The two wayward travelers were sad to say farewell to Aldercy and her family. Jaythen even slipped five gold coins into her apron pocket as she embraced him goodbye. That money would more than make up for any mishaps that had occurred whilst they stayed.

They made sure to get precise directions to the port at Tierbo, the closest sea city with a harbor to find a ship bound for the Evening Isles. It took three days and since they were on the right path this time, came across inns the way there.

"We didn't even catch that youth's name," Jaythen remarked as they entered the city gates. It had grown warmer since Saint Toby's because the season was coming along and they were not near the cold air of the mountains any longer.

"He didn't want to be known—he was so very—odd," Avalyn replied. She was carrying Jaythen's sword again and he had the knapsack.

"I thought you would have been more curious to who he was considering what he told us," Jaythen shrugged.

"If you didn't notice I had other things on my mind other than his identity," she snapped. He was reminded of those other things—a half fey, abandoned, and sought for her blood—she really did have more to worry about than who the lad was.

"Still, he could have been lying."

"There would be no reason for him to lie, I saw it his eyes—he spoke the truth. I don't know how he knew but he did," she replied

He wondered if she saw the violet color of the lad's eyes, but decided not voice his question. Instead he took a breath of sea air—it smelled like fish. He looked over his shoulder and saw there was an open barrel full of fresh-caught tuna.

The port was busy. The spring crops were being heavily exported on merchant and cargo ships. There were many sailors.

They found themselves at the harbor master's office on the street across from the waterfront; it was a small but decently made structure.

"We seek transport to the Isles," Jaythen stated his business to the rough man behind the desk. He must have been in a seas skirmish at one point in his life for Jaythen could see a jagged scar follow his jaw line and he was missing his ring finger on one hand.

The harbor master scanned a list of docked ships and wrote something in ink on a new parchment and handed it to them—"These be the ships that depart to the Isles, find their captains and bargain for passage."

Jaythen was thrown for a loop, for he thought there were regular passenger ships but it seemed none were currently docked so they would have to stay with a crew on one of the merchant ships to travel to the evening Isles. He didn't feel at ease with entering that kind of situation but they had to try and get to the Isles as quickly as possible.

They exited the office about as soon as they had entered, Jaythen looking over the list of ships on the list. There were five.

"Which one sounds the safest?" he let Avalyn look over his shoulder since he knew she could read the names.

"Not the 'Conqueror'," she reasoned at once.

"What about the 'Vigilante?'"he suggested in jest.

"It's better than the 'Conqueror'"

They reached the docks and Jaythen heard Avalyn give an odd-sounding sigh. He looked at her in puzzlement and saw she was staring at the sea like it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

"I thought you had been to the sea before?" he raised a brow.

"It must have been in my dreams because this is so much better," she smiled. It was good to see her smile like that again—she hadn't in a long while. The sea breeze picked up, smelling of salt and twisted Avalyn's hair around her smiling face, also causing gooseflesh prickle up his arms. He coughed, to get them back to the matter at hand—finding a ship.

They were standing next to a vessel with the name 'Atlantian', which Jaythen saw was on the harbor master's list. They boarded apprehensively. The crew was probably out and about in the city. Jaythen had never been on a sea vessel before but somehow managed to find his way to the Captain's cabin. He lifted his fist and let it drop on the door.

It opened and a hearty man looked at the pair of youths curiously, "Yes? What can I do for you?"

"The harbor master noted that you would be departing to the Evening Isles. We wondered if we could join you, we would pay for passage of course."

The captain rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "That would be possible we have an extra sleeping compartment since one of our crew has decided to leave his position, and I was hoping to fill it once we reached the Isles. For the two of ye, it'll cost 500 gold coin.

Jaythen nodded, and the Captain led them to his cabin, a nicely furnished room. Jaythen sat at a table and started counting out the pieces to pay.

"What a ravishing lady you are, it will be an honor to assist you" he mused, taking Avalyn's hand and setting his lips on the back of it. She looked startled and stopped herself from tugging it away as if his lips were made of fire. Jaythen smirked without looking up, hearing the action—and not in the least surprised.

"Thank you," she replied.

Jaythen counted five piles of one-hundred and left them on the table for the captain to do what he will with them. He personally showed them to the lower sleeping compartments and to their room. It was not luxurious in the least. A narrower bed than the one at the Barlow's cottage filled up most of the small compartment. He hated to think what that floor would do to his back if he slept on it.

"We depart this afternoon, as soon as all of my crew returns. All the cargo is loaded. The cook serves meals in the galley, and don't be late for the food is usually eaten very quickly by my men."

"Thank you," Jaythen said, although he would have liked a little more luxury for his gold—well the gold that they were to use for travels from the Saint Toby's lad.

Avalyn sat on the bed and set the sword under it where it wasn't visible to anyone walking by.

She sighed, "It is finally happening."

"What?"

She raised a brow and answered, "I believe there is no human on this earth that pays less attention than you."

"What?" he was offended, and still curious to what was happening—specifically. Of course he knew things were happening but she was so very vague and now she was making it his fault.

"We finally will find my mother, in a place she can be known to be for certain. All this while I have felt as though she is as unattainable as the wind, sliding through my fingers unable to grasp her—but now—it is happening."

He read her tone as anxious and slightly fearful—he was at least glad she narrowed it down to a specific happening.

They toured the galley together, a bigger room in the ship where the crew ate and socialized. They emerged back to the deck and Avalyn immediately went to the side facing to the open sea and leaned against the edge of the ship to stare at it. Jaythen left her and continued exploring around the vessel as he had never been on one before. It was a large ship, and there seemed to be stakes pointing out haphazardly for the ropes that led to the sails to be tied to.

He rounded the port side to the bow and peered over the edge. He felt a hard slap on his back abruptly and nearly wobbled over the edge.

"What is a whelp like you doing on our ship—you're not the watch's replacement are ye?" the same hand grabbed the back of his vest to steady him and flipped him around. He was facing what had to have been part of the crew returning.

They were brawny men—sailors. They had scars, ink marks, and faces full of judgment at Jaythen's less muscular physique.

"Nay, I am a passenger to be delivered to the Isles."

They lost interest in him after that. He rubbed his shoulder and went to find Avalyn. His heart froze when he saw her surrounded by the rest of the crew—gawking at her and trying to make failed passes at her.

"So tell me about yourself?" one of the crew leaned on the edge next to her, making a sly move to be closer.

"I killed a man once," she replied evenly. Jaythen saw the man actually retreat just a little at her words.

The rest of the men laughed thinking she was merely jesting. Jaythen knew she wasn't—she really had killed a man. Well, she ate him, he thought\, to be precise. Still there were much too many of them to fight off so he mustered his courage and pushed through the crew. They were not happy to see the leaner young man intrude on the ravishing lady.

He didn't say anything, but grabbed Avalyn around her waist and pulled her close to him before kissing her. She was stunned, and so were the men—but his message was clear—she was not to be sought after, for she was taken.

But only for pretend, he reminded himself with a hint of disheartenment as he didn't say anything in reply to her astonished expression. She would have to accept that she had been given more than her one promised kiss, and that he had taken hers without permission.

"I'll be below decks, madam," he gave a slight bow and turned. His heart was beating hard, not believing he had actually made such a bold move. He just wanted those other men to believe that they were together, married—so then she would be safe from their advances.

They must have seen her ring by now, because after Jaythen's act they dispersed to rigging and stern to launch the ship back to the ocean.

He stepped lightly down the creaky stairs to their dingy compartment—knowing that he should try to sleep so he wasn't tired later and have to stay on the floor. He stayed in his garments, not bothering to change and crawled into the bed.

The motion of the ocean was rough, not at all soothing like he had suspected when thinking of the sea. It took him awhile to fall asleep not only because of the rocking but because it was mid afternoon and he was hardly tired. It also only seemed like five minutes of sleep to him when Avalyn woke him by shaking his shoulder.

"What?" he turned over and frowned quite grumpily.

"Why are you sleeping? You missed the launch! We're surrounded by water, it's amazing!"

"I'm sorry that I don't share your enthusiasm, but I realized once I saw this bed that sleeping on the floor wasn't an option so I'm sleeping now so you can have the bed later."

"It is later," she pressed her lips together.

"I missed dinner?" he shot up—stomach grumbling.

"Yes, but here—I thought of you," she took his hand and place something wrapped in a napkin into his palm. He unwrapped it and saw it was a biscuit, it wasn't much but he was touched by her gesture.

"Thank you," he said and then stuffed the whole biscuit in his mouth and began to work moisture into the dry bread.

"You can thank me by letting me sleep. I suppose we won't be seeing much of each other this voyage what with your new sleeping hours?" She took a seat next to him, perhaps contemplating shoving him off the bed entirely to take it over. He had to wait a moment for the biscuit to be salivated enough to swallow and speak.

"I guess not, but only a few hours between awake and sleep shall we see each other."

"Like dreams," she mused.

He agreed, although it was because she always seemed like a dream to him. His life was ordinary before she arrived—and now even though untold dangers lurked around him at every corner he was thankful he hadn't woken up yet.

She did finally give him a playful shove and he relinquished the bed so she could sleep. She stayed in her garments as well, although the dress she had found in the abandoned peasants' cottage looked itchy to him. He left the compartment and made his way to the upper deck. The sky was dark and starry; the air was chilly and also filled with moisture. He didn't know what he would do to pass the time until dawn. There was only a hint of differentiation between sea and sky by the rippling waves of the water. The water reflected the night and if he were to suddenly to go mad and jump over the side of the ship, he would have thought he'd fall forever into the stars. He habitually scanned the sky, looking for a shooting star as he did when he was younger—though he could think of nothing to wish for. He knew he still had to be the count, which did not bother his conscious any longer. The only thing that he had trouble with was how Halden had betrayed him, lied, attempted murder, and took a title that did not belong to him.

After awhile of being alone with his thoughts and staring out at the darkness he went back to the compartment. He glanced at Avalyn who seemed to sleep soundly despite the vigorous rocking of the ship, and he grew slightly jealous. He realized that she hadn't chided him for his kiss, perhaps she felt it was necessary, or perhaps she had enjoyed it—he shook his head at her—he never knew what she thought and it was idle to speculate. Though, he still wanted to know what she thought, to know her. He did know her quite well, more than any others but she was endless and so was his curiosity towards her—especially since that night in Saint Toby's.

His reason for returning to the compartment was to see what sort of potions were left from the set had had bought in Scharberlutes.

A twinge of guilt set in his chest, realizing that if he hadn't been so selfish in that realm of wickedness, then Avalyn wouldn't have had to sing—she wouldn't be hunted as she was now. He lightly grabbed the strap of the knapsack and ended up sitting in the empty galley by the light of a lone candle.

There were six left. He squinted as he tried reading the titles by the dim light. Agility, Charm, Healing, Love, Stealth, and Strength.

They all seemed to be of great use except the love potion. Was it meant for one to drink and then everyone would love them or was it to be given to the object of the giver's desire? There were no clearer instructions on that one—a vial of pink liquid. He pulled the cork out and smelled it. It smelled of raspberry tarts. He corked it and set that one back into the knapsack. Since he had eaten no dinner but a biscuit, he decided to drink one of the advantageous potions and picked the dark golden colored liquid of the charm potion. It was sweet like honey but the consistency of wine.

He often thought that he wasn't charming enough—a worry his mother had voiced before he set off to the King's Court. He usually had stumbled over his words trying to voice his thoughts when he was younger. It wasn't that he was stupid, but often his thoughts ran faster through his head than his mouth could recollect.

He laid his head into his arms on the tabletop, wondering how much time had passed. Nights seemed to last much longer than the day, or was it only because he was completely alone?

His thoughts turned to three nights prior when they had encountered the Saint Toby's lad. He wondered who this 'Selendrile' was he had spoke of—obviously someone close—friend or foe—to Alys for if they simply told her he wished to speak with her then she would return to their realm.

He thought about Avalyn and how she was of half, and about what the youth had said about her having to choose between existences. He didn't know the advantages of being a fey creature but it surely outweighed the advantages of a pitiful human being. He realized that just maybe the reason Avalyn was always at odds with changing to dragon was because her body was actually fighting itself—because her blood couldn't mix, exist as one constant flow and perhaps that was why it was so valuable to the white witch. He let out an even more discontented sigh—for Avalyn was nearing adulthood fast and she would have to choose or die. A part of him, deep down, felt that she would never want to be human over the grace and power of a fey when given the choice, a choice she would be making sooner than he would have wished her to.

A/N: So, I'm really trying NOT to be so evil (according to ALL reviews from the last two chapters I am.) But what is a good story without some cliffhangers and teasers and twists, ey?