A week had flown by and then another. The king had finally left our city, but Velmon hadn’t been captured. Our Lord was cautioned not to release us for several more days. During that time, we were questioned further, but it was apparent that we were not being held responsible. Jordan was a man of extravagance, but he was also a lord of reason. Our king, on the other hand, was well-known for paranoia. After all, his crown was a result of his magic. A witch killed our island’s god, so a witch had to be our king. I’m sure had Jordan had magic, many would have moved him into the higher seat. Such a reason could be said for the lords of our island’s other cities as well.

  In any case, my imprisonment was a formality at best and an annoyance at worst. At least for me, it had been.

  Quill had yet to receive help. We were given cloth to wrap his hand properly, but little else.

  “Why Rime?” He asked.

  “My family, before gods divided our world, lived in a cold region. That region is Rime,” I answered.

  What hour was it? Had Gallow neglected to see us daily, all matter of time would have been impossible to grasp in that place. There were no windows and hardly any sound aside from wind and the dripping of water.

  “You said you grew up on another island, didn’t you? What island was it?” I asked Quill.

  We were standing at our cell bars. The corridor was curved in and on a slope, so it was impossible to see from end to end. Still, we watched in anticipation.

  “It was so long ago,” He said.

  “You forgot?”

  “It’s not important. If you want to see Rime, we’ll go there,” Quill resolved.

  “You’d go with me?”

  “Aren’t you the one who said we were brothers now?” He laughed.

  “Figuratively, yes. Of course, I don’t see you as an actual brother,” I laughed until I realized how my words came out, and I felt the need to explain, “Quill, you mean much to me now, but I...you.”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  I stumbled into my thoughts, attempting to save face without revealing my unearned emotions of perhaps intriguing lust and pheromones. Even with his hand butchered and his chest scarred, my peer was easy to conjure into fantasy.

  Quill only laughed before he told me, “I understand. You can’t be brothers with someone you fancy.”

  Like an idiot, I quickly answered “yes,” then, “what?!”

  “I’ve known for quite a while. It’s flattering, but know that it will never happen,” he added as we both turned more directly toward one another.

  “I’m not... I don’t see you that way,” I lied brazenly.

  I lied unconvincingly, and Quill chuckled.

  “Where I’m from, no one would care. You needn’t try so hard to hide your infatuation. If you wish to love me, I won’t object,” he whispered, but I flicked his hand to cease his taunting.

  After he grimaced, we both chuckled at one another. In our moment of friendly honesty, it escaped me when someone approached our cell.

  “Gallow?” Quill spoke, and I turned to find my uncle standing with grievance.

  “Is it time? Can we finally leave?” I asked with far too much joy.

  His eyes fixed themselves on a corner away from my face till he sucked enough air into his lungs to speak at me.

  “Your father.” He said timidly, if ever such a state was possible for the warrior I knew.

  Nothing more needed to be said. I understood. How anticipated was that day, and still, I couldn’t tell it from the rest? My father was gone, and I could have gone hours more without feeling the passing of his spirit. My eyes shut. Could I breathe?

  “Bastien,” Gallow meant to comfort me, but I spoke to Quill instead, asking, “Tell me about the captain of the flying ship.”

  “Bastien,” Quill mimicked Gallow’s tone.

  I left them both to take a seat against the wall. Stunned, they watched me till I spoke again.

  “There’s nothing I can do, so tell me about the captain.”

  Neither Quill nor Gallow seemed sure of what to say.

  “They’ll send your father out to the waters in a few days. He was a warrior. It’ll be more than a small boat,” Gallow explained.

  “Will I be out in time to watch, in time to say goodbye?” I asked, but it was a false request.

  My father was gone. All that remained was his body. Perhaps that had been the truth for longer than I cared to admit, but I made peace with it. What more could I do?