In A Time Of Darkness

by Gregory James Knoll

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  Arstigia.

  The furthest town south in all of Eldonia, one nearly as expansive as Davaina, placed directly on the beach. It was a tiny village that had an endless view of shore on either side of it, made up of only fifteen homes, none of which extended past one floor. Arstigia's exquisite stature did not draw from the city, rather what was directly south of it. Built directly into the beach were long, wide oak piers, thirty feet separating one from the other, sprawled down the banks past the gaze of even the greatest eye. Between those spaces were ships of all sizes from simple two-oared canoes, to massive yachts with towering masts and billowing dingy sails.

  Valaira had seen it before. When she first escaped Urvagh she landed on this very beach. Carsis and Estophicles had never been this far, so as the three rode up, two of them remained wide eyed. Upon arrival, Valaira ordered them passed the homes and directly to the beach. The sinister woman had planned to simply rip a proper sized boat away from its harbor and sail it out. Yet a realization sank into her head nearly the same moment her bare feet did the sand.

  "Do you know how to sail?" She turned, asking first of Carsis, who responded only by shaking his head. "What about you?" Estophicles answered in the exact same manner. "Fine..." She hissed, turning to place one hand on the chest of Estophicles, the other on Carsis. She shoved as she strode forward, pushing them apart as she would a set of doors. Once she passed them, she stopped, only stared at the boats before her, then down either of the shores.

  "What are you looking for?" Carsis asked, turning to face them along with her.

  "Someone who knows how to sail... or a way to draw them out." Not one person was outside, but Valaira smiled regardless as she cast her gaze upon a mid-sized ship, then sashayed her way across the beach to reach it. Her bare feet stepped off the sand and onto the pier along its right side. She had made her way onto the ship itself when Carsis and Estophicles lost sight of her, each now moving again to regain it.

  "What are you doing?" Carsis asked, still at the edge of the dock but able to see her cranking the ship's wheel as far as it would go.

  "Don't ask questions." She turned to Estophicles awaiting her at the end of the pier. "You, untie this mess." A quick glance to Carsis. "Once he has, you push it out."

  "Are you mad? With the way you've turned the wheel it's going to glide straight into the pier." Carsis bit.

  "Exactly..." She leered, stepping off the boat and fanning her fingers through Estophicles’ mane who knelt to loosen the ropes. "We need a sailor. Can you think of a better way to drag them all out of their homes so we may find the proper one?"

  With a sigh, and no energy to argue, Carsis placed his hands on the back end of the ship, waiting until both were safe on the shore. "You could try knocking." He muttered with a grunt as his heels dug into the sand and muscles knotted up.

  "Tch. Too time consuming." With one final strain, Carsis had sent the boat adrift, wincing as it did exactly as Valaira anticipated. The boat lurched out smoothly for a few feet, but the crooked rudder forced it to seep sideways. The ship's end only scraped at first, but the boat would not give way, and at first neither did the pier. Eventually the strain was too much, and what started out as only a scratching sound became a splinter, then full on crack that echoed across the beach. A noise that lasted longer than any of them thought it would, to finally be drowned out by the sound of the wood tumbling into the ocean. "That should suffice." She stated with a devious gaze, turning and waiting patiently with her eyes upon the cottages.

  It wasn't long before the beach was covered with Arstigia's occupants, each looking towards the fleeting tumbling ship, an incoherent chatter among them. Eventually, one man—older looking with a bald head and line-ridden eyes—focused on Valaira. "What happened here? Did you cause..."

  Valaira approached with a glare. "Stop talking." Then placed her sharp lavender orbs on the rest of the town once he had obeyed her command. "All of you, silence. Now... who owns this ship here?" The woman dragged her hand up, picking the largest, most luxurious one in view. Navy blue, with six circular windows down its 30-foot length, each bordered in gold. The mast nearly as tall as the boat was long, pure black, baring four gold rings hooked to the back end to hold the sail in place. From the bow, extending three feet out over the water was the pulpit, atop it a wooden carving depicting a falcon, its wings out-stretched and intent gaze locked onto the ocean. Behind it, the helm—a massive wheel carved from a dark cherry wood, each of the 10 handles adorning the border a bright platinum. Tucked directly against the stern was a single-story cabin—blue—with a sweeping roof that angled towards the sky, its width going from port to starboard. From its face, long banisters stabilized by foot-high circular braces extended out, drawing down the top of the hull’s edge, all the way to the bow. These, like the windows, were completely covered in a glinting gold. Only one area was detached, that leading to the ship’s entrance, where a wide, red leather platform extended down to the pier. Valaira drew her gaze from it, obviously growing impatient. "Come on, speak up."

  One man stepped forward, younger than the first with blonde hair, and a light-brown beard that looked as though it hadn't been trimmed in months. "She's mine. I call her Storm Song."

  Valaira’s face lacked interest. “And you have a crew?”

  The young man nodded, his gaze flicking about to random places. As if on cue, twelve men moved out from the crowd. Most were mangy, some with scraggly hair, others none at all—only sun-burned scalps. One was bare-chested with a fishing net tied over it. Others adorned wool tunics, and woven pants; an array of bleak and often grungy colors.

  Only three amongst them—in Valaira’s opinion—looked like they deserved to exist amongst civilization. One was a short brunette woman with a long lavender dress and quick, attentive eyes. The second a man in a white dress shirt and tan pants, nearly the same height, with features that resembled the woman. He could have easily passed for her brother, and may have been but Valaira had no interest.

  She turned her eyes to the third, a tanned middle-aged man with long, slicked brown hair and a thin, stretched mustache of the same color and sheen. He was decorated in completely black attire, barring a red triangle from the neatly folded handkerchief in his front pocket. He stepped in front of the other two, then made his way to the Captain.

  “This is Arcius, my…” The Captain began, but was immediately cut off by Valaira’s quick hand.

  “Silence.” She snapped. “Their names are no matter to me.” She drew back, glaring at those who had gathered, then to the other townspeople who still seemed mindless. “Is this everyone?” The Captain nodded diligently. "Good. You're going to get on... Storm Song and we are going to follow. Then, you are going to set sail, taking us far south, further than you've ever been. And during that time, you're not going to ask one question or say one word. Any of you." They nodded, inability to speak already under way. "Good. Now go to your boat. The rest of you...” she addressed the remaining occupants “clean that mess up." Once they began moving about, Valaira spun on her heels and headed towards the dock, her long pale arm idly waving the crew on.

  Carsis had waited until she was halfway down the pier and even then worried she would hear him. "Do you think she finds too much joy in that?" It was a question directed at Estophicles, one which he wanted answered. The man didn't. He only stared and began walking, as though he was attached to a leash that could not be seen, and if he got to far it would strangle him. Such caused Carsis to wonder: Was it simply the other man still didn't trust him, or was he so enthralled by Valaira he no longer had one thought to call his own?

  Not that it mattered. Valaira for some odd reason didn't have the power over him that she did everyone else, but he could not help but speculate if that made him unique in her eyes, or dangerous.

  When he boarded, he found Estophicles tucked at her side as usual, Valaira speaking to the Captain and crew. "Your boat. It is prepared to make a long journey, one for this many pe
ople?" The man failed to answer. "Oh... of course. Speak."

  "It is. It's a luxury ship. Prepared for dozens more." The man seemed as mindless as Estophicles when he spoke.

  "How delightful." She whispered, flicking her hand to waive him off. "Get started then."

  He bowed and started directing his crew about, each one breaking off to a different area. Valaira then turned her attention towards Carsis as the burly, bare-chested man began raising the right anchor, then the left. "Do you know where we're we going?" Carsis asked, trying to speak over the straining-clank of heavy chains.

  "Come...I'll show you." She led him across the boat, all the way to the bow. "Look out to the sky." She pulled him up to stand behind her, tight against her back, raising his hand to point with her. "There. Do you see that?"

  Across the clear blue sky was a single tiny cloud, going vertical from the horizon towards the sun, and almost barely visible. "The cloud?"

  "Not a cloud. It never moves, never changes shape, simply remains as a scar upon the world. It's a marker to a place far across the ocean, where few if any ever travel to. That's where we're going." It seemed foolish, but she appeared genuine.

  "And then?" Carsis strained his eyes.

  "Every creature trapped in that place of torment we will set free. Every black heart and dark soul will break out."

  A sick smile eventually played on the man’s face. "And Jeralyle will die..."

  "Jeralyle. My dear..." She turned, draping one arm on his left shoulder, one on his right. "Once we're finished, all of Eldonia will."