Chapter 22

Once we were away from the beach, Sunny gave me a brief hug. “I’m sorry for your hard time. It’s over now, thank goodness.”

“Hard time is putting it mildly,” I said, returning her embrace after a moment. I couldn’t hold anything against her. She was only being friendly. Insistent, but friendly. We broke off, and she took me towards the edge of the forest. I couldn’t see to the other side of the dense formation of palms, coconut trees.

“Don’t worry, you’re going to love it here. Everyone does.”

“I’m sure,” I said neutrally. “What is Haven, exactly?”

“I’ll let Ozzie tell you. He can do it better.”

That line again. I struggled to think of what we could talk about, if the real questions were off the table. “Where are you from originally?” I couldn’t think of anything else to ask, and in the silent moments, thoughts of Zack, O’Connor, and even Captain Zhang flashed through my head. Sunny was a welcome distraction.

Sunny’s lips pursed into a frown for the first time since I’d met her. “We don’t like talking about our old lives here. We’re Haveners now, and that’s what matters.”

I nodded, forcing a smile to my face. It didn’t take a genius to read between the lines; the way they spoke, they saw Haven as a one-way trip, and thought I’d just joined their ranks. I remembered from my training that it was a Wizard Corpsman’s duty to escape if they were captured. However, I needed more information before I took a stab at that. “How big is Haven?”

“About five kilometers wide,” she said, pointing out towards the beach. “It’s shaped like a halfmoon around the bay, but it’s otherwise a perfect circle.”

“Five kilometers?” Haven had seemed imposing from the Sipadan’s deck, but that didn’t make any sense. “There isn’t anything that big in the Spratlys.”

“We think the Chinese navy built it up back in the day to claim things. It might have been multiple small islands and shoals before.” She adjusted her drab jumpsuit. “Good thing, too, since they left a lot of supplies for us.”

I peered out, but the only thing I saw besides sky and ocean were a few of the pitiful, nearly barren sandbars that dotted the whole island chain. “That reminds me. Where did my uniform go?”

“Oh, that? It was in shreds when we found you, so I changed you.”

That didn’t make any sense to me; Wizard Corps uniforms were stitched with fabricata that would automatically draw on the user’s magic to harden into armor. If it was in shreds, I should have been sliced to ribbons with it, and only my shin hurt.

Sunny smirked at me, misreading my worried expression. “Don’t worry, none of the men saw you.”

My face flushed. “I wasn’t worried about that until you said something.”

“It wouldn’t have been the worst thing; you’re a pretty one. It’s too bad those surplus jumpsuits aren’t flattering.” Sunny’s face brightened up. “Do you know how to weave?” I shook my head. “I’m not the best at it, so we can learn together! I’m new, too. Ruth is great at turning coconut leaves into skirts. We could make you a nice hat to start. You’ll want one; the sun can be murder, especially with your fair skin.”

“I guess you wouldn’t have a lot of suntan lotion,” I muttered, already sweltering in the heat. I unzipped the jumpsuit, discovering there wasn’t anything beneath it. I quickly zipped it back up enough for modesty’s sake. “How do you manage? This thing doesn’t breathe at all.”

Sunny shrugged. “I’m used to it by now. Unless something better washes up or you learn to make your own, it’s all we have.”

She took me through the repurposed shipping containers, introducing me to the other female Haveners. The only one that stood out was Puja, an older woman with an eyepatch.

Another woman wearing a tattered baseball cap took one look at me before surrendering it. “You can have it until we make you something; you need it more than me.”

“Thanks… ma’am.” Funny, I was usually so good with names. I think my brain rejected learning more about them because that would be setting down roots, and that wasn’t about to happen.

I wondered if I was being unfair. They all seemed amiable enough. Then again, why shouldn’t they? They thought I’d just joined their society.

Once the introductions were out of the way, everybody went their separate ways to finish up their daily chores. I got roped into helping chop up some yams from Sunny’s garden for the communal dinner. The card table had seen better days, but it was clean enough for the task. Not that I wanted to, but I suspected that Haven took a ‘she who does not work does not eat’ attitude, and I was starving.

“What did you do before?” she asked, looking over the irregular hunks of orange vegetable laid out before me. “You’re pretty young; were you in school?”

“I am,” I said, not letting her catch me using the past tense.

“What for?”

“It definitely wasn’t cooking,” I replied, chuckling awkwardly. “I attended a military academy.” If my uniform really was gone, they might not have recognized me as a wizard, and I wanted to keep that under wraps for as long as I could. Information is ammunition, after all.

Sunny frowned for the first time since I’d met her. “Military? Hm.”

“What in the world is wrong with that?” I demanded.

“Nothing, nothing,” she said. “That can wait until later.”

Night came early, and all the people of Haven came together before a large bonfire. The circle of rocks made a good bench, giving us a place to sit as we ate. As with everything else in Haven, our cookware was a hodgepodge. Some had ceramic plates, others were repurposed bits of metal, while I was handed half of a dried-out coconut and some chopsticks. Good thing I’ve spent half a year in Japan.

Sunny joined me, with Puja on the other side. “Rose, these yams turned out great! Thank you for helping out.”

“You’re welcome,” I said.

Puja barked a harsh laugh. “You don’t have to patronize her because she’s new, Sunny. She only chopped them up.”

“That’s important, too,” she protested.

I turned to face Puja. She seemed more realistic than the others. Maybe I could get some straight answers out of her? “Puja, how did you come to Haven?”

“Rose, that’s rude!” said Sunny.

“No harm telling my rebirth story,” said Puja, adjusting her greying hair, which she had braided and slung over a shoulder. “I’d bet my story’s a lot like yours. I was on a passenger ship running between the Philippines and Tokyo when we got caught in some nasty weather and capsized.” She pointed at a young man with her same olive skin tone on the other side of the fire. “My son Kumar and I were the only ones who survived.” She nudged me with her elbow, waggling her eyebrows. “Y’know, he isn’t paired yet, either. Isn’t he a handsome boy? I’ll introduce you tomorrow.”

I smiled politely. So much for her being more down to earth. Of course, the mention of pairing made me think of Zack. The sudden burst of wind blew the chopsticks out of my bowl and buffeted the bonfire.

“Not again,” said Puja, glaring with her good eye up at the sky.

“Not again?” I asked. It was so strange to not be blamed right away for Stormbringer’s outburst. Had they not realized I was the source?

“It’s something you’ll notice about Haven,” said Sunny, breaking back into the conversation. “We get a lot of freak weather around here. It’s not the worst though. It brought us here, after all.”

I pasted another smile on my face. Great, she’s a nutter, or at least a true believer. I was glad I’d saved my magic all day; there was a chance I’d have to fight my way out. “Oh, I had wondered. The storm that brought my ship down seemed to come out of nowhere.”

“Well, you’ll get used to it,” said Puja. “Or you won’t. Might be better if you don’t; complaining about it gives you something to talk about. Breaks up the monotony.”

“Hey, Haven is perfect,” protested Sunny. “It isn’t monotonous, it’s blessed!”

“Don’t listen to her too much,” said Puja. “She’s fresh off the sea. You calm down eventually once you’ve been here a few years.”

“Years, huh? How do you fill the time?”

“We spend a lot of time working,” said Sunny, counting off with her fingers. “There’s always cleaning, or mending, or cooking to be done while Ozzie and the men go fishing. That can take them away for a few days at a time.”

“What if I wanted to go fishing? Would I be allowed?”

Sunny looked confused by the question. “Well, if Ozzie said it was alright.”

“Have you ever asked?” I didn’t like the way the conversation was going. Gender roles like that seemed so last century, or even older.

“No, of course not,” said Sunny, sounding offended. “That’s their space, right? It just isn’t done.”

“C’mon, Sunny, it’s obvious what she’s after,” said Puja, nudging me again. “You move fast! You’re awake one day and you want to go find yourself a man. Don’t try to get on the fishing boats, though. That’s coming on too strong.”

My fingernails dug into my leg as I forced myself to stay pleasant. “Oh, no, it’s nothing like that. I just used to go fishing with my dad, so I think I’d be better at it than cooking and cleaning.”

“It isn’t done,” repeated Sunny.

“Let’s change subjects,” I said. Please, let’s change subjects! “You kept saying that Ozzie could explain better.” I nodded at Haven’s leader, just visible on the opposite side of the bonfire. “When will I get to talk with him?”

Sunny’s face brightened. “As soon as everyone’s done. Oh, you’re going to love The Welcoming, Rose! It’s so much fun.”

“Finally, something we agree on,” said Puja. “You’re too tense, Rose; it’s going to take a load off.”

“The Welcoming?”

Before I could probe further, Ozzie jumped to his feet. The feathery robes he’d worn flew off as he went, revealing his lithe body except for what his hat and shorts covered. A hush went over the group as he raised his hands.

“People of Haven, tonight is a special occasion! It is time to bring another newcomer into the fold! Rose, will you please step forward?”

I didn’t see the harm in it. Ozzie struck me as a bit of a show-boater, but if he was running a tribe like this, he’d need to be. I didn’t sense anything malicious in him. The alternative would be to fight a whole tribe at once, and I didn’t see a way to do it without leveling Haven with my magic. All I need to do is play along until I can get out of here. Besides, it might be fun.

If I’d had an ounce of sense, I’d have run away screaming instead.