The Alcazar (The Cerulean Duology #2) - Amy Ewing Page 0,98

well, and so while they had seen them in the distance, they were never close enough to be noticed or bothered with. Then, just yesterday, the ocean had become empty for as far as Agnes could see. The weather had grown steadily colder the farther north they sailed, and the two girls would huddle together at night for warmth, which always led to kissing, which made Agnes very happy despite the chill.

But even kissing Vada would not keep her warm in a rainstorm.

“I wish Errol could tell us how close we are,” Agnes said.

“I am thinking we must be nearing Culinnon,” Vada said. “The passages around it have been closed, yes? And we have seen no ships.”

“True,” Agnes said. There was a faint rumble in the sky and Errol popped up, flashing purple, the colors of Culinnon.

“Will we make it there before the storm?” Agnes asked, but he only gave the clouds one sullen look and then vanished beneath the waves.

“It makes no matter to him,” Vada pointed out. “He’s always wet.”

There was a flash of lightning and then a great clap of thunder and the heavens opened and rain poured down on them. There was nothing for Agnes to do but sit there and shiver. Rivulets ran down her back, her clothes soaked in minutes, her hair plastered to her face. Lightning streaked across the sky as the sea grew rougher. Agnes gripped the sides of the sloop tight, her knuckles white.

“Don’t be falling in, little lion!” Vada called. Agnes glowered and Vada laughed. “It’s only a bit of water,” she shouted over the pounding of the rain.

Agnes wiped her eyes, which was pointless because the rain kept on falling. “A bit?” she shouted back. Vada grinned and shrugged.

The storm raged and the waves crashed against the hull, sending sprays of water onto the sloop so that Agnes was being doused from above and below. She tried to think of warm things, of thick soft blankets and roaring fires and hot mugs of tea. Her teeth were clenched so hard her jaw ached, shudders ripping through her in violent bursts.

Just then Vada cried out, “Land!” and Agnes saw lights shining on the horizon. The water around them began to churn, and not just from the storm; Agnes leaned over the hull and gasped as she saw hundreds of colored lights.

“Mertags, Vada!” she yelled. “Look!”

The ocean was full of them, flashing and twisting, lighting up the water in colors more brilliant than a sunrise so that Agnes felt they were sailing through a living rainbow. Errol was wriggling his way among them, and the two girls watched as he flashed at this one and that, and the joy that radiated out from his scales was palpable.

It suddenly occurred to Agnes that he was home.

“Who goes there?”

The ship came upon them out of nowhere, the voice almost swept away on the howling wind. Agnes looked up to see a sleek schooner painted in muted colors with a Misarro with gold disks at her neck staring down at them.

“My name is Agnes McLellan,” she shouted. “I am the daughter of Alethea Byrne. I’ve come to—”

But the Misarro cut her off. “Agnes!” she cried. “Your grandmother has been so worried about you. Come!”

The schooner turned and Vada adjusted the tiller to follow. Agnes felt a flurry of nerves in her chest.

Her grandmother was here, and Agnes was going to meet her at last.

The rain was so heavy, all she could really make out of Culinnon was lots of trees and a mansion of glass.

She and Vada stood dripping on the floor of an enormous front room, huddling close to the firepit that ran down the center of it. A servant had instructed them to wait while she fetched Ambrosine. Vada whistled as she gazed around at the glass walls and oddly shaped furniture.

“Nice place,” she said as another clap of thunder rang out.

Several minutes later, Agnes heard the patter of feet, and then there was a flash of silver-blue as Sera darted into the room and threw her arms around her.

“I’m all wet,” Agnes protested, but Sera held her tight. When she finally pulled away, Leo was there right behind her, a big grin on his face.

“You made it,” he said. “We heard you were coming, but . . . you guys made good time.”

“We had some help,” Vada said.

“It’s so good to see you both,” Agnes said. “What happened? We heard about the princess’s ship but then we had to flee Ithilia