Game of Survival

by T R Tells

  “I think they’ll be out of your hair.” Clovis joked and followed Shiva into the hut.

  Inside was a giant fire pit in the middle of the longhouse with several throw pillows surrounding it. The entire structure of the longhouse was held up by large, thick bronze poles that propped into the ground. There was even a throne made from pure gold that sat several meters from the pit. Shiva walked over to the throne and took a seat, crossing one leg over the other.

  “Do you suppose you can put on a shirt? I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable in your own home, Shiva.”

  Shiva chuckled to herself and waved her hands. “You are truly a modest man, Clovis. I’ve always had a soft spot for you because you’ve never wronged me, not once.”

  A person came from behind Clovis, and he moved out the way to let the girl past.

  Unlike the other dark-skinned women that were there, this woman’s skin was pale with a slight tan. Her long, brown hair went to her back and she was carrying clothing in her hands, bringing them to Shiva. When Clovis saw her face, he couldn’t help but find something familiar in her dark brown eyes. At first, he thought they had crossed paths during his escapades as a pirate or she was a woman he had once met, but nothing came to him.

  “Well, it seems I might have been wrong about you, then?” Shiva teased, breaking Clovis out of his thoughts and turning to look at the mischievous grin on Shiva’s face. “It seems that you favor cream-colored, yes?”

  Clovis shook his head. “I don’t see color; you know that Shiva. I just . . . what is your maiden’s name? I feel as if I know her from somewhere, but I can’t tell from where.”

  Shiva looked up at the brown-haired girl, who looked to be in her mid-twenties, but despite her youth, she had a motherly air about her.

  “Well, go on, you can answer him,” Shiva told the young woman. “We had saved her some years ago. My daughter was also taken.”

  I thought someone was missing. “What do you mean taken?”

  “That’s what I wanted to ask of you, Clovis. If my Shaman helps you find Audalai will you find my daughter, Hati, as well?”

  “Of course, I probably would have done it anyway. You know that, Shiva . . .” Clovis told her. For the first time since he arrived, he noticed the deep circles under her eyes and wondered if she had been getting any sleep.

  “Dominya is a Roma and for the time being she is my Shaman, ever since we’ve saved her. She’s been living here, not as a prisoner, but she claims to have escaped from the Bastion of Amac. And you know as well as I do that no one inhabits much of that place anymore. I don’t imprison women, but you see how I am suspect of the situation. You may tell the rest, dear.”

  Dominya cleared her throat and looked at Clovis, who briefly saw an Amber iris surrounding her eye.

  “I don’t remember everything when I left the Bastion of Amac. The mages used a spell to wipe our memories and spelled the entire perimeter to make us see something that is no longer there. I can only briefly remember faces of Hati and the women you know as Audalai.”

  “Show me!” Clovis shouted and gripped his hands into a tight fist. “You need something of hers for the vision, right?”

  Quickly from Clovis’ pocket, he removed a turquoise necklace that looked like a seashell and held it in the air. Dominya turned to look at Shiva, who nodded. The moment Dominya touched Clovis’ hands, she froze. Her body went completely rigid, and her eyes turned a bright Amber. Dominya had a vision.

  It was brief and blurry, but she saw the stone castle of a prison, not a monastery. She could see two girls oblivious to everything around them as they laughed. One with green hair and the other with long, twisted locks. But there was a third girl, Dominya could recognize her even after all these years. She felt a tear trickle down her cheek before she was pulled out of the vision.

  Dominya let go of the amulet and backed away from Clovis, who stared at her confused as she gasped. Shiva stood from her throne ready to calm her down if needed but Dominya shook her head and looked at Clovis.

  “I saw her, Audalai, she is at the Bastion of Amac with Hati. They are prisoners,” she said turning around to look at Shiva. She looked back at Clovis who had a smile on his face. “But there’s something that I don’t quite understand . . .”

  Clovis waved his hand at her. “And that is?”

  “Visions are only able to see others when they have something of that person or . . . have been in contact with that person. My question to you, Clovis is this: I saws my sister, Thea, I hadn’t seen her since she was eight years old, but the moment I touched your hand I saw her as clear as day, why is that?”

  Thea? That’s why this girl was familiar to me.

  “I met her, four years ago, and if you saw her now with Audalai and Hati . . . That means all three girls are alive. I’m going to get them back.”

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Clovis instantly turned on his heel and went out the way he came, not wanting to waste so much as a second if Audalai was in danger. He saw his crew was where he left them, and Lucinda was the first to notice him as he approached her.

  “Captain?”

  “I know where Audalai is being held.”

  The look on Lucinda’s face was one of confusion as she furrowed her brows and tilted her head slightly to the side. “You are sure, Captain?” though not at all questioning his judgment. The serious and sure look in his eye was enough to prove to her after so many years, he had found where she was located. “But what do you mean being held? Is she a hostage somewhere?”

  Before Clovis could respond to his eager crew mate, a voice called out to him. Clovis turned to see that Dominya was approaching.

  “What is it that I can do for you?”

  “I want you to take me with you. I won’t take any if, ands, or buts. Shiva has already given me her blessing to leave with you since she trusts you enough to come back.”

  Clovis smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. “What makes you think you’ll be up to the challenge? Have you ever been on a ship before? Or faced untold peril? This isn’t a walk in the park, you could die.”

  “And that’s a risk I am willing to take. Thea is my sister. I practically raised her, you should understand what I feel because I bet you have risked your life, time and time again, to find Audalai. You wouldn’t care if you were going through Hell itself. When you love someone, you go through the far reaches to do anything for them.”

  Dominya’s steadfast determination and aura was like a raging fire. Clovis could feel the power in her words as if she was using her Intuition magic. She was right that he had gone through hell and back, time and time again, to find Audalai and nothing anyone said diverted his mind or, his heart from saving her.

  “You truly love her, don’t you?”

  “Of course, I do. She’s my sister, my blood. I knew I should have listened the first time I heard Kii and Ansem calling for me, telling me and sending me images that she was alive. But I was far too weak after and it drained of too much of my magic. I thought I was delirious, but I will not make the same mistake again.”

  “Well,” Clovis sighed, with a casual shrug and smirk. “I hope you can handle yourself, Roma. It’s going to be a dangerous adventure.”

  Dominya smirked and her eyes turned bright amber. “Trust me, I can.”

  ***

  Three days.

  That was how long it would take for them to reach the Bastion of Amac, and Clovis feared that the longer it took to reach Audalai and the others, the more negative thoughts crossed his mind.

  No, they’ll be fine, she’ll be fine. She’s been fine for years. Clovis’ negativity was replaced by determination.

  “Man, the sails and raise the hatch, we’ve got a new course set!”

  “Where to, Captain?” Ezekiel yelled, at the helm.

  “To the Bastion of Amac.”

  ***

  Magic was strong and powerful, especially between Roma. The positivity energy that spewed from out of Dominya and
Clovis was able to connect to Thea’s connection. The power might have been small, but it was enough to force Hel out of Thea, leaving her disoriented and dizzy, pulling out of her hypnotic state. “What happened?” Thea tried to call out, but it felt like the words just died in her throat. Her vision started to get blurry — the dark, gray colors began to bleed back in. Thea frowned as she squinted her eyes, looking up at the ominous clouds.

  Thea’s heart dropped in her chest. What’s going on! She screamed into her thoughts, hoping that someone would answer her pleas, but neither Hel nor the voices spoke up — leaving Thea alone with her agony, the color around her washing out.

  And then, she heard a familiar voice. A voice she listened to a long time ago in a dream that distinctly started to form into a female and a male’s voice.

  “Thea, can you hear us? Can you hear us, Thea?” The voice, feminine and kind, called out to her in worry.

  Thea felt sucked in a breath and wiped her face that soaked with tears.

  I can hear you! I-I can hear you, Kii!

  “Ansem, we’ve finally reached her!” Kii’s ecstatic voice rang through Thea’s ears. It was the most melodic sound she had heard in a long time.

  “Oh, thank the Azure Reach that we found you in time!” Ansem breathed out a sigh of relief.

  Found me in time? Thea asked. She didn’t understand. Found me in time for what?

  “There’s no time to explain. You are in danger, Thea. The man you know as Nobius has been lying to you, he means to drain your magic, and the magic from the rest of the girls here,” Ansem said hurriedly.

  Kii simply replied with hum, agreeing with her brother. “You are only here as a sacrificial lamb and if we don’t get you out of here, you will die.”

  The thought of her death was a wakeup call to Thea. She felt a pounding in her head, and she felt like she was being forcibly restrained. But after a moment, the aching pain in her skull disappeared. Instead, she heard the solemn voice of Ansem telling her to open her eyes.

  The colorful, bustling marketplace was sudden gray and empty. Not a soul was in sight and the stalls were nothing but ruins. The idle chatter that came with the people was gone. Thea was sitting in a grim land, devoid of life. She couldn’t believe that she’d was tricked into seeing a beautiful, busy landscape.

  “A-Audalai and Hati, I won’t leave them behind. How can we get off this island?”

  “We think we can get back in contact with another Roma,” Kii told her. “Now that you have broken through Nobius’ spell it will only be a matter of time before he senses someone broke free of his control.”

  “In other words,” Ansem told her, “We’ll be your eyes and ears. Follow our lead, don’t get caught.”

  ***

  Dominya was below deck in the sleeping quarters of the ship. She had asked what she could do to aid Clovis and his men, but he had told her that, for now, she should preserve her power. To her astonishment, Clovis had said that excessive use of a Roma’s energy could limit their life force. How had I not known that? It had seemed like there was more to her kind that she didn’t know about. It made her think about what Thea had gone through, without knowledge of who she was or any guidance. The last that time she had seen her was when she was face down in the dirt after she had been knocked out with the butt of Mar Donias’ sword.

  While it made Dominya relieved that Clovis had seen Thea, not knowing the kind of person he was, left Dominya worried that her sister had been through things beyond what she could handle.

  “I can’t think that way. She’s a Frey, after all, and a Roma. We keep trying and fighting surviving.” Remembering the last words that she had told her sister before she was taken.

  “Dominya, can I come in?” A voice said from outside the door.

  “Uh, yes. Come in.”

  “Can you open the door? It’s Eileen.”

  For a moment, Dominya had to remember who Eileen was until she remembered the small blue haired Fae that Clovis had introduced herself to when she boarded the ship.

  “Oh! One moment,” she quickly said and opened the door. Eileen flew in and hovered a foot away from Dominya’s face. “Hi, again. Sorry about that, I’m not used to being around other races.”

  “That’s alright. You would be one of the first Roma I’ve seen in a long while. Anyway, Captain Clovis wanted me to see if you wanted anything to eat. Whatever you want, Emma will make it up.”

  “Thank you, I think I will take a—” Before Dominya could finish what she was saying, she felt a shiver run up her spine and instantly her vision blacked out. Eileen saw her eyes turn amber — Dominya had a vision.

  The moment that Dominya opened her eyes, her vision was slightly blurry, and her surroundings were foggy. Where am I? Dominya thought, she started walking carefully along the gravel through the misty atmosphere.

  “You’re in the Bastion of Amac,” a disembodied voice said. “The magic barrier surrounding the island prohibits visions and communication links. So, we’ll need to hurry.” Dominya looked around and behind her trying to see where the voice had come from.

  Who are you? Dominya asked, and in just a few seconds, two figures appeared before her. They both looked like a male and female with pale skin and bright blue hair. Kii? And -

  “Ansem. It’s nice to meet you, Dominya finally. We’ve been trying to contact you for so long.”

  “Thea will be glad that you are alive and well,” Kii said. The moment Dominya heard her sister’s name, her heart accelerated, and her breath quickened.

  You’ve seen my sister? Is she alive? Is she well? She knew that she might have sounded frantic, shouting at the deities who she had prayed to since she was little, but knowing that her baby sister was really and truly alive was enough to bring tears to her eyes.

  “She is,” Ansem responded to her with a nod, “But she won’t be for long. The man you know as Nobius—”

  Nobius? Dominya spat with annoyance. What the hell did that bastard do to my sister? She was tightening her hands into fists, she could feel her magic flaring, and her eyes were glowing.

  “Nothing yet. We’ve broken her free from the spell, and she’s playing it off. But we won’t be able to hold the spell off for long.”

  Dominya, trying to steady her anger, was breathing in and out deeply through her nose. “I’m with a man named Clodovicus and his crew. We should be at the Bastion of Amac in three, maybe two days if we make haste.”

  Ansem and Kii looked at each other briefly before nodding.

  “We should be able to protect her until then. When you get to the border of the Bastion of Amac, you must know that the perimeter is spelled. No one can bypass it unless they are Magi. Come with a small party and we can guide you and the man Clodovicus into the Bastion of Amac’s borders.”

  Dominya nodded, understanding that what was at stake was a matter of life and death.

  I’ll let him know.

  Kii nodded, “Good. Now we must be going. We don’t want anyone to find us out just yet.”

  Are Hati and Audalai alright? Dominya quickly asked. She remembered they did not follow her when she was tried to escape. She didn’t have time to snap them out of the spell and get herself out safely. While she had been a prisoner, those two reminded her of Thea and she felt a closeness to them.

  “They are fine, yes,” Kii told her, answering her worries.

  “Thea is devising a plan to escape, don’t worry. She’s a survivor.”

  Dominya felt the smile reach her face, Survivor. Whatever she had been through, good or bad, it still didn’t break her spirit to lie there and die. She was proud of her baby sister; she had achieved so much and all without her.

  “Be wary of a storm coming your way . . . I’m not sure when, but I can feel it,” Kii told her before she left. Dominya wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but she nodded in understanding as her vision slowly began to fade.

  When Dominya came out of the vision, she found herself lying on the bed, staring up at Clovis a
nd Eileen’s worried face.

  “Dominya, are you alright? Eileen rushed to me immediately. She said that your eyes turned amber. You had a vision?”

  Dominya gave him a small nod. “I did. Ansem and Kii came to me. They broke Thea from a spell that surrounds the Bastion of Amac’s perimeter.”

  “Around the perimeter, you say? I know some rumors were going on about them guarding their island, but this confirms it.” Clovis was scowling, angry with himself that he never even thought to check Bastion of Amac.

  “They said to come as a small party, that only Magi can penetrate the walls.”

  “Then there’s no doubt that you’re coming with us. Eileen, you’ll be with Dominya and aid her if she needs it.” Clovis ordered, the determination set in his eyes.

  Eileen saluted to him. “Aye, aye, Captain. I’ll let the others know to full speed ahead; we can make there within two days!”

  In a blur of blue particles, Eileen sped off, leaving Clovis and Dominya alone.

  “Did they . . . mention Audalai?”

  The look in his eyes made Dominya’s heart clench in her chest. She had a feeling that the teary-eyed look of pain, love, and determination in his eyes was the same way she looked when she thought of her sister.

  “Yes, she’s fine. Both she and Hati are. Thea is devising an escape plan, they said. They’re protecting her, Ansem and Kii.”

  “Good, Good,” Clovis muttered. “She’s a really smart kid, she is. A real leader and . . .” Clovis knew that it wasn’t the perfect time to tell her, but he knew she needed to know the conditions Thea had been in when he’d seen her. She was her sister after all and Clovis had felt guilty for some months. “There are some things you should know, Dominya, about Thea and how I found her—”

  “Wait, don’t finish your sentence,” Dominya interrupted him. Clovis looked at her in confusion. “I know, realistically, that my sister must have gone through hell. There’s a lot that I don’t know, and I don’t want to know; but, I know my sister is strong and brave. She has two deities looking out for her and Aesir knows whatever else. She’s fought and survived as I told her to, but she’s grown so much that looking at the past will only dent and stunt her growth. Good or bad, I am proud of her.”