Empire Island, Exile the First

Chapter 8

We drank our tea out of a shiny silver thermos that Mara had brought along just for the occasion.

The other women seemed overly excited to see Empire, and I couldn't tell if it was their first time to the island.

The ferry didn't stop near the veil, per se. The vessel kept going, but it hit the continual fog bank that protected the northern end of the island, the larger portion with the well source and our people.

We could walk back and forth once we were on Empire, but getting through the veil that first time always took an extra nudge to help. The longer you were on Empire, the more residual magic you'd pick up and it would prevent you from needing the tea.

Unless you were like me and had spent the last decade living in the city with the stench of concrete slowly encasing your aura. In that case, I needed it like any other first timer.

I took the cup from Mara when she offered it, and I inhaled the fragrant steam of Eva's brew. Ingredient-wise, it was the same one her mom had brewed all those years. But taste-wise, it was different. I sensed Eva's hesitation in the tea, her holding back some of her powers when she'd done a spell over top of it.

I also tasted her magic.

She had a distinct floral flavor. It was the highest note above the bitter-sour of the tea. The others present grimaced when they drank the hot liquid, I smiled to myself, enjoying it.

The closer we got to the veiled end of Empire, the more the other passengers seemed suddenly interested in anything but looking at the foggy shore. It was part of the protective magic that cloaked the place.

I waited until Mara stood up and led us to the bow of the ferry where we would disembark. After seeing Titanic, Eva and I had snickered at this part every time. We'd parody the scene where she was yelling about flying so many times that the crew had finally barred us from going past the little exit door.

Being on the upper deck meant we were quite high up, but with the tea and magic in our bodies, the skyway bridge would appear and we'd walk down through the fog to the slip on shore where it opened up into bright blue skies and brilliant sunlight.

The weather was always perfect on Empire. When it rained, it was warm and pleasant, and we never had problems with wind storms like they did on the mainland. This meant the trees here grew tall and straight. Fir and Cedars towered over everything, well over 200 feet above us on the ground. There was something spiritual standing in the middle of a grove inland from the water, looking up. You didn't need a church to worship your creator when you had cathedrals among the trees.

I heard the barking laughs of the island's resident sea lions somewhere in the distance, and when I looked down, I saw a group of sleek seals swimming alongside the ferry. They didn't appear to be our usual grays we'd get around here, and I thought I caught a flash of golden fur before they slipped under the water and out of sight.

I looked up at the gulls drifting overhead, riding the currents of the wind and enjoying the freedom their lives afforded. From somewhere within the dark trees, I heard the rasping croak of a raven announcing our arrival.

Despite all the years away and me fleeing from the island originally, it felt good to be back. It still felt like home.

"You don't seem nervous," Mara said, standing next to me as we waited for our chance. "Most people are nervous on their first time."

"I'm a laid back kind of person," I replied, not looking over at her. "Plus, I hide it well. Generational trauma kind of does that to a person, makes them good at hiding things."

I'd meant it as a flippant remark, but perhaps it revealed too much about the truth because she nodded knowingly and I didn't like the light that sparked in her eye.