Chapter 63
Mermaids
Desirè, Darcy and Lzzy slipped as quietly and quick as possible through the streets, heading towards the city walls. Darcy was so weak that they were forced to stop every now and then to let her rest, leaning against the walls of buildings or hiding behind wagons, still and without horses.
There were few people in the streets, mostly drunk. They had waited for midnight to get out, certain that at that point no one would check their cell until dawn. Desirè had materialized clothes, created by copying those of people she saw from the little opening up on the wall, to better blend in.
Her plan was to reach the walls, fly over them protected by the night and disappear in the countryside, hoping to run into some farmers or travelers they could ask food to, and if they were going towards the sea. Risky, but they didn't have much choice: they were really preparing a pyre for them, they saw it walking by the square. Darcy couldn't handle a last minute escape, so it was better to play in advance and put some space between them and the pile of wood and straw ready to be set on fire.
Finally, they reached the walls. They stopped behind some barrels. It looked like a spot with few guards, they were lucky.
- They have a lot of torches. They could see us. - whispered Desirè.
Lzzy shook her head.
- No. We'll fly too high for them to see us. -
- We have to go back, if we fly up from here, they'll see us for sure. - said Darcy, - Normally I would make everyone invisible, but I don't even know for how long I'll be able to fly. -
- We'll carry you, don't worry. You mustn't force yourself too much. - replied Lzzy.
Darcy didn't reply. She didn't like being in those conditions at all, depending on them. She knew that would be the price of the information, but the ghosts had taken from her more energy than she would ever imagine. Had she asked for more, they probably wouldn't have left her even the energy needed to breathe.
They went back a hundred meters, they carefully looked around and, deciding no one was there, they flew up. they reached a height double that of the walls, then they moved away from the city without knowing the direction they took.
§§
Bloom let her eyes wander on their small improvised camp, composed of a fire and two sleeping bags they had materialized with magic. Nobody would see them. They were in a little open space between the trees along the river, in a particularly dense spot humans wouldn't reach. Animals weren't a big problem if spotted on time, so they had established watch turns.
They had stopped when it got so dark that they couldn't see the river anymore. Flying low enough to hear its noise meant being low enough to be seen, so they had looked for a sheltered place to rest. Tecna and Icy had been sleeping for a while already, soon she would wake up Icy and she could get some sleep as well. Admitting that the hole in her stomach allowed her to rest, that is.
How were things in Magix? Who knew if time run the same way? It wasn't something to be taken for granted: she remembered Daphne had talked about alternative time dimensions during class. She knew some magicians managed to enter some, but that it was best not to stay there for too long because the organism couldn't adapt to the new time flow.
She moved a leg to avoid it getting numb.
She would've given anything for a slice of pizza, an apricot pie or a simple toast. She hadn't eaten anything for at least sixteen hours and knowing it made her even more hungry. She tried hard to look at the flames and think of nothing.
§§
Stormy watched the waves break against the hull of the Flying Dutchman, almost as fast as Redfountain's ships. The sun wasn't up yet, but its presence was announced by the sky lightening at East. She had gone on deck for a few minutes now, unable to sleep more, and was leaning on the parapet.
No member of the crew paid attention to her. The dragon, Wavecutter, slept in the middle of the deck. As a ghost, Falkenburg didn't need to sleep, but he was too busy at the wheel to care about her. The helmsman, a female demon with big grey wings and black eyes named Alma, stood next to Falkenburg. She didn't seem to be of the sociable kind, ever since they got on board they heard nothing but orders for the crew from her. The satyrs were sleeping, like the humans. Only Craig, the pirate with the bandana was on deck, or better, up between the sails. He had taken off the bandana though, and Stormy had seen a big third eye behind his head, where there was supposed to be only skin. She wondered if he had kept the bandana on all day in order to not scare them.
- What are you doing out here? - Francesca asked, walking up to her and laying her elbows on the parapet.
- I'm not sure if I'm thinking or trying not to think. - answered Stormy, without any particular emotion in her voice.
- Are you worried for Icy and Darcy? -
- For everyone actually, but yes. You know, I think we've never been far for so long in the last six years. - Stormy sighed. - We argue often and we're competitive, but we really love each other. We've never had anyone else to count on for a good part of our lives and it's strange to be alone now. -
- I imagine it isn't easy. But you aren't alone, and neither are they. We'll get through this. -
- Yeah, I guess we will. - said Stormy, ending the conversation.
She wasn't in the mood for optimism, she was sorry for Francesca but she was really tired of thinking positive. She would've gladly unleashed a storm, if that wouldn't slow down the vessel. Frustration occupied every fiber of her body, it was stronger than she was: they knew that Valtor was going to attack during the Tournament, they were so sure they were barely surprised when the attack began. Convinced that his game was just that, controlling the weather with who knows what spell, they fell right into his trap like newbies. She didn't have proof that Givelian and Valtor had a deal, but she felt it. And if she ever managed to go back, she would've proved it. Possibly in a legal way.
- Mermaids in sight a mile away, captain! - Craig shouted from above.
Stormy and Francesca jumped for the sudden noise, Falkenburg gave orders so that Craig and Alma modified the sails' positions so that their speed was at the minimum. Landing on the deck again, Alma spoke to the girls.
- Whatever happens, do not speak to them. They might decide to drawn you for fun. - she said coldly.
- Magnificent. - mumbled Stormy, squeezing her eyes in an attempt to see what Craig saw.
Minutes had to go by before she could distinguish the silhouettes of some rocks rising from the sea. Two mermaids waited on them, very different from the ones of Andros and Zenith. They lacked the dorsal fins, but had one on their head and another stretching from the point where skin and scales merged down to half of the tail, and another pair of fins on their hips, one of them had long mauve hair and green tail and fins, the other had short, wine-colored hair and tail and fins orange and red. They both wore a noticeable amount of necklaces, rings and bracelets that shone under the first rays of sun.
As soon as they could hear her, the green mermaid said:
- Welcome back, captain. You've been far from our waters for so long. -
She dragged her "s" producing something similar to a hiss.
- There's no need to remind you of the price to pay. - added the other, smiling avidly.
Her wet hair was stuck on her cheeks and neck and, together with the body lucid with water, gave Stormy the feeling of watching a snake.
- The most precious thing I carry, I know. - Falkenburg rudely interrupted them, - Alma, you know what to do. -
The demoness nodded.
- Yes, captain. -
She took a trunk full of dreams that Craig had left on the deck and flew up with it. She reached the rocks, where she gave the trunk to the mermaids, careful not to touch them. They examined the content of the trunk, hissing surprised.
- Very valuable goods, captain. - said the orange mermaid.
- Of immense worth. - echoed the other, - Go on. The sea people won't touch you… this time. -
Craig and Alma went back to the sails, opening them to regain speed. A few minutes and the rocks and their occupants were gone. Stormy turned to Craig.
- What happens if you don't pay? -
- They sink your ship. They eat you. That's all. Don't you have mermaids, in your world? - he answered, putting the bandana back on.
Stormy thought of the Andros mermaids, so pacific and sweet when they weren't marked by Valtor or turned into mutants by Tritannus.
- Not like these ones. -
- Good for you. -
- Why do you wear the bandana? -
Craig considered the opportunity of giving her an answer. He decided he didn't care.
- The sun. That eye isn't good by day. - he said.
It was almost midday when Lupo and Wavecutter took off from the ship, headed towards the coastline. Even though they could use their phones to communicate, Desirè couldn't use GPS to send their position. They couldn't reach the sea, she had said, but they could see it flying up. they were just out of another small town with a wide river running next to it. Lupo had to find Desirè, Darcy and Lzzy and take them to the ship, that in the meantime would continue its journey following the Spanish coast towards the North.
- I really hope he finds them soon. - said Cassandra, watching the dragon get further.
It was very risky to fly over inhabited lands in full daylight, but they couldn't do otherwise.
§§
Desirè came back from the farm with bread, cheese and a small bag of walnuts. That was all a farmer gave her for a silver bracelet. It wasn't a lot, but it was still better than nothing. They ate quietly, looking at the sky in search of something that resembled a dragon. Nothing.
- Get some sleep, I'll keep watch. - said Lzzy.
- You need to sleep more than me. - replied Desirè.
When they stopped that night Lzzy had taken two watch turns, Desirè only one. She had no idea how Lzzy could keep her eyes open.
- I don't wanna sleep. -
Desirè rolled her eyes Darcy took advantage of the freshly recovered energies to make sarcasm:
- You know you don't need to impress me, don't you? -
Lzzy closed her eyes. She didn't want to show off her strength to Darcy.
- I tried to sleep tonight, okay? I can't. I have nightmares. I wanna avoid them. That's it. - she said, hoping that would end the discussion.
Needless to say, it didn't.
- What nightmares? - asked in fact the witch of darkness.
- Valtor tries to kill me and she... doesn't come. - answered Lzzy, looking down.
- Nonsense. You know she'd come at any cost. -
Lzzy realized that Darcy was trying to reassure her in her own way, but it was a rather controversial one. She would've preferred a more straightforward approach, but she appreciated the intention.
Desirè called them: a tiny spot in the sky grew bigger and bigger and it really looked like a dragon.
§§
Icy, Bloom and Tecna, on the other hand, had reached the sea, or better, the port at the mouth of the Tiber river. Then they had flown South, far from the town, and had landed again on an isolated beach, where they were going to wait for the ghost ship to arrive.
In order to kill time and make waiting more comfortable they built a little hut with branches, where the pine forest and the beach met, so that they could keep an eye on the sea from under the trees. Bloom then went looking for something to eat.
Had she brought back just some fruit from a nearby farm, Icy would have been fine with it. She didn't like to be that hungry, it reminded her what she was before the trial. A desperate little girl who didn't have a home or something that was truly her own and that definitely didn't always eat as much as she should have had. On the other hand, even now she had nothing of her own. Without Alfea she wouldn't have had a place to go, she realized, and that scared her. If she ever went back to Magix, she would've looked for a job, she decided. She would put away some money and would get a room in the city. It would have been a start.