bright green water reminded me that I wasn’t home. The colors in Energo were intense.

Naomi appeared bored as she lounged against a single-sail boat docked at the marina. The small sailboat looked tiny squeezed between two massive steamships.

Naomi straightened as we approached. “Nice of you to show up.”

“Does everything look all right?" Samantha asked.

“Yes. And as you can see, I found a vessel.” Naomi gestured to the boat behind her. On closer inspection, it wasn’t quite as small as I originally thought. There were several lower levels below deck. I noticed that the hull looked worn, and I couldn’t help but feel apprehensive about boarding it.

Samantha eyed Naomi suspiciously. “I see that. Is it ours alone?”

“Not exactly.”

As if on cue, a short round man in a red pinstripe suit with a matching hat walked onto the dock. “Captain Everling at your service. Welcome aboard the Ulta Storm.” The man bowed so low I was afraid he wouldn’t be able to get back up.

“Could you excuse us for a second?” Samantha asked.

“Of course. Come aboard when you are ready.”

As soon as the man disappeared onto the boat, Samantha grabbed Naomi’s arm. “You hired a misa?”

“There were no other options.”

“What’s a misa? And are you sure this thing isn’t going to sink?” I didn’t like Samantha’s uneasiness.

“A misa is a kind of water taxi, but the passengers do some of the work,” Henry supplied.

“Okay, so why is Samantha upset?”

“Why am I upset? Who knows what other passengers it will take on? It could be a trap. Blake already wants you dead, Kevin. You have a target on your back.” I had never seen Samantha so keyed up.

“So you’re worried about my safety now?” I couldn’t resist the jab.

“I am worried about beating Blake, and we need you alive if we are going to win.” Samantha closed her eyes for a second and let out a deep breath. “Naomi, did you really think it wise to hire a misa?”

“Why do you think I picked this one? Is anyone really going to search for a Winthrop on a boat that is falling apart?”

“Fair enough, but we need to be careful.”

Captain Everling wobbled out and gestured for us to join him. “If you are coming aboard, you need to come now.”

As we boarded the Ulta Storm, the floorboards creaked, making me even more leery of its seaworthiness. Realizing I didn’t really have a choice, I decided not to worry about it.

“It has been a long time, Naomi.” Two blue figures moved toward us as we walked onto the deck. My first thought was of the Blue Man Group. I half expected them to pull out drumsticks, and I was prepared to see paint flying everywhere. Beyond the color, they looked human. Though the guy and girl were around my age, which made me a bit more comfortable, their color was hard to take in. I attempted to hide my surprise, but evidently, I wasn’t successful.

“Watch your reactions, Kevin, or we are in real trouble with the Pact,” Henry whispered. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught both Samantha and Naomi glaring at me.

Before I had time to react, I was shaking hands with the large blue guy. “I’m Bry. I take it you are the Winthrop?”

I contemplated explaining that my last name was Calloway, but it didn’t seem worth it. “Yeah, I’m Kevin. Nice to meet you.” Bry held my hand a moment longer than necessary, his strong grip growing uncomfortable.

“Same to you, this is my sister Ada.” I looked over at the tiny girl and realized that despite her color, she was actually really pretty. I gave her a small smile.

Bry moved on to introduce himself to Samantha and Henry, and I was peeved by the way he kissed Samantha’s hand. I knew she wasn’t with me or anything, but my territorial side was definitely coming out.

“Bry has the Cardian seat on the council. We are lucky they are making the trip with us. Bry has agreed to be our guide and an advocate with the council.” Naomi watched me intently. I had never heard of a Cardian before, but I guessed it referred to the nation Bry and Ada were from.

“Our people have always supported the Essence, but even we cannot stand back as mutes while Blake destroys innocent lives,” Bry declared.

“The Essence is not working with Blake. She hates him.” Henry joined the conversation without warning. “She is pure and good. Do not doubt her.” It was nice to hear Henry defend Charlotte. I hated hearing someone connect her to Blake.

“I mean no disrespect to the Essence. I am merely trying to warn you of the welcome you should expect.”

“Can they not get settled before you start barraging them with your concerns?” Ada asked. Her voice sounded like it belonged to a fairy. It fit her small size.

“All right, we can continue this conversation later,” Bry relented.

With another perfectly timed entrance, Captain Everling joined us. “Would you like a tour?”

“Yes, thank you.” Samantha smiled politely.

That was all the encouragement the captain needed. “Believe it or not, the Ulta Storm is a historic misa.”

I was tempted to tell him the Ulta Storm looked prehistoric, but I kept my mouth shut. The captain must have taken our silence as an invitation to keep talking, as he continued to drone on about the history of his boat. I tuned him out once he started discussing famous passengers because I had never heard of those people. I watched distractedly as he pointed out a small kitchen and gestured to two large bedrooms that we would be using. I hoped we weren’t expecting more passengers because no matter how large the bedrooms were, it would still be a tight fit.

It didn’t take me long to realize that, with no engine or motor, the sail would be our only means of power. We had a long trip ahead of us, and I hoped someone knew something about sailing; I wasn’t sure how much I trusted the captain. Although a lot of my friends were into sailing, I had always been so busy with basketball that I never had time to learn.