Toshie opened her eyes.

  She turned her head, and there was Yrlith and young Sally. She jumped.

  “I locked the door!” Toshie yelled, scrambling to pull the sheet over her naked body.

  “And I unlocked it,” Sally smirked. “You think a Princess doesn’t learn a thing or two all those years bored in a big castle?”

  “What a big girl you are, Sal.”

  Sally poked Yrlith in the stomach. “Get dressed, Hero. We’ve got a ship to catch.”

  “Can a girl get some privacy?” Toshie still had only one set of clothes, which she had hung to air out.

  “Wall of Mirrors,” Sally said with a bored wave of her hand. A reflective barrier appeared between Toshie and the couple. She scrambled to put on her clothes but couldn’t help but notice her reflection. That strange scar was still there. She shook her head and finished dressing.

  “Okay, I’m ready.”

  “Felt like showing off?” Yrlith asked Sally.

  “Well, someone likes to think I don’t know anything,” Sally said with a grin.

  The bickering couple was starting to grow on Toshie. She would miss them when they parted ways.

  “You slept for over a day,” Yrlith expined over breakfast. This time, Toshie had opted for the sausages. ‘You can’t mess up a sausage,’ she thought. One bite in, she was gd to taste something familiar. ‘Best not ask what it is made from,’ she thought as she chewed.

  “So, is that why you broke into my room?” Toshie asked between bites.

  “The second time, yeah,” said Sally, now disguised as Lady Starshine. “The first time, Yrlith was curious how you looked when asleep.”

  kick.

  “I was not!” Yrlith protested. “I wanted to make sure you weren’t dead or had run off. I didn’t think you’d sleep that long.”

  Toshie ughed. She had slept well. “Sorry for worrying you.”

  “It’s fine,” Sally said. “We did some shopping and some pnning. We’re going to take a ship to…” She stopped. “Here, we bought you this.” Sally pulled a map out of her bag.

  “We’re here.” Sally pointed to Port Stonegate on the map. “The southern part of Unterstonend, which, yes, is named after my family. Don’t remind me. Anyway, this small continent doesn’t have much except for mining. That’s why my parents wanted to marry me to one of the kingdoms here.” She pointed to a rge continent toward the east. It looked like something from history css. Toshie hated history css.

  “So I assume we’re not going there?”

  “She’s smart. I hope she’ll rub off on you.”

  Sally ignored Yrlith.

  “We’ll be heading south. Stonegate is a small port town. Waterlink is…”

  “A nd full of Water Magic users?” Toshie had a sudden burst of confidence.

  “No, it’s a big port isnd. Lots of trade goes through there. There are too many people for us to stand out. We can figure something out there.”

  “What is your pn?” Toshie had expected more.

  “Yeah, what is our pn?” Yrlith said as she chewed on some bread.

  “Hey, we’re a Princess, a Dragonkin, and the Great Hero. We’ll figure something out.” She kissed Yrlith on the cheek.

  “Your old dy lips are disgusting,” Yrlith said.

  “Make them nicer next time.”

  The three packed and headed to the docks. They passed by a fancy-looking ship and boarded a big but pin one. Toshie felt relieved that Sally wasn’t always expecting royal treatment.

  “Lady Starshine and her two servants,” Yrlith said to the Dwarf who greeted them on the ship. He looked at the paper in his hands and nodded.

  “Down those steps and all the way to the back and right. Remember, don’t touch any of the shipment.”

  The three nodded and headed down the stairs. The ship’s storage area was dark and filled with various Dwarves, Houndsfolk, and other beings Toshie did not yet know the names of. They walked to where they had been instructed and found a little space nestled between two walls of boxes. They set up their bedrolls as the ship set sail.

  “You know, I’ve never been on a boat before,” Toshie said as she stretched out her arms. “It…” She squirmed.

  “You okay?” Yrlith asked.

  “Bucket’s over there,” Sally pointed to the corner of their space.

  Toshie dashed over to it. The sausage was not as tasty coming up. She crawled to her bedroll to sleep when she had nothing left in her stomach. “Goodnight,” she started to say, but she noticed Sally and Yrlith snoring away. She closed her eyes.

  This time, she dreamt she was in her ex-boyfriend’s house. She was trying to unstick his toilet with a plunger. With every push, more and more water burst out of the toilet. The water reached her knees. Her ex opened the door, pointed a finger at her, and yelled, “Thief!” Toshie jumped. He yelled it again. And again. And again.