Rose awoke from one of the best sleeps in her entire life as her eyes protested to open from the shining sun through the window. She yawned and stretched out, her bones creaking beneath her skin as she looked over to the empty side of the bed. Quickly she looked around and found Hannibal laying in the sunlight on the floor in his mini form, while Christopher was nowhere to be found.

Quietly she decided to get dressed while there was nobody really paying attention (Hannibal was sleeping so soundly she could hear him faintly snoring) as she unbraided her long hair. The harem pants and the cropped top she had purchased seemed even more right of a fashion choice as she looked out the window to find the once deserted street side bustling now with activity. Hoobarookus truly was a pirate island as men and women looked like the swashbuckling characters out of her books she had read.

She smiled down at the crowd and wondered if she would be able to go outside today to enjoy the fresh air that Hoobarookus seemed to have today, compared to the gloomy atmosphere when she had first arrived. Unfortunately the door knocked and Carrion came in dressed for travel. His long dragon scaled jacket reminded her of Longwei's body as his dark shirt and pants made him look like he would fit in with the rest of the pirates down below. Those eyes of his though, piercing as they were, happened to be focused right on her with a soft frown.

"What's wrong?" Rose said, scared they were in danger once again.

"There is news of you" Christopher said walking in and closing the door "We need to move fast. We must get to Nully and then find another place to hide for a few days. It won't be long before somebody comes sniffing around here looking for the supposed lost princess. And there are many noses lurking in Hoobarookus."

"Alright" Rose said "But let's focus on getting to Nully first."

Christopher nodded at her "Flying Longwei is too risky at the moment, he can hide better without us tying him down. That's why Sampson is letting us stow away on his ship to Nully."

"How long will it be by ship?" Rose asked collecting her things "It only seemed a couple hours riding Longwei."

"To Nully it will take at least three days" he said gently picking up Hannibal from his spot on the floor "If the Izabella makes the journey smooth."

"Hmmm" Rose said with a smile as Hannibal was handed to her from Christopher, the cat's lazy eyes going back to sleep as she let him rest inside her bag "I love that name. Is the entire sea called Izabella?"

"Yes" Carrion said as he gestured to the door for them to leave "Now put on your cloak until we reach the docks to the ship."

"Oh right!" Rose said grabbing the cloak and putting the hood over her head.

They set off out of the tavern, Rose doing her best to keep her face covered from any prying eyes that may be looking for her. Christopher moved swiftly ahead of her, his body confident in where they must go. Rose admired the way he strode past everyone, as if nobody else was as important as himself. She could see where he got some of his reputation as people divided like the sea avoiding his sharp gaze. Rose felt like a servant following behind him so closely, her instintcs wanting her to shed the dark cloak from herself and show that she was not some weakling following the great and powerful Carrion around. But she knew the danger, knew that although it might be fufilling for a moment, it would cause even more danger to their situation.

As the smell of the sea reached her nose Rose smiled gently, they were almost out of danger. She could hear men yelling and cargo being hauled around the docks. Her feet pounded against some of the rotting wood planks and her heart skipped a beat when Christopher finally adressed her.

"Captain Sampson has promised us safe passage" he said as his head turned to speak to her "But the crew is still in the dark about why they are going to Nully. It's just a precaution incase Motley has any spies on board."

"So we have to hide again?" she said feeling irritated.

"Sampson said we could stay in the captain's quaters" Carrion said as he led them to the docking plank of Sampson's ship.

"Great" Rose said rolling her eyes. She was hoping that she would actually get to be out in the open for a while, but sadly she was mistaken. Maybe when they reached Nully she could come out from behind her cloak.

They boarded the ship, a hearty welcome from Captain Sampson as he led his guests into the captains quarters of the ship while the rest of the crew prepared to ship out.

As she heard the door close behind her Rose happily whipped off the cloak with a content sigh. She looked around the room which looked like any sea captains quarters, with maps strung out across a large wood desk, telescopes for navigating the stars, pictures of older captains that no doubt ran the ship long ago. Only a few cushion chairs and a chest seemed to be the new furniture the room had seen in over a decade.

"My crew won't be askin a whole lot of questions as long as you both stay in here" Sampson said as he stepped forward towards Rose "I'll have my first mate bring some food and rations up that way you won't have to leave for the gully down below."

"Thank you Sampson" Carrion said with a nod "Your generosity does not go unnoticed."

"Anything for the Princess" Sampson said with a smile towards Rose who smiled back happily. Carrion suddenly felt a pang of jealousy as he cleared his throat while giving Sampson a knowing look. The burly captain simply chuckled and bowed before leaving the room with just Christopher and Rose. Hannibal still lay sleeping in Rose's backpack as she checked on him, unaware of the tension that was coming off of Christopher unwillingly.

"So when we get to Nully what exactly am I supposed to do?" Rose asked closing the backpack quietly to let Hannibal rest.

"My sources say that you are supposed to get the book your mother left for you" Christopher said trying to keep his voice from sounding harsh even though that smile that Sampson had given Rose replayed over in his mind again and again.

"The book? You mean that Abaratar-whatever?" Rose said as her eyes flashed a curious hazel color.

"The Abarataraba, yes" Carrion said seriously.

"What's so special about the Abarataraba?" Rose asked now sitting down in a cushioned seat.

"It is the book that holds all the power and secrets the Abarat has to offer" Carrion said thoughtfully as his eyes seemed to wander into memories "Many have sought it out, I did not know your mother even possessed it until after she passed away. It can bring absolute destruction or create an entire new world with all the magic it holds within it's pages. My father once had a small piece of a page that he possessed from the book, and with it he gained all his fortune and standing within the Abarat. We were considered royalty by how powerful we were, and that was only with a small piece of the book. Imagine what you could do with a couple full pages, let alone the entire thing..."

"That seems incredibly dangerous" Rose said a little in awe.

"Oh it is" Carrion said shaking his head "And to think your mother had it for so long..."

"Is that why I need to get it?" Rose said figuring it out "So that I can read it? I can't even do magic."

"You can do it because your eyes will teach you" Christopher said now looking right at her. That intense stare of his, those diamond blue eyes, they cut right through her and made her shiver even though the cabin was warm.

"That doesn't make much sense" Rose said looking away from him "But I will try."

Suddenly they both heard loud shouting as the ship began to take off on the sea. Rose happily got up and looked out some of the windows that the captains cabin had to offer as the sea began rushing behind the ship, the wind catching the sails just right for their journey.

"I've never been on a boat before" Rose said with a smile to Carrion who looked at her steadily. Her eyes were shining a bright blue, like the sea behind her, and for a moment he lost himself in her face. How he wished that he could see that face every day, smiling, happy, and looking right at him.

"Christopher?" he heard Rose's voice call out as he blinked and looked at her now worried eyes.

"Apologies" he said as he turned from her and began looking at the maps that were still scattered over Sampson's desk.

Rose raised an eyebrow at him before turning back to the window, unaware of Carrion sneaking another peak at her before looking back to the maps.

"So you said you were royalty" Rose said still watching the sea below her "And Hannibal said you were a sorcerer. Are both of those things true?"

"Yes" he said "They were."

"Were?" Rose said growing a little motion sick as she turned around to face him, her body leaning against the cool glass "As in not anymore?"

"Correct" Carrion said with a slight grimace at the truth of the situation.

"Care to explain?" Rose said probing more since he was willing to give up information at this time.

"I was a prince" Carrion began "But after I betrayed Mater Motley for your mother, that title was stripped away from me by her. And I was a sorcerer, I knew a lot of magic, but that too was lost when your mother died. I used up so much magic trying to spare you and her that my body was destroyed and my magic gone."

"Your body was destroyed?" Rose said a little worried now "But then how are you here right now?"

With that Carrion looked up at Rose with a sad grin "Your mother. It was one of her last and final gifts I suppose. To make me look like this" he said gesturing to his face.

"Is this not how you've always looked?" Rose said coming towards him.

"No, in fact I looked quite frightening before your mother took away all the scars from my past, but she did not take the memories of them unfotunately" he said looking away from her pitying stare. He could not stand pity, did not need it even now after all he had been through. Quickly he shot up and started for the door, wanting to get away from the feelings that were plagueing his mind.

"I am going to see where we are now that we are catching speed" he said sternly "I will return in a while."

And with that Carrion shut the door behind him a little too loudly for Rose's sake. She felt a pain in her chest just then, rejection not sitting well with her at all by Christopher's quick retreat. She had probed too far into his past, knowing he was sensative about it. But the more she learned about him, the more she understood herself in a way. Her mother had given him a beautiful face and a new life to try and fix the damage of whatever he had been through beforehand. But sadly, she could tell he still remembered, whatever horrible things that happened to Christopher Carrion, his mind still held their memories tightly.

She sighed and sat down on a chair, wondering where they wound be able to sleep for the remainder of the trip. She suddenly heard rustling and Hannibal popped out of her backpack refreshed from his nice long cat nap he had taken.

"Did you sleep well?" Rose asked as he transformed into his bigger cat boy form.

"For the most part" Hannibal said with a grin as he pulled his shorts on "Except your snoring kept me awake for some time."

"I do not snore!" Rose said feining offense "I merely sleep loudly."

Hannibal laughed at that before looking out the window at the sea. Rose loved the way Hannibal's ears perked up whenever he was truly interested in something, reminding her that although he was part human, he was very much part cat as well.

"Hey Hannibal" Rose asked on a wim "What do you know of Christopher? I mean, besides all the bad stuff? Did you read anything about him?"

Hannibal sniffed a little at the dust on the window before turning to Rose with a curious expression "Why do you wana know?" he said coming towards her.

"He's always really upset whenever his past gets brought up, it would be nice to know what not to say when he's around so I don't upset him" Rose said trying to sound innocent. Yes she wanted to know, not only to not upset him, but also to try and understand him.

"Well okay" Hannibal said sitting down in front of Rose so she could pet behind his ears. Rose obliged happily as she stroked his fur as a deep purr started in Hannibals chest.

"All I really know is what I've read, but from the books my father had, I know that he was a great prince on the island of Midnight. It was said that his whole family was killed in a horrible fire and only him and his grandmother survived. Later on though, it was revealed that his grandmother had started the fire on purpose so that she could have Christopher all to herself to raise."

"She killed her own family?" Rose said a little horrified "That's awful."

"That's not the worst part" Hannibal said happy that Rose had her full attention on him now "His grandmother did awful things to him, tortured him into the person he is today. My father said once she sewed his lips shut for a whole year for even saying the word love in front of her."

"What an evil woman" Rose said quietly to herself.

"And after that it's all history" Hannibal said shaking his head "He committed a lot of evil acts against the Abarat."

"But it wasn't all him" Rose said quietly "He was made to be that way..."

"It doesn't matter" Hannibal said shaking his head "He could have chosen not to do the things he did."

"But he did choose" Rose said remembering Carrion's words "He chose to stop and join my mother."

"I guess your right" Hannibal mumbled "But I still don't trust him."

"Well I do" Rose said "And I'm a pretty good judge of character, that's why I'm friends with you!"

"Hey!" Hannibal said giggling as Rose started to tickle him under the arms.

Carrion walked in just then as Hannibal fell over from laughter and a small smirk crossed his face as both of them looked up as if they were children being caught doing something bad.

"Would you like to come up on deck now?" he asked casually as the door behind him opened to a new world waiting for them all.