Chapter 13 - The Confessional
It was some time later before Black could no longer sense him.
"Damn," she cursed.
"I hate water!" whined Red from behind her. "When are we gonna be back on good solid ground again?"
"Oh, suck it up," Black snapped. The little patience she had had all but vanished.
Red gave her a dirty look, then stomped off in a fit of toddlerish rage.
Blue stood by herself along the rail on the opposite end of the boat. She was gazing into the distance, at a dark shadow in the sky an unknown number of leagues away. There was a prickling sensation running through her fingers; a tug at the inner fibers of her being. She thought she could sense water, not the salty tang of the sea, but the fresh, sweet taste of rain.
"I wish it would rain," Blue sighed. Suddenly she felt something hit her head. Blue whirled around, but saw no one. "Odd," she muttered.
It happened again.
Blue looked frantically from side to side. A drop of water suddenly landed on her nose. Another landed at her feet, then another, and another. She looked up.
A massive storm cloud had drifted its way directly above the ship without Blue even noticing. A huge smile spread across the water worshiper's face.
Black glared at the approaching clouds. A storm was on its way, undoubtedly dragging a torrential downpour with it as well. Blue would be pleased, Red would be grumpy, and Green would be ready for the fight. Black cursed louder, and then blinked. The clouds were moving faster, headed straight for the thieves' ship.
"Dammit!" Black growled. The sky went dark, the clouds burst, and the rain came cascading down. "Dammit!" Black cried again, stomping her foot in frustration. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!"
Blue chose that exact moment to appear behind the dark woman. The Waterling looked as though she had something to say. Black wasn't in the mood to hear it. Blue began to open her mouth, but shut it again quickly.
"You have something to tell me, mortal?" Black demanded.
"Mortal?"
"That's right."
"Don't be calling me mortal when you're mortal too, mortal," Blue retorted.
"That's what you think," Black muttered.
"What?"
"You heard me."
"You mean you're immor…I mean…you can't…?" Blue stuttered.
"No," Black answered.
"Uh, no fair!" Blue whined.
"What can I say?" Black shrugged.
Blue had a look of utter shock on her face. "I don't believe you," she said.
"Believe it or not, that doesn't change the fact that it's true," Black replied.
Disbelief was not quite the word Blue would use to describe the emotion coursing through her at that moment. It was much more than that. Shock, disbelief, resentment…jealousy. She did not know what to think or how to feel. Black, immortal? Impossible.
"How…?" she stammered.
"Freak accident," Black said curtly.
"Accident?!" Blue cried.
"Yes, accident!" Black shouted back. The raging fire behind her eyes was beginning to burn again. "A filthy, rotting, festering, goddam, effing, accident!"
There was a moment of silence, where only the pounding of the rain on the ship deck could be heard. Black stood there, motionless, the water dripping from her drenched hair and clothes; her gruesome features fully exposed to the world, betraying the anguish she had so desperately tried to hide.
"Accident…" she whispered, anger giving way to despair. Hot tears threatened to roar forth, but she commanded them back. "Aaah!" she shrieked as her anger welled up once again.
"He didn't mean to turn me into a rutting monster!" she screamed. "An unstoppable assassin, an immortal with incredible strength; a freak! I am the product of an old man's poor attempt at witchcraft. 'Here, child, I won't let you die…' No! He didn't let me die. Not then, not ever! He robbed from me the only thing I had left: death!" Black looked up, angry tears finally coming forth. "Now I feel only pain and hate. Thanks to him my soul will never know peace. I am doomed to walk the earth until its ultimate ending." She paused, then looked Blue directly in the eye, tears gone, replaced by a stolid gaze of unwavering intensity.
"You cannot possibly understand the depth of my hatred for this man," Black whispered. "Hatred, loathing, even, does not describe this feeling within my gut; this passion that has consumed my very essence. If I could watch him die a thousand times over, it still would not be enough to slake my vengeance, I hate him so…"
Blue stood in silent amazement. Black had never strung together so many sentences at once, let alone ones of such significance. Black sighed.
"So now your suspicions have been confirmed," she said. "I am nothing but a bitter old woman. And now you know why."
That does explain a lot, Blue thought. "Do the others…?" Blue let the question hang.
"Yes," Black answered. "Well, in a way. I mean, Green knows. Red's been told, but being Red, I don't think she really gets it." Blue nodded.
"And the scars…?" Blue ventured.
"God!" Black yelled. "What is this? Twenty questions?"
"I'm sorry!" Blue said quickly, not wanting to get Black going again.
"No, here, tell you what," Black replied, calming down a bit, "since I apparently feel like sharing today, I will answer any and all questions that you can ask me in sixty seconds."
Blue cocked an eyebrow. "Really?" she asked.
"Yes," Black assured her.
Blue shifted her weight as she thought. "Sixty seconds? That's it?"
"I could make it thirty." Black grinned.
"Sixty's good," Blue said.
"Hold up a second," Black ordered before Blue started. "Oy! Red!" she called.
"What?" came Red's reply from inside the deck cabin.
"Come out here for a minute!"
"No! It's raining. I hate being wet."
Black growled. "Turn it off," she told Blue.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. Turn it off," Black demanded.
"I don't know…" Blue stammered.
"Oh don't play stupid," Black grumbled. "I know you brought the rain, so I know you can send it away."
Blue's mouth dropped open, then closed. How? What? Then the wheels started turning. She had thought that it was just coincidence, or that she could tell the rain was coming, but to actually call it there? Could she do that? Blue tried concentrating in telling the water to stop falling for a moment. The drops stopped.
Blue gasped and looked up at the sky. It immediately began to pour again.
"Oh, yeah. That's real helpful," Black mumbled.
Blue ignored her and went back to concentrating on the rain. This was amazing. Absolutely amazing! She could control water with her mind! It was like something straight out of a fairy tale!
"Ah-hem."
Blue brought her attention back down to earth.
"Do you still want to play?" Black asked. "'Cause you're missing your opportunity."
Blue was so caught up in her excitement that she had almost forgotten about Black's proposition. There was no way the water woman could pass that chance up, it probably would never come up again. This was her one chance to learn something, anything.
"Yes, yes," she said.
Red came out of the cabin. "It won't rain on me?" she asked.
"No," Blue assured her.
"Sixty seconds on the clock, please, Red," Black said.
"Got it," Red replied, suddenly holding an old-fashioned stopwatch in her hand. Blue took a deep breath. Game time. "Go."
"Where are we going?" Blue asked.
"Saltfort."
"Where is that?"
"Across the sea."
"What are we doing there?"
"Thieving."
"How long will we be there?"
"Time undetermined."
"Will I ever see Legolas again?"
"Perhaps. Come on, Blue. Are these the questions you really want to know the answers to?" Black smiled fiendishly. Blue quickly rethought her game plan.
"When did you get those scars?"
"At Eighteen."
"How?"
"Beaten."
"Why?"
"Cheated."
"On what?"
"My husband."
"Your husband?"
"Yes."
"Did you love him?"
"Thirty seconds," Red chimed.
"Who?"
"Your husband?"
"Which one?"
"You had more than one?"
"Yes."
"How many?"
"Two."
"The one you cheated on?"
"No."
"Have you ever been in love?"
"Yes."
"How many times?"
"Fifteen…"
"Twice."
"With whom?"
"Men."
"What kind of men?"
"Heterosexual."
"Ten…"
"Did you marry them?"
"One."
"Where is he?"
"Dead."
"How?"
"His heart stopped beating."
"Five…"
"Why?"
"Ran out of blood."
"Three…"
"What are you?"
"Two…"
"Phoenix."
"Time."
"And what is a phoenix?"
Black shook her head. "Sorry, time's up. Thank you for playing."
Blue gasped, letting out a breath she hadn't known she was holding.
"That was fun!" Red shouted giddily. "Let's play again. Only this time, Blue, do me!" She handed Black the stopwatch.
Blue's head was swimming. She had just been rattling things off so quickly, she couldn't remember exactly what had happened.
A clash of thunder sounded over head as the rain refused to be held back any longer.
Red screamed as the fat water droplets pelted her head, and she dashed back inside the cabin to hide under the blankets, muttering curses about the sea, rain, and water in general.
Black shot Blue a demonic grin, then stalked off toward the bow of the ship. Blue watched the dark woman walk away; wind tearing at her cloak, lightening illuminating the sky in white and purple streaks.