The headache had plagued him all day. He remembered nothing. His last memory was of the lamb’s blood trickling down the wooden planks of the dock. That was it. After that, there were shouts, children crying, others laughing. Everything was red, and the moon shone so brightly that it was as if it were day. He also remembered the laughter of Cassius the Blue and his blood-soaked hands. He recalled how they had joked, calling him Cassius the Red. He hadn’t liked that. It had been amusing. Then his memories faded, and the next thing he knew, he was waking up here, in the cold room of the palace, with a pounding headache.

  “Sir?”

  “Yorick? What are you doing here?” He hadn’t even noticed his presence. It took him a moment to recognize him, but eventually, he did. “Bring me some water, please,” he said, not waiting for Yorick to speak.

  “I brought some, my prince. I assumed you wouldn’t be feeling well. Early this morning, two of your guards carried you to your room.”

  “Carried? Was I that bad?”

  “Well, to be honest, they were practically dragging you,” Yorick smiled.

  “But don’t worry. Your father didn’t notice anything. I’ve made sure that those who were with you all night won’t say a word. It happens to everyone. Even to me, as hard as you might find that to believe.”

  “Thank you, Yorick. Did anyone else see us?”

  “The palace is vast, Sir Borin. I can’t guarantee that everything went unnoticed. You were quite loud and unruly at first. Then sleep overcame you.”

  “I was shouting?” Borin barely managed to stand and placed a hand on his forehead. “I’m ashamed to even leave this room, Yorick. Surely someone heard.”

  “It’s only shameful if your father heard or found out. But I’ll protect you. He’s had similar experiences. I’ve protected him from your grandfather too. It’s nothing new in my life.”

  “My father? Getting drunk? He likes wine as much as anyone, but drunk…”

  “At your age, your father practically lived in the taverns. And not the ones under the kingdom, where there’s some semblance of decency. He frequented the outskirts of the city, where the king’s laws didn’t rule, but the locals did. It was easy for someone to get killed there. Even your father. No one knew him, and he didn’t want to be recognized. He’d go in and act like one of them. He’d sing, dance…”

  “And you knew about this?”

  “Of course. My job is to protect all of you, even without a direct order to do so. That’s why your father and grandfather trusted me for so long. I hope to earn that trust from Bromir as well. Or even from you, should you ascend to the throne.”

  “I have no intention of any thrones, Yorick. My place is on the ship,” Borin gestured toward the wall behind which lay the sea.

  “I’m keeping a close eye on the ship, Prince. Don’t think I’m far from there either.”

  “I don’t need help. I’ve found both a carpenter and a crew.” Suddenly, he started. “Did you send Cassius and Elric to me?”

  Yorick only smiled.

  “I knew it. Actually, I didn’t, but it was strange. I had money and was looking for a carpenter. And then one appeared right before me, out of nowhere. After that, the same thing happened with the captain, Cassius.”

  “Cassius the Blue. Your father doesn’t like him, but I think he’ll be the perfect captain. Cassius knows the sea better than anyone, but his head doesn’t always follow. Be careful with him.”

  Borin buried his face in his hands. He didn’t want to listen anymore, nor did he want to go anywhere. Everything hurt.

  “Unfortunately, Prince, few people have the blood of the chosen. Neither my mother nor likely my father had it. Although he died young. Let’s leave that aside. You need to go down to your father.”

  “To my father? But you said he didn’t know.”

  “He doesn’t know how you got back. But he knows about the adventure you’re planning. After all, don’t forget that he paid for it, and it’s with money from the treasury.”

  “And he’ll remind me of that forever.”

  Yorick shrugged. Borin glared at him as he pulled on one of his fine shirts. He knew the coins came from his father, and he felt guilty about it, but there was no other place to get them. And he would pay his father back someday. But that would be when he returned. Wherever he was going, he would earn more. However, he had no idea where that would be.

  “The ship is beautiful, Borin,” Yorick said as he went to the window and leaned on it with both hands. “Elric has done a great job this time too. I hope you won’t take him from the kingdom.”

  “I offered Elric a job on the ship, but he refused.”

  “I know Elric. He’s been here a long time. If he were younger, he’d undoubtedly leave everything and board… Iris? That’s the name of your ship?”

  “You have big ears, Yorick, but I didn’t think they were that big. I’m surprised you even know the ship’s name.”

  “That’s why your father values me, Prince. And speaking of King Severin, let me remind you again that he’s waiting. And despite being your father, it wouldn’t be wise to keep him waiting.”

  “Tell me, Yorick, did you hear anything else from last night?”

  “I heard, sir, but I’ll pretend I didn’t. I know the customs at such events, but those barbaric practices aren’t quite fitting for a kingdom like ours. I hope it didn’t reach his ears. I can cover up that you were there, but all that bloodshed… He’ll probably find out.”

  “But you said…”

  “Yes, I said I wouldn’t tell him. But he has other ears. Ones he doesn’t need to pay. They simply tell him things to gain favor. For example, villagers, his guards, or even someone you considered close.”

  “Cassius?”

  “No, your father doesn’t like Cassius. They have a history.”

  His head throbbed again. What he had drunk the previous night was more than he had consumed in his entire life until then. He rose with great effort and followed Yorick.

  The throne room was empty. Every time he came here, Borin would see his father. Sometimes with Yorick, sometimes entirely alone. His mother rarely entered this place, and Lord Severin didn’t like letting her in here. He believed that there was no place for women in matters of ruling a kingdom—it was entirely a man’s job. His older brother, Bromir, had told him the same things. He didn’t know who was right. He only knew that he hated thrones, princes, and kings. He wanted to leave.

  “Borin!”

  His father tried to sound regal and kingly, but his voice was not the most imposing.

  “King Severin?” Borin addressed him with the respect due to someone of lower rank.

  “No need for formalities, son. We’re alone,” Severin snapped his fingers, and the guards at the door left the room. “I see you had a good time yesterday.” His father pointed at him.

  Borin looked down. His white shirt, which reached below his waist, had red stains. They looked faint and were likely from wine rather than the lamb’s blood. He tried to clean them with his hand but couldn’t. It seemed he hadn’t chosen a clean shirt. He felt ashamed, but there was nothing he could do now.

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  “What are these rituals in my court, Borin?”

  “They’re not rituals. We were consecrating the ship.”

  “Consecrating the ship? My sister used to say the same things and do the same. Will you end up like her? Did those drunkards make you do this?”

  “The captain said it was for good luck.” It wasn’t Cassius, but he didn’t want to expose Elric.

  “The captain? Let me guess, Cassius?”

  Borin sat on the nearest chair at the long table before his father’s throne. His head ached, and the conversation with the king seemed more serious than he had expected. He didn’t know if Yorick had told him everything, but his father knew even about Cassius.

  “Cassius is the most experienced sailor and the best captain.”

  “Cassius is a drunk and a scoundrel. I don’t even know if he’s ever been on a ship.”

  “You don’t know him, Father. Cassius has experience…”

  “Cassius is alive only because I spared him. Cassius was one of my warriors. One of Tiberius’s men. Well, when Tiberius was weaker. Now he’s grown as big as a bison.”

  Borin looked at him. His head throbbed again, making it difficult to understand what his father was trying to say. He wasn’t sure if he had heard correctly.

  “Yes, Borin. That same Cassius deserted my army after a few drunken nights. Not that he didn’t drink before. He did, and it’s my fault I didn’t expel him myself. But he stopped showing up.” His father stood up from his throne and sat at the table before him. “Then Tiberius found him in one of the taverns in the company of a few women. He wanted to slit his throat then, but I stopped him. And now you trust such a man?”

  Borin wasn’t pleased with what he was hearing. He had little trust in Cassius anyway, but if this was true, should he trust him at all? On the other hand, if he renounced his captain after just a few words from his father, he would look pathetic.

  “I’ve made up my mind, Father. When you learned that I wanted to sail, you told me to be responsible for my decisions. Well, I’m going to do that now. If you’re right and Cassius is as bad as you say, then let me get burned. But if you’re wrong, I have big dreams tied to the sea.”

  “All I want from you is to stop these barbaric customs in my court. Here, we don’t slaughter animals, pray to gods that aren’t ours, or honor nonsense. Anything related to blood is tied to magic and witchcraft. I neither like nor tolerate them.”

  The sun shifted, and a ray struck Borin’s eyes. His head throbbed again, and the light irritated his retina. A memory of the previous night at the wooden dock flashed. He remembered emptying all the barrels he had provided for the ship’s consecration. Then there was some fight. One of his new crew had fought someone. There was blood everywhere, not just from the slaughtered lamb. Everything was so confusing. He recalled that at the end of the night, two ladies had appeared and sat on Cassius’s lap. He had felt envious. Then everything faded again.

  He pushed the chair aside, and his mind returned to the present.

  “We’re leaving in a few days, Father.”

  “In a few days? I thought you’d stay at least for your brother’s wedding.”

  “I’m afraid I’ll miss it. And honestly, Bromir probably won’t even notice I’m not there.”

  “I went down to the ship this morning.”

  Borin looked at him. He hadn’t expected that.

  “It looks good, son. Elric has done a great job this time too.”

  “Yorick said the same.”

  “Did all the money suffice?”

  “Yes. There were even a few silver coins left, but I’ll give them to the crew.”

  His father lowered his head. He seemed a little more relaxed.

  “That’s good. The crew should be well-paid. Especially with people like Cassius in it, who only care about money. Forgive me, but I still don’t trust him. And I’m still against what you’ve decided. But I see there’s no turning back.”

  He was right. There was no turning back. Despite the doubts that reached him several times a day, by the end of each day, he was eager and began counting the days until departure.

  “You’ll need a lot of drink on board, you know that?”

  His stomach turned just at the thought of drinking. If for some reason his father mentioned it again, he might lose everything from the previous night right there in the throne room.

  “The crew? Who are they?”

  “Some of his people. There are three of them. I’ve seen one. I haven’t even heard of the others.”

  “Are they from here?”

  “I don’t know, Father. He trusts them. And they didn’t charge me much.”

  “Well—” His father was holding something in his hands, turning it over from palm to palm. “If you trust Cassius, then you should trust them too.”

  “But something else worries me, Father.”

  Severin looked at him with his dark blue eyes. They resembled the sea. Everything lately reminded him of the sea.

  “Why are you asking me so many questions?”

  His father lowered his gaze back to what he held in his hands, delaying his response.

  “You’re my son. And the ship was built with the kingdom’s money. The kingdom profits from its people. A king must manage the tax money well. You don’t hear the people, Borin, but they’re asking about this ship. It literally grew like a flower before their eyes. At first, no one objected, but now that they know it belongs to the king’s son, they’re starting to talk and ask questions. And that’s normal; I’d ask too in their place.”

  “What business is it of theirs?” Borin felt anger rise, which turned into strong pulsations in his head. Exactly what he didn’t need now.

  “As I said, it’s their money. And you don’t hear their voices. But one day, you’ll be king. Well, not here—” Severin pointed to the uncomfortable throne. “Your brother will be here. But you’ll marry a lady and rule lands. Or if the gods will it, your wife’s lands. And then you’ll start hearing. Even the quietest voice in the kingdom will roar in your head.”

  “People forget, Father. Two days after I sail, no one will be talking.”

  “That’s also true. Still, for your brother’s wedding…”

  “No, Father. My brother can get married without me. I was never close to him anyway.”

  “Those are words no father wants to hear. But still, there will be people from all the kingdoms here. As well as their sons and daughters. Think about it. It’s an opportunity for you. The ship can wait.”

  Borin tried to catch his father’s gaze but couldn’t find it. His father was looking at the paper in his hands again.

  “I thought I heard from our conversation that you had accepted it, Father. Why do I feel like you’re trying to dissuade me?”

  “Dissuade you? No. But for me, it would be much better if you were here at the wedding. The daughters of the lords coming are a big opportunity for us. Your brother will marry, but I want to marry you off too. If I marry you off, only your sisters will remain. And it’s easier to find a husband for a woman. The other way around…”

  “This isn’t for me, Father. If the gods decide, I’ll marry at sea. If not…”

  “You sound just like my sister. Better stop. Do you at least have a direction? A goal?”

  He had no plan. Nor did he know where he wanted to go. He just wanted to get on the ship and sail. Sail far. To wake up to the excitement and fall asleep to it. He couldn’t tell his father that. It would seem childish, something unthoughtful. At least he was paying Cassius, who wouldn’t judge him. But his father…

  “We do, Father,” Borin lied. “We’re heading west.”

  “That’s the only direction, isn’t it? Do you know what’s there?”

  He didn’t know. No one did. At least not those he had asked.

  “No, Father. But Cassius has an acquaintance who has a map of the lands there.”

  Another lie.

  “As far as I know Cassius, the drunkard has no such map. But I promised I wouldn’t talk about him anymore.”

  His father’s large fingers gently traced the edges of the paper he held in his hands. Borin now noticed it and focused his gaze on it. With not much resolve, his father finally handed it to him.

  “Can you read this map?”

  The king, who was also his father, placed the paper on the table and unfolded it. Borin had seen a map before, but never one like this. It resembled the map of the World they lived in, which hung in almost every room in the kingdom, but this one was slightly different. Because Volkar, which was always depicted as one of the most western kingdoms, was now to the East. And to the west of it, there was only the sea. Here and there, a small island was visible. And all of this wasn’t drawn by an experienced cartographer. The crooked lines and ugly handwriting indicated that. Something an experienced person in this field wouldn’t have done. Borin traced all the points on the map with his finger.

  “Is it real?”

  “I don’t know. It was with Liora.”

  “Aunt?”

  “Yes. My dear sister. The map was in her girdle. They recognized it as hers by the girdle. And only her girdle was found.”

  “Interesting,” Borin examined the map. Everything was sea. And very few places to dock. If the map was genuine, venturing into the open sea would be tantamount to death. And a death that would come from hunger and thirst. However, something else caught his attention. At the top left of the map, where the northwesternmost part should be, there was no land, but an arrow was drawn over the sea, splitting at the end. One part pointed north, the other west. And that’s where the map ended.

  “What is this?” Borin pointed precisely at this spot to his father.

  “I don’t know, Borin. I just thought of the map and figured it might help you. A king always has interesting things in his pockets.”

  Borin smiled, and the excitement inside him collided with the pain in his head, which felt like blows to his forehead, intensifying it. He grabbed his aching spot and made a grimace, which he quickly tried to remove to avoid raising unnecessary questions.

  “I still insist on seeing your map,” his father hadn’t forgotten. “If Liora’s is accurate, the path you’re taking is a bit troubling, and you’ll need to stock the ship well with provisions.”

  “And drink.”

  His father leaned back in his chair.

  “And drink, yes. Especially to keep Cassius calm.”

  There was a knock at the hall door, and then it opened.

  “Prince Bromir,” one of the guards announced. His brother entered almost immediately.

  “Hello, brother,” Borin greeted him first.

  “What are you doing here?” Bromir was as curt as always.

  “I was about to ask you the same, Bromir,” their father intervened.

  “I’ve come to talk to my beloved father about the visit from Jar tomorrow.”

  “Regarding that, Borin,” his father turned to him, “Tomorrow evening, we’ll have dinner with the Jar family and their sons and retainers.”

  “Tomorrow?”

  “Yes, Borin. It would be desirable for you to be here.”

  “Yes, Borin,” Bromir stood next to their father, mimicking him. “We don’t want you to disgrace the kingdom. You’re doing enough of that by mingling with the simple fishermen down at the dock. I heard what you did last night. Drinking, sacrifices, whores. I didn’t know you were like that.”

  “Bromir!” his father shouted louder. “Borin, please leave us.”

  Borin couldn’t wait to hear that from his father. He couldn’t stand not just the throne room but Bromir as well. He bowed as was proper and left.

  His head still hurt. A storm was approaching outside, which only added to his pressure. He climbed to his room. There was only one floor above him, where Lilith’s room was. But even from his, the view was good. Both windows faced it. They faced Iris.

  She stood beautifully, the gentle waves making her dance.