by Eden Redd
“You don’t have to tell me anything,” Lilly said with a small smile but guarded eyes.
Jon nodded slightly in her lap, “If we are going to be together, all of us, there has to be a level of trust. I’m willing to put myself out there to you. I don’t expect you to return it, I just hope you do.”
Lilly was silent.
Jon closed his eyes and began to talk, “I know you’re new to Urth, but there are things here that are more than a portal between our worlds. Where I’m from, Spiral City, there is a big supervillain problem. Supervillains are people who want to take over the world or amass great wealth through nefarious ways.
“Anyway, Spiral City has a family of heroes that fight super villains. I just happen to be related to them.”
Jon opened his eyes to see Lilly’s interested gaze.
He continued, “They call themselves The Star Dragons. I know, it seems silly but they have been fighting crime for generations. My father and mother lead the team, fighting supervillains when they attack the city.”
Jon blinked as memories washed on the shores of his mind. “My family has had this power for as far back as we can trace our ancestors. It manifests in different, elemental abilities and powers, but the luck power is rare, only happening once every few generations. My father and mother have always been honest about our family’s abilities and it was no secret growing up what we could do.”
A shadow touched Jon’s eyes as he continued, “I was ten when I was abducted by a supervillain. He took out my bodyguards at the private school and kidnapped me. He blindfolded me and took me to his secret lair. He tied me to a chair and monologued on how he was going to murder me in front of my parents to prove some dark point. He found out about our lineage and I was the first he was going to kill before taking out the others one by one.
“His name was Skorp and he hated my family with a passion. He hated our natural powers, saying that just my family’s existence gave people hope. It meddled with his corruption in many businesses and he droned on and on how my family needed to be wiped out.”
Jon closed his eyes again. “My parents showed up. I was tied to the chair, terrified out of my mind. Skorp had one of his high-tech guns and pressed the barrel to the side of my head. I remember trembling, thinking my life was going to end because some psycho was obsessed with my family.
“What happened was the strangest thing at the time. My parents laughed and goaded Skorp to pull the trigger. They called him out, saying he didn’t have the heart to do that to a kid. I was stunned because the newspapers always talked about how many people Skorp killed. He was insane and I thought I was losing my mind. No parent should ever say that. It didn’t make sense.
“I remember Skorp’s laughter dying as my parents told him to do it, pull the trigger. His eyes took on a madness, his finger laying on the trigger. A second later, he pulled it.”
Jon opened his eyes and snuggled his head to Lilly’s stomach, ignoring the sudden flare of pain.
“The gun jammed. Skorp’s high-tech murder gun jammed and he looked at me with incredulous eyes.”
Jon let a small smile slip, “That’s when my parents beat the shit out of him. They beat him so bad, one of his eyes was knocked from the socket. I couldn’t stop staring as he was beaten to a pulp, his eye dangling and this great supervillain crying out for mercy.”
Jon’s small smile faded away. “My parents knew about my luck ability before I even did. They knew whatever was thrown at me, I would succeed without trying. After the cops and ambulances arrived, they tried to comfort me, saying I had nothing to worry about because my luck would always protect me. They told me about one of my ancestors, having the same ability. They knew from our family journals and records that a luck ability was passive good luck. It was when anyone with this ability pressed their luck, bad luck would follow to restore balance.
“Needless to say, I wasn’t comforted by my parent’s words. When they carted away Skorp, I knew right there and then, I would never take on that life. I wanted as normal a life as I could have.
“Years have passed since that night, my mind made up. My parents thought they could train me in various fighting techniques and explain it away, but I held firm. Their life would not be my life.
“After a while, my parents seemed to either understand or gave up trying. They told me of the summer home here in Southvale. They talked to some local officials, letting them know I would be here, but leading a normal life. I interviewed for the Ship Inspector position and was hired. I’ve been here ever since.”
Lilly stared as she digested Jon’s story. The moment grew quiet except for the crashing waves. The sun had begun to set, half of it gone behind the horizon.
“Your parents had the right idea, but the wrong execution,” Lilly said.
Jon nodded. “They are good people, but sometimes, I think fighting supervillains has warped their sensibilities. They trusted my power before they could trust me to handle it.”
The sun elf looked away, a shadow touching her eyes.
Jon could see it, some internal war raging within the pirate’s calm exterior.
“My luck has never steered me wrong. It only punishes me if I push it too hard. I have to believe there is a reason our lives came together, a deeper meaning that we are not sure about yet.”
Shadows covered Lilly’s eyes. “Jon, it is very hard to trust anyone. On Aquris, almost everyone is trying to cheat you out of something. It’s part of the culture. The only reason our world doesn’t want to cheat your world is because no one wants a war, they want profits.
“The Empire controls most of the land masses. They grow Ambrosia Fruit because your world craves it. The Empire is trying to expand the extra profits from your world’s help in that expansion. It’s only a matter of time before they conquer all of Aquris.
“I grew up seeing the oppression of many people. It never sat well with me. When I was older…” Lilly trailed off.
Jon kept his gaze on the beautiful elf, her eyes trembling before they hardened. The young man reached up and touched her cheek. Lilly looked down with cool eyes and stared at Jon’s handsome features.
“When I told you my story, it didn’t mean you had to tell me yours. I understand what it means to earn trust. I didn’t live your life, so I don’t know all of your hardships. That’s okay, they are stories you decide to tell or not. I just want you to know, if you ever decide to tell me, I will be all ears,” Jon smiled.
Lilly blinked, her irises turning star shaped before she looked away. “We should return to the others. The sun is almost down and I’m sure my crew wants to see the lights.”
Jon curled his body up and made his way to his feet. Lilly stood up. The pair dusted sand off their clothes before looking to the final rays of sunlight disappearing behind the horizon. The sky flashed with brilliant light before it slowly died like embers in a campfire.
The couple turned to the boardwalk, neon lights glowing to life in many colors. Rides moved with swirling and bouncing bright lights as stars twinkled high above in the dark sky.
Lilly reached out and took Jon’s hand. The young man looked to her hand before looking up to the beautiful elf. Lilly gave a genuine shy smile, giving him a long gaze before she gently pulled his hand.
The pair made their way across the sand to the stairs leading up to the boardwalk. The moon rising and casting a luminous glow across the dark sea waters.
Seven
Jon and Lilly stepped onto the boardwalk. The crowd was thicker, the visitor’s eyes drinking in the spectacle of the neon lights. The entire boardwalk carried a party atmosphere as some vendors poured beer and spirits and handed them over to waiting hands. The rides swirled and moved as many stood in line. Game booths were surrounded with people trying to win stuffed animals. Couples walked, holding hands and a few were off in dark corners, kissing and fondling each other while everyone else enjoyed the views.
“If I know Zelda, she will still be by the rides,” Lilly smiled.
“Let’s find them. I wouldn’t mind riding a ride or two with all of you,” Jon grinned.
Hearts lifting in their chests, they moved through the crowds with ease. Music pumped from loudspeakers, adding to the party atmosphere. As the pair approached the main intersection, they looked over to their right to see the boardwalk extending over past the beach and over the water. Rides littered that section as happy screams and shouts filled the air.
“Let’s look for them…” Jon trailed over before he glanced to the side.
Not too far from where they were standing, the cotton candy cart stood. The woman manning the cart was shaking her head with her hands up to her shoulders. Syndra stood, her hood covering her head and a hand out with a golden coin between her fingers.
“Oh no,” Jon said as he gently pulled Lilly along with him.
“I’m sorry Ms. I cannot accept gold coins, no matter how valuable they are. It’s against company policy,” the vendor said with a desperate edge.
Syndra stared with her glowing crimson eyes. “Take the coin and give me the cotton candy,” the shadow elf demanded.
“We only accept soozes. I could lose my job,” the woman said, trying to be reasonable.
“We don’t need to make this difficult. Give me what I want and no one gets hurt,” Syndra growled.
“I’m sorry, I can’t,” the vendor pleaded.
Syndra sighed, put the gold coin away in her cloak and pulled out a large dagger. “I said no one would get hurt. You forced my…” Syndra was cut off as shouts interrupted the exchange.
“Syndra! Syndra!” Jon shouted as he ran up to her.
The shadow elf looked to Jon as his hand touched her wrist, forcing her hand with the dagger back into the confines of her cloak. The vendor was pale, all color leaving her face as her life flashed before her eyes.
Lilly stood by Syndra as Jon stood between the sea witch and the cotton candy vendor.
“Clearly she’s not from around here. I’ll escort her away,” Jon said with a diplomatic edge.
“She pulled a knife out on me!” the vendor said with a shocked edge.
“If she would just give me the cotton candy!” Syndra growled.
Jon waved his hands in an effort to calm everyone down. “I’ll make sure she never does that again. I’ll also give you a great online review so it looks good to your bosses, if that’s okay?”
The color seemed to warm her face again. “I suppose I can let it go for a good review. We get bonuses for every number of reviews we receive.”
Jon pulled out his cellphone and tapped at the screen. When he reached the Cotton Candy Alliance website, he pulled up the review section. Glancing to the woman’s ID number, he typed it in and pressed five stars. Jon turned it around, his finger on the send button.
“Is that okay?” Jon asked.
The vendor nodded with a small smile.
Jon hit send and put his phone away. “I’ll be sure this never happens again. I’ll also tell everyone I run into to come to your cart.”
The vendor bowed. “Thank you.”
Syndra crossed her arms and closed her eyes, her brow hard. “Everything would be fine if she just handed it over.”
Jon and Lilly pulled the sea witch away as the Vendor watched with unblinking eyes.
When they were close to the ride part of the boardwalk, it was Lilly who gave Syndra a hard gaze.
“You should have never allowed it to go that far,” the Captain said with a hard edge.
Syndra’s red gaze lowered before she bowed her head. “I’m sorry my Captain. If you had some, you would have understood.”
“What happened to my cotton candy?” Jon asked with a knowing smile.
Syndra looked away, her stance awkward. “I… consumed it, but it wasn’t enough. It never feels enough.”
Jon laughed. “It’s cotton candy. It never feels enough. It’s just fluffy sugar. No matter how much you eat, it will never fill you.”
Syndra looked up with confused eyes. “What kind of evil sorcery is this where a food never satisfies you? I would give that to my enemies so they could suffer like I’m suffering now.”
Lilly eyed the witch, “Syndra, only brandish a weapon in self-defense. We don’t need to bring that kind of attention to us. Do you understand?”
Syndra gave a defeated nod. “Yes, my Captain.”
Jon looked to the sad shadow elf, “I’ll get us some more when the vendor cools down a little.”
The witch’s red eyes gleamed with hope and a small white smile formed.
The three turned just in time to see Zelda and Cora walking toward them. Cora still had the big purple snake wrapped around her body while Zelda’s dark eyes blazed with excitement. The sea elf rushed to Jon, grabbed his hands and lifted them up as she bent at the knees and smiled pointed ear to pointed ear.
“The Ferris Wheel is truly amazing!” the sea elf said with stars in her eyes. “You must come with me!”
“Erm… I,” was all Jon could say before the seven-foot-tall sea elf stood up, turned and marched back the way she came, dragging the young man along.
“We’ll wait here,” Lilly called out with a wide smile.
Jon fought to keep his balance as the strong elf moved at a determined speed. The moment Jon regained his balance, the pair stood at the bottom of the Ferris Wheel. Zelda looked up with bright eyes, taking in the machine’s magnificence. Neon lights glowed with a myriad of colors along the metal edges, giving it an almost hypnotic trance.
Zelda pulled out a bunch of crumpled soozes and nearly threw it at the ticket booth next to the entrance. The woman gave Zelda a tired stare, Jon wondering if she was simply done with the blue-skinned elf. Two tickets slid out and Zelda snatched them before dragging Jon down the short aisle and to a waiting caged seating.
Once inside, Jon tried to protest before the operator closed the metal door and locked it shut from the outside. Jon sat back, his knee beginning to bounce as Zelda sat across from him in the caged pod.
“I’ve been on here three times! I can do this all night!” Zelda said with an excited tone.
Jon looked around, his head beginning to throb again.
Zelda glanced down to Jon’s bouncing knee and her smile dimmed a little. “Are you nervous?”
Jon hesitated and when his lips parted to answer her, the entire Ferris Wheel jolted into motion. Jon’s fingers latched onto the crisscross thin fencing along the edge. The giant wheel began to turn, their pod moving higher and higher as they went up.
Sea air blasted them as their pod rocked. Zelda looked out in amazed wonderment while Jon held on for dear life. The higher they rose, the more of the park, boardwalk and ocean they could see. Moonlight lit up the ocean in glittering light. The breeze rushed in, ruffling their hair and causing goosebumps to rise along Jon’s skin.
Zelda looked over to Jon again with a dash of concern. “You’re very pale.”
Jon kept himself together as he tried to speak. “I’m… not a fan of heights.”
Zelda gave a razor grin. “You have nothing to fear, I’m here to protect all of our crew.”
Jon mustered a small smile. The throbbing along his head began to worsen. Dizziness took hold as the young man fought to keep his head steady. Just as he was about to relax, the wheel stopped and their pod swayed in the breeze having nearly reached the top.
Zelda looked out and down. “They are taking on more passengers. We should be moving soon.”
Jon nodded when he felt a dripping wetness along the side of his head. Lifting his hand, he rubbed at the throbbing spot. When he pulled his hand away, his fingers were smeared with blood.
Jon’s gaze turned from his hand to Zelda across from him. The First Mate stared at him like a hungry predator. Her mouth was closed, but her dark eyes seemed to grow darker. Long ears twitched as her thin nostrils flared. The pod seemed to become much smaller, Jon taking in her tall, hunched form. Zelda’s head moved closer and she sniffed at the air, lips pee
ling back to reveal rows of sharp teeth.
“You smell… delicious,” Zelda said in a dark tone.
A degree of panic filled Jon as he quickly realized he was in a locked pod, high above the ground and trapped with a sea elf who loves the smell and taste of blood.
“Zelda, I will need you to restrain yourself,” Jon said with a commanding edge.
The sea elf seemed to ignore him as she moved closer, her knees touching the floor of the metal pod.
“Why? You’re our Shullkar. We belong to each other,” Zelda said with a faraway voice.
“Is this the real you?” Jon asked with intense eyes.
Zelda’s eyes didn’t blink as she hovered over Jon. Webbed hands reached up and ran down his clothes for a moment. The sea elf leered before she reached up and grabbed his wrist. Tongue sliding out, she licked the blood off his hand and her eyes turned pitch black.
“I… can taste… your soul. Syndra was right. You do have a dragon’s spirit,” Zelda said in a low, sultry tone.
Jon pressed his back to his seat, seeing the hungry look in her eyes and ready to call out for help.
Talk her down. She’s just intoxicated by the blood. Reason with her or this pod will be my tomb!
“Zelda, I know you’re in there. We should calm down. If you try to eat me, your Captain will not be happy.”
“Mmmmmm… a very good idea,” Zelda said and licked her lips with a long, pointed tongue.
“Not a good idea. Not a good idea,” Jon repeated as he was ready to shout for anyone to hear him.
Zelda grinned as webbed hands took hold of his pants. Jon watched with wide eyes as she undid them and pulled down his zipper. She worked with determined ease, reaching into his underwear and pulling out his already hardening cock.
The sea elf looked down with dark eyes and licked her lips again. “Why should Syndra have all the fun? She talks about your seed like its liquid gold. I want to know for myself.”
Jon clutched to the caged pod as the sea elf engulfed his member. The young man braced himself, waiting for sharp teeth to nick him along the shaft, but those sensations never came. Warm wetness engulfed his rock-hard cock as Zelda’s head bobbed up and down. Fear slipped into bliss. Breathing slowed as pleasure ran up and down Jon’s cock and seeped into his body. Zelda’s tongue slathered along the underside while she moaned her delight.