揅ytisus scoparius,?she said, tossing it to me.
I held it up and peered inside. 揅ommon name, broom.?I抎 come across the description in the big book where Selene had illustrated a thousand poison plants in vivid detail. I handed it back to her. 揥hat are you going to do with it??
揃room can raise the winds. If you have enough of it you can raise hurricane-force gales. Usually it抯 used for purification rituals or protection spells.?She uncorked the bottle and sprinkled a few minuscule pieces of the dried plant into the palm of her hand. 揃ut in this freshly grown form it can be used to stir the air around you. It抯 helpful for sailing on a windless day.?
She breathed deep and the pieces sprouted yellow and orange blooms and angled grass-green stems. Circe quickly snapped off the petals and tossed them high into the air above her head, where they blew apart and rained down on us like confetti. A breeze gusted across the deck, scattering the broken petals to the water. A gale, with enough force to violently rock the boat, descended on us. I grabbed ahold of Marie to steady myself as the sails billowed and snapped and the ship lurched forward.
Persephone set a heading and we sailed away from the bluff in the bright light of the morning sun. I watched the lighthouse shrink, but even at a distance, I could see Hermes standing in the upper room. Messenger god, protector of travelers. I wondered if he抎 done all he could do for us.
The novelty of being on a wannabe pirate ship wore off as soon as the nausea set in. The sway of the boat was gentle but the way my stomach flip-flopped around inside me was not. I stayed close to the rail in case I needed to throw up, gripping it until my hands ached. The moist air in my face helped, but the sick feeling continued to roll over me in waves.
Marie stood beside me, her hand on the small of my back. 揧ou get seasick??
I shrugged. 揑 guess? I抳e never been on a boat like this.?
Persephone joined us and slipped the slender finger of a freshly skinned ginger root into my hand. 揚owdered is better, but you look like you could use some relief sooner than later. Bite off a chunk. It抣l be a little bitter, but the fastest way to get it into your system is just to chew it.?
I bit into the pale yellow flesh and chewed it as fast as I could. The stringy pieces stuck between my teeth, but almost as soon as I抎 finished the first chunk I started to feel a little better. I bit off another, wincing as the bitter taste stung my tongue. I didn抰 care if it burned out my entire throat, I needed the relief.
Persephone patted me on the shoulder and went back to staring off into the distance from the front of the ship through a pair of binoculars. Circe sat on the short steps that led to the area belowdecks. It was empty down there except for the cages containing the Absyrtus Heart in two of its many forms. I could hear the rhythmic beating even as the constant rush of wind battered the billowing sails.
In the early afternoon, everyone ate but I still couldn抰 stomach anything heavier than some fruit and bottled water. Persephone produced four pairs of noise-canceling headphones she抎 purchased before we left New York.
揟hese are the best ones money can buy,?she said, handing us each a set. 揘othing gets in. Try it.?
I slipped them over my ears and immediately the world went silent. I could see Marie抯 mouth moving but heard absolutely nothing. I pulled one of the earpieces away from the side of my head and the sound came rushing in like a wave.
揂s soon as the rocks come into view, we should put them on,?said Circe. 揚ersephone will let us know when she sees them.?
I nodded. 揥hat do we do if the sirens try to come onto the ship??All I could picture was the pottery shard and the figures being pulled overboard.
Circe and Persephone exchanged glances.
揥e just have to try and get as close to the shore as possible and in silence,?Circe said.
揝eems like a solid plan,?Marie said, sarcasm dripping from every word. 揓ust be real quiet. Cool. Why didn抰 anybody else think of that??
揑 know being a smart-ass is just your way, but it抯 not helpful right now.?Circe seemed annoyed. 揑f you have a better idea, I抎 love to hear it. If not, I don抰 know, you could always just be quiet.?
Marie stayed quiet but she wasn抰 happy about it. She pressed her lips together and let her gaze wander to the deck under her feet. The stress of this journey was testing our patience.
I gently nudged Marie. 揑 have an idea, but I don抰 know if it抣l work.?
揕et抯 hear it,?Persephone said, shooting Marie a quick glance.
揂untie棓 I stopped short. It had just slipped out. Auntie. A title I didn抰 know if Circe wanted or needed or deserved. Not because she wasn抰 all the things an auntie should be: concerned with my safety but not in a way that kept her from letting me do things I probably shouldn抰， kind to a fault. But she抎 been all those things to me in a little less than a month. It was enough time for me to understand that I cared about her and she cared about me, too. I thought of my auntie Leti and what she might have done in this situation. Circe reminded me of her in a way. Maybe that抯 why I抎 slipped up. Or maybe it wasn抰 a slipup at all.