by Tamara Moss
The lo fali-air was already off the mountain, no longer visible, but surely on its way.
Lintang rushed to Captain Shafira. ‘We have to run. We have to go!’
Captain Shafira pushed Lintang away. ‘Hide.’
‘No!’
The vigil was positively gleeful as he continued taunting Captain Shafira. ‘We knew you were coming. We knew you’d try to eliminate the Disgraced God and ensure the war would never end. We were warned, Pirate Queen.’ He gestured backwards, towards the mountain. ‘And we warned him.’
‘Captain.’ Lintang wrenched at Captain Shafira’s arm. ‘Run, please run.’
Captain Shafira looked past her. ‘Keep her safe. Don’t let her go, no matter what.’
Strong arms grabbed Lintang from behind. Kona dragged her backwards.
‘NO!’ Lintang kicked to free herself, but he was too powerful. He was taking her away from Captain Shafira. ‘Kona, no – Captain. CAPTAIN!’
The wharf was empty. The people had run. The vigil still stood on the platform, watching in delight. Lintang’s body thrummed. It was like a nightmare she couldn’t wake from.
Captain Shafira remained where she was. She didn’t even draw her sword.
Kona was still pulling Lintang away, and there was nothing she could do. She thrashed against him, but he only held on tighter, so tight she thought she might break in half.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said between her screams. ‘I’m so sorry.’
The beast came over the hill. Lintang had never seen anything like it. It towered over the buildings, made of bulk and sinew, its neck careless strips of muscle through which she could see burning lava. Its four eyes – two on either side – were hooded and protected by a mane of spines.
It tasted the air with its reptilian tongue and let out a horrific scream that nearly ruptured Lintang’s eardrums. Fear drenched her in a poisonous wave. She sank into Kona’s arms, suddenly as weak as a jellyfish on land.
The monster’s glowing red eyes fell upon Captain Shafira.
The Disgraced God didn’t need to come into town. It stood on the hill and stretched its jaws so wide they dislocated like a snake’s. A whirlpool churned from its throat, and a wind snatched at Captain Shafira’s braids and cloak. She didn’t even try to fight it.
Slowly, slowly, the wind pulled at more than just her hair and clothes. It pulled at her, and the colours of her started bleeding into the sky, as if she were coming apart. The black of her skin, the green of her cloak, the red of her kerchief, the glitter of her sword and the bright, bright shine of her star. The colours tore apart in the maelstrom, swirling up and up and up, into the maw of the beast, until there was nothing left where she had been standing. The jaws snapped shut. The Disgraced God turned its enormous body and galloped away, the thunder of its weight shaking the ground well after it had gone.
Lintang was dying. Surely she was dying. Her breaths were sobs that tore at her lungs. Her head rang. The light from Captain Shafira’s star still seared her vision.
And the monster.
The monster.
‘No.’
‘Lintang.’ Kona was shaking her.
‘No. No.’
‘Lintang, you need to move.’ His voice was thick with grief. ‘The vigil are coming.’
‘No. NO!’
The monster was still out there.
‘We need to get back to the rowboats. Come on!’
‘We are not going to rowboats.’ There was a blinding flash of steel. Eire held her khwando over Kona. ‘We are going to mountain.’
Lintang choked, mid-sob. Her fear was a physical pain. They couldn’t go to the mountain. They had to run!
Kona helped Lintang to her feet. She hadn’t even known she’d fallen. She almost fell again, and he wrapped his arm around her waist for support.
‘We’re not going to the mountain,’ he said. ‘The captain –’
‘Captain needs us. We go to her.’ Eire turned her wide-set eyes to Lintang. ‘Yes?’
Lintang’s whole body trembled. It took some time for her mouth to work, and when it did, her voice was nothing but a rasp. She swallowed and tried again. ‘I c-can’t f-fight that thing.’
It had taken Captain Shafira. No one else stood a chance.
‘Silly girl!’ Eire said. ‘We will all fight. Now hurry! We have ten days.’
Of course – Eire was the ‘second’ from the prophecy. She was Captain Shafira’s only chance. No wonder she wanted to go.
Pelita and Bayani rushed to Lintang’s side.
‘Are you all right?’ Bayani said.
Lintang wiped her nose. ‘Did … Did you see it?’
‘No, Mei made us hide.’
Lucky them. Lintang’s limbs still felt weak.
Xiang was fighting off a few vigil, but more were heading their way. Her face was cool with concentration. Lintang didn’t know how anyone could concentrate with the vision of the monster in their head.
‘We don’t have time to go to the rowboats,’ Mei said. ‘They’ll catch us. We need to get out of town. Maybe we can turn around and come back for them later.’
‘We will go inland,’ Eire said.
Lintang doubted she could do anything at the moment, let alone escape the vigil.
‘Don’t think about your fear,’ Kona said, as if reading her mind. ‘Think about what you need to do right now. And right now, you need to run. That’s it. Just run.’
So Lintang put one shaky foot in front of the other and followed everyone as they raced around the outskirts of the town, towards the slope. She was glad she had people to lead the way. She moved where they moved out of routine more than purpose. She hardly even noticed when Xiang joined them at the back of town. Her only coherent thought was that they should be running in the opposite direction, away from the monster.
But then –
‘For Captain Shafira!’ Eire yelled, hefting her khwando in the air as she charged down the first hill.
Lintang shed her memories of the monster, and thought of her beloved captain instead.
She thought of the captain ordering Kona to keep her safe. Of the captain’s colours swirling in the whirlwind. Of the captain’s star, lost forever in Hallaxa.
Alone.
Lintang ran faster.
When they crested the first slope, the land swelled like the ocean before them, with fields of crops bordered by dirt tracks. Lintang ran down between fields, then up, then down, and kept running, even when people started to fall behind, even when someone called her name.
Ten days.
They had ten days to get to those mountains, which looked so very far away.
Pelita managed to keep up with her. She ran down each slope with a screech of glee and raced Lintang up the next one.
Lintang didn’t realise she was tired until her legs fell out from under her. She slumped on the ground, wheezing, so dizzy she thought she might pass out.
Someone crouched beside her and pressed a water flask to her lips. She drank gratefully, spilling some of it when she pulled away and said through gasps, ‘We can’t stop. Ten days.’
‘Just rest, Lintang.’
It was Mei.
Pelita danced around her. ‘Did you hear the big monster? Rar!’
Lintang had to grip Mei’s shirt to steady herself against a wave of terror, followed abruptly by a wave of grief. The captain was gone.
Captain Shafira was gone.
Mei stroked her hair.
Lintang held back more sobs. ‘We have to keep going. Ten days.’ She tried to get up and collapsed again immediately.
Eire and Xiang reached them.
‘We will get there,’ Eire said. She shielded her eyes against the sun as she examined the mountain range. ‘It will be hard trek, but we will get there in time.’
‘Eire,’ Xiang said. ‘We’re not supposed to. The captain said if the prophecy came to pass, we were to return to the Winda.’
Eire spun to her. ‘You are not questioning my ord
ers, I hope?’
‘She’ll never forgive you,’ Xiang said quietly.
‘It does not matter.’
‘Eire’s right,’ Lintang said, scrubbing tears from her cheeks. ‘If she can bring Captain Shafira back, we have to try.’
They waited in silence until the others caught up, and together they had the soup they’d gotten from Yilut. Mei forced Lintang to have Captain Shafira’s share, even though Lintang felt too sick to eat.
No one from town had followed them. It seemed the vigil had only been interested in the captain.
But they didn’t know about the prophecy. They didn’t know the captain would be free again.
‘In case some of you forget,’ Eire said, glaring at Xiang, ‘I am leader now. You follow my orders. We will travel to mountain and save captain.’
Pelita applauded.
‘If you have problem, stay here.’ Eire looked to Lintang with something akin to pride. ‘I know Lintang will come.’
‘You don’t have to, Lintang,’ Xiang said. ‘Let’s go back to the Winda. We’ll head somewhere safe and think about another way to medicate the mythie.’
‘Is Captain Shafira somewhere safe?’ Lintang said.
Xiang didn’t answer.
‘She only has ten days,’ Lintang said. ‘We don’t have time to go back to the Winda and think of another way. I want to help Eire.’
‘You were terrified of that thing. How are you going to fight it?’
The thought of facing the monster again almost had Lintang’s soup coming back up. She forced down several gulps of cool air. ‘I have to. Captain Shafira needs us.’
‘See?’ Eire said. ‘She knows what is right. She will come with me, even if rest of you do not.’ She turned and headed down the next slope.
‘Eire, wait,’ Xiang said, but Eire didn’t slow.
Lintang climbed to her feet. ‘It’s her choice if she wants to make a sacrifice for Captain Shafira. The least we can do is help her against the monster. Maybe, if we’re all there, she won’t have to give up her life.’
‘Lintang’s right,’ Bayani said.
A muscle tensed in Xiang’s jaw. ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about. Captain Shafira’s orders were clear.’
‘But she’s not in charge anymore,’ Lintang said. ‘Eire is.’ She started down the slope after the first mate. ‘I’m going with her.’
Bayani jogged to catch up. Pelita ran ahead as if it were a race. ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ Bayani said.
‘Yes, but, Bayani … if you don’t want to come, maybe you and Pelita can head back to the Winda.’
‘I’m not going to leave you.’
Lintang couldn’t bring herself to smile, but she managed to choke out, ‘I thought you might say that.’
When they reached the bottom of the hill, she checked over her shoulder. Xiang, Yamini, Mei and Kona were following, but they looked more like a funeral procession than a rescue party.
Pelita stopped to wait for Lintang and Bayani to catch up.
‘Everything’s pretty!’ she said.
She was right. Their surroundings were beautiful. The sky was paler here than in Desa, the clouds wispier. Blossoms hung from spindly trees on either side of their path, interspersed between fields. The grass grew in clumps of green, darker green, a purplish hue, and vivid blue. There were sharp floral smells and quiet musky smells. Far in the distance, at the hem of the mountains, were outlines of forests.
It was hard to believe something so hideous could live here.
She checked ahead to Mount Railin, but there was no sign of the beast.
The day became warm, but not so hot it was uncomfortable. There was plenty of shade from overhanging trees, and they filled up flagons from their satchels at a clear, cool river that burbled beside their path. Lintang used the opportunity to polish and sharpen her sword with the whetstone and oils Xiang had brought with her. She tried not to think of the fact her blade would be nothing more than a pinprick to that monster. She tried not to think of the monster at all. She did what Kona had suggested, and concentrated on her immediate tasks, rather than what was waiting for them on the mountain.
They left the fields behind as the track turned to grass. Yamini found a thick walking staff and thudded it against the ground every second step, sounding like Hewan with her peg leg.
Even endurance training didn’t combat Lintang’s exhaustion as the sky grew deep purple. They set up camp in a valley out of the wind. Part of Lintang didn’t want to stop, but she trusted Eire would get them to the mountain in time. She might be harsh, but at least Eire was prepared to do anything to save Captain Shafira.
There were enough fallen branches around to pile wood together and start a fire. Xiang gathered nuts and berries, and Eire caught a wild game animal for them to cook.
‘Who could’ve betrayed us?’ Xiang said as they ate. ‘Who warned the vigil we were coming?’
‘Not one of the crew,’ Lintang said firmly. ‘We’re family.’
‘Kona is not,’ Eire said.
Mei jerked like she was going to lunge at her, but Xiang said simply, ‘Kona is one of us now, whether you like it or not. Maybe someone recognised our ship on the way here and sent word ahead. Whatever happened, I’m sure it wasn’t one of us, and we shouldn’t start accusing each other now.’
The satchels held extra fur coats for them to sleep under, though Lintang used her own. She stared at the stars, huddling with Pelita, her legs and feet throbbing from the walk.
She didn’t sleep well. Every time she drifted off, she’d see those glowing red eyes, that stretching jaw. And there were strange sounds in the darkness. At one point it sounded like a group of people were laughing nearby. Then, later, Lintang was sure she heard a woman scream.
‘It’s just the birds,’ Mei whispered.
Lintang buried her face beneath her coat, trying to drown out the sound of the screaming; trying not to think of Captain Shafira in the darkness, all alone.
Pelita slept through the night.
Eire woke them in the morning when the mist still clung to the ground and the sky was only just beginning to lighten. Breath steamed from their mouths. The fire from the night before was now only cold ash. Dryness hung at the back of Lintang’s throat, but they’d run out of water. Pelita yawned loudly as they packed up and set off. The muscles in Lintang’s legs groaned in protest at the thought of more walking. She didn’t know how Bayani was faring. He didn’t complain, though.
The sky turned orange, and birds lifted their voices in a chorus. It wasn’t long before their fingers warmed up and their faces grew flushed despite the cold air. Lintang’s feet chanted with every step: Nine days, nine days, nine days. She kept her determined gaze on the mountains, which remained a stubborn distance away.
Nine days to get to Mount Railin.
Nine days to overcome the flood of terror every time she thought of the Disgraced God.
Nine days to save her captain.
Yamini pulled Lintang aside at the end of the second day. ‘What about your promise?’
Lintang, who was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open, said, ‘What promise?’
Yamini checked that the others were still busy around the fire and lowered her voice. ‘You were going to teach me to fight.’
‘What? Oh.’ Lintang had forgotten all about it.
‘With Eire in charge, I need to know how to defend myself now more than ever.’
Lintang stifled a yawn. She didn’t want to do anything but rest. Her body ached and her feet felt like they were going to fall off.
‘But Eire’s doing a good job.’
‘I’ll come get you when the others are asleep,’ Yamini said, ignoring her.
Lintang would’ve dearly loved to argue, but she didn’t have the energy. When Yamini shook her later in the night, she almost cried. ‘Go away.’
Yamini hauled her to her feet, dragging her down the slope away from the group. Lintang subtly checked to make
sure her sunstone was still in its casing.
‘I can use this,’ Yamini said, waving her walking staff.
Lintang shivered.
‘Fighting will warm you up. Here.’ Yamini tossed Lintang a large branch and took a fighting stance. ‘Now show me what to do.’
Bossy barnacle. Lintang swung her branch right at Yamini’s face to teach her a lesson. She had prepared to stop in time, but she didn’t need to – Yamini blocked it with her staff. Lintang lowered her branch, surprised. ‘Well done.’
‘I had some training with Xiang before I got demoted. I’m just a bit rusty.’ Yamini beckoned her. ‘Try again.’
Lintang swiped low this time, at Yamini’s feet. Yamini danced away. She was quick.
Lintang forgot her tiredness. Her blood was pumping, and the chilly air slapped her awake. Here was an opponent near her level – not too easy to beat, but not impossible, like Xiang. And Yamini wouldn’t be lenient with her like the vigil in Desa.
‘You need to turn your body more,’ Lintang said, swinging again. ‘You’re making yourself an easy target.’
Yamini blocked her once, twice, a third time. But when she tried attacking, Lintang was ready.
‘I can tell what you’re going to do before you do it.’ Lintang pointed at Yamini’s eyes. ‘You look at where you want to hit.’
‘Obviously I look at where I want to hit, otherwise I’d miss.’
Lintang remembered having the same argument with Xiang a year ago. It had taken her a while to understand what Xiang was trying to tell her, but she’d gotten it in the end.
‘You need to use your peripheral vision more.’
‘Whatever. Let’s just duel. Properly.’
‘My pleasure,’ Lintang said, and swung.
She was more skilled than Yamini, but Yamini was a fast learner. Lintang couldn’t make the same move twice without Yamini anticipating what she was going to do. Halfway through a block, she realised this was the perfect time to practise shika. She tried to steady her breaths and clear her mind. But it was impossible – how could she clear her mind when she needed to concentrate on attacks and defence?
‘Did you see it?’ Lintang said as they fought. ‘The lo fali-air?’