Alexis Glaciermage's Arc

Chapter 1 of 13

Alexis Glaciermage stood at the rail of The Roaring Dragon, watching the sky lighten over open water. First morning out, and already the clouds were wrong. Too smooth. Too flat. The kind of sky that would let most sailors sleep easy right up until it killed them. She climbed to the map room above the deck and set her telescope. The lens found a faint bruise on the horizon. The swell moved out of rhythm. Her fur prickled. She raised the red storm flag. Murmurs rose below, but she went straight to Captain Rikki. “Port five points,” she said. “There’s a surge line building.” She put the telescope in his hands and waited while the deck tilted under a long, odd heave. He saw it, swore once, and barked the turn. Lines snapped, wheels spun, and the ship slid off the trap. Alexis held the rail and breathed. First call made. The course—and trust—had shifted.