Chapter Text
There's electricity in the air today, it's not frenetic or busy, but there's something that's crackling in the breeze. I like days like these, when the wind hits our sails just right, when the sky is the just right shade of blue and the crew is in harmony.
"DOCK DAY! DOCK DAY!" And also, it's dock day. I smile at the reminder and watch as Arjun and Ryku scurry out from the lower deck, followed by a much calmer Lera and Sena. Immediately they all start making their way to the captains stand. To me.
They're all bright eyed and ready for the day. Good, I made the choice to man the Yaretzi on my own throughout the night so they could sleep. This has been a long long trip, a wild goose chase and our first failure. Spirits were low and the adrenaline caused by our mortal terror passed almost as soon as it hit. They deserved the rest.
Lera and Ryku had it especially rough, as the only water sprites on the crew they had to work the ocean to get us out fast, and even when I told them they could stop, they kept pushing the Yaretzi forward until nightfall. Lera is strong and could probably have gone all night, but Ryku has only just started stamina training on his water sprite magic. I'm proud of him for even going as long as he did. By the time he wore himself out Lera ended up having to carry him to his and Arjun's bedroom.
"And thank La Diosa for that. After that shit show yesterday, I need a break." Sena as always does not shy from the truth, and I can't help the snort her words push out of me.
"Hell yeah! A break! No offense guys but after five months on the ocean y'all are starting to stink." Arjun says as he points his nose up and gives an exaggerated shudder.
"Us? You got it twisted minion, the stench cloud only lingers by the boys room, you don't think there's a reason for that?" Sena asks as she makes it over to the captain's wheel before the rest of them, and drops down on the U shaped bench that surrounds the wheel and manning station.
"Not true!" Ryku yells as he shoves at Arjun for even daring to bring up a conversation that would lead to such accusations against him. It makes my heart lighten, and evidently Lera feels the same. She lets out a loud guffaw and lifts Ryku up by his shirt with a teasing laugh. Ryku cracks a smile before breaking into a laugh himself as she starts swinging him side to side and singing an old sailors' song about pirates' breath. I can't help but join in. Hells even Sena's bitter ass lets out an airy laugh. This is such a nice change of pace from yesterday, I can feel myself relax as the happy atmosphere permeates the air.
Lera sets him down gently as the song winds down and Arjun immediately takes him into a choke hold. He lets out a cackling laugh as Ryku starts throwing some pretty pathetic punches in his direction in an attempt to get loose. They've all made it to the manning station's booth at this point, so their fighting nudges me every once in a while. If they were men I would probably be halfway to kicking them off our ship right now but they're just boys, barely coming into themselves and dealing with way too many emotions, magics, and hormones. Not to mention the ocean, our sweet but cruel mistress.
Though I know to Ryku: the ocean, this ship, and Arjun are blessed. He's the newest on the crew and has only been with us for about a cycle now. The new year will be here in twenty nights and then he will officially be offered a spot on our crew, though we all know he has already found home here and the offer and acceptance are basically guaranteed.
Despite being with us that long, Ryku is still quiet, and secretive, and on especially bad days; plagued by ghosts and visions of his past pains. He is wispy, most sprites are liable to be somewhat wispy; but Ryku is only half water sprite, the witch in him would have no way to make him so ghostlike. Even with the constant sun hitting us during our daily tasks, he continues to be the palest of us all. He claims it's from all the years he was chained up with no sun, his skin just doesn't know how to tan, I'm not quite sure that is the truth but I'm also not sure he knows the truth either.
This will be his first time docking for longer than a few days with us, and our first time being on solid ground for at least five months. The ocean is a beauty, and she sings my name, but there's something about the earth and the way her song comforts me when I step foot on land.
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Docking Yaretzi was something we had fine tuned to perfection and we made quick work of it when the time came. The sea side town of Empalana was beautiful if you docked on the north side, buut if you docked on the South as we had then you were quick to find that the island's beauty was a double sided coin. And by simply docking, we were entrenched in a world of conmen, piracy, and defiant revelry. My home.
With Yaretzi now safely in place, I turn to look out at the city. Empalana was more my home than anyone else's on the crew, I grew up here. Feeling the sun on my skin, the ocean breeze in my lungs, and my skirts swinging around my legs as I ran barefoot with the orphans that made up this place. I am grown now, but these roads are the same. Most of the crew doesn't know this is my place of root. Lera knows, of course she does. My first friend, my first partner in crime. She grew up here with me, but this is not her home. It used to be a point of contention, back when I wanted us to be the same in all the ways I felt mattered, but I understand her more now.
Still, I like docking here, and we haven't in more than two years. And so here we dock. Captain's privileges I guess. Before I can think too much about it I feel a tug on my sleeve. Ryku, I turn my head to him and catch his eyes. He's not scared, after all this time I know he's above the petty fear that nerves can cause, he's curious but hesitant. All his previous hurts have clustered in his eyes and he's looking at me in such a way that my heart squeezes. I get it, I used to be him. When you've avoided the people on earth in exchange for the thrill of the ocean and the people you've grown to trust, the sheer amount of ground space and population on land can make you feel shaken.
"What's next?" When he asks his voice no longer cracks, he is no longer the broken thirteen year old boy I picked up and took on a crusade. Older, but still so so young. So like me at his age. I smile, without forcing because whether anyone else knows or not, I am happy to be here.
"Next is, we go meet my friend Chelo. You haven't met her yet, but I've known her since I was your age." I miss Chelo, and when I say her name so soft he seems surprised. All the people I love other than those on the Yaretzi, live on this island. And it is his first time here, I am not surprised by his surprise.
I have a reputation, one he knew about before we met and it follows me everywhere. It is not one known for kindness, or love and care. I can only imagine what it's like for him to be here for the first time, while I talk about people he has only heard stories about. Chelo taught me strength, and the skill of acting, pretending, hiding in plain sight. He could never know that.
"Then how old is she?" Arjun asked, unabashed in his confusion. Dumb boy, so like a child should be. Of course, while Arjun has spent more time as a crew member, he has also never docked here in this specific place. They are living the same moment, for once.
"How bout this, when we meet her you ask her that." I say with a smile as I unhook the chain that keeps our ramp tight to the ship and then watch as the ramp slams into the ground with a heavy BAM.
"Yeah dummy haven't you ever heard you can't ask a lady her age?" Sena says as she slinks her way by, slapping his head gently as she passes. "Now, are we going or not? I need a glass of wine and a beautiful girl ASAP." And with that she starts her graceful descent down the ramp and onto the dock.
"Hey no fair! I didn't ask the lady for her age, I asked Xare to tell me her age, that's different!" Arjun hollers before running forward and barreling his way down the ramp. I chuckle as I watch him fake that he's going to tackle Sena before he jumps back last minute, laughing and continuing his descent. Just like always, Ryku follows.
"Well come on then Lera, it's time to relax." I say with a big ol smile as I throw an arm around her slightly shorter shoulders and start walking down the ramp. We make quick work of pulling and pinning the ramp chain back into place in order to lock up Yaretzi and just like that we begin our descent into town.
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The sound of hooves thumping wet dirt and the biting wind attacking my face are doing their best to distract me as I attempt to focus on somehow getting my horse to go faster. When this stupid chase began I never though it would have lasted this long. The worst part is I have found myself irreparably lost, with three burly men on my trail, as I get further and further away from my crew.
They've chased me out miles away to a large thicket of woods and the road I'm barreling through is more of a dirt trail than anything else. I can hear them behind me, grunting in that ugly brutish way men do, and gaining on me. My adrenaline makes me reckless, as does my mounting desperation. I can't have travelled this far without getting away with my misdeed or I'll let my crew down. And become a laughing stock to all of pirate society.
What I need is a gap in the thick foliage so I can lose these barbarians and make a quick turn back to Empalana. I whip my head back and forth as I ride and curse as my desperate search brings no results. I don't have time to let it bother me for long, as out of nowhere, a frightening chill runs down my spine. I have barely a moment to perk into alertness before a whizzing sound, heading straight towards my back, penetrates my ears.
"Motherfucker!" I hiss as I throw my whole body to the right of my horses neck. He, the wonderful bastard, follows my body weight and moves slightly in the direction as well. I force my whole body to go lax and tuck into my horse just in time for an arrow to whiz by the left of my his neck, before disappearing somewhere. The adrenaline builds in me and despite the danger, I can't help but let out an elated WHOOP and laugh when the damned arrow misses.
"If you want to bring me down you're going to have to try harder than thaaat!" I can't help but yell gleefully. There is truly something to say about the feeling that comes to you after avoiding death, the euphoric energy that surges through you when you realize you're alive.
Unfortunately for them, now that I am aware they're shooting arrows, my ears and instincts are at full attention. I cackle as the leader of their trio lets out a thundering "AGGGHHHHHH" in response to my taunting. Even the swaying trees and thunderous rain can't dampen the strength of his yell but it just makes me laugh harder.
My laugh is exchanged for a guilty wince when I hear three identical sounds of reins slamming harshly on wet hide. Brutes, I think to myself and send a quick apology to the horses for inadvertently causing them pain, and then quickly push the guilt away from the forefront of my mind. Instead, I notice the way their horses sound like they're speeding up, and then one, two, three arrows being notched into place. Then; one, two, three identical snaps of bowstrings being let loose. Finally, the familiar sounds of whizzing arrows slicing through air.
I should feel fear. They're flanking me, I'm directly in the path of all three arrows, and I know I am only one badly timed branch or spontaneous slow down from them catching up to me. But I am not scared. Despite the danger, I force myself to slow my mind down, and re-evaluate the situation I have placed myself in.
One, the wind and rain are so intense, the chill they bring has my fingers and face numb and I know they must be feeling the same. Two, Three against one isn't exactly considered a fair fight, but I've had worse. If they caught me, my stomach clenches at the thought and I flex my stomach against the devious satchel hidden in my waistband. Calm, I remind myself. If they catch me I could probably win the fight, I've got my sword and myself in my arsenal. But I would like to get out of this as unscathed as possible, the Yaretzi is supposed to set sail in two weeks time, it wouldn't do for the captain of the ship to be out of commission. Three, they seem as desperate as I am for the gold, and you should never ever ever underestimated a desperate man.
"GIVE ME THE GOLD AND WE WON'T END YOU'RE THEIVING LIFE WHEN WE CATCH YOU!" Number four? They're lying. If they catch me, I'm dead no matter what. Little do they know this gold became mine the moment my hands got a hold of it, and they will not be getting it back.
I snap back into myself not a moment too soon, and I make the only decision I can think to make in that moment. In a matter of a second I spot an opening in the foliage, just big enough for me and this runty Inn horse to squeeze through.
I yank the reins as I throw my body to the side and my horse follows like it also knows we're in danger. I have barely a moment to marvel at the three lightning-fast arrows that miss me by a hair's breadth before my horse not so gently rams its body into the gap in the foliage. The unfortunate part of being upon its body at the moment of collision is that my right leg slams into a sturdy oak tree with a resounding CRACK! The horse clumsily rightens itself in the next moment, but the damage is already done. I choke back a scream as the inexperienced Inn horse stumbles its way through the wood as if blind. I force myself to focus on guiding him between trees, under branches, over logs and forward deeper into the woods.
As I create distance I hear the clattering of horses coming to a stop. Wary of more arrows; I duck my body low on my horse and force it faster. I take stock again, have I gotten away? No, there's too much gold nestled into the soft of my stomach for them to not give chase even through thick, unfamiliar wood. So I keep my ears perked up as we delve recklessly into the darkness of the forest.
The tree tops do a wonderful job of blocking any sunlight from entering the forest floor and my stomach begins to plummet as the trees get bigger and bigger. As a creature of the wood it doesn't take long for my eyes to adjust but it is not a comfort. The wood looks somehow even more eerie and otherworldly like this. My hackles inadvertently begin to rise as a feeling of something is not right here settles heavy and forebodingly on my shoulders.
I'm forced to slow down in order for my horse to safely maneuver through the thick foliage of the wood, and I pretend it's not uneasiness I feel. Every time the wind howls angrily, the tree branches rustle and creek as if about to break, my skin is prickled up and I can't help but feel like a trapped animal. My horses breathing is as ragged as mine and I take a moment to place a hand on his neck and whisper a quick, genuine, thank you. That's when I see it, a ray of light shining not too far ahead of me. It's slanted and skinny but it's there.... light.
I make a split second decision and turn my horse sharply to the left. As if seeing the light too and not needing to be told twice, my horse rushes forward on its own. We brashly make our way through the thick, ducking under low hanging branches, squeezing through narrow gaps and even jumping a few bushes in our desperation to reach that light.
I can feel my smile tick up as that sliver of light widens and widens. I begin to see the tips of tall grass peeking through from somewhere beyond that light. For just a moment I feel such jubilant relief I could thank the whole world for this stroke of luck. The feeling is short lived because in the next second something in my brain screams at me to look down instead of forward and what I see makes my whole stomach drop. PANIC blares through my brain as I spot the way the ground we are sprinting on abruptly cuts off and plummets so far down I cant see the bottom, even as I hurtle towards its edge at full speed.
The next series of events happen so quickly there is nothing I could have done to stop them. As we near the edge, I have just enough reflex in me to stand in my saddle, pull back on the reins as hard as I can and get my horse to hard break. Unfortunately, breaking the momentum of a horse going full speed with no warning at all is a lot harder than it sounds. The poor horse's hooves skitter on wet dirt before he violently throws himself back onto two hind legs and lets out a screech as the dirt beneath him begins to crumble, almost too close to the edge.
I manage to keep hold of my horse's slippery reins even as the rain pelts my face. Even as a crash of thunder sounds so loud and long all the trees shake and branches cry. Even as the very Earth trembles with the strength of it. A second later it's corresponding lightening flash takes up the whole sky, finally, finally illuminating the unknown wood I had been perilously hurtling myself through. It is not a blessing.
As I hang onto my screeching horse for dear life, I spot something in the corner of my eye. Three burly men on three equally burly horses, aiming three identical arrows directly at me. The knowledge of how horribly I have miscalculated burns through me, and then three arrows are let fly as one. Even I have to admit, they are one coordinated unit.
I open my mouth in a useless attempt to sing my song, no longer caring what it might reveal about me. Yet, all I manage to push out of my throat is a horrid, desperate scream as two of the three arrows pierce me and burrow into my flesh. I find myself unwillingly letting go of the reins even as my brain screams at me to hold on, and then I'm falling.
The solid impact of my body slamming onto hard dirt burns through me and tears another scream from my ragged throat. If Las Diosa's favored me the pain would have stopped there, they don't and it doesn't. Instead, earth and mud crumble and slide from beneath me as I begin to roll. The pain is too all consuming to tell where it's coming from and all I can see is the back of my eyelids as my battered body continues its vicious decent to the bottom of the cliff. The rain and mud fill my mouth, choking me in a cruel imitation of what drowning would feel like. I cry out and begin to dig fingers into dirt in a desperate scramble to stop my decent. It doesn't work, instead my body rolls and rolls, slamming into trees and rocks that do nothing but bring more hurt. Finally, in a painful twist my torso connects harshly with an enormous boulder, and it stops my fall. I hear the snap and crack of one or both of the arrows breaking even further, or maybe my ribs?
I cough and spit out mud and dirt. I let out a groan and allow myself to lay there for a moment. I'm finally not free falling and I am so thankful for it. I can hear my breaths coming out ragged and a gurgling noise coming from... somewhere.
The pain is ricocheting through me so intensely even my teeth ache. Everything feels too hot and when my body begins to shake, I ache to let my beast out to lick my wounds. The problem is, if I allow myself to anishi right now, the arrows embedded in my body will become stuck. So, I grit my teeth, now sharp and poking at my lip, and force my eyes open.
Somehow, seeing makes everything hurt more. My eyes adjust to the light in a second, and I resolutely ignore the way my vision blacks out every few blinks. Despite falling down what I'm realizing is the biggest fucking cliff in the whole world and being shot twice, I can't help but feel relief at having reached a way out of the dark woods. Well, that and the satchel full of gold I feel pressing hard into my abdomen. I still have it.
I can't help it; I let out a laugh that gurgles with the blood that fills my mouth. Laughing quickly turns to choking and I groan as I spit out what I can, the taste is bitter and coppery. My shoulders heave with the effort to breathe through the hacking and I stare down at the gold of my blood. Something that could be anger blooms in the back of my mind at the sight of it, my blood.
I still win a vicious, vitriolic part of me hisses. I have the gold, it sings. Despite the gaping wounds I'm peppered with, I am pleased; So long as my crew gets this gold then everything will be ok. I lift an aching arm up and gingerly re-tuck it solidly into the waistband of my pants as close to my body as possible.
It's time to get up, I know it is but that doesn't mean I'm excited to. Still, never one to back down from a challenge, I force myself to finally look at the half-broken arrow imbedded thoroughly into my upper arm. It's uglier than I had thought it would be. Puckering and gurgling as blood continuously pulses out of me. I can feel myself go pale as I realize ignoring the arrow is probably my best course of action and instead, I turn my attention to testing the mobility of my fingers and arm movements. It causes my pain receptors to scream at me, but all I can do is let out a cry and keep going. Once I'm confident it's alright enough, I take that same arm and use it to push my body up and off the ground. More pain, more tears, more resolutely ignoring the way my left arm hangs limply at my side, painful and snapped in half.
I stumble onto two feet and immediately let out a wail as my left leg crumbles, and I find myself pitching forward onto the tall wide boulder that had stopped my fall to being with. Catching myself with my one semi-good arm makes my eyes black out for a second before I gasp and then somehow everything comes back into vision. I rest my hot forehead on the cool stone for a moment and brace myself before finally looking down at my throbbing leg.
I let out a pained sob at the horrific sight and close my eyes tight to hide it away. My pant leg is ripped where the arrow has pierced me and the arrow is imbedded so deep, I can feel it more than halfway into my thigh, the wound is angry and gushing blood. My thigh has swelled up, enormous and is pressing painfully into my pant leg. It's such an uncomfortable color I have to hold back a gag. I just breathe and breathe and breathe. Then I wiggle my foot as a test, and it becomes clear my ankle must be sprained or broken or something. Another zip of panic whips its way up my back but I push it down, down, down. I need to get back to my crew, to Yaretzi, they're waiting for me.
I take a big deep breath and then finally allow myself to take a look at my surroundings. The cliff wall is so high up that the top is shrouded in mist. Just looking at it makes my sore stomach clench. I shake my head and look straight ahead of me instead. The first thing I notice is the pretty periwinkle long grass; It's tall and healthy looking. The way it dances with the breeze makes it look almost enchanting. The waves created by the grass almost remind me of the ocean, and the thought helps me center myself. The grass is shimmering in a way I have never seen before and when I look up at the sky, it's clear. No signs of the clouds or rains that have been steadily increasing in power since this whole stupid chase began. The whole scene is illuminated by a truly, enormous moon. It's so shimmery and, well, there's no other word for it; huge. I find myself thinking again, I have never seen anything like this before. I can see the craters and the beautiful blemishes on the moon, even from where I'm standing. It makes my heart stutter with its stupendousness.
My head begins to ache as it fills with more and more questions. Even the air here seems to shimmer, and while it's very beautiful, there's something eerie and suspiciously silent about this meadow. Where are the sounds of the wind? The rustle of trees, animals scampering through the tall grass? I can't hear any of it, even with my refined senses. It makes my arm hair stand up. And the rain, my brain can't let go of the lack of rain. How? Or more like who?
Despite my instincts screaming at me to turn around and walk back towards the cliff wall, I can't bring myself to listen. Instead, I take a step forward, still leaning heavily on the huge stone. I try my best to not place any weight on my broken ankle and then I take another step forward, choosing to walk around the stone instead of away from it. I tuck my head down and force my feet to shuffle forward as black spots start peppering my vision and my legs start to shake in that way legs do before giving out. I keep going until I'm standing in front of the stone instead of peering behind it. Still looking at my feet and grateful for the reprieve I allow myself to lean back against the stone and lift my head to look forward. My heart drops.
My eyesight goes fuzzy again as my head pounds while trying to comprehend what I'm looking at. I close my eyes and shake my head hard, then reopen them desperately as if I could make my vision change what's in front of me. I gape at the stones like an idiot, my heart begins to race, and my mind begins to scream; YOU FOOL, YOU FOOL, YOU FOOL. All I can do is agree.
Surrounding me are eight huge, shining boulders. If I had any of my wits to me, I would have noticed them when I first stood up. Unfortunately for me, I think I lost them at some point between being impaled by arrows and then falling down a fucking cliff. My ears are ringing, my eyesight is going in and out. In that moment, I decide that for the rest of my life I will use those two things as my excuse for not noticing that the stone I was leaning on is blue. Glowing blue. Set with the other seven, it completes a perfect glowing blue circle around me. A circle I just willingly stepped into.
For the first time today, I feel completely and totally out of my depth. In an effort to prevent my foggy mind from leading me to further doom, I follow my instinct to run. I scramble to turn while still leaning on the stone and hobble as quickly as I can out of the circle.
As I make it closer to the edge, a blue dome shimmers around me, pulsing with energy and connecting all eight stones together in a perfect circle. I know what it means but I still desperately push forward. Instead of making it out, my body viciously ricochets off the dome. I go flying and land unceremoniously in a messy heap, smack dab in the center of the circle. A scream so pained and shrill breaks the quiet of this awful trap and I sob as the arrow in my thigh pushes deeper and deeper into me.
My body begs me to anishi, desperate to help me in the only way it knows how. Thank La Diosa, before that can happen my vision goes blurry. My head pounds one last desperate time and then my eyes close as my head drops to the dirt. Darkness.