Princess Elodi's Arc

Chapter 47 of 55

Erik led Elodi through the cold stone halls to a bright room facing the water. A woman in a sea-foam gown rose from her chair. Her golden-brown hair fell over her shoulders, and her eyes matched Erik's. Beside her sat a small girl with a braid hanging off one shoulder, her gown pale blue. This was Elodi's aunt and the young cousin she had crossed an ocean to meet. The girl stared at the otter riding Elodi's shoulder. "Is it real?" she asked. Elodi knelt and let the otter creep down her arm. The girl touched its jeweled collar and laughed. The room's stiffness broke. Elodi's aunt smiled and waved them both to the table. They talked for an hour. Elodi told of the tunnel, the griffin, the sirens, the month at sea. Her aunt listened with her hand at her mouth. Emmy pressed close to hear every word. But as the fire burned low, Elodi remembered why she had come, and the warmth thinned. A figure filled the doorway. Captain Blackwell stepped in, her dark coat still salted from the deck. She did not sit. "The debt is paid," she told Erik. "I brought your daughter across the world. My part is done." She looked at Elodi. "We sail in three days. The crew is nearly rested. After that, the ship is mine again, and I turn east for my own waters." Elodi stood. "Three days." She understood at once. If her father stayed, and the ship left, she would be trapped on this shore with no way home. No griffin could cross these waters. There was one ship, and it would soon be gone. Blackwell nodded once and left. The room was quiet. Elodi turned to her father. She would not lose him to distance a second time. She crossed to Erik and took both his hands. Her voice went firm. "We will sail home together. My aunt will come, and so will my cousin. All of us. There is room on the ship." Erik sat by the withered hearth. He said nothing for a long moment. The fire cracked. "I have had no way home," he said at last. "No ships ever sailed here. I wanted nothing more than to see my wife again. My daughter is grown. I've lost so much." His eyes filled. "If a ship truly waits, then yes. I will go." Elodi's aunt reached for Emmy's hand. "We have no one left here but each other," she said softly. "If you go, we go too." Elodi pulled her father into her arms. He held her the way he had when she was seven, before the sea took him. The girl hugged the otter. Outside, Blackwell's crew moved on the deck below, readying the ship that would carry them all home.