by T R Tells
“Thank you.”
Once Thea had Hapy situated in the wagon, they started making their way toward the path to Isle Waters, which was in the opposite direction from the route she’d taken with Jiran to the Parsi Desert.
***
Nobius told Thea it would take seven days to get to the Bastion of Amac. Thea, having boarded the ship, found herself looking back at the building. Kadda’s face appeared in her head. She prayed to Thili to keep Kadda and Maggie safe. She felt a gentle nudge on her side and turned to see Hapy was behind her. She grinned at the old horse and stroked his snout reassuringly.
“You’ll make sure to stay with me right, Hapy? At least, for a while.” She prayed that Hapy would survive the seven-day voyage, she didn’t think she would be able to handle losing someone else. Since Hapy was the last piece of Jiran that Thea had left, losing the old horse would be like losing Jiran all over again.
You’ll always have me, the icy and ill-fated words made Thea shiver. She closed her eyes, hoping to erase the cold shiver that lingered on her back. She felt Hapy becoming unsteady at the demon-like apparition, which was reassuring to her in a way, it meant someone else could see Hel.
“Just go away,” she told Hel and within seconds the lingering icy feeling disappeared, leaving Thea able to breathe again.
“Haven’t seen you around here before.” The voice came from out of nowhere, and Thea turned to see a young man with skin the color of creamy cocoa approach her. He had a low-cut hair, reminding Thea of the style she had when she was pretending to be a boy. His gray eyes looked tired, but they were the most prominent feature on him, and his gap-toothed smile was so infectious that Thea couldn’t help but smile back.
“That’s because Nobius just bought me,” Thea honestly said, there was no shame in telling the truth as lies only complicated things. “I’m a courtesan, the name’s Thea.”
The young man didn’t look surprised by her answer and she wondered what kind of man he was. Like Nobius, the young man hadn’t shared the usual reactions people had when they learned that she was a courtesan. Most men looked at her with lust or hatred, but not this man.
“Well, Thea, my name is Nathaniel, but you can call me Nathan,” he said and stretched out his hand to her. Thea took his hand and shook.
“It’s nice to meet you, Nathaniel. What are you doing on this here ship?”
“The Queen’s Magician,” Nathan corrected her, Thea frowned in confusion. “That’s the name of the ship, Miss Thea. I work as a ship hand for Master Nobius in hopes of regaining my freedom.”
Thea frowned. What? “Excuse me, your freedom?”
Thea was suddenly jerked forward as the boat moved away from the docks. She would have fallen flat on her face or over the railing, but she felt strong arms supported her body and helped her stand upright again.
“Careful now, Miss Thea. You don’t want to topple over.”
Thea felt her cheeks burn as she turned red with embarrassment. She cleared her throat, wanting to distract herself from her embarrassing moment.
“Nathaniel, what did you mean by your freedom? Are you a slave or something?”
Nathan looked at her and knitted his brows together as if the answer was complicated to say. He chewed on the inside of his lip and tapped his chin every two seconds.
“That’s . . . difficult to explain. Yes and No. You see the law says I am, but I’m —”
“Nathan!”
They turned their heads to see Nobius walking toward them. Nathaniel’s posture changed instantly, his hands pressed to his side and he bowed respectively to Nobius.
“I see you’ve met our newest recruit. Thea, my son, Nathaniel.”
“Son?” Thea asked and looked from Nathan to Nobius. They didn’t have a similar feature between them. At least with her and Dominya, they shared the same nose and eye shape.
“Yes. Now, Nathan bring Thea’s horse below deck, will you?”
Nathan nodded. “Yes, Master.”
Nathan turned to Thea and nodded. Thea rubbed Hapy’s nose before hesitantly giving him Hapy’s reigns and the two marched down below deck.
“You are curious about Nathan’s relation to me, yes?” Nobius asked; Thea hadn’t uttered a single word, but she’d forgot his ability to reading minds. “Walk with me, Thea.”
Thea walked beside him and saw his arm reach out for her, wrapping it around her shoulder. She looked at his pristine manicured hand but said nothing as he started to speak.
“You see, his mother was of another dying race, an Augur Wytch, much like the Roma. There are many people, some of which are a part of the eight kingdoms, who hate all Magi. They burned many at stake and imprisoned them until they starved. They didn’t care who they killed whether it was man, woman, or child.”
“I took her and other runaway Augur under my care. I fell for her, you see. Do you know what happens when one breeds with someone not of their own race?” Thea shook her head in response.
“They become a Half-breed. Incidentally, he was cursed to be a skinwalker, a man who could turn into a beast; a Kobold and a Cryptid. They Skinwalker change every sixth month on the sixth day, with little to no control. But don’t get me wrong, I do not regret what he is, and neither does Nathan.”
Thea frowned. “But . . . That’s still terrible, what kind of god would do that to their people?”
“The kind that fathers beasts and dwells in the Nine Hells. It’s not his fault. Tell me, Thea are you aware of the story about the demon god Fenris?”
Thea froze at the mention of the name and turned to Nobius, who looked at her from the corner of his eye. She felt Hel turn her attention to the mage at the mention of her brother.
“He once reigned with the gods of The Realm, he even fathered two children what you may know as the deities Ansem and Kii. You see at one point; he wasn’t always known as the demon god and the father of beasts. Yadrohk, the creator of gods and all creation, fathered Fenris with his mistress, Natta — the goddess of night and day. But seeing that his son was a beast, he cast him aside and let his brother, Lok, raise the pup. Fenris tried to regain his father’s love, surely, but he could only create beings called Cryptids; beings born as a monster who still looked human, but were different in every way, and the gods and the Mundanes despised them.”
Thea felt an uncomfortable presence surround her but found herself unwilling to move. She couldn’t be sure if it was fear that made her stand her ground or something else entirely.
“After some years, mundanes started to become greedy and evil. The gods kept spoiling them, and Fenris, he wanted the mundanes to repent their sins. The gods, of course, shunned and mistreated him. But the more negativity that despised in the world and the Azure Reach, made Fenris increase in size every six months. They threw him down into the Hells of Abaddon, The Dark World, and they turned his children against him. So, the story goes, Fenris grew every passing day because of the sins of Mundanes and their selfish behaviors, both in the land of the living and the dead. That is what made him as he is today. The gods locked him away inside the underworld never to see the light of day.”
“And that’s why he wishes to create a better world for those who were shunned and mistreated,” Thea asked. “Were the Sons of Samuel people mistreated?”
Nobius grinned. “It seems you already know this tale.” Nobius reached out and touched the side of Thea’s neck. Thea instantly jerked and grabbed it, covering the mark.
“It is called the Ouroboros, it is his mark. Don’t worry, your secret's safe with me you have my word.”
Nobius’ honey-like voice made Thea’s skin crawl and she wondered what it was about him that made her feel uneasy.
Why did it seem like he was supporting Fenris? What more did he know about Fenris and the gods?
“I think . . . I’m going to check on, Hapy. If you don’t mind?”
“Not at all, please.” He gestured his hand out for her to take her to leave and Thea felt her body regain movement. She
did not hesitate to make a run for it.
***
Thea managed to retreat and make her way below deck. She wasn’t sure where she would be sleeping, but if it were far from Nobius, she would take it. Thea felt conflicted by what Nobius had told her, it did to some degree explain who Fenris was, but it sounded like Nobius praised him.
“Thea?”
Thea pulled away from her thoughts and saw Nathan walk toward her with a look of concern on his face.
“Are you alright?”
“Oh, yeah. I was looking for my room. Your Father – Master, I mean, didn’t tell me which.”
Nathan chuckled. “No need to get flustered, Thea. I can show you to your room if you like?”
Thea nodded and followed Nathan down the hall. Her room was the last door in the hallway and Nathan took out a key, handing it to her.
“And there you are if you need anything just come to look for me.”
“Actually . . . There is something, Nathan. If you don’t mind?”
Nathan shrugged and gave her a sheepish smile. “Ask away.”
“What is Nobius’ relation, you know, with Fenris? With the cult The Sons of Samuel?”
“Are you asking me if he is a supporter?”
Thea wrinkled her brow, unsure, and shrugged her shoulders. Nathan rubbed the back of his head in thought.
“My father, my Master, he is many things. He doesn’t like to label himself, but he supports the right cause. I’m sure he told you about my mother? She was murdered when I was just a baby. My Father could do nothing about it. Otherwise, he’d risk killing us both. Don’t you want a world where Magi can live in peace? Where they don’t have to be treated like dogs or segregated like cattle? I’m sure you know about that, that is what King Godfrey did, right?”
Thea pressed her lips together. She wasn’t sure what to think, everything he said was what she believed in. She wanted women to have rights like men. But is his cause – to have a perfect world, to acknowledge the segregation — like Fenris? Thea thought to herself as she chewed on her bottom lip.
“Hey,” Nathan called out to her, making her look into his waiting eyes. “You’re over-thinking. Just know that we’re doing something good. Magi’s and Cryptids should stick together otherwise, who will?”
Nathan reached out his hand to touch her cheek, surprising her. A shiver ran down her spine and Thea stepped away from him out of reflex.
“Um, thank you for answering my questions. I guess I just overreacted or something. I don’t have the greatest experience when it comes to Fenris.”
Nathan smiled. “Of course, we have sermons on board and in our Church at the Macey Temple in the Bastion of Amac too, The Church of the All-Father if you would like to attend.”
Thea slowly nodded. “I’ll think about it, sure.”
Quickly, Nathan leaned down, making Thea freeze. She felt his soft lips upon her skin and before she had a chance to react, he was already moving away.
“One is all, Thea. Now, get some sleep. Tomorrow starts a new day.”
Thea wanted to ask him what “one is all” meant but he was already walking away from her. She couldn’t help, however, thinking about what Nobius and Nathan had said to her. She didn’t know anything when it came to who she was or what she believed, but what if she initially thought was the wrong thing? Ideal or Truth. Is there a difference?
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Thea found herself in the middle of a battlefield, the moans of the death surrounding her.
“What’s going on?” Thea’s voiced echoed, sounding distant and far away. She walked along patches of decrepit earth that were soaked with blood and covered in the dead bodies of Kingsland’s soldiers. Thea wrapped her arms around herself, feeling an eerie chill run through her. But no matter how much she tried to cover herself, she couldn’t shake the cold. She felt it deep in her bones, wrapping around her soul and no amount of clothing would ever make her warm.
There were bodies upon bodies laid out, some were ripped apart and only left a severed limb. Thea stared at a Kingsland soldier whose dead eyes looked shocked and his face pale as if he had seen the devil himself. His lower half was missing, his intestines spilling out. She felt the bile rise in her throat. She had to swallow down the bitter taste, so she wouldn’t have to stop moving.
Thea continued to press on. There were more bodies and severed limbs. The dirt was soaked in so much blood that her toes squished in the liquid as she moved. She watched horse-drawn carriages be broken apart and lit on fire, along with several dead horses.
Thea paused, feeling her heart drop in her chest when she saw a shadow of three crosses in her path. Hanging with their arms stretched high, naked and beaten, were three men.
Thea felt the tears stream down her face. She had to cover her mouth to stifle the sobs from her throat. What is this hell? Where am I? Thea knew she couldn’t stop here so she pressed on. But the minute she walked further, she came to a halt and stared at the image that would forever taint her nightmares.
Her red, tear-stained eyes stared at the burning images of Kingsland. Thea’s lip trembled and she shook her head wildly, not believing what she was seeing.
Maggie . . . Kadda . . .
But no matter how much Thea tried calling out for her loved ones, no matter how much she wanted to run after them, she found herself frozen in place. She fell to the ground, her knees hitting the hard dirt. She ignored the mud and blood as she let out a wail that barely sounded mundane. Her tears ran like waterfalls and her throat burned like a hearth. She felt her heart breaking as if it were being shattered a million times over. Thea felt broken and she wanted nothing more than to take her own life. There was no point in living without them. She felt alone in these dead lands, leaving nothing but her hallowed screams.
She couldn’t breathe.
She found herself hyperventilating. She tried taking slow even depths, but she found it impossible to do so. She grabbed her chest, her eyes bugged out wide, but no matter how hard she tried to calm herself she only grew more delirious. Thea became lightheaded and everything around darkened; black spots danced in her vision. This is the end, Thea thought.
“Thea, you must calm down . . . Try to focus. You must focus so we can reach you!”
That voice, Thea thought. She knew she had heard it somewhere before, but her mind drew a blank.
“She isn’t waking up, what are we going to do?”
Thea tried to see who was speaking to her, but her vision had grown so dark that the only thing she saw was the blood. She knew she had heard the voices from somewhere.
“We can’t do anything. We just have to pray she’ll break free from the curse on her own...”
“Thea!”
Thea jolted from sleep. She gasped and coughed, drenched in sweat. She looked around like a wild deer, not recognizing the dark room she was in. Then, she focused on a dim orange light and the person’s face illuminated by it.
Thea gulped, pressing her hand on her chest, feeling her heart thrum wildly. “Nathan?” Thea blinked, shaking her head to clear the cobwebs that dream had left. “Is that you?”
Thea’s vision adjusted to the dark and saw Nathan’s features from the dim lamp that he held. The look of concern was hard to miss. He placed his hand on her soaked shirt, his touch making her shiver.
“Are you alright, Thea? I was patrolling through the deck when I heard you scream.”
Scream? That was right, the dream I had. But no matter how hard Thea tried to think, she couldn’t remember what it was that terrified her. All she could remember was the feeling of guilt and remorse, did someone die?
Thea had been plagued with nightmares since the night Fenris had marked her. The same night Jiran and the hope of a semi-normal life died. Usually, her nightmares were of her alone in the dark covered in blood, sometimes with a body at her feet; or, of being chased by an angry mob who had stoned her. This nightmare was new and different and that scared Thea to her core.
The
a touched her cheeks, but she didn’t feel any tears even though her eyes burned. She couldn’t understand why her eyes hurt since there were no tears on her cheeks.
“Thea?”
Thea turned to look at Nathan, forgetting that he was there, and reassured him with a smile.
“I’m alright. I think it was just jitters. I’ve never left Kingsland before, so this is all too new for me.”
He nodded and a sigh.
“Well, that’s understandable. I remember when I first boarded a ship, I was scared shitless. You have nothing to worry about though. Do you want a drink of water?”
Thea nodded. She couldn’t understand why her throat burned immensely.
“Yes, please . . . Can I come with you? You know, to get some fresh air.”
“Of course, this way,” he said and extended his hand out to her. As soon as Thea touched his hand, she felt a sudden jolt run up her arm while Nathan helped her out of bed.
***
“So . . . the Church of the All-Father, what do guys speak about?” Thea asked Nathan. The breeze was refreshing against Thea’s skin and it cooled her throat. She gripped the ceramic cup, half-filled with water, and stared out into the dark ocean. Thea couldn’t see the bottom of the dark and choppy waters. The brief image of falling overboard, wading in the dark waters made her shiver and want to throw up. She dimly wondered if that was a vision. She turned away from the churning waters and leaned her back against the ship’s side, looking at Nathan.
“Well, we speak of many things. There’s a service at sunrise that we have on deck. Everyone on the ship comes together where they express their hopes, their dreams and how it was all ripped away from them because of the way they were born.”
Thea brought the ceramic cup to her lips and took tentative sips as she listened to Nathan speak.
“You see, The All-Father, knows all our troubles, even our sins, but he wants us all to come together, so we know that we are never alone. When you get to Bastion of Amac and speak to the people there, they’ll tell you how they lost loved ones or watched them die to those who hated Magi’s. At least together in a place where magic exists and thrives, no one ever has to be afraid.”