Save the Sea

by G. Bailey

  “I am sorry the king took your son’s life. He seems to think killing is the way to control everyone, and it is not. He will pay for every life stolen, I swear,” I say firmly. Master Pirate nods, his eyes on me like he is looking into my soul to determine if I’m telling the truth. When he finds whatever he is looking for, he smiles slowly.

  “I believe the king should have killed you when he had the chance, because he has clearly created his greatest enemy,” Master Pirate says, and I smirk. I look up at his mark, curious what the arrow means, what his power is.

  “What is your gift?” I ask.

  “We don’t know this girl, just heard rumours, and we are to trust her with everything? All of our secrets? She could be working with the king, or the princes–her lovers–could be!” the final master shouts, slamming his pale hand on the table. I lock eyes with green ones that match the green plant-shaped mark on his forehead. He seems to be about my age, with blonde hair, a body built from rigorous training, and an outraged expression. I’m sure he doesn’t trust anyone, and I imagine he has lost much to make him this way.

  “If we as changed ones don’t trust each other, who can we trust?” I ask, and he tilts his head to the side.

  “We are meant to trust each other simply because a god kissed us at birth, cursing us? Because we have all been cursed to be hunted? To have those we loved hunted? To know we are never safe?” he rapidly questions me, his angry eyes never leaving mine.

  “You believe your mark to be a curse?” I ask quietly. I understand the sentiment, it is something I used to believe when I was on Onaya. I thought it was curse because of what our ancestors did, because it kept me locked in the house, hidden away. The mark is not a curse, I know that now. It’s a gift, a gift that gives as much as it takes.

  “Everyone I have ever loved is dead because of this mark, what else would you call it?” he snaps.

  “That’s enough Master Gold,” Master Light says, and I raise my hand.

  “He is right to speak what he feels. There is no point to this meeting if we all lie to each other. We are trying to make a new world, and it shouldn’t be started with lies,” I respond. Master Light raises his eyebrows at me with an impressed expression, and I turn to look at the other masters.

  “I once believed my mark to be a curse, but only because this world and the king makes it so. Yet, we have power. We are blessed by a god, and we can make the world a better place. You can trust me because we have a common goal that everyone on this mountain shares,” I say, and Master Gold doesn’t say anything, letting me speak. “We all want the king dead, for the changed ones to be free, and to change this world for the better. I will fight for that with or without your help, but your help could be the difference between victory and defeat.”

  “You speak a good bargain, yet, share no plan on how to win,” Master Gold replies, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with me.

  “I made a deal with the sea god, and the deal tells us all we need to know to win this war,” I say, and they are all silent.

  “Tell us the deal," Master Light finally responds, and I recite it for them. They all look around at each other, and Master Pirate quickly writes down my words on a notepad.

  “You have met the sea god?” Master Light is again the first to ask after another long silence.

  “Yes, he saved me when I fell off a cliff at the king’s palace. He looked after me, spoke to me about things. I was offered more than one deal, but that is the deal I accepted,” I say.

  “He saved you when you fell into the sea?” Master Pirate questions me.

  “Yes,” I reply simply. “The sea god needs me alive to win this for him, and he is always watching us, always wanting his children to survive.”

  “None of us will survive while the king lives.”

  “The sea god created the monster of the king we have. It was an accident, I believe. He never meant to make the king the bitter monster he is now. Even gods make mistakes, and their children must be the ones to fix it,” I tell them, and there’s an eerie silence to the room as they take in my words.

  “Then this deal, how can it help us figure out our next move?” Master Hid asks.

  “We need a crown, a god-blessed crown that is the twin of the one the king wears. It boosts powers, and that is what makes the king so very formidable. It is what enabled him to steal the gifts from his changed one, the queen. The king stole both crowns from the sea god, and I believe the deal tells us he hid it with the mermaids,” I say, knowing deep down I’m right. ‘Where life lives in the sea,’ can only be the mermaids, who are more likely to kill us than help us.

  “So, we get this crown, and then you will kill him as we use our army to destroy his?” Master Light muses. “It could work, but we will need time to prepare.”

  “That’s the plan, but I need to find the crown first. The king hid it with the mermaids for a reason. They won’t just give it to us, and I know nothing of mermaids, or how to fight them,” I reply.

  “You’re missing an important part of all of this. The king cannot die while his changed one lives. To win this war, you must kill the queen. If you promise us that, we will give you use of our army. We will let you lead, as well as help you find the crown and what to do to bargain with the mermaids. Mermaids like deals, treaties, and most importantly, tricks,” Master Light informs me in a serious tone.

  “She will be my mother in law . . . she doesn’t deserve to die. The king destroyed every part of her and stole her power. Death is not what should befall her," I plead with them, despite knowing nothing will change their minds or save the queen. Her death is needed, and I know that, I just don’t want to accept it.

  “Her mind is lost. Her other chosen were burnt away into nothing, nothing left but dust and not even changed magic can heal that. She would welcome death,” Master Hid tells me with a touch of understanding in his voice.

  “But changed ones’ chosen cannot die? So, how did they? I don’t understand, though I never really thought about it until now,” I ask them all quietly.

  “The only known way to kill chosen when their changed one still lives is to burn their body. How can anyone come back from that?” Master Pirate muses, and leans back in his seat. “But perhaps the souls are more important than the bodies we wear. Soul mates speak nothing of our bodies, only our souls.” I think about what he says as they all watch me closely. Everyone in this room believes in so much more than life and death.

  “Do we have a deal, Cassandra? Will you kill the queen?” Master Light asks me. The question in itself is simple, but it breaks my heart when I try to answer it. Even in my mind, I cannot say the words, let alone speak them out loud. Is one life worth giving the whole world a chance? Especially, when that life is an innocent one?

  “Why me?” I blurt out.

  “Because it proves you will give everything up to win this war. Even the respect and love of two of your chosen. Even your soul for killing an innocent,” Master Light says, his tone gentle but firm. He wants an answer, and I keep my eyes on the table as I think it through. I know she has to die, but I don’t honestly know if I could be the one to kill her. She is Hunter and Ryland’s mother, and they love her. They would hate me for killing her. Despite all that, in the end I know my answer. There has only ever been one possible answer.

  “I will kill her,” I whisper, hating myself for saying it, but knowing I don’t have a choice. If my soul and my chosen, are the price for saving the world, how can I be selfish enough not to pay it?

  6

  Chapter Six

  Cassandra

  “Spend the day looking around and finding your place here, but we expect you at training when you are called,” Master Light says as I step out of the room, and he walks with me.

  “Training?” I ask, curious.

  “Of your powers. Master Gold will be training you, as he is best at pushing one’s skills to the furthest they can be stretched. The crown will boost your powers, but they are no use if you have no c
ontrol. You are more likely to sink an island into the sea, than save anyone,” he explains, and I nod, knowing he has a point. I’ve never had any control over my powers. They just attack when they are needed. “On every fifth evening, you will attend the master’s meetings . . . Master Cassandra.”

  “I’m a master now?” I ask, not sure if even I want to be one. I’m not sure how long I can spend here, because I have to leave to get the crown. I can’t risk the king going to get the crown before me, and destroying it.

  “You are a master, a princess, and our leader,” he says, shocking me.

  “Titles mean nothing if you do not earn them, and I have not,” I tell him.

  “But you will, and that is all that matters here, Cassandra. The sea god chose you to lead us to the light, to peace, and to a new world.” I don’t have a response for him, letting his words fill my mind as if the sea god just said them himself. I go to walk away, as I need to think, but his words stop me. “Spend this time with your pirates, because the war will have a price, and perfect, happy memories are priceless.”

  “How do you know there will be a price?” I ask him.

  “There is always a price to stop darkness and gain peace. If it was easy, it would have been done already. We wouldn’t have waited for you,” he says and turns around, walking away from me. There won’t be any price, not for my pirates. I refuse to let that happen. I turn and walk over the bridge, enjoying the water splashing against me, and letting it soothe me in a way. Hunter and Ryland are leaning against the bridge entrance. Both of their heads snap up when they see me. The brothers stand tall as they watch me walk to them, their eyes blazing with desire and relief that I’m back. I can almost feel it in our bond, like a wave of emotion coming from them. I wonder if they can feel what I feel? Is the bond one-sided?

  “Where is Zack?” I ask when I get to them, and Hunter puts an arm around my shoulder, pulling me to his side.

  “Someone has come to the mountains on ships with the people of Sixa, and they claim to know Zack. They asked to see you, demanded actually. Zack went ahead with Jacob to see if they are safe,” he explains. I know Zack would never let anyone near me that he didn’t trust.

  “From his home?” I ask, wondering who it could be. He never told me much of his home, but I remember him saying there was a friend called Shan. A friend he grew up with. Maybe that’s who it is. But why would they need to see me?

  “Yes, all the people of Sixa have apparently left their homes, and come to join the war,” Hunter continues, walking over to the side of the cave, and I follow him over. Looking down the mountain, I see a huge group of people in big fur coats, with massive white tigers next to them. There must be over a thousand people standing there, but I can’t see much more about them.

  “They have disobeyed the king and sided with the mountains. With you,” Ryland says as he steps next to me.

  “Wow . . . why?” I ask, but Ryland isn’t the one that answers me. A female does in a demanding voice, and I turn to face her.

  “Because, changed one, we believe you can finish him. You can win a war, but you will need my help,” the woman states, standing about ten feet away from me. She is stunning, with long black hair and a long white fur cloak covering her body. Zack walks at her side, with Jacob on the other, and four massive guys follow behind her. They look like a wall of muscle, and the protective way they stand guard over the woman lets me know she is someone important to them.

  “Who are you?” I ask, and Zack walks over, holding my hand.

  “This is Wynn, and these are her husbands. They saved me once, and I consider them friends,” he explains to me and turns to Wynn. “This is my fiancé, Cassandra.” Her whole face lights up in a big smile, and it makes me smile, too. She is clearly happy that Zack is settled.

  “Congratulations, Zack, you lucky bastard,” the big guy says, walking over and patting Zack's shoulder as Zack lightly laughs. The man turns to me, holding out a hand.

  “My name is Shan. I hope you love my friend, or I’m going to find out if chucking a changed one into the sea will actually kill them,” he says in a friendly manner, and I laugh, ignore his protective threat, and shake his huge hand.

  “I can tell you it wouldn’t work,” I chuckle letting go of his hand. Ryland moves behind me, wrapping his hands around my waist possessively, and resting his chin on my head.

  “And I can tell you that you wouldn’t make it within two inches of our Cassandra. She would kill you before we could even get to you,” Ryland says, and both of them stare each other down until Wynn slides in between Shan and me.

  “Boys, stop with the manly bullshit. We have other, more important things to discuss,” Wynn snaps, and grins up at Shan when he wraps his arm around her waist. They look at each other like there is no one else in the world, and it makes me smile. This is what life is about, these simple moments of love. These moments of something pure.

  “We need to show her,” one of the other men says, carrying an old-looking box over to us. The other two men talk quietly with each other, before coming over. We all hear a loud roar, followed by a few bangs. I look over at Hunter, who is looking over the cliff.

  “Seems your people have started a fight. You might want to look into that,” he darkly chuckles, and there’s another loud roar from the crowd below.

  “Someone needs to check on the people, so we will go be with them,” one of Wynn’s men says with a slightly worried look that he shares with his friend. Wynn kisses them both before they leave.

  “I’m Fen, nice to meet you all,” the man that stayed behind says, and hands Wynn the box as she comes back to us. She walks over to me, holding the box out in front of her.

  “Open it,” she says, and I look over at Zack, who nods. He clearly trusts her. I smile at him, before lifting the box open and seeing the old map inside. I lift it out, and stretch it wide. It’s a map of Calais, and it’s extremely detailed and very old.

  “I can’t read a map like this, so what are we looking at?” I ask, and Ryland steps over to me.

  “Why don’t you let the pirates have a look at the map? It’s kinda what we are good at,” he says, but it’s playful and makes me laugh.

  “No, you can look and then explain to me,” I exclaim, and he chuckles kissing my lips softly.

  “And you say I’m stubborn.”

  “You are,” I laugh. I look around, spotting the rocks on the floor, and walking over to them. I kneel down, placing the rocks on the corners of the map gently.

  “It’s a map, and it leads to the only place I don’t want to ever return,” Hunter says, leaning over, and Ryland examines the map on my other side. He takes my hand pointing to the three circles that are engraved in the Lost Sea, just below Thron.

  “That is where the mermaids live. Their castles are below the sea,” Ryland states. There’s silence between all of us as I stand up and look at Wynn.

  “What is located there?” I ask, but I know the answer. This looks like a map to the crown, to the only place it could be, but how did a girl from Sixa get it?

  “The lost crown, the one the king hid. This was also in the box,” she pulls out a long purple stone, shaped almost like a stick. There’s a power to it, I can feel it from here.

  “And what is that, exactly?” I ask.

  “I don’t know, but the mermaids will want something in exchange for the crown . . . I believe they will trade for this," she says, walking over. Wynn hands it to me, but holds her hand over mine on the stick. Her eyes lock with mine, and I see enough emotion to not want to move.

  “My mother died, and her last request of me was to get this box to you. We all believe in you, and when we go to war, I will fight at your side. Keep this safe, please,” she says in an emotion-filled voice. I know from the look in her eyes she means every single word, and I give her a sharp nod. I will keep this safe for her and for everyone else. Let’s pray the mermaids want the stick badly enough to give up the crown. She doesn’t say anything more, just
walks away with her husbands following her. I look down at the stick in my hand. It doesn't look like much, but it could be everything to the mermaids.

  “The deal I made said we had to find the crown where life lives in the sea. I guess we know where we need to go, and now we have something to actually give them,” I muse.

  “But, can we go? The mountain needs us, and the army isn’t ready yet,” Ryland asks.

  “I need to speak to the masters, and devise a plan. If we can plan it right, so we would be on our way back from the mermaids as they took their army across the seas . . . it could work,” I say, thinking over the plan I will have to give them. The army will need to go around the Storm Sea, so we will have a few weeks I think.

  “Master Cassandra, your dragon is causing a big fuss outside. We need you to come and calm her.” Master Pirate says, coming over the bridge and catching a glimpse of the map on the floor before Hunter picks it up. I hand the stick to Ryland behind my back, trusting him to hide it. It’s not that I don’t trust Master Pirate. I’ve just learnt not to trust strangers, and I’m not stupid enough to tell him everything.

  “Let’s go then, I don’t know the way to my dragon. Would you show me, Master Pirate?” I ask, hopefully distracting him. He looks between us all, his eyes focusing on the old box on the floor, before he smiles at me.

  “I didn’t expect to find you out here. Having a little chat? Is there anything you need to tell the other masters about?” Master Pirate asks, and Hunter walks closer to me, standing at my side.

  “Nothing, we have just missed each other and were planning a night in our rooms together,” I say, making Master Pirate chuckle.

  “You are not very good at distractions, but I will let it go for now, Master Cassandra,” he says.

  “I want to see this dragon I bought you so long ago,” Hunter interrupts, and wraps a possessive arm around my waist, leading me away. Master Pirate follows, but Zack and Ryland stay behind. Zack holds the map in his hand, and winks at me when he catches my eye.