“Sigh, let’s have a moment of silence for those guys. I don’t think they’ll stop hearing about the virtues of little James until we split up to go to the Crossroads.”

  ?

  Lara chuckled at the thought before biting her lip. “Do you think James will be ok? You know how much he loves his little brother; separating from him for so long will probably be really hard on him.”

  ?

  Seeing Lara’s forehead crease in her signature little frown, he knew she was really worried about James. It brought a smile to his face; it was just like her to be concerned about other people, even in a moment like this. Then it hit him, the person who the separation would hit the hardest was probably the bubbly girl in front of him.

  ?

  He’d been worried about her for months; he knew she wasn’t some greenhouse flower by any stretch of the imagination and that she’d probably be fine. It’s just that she had a tendency to worry so much about other people that she forgot to care for herself.

  ?

  He couldn’t help but worry when he thought that there’d be no one to look out for her at the Crossroads.

  ?

  Especially after Grandma’s speech in the carriage, clearly, the Ways weren’t going to be a spring cruise. No, having Grandma that concerned about them gave him the feeling that one way or another, they would need to earn their place as Travellers.

  ?

  He quickly moved in to give her a side hug. “He’ll be fine, we all will.”

  ?

  He wasn’t sure if he was saying it to convince her or himself. Honestly, with their height difference, it felt more like she was comforting him. But looking up to see her frown replaced with a look of surprise, he thought it might have helped a little.

  ?

  Then her expression changed, as if she’d just remembered something important.

  ?

  “Shouldn’t I be the one comforting you? You didn’t look ok when we got on the ship?”

  ?

  Recalling his embarrassing slip-up, he quickly widened the distance between them and looked away, trying to hide the sudden rosiness of his cheeks from her. Fishing desperately for something that would stop her from asking any more questions on the topic, he clumsily blurted out. “No, that’s uh…”

  ?

  Lara giggled. “Hey, Grammie said to save the surprise, but I suppose I can share the secret now.”

  ?

  Lara placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest in pride. Felix wasn’t sure what the sudden shift in demeanour meant. His blank look must have said as much, as she eventually gave up. Her proud posture deflated with a sigh as she rolled her eyes.

  ?

  “Fine, I’ll just tell you, Grammie told me to look after you once we get to the Crossroads. Apparently, she called in some favours and managed to get us both assigned to the same one.”

  ?

  After taking a moment to process what he had just heard, he yelled out, “What?! Are you serio—” He was interrupted by Lara, who hurriedly slapped her hand over his mouth.

  ?

  “Shut up, you dingus! It’s supposed to be a secret, you’re going to get Grammie in trouble.” She hissed out in a whisper while looking around to see if anyone heard.

  ?

  Before he could respond, a myriad of beautifully coloured feathers filled their vision, followed by a loud and proud but definitely strained. “Squawk! no yelling on the ferry, no yelling on the ferry!” By the time they had processed what had just happened, the bird was already yelling at another group.

  ?

  Noticing they’d drawn too much attention, Lara removed her hand from Felix’s mouth and shot him a meaningful look before dragging him to a quiet corner.

  ?

  Felix tried to pry information out of Lara, but she stubbornly refused to say anything more on the matter. Before he could try a different approach, the familiar sound of the parrot rang out over the ship. “Squawk, All aboard! All aboard!”

  ?

  Felix had to swallow the rest of his questions; they knew what that call meant. Already being in a rather secluded spot, it wasn’t hard to sidle up to the bannister.

  ?

  Conversation on the ferry simmered down to a hushed chitter as a wave of nervous excitement settled over the boat. Felix and Lara especially tried to keep their voices low. They’d somehow ended up near the man sleeping in his hammock, and Lara insisted that they shouldn’t wake him.

  ?

  “Lara, I can’t see how it will make a difference. He’s slept through everything until this point. He’s not suddenly going to wake up if we talk at a normal volume. Besides, it’s not like anyone else is staying quiet.”

  ?

  Lara didn’t dignify his argument with a response. The look she gave him was more than enough to remind him that sometimes being right just wasn’t enough to win an argument.

  ?

  Even as the parrot announced their departure, and the gangway retracted to become part of the ship plugging the hole in the railing where they’d boarded, the man continued to sleep.

  ?

  Knowing that the moment had come, Felix and Lara stared back at the port, back at their home. Off in the distance, Felix could see their carriage. When he strained his eyes, he could just barely make out the shapes of Grandma and Damien.

  ?

  With a rustle of fabric, the ferry’s sails unfurled. It felt like it was waking up from a deep slumber, slowly stretching to draw itself into its full, magnificent form. The sails were brilliant white, just like the rest of the ship. They even had similar copper-gold script covering them in intricate patterns.

  ?

  When the wind swirled through the ship, gently swaying the sails, the script almost looked alive. It seemed to ripple and dance across the fine fabric, making it feel as though the ship was basking in the breeze.

  ?

  After circling around the ship one last time to make sure everything is in order, the parrot let out a cry. “Set sail!” With that, the ship began to move; it paid no heed to the fact that it was somehow sailing against the wind, and it set off towards the horizon. Felix spotted the parrot puffing up with pride before finally settling in to take a well-deserved rest.

  ?

  On the ship and on the docks, people animatedly waved while yelling out goodbyes. If Felix could somehow find a way to see through his suddenly blurry vision, he’d have noticed he wasn’t the only one trying to choke back tears. Lara unabashedly cried while yelling and waving with more vigour than anyone else.

  ?

  As the ship left the port and slowly sailed farther and farther from shore, the waving and crying died down. Everywhere Felix looked, he saw children with tear-streaked eyes smiling happily; it was like their graduation all over again.

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  ?

  Chatter on the ship slowly turned from reminiscing about home to excitement about what’s to come. Felix didn’t join. Instead, he lost himself in the swaying of the boat, the rhythmic tap tap tap of little waves breaking against the hull, and the sound of the sails flapping in the wind. Moment by moment, he tried to convince himself that it was actually real; he’d pictured it so many times that it felt like just another dream.

  ?

  A tug on his sleeve broke his reverie.

  ?

  “Uhm, Felix, wasn’t it supposed to happen already?” Looking around, Lara wasn’t the only one to notice that something was wrong. Just as confusion was beginning to spread, their feathery steward noticed the issue. Looking over at the hammock, the bird realised that its owner, the ferryman, had really fallen asleep.

  ?

  After letting out a squawk that carried all the frustration of an overworked parent attempting to control an unruly child, it flew over to the man. As if to release its pent-up emotions, the bird gathered all the strength it could muster and started beating on the man with its wings.

  ?

  “Wake up, you lazy bastard, it’s time! Squawk! You make me do all the work, and then you fall asleep at the most important moment. Get up this instant or I’m telling boss!”

  ?

  The man, having been so rudely awakened, nearly fell out of the hammock. He desperately tried to assess the situation through the feathered onslaught. After realising where he was, he sheepishly tried to placate his parrot. It took promises of snacks and feather rubs to eventually calm it down enough for him to escape his assault.

  ?

  After gathering himself, finding his fallen hat, and half-heartedly dusting it off, he plopped it back on his head. With his unbuttoned shirt, shorts, and straw hat, the man didn’t look very reliable. The children who watched all this unfold were all sending looks of sympathy to the hardworking parrot. The man didn’t seem to notice the strange atmosphere and simply went back to the hammock.

  ?

  Audible gasps sounded through the ship when everyone thought he was going back to sleep. Fortunately, it seemed that wasn’t his intention.

  ?

  From the folds of the hammock, he pulled out a long wooden staff. At first sight, it looked like a branch from the tree the ship was made of. The staff looked similar to the rest of the ship, bark-like script and all. The only eye-catching part of the staff was the leaves still attached to its top.

  ?

  Now able to get a closer look, Felix could really appreciate the beauty of the shimmering aquamarine leaves. They looked like they were made of crystals; the shimmering came from sunlight shining through them. He desperately wished he could touch one to see what they felt like.

  ?

  With the same bored look on his face, the man slammed the butt of the staff onto the deck of the ship. Suddenly, the leaves seemed to be drawing in the sunlight, releasing a beautiful blue glow. The blue light shone from the swaying leaves and reflected off the white deck, making it appear as if they were at the bottom of the ocean.

  ?

  Felix had his eyes glued to the sight; the light didn’t stop at the leaves. It flowed from the leaves down the strange script as if it were liquid. When it reached the base of the staff, it fused with the ship, as if the branch was never cut off. Then the flowing script across the rest of the ship and the sails lit up.

  ?

  He’d seen this through one of the telescopes sold on the pier, but seeing it up close was a whole new experience. Against all odds, Felix and Lara had seen magic before, while they gaped like little fish, their reactions could still be considered quite measured.

  ?

  The rest of the ship was in an uproar. For everyone else, this was the first magical thing they’d ever seen. This was a moment they’d all dreamt of for almost their entire lives.

  ?

  There was no great thrum of power or ear-piercing sound; the ship just gently started veering upward, its hull slowly raising out of the water. It just continued to sail at a slow pace, leaving a shimmering wake in the air as it ascended, slowly turning to face the sky at a steeper and steeper angle.

  ?

  Cheers rang out across the ship. The world of magic had just opened up to them. The rest of the festival would be their introduction to the wonders of the universe, and now it had begun.

  ?

  Grandma once told them that wise scholars of the arcane could point to all the ways in which they’d already come into contact with mana. When Lara asked why they didn't, Grandma explained that they were also wise enough to understand the utter futility of such an endeavour.

  ?

  Seeing everyone jumping and hugging each other, Felix had to agree. Call a bedroom light or a carriage that drives itself magic all you want, but this. This was real magic.

  ?

  Felix hung over the side, as far as he could without falling, to watch as the ship left the water and started sailing through the open sky. He only managed to catch the moment the last of the ship left the water before a head of pink hair blocked his view.

  ?

  Laughing, he stood back up, dragging Lara up with him.

  ?

  “What do you think?!” Felix had to raise his voice to be heard over the clamour on board.

  ?

  “I think we should get one just like it after we become Travellers! Just think how cool it’s going to be to explore in one of these!”

  ?

  They watched as the ship began sailing through the open sky, the waters below them falling away. The further they rose, the more certain Felix felt in his heart that this was what he had always craved. Sailing the skies, the stars, searching for adventure and treasure. Fighting harrowing battles against monstrous beasts and murderous pirates, uncovering the secrets of the universe.

  ?

  The moment would forever be the moment his kindling thirst for adventure ignited, turning into a burning desire. Nothing could stop him now; he would become the greatest knight the alliance had ever known. No, the greatest Starfarer the alliance had ever known.

  ?

  If it weren’t for them sailing into a cloud, breaking his focus, he might have embarrassed himself by starting another monologue right there and then. Silently, he thanked the cloud for its fortuitous timing.

  ?

  As soon as the ship burst through the clouds, a cheer rang over the deck. Below them, a thick, fluffy carpet of clouds stretched out to the horizon, with gaps that looked like windows onto the brilliant blue planet below.

  ?

  They only had a moment to take in the sight before another ferry burst through the clouds, trailing a wisp of white behind it. It didn’t stop at one as more and more ferries burst through the cloud bank. From all over the planet, Ferries were coming together, all forming an enormous fleet that sailed to the stars.

  ?

  ?

  Back in town, at the port, Grandma Eleanor was wiping away tears with a handkerchief. She’d spent the past twelve years raising Felix and Lara, but in what felt like the blink of an eye, here they were, leaving the nest.

  ?

  Damien sat on the carriage roof watching the ship sail into the clouds. Even after it vanished from sight, he and Grandma kept looking at the spot; they didn’t move, didn’t say anything. In the end, it was Damien who broke the silence. “So, you didn’t tell him in the end.”

  ?

  It was more of a statement than a question, but Grandma still answered. She let out a heavy sigh; for once, she sounded like someone her age, someone whose spirit had been tempered over countless years.

  ?

  “No… I can only do so much to guide his path before I risk leading him off it. Felix is young and full of pride. If I’m the one to tell him, he’ll probably dig in his heels and stubbornly insist on walking that dead-end road. He needs to learn that, as a Traveller, if you do not bend, you will break. Those who can’t adapt will die; that’s just what it means to walk your path.

  ?

  “Besides, maybe we’ll be lucky and he ends up like Claire.”

  ?

  Damien snorted. “Yeah, and maybe I’ll finally get Deighton to approve my proposal to replace the ferries with orbital slime cannons. We both know Claire is an exception; if anything, he’s more likely to end up like me.”

  ?

  Grandma Eleanor winced but didn’t respond.

  ?

  “You know he’s going to fail this year?” Damien asked.

  ?

  Grandma nodded.

  ?

  “It’s not ideal, but I couldn’t risk pushing more than I already have. If I drive him off his path…”

  ?

  She shook her head; she didn’t want to think about it.

  ?

  “I can only hope he’ll be strong enough to persevere. If he falters over something like this, he’d never have made it as a Traveller anyway, let alone an explorer.”

  ?

  “Grandma, he thinks he’s going to be the next Starfarer. I think you underestimate how much of a setback failing is going to be. But you’re right, as long as he survives, he’ll have a chance to get over it, maybe knock that ego down a peg or two. But are you sure about sending Lara with him?”

  ?

  She groaned and started massaging her temples. “No, if anything, that has the possibility to backfire even harder than not telling him.”

  ?

  “Then why’d you do it?”

  ?

  Grandma looked into the distance, at the spot where the ferry disappeared. “You can’t blame an old lady for being sentimental. I’ve watched those two grow up together. If his first Journey goes like we think it will, then their paths would have diverged here. At least by sending them together, they have a chance.

  ?

  “Besides, that girl is too kind for her own good. I’d rest more easily knowing someone is there to look out for her, and if he doesn’t take care of her, maybe she’ll finally work up the nerve to put that grandson of mine in his place.”

  ?

  Damien nodded.

  ?

  “Well, it’s out of our hands now; all we can do is hope for the best.” An anxious silence settled in between them, but neither of them had any words left with which to drive it away.