A Hero of Realms(51)
“I managed to strike a deal with the witch,” Julie said. “Even though she was adamant that you could not receive treatment without the third ingredient, I told her that she and her sister could keep the two ingredients that we brought with us—the werewolf tooth and the dragon scale—on the condition that they provided us with a boat as well as a sea chart and directions on how to reach The Tavern. It seems you still haven’t decided for sure whether you want to pursue my father’s ship, but at least if we arrive in the waters near The Tavern, we will be in a more familiar place.” She climbed back onto the boat and headed toward the bow. “I did, of course, at first try to bargain with the witch to transport us to our next destination by magic, but she wouldn’t agree to it. So this was the best deal I could come to.”
“Did you ask if she knew of any other doctors who can treat a vampire?”
“I did ask if there was anyone else in the supernatural world who could perform the operation for you, but the witch was tightlipped, as is to be expected, I guess. I don’t see why she’d recommend another doctor even if she knew of them. She told me that there was only her sister who specialized in such treatments. It could’ve been a lie, but we have no way of knowing. Even Arron suggested that this witch Uma was one of a kind in her medical skill and knowledge, and more importantly, in her willingness to treat non-witches.”
Some willingness, I thought bitterly
I climbed onto the boat and walked to the bow. As with all the other boats I had seen so far in this supernatural dimension, this one was also drawn by sea creatures—two large, pure white dolphins, to be precise. Their reins hung over a metal clamp, behind which was a wooden bench just about wide enough for the two of us to sit.
“Okay.” I breathed out, looking back up at the sky—still mercifully swarming with clouds. At least there was a small covering we could take shelter under once the sun broke through. “This boat should be all right, I guess.”
“So…” Julie began tentatively after a pause. “Where exactly are we headed?”
As much as it made my stomach sink, I couldn’t think of any way to reply other than, “Let’s head for your father’s ship.”
Maybe by some miracle along the way we’d come up with some other idea. But for now, this was all I had.
Julie nodded and immediately grabbed the reins, taking a seat on the bench. I walked to the stern of the ship and stood gripping the railing, the wind blasting through my hair as the dolphins lurched forward with supernatural speed. I watched the witches’ hilly island grow further and further away.
All the while, Hortencia’s words played over in my mind.
“Either a destroyer or hero of realms you shall be.”
Chapter 28: Ben
I didn’t know how many miles an hour we were traveling, but these dolphins were anything but ordinary. Uma’s island soon turned into a dot the size of a period until it faded completely out of view. We found ourselves entering a world of endless masses of water. The waves were calm at least, which I was glad for. The speed at which the dolphins were traveling made the ride bumpy enough.
As expected, the clouds didn’t keep the sun at bay for long. They began to thin, allowing rays of piercing sunshine to spill down from the heavens. So much so that it became uncomfortable for the two of us even while sitting beneath the covering. It wasn’t very wide, and sunshine kept spilling onto us, even when we sat directly in the middle of it. My only relief came from Julie’s confidence in navigating the boat. She constantly consulted a map and by the time night descended, she assured me that she recognized the area we’d reached. This was the hope I clung to, even as the hours passed by. Precious hours. Hours that, for all I knew, could be the last of my life. At least, a life worth living.
I was grateful to Julie that she insisted that she didn’t need to sleep, hence we didn’t waste any more time. The dolphins were showing no signs of tiring, although I supposed we would have to stop at some point for them to feed. Hopefully that would not take long and we could continue traveling throughout the night.
Julie and I barely spoke, even as we sat so close to each other, we were practically touching due to the narrowness of the bench. But as night progressed, she became more talkative.
“I’m thinking about how exactly we will do this,” she said, her eyes fixed on the waves. “Once we spot my father’s boat, I will bring ours right up to it. I’ll board it first and seek out my father. Once I’ve brought the box upstairs, you probably need to step aboard at least for a few moments to help transfer the box to your boat. It’s large and even though I could manage its weight, my arms aren’t physically long enough to lower it…” She threw me a sideways glance. “You need not worry about being in danger from my father’s crew. You won’t stay long and they’ll all be too preoccupied with my return to pay much attention to you.”