I cocked an eyebrow and she continued.
"So what I’m saying is… I’d rather we leave as soon as possible." She shifted uncomfortably on her feet as I slowly processed what she had told me. Slowly, I nodded.
"Of course." I placed a hand on her elbow and offered her a small smile. "I’ll just get my things ready. It’s not like I own a lot of things anyway."
Ginah paused. She stared at me for a moment. "You know, you don’t act like a girl your age."
"I am aware." I drew my lips to a thin line. "And please don’t say that ever again. It sounds… creepy"
"Right " She adjusted her coat and turned to go. "I’ll have to speak with the rest of my crew now. But don’t forget to say goodbye to Kai. He’d hate it if you left without so much of a farewell."
I smiled reassuringly. "Don’t worry, I won’t."
It was another lesson I had learned— to say goodbye. I would make sure it stuck with me no matter what.
It was not the most heartfelt farewell; we knew we would eventually see each other again. And yet, I was used to fleeting meetings. Short encounters that had never amounted to anything. So just knowing that I would meet Kai again in the future made me slightly emotional.
"Try not to get into too much trouble," he said. "I know you can take care of yourself, but don’t be too reckless."
I snorted. "What? Are you going to start treating me like a child now?"
"Maybe." He chuckled and placed a hand on my head. I scowled, but he ignored it. "You’re capable, Melas. I’ve seen it myself. But you’re still young. Ginah may not seem like the most reliable adult, but you can trust her. I know I have for the last decade."
"I will," I said. I turned around to board the ship, but stopped right at the gangplank to add, "And thank you. For trusting me."
"I haven’t seen anything not to trust so far." He smiled.
I nodded back at him, and with one last wave I made my way up the gangplank onto the ship. Ginah had already spoken to the rest of her crew; she had already said her goodbyes. So all that was left now was for us to actually go.
And with a final cheer, our boat finally departed into the ocean. I stood next to Ginah as she glanced back one last time to most of her crew that stayed behind. They waved at her— kids and adults, men and women, fighters and civilians, all alike— they bade their Captain a temporary farewell.
I saw a single tear drop fall from her eyes, but did not comment on it; instead, I turned to Jack and Lisa who were also on the ship coming along with us. I approached them, nodding a greeting and Jack and turning to Lisa.
"Hey, Melas," she said cheerfully.
"Not nervous at all?" I asked, cocking my head.
"Can’t say I’m not a little antsy. This is my first time leaving Luke, after all. And this is going to be a Dwarven Kingdom. It’s a completely different place."
To my surprise, Jack actually spoke out, adding his thoughts. "Not as good as it’s made out to be."
"You’ve been there before, haven’t you?" I addressed the man, who simply shrugged.
"For a while," he said. "But I’d rather not talk about it."
"Of course." I exchanged a look with Lisa, but she was just as clueless as I was. I patted him on the arm. "As long as you don’t cause us too much trouble."
He grunted. "Don’t worry, I won’t cause you as much trouble as you’ve caused for us."
"Hey—" I frowned, staring at his less dour expression. "Wait, was that a joke?"
Jack simply turned away, not opting to respond. I narrowed my eyes. So there’s more to him than just a cynical grouch, huh? There was still so much I had to learn about these people; I was kind of looking forward to it, actually.
Socializing like a normal person was something I had been deprived of for so long. I was an antisocial kid back in Villamcreek, and my time with others after leaving the small village had always been under tense situations. The few weeks we would have at sea offered me an opportunity to bond with others normally. Like the normal person I had been before I died.
Lisa smiled her usual smile. "Jack is actually a really nice guy once you get to know him," she said.
I rolled my eyes. "If he lets others get to know him."
"Kind of like you, huh?" She raised a brow at me.
I ignored that playful gibe and turned to face her. "So what will you be doing once you get to Taw?"
"I don’t know." She leaned on the bulwark of the ship, facing out into the ocean. "We’ll figure it out when we get there. Plus you said you have some contacts don’t you? That you can get an audience with some rich and influential people?"
"Gennady can do that," I corrected her. "The only thing I can do for myself is get an audience with the King."
At this point, I was already most of the way to Jahar’taw; there was no longer any reason for me to doubt Felix’s words that King Adilet would see me at his request. And even if that didn’t work out, Gennady made a similar claim. So there was no point
