Sea Of Sparks And Shadows

Hey everyone! This story has the last two chapters removed. To read them, please head over to Webnovel and search for this book. By doing so, you would be supporting me while also getting to know what happened to the Amaris and the crew. Thank you for reading!

As Amaris dragged herself to her room, she noticed the strange atmosphere that was enveloping the ship. It’s been four days since they left Manticali, but Amaris knew that this building tension had nothing to do with their encounter in Niveus Castle. The potions and ointments Wind Tuner brought were able to nurse everyone back to health in a matter of hours. Her shoulder was still slightly uncomfortable and she had continued to limp for the first couple of days but it was a huge improvement from the burning torture of the stab wound and the bullet injury those first few hours. Even her sprained ankle was healed with a dab of ointment.

No, Niveus castle wasn’t the reason. It must’ve been something else entirely.

Amaris huffed loudly as she crashed down on her bunk. The trio was playing yet another game of cards and didn’t look up from their hands at her movement.

“Hawk going hard on you again?” Ash asked, the smirk obvious in his voice.

“More like he enjoys breaking my bones,” She mumbled into her pillow, before sitting up and dangling her feet over the edge. “He had me scrub every single canon until they shined. Canons are not meant to shine!” Ash chuckled from the bunk beneath her and pushed her legs aside.

“It’s routine,” Wind Tuner explained, “A clean canon is easier to use and less likely to cause an accident or malfunction,” He threw a card in the middle of the growing pile on the floor and Slygrin mumbled a curse.

“You’re lucky you didn’t get rope duty,” Slygrin complained, “Shark is a pain to work with.”

“He’s just being an ass because he lost to Mirage last night.” Ash pulled a card out of his hand.

Before he could throw it into the pile, Amaris pointed to another card with her toe. “I think this is a better option.”

Ash pushed her leg aside again. “Shut up. I know what I’m doing,” He muttered and threw the earlier card in with a winning smile.

That smile disappeared when Slygrin jumped up tossing a card and smirking. “Ha! I win!”

Amaris lied down and laughed. She dropped her head from the edge of the bed to look at an almost pouting Ash. “Told you.” She winked.

“I said shut up,”

She laughed again and rolled back into her bed.

“If you’re suddenly so good at this, princess, come down and show us your skills.”

“No, thank you. I would rather catch up on my sleep. My bones are aching.” She groaned as she tried to message her shoulder. “You’re telling me you do this torture regularly?”

“Yeah, once every couple of weeks.” Slygrin said from his position on the ground tidying the mess that was the result of their game. “And also after battles. But this is a special case. We need all the odds we can gather. So expect to have to do that again soon.”

“Sly...” Ash warned at the same time Amaris asked, “Special case?”

Slygrin whipped his head between Wind Tuner and Ash. “What? She doesn’t know?”

“Know what?” Amaris prompted as she sat back up straighter.

“I say we tell her,” Wind Tuner’s low voice interrupted the glaring contest between the two boys. They both turned to look at him as he pulled himself up to his bunk in one movement. “At least she’ll be ready.” Slygrin snorted. “Well, as ready as the rest of us anyway,” He corrected.

“The orders-” Ash started.

“What orders?” Asked Slygrin, confused.

“You do realize I’m still here, right?” Amaris interrupted, annoyed at their cryptic conversation. “And I will find out whether you want to tell me or not.” She folded her arms and glared at them.

A long pause followed. And then, “Fine,” Ash sighed. He waved a hand at his two friends. “Go ahead, tell her.”

She watched as the two debated silently who would speak. At last, Wind Tuner conceded and let out a long breath before looking at her. “Do you know anything about the white circle?”

That was not what Amaris was expecting. “Yeah, I read a few books about it. The mythical place between Sinsecria, Miruina and Paradelia where ships disappear. Many stories were made based on it. It’s an interesting concept. Many authors use it as the basis of their stories. Some even claiming that they are true…” The looks traded between the men made her stomach churn. “ But it is just that, right? They are just stories, there are no base to all of it...right?”

“Actually, they’re not exactly wrong.” Wind Tuner said slowly scanning her reaction as he did so.

Amaris’ brows furrowed. She opened her mouth to ask.

“They’re true. No ship ever sailed near that circle and came back. No one knows what or who is responsible for this and no one had dared to try to find out in centuries.” Ash interrupted. “And we’re going straight through it.”

*****

That night, Amaris couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned and cursed the spirits and the heavens and her thin creaking mattress and the boys’ snoring around her. But deep down she knew that none of those were to blame. No, her thoughts were the reason.

Question after question crashed against the walls of her mind. Her emotions were in a never ending whirlwind that spun from confused to angry to scared. She didn’t know what to do. She might have considered going down to the engine room and checking the pipes and gears if Hawk hadn’t started locking it the third time he found her down there before dawn. She even forgot her notebook there. She didn’t feel like training either. Her mind might be stubbornly awake but the rest of her body was begging for rest.

That is why she ended up there. The barn, watching as Spark glided around the small room aimlessly. She sighed and leaned back on the wall. If she was honest with herself, she knew what she had to do. She had known for a while now but her pride wouldn’t let her give in. No. Instead, she searched for distractions, new skills or old habits, something that could silence her thoughts or at least drown out their painfully honest words. But nothing worked.

As she heard the echoes of footsteps and the murmuring of the crew she realized that it was time to get up. With an annoyed groan she got to her feet and stepped onto the deck.

Mirage was still at the helm where she left him the night before. His eyes trained on the horizon, a hard look on his face.

“Do you ever sleep?” She asked by way of greeting.

His eyes snapped to hers and he flashed her a smile. “I’ll sleep during the day. I’m afraid Ash will train you alone today. I’m sure you’ll miss my company.” His smirk widened as he mentioned Ash.

“Is this why you skipped yesterday too?” She ignored his teasing and asked.

He nodded. “I have a superior eyesight at night compared to the rest of the crew.” He tapped his forehead, the tattoo glinting with the first rays of dawn. “Manticapi, remember?”

She jogged up the stairs that separated their two platforms. She made a point not to glance at the closed cabin door on her way up. “So who’s going to take your place when you leave the helm?”

“Probably Mecheye, he’s usually responsible for day shifts when everything down below is working properly. If not, then Wind. He’s been trying to teach Slygrin how to sail and he’s been failing miserably.”

“So,” She pulled herself up to sit on the barrier in front of Mirage. “Were you ever going to tell me about the white circle or do lies taste better to you when they come out of your own mouth?”

A smile tugged at his lips as he muttered “Hawk owes me ten golds. I knew those boys won’t keep it to themselves.” She silently glared at him. “And I do not recall ever mentioning anything about not passing through the white circle. I did not lie I merely hid the truth.”

“Semantics.” She rolled her eyes.

“It’s nothing to worry about really. We’re just passing through the edge of it. The order keepers won’t have the courage to follow and we’ll get to Paradelia much faster than if we go all the way around it. Everyone wins.”

Amaris didn’t bother telling him that Wind Tuner, the sails master himself, confirmed that they will be passing straight through the center of the circle. No, her mind was stuck on those last echoing words.

Everyone wins.

Amaris held back her frustrated sigh as the clouds in her mind grew even denser. She didn’t know why she was dreading their arrival to Paradelia. Certainly not because of the man who claimed to be her father. Or of the people she refused to admit she had grown too familiar with. Her friends. Not because she felt so free and at home on that ship in the two weeks she spent there more than she ever felt in her nineteen years of living in the Medeis mansion.

No, that couldn’t have been it. Getting to Paradelia was good. It was great. It meant she could make a life for herself, just like she wanted. Alone, independent, and free. Yes, Paradelia was the best place for her to be.

She shook her head as if to rid herself of those thoughts before jumping off the railing. “This still does not excuse you. Who’s the one with the great idea to hide this from me anyways?” She’d tried to get the boys to tell her the night before but their lips were sealed. They had merely exchanged glances before changing the subject in an oh so natural way. She’d only dropped it because of how much they had told her already. Not that there was much to discuss. No one knew what lurked in that circle. Not them, not the authors of those huge manuscripts she had read, not even the best of Paradelia’s scientists or Sinsecria’s priests.

Mirage cringed as he looked around for a way to escape her piercing gaze. “I am not supposed to tell you…”

“But…?” She urged him on.

“But he only hid it for your own good. He does not want you distressed more than you already are.”

“Who?” Her patience was running thin.

“I’m on strict orders not to say. I have already broken enough of them as it is.”

Strict orders.

“Excuse me for one minute.” She spoke calmly as she marched down the stairs and knocked on the wooden door she had been glaring holes into all week.

****

Amaris did not allow her steps to falter as she stomped towards the captain’s cabin. she schooled her features and focused her gaze on the long crack on the wooden door. She is a grown adult. She can do this. She can face him. Especially when she knew that she was right and he was wrong. She was going to walk in there and tell him just how furious she was that he ordered the whole crew not to tell her about what was ahead.

She was sure that she was about to burn a hole in the middle of the door before she finally gathered enough courage to raise her fist and knock. No one answered so she knocked again and this time, she didn’t give them the chance to answer before she twisted the handle and stepped in.

“What in the hell-?” The captain froze as he saw her stiff figure in the doorway. his once enraged features settled to a subtle quiet surprise.

“I knocked.” She merely shrugged as she took another step in. Her father, stood near the table hunched over a rolled out scroll, a map, Amaris realized, and Wind Tuner stood beside him, shuffling quietly and watching the two carefully.

“May I talk to you?” She asked at last, directing the question to the still frozen captain.

“Yes- yes of course.” He spoke a heartbeat later, straightening his posture and stepping closer.

“I’ll take my leave, then, captain.” The captain almost jumped at Wind Tuner’s voice as if he had forgotten he was even there.

“Yes, of course. thank you for the-” He cleared his throat. “For the report.”

The sky dancer simply nodded before stepping out silently, giving Amaris a wary glance on his way out.

The few seconds that followed were silent, only the echo of the creaking door rang across the space as the two watched each other silently, Amaris gathering her strength and the captain gathering his hopes as a phantom of a smile appeared under his groomed beard. “Please,” He pulled out a chair for her, “Take a seat.”

Amaris approached silently. As she got closer, she noticed the pencil drawn line on the map. A line that went from the edge of the Manticali island curved around Rivera and the Miruina islands and stopped at the western coast of Paradelia. And right in the middle of that curve, was a large circle. A circle that took more than half the space between the continent and the islands.

As soon as the captain realized where her gaze had shifted, he hurried to roll the map up, “Oh you shouldn’t worry about that. just some routine reports about the sailing passage.” He shoved it to the shelf and turned around to face her. “So what did you need to talk about?”

“That,” She nodded towards the shelf of scrolls.

The captain gave her a confused look. “Excuse me?”

“The ‘Sailing passage.’ The one that is so usual and harmless that you ordered your whole crew not to mention it.”

The captain didn’t speak. His eyes widened for a split second and his mouth opened as if to ask her how she found out but he quickly schooled his features to the usual strict serious leader Amaris had gotten so used to back when he was just the captain of the ship she was stuck on. “Yes well, like I said, you shouldn’t worry about that,” He moved around the table rearranging stacks of papers and organizing a few pens and pencils.

“That is my choice to make. Do you not think I have the right to know if I’m heading to my doom?”

“You are not heading to your doom. I swear I will never let that happen.”

She let out a bitter laugh but didn’t answer.

“Look,” He said. “You have enough on your plate, what with this… new discovery and all. I simply do not want you to have to worry about something else.”

“I want to worry about that!” She blurted. “I don’t want to think about this,” she gestured towards him. “I want to think about anything but.” She clenched her fist as she realized what she had admitted. She turned away. “Just, don’t hide things from me. You’ve done enough hiding for a lifetime.”

Once she reached the door she involuntarily glanced back. The captain, her father, was sitting hunched over and staring at the ground. She recalled the first time she saw him on the ship, straight and tall and fearsome, he was the kind of man who could defeat armies only with his gaze and confidence. And yet, the man in front of her was the exact opposite. He was miserable, and helpless and vulnerable. He looked like he aged twenty years in these two weeks. He was nothing like a captain, he was just a broken man.

Amaris let out a frustrated sigh and dragged herself to sit in the chair beside him. the silence stretched and the captain did not look up.

“Tell me about her,” she asked quietly.

His gaze slowly dragged to hers.

“My mother,” She said, “tell me about her.”

The captain was quiet for a long moment. When he did speak, a sad tortured smile painted his lips. “Your mother… she is- was the most cheerful sweet woman I know. She was strong, the most powerful earth weaver in all of the Grey sea. She always had a smile on her lips but she was never afraid to speak her mind and do whatever she felt like no matter what she was told. Come to think of it,” He glanced at her, “She’s a lot like you.” He nudged her shoulder and she smiled, joy and pride blossoming in her.

“How did you two meet?” She asked.

“She was traveling to Paradelia to study in an elite school for gifted weavers. I was a sailor on the travel ship. A servant is a more appropriate term. I had been working there for a couple of years so I was responsible for keeping the cabins clean and the travelers happy. During a storm, we both ended up stuck in her cabin because the door was jammed. So we spent the whole night talking until they found us and let us out. Ever since, we would meet more often. She would complain about her engagement and I’d complain about my job. By the time we reached the docks in two weeks, we were in love. She took two steps on the port then came running back.

We went straight back to Oddelerie. Her parents were furious. They threatened to disown her. Asterin was heartbroken, but her mind was set. We married back in Paradelia and settled down there. She was so happy and free and excited. She loved everything about Paradelia and our small house and the new neighbors and jobs and everything. We were so happy.” The Captain seemed to get lighter and younger as if all the troubles of the last twenty years had floated away.

That was why Amaris hated herself for uttering the next words, but she needed to know.

“Then why did you leave?” She whispered. Her lips were trembling around the words but she fisted her hands on her knees and strengthened her voice as she continued, “if you were both so in love and so happy together then why did you leave her?” Why did you leave us? She wanted to add.

She didn’t have to look at him to know that the lightness and youth have faded from his face. She twisted her bracelet as she waited for his answer. “I- I didn’t have a choice.”

She snapped her head up at him. “You didn’t have a choice?” She spat, “You just had to leave your pregnant wife with no explanation, no goodbye and just disappear? You had to abandon her and let her search for you for weeks before giving up and accepting that you left?”

“That’s not what happened.” He defended.

“Then what did happen? What was it like when you left her?”

“I was taken away by force!” Silence reigned. “They took me away.”

“Who?”

“I- I heard something I shouldn’t have. About the dark emperor. And they found out. I tried to run away but they caught up to me and took me away. They were shipping me off to the emperor. Luckily for me, moon soldiers attacked the ship. They rescued everyone they were taking and I made my way back home as fast as I could. Asterin… She wasn’t there. The neighbors told me she just took her things and left. So I went to Oddelerie and asked your grandparents. They wouldn’t let me in. They said she never returned and ordered me never to come back. I was lost and hopeless. I searched for her for months before I heard about the death of a young beautiful earth weaver. The description matched my Asterin completely and everyone was speaking of her unfortunate demise at the hands of the emperor’s soldiers. I was devastated. I didn’t know what to do with my life anymore. I didn’t have anyone else to live for. And the horrors I saw on that ship…” he swallowed, eyes wide as he stared at the floor. “I stumbled upon one of the moon soldiers that saved us by accident. He offered me a job. Something to help end the dark emperor. The man who ruined so many lives. The man who ruined my family. So I accepted… and I suppose you know the rest of the story.”

Amaris kept quiet, trying to process what her father just told her. “Well, she was very much alive.” She finally said. “And she probably would’ve stayed that way if you were by her side.” She quickly got to her feet and strode to the door.

“A-Amaris,” He called. She stopped but couldn’t force herself to face him. “Whether you believe me or not, I swear to the spirits that I love your mother with every piece of me. If I knew there was the slightest chance she was still alive, I would’ve done everything in my power and more to find her and keep her alive and happy.”

Amaris didn’t answer and headed towards the door. Just as she reached for the handle, a loud noise crashed around her, the floor slipped from beneath her and she found herself lying on the wooden boards with an aching shoulder and a dazed mind. Her father was quick to help her to her feet and checked her for injuries.

“Are you hurt?” He asked, still gripping her shoulders.

“I’m fine. What was that?” Before she could finish her question, another round of swerving began. This time, thankfully, she was prepared enough to hold onto the door. The captain, too, held tightly to a nearby cabinet. They both watched as anything that wasn’t bolted to the walls or floor flew around the room. Soon the cabin was nothing but shattered bottles and storms of paper. “What’s happening?” Amaris asked again as her father slowly made his way to the door.

“ It looks like we’re about to find out why the white circle is so feared.”

Hey everyone! This story has the last two chapters removed. To read them, please head over to Webnovel and search for this book. By doing so, you would be supporting me while also getting to know what happened to the Amaris and the crew. Thank you for reading!