There are two viewpoint characters in The Unknown Sea, each of whom is a love interest to the other. Chapter 1 is where we meet Enoch, the seventh son of a penniless noble family who embarks as a sea mage to make his fortune. Chapter 2 is where we meet Celeste, the younger half-sister of Seraph, who is determined to leave her tiny little fishing village and make her own way in the world, out from under her sister’s shadow. Enjoy!
The first rays of dawn slanted through the cottage’s single window, catching the steam that rose from the porridge pot on the side of the hearth. Celeste stirred the oats with a wooden spoon and glanced over her shoulder at her mother Elara, who was busy kneading dough for the morning bread.
“Tristan, set the table please,” Elara called. Her silver-streaked hair was pulled back in a severe bun. Celeste glanced away before their eyes met, unwilling to see the wariness there.
Celeste’s younger half-brother scrambled to open the cupboard, standing on his tip-toes to reach. At eight years old, he was all gangly limbs and boundless energy.
“The wooden ones or the good ones?” Tristan asked, though there was no way he didn’t already know the answer.
“The wooden ones,” Celeste and Elara said in unison, making both of them grin. The good bowls were four pieces of actual glazed pottery that had survived the family’s various relocations. They only emerged for feast days, or when Celeste’s stepfather, Gerard, brought in an especially profitable catch.
Celeste stirred the porridge again, absently fingering the pearl amulet that hung from her neck on a silver chain. A parting gift from her older sister Seraph, it was one of the most valuable pieces in their humble cottage. But the feel of the cool metal against her skin only served as a reminder of all the adventures that she’d missed and wasn’t likely to have. Unlike her older sister, who wandered with her mother nearly halfway around the world, the small cottage was the only home that Celeste had ever known.
“I’m going away for a while, and I don’t know when I’ll be back,” Seraph had told her. “But if you ever miss me or feel a need to talk, use this amulet to summon me. I promise, I will come.”
“How?” Celeste had asked. Her older half-sister had smiled.
“I’ve woven a powerful summoning spell into the pearl at the center of this amulet. All you need to unlock it is to use your magic to complete it. As soon as you do, the spell will open a portal to me wherever I am.”
“So then I’ll be able to come to you?”
She still remembered the way her heart had sunk as her sister had paused before answering.
“Yes, but I think it would be better if I came to you. It might not be safe where I am, after all. Besides, mother would be worried sick if you left the village without telling her.”
That, of course, was the crux of the issue. All her life, Celeste had been kept safe—precisely because her older half-sister, Seraph, had grown up in so much danger. But where Seraph seemed to have all the adventures, Celeste seemed doomed to live a life tethered to her quiet and boring home.
“What if the spell doesn’t work?” she had asked. Her half-sister must have mistaken her tone for worry, because she’d smiled and placed a reassuring hand on her arm.
“I promise, it will work. It’s a complex spell, but I’ve mastered it by now. We can test it, if you want.”
“No,” Celeste had said, groaning a little inside. “I trust you.”
Seraph’s effortless mastery of magic was enough to make her jaw clench. It was all a fulfillment of the sibyl’s prophecy, of course—that for good or for evil, Seraph would one day become the world’s most powerful sorceress. Unlike her older sister, Celeste had no such destiny to look forward to. She was just a simple village girl with a modest gift for magic—hardly remarkable at all.
I’ll show them all, she thought fiercely as she flipped the eggs. I won’t just be known as Seraph’s younger sister.
“Celeste, dear, would you bring the porridge to the table?” her mother asked.
“Yes, Mother.” Celeste used the hook from the fireplace to lift the pot, and set it on the hot pad at the center of the table while her mother cut up the last of yesterday’s loaf of bread. Tristan got a plate of cheese slices from the cupboard and set it out next to the butter.
“We’ve got a lot of work today,” Elara said as she served up the porridge with the wooden spoon. “Celeste, could you help me with the washing and mending?”
Celeste’s shoulders tensed. “But Mother, I promised the fishermen I’d help with their catch.”
Elara’s brow furrowed, making Celeste’s stomach sink. It wasn’t hard to see the argument that was brewing.
“You know I don’t like you going out on those boats. It isn’t the proper place for a young woman like yourself.”
“Proper?” Celeste scoffed. “Seraph got to leave home and study advanced magic at the Alynthian court. Why shouldn’t I learn to use my powers by helping our village?”
“Your sister’s situation is… different,” Elara said carefully. Her answer made Celeste clench her fists in frustration.
“You mean she was more talented than me. More special.”
“That’s not what I meant. Now, let’s have our breakfast. We’ll talk about it later.”
From the tone of her voice, Celeste knew that arguing with her mother was pointless, so she picked up her spoon and stared at her porridge and bread. Beneath her blouse, she felt the amulet dangling on its silver chain. Through the window, she could see the first fishing boats already leaving the village harbor, their sails catching the morning breeze.
“I bet Seraph’s eating fancy meals in the royal court by now,” Tristan piped up as he cut a large slab of butter for his porridge. “When I grow up, I’m going to be a famous mage too!”
“Not without any talent for it,” Celeste grumbled.
“Hey! Just because I haven’t felt it yet doesn’t mean I don’t have it too, just like you and Seraph!”
“If you do, it’s buried awful deep.”
“Now, now,” Elara chided, eying them both sharply. “No arguments at breakfast. That goes for both of you.”
For several long minutes, they ate in silence, Tristan glowering at Celeste for bringing up his lack of magical talent. It was a sore issue with him, much like Seraph’s power was to Celeste. Perhaps she had been too hard on him for it, but the looming threat of chores had been weighing on her mind. More than anything else, she just wanted to get out of the house.
She waited until her mother’s bowl was empty before she brought up the subject again.
“Mother, please,” she said, shortly after Elara had finished her last spoonful. “I need to practice if I’m ever going to get better. You know how important this is to me.”
“It’s dangerous out there, Celeste.”
Her cheeks flushed hot. “I’m not a child anymore! I can handle myself.”
“Celeste—”
“Why can’t you trust me like you trusted Seraph?”
The words burst out before she could stop them. She braced herself, expecting a major fight. Instead, her mother just sighed.
“You have your sister’s restless spirit and your father’s stubborn streak. I suppose it was foolish of me to think you’d be content with a fisherwoman’s life forever.”
Tristan looked up sharply. “Is Celeste going away too?”
“No, darling,” Elara said softly, ruffling his dark hair. “Your sister isn’t going anywhere. She’s just… eager to spread her wings a little.”
“So can I go?” Celeste asked, her heart beginning to race. “I’ll be careful, I promise. Please, Mother—just for the morning.”
Elara sighed again, her shoulder sagging. “Very well. But I want you back no later than noon. I really do need help with the mending. Understood?”
Celeste nodded eagerly, already pushing back from the table. “Thank you, Mother! I promise I’ll be careful.”
