Thank you to Mel and Pamela!

Chapter Ten

Bella

The rest of the journey to Primm passed uneventfully. I was slowly getting the hang of being on horseback, and though I wasn't by any means a skilled rider, I'd managed not to fall off once, which by my count, meant I was successful.

As Jasper had predicted, on the fourth day we arrived in Primm, a city which was not surrounded by a giant wall. It was smaller than the capital, that was clear to me almost immediately. For one, it did not have the tall buildings of homes and businesses that I was familiar with. The tallest building here appeared to be no more than two stories. It also took far less time from passing the border to reach the center of town.

My gaze was riveted on the strange architecture of the buildings. Almost every door had a fish motif carved in the lintel, and nearly every window sported some small design near the top, each one a creature of the water. I knew Primm to be a fishing community, but I had not anticipated them to be this passionate about it.

Our horses carried us through the center of town where we began drawing attention. I could feel the eyes of the locals on us as we passed, and I tried to imagine what we must look like to them: three men dressed as royal soldiers and a young woman who very clearly was not any sort of guard or palace official.

I cast my gaze around as we traveled and saw that there were far fewer fae in Primm than I was used to seeing in the capital. In fact, as far as I could tell, Jasper and Edward were the only two.

The houses gave way to colorful shops that dotted the edges of a large town square. In the center of the square was a market, and on the side opposite us was the sea.

I let out a sharp breath as the blue water came into view. There was a large harbor that hosted several tall vessels as well as a few smaller fishing boats. The largest was docked nearest to us, and it flew the colors of the royal family.

"There she is," Jasper said, glancing at me. "The ship we'll be boarding shortly."

My stomach twisted in uncomfortable knots. It was one thing to know we were going to be sailing, but it was another thing entirely to see the ship.

I was not a creature of water; I had no business being at sea.

Emmett led our party through the square and I let my attention wander to the vendors. We had several markets in Eventid, though I only frequented my local one. It was small and poorly stocked, but I knew the vendors and I was able to convince most of them to haggle a good deal with me.

There was a stall with dried fish, some packed flat into small tight paper bags that looked like they would serve as travel rations, others strung together on long ropes. The monger was calling out deals to anyone who would listen, announcing which fresh fish he had left for purchase. I didn't know the name of anything he called out, though I recognized a few of the items hanging in his stall. Dried salted fish was a poor man's dish and had been the only kind of seafood I'd ever tried.

Beside the fishmonger's stall was a woman selling the strangest assortment of small shiny charms.

I felt myself tapping Jasper's shoulder before I could think better of it, and he turned, giving me his attention. "What is that woman selling?" I asked him, jutting my chin toward the woman's direction.

I saw his eyes travel over the market until they landed on the woman's stall. His expression looked momentarily surprised before settling somewhere around skeptical.

"Sea charms," Jasper told me. "She will claim they will calm the spirits of the sea and offer you safe passage on your voyage." He rolled his eyes. "They are likely only chips of glass and wood scavenged together. They are nothing more than pretty souvenirs."

I frowned and turned my gaze back to the woman's stall. Even wood and glass could be infused with a charm, given the right skill, but the way Jasper spoke about her so dismissively, it sounded like it was highly unlikely this was the case.

Why sell something, claiming magical ability, and not give it any magic?

My mind churned the topic over a while as we passed the market. When our horse stopped, I forced my mind back to the present.

Ahead of us, Emmett and Edward were dismounting, so I took my cue to do the same. I scrambled off the horse, slightly more graceful than the first time I'd attempted it a few days ago.

Once my feet were on the cobbled ground, Jasper dismounted as well, taking the reins of the beast into one fist so that he could still lead it.

There were men and women bustling around on the shore, most of them carrying supplies to the large ship that sat docked in the harbor.

"Emmett, take the horses," Edward ordered. "Jasper, find the captain." Edward's gaze cut to me and I watched him scowl. "You, don't wander off," he ordered.

Childishly, I stuck my tongue out at him.

Edward rolled his eyes and stormed away, leaving me alone on the docks as Jasper and Emmett sprung into action.

I wasn't far from the market, and our brief walk beside it had made me curious, so without another glance back, I started toward the nearest stalls.

Up close, each vendor's wares looked both more and less similar than I had anticipated. Some of the foods I recognized, but there was a distinct fish motif in almost everything being sold. Even the loaves of bread were baked into shapes of fish.

I wandered the square, taking in all the foreign and familiar sights of it until I came to the charm stand. The woman behind the booth gave me a toothy smile as I approached her table, though she didn't stop manipulating a long thin wire around a chunk of sea glass.

"Hello there, dearie," she called. "How are you this fine morning?"

Her demeanor caught me off guard. No one had ever been that overly friendly to me. It immediately put me on alert.

"Fine," I said, unsure of what else to say.

She nodded, like this pleased her. "What is it you seek today?" she asked. Her eyes traced over me and she grinned. "Ah, I know!" She set down her work and clapped her hands before crossing the booth. She picked up a bauble with deep red glass set against white bone. "A love charm perhaps?"

I automatically took a step back from her booth. "No!" I said, unable to keep my horror at bay.

"Oh surely a pretty young thing like yourself is looking for love," she insisted. "Unless, you have a fella, now do you?" She winked and I barely resisted rolling my eyes.

"I have no need of those charms," I assured her.

She frowned. "No? How about a charm of prosperity then?" She set down the bone and picked up another piece. This had a chip of green glass set atop a small smooth light brown stick.

"No," I said, even though I was really in no position to deny prosperity, even false hope prosperity. "I haven't come to buy," I told her. "I'm merely curious."

The woman paused her fussing over her pieces and looked me over. "Curious about what?"

I picked up one of the charms nearest me. It was pretty, with a chip of blue-green glass in it, but I could tell immediately that it was lifeless. No magic had been infused into this.

"Why sell magic-less charms?"

The woman's eyes widened, and immediately I realized I'd said something wrong. Her mouth opened and closed, and I set the charm down, the instinct to run from her mounting alarm growing in me.

"What do you know of magic?" she asked, her tone demanding, hopeful, and bordering on savage.

"N-nothing," I said, stepping away from her stall. To my horror, she began to move around the table between us. "Have a good day," I said, turning on my heel before she could make it out from behind her table.

"Wait!" she shouted, and I started when I felt her hand wrap around my wrist. "Tell me, girl," she demanded.

"I didn't mean anything by it," I told her, trying to keep the panic from my voice. "Honestly."

There was a greedy hunger in her gaze that terrified me. She opened her mouth, her lips a snarl, and I twisted my arm, yanking my wrist out of her grasp. She let out a yelp of pain then spat at me as I turned and ran from her stall. I could feel eyes on me as my rapid departure began to draw an audience, and I willed myself to calm, not to panic. I forced myself to slow once I was on the edge of the market and the ship was in my sights.

My heart was still racing as I made my way back to the docks, though I willed my outward appearance not to show how frantic I was feeling.

I spotted Edward speaking to a tall man and I headed in his direction, even though he was certainly the last person I wanted to see right now. The closer I stepped toward him, the more my panic began to subside, much to my annoyance.

It was nearly all gone now, replaced by the desire to reach out and make contact with his skin.

Edward looked up at me as I stopped myself a small distance from his side.

"Where were you?" he asked, his tone hard.

"Not wandering off," I snapped back.

Edward gave me an unamused look. "We're boarding the ship," he said, his head motioning toward a large ramp that connected the dock to the deck.

I frowned and looked from it to Edward. "I have a question," I said, ignoring him.

"I haven't time for questions," he said, immediately cutting me off.

I glared at him. He was such an ass.

I spun away from him, stomping my way up the ramp.

The first thing I was going to do when we became unbound was throttle him with my bare hands.

At the top of the ramp, I got a full vision of the deck. People were rushing about, each occupied with some sort of task. I hesitated before stepping from the ramp onto the deck.

I'd never been on a ship before. What was I supposed to do?

"Bella!"

I turned, relieved when I saw Emmett wave to me. I headed in his direction, my hand gripping the strap of my bag.

"Welcome," he said with a cheery smile. "Come on, let me show you around."

Emmett led me around the ship, showing me where to get food, where the crew and passengers slept, where supplies were stored, and even where I could relieve myself. I found myself surprised not only by the size of the vessel, but by its apparent organization. It was an entire city unto itself.

"That there is the captain's quarters," Emmett said, gesturing to a door at one end of the ship. "And beside it is Edward's."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course he's too good to sleep with the rest of his men," I muttered.

Emmett chuckled. "Oh, don't think you've escaped special treatment."

I looked at him. "What do you mean?"

Emmett brought me to a door one deck below the captain and Edward's rooms. "This is for you," he said, pushing open the door. The room was small and clean, with a comfortable looking bed and a small square window that let light filter in.

I turned to Emmett. "This is absurd," I said, my voice shaking with my discomfort. "I shouldn't get this when everyone else has to share quarters." I gestured behind him vaguely. "I'll sleep down there in a bunk with you all."

Emmett shook his head. "This is Edward's orders," he told me.

I felt my defiance begin to build up, and Emmett let out a quiet laugh. "Bella, it'll be a long journey. There will be plenty of chances to piss him off, but not over this, okay? This is for your safety, as well as the safety of the rest of us."

I blinked. "Why would it matter if I were down there?"

Emmett's mouth snapped shut and he suddenly looked wary.

"What is it?" I demanded.

Emmett sighed. "Our prince is not the most patient man," he said slowly, his voice low. "He treats his soldiers well, do not misunderstand me, but you are his sultra." He shook his head. "The jealousy will drive him to turn on us if you were to bunk with us."

I choked out a laugh. "But that is absurd," I argued. "Edward doesn't care one lick about me. Why should it matter to him where I sleep?"

Emmett lifted an eyebrow. "So, if I told you that we were stuffing Edward's cabin with women, it wouldn't bother you?"

White hot fury bloomed in my chest before I could even take a breath. I looked away from Emmett, startled by the snarling of my heart. Why did I care who Edward fucked? That was certainly none of my business.

"See," Emmett said, sounding satisfied. "Your bond goes beyond reason right now." He shook his head. "You both have to keep your heads, or else this journey will be doomed for failure."

I swallowed hard. "I understand," I bit out.

Emmett smiled, looking relieved. "Good," he said with a nod. "Well, go ahead and get yourself settled here. I have to return to my duties."

He turned and left, leaving me alone in my small cabin.

I reached up and scrubbed a hand hard over my face. This binding meant worse and worse things for me. I couldn't wait for it to be over.

If, my mind snarled. If you can break it at all.

I let out a long breath and sank onto my bunk. I wasn't ready yet to think of a possible scenario in which I never broke the binding with Edward. I needed to believe there was still a chance, even a small sliver of hope out there.

Because if I thought it was pointless, I'd throw myself overboard and let the mytag take me now.

…

I made my way to the deck as the ship prepared to set sail. I could still see the market vendors, though I couldn't identify any specific faces from this distance.

"'Tis strange, isn't it?" a voice asked, making me turn.

"Brother Alecsander!" I said, unable to keep the surprise from my voice. "What are you doing here?"

He smiled at me, holding his palms together and dipping his head into a shallow bow before he righted himself again.

"The prince asked me to accompany you on the voyage," he said, straightening his red robes. "He thought you might have need of a scholar."

I let out a breath. "He's probably right," I said, though I was loath to admit it. "How did you get here?"

"I came with the soldiers on horseback two days ago," he explained. "They've been working to prepare the ship for the voyage."

"Have you been able to study the volume you showed us?" I asked.

At my question, Brother Alecsander pulled the small black book from his robes and held it up. "Yes," he said, glancing at me. "It remains a mystery to me still, though I hope through prayer and meditation it will become clear."

I frowned. It seemed unlikely hoping would do him any good if it hadn't already.

"May I?" I asked.

Brother Alecsander slid the book into my waiting palms and I flipped the pages open. There was that strange text again, bordering on the decipherable, though still unfamiliar to me.

"What do we know of the providence of it?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said regretfully. "It is just another part of the mystery."

I frowned. Were we really going to set sail with nothing more than a hope that we would be able to decipher this book and that it would magically lead us to our destination?

"I see your doubt," Brother Alecsander said quietly. I looked over at him and he offered me a gentle smile. "But you must have faith in our saints, and in the Veda. We will find our way."

Faith. It was too big of an ask of me. I hadn't been able to have faith in anything ever. Life didn't hand you lucky breaks, and life certainly wasn't on your side. Pain and suffering were too real for me to believe any else.

I gave Brother Alecsander a weak smile but said no more. Around us, the crew was jumping into action, and soon I saw the ship drift from the dock.

We were officially underway.