Laryssa wove her way round the thin corridors of the ship with ease, muscle memory guiding her as she lost herself in her irritation and thoughts. She glided past crew members who gave her nods of respect, a few gave shallow bows before they returned to mopping mahogany floors and gathered linens to wash. Too troubled to stop to return their greetings she continued on to find her brother. Taking rickety wooden steps two at a time, she flung the roof hatch to climb onto the top deck of the ship.

Ocean air damp with sea spray and salt hit her skin; inhaling deeply and closing her eyes she tried to calm herself for a moment. The girl had angered Laryssa to no end and was obviously hiding something, which didn’t help her situation. Laryssa first thought her ire was due to the fact she wounded Sebastian, but the girl was only defending her home and Laryssa could not fault her for her actions.

No, Laryssa mused that was not the reason she was so angry with her. Nor were her half-truths or the obvious fact she was withholding information. It was the bruises that made Laryssa’s blood boil and her eyes mist with red. Those bruises, and the haunted look in her eyes reminded Laryssa of a girl she wanted dead and buried within herself.

Crossing the top deck to the further side of the ship, Laryssa looked up to the vast blue sky above her. The sun scorched above even as it started to dip towards the west as it approached late afternoon. The salty breeze caressed against her cheeks. Comforting wisps that had supported her since she was a girl. It grounded Laryssa, whispered secrets across the wind. Lovers shirking duties for a tryst. Sailors snoring floors below after too much rum the previous night. Rustling of cards as men played on the deck, and the swipe of hidden cards up their sleeves.

Laryssa loved her infinity with the wind, it was like another entity who guided her. A guardian who kept her back straight, and her ears and eyes sharp to those around her. Sebastian maybe the warrior king of their nation, but she was the spy queen of the rebellion.

She burst through thick double doors to be met with their shared wing on the ship. The doors opened up to a sitting area, furnished with two lounges and an arm chair crowded around a low table. All the pieces were mismatched shades of different types of wood and upholstery, but she tried to keep it themed. Pieces in teal and gold to furnish their small chambers. The Alintage royal household colours.

In the corner of the room stood a large book shelf and a scruffy desk, both full of maps and scrolls of the seas of Annale and letters to rebels and allied lords alike. At the far end two, separate doors led to each of their respective private rooms, both containing their own wash rooms. Laryssa stalked the length of the room to reach Seb’s door and gently knocked.