“Yeah, you got it!” she says. “Now you find something,” she instructs, and I begin to look around the boat for something.
“All right, I see something clear,” I say and let a small smile fall across my face.
“Clear?” she questions me and I can see the wheels in her brain start turning. “Air!” she shouts seconds later.
I laugh and tell her she’s right and we continue to play the game until Mio is either completely annoyed with us, or he really does think it’s time we have dinner.
I help Cooper pass out the last of our meat and we all eat it slowly. Cinder, Mio, and Marin move up to the perch. They tell us the adults need to work out some details so I take a seat with Alexander and Cooper. Molly is quick to join me, always staying close to my side.
“If we really do need more food we can always try to fish something out of the ocean,” Alexander says to me, noticing that I’ve barely eaten any of the meat.
“I guess you’re right,” I say and start to eat the rest of my meal. Once we’re finished eating we sit in silence except for the crashing of waves. “What do you think Libertas will be like?” I ask, breaking the silence.
“Mio said it’s a world built on a mountain,” Cooper says. “He’s only been there a handful of times. He wasn’t even allowed to get off the boat. Couldn’t even set foot on the island.” My lips form a tense line as I’m reminded that my group may still not get to stay after all.
“I picture it as a castle floating in the water,” Alexander says and a laugh escapes my throat.
“You just think there’s going to be a castle floating in the middle of the ocean? I ask him. Alexander’s grin widens and he nods his head. We’re quiet for a moment as I picture the unique image.
“What are you hoping it will be?” Alexander softly asks. I’ve been looking for freedom my entire life. Now that I’m just hours from it I don’t know what I hope I see.
“When I think of freedom I picture the fields of flowers behind my house. I see an endless blue ocean. There will be music and dancing, and everyone will be smiling,” I say and imagine a life where all that could be true.
“And mounds of red velvet cake,” Zavy adds as she takes a seat in front of me. We laugh and our stomachs growl as we remember the rich delicacy from Sard. Our scarce dinner doesn’t come close to meeting the standards of Sard.
“I hope I make some friends,” Molly’s tired voice yawns out. My heart tightens at the thought of her old friends that drowned in the ocean. I tighten my arms around her, doing everything I can to keep her safe.
“You’ll make lots of friends Molly,” I say as I brush her hair from her warm face. Her cold has gotten worse. A damp sweat keeps her hair stuck to her cheeks and forehead, and her skin is pale. It hurts, even more, knowing Molly is getting more and more ill, but all she cares about is making new friends. She is so pure and naive, and this world is too twisted and dark for someone like her.
“Time to get some rest,” Mio says as he lays a heavy hand on my shoulder. Tomorrow we will be in Libertas. After all this, we will finally get to our destination. We move to get ready for bed and Mio announces that he and Marin will take the first shift tonight. I lie out my blanket next to Alexander’s on the hard wooden floor of the boat and place my pillow down too. As soon as my head hits the pillow I start to feel myself being pulled under.
Today was the first time I stayed awake for more than five minutes, and it’s definitely catching up with me. I look up at the stars and get lost in their beauty as I get pulled into a deep sleep.
“Look!” I hear Molly’s little voice scream as I start to wake up. I break open my eyelids and white light from the sun rushes in. I prop myself up on my elbows and see that almost everyone else has gotten up and is looking at something in front of the boat. I get up and join Alexander at the tip of the boat.
“There it is,” he says.
I feel my heart stop as Libertas starts to come into view. “It’s magnificent,” I say. From what we can see out on the ocean it seems that Libertas is completely closed in by a large stone wall. The island seems to just be one giant mountain, and as we look up the mountain you can make out the bricked pathways and houses that line the town.
On top of the island is a large castle that makes Garth’s seem like nothing. As we get closer to the island a small docking area comes into view at the base of the rocky shore.
“And if you look to our right you can see the magnificent wall that surrounds all of Libertas,” Mio says narrating our arrival.
A smile starts to break across my face and I throw my arms around Alexander’s neck, bringing him into a tight hug. “We made it Alexander!” I say.
Mio and Cinder pull the boat up to the dock and tie it up. We all file out of the boat and onto the dock. The wall that surrounds the island is so tall that I have to tilt my head back to see the top of it. Every ten feet or so there is a guard post, and all eyes are on us.
I look forward to where the dock meets the
