An old man stood beside it, holding a new wheel in one hand and fingering a small dagger on his belt with the other. He waved to Kai and Sky as they approached, though Kai got the distinct feeling that it wasn’t intended as a purely friendly greeting. Kai glanced at Sky, whose face was passive and unreadable, and then waved back.
“Let me take the lead here,” he muttered.
“Of course, master,” said Sky, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
Kai didn’t make any sudden moves as he approached, returning the man’s smile as he met his eye. He was old, older than most of the people this far out on the roads.
“Greetings,” said the old man. “The two of you happened along at just the right time.”
Kai nodded.
“It looks like your wagon has run into some trouble,” he said. “Are you headed toward Last Port?”
“You’re already a step ahead of me, lad,” said the man. “You help me lift my cart up and get the wheel switched out, and I’ll give you free passage into the city.”
Kai smiled at him.
“I think that can be-”
Suddenly, Sky tensed up next to him, grabbing onto Kai’s wrist so tightly that he was sure her fingers would leave a bruise. She looked up into the sky, staring at the clouds and to the north of them.
A thin, well defined wake line ran through one of them. Kai couldn’t make out the source of it, but it was slowly extending southward, not specifically in their direction, but near enough to pass close by. Sky’s eyes were focused on it, her lips pulled into a tight expression.
She dropped low to the ground, pulling Kai with her, and slipped underneath the carriage. The old man had his dagger out, more out of confusion than recognition of a threat. Kai took a breath and held it in, sensing how serious Sky was without needing her to say anything.
“What is it?” he whispered. “One of the slaver’s birds?”
“No,” she said. “It’s the Wind Siren.”
CHAPTER 11
“What in the heavens is wrong with the two of you?”
The old man crouched low, glaring at them underneath the cart. He hadn’t seen the Wind Siren overhead, and focused his full attention downward, at them. Kai looked at him apologetically, waiting until the fast moving figure in the sky had disappeared over the horizon before sliding back out.
“Uh, sorry about that,” said Kai. “My friend has a fear of… uh, clouds.”
The old man stared at him blankly. After a moment, he shrugged his shoulders amicably and moved back to what he was doing.
“Whatever,” he said. “You still be needing a ride?”
Kai nodded. He reached down to help Sky out from under the cart, exchanging glances with her.
They spent the next ten minutes helping the old man switch out the wheels. Kai and Sky held the wagon up while the man worked, explaining how he’d hit a rock hidden by dirt on the edge of the road and lost control.
“I need to be in Last Port by nightfall,” said the old man. “Luckily, Ares here does a mean job when it comes to pulling. If I can get back on the road it should be no trouble.”
“That’s fine by us,” said Kai. “We’re glad to help.”
The old man wasted no time getting back on track as soon as the new wheel was set into the axel. The cart was filled with luxury textiles, fine carpets and cloth. Kai found himself wondering what would have happened if he’d been found by bandits first, or even the members of Terrion’s slaver band.
Sky sat across from them as the wagon made its way down the dirt path at an even clip. Her expression was thoughtful but ultimately unreadable, though Kai tried anyway.
“What’s on your mind?” he asked.
Sky hesitated, and then spoke.
“The Wind Siren,” she said. “And presumably the Wind Chosen is also somewhere nearby.”
Kai nodded, glancing up at the old man in the driver’s seat of the cart. The sound of the horse was too loud for him to overhear anything.
“Have you encountered them before?” asked Kai. Sky shook her head, and then as though thinking better of it, shrugged instead.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I really can’t remember anything other than my escape, and traveling south. I don’t have any memories of the other spirit sirens, or the Chosen.”
“Why’d you react like that, then?” asked Kai.
Sky took a slow, even breath.
“I think they might recognize me,” she said. “Even if I haven’t encountered them in the past. I think they might be able to sense the magic in me, identify me for what I am.”
“You’re just guessing, though,” said Kai.
“An educated guess,” said Sky. “And my instincts, which I happen to trust.”
Kai didn’t argue the point. He leaned back against the wood of the wagon’s bench and watched the road ahead of them. The dusty grasslands slowly shifted as they continued toward Faldion’s western coast. The vegetation became sparser, and more rugged in temperament. The ground slowly became sandier as well, hinting at their approach into the northern outskirts of the Firecrack Desert.
Under his old master, Amidious, Kai had made one trip into Last Port a few years earlier. The city was the home of the current Fire Chosen, Mekalonius, and one of the furthest south in the realm. Kai had been put off by the fierce, almost desert level of heat, but amazed by the architecture and especially by the people.
Last Port was a melting pot of culture and ethnicities. It wasn’t uncommon to see people from outside Faldion walking the streets, sometimes even coming to settle in the city in great number. He’d even heard rumors of an enclave of free Meridian refugees, protected by the city’s neutral stance on the proliferation of slavery, and able to make lives for themselves without having to worry of being taken during the night.
His thoughts were drawn back to Selene, and he began to grow anxious as he thought about her current situation and condition. Terrion’s hatred of the slaves in his care was apparent to Kai, even after spending only minutes in the man’s presence. And there was a very good chance that word of his escape could have already been taken to the slavemaster, carried by one of the bound birds of the river camp’s pacters.
The wagon continued traveling straight into the afternoon. They passed other travelers here and there, though the road they traveled had clearly fallen into disuse. Kai tapped his foot impatiently and almost let out an excited cry when he finally saw the city on the horizon, appearing as a smudge of white from the sandstone architecture.
“It looks… familiar,” said Sky.
“Does it?” Kai glanced over at her. “That probably means that you’ve been there before.”
Sky frowned, as though the vague sense she had of the city was unpleasant.
“Let’s just kill your slavemaster and get this over with,” she muttered.
Kai glowered at her.
“No killing,” he said. “We’ve already been through this.”
“You’re like a child,” said Sky. “Get over your stupid hang ups and look at the situation as it stands. Do you see any real way for this to end well that leaves this slaver alive?”
“Maybe,” said Kai. “Maybe not. But that can be said of-”
“No, hold on,” interrupted Sky. “What about all the other slaves back at the river camp? Are you content to let Terrion go back to them after you and your lover have made your get away, for him to let loose with his rage on them?”
Kai chewed his lip, holding back his frustration. He wasn’t willing to admit that Sky had a point, and knew that arguing with her would only lead to him feeling more anxious and pinned down by the situation.
“My point still stands,” he said. “No killing.”
Sky waved a hand dismissively at him, but didn’t object further. More travelers passed by them on the dirt road, and they drew near enough to the city for Kai to see the other routes leading into it. To the north, the road was properly paved and cared for, and filled with travelers heading to a
nd from the prosperous cities in the heart of Faldion, including Kronia, the capital.
There was no wall surrounding the city of Last Port. From what Kai had heard about the Fire Chosen, it would have been unnecessary. To the south of the city lay the golden yellow sands of the Firecrack Desert, its name reflective of the rivers of molten magma that flowed through it in places, pulsating and red like the veins of the land.
A few of them stretched nearly up to the outskirts of Last Port, the main one at least as wide as the average river, with small lines of red shooting off at points. The air over the bubbling red and orange magma wavered from the heat, creating an odd visual illusion that made the desert seem like a living thing.
Kai remembered hearing about the way that the citizens of Last Port took advantage of their proximity to the natural wonder, using the underground hot springs to provide warm water for bathing, washing, and pottery. He’d also heard of how the Fire Chosen would draw upon the magma lines in times of war, using the heat of the land itself as a devastating weapon against the southern horse barbarians that ruled the desert.
They drew closer, and the old man began to drive slower, weaving around the commoners on the road and falling into place behind other carriages and wagons. The city smelled of fire, salt, and sweat, and Kai felt a touch of apprehension as they crossed into it.
CHAPTER 12
Peddlers sold their goods in every visible direction, some of them working out in the open, others out of simply fashioned market stalls made of wooden poles and cloth canopy. There were fine dyes and spices from the south, fresh fruit and vegetables from the northern farmlands, incense and tribal artifacts claimed to be from the eastern islands, and a variety goods from in between.
“This is where I have to let you off,” said the old man in the front of the wagon. Kai nodded to him, giving a small bow as he hopped down to the street.
“Thank you,” he said. “We appreciate the help.”
The old man grunted and spurred his horse forward, his eyes flicking from side to side as he travelled down the street, searching for a clear space to set up shop.
The sound of Last Port, even where Kai and Sky stood in the outskirts, was constant and consuming, like the movement of water in the ocean. Animals of all kinds chirped, grunted, and growled, communicating with their pacters about whatever command they’d been given. Children ran up and down the street, some of them with the look of purse snips about them, others laughing and playing. People spoke, argued, and laughed with one another, lending vitality to the city itself.
“Well, here we are,” said Kai, feeling faintly overwhelmed. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been here.”
Sky was observing the area around them with discerning eyes. With her tail hidden away and her ears covered by her blonde hair, she looked like any other pretty teenage girl. A couple of men were already shooting leers in her direction, and Kai felt a stab of possessiveness run through him.
He led the two of them forward, past the city’s first official guard outpost. The guards were dressed for the weather and wore black hard leather sleeveless shirts and loose, white cotton trousers. Each one carried a short spear, though a few standing around the small, sandstone tower outpost looked like they lacked the physical capacity to actually use them.
“The whole city matches its Chosen, Mekalonius,” mused Kai. “I’ve seen it in some of the other major cities of Faldion, too. Once one of the Chosen settles in a place, their magic has an effect on almost everything.”
He looked over at Sky. She was watching him, though it was hard to tell from her neutral expression whether or not she cared about what he was saying.
“You can even see it in some of the buildings,” said Kai. “The white sandstone ones were built using traditional southern architectural techniques. But the tan and brown domiciles, those are flame cured mud. The Fire Chosen does the last step himself much of the time.”
“You sound as though you respect him,” said Sky. “Maybe even admire him, a little.”
She stepped out of the way of a street urchin, slapping the young child’s hand away as he reached up to feel for her nonexistent purse, or steal a grope of her butt.
“Maybe I do, in some ways,” said Kai. “Last Port is a different kind of city, much more accepting and relaxed than others in the realm.”
“There is a price in blood to be paid for that,” said Sky.
“What?” Kai shook his head at her slowly. Sky shrugged.
“I’m willing to bet my life that if you were to look closely enough, you’d find bodies underneath the foundation of this city.”
Kai opened his mouth to object, but Sky raised a finger toward his lips.
“It’s a metaphor, you dolt,” she said. “But it’s also probably the truth.”
“How would you know?” asked Kai.
“Power doesn’t exist on an island,” said Sky. “This city has no walls, few guards, and straddles the edge of the realm. How many lives do you think the Fire Chosen would be willing to sacrifice to save his city? And how many would he deem expendable if he had to choose between making a stand, and living on another day?”
Kai stared at Sky, unsure of how to respond. A group of Last Port’s noble class passed by them on the street, dressed in fine robes and tunics and speaking to each other in whispers. Kai continued forward, stopping in front of one of the city’s public bathing fountains and averting his eyes from the exposed flesh of the people cleaning themselves inside of it.
“Look, let’s stay on task,” he said. “We need to start looking for Selene.”
Sky met his eye for a moment and then shook her head.
“Not yet,” she said. “First, you need to be taken care of.”
“Taken care of?” Kai glowered at her. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Taken care of,” repeated Sky. “You’re going to need new clothes. We both will. Along with food and lodgings for the night, if we end up needing to stay.”
A child within the bathing fountain splashed water from the small central pool in their direction. Sky managed to get out of the way in time, but enough landed on Kai’s tattered rags to leave the back of his shoulders soaked.
“That’s not what I came here for,” said Kai. “I’m here for Selene and nothing else.”
“Kai,” said Sky, in a gentle voice. “You aren’t a slave anymore. Stop treating yourself like dirt.”
Kai frowned at her. He hesitated, stopping himself from asking what she meant. Her point was crystal clear, and yet it was hard for him to grasp, to fully internalize.
“I… that’s not important,” he said.
“It is,” said Sky. “You’ll need new clothes if you don’t want to be recognized by Terrion and his men at first glance. And you’ll need to be well fed and rested to fight at your full capacity.”
“Those things cost money,” he said. “How the hell do you expect to get enough to do even one of them?”
Sky flashed him a wicked smile. She took him by the hand and led him off toward an alleyway just before the next major intersection. Pushing her back flat against one of the walls, she watched and waited in silence.
A pair of young noblemen passed by, both of them wearing exotically dyed clothes and walking with the kind of aloof air about them that comes from a lifetime of easy living. Kai frowned deeply, suddenly fearful that Sky was planning on calling out to them, tempting them into something that he’d rather not think about.
She didn’t. Sky rubbed her hands together and disappeared in a flash of light. Kai stared at the space where she’d been and then looked down the street toward the noblemen.
It happened almost too fast for him to see it. Sky appeared, patted one of them down with each hand, and then disappeared more quickly than either of them could respond. When the two men turned, they stared at each other and not her, both wearing expressions of confusion.
Sky flashed into existence next to him a moment later, holding a purse pouch in
either hand. She smiled, dipping into a mock bow as she handed one over to him.
“There,” she said. “Now let’s go shopping.”
CHAPTER 13
It wasn’t until Sky had been leading Kai through the city for several minutes that the incongruity of it hit him full on. He took Sky’s hand and held her back, eliciting an irritated scowl out of her.
“You’ve been here before,” said Kai. “I thought you said you couldn’t remember anything.”
Sky hesitated, and for a split second, Kai felt a burst of paranoia directed at her.
“I have been here before,” she said, quietly. “It’s odd. I can’t remember why, or for what, but many of the basic details of the city stuck with me.”
Kai searched her expression for any traces of deceit and found nothing, though given how effectively Sky had shielded her emotions from him in the past, it didn’t mean much.
“I’m not sure if I believe you,” he said. “It’s a little too convenient.”
Sky let a small, tight smile play across her lips.
“Are you scared that I’m leading you into danger?” She took a step forward, coming within a few inches of him. “Or that I might be plotting something devious? Maybe I’ve already gotten fed up with you as a master, and am looking for the easiest way to dispose of you?”
She let her breasts press against Kai’s chest, meeting his eye solidly even though she was a few inches shorter than him. Kai felt tension that had nothing to do with her hypotheticals spark between them, and let it build for as long as he could before stepping back.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “I get the feeling that you’d be lost without me.”
He smiled, watching as her eyes lowered into an exaggerated glare. It wasn’t precisely true, and he’d said it mostly to get a rise out of her, but he could see a sliver of vulnerability revealed on her face.
“If I wanted to, I could have let you die several times over,” said Sky. “Bare that in mind next time, before you open your mouth.”
Sirens of Faldion: The Final Bond Page 6