Chapter 217 The Watery Depths (1/2)

Sharli looked up at the cliffs in the distance. They'd come into view an hour before when the cry 'land ho!' had rung from above. Sharli had gotten excited. Three weeks on this ship and she was itching to get off.

Only the cliffs, as she could see them clearer now, were quite clearly too high to climb. Still, that didn't stop her from admiring their magnificence, or the edge of the forest that she could just make out high above.

”What Forest is that?” asked Sharli.

The Helmsman gave her a side glance, as if making sure she was being serious before he spoke, ”You never been this far south?”

Sharli shook her head.

The Helmsman sighed, ”It's the Fairy Forest, Miss”.

Sharli's eyes widened. The Fairy Forest? That place where all manner of magical creatures lived and no human dared venture for fear of getting lost...or worse? She'd heard many stories of such a place.

She glanced down at the tracking charm in her hand, then at the line that clearly told her go past the cliffs to find who she was looking for. She paled. If Rassa was in the Fairy Forest then...

”So he is in there?” asked Ishta as he looked at Sharli.

Sharli turned to look at Ishta, then nodded reluctantly.

Ishta gritted his teeth, ”Tell the Captain to head for the nearest Port”.

”But I thought the Forest was-”

”With you, we shouldn't get too turned around, should we?” asked Ishta with a threatening raise of his eyebrow, as if he was daring her to defy him just so that he could do something unspeakable to her. Probably hand her off to Illai.

Sharli felt sick.

Speaking of the Inktress, she arrived back on the ship just as it was turning to the East.

”No sign of him,” Illai reported.

”Our Charm compass says he's in the Fairy Forest,” Ishta stated. The Inktress didn't look all that happy about the news either, ”Perhaps the Merfolk did get to him”.

***

Sharli lay in the hammock that had been assigned to her below deck, the tracking charm warm in her hands. She'd used it a lot for the past hour. Clutching it in her hand as she stared down the line that led North-West of her. Towards her sister. She kept picturing her sister's betrayed and pained expression as Sharli had pushed her away then walked off with Illai. If she saw her again, she'd have a lot of explaining to do.

Sharli sighed, ready to roll over and go to sleep when the flickering of Rassa's line suddenly got so rapid that it scared her. Sharli sat up, somewhat panicked as she watched it. Then, before she could even breath a word, it was extinguished.

Sharli stared at the spot where it had been, shocked. No. He couldn't die. He hadn't died. Sharli rubbed at the Charm with her sleeve, convinced there was something wrong with it. But when she clutched it again, there was no line to Rassa. It was just gone, as if he'd never been there in the first place.

”No,” Sharli whispered.

She felt a cold presence at her back, and she turned to find Illai looking at her, a cold smirk on her lips, ”What's wrong, Sharli?”