Deck timbers groan as the Mermaid’s Folly heaves alongside the pier, and my first steps onto the dock bow my knees. Spiritwild Island feels unsteady, as if it’s the world that rocks now, not me. I hitch my satchel higher, and shove my cropped hair out of my face. Somewhere up in those mist-throttled peaks is Silverpaw Academy; my only way out. If I’m lucky, my escape from Isaac Banes.
“The Academy’s up that path,” the captain pipes up, sidling in without warning. His finger stabs at a crooked trail vanishing into the black-green forest above the docks. “Stone markers. Just follow ’em. Won’t get lost, even if you try.”
I nod, swallowing past the knot in my throat. There are no words left—not for thanks, not with all that’s waiting ahead.
He leans in. “If you get caught, you never heard o
