“Here,” I handed the book to him, “if you want to know, just read this.”
He accepted the offering with a soft touch, staring down at it as though it held all the secrets of the world. It was quiet between us as he stared at it, miles away in thought. “By the way…” He started, his voice sounding much louder in the still desert, “…did Kay ever manage to get you your gift? I worked very hard on it.”
Kay was the last thing I wanted to think about right now. I gathered my composure before responding. “No. What was it?”
With a downcast gaze, Nathaniel replied, “I was proud of him. He was doing everything by the book, you know – only requesting things on Provisioning days and never fussing when he didn’t get exactly what he wanted. I thought he’d be okay. But…I guess he grew impatient, as he eventually followed in your father’s footsteps and ended up banished into the wasteland as well.”
“He said he needed it before my birthday…that the next Provisioning would be too late.” I murmured the words.
“Is that why?” Nate scoffed. “ ‘The road to hell is paved with good intentions’, so they say. I had been visiting Jack when Kay showed up. I had what he wanted – it had to be made from scratch - and I was just waiting for the next Provisioning to deliver it. When I saw Kay approach us, though, I managed to give him the item and send him on his way, thinking he hadn’t been caught yet, but it was too late and I was reassigned for helping him.”
“Caught? Banished?” I sighed. “Let me guess – ‘higher powers’, right?”
Nathaniel nodded.
I kicked at the sand absently. I shouldn’t have cared, but it was eating away at me. I just had to know. “So…what was it that Kay wanted?”
Nate bit his lip and hesitated. “I think you’d best ask him that. It directly involved you and I don’t feel it my place to say.”
“Why not?”
“It was a personal item. He fumbled just asking for it.” The Pirate chuckled. “It was a nice gesture, though…he was a good kid.”
“You talk as though he’s gone.”
“Isn’t he?” His face turned serious as I gazed up at him and my heart sank at the implication. A part of me, deep down, still refused to believe everything that was staring me in the face.
I wanted to push the thought of Kay from my mind. In fact, I wanted to push everything from my mind. What good would thinking do me now? I found what I was looking for. All that was left was to go home. Nathaniel couldn’t bring my boys back; Krastanov couldn’t, and I was starting to think that I couldn’t either. It was up to them now. I was ready for things to go back to normal.
“Well…thank you for letting me know what happened, though it’s strange that the vials don’t.”
“Isn’t it?” Nate replied quickly, “when the Elders are involved, the vials seem to stop working. Kind of curious how that works…” There was a certain disdain in his voice.
“Wait, Elders? Tsvetan mentioned working for them…” I started to rub my forehead. “You know what, I don’t want to know. It doesn’t concern me.”
“Tsvetan said that?” Nathaniel’s eyes seemed to bulge at the mention. “That can’t be right…” With both hands tapping the clothing upon his hips, the Pirate continued, “You’re exactly right, it’s no business of yours. Let’s just forget that I even brought it up.”
I nodded curtly as the sound of footsteps was heard behind us. Nathaniel looked past me and I glanced over my shoulder to see one his guards approaching.
“Sir, your presence is requested…” The man called towards us.
“Ah, it looks like we must cut this meeting short. Come, I’ll walk you back to the gate.” He clasped my shoulder as he said this and we followed his guard back to the tent.
“Maybe I didn’t have all the answers you hoped for but I did enjoy talking with you. I hope we can do it again someday.” His contagious smile was back again as we grew closer to the gate. “In the meantime, I will be reading this!” He shook my journal in front of him, “I’m sure it will be a very interesting read.”
I blushed lightly as I thought of the more personal things I had included in my journal. I didn’t think of them when Nathaniel had first asked, but what did it matter? I would never see this man again and we both knew it.
“Keep it,” I replied, “I have no more use of it.”
“I suppose it’s only fair; a journal for a journal, eh?” He waved goodbye at me as he ducked inside his tent.
I was escorted to the gate by his guards but my mind was racing; I had suddenly remembered something that I had wished I had the chance to tell him. As I looked back towards the tent through the now closing bars of the gate I remembered Nathaniel’s journal; it still resided in the town of the banshees. Would he have wanted it back? And what about his documents from school? I know he wanted those. I sighed quietly as I saw the light flickering in the slit of his tent and shuffled feet inside. I may not have the time to tell him now, but I’ll see him in the morning; I can inform him then.
CHAPTER 5
The sun was barely peeking over the horizon as Kay and I stood within my father’s tent, slugging the knapsacks over our shoulders and puffing at the weight. One thing was for sure; my father was well prepared for the journey, more so than I had been. The knapsacks contained a few containers of water and many small meals and fruits. “The smaller the food, the more I can bring,” he had said. Although we would never be able to eat our fill, we would at least have enough to stave off the pangs of hunger and that’s all I could really hope for. Kay, of course, was not very happy with the idea of eating so scarcely but I was impressed with Chester’s planning and it reminded me briefly of the father I always knew; someone you could rely on. Each knapsack also had scraps of blank paper and pencils to draw out a map and at least two compasses. At my behest, my father had grabbed two lanterns for the journey and some oil, items that I had sorely missed in my rush to leave home.
“Everyone ready?” My father had asked as we adjusted our balance with the added weight.
“Yeah, I’m ready to go.” I had responded and Kay mumbled something similar in response.
“Are you sure you don’t want to put your satchel in your bag? It looks so fragile on your hip…” My father had glanced down at the small bag that was tied around my waist, the one I had brought from home that contained my medical supplies. It was a little more haggard now, after my journey had finally ended, but it was still sturdy and dependable. My father had thrown a few medical supplies in each of our bags but also stocked my satchel up with more goodies for the ride and I couldn’t blame him for being a little worried.
“She’s tougher than she looks,” I had replied with a smile, holding the satchel in my palm, “after everything I went through, she’s still standing; my backpack is not.” He nodded in response but still stared down at the satchel with a creased brow. “We’ll be fine,” I said with renewed enthusiasm, “let’s go.” The thought of wandering the desert with my family caused butterflies to dance in my stomach; maybe I could show them the sights that took my own breath away on my travels and with the Pirate’s help we would have little need to worry about getting lost; they’ll know which way to go and what might lurk along the way.
“Yes…Nathaniel may already be waiting.” My father agreed and we headed out towards the gate.
The gatekeepers opened the door as soon as they saw us and ushered us inside the tent. Surprisingly enough, though, the gatekeepers allowed us inside Nathaniel’s tent even though he had not yet arrived for the morning. We made ourselves as comfortable as we could on the stray crates that littered the place and set our heavy backpacks down into the soft sand that blew gently into our shoes. It was an extremely quiet morning for such a populated area; even my own town was more rowdy than this by daybreak. I sat on the edge of a crate that was covered in silks and heavy boxes, stretching my legs out and watching the miniature tornados of sand that kicked up at my legs and swirled about my feet. Chester sat next
to me, pushing the large boxes out of his way as he plopped himself down. I heard the crate creak loudly as he did so and we glanced at one another with a silent laugh, expecting the container to break apart beneath him. Kay, however, sat opposite us on a large stack of bags. I don’t know how he was comfortable; they appeared lumpy and probably contained the fruits and vegetables that the storehouse seemed to have an abundance of. He huffed as he sat, staring at the seat that Nathaniel had used yesterday and narrowing his eyes in thought.
My father watched him in silence for a few minutes before finally speaking, his words sounding quite loud in the still air. “We may feel it best for you to come but you’re your own person, Kay. You still have a chance to say no.”
Kay bitterly shook his head. “I’d never live down the guilt. Thanks to these stupid vials…” at this Kay kicked the bag at his feet and the sound of clinking canisters were heard, “…I’d spend the rest of my life wondering. I might as well do it now.” I felt another pang of hurt at Kay’s words but I refused to show it, instead focusing my attention on the swirling sand that my shoes played with.
We heard footprints in the sand around us. We could see the gatekeepers loosely from the slit in the tent and noticed them nod their heads towards the left side of the tent. More footprints were heard and then the deep, booming voice of Nathaniel.
“I shouldn’t be gone long, but you know what to do; keep an eye on the place, yadda yadda yadda.” I could scarcely make out the Pirate’s hands as he clasped a guard on his shoulder and made his way inside the tent.
His face appeared much softer today than it had when we first met and he smiled at each of us when he entered. His short brown hair was a tousled mess and he no longer wore the same tunic that the other Pirates did. Instead, he appeared dressed for a journey. He wore a black undershirt and a protective vest with multiple pockets. Upon his arms were two large braces and he wore dark, loose-fit pants that swayed in the small breeze that greeted us this morning. His long, multi-faceted boots clomped roughly on the sands as he walked past us to his chair, a few cylinder vials on his belt clinking incessantly with his long gait.
He looked us all over before finally speaking. “Good morning.” He beamed and we murmured back a response. “I see you’re all ready for an adventure. Good.” He briefly touched the glowing blue tonics at his side. “A little unnecessary, but a good show nonetheless.”
The three of us looked towards one another with a crumpled brow. I cocked my head to the side to look past my father at Nathaniel’s grinning face. “What do you mean?”
“Well it’s been decided that we’re not just going to point you in the right direction and hope for the best,” the Pirate started, “we’ve all decided that it would be best to escort you and I’ll be leading the charge.”
My mouth hung open at the words and I noticed my father choke on his surprise. “You’re…you’re coming with us?”
“Sort of.” Nathaniel responded and he palmed the vials once more. “Instead of having you all wander the wasteland – since we know how well that turned out for you before…” he glanced at my father and smirked, “…we’ll take you home ourselves.”
I stared at the Pirate with wide eyes as Kay shifted in his spot. “You mean…in the sandstorm?” He asked in a skeptical tone.
Nathaniel chuckled. “I suppose it’s a little difficult to keep that part of us a secret out here, isn’t it? Yes, I will take you all home through the sandstorm.”
“Nathaniel…” I started, “…you really don’t have to do that. That’s asking far too much of you.” I thought back on his words last night. “What will the others think, inviting us into your circle?”
My father looked at me in confusion but I continued to stare past him as Nathaniel removed the vials from his belt. “Well, that’s where these come in.” He dangled them between his fingers. “Once you are all in a sleep-state, I will take you where you need to go.”
“Sleep-state?” Kay was shocked at the news.
“Yes. We don’t want outsiders to know about our way of life; it’s for our own protection.”
“Protection? From what? What could we really do to a tribe of Pirates?” Kay scoffed.
“Oh trust me, my boy, it’s not you directly that we’re worried about.” Nathaniel separated the vials in his palm and handed them out to each of us; they felt slightly warm to the touch. “…but it is your words that concern us. One small story overheard by the wrong person and suddenly my entire way of life is exposed. We have much more at stake than you could possibly ever realize.” The Pirate stared Kay down before continuing, “…not to mention that even offering this service is completely taboo and something tells me you’re not the type to keep quiet about that; there are some…powers that be that don’t even know I’m doing this and I would hope that they never find out.”
Powers that be, huh? “Then who made the decision to do this? You said that ‘we’ decided.” I asked.
“A small group of us that hold some authority. That’s all.”
His words jarred forth a memory. “Amy and Thomas?” I asked, though I probably shouldn’t have.
Nathaniel’s face froze and he cast me a sharp glance. “Yes…” He eventually conceded, “and I am surprised that you would know that.” His voice was stern but he smiled slightly, albeit briefly, at my question.
“You’d be surprised at just what I found in the wasteland,” I laughed in response as I remembered that he still had my journal. “It will be a good read, I’m sure.”
He chuckled in response. “I will have to get started on that quite soon, then.” Kay and Chester stared at the both of us in wide-eyed confusion. Catching their glances, Nathaniel returned his attention to the vials. “Make sure you are seated comfortably and drink the entire thing. I’ll be sure to bring your backpacks along as well; might as well make use of the supplies you’ve gathered when you’re gone.”
The three of us exchanged short glances and uncorked the vials. They were odourless but swashed about inside their containers like a wave crashing into the surf. By this point I had assumed it was the closest I would ever come to seeing the ocean.
“There’s no turning back from this. Is everyone ready?” My father asked us, waiting for each of us to nod in approval before bringing the liquid up to his lips. “…see you on the other side, then.” My father was the first to drink his, finishing the entire thing in one fast gulp.
Kay had stared at his and bit his lower lip, swishing the liquid around as he gathered his confidence. “Don’t do it if you don’t want to…” I had said and Kay glanced quickly up at me.
“You haven’t really given me a choice now have you?” He chugged the vial back as I reeled from his response.
My father was already started to doze in his spot and Nathaniel stood strong beside him, grabbing Chester’s shoulders and leaning him back against the sturdy boxes behind him. “Don’t want you to fall, now…” The Pirate had whispered to no one in particular.
I raised the vial to my lips as well, taking one last look at a place I would probably never see again.
“Hey,” Nathaniel had suddenly spoken to me and I stared up at him. “It’s been great talking with you; it truly has. You’ve done well for yourself and don’t let this…” he gestured to Chester, Kay, and the tent in general, “…change your mind. They brought this upon themselves and they needed you to fix it.”
I smiled at his words; it’s been a long time since someone said something positive in my general direction and while I did not know Nathaniel, his kind words softened my heart. “Thank you,” I replied, “I will remember that.”
I saw Kay slump down into the sacks he had been sitting on as I tilted my head back. Closing my eyes, I sipped the ocean-like substance and let it fall freely down my throat. It was surprisingly tasty, actually; the liquid was quite sweet and I found myself wishing I had more by the time the vial had emptied. Nathaniel was across from me, propping Kay up in his seat as the sound of scattered
hooves outside rung in my ears. My eyes were already becoming heavy as I cast my gaze towards the entrance of the tent, catching small specks of brown hooves through the slit. I heard voices, one of them female, but I could no longer make out words as my vision blurred and my eyes closed. I felt my head bang sharply off the box behind me and multiple footsteps around me.
“I’ll take care of you,” I heard Nathaniel’s voice, soft in my ear, “just rest.” I tried to mumble out a response but the world quickly became black as I passed out.
CHAPTER 6
I awoke to the sun dazzling bright in the sky above me. I blinked a few times and dug my fingers into the hard sand below me as I slowly sat up, surprised at just how energized I felt. Kay and Chester lay nearby, blinking rapidly in the morning sun as well. I recognized where we were; the Meeting Place. There were tracks in the sand from years of path walking and multiple marks left over from tents being erected and removed. I brought myself to my feet and looked towards the other two. As promised, our backpacks were scattered nearby and I rushed to my father’s side, helping him get steady on his feet. Kay, however, still sat on the floor next to me, his head between his knees as he rocked gently back and forth. My father looked around him in awe as I reached my hand out to Kay, who promptly shifted his position away and ignored me. I sighed.
Deserted Page 21