19 Promises Kept:
You. You are wrong.
What did that mean anyway? Even after Vyse had pleaded with the fortune teller to elaborate, she had been cryptic.
You are walking down the correct path, but what leads you is wrong. Kalifa certainly knew how to get her money's worth. If she was too literal the first time, Vyse doubted that she would have repeat customers.
Maybe it didn't mean anything. Kalifa had told Vyse his fortune before and a good deal of what had been said was garbage. But Kalifa had seemed rather insistent this time around.
"Vyse? Are you alright?"
Vyse jerked his head up from his desk and looked at Fina. "Yeah. I'm fine."
If it had been Aika, she would have snuck up from behind and leapt onto my back. He shook the thought from his mind. Of course he missed her, he'd just have to get used to it.
"Urala has dinner ready." Fina ventured. "Would you like to come get some?"
"Is it sukiyaki again?" Vyse asked.
Fina nodded.
Vyse groaned, but as he stood up he planted a soft kiss on the Silvite's cheek. "Thanks. I'll be right down."
Fina blushed. "I'll save a seat for you." She slipped through the door and scurried off.
Vyse made a final glance back to the leather bound journal on his desk before he followed after Fina. He was stopped at the door by Don.
"Captain." Don said.
"Captain." Vyse replied.
"We need to talk." Don said.
"Can it wait?" Vyse asked. "I was just about to have dinner."
"No." Don insisted. "I've waited too long already."
"Alright." Vyse nodded towards a chair. "Have a seat."
Don tugged at his goatee as he shuffled over towards a seat at the massive table. He waited, his brows furrowed with anxiety until Vyse also sat.
"Well?" Vyse asked.
"Baltor's dead." Don blurted out. "The Blackbeard's been destroyed."
"Really?" Vyse asked. "Were you listening to crazy rumors at Sailors Island again? Why couldn't this have waited until after dinner?"
"Because I was the one that did it." Don replied.
"You're not lying."
The grave expression on Don's face was all Vyse needed to confirm that.
"Why did you do that?" Vyse asked. "Were you trying to prove yourself?"
"No, nothing like that." Don sighed. "Baltor actually attacked first."
"So you were defending yourself?" Vyse wanted to know. "You're not making much sense."
"No. I wanted to kill him." Don answered. "He claimed to have murdered Aika."
Don noticed the bulging veins in the boy captain's hand as he tightened his fist. White knuckles and red tendons.
"Did Baltor kill Aika?" The deadly calm in Vyse's voice made Don shiver.
"No." Don replied.
"How do you know that?" Vyse asked.
"I…" Don faltered.
He looked up at Vyse and swallowed hard. As he stared into the single minded ferocity that was in Vyse's dark eyes, realization dawned on the former Valuan that he had backed himself into a corner.
"It wasn't Baltor." Don finished weakly.
"Who was it?" Vyse demanded.
"That's not the point." Don retorted. "I murdered a man unjustly. That's what I needed to tell you."
"What you need to tell me is how you know for certain that Baltor didn't kill Aika." Vyse bit into every word.
"I found out that he was bluffing on Sailors Island." Don wiped at the sweat beads on his forehead with Urala's blood stained handkerchief.
Vyse slammed his fist against the tabletop. "Then you must know who did kill her." he insisted.
"I—"
"Now, Don!"
The normally happy-go-lucky Vyse the Legend was the closest to rage that Don could ever recall. He opened his mouth to put the boy out of his misery when a little, probably suicidal, voice in the back of his head reminded him that he had given his word. Six months, that's what he had told her approximately a month ago.
"I can't." Don sounded apologetic.
"You can't?" Vyse bellowed. "My best friend's murderer is out there free and you can't tell me?"
"I gave my word, Captain." Don said. "I can't go back on it."
"How about I give my word to string you up and extract that information from you in the most painful way possible?" Vyse growled. "Do you have any idea what Aika meant to me? How can you willingly keep that from me? You're concealing a murderer!"
"Captain, I killed Baltor because I thought he was Aika's murderer." Heat was entering Don's voice. "How can you think that I'd safeguard a killer? The only murderer here is me."
"I can't believe this!" Vyse exploded.
"I gave my word." Don insisted. "I'm sorry, but I can't say anything. Not yet."
"Not yet?" Vyse spluttered.
"Not yet." Don affirmed.
Vyse laughed. "I'm going to call an island meeting for tomorrow night. Maybe you'll feel like saying something then."
"And if I don't?" Don asked.
"Baltor's murder can't go unpunished." Vyse said. "At tomorrow's meeting I'm going to have to sentence you."
"Is that supposed to be a threat?" Don demanded.
"I have to go." Vyse said tersely. "Fina's waiting for me."
Don was left alone in the Captain's Quarters as Vyse stormed out. The older man stared at his handkerchief and smoothed it out with his knobby, callused fingers.
"Well, that went well." Don muttered to himself.