Chapter 255: Ways to Welcome
The storm blew itself out by morning. Two days later, the group bound for Graycastle had assembled at the dock, and The Charming Beauty slipped its mooring lines and moved into open water.
Sylvie stood at the rail and held a strip of dried beef above her head.
“Goo — goo—”
The seagull plummeted from the grey sky without ceremony, the wind-blast from its wings making her squint. It took the beef in a single snap and wheeled forward to lead the ship, skimming the wave-tops fifty yards ahead.
Maggie had asked her to do this — in bird-form, she had no hands for food. The arrangement suited both of them well enough. Sylvie watched the seagull’s wings and saw beneath the movement the constant fine shimmer of gathered magic, particles converging at a point and winking out, the body that looked indistinguishable from any other gull distinguished, to her inner sight, by the living current of a witch’s power.
“I’ve heard she can take on the abilities as well as the appearances of the birds she becomes,” said a voice behind her. Captain Jack, by his footfall on the planking. “Seagulls never lose their bearing at sea, isn’t that right? They feel bad weather coming from miles out.”
“That’s correct, Captain.” She didn’t need to turn. She could see him clearly with or without looking. “Which is why we dared try the new route and bypass the Endless Cape entirely — coming ashore in the southwest of Graycastle rather than working our way through harbor cities.”
“The far side of the cape.” Jack drew on his pipe, let the smoke trail. “Explorers have gone out that way before. What they found was cliffs and shoals. Nothing else.”
“Better if it’s still nothing,” Sylvie said. “Then we turn back to the old route and no time is lost.”
“And where’s the adventure in that?” He shook his pipe at the horizon with something like affection. “I always expect something interesting on a new route.”
The arrangement was Lady Tilly’s — a diplomatic mission, she had called it, though the word felt too clinical for what it actually was: five witches traveling to place themselves in the hands of a man none of them had met, in hopes that the hands were trustworthy. In addition to the five chosen witches, Ashes and Molly had come to see them safely to Graycastle’s coast. They would not stay. Molly’s magic servant could manage any storm the ocean cared to send; Ashes would ensure that any pirate vessel that expressed interest in The Charming Beauty would find itself unable to collect on that interest.
Sylvie, as one of the five, carried a separate weight: she was to determine whether Roland Wimbledon was what he claimed to be. Lady Tilly had gone through every scenario with her — what to say if negotiations were difficult, what to do if the Witch Union refused to cooperate, what contingency to follow if they were imprisoned to prevent news from reaching Sleeping Island. Sylvie had prepared for all of it. She had prepared responses to responses, arguments for arguments, a set of graceful retreats for situations she couldn’t anticipate.
She had not prepared for the possibility that there was simply nothing to find.
She turned away from the rail and looked through the cabin wall at Lotus and Evelyn, at Honey and Candle playing with Molly’s magic servant — its fluid form stretching and reshaping to delight them, while they laughed at each passing variation. An ordinary afternoon on an extraordinary ship.
I hope the witches there are as welcoming as Maggie made them sound.
After nearly a week of open ocean, Graycastle’s coastline appeared on the horizon.
“Land!” Honey had already climbed half up the mast. The seabirds perched along the rail called back to her in chorus — ospreys, gulls, a line of swallows sitting wing-to-wing, all of them raising their voices the moment she raised hers.
“Finally.” Candle looked like someone who had given serious thought to lying down on the deck and not getting up. “I think I’m going to die.”
“No one has ever died from seasickness,” Captain Jack said cheerfully, not looking up from his instruments. “I’ve been sailing thirty years and haven’t lost one yet.”
Candle appeared unconvinced.
“Where’s Maggie?” Honey asked.
“She went ahead,” Ashes said from the stern. “She’ll contact the witches in Border Town so they know to expect you. Someone will come to meet you at the shore.”
“Sister Ashes—” Honey turned from the rail. “You’re really not coming with us?”
“The island needs me more.” Ashes smiled, though it was brief. “Wendy will take care of you. If there’s trouble — any trouble — go to her first. She will sort it out.” A pause. “One other thing. Keep your distance from Roland Wimbledon. Don’t be alone with him.”
The four witches stared.
“Why?” Evelyn asked. “Isn’t he Lady Tilly’s older brother?”
“He is,” Ashes said, with complete seriousness. “And that does not prevent him from grabbing a witch’s backside.”
The collective sharp intake of breath crossed the deck like a wave.
The Charming Beauty dropped anchor half a mile from shore — no one had charts for these waters, and the shoal’s true depth was anyone’s guess. But going ashore proved easier than expected. Molly wrapped all five witches in her magic servant’s embrace and floated them across the sea surface without wetting so much as a sandal.
The shore revealed itself as a beach backed by mountains — the shoal was the remnant of an old rock formation, worn soft by the patient work of the ocean over centuries. The mountain range beyond it was solid and continuous, running east and west farther than the eye could follow, pressing higher the further west it went until it joined something that might have been the Impassable Mountain Range, or might only have looked that way from this angle.
They waited in the shade of the cliffs.
Almost two full hours passed. Sylvie stayed watchful, the inner sight open, sweeping the rocks and woods and the air above. Then something changed in the air to the north.
Volume too large for any creature. Shape too regular.
She tracked it through the intervening miles of forest and stone as it climbed above the mountain ridge. It was round-bellied and enormous — almost the size of The Charming Beauty itself — and it moved through the air with the unhurried smoothness of something that had no reason to hurry. Beneath it, a basket hung by ropes, and two small shapes circled it on either side: a girl flying under her own power, and a pigeon.
“What is that?” Lotus had spotted it cresting the ridge above them.
“Sister Ashes — have you ever seen anything like it?” Evelyn pulled at her sleeve.
“No.” Ashes’s voice carried genuine surprise. “This is the first time for me as well.”
Sylvie scanned the basket and found the long canvas banner hanging beneath it. Yellow fabric, letters large enough to read across a mile of open air.
Welcome to Border Town.
She let out a breath. “This,” she said, “appears to be how the Witch Union prefers to make an entrance.”
Chapter 255 Ways to welcome
The rainstorm left as quickly as it had come.
Two days after the rainstorm ended, the entire group of people who were leaving departed. The ship responsible for sending them back to Graycastle was The Charming Beauty.
Sylvie leaned against the edge of the ship’s railing, took out a slice of dried beef from a pouch, and held it above her head before shaking it.
“Goo —-, Goo —-”
A huge seagull which was flying alongside them chirped and dropped from the sky, the air current from its flapping wings caused her to squint her eyes. The meat she’d held in her hand was swallowed in one gulp, and by the time she looked up again, the seagull had already flown to the front of the sailboat, continuing with eagerly leading them across this boundless ocean.
This was something Maggie had asked her to do, because when she turned into a bird, there was no way for her to take out the meat on her own.
Even though her current body had looked no difference with an ordinary seagull (except for her body size), Sylvie could still see the magic surging within her and could also see her real from. And if she even took an even closer look, she could even also see the process of how the magic came from all direction to finally gather at a single point, turning into little spots before it disappeared completely.
“I heard that she cannot only transform into different kind of birds, but that she also receives their corresponding abilities?” Someone behind her clicked his tongue in wonder, “As far as I know, seagulls will never be lost at sea, and are also aware of any incoming storms ahead of time.”
“It is indeed like that, Mr. Captain,” even without looking back, Sylvie knew clearly the man who had come over, “Otherwise we wouldn’t had dared to choose a new route and bypass the Endless Cape, landing in the Southwest of Graycastle.”
Not only did her ability allowed her to observe the flow of magic and detect all magical changes, but it also gave her a vast field of view which didn’t have any gap in its coverage. It gave her the ability to observe everything that was around her at all times – even ignoring the obstacles that were able to block her normal line of sight. Her ability was so powerful that she could even see the lazy sailors who were sleeping under the deck, as well as the shoal of fish that were swimming beneath the bilge.
“Does that place have any ports?” Captain Jack blew out the smoke. “I remember that there were once explorers who’ve traveled to the western side of the Endless Cape, but all they found were cliffs and shoals, there was nothing else.”
“It is even better if there isn’t anything there,” Sylvie said indifferently, “That way everyone can return on the previous route right away.”
“Isn’t that the same as going on a wild-goose chase?” The captain shook his pipe, “I anticipate that I might see something out of the ordinary on this new route.”
This time the long journey had been arranged by Lady Tilly so that they could come into contact with a gathering of witches that were staying at another place and in that way to help each other out. In addition to the five chosen witches, Ashes and Molly were also on the ship – but they wouldn’t stay ashore, they had only come along to ensure that this sailing trip would be absolutely safe. Molly’s magical servant could help the ship to withstand any possible storm they might face, while Ashes would make sure that every pirate who dared to fix their attention on their ship and decided to come over would be unable to make their way back.
But Sylvie herself was also carrying another duty on her shoulders, that was, to identify Roland Wimbledon’s true identity for Lady Tilly.
Before the trip, Lady Tilly had given her a detailed account of the story, and also who she should response to every kind of outcome. In simple terms, she should do her utmost to reach an agreement with the Leader of the Witch Union, in exchange for Roland’s real body. But to be honest, Sylvie had always felt that this mission won’t be so easy for her to complete. In case the Witch Union did not agree and decided to put her and the other four in jail to prevent them from leaking any news, what should she do then?
Sylvie sighed as she looked through the cabin walls at Lotus, Evelyn, and the rest of the group happily playing with the magic servant.
I hope that the witches from the Witch Union are as friendly as Maggie had said.
…
After nearly a week of sailing on the sea, Sylvie finally saw Graycastle’s coastline.
“We will be arriving soon,” Honey shouted as she leaned over the ship’s railing, and the rows of swallows, ospreys, and seagulls standing beside her all followed her shout in a loud chorus.
“At last…” Candle said with a meek voice, and carrying a haggard expression, “I feel like I’m almost unable to keep going.”
“Child, that is only a temporary phenomenon, as long as you go ashore, you will soon be able to recover your previous strength,” Jack said while laughing, he then looked with one eye through the observation mirror. “I’ve been sailing for so many years, but I’ve never seen anyone dying because of the ship’s shaking.”
“Where is Maggie?” Honey Asked.
“She has already traveled to Border Town in advance so that she could contact the witches of the Witch Union,” Ashes replied. “I’m sure that they will send someone to pick you up soon.
“Sister Ashes, won’t you come with us?”
“Back at Sleeping Island Tilly is in even more need of my assistance,” Ashes laughed, “There is no need for you to worry, the witches of the Witch Union will see and treat you as sisters… In case you come across any trouble, it is the best to immediately look for Wendy, she will definitely try her best to resolve the problem for you. ”
Wendy, Sylvie quietly engraved the name in her mind.
“Oh, that’s right, there is one other thing,” Ashes patted her forehead, “You must remember to always keep a far distant from Roland Wimbledon, and by no means should you be on your own with him.”
“Why, isn’t he the older brother of Lady Tilly?” Evelyn asked puzzled.
“He certainly is,” Ashes stated earnestly, “But that does not prevent him from groping a witch’s buttocks!”
Everyone inhaled a mouthful of cold air in fright.
In the end, the ship docked half a mile away from the shoal. After all, there did not exist any detailed charts of the area, and no one knew how deep the water really was at the edge of the shoal. Yet, going ashore was still quite simple, they didn’t even have to use the beach boat. Instead, Molly let her magic servant wrap up the five witches and herself, and in that way they floated above the sea surface all the way towards the shore.
The shoal was apparently a part of the mountain, and under the continuous erosion by the seawater, it had slowly become a soft and sandy beach. Not far from them there stood a towering mountain range which completely separated the coast from Graycastle and the rest of the mainland. It seemed that the mountain ridge was going on endlessly, and the further West they looked the higher it reached into the sky. At the end of their vision it almost became similar to the giant mountain peaks of the Impassable Mountain Range.
After almost waiting for a whole double-hour, Sylvie noted a strange shadow was coming towards them.
Its volume was colossal, it was almost as huge as The Charming Beauty and with its nearly round shape it was obviously not a natural creature. It was reasonable to assume that such a massive object would also have to be incomparable heavy, but its path of flight was quite smooth, as if it was only floating in the air. Separated by mountains and woods, she couldn’t see it very clearly, but it seemed that this thing was always climbing and would be soon above the mountains.
After a while, if finally revealed itself to all of the people in the shelter.
“God, what is that?” Lotus asked in disbelief while looking at the sky with an astonished expression.
“Sister Ashes, have you ever seen something like this?” Evelyn pulled her arm.
“No…” Ashes appeared to be equally surprised, “It is also my first time seeing something like this.”
“It seems that this is the way of style the Witch Union intends to welcome us,” Sylvie sighed.
She had finally discovered a basket hanging beneath the astonishing huge spherical object that was floating in the sky. Furthermore, Maggie and another witch were flying to the left and right of the basket. Then her attention was drawn towards a long yellow canvas that was hanging beneath the basket, on which with gigantic letters were written.
– “Welcome to Border Town.”
TN: Please help us by answering What’s your favorite quote?