They were sailing through the ocean towards Admari, the ocean calm and air warm. Orlan was at the Captains wheel as Bren had disappeared into his cabin once the anchor was raised. Iasa had been placed on her bed to sleep through the journey so she would have her power back by the time they reached land.

Both Kas and Atu were stood on the deck watching the ocean- Eboni realised that this would be the first time they had sailed this far into the seas. Knowing that she was feeling the same as them just over a week before she left them to themselves. They had just lost their mother and begun to fight a cause that would determine the fate of their world. It was not an easy idea to get through your head.

Eboni made her way below deck stopping outside Bren's room, debating whether to go in or not. The door flew open before she could reach for the handle.

"I saw your shadow at the bottom of the door." He said, his voice void of emotion.

"I didn't know whether to let you be for a while." She replied softly. "What that man said- you aren't like them Bren."

He turned and stalked back into his room, sitting on his bed with his head in his hands. Eboni crawled into the bed beside him, snuggling up to his shoulder.

"You are my family Bren. You're the only family I've got. God's Land is your home! Not some island that your family haven't set foot on for generations."

"How do you know that my family haven't been there for generations?" He said looking her square in the eye before pulling back, away from her.

Her heart sank at his gesture.

"One of the books I brought with me was the journal of the first explorer. He travelled to Tozaro just as The Darkness was starting to invade the people's minds." She began to explain, knowing that hiding the truth from him now would just hurt him further. "He met a young girl and she agreed to go with him when he left. Only when they were a few days into their journey he realised that she had brought the Darkness with her. He left her on God's Land, only the High Priest and Priestess knew what consumed her. This was hundreds of years ago and at the time I had no idea that she was your ancestor. I am so sorry Bren, I never kept anything from you knowingly!" She sat up in the bed her eyes wet with unshed tears.

With a sigh, Bren pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry. This just wasn't what I imagined my family history to be."

"You aren't like them." She replied firmly, "you were taught to love beauty and life." She placed a hand over his heart. "You are my brother, Bren. I love you. You are my protector and my guide. I would never have had the guts to start this journey without you. Elementi put you with me for a reason. Think about it! You are the only person out of all of us who is totally unsusceptible to The Darkness."

"I feel it though. The Darkness. At least that's what I think it is now. Every time I close my eyes or go to sleep, it's always there at the back of my mind. What do I do Eboni?" He pulled her tighter to him resting his head into her shoulder.

"You tell me the moment it starts to get too much for you. I'm here and I won't judge you. For all I know my family history could be even worse!" She chuckled. "I'm here for you, you know that right?"

"Always. Me and you against the world." He replied sitting back against the wall, pulling Eboni beside him.

"But it's not just us two anymore. The others are here for you too."

"I think they're a little spooked, don't you? I mean Atu and Kas- their mother was killed by The Dark Ones and here I am! They don't want me here- I'm their enemy." His voice trailed off leaving them in silence.

"We will have to show them who you really are then. Come on. Wash your face, change your clothes and meet me up on deck- we are going to talk to them and make sure everyone knows you aren't like them and that you are on our side." She nodded to herself before shoving him off the bed and pouring a jug of water into a basin for him to wash with.

"Don't dally, I want to see you up there in ten minutes." She smiled softly and gave him a peck on the cheek before heading to the door. "Iasa will wake up tomorrow- you can talk to her then. She will understand, don't worry. She knows you aren't cruel or heartless. If she does think that then I may have to report an accidental overboard."

She left Bren with a small smile playing on his lips.

Bren emerged onto the deck a brief time later. Eboni had passed the time by sitting on the deck by the captain's wheel, her legs dangling through the railings of the side- her feet damp from the ocean spray.

Orlan motioned for him to take the wheel and he happily obliged. She could see his shoulders relaxing as he began to steer the boat.

"You aren't them. You're nothing like them." Orlan said before patting Bren on the back and disappearing to his room.

Kas walked over with a small smile to Eboni before facing Bren.

"I don't know you, so I cannot judge you as a person. But Eboni trusts you, so I trust you. I won't speak for my brother, but I know how I feel. But just know, if you do anything to hurt anyone I care about or you in anyway sabotage this journey- I will kill you." Kas nodded and went back to Atu who was stood at the other end of the boat, his arms crossed and back rigid as he watched their exchange.

Bren gulped before sending a nervous smile to Eboni.

"That's all you can ask for Bren. When they get to know you as I do they will see you for who you are." Eboni replied, reassuringly.

Bren nodded "I know what he said is fair, but it didn't change how it feels. I would never betray you Eboni. I would never betray our creator either." He turned back to the ocean, continuing their journey in a shared silence.

Orlan returned to the wheel in the morning and as the second sun began to rise from the sea Eboni found herself on deck with Kas, Atu and a very tired Iasa.

"Meditate. It will help you channel the little power that is beginning to return to your body." Eboni said, sitting cross legged with Iasa.

"Fine, I'll try." She mumbled sleepily and shut her eyes, her breathing falling into a deep and rhythmic rhythm as she channelled her gift.

"What are you doing?" Atu asked, watching Iasa curiously.

"She is meditating. Looking inside herself and following her power pathways. It helps control and channel the power of our gifts." Eboni replied motioning for him to join her.

"No thank you. I prefer to physically use mine. The more I use it the stronger it becomes." He raised his hands to the back of the boat, the wind surrounding it picking up and pushing the boat forward.

The wind caught in the open sails propelling the boat forward, catching speed the longer it went on for. Iasa's eyes flew open as the ship crashed onto waves and bounced through the ocean. Laughing they grabbed onto rope to hold themselves steady. Atu lowered his hands and leaving a steady wind behind the boat to propel it faster through the waves.

"A little warning next time!" Orlan hollered down to them from the captain's wheel. His hand white from the tight grip he had on the wheel.

"Sorry!" Atu called back taking a seat on the deck next to Eboni who were also still clutching to the rope.

"You're showing me up brother!" Kas chuckled sitting down to join them on the deck floor.

"We are nowhere near earth, what can you do here?" Iasa asked.

Reaching from around his neck he produced a small vile of earth attached to a rope necklace. Popping the cork top off, he concentrated on the contents of the container. Eboni watched in awe as the soil inside multiplied- spilling out of the container. Green sprouts grew from the brown soil, rapidly growing around them.

Vines snaked around the railings and grew up the sail posts. A meadow of grass replaced the wooden deck dotted with blooming little flowers of all colours.

Eboni slowly stood and looked around. "This is... amazing!" She laughed as the boat quickly turned into an Eden.

"Show off." Atu muttered under his breath. Rolling his eyes as Kas grinned wildly.

"If you're all finished and everything, I would like to get back to meditating now." Iasa huffed, stifling a yawn before closing her eyes once more, seemingly indifferent to the scene around her.

Eboni laughed as a small apple tree sprung up beside her and a large red shiny apple grew. Kas plucked it from the small branches before they snapped off from the fruits weight and handed it to Eboni.

"Here, try this."

She bit a small chunk from its side her mouth filling with the sweetest and crunchy apple she had ever eaten.

"It's delicious!" She said humming in appreciation as she took another bite, smiling as more fruit trees began to grow around the boat. She couldn't help thinking that a bite of Rolezal chocolate would go rather nicely with the feast of fruit springing up around them. 

I love chocolate and fruit, hence why they have made it into the story! What are your favourite food combinations?