"Great, come with me," he said as I followed him down the stairs. He turned his face to me, smiling. "I'm Pete, by the way. Young Pete.""Why Young Pete and not just Pete?""Because there's an Old Pete on the ship already, but he doesn't like being called that. He goes by Peter, actually. But it doe
Maeve"If you wake up earlier, you'll have a better shot of getting a real breakfast, miss." Robbie was sitting on a crate, a thick canvas sail laid over his waist as he sewed a patch into it, the needle nearly as long as his hand.I looked down at my bowl of cold sludge, which was the only way I co
"Careful Rob, she bites," Troy laughed.Abruptly I turned on my heel to look up at him as Robbie let out an audible sigh of relief. "Stop—""Leave Robbie alone, Maeve. I'm the one you're mad at.""I have nothing to say to you—""You keep talking, though?" Troy gave me a smirk, shrugging his shoulder
Olly looked up, his eyebrow arched. "Didn't eat breakfast?""I—I slept late. There was only oatmeal left.""Well, that'll need to change if you're going to be working in the kitchen. I need you here at six every morning, on the dot. Breakfast starts at seven, and then we clean up and lay out dried g
MaeveI went back to my room, Troy's room, after dinner to find it spotless. The mess I had made was righted, and I noticed as I opened the drawers in the bedside tables that he had placed everything back inside, including the wadded-up papers and random rocks. I smiled to myself as I shut the drawe
"It's true. And I didn't know Troy at all, really. He lied to me. I only knew him as Aar—""Troy is totally incapable of being anything other than himself, I assure you." He chuckled then, shaking his head. I looked up at him, narrowing my eyes."What do you mean?""The man you knew as Aaron was one
"Troy was our navigator, always. He was the reason why we kept the sails. Loves maps, that guy. He wanted nothing more than to stand at the helm with that damn compass in his hands. Robbie is our strongman, although he wouldn't hurt a fly. He just looks scary.""What are you then?" I asked, trying n
Troy"I thought you never wanted to talk to me again, ever," I said as I closed the door to my room behind me, leaning against it. Maeve had followed me all the way back after calling up to me in the crow's nest. Reluctantly, I'd come down to see what she wanted.It was a relief to be here, on the
The entire family had gathered in the dining room and was chatting amiably over a very impressive spread that had been laid out by the kitchen–two prime rib roasts, a honeyed ham, and three roast ducks were the centerpieces of the table, all of which were being enjoyed liberally by everyone.George
RowanMom ran her fingers across Selene's head, admiring her fine white hair. She looked every ounce the doting grandmother instead of a ball of uncertainty, like Maeve. Maeve was pacing back and forth near the fall wall of my bedroom, her arms folded across her chest and her head bent as she tried
Kacidra joined in the conversation. "Maeve is right, Rowan. We need to know what's happening with you and Hanna, or else we'll never be able to help."Rosalie's voice was calm and supportive as she asked, "Is it Hanna that's troubling you, son? Is she doing all right?My first instinct was to tell t
Gemma and Ernest had flown down with my parents and their son George, who was just two months older than Maeve's sons.A moment later, the library door opened and more of our family members poured in, as if they were fully aware of the thoughts I'd just had and I'd summoned them. I pushed aside my n
RowanThe castle was abuzz with its usual day-to-day activities. Servants and maids passed me in the hallway carrying baskets of laundry and trays of tea. I could hear the clattering of cookware as I left my office and walked toward the grand staircase off the foyer, seeing the door to the servants'
"Who? What happens?""There's so much more out there," Mara said dreamily. "So, so much more.""Maeve!" Troy called from down the beach.I turned to look at him, and when I turned back to Mara, she had taken off. "Wait!" I called after her, but she had already made it out of earshot, her footsteps l
Best of all, Troy was happy. He was at peace and at home. But there was still much work to be done.We were spending several weeks jumping from island to island, taking stock of the wellbeing of the inhabitants, and making a list of what was needed. Most of the islands were in need of medicine, inf
Maeve–Four Months LaterSuntra was not what I was expecting. I had become accustomed to the seemingly endless white-sand beaches of Avondale, where the sand grit was so fine it felt like powdered sugar as you walked barefoot in the surf. Suntra's sand was coarse and golden and dappled with tidepool
I straightened up a bit, shifting Oliver's weight in my arms as I narrowed my eyes back at him, sizing him up. A man roughly my father's age came bounding out of their house, waving at me apologetically as he leaned to whisper harshly in the ear of the man I assumed was his father.Whatever his son