Chapter Twenty One

Trading Post

MELODY

They arrived at the edge of the trading post and were greeted by the cold stares of the dull skinned locals. The population was made up of a fair mix of merfolk and octopids, unlike the kingdom of Atlantica. That had to be a relief to Tracy at the very least, Melody hoped. The former sea witch still seemed unsettled for some reason, which she had refused to reveal. Melody fervently hoped that Tracy's secret wouldn't end up landing them in a dark cell somewhere. They still had to get back to Arendelle as fast as they could.

It was easy to forget about the mission at hand, since Melody had returned to her first love, the ocean. She had to remind herself to remain focused on their objective: retrieve the Qa'nneth and reunite with the Warriors in Arendelle to figure out their next step in taking down the Pilgrim and the League of Sorcerers. The thought of Elsa working with their enemies still unnerved her, and deep down, a part of her still hung on to the hope that Elsa had a glimmer of good left in her.

As they swam past the shops in the trading post that were made out of wood and rock, Tracy had slowly shrunk behind Melody, and the latter chose not to say anything about it. For a place that had so many octopids, she thought that Tracy would have been more comfortable in Eiden as compared to Atlantica. However, that wasn't the case, though Melody didn't know why. Suddenly, as they passed an alley, the two girls found their paths blocked by a mixed group of octopids and merfolk.

"Spare some change?" one of the octopids said.

"Or whatever that's valuable." Another said ominously.

"We ain't picky. We'll take whatever we can get." A bulky merman added, leaning in close in a threatening manner.

"Is this what you were afraid of?" Melody glanced at Tracy who kept her eyes forward.

"You could say that." Tracy's eyes looked past the menacing merman before her, fixated on a very specific octopid who was pushing his way forward through the group of raiders.

"Stop! Don't you dare touch her!" The octopid roared, shoving the rest of the raiders out of his path and wrenched the bulky merman's arm viciously, pulling him away from Tracy and Melody. "That's my sister!"

"Sister?" Melody was baffled, her now wide eyes darting between Tracy and the male octopid that hovered before them. What was going on?

"Tracy?" The octopid said, his gaze fixed on her, unable to believe that she was actually floating in front of him.

"Harry." Tracy shifted uncomfortably.

Everyone stared at her. That included the mixed gang of octopids and merfolk, her brother and even Melody. The mermaid was at a loss for what to do, looking on as her companion avoided eye contact with the male octopid that was apparently her brother. In all the time they had known each other, which frankly wasn't exactly that long, Tracy had never mentioned anything about a brother.

Melody subtly sized Harry up. He, like Tracy, had tan skin, sharp piercing brown eyes as well as blue tentacles. The octopid had a head of black hair which dropped down to his broad shoulders, was tall and well muscled, and looked like someone no one would dream of messing with.

"Is-is it really you?" Harry stared at Tracy.

"Who else?" Tracy mumbled.

"My baby sister!" Harry fell on Tracy, embracing her in a bear hug in front of the crowd watching them.

"Alright, alright!" Tracy squirmed, and looked relieved when Harry let go of her.

"Baby sister?" Melody cocked her thick eyebrow.

Harry turned his attention to Melody. "You…" He was stunned and growled. "You're-"

"Woah, woah, calm down!" Tracy shouted, waving her arms in front of her brother. "She's a friend."

"Then why does she look like the mermaid that our relatives told us about?!" Harry bellowed, gesturing wildly.

Melody cringed. Tracy's brother clearly had a temper, and had roughly reacted the same way as Tracy when they had first met back in the Dark Zone, only Harry was way more aggressive.

"She's innocent! I swear!" Tracy screeched, glaring fiercely at her brother. "She didn't kill our mother! Our family lied to us!"

Harry hesitated, and remembered that the rest of his cohort was still watching the entire scene play out. He scowled and turned around. "What are y'all looking at?!" The octopid snarled menacingly. "Get out of here!"

The group of octopids and mermen scrambled out of the alley, leaving Harry alone with Tracy and Melody. He then turned back to Tracy. "How are you so sure that she's who she says she is?" He glanced at Melody suspiciously.

"I've known and worked with her for a while now," Tracy defended the mermaid bravely. "She saved my life, Harry. If she really was the killer our relatives made her out to be, do you think you would be seeing me here in front of you today?"

He blinked, letting it sink in for a moment. Then, he turned to Melody. "Thank you." He grabbed Melody's hand and shook it firmly. "And I'm sorry for the outburst," He ran a hand through his thick black hair. "I sometimes let my emotions get the better of me."

"It's fine." Melody withdrew her hand politely. She had seen enough of Tracy's behaviour and wasn't surprised that her brother was remarkably similar in certain aspects of his personality. "My name's Melody."

"I know," Harry said. "Tracy and I heard about you when we were still kids." He glanced at Tracy.

"So, Tracy never told me she had an older brother." Melody glanced at her friend, who avoided eye contact with her.

"Well, it's been a while." Tracy muttered awkwardly. "Five years, in fact." She glared at Harry.

Now it was Harry' turn to look away, red faced. "I-I'm sorry."

"What do you mean?" Melody asked, confused by the family drama.

"This moron left the Dark Zone behind. Left me behind with our remaining relatives," Tracy hissed, growing increasingly angry. "A short while after we learnt that our mother died, he just upped and bailed without a goodbye. All he left behind was some crummy note saying that he was moving to Eiden to start a new life for himself."

"You know as well as I do that we had no future in the Dark Zone." Harry said, his face flushing red with embarrassment. "I had to leave."

"Yeah, and that meant leaving your baby sister behind to fend for herself." Tracy snapped.

"But you weren't alone. You had our relatives." Harry protested feebly.

"You and I both knew that they were scum and I would have been better off together with you!" Tracy shouted. "But no, you wanted to start a new life by yourself!"

Right there and then, it clicked in Melody's mind. No wonder Tracy was uncomfortable about the prospect of coming to Eiden! She knew that Harry had fled to the trading post years ago, and didn't want to run into her older brother for fear of dredging up painful feelings and reopen old wounds. Feeling a pang of sympathy for the former sea witch, she desperately wanted to envelop Tracy in a hug, but decided that now wasn't the right time, given her current state of fury.

"I don't know how many more times I can apologize," Harry said. "But I really am sorry. I was stupid."

"What do you mean 'was'?" Tracy hissed.

"I thought of going back to the Dark Zone to find you. Many times, believe me," Harry explained. "But…I was too ashamed to try."

Tracy slapped him hard across the cheek, and Melody gaped in shock silently, looking away as extreme awkwardness crept over her, having witnessed the private family drama. Harry recovered from the blow and looked at his sister, his expression a mixed bag. Then, he reached out and embraced Tracy in another hug. The former sea witch struggled for a bit, before relenting and wrapping her arms tightly around her big brother.

"I'm sorry, sis." Harry whispered.

"You know, I really hate you sometimes." Tracy complained as she squeezed him tighter.

Uneasily, Melody looked in another direction as the two long lost siblings reconciled. Now this is awkward.

###

The two Warriors sat in the corner of a poorly lit club at a large table with comfortable cushions and chairs, surrounded by creatures of all sorts. Octopids, merfolk, starfish, turtles, eels, manta rays and so many others that Melody couldn't count how many different species there were present in that room. And that was just the number of species. The entire club was crammed full of many of the various types of creatures, and it was a wonder the duo had managed to find a table.

"Here," Harry appeared out of the crowd carrying a plate, and Melody noticed that the creatures made way for him as he headed towards them. "Try these." He put the plate down on the table, and Melody stared at it, trying to mask her disgust.

The plate was filled up with thick brown substances that looked sticky, and Melody guessed that it was some kind of local cuisine. To her horror, she thought she saw something still moving on the plate.

"It's a local delicacy." Harry explained, noticing the mermaid's expression. "It's a favourite here."

Without a second thought, Tracy plopped one in her mouth and chewed. "Oh you gotta try it," she gestured to Melody with her mouth full. "It's really good."

Hesitantly, Melody picked one up with two fingers. It would be rude if she declined, she thought as she placed the dreadful substance in her mouth. A horrible sensation overtook her, and Melody fought hard to not let it show on her face. It tasted so strange that she couldn't even identify how she felt, and all she could do was swallow it quickly while trying to keep a straight face.

"You girls want more?" Harry asked. "It's on the house."

"No thanks," Melody gulped. "I had a heavy meal before this."

"Wait, you did?" Tracy asked innocently and received a light punch below the table from the mermaid.

Harry sat down at the table. "Alright then. If there's anything else you want to eat, just say the word. My people will gladly whip something up."

"Your people?" Melody could feel her taste returning to her, the revolting feeling now disappearing slowly as she secretly took sips of water to quell the horrid sensation.

"Yeah." Harry grinned proudly. "I own the place, after all."

"Get out of here. You? Own this club?" Tracy snorted. "Wait, you're serious?"

"That's hurtful." Harry said, offended. "What, you thought I didn't have it in me, didn't you?"

"Of course," Tracy replied bluntly. "You were always a simple octopid. Not very bright."

"It runs in the family."

"How did you manage all this?"

"Hah." Harry smirked. "I arrived in Eiden with nothing but the clothes on my back, but then I joined the East Side Raiders and rose through the ranks. Eventually, I became the leader of the East Siders after their last leader was slaughtered by Orkando."

"Orkando?" Melody asked.

"He's the biggest merchant in this trading post, and our most hated enemy." Harry explained. "But anyway, I became the boss after that, and the East Siders took more territory and became the most successful raiding faction in the history of Eiden. Now, we own shops, businesses, this club, and even get some profits from the weaker merchants. We East Siders have it made here." His boastful smirk turned into a scowl. "Except for Orkando, of course. We're just waiting for the right moment to get rid of him, but he's too well protected now."

Melody listened intently to the octopid as he rattled on and on about his accomplishments. So he's a gang lord, she thought to herself. Rather different from how Tracy had turned out, but Melody couldn't help but think that if Tracy hadn't resolved to join the Warriors, she might have gone down a similar path as her brother.

"Well, you've proved me wrong. You're not a total loser." Tracy grinned, and her brother grinned back.

"I'm sorry, but can I ask you something?" Harry was a gangster, but Melody decided that she could use that to her advantage.

"Yeah?" The octopid looked at her lazily.

"You have a hold over the merchants in the trading post right?"

"That's right."

"Do you by any chance know if any of them has a bronze amulet on sale?" Melody asked, glancing at Tracy, who seemed to understand where her friend was steering the conversation.

"Yeah, it's a thin circular piece of bronze with a flat red garnet in the middle," Tracy added. After all, she herself was a Ha'naeth and was way more familiar with what the Qa'nneth looked like and how it worked. "And it's supported by a bronze handle, like…this long." She gestured with both hands to illustrate how long the amulet handle was, which was relatively on the short side, Melody noted to herself.

"Ah. That amulet." Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"It's not for sale." He explained. "A while back, a foreign ship sank into Eiden's waters. The East Siders, together with the other factions raced there to raid what we could, but Orkando's gang was way faster than us. He took the amulet for himself."

"And he never sold it?"

Harry shook his head and spat. "That idiot likes to keep rare trinkets in his own shop."

"Has anyone ever tried stealing from him?" Tracy asked.

"How do you think our last leader died?"

"Oh." Melody swallowed. "Do you know where he keeps them though?"

"Why?" Harry stared at her. "You got a death wish or something?"

"Just playing the cards in my hand." Melody said cryptically, not wanting to reveal too much information to the octopid. It would probably open up a can of worms, and as it was, she already had enough problems on her hands. "Could you point me in the right direction?"

Harry shook his head. "It's your funeral." He gestured to the door. "Once you exit the club, turn right and head to the last shop. You'll see a big sign called 'Orkando's Best'. He keeps all his most valuable items in a cupboard in his private office," he glanced back at her. "At this time of night, Orkando and his men will probably be on a break, though the place might still be guarded."

"Thanks." Melody said, getting up from the table.

"Uh…Melody?" Tracy shot her a glance. "Are you sure you wanna do this?"

"We don't really have any other choice, do we?" Melody set her jaw. "Stay here. I'll be back as soon as I can." With that, she swam into the crowd, pushing her way through toward the exit. To her relief, she finally emerged out of the dimly lit club and out onto the evening scene. It was already fully dark outside, with the streets lit by glowing panels of the merchants' shops, many of which were still open. The trading post was still bustling with the citizens and foreigners, located in the same area as the clubs, restaurants and other amenities.

Melody turned right per Harry's instructions, and floated down the street towards the last shop at the end of the stretch. Truth be told, she sort of missed the life of adventure, the feeling of adrenaline on a mission such as this one. Although she was perfectly content with her life as a student in Copenhagen High, she still missed the sea, the danger, and the thrill of being with the Warriors in the midst of battle.

However, the predicament they were stuck in now was a tricky one. Stopping an evil warlord was one thing, but now she had to resort to stealing from a corrupt merchant in order to serve the greater good? Melody couldn't decide if the ends should justify the means, and where she would draw the line if she were faced with another more extreme situation than the one she was in now. Nevertheless, it had to be done. Otherwise, there would be no other way to even the playing field against the Pilgrim and the League of Sorcerers.

As she neared the end of the street, Melody's eyes darted around subtly while keeping a relaxed body posture to pass off as yet another random passerby. The last shop had a huge billboard labelled in great neon letters: Orkando's Best, and it appeared to be empty for now, and there were no traders or staff in the vicinity. It's now or never.

Quietly, she slipped into the shop, half expecting someone to leap out at her. Fortunately, no one did. Looking around the compound, she saw another door that presumably led to a private office. Ignoring the rest of the tradable goods lying around in the main body of the shop, she swam past the counter and turned the door knob. The door inched open and revealed the private office, to her surprise. Huh, she thought to herself. Not locked. Orkando must be one of those complacent rich folks.

She swam into the private office and swiftly closed the door behind her as quietly as she could, and then scanned the room. A pile of records lay atop a desk carved out of rock, books and files strewn all across the room's shelves. There were a couple of well carved rocks used as chairs that were scattered across the room, and at the corner of the office was the cupboard that Harry had spoken of. Floating over to it, Melody gave the handle a gentle tug, expecting it to be locked, but it gave way easily, and the cupboard swung open.

Her eyes fell on the items inside the cupboard, dumped together all in a messy pile. Trinkets, gold, silver, mysterious looking bits, but the amulet that Tracy had described was nowhere to be seen! And Melody was sure that she would have spotted it purely on the vast description that Tracy had given. It sounded so unique that she was sure that she wouldn't miss it, but it just wasn't there. Melody frowned and tried to figure out her next move, but at that moment she felt a hard blow to the back of her head, causing her to be knocked off balance and her vision went spotty.

She fell to the ground, and with great effort turned herself over, still dazed by the strength of the blunt force dealt to her. A pot bellied merman with a dark green tail stared down at her, his fists clenched. He was bald and had an unkempt beard that made him look like someone who simply didn't care about his appearance. He must be Orkando.

"Trying to steal my treasures?" the merman sneered in a rather high pitched voice. "You wouldn't be the first to try…and fail."

"Orkando, I presume." Melody rubbed the back of her head, still seeing double of everything. Her head throbbed and she felt sick.

Orkando's fat lips curled upwards in a sinister fashion as a couple of his goons filed into the private office to join him. "Then you know what happens to people who cross me."

Through her blurred and spinning vision, Melody felt helpless. No point in fighting my way out, she reasoned to herself as two mermen took her by the arms and dragged her away. If the tales of his ruthlessness were true, she knew she didn't have much of a chance against Orkando and his lackeys in her dazed state.