Firstly, thank you so, so, so much to all the new readers, followers, and favoriters! Secondly, as you read, you will come across the word "unaligned." In this context, unaligned means a non-Adept, almost like an Exathi. Thirdly, I'd make a few excuses for why it took me so long to post this chapter, but I doubt anyone really cares. What you probably do care about is the fact that it's here (hopefully). So here it is: Chapter 9.
Chapter 9: Colors
The Pirates' Ship
That was it. Her heart was broken.
In that instant, several shouts of people calling her soft and maudlin ran through her mind. Like daggers, they cut into her pride. Before, she had tried to shake it off, her caring heart, and to look past sentiment in times such as this. Her feelings often made it difficult for her to think clearly and to make wise decisions, but now, that did not matter. There sat quivering a skinny, lonely boy before her, and she had the choice either to condemn him to hell on Weyard or to strip away any hope of a satisfactory love life for herself.
It had occurred to her that these choices were the downsides to the decision she could make. Again, she was entertaining her pessimism. No, her choice was between granting this loveless boy a happy life and giving herself a secured love. It was either her part or his whole. There was nothing more to it. Frankly, she knew what the right choice was; she simply was not sure whether she wanted to make it.
This would seal my destiny. After this, there would be no turning back.
Her wrists stung as she held her hands close to her face, gingerly touching her trembling lips. Carefully, she fought to keep her whimpering to a minimum, wishing not to embarrass herself in the presence of her brother. It was already enough that her eyes were wet with tears. As she wiped them away, she thought of how her brother would tease her later for her inability to hide her feelings, as a true warrior would be able to do.
Although she believed the mockery emerged from her brother's enjoyment in seeing her submit to humility, it truly came from a tender place in the man, who both would rather see that his sister had a handle on her emotions and would rather not return to the awareness that he had become callous over the past few years. Little did she know that he had hopes in changing that, if only for one selfish reason.
Are you sure? Her conscience questioned her.
She inhaled sharply. I'm sure.
"You don't have to worry, Akketch. I won't do that to you." Her voice broke through a wall of phlegm that had been built in her throat while she cried. She cleared her throat forcefully. "I can't."
Jenna knelt down beside the boy to be level with his face. She smiled sweetly, hoping to encourage the islander to trust her words. Involuntarily, he twitched, clearly uncomfortable with the sudden eye contact.
"I promise," Jenna added, her russet eyes peering into his chestnut ones.
The chains of her curse began to wrap themselves around her, choking off her hope and imbedding themselves deep within her, like the clinging pinchers of some life-sucking insect.
Such was her decision. It stemmed from many reasons, most of which seemed extremely selfish, which sickened her. She had realized that, with her heart currently bonded to Isaac and her hand being freshly placed in Piers' own, she was already living out the curse. Perhaps it had already taken hold without her knowledge. Nonetheless, handing Akketch over to his aunt would not benefit Jenna much. Although she might have been able to secure her heart, she would live forever with the looming guilt that she had relinquished a young boy over to his monstrous and abusive handler. She could never find reason to smile knowing that Akketch was being tormented as she was seated beside her one true lover. Thus, she condemned her heart to a lifetime of romantic distress, thinking that, as long as her little sacrifice allowed some unfortunate soul to be dealt a better hand, she could live with it.
Akketch lowered his head as in a bow. "I'll hold you to it." Then, he added, "Thank you."
Standing by in silence, Felix had watched the spoken contract unfold between the two people. His sister's decision stirred his wretched soul with such strong feeling that he had to close his eyes and turn his face away. Jenna was quite the romantic at heart, as she had always been, and seeing her throw away any hope of having a solid love was devastating, most especially since, as far as Felix knew, she had never been in a relationship before.
Jenna smiled, bearing her bright teeth at Akketch. Then, the smile slipped away as she grew more serious. "But the sea isn't any kind of life for a kid your age, and I wouldn't say that pirates are the best role models, either."
The boy scowled, drawing Felix's attention back to the scene. Akketch cried, "So what are you saying? You're just playing with me? You're gonna throw me back into that whole because it's undoubtedly 'what's best for me'?" Angrily, he made to pick himself off from the deck, but Jenna caught his arm.
"No!" she said when she grabbed him, but she quickly let go, as if she had burnt her hand. The subtle feeling of pain seemed to come from her wrists, which had become intensely itchy. Curiously, she pulled up her sleeves and braced herself for the worst.
Beneath her sleeves, her curse marks had been reacting to her physical contact with Akketch, Naadiya's fail-safe system of letting herself know that Jenna had found the boy when she did. Evidently enough, the witch had expected the truth to unfold, so she used her craft either to ensure her goal or to make Jenna regret having not carried it out. At this moment, the second purpose of the curse marks was beginning to show.
Before Jenna's eyes, the intricate black seals were searing her skin, turning it bright red. The girl gasped in shock, thoroughly taken aback. Gingerly, she brought her finger near the skin to touch the area. Even still, she found it hard to believe that the grotesque image before her was not in her head as a moment of recollection, of a memory of a wounded wild beast, burnt alive by her fire.
Felix, who had knelt beside his sister as soon as he had seen the bright red emerge from under her sleeves, sternly pulled Jenna's hand away and inspected the burn himself. His rough hands carefully held his sister's forearms, his fingers slightly twitching with concern. Felix's facial expression was grave as he said, "We need to dress these. The sooner the better." Even as he spoke, he did not raise his concerned eyes to meet Jenna's worried ones.
His sister gave him a nod, giving in to his command. Then, looking towards Akketch, who was standing by, fuming in his own company, she said, "We need to leave, but let me have these last words with you."
"Fine, then," said the boy frigidly, arms crossed. "Have at it."
Getting on her feet and looking the boy square in the face, Jenna continued. "I meant what I said; you have your freedom. But I also meant it when I said I didn't agree with leaving you with these pirates. Now, we have a ship…"
Jenna's voice trailed off. She took a quick side-glance at Felix, now standing, who narrowed his eyes at her in suspicion. The Mars Adept tried to make quick work of getting her words out of her mouth before her brother cut her off prematurely, but the Venus Adept was too fast for her. "If it's to your liking, we'd be glad to have you with —."
"The ship," Felix interjected, "is no place for an untrained, unaligned boy your age." His words fell from his mouth like lead, cold and uncaring. He shot Jenna an intimidating stare; she cowered back and tried to avoid his glance.
Akketch wished to cast some sarcastic comment into the conversation. Who durst tell him what he could not handle? He jutted his jaw and clenched his fist, but that was all he did as he waited to hear whatever else the man before him had to say.
Returning his attention to Akketch, Felix went on. "What I will offer you is a temporary stay on board the ship. Your residence terminates once we find you a suitable home. We should unquestionably come across worthwhile town on our journey."
Home. Could it be true? Akketch could hardly believe it. Against his desire to maintain a passive exterior, he beamed and his eyes glowed with delight and hope.
Felix plodded on through with his offer. "Our business in Yallam is done by first light. If you wish to join us, meet us. Either the town entrance or the side of our ship" — Felix pointed in the general direction of where the Lemurian vessel was anchored — "is acceptable. Whichever you prefer. Do note: We will not wait for you."
"And I don't expect you to!" Akketch blurted out uncontrollably. Then, with a painfully regretful face, he cleared his throat and apologized. "I'll think it over."
With a nod, Felix turned to depart, his sister trailing behind him.
When she was a few feet away from her brother, though not yet off the pirates' ship, she turned. To Akketch, she whispered, "Please come. I think it's better that way." Then, with a smile, she disembarked and briskly ran to catch up with Felix.
…
Yallam
"Where be ye leadin'?" asked he, a short and stocky pirate. He was leaning to the side as he sipped generously from his leather pouch something known to pirates as "grog." Although slightly creepy, the pirate came off as a friendly guy who just seriously could not tone down his thug factor.
Sheba had been making her way around town, mind-reading villagers as she tried to keep low profile in the close company of the pirates. At the sound of heavy footsteps behind her, she had turned sharply, her heart racing, to come face-to-face with one of the fake merchants. She had eyed the man suspiciously.
Disgustedly, she turned her head to the side to avoid the unappealing smell of the alcohol the man had been drinking on his breath. "What are you talking about?" she asked shyly.
The pirate snorted. "Come on, lass! Ye stand out from these homebodies like a counterfeit golden nugget."
Sheba gave the man a look of confusion. "But counterfeit golden nuggets look just like the real ones."
"Aye, lass, but not t' the keen ol' eye," he replied with a wink. Then, leaning forward, he spoke in a hushed tone. Feeling uncomfortable, Sheba leaned backward to widen the space between herself and the stranger as he breathed his hot breath in her face: "I see how ye try to fit in, like a pirate in sailor's clothin'. But here's the thin', lass: Ye can't shake off the smell of sea salt on ye."
Humbly, the girl lowered her eyes to the ground. The topic of conversation had resurrected some feelings for Sheba, who was growing somewhat melancholic. Then, looking up suddenly, she countered. "I may stand out because of my appearance, but you don't seem to be doing a good job of wearing a merchant's mask. And I, for one, have never met a merchant with your accent, either." Broadly, she smirked.
The man's eyes opened widely in shock for an instant. Then, he let out a roaring chuckle. "Maybe I not be tryin' to paint meself up to be who I aren't!" With a hearty belly laugh, the sailor spilled some of his alcoholic drink on the ground. At the sight, he killed his laughter and stared with melancholy at the small puddle of grog seeping into the soil. Then, looking back to Sheba's concerned face, he resumed his laughter. "Ye be quite the humorous wee lass! Yar-har!"
From behind the drunken sailor came a brittle shout. "Ofydd! I told you to stay off the liquor! It's meant to last us all until our next stop." By this time, the man had come close enough to Ofydd to whisper into his ear an insult: "You grog-snarfing blowfish!"
"Padrig, Padrig! Ye sea dog know as well as me that this grog be too good to leave to men like ye."
Sneering, Padrig pulled his shipmate aside. With a delicate smile, he excused himself and his mate from Sheba's company.
The Jupiter Adept bowed her head in compliance.
"I told ye before. When ye drink, yer colors fall, ye yellow-bellied scum!" Padrig chastized Ofydd. "Get yer drunken bum back ter the ferner."
"But, Padrig, look ye 'ere. The grog be vanished, matey!"
With a choleric expression, Padrig answered, "Don't be makin' me repeat meself."
…
Some Undocumented Stretch of Land in Eastern Osenia
Refusing to let it slip between his fingers, Felix seized the time it took to return to Yallam by reprimanding Jenna. Inviting Akketch onto the ship without having first consulted Felix had truly irked the group's leader. With all honesty, Felix would have considered letting the boy stay on the ship until they had found a good home for him, but it was the sheer fact that Jenna overstepped his authority that brought him to anger. Being the commander was Felix's role, and for the time being, it was his identity. Without that, what was he? Who was he?
After Jenna had managed to make her apology sound heartfelt and genuine, the topic of conversation switched over to her burns. Looking at them again, Jenna could see that small blisters had begun forming around the redness that was her forearms.
"Do you think it'll scar?" asked Jenna, looking intensely at the red braiding.
"I wouldn't disregard the possibility," Felix answered. "We'll see what Piers can do about it."
At the mention of the Mercury Adept's name, the two siblings looked at each other, sharing a glance and nonverbal dialogue.
Jenna spoke. "I'm going to tell him."
"I know you will."
The two continued talking about this and other matters as they made progress to the town. When they were somewhere between the wood and the river, voices could be heard from in the distance. The Venus and Mars Adepts quickly killed their conversation and moved into the wood to hide among the foliage.
"Eilwen, did ye see that sweet miss? What a lovely, little lass she be," whooped the voice of one man. "One o' these days — I say, matey, one o' these days — I be comin' back ter her fine establishment, and she be mine."
Responded Eilwen, "Will she be bowin' before ye with one of 'em great curtsies ye so adore?" He laughed heartily with his companions at his love-struck friend.
"Well, o' course! She knows who 'er man be." He paused as the others laughed at him. "Avast, ye sea scum! Ye should o' seen the way she looks at me. There be tears in 'er eyes. Avast yer mockery!"
"Tears in 'er eyes, Eilwen? Really?" The pirate laughed, "Perchance 'cause she knows she ne'er be seein' ye'gain, Talyessin!"
"Ne'er?" asked Talyessin.
Another voice chimed in with a chuckle. "Aye, Talyessin! Jus' look at yerself, mate. No lass like 'er, no matter 'er beauty, could e'er hold down a rich and handsome scalawag like yerself."
The Adepts heard a shrill cry interrupt the conversation. "Ofydd! Watch the cloths, ye drunk." Ofydd replied with a polite apology as he tried to convince his scolder that the fabric was still clean, though it had fallen onto the ground.
The original conversation picked up once again. "Aye, mate. That broad, sculpted chin o' yers be carved fer none less than a glorified goddess, lad!" came another man.
By this time, Jenna and Felix, who were both quite certain that these were the barbarians for whom they were looking, had made their way north through the wood. Peeking out cautiously through the leaves of the trees, they spotted the same four pirates that had entered Yallam about an hour ago. The four, who, judging from the distance the Adepts were, looked to be in their mid to late twenties, carried newly purchased weapons and armor in their sacks. Two, one of whom stumbled as he walked, carried cloth in their arms.
In the heat of the sun, sweat had formed on Felix's brow. Carelessly wiping it away, he narrowed his eyes. "So, these are the men we're messing with."
"Yup." Jenna smirked, "I think we can take 'em." She gave her brother a side glance that seemed to suggest her confidence in the abilities of her friends and herself.
Felix exhaled sharply through the nose as he smiled gleefully. Playfully, he said, "Oh, you know it."
Talyessin answered the other man saying: "Aye, brother. Ye turn me heart ter the sea, me eyes ter the sky. Young lassie be holdin' me back from me royal throne in the blasted sky!"
"Why in the sky?" asked Eilwen, but another voice came in at the same time, and Eilwen's words drowned under the loudness of the stern voice, which cried: "Avast yer daydreamin', Talyessin! And Ofydd, ne'er encourage 'is ego. Ye ought be o' better knowledge than me there."
Ofydd chuckled. "O, tha' be a bit o' fun, Padrig." The other pirates grunted in agreement. "Comb yer beard."
Padrig responded with an annoyed grumble. Before he had time to make a comment, the snowy-haired Eilwen stepped in to defend Ofydd's statement. A few seconds later, the once mobile group stopped, and its components began to argue amongst themselves.
"What should we do?" asked Jenna. "Approach them now? They don't seem to be well prepared for an attack."
"No…" Felix's voice trailed off as he thought, his eyes glued to the quarrelsome group of four. "Let's keep our presence a secret so that they're surprised when we approach them at dawn."
"But I'm sure they spotted us armor-clad Adepts when we were back in town," asked Jenna in a quasi-questioning manner.
Felix replied, "For certain, but they don't yet know what our purpose is for tonight: to catch them in the act." Then, without room for pause, he turned, "Let's go!"
…
Yallam
"What is this thing?" Sheba asked Kraden, her mind utterly boggled.
"This, my dear, is the mountain fish about which our hospitable innkeeper here has told us," he answered, giving a compliment to the woman, who smiled pleasantly, serving the food as he did.
The Jupiter Adept raised her eyebrows in shock, looking down in amazement at the dish before her. On it was a massive, weighty fish that was long by two lengths of her arm. Its baked body lay lifeless with its head flopped over the side of the elliptical plate; its dead eyes looked up forlornly at Sheba.
Frowning, she said, "I didn't imagine it being such a large fish. I don't think I could possibly finish it all."
The innkeeper gently noted, "Do not worry, my dear. We use the scraps for the garden's soil."
Still lost, Sheba simply nodded and, once everyone was served, commenced eating her dinner.
By the time that bellies were full and everyone was solely working on clearing one's plate, the Adepts began to discuss their plans for that night. The topic of Akketch's true relation to Naadiya had already been brought up when Sheba questioned Jenna about her bandaged forearms.
Jenna jumped unexpectedly. "Oh, these?" she foolishly asked. Caught unawares, she was trying to buy some time. "Bad reaction to Akketch. Nothing too serious."
"What do you mean, 'bad reaction'?" Sheba asked as Piers said, "I wouldn't say it is anything less than grave!" The two Adepts looked at each other.
"How serious is it, Piers?" the Jupiter Adept questioned. Jenna tried to interject, but Sheba had given her a stern look and silenced her. "What happened?"
The Lemuria first looked to the flame-user, who closed her eyes and nodded to give him permission. Piers bowed his head slowly in thanks.
"It seems that Jenna's meeting with Naadiya left her with more than the task of retrieving Akketch; she also gave her a curse mark that reacted upon touching the boy. In response, the curse marks on Jenna's forearms seared her skin, leaving behind small blisters on red, shiny skin that is painful to the touch." Noting Sheba's look of shock, Piers added, "Not to worry, Sheba. I've treated Jenna's burns with herbal ointments and dressed them." As he said this, he looked at the Mars Adept fondly. "Unfortunately, Ply seems altogether ineffective on Jenna's burns. My guess is that the curse has —."
"Okay, Piers, that's enough of an explanation!" Sheba interjected. Then, sharply turning her head to the scholar at the table, she barked, "Did you know about this?"
Choking on his food, the old man wheezed. "I happened to walk in on the two while Piers was bandaging Jenna. At that time," he coughed, "they informed me as to what was going on and why. So yes, my child, I did know."
The young girl grimaced. "Why was I the last to know about this? Don't you think I'm a little important?" she asked accusingly. Then, in response to everyone silently eying each other, she slammed her hands on the table, stood up, and left the room.
"I'm sure she was very worried about you, Jenna," Kraden said softly with a smile.
The remaining female looked at him sadly. Then, she stood. "I'll go talk to her."
"Sit, Jenna." Felix's voice was dry, and he appeared rather unmoved. "We have much to talk about and little time for it." With a look at the window, anyone could see that the sun had dropped low in the sky.
"All the more reason for why I should get her!"
"No. This time, the misinformation is her fault."
Slowly and solemnly, Jenna took her seat at the table.
In an effort to detach Jenna from her feelings of regret and guilt, Felix pushed the conversation on her. "While we were onboard with Akketch, Jenna extended to him a fine invitation."
"Oh, is that so?" the scholar asked with interest. "What kind of invitation, Jenna?"
Jenna began by explaining why she believed Akketch ought not to remain with the pirates. Then, she told them she offered to let Akketch sail with them. "It's only until we find him a suitable home," she defended herself. "Besides, he might not even come."
"If he does," Felix concluded, "he will meet us by dawn either at the town entrance or by our ship."
"Jenna," asked Kraden, "had you thought about the implications of this offer? There seems to be no town between Yallam and Tundaria on the map."
The girl lowered her gaze. "No, I wasn't thinking about anything other than getting that boy off that ship. I'm sorry. Now I see that I acted hastily."
"It was very kind of you, in the least. However, now we are all tied into your invitation, not that it bothers me much. It may come as a trouble to the boy." Kraden smiled. "Next time, just be sure to keep in mind the people affected by your decisions."
Jenna half smiled. "Thanks, Kraden. I will."
"What are your plans for this night, in relation to this towns 'unexpected visit'?" Piers asked.
The conversation having been brought back on track, Felix thanked the Mercury Adept. "We expect the pirates to arrive in the hours when the townspeople are asleep, so we have between now and then to get some rest. I propose that splitting up will maximize our effectiveness. Jenna and I saw these men, four in total. The do not seem particularly strong, but even if we cannot take them down singlehandedly, increasing our field of vision is advantageous."
"Where will you have us?" questioned Piers, eager to set the plan in motion.
Felix took a sip of his drink before answering. "Sheba being the smallest, I thought she could hide well in the trees atop the highest hill of this town."
"Where Sunshine lives?" Jenna asked.
Her brother nodded. "I imagine his collection of metals may be a target, as well as the goods at the armory and weaponry at the base of that hill. For that reason, I want another person to hide underneath the bridge where he or she can easily be hidden and still have a good view. Jenna, would you care to take that place?"
"Sure can."
"Good. That leaves you and me, Piers. Would you cover the town entrance?"
"You can leave it to me!" he replied excitedly.
"I shall wait by the inn. Kraden, I've assigned you the immeasurably important task of waking us all at the time when most of the villagers have gone to sleep."
The old man chuckled. "I shall do it, Felix. Only, try to be a little more jovial when I wake you." He was alluding to the fact that the Valish man was quite the grouchy riser.
"I'm sorry, Kraden. That seems to be permanently engrained into my character."
He scoffed. "Well, it was worth the request."
…
Darkness fell across Yallam. Hours before, Felix, Jenna, and Piers had taken their rest. Sheba, too, had returned to the inn after letting off some steam. The old scholar welcomed her in and informed her about the team's plans for that night. Afterwards, she climbed into bed and drifted off to sleep.
Kraden sat in a chair by the window and gazed at the bright moon. He smiled. The moon was full. Somewhere west of Yallam, perched high in the mountains, a group of lycanthropes was thrashing their teeth under the brilliant light.
I should like to speak with Maha again, Kraden thought. Perhaps after the quest is over, we will go to visit him. I do hope he is well. And with that thought in mind, he closed his eyes and nodded to sleep.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I would like to thank you all for reading, reviewing, following, and favorite-ing. I sincerely appreciate your appreciation. Thank you!
Here are some fun facts, in case you care to read them. So, when I choose names for characters, I typically choose names that have some kind of meaning to them. The names I chose for the pirates Ofydd, Padrig, Eilwen, and Talyessin are all of Welsh origin. They mean "roman poet", "noble", "white-browed", and "handsome" respectively. The fact that these names are Welsh has absolutely nothing to do with the story or characteristics of the men who bare them, and it certainly does not mean to offend anyone of Welsh origin. I was simply trying to find some cool-sounding names and found these; I thought you might appreciate to know what they mean, too.
