“We cannot dock in Rhune,” Rose said leaning her back against the closed door of Virian’s cabin.

Virian shook his head, sitting at the foot of his bed. “I thought you had friends there,” Virian said. His eyes felt heavy and stung from lack of sleep. If he looked in the mirror, he knew he’d see a pale face with dark circles under both. It had been nearly twenty-four hours since Ivy and Camellia had disappeared.

Rose opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, Virian was bounced from his seat as though something heavy had fallen atop his mattress. She closed her mouth and instead looked past him, a faint grin appearing on her lips. It was hard not to stare. The rare expression combined with her terrible burn healed as though it had never been reminded Virian how dangerous a witch’s beauty could be. But then he thought of Ivy and spun on his heel.

Two figures lie splayed out upon his bed. Well, Ivy was at least. She looked worse off than he did, refusing to get up and mumbling something about wine. Cammy, on the other hand, sat up almost immediately, her skin flushed and vibrant. Once again, Virian was left stunned at the scene before him. The last time he had seen Camellia she was further on the side of the dead than the living.

“Cammy!” he blurted out, practically diving to wrap her in a tight hug. She returned the embrace with a surprising amount of strength in her arms, almost to the point of pain.

“Hey, Virian,” she said.

He just kept holding her, his eyes closed to hold back the tears, not quite believing she was real. Eventually, a scoffing noise reached his ears from beyond their embrace.

“I’m still alive too,” Ivy said. Virian opened his bleary eyes over Cammy’s shoulder and saw her half sitting up, a pouty expression on her face. She fell back down and continued, “Huh, a girl braves the demons of the borderlands and doesn’t even get a hug.”

Virian finally let go of Cammy and shifted on the bed.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. Uhm—”

She held up a hand.

“No. Don’t. Too tired. I think I’ll just…lay here. Rest a…second. Deal…with…stuff…later. Yeah. Wine…please…”

Her voice drifted off and soon her breathing came and went in a steady rhythm, the occasional snort interrupting the pattern. Camellia had also turned her attention to Ivy and started laughing at the younger witch.

“She’s a strange one, isn’t she?” Cammy asked.

Virian couldn’t help but agree. Ivy lay spread eagle atop the sheets in her dark assassin’s garb, dagger still in hand, snoozing away peacefully. He sighed and scooted over, reaching for the weapon, only for Camellia to get there first. She extricated it from Ivy’s limp grasp and held it up to her face with both hands, as though studying it.

“Cammy?” Virian said slightly taken aback.

“I never noticed before how pretty it is.” She held it a moment longer, then offered it up to Virian hilt first with a smile on her face.

“Y-yeah,” he said, “I guess it is.” He took it, having a hard time agreeing with his own words. He knew how much blood the weapon had spilled, and based on what Ivy had told him, held at least a little bit of responsibility for. According to her, the dagger had awoken something within her back then. With what he knew now, he could only believe it must have been her demonic half that had come alive with her connection to the magical blade. Pretty wasn’t the first word he’d use to describe it. Yet now…Cammy also had a very real demonic bond now as well if Ivy’s plan had gone well, which he saw no other explanation for Camellia’s miraculous recovery.

But first things first. He gently placed the dagger in a drawer built into the underside of the bed and stood off to one side.

“Cammy, could you get up for a sec?”

She did, and Virian used one arm to lift Ivy’s legs while pulling out the sheets under her. Careful not to disturb her too much, he lowered her back down and covered her up with the blankets. Sufficiently tucked in, he turned back to Cammy and Rose.

“So, what happened?” he asked his sister.

“That was too cute,” she said, instead of answering, “but…could we talk later? I can also use a bit of rest.”

To be honest, she looked as refreshed as a spring morning, but he also had no idea what she had just gone through.

“Right. Of course.”

“We all could use some sleep,” Rose said.

“No kidding,” Virian said, “come on Cammy, I’ll take you to your room.”

He reached out a hand, but Camellia…dodged it?

“I can manage that much,” she said, “it is just across the hall, brother.”

“Yeah. Sure.”

Virian and Rose stared at her back as she left without another word.

----------------------------------------

Nearly half a day later, all the movers and shakers of Virian’s odd little fleet had gathered in the cramped space of his quarters. Rose, Raenin, and Cammy were standing off to his right along the wall. The witch and the late Armond’s fixer remained stoic despite the current conversation, while Virian’s sister eyed the other room’s inhabitants with a curious gaze. To his left were two of the most senior ship captains of Atrican, and one member of the remaining nobility who had stayed loyal to Virian. Each looked a bit unsure of what they were doing here in relation to the others present. Finally, behind him and huddled in a corner sat Ivy, a bottle of fruit wine in one hand. Other than drinking, she watched Cammy like she might spring forward and bite at any second.

“What about your friends already there?” Virian asked for the tenth time about Rhune, but this time with a larger audience.

“I will not lead the architect of people’s demise directly there to slaughter the rest of us.” Rose stood over him where he sat on the edge of his bed, her hair pulled back from her face, the demon’s healing on full display. She somehow had on an immaculate white dress despite being at sea for a week, looking more than ever an immortal witch. Her confidence had never quite waned, but now it was back in true force.

“It didn’t kill any of you,” Raenin said, leaning against the wall. His eyes flicked from Rose to Camellia but refused to pass over Ivy.

“A fact that still confounds me to this day. We do not know the great demon’s motivations. The risk is too great. Besides, Rhune’s port will be frozen for another month at least.”

Virian let go of a long, heavy sigh.

“Then where?”

The mask of perfect control and poise disintegrated, and Rose stepped back.

“I don’t…know.”

“What?” Virian asked. He couldn’t believe those words had come out of Rose’s mouth.

Ivy giggled in her corner and went for another swig of wine. She seemed more amused than Virian’s own confusion. If Rose was lost, they might as well just sink their ships now and get it over with.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“Until the siege, Algramath had not been seen for over fifteen hundred years,” Rose said. “I was not sure we would ever be forced to fight him. But if we did, it would be from a place of strength. Ivy has thrown it all into chaos with her stunt in Atrican. I cannot see the pattern any longer.”

Once again, Ivy laughed and went for her bottle. Yet when she brought it to her lips, it came up dry. She looked at the rim of the bottle with a sour face and dropped the thing. It went rolling across the floorboards with the sway of the ship.

“So then just make a choice,” she said, “you know, like a normal person.”

Rose turned to look at Ivy huddled by herself in the corner. “Oh, so you do have some input here?”

“Not really. I’m only good at one thing. Just point out to me who to kill wherever we end up and I’ll do the stabbing.”

Virian gave her a silent reprimand with his gaze, and she tried to avoid it by taking another drink, only to find her hand empty. Her face screwed up once again and she deflated with a sigh. Virian saw a bit deeper than that. He could see beneath it all a sadness she tried to keep hidden, especially whenever her gaze passed over Raenin. What was it she had said to him? That she hated being used as a tool? Yet here she was offering herself up again just so she wouldn’t have to make any hard decisions herself that might get someone killed.

“We need something to hold our ramshackle fleet together,” Raenin said, “The remnants of the Flag listen to me in some capacity, and they respect the “Dragonfly”, but without my father, our fragile hold is soon to shatter.”

Ivy huffed, curling more in on herself. The man had used Ivy’s assassin title to what, distance himself?

Rose waved a hand as though his concern was a non-issue.

“We have two witches. Humans are naturally drawn to us.” Both Raenin and Virian frowned at that. “Gather up your lieutenants. We will meet with them and they will follow us wherever we tell them.”

Finally, Raenin’s eyes drifted over to Ivy, who offered up a rude gesture. The ship captains and noble representative also gave the diminutive witch a cautious look. Not everyone was comfortable with the idea of witches amongst them. Most weren’t in fact. Especially one with such a…reputation.

“Are you sure about that?” Raenin asked.

“I have had nations at my beck and call,” Rose said, ice dripping from every word, “do you think I cannot charm a couple of glorified thugs?”

“Good!” Ivy said, attempting to stand. She balanced herself against both walls of the corner and managed the heroic feat. “Then I’m not needed.”

She wobbled forward, brushing past all present without saying another word. Virian called out to her, but she had already thrown open the door to the cabin and turned the corner. Virian massaged his temples with both hands. This was somehow worse than Atrican. He surveyed the rest of the room and let out a long breath.

After much more hemming and hawing—especially from Lord Ferron, the man had somehow grown even richer since leaving Atrican—they agreed to sail south, past the capital. Rather than risk the ice-infested waters at the northern edge of the continent and towards Rhune, they would travel as far south as possible beyond the army hunting them. Rose would be sent to each ship and work her magic, getting everyone on board. Cammy didn’t say a word the entire time, just watched them all one at a time as they spoke, ever the quiet observer. He couldn’t put his finger on anything in particular—she wouldn’t have been one to speak out in the first place—but her behavior felt…off. Almost like instead of being a nonparticipant, she was actively learning everything there was to know about each person present. Perhaps she had changed out there in the borderlands. While Ivy Slept, he had eventually gotten the story of what had happened out of Camellia, and he wasn’t sure he would have come back the same either.

But at the end of the day, it wasn’t anything to be alarmed about. Cammy was alive. And with their destination squared away, Virian excused himself to look for Ivy. A short climb up a ladder and out a hatch to the main deck later, he found her enjoying a bit of…nothing. She simply stood at the starboard railing watching the waves, a stoic expression on her face. Occasionally she turned her head toward a blond sailor on the foredeck, sitting atop the railing. Strange, but what bothered him more was her attention on the man. The odd sailor was clearly young and handsome in a way that nobody could deny, and…

Ivy tore her gaze away and shook her head, Virian doing the same. Finally, he walked up and settled in beside her, gripping the rail with both hands and looking out at the waves.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hey. About time you found me.” She placed a hand atop his. “I was getting bored.” Oh? She seemed to be enjoying the view. Of the waves and the sailor.

But of course, Virian didn’t voice his jealous thoughts. “Is everything okay?” he asked.

Ivy rested her head against his shoulder.

“It is now.”

For a moment, he forgot about the strange shipmate. Virian wrapped a hand around her shoulder taking care not to disturb her still-broken arm and took a deep breath. His heart warmed at their simple touch. She made him feel like he could just let go of his responsibilities. Like all of his problems would fade away if he just stayed here for a few more minutes.

“Ivy,” he said, “I know we’ve had our differences, but I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

She squeezed his hand a little tighter.

“Yeah. I—”

Her whole body tensed suddenly, and her head turned toward…the blond sailor.

“Ivy?” Virian asked.

She wiggled out of his embrace, staring at the man sitting on the rail. He was completely still, stiff as a stone, facing away.

“Who is that man?” she asked.

“Huh?” He joined her in studying the man, wondering what was so damn fascinating about him. “A sailor, I guess? Why? Is there an issue? I’ll have him replaced.”

“No,” she said, “but we need to find out.”

“Now?”

“Yes. Right now.”

But the man chose that moment to finally turn towards them. Ivy’s mouth hung open. At first, Virian frowned, but for a moment even he too was stunned. The sailor was…flawless. His yellow-gold bangs caressed a tanned faced carved from marble by a goddess. He didn’t look real.

Virian shook himself out of it. “Ivy?” he asked, attempting to pull her away as well. “I didn’t expect you of all people to get caught up by a pretty face. Although you were pretty stunned seeing me for the second time after all those years.” He grinned.

“That was for a different reason,” she said.

His smile flattened.

“Are you saying that sailor is better looking than me?”

“Yes.”

He put a hand to his chest.

“Ouch.”

“No, I mean…well it's true, but…damnit. He’s not a sailor. We need to—”

A voice reached them from behind, “Ivy.” They both spun on Rose who approached them with a swift gait. Once the older witch stopped less than a pace away, she glanced at Virian, but kept her focus on Ivy. “I need to tell you something, but also need you to not make a scene. Can you do that?”

Ivy rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. Just say it.”

“There is a demon on board the ship.”

Ivy’s head snapped to the blond man, but he was gone.

“What?” Virian said.

It made sense now that he thought about it. Ivy must have suspected it long before.

“It is not Algramath,” Rose said.

“The blond man,” Ivy said, turning back to the other two. Virian of course did as she had just done, finding nothing where the man had been.

Rose raised an eyebrow.

“You saw him?”

“We both did.” Ivy let go of Virian’s hand that he realized she had been clenching in a vice grip. She pointed up to the foredeck. “Up there. Just a guy sitting there. But I knew right away something was off.”

“He looked…like me, I guess,” Virian said. Ivy covered her mouth with one hand, but he still heard her muffled laughter. Okay, fine. He could admit he had been a little jealous. Even of a demon. Hell, Ivy herself was half demon apparently. “But blond, though.”

“Good,” Rose said, “If he made himself known to you, he’s aware of us.”

“Captain!” Virian shouted. Tamren rushed over to where the three of them were standing, and Virian began issuing a bunch of orders about locating the blond man.

“This is an opportunity,” Rose said, “you do not know how rare it is for the Qix’rymith to find us in our world. It is nearly impossible for them to cross over…unaided. If he will offer me—”

“I’d rather kill it than allow you to play god again,” Ivy said.

“Do not be stupid. If not me, then y—”

“I’d rather kill myself.”

Virian made an ugly face at Ivy, despite half-agreeing with her. Not that he preferred Ivy killing herself or any harm to come to her, but regarding the influence of demons he could certainly take her side.

“No killing will be necessary,” a melodic, yet deep voice said, coming from nowhere. The blond man materialized out of thin air before them, causing all but Rose to jump. Virian had yet to get used to Ivy doing the same thing.

The three of them—Virian, Tamren, and Ivy—all drew weapons, but the blond demon-man only smiled.

“Forgive me,” he said, “I don’t mean to frighten. No harm will come to the Ll'qixllin or her companions from me.”

Virian frowned at the demons’ strange title for Ivy, but asked, “Why would we believe you?”

“Because,” he took a step closer, focusing on Ivy, drawing her in with pupils of midnight black, “how did you phrase it? ‘I’d rather kill myself’ than let so much as a mosquito harm such a beautiful creature of both worlds.”

Ivy blinked, and Virian gripped his sword just a bit tighter. Damn pretty-ass demon.

“Yeah, well, go ahead and do that then,” she said, “no one will miss you.”

Ha! Virian threw up a grin, but Rose smacked Ivy’s arm and gave her a scathing look. The demon just laughed.

“I can’t stay long. Nor can I contract a Bond with either of you.” His gaze flicked past Ivy, over her shoulder. “My mistress will see you soon.”

He disappeared, and Virian sensed a tightly wound spring ready to expand inside Ivy, but she ultimately chose not to chase the demon through the alternate world. The rest of them unwound as well, Virian letting out a long breath. They’d be meeting another likely crazy witch soon. Ugh, he needed a drink. Ivy would appreciate that. It had been, what, ten minutes since her last taste?

Rose cursed and turned in the direction the demon had indicated when he glanced past Ivy. Her eyes squinted, and a moment later she flinched. She leaned against the guardrail of the deck, her face a mask of concentration.

“Sail!” a call from high above them swept over the deck. “Sails!”

Ugh. Virian massaged his temples again. He really needed that wine.

“This doesn’t make sense,” Rose said.

“What is it?” Virian asked.

“Go fetch Raenin. Quickly.”

Ivy sighed.

“Who’s out there, Rose?”

“His mother.”