by CM Raymond
The kid’s eyes cut suspiciously back to the guard and then to his friend Aysa. Stepping in close to her, he whispered, “Don’t believe them. They’re all in it together. Our guard has been compromised, they’ve become traitors working for—”
Aysa interrupted him. “Kofken. We know. Dardanus helped to figure it out. If he were working for the other tribe we’d all be dead or behind bars.”
Samet shook his head, and sat hard on the deck. “You don’t understand. They weren’t working for Kofken.”
Dardanus’s face turned grave. “What do you mean? Who was behind all of this?”
Samet looked up at the big man. “It was Vatan.”
Everyone fell silent. The shock of Samet’s revelation like a punch to the stomach. Finally, Hannah couldn’t hold it in any longer. “That bitch!”
Aysa looked like she was going to explode. “I’ll kill her!”
“But why?” Dardanus said. “I don’t understand.”
Samet opened his mouth, but then his face turned white. “There’s no time. We have to get back to Baseek immediately. My father’s life is in danger.”
“Shit! Hannah yelled. “Vatan was ‘keeping an eye’ on Parker and the others. There’s no telling what she did to them.”
Dardanus moved to the side of the ship. The threat on his chief’s life propelling him. “If we run, we can make it back to Baseek by sundown.”
Hannah grabbed his shoulder. “Don’t worry. You’re on the Unlawful now. We’ll make it back well before nightfall.”
****
As Karl ran off into the night shouting obscenities at the men who chased him, Parker couldn’t help but laugh at the rearick’s creativity. He certainly invented new ways to talk about the guards’ mothers. Looking back at the chief’s hut, he found two men had stayed behind to protect their leader.
“Well, he cleared most of the path,” he said to Hadley by his side. “But I don’t expect our friend’s little legs will be able to outrun the Baseeki for long. Those guys are made for speed.”
“And the rearick, well, aren’t.” Hadley laughed. “But Karl can take care of himself. I imagine by the time they catch him, we’ll either have this whole thing cleared up, or we’ll be in the same kind of trouble.”
Parker stood and drew his spear from his back. “Let’s do this. I’ll take the bigger one. Just make sure we make it as quiet as possible—don’t want any additional company.”
Hadley grabbed his shoulder before he could step out of the shadows of the alley. “Whatta ya say we fight smarter, not harder?”
The mystics eyes flashed white right before he disappeared. Parker nodded and smiled. “Nice. But what about me?”
He felt a hand grip his arm. Looking down, he didn’t see the arm that grabbed him—or his own.
“I wouldn’t leave you out of the fun, friend,” Hadley whispered. “Now, let’s go. But be ready when it’s time.”
“How will I know it’s time?”
“You’ll know,” Hadley said with a chuckle.
The invisible hand gave him a tug, and Parker walked, hoping they were keeping pace with one another. Crossing the quiet, village street, he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of trouble he would have gotten himself into if he had the ability to disappear.
Invisibility would have certainly made their life of hustling on the streets of the Boulevard easier, granted, but no less illegal. A few other unseemly things came to mind, and he decided that the mystics were all more morally upright than he would ever be.
Just feet away from the guards, Parker could hear the men breathing as their eyes scanned the perimeter. They were smart enough to know a potential rouse when they saw one. Both men remained on high alert, but not high enough to realize the real threat was only a stride away.
“Now,” Hadley said.
The guards’ eyes went wide as the mystic dropped the magic that made he and Parker invisible. Landing a fist to one man’s face, Hadley dropped his man before he could respond.
Parker wasn’t quite as ready for it.
“The hell!” the other guard yelled as he reached out and grabbed Parker by the cloak.
Pushing his hands up between them, Parker shoved the guard, breaking his hold and slamming him against the door of the hut. Before the man could right himself, Parker swung the butt of his spear up, knocking the guard out cold.
“Why the hell didn’t we just knock them out when we were invisible?” His eyes narrowed on Hadley.
“Hardly seems fair, does it?” Hadley gave him a grin and walked through the door.
The chief’s hut was simple. Its open floor plan expanded from a general living space into a dining area where Sef stood behind the table, a set of bolas hanging from his side.
“What the hell is this all about?” He immediately reached for his weapon. “I’ve not used one of these since I was a younger man, but I still know how they work, you treacherous bastards. I never should have trusted you.”
Even with his words drenched in scorn, the man’s face, red and puffy, still looked more jolly than angry.
Parker slung his spear and held up his hands. “Cool it, boss. We’re only here to help.”
“Were you here to help them?” Sef nodded to the men unconscious on the other side of the doorway.
Parker shrugged. “Fair point. But really, just sit down—”
“I will do no such thing. I wanted to believe in you and the magician, but now I know the truth.” He spun the bola by his side. Eyes narrowed, his kind demeanor all but gone. “I expect that I will not take you both, but before I am through, in the name of my son, I will take one of you bastards with me!”
Hadley held his right hand up toward the table, and his eyes flashed with the magic inside of him. An image appeared of Vatan, walking through her house.
“What the devil is this?” Sef spat.
“Let me show you more,” Hadley said. “Then you can make your decision.”
Keeping his hands high, Hadley crossed the room, weaving around the table. Without asking for permission, he grabbed Sef’s free hand. His eyes flashed again, and the chief shouted. Hadley, letting the man into his head, replayed the scene he had experienced earlier that night. He could hear her humming with glee.
“Vatan?” he whispered.
“It is,” Hadley replied. “Now, this is what she is thinking.”
An image came into Sef’s mind, blurry at first. But in a second’s time, it sharpened into a clear image of his son bound, a black arrow of Kofken lodged in his stomach, blood pouring from its entry point. Samet’s face was drawn and white as a ghost. Then it turned into a picture of Sef, dead on the ground.
Sef gasped. “You monster, why are you doing this to me?”
Hadley let the image go. Taking one step back from the distraught father, he said, “I’m sorry. You need to see the truth. This is not some fantasy; I’ve never seen your son. It is all from her mind.”
“But…” Sef mumbled. “So, he’s gone?”
“No,” Parker jumped into the conversation. “We don’t think he is. Hadley believes this is just Vatan imagining what is going to happen. Don’t worry, Hannah will save him.”
“You bet your skinny Arcadian ass she will,” a voice said from the doorway.
They all turned to see Hannah standing at the threshold, Dardanus behind her and Samet at her side.
“Father!” the boy shouted as he sped across the room and into Sef’s big, beefy arms.
“My son, my son,” the chief said, over and over again with tears streaming down his chubby face. “I thought… I thought I might never see you again.”
Hannah chimed in, “OK, what the hell is going on here? Why did I just see Karl running around the city with his ass hanging out?”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
They all sat around Sef’s table and shared their stories, trying to piece together the tales of deceit. With only a small amount of protest, Gregory and Sal were left aboard the Unlawful and told to move
it safely out of range. Ezekiel wanted to come meet the chief, but couldn’t risk any more danger to the airship.
Hannah basically had to pull Laurel off of Gregory when they dropped down near the village.
Dardanus stood as he spoke, sharing all the details of their quest to find Samet, and the way in which their journey led them to the lookout shelter sitting over Kofken.
“We believed it was Kofken that decided to break the peace with us,” he said, “but now that I know it was members of our own guard, I’m not sure what to think.”
Sef shook his head. “Kofken may still have had a role to play in all of this, but I doubt it. Our true enemy was by my side this whole time.”
Samet nodded. “It was Vatan. She wanted to draw as many guards away from the village as possible so she could kill my father without resistance. Then, with the village in an uproar over our deaths at the hands of Kofken assassins, she would be the strong leader that Baseek turned to.”
Parker exhaled. “That hag is the worst. But I have to admit, it’s a pretty solid plan—despite the sociopathic nature of it, I mean.”
Sef nodded, his face was filled with concern. “Indeed. I let her get too close. Never saw that her lust for power was larger than I imagined. Being second wasn’t enough. She was willing to kill us, to push us toward war for her own gain.”
Ezekiel placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Trust me, it can happen to the best of us.”
The room grew quiet, filled with the gravity of a village betrayed by one they thought would sacrifice her life for them.
“Scheisse, you rock throwing, long-armed, imbecile sons of bitches, let me go!” the familiar gruff voice shouted from the doorway.
The group turned to see Karl, red in the face and panting from exhaustion, being pulled in by four of the Baseeki guards.
Hannah, not being able to hold it in, began to laugh good and hard. She felt the joy from Karl’s annoyance rush through her. The rest of the room joined in.
His face grew brighter red. “Aye, yer sittin’ here talkin’ while I’m out doin’ all the work.” He turned to the chief. “Tell these bitches to get their bloody hands off a me.”
Sef laughed and raised a hand. “Nice work, my men. But the rearick is our friend, and for all of life he will be. Let him go and fetch a bottle for him and one for the rest of us.”
Karl straightened his cloak, pulling his leather vest down straight. He cast a dirty look at Parker. “Were you gonna tell him to call his dogs off or what?”
Grinning, Parker pointed at Karl’s gut, pushing against the leather. “Thought you could use a mile or two under your belt today, Karl. Would be good for you after so many days on the airship.”
The guards set a bottle and a glass in front of him. Skipping the glass, he put the bottle to his lips, tilting it and sucking in the ale as fast as it would come. After a good minute, he pulled it away, belched, and raised a middle finger to Parker. “Well, screw you and yer little work out, laddie.”
They all laughed again as Karl turned for more of the bitter drink.
Finally, Samet spoke again. “Father, what about Vatan?”
“Indeed,” he said, nodding to his son. Then he turned to Dardanus, who was just settling into the table. “Do not get comfortable. The work of the captain is never over.” He pointed to the men that had brought Karl into his hut. “Take these men and go find the traitor. I imagine by now she is miles away, but I want her laying at my feet as soon as possible.”
Dardanus smiled and nodded. “As always, I am at your service, sir.” Turning to Aysa, he said, “Think you have one more adventure in you tonight?”
Aysa gasped. “Do you mean it?”
“I sure do. You’ve proven yourself a fine warrior and a shrewd judge. I could use your help.” Dardanus left with Aysa by his side and the men behind them.
Sef then called for a porter from another room. The man stood in the doorway, waiting for his orders. “My son was gone, now he has returned. Wake the town and prepare the beach for the kutlam. We will celebrate until the sun arrives and sets again!”
“Kutlam?” Hannah asked.
Samet looked at her, confusion on his face. “You don’t have kutlam?”
She laughed. “Sounds like a disease.”
The boy smiled, which she hadn’t yet seen from him. “The furthest from a sickness. It’s the word we reserve for a party… a party of the highest order. You’ll love it!”
Sef turned to Hadley. “Your powers are impressive, mystic. I’m wondering if, while the kutlam is prepared, you would flatter me with one more task.”
Hadley stood and bowed to the chief. “It is an honor to serve at your pleasure, sir.”
Karl belched and laughed. “Careful, pretty boy. Never know what this one wants when he’s feelin’ festive.”
Ignoring the rearick, Sef said, “Good. Come with me. The rest of you can take your time to rest and clean up. We have a long night ahead of us!”
Sef left with Hadley at his hip. Hannah looked around the room at her friends back together again and couldn’t stop smiling.
****
Hannah stared at the ceiling, flat on her back, in the little room that Sef had given her for the night. The Baseek community outside the hut was electric with excitement for the village-wide party that was about to happen down on the beach, and she was just happy to have a few minutes alone to close her eyes and regain her strength.
It had been a hell of a few days, and, although they had only wanted to take a stop to stretch their legs, the fact they had made a difference for a little out of the way village made her happy. It made her wonder how many calamities they had passed over since their departure from Arcadia.
She thought about Ezekiel and his failed attempts to connect with Lilith. While she had no idea what the entire mission was really about, she trusted him that it was necessary. And, in times like these, she imagined that their work might usher in a time of global peace—a world-wide kutlam, which might carry on forever.
The door squeaked as it opened, and Hannah jumped, the dagger that Karl had given her a lifetime ago, at the ready.
She relaxed as she saw the gentle eyes of Parker staring through the crack in the door.
“Am I interrupting anything?” he asked.
“Yes, you son of a bitch! Get the hell out of here.”
He nodded, then slowly backed away.
“I’m shitting you,” Hannah said, scooting across the bed toward the stone wall. She patted the empty space next to her. “Come join me.”
Parker looked down at his feet and then back at her. He pulled the door closed behind him and crossed the room, easing himself into the empty spot on the bed. He laid his head on a pillow, his nose inches from hers.
“Welcome,” she said with a smile. “Hopefully your mom doesn’t know you’re here.”
“She always liked you.” Parker smiled. “Even though you were a bad influence on me.”
Hannah’s mind wandered back to their life before Ezekiel. It was easy to divide life that way. BE and AE, that was the way she considered things. “I’m sure that’s how she saw it.”
He laughed. “Probably. She’d be shocked to know it was actually the other way around.” He paused for a moment, and they just looked into each other’s eyes, neither of them blinking. “I’m glad you’re back,” he said, finally breaking the comfortable silence.
“Me, too,” she said. “I much prefer to kick ass with you by my side. Then I know I can always save your butt if you need me to.”
He laughed, though he knew she was telling the truth. “We had it easy. I mostly just sat in a jail cell and watched Karl get shitfaced. Felt kind of bad with you out there risking your neck with a bunch of long arms.”
Hannah smiled and nestled her head further into her pillow. “It was nothing. And this new girl, Aysa…”
“Oh, you have a little crush?”
“Maybe. She’s pretty damned cool. Reminds me of us when we were out
there hustling. Lost her parents a few years back, and now she doesn’t fit in anywhere.”
Parker laughed. “Sounds like our kind of girl.”
“Yeah.” She smiled and closed her eyes, an image of Gregory and Laurel on the deck came to mind, causing her to laugh.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Hannah said. “Just thinking of…” She trailed off.
“Thinking of what?”
“I wish you were there. When we got back to the ship, Laurel and Gregory, they…”
“Yeah?”
“As soon as boots were on the deck, those two were sucking face like their lives depended on it.” She giggled.
“Sounds nice,” Parker said.
Hannah’s eyes snapped open, a grin on Parker’s face met her. “Is that right?” she asked.
“It’s very right. I mean, they’ve known it was coming for a while. They weren’t stupid, after all.”
“Yeah,” Hannah whispered. “Because it would be altogether stupid for two people to know they want it and to hold themselves back, right?”
“That is so right,” he said.
She froze, waiting for Parker to make the move, but he was like a statue.
Screw it, she thought as she leaned in and planted her lips on his.
He melted immediately, like he had been waiting for this for years. She felt his warm tongue against hers. They kissed, just like that, for what felt like a lifetime.
But it couldn’t last forever.
The noise from the party outside grew louder, and Hannah pulled away. “We’ll, um, be expected at the beach.”
Parker laughed. “Like you’ve ever done what’s expected of you.”
He pulled her in, and they kissed for another lifetime.
****
Torches laced the night sky, competing with the full moon overhead as Hannah and Parker walked down to the shoreline, hand in hand. Her heart raced, faster than in any battle against an enemy. Her eyes traced the waves on the water.
“I’ve never seen it before, you know,” she said.
“The ocean? Me neither. It goes on forever.”
“At least as far as we can see. It’s like magic. I can’t see where it ends, but it’s gotta have its own limits.”