by Aron Lewes
“Really? Are you sure?” Kylin looked to Vala, hoping for confirmation.
“I was always on your side, love. It was this big brute that you had to convince. Not me,” Vala said. “Personally, though, I don't know why you'd want to hang around us. We're not good people.”
As his sister maligned him, Wilhelm took Kylin's hand and helped her onto the boat.
Chapter Eleven
KYLIN AWOKE TO TOTAL darkness, a roaring pulse, and a forehead drenched in sweat. She had a vivid nightmare, possibly the worst of her life. In it, Rai was sold to a butcher, who chopped off pieces of him and fed him to nobles who were curious about kitsune flesh. A legless Rai was shouting her name, begging her to find him.
Kylin was no oracle. Her dreams weren't prophetic. As her pulse slowed, she tried to convince herself she had nothing to worry about. Rai was fine. She tried to close her eyes, to return to sleep, but her mind was too shaken by the nightmare.
Fresh air and moonlight sometimes cured her unrest, so she decided to rise and wander the ship. She changed into a flouncy green dress—which, according to Vala, was “left behind by one of Wilhelm's ladies.” Wilhelm had too many ladies. Kylin didn't want to believe her Chosen was that sort of man, but she had seen proof with her own eyes.
As she headed to the ship's deck, she passed Wilhelm's quarters and peeked inside. He was awake at two o'clock in the morning, hunched over a table, poring over a handful of cards. When he saw her hovering near the door, he motioned for her to enter.
“I didn't expect to see you up and at 'em,” he said. “Is it insomnia or by choice?”
“I couldn't sleep.” Kylin tiptoed into Wilhelm's room and reluctantly claimed the chair across from him. “I had a really bad nightmare.”
“Ack. Nightmares are the worst. Do you want to talk about it?”
Kylin shook her head. She didn't want to relive the image of her brother's severed legs.
“Fair enough. You look pretty, by the way. That dress looks nice on you.”
His compliment put color and warmth in her cheeks. Wilhelm was the only human who was easy to talk to, but he made her more nervous than anyone else.
“Do you want to play a game?” he asked, gathering up the cards that were spread across the table.
“I don't really know how to play,” she said.
“That's alright. I can teach you the rules. Humor me. It'll be more fun than solitaire.” He scooted his chair closer so Kylin could see the cards in his hand. “I'm guessing you haven't played Rum Dummy before?”
Kylin turned a deeper shade of red as she shook her head. For some reason, his close proximity made it harder to breathe. It was even difficult to think, so he had to go over the rules two times before she successfully absorbed them. When her lesson was over, and he returned to his side of the table, she was relieved.
“I would much rather play with you than Vala. She's wildly competitive,” Wilhelm said. “She's always been like that, even when we were kids. I was six years younger than her, but that never mattered to her. She'd still overturn the table if she lost a game.”
“Does she always do that?” Kylin asked.
“Well, she doesn't overturn a table every time she loses, but I can usually expect her to be cross for the rest of the day if she doesn't win at something.”
“I guess I won't be playing Rum Dummy with her,” Kylin said. “Hey, do you... would you mind answering a couple of questions?”
Wilhelm must have been tired, because his reply was delayed by a yawn. “Nope. Fire away.”
“Is it true that humans kiss with their mouths open?” Kylin asked. “I heard that from my brother.”
Wilhelm chuckled at her question. “I'm not sure how to reply to that. I guess the short answer is... yes. If a kiss is particularly passionate, open mouths can certainly happen.”
“Have you passionate-kissed a lot of people?” Kylin asked.
More chuckles, tinged with tension, trickled out of him. “I... have.”
“More than ten?”
“Probably.”
Kylin felt her shoulders deflating. If Wilhelm was indeed her Chosen, it troubled her to be the only one without experience. “I've never kissed anyone,” she admitted. “Kitsune mate for life. I'm still waiting to find my Chosen.” She wanted to tell Wilhelm he was her Chosen, but he needed some context first.
“Chosen?”
She was glad he asked, because it gave her a chance to explain. “It's what we call our lifelong partners. Every kitsune is paired with a soul mate, and she always knows when she finds hers. She feels it in her heart. We call that The Resonance.”
“That sounds convenient,” Wilhelm said. “If you know who you're supposed to be with, you won't end up wasting any time on men who don't give a shit about you.”
“That's... true.” Kylin narrowed her eyes. Though she agreed, she wasn't fond of how coarsely he put it. “Do humans know when they've found the right person?”
“Not really.”
Disappointed by his curt answer, she said, “I have a feeling you're not interested in talking about this.”
“I don't mind. You can talk about whatever you'd like.”
Kylin wasn't convinced, and for the next few minutes, she studied her cards in silence. When she won the first round of Rum Dummy, she was convinced that he, unlike Vala, had let her win. Two games later, he announced that he was heading to bed.
“If you can't sleep, you should try hanging upside down for awhile,” Wilhelm said. “That always puts me right to bed.”
Kylin's brow furrowed at his bizarre claim. “Really?”
“No. That was a joke. It would be nice if that did work, though.” He stood beside the door, as if to show her out. “Goodnight, Kylin. I hope you can get some sleep.”
Kylin went to the deck, as she originally intended, and basked in a full moon's glow. Her skin always tingled in the moonlight. It was a pleasant feeling, and when she sat down and closed her eyes, sleep almost claimed her. If not for the gargling of a nearby Silenced, she might have fallen asleep.
Kylin opened one eye and watched the soulless sailor shuffle around the deck. It was a young woman, not much older than Kylin, with stark white hair and sunken eyes. She walked a bit sideways, with twitching legs, and her throat made the strangest rattling noise. It sounded like a hive of bees had settled in her neck.
Kylin got up and approached the young woman. She waved a hand in front of her face, hoping to get her attention, but the girl's eyes were empty and unfocused. She appeared to be clutching a bundle of Vala's laundry; there were brassieres and shirt sleeves dripping over her arms. Even in the middle of the night, the Soulless' chores never ceased.
Looking into the girl's vacant eyes, Kylin was reminded of her ability to bring back the souls of the recently deceased. What if she used her power on a Silenced? Could she bring them back too?
Kylin placed a hand on the girl's cheek, noting the cool, damp skin beneath her fingers. Kylin had touched quite a few corpses, but none felt more dead than the young woman in front of her.
“Come back...” Kylin whispered, her eyes turning blood red. “Come back.”
As Kylin's hands warmed, she could feel the girl's face warming with them. Life returned to the girl's glassy eyes, and she awakened with a gasp.
The reanimated Silenced dropped all of Vala's laundry and staggered backward. Kylin tried to collect some of the scattering undergarments and shirts before they blew across the deck.
“Holy shit!” the girl cried. “Who are you, where am I, what the hell is goin' on?”
“My name is Kylin.” She was aware that humans greeted with a handshake, but when she stuck out a hand, it was rejected. The girl even crossed her arms to show she had no intention of shaking it. Kylin was glad, in a way, because hand-on-hand contact was too intimate for her. “Wilhelm called you a Silenced. You were dead... or something like it... but I brought you back.”
“Who the hell is Wilhelm?” the girl asked.
“Wilhelm and his sister own this ship... or, at least, I think they own it. I'm not sure.”
“How long have I been here?”
Kylin shook her head. “I have no idea. What's your name?”
The girl's eyes scanned the length of Kylin's body, as if she was sizing her up. Several seconds later, she must have decided it was safe to introduce herself. “I'm Marnie. Most of my mates call me Tootsie, though. You said I was Silenced?” She waited for Kylin's nod, then continued, “I s'pose that was a fitting punishment for my crime. I don't remember it happening, though. I feel like I've been in a deep sleep for years and years. I've got body aches on top of body aches and about a million sore muscles.”
“What was your crime?” Kylin asked.
“I killed some people,” Marnie shamelessly confessed. “I killed the magistrate who hanged my mum and dad. His wife saw me do it, so I had to off her too. I couldn't bring myself to kill their little boy, though. That was my downfall. He was hiding under a table, watching me do it. I knew he was a witness, but I was too soft, and that's how I got caught.”
Kylin was starting to wonder if all humans were dangerous killers. Perhaps it was a part of their nature? She tried not to judge Marnie too harshly; after all, Wilhelm and Vala were assassins, and they weren't completely without morals.
Marnie suddenly said, “You've got ears. Pointy ears. What the hell are you?”
Kylin tried to tuck her ears under her hair, which was surprisingly effective at concealing them. “I'm a kitsune.”
“A whatsie?” Marnie raised a white-blonde eyebrow. “Oh well. I guess it don't matter. You said you saved me, right? I guess I ought to thank you for that.”
“I didn't know I could do it, but... I'm glad I could help,” Kylin said.
“You said the owner of this ship is named Wilhelm, right?”
“Right.” Kylin nodded deeply. “Wilhelm and Vala.”
“Bastards,” Marnie hissed. “I bet they bought a lot of Silenced. They're all the rage these days. They're cheap, obedient workers... or slaves, more like. It's easy to control someone who no longer has a mind of their own.” Marnie spat on her palm and held out her hand to Kylin. “Let's spit shake on it. You keep my secret, I'll keep pretending to be Silenced, and I'll escape at the next port.”
“Uh...” Kylin could see the saliva glistening on Marnie's hand. She barely knew what a handshake was, let alone, a handshake involving spittle.
“Come on!” Marnie grabbed one of Kylin's hands and slapped it into hers. “There. We've shook on it. You keep my secret, and you'll have a friend in me.”
Chapter Twelve
KYLIN RAN INTO MARNIE three times the next day, and each time they passed each other, the former Silenced tapped her own lips, encouraging Kylin to keep quiet. It made Kylin feel like she was conspiring against Wilhelm and Vala, which wasn't true at all. She was loyal to the assassins, even if she didn't like the idea of silent, soulless crewmen.
There was something about Marnie's ruddy face and small, dark eyes that made her difficult to trust, and she had the smirk of someone who was up to no good. If Kylin kept her secret, it was because she was afraid to betray her. In reanimating Marnie, she had learned a much needed lesson. Even if she could bring back The Silenced, it didn't mean she should.
Kylin spent much of the afternoon with Vala, who was teaching her how to cook. Kylin had never chopped an onion or skinned a fish, but Vala made her do it. By the end of the day, her fingers reeked and her hands were covered in fish guts.
Between peeling carrots, Kylin said, “Everyone in my clan had a role to fulfill. The cooks always did the cooking, the seamstresses mended our clothes, and the oracles brought back messages from the other side. It was my job to look after the children.”
“Sounds dreadful,” Vala said.
“Why's that?”
“Because I hate kids.” Vala gathered up Kylin's chopped onions and dumped them into a pot. “Anyway, the fish stew will have to simmer for a couple of hours. After you finish chopping those carrots, you're free to do whatever you want.”
Kylin had been cutting and fileting for so long, her hands ached when she left the kitchen. She wandered around the ship's deck, clenching and unclenching her fists, trying to work the pain from her knuckles.
“What are you doing?”
Her body jolted at the sudden sound of Wilhelm's voice. When she spun around, she found him sitting on a barrel, sharpening his sword on a whetstone.
“Vala made me cook,” Kylin reported. “My hands hurt from too much chopping.”
“Damn. She said she was going to put you to work today, but I thought she was joking.” Wilhelm stood and sheathed his sword. “She should have had the Silenced do it, but... she claims they can't get her recipes quite right.”
“How many Silenced are on the ship?” Kylin asked, her mind leaping to Marnie.
“Eleven or twelve... I think. Is it bad that I don't know the exact number?”
“Sort of,” Kylin said. “They're still people. I know they're criminals, but I do feel sorry for them.”
“Well... you've got a good heart, unlike the rest of the world. Using the Silenced as servants has become so common, no one even thinks about it anymore.”
“What if you were Silenced? That might happen one day.”
“Why? Because I murder people?” Wilhelm's lips were taken by a crooked grin, as if he was proud of his trade. “Vala and I get our jobs from higher-ups. I don't think that would happen. Our bad deeds are usually swept under the rug.” Before she could ask any more questions, he offered his weapon to her.
Kylin asked, “What are you doing? You want me to take your sword?”
“I was just wondering if you'd ever held a sword before,” Wilhelm said. “And if not, you could probably benefit from a lesson in self-defense. If the slavers come back for you, you can stab them in the gut.”
“I can't imagine stabbing anyone in the gut. I don't even like to hurt bees and spiders, even though I'm scared of them.” Despite her reservations, Kylin took his sword in her hand. “Oh my. It's heavier than it looks.”
“It is. If you'd like, I can try to find a lighter one for you.”
“No. This one's fine.” Kylin swung the sword, challenging every muscle in her arm.
“Look at you! You're already swinging like a professional,” Wilhelm said.
“Oh, I highly doubt that.”
As she swung again, Wilhelm stood behind her and made some slight adjustments to her posture. He gave her instructions on how to defend herself, but she listened with half an ear. Kylin couldn't see herself as a fighter, no matter how hard she trained. Still, she put in a few minutes of practice because she didn't want to disappoint him.
Worries prodded her stomach when she broached the topic she had been trying to avoid. “So... do you remember what I said about the Chosen last night?”
“I think so.” There was a hint of aggravation in his voice, as if he wanted to dismiss the subject and focus on swords.
“W-Well...” Kylin took a breath before continuing. “The fact of the matter is... I, uh... I think you are my Chosen, Wilhelm.” Kylin lowered her sword and awaited his reaction with clenched teeth.
“You think I'm... what?”
“I think you're my soul mate, basically,” Kylin said. “I didn't want to believe it at first. I didn't want a human to be my Chosen, but I felt the Resonance when I saw you. There was no mistaking it. I—”
Wilhelm interrupted, “With that, I think you've solidified your status as the unluckiest girl in the world.”
Kylin's brow pinched at his reply. “Why do you say that?”
“I wouldn't want to be my soul mate,” Wilhelm said. “Even disregarding the fact that your brother was taken and your people were killed... being paired with a terrible soul mate is enough to win you the title. You are the unluckiest.”
“You don't seem so terrible,” Kylin defended him.
“And you've known
me for... what? Three days?” There was something of the devil in Wilhelm's eyes as he circled around her, his boots thumping against the wooden deck. “I'll put it bluntly for you: I've never been a one-woman man, and I doubt I'll ever be. I've never been that attached to anyone. It's as if I'm incapable of caring too deeply.”
“Still, you...” Kylin tried to insert as much hope in her reply as she possibly could. “You could change. You must be my Chosen for a reason.”
“If I was you, I'd start praying to my gods for a new Chosen.”
Kylin grabbed his arm and glared at him. “Are you mocking our customs?”
“No. I'm giving you a piece of good advice,” Wilhelm said. “You seem like a nice girl. I'm not nice. Once, I put an arrow in my best friend's head for a meager reward and amnesty. Does that sound like a nice man to you?”
Wilhelm took a flask from his pocket and swigged its contents. Kylin had no idea what he was drinking, but she wondered if it contributed to his candid reply.
“Get a new Chosen,” Wilhelm said. “Get a new Chosen now, girl. You'll thank me later.”
“Haven't you ever wanted to change?” Kylin asked. “You could get an honest job, or... or find a nice girl to marry. You could have some children, settle down, get a—”
Wilhelm's bark of laughter was so loud, she couldn't continue. “Let me stop you there. If there's one thing I know about myself, it's that I'll never marry. And I wouldn't want kids. I'd be too afraid that I'd corrupt them. If I had a wee one, it would be entirely by accident.”
A low growl rumbled in the back of Kylin's throat. He had all but convinced her: he could never be the man she needed him to be.
Pointing her sword at him, she said, “The way you speak, you make yourself sound like the worst man in the world.”
“Maybe I am?”
“Maybe you're not,” she said. “You don't seem completely unsalvageable to me.”
“Really? So... the story about killing my best friend wasn't enough to put you off?” He stopped pacing, stood directly in front of her, and brought his face closer to hers. “If I can do that, how do you know I wouldn't kill you one day?”