Sweet Silius Island Honey

By Alex Scott

It's the best honey in town!

But where does it come from? How does it taste so good? It must be magic.

In fact, it is magic.

That's why a young man named Owen and a witch named Wanda are setting sail to the perilous Silius Island, searching for the source of this enchanted honey.

But will the bee people that inhabit that island consider them friends, or foes?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alex Scott
• Release date: Apr 29, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224241859

Alex Scott

Alex Scott is a writer, artist, educator, and Orthodox Christian from Chattanooga, TN. He began self-publishing in 2017 with Thresholds of the Grand Dream.

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SWEET SILIUS ISLAND HONEY

by

Alex Scott

Table of Contents

Title Page

Sweet Silius Island Honey

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Epilogue

Also By Alex Scott

About the Author

© 2021 Alex Scott

All rights reserved.

Portions of this book are works of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Cover design and artwork by Alex Scott.

Collects material previously published on Kindle Vella, Aug.-Oct. 2021.

First Printing, 2021.

Second Printing, 2022.

Draft2Digital Edition, 2024.

SWEET SILIUS ISLAND HONEY

1

It was the best honey anyone had ever tasted. Since introducing it, Sal's Coffee House had become the biggest sensation in the harbor town of Marcridge. Just one drop added just the right amount of sweet to your tea or coffee, infusing plenty of flavor without obscuring the underlying taste. It became so popular that Sal's began bottling it. People added it to their bread, their meat, their booze, even their bait. Marcridge's whole economy boomed.

No one boomed as much as Sal, and that naturally raised suspicions. One man had cornered the market on everyone's favorite honey, and would offer no hint as to how he had acquired it. He was no beekeeper—neither his old apartment nor his new manor had the space for it. The monastery on the outskirts of town had some hives, but Sal's honey tasted nothing like theirs. He was no magician, either. Only witches were born with the ability to use magic; ordinary humans required years of ascetic discipline just to develop a viable aura. Sal was a lot of things, but an ascetic was not one of them.

When asked where he got the honey, he would simply say, I have a particular supplier.

None of which was of particular interest to Owen Branstern, at least at first. An orphan since he was eight, he survived by taking assorted jobs on the fishing boats in exchange for food and a hammock to sleep on. When back on shore, he'd go to Sal's for tea and a pastry, and ogle the girls that had sailed in from parts unknown. As long as ladies kept traveling and fishermen still needed a few extra hands on deck and Sal's kept the honey flowing, Owen didn't worry where it came from.

But it was one of those young women who wound up piquing his interest in the source of the honey, when he heard her mention its aura. He wasn't going to say anything to her—most of these women treated him like a kid, which, to be fair, he was—but this time something made him get up and approach her table. Excuse me, he said, raising his voice over the radio, I just heard you mention an aura? Are you a witch?

She turned her head, sweeping her blue-tinged hair around, and flicked a nictitating membrane over her eyes—the deadest giveaway possible for a witch. That membrane enabled them to see the auras that indicated the presence of magic, including among each other. Yes, she said, I was just telling my friend about it. The woman sitting across from her gave him a nod. It's subtle, Luka said, but it's there. Wherever it came from, it definitely has a magical source.

No kidding? He scanned the rest of the coffee house, which was so crowded and noisy, it didn't look like anyone could eavesdrop. You must be an Orlynne witch. I can't imagine an Effka witch showing up in a place like this. The two factions were fierce rivals, and the Effka were especially intense.

The witch rolled her eyes. Tell me about it. And it's nice to meet you. My name's Luka, this is Tam.

Charmed. Name's Owen. And you think you might know where it came from?

Tam said, I think she was just about to say.

That's right, Luka said. It's actually very similar to an aura I noticed from the ship this morning on the way into port. A very large one, coming from one of the outlying islands. If I had to guess, the honey must have come from there.

One of the islands? Owen muttered. There was a small archipelago a few miles off the coast. The boats generally avoided it, mostly because it was too rocky. Mostly. Not Silius Island?

I wouldn't know, Luka said. I'm only passing through on the way to Ralgyche. It was the largest one.

That's Silius, all right. Owen propped his arm on the table. So when does your train leave? Maybe as long as you're here, I can show you around town. This place really has a lot to offer. The offer extends to Tam as well. How about it, ladies?

Luka gave a weary chuckle. And how old are you, little boy?

Owen let his head dip down. Fifteen.

I thought as much. It's been nice, but please go pick on a girl your own size.

Weren't there a few teenagers on the boat? Tam said. I'm sure he'd hit it off with one of them.

Don't give him any ideas. Besides, they're probably long gone by now.

All right, I got the hint. Owen stalked back to his own table, gulped down the rest of his tea, and walked out. It was never a good sign when they talked about you like you weren't even there.

Still, the gears had started turning like a well-tuned Poe clock. Magical honey, eh? It should have been the most obvious thing in the world, except that it was normally so hard to come by. Even among witches, only the most skilled in the world could use magic to enhance food effectively. Any human who could do that would be too strict with themselves to ever do it. But naturally-enchanted food, on the other hand, was hardly unheard of. What if Sal had found a source like that for his honey? If he was the only one who knew, then it was no wonder he'd gotten rich off of it.

And if anyone, say a particular fifteen-year-old with nautical experience, could find that source, and give Sal some competition, that particular person could get rich as well. Might never have to work on a boat again. Or possibly buy his own boat, hire his own fishermen. Or build his own house!

And if Luka's guess was right, it had come from right off of Silius Island.

Though that wasn't necessarily a good thing. Silius Island was notoriously hostile to human life. Between the wildcats, bane lizards, and venomous bugs the size of your arm, merely setting foot on that island was a huge gamble. The history of Marcridge featured many stories of seasoned hunters and soldiers venturing onto Silius Island, never to be seen again. Only witches ever returned alive, and even then, it was risky. Effka witches from down in Ornhuist, on the other side of the bay, used to go as a test of courage. The last time they did that, as far as anyone knew, was a hundred years ago.

So how did Sal get it?

Owen went to the wharf and found a spot on Captain McAvins' crew, and that night, ran the witch's theory by one of the deckhands, an older boy.

Yeah, I've heard the rumor, too, the boy said. But I don't buy it. Lots of things have auras, and sometimes they're the same color. Doesn't mean they always come from the same place. Heck, I've been told I got an aura myself. Can I use magic? Heh, fat chance. I bet ole Sal's worked out a deal with some Orlynne chef overseas.

But still, Owen said, what if he did find a natural source?

Then he'd be insane to go get it. Think about it. If it was naturally enchanted, that must mean it was made near a wellspring. You know what wellsprings do to creatures around it. Griffins, sasquatches, even witches—they're all what happens when something lives next to one. And honey doesn't appear out of thin air, even if it is magic. So what kind of creature makes enchanted honey?

Oh, damn. Enchanted bees.

Right. And it wouldn't just be one bee. It'd be a whole hive of 'em. Now ask yourself, who in their right mind would try to mess with a hive of magic bees?

Maybe for the right price.

You think Captain McAvins doesn't need some scratch every once in a while? Not like we always get a good catch. Ask him yourself how much they'd have to pay for him to go to Silius.

The following day, while scrubbing the deck, Captain McAvins happened to be passing by, so Owen asked him.

The Captain burst out laughing. You could offer me a whole dragon's hoard and I'd never do it. Why, what're you offering?

Just curious.

Then get back to work.

Still, it stayed on Owen's mind all through the voyage, while pulling in every net, loading every box, eating every meal, staring at every sunset. They passed by Silius Island on the way back, so tantalizingly close, but obnoxiously distant. At one point, Owen thought he saw a small motorboat on the shore, but right away the outcropping rocks and trees covered it up. He'd never know for sure.

When he arrived back in Marcridge, Owen helped load all the fish onto the truck that was waiting at the wharf to take everything to market. His plan after he finished loading was to wash up, then run to Sal's. This time, it wouldn't make any difference if there were any girls there. Just if there were any witches who could