Alzena <--> Ryalia

Travel between Alzena and Ryalia.

It was now almost nightfall, and Adillay was starved. She went down below deck as Captain Turnar had instructed and tore open the cabinet where the bread was stored. When she ripped off half of a loaf for herself, however, Captain Turnar hollered, "Not so much!" and she replaced a quarter of her half.

The bread was on its way to stale, but Adillay enjoyed it anyway.

The light of the sun shone through the open hatch, waking Adillay from her slumber. She stretched, opened her eyes, and then thought, Where am I?!

And then she remembered and laughed; but it was not a hearty laugh. It was more tentative than that, just an attempt at cheering herself up. Her house and her journal were gone; Adillay knew magic, but she had never known such magic as this. And then, she realized, who would do such a thing? Who was evil enough?

Adillay decided to sweep away all these unpleasant thoughts and just enjoy the new day.

When she reached the deck, Captain Turnar turned and spoke, saying, "Hello, Miss Kievenne. We are making good progress; by my measurements, we are almost halfway to Marel."

"Good," she replied, but her thoughts were elsewhere. She sensed danger coming.

And danger happened.

Dark clouds began gathering above the small boat and the ocean beyond, stretching as far as one could see in all directions.

Adillay was scared already.

Thunder boomed, lightning cracked, and rain poured out of the clouds above. The waves rocked the ship back and forth, creating the only predictable movement of the storm. Then, the waves began rushing higher and higher, crashing down on the solid water and pushing the boat one direction, then another, and another. It was a frenzy of motion, surging and receding.

A high scream pierced the darkness, and Adillay realized it was her own, as she was flung down onto the deck by the immense gusts of wind. She had been standing, but now she was laying on the floor, sobbing as her fate played itself out. Surely she would die in this storm; there was nothing else like it that she had ever seen.

She would die.

Something remarkable thing happened then; as soon as Adillay had resigned herself to this fate, she felt a blossoming of hope swell inside her, a light in the dark.

And as she thought about this light in the dark, a shining star appeared in the distance, growing closer and closer every moment. Adillay willed it to bring out the sun, send away the clouds, stop the angry waves that threatened to send her to Death's waiting arms.

It grew larger, and brighter, so bright that it almost blinded her. Then, as Adillay thought these things, the star burst open, as if it had been holding all the light in the world. The earth went white, blinding Adillay, and for a moment she thought she must be dead and this was her soul flying away to a better place. But then the light faded, revealing a calm bay with clear skies above.

"By the ocean below us, the storm has pushed us all the way to the Bay of Midor! And look, there's Marel! Why, we've made excellent time," Captain Turnar said.

Adillay laughed; she had forgotten all about the captain. However, she had other thoughts about the reason they were so far into the bay.

"I estimate that it's about three o' clock in the afternoon. We should be off this boat by sunset, and your friend will be able to take you to Nigme tomorrow."

Captian Turnar was finally done anchoring the boat at Feleci Dock, and Adillay gathered her things. She was happy to be off that boat, but she would miss the captain a bit.