After meeting in the hall with Faye and the others, they travelled by tram to the southern village. He had considered messaging his father to tell him they would be passing through and to see him off but he wasn’t sure if he’d get the chance to see one another so left it. Keira had considered it but decided against risking any random arguments as she had, surprisingly, been getting on better with her family since leaving.

As they travelled through the southern village towards the docks, Keira was giving William a miniature tour and explaining her favourite shops, particularly the best places to find cakes. The morning cake fiasco from his sister’s birthday was not included on this tour even though they passed by the building. He realised as they walked through the streets together that this was the first time since they’d left that he’d returned to the village and he felt quite sad that he wasn’t staying. He missed the smaller place, the bright-coloured buildings and happy faces of the people who stayed there. The city by contrast was much darker and while people were friendly enough, it didn’t have the same feel as the outer ring.

When they arrived at the docks he felt even more nostalgic looking over the ocean. It had always been a place he’d relax and felt comfort but now there was a certain worry that came with the expected destination.

The small ship they were taking to the island was more impressive than the one he’d evacuated on. The guild seemed privy to the best technology available and this was no different. While it wasn’t the size of an ocean liner, it was large enough to carry twice the number of people it would be taking. His section was the only one out of the candidates to go to the island as others would travel to different locations when their instructors felt it was suitable. He wasn’t sure if his group were ahead of the others in that regard but he doubted they could be behind given the progress they all made.

There was a regular crew that worked the ship but only the captain was an official member of the guild; the others, like many of the workers within the guild, were normal people doing administrative tasks. In this case, it was more physical but didn’t require the use of spirits and artefact weapons.

Ronan had also joined them in the morning and would be accompanying the group—which he hadn’t bothered to tell Finlay when they last spoke. Faye was still the main lead but there was a certain respect that many in his section gave to Ronan that spoke of his position. What was more surprising even than that, was Sara was waiting for them at the dock. When she saw Finlay, she immediately rushed over to him as had become the trend with these people.

He considered hiding as he knew exactly what reaction the others would have from his previous interactions with Faye and Ronan, but he was too happy to see Sara and wanted to speak with her. She had supported him through the interview and it was her idea to get the amulet, she was very kind to him and it was only when he saw her again that he realised how thankful he was to her.

“Finlay, you seem to be doing well.”

“I am, though a bit nervous about the trip. It’s good to see you again, Sara.”

“No need to be nervous, I’ll be there with you.”

“So you are coming, I wasn’t sure when I saw you.”

“No one told you?” She looked over at Faye who was deliberately avoiding her gaze. “Typical; yes, the three of us will be your escorts for this mission.”

“I feel significantly more reassured having you there.”

“How sweet, though understandable given the company. Ronan hasn’t been making you do anything terrible has he?” Her glare had shifted to the man but he was busy talking with one of the crew near the ship to notice.

“No, he’s been very helpful actually.”

“Is that so…” She moved to touch her hair as he noticed was common when she was thinking but stopped midway. “We’ll catch up soon, I have some things to discuss with that man.”

She walked off without waiting for a response and he smiled as he turned around to see Keira eyeing him and William looking as flabbergasted as ever in these moments.

“Do you just know everyone?” He said, snapping out of it.

“Sara was my interviewer and it was her idea to try the amulet. She was super helpful.”

“You’re surrounded by famous people and you act like it’s nothing.”

“You’re also surrounded by them as well, they’re coming with us on this trip remember, they’re teaching you.”

He seemed baffled by this thought but Keira laughed and broke the moment by slinging her arm over his shoulder and leading him forward to do the same with Finlay.

“Come on, let’s go check out the ship.”

The island wasn’t particularly far but due to some dangerous parts between there and the dock, they’d go on a small detour which would cost them a few hours. Their expected arrival time would be later in the evening and they were told to relax and enjoy the journey. Excitement was rife within the rest of his section but as he stepped onto the ship, he felt ever more nervous.

The day was clear with only a few clouds in the sky which was reassuring that they weren’t going to be stuck in a downpour. It was cold, the weather had shifted and the wind gave a chill which only felt worse on the deck of the ship. Birds flew above on the hunt to steal from the hard-working fisherman and the smell of the sea was strong and refreshing.

He was experiencing an unusable contradiction between his fear of the island and his old comfort brought on by the ocean. But Keira as always recognised his hesitant behaviour and decided to drag him and William around the ship under the guise of finding the best spot for the journey. He realised she was keeping him moving as they walked around the deck which did make him feel more relaxed.

“It almost looks like a warship,” said William, halfway around the ship where the rails turned into chest-high barriers of steel.

“Makes sense, it’s a guild ship after all, who knows where it goes,” replied Kiera.

“Faye’s bike was the same.”

William looked at him with the usual expression but decided against asking about it. They continued to explore the ship until they settled up front on the bow. He wasn’t surprised they’d end up there as Keira would want to see where they were going but he had been happy to play along with the idea of exploring for the best place.

There were already several people from his section leaning over the rails and trying to claim their spot for the journey but he was happy to let them have it. There was more than enough space for everyone given the size of the craft and they settled on an edge with fixed benches running along the rail so that they could sit and rest.

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It wasn’t long before an announcement came and the ship set off. The engines were quiet and while there was an initial rumble it became unnoticeable as the vessel moved. It was quick to power up and soon they were crashing through the small waves and making their way towards the island of Easach.

The journey was relaxing; he was comfortable at sea and the ship was large enough to be more than stable as it moved through the water. Both Keira and William were also fine under the gentle motion of the ship but there were a few from his section who quickly realised they were not good on the water. Seasickness was not something he could relate to but anyone who saw their faces would feel bad for them.

“It’s going to be a long journey for them,” he said, turning back to Keira who was sitting beside him.

“I feel for them,” William replied, he was standing in front of them looking out over the water. “I had to travel into the northern mountains a few years back but was sick, not motion sickness, I caught a bug, but it was awful.”

They watched as Faye marched over to check on the people who were struggling. She was not the best at being sympathetic and kept laughing and telling them they’d be well enough soon. After watching Faye’s failure to reassure, Sara shuffled after her and provided more comfort. She offered them some water, telling them to stay hydrated and ordered Faye away. She obliged and decided to check, in her own special way, on how his group were doing.

“Image if the sea was actually rough,” she said, reaching them.

“Not everyone is suited to the water.”

“Good to see you lot are holding up fine.”

“I’ve always enjoyed being at sea, no problem for me.”

“Same, though I prefer something a bit quicker,” replied Keira.

William didn’t respond and Faye seemed distracted by something in the distance. He waited for a reply which never came and instead, she turned away from them and rushed towards the stairs that led up to the helm. Both Keira and he immediately stood up to look over the railings in search of what had caused her sudden change of pace but neither of them could see anything.

“That was odd,” he said.

“Did you—”

“There was something out there,” William interrupted Keira.

“What kind of something?”

“Something big, I don’t know, maybe it was just a whale.”

“Was that what Faye reacted to?” Asked Keira.

“I think so, it rose up from the water—just a big, dark mass and then disappeared again. Then she took off.”

They continued to peer out over the water in search of the thing that had caused her reaction but then the ship changed course. It was harsh, more so than they’d expected and everyone lurched over. Keira had to catch herself on the rail as she nearly went straight over it and William almost toppled into both of them. A few people shouted and there was one scream but then it all went silent again. Sara looked around everyone and then marched towards the stairs to the helm as well. The people she had been talking with looked even more sick from the sudden movement.

The ship continued to veer away from their initial direction, away from the direction Faye and William had seen whatever it was below the waves. But then someone yelled from behind them on the same side.

“What’s that? Is that a whale?!” They called out again.

People rushed over to where the girl had shouted from and when they did, they called over others saying the same thing. Finlay nodded at the other two and they started to follow the rail to get a better view as it was now further behind the ship than their position allowed. When they got close enough to see the thing in the water, it immediately disappeared. But in that moment, even from this distance, he could tell it was huge. The bulk of the body that was above alone was enough to tell him it was equal if not bigger than the ship they sailed on.

“Something’s wrong—that thing is way too big and the way Faye reacted, it’s not normal,” he said.

“What should we do?” Keira replied.

“There it is again!” A boy yelled pointing outwards, it had gotten closer but looked as though it was swimming alongside the ship.

“Faye would have said something if there was anything to worry about, or there’d be an announcement,” said William.

“I’m going to find out what’s going on.”

He didn’t like whatever this was. The others in his section seemed excited by the giant whale which they believed it was but the reaction of Faye and the sudden change of direction told him there was more going on. He didn’t want to wait, didn’t want to be unprepared because he knew how dangerous that could be, especially after the events at the mining station.

Keira nodded in agreement and they started to move towards the stairs but William told them to go on while he’d keep watch in case something changed. By the time they reached the stairs, people were already rushing around them which only made them hurry more. The helm was even busier and both Faye and Sara were talking in a very serious manner with the captain. They stood at the doorway, unsure whether it was okay for them to even be up there, let alone interrupting their conversation.

But Sara noticed them and immediately rushed to them. “What are you two doing up here?”

“Sorry, we thought something was wrong, we wanted to know what was going on.”

Her face softened. “Of course you’re worried, with what you two went through. Look it’s okay, everything will be alright.”

There was a loud bang which startled her and they looked around to see the captain had struck the counter with his fist. Faye looked as though she was about to attack him and Sara tutted loudly and swung herself over to them.

“Now you two settle down!”

She had placed one hand on Faye’s shoulder as though to calm her and then turned back to the doorway where they stood. “Go back to the deck, everything will be alright, let us handle this.”

They both stepped back but it was uncomfortable, a hesitant pace as a member of the crew pushed passed them and rushed over to his captain and the two women. They looked at one another and then left the helm to return to William on the deck.

“There’s definitely something wrong,” he said as they reached William.

“Did you find anything out?” He asked.

“No, but Sara was acting strange.”

“And Faye looked like she was about to kill the captain,” Keira added.

“There’s nothing new down here, it disappeared again and we haven’t seen it since. Everyone’s sure it’s a giant whale.”

Keira started pacing, she had her hand to her mouth and looked as though she was biting her finger. William went back to the rail to look again and see if it had appeared but there was no sign of it. After a moment of watching Keira move around, he decided to stop her, standing in front of her he placed his hands on either shoulder.

“It’s okay, Keira, we’re safe.”

“I’m not ready for this Finn, I’m not ready for some giant monster from hell attacking me again.”

She was shaking and when he tried to reassure her, she pulled away from him and started pacing again.

“It’s not the same Keira, we’re with the guild, we’re going to be okay.”

“You don’t know that, we don’t know what that is and you saw how angry Faye and the captain were.”

She was getting faster in her pacing and her speech was matching it. William had turned to watch her but couldn’t offer any further reassurance. He could see her spiralling and wanted to stop her before it got worse. He stepped in front of her again and again grabbed her shoulders to look her straight in the eye.

“Keira, it’s going to be alright.”

She was on the verge of tears and just as she was about to pull away from him again, he felt the spirit in the amulet wake and as it had done each night she had her nightmare, it radiated the reassuring blue glow from his hands. She slumped in his arms and her shaking stopped but there were a few sobs as she started to calm. He held her and rubbed her back as the light faded from his hands. As she calmed down, she pulled back from him and wiped her eyes. She looked up with a hint of a small smile that said she’d be okay.

“Thank you, I’m sorry I’m such an—”

They were flung from their feet; the ship lurched as though the ocean had decided they were no longer welcome and wanted to cast them away. Screams and shouts came from all around as everyone struggled to hold their ground. They both caught themselves on the deck, lying beside one another and with a quick glance could see William desperately holding onto the rail. He scanned the rest of the boat and everyone was in a similar situation.

They had hit something—or something had hit them.