CHAPTER 13
There Is Nothing To Fear
Maija brought the ship's engines to full power again, standing firmly at the helm. Erik stood to her right, emanating a new air that shocked her. When she had first met him only hours prior, he appeared as a bored teenager, sold to a job he hated just to make a few pigments to live off. Now, he was a man far larger than she was, a full chest stuck out strong with broad shoulder to square them. Eyes set forwards and chin up, a bit of scruff growing on its underside. He held his hands behind his back, the grip of a pistol only inches away. Trained for combat, prepared to protect her at a moment's notice.
Maija felt a mix between surprise and comfort. A part of her that Makhai had taken with him to the grave had been made smaller. Just a little bit. But enough to make her swallow hard, blink, fight to keep focused on the flight that brought their ship right up into Kaius's clutches. Her heart beat hard in her chest and for a moment, Maija couldn't figure out if it was because she was about to willingly hand herself over to the man that killed her father, or because nothing more than a touch from Erik had given her goosebumps.
Now was not the time for this. Her memory had been blank for so long, this was the start towards her changing that. This feeling in her that in all her memory she had never felt for anyone, she knew what it was. Even in and through that void, she recognized it. It was a distraction. Dangerous. Something so messy and catastrophic was still, somehow, completely human.
She took and mentally tossed it over her shoulder, back in the pit of bottled emotions- Maija had a collection by this point, all nicely bottled, packed and color labeled, lined up on a waxed oak shelf stationed in the back of her mind. She grabbed tighter to the helm's controls, straightened her shoulders. Her heart beat harder, a keen observer would be able to point out the pulse quicken along her neck, her jaw tightening.
They passed the first pair of ships and Maija cut power to the engines as the small ship that had been positioned in front of Kaius's flagship moved to meet them. Even though every ship in the fleet dwarfed this smaller ship, it still doubled in size compared to Maija and Erik's little dingey. The ship drifted before it came to a stop.
Maija and Erik glanced at each other, contact made through the corners of their eyes. The ship came to a stop, perfectly in front of their ship where the edge of its deck was within stepping distance from their deck. The captain stepped over, dressed in the usual New Unity garb along with three other crew members, a woman and two men. The men and woman stood at the bridge between their two ships as the captain, his rank marked by a blood red flag hanging from his left breast pocket, blowing in the wind, stepped around their helm, eyes locked on Maija.
He held his arms behind his back, much like Erik as he walked around to Maija's left, each step slow, his boots with metal souls clanging against the ship's deck. Maija turned towards him, Erik turning with her to her left.
"What are you here for?" the man asked, turning his chin up. "I can assure you; Kaius is happy to see you've come willingly but your motives he, no doubt, questions."
Maija didn't miss a beat, adrenaline burning like acid in her veins, but she remained calm. "I've come for him."
The man glanced at the closest of his guards, the woman, and she moved to disarm Maija and Erik. Erik moved quick, grabbing his pistol from his waist, and holding it up next to his head, gripping the gun by its short barrel. "That won't be necessary."
The woman stopped and the man glanced at Erik, glancing his eyes up and down, analyzing him. Erik's face was calm, perfectly, but one single bead of sweat rolled down his temple. Maija would have applauded his effort if she hadn't been holding back the same, cold, nervous sweat.
Everything in that moment was a power move, Maija had to convince Kaius that she had "toughened up" to his standards and Erik needed to prove to everyone in New Unity that he was up to pare as well. This captain wasn't only verifying that Maija and Erik weren't immediately dangerous, he was testing them. First impressions always made the difference.
The captain smiled and backed away, the woman finding her place back with the other two guards. "And who might you be?" the captain asked, raising his brow, and offering a smile cold and less than genuine.
"Kaius tarnished my name," Maija stepped up. She was the leader here, it had to be known. Maija and Erik were in this together, but Kaius wanted her, not Erik. "I needed to improvise. I'm sure he could understand the importance of having allies." She glanced around at the fleet of ships around them that hovered, motionless despite the blowing wind. Maija's ship had already drifted a few feet away from the captain's.
The captain nodded, "He can. Please, come with me aboard the Coeus. Kaius will be waited for us aboard his own ship, Atlas. Don't worry, your ship will be taken good care of. If all goes well with Kaius, we may eliminate this nasty drift."
Maija nodded and followed the captain, Erik behind her. He stepped back over, having to hop now. Maija and Erik followed. The woman and two men circled around and took command of Maija's ship, flying it around to the front of the row of ship's positioning it right at the end, in line with every other. It had already been drafted into the fleet, made one of their own. Maija watched it from the corner of her eyes as Coeus pulled back, turning away from the ship that had quickly become a symbol of hope to Maija. Of freedom. Twisted to match Kaius's growing power and size. Maija felt sick but held it in, hid it. She had no other choice.
The ship got closer. Kaius's ship. Atlas. Interesting name since it had the power to remove atlas energy from anything that used it. The hundred dead were not only on a sinking island, but they had ships that were useless, just as heavy as the island that was dropping beneath their feet. Coeus docked with Kaius's ship just as it had with Maija's, cutting the engines just in time to slowly drift up to the ship's deck. The captain stepped off, gesturing for Maija and Erik to follow.
Maija had almost expected something to change as she stepped forwards, a loud boom or thunderstrike to mark her signing herself to Kaius no matter how artificial but nothing came as the skin beneath Maija's feet slowly touched the ship's icy cold metal deck. She had been here on this ship so long ago. Dread threatened to pull her back and away, but she kept going, moving quicker as she did.
Someone moved to stop Maija, she pushed them out of the way, shoving them against the ship's wall. "I know my way." Erik rushing after her, keeping her locked in at about four feet.
She located the ship's stairs and began climbing them. One flight, two flights, three. Erik rushed up behind her and grabbed her hand, pulling her back. Maija yelped and jumped back, knocked out of a fugue state where almost everything had been forgotten. She grabbed his hand and ripped it off.
"Maija stop," Erik whispered harshly, his voice strong but still soft. For the moment, they were alone. He slowly reached up and wrapped his hand around hers, gently squeezing it. "Calm down. We'll be okay. Calm, collected. That's what Kaius wants to see."
Maija closed her eyes, swallowing hard and nodded. "Okay. Okay." She turned and kept climbed the stairs at the same pace as she had before, except now in a uniform right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot, she kept muttering to herself in her mind, each step slamming down hard against each metal step. Erik followed, heavier but quieter.
She spun around the top of the stairs, towards the bow of the ship. A seat sat right at the edge, looking over the entirety of the top deck. The ship had already started moving. The whole fleet, moving back towards the windwall she and Erik had just come through. The two rows of ships formed in a square pattern, just as before, each ship filling the space between the two ships in front of it, the flagship heading them all.
Kaius sat in the chair, slouched back, resting his head against his arm propped up on an arm rest. He straightened himself and stood, a smile stretching across his face as his gaze landed on Maija. The smile immediately vanished as Erik arrived, the two glaring at each other.
Maija came in front of Kaius, standing just a few feet from him and pulled his attention back to her. Everyone was silent and everyone watched. Maija focused on Kaius's eyes who looked down at her, him a foot taller than she was. His eyes squinted just barely as a slight grin formed on his face again, his lips bordered by a finely trimmed beard, ribbons of grey just starting to form through it.
She hadn't noticed even her own movement, but she had slowly held her hand out in front of herself and Kaius took it, slowly, firmly squeezed it. A handshake. Maija felt her fate seal but forced herself to keep eye contact with Kaius, his green eyes just like her own streaked with age and wrinkles marking wisdom.
His grin grew. He finally looked back up at Erik, the smile still there this time. Kaius brushed his nose with his other hand and let go of Maija's stepping away from her. He turned and moved towards the bow of the ship, around his throne, waving everyone from the top deck. "Everyone off, everyone but me, Maija, and her new companion."
Kaius wore the same clothes as everyone else. A brown leather jacket, tightly buttoned with a pair of black slacks. He bore no rank unlike the others but to make up, he wore a long and wide piece of red cloth tucked to the back of his belt, draping down to his knees like the backside of a skirt. The ship halted immediately, every ship falling in line behind it as everyone standing on the top deck scurried away.
Kaius stood looking out into the sky, the sun setting somewhere behind them. "Who is he Maija?"
Maija stole herself before even considering it. "A friend. Thanks to you, I've been fighting for my life. Help was needed."
He nodded, his face still hidden behind the backside of his head, wind tugging at locks in his perfectly groomed and gelled hair. "Understandable. I hope you forgive me, the lies I've spread about your involvement in the sinking of Harbourage, the Temple of the Silvanian Knights, Ancorage Isle and Highlands Hills was cruel but necessary. I remember their names. Each one was a cost to pay for the world."
He didn't give Maija time to reply before he spun around, the smile- grin- still on his face. It looked genuine. He looked… happy. Maija felt everything but. Her stomach churned inside her. "I apologize, I need to be careful now in these times. This greeting has not played out how I had imagined it to and I'm sure you feel the same. Let's cut to the chase. I have been slaving day in and out to get you, Maija, right here and now, in this very moment and here you are. But tell me, why? Why your change of heart?"
The question broke the lid on one bottle of emotion locked inside Maija, she closed her eyes before she could catch the tears that streamed down her face. She collapsed, letting them fall. It had only been a few minutes and it felt she could act no more. She couldn't pretend.
Maija sniffed, rubbed her eyes, and wiped the tears away, embarrassment still managing to burn at her face as both Kaius and Erik stared at her. She straightened herself but remained on her knees in front of Kaius, hands wetted with her tears held out to him. She could take it no long and the words that came out of her mouth next was the truth. Maija told Kaius the truth.
"I can't take it anymore. I can't take this," she said, voice still shaky. "If in submitting myself to you, this madness stops- this death and suffering- then I give myself fully to you. Please."
The twisted truth. Kaius looked down at her, a puzzled expression on his face but it vanished. Replaced with a smile, a warm one. He dropped down to her level, crouching down and resting a hand against her cheek. Maija stopped herself from flinching, managing to be successful this time.
"There is nothing to fear, my daughter," Kaius spoke, his voice soft, so soft Maija didn't think Erik could make him out. "Everything will be fine, this world will be united in peace because of you. There is a lot more about yourself that you don't understand. That you may never understand. Follow me and you will be given a life greater than you can ever imagine, one without death, or sorrow." He stood, speaking louder, addressing both Maija and Erik now. "But death and sorrow will be necessary to achieve such peace. One must give in order to attain. That is something you two will need to learn greatly in the coming days."
Two men arrived on the top deck, how they knew when it was safe to do so, Maija didn't know, but they stepped up, one standing beside Erik, the other next to her. Erik immediately moved to Maija's side, coming in between her and the man. He had quickly fallen into a position of a guard to her completely contrasting the impression he had given her when they first met.
"We begin tomorrow," Kaius said, "Get some sleep, you're going to need it. These men will direct you to your rooms."
Erik stepped forwards, "I stay with her."
Kaius wrinkled his brow, his lips tightening in exaggerated confusion. "We can… have that arranged."
"Ma'am," the man stepped by Erik, clearly annoyed by his protectiveness. Maija jumped, sucking in air, startled even though she shouldn't have been. "If you'd follow me."
She nodded, catching her breath. She had been plagued by a jumpiness she couldn't help. Being so close to Kaius, being so nervous, made it worse. Maija followed the man, catching another glimpse at Kaius who had turned back away from them, looking out into open sky. Erik struggled with the man who had started leading him more aggressively than the one leading Maija but eventually, he gave up at looking tough and followed quickly after Maija.
The men led them down, deeper into the ship, around several corners and passed the ship's brig. Maija remembered being here. Kaius had obviously told these men to bring them past here, some type of power move, a silent but implied threat. They eventually arrived at the ship's residences. Columns of corridors all lined with doors leading into small rooms, each person having their own. The men brought them to the end of the very bottom deck, pulling open the last door and motioning them in.
"Please, make yourselves comfortable," one of the men said as Maija cautiously entered, Erik close behind. It was a small room divided into two spaces, a bed built into the wall at each side of the room, cloth covered and fluffy pillows arranged nicely on top of both. A large drape hanging from the ceiling separated the room to two halves for privacy. "Kaius requires you both to be top deck at first light. We will be crossing a sandwall come moon's zenith, the disturbance shouldn't be great. Have a nice night and welcome to New Unity."
"Too far?" Erik sat on the edge of his bed. They had both unloaded their weapons and armaments to the table that separated their room in half. Maija sat on her bed, head in hands, massaging her temples with her fingers.
She managed to shake her head. Managed to speak. "No, you did great."
He sighed. Maija heard him stand and walk across their room, she didn't look up, finding some comfort in the darkness the palms of her hands created in her eyes. Erik sat down next to her, leaning his elbows against his knees much like Maija. His body sunk into the bed's covers, pushing up against hers.
"You know, if Kaius was right about one thing," he started. Maija doubted if what he was about to say would be inspirational or not. This would be the time for some giant, inspirational monologue that would encourage Maija to fight stronger than she'd ever fought before. She felt like giving up. "Everything will be alright in the end. You told me that you had this sense- not a sense- an urge that pushed you to survive. Let me tell you, I wouldn't have survived. Even if I had 'spawned' into this world with no memory, no- I'd be dead long ago. Trust in that and you'll make it through anything. Then it will be okay again."
Maija didn't reply. She was still processing. Erik stood, leaving a cold emptiness now beside her. "And besides, you always have me. I know it's not much but I'm here."
"When it looks impossible," Maija spoke, her voice rough like her throat had been made of sandpaper, "look deeper, and then fight like you can win."
She looked up at him, their eyes locked, his soft, afraid, Maija's glossy, red from tears. Somehow, they had ended up in this situation, total strangers. But Maija knew Erik would fight for her, and she would do the same for him and then they would fight together to destroy Kaius and ruin whatever he had planned. Out of anyone in this world, somehow, Maija wouldn't have had it any other way.
