Wielder's Prize

by Elle Cardy

  The older man answered. “Permission granted.”

  The ship pulled up beside them and he threw down a narrow rope ladder. Brusan pushed Jasmine to go first. She took only a few steps up the ladder before the old man reached down and pulled her up. His strength impressed her.

  “Welcome aboard,” he said and smiled.

  Brusan climbed up without assistance. He grunted a thanks at the two men and looked around with a suspicious eye. Jasmine also took the opportunity to look around. There was no one else on board. It was such a small vessel that she suspected it could be sailed by one person.

  An open-ended cabin housed the ship’s wheel and offered shelter from storms. Reams of netting lay piled at the stern. The strong smell of fish hung from everything and she suspected below decks was reserved for their storage.

  Jasmine found the source of the chimes. A wind chime made of a variety of shells hung from a hook outside the cabin. She reached up and touched one of the shells. Power flowed through it. She jumped back and wiped her hand on her shirt as if she’d been stung by a wasp.

  “These the people you seek?” the old man asked his younger companion.

  The younger man had been watching Jasmine. He smiled. “Yes, indeed, they are.”

  Chapter 24

  Finn tried to sleep but no sleep came. By now he was used to the hard floor and the iron restraints around his wrists. He’d grown accustomed to the perpetual ache in his muscles from the cold and the bruises. The feeling of hunger had become an old friend. What he wasn’t used to was the sense of being completely alone.

  He once had Jasmine as an ally. He had grown to enjoy her company even though she often infuriated him, rarely listened to him, and always gravitated toward danger.

  The badly repaired door rattled open and cut off his thoughts. Arassi sidled in, carrying an all too small portion of gruel in a bowl. The man hung back and stared at him with narrowed eyes.

  “You ain’t gonna do nothing funny, are you?”

  Finn shook his head. “Sorry about earlier.” When Arassi didn’t respond, he added, “It wasn’t my intention to hurt you. I had to try to escape. I thought the captain was going to do to me what he did to the others.”

  Arassi rubbed the back of his neck. Finn wasn’t surprised the sailor was wary of him. Finn had proven why people were afraid of wielders. He didn’t need a weapon when he had his power, and he had used it to incapacitate the man. It had been all too easy.

  “Well, he ain’t. He hasn’t even asked about you.” The man stared into the bowl in his hands without seeing it. “Seems the captain has other things on his mind.”

  “Like guilt for killing the second mate in cold blood?”

  Arassi’s expression darkened as he slowly shook his head. “Kahld has no regrets.” He seemed to suddenly remember who he was talking to and glanced up. It was the first time Finn had heard any of the crew refer to the captain without his title. Not only had the captain killed one of their own without justifiable cause, but he’d also revealed he was a wielder. The captain had turned into a man they no longer knew.

  Finn remembered the look on everyone’s faces when the captain had killed the man they called Gregor. Terror mixed with the need to make excuses for the captain. Maybe he was possessed? Maybe he’d caught a dread sea flu that touched his mind with madness that would pass. The sight of Gregor’s bloody corpse on the deck gave them no excuses. Once the sky filled with black smoke and the fog glowed from the orange flames that devoured the Wild Rose, the captain barely noticed the body of the second mate. He had turned his attention toward Jasmine. He hadn’t even waited for the Wild Rose to sink. Luckily Jasmine had vanished. Finn had thought she had hidden herself again, but it was soon discovered that Brusan had gone as well, along with a small rowboat.

  The veins on Captain Kahld’s forehead and neck had swelled as if they were ready to burst. He’d raged across the deck and struck any man who got in his way. The crew scattered. They were still in shock from Gregor’s death and could hardly believe it had happened. They’d never seen their captain lose control. They hadn’t even known the man could wield. Once, he was loved. Now he was feared.

  Finn wondered how soon the captain’s control over the crew would slip. If they weren’t so afraid of him they would’ve mutinied the moment he killed Gregor. Finn already saw the signs in Arassi. Their loyalty had been shaken. Given time, they would likely surmount their fear.

  “Never you mind about the captain,” Arassi said, perhaps remembering he had power over Finn for the simple fact that he was the captor and Finn was the prisoner. He didn’t know Finn could leave his chains whenever he wished.

  Finn bowed his head to indicate compliance. Arassi left his bowl of gruel by the door and made a hasty exit, shoving the door closed again. When Finn could no longer hear him, he reached for his food but it proved to be past arm’s length.

  Finn’s stomach growled.

  As much as he didn’t savor the taste of gruel, he had to keep up his strength. He had no idea what the captain planned for him. His only guess was Kahld hoped to use him against Marcelo. How or why, Finn wasn’t sure. How the captain even knew about his relationship with Marcelo was a mystery. What could the captain possibly want so badly from his trainer? Maybe Marcelo had a power that the captain would risk everything to take from him. Something none of the other Guardians possessed.

  Finn wouldn’t get a chance of contemplating these questions if he didn’t get some food into him soon. He closed his eyes and wielded a subtle power into the iron cuffs. They fell from his wrists with a clunk. After rubbing the skin where the cuffs had chafed, he reached for his bowl of gruel.

  The wooden door rattled open. First Mate Durne stood there looking down at him. Finn tried not to look guilty and took his bowl back to his corner. With his fingers, he scooped the gruel into his mouth. It wasn’t the most dignified way of eating but he had lost most of his dignity some time ago. If Durne was there to take him away for more beatings, then he at least would have some food in his belly to warm him.

  Durne raised an eyebrow at Finn. He moved into the cramped room and shoved the door closed behind him. So he wasn’t there to take him away. Just yet. Finn was curious to know what the first mate wanted. He was also patient. Durne would tell him soon enough.

  When Finn finished his meagre portion, he placed the bowl down by the door and shuffled back to his corner. He sat cross-legged and tried to look relaxed. Durne glanced at the shackles lying in a pile at Finn’s side.

  “Are you planning on causing trouble?” Durne asked.

  “Not today.”

  A corner of Durne’s mouth twitched in a half smile and it vanished in a stern mask of authority. Arassi had left a lantern burning in the cell. It hung from a hook in the overhead and it cast dark shadows across Durne’s face. The first mate was a solid stocky man who looked like he could break a bear cub with one arm. Even though the ship bucked, he remained firmly planted and barely shifted with the ship’s movements.

  “What interest does the captain have in you?” Durne asked without preamble.

  The question surprised Finn. This wasn’t what he expected. He wondered why the first mate asked such a question. Was this another crack in the loyalty of the crew? Or was this a trick the captain had organized? Finn dismissed the latter option since Kahld only needed to wield to get the truth out of people. He still didn’t know if he could trust Durne. He didn’t even know the man.

  “I have no idea,” Finn replied. “I assume he will sell me when we reach port.”

  Durne’s expression darkened. His eyes became tiny black beads that didn’t reflect any light. “Don’t lie to me, boy. You know more than you’re saying.”

  Finn kept his expression neutral.

  “If he wanted nothing more than to sell you, why would he beat you? That’s like damaging the merchandise before sending it to market. It’s bad trade practice.” Durne crouched in front of Finn and reste
d an elbow on one knee. “Tell me, boy, what’s he want from you?”

  Finn wished he knew whether or not he could trust this man. He desperately wanted to trust someone but he was afraid he would trust the wrong person in his rush to fulfill a need. He had to be careful.

  Durne sighed and straightened. His bones cracked as he stood. He grimaced. “Very well, we’ll start with something simpler. What did the captain do to those visitors from the Wild Rose?”

  Finn closed his eyes as a queasiness came over him. Remembering what Kahld did sickened him. “He silenced them.”

  “Is that a wielding term?”

  Finn nodded. “Only a select few have the skill. It strips a wielder of their power, which essentially is everything that they are. It’s not a good way to die.”

  “I’d gathered that,” Durne said. “Do you know how to…silence?”

  Finn shuddered. “Even if I did I’d never use it.”

  “Do you know why the captain wanted the visitors dead?”

  Finn looked down at his hands resting on his lap. Even though Jasmine was nowhere near, her power continued to hide his ring. He wished he knew how she did that.

  Durne grunted into his beard. “Mind sharing?”

  Even though he wasn’t a Guardian, Finn was still bound by their rules. He couldn’t tell anyone about their order. He had to keep their existence a secret. Admittedly, he’d broken so many rules of late that one more seemed hardly to matter. Surely.

  “They weren’t traders,” he said.

  “I’d gathered that also.”

  “They were wielders.”

  Durne’s brows rose. “All three?”

  “They were from an ancient order that serves to keep a balance in the world.” Finn stopped. It wasn’t easy to spill the secrets of the Guardians. Marcelo had brought him into his circle of trust a long time ago. He owed Marcelo for letting him leave the order. And this was how he showed his gratitude.

  “A balance?”

  “A balance of power among the wielders of Erenna.”

  Durne nodded slowly. “They govern the wielders.”

  “Sort of. They do it without anyone knowing. Even other wielders.”

  “So they’re the secret good guys?”

  Finn gave him a wry smile. “Sometimes.”

  “It still doesn’t explain why the captain wanted them dead.”

  “When a wielder grows too strong, the order — the Guardians — will step in and remove the power shift. For the good of all wielders and all the people of Erenna alike.”

  “They came to kill the captain because he’s a wielder?”

  Finn thought it best not to explain that they were actually after Jasmine before they discovered the captain’s extra abilities. He wondered how Jasmine fared without someone to tell her to stop wielding. He couldn’t sense her anywhere nearby. That could simply mean she was too far away. He refused to believe harm had befallen her. He decided he was glad she was gone, even though he missed her. He doubted she felt the same about him. She was probably grateful to be rid of him.

  “The captain isn’t just a wielder. He is the most powerful wielder I’ve ever encountered. And worse, he is also a Learner.”

  “What would that be?”

  “He can add to his power by learning from other wielders. He learnt how to silence from Angelica.”

  “So?”

  It was clear Durne knew little about wielders. Few people did. “That’s not normal. Usually wielders can only learn to wield their powers at a very young age. While the exact age varies, their capacity to learn stops before they hit puberty.”

  “So you can’t learn new tricks?”

  “Correct.”

  “You know an awful lot about these supposedly secret Guardians.”

  “While I’m not part of the order, I was once trained by one of them.”

  Durne nodded with a grunt. “So what’s the captain want with you?”

  Finn couldn’t help smiling. They were back to Durne’s original question. “Where is this ship headed?” Finn asked.

  Durne’s eyes narrowed. “We were scheduled to reach the port of Tathra to offload our cargo.”

  Finn dismissed the first mate’s words with a wave of his hand. “Where are we headed now?”

  Durne sneered. “A place called Sapphire Cove. Why?”

  “Because that is where my trainer lives.”

  Durne stroked his beard. “Interesting. You and he close?”

  The question took Finn off guard. It wasn’t something he had ever thought about. He hadn’t spoken to Marcelo in years. It was only recently he got a message from him to meet him at Sapphire Cove. An outsider who knew Finn’s history might think they were close like father and son. He had stayed with Marcelo longer than most apprentices. Marcelo had fought for permission for him to leave the Guardians when it became apparent Finn wanted no part of them. Within the ranks of the Guardians, Marcelo would’ve been given a lot of grief over that one. No one left the Guardians.

  The truth of the matter was, however, they weren’t close. Their relationship never went beyond student and teacher. Finn was grateful for everything Marcelo had done for him, but that’s where it ended. He felt no special affection toward the man. He suspected the same went for Marcelo. Finn was never the favorite as everyone seemed to think.

  Durne’s impatient cough pulled him out of his reverie and reminded Finn the first mate waited for an answer. “I suspect the captain plans to use me against Marcelo.”

  “One thing I know about my captain: he is a planner. Everything he does has a reason behind it. Very little will catch him by surprise.”

  “This is not good.”

  Durne raise an eyebrow. “Indeed.”

  Chapter 25

  Jasmine sat shivering on a wooden crate while she watched the owner of the ship smoke a pipe and navigate the rocky waters along the coastline of Kemkia. The younger man had handed her a blanket soon after she’d boarded. She was grateful for its prickly warmth.

  Brusan handled the explanations and introductions. Jasmine didn’t say much and didn’t listen to their conversations, missing their names entirely. She just wanted to be left alone with her thoughts so she could plan a way of returning to the Wielder’s Prize.

  “Midge, was it?”

  She looked up to find the younger man standing near her. The flame in the swaying lantern highlighted his fair hair as if the strands were made of spun gold. His complexion was pale and smooth, carrying a sickly tinge she hadn’t noticed earlier. She noted whiteness around his knuckles where he clutched the gunwale.

  She nodded to him but made no further effort to make him feel welcome.

  He loosened his hold and tried to straighten. The ship rolled and he staggered backward. He would’ve fallen on his backside if he hadn’t wielded to right himself. She felt his power as she would a soft breeze. It carried little strength and it vanished after a single breath.

  She closed her eyes against that knowledge. She didn’t want to know he was a wielder. She didn’t want to know his talisman was a copper band he wore around his wrist. No, it wasn’t the whole band. It was a single thread of metal woven into the band’s design.

  She rubbed her forehead where an ache had been troubling her for some time now.

  “I’m Aurelius,” he said. “My master told me you would benefit from carrying this.” He held out a swivel, a metal ring that holds an oar in place.

  She didn’t take it. “Is that from our rowboat?”

  His skin flushed a soft pink. “Yes. Please take it.”

  “Why would I want that?”

  His skin burned hotter. “I don’t know.” He didn’t seem to want to make that confession. “My master doesn’t explain everything to me.” He leaned a little closer to her and said, “‘It’s wielder business,’ he would say.”

  Jasmine’s heart thumped in her chest. “You know I’m a wielder then?” she whispered bac
k. She glanced in the direction of Brusan. He drank rum with the captain of the vessel. They were exchanging sea stories or something as equally entertaining. The occasional burst of laughter reached her ears.

  “Of course,” Aurelius replied.

  She indicated the captain. “You can’t speculate why he would want me to have that swivel?”

  “He isn’t my master. That’s just Gavriil, the only local fisherman who was willing to take me out in this fog.” He looked down at the metal ring still in his hand. “My master instructed me to insist you take this and keep it with you until we reach our destination.”

  It was the most peculiar thing she had ever been asked to do. She took it from him. The metal felt cold and heavy to her touch. There seemed nothing special about it.

  “What am I supposed to do with this?”

  Aurelius screwed up his face. “I don’t know. Make a belt buckle out of it. I don’t care.”

  Aurelius triggered so many questions, but his annoyance made her afraid to ask him any. She untied a portion of her cloth belt and threaded the end through the loop. She felt foolish carrying around an oar swivel on her belt so she made sure she hid it under an extra wrapping of cloth. When she tied the final knot she felt oddly reassured by the metal’s weight at her waist.

  She looked up and realized Aurelius had been watching her.

  “You know you wield an awful lot,” he said.

  Her eyes widened. She tried to cover her reaction with a shrug. “So?”

  “Just saying. It seems so easy for you.”

  “It’s not easy for you?”

  The ship rolled. Aurelius grabbed hold of the gunwale again. His color paled and he shook his head.

  Jasmine stood and unstacked the crates she’d been sitting on. “Here.” She indicated a single crate. “You’ll find the swells easier to handle if you sit.” She settled on her own crate.

  Aurelius gave her a grateful nod and sank down. He pulled at his fingers as if he were nervous, though she couldn’t imagine what made him so nervous.