Disclaimer: Despite not having been here for a long time, I am still not Emily Rodda.
I know I was off of the site for a long time, so I'm going to try to finish this story.
Chapter 3
Perlain listened patiently to Rowan and Shaaran's tale. By the time they were finished he laughed.
"Rowan, your little brother and sister are quite mischievous. Right before we set sail we saw them laughing with Annad. I don't doubt your story," the Maris smiled. "I wonder if they told her what they had done…We set sail once we thought everyone was off the ship because the storm winds were promising."
"What? You didn't wait until morning?"
"No, Rowan. The gales were powerful, and blowing in the right direction. We had to take advantage of the situation. I'm sure if we had waited, you two wouldn't be here now."
"How far along are we, Perlain?" Shaaran asked in her quiet, nervous voice.
"Too far to turn around, I'm afraid," he sighed. "We passing through some doldrums and we're almost through. No one will even consider turning back now."
Rowan and Shaaran exchanged a glance. Clearing his throat, Rowan asked, "What are we passing through?"
"I forgot that you know little of sailing. Let's say we're sailing through a patch of sea that has very little wind. Progress is slow, so once we pass out of this, we'll be speeding along to Detoria."
"Deltora."
"Oh, yes. We'll be less than a day's sailing from the country. We're three days from the coast of our land."
"Three days?" Shaaran gasped. "But we have not been sailing that long! When Rowan fell unconscious, I stayed awake during the storm. Isn't it only the morning after that same storm? Didn't you set sail just last night?"
"Yes, but as I said, the winds were to our favor. It managed to carry our ship almost half the distance. The storm cell only died out over this doul- I mean, this windless spot."
"So after we arrive in Deltora, it will take four days to return?" Rowan asked, wondering how anxious his family must have been.
Perlain cast his eyes to the floor. "We don't really know. Without strong winds at our back, it could take even longer. And depending on what we find in this new land, we may not be able to return at all."
"Surely it can't be that dangerous?" Shaaran asked.
"Although the Keeper and I believe Deltora has been freed, we cannot be certain. There is a chance the Shadow Lord found a way to bring back the light, but according to the Keeper's memories, that is impossible," Rowan explained. "It has been two years since the lighthouse began functioning and it has yet to falter."
"We hope the land will be free of evil, but cannot be certain. I can, however, be certain, that your unexpected addition to this voyage will be quite amusing to the rest of the crew. Shall we go tell them?" Perlain smiled again. "They will certainly be surprised."
