CHAPTER 13

❖

The ocean was still and tranquil as Miro’s ship eased over it, caressing the surface. The water was so still that the ship had little to no sway. Raal looked overboard to see if something was wrong because there was always a sway, as he clearly recognized from his discomfort from it. He looked down into the water and to his surprise, he could see everything: the fish, the rocks, the plants, everything. It was so clear that it was . . . frightening. 

Not so much for Trovii, though. Like a blur, he leaped onto the railing next to Raal and then heaved himself overboard, doing a full-on cannonball into the water. Once he swam back up to the surface, he waved to the crew, who watched him in bafflement and glee.

“C’mon in!” Trovii cried out to them. “The water’s fine and quite warm! You’ll love it!”

Natala positioned herself against the railing next to Raal and together, they watched Trovii gleefully swim back and forth.

“He’s like a child,” Natala said. “If only I could have such an audacious mindset like that.” Trovii stuck his head underwater and then quickly shot back up. He started coughing as water flew out of his nose. “Then again . . .” Natala said as she watched him in disgust. “It’s nice to have a tad bit of common sense as well.”

Raal smirked as he continued to watch Trovii. The water did look quite comfortable, and its clear blue appearance was a spectacle to behold. “Why is it so clear?” he asked Natala. 

“Because we’ve hit the tail of the Koz,” she answered. 

“The Koz Reef?”  Raal questioned it. Though he was anything but a seaman, he knew a bit about the geography of the world, and the Koz Reef was supposed to be mileseters south from them. “How?” he asked. “The Koz is even further than Oaka.”

Natala grinned. “You’ve seen your fair share of maps, I see,” she told him with a laugh. “It’s true. The Koz is marked far from this location, but as all sea lads know, it should never be marked with a single dot.”  She spread her arms and motioned to the entire ocean. “The center of the Koz is south of Oaka, and from there it spreads out for mileseters. We’ve hit one of the tail ends of it, mate.”

Raal was astonished by this new geographical knowledge. He had no idea that the great Koz Reef was that big. He looked out at the ocean and reveled in its many wonders. As he did, he noticed Trovii having his childlike fun. 

Perhaps it’s all right to waddle in there for a while, Raal thought. He was just about to take off his shirt when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. In the water was a silver talisman floating along the surface. “What is that?” Raal asked, pointing at it.

Natala followed his finger to what he was pointing to. Before she could get a good look at it, Trovii let out a terrifying scream.

“Get me out of here!” he cried in horror. Frightened, he swam to the boat and started banging on the hull of it. “Hurry! Get me out!”

Little Man let down a ladder, to which Trovii grabbed and brashly climbed up.

Raal searched for whatever it was that caused Trovii to be so petrified. His question was answered when he noticed a burnt Auroite helmet floating next to him. He followed the trickled path that led to a scene that utterly disgusted him. There were countless dead Auroites floating in the water, their skin burnt to crisp. Some were even melted to their bones. Planks of bloodstained wood floated alongside them as well as other objects and wreckage. Raal gaped at the sight. “What in the name of Sem . . .”

Miro overheard Trovii’s cry and rushed over to see if he could help with anything. “What’s wrong?” he asked as he ran up to Little Man.

Trovii pulled himself onto the deck and shook off the water. “It’s a sea grave,” he told everyone. “There’re bodies down there! Hundreds of them!”

“He’s right,” Gale said. He looked through his monocular at the water. “It appears we’ve sailed into the area where the sky battle happened. I can see dead Urali dragons in the distance.”

Miro turned to Trovii, who was vigorously wiping the water off of himself. “Are you okay?” Miro asked him.

“I’ll be fine once this contaminated water gets off of me.” Trovii took a towel and began to scrub even harder. “I was basically swimming in death. I don’t want Auroite gunk on me.”

Miro patted Trovii on the back and then turned his attention to some of his crew. “Use the net to salvage what we can from down there,” he told them. “Throw out what’s burnt and keep what you deem may be of value.”

The crewmembers nodded and went to work. As they ran past Raal, he maintained his condemning expression. He wasn’t completely on board with Miro’s plan. “Miro,” he said as he walked up to him. “Are you sure we should be tampering with this stuff? I think we ought to leave it all alone. Let the dead rest in peace.”

Miro shook his head. “I know it seems wrong,” he told him. “But we’re pirates. This is what we do.” He looked out at the dead bodies. “We just sailed into a floating gleddie arcade. There’s no way we can pass this up.”

Raal folded his arms and looked out at the dead bodies. He didn’t agree with this salvaging, but the captain was bent on going through with it. Miro may have been his friend; however, he was still a pirate captain. That status trumped any ego. With that in mind, Raal’s gaze went back to the talisman he had noticed before. For some strange reason, it stood out from all the other clutter in the water. Something about it did not fit the visual pattern.

“First haul up!” one of the crewmembers shouted, ordering the other members to pull the net out of the water. A team of a dozen men tugged on the net as it slowly came onto the deck. Finally, it rolled over the railing and plopped onto the deck’s floor, pulling up seaweed and a puddle of water as well. In the net, there were dead Auroites, armor, swords, a few dead Atlohs, and Atloh weapons all tangled up together.

“Ugh,” Natala said as she held her nostrils closed. “The dead have such a horrid smell.”

“They’re dead, Natala,” Gale told her with a touch of sarcasm. “I’m pretty sure they’re not supposed to smell like flowers.” 

Raal walked over to the net and reached into it. After a moment of rustling, he pulled out his enclosed fist.

“What do you have in your hand?” Natala asked him.

Raal unclenched his fist to reveal the talisman sitting in his palm. It was a silver, octagonal talisman with scorches on the ends of it, evidently markings from the sky battle. In the middle of it was a a circle surrounded by other symbols in the shape of serpents.

Natala stared at the talisman from over Raal’s shoulder. “I recognize that symbol,” she told him, pointing at the engraved serpents. “It represents the lands of Jomonalii.”

“Jomonalii?” Raal echoed. 

Natala nodded. “I hear those lands are soiled by blood, and those lands birth some of the most treacherous killers.” She scratched her head and looked at the talisman with bewilderment. “That land is extremely far from here though. Why would one of their insignias be this far south?”

Raal looked back down at it. “And why would it be in the sea grave of an Auroite/Atloh battle? Auroites would never allow a Jomonalii into their ranks, and Jomonalii would never side with Atlohs.” Raal stared at it for a while longer and then put it in his pocket.

“You’re keeping it?” Natala asked. 

Raal nodded. “You never know what you may find out about something like this if you get it into the right hands.”

Natala shook her head. “I wouldn’t want to be involved with anything to do with Jomonalii.”

“I’ll take my chances.”

After salvaging the valuables in the net, the crew threw it back into the water for another haul. Once the net was full of dead bodies and other objects, they pulled it back up and began to salvage again. They continued this pattern until they salvaged everything that was in the water.

Miro walked to the pile of merchandise they recovered and picked up one of the Atloh weapons. He examined every nook and cranny of it. “So, these are the infamous weapons of the Atlohs.” Raal walked up to him and looked at it as well. Miro shook his head. “It’s hard to believe this little thing can cause so much damage.”

Raal shrugged. “If you’ve got the skill and a good blade, you can do just as much.”

Miro smirked and continued to examine the weapon. He put his finger on the trigger and was about to pull back on it, but Raal shouted to him, “Don’t do it!”

Miro dropped the weapon and turned to him in shock. “What? Do what?”

“When you pull that trigger, it fires off some sort of . . . I don’t know . . . tiny killing thing. I don’t know how, but it does.”

Miro looked down at it. “Dolcers would have a time figuring out the science behind it.” He kicked the weapon back into the pile. “I’ll sell it to them for a hefty price.” He turned his head to Raal. “Look, I know you weren’t completely on board with the salvage,” he told him. “But we pirates have to do what we can to survive, and some of the things that we do could seem wrong . . . it is wrong.”

“There’s no need for explanation,” Raal said. “You’re the captain, and you know what’s best for the crew.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the talisman. “Besides, I salvaged a little something too.”

Miro looked at it and then gasped, “Jomonalii?”

Raal nodded. “That’s what Natala said too. It’s strange, huh? Why would their symbol be in a place like this?”

Miro inspected it and then shook his head. “I don’t know. It’s puzzling indeed.”

Raal put the talisman back in his pocket.

“Perhaps,” Miro continued. “Perhaps it has something to do with what Nelrig told us on Uselles, about the political stuff that was going on in the north. Maybe Jomonalii used that as a chance to start expanding.”

“Could be,” Raal said with a shrug. He walked over to the railing and leaned up against it. “Or it could be something completely different. Either way, Jomonalii shouldn’t be showing up around these parts.”  He pulled the talisman back out and started rolling it around his fingers. An ominous atmosphere fell upon him. “Jomonalii,” he murmured.

CHAPTER 14

❖

Katu walked out of his quarters to a bright, cloudless day. He stretched his arms and yawned. As he walked over to the front of his ship, he noticed Leah looking out at the sea. Three days had passed since the Atloh and Auroite sky battle. She still seemed to have a hard time processing what she had witnessed.

“Good morning,” Katu said to her. “Are you doing okay?”

Leah turned her head to him to see who it was. Then she turned back to the sea. “I want off this ship,” Leah told him. 

Katu placed himself against the railing next to her, pulled a purple fruit out of his pocket, and bit into it. “We all want something,” he said with a mouthful. 

Leah continued to sulk. It was worth a shot, she thought to herself. Her eyes stared at the white horizon that separated the sea and the sky. Why was she on this ship anyway? She wasn’t even restrained. She seemed more like a member of the crew than a prisoner.

Katu noticed her glum expression. He threw the core of his fruit in the water and got up from where he was perched. “You’ll grow to like me eventually,” he said. “You won’t have a choice.”

“Why?” Leah asked as she turned to him with an irritated look. “I mean, what is it about me that fascinates you so much? You keep me around for what? Entertainment? Why can’t I leave?”

Katu listened to her outburst. When she finished, he calmly answered her. “Because,” he said, “You intrigue me.”

Leah cringed as she turned away from him and looked down at the rushing water. “I would say kidnapping me makes that obvious.”

“Ok,” Katu said. “Well, it also seems that I’ve fallen in love with you.”

“Questionable. I was flogged. You let a man beat me.”

“Yes, but I was only intrigued by you before that. I didn’t fall for you until after it.”

Leah looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and then looked back at the water. “Is that some kind of sadistic perversion that pirates have? I feel like you didn’t really think that through before admitting that.”

Katu shrugged. “What can I say. Honesty normally gets a person what they want.”

“Well, I honestly want to get off this ship, but I don’t see that happening.”

Katu looked at her as she gazed out at the sea. He watched as the sea breeze blew back her bangs to reveal those blue eyes appearing even more cerulean as the water reflected in them. He gently touched her flowing hair and then let go. With a chuckle, he moved away from the railing and began to walk off. 

Leah quickly glanced at him and then back at the water. She let out an exasperated sigh as she rested her elbows on the railing and propped her chin in her hands. Who was Katu trying to fool. A pirate like him doesn’t even have the slightest concept of love. She was his prize and nothing more. He could call it what he wants, but she knew that was as far as his gleddie-filled mind could go. She sighed again.

“Like I said,” Katu bellowed to her from afar. “Honesty works.”

Leah looked at him with confusion until she began to hear the distant sounds of birds and breaking waves. She looked back out at the sea. She didn’t see it before, perhaps because she was focused on the mundane conversation with Katu or perhaps because her time at sea was beginning to play tricks with her mind, but in front of her was a familiar island hazy from the distance. “Oaka!”

“Teluvu,” Gireek corrected her as he took Katu’s place along the railing. “You really are a lost cause, girl. You need to look at a map or something if you don’t even know your own home.”

Leah rolled her eyes and disregarded Gireek’s insult. Of course she knew it wasn’t Oaka. Teluvu was just strikingly similar. Many of her fellow Oakans were from Teluvu and she heard the story of how a terrible hurricane destroyed the entire island. Any time Old Palma spoke of his childhood, he always mentioned the wave towering above the cliffs and trees and casting an ominous shadow over all of Teluvu. He then would pause and stare with eyes full of nostalgia and sadness.

Leah looked in awe at the distant island. She heard Teluvu was slowly resurfacing, but still completely uninhabitable. She always pictured it as a small patch of sand poking out of the water. She certainly didn’t imagine seeing something the size of her homeland.

As Katu’s ship neared the island, Leah began to realize that the familiar Oakan aspect was only seen from a distance. Teluvu was actually nothing like her home. Everywhere she turned was just rocks. They rose out of the water and towered high above the sail, casting a shadow on the ship. There was barely any vegetation and most of what Leah thought was vegetation was only moss plastered along the wet stones and gravel. The sea itself even appeared upset with this lifeless oasis as the waves crashed hard against the rocks all around them.

Katu manned the steer and navigated the creaking ship around the vigorous maze of stones and cliffs. It was clear that he knew his way from memory. “Reef the sail,” he bellowed to his men. “Get ready to anchor.” 

He guided the ship between two massive rock structures, twisting and turning the steer to keep the ship centered. Then finally, as the ship crept out between the structures, a large pocket of tranquil water was revealed. It was surrounded by stone cliffs. Katu turned the ship into the pocket and then let the tranquil water gently take the ship forward toward a small docking bay. He let go of the steer, allowing one of his crewmen to steer, and then walked toward Leah. “Honesty works.” He smirked.

Leah wanted to smile, but she hid it from him. “That was just a coincidence.”

“Oh, yeah, of course. As if I’d actually redirect my entire ship for you.” He patted the top of her head as he walked past her. “What a coincidence though, right?” He laughed as he walked on.

Leah silently chuckled at Katu’s charming wit. She turned from him and looked out at their destination. The cliffs surrounding the pocket of water were the tallest. And at the highest point seemed to reside a massive brown stone. Its texture was completely different from the rest of the rocks. Again, it may have been because of her time as sea, but to Leah, the stone looked as if it was slightly breathing. After staring at it for a while, she disregarded it and looked out at the docking bay. It was only a small wood dock against a rocky shore. Behind it though was a wooden staircase that went up the side of the stone cliff and lead to a small cave. A giant tarp with a symbol of a cutlass draped the entrance of the cave. On the other side of the dock was another pirate ship. It was a bit smaller than Katu’s but they did share a certain resemblance. 

As Leah looked at it, her smile began to fade. Seeing that ship brought her back to reality. She was a captive in the midst of swashbuckling pirates who had their own agendas. What pirate-manifested dangers lurked in this place?

As Katu’s ship anchored next to the dock, the men on the other ship began to shout with jubilation. “Ahoy Cap’n Katu! Ahoy!” They were cheering and clapping. Leah looked at them with confusion. She fully expected some form of intimidation from another pirate ship, but they all seemed joyful that Katu had arrived. Leah turned to Katu to see his reaction, but instead she saw him leap from off of the ship’s railing and land on the wood dock. Then he stood and put his fists in the air. All the crewmen on both his ship and the other ship shouted even louder. “Ahoy Cap’n Katu!”

After the ship finally anchored and came to a stop, Leah walked off with the other crewmen, however, some of the crewman of the other ship began to walk on. They cheerfully greeted Katu as they passed him. Leah continued to be confused as she walked up to Katu. He was talking to a stocky man who had two bottles of rum in his hands. Both bottles were nearly empty as the man practically span around because of how intoxicated he was.

“They didn’t see us comin’ Capn,” the man said with a hiccup. “We got in and out with so many gleddies we could probably buy out them dolcers in Ban-U.”

“Glad to hear it,” Katu replied as he leaned away from the drunken sailor who was clearly not aware of his own alcoholic breath. “What time did you get here? Did I make you fellas wait long?”

“Nah. We got here late yesterday. We would have been here sooner if it wasn’t for them stowaways.”

“Stowaways?” Katu echoed.

The drunken man nodded. “Some pansy-lookin’ twins. A good chunk of the gleddies came from them. They wanted to travel with us so they paid us.” He looked at Katu. “We thought it was ok since they were paying so much. I know it’s your ship and all.”

Leah raised an eyebrow. That was Katu’s ship as well? It made sense now why all the crewman shouted Katu’s name. Everyone here was under Katu’s leadership. How much fame does Katu really have on the seas?

Katu shrugged. “Sounds like a decision I would have made too. Especially for that amount of gleddies. So, who are—” he stopped talking when he noticed the drunken sailor nearly topple over the edge of the dock. “Alright, go rest those sea legs mate.”

The man hiccuped again. “I’m about to get Machi to cook me up some of that good food. Been missing that.” He patted Katu on the shoulder as he drunkenly wiggled his way around him and Leah and on to the ship to locate Machi.

Leah watched the man as he went and then turned her head to Katu. He just grinned at her shocked expression. “Yep,” he said. “I’m a big deal.”

As they made their way down the dock and followed other crew members up the the stairs, Leah asked, “How many ships do you own?”

Katu laughed. “Just two. I’m not greedy.”

“Not greedy?” Leah echoed as she pulled on the railing of the stairs to help herself up. The wet and withered stairs were jet out from the steep rocks and each stair was far apart. Leah felt like she was walking up a staircase for giants. “You’re not greedy, yet you have two fully manned pirate ships.”

“Well, three, if you count my wrecked one out in Cloral. Those hydramen are no joke. Those dirty Cloralians led me straight into a hyrdranest.” 

Katu skipped a step that was slightly bent towards the ground and then held out his hand to help Leah. She looked at it for a moment and then hesitantly took it. With one arm, he lifted her over the broken step and onto his. Then they continued onward.

Once they reached the top, Leah gazed at the big black tarp with the red cutlass symbol hanging over the entrance of the cave. It bent and folded every time a person walked through it. Leah could hear loud voices and clamoring from behind the tarp and it was all amplified by the reverb of the cave. Those hardy voices weren’t unfamiliar due to her short time on the seas. It was certainly a bunch of pirates in there.

They reached the tarp and Katu held it open for Leah. As she walked in she looked in awe as she realized what the cave had been turned into. It was a massive bar filled will jovial brigands. Wood tables were placed all around the cave and the sides were turned into booths with natural stone seatings made from mother nature herself. The bar was in the center of the cave completely made of wood. At the far end of the cave was a small waterfall that fell from the cave’s ceiling and through a hole on the floor. It caused a light and heavenly-feeling mist to engulf the cave.

The jovial pirates all raised their cups and bottles and cheered as Katu walked in. “Ahoy Capn’ Katu!” 

Katu smirked as he waved the praise down. “Settle down, boys. It’s just me. Finish up your drinks and then get yourselves on the ship. You’ve had your fun, now it’s time to get to sailing!”

“Aye, aye Capn’!” The pirates cried out. Then some got up and headed out toward Katu’s main ship. The others continued to finish their drinks.

Katu and Leah walked deeper into the cave bar. As they did, Leah noticed two men sitting alone at a corner. They completely differed from the raucous pirates around them. Both of the men wore dingy white cloaks, but they still appeared to have a sense of wealth about them. They sat with an almost too proper etiquette as they gently sipped on their drinks. Leah turned away from them once she and Katu reached the bar. 

Sitting at the bar with her back turned was a woman, but not just any woman. She wore a purple tunic that matched a purple staff that sat against the bar table next to her. She had long silky blonde, almost white, hair. She looked to be quite normal except for the fact that peaking out the top of her hair was a set of furry ears and a furry tail slowly waved back and forth below her seat — two premiere traits of the celebrated felini species.

“Aunt Enali!” Katu said with exaggerated exuberance as he walked up behind her and tightly wrapped his arms around her body. “I missed you!”

The woman let out an exasperated sigh. “That makes one of us,” she said, letting out a small grunt as Katu squeezed her tighter. It didn’t mask her soft yet regal sounding voice. “Release me, little boy.”

Katu released her and she turned around to face him. She was a beautiful dark skinned felini with piercing violet eyes. On her cheek was a thin scar that did nothing to hide her beauty. On her bicep was a metal armband with symbols that matched what was on the staff next to her. She was young-looking and fresh-faced which made it all the more surprising when she said, “Respect your elders.”

“But Auntie, I missed you.” Katu tried to hug her again, but the poised felini just kept him at bay with her foot. Katu finally gave up. “So how was the trip. Barakion, told me you brought on some stowaways. He was so wasted, I didn’t know if he was telling the truth until I saw them in here.”

Leah knew the stowaways were those two strange cloaked men sitting in the corner. She looked back at them and then looked back to Enali.

“Yep,” Enali said with a sigh. “I wasn’t going to, but they were adamant. Besides, the Asat family can be pretty persuasive with their gleddies.”

“Asat?” Katu repeated. He looked back at them with somewhat of a glare. “So it’s those twins. Why’d they want to board my ship? That family’s filthy rich. They could’ve gone anywhere.”

Enali huffed. “Not anywhere, apparently. All of Phantei’s hunting them. Those two paid us to sneak them out of there and down south. I plan on dropping them off in Roran before I head back home to Nakii to let Jago get some well deserved rest.”

Katu continued to stare at them and then finally he turned back to Enali. “Don’t they have a little sister as well? Where’s she?”

Enali shrugged. “It was just those two. With everything going on in Phantei and those regions, I doubt they would. . .” She stopped talking when she noticed Leah. Enali studied her for a moment, looking her up and down. Then, with a raised eyebrow she said, “Katu, please explain to me why Leoran’s child is here?”

Katu and Enali both watched as Leah’s jaw dropped and eyes widened. She didn’t even know what to say to that shocking statement. Katu spoke first. “So, she really is his daughter.”

Enali stood up from her seat which revealed her lean body and surprising height. She walked to Leah and stood in front of her. Then she gently moved a strand of hair from in front of Leah’s eyes and looked directly into them. With Enali being so close, Leah could smell an almost nostalgic perfume coming from this felini. Enali smiled. “My word, you’re the spitting image of him.”

“How. . . how do you know my father?” Leah stuttered, still stunned from hearing her father’s name come out of her mouth.

Enali chuckled. “Know is a strong word, young one. I don’t think anyone truly knows that man.” Then she stepped back and grabbed her staff. “But I met him on the seas. I was sort of on and off his crew during his seafaring days.”

“His crew?” Leah looked at Katu who just gave her a look of I told you so.

Enali nodded. “I think he was roughly around your age when I met him.”

Leah studied Enali for a moment. She looked to be not much older than herself. Her skin was flawless without a single blemish or wrinkle. Her eyes however did portray a sense of maturity. The sparkle of youth wasn’t there. That didn’t change the fact that she looked youthful and if she met her father on the seas when he was that young, then . . .

“I’m a felini,” Enali said to Leah with a smile. “That’s the reason why I look barely older than you. I could tell you were trying to piece that together in your head.”

Katu laughed. “Oh, yeah, this old hag’s 75 years old!” In jest, he slapped the middle of Enali’s back which caused her to arch it and glare at him.

“I’ve already had enough of you,” Enali said to him as she grabbed her staff. “So, I’m going to take my leave now.”

“Wait,” Leah butted in. “I have so many questions. Do you know where my dad is now? How did he become a pirate? I don’t know his past at all.”

Enali looked at Leah and then sighed. “It seems he’s a mystery to both of us. I haven’t seen or heard about him in years. Even though you look identical to him, I probably wouldn’t have known you were his daughter if it wasn’t for that thing you’re carrying.” She pointed at Leah’s glaive in her hand. “There’s no mistaking that make. That was Leoran’s.”

Leah looked at her glaive. A sense of pride and wonder went through her as she thought about the fame that her father’s weapon had.

“Maybe next time we meet, we can talk more about your father,” Enali said as she prepared to leave. “As of now, I need to get back to Nakii. Jago’s ready to get back home.” Then she turned to Katu. “Be careful out there in those northern regions. There’s a lot of unrest. People aren’t hesitating to draw their swords nowadays.”

Katu nodded. “Thanks for scouting for me, Aunt Enali. I’ll make it up to you when I get back.”

Enali cringed at that comment and rolled her eyes. Then she clapped her hands and whistled, grabbing the attention of the remaining crewmen sitting and drinking. “Alright boys! Let’s get out of here! Everyone going with Katu, get on his ship. If you’re going back to Roran, come with me.”

All the remaining pirates began to get up and walk out of the tavern. Enali had a commanding presence about her amongst these ruffians. Regardless of her soft voice, it was still regal enough to command the room. Katu and Leah walked her out of the tavern as well and toward the ships with the rest of the pirates.

Both ships had crewman preparing for departure as barrels and items were carried from one to the other. Gireek seemed to be the one ordering everyone as he stood on the side of the ship. Once he noticed Katu and Leah nearing it, he said “All hands are on deck and we’re the trade off. Ship’s ready to go when you are.”

“Aye,” Katu said. “Let’s set sail.”

As he and Leah boarded the ship, Leah turned to see Enali boarding the other one along with those two Asat brothers. It was strange to see such posh-looking people around all the pirates. From the distance, she was able to get a glimpse of their faces. They’re faces were tan and lean. Both looked completely expressionless, almost like they had no soul. Leah turned away and boarded the ship.

After weighing the anchor, Katu’s ship began to move away from the dock. “Good sailing, to you boys!” Katu yelled to the rest of crew on the other ship. “I’ll see you Roran after a while!”

“Aye Cap’n!” They all cheered as the ship left the dock.

Katu then pointed at Enali. “Don’t bust my ship!”

Enali rolled her eyes and then walked into the cabin without saying a word back. Katu turned to Leah and smirked, “She likes me. She’s just playing hard to get.”

“Isn’t she your aunt?”

“Nah. I just call her that because she’s old.”

Leah then understood Enali’s constant demeanor toward him. The guy was an incorrigible romantic.

As the ship left the rocky oasis and entered the stretch of sea, Leah looked back at the island of Teluvu. She could see the other ship finally leaving the rocks as well and headed west. But then her heart stopped when she noticed something else. That enormous stone that she saw when they first entered, began to unfurl its wings and a head popped up from the other side. Then it took flight, following behind Enali’s ship.

Katu laughed at Leah’s gaping stare. “You got surprised by a lot today, didn’t you? That’s Enali’s pride and joy, little Jago. She raised him herself.”

Little? Leah couldn’t tell what kind of creature it was from distance, but whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t little. She finally turned away and looked at Katu. “So you were telling the truth about my father,” she said. “About him being a pirate.”

Katu laughed again. “Of course. Leoran’s story is legend on the seas. I wouldn’t just lie about . . .” He stopped talking when he noticed tears in Leah’s eyes. Learning about her father was obviously a heavy topic for her. “You should get some rest,” he told her. “We have a long journey before we stop again.”

Leah wiped her tears and then looked up at him again as he steered the ship and kept his eyes on the sea. It was hard to pinpoint the feeling she had towards him. She was his captive, but yet he was strangely friendly. “You’re not going to let me go, are you?”

He didn’t say anything. He just kept his eyes on the sea. However, he did show a slight grin.

With that Leah sighed and stomped off toward her room as she cursed “Sem-given pirates.”

CHAPTER 15

❖

A broken piece of bread soared through the salty smelling air. Just before it fell into the sea, a bird intercepted it with its beak. “Nice!” Trovii grinned as Natala broke off another piece of her biscuit and prepared to throw it at the circling birds around their ship. The birds represented the nearby island that they could see from a distance. It wasn’t their destination, however, it was always nice to see some form of land in the endless sea. Natala threw the piece of bread harder this time. It bounced off the head of one bird and landed in the mouth of another. 

“Unlucky, that one is,” Trovii laughed as he pointed at the bird who was hit in the head. Then he broke a piece of his own biscuit and tossed it at them as well.

Most of the day had been spent like this — very peaceful and windless which caused the ship to move slowly. The majority of the crew were rowing below deck with Little Man as the leader. Around the Koz, there was rarely ever any hazardous seafaring incidents if not spurred by people themselves. And even those incidents were rare due to the looming presence of the city of Ban-U-San and its powerhouse of a navy. No one dared to stir up trouble around these parts. 

Before Natala threw another piece of her biscuit to the birds, she noticed Raal resting his elbows against the railing. He was twirling the talisman that he found between his fingers as he stared at it. Natala walked over to him, put her hip against the side of the railing, and then with a grin she said “You need a girlfriend, mate?”

Raal had a stern face, but Natala’s words made him chuckle. “And here I thought we’d go the entire trip without you asking me this time.”

Natala shrugged. “You miss every shot you don’t take.” She turned and rested her elbows on the railing alongside him. They both let the slight breeze graze their faces. “Besides, I came close last time. You didn’t expect to see me all dolled up in that green dress that night. Granted, we were sneaking into the governor’s estate, but you . . .” She poked his arm. “You couldn’t keep your eyes off me.”

“I was lookout. I literally couldn’t keep my eyes off you.”

“Right but that doesn’t change the fact that Miro missed his opportunity to snag the gleddies. And why was that?”

Both of them spoke in unison with different sentences. Raal said, “Because I was watching out for you” and Natala said “Because I looked that good.”

Natala grinned. “I ruined a raid because I looked too good. It’s not your fault. None of you could function. I blame myself. I should have been more aware of my own power.”

Raal laughed as he stood up from the railing and put the talisman in his pocket. “You are incorrigible, you know that?”

“I’m a pirate, mate.” Then she looked at him. “Hey,” she said. “So what’s the deal with you and this Oakan girl? Call me old fashioned, but isn’t she a little too young for you? She’s young in both age and experiences out here in the real world.” 

Raal grinned. “I’m sensing a hint of jealousy.” He noticed Natala cringe from that overtly false statement. He chuckled and then looked out at the sea. “There’s nothing going on between us. I did her wrong and I just want to make it right.” Then he began to frown. “But you’re right. She lacks experience out here. And now I’m afraid she’s gaining it a bit too fast.”

Natala watched as his face became more and more distressed. “We will find Leah,” she reassured him. “That’s a promise.”

Raal looked at her and then smirked. “You just figure out your wardrobe. Wear a looser dress next time.”

Footsteps came from behind them. “Oh, are we talking about the green dress?” Miro happily joined the conversation as he walked up to the railing next to them. “We definitely need to find a reason for you to wear that again.”

Natala rolled her eyes and started walking away to avoid being the topic of another one of Miro’s running jokes. “Subtlety is not your forte is it, captain?”

“Nah,” Miro said as he took Natala’s place and perched against the railing. He reached for his back pocket which caused him to wince a little due to a striking pain in his slowly healing shoulder. He pulled out a brown rolled up paper and then unrolled it to show Raal. It was a map of the Mili region. He traced his finger from Uselles to an island a few mileseters south of the mainland. “We’re here. Pretty close to Ban-U-San.” Then he traced a finger from southeast of Uselles to a spot west of it. “Katu came from this direction, hit us here, and continued on. Like I said before, he was headed toward Ban-U, but if he’s not there, he may be taking the gulf stream into the Median Ocean.” Miro looked at Raal. “He’d be headed for the Gledilian Sea.”

Raal nodded. The Gledilian Sea would make perfect sense. It’s dangerous waters for a pirate, but the money that could be made out there was a thing of legend. It was surrounded by the four richest regions in all of Auroa, hence the word “gleddie” in its name. If anyone could rule those waters, Katu, the Sea Raider, could.

Miro rolled up the map. “If he’s not in Ban-U, I’d very much like to catch up with him before he reaches the Gledilian.”

“How would you do that?” Raal asked. “Isn’t his ship known for speed as well?”

“True, but he’d also be going through the Sea of Thieves. Everyone wants the fame of trumping the Sea Raider. Nelrig was headed out that way as well, and he’s not one to underestimate.”

Raal rubbed his hand as he thought about that monstrous grip Nelrig had when they met on Uselles. As he did, he thought about Leah having to endure what was coming. Miro was right. The amount of pirates who were eager to trade blows with Katu was innumerable and Leah would be in the midst of that insanity once they sailed into the Sea of Thieves. He did not want her to go through that. Raal slammed his fist against the railing.

Miro turned to him. He watched as his friend stared at the sea with contempt. “In Vas Jarkania,” Miro began to say. “Do you remember what that Auroite told us?” Raal’s face softened as Miro continued. “You two made it. That’s what he said to us. He said that we made it.” Then Miro looked out at the sea along with Raal. “If we could make it all the way there after what we went through, then Leah can definitely make it through her situation.”

Raal nodded. He accepted Miro’s attempt to ease his concerns. “You’re right. She’ll be okay.”

“She will,” Miro echoed. “Don’t you worry. And we’ll find her soon.” Miro patted him on the back and then began to make his way toward Gale on the steer.

Raal let out a sigh as his face returned to a disheartened state. There were two factors in Leah’s situation that differed from their own. One was that Leah was alone. The other was that she was no Dalanian.

CHAPTER 16

❖

Leah lied in her bed as her pondering eyes gazed at the window. She watched as the morning sun gave light to her cabin room. She didn’t sleep at all throughout the night. She continued to think about what Enali had said about her father. There was no way Katu and Enali were both lying. The entire night she spent pondering about her father’s past life. She thought about his friendly face and his calm demeanor. He was the face of peace on an island known for peace. How was this the same man who was a renowned pirate in his past life? Leah sighed as she stood up out of her bed. She needed to get her mind off of it. She needed to get her mind off of everything so she decided to go to the kitchen. Since it was so early in the morning, none of the other crewmembers would be up. Machi, however, would probably be in the kitchen stirring up something for breakfast. Leah enjoyed Machi’s presence. He made her time on the ship bearable.

Leah made her way down the long hallway of the crew’s sleeping quarters. The loud snores from the rooms on either side of her assured Leah that they were all still sleeping. Sleeping was considered a time of peaceful silence, but the multitude of snores certainly kept the hallway quite noisy.

She continued on until she reached another set of stairs, which led to the kitchen. As Leah made her way down the stairs, she was delighted to smell the aroma of food being cooked. It was her sign that Machi was there. She strode cheerfully down the stairs; however, she stopped walking when she heard Machi’s voice.

“I didn’t plan for it to happen this way,” he was saying. “I wanted to wait a few days, you know, just to be sure.”

“We don’t have the luxury to wait,” another voice within the kitchen replied. Leah listened in on the conversation from the staircase. Machi never had visitors in his kitchen, except for her. The conversation intrigued her.

Machi’s visitor said, “I’ve done my part. We have the men now. There’s a reason why Genji sent us. He wanted it to be a quick assignment.” Then, Leah heard a hand slam against a table. “Six years is not what he meant by quick!”

Machi’s voice came back. “Calm yourself, Barakion. It’s not like we haven’t been doing anything. It takes time. Nalii conquered lands, but Zhenou conquered that and more. Patience is a virtue, my friend.”

“I’d believe that if a virtuous person told it to me.”

Machi laughed, “I suppose you’re right. We do have a tendency to not be the most virtuous people in the world.”  

Leah listened in some more. Something about this conversation didn’t feel right . . . even amongst pirates. 

“Regardless,” Machi continued. “There’s no need to worry. Katu is the reason why we’re all here. You’ve seen his abilities.”

Barakion cut in. “That’s why I say we should move now. Why are we wasting so much time?”

Leah could hear Machi leap out of a chair and shove Barakion into the wall. “Because,” Machi said in a harsh voice, “we aren’t just assassins. We are sons of Jomonalii. We complete our missions with the least number of casualties possible. And with Katu, the only way we can do that is with patience.”

Assassins? Leah couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Was this truly Machi talking?

Machi continued, “To prevent casualties, there’s only one way to deal with the captain. We’ll have to sneak a blade into his heart, which can only be done if he trusts us with more than his life. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I don’t care if it takes us a decade, we’ll complete our mission the Jomonalii way . . . the Fausemshi way.” 

Leah shoved her back against the wall of the staircase. She had heard more than enough to realize that Machi wasn’t the person she thought he was. More than that, he was part of a conspiracy to murder Katu. Assassins, she thought to herself again. Machi is an assassin. She quickly and quietly ran back up the stairs. As she made her way into the hallway, she bumped into Gireek. 

“Watch it, girl,” he said in a loud voice. “Clumsy little twat. Why are you always in the kitchen anyway?”  

Leah knew that Machi and the other man down the stairs heard Gireek’s outburst. “I’m sorry,” she quickly said to Gireek in an animated voice. She tried to make her way past him, but he grabbed her before she got away.

“Not so fast, girl,” he said. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“I . . . I . . .” Leah was tongue-tied. Her excitement wouldn’t let her mind process her words. So many things were spinning around in her head at once. To add to her anxiety, the sound of Machi’s familiar voice came from behind her. 

“Because,” Machi said, answering Gireek’s question for her, “she helps me cook the food that you so unappreciatively eat.”

Leah turned around to Machi, who looked at her with intensity. She didn’t know what to say or do. She just stared at him with widened eyes. He pointed to her and motioned with his finger for her to come.

Gireek looked back and forth from Machi to Leah. “Fine,” he said with contempt as he pushed her at Machi. “I came down here anyway because Katu wanted to know what time breakfast would be served.”  

“It won’t be long now,” Machi told him.

Gireek nodded with a steady, furrowed look. “I’ll hold you to that,” he said. Then he looked at Leah. “Keep your broad with you too.”

Machi nodded as he pulled Leah back down the stairs.

After Gireek left, Machi brought Leah into the kitchen. The other man, Barakion, whom he had been talking to, was standing next to the round table. He was a large, middle-aged man with long brown hair. Leah recognized him. He was the drunkard that came aboard in Teluvu. He was coldly glaring at her as he stood on the side of the round table with his massive arms folded. Two other men stood on the side as well. Leah recognized one of them as the man who flogged her.

Machi shoved Leah in a spot between all of them. “Eavesdropping?” he said to her as he paced side to side with his hands behind his back. “I thought you were better than that. How much did you hear?”

“She heard enough,” Barakion told him. “We’ll have to get rid of her.”

Machi ignored Barakion and continued to talk to Leah. “Tell me how much you heard.”

Leah said nothing. She despised Machi for deceiving her and for all the concealed and dreadful truths of who he really was.

Barakion grew impatient. “Machi!” he bellowed. “We have to kill her.”

“Shut up,” Machi said. “We can’t kill her. Six years of gaining Katu’s trust would die with her. Use your head for once.”

Barakion kept silent. He pulled up a stool and sat down on it. “So, what are we going to do with her?”

Machi looked at Leah. She glared at him as she thought to herself, How could I have been so blind?

Machi stared at her for a while longer. “Well,” he said. “We can’t have you warning the captain about us.”

Leah continued to glare at him. “So, what are you going to do with me?” she asked. Her hand eased back on the round table that she was against, and she slowly grabbed one of the butcher knives.

One of the other two men noticed what she was doing and immediately grabbed her arm, snatched her by the hair, and slammed her face against the table, immediately breaking her nose. As Leah’s head bounced up, Barakion, pulled back his fist, and delivered a devastating punch straight into her jaw. Saliva flew out of her mouth as she fell to the floor.

Machi, in shock, turned to the trio. “What is wrong with you?” he yelled at them. “Look at her! Do you think Katu’s not going to notice that?”

The man who flogged her pointed down at Leah, who was starting to get back up. “We saw what she’s capable of when we fought Miro’s crew,” he told Machi. He looked down at Leah. “She’s too dangerous to keep alive. Kill her now before she gets the chance to ruin us.”

“Don’t you get it?” Machi growled at them furiously. “If we don’t succeed in this mission, Jomonalii will kill us anyway.”

The three men averted their eyes from Machi in remorse. They now understood the severity of the predicament that Machi had been trying to get through to him. 

Machi continued. “Now you’ve broken the face of the one person that Katu looks at the most.” He looked at Barakion. “Did you have a plan to go along with that haymaker?”

Barakion kept silent.

“Didn’t think so.”

Leah slowly got back to her feet. Her broken nose dripped out blood as she turned to Barakion. They glowered at each other with an ominous intensity. Then, Leah spit blood in his face.

“She’s rabid,” Barakion said as he wiped it off. “We’ll have to restrain her in some way.”

Machi nodded as he turned to Leah. “I do apologize,” he said to her. “You weren’t supposed to get involved in this.”

That angered Leah even more. It was ironic how the one person that she trusted on the ship turned out to be the one person she shouldn’t trust. Leah’s aquatic-blue eyes looked directly into Machi’s. 

Machi looked away from her and turned to Barakion. “Lock her in her quarters,” he said to him. “And make sure someone guards her door.”

“Won’t Katu get suspicious?” Barakion asked. 

“I’ll tell him that she hasn’t been cooperating with his commands. He’ll understand. I’ve been his trusted cook for six long years.”

Barakion nodded. He grabbed a rope out of a barrel, tied Leah’s hands behind her back, and started shoving her toward the stairs. “Move it, girl,” he said in a stern voice. “You’re lucky we can’t kill you . . . yet.”

As he shoved her, Leah kept her glaring eyes locked on Machi. He stared at her as well. They didn’t break eye contact until Barakion shoved her past the wall and up the stairs, out of Machi’s sight. 

Barakion continued to push Leah down the hallway until they reached the door to a crewmember’s sleeping cabin. He knocked on the door with one hand and held Leah by the rope with his other. The crewmember opened up his door. He had just woken up, was half-dressed, and was surprised to see Barakion and Leah. 

“Um,” the crewmember started to say with a yawn. “What’s going on?”

Barakion jerked Leah in front of him. “She’s found out,” he said to him. “She was spying on us. We’re restraining her to her quarters and you’re going to be guarding it.”

The crewmember looked at Leah. “She knows about the target?” he asked Barakion.

Barakion nodded.

“Alright,” the crewmember said. “I’ll take up the post as soon as I get dressed.” Then, he closed the door.

Barakion jerked Leah again and they started walking toward her quarters at the far end of the hallway.

“How many of you traitors are there?” she asked Barakion as they walked.

“We’re not traitors,” he said to her. “You can’t betray what you were never truly part of. We’re just assassins hired to take out one of the most notorious pirate captains on the seas. And there are more of us than you need to know.”

Once they reached Leah’s room, Barakion opened the door and kicked her inside. She stumbled and, without her hands to catch her, she fell flat on her shoulder. As she turned around, Barakion grabbed her two-ended glaive that was against the wall. “You won’t be needing this,” he said to her as he closed the metal door. It slammed shut. 

Leah ran to the door and looked through the peephole. She saw Barakion standing in front of her room for a while, guarding the door until the crewmember whom they woke up came and traded positions with him. Barakion then walked off, leaving the crewmember to stand guard. Leah backed away and looked around the room. She was utterly imprisoned. This was the first time since Katu captured her that she actually felt like a captive. 

She searched the room for something that would help free her hands. She searched and searched to no avail. Defeated, she sat down on the floor against her bed and turned her head to the glass window. She looked at the blue sky through the windowpane and . . . Wait . . . glass! If she broke the window, she could use one of the glass shards to cut through the rope and free her hands. However, that would make a lot of noise. 

Leah ran to the door and looked through the peephole again. The crewmember that was burdened to stand guard was still there. Leah backed up, took in a deep breath, and then yelled as loud as she could, “Katu is going to be assassinated!!!” She looked at the door. No one appeared to be coming in. She ran back to the peephole. 

The crewmember didn’t even hear her. The metal door prevented any sounds from coming in and out. It was just as she thought. If someone wanted to keep a person with a huge secret locked away, they would most likely put them somewhere that was soundproof. Leah smirked. That meant that whatever sounds came from the room would not be heard, not even the breaking of the glass window.

Leah turned to the window. It was a little higher than her head, but she knew she could still reach it. She took a few steps back, bent her knees, and then ran at the window. She jumped as high as she could and kicked it with an immense force. The glass shattered immediately. As she fell back down, her leg grazed the sharp edges. The glass scraped her as she hit the floor. 

She groaned in pain as she continued to lie there. Remembering the guard, she turned her head to the door to see if anyone heard the shatter. No one did. She looked up at the ceiling and let out a loud sigh of relief and agony. She rested for a while until the aching in her leg and shoulder eased a little bit. 

After a moment, she lifted herself and sat upright. She looked at her leg. It was bleeding, and tiny glass shards had cut into it, but it didn’t look to be in a really bad condition.

With her hands still tied behind her back, she started to rummage the glass-covered floor until she picked up a good sturdy shard. She twirled it in her hands until she was able to get it into a position where she could cut the rope.

She quickly began cutting it, vigorously sawing each strand of the tightly woven straw. She twisted her hands as she did which caused cuts and scratches on her wrists. Regardless, she kept at it. After minutes, she finally severed it, liberating her hands. She put them to use immediately as she put her fingers on her broken nose. “Okay,” she said with a slight gasp from the pain of touching it. She took three quick breaths to psyche herself up and then on the fourth breath she quickly jerked her nose back into place. “Ah!” The pain choked her scream as tears rolled down her cheeks. Leah’s childhood consisted almost entirely of roughhousing with the boys on Oaka, so this was certainly not her first broken nose. However, the pain of putting it back into place never changed.

 Leah sat for a second and then began picking out the little glass shards in her leg. She untied her long sash belt and wrapped it around the wounded leg to stop the bleeding. She then lifted herself onto her bed and sat there, pondering. 

Is Katu really worth risking my life over?, she thought. She shook her head, detested by her own thoughts. “Of course he is,” she said to herself. “No one deserves that kind of betrayal.”  

With her mind made up, she turned her head to the broken window. A gust of the ocean breeze hummed through it and grazed her face, slightly blowing her hair back. If she was going to get to Katu before the assassins did, her first step would be escaping this room. 

She got up from her bed, walked to the window, and then lifted herself up to it. She looked down at the rushing seawater. It was a long, straight drop into the ocean except for a large chain that hung below her near the bottom of the boat. Her gaze followed the path of the chain, which led her gaze to a decorative bas-relief on the outside of the ship. 

If she could first land on the chain, the bas-relief could serve as grips that she could use to climb to the deck. However, between the end of the chain and the relief, there was absolutely nothing. She would have to pull off a death-defying jump and, even more intimidating, catch on to the relief without losing her grip.

Leah murmured a swearword after visualizing how insane her escape route was going to be, but it was the only way. She got out of the window and went back to her bed. If she was going to do this, nighttime would be her best chance. She put her hands behind her head as she lay in her bed, staring at the wooden ceiling. Her mind was flooded with thoughts. So much had happened since her encounter with Raal in the forest.

Where was he? How was he? Where was Miro’s crew? What was the real reason behind the Atloh raid? Who were these assassins? Who was her father, truly? And above all, where was her mother? 

The thought of her mother immediately outweighed any second thoughts about her outlandish escape strategy. If she wasn’t going to escape for Katu’s sake, she had to escape for her mother. She had no other choice.

After a while, there was a knock on her door. Without her saying anything, the person opened the door. It was Machi, and he had a plate of food. As he closed the door behind him, he looked at the mess that Leah had made.

“I see you’ve been entertaining yourself,” he said to her. He placed the plate of food on the floor and walked to the window. He looked out to see what was out there, then he snickered. “You can kill yourself if you want to,” he told her as he stared out at the impossible-looking escape route. “It doesn’t look like you’ll be getting out of here anytime soon.” 

He started to turn around, but suddenly, Leah rushed at him, grabbed the back of his head, and pushed his face toward the sharp broken window. The glass shards grazed his cheek as she held him there.

“I should kill you,” she told him. “I’d be doing the world a favor.”

Machi chuckled as his face grazed the glass shards of the window. “It’s surprising how aggressive you can be at times,” he said. “Are you sure you’re just a village girl?” One shard actually started to pierce his cheek and a trickle of blood rolled down it. “That wouldn’t be the wisest move in the world,” Machi calmly told her.

Leah let him go, and he wiped the blood from his cheek. She glared at him with a malicious vengeance. “Why?” she asked. “Why kill Katu?”

Machi shrugged. “Our leader gives us our target and we just do it. There is no reason.”

Leah’s brow furrowed some more.

Machi pointed to the plate of food that he placed down. “Katu has a heart for you,” he told her. “He told me to bring you this food.”

Leah said nothing as she continued to glare at him. She walked to the plate, picked it up, and then threw it out of the window, her glaring eyes locked on Machi.

He chuckled. “You think I’d poison you?”

“Yes.”

Machi smirked. “Smart girl,” he told her. Then he turned around and started to exit the room. “Don’t get too comfortable in here,” he said. “We’ll come for you soon enough.” Then he exited, slamming the door shut behind him.

Leah went back to her bed to rest. Machi had looked out the window and saw there was no possible way of escaping . . . at least not for him. Leah smirked. His first mistake was underestimating her.

***

The day went by. The sky changed from a bright sunlit blue to a dark navy color complemented by a light blue overlay from the glow of the two moons. Leah gazed at the moons as she mounted the base of the broken window. The sparkling dark-blue water, reflecting the hue of the star-covered night, gently caressed the ship below her, and the misty ocean breeze tenderly flowed through each strand of her hair. She looked down at the chain that she was to land on and positioned herself accordingly. 

She turned her head back to the door of her room to make sure that no one was coming in. After reassuring herself, she looked back down at the rushing seawater. She took in a deep breath and then let it out. “Here goes nothing,” she said with a nervous voice. And with a slight push off with her legs, she embraced the outside world as she leaped out of the window.

CHAPTER 17

❖

The ocean was a beautiful shade of cerulean blue, due primarily to the blue luminosity of the two moons within the dark sky. Through the cerulean waters, a school of fish swam majestically with the currents. Their regal patterns of movement complemented the beauty of the sea’s aquatic ambiance. They drifted to the side, passing by the dark shadow of a ship above them. And then, anticlimactically, they crashed into a large fisher’s net.

“Here’s a good batch,” a man said as he pulled the netted school of fish onto the ship. “I knew night fishing would work out.”

The person he was talking to helped drag the fishnet up the side of the ship. “I guess you’re right,” he said. “Miro’s going to be pleased with this haul.”

 Both of them carried the heavy fish-filled net across the deck and through a door. The door opened into a dark corridor of downward stairs. At the end of the stairs was another door. It was outlined with lines of yellow light, gleaming from the brighter room behind it. They opened it and saw boisterous, drunk pirates eating, gambling, and yelling, typical pirate behavior. 

Trovii was dancing on top of the tables with rum in one hand, spilling out. Little Man watched him, clapping in rhythm along with a dozen other crewmates. Natala sat at a table with a man twice her size. They were arm wrestling with many spectators around them. 

Raal sat alone at a table, watching the madness unfold. His mind was in another place. He was the only one in the dining hall that seemed to have a solemn disposition. The others were all drunk.

“Next!” Natala cried out after she slammed her opponent’s arm on the table. “Who wishes to face the world’s greatest arm wrestler?”

“Not I,” Trovii drunkenly yelled to her from across the room as he did his dance on the table, chugging down the rest of his rum. After he finished it, he finally took a seat. “You know what we need on this ship?” he told everyone. “Some women.”

“Natala’s a woman,” Little Man said to him. 

“I’m well aware of that,” Trovii drunkenly said. “However, I was thinking more along the lines of some Felinis.”  

The crew agreed by whooping and hollering. Natala didn’t. She stood up. “Am I not good enough?” she said with jealousy.

Trovii looked at her and laughed. “You just arm wrestled a man twice your size and whooped him. What man wants to be handled like that?” 

The crew burst into laughter. Raal slightly smirked as well. He couldn’t help it. Trovii’s wasted personality was too much not to find humorous. Raal shook his head, and then he stood up and walked to the door. Once he reached the deck, he walked to the side of the ship and leaned against the railing. He looked out at the dark sea.

Miro walked up behind him. “Pirates party too hard for ya, huh?” he said as he stood beside Raal.

“I’ve seen worse,” Raal said to him without averting his eyes from the ocean. 

Miro stared at Raal, noticing the depression in his face. He knew his concern for Leah was getting the best of him. “She’ll be alright,” Miro told him. “She’s a fighter. We’ve witnessed it.”

Raal nodded. “I know,” he said. However, his disposition proved otherwise.

Miro decided to change the subject. “I do have a question,” he said. “Why exactly were you on Oaka? I mean, it’s not like it’s the most economical of places.”

Raal shrugged. “The life, man,” Raal told him. “I stirred up some trouble in the Haltese region and had to get away. That’s probably where that Sem-given bounty on my head came from. Those guys can hold a grudge. I caught a ride from some Iskiin traders and you know the rest. Those Atloh pirates hit us. I had to fight our way out, both ships destroyed, and somehow I just ended up drifting to Oaka’s southern shores with the gleddies that those Iskiin traders had. I sent a coyli bird to you as soon as I found one and decided to help out in the rural community until you got there. Then those village Auroites took their job way too seriously. And of course, I ran into the island’s unsung protector.”

Miro laughed. “That’s an accurate metaphor for her. The gall she had to draw her glaive on you.” He laughed again.

Raal smiled. “It’s not funny. She could’ve killed me if she was even half as ruthless as the people we know out here.” Then he sighed. “We did luck out with her and that elder when the Atlohs attacked.”

Miro listened with interest. “They attacked after that, right?” he asked.

“Pretty much,” Raal answered. “They burned the southern village to the ground and then they attacked Leah’s village. They took her mother and a lot of the other villagers. And they killed the elder.”

Miro folded his arms. “I hate that we didn’t get there sooner,” he said. “We probably could have prevented it.” Then he thought about it some more. “Though, it’s hard to believe a whole Atloh force would come there looking for some gleddies.”

Raal shook his head. “They were too easy to defeat to be an attacking force.” Then he rested his elbows on the railing of the ship. “They were scouts.”

“Scouts?” Miro echoed.

Raal nodded. “You remember that Atloh and Auroite sky battle that we watched?”

“Yeah.”

“Well,” Raal said. “I’m pretty sure the real reason the Atlohs were at Oaka was to scout out a stronghold for that very battle. Oaka Village would have been a perfect spot for them.”

Miro nodded in agreement. “That does make a lot of sense.” Both Raal and Miro looked out at the dark sea as they pondered over their reminiscence of the sky battle. Then Miro broke the silence. “Regardless of all that’s happened, it’s good to be sailing with you again. You disappeared for a long time. Still, it wasn’t as long as your first disappearance.”

Raal said nothing as he stared blankly at the water.

“I didn’t want to bring this up, but what happened after . . .”

Raal lifted himself off the railing and started walking away before the sentence was finished. He knew exactly what Miro was going to say, and he had no intention of answering him.

“I spoke with Sangi,” Miro stated. That single statement forced Raal to stop walking. Miro, seeing the effect, continued. “She and Sonto are both doing well. They’re living in the Jarka Region. They told me that they hadn’t seen you since that incident. Of course, Sonto is too young to know who you are anyway. But as for Sangi, her whole disposition changed when I mentioned your name. You’re not alone, Raal. What happened that day isn’t forgotten. Though, it’s something that we wish to forget.”

“That day,” Raal said, under his breath. “It’s forgotten by Auroa, but not by the victims.”

“We need to stick together,” Miro told him. “All of us.”

Raal looked up at him with a grave look on his face. “What we need to do is leave the past in the past.” He continued on to his cabin. 

Miro watched him and turned to face the dark sea. “If only we could,” he said to himself. Then, he returned to Gale, who was steering the ship.

CHAPTER 18

❖

The rusted chain waned as Leah’s feet landed hard on top of it. It almost caused her to lose her balance and fall into the water; however, she maintained her poise. She looked up at the broken window that she leaped from. It was a longer jump than she anticipated, and she was quite pleased that she stuck the landing, no matter how ungraceful it may have appeared. Not many people could have pulled off a stunt like that. If it weren’t for her tree-climbing islander roots, that fall most likely would have killed her. At that moment, a sense of pride for her Oakan heritage went through her. 

Leah turned her head from the window and looked straight ahead. The path of the chain followed the side of the boat until it reached the bas-relief that she was going to use to climb onto the deck. She didn’t forget the crucial jump that was awaiting her at the end of the chain. After visualizing her path, she put her back against the side of the ship to stabilize her balance and then slowly started treading up the chain.

Moments passed until she reached another window. It was open. She thought about taking a shortcut by hopping into it until she realized who was in there. Barakion and two other men were sitting and chatting by candlelight. Leah quickly ducked so she wouldn’t be seen.

“Machi doesn’t understand,” Barakion was saying. “Katu should have been dealt with a long time ago.”

One of the other men agreed. “Now, we don’t just have Katu to deal with, but we have the broad as well.”

“Don’t remind me.”

The third man joined in. “So,” he said. “What’s the plan for her?”

“There is none,” Barakion told them. “Machi wanted her alive so Katu wouldn’t get suspicious.”

“Alive?” the man bellowed. “If Katu ever sees her again, we’re all dead. I say kill her now.”

“Yes, kill her now,” the other man approved. “Then Machi would have no choice but to go through with the assassination.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Barakion?” one of the men said.

Barakion stood up. “You’re right,” he said with determination. “We’ll kill her and tell Machi that we did afterward. He’ll be angry, understandably, but regardless, he’ll have to go through with it, just like you said. Six years is more than enough time to waste.”

Leah was still ducking beneath the window. She heard everything. They had decided to kill her, which meant they were going to the room she was supposed to be locked in. Once they realized that she had escaped, everything would become a lot more difficult. “Not good,” Leah murmured. She glanced through the window to see if they were still there. Realizing they had left the room, she again thought about going through that window, but who knew who all she would run into. She continued moving up the chain. Her pace was a little quicker now that she knew her breakout was about to be discovered.

The moisture that was produced from the oceanic climate caused the chain to be quite wet and made it hard to walk on, not that walking on a chain was an easy undertaking to begin with. Leah took a few steps and then, startlingly, her foot slipped. She began to fall toward the water below. As she fell, she reached her hand up and caught the wet chain. Her falling body jolted to a halt. 

As she hung there, she looked down at the brooding water. If she had fallen, drowning wouldn’t have been her main concern; being crushed by the ship would most likely be the cause of her demise. Leah sighed with relief and then pulled herself back up. Instead of standing on the chain, she figured it would be safer to wrap her legs around it and pull her way to the end. With her legs wrapped tight around it, Leah started pulling the chain to her. In turn, her body slowly moved forward, pull by vigorous pull.

Finally, Leah made it to the end of the chain. She stood back up and looked at the huge ominous gap between her and the bas-relief that she was trying to get to. From her window, it had looked as if she could make that jump, but now that she was up close to it, there was no way in the world that was going to happen. However, the vantage from her window left out another detail as well. The curvature of the ship began and ended at a diameter, which would cause a slight bend on the surface. That diameter, that slight bulge, was exactly at the point between her the bas-relief. That was her ticket to get to the other side. 

She moved back on the chain, positioned herself, and then ran toward the gap. She leaped toward the bulge as far as she could. As her feet landed on it, the slight bend of the bulge gave her enough friction to bend her knees and ricochet herself to the bas-relief. With the bas-relief dead in her sights, she reached out and grabbed onto a part of it. She then pulled herself up on it and started her easy climb to the deck. Another successful death-defying jump was checked off her list of risky decisions. She now felt like nothing was impossible.

Leah pulled herself onto the railing. She made sure no one on the deck could see her, then she leapt over and ran behind a barrel. She positioned herself against it, looked over her shoulder, and examined her path to Katu’s quarters. About a dozen crewmen were standing about doing their natural duties. 

The others were all asleep in their quarters. Leah stared at the night watchmen, trying to distinguish the assassins from the Katu loyalists. It was useless. Nothing about the assassins looked any different from the other pirates. She would have to keep her guard up at all times.

Leah sat behind the barrel for a while, evaluating her options to get to Katu. Then, suddenly, she heard someone say her name. She turned her head and saw a group of men conversing. They all had an intense look of anger and shock. After ending their conversation, they split up, unsheathed their weapons, and started looking for something . . . or someone. Leah knew that they had discovered her escape and were searching for her. 

Leah kept herself hidden behind the barrel. With no weapon, she was definitely outmatched by any who came her way. As she sat there, she heard the footsteps of one of the crewmembers come closer and closer to her. Her teeth and fists clenched on impulse. There was no way to escape this. 

The crewmember was right on the barrel. Something about it felt foreboding to him. With his sword tight at hand, he kicked the barrel over to the sight of . . . nothing. He scratched his head. I guess I was just having suspicions, he thought. He sheathed his sword and turned around. 

“Hi,” Leah said to him. The crewmember gasped and started to take his sword back out, but before he could grab onto it, Leah chopped his throat with her hand. He gagged and fell to his knees. He held his neck and gasped for breath. Leah put an end to it by kicking him in the head. He was immediately knocked out.

Leah dragged him behind the barrel so his body wouldn’t be seen, then she hid behind it with him. The fact that no one was running after her proved that her stealth attack went unnoticed. “Okay,” she said to herself as she grabbed the sword of her victim. “Time to move.”  She looked over the barrel once more and then quickly sprinted to a large wooden crate. She slid behind it and positioned herself against it, nearly slamming her back against the crate. 

The crewmembers still had not noticed her. She peeked to the side of the crate to see how far she was from Katu’s quarters. It was still a distance away, but she did make progress. After looking at her next hiding spot, underneath a platform, she braced herself to move again. Then she rushed off. However, as soon as she moved from the crate, an arrow flew past her head, barely missing her. 

“There she is!” the archer of the arrow screamed from the other side of the deck.

Leah stopped and looked around. All the crewmembers were coming toward her with their swords at hand. Katu’s quarters were still sprint-lengths away. She gripped her sword tight and then took off in a full-on sprint toward the doors to the quarters. The crewmembers launched after her.

“Don’t let her near the captain!” one of the crewmembers cried. “She plans to kill him!”

Leah knew for a fact that the person was one of the assassins. There was no better way to get away with murder than to frame her for it. Leah continued to run as fast as she could. Out of nowhere, a crewmember leaped in front of her. Leah slid to a halt. Both of them stood in a fighting position. The crewmember raised his sword and attacked her. 

He brought it down on her, but Leah parried. She deflected the sword and thrust her elbow into the man’s stomach. He grunted as Leah spun around him. Unlucky, she spun directly in front of another incoming swordsman. He sliced his sword; however, Leah managed to barely dodge it. The sword sliced through the back of the man that Leah elbowed. 

He screamed in pain and fell to the ground in a bloody mess. Leah then took her sword and spun around, slicing through the chest of her second attacker. Blood spilled out of his chest as Leah continued her run toward Katu’s quarters.

“Kill her!” another crewmember cried.

Arrows flew at Leah as she ducked and dodged. Just keep moving, Leah thought to herself. Don’t stop, just keep moving. 

Leah finally reached the door to Katu’s quarters. As she tried to open it, a familiar-looking blade came down on her. Leah quickly put her sword in a deflecting position; however, the attack overpowered her and knocked her down. As she recuperated back into a fighting position, she realized why the blade was so familiar. It was her glaive. Barakion had attacked her with her own weapon.

“Going somewhere?” Barakion smirked as he twirled Leah’s glaive in his hands. “You didn’t think I was just going to let you waltz in there and tell Katu about us, now did you?”

Leah glared at him and then took a quick peek around her. The rest of the crewmen were about ten yards away. . . Perfect. That was more than enough time to take Barakion out.

Leah rushed at Barakion. He thrust the glaive at her; however, she spun around it and then thrust her sword at his hand. She wedged it into his grip and cut in, causing him to release it. Leah caught the glaive and then swayed it and her sword at Barakion, cutting his chest. He continued to back up until he tripped off the side of the ship and plunged headfirst into the water.

“She killed him!” one of the crewmen cried out. “She killed Barakion!”  

With her trusted two-ended glaive back in her hands, Leah dropped the pirate sword and quickly ran through the door to Katu’s quarters. As fast as she could, she closed it, locked it with a wooden plank, and chained it up. The crew banged on the door from the outside, cursing her name and threatening her. Leah backed away, relieved. Then she turned around.

She had never been in the captain’s quarters and was surprised to see the long dark hallway. There were so many rooms on each side that it was impossible to hastily get to Katu, but still, she had to try.

She ran to the first door and burst it open to the sight of a small study room lit with an orange tint from the lantern hanging from the ceiling. There was nothing but a desk in the middle of the room with a compass and a map on top of it. No sign of Katu. 

Leah then ran to the next room. She tried opening the door, but it was locked. A hint of worry came over her. Katu’s dead body could very well be in there. She backed up to get ready to kick it open, but suddenly, she heard the ominous scratching sound of a steel blade being unsheathed. It was coming from the room at the far end of the hallway. “No,” Leah said, realizing that the blade was going to be Katu’s demise. Leah broke out in a full-on sprint to the room. “Katu!” she cried. 

She reached the door to Katu’s room. “Katu!” she cried again as she burst through the door to the sight of a crewmember holding a blade over Katu in bed. The assassin turned his head in shock to look at Leah. 

Katu’s eyes shot open to the sight of the man ready to kill him. Katu reacted quickly. As the man brought the blade down, Katu rolled over in his bed. The blade pierced the bedsheets. Katu reached under the bed and grabbed one of his swords. Then, he quickly turned back over and sliced the assassin’s throat. The assassin gagged as blood dripped from his neck. His lifeless body fell onto the bed. 

Katu quickly jumped out of the bed and stared at the man with astonishment. “Neiro,” he said in shock when he realized that the man was his trusted helmsman. Then, he looked at Leah, who stood at his door. She looked at him with intensity and nodded her head. Katu’s face slowly turned from astonishment to anger. 

He looked back down at his dead assassin. He turned Neiro over and reached into the coat pocket. He pulled out a silver talisman with a black serpent insignia on it. As Katu stared at it, his anger grew more and more. “Jomonalii,” he growled as he crushed it in the palm of his hand. 

“Assassins,” Leah said to him.

Katu nodded. “How did you know?” he asked her.

“I overheard Machi.” She walked toward him. However, she just now noticed that Katu slept completely nude. She turned away and covered her eyes as he put on his clothes. She continued to talk as she averted her gaze. “He was talking to Barakion about assassinating you, and I overheard them. That’s when they locked me in my room. After they figured out that I escaped, I was sure they were going to try to assassinate you before I could warn you.”

Katu finished putting on his clothes. He grabbed both of his double-handled swords and then walked to Leah. “Machi,” he murmured with contempt. How could someone who he trusted so much turn out to be his nemesis? He let the realization of the situation settle in. “Are there any more assassins?” 

Leah nodded. “I’m sure of it.”

Katu frowned some more, and then he looked up at Leah. “It’s ironic,” he told her. “You’re my prisoner, and yet you’re the only one on this ship that I can trust right now.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Leah said. 

That’s when they heard the sounds of clanging swords and screams from outside the quarters. Leah and Katu rushed down the hallway. They opened the door to the deck, and to their dismay, they were shocked by the sight of an epic battle between the assassins and the Katu loyalists.

Men were fighting everywhere that Katu and Leah looked. One man took another man’s arm and chopped it off. Gireek and Roden, two of Katu’s trusted crewmates, were in an intense deadlock. So much blood was being spilled. Katu looked on in horror. These were his most trusted friends. They were like his family. And now, they were all dying one by one, killing each other. 

Katu couldn’t tell who was loyal to him and who planned to kill him. “The fools,” he said through gritted teeth. “Fools led by fools driven by foolish illusory.”

Leah wondered what Katu meant by that, but she did not have time to ask. She looked on at the battle and noticed the familiar bandana-covered head at the far end of the ship. “Machi,” she said to herself. On a whim, she launched into the battle. Machi was going to answer to her one way or another.

“Machi!” Leah screamed as she fought her way to him. She kept him in her sights as she cut and sliced through her attackers. Machi noticed her from afar. They stared at each other for a moment; Machi’s eyes held a sinister glare. Then, he turned from her and calmly walked away, disappearing behind the crowds of the battle. 

“Machi!” Leah yelled again. “Machi, get back here and face me!” A sword flew at her and she ducked. Dodging another sword, she twirled her glaive behind her back and sliced through her first attacker. The second attacker came at her; however, Gireek jumped from behind her and brought his halberd down on the head of the assassin. The assassin’s skull split open, then Gireek kicked him to the floor.

“You let your guard down,” Gireek said to Leah as he fought off more attacks back-to-back with her. “Remember, protect yourself before anything else. If you’re dead, then your efforts meant nothing.”

Leah thrust her glaive, countering an attacking assassin. “Whatever happened to dying with honor?” she asked Gireek.

“Do we look like Auroites to you?” Gireek told her as he swung his halberd around, taking down multiple enemies. “Sem can keep that honor. We’re pirates. If you don’t live then you die, and you’re useless dead.”

“I can agree with that.”

Gireek finished off a combination of attacks with a huge flare of his halberd. It sent several assassins flying across the deck, blood spraying from their ripped bodies. The attack surprised Leah. Gireek was by far one of the strongest warriors she had ever seen. “Thank you,” she said to him. “I’ll keep my guard up from now on.”

“Shouldn’t have to be said,” Gireek told her as she rushed away to locate Machi.

Leah ducked, dodged, deflected, and attacked as she made her way to where Machi had been. Once there, she looked around to see if she could spot him. She did not; however, she did see the door of the kitchen quarters. Leah ran in and continued to run down the hallway to the kitchen. She burst through the kitchen doors and leaped down the stairs to see Machi standing calmly over his boiler.

A very eerie feeling arose within Leah. From the intense atmosphere of the battle to this, Machi standing over his boiler like nothing was happening, didn’t exactly connect. As she moved into the kitchen, she looked around to see if anyone was there to ambush her. It was just too convenient for Machi to be down there alone with no guard up. She couldn’t trust it. Machi’s voice startled her and interrupted her thoughts.

“You just couldn’t let it alone,” he said as he stirred something in the boiler as if everything was normal. “All of this could’ve been prevented if you hadn’t interfered.”

Leah tightened her grip on her glaive and walked closer to him. “I wasn’t going to let you murder Katu like that.”

“Katu is your enemy as well as ours,” he said to her. “Why would you help him and not us?”

“Gee, I don’t know, Machi. Maybe because you locked me in a room and planned to kill me!”  

Machi let out a hardy laugh. “Barakion did have an abrupt way of doing things.”

“Don’t blame Barakion,” Leah sneered as she put her glaive in a fighting position, aiming the tip at him. “You were going to kill me when it suited you.”

Machi smirked and turned to her with those same sinister eyes. “Indeed,” he calmly said. “You were undeniably going to die at some point.”

Leah glared at him with resentment. The truth was out. At first, she didn’t know for sure if Machi was like Barakion and wanted her dead, which is why she had come in there to try and save his life. But now, with his undeniable truth out, her malice toward him grew even more. “I should kill you right now,” she said with a harsh undertone.

“Now, now,” Machi calmly said as he motioned with his hands for her to calm down. “You know I’m not much of a physical fighter.”

Leah eased in closer as she kept her glaive aimed at him.

“However,” Machi continued. “I do tend to have a more explosive way of combat.”  

Leah looked in bewilderment as he reached into his coat pocket. He took out two small items, one being the familiar pendant with the Jomonalii insignia on it. The other item was a small flask with a green liquid within it. He raised the flask and jiggled it in his hand.

“What is that?” Leah asked.

“This,” Machi said with a huge, eerie smile on his face. “This is a liquid substance known as Helin. It was chemically created by Dolcers many years ago to help aid in the Great Wars. It’s at the heart of some of the most powerful weapons in the world.”

Leah continued to stare at it; its green hue seemed to pulse. Then she looked back at Machi. “What are you doing with it?” 

Machi ignored her. “When in contact with extreme heat, this small amount of liquid becomes one of the deadliest weapons in the world.” He looked at Leah and smirked. “Usage of Helin is forbidden by the edicts of Auroa. Though, some still use it. I’m sure you know who they are.”

Leah gasped. Suddenly, everything started to make sense: Machi’s knowledge of the forbidden weaponry, the lack of expression that he showed when the Auroites were on fire and falling from the sky, his empathy for the Atlohs. All of it made perfect sense now. “You’re . . .” she stuttered. “You’re an Atloh!”

“Bingo,” Machi said. He laughed wickedly. 

Leah was stunned. Standing before her was one of her sworn enemies. If she wasn’t ready to shove her glaive through him before, she was now. However, she had another question on her mind. “How?” she asked him. “How can you be an Atloh in a non-Atloh organization? Not even assassins should take up your kind.”  

Machi laughed. “Simply put . . .” He raised his arms and spun around. “It’s the start of a new world.” He spun back to Leah, who stayed in her fighting position. He continued, “Atlohs are no longer going to be the backburner of this civilized world when we’ve already the future that Auroa will eventually seek. It’s time that we took our rightful place as leaders of the world. And besides that”—he shrugged—“Jomonalii couldn’t care less who they invite into their ranks. Atlohs and assassins are all in the same boat anyway.”

Leah heard enough. “Do you honestly think I’m going to let an Atloh get away after all your kind did to me . . . did to the world? No Atloh will escape.” 

Machi smiled and shook the flask of Helin so Leah could see it. “Good to know, but I’m not just any Atloh,” he said with a snicker. “I am an Atloh sworn by a blood oath to the Jomonalii Code, which means only one thing.”

Leah attentively asked, “What?”

“Everyone on this ship is going to die!” Then he threw the flask over his shoulder, and it landed in the steaming boiler.

Leah looked in shock at the melting flask. “Heat,” she said with fear.

Machi laughed. “Correct. Now, I have one other fun fact to tell you.”

Leah looked up at him with unease.

Machi smirked, saying, “Katu was never the primary target.”

Leah, bewildered, listened more attentively as he continued.

“Jomonalii was perhaps sent to kill Katu; however, I was hired by a superior power for a completely different target, and for some reason, it was already known that the target would eventually come aboard this vessel.”

Leah’s eyes widened. She had an idea of the answer, but she still had to ask. “Who was the real target?”

Machi lifted his head and gazed right into her eyes. With a wily smile, he said one word that sent a shiver down Leah’s spine. “You.”

At that moment, a green aura rose from the boiler. It cast a green light around the entire room. Leah looked around, not knowing what was going on, and Machi stood at the same spot with a huge, creepy smile on his face. The aura receded into the boiler and a portentous silence enveloped the room. 

Leah looked up at Machi with terror in her eyes. His disturbing smile was still plastered across his face. It looked as if it reached from ear to ear. He gazed at Leah as he spoke his last two words: “Faushik Complete.”  Then he began to laugh uncontrollably.

With that, Leah, on impulse, immediately turned around and ran as quickly as she could up the stairs, leaving Machi behind. Once she got into the hallway, she sprinted toward the deck with the ominous echo of Machi’s laughter trailing behind her. A huge explosion of green flame blasted from the boiler. In an instant, the flames engulfed the entire kitchen. Machi continued to laugh as his body disappeared into the fiery inferno. Following that blast, more equally powerful explosions blasted down the hallway one by one, trailing Leah. She sprinted as fast as she could, but she was not fast enough. An explosion erupted directly behind her and sent her airborne through the doors of the deck. She flew past the warring crew and crashed against the railing on the other side of the deck. She was instantly knocked out.

Everything had gone dark, and she could barely hear anything because of the ringing in her ears from the loud explosions. However, she did feel the slaps on her face. In turn, her hearing slowly returned. She was positive someone was calling her name.

“Leah,” the voice said. She could feel a few slaps on her face. “Leah, Leah,” it said again. 

Leah’s eyes slowly began to open to the sight of Katu stooping over her.

“Get up!” he cried. “You have to get up!”

Leah slowly stood with the help of Katu. Once she was upright, she saw a devastating scene that was just horrifying. The entire ship was burning with green flames. Scorch marks covered the ship in every location. Parts of it were slowly crumbling as she stared on. Along with the bloody battle, people were running wild and burning alive. Some, who were completely helpless, leapt overboard to ease the pain of burning. 

Leah turned to Katu in disbelief. “What . . .” The horror of the scene prevented her from speaking properly. “How . . .”

“Never mind that,” Katu said as he helped her move. They quickly moved around the warring pirates, dodging and weaving attacks and explosions in every direction, until they reached a rowboat that was suspended by a rope and crane. “You’re getting out of here,” Katu told her. He lifted her up and threw her into the rowboat. She hit the deck of the rowboat hard.

“Wait!” she cried as she turned to him. “What about you!”

Katu shook his head. “I’m the captain,” he told her. “I’ll be with this ship until the very end.”

Hearing that, Leah started to leap out of the rowboat to help him, but Katu cut the rope that suspended it. It plunged into the water with Leah in it. 

“Katu!” Leah cried out. However, the deck was too high up for him to hear her. Leah looked at the ship to see if there was a way to climb back aboard, but there was none. 

Suddenly, another huge explosion of green flame blasted from the deck. Burning men flew off the deck and splashed into the water next to her. One of them landed in the rowboat with her, his scorched body still on fire. With a hard kick, she shoved the dead, flaming body off and into the water. 

Finally realizing that it was useless to get back on the ship, Leah grabbed her paddles and began rowing away. After making some distance, she looked back at Katu’s ship. Within the night sky, the green flame caused it to look like a green torch reflecting off the water. Leah looked on. She never thought escaping from it would feel so cruel.

As she continued to row, she started to smell a distinct stench. She looked about to see where it was coming from. Her unwanted answer came quickly. The smell was coming from a disgusting and horrific sight. The charred skin from the burning body that Leah had shoved off had peeled onto the rowboat and was stuck, dangling against the side. 

Leah covered her mouth to hold in vomit cultivating inside of her. How did she end up in this predicament? A few weeks ago, she was helping her mother plant a garden outside of their tranquil village. What karma brought her to this reality? 

Another large explosion blasted through the center of Katu’s distant ship. The explosion was so powerful that it caused the ship to slowly tilt. “No,” Leah murmured as she watched the ending of Katu’s ship in horror. It continued to tilt more and more until finally, it was floating upside down. The cries of the crewmen could no longer be heard. Leah turned away from the horrific scene. She tried not to focus on it and instead, put all her focus into rowing as far away as possible. 

She had no idea where she would end up, but she knew that she had to get away from Katu’s ship. She knew that she had to get away from it all. With tears rolling down her cheeks, she looked up at the two moons in the sky as she murmured the name of the one person that she relied on the most: “Raal.”

CHAPTER 19

❖

Raal walked out of the crew’s quarters to the sight of the bright sun beaming down on his face. He still had a hint of sleep on his face as he averted his eyes from the light. As the irritation from the light subsided, Miro came into view. He was already up and, to Raal’s delight, on the steer again. Raal smirked and walked up to him.

“Well, well, well,” Raal said. “Look who’s back on the steer.” 

Miro laughed. “Aye,” he said.

“Looks like your shoulders are all better.”

Miro shook his head. “Not at all,” he told Raal. “They still hurt, believe me. It’s just that a man can only be away from his love for so long.”

Raal nodded and patted Miro on the back. “Regardless, it’s good to see you back in your rightful place.”

“It’s good to be back,” Miro said.

Raal took a seat against the railing next to Miro. Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the bag of yan berries. There was only one more in there. The sight of it signified how long it had been since they left Oaka, a time when he had a full bag of yans to keep him stuffed. That, in turn, brought up thoughts about Leah. Where was she? Was she okay?

Raal offered Miro the last yan berry and Miro declined, so Raal took a slow, mouthwatering bite into it. He savored every taste. It wasn’t often that a person could eat the scrumptious meal of yan berries.

As Raal sat there, savoring the yan, he heard Gale’s voice from above him. “Ban-U-San is in our sights, Cap’n!” 

Miro nodded. “Good,” he said. “It’s about time.”

“But . . .” Gale continued. “There’s a bit of a problem. You might want to take a look.”

Gale tossed the monocular down to Natala, who caught it and ran it to Miro. Miro took it from her and looked through it. As he continued to look, his expression turned into a frown that revealed his concern. 

“What in Sem’s name is going on over there?” he asked.

Raal lifted his head. “What is it?”

“There’s a blockade,” Miro answered as he tossed the monocular to Raal. “There has to be at least twenty or thirty Auroite vessels out there.”

Raal put the monocular to his eye and looked through it as well. Sure enough, he saw a line of huge metal ships blocking the way to the massive skyline of a metropolis city. On every ship was the distinct ruby-colored diamond that symbolized the Auroites. “That’s not normal, is it?” Raal asked as he turned to Miro. “Ban-U isn’t normally blockaded. I thought it was a central trading depot.” Raal handed the monocular to Natala, and she quickly ran it back to Gale.

“It is,” Miro answered Raal. “A blockade would be an economical hazard for them; that’s what’s puzzling to me. If they do have one up, it’s got to be for something serious. I don’t have any idea what’s going on, but I do know one thing. They’re blocking my way, and I’m going to get into that city one way or another.”  

Miro kept his sails up, and the ship continued on its path. As they sailed into the blockade’s perimeters, two Auroite vessels cut them off. Miro halted his sails as the Auroite ships surrounded him. Their enormous presence cast a shadow over Miro’s entire ship.

One of the Auroites called out to the crew from his vessel. “What business do you have here in Ban-U-San?”

Trovii blurted out, “For you to move your big metal bum out of our way!”

The Auroite cringed at Trovii’s outburst. “Mind your tongue, pirate,” he told him. “It may very well be removed from your mouth.”

Trovii was about to come back with another witty remark, but Miro quickly put a hand on his shoulder, a gesture that stopped him.

“Sorry,” Miro told the Auroite. “My crew can be pretty flamboyant at times. We didn’t mean any disrespect.”

The Auroite was eased by Miro’s leadership etiquette. “So,” he said to Miro. “What business do you have in Ban-U-San? We are not trading from the south at this moment, if that is your demand.”

“We simply wish to get into the city,” Miro answered. “We’re not traders of any sort.”

The Auroite shook his head. “I’m sorry, but without credentials, entrance into Ban-U-San is prohibited.”

Miro and Raal looked at each other with bewilderment. Then Miro turned back to the Auroite. “It’s never been this hard to get into Ban-U before,” Miro told him.

The Auroite nodded, agreeing with Miro. “It’s been reported that an Atloh attack occurred last night. It was only a few mileseters off the coast of Ban-U-San.”

“Atlohs?” Miro exclaimed. He turned to Raal again, who listened to the Auroite tentatively.

The Auroite nodded and continued. “The blockade surrounds the area of the attack in a five-mileseter radius. It lets our scientists scan the area for evidence without contamination, and it keeps out anyone desiring entrance into the city. Without proper credentials, entrance into Ban-U-San is prohibited. It’s a security precaution. For all we know, that attack could have very well been a failed attempt on Ban-U. It is, after all, Mili’s head Auroite Base of Operations, so it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

Miro understood. Safety was indeed a legit cause. “What makes you think it was an Atloh attack anyway?” he asked.

The Auroite pointed to a group of small white ships clustered around an area of smoke far off in the distance. “That’s where the attack was located,” he said. “We’re constantly finding more and more particles of Helin around that area. The ship that was attacked was covered with it.”

“Helin,” Miro echoed. “That’s definitely from Atloh weaponry.”

Raal nodded in agreement; however, that still wasn’t enough to convince him to turn away from Ban-U-San. “What kind of credentials do we need to get in?” he asked the Auroite.

“Basically,” the Auroite said, “you have to have proof that you’re not an Atloh.”

“And how do we prove that?”

“You can’t,” he answered. “Unless you’re an Auroite. Every Auroite is on file.”

Raal cringed. “So why did you not say that only Auroites could get in? Instead, you made it seem like we could get the credentials some kind of way.”

“Sorry.” The Auroite shrugged. “That’s just what we’ve been ordered to say.”

Raal looked at Miro and murmured, “That’s why I hate Auroites.” He turned back to the Auroite and bellowed, “Look, we’ve been sailing these seas for a while now and ran into all kinds of crap. For example, a freaking water dragon. We do have business in Ban-U, but it’s for us to know and for you not to worry about. So, will you please move that hunk of tin so we can be on our way?”

“I’m sorry,” the Auroite said again. “But without the proper credentials, entrance is—”

Raal slammed his fist on the railing. “I don’t give a caracaur’s butt about the credentials! We’re getting into that city!”

Suddenly, a familiar voice rose from behind the Auroite. “Is that the God of Thieves I hear yacking his mouth?” Raal kept silent as the person walked into view. His bright silver Auroite armor gleamed in the sunlight as he stood boastfully against the railing, looking down at Raal. His red cape fluttered in the wind along with his bushy beard, which only added to the splendor of the scene. It was the Auroite commander that Raal talked to on Oaka after the Atloh raid. He smirked at Raal. “I see you still have a mouth on ya.”  

The Auroite next to him quickly got into the position of attention and saluted him: “Admiral Lodei, sir!”

Raal, though he didn’t like any Auroites, was pleased to see Admiral Lodei. Their talk on Oaka didn’t exactly make them friends, or even acquaintances, but it did give them a mutual understanding. Raal wasn’t going to show that, though. He had his “bad boy” reputation to uphold. “Great,” he said sarcastically. “Another idiot.”

Lodei shook his head in contempt. “You’re in no position to be disrespectful. Will you ever learn?”

“Um,” the other Auroite butted in. “Admiral, do you know this guy?”

“I’ve had a few run-ins with him,” Lodei said to his subordinate. “Believe me, he’s no Atloh. He may be more troublesome than one, but he’s no Atloh. And he wouldn’t be caught dead harboring any either.” Then he turned and looked at Miro. “And The Basilisk is here. You look like you’ve seen better days.”

Miro rolled his eyes. “Most days are better before seeing you, mate.”

Lodei laughed as the Auroite subordinate looked back at Raal, Miro, and the crew. “So, what do you want to do with them?”

Lodei and Raal stared at each other for a while as if they were reading each other. Then Lodei smirked. “We’ll escort them into the city,” he said. “My authorization gives them the needed credentials.”

“Sir, yes sir!” The subordinate saluted, and then he walked off.

Raal kept his eyes on Lodei, who looked back at him. They nodded to each other, and then Lodei, like an admiral, walked out of view.

The Auroite vessels moved out of the way of Miro’s ship. Lodei’s vessel sailed toward the city first to lead the escort. Miro followed close behind.

As they sailed, Raal and the rest of the crew looked out toward the smoke and science ships. Gale looked through his monocular at the scene. “I can’t tell what kind of ship it is,” he said. “It’s been burnt to rubble. And, besides that, all those Dolcer scientists are blocking my view.”

“How bad does it look?” Natala asked.

Gale shook his head. “Survivors are highly unlikely. I’ll just put it that way.”

Raal shook his head in contempt and sighed. “Survivors are always highly unlikely when Atlohs are involved.” He turned his head away from the smoke and ships. The sight of it only upset him.

As Lodei’s and Miro’s ships sailed closer and closer to the city of Ban-U-San, the huge metropolis came into view in greater detail. Even though a huge wall only allowed the top of the city to be visible, that alone caused all to gaze in amazement. The towering skyscrapers gleamed in the sun. In front of the wall was Ban-U-San’s docking bay. Hundreds of ships were anchored around it. Along the side of the bay was a long pier that was the foundation of Auroite Navy garrisons.

“It certainly is an Auroite city,” Natala said as she walked up to Raal. “Regardless, I still find it an enormous work of art.” They stared at the beautiful metropolis with a sense of childlike amazement.

As Lodei’s and Miro’s ships came into Ban-U-San’s docking bay, the city cast a huge shadow over them while the sun ducked behind the towering buildings. On one side of the docking bay were several huge Auroite vessels all aligned with each other. Each vessel was constantly being treated with a wax coating, making the ships appear to gleam with glory. There were no better-looking ships on the seas. 

On the other side of the bay were the non-Auroite ships. It had more of a chaotic look. Though they too were neatly aligned, they were not as well-groomed as the Auroites’. The non-Auroite ships varied in every aspect: size, color, and type—from huge trading vessels to small rafts. 

Lodei’s ship docked first with the Auroite vessels. After mooring to the dock, Lodei got off the ship to direct Miro to his docking area while his navy went into the Auroite garrisons that sat along a long pier. 

Miro docked his ship in the non-Auroite area. He maneuvered into the dock between a beautiful, privately owned yacht and a small rowboat. Like in Uselles, Trovii and Natala leaped out of the ship with a rope and moored it. Then, the rest of the crew got off.

As Raal and Miro took their first steps off of the ship and onto the pavement, they were immediately halted by an Auroite city guard. The guard was in full silver armor and wore a helmet that covered his entire face. Unlike the average Auroite, the city guard Auroites had the Auroite insignia engraved on their breastplates and below it, the name of the city that they guarded. 

The guard held his pike in a stern, upright position and stood directly in front of Raal and Miro, preventing them from moving any further. “You need jurisdiction to enter into the city,” the guard told them in a strict voice muffled by the helmet. “Without jurisdiction, this zone and all others are prohibited to outsiders.” 

“We know,” Miro told the guard. “We received jurisdiction from Admiral Lodei.”

The guard put out his hand. “I would need to see that in writing.”

“I have a better idea,” Raal told him, getting a little annoyed. “How about getting it straight from the source?” He pointed to Lodei, who was walking along the dock toward them.

As Lodei came into their company, the guard turned around and saluted him. Lodei simply gave the guard a slight nod, putting him at ease.

“Admiral,” the guard said to him. “These people said that—”

Lodei cut him off. “I know. Let them through. They’re under my jurisdiction.”

The guard saluted Lodei and stepped out of the way of Miro and Raal. “Sorry for the inconvenience,” he told them as he walked back to his post.

Raal and Miro watched the guard as he, in perfect sequence, marched into a space alongside the wall of the docking bay. In a quick, precise, and disciplined spin, he turned around to face the sea. He was now motionless, aligned with several other Auroite guards spread amongst the bay. All of them overlooked the anchored ships and the sea. Not one of them moved a muscle.

Miro looked at them with veneration. “Ban-U sure is heavily guarded now,” he said with a wary expression.

Lodei put his hands on his hips and nodded. “It has to be,” he told him. “There’s too much going on in the world nowadays for us not to be cautious. We have to keep our civilians safe.” He began to walk off, motioning to Raal and Miro to follow him. “Let’s go,” he said. “I have to be with you when you enter into the gates of the city, or else you won’t be able to get in.”

As they walked, every Auroite they passed quickly assumed the position of attention and saluted Lodei. Lodei would simply nod to them, telling them to return to their relaxed state.

Raal noticed Lodei’s stature and let out a snort. “Quite the big shot, huh?” he said contemptuously.

“Eh.” Lodei shrugged. “I’m just an admiral. All the Auroites on the dock would pay me respect since I’m basically the naval head. You’ll see that respect slowly disappear the deeper we get into the city. Even I have to salute the Grand Generals.” He scratched his head. “Then again,” he told them, “the situation that we’re in now is pretty much all sea based. So, I guess I’m a pretty big deal.” He let out a valiantly loud laugh, which Raal and Miro didn’t really find that amusing. 

“So,” Lodei said to them. “What brings a bunch of pirates and a bandit to Ban-U?”

Miro answered, “I have a friend here that I’m trying to meet. He owns a small store in the north zone of the city. We’re just trying to get some merchandise.”

Lodei looked at them and raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you’re not looking to trade?”

“What?” Miro said excitedly. He remembered that trading was forbidden. “No, of course not.”

“Then why do you have all of that Auroite and Atloh equipment hidden on your ship?”

Miro and Raal looked at each other in shock. When did he find time to notice the salvage? 

Miro turned back to Lodei with a dumbfounded look. “What do you mean?” he asked, trying to play dumb.

Lodei shook his head. “You can’t fool me, pirate. I’ve been at this job for a long time now.” He looked intensely at both of them for a moment as nervousness showed in their furrowed brows. Then he eased off. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m not going to apprehend you.”

Raal and Miro let out a sigh of relief. 

“Though,” Lodei continued, “we are repossessing all of the supplies as we speak.”

“What!” Miro cried. He turned around to his ship and saw Auroites all over it, confiscating what they had salvaged. That was potentially thousands of gleddies disappearing before his very eyes. Miro turned back to Lodei. “You can’t do that! It belongs to us!”

“We can,” Lodei told him. “And we are. Besides, it doesn’t belong to you. It belongs to the Libretti Sky Force, which is a division of the Auroite Corps. In other words, you stole from us. Just be glad I’m not tossing you in the brig.”

Miro sighed and nodded. “Fine,” he murmured.

Raal thought about what Lodei had just said. “So,” Raal began. “Why aren’t you tossing us in the brig?”

Lodei turned to him. “It’s simple,” he said. “Because I know you. I’ve been tracking you long enough to know that you’re no Atloh and that an incident like this is simply due to a pirate’s ego.” He turned back to Miro and smirked. “So, thank Raal for not only getting you into the city, but also for saving your hide. If it weren’t for him, we would have pegged you and your crew with Atloh charges.”

Miro looked at Raal and shrugged. “I guess you were right about not going along with the salvage.”

Raal smirked. “You should listen to me more often.”

After walking for several minutes through the world-renowned docking bay of Ban-U-San, they eventually ended up in front of a huge corridor. On each side of the corridor were guards sternly positioned side by side in a line. The line of the guards followed the wall of the corridor to the very end, which was two colossal metal doors, the entrance into the city. The large Auroite symbol was engraved on the doors. Two more guards stood in front of the door. They were seemingly small in comparison to it.

As Lodei escorted them through the corridor, Raal and Miro gazed in awe at the humongous doors. They were so massive that they appeared to withdraw into the clouds. Raal and Miro had been to Ban-U-San before, but they had never paid any attention to the size of the entrance doors. The main reason was that the city was always open to the public; the doors of the city were never closed. If they were, then there was no doubt the city was in a state of lockdown. 

As Lodei approached the two guards in front of the doors, the guards quickly got into the position of attention and saluted him. “Welcome back, Admiral,” one of them said.

Lodei nodded at them. “I’d like to get into the city, please.”

The guards looked over Lodei’s shoulder at Raal and Miro, who continued to gawk over the monumental door.

“They’re under my jurisdiction,” Lodei told the guards before they could even say their spiel about outsiders and prohibitions. “I take full responsibility for them. When the rest of his crew are ready to enter the city, allow them entry as well.”

“Yes, sir.” They saluted him again. Then, one of them turned to the doors and yelled, “Make way! Make way! Admiral Lodei enters the premises!”

On the other side of the doors, another Auroite’s voice could be heard shouting the same words. “Make way! Make way!”

Suddenly, a flurry of mist jetted from under the doors as the two guards marched in unison to each side. The enormous Auroite symbol engraved in the center of the doors started to glow radiantly blue. The ground began to rumble as the colossal doors were slowly pried open. Blinding sunlight beamed through the crease of the two doors, causing Lodei, Raal, and Miro to turn away and squint their shadow-adjusted eyes.

“Enjoy your stay in the city of Ban-U-San,” one of the guards told them.

Finally, the ground stopped rumbling. Lodei, Raal, and Miro fully opened their eyes and beheld the wondrous new environment that was the grand metropolis of Ban-U-San. It was a miraculous scene. Colossal skyscrapers touched the bottom of the clouds. Domes and castles coated the tiers of the city. The streets were made of marble and almost looked radiant because their cleanness reflected the sunlight. 

Connecting each tier of the city were enormous decorative bridges that were arched over ravines that flowed throughout the entirety of it, and all the ravines flowed from a great waterfall that landscaped the rear of the city. Humongous water fountains were in every direction. And there were as many statues and architecture as there were fountains. Behind the city loomed the grand Yazan Mountains, visually gray from the haze in the distance. 

The one element of the whole epic scene that stood out to Raal was the number of people. People were all over the place. They walked the marble streets or traveled by animals: some flew, some traveled the ravines, and some trotted along the streets. 

There were all types of individuals roaming the city. This included the common race of people known as Humiis, the graceful and elegant cat-eared people known as Felinis, and the small rabbit-faced pompous beings known as the Dolcers. All of Auroa’s different races could be seen enjoying each other’s company, and the sight of it pleased even the hardest of hearts. The city of Ban-U-San was indeed a magnificent spectacle. Anyone who looked upon its splendor could not help but gaze in reverence and awe.

“Well, this is where I depart,” Lodei told Raal and Miro. “I’ve got a lot of work to do on this Atloh attack.”

Raal thought about the burnt ship they had seen off the coast. He turned to Lodei. “Do you know what kind of ship it was?”

Lodei shook his head. “It was destroyed by the time our scientists got to it. The only thing that we know for a fact is that Atlohs caused its demise.”

“I see,” Raal said, nodding. “Maybe this might help.”  He reached into his pocket and pulled out the talisman that he had found at the sky battle location. “Maybe in your spare time, you can take a look at this and see what you Auroites can figure out.” He handed the talisman to Lodei.

“Jomonalii?” Lodei said as he inspected the serpent insignia. “Where’d you get this?”

“It was something that I salvaged at the location of the sky battle.”

Lodei looked at the talisman with more puzzlement. “Really?” he said. “An Auroite and Atloh battle shouldn’t have anything related to Jomonalii.”

“Exactly,” Raal said to him. “That’s why I handed it to you. You Auroites have all the good research equipment, not to mention those Dolcer scientists.”

Lodei inspected the talisman some more and then put it in his pocket. “I’ll see what I can do.” 

“Thanks,” Raal said. “Now, I have one more question. Do you happen to know if traderunners from Uselles came here recently?”

Miro remembered that Raal mentioned he had seen Leah’s mother on a traderunner’s vessel a few days back. He looked to Lodei to hear his answer.

“I wouldn’t know,” Lodei told them. “You’ll have to speak with our commercial ambassador, Mistress Zurilia. She’s in charge of all the business affairs in Ban-U-San. Now, don’t be swayed by her modest Felini demeanor. There’s a reason that she’s part of Ban-U’s council.”

“Clearly noted,” Raal said, nodding. “Where can I find her?”

Lodei pointed to the humongous skyscrapers far off in the distance. Their bright stature reflected the orange sun that loomed behind them. “Her office is located in the central zone,” he said. “It’s on the top floor of the corporate building.”  

Raal nodded. “Alright,” he said. “That’s all I needed to know.” He shook Lodei’s hand. “Thanks, Lodei. You really helped us out today.”

Lodei smirked. “Don’t think this changes anything between us, Raal. Consider this as getting even from when I misjudged you on Oaka.”

Raal grinned. “I think I need some more favors if getting even’s your goal.”

Lodei laughed and began to walk off. “I’ll be watching you,” he said without looking back. Then he continued to the docking bay.

Raal turned to Miro. “Where to now?” Raal asked him.

“Well,” Miro said. “We need to get to Baag’s place, but it’s on the other side of the city.” He and Raal both looked around. They were standing in a market vicinity located in the southernmost part of the city. Crowds of people roamed the area—shopping, conversing, meeting up with others, sightseeing. It was certainly a hustle and bustle way of life everywhere they turned.

“Move out of the way!” someone cried from behind them. They turned to see two large reptilian animals right in front of them, about to run them over. Raal and Miro jumped out of the way as the two animals continued to gallop past them. The reptiles were tugging a wooden carriage. On it was a man steering the animals. He was glaring at Raal and Miro. “Keep with the pace you foreigners!” the man shouted to them as he kept going. “Or get out of the way!”

After the two reptiles and carriage turned out of sight, Miro shook his head in disdain. “I really don’t like big cities. I’d much rather be out on the seas.” He looked around at the crowds of people. “I hate that we have to walk through this.”

Raal nodded in agreement. The congestion was certainly not an aspect of Ban-U-San that he adored. 

Raal and Miro were in the southernmost part of the city. Baag was located in the north zone, and to get there, they would have to go through the central zone. The central zone was the busiest part of the city, with the biggest shopping arcade in the southern regions of Auroa. The central zone had the hustle and bustle, but there were also tranquil precincts of the upper-class citizens, mainly the hot spots of Dolcers, rich Felinis, and the wealthiest of Humiis. The central zone was where all the skyscrapers were located and, judging by Raal and Miro’s distant view of the skyscrapers, that looked to be about a two-hour walk by itself. Ban-U-San was a huge place. When someone said that they were going to the other side of a city, that was not a simple task.

Raal let out a deep sigh. “Well,” he said, exasperated. “Let’s get going.”

Miro nodded, and they began to venture into the depths of the great city of Ban-U-San.

*      *      *

Lodei crossed the harbor and made his way to the Auroite garrisons located on the pier. Passing multiple Auroites who saluted him, he walked to a small building at the end of the pier. Plastered across the top of the building in the Auroan language was the word  penitentiary. Lodei opened the door and walked in.

“Admiral Lodei, sir.” An Auroite saluted him while assuming the position of attention.

“At ease,” Lodei said. “So, what’s the news on our captured Atloh?”

The Auroite shook his head in contempt. “Ever since we apprehended her, she’s been giving us this same preposterous story.” He shrugged. “Maybe you can get her to spill when you go in to interrogate her.”

“It’s a she?” Lodei asked as he changed out of his armor into his Auroite officer’s tunic.

“Yes, sir.” 

“So, what’s this outlandish story she’s telling?”

“Well,” the Auroite began. “She keeps saying that she had been sailing with a pirate crew that was attacked by a stronger crew. She was kidnapped by the stronger captain, who somehow didn’t realize that half of his crew were assassins sent to kill him.”

Lodei snorted. “Crazy,” he said. 

“I know,” the Auroite agreed. “It’s hard to believe already, but check this out. This is where it gets really freaking weird. She says that one of the assassins was an Atloh . . . Really? And it was that one Atloh that destroyed the entire ship and everyone on board. She says that the captain supposedly helped her to escape on a rowboat while he stayed aboard. We found her the next day about ten or eleven mileseters out from the burnt ship. She complains that we too readily assumed she was an Atloh. I mean, what else are we supposed to assume about someone fleeing from a scene like that? Crazy story, huh? Does she honestly believe that anyone would take it seriously?”

Lodei stood motionless, thinking hard on what he just heard. “Hey,” he said to the Auroite. “Can you rewind the story a little?”

“To what part, Admiral?”

“The part about the assassin being an Atloh. Did she mention what branch of assassins he belonged to?”

“Yes, sir,” the Auroite told him. “Jomonalii.”

That was all he needed to know. Lodei quickly put on the rest of his officer’s tunic. “I’m going in,” he told the Auroite.

“Aye, aye. Good luck.”

Lodei opened a metal door, walked into the room, and closed it shut behind him. The room was completely made of stone. There were no windows or anything. It was just a blank stone room. In the center of it was a round table with two seats opposite each other. One of the seats was empty. In the other one, with her hands tied behind her back, her purple belt tied around her cut leg, muck on her face, and her intense aqua-blue eyes staring directly into Lodei’s, was a girl who looked more than ready to get out of there.

“Hello,” Lodei said as he sat down in the seat opposite of her. “My name is Admiral Lodei. And you are?”

“Leah,” she murmured unenthusiastically.

“Good,” he said. “Now that we got that out of the way, let’s get down to business.”

Leah rolled her eyes. “I’m just going to say this one last time . . . I am not an Atloh.”

“The funny thing is . . . I don’t think you are either,” Lodei said.

Leah leaned back in her chair and turned away from him with a smug look. “At least one person believes me.”

“I’m not here to interrogate you,” Lodei told her. “I’m just going to drop a few names and I want you to tell me if you are, in any way, associated with them.”

Leah shrugged.

“Alright,” Lodei began. “Here’s the first name.” He pulled the talisman out of his pocket and placed it in front of Leah. Her stunned reaction to the sight of the Jomonalii insignia was exactly what Lodei wanted to see. “So,” he said to her. “Do you know of a bandit who goes by the name of Raal?”

CHAPTER 20

❖

“If you’re looking for quick transportation to the north zone, you can always take the ravine’s ferries; however, I will warn you . . . they can be quite expensive,” a guard told Miro after he and Raal had walked the crowded city of Ban-U-San for over an hour. Their estimated two-hour journey to the central zone now looked to be a whopping three or four extra hours due to the immense congestion of the city. Ban-U-San was not always this crowded, but because of the lockdown, a lot more people populated the areas.

“How much are we looking at?” Miro asked the guard. He was more than willing to pay a little extra if it allowed them to get off the busy streets.

The guard began to count on his fingers. “Well,” he started. “You would be looking at two different stops so . . . I’m guessing around ten or eleven.”

“Oh,” Miro said with a smirk, surprised by the low price. “Well, that’s not bad.”

The guard shook his head. “Ten or eleven thousand.”

“What!” Miro cried. “Are you freaking kidding me? Who pays that much to ride on a pint-size boat like that?”

“The ferry is mainly an upper-class citizen’s way of traveling. Throwing away a few thousand gleddies is nothing for them. If you wish to save your gleddies, then you’ll have to travel by foot like the rest of the citizens.”

Miro turned to Raal with a defeated expression and then turned back to the guard. “Is there no other way?”

The guard shook his head. “Sorry,” he told him. “Though, I’ve heard the east zone’s traffic isn’t as bad. You may want to take that route and then cross back into the central zone. That way, it’ll be a straight shot to the north zone for you.”

Miro let out a deep sigh. “Okay,” he told the guard. “Thanks for the help.” Then he turned and walked back to Raal.

“So, no ferry?” Raal asked as he leaned against the side railing of the ravine.

“Nope,” Miro growled. “Who in Sem’s name has that many gleddies that they can just throw away thousands like that? It’s ridiculous.” He turned his head to the ravine that they were walking beside. A ferry was sailing past them with a large number of Dolcers aboard it, all of whom looked to be filthy rich judging by the expensive clothes they were wearing. All Dolcers were short and chubby, and their rabbit faces always held an arrogant, condescending look toward anyone who wasn’t of their race. 

Miro rolled his eyes at the sight. “Rich midgets,” he said. “Just because they get all the desk jobs and political occupations, they think they’re better than all of us. They only have those jobs because they can’t do anything else.”

Raal laughed. “You don’t think they got those jobs because of their intelligence? They are, after all, a race known for their intellect.”

Miro peevishly shrugged.

Raal chuckled and shook his head at Miro’s aloofness. “So, what did the guard tell you?”

“Well,” Miro said with a sigh. “Since the ferry’s a no-go, he said it would probably be best if we take the east zone and then cross back into central. It’s not as crowded.”

Raal knew exactly why east wasn’t crowded. It was the zone that housed the lowest class. Danger lurked around every corner in that zone. No one wanted to go there if there wasn’t a need. “What’s the plan then?” Raal asked.

“We’ll have to take the east zone route,” Miro answered him. “I don’t want to, but it’s our only option. We’ll just have to watch out for the pickpockets.”

Raal turned his head to a large advertisement that was plastered to the walls. It portrayed the east zone as a beautiful and tranquil place, and it read:  “Enjoy the middle-class luxury in the wondrous east zone.” It was ironic, because there was no middle-class in Ban-U-San. There was only the high upper class, which was run by the Dolcers, or the low lower class. Raal turned away from the advertisement. “Pickpockets are the least of my worry,” he murmured. 

By the time Raal and Miro reached the entrance to the east zone, the sun had finally gone down, and the city of Ban-U-San glowed from the lanterns that illuminated the streets and buildings. The east zone was an exception. As Raal and Miro looked at the dark and ominous area from an elevated bridge, their uneasiness about it increased.

“Dark and gloomy,” Miro grumpily alleged. “Not cliché at all.”

They walked down the bridge with the rest of the crowd. As they made their turn into the east zone’s entrance, they were immediately freed from the crowd’s loud and congested atmosphere and greeted with the ominous silence and darkness of their new environment. It was completely different from the rest of Ban-U-San; the east zone’s ambiance was nothing short of eerie. The dim lanterns and the two moons in the sky were the only sources of light throughout the area, and they allowed the catastrophe of the area to be faintly visible through the shadows. On both sides of the dark path were rundown cabins and buildings. 

Worn-out people rested on the sides of the unkempt streets, and children ran around in clothes that looked like they had never been washed. One of those kids bumped into Raal, and he quickly responded by grabbing the boy’s arm and taking back the gleddie that the kid had pickpocketed from him. Raal, with his God of Thieves reputation, was not going to ignore delinquency like that. The boy looked at Raal in horror. His eyes were full of dejection and fear, and the sight of them was just too much. Raal placed the gleddie back in the boy’s hand and let him go. “Go on,” Raal told him. “Get out of here.” And the little pickpocket raced off. 

Raal and Miro ventured into the depths of the east zone, keeping a wary eye on anything that seemed suspicious. They were never really much of a sensitive duo, but witnessing all of the poverty around them was humbling. An old man held up an empty can. Miro went over to him and placed a gleddie in it, to which the man feebly smiled and nodded in appreciation. Miro then returned to Raal’s company.

After walking around a corner, Raal and Miro were greeted with the view of the central zone’s skyscrapers in the distance. The beautiful scene was a taunting element of how poor the east zone really was.

“This is wrong,” Miro murmured as he looked in detest at the looming central zone buildings. “How can a city with so much to offer contain a place like this? They’re basically keeping the east zone deprived while the rest of it continues to prosper. Every time I come to Ban-U-San, that always crosses my mind.”

Raal nodded in agreement. “The council’s to blame,” he said with a stern expression. “The majority of them are selfish, gleddie-hungry politicians. They do what’s best for themselves.”

Miro’s expression became even more peeved. “Sounds like Dolcers.”

Suddenly a soothing male voice said from behind them, “That’s what most of them are.”

Raal and Miro turned around to the sight of a handsome and well-groomed Felini, guarded by two Auroite city guards. His long red-and-gold robe draped to his feet, and on the back of it there was a split that allowed his catlike tail to maneuver. Between his two cat ears was a red and gold zucchetto cap propped on his long whitish-blonde hair. His hands were tucked in the long sleeves of his robe as he and his two guards walked toward them. “It’s nice to see genuine virtuous people,” he said with a cheerful smile. “They’re so rare these days.”

“Thanks,” Raal told him. “And you are?”

The Felini reached out his hand to shake Raal’s. “My name is Ambassador Ealadan,” he said as he greeted Raal and Miro with a handshake and a bow. “I’m the council’s representative of the common people. I’m the one man in this city who is trying to make a difference in places like this.” He pointed to a broken-down shack with dozens of deprived people lying in what was left of it.

Raal looked at the shack and then looked around at the rest of the east zone. “Looks like you’re doing a pretty good job,” he sarcastically told the ambassador.

Ealadan was not offended by that remark. In fact, all he did was smile. “It’s a long and strenuous process,” he said with a sigh. “I’m still glad they decided to make an ambassador for the common people. I pleaded for a long time for that position to be created. I never thought they’d establish it, let alone give it to me.” 

He looked around at everything. “It may not appear to be so, but things are starting to look up for this zone.”  There was a calming peace in his face as he gazed at his surroundings. He obviously took pride in his efforts to build the area up. He let out another sigh and then turned back to Raal and Miro. “So, what brings you to the east zone? No one ever comes here. It can be quite dangerous. I know I would never come without my guards.” The two Auroite guards stood motionless next to Ealadan’s side.

“We were told that this route would be faster to get to the central zone,” Raal answered him. “And we can hold our own.”

One of the guards moved closer to Ealadan and whispered something in his ear.

“Oh,” Ealadan said. He looked back at Raal and Miro. “So, you’re the two pirates who are under Admiral Lodei’s jurisdiction.”

Raal’s and Miro’s postures straightened as they looked at each other in astonishment. Miro then looked back at Ealadan. “Word travels fast.”

Ealadan smiled. “It has to. Ban-U-San’s under lockdown. The guards are on high alert at all times, keeping surveillance over the city. They then pass their information over to the council, and we respond accordingly.” He looked Raal and Miro up and down. “It’s sad that a couple of pirates are the only ones who’ve come around this zone and helped these people.”

Suddenly a little girl wearing a torn and tattered shirt that was four or five sizes too large for her ran over to Ealadan’s side. She held a raggedy doll in one hand and tugged on Ealadan’s robe with the other.

“Oh,” Ealadan said with a startled tone when he noticed her. His cheerful smile widened as he stooped to her level. “What can I do for you this time, little one?”

The girl turned her shoulder to him. There was a large bruise on it and a few cuts and scrapes.

Ealadan let out a cheerful laugh. “Have you been roughhousing with the boys again?” he asked her. She shook her head. Ealadan lifted an eyebrow, and with a grin, he asked, “Are you telling me the truth?”

The little girl put her head down in haughty shame, though she knew she wasn’t in any real trouble.

Ealadan let out another laugh. “You kids will never learn.” He then told her to come closer to him. He put both of his hands on her bruised shoulder and began to chant. “Libretti ona de Libretti yon . . .” A white light appeared between his hands and her shoulder as he continued. “Libretti ona de Libretti ye, Libretti ona de Libretti heal.” The white light suddenly disappeared. Ealadan took his hands off the girl’s shoulder. It was completed healed. There was no bruise, no cut, no scrape; it looked as if it had never been injured.

The girl looked at her shoulder with delight and then hugged Ealadan’s leg.

“It was my pleasure,” Ealadan said to her as he patted her head. “Now, go on. Try not to bruise yourself anymore.”

The girl let go of his leg, bowed to him, and then ran off to meet with a group of boys who were awaiting her company.

Ealadan watched her with a smile and then turned back to Raal and Miro. “Children are such delicate creatures,” he said to them. “Every time I come here, that same girl asks me to heal her in some kind of way.”

Miro watched the girl play with her friends. “It seems like they trust you with their lives here,” he told the ambassador.

“Because they can’t trust anyone else,” Ealadan said. “No one comes to the east zone, and whoever does normally tries to leave as fast as possible, which is why seeing two pirates try to make a difference is humbling. People don’t care about the poverty-stricken lives around them. Neither does the rest of the council. So I do what I can, be it through my position as an ambassador or with my Libretti abilities.”

Raal nodded, honoring the ambassador’s commitment. “You’re quite the powerful Libretti speaker,” he said to him. “I know a few librettis who would have taken at least an hour to heal a bruise like that. You did it in a matter of seconds.”

Ealadan humbly shook his head. “It’s nothing special. It’s just my Felini blood . . . and perhaps the fact that I was a former Sky Force Auroite.”

Raal and Miro both gasped in shock. Miro gawked at him. “You were in the Libretti Sky Force?” Members of the Libretti Sky Force were so rare to see that a lot of them were looked at as heroes by all. Raal and Miro were suddenly mesmerized by this idol in front of them.

Ealadan nodded. “That was a time when I didn’t have as many wrinkles on my face, and I had a back that could withstand any pressure.”

Raal and Miro looked at Ealadan. They could barely see any wrinkles on his face; then again, he was indeed a Felini. They aged much slower than other races.

“I was one of the first to ever tame and ride a Urali dragon, but perhaps that’s a story that I can tell some other time. I have much work to do around here. If there is anything that I can help you kind souls with, let me know.”

“There is one thing,” Raal said to him. “As an ambassador yourself, is there any way you can get us an audience with the commercial ambassador, Mistress Zurillia? I have a few questions to ask her.”

Ealadan looked at Raal with a smirk. “You’re asking me if I can get you an appointment with my sister.”

“Your sister?” Raal gawked with surprise. “So it’s possible?”

Ealadan nodded. “Indeed I can,” he said. “However, not tonight. She’s meeting with some of the City of Lucaolo’s diplomats, which can last throughout the night. This lockdown has dropped Ban-U-San’s economical standings quite low, and her already Dolcer-like ego has only gotten worse. Meet with me tomorrow morning at the Sanctuary Plaza in the central zone. Perhaps, then, I can get my sister to talk to you. I shall warn you though . . . she can be quite the mouthful. Her company with the Dolcers in the council has not kept her as humble as I.”

Raal smirked. “Admiral Lodei said something to that nature as well.”

Ealadan nodded. “You can trust his word. He is one of the few genuinely good people here in Ban-U-San, and you standing here should be proof enough.”

“It is,” Raal said, nodding. “Thank you, Ambassador. We’ll make sure to meet with you tomorrow.”

The ambassador shook Raal’s and Miro’s hands again and then turned around and walked away. In a quick and precise movement, his guards followed his lead. Raal and Miro continued their journey through the poverty-stricken east zone.

“I’m just realizing something,” Miro said after several minutes of walking. “The only guards that I’ve seen here are the two who were with the ambassador.” He looked to his right side, down an alley, and noticed a group of shady-looking individuals watching them as they walked on. “I say that this place should have the most.”

Raal looked to his left and noticed more shady individuals glaring them down. “It’s like Ealadan said . . . no one cares for the poor.” Keeping his eyes on all the shady people staring at them, Raal whispered, “Hey, are you getting the feeling that these guys want something from us?”

Miro put a hand on the hilt of his sword. “If they do, they’re certainly in for some trouble. They’ve obviously never heard of the combat duo, Raal and Miro.”

Raal smirked at Miro’s joke, but then he remembered that Miro was still injured from the battle with Katu. “We should have asked Ealadan to heal your shoulders as well. Are you sure you can fight?”

  Miro let out a condescending laugh. “Katu is one of the greatest warriors on the seas,” he said. “After going against him, do you honestly think I’d considered roughing up some street rats a legitimate fight? This is going to be a slaughter. If they know what’s good for them, they’ll keep to themselves.”

Raal smirked and looked around at the eyes that were watching him and Miro. Miro was right. Their level of combat was far superior to these ruffians.

Suddenly, out of the corner of Raal’s eye, he saw one of the thugs leap out of the shadows with his sword at hand. He swung at Raal, and in a matter of seconds, Raal’s previously sheathed broadsword was at the man’s neck while his own sword was on the ground next to him. The thug was completely stunned by the speed of Raal’s parry and counter. He stared with fear in his eyes at the tip of Raal’s sword as he gulped with despair.

Raal shook his head at the defenseless man. “You really don’t want to do this,” he told him. “Two strangers with swords aren’t the smartest choice for a mugging.”

“Please don’t kill me,” the thug whimpered.

Raal pulled a gleddie out of his pocket and flicked it to the man, who caught it. “For your trouble,” Raal said to him. Then he removed the tip of his sword from the thug’s neck. “If you need a gleddie, all you have to do is ask. Now, get out of here.”

The thug quickly ran back into the shadows, leaving his sword on the ground. All of the glaring eyes around them were now full of fear and worry after witnessing Raal’s skill. They turned away from the duo and minded their own business.

Raal and Miro’s journey through the east zone became a lot less troublesome after Raal showed his wit. They followed the sight of the skyscrapers, taking each path with the huge buildings as their guide. After a long while, they finally reached an arched sign that read “Central Zone.” They walked under the sign and entered a neon tunnel. 

At the end of the tunnel were bright lights. Raal and Miro stayed on the right side of the tunnel with the people who were walking toward the lights at the end of it. The people on the left side of the tunnel were walking in the opposite direction, headed back to their homes from the magnificent central shopping arcade.

As Raal and Miro neared the end, two guards, the first they had seen since Ealadan, were standing upright on both sides. Their pikes were in an upright position. Seeing the guards was proof enough that they were about to enter into central. 

The bright lights beamed on Raal and Miro’s face as they stepped out of the tunnel and saw the busy megalopolis that was the central zone. The central zone had just as many people as the south zone, perhaps even more, but because the streets and everything else in it were so much bigger, it was much more spacious. There was no congestion. Walking through it was a breeze. 

All around them, skyscrapers layered the night sky. All of the skyscrapers had dozens of stories, each reaching higher and higher, and each story could be accessed by using a floating gnaeralis, a plant that shoots up air when pressured from above. Like Ban-U-San, many cities would put a large disk on top of the gnaeralis, and when stepped on, the gnaeralis would shoot its air, causing it to function like an elevator. Also in the sky, the beautiful flying creatures known as airosules could be seen gently easing their way around the buildings. At ground level, all the ravines of the city met in the very center of the central zone. Dolcers, Felinis, and Humiis all walked the wondrous shopping arcade. 

As Raal and Miro walked through the immense city, Raal turned his head and saw a path that was cut off by a line of guards. It was a large set of stairs that led up and curved behind a wall. Two Dolcers, who were wearing the same robe that Ambassador Ealadan was wearing, were walking down the stairs and talking. The guards opened up their line so the Dolcers could exit. Once they got past them, the guards quickly closed the line back up.

“The Council,” Miro said, noticing what Raal was looking at. “Only ambassadors and the filthy rich can go to that area. We’ll be able to get in with Ambassador Ealadan tomorrow.”

Raal turned from the stairs. “Before we go to Baag’s place, we have to locate Sanctuary Plaza,” he told Miro. “That’s where Ealadan said he would be meeting us.”

Traveling through the central zone was a prospect in itself. Along with the fine scenery, the life of the area was something to awe over. Hundreds of people walked the magnificent shopping zone. Jesters entertained their spectators at each corner while acoustic street bands captured their audiences with provincial music. Shopping stores, restaurants, clubs, and bars were just some of the many open-door domiciles that Raal and Miro passed by.

Pretty soon, they reached an area of the central zone that seemed like more of a resting spot than a shopping arcade. The common marble floor was now cleanly cut grass. Benches were placed along the grass, and small marble pathways led into a set of trees that replicated a forest. In the center of the imitation forest was a massive tree that was decorated with lanterns along its branches, with different bird species flying in and out of it.

“This is it,” Miro said. “Sanctuary Plaza.”

Raal looked around the area and noticed all of the wealthy-looking people relaxing on the benches and grass. This was definitely a place to let go of all your worries and just relax in the ambiance of nature. “I see why they call it Sanctuary.” 

“So,” Miro began. “Now that you’ve seen it, are you ready to head to Baag’s?”

Raal nodded, took one last glance at the beautiful scenery of Sanctuary Plaza, and then continued on with Miro, traveling through the city of Ban-U-San.

CHAPTER 21

❖

On the outskirts of the city, along the side of the harbor, a large, beautifully structured domed building sat atop the peak of the waterfall that produced Ban-U-San’s ravines. The gleam from the two moons in the sky reflected off of the dome’s white marble texture. The building’s structure naturally accompanied the landscape of the peak that the waterfall fell from. It was surrounded by flags with the crescent moon symbol that was the symbol of Ban-U-San, and along with those flags were another type—the white flags with a black ring in the middle of them, signifying Ban-U’s science labs. 

From ground level, a long and widespread stairway that was etched out of the rocky cliff next to the waterfall formed the curved path to the elevated science building. The mist from the water was a coolant to Lodei as he and two of his Auroite subordinates marched up the wide stone stairs. As they made their way up, Auroite guards standing along the side of the stairs saluted Lodei like always as he passed by them.

As he and his subordinates reached the top of the stairs, the huge domed building was now directly in front of them. Along with its immense size, different ligaments of it branched over and around the waterfall. A curved, translucent-roofed bridge ringed the falling, rushing water. Dolcers were visible walking the bridge wearing white lab coats and carrying stacks of paperwork in their hands. 

In front of Lodei was the entrance into the science building. Two Auroite city guards guarded it. Their pikes crossed, making an X at the entrance. As Lodei neared them, they did not remove their pikes, a motion that was not common for an admiral of his caliber. The science building was authorized only by the Dolcer scientist who controlled it. Lodei had no authority there.

“Can we help you, Admiral?” one of the entry guards asked.

Lodei nodded. “I’m here to meet with Doctor Shiras,” he said as he peered over the shoulders of his two blockers. He could see more Dolcers busily moving to and fro on the other side of them. “May I have access?”

“We’ll check for your clearance,” the entry guard told him. Behind them, a guard rushed into the building.

Lodei and his two subordinates anxiously waited for a minute. The guards could see his impatience. “I’m sorry, Admiral,” one of the guards told him. “You know how these Dolcers can be. Their so-called work puts even the highest-ranking Auroites at a demeaned level.”

Lodei smiled, saying, “No apology necessary. You’re doing your job well.”

Getting a compliment from a commander of Lodei’s stature was more than enough to put a gleam in the guard’s expression. As he thanked him, the guard that went into the building ran back into position. “Clearance accepted,” he told Lodei. “Sorry for the wait.” Then both of the entry guards removed their pikes for Lodei and his subordinates’ entry.

Lodei entered the building into a long corridor. Dolcer scientists walked in and out of the entrances that flanked the walls of the hallway. At the end of it was a large, two-door glass entryway, and next to it was a glass reception desk. A female Felini sat at the desk, awaiting guests.

“Good evening, Admiral,” the Felini receptionist acknowledged Lodei as he walked toward her. “Doctor Shiras will be with you shortly. He’s on his way as we speak.”

Lodei nodded. “Thank you.” He then sat down in a chair against the wall. His guards, in a militaristic fashion, formed up on each side of him.

Not long after that, the glass doors opened, and out came a Dolcer with a long white lab coat that draped the floor. His white rabbit face harbored a long furry mustache that slumped down to his round stomach, and he wore spectacles over his blue eyes. He had a condescending look on his face as he turned toward Lodei. “Ah,” he said in a surprised voice. “The virtuous Admiral Lodei. How are you this fine evening?”  

Lodei got up from his seat, which caused the Dolcer to look up. When he was sitting down, Lodei was at the Dolcer’s standing level. Lodei rolled his eyes. “Skip the pleasantries, Shiras,” he told him. “You know why I’m here. Did you do a study on the talisman that my courier brought to you earlier?”

Doctor Shiras smirked. “Indeed, I did.”  He rubbed his bushy, whiskered mustache. “Jomonalii . . . an interesting find.”

“So what do you know?” Lodei asked. “Is it real or just some imitation?”

“It’s hard to say.” Shiras looked up at Lodei with a pompous attitude. “If you pathetic Auroites weren’t so afraid to get your hands dirty in the Jomonalii lands, perhaps I could have done a more accurate study. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where that talisman was made without minerals from the environment.”

Lodei, annoyed by Shiras’s Dolcer arrogance, said, “You know that going to the Jomonalii lands is a death trap. Walking into that region guarantees casualties.”

Shiras folded his arms over his round belly. “Nothing is ever done for the sake of science.” Then he arrogantly said with a huff, “Luckily for you, the vast mind of a Dolcer can make ways out of no ways.”

Lodei was finally fed up. “Is it or is it not a Jomonalii talisman?” he asked in a resolute voice.

“So pushy,” Shiras said patronizingly. “All of you Auroites are so brash.” He sighed. “Judging by our estimates, it’s a high probability that your talisman is in fact from Jomonalii.”

Lodei pondered over this information. If that talisman was indeed from the land of Jomonalii, what did it mean? Jomonalii was certainly not supposed to be near Ban-U-San. They were thousands of mileseters north. An incident with Jomonalii never occurred in this part of Auroa.

“There’s something else that may intrigue you,” Doctor Shiras said to Lodei. “Come with me.” 

Shiras opened the two glass doors and started to walk back through them with Lodei and his subordinates following close behind, but then Shiras quickly turned around to them. “Your guards are going to have to stay here,” he told Lodei. “You’re about to enter the labs. We can’t be overcrowded in there.”

Lodei rolled his eyes. As if two more people would overcrowd them. It wasn’t the overcrowding that bothered Shiras; he just didn’t like the sight of fully armored Auroites. Lodei turned to his guards and nodded. They stepped back as he and Shiras entered through the doors.

Lodei looked on in puzzlement at the immense chamber of science. There were hundreds of scientists working on different experiments. The majority of them were Dolcers, however, there were a few Felinis and Humiis as well. All over, dead animals were being dissected, artifacts were being investigated, and scientists were roaming back and forth with work in their hands.

One young Humii scientist crossed paths with Shiras and Lodei. He tripped over Shiras’s long coat. The Humii scientist caught his balance before he fell; however, that didn’t stop what he was carrying from falling. He dropped a glass sphere, and it shattered all over the floor.

“You fool!” Shiras told him as the Humii started picking up the pieces. “Do you know how hard it is to achieve such an artifact? Now, look what you’ve done.”

“I’m sorry,” the Humii scientist told him as he continued to pick up the pieces.

Shiras shook his head in disdain and walked past him. Lodei followed close behind, feeling sorry for the lad.

“Humiis,” Shiras said patronizingly. “They score high on their scientific exams and they think they have the mind of a Dolcer.” He rolled his eyes. “The fools know no better.”

As a Humii himself, Lodei thought that such slander should have offended him, but since it came from the mouth of an “oh so pompous” Dolcer, it didn’t bother him. They continued to walk through the maze of the science labs.

They passed through the tunneled bridge that wrapped around the waterfall. Lodei could see all of Ban-U-San from the bridge’s view. It was a magnificent sight. The two moons painted the entire city with a gorgeous azure hue, and the dark blue ocean behind looked like an endless world of beauty.

“Come along,” Shiras said, interrupting Lodei’s admiration. “We haven’t got all night.” 

They ventured into another part of the science labs that harbored many boxes and crates full of items. Shiras grabbed one of the boxes as they continued to walk.

“So what did you want to show me?” Lodei asked.

“Regarding the note that you attached with the talisman,” Shiras told him. “The note about Jomonalii being on the ship that was ruined by Helin. I sent some more of our researchers to the site.”

“And?”

“We found enough information to know that the ship did, indeed, belong to the Sea Raider.”

Lodei tensed up. “I see,” he told him.

Shiras and Lodei entered into another science area where scientists were working on damaged parts of a burnt ship. This was where all of the evidence on the attack was being brought for scanning. 

Shiras put his box down on a table next to a burnt piece of a ship’s mast. He went to a cabinet and pulled out the Jomonalii talisman that Lodei sent him. “This is what your courier gave me,” he told Lodei. He placed it next to the box. “And this . . .” He put his furry hands on the box and started to open it. “This is what my researchers found when they were scavenging the bodies.” He dumped everything that was in the box onto the table. Dozens of the same talisman fell out of the box and covered the table. They were all burnt, with traces of Helin on them.

Lodei looked in shock at all of them. The sight of that many Jomonalii talismans sent a horrifying tremor through his body.

Shiras noticed Lodei’s expression and nodded. “For once, it seems I agree with you,” he told him. He looked down at the table cluttered with the Jomonalii insignias. “This is quite a puzzling predicament. For a single Jomonalii to be this far south is strange enough, but for all of these . . .” He looked at Lodei. “It seems your captive was telling the truth.”

Lodei kept his stunned eyes on the talismans. “It’s a truth that I wish was a lie,” he said. He then turned to Shiras. “So, did you identify the Sea Raider’s body? Has it been examined?”

Shiras sighed. “All of the bodies that we found were burned to a point where they are no longer identifiable. We examined what we could, but that doesn’t tell us who the subject was.”

Lodei nodded in understanding. “So, do you believe that he could have survived?”

Shiras shook his head. “From a scientific aspect, there’s a very low probability that anyone could escape such carnage, but you know full well that . . .”

“Science is theory, not fact,” Lodei finished for him.

Shiras grinned. “I’m pretty sure every Auroite likes to spit that little quote at us scientists every once in a while.”

Lodei turned back to the talismans. “We can’t count him dead yet,” he told the doctor. “The Sea Raider has always had a way of escaping death’s grip. As for these talismans, make sure you save them and anything else you find out there.”

Shiras laughed condescendingly. “As if I would throw away evidence like this. You forget that I am the head of a Dolcer Scientific Regiment. That would be my income I’d be throwing away.”

Lodei finally turned away from the talismans and started to leave.

“What’s your plan of action, Admiral?” Shiras asked him.

“I’ll have to warn the generals that Jomonalii have moved into our territory,” he told him. He looked back at the single unburnt talisman that sat by itself. “Then there’s a young bandit that I need to have a word with.”  He left the room, leaving Shiras and the rest of the scientists to their work.

*      *      *

Raal and Miro finally left the central zone of Ban-U-San and entered their destination, the much less populated north zone. The north zone was Ban-U’s residential area. People didn’t crowd the streets like in the central and south zones. And it wasn’t deprived like the east zone. It was just a simple walk through the neighborhoods and small markets.

Raal and Miro strode through the north zone until they reached a tavern that sat along the ravine. A sign propped on its terrace read: “Baag’s Hub.”

“Here we are,” Miro said.

They looked up at the tavern. It was a wooden, three-story building with a triple-sloped, shingled roof. It was plastered with windows through which an orange gleam shone from the inside. On the outside of the building was a grass yard with well-kept gardens and a marble path to its two-door entrance. 

Raal and Miro walked on the path to the doors. Miro pushed the doors open, and they walked in and saw dozens of people sitting at wooden tables eating dinner. Waitresses moved around the tables putting down plates for the guests. At the far end, a Dolcer worked as a bartender. It was quite a noisy tavern.

“What can I do for you boys?” the bartender asked as Raal and Miro propped themselves on the bar.

Miro was the one to answer. “We’ll take two Ban-U Crystals,” he said as he placed a gleddie on the table.

The bartender grabbed it. “Coming right up.” Then, he went to make the drinks.

Raal and Miro turned around and looked at all of the people enjoying their meals and conversing.

“Do you see Baag anywhere?” Raal asked after a moment.

Miro continued to look around. He then shook his head. “No, I don’t. I know this is where he should be around this time.”

The Dolcer bartender returned with two large, blue-colored drinks. “Here you go,” he said as he slid them to Raal and Miro. 

Miro thanked him and took a sip. “Good Ban-U,” he said as he let the sweet, cold taste of it make its way down his throat. 

“It’s my pleasure,” the bartender told him. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“Yeah,” Miro told him. “Is Baag in?”

The bartender started wiping down his chalices. “Last I heard, he was somewhere in the west zone brokering with some upper-class Felinis. He should be here any minute.”

Suddenly, the entrance door opened.

“Well, I’d be a caracaur’s uncle,” the bartender smirked. “Here he is now.”

Raal and Miro turned around. A well-dressed middle-aged man stood at the doorway. He was wearing a formal tunic and a commoner’s hat. His bristly black hair could be seen peeking out from under the hat. He smiled at everyone in the tavern.

“Hey there, Baag!” one guy shouted to him.

 Another person said, “Baag! Welcome back!”

It was obvious that Baag was liked by many of the citizens. He greeted everyone as he walked in. Then he noticed Miro sitting at the bar. “Captain?” Baag said with astonishment.

Miro smirked. “What in Sem’s name are you wearing?” he joked.

Baag laughed as he made his way to them. “It comes with the territory,” he said with a chuckle. Once he reached them, he and Miro gave each other a strong hug.

“How’s the city life been treatin ya, first mate?” Miro asked him.

Baag shook his head and laughed. “It’s not much different than being on the seas with you,” he said. “You got to go in headstrong, establish a name for yourself, and then wipe out the rest of the competition.”

Miro patted him on the back. “Seems like you’re still living the pirate life.”

Baag shrugged. “It’s a code that I live by . . . I’m just not on the ocean.” He noticed Raal behind Miro and reached out to shake his hand. “This must be my replacement.”

Miro chuckled. “No This is just an old friend of mine.”

Raal shook Baag’s hand. “I’m Raal,” he told him.

“Baag . . . though you probably already know that.”  He smirked. “I was Miro’s first mate before I decided to retire and take up a less . . . sword-clashing life.” He then turned to Miro. “Come on to the back,” he said as he started moving to a door behind the bar. “Let’s get out of this noise so we can catch up.”

Raal and Miro followed Baag through the door. It opened to a hallway, and from there, it led them to Baag’s workplace. It was a room lit by lanterns placed along the walls. A desk sat at the far end of the room and two other seats were in front of it. On the desk were different office items such as papers and writing utensils. A globe of Auroa sat next to it. Around the room were a lot of different supplies and materials, all of which looked expensive. The setup looked quite . . . corporate. 

“You really are a businessman now, aren’t you?” Miro told Baag as he and Raal took the two seats. 

Baag went and sat at the desk. He smirked. “Just because you see all this fancy stuff, don’t you start believing I’ve gotten soft.” He opened up his desk drawer and pulled out a sword. He stabbed it on top of the desk, and it stayed there. “This is still my one true reliance,” he said as he flicked the steel of the sword. A pong sound echoed through the room. “Live by the sword and die by . . .” He and Miro looked at each other, and then in unison they finished the quote, “rum!”

They both let out a hardy laugh. Miro wiped a tear of laughter from his eye. “Oh, it’s good to see you again, mate.”

Baag nodded, “You too, Cap’n.” He placed his elbows on the desk and looked at both Raal and Miro. “So why are you in Ban-U? I know you didn’t come all this way just to check up on me, eh?”

“I know you can handle your own,” Miro said with a chuckle. “The crew’s been through the works—Katu, water dragons, and whatnot. I thought you could hook us up with some good gear since you’re an established businessman now.”

“Katu and water dragons?” Baag echoed. “That does sound like you’ve been through the wringer.”

Miro nodded. “Yep, and besides that, your sister really wanted to see you as well.”

A calming peace came over Baag when Miro mentioned his sister. “Natala,” he murmured tenderly. It was certainly obvious that he deeply cared for her. He then looked up at Miro. “You better be taking good care of her.” 

“Don’t worry,” Miro said. “She’s fine. I left her with the rest of the crew when we entered Ban-U. She should be here any minute.”

Baag turned his head to a small wooden sword that was hung on his wall. Etched below it was Natala’s name. “That girl is full of the pirate life,” he said. “I tried to get her to come with me, but you can’t get that stubbornness off the seas for one second.” He looked back at Miro and Raal. “She’s headstrong, I’ll give her that. You of all people should know.”

Miro nodded. “She hasn’t changed on you, mate. She’s still the same old potty mouth that used to follow you around.”

Baag smirked and then turned to Raal, who had been respectfully listening to them blabber on. “So,” Baag began. “What’s your story? Miro doesn’t let just anybody on his ship.”

Raal adjusted himself in his seat now that the conversation had moved to him. “I’ve got a job that Miro’s helping me with,” he answered. “We’re tracking down two targets: the Sea Raider’s ship and a traderunner vessel.”

Baag’s posture straightened. “Katu,” he said incredulously. “Good luck with that. I don’t know how you’ll catch him, but as for the traderunners . . .”

Raal and Miro looked at each other and then back at Baag. Miro said with astonishment, “You know about the traderunners that we’re after?”

Baag nodded. “I’m not sure if they’re the ones that you’re after, but I did recently meet with some who docked here about three days ago. We did a little underground tradeoff.” He turned to Miro. “You know how it is. You can’t trade the real good stuff out in the open with the Auroites watching your every move.”

Raal was worked up. “Were Oakans in their stock?”

Baag got up from his seat and walked to the door. He looked out to see if anyone else was near the room, and then he came back in, closing the door behind him. “You can’t be too careful when talking about this stuff,” he told them as he took his seat. “Talk of such exchanges can put you in prison, especially with the city being in lockdown.” He then leaned in close. Raal and Miro compulsorily did the same. Baag whispered, “All I know . . . is that there were a lot of prisoners in their stock this time . . . more so than usual.” 

Raal and Miro looked at each other again as Baag continued. “All of them seemed to be of a different ethnicity, so Oakans could have very well been on there. I’m not sure. I only traded supply for supply. Slave trade is not my forte.” He sat back up and spoke in his normal tone again. “Besides, Ban-U is against slave labor. If anything, the traderunners were probably going to sell them somewhere up north.”

Raal sulked in his seat. “Where are they now?”

“The traderunners?” Baag asked. “I don’t know. You’ll have to speak with someone who’s in charge of marketing.”

Raal folded his arms and nodded. “I’m guessing someone like Ambassador Zurillia.”

“Exactly,” Baag said. “If she doesn’t know the whereabouts of the traderunners, then no one will.”

Raal turned to Miro. “Looks like we have no other choice but to meet with her.”

Miro nodded and looked at Baag. “Do you have a place where we can stay for the night? Just long enough to meet with Zurillia tomorrow morning. Then we’ll be out of your hair.”

Baag smirked. “As a matter of fact, Cap’n, you’re in an inn right now. I’ve got plenty of temporary rooms for sale upstairs. For you, I’ll give you a hardy discount. Let’s say around zero gleddies.”

Miro grinned. “Thanks, mate. We can always count on you.”

Baag grinned from ear to ear. “Nothing’s changed, Cap’n. Anytime you’re near, it’s still on impulse that I give you the respect that you deserve. You got me and Nati out of the gutter, so this is nothing compared to what you did for us. What’s mine is yours.”

Raal realized that Nati was his sibling name for Natala. He looked at Miro, somewhat astounded by the fact that he was so respected. 

After a while of sitting back and conversing over past experiences, Natala, Trovii, Gale, and Little Man walked in. They all greeted their old friend differently. Little Man gave him a huge bear hug that lifted Baag off the ground and almost seemed to crush him. Baag reached down and patted Trovii on the head as if he was some loyal animal, to which Trovii seemed to show no resentment. Gale shook Baag’s hand and patted his shoulder. 

Natala and her brother locked eyes and shared a moment of intimacy.

Baag smirked. “You still look like you just came through a tornado,” he told her.

Natala shrugged. “And you still have the face that only a mother could love—yet she still hated it.” 

Baag and Natala laughed as they hugged each other.

“You still have that same quick mouth,” Baag said as he let her go. He looked her up and down. “You’ve certainly grown since the last time I’ve seen you. You’re not the same ‘little’ sister anymore.”

“Well, that’s what happens after a couple years,” she told him. Then she grabbed his arm and felt his muscles. “And you’re not as stout as I remember. Seems like the city life has made you soft.”

“Don’t get too carried away,” he said with a laug as he put her in an unexpected headlock. She tried to free herself, but she couldn’t. He was too strong. “Remember who you’re talking to,” he joked. “I’m still Big Brother Baag.”

“Alright, alright!” she grunted as she tried to wiggle herself out of it. “Okay, you’ve proved you’re still strong. Baag, you can stop now.” She finally broke free, but only after he released her from his grip. She fixed her messy hair as she glared at her brother; however, she couldn’t stay angry for long. She was so happy to see him. “It’s a lot different on the ship without you,” she told him with a smile. “I never thought I’d miss being put in one of those headlocks.” 

“Yep, I left a legacy, didn’t I?” he bragged. 

Natala rolled her eyes. That pompous attitude was definitely not something she missed.

The company enjoyed conversing and reminiscing on their past. Raal was in admiration over how adventurous their old stories were and had a newfound respect for Baag the more they talked about him and his bravery on the seas. After a while, Baag gave them a key to stay in a room  he had available upstairs. 

The room, like the rest of the building, was made of wood from the floor to the walls to the ceiling, and lanterns that sat on the nightstands illuminated the room with an orange hue. It had twelve beds, six on each side against the walls. At the far end of the room was a large window, decorated with a fancy cotton curtain. Raal walked to the curtain, pulled it back, and looked out at the city from the three-story window. 

The night sky glowed from the light of the two moons, while the city glowed from all the different lights within it. The central zone’s skyscrapers pierced the clouds, and behind them, the massive doors to the city were hazily visible. “This is a big city,” Raal declared as he closed the curtain. 

Miro and Little Man propped themselves on their beds, while Natala, Gale, and Trovii relaxed in Baag’s hot springs outside of the tavern.

Raal sat down on his bed near the window and began to change into the sleepwear Baag lent them. After doing so, he lay back and rested his head on the pillow. “Finally,” Raal thankfully moaned. “A bed that’s not swaying.”

“These are the worst kind of beds,” Miro professed at the far end of the room.

Raal smirked. “Of course it is for you. You’re a pirate.”

Miro laughed and then pulled the cover over him. “We have an early day tomorrow,” he said. “We’ll meet with Ealadan before traffic picks up.”

Raal agreed and covered up as well. “See you in the morning,” he said as he put the fire out in his lantern. He closed his eyes. Having a real bed to sleep on was so comforting that he was able to fall asleep in a matter of minutes.