Chapter One: Embarking

She pulls the fur jacket over head and slips a red embroidered hat over her ears before stepping outside into the frigid air. The wind whips against her hair as she makes her way to the sheep pasture. The sky is dark, as it will stay for months until the next summer solstice.

After milking the sheep, she brings the two pails back to the house to be made into cheese.

When she arrives in the house, both her parents sit at the table, sipping hot tea. Joa personally never enjoyed tea. It just tastes like plant-water.

“Are you ready?” He asks

“Yes.” Her father had finally agreed to take her on one of his trips. Both of her older brothers regularly come and help on these trips but Joa had never gone before.

She has heard so many tales of traveling to new lands, yet never really experienced it herself.

Her brother Eskor enters the room, carrying his bag. He would be coming with.

Joa lets out a big grin, excitement brews in the pit of her stomach.

“I think you’ll find Farca to be an exciting place.” He says

“I hope so.”

Her Father, Stefan drains the last off his tea and stands up.

“Well we best be on our way.” He says, kissing her mother softly on the head.

Joa slings her bag over her shoulder and waves goodbye to her mother

As they make their way to the docks Eskor asks, “Eric’s on his way to Antar right?”

Eric, Joa’s oldest brother has been doing his own trips for some time now, as he steps into adulthood.

“Yes. He should be back in a few days.” Her father replies.

He crosses the docks, standing at a solid 6 ft. 10 in. Typical for an Efrean. Eskor is close behind, only a few inches shorter with a similar muscular build.

Her father leads her onto thee ship, showing her to her sleeping quarters, and her bunk mate, Liv. Joa places her bag on the unoccupied bed as he explains her responsibilities.

They climb back above deck, daylight pours through the hatch, crew members busy themselves adjusting sails, talking loudly. she watches as her father pulls the anchor out of the water.

The sails catch wind, and for the first time Joa watches as she leaves Efrea.

Later she manages to spot Liv, she has long black hair, and is short for an Efrean, yet still taller than Joa, who stands at a lousy 4 ft. 6.

Many people assume she’s a child even though she will be turning 16 this summer.

As a kid, it didn’t take long for her to realize she was different. Whenever she played with kids her age she was the smallest. When she he helped lift crates, she struggled to carry the smallest boxes. After years of lifting crates and playing with the bigger kids, she was able to gain muscle, and while still having a stubbornly small frame, she could at least keep up with her brothers.

Liv notices Joa and walks over.

“Hey! It’s about time we had another female onboard.”

“Yeah, I don’t know how you survive with all these men.” She says only half joking.

“Trust me, I’m not so sure myself sometimes.”

They continue chatting softly, gazing over the sparkling blue waters, Efrea has long since disappeared from sight and the ship is quiet.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***