Ariiaya
A short time later the group gathered on the docks, looking up at an impressive ship with red sails. The vessel was surprisingly neat, the lower hull riddled with barnacles, but the remainder of the wood was polished to perfection. On the front of the ship was a woman carved from wood, her hair fanned out behind her and her arm outstretched, clutching a sword. The painted silver of her weapon glimmered in the afternoon light as the crew bustled on board, preparing the vessel for departure.
Painted in gold on the bow were the words Murderous Lust, and Arii found she instantly liked the ship.
From the main deck a woman gazed down at them. She wore the typical garb of a pirate, knee length boots and black pants weathered from salt air. Perched on her head was a wide-brimmed pirate hat that looked to have seen perhaps every inch of the sea. She wore a vest, arms left bare, her entire right arm covered with a story of tattoos. All she lacked to paint the final picture was a squawking parrot upon her shoulder. Arii also noticed that the woman was young, perhaps the same age as herself. And she was absolutely drop dead gorgeous – in a sea swept and harsh kind of way.
The woman leaned over the raising, lifting a hand in greeting. “Krepth, you son of a bitch – get your arse up here. We are losing precious daylight!”
Krepth motioned for the group to follow as they trailed up the boarding plank. Once on the deck, the woman threw her arms around him in a very enthusiastic show of affection. With her arm looped around his waist, Krepth turned to make introductions.
“This is Captain Valerie Gray, our very experienced guide for the voyage to the south.”
Valerie grinned as she stepped forward – clutching her hat before sweeping into a bow. “Greetings, landlubbers. Welcome aboard the Murderous Lust.”
Arii’s eyes catalogued the woman, her hair a dirty red, her eyes a gentle hazel, her skin suntan and her nose dusted with a smattering of freckles. A breeze toyed with her hair as she brushed it back, the tips of her ears showing round and pierced with a few simple silver loops. Human, it seemed.
“Landlubbers?” whispered Luc from the corner of his mouth to Tikkani, who shrugged with a look that mirrored his confusion.
“Pirates, strange folk that’s for sure,” murmured Emerson, scratching his chin.
After Krepth’s quick introduction to each of their little group, Valerie’s eyes fixed on Elijah as the Shifter swept a hand his way, “And this is Eliverus Herington.”
“Shut the front sails! You’re the Eliverus Herington?”
“Are there any others?” drawled Elijah, his voice devoid of humour.
Valerie smirked at that, before bellowing over their heads, “Gunner! Show our guests to their cabins!” She eyed them all, “Now they ain’t nothing like your fancy castle lodgings, but they’ll do.”
A man with sea-matted locks approached as Valerie chuckled, “You’ll need to bunk with one another, though. There aren’t many cabins but it’s better than sleepin’ on the poopdeck!” Valerie slapped a hand on Krepth’s shoulder. “We have so much to catch up on, Krepthy. Come, get settled and I’ll tell you all about our last haul from beyond The Boundless Sea!”
***
“Ohhh Krepthy,” sighed Arii mockingly, fluttering her lashes as they headed down the narrow, rickety steps towards their cabins. Never had she heard her friend referred to in such a way, and she latched onto the hilariousness with two eager hands.
Krepth dashed his fingers through his hair, teeth flashing in a wide, wicked grin, “Are you jealous, little Fury?”
“Gods no!” she chuckled, making to thump him on the arm before he slipped into a nearby cabin. Arii rolled her eyes before entering the cabin allocated to herself, Nem and Elijah. It was small, but had enough space for three sleeping bunks, a thin table, and an accompanying chair. At the end was a porthole with a view of the open sea.
“How is Emerson?” Arii asked, her expression turning to concern as she threw her pack on the bottom bunk and glanced at Nem. As soon as the ship had shown signs of movement, Emerson had turned as white as a ghost and complained he did not feel well. Shortly after, the boy was up on deck, leaning over the railing and hurling his lunch into the sea.
Nem sighed and tilted her head. “It’s going to be an extra-long journey for the boy, unfortunately.”
Arii winced in sympathy. How strange that the recruit, who grew up in a fishing community, had such a bad case of sea legs.
Tikkani on the other hand had found an instant friendship with Captain Valerie. The girls bounced back and forth insults that would have their mothers turning in their graves, joking and bantering like they were long lost friends. It seemed Tikkani had finally found someone who loved a good curse just as much as she did. Perhaps part of Emerson’s sickness came from the fact that there was now two Tikkanis on board – and he had no way of escaping them lest he take a leap into the sea.
Elijah headed to the deck after offloading his pack, insistent that he help prepare the ship. Arii guessed he wanted to get busy, preoccupy himself under the constant stare of Valerie’s crewmembers.
Once alone, Nem turned to Arii. “So, are we going to talk about… well, the last week of events?”
Arii stiffened, shooting her friend a glare. She was met with bright, narrowed eyes as Nem continued.
“That was a huge risk you took, heading back to Viridya with a theory that could have backfired. If Elijah was not who you thought he was, you could be a head upon a pike on the castle walls right now.”
“Well, it’s lucky that I’m always right.”
Nem rolled her eyes, before her expression grew serious. “He has had a long time to hate magic, what makes you think he is willing to face Valdis, and oppose the people who took him in, and raised him no less?”
“He is here now, isn’t he?” snapped Arii.
“From what I have witnessed, he is unwilling to use his magic.”
“If he did not wish to be here, Nem, he would not be. Elijah is a Fae – you and I both know he would be back at the castle if that were his true wish.”
Nem sighed, running a hand through her hair. She paced, and Arii felt a sense of trepidation before Nem paused before her. “He remains because of you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“When have you known me to be ridiculous, Arii? I see the way he looks at you.”
“He hates the Fae, Nem. We are Fae.”
“If he truly hated Fae, we wouldn’t be here, speaking about this, would we?” she reasoned gently.
Arii’s mouth snapped shut, unable to formulate a retort that was not a filthy curse. She spun, busying her hands with something – anything. She could feel her friend’s eyes on her back, like a weight pressing her shoulders inward, accompanying the shadow in the back of her thoughts since the invasion of her mind in Trader’s Bay.
“The Fates were not wrong when they said to guard your heart, Arii. But they were wrong about everything else.”
Arii slowly turned to face her friend, her expression twisting as Nem said, “Free thought and strong emotion do not make us weak – they only build a foundation to help us become stronger.”
Krepth
“Hoist those sails like your sister’s panties, and get that anchor tied down tight! If I see a lick of movement, I’ll lash you up in my quarters and spank your arse until we get to the south!” hollered Valerie as the crew whizzed around her, pulling on ropes and climbing ladders as she headed for the helm. “Weigh anchor and hoist the yardarm you jackanapes!”
Once at the wheel, she held onto her hat as a sharp sea breeze whipped its rim into a frenzy.
“That doesn’t sound like a bad punishment to me,” Krepth said as he leaned against the railing, his dark hair dancing around his face as the ship headed for open waters. Salt was most prominent to his sensitive nose, but there was also a promise of adventure on the salt air that had his insides quivering with anticipation, messing with his dislike for the dark male with silver eyes trained on his little sister. Ariiaya was not his sister by blood, but she was in every other right that mattered. She had no one else to protect her, and he knew she would argue she did not need protection. But that was what a big brother was for.
He did not trust Elijah. Eliverus. The King’s lapdog. He wondered why the man continued with them on their journey. He was not shackled to Arii, he was not a prisoner – although Krepth would argue that he should be watched far more closely than he currently was. Was he gathering intelligence in order to slip from them and return to the gilded castle?
Valerie grinned widely, before casting her eyes over the crew once more. On the deck below, Emerson held onto the railing as he fought back another hurl, Luc by his side. Elijah and Quinn helped pull the ropes with Gunner, lending their strength as the vermillion sails snapped in the wind. Tikkani looped ropes against the railing, fully investing her attention on a couple of knots that Gunner had taught her quickly.
Valerie placed a spyglass to her eye, surveying the expanse of sea ahead of them, peeling Krepth’s mind from his surveillance of the dark-haired Fae. “Looking good – perfect skies for smooth sailing.”
Krepth could not agree more. He watched as gulls swooped ahead, riding the sea breeze as the ship coasted over water like polished glass. A bell tolled nearby, signalling their departure from Trader’s Bay.
He turned his gaze back to Valerie. Despite Arii’s mocking, Krepth kept his lips sealed to the fact that he and Valerie had no romantic history. They bantered, they flirted, but never had they shared a bed. Their friendship thrived off the possibility of a romp, but never crossed that line, for they enjoyed the dance they shared.
Would he sleep with Valerie if she offered? Perhaps.
But it was not Valerie whom he wanted.
Krepth had his fair share of women and preferred to keep things casual to allow his worries to be lost to the pleasures of carnal sin. The women he chose wished for the same, and that was the way he had always preferred it.
Until a silver-haired Fae female entered his life.
Nemesis had always been an enigma to him, her disposition stoic and her heart clearly guarded. He knew that was mostly due to her memory loss and the harshness of her upbringing, but he could not help be drawn to her even though all she showed him was the barbs upon her rose. She was beautiful and deadly, and more often than not he found himself wondering for his sanity in his pursuit of her. Some would argue that their history meant that they were friends, but their friendship was a strange, awkward one wrought with tension.
When it came to Arii, he could see some of the ice melt away from Nem’s composure.
Perhaps that was why he liked her? Or perhaps a little bit of why.
Krepth sighed, and Valerie turned, a dimple flashing as she winked at him, and he let his roguish grin rise to cover any hint of deep thoughts.
“Let’s head below deck and get some grub.” Valerie said as she motioned to a crew member to take over the helm.
“Gods, I love it when you talk like that.” Krepth laughed, trailing after the captain as they headed down below.
Ariiaya
Below decks, the group came together over a dining table in the captain’s personal quarters. The room was a decent size, enough to squeeze them in. Lanterns swayed above, throwing light across the room. Rolled up parchment, heavy chests and packed bookcases surrounded them, a heavy wooden desk and chair stationed under a line of wide windows.
Valerie had the cook whip up a feast of roasted beef with thick gravy, lightly charred carrots dipped in honey, steamed peas and potato mash. The crew dug in, impressed with the offering.
“So Eliverus, what have you been doing this past twenty years?” said Valerie casually, leaning back in her chair and tilting her ruby-encrusted glass of rum his way.
Elijah paused, before pushing his plate away. He looked uncomfortable as the table’s attention turned to him. Under their gazes, he cleared his throat and spoke. “I was the King’s personal bodyguard.”
Valerie’s jaw dropped. Gunner slammed his mug of rum on the tabletop as he exclaimed, “Pig’s arse!”
Elijah’s look became glacial. “No arses about it…”
Another female crew member leaned forward over her meal. Lyda’s skin was a deeply tanned amber, her hair the colour of raven wings, sheered short on the sides and left long on top. Her eyes were striking and strange, one a deep emerald green, the other almost pitch black – making her gaze twice as intense as her fork hovered in Elijah’s direction. She exclaimed around a mouthful of mash, “You were the King’s lackey?! After what happened to your family, how could you stand to be in the presence of such a spoiled little brat?”
Arii felt the air crackle with pressure around Elijah, causing her hand to find his under the table. As soon as her fingers curled around his, the pressure paused, and his eyes slid to her. He gave her a look from the corner of his eye as he said evenly, “I had no memory of who I was until recently.”
“And they never suspected who you were? Goes to show their level of awareness outside their own gilded lives.” Lyda shoved her fork into the small mountain of potato on her plate. “Fascinating!”
Valerie’s best friend, Lyda Wild, was reportedly known as ‘The Wild One’, according to the crew. An interesting moniker, thought Arii, just as the woman leaned her chair back, lifted her fork, and fired a glob of mash directly into Gunner’s eye.
Gunner cursed, and Lyda howled with unhinged laughter, almost tipping backwards on her chair. Quinn grinned, lifting his own fork in excitement at the possibility of a food fight – only to be stopped by Luc’s subtle hand on his arm as he shook his head.
“And all it took was a little Fury to open the floodgates before whisking you away from all you knew. I’ll bet you’ve had a lot to process,” continued Lyda, righting herself with a wide grin.
Elijah’s eyes slid to Arii once more. “Yes, you could say that.”
Captain Valerie gestured to her tattooed arm as she said, “Well you’ve got one hell of a journey ahead of you, Your Highness. By the end, you may just have a story worth tattooing.”
The table turned to look at her, and Arii felt Elijah ease as the attention moved from him.
Tikkani asked, “That’s some serious ink, what is your story?”
Valerie winked as she said, “Perhaps I’ll tell you sometime. Krepthy knows all about it.”
Krepth huffed a laugh from the other end of the table, his mouth full of peas. Valerie placed her boots on the table, causing Emerson to jerk in his seat nearby. “Got some more stories to tell you, Krepthy. Make sure you come to my rooms tonight with an open mind.”
Arii swore she saw Nem stiffen in her peripheral vision, which did not make sense to her. Her fingers slid from Elijah’s, feeling that the moment had passed. Though she would not admit it to anyone, it had felt strangely good to grasp his hand.
Her eyes lifted and she saw him offer a hint of an appreciative smile.
It had those damn butterflies taking flight in her stomach once more.
The group fell into a comfortable conversation, discussing Valerie’s recent haul from a small island just off the west coast. Quinn insisted no such island existed, which resulted in Valerie clearing the table to slap down a huge canvas map. All the while, Tikkani watched the conversations with wide, awe-struck eyes.
“I think I’m going to be sick…” whispered a small voice. Emerson suddenly fled the room, hand over his mouth as the ship dipped over some particularly large waves. Luc remained in his seat, eyes shining with sympathy. “Poor Emer, he gets violently seasick.” He swallowed. “I would follow him, but er… I’m afraid I’d be hurling over the side too if I hear – or smell – any hint of it.”
“The boy needs to try some of this rum – that’ll put hairs on his chest!” barked Gunner, knocking back the remainder of his tankard, gold rivulets running down the sides of his mouth.
Arii gazed after Emerson, the unfamiliar feeling of sympathy rising once more. The ship rolled then, causing them all to waver in their seats.
“I’d better go check on him,” said Arii, rising from her seat as another wave jolted them.
“I’ll join you,” said Lyda, following as she headed above deck. “Feels like the sea is angry, no doubt there will be a storm shortly,” she said as she headed for the main mast, clambering up the ladder towards the crow’s nest.
Arii approached Emerson, leaning over the railing and quaking with heaving wretches. She rubbed the boy’s back in soothing circles. When he turned his head, she saw his expression change from pathetic to surprised. “Arii?” he whispered.
“Hey, landlubber,” she said, offering him a small smile.
He attempted a smile, before he was sick again.
Beyond, the sea raged – waves reaching for the grey skies as the Murderous Lust ducked over a large crest of water. Arii briefly wondered if Elijah could have been the cause of the sudden storm, but quickly dismissed it. He had not been angry at dinner, had he? It was hard to tell anymore, apart from a shift in the air. Elijah seemed to have a much better grasp on his control of late.
Perhaps it was only when he was alone with her that he let a little of that control slip.
The ship heaved violently, and Arii gripped the railing, one hand holding Emerson. Water rose and lashed across the deck as Lyda yelled from above, “Storm’s coming, get below decks!”
Arii tried to pull Emerson back from the rails, but found the boy was holding on with both hands –so tightly his knuckles were bone white.
Another wave of water smashed against the hull. Arii could hear Tikkani’s voice over the roaring of the waves as their friends emerged on deck. Crewmembers dashed about, preparing for the storm.
“Emerson! Arii!”
Arii attempted to dislodge the boy from his death hold on the railing as spray soaked them. “Come on Emer, let’s get you bellow de–”
Water flew across the deck, liquid fingers grasping their boots like a vengeful water spirit, and Arii felt the deck slide from beneath her feet.
“EMERSON!” screamed Tikkani and Luc in unison, just as another wave crashed over them, tearing Arii and Emerson from the deck and into the ocean.