The water below the ship was as smooth and translucent as glass, the sandy beaches as white as snow. Strange-looking trees with wide leaves and brown fruit lined the sand. These trees spoke to me, but they sounded different somehow from the trees back home. “Welcome, little one!” they called. I almost waved at them, stopping just short of screaming a greeting in return. “It’s beautiful,” Maeve gasped. Colors surrounded us, most of them bright and blinding. Olive-skinned natives approached us, their friendly wide eyes surveying us. The weapon on my back felt heavy and ridiculous faced with the affable islanders. “Are there no forests?” Oran asked. I repeated his question aloud. “They’re further inland,” Daegan said, joining us. “One of the sailors told me the island was formed by a volcano, and that it’s still occasionally active. The further you walk inland, the steeper the island becomes with forests and waterfalls lining the side of the volcano.” “One of the sailors told you, huh?”
