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Dusk felt his heart sink. They really didn’t have time for such things.
“How did that happen?”
“A better question is, why didn’t it happen sooner?” Cyrilo chuckled. “It’s amazing he hasn’t spent the majority of his life in a cell, given everything I know about him now. I’m a fool for loving him, but I had an idea of what I was getting into I guess.”
Dusk glanced nervously at Lex. “Uh... we kind of came here for your help.”
“Oh? Perhaps we can arrange a trade.”
“Maybe we better talk in private,” Lex said, looking over Cyrilo’s shoulder at the deck hands still close by, their eyes fixed on the group.
“Yes, of course.” Cyrilo turned around and waved his arms. “Don’t you people have something you could be doing?”
“Aye sir,” the man in the center huffed, turning around and walking away from them.
The other two followed suit. Cyrilo motioned for Dusk and Lex to come with him. Descending below deck he took them along a familiar path to the captain’s quarters. Once they were all inside he checked the hallway, then shut the door, locking it in place.
“Please, take a seat,” he said, gesturing towards the chairs that sat in front of Duillearga’s ornate desk. “Why don’t you tell me what you came for and then I’ll tell you how much of an idiot Ciaran is. Does that seem fair?”
“Sure,” Dusk replied and was silent.
Lex turned and looked at him expectantly.
“Okay. I guess I’ll explain it.” He leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath, staring up at the ceiling. “So you remember the crystal, right?”
***
Cyrilo sat on the other side of the desk with his head resting in the palms of his hands, staring across as Dusk finished explaining their predicament.
“Well,” he replied, “that certainly makes our problems here look incredibly small.”
“It’s a lot...” Dusk leaned back in his chair. “We came to find you with the hope that you’d help us with your magic.”
“My magic is so small, I don’t see how it would be of much use.”
Dusk pulled the horn out of his bag. “With this it will be.”
Cyrilo eyed the crystal for a long moment. “This isn’t a choice I can make by myself,” he sighed. “A few months ago I was just a slave with nothing and I would have jumped at an opportunity like this.” He looked up at Dusk. “But I’ve built a life here and a family of my own, not to mention a business that requires seeing to. I realize the people of Ditania are in danger and possibly more besides, but even you admit that you don’t know how much damage Nedarya can really do. Maybe it won’t affect Rhykandria at all.”
“So you would just let it all be destroyed? You realize all trade from the north will stop,” Lex interjected. “I’m sure that will hit your business hard. And depending on where she strikes with the moon, there could be catastrophic consequences.” The venom in Lex’s voice was not to be mistaken.
“If she can even bring it down in the first place.”
“I assure you, she will if we don’t stop her,” Lex said with finality. “Our resources are sure of that.”
“I don’t know if this is something I’m prepared to do.” Cyrilo shrugged. “To go and risk my life is a lot to ask, especially since I have something to live for now.”
“What happened to you?” Lex asked aggressively, leaning forward onto the desk. “A few months ago you would have given anything to make Ditania a better place and fight for what’s right. You were aching for a way out of that brothel and you were willing to fight your way out of Emerald Deep to get it. What happened to that man I knew?”
Cyrilo’s eyes narrowed. “He got a taste of freedom.”
Lex clicked his tongue. “So what? What good is freedom if you’re gonna be dead in a couple of weeks?”
“I understand what he means,” Dusk said.
Lex turned back to look at him, his brows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean you understand?”
“I never told anyone about it,” Dusk began, feeling himself tense up. “The night before Tiernan arrived, when you and I were at the top of the mountain, I finally decided what I was going to do with myself. Lyra told me I could leave the crystal with her and have my own life or face destiny and see what was in store for me.” He looked up at Lex. “I... I was going to leave it with her.”
Lex was silent for a moment. “I don’t believe that. You’ve been so on board with fighting Nedarya since she turned on us. You seemed ready to take on any obstacle in your way.”
“Because I had no other choice.” Dusk shook his head. “I got a small taste of freedom on the road and then again at the volcano. I wanted to take your hand and lead you off north of the island so we could start a quiet life together.” He paused, feeling embarrassed by his confession. “But when Nedarya killed Tiernan and failed to take the eye, I realized I had no choice. Lyra had been right all along, destiny was going to have me involved, one way or another.” He turned to face Cyrilo. “And I think the same thing is true for you.”
“And why is that?”
“I think the reason we met you was because we could help you out of that place and one day you’d return the favor. Maybe destiny had a plan.”
“I’m not sure I believe in all this destiny you’re talking about,” Cyrilo began.
“I don’t know if I do either,” Dusk said, cutting him off. “But I know that we need your help and I also know the freedom you’ve come to love will be worth nothing if Nedarya manages to succeed in her plans. Once she pulls down the moon we don’t know what she’ll be capable of. The last time someone had that much power they nearly managed to kill all the dragons and destroyed the oldest civilization on the continent. And that was with less power than Nedarya holds now.” Dusk’s voice grew soft and low. “She has the three crowns, which nobody has ever had in their possession. If she gets control over the entire crystal moon, there’s no telling what she could accomplish. She could level all of Udalara if she wanted to and nothing will be able to stop her.”
Cyrilo gazed at him thoughtfully, tapping his claws one at a time on the wooden surface of the desk. “What use am I in this venture?”
“You and I are the only two who can use magic. We’ll have to fight our way through Nedarya’s mages to get to her. She is a powerful magic user herself and I’ll need all the help I can get to take her down.”
“It sounds like our chances of survival are low.”
“If she succeeds in her plans, everyone's chances are likely zero.”
Cyrilo was quiet for a long moment, his tail flicking back and forth behind him across the floor. His eyes were turned up towards the ceiling in thought. Lex was still staring at Dusk from his chair, but he ignored him. He didn’t need to defend choices he’d wanted to make in the past. It was behind them now, like a fork in a road never taken. All that mattered was what lay ahead and making sure their future lasted longer than the next two and a half weeks.
Cyrilo wriggled his whiskers. “I think I’ll have to help you,” he replied. “It looks like I’ve got one last thing to do before I can finally get on with living. But I won’t be going with you alone. I’ve already lost one man in my life and I don’t think I could bear losing another.” He looked down at Dusk’s hands, eyeing the silver ring on his finger. “Help me get Ciaran and we’ll both go with you.”
“What if he doesn’t want to go?” Lex asked.
“He doesn’t have a fucking choice,” Cyrilo laughed. “If he thinks he’s going to make a habit out of starting fights in the streets, I suppose I’d better redirect him towards fighting things that matter.” There was a mischievous glimmer in his eye. “Besides, I think we both know who the real captain is around here.”
“Yes sir,” Lex chuckled, giving him a flimsy salute.
“Thank you Cyrilo,” Dusk said.
“Don’t thank me yet. We still have to get Ciaran out.”
“We have gold. We can just pay off the guards. I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to turn a blind eye once they catch sight of a few coins.”
“We could do that if he wasn’t scheduled to be hanged for piracy.”
“What?!” Lex and Dusk both cried in unison.
“I thought you said he just got in a fight!” Dusk added.
“He did,” Cyrilo replied. “But when the guards came to arrest him two days ago they may have searched his quarters and found the original ship's manifest.” He looked at the pair of them. “Apparently The Zephyr was stolen from this port two years ago by a rowdy pirate in a rather large hat.” Cyrilo pointed up to the one on top of his head. “And the idiot, for some reason, never changed the name of the ship or let me know where he got it from. I led him directly here, to the best port on the northern shore and we’ve been running trade routes for a couple months. He never said a damn thing.” Cyrilo sighed, his claws digging into the desk in irritation. “Anyway, I’m sure you noticed the guards on the dock. Ciaran confessed to everything on the spot and told them the crew wasn’t involved. By some unknown power they believed him and are letting us all go free after he’s been hanged. The previous ship owner is coming to claim her tomorrow night.”
Dusk was at a loss for words. He’d always wondered about Captain Duillearga’s circumstances, but he never thought he was a pirate. The man never struck him as a thief, just as someone who liked to play by their own rules. It wasn’t unfamiliar considering how Dusk and his friends were technically on the run from the law as well. He’d just believed Duillearga was an eccentric merchant with flair and no loyalty to monarchs. But the more he thought about his connection with the thieves guild and Diana, the more he began to realize that the signs had been there all along. It was only his ignorance, willful or otherwise, that had stopped him from seeing the truth. Cyrilo, on the other hand, had realized it almost immediately, but without further details had led Duillearga right back to the scene of his crimes.
“Are you sure you don’t just want to leave him behind?” Lex asked, obviously joking. “He seems like a lot of hassle.”
Cyrilo laughed, his fangs showing as his lips curled back. “You have no idea. I’ll make sure to punch him once or twice when I lay hands on him again.”
“If we can’t pay off the guards, how are we going to get him out?” Dusk asked.
“I think we’re gonna have to break him out.” Cyrilo slumped in his chair, his fingers steepled in front of him. “I’d like to kill as few of the guards as possible because they’re really only doing their jobs. I don’t care about the ship, but Ciaran will be heartbroken to lose her.”
“Then we’ll get both of them out of here.”
“How do you plan to do that?”
“You remember us mentioning that dragon, right?”