by LJ Andrews
“What kind of magic is this,” he said pointing above his head. “How can those lights stay in place like that?”
Atlas furrowed his brow and looked over his shoulder at Nova in confusion. She shrugged, just as unsure at Chipper’s odd behavior.
“What are you talking about Chip?” Atlas asked. “The stars?”
Chipper’s head rolled lazily so he could look at Atlas. “Who’s Chip?” He looked to both sides, and picked up one of the leaves on the shrubs. Putting the dark plant in his mouth he chewed dreamily as if never tasting anything so delicious. “Where is this place? Who is Chip?” he repeated.
Atlas glared back at Nova. “What did you do to him?”
“Nothing,” she demanded through clenched teeth.
“Bloodsnap,” Kale said, emerging from his concealed tree. “He said this clearing is surrounded by it, I’d bet my life that’s what he fell in.”
Atlas carefully reached for one of the leaves and rolled it under his nose. In frustration, he tossed the dark plant and shook his head. “You’re right. Chipper’s out of his lovin’ mind. Look at his arms, completely mangled by the thorns. What have you done? Smythe will kill you,” he said to Nova.
Nova huffed and folded her arms across her chest, rage fueling her words. The darkness was seeping into her, slowly, but without much resistance from her.
“I didn’t do it! I was ready for him to murder me in cold blood, so he had it coming, if you ask me, and I certainly appreciate your concern for my safety,” she raged, picking up the messenger bag and throwing it over her shoulder.
“I saw the entire thing. He attacked her.” Kale said suddenly. Nova stared at him, her mouth open in surprise.
“Stay out of this,” Atlas snarled. “You aren’t even part of the crew.”
“Consider me part of the crew,” Kale said, bowing slightly as if introducing himself.
“You defend him,” Nova seethed looking at Chipper staring blankly at the stars again, “but not me?”
“Nova,” Atlas whispered. “You’re losing control, let it go.” He reached his hand out hesitantly, but she backed away.
“No, I wasn’t until you came,” she said, though she felt the darkness simmering and tepidness returning. “I don’t know why I fight it, the more I try to stay me, the more others bring out this…this curse. Maybe I should let it take over, then as Taylor said I would be unstoppable.”
His eyes watched her, but there was no apology in them, only frustration and his own anger. Atlas shook his head, as if disappointed in who she was becoming.
“Don’t do this Nova, this isn’t you,” he said, but it wasn’t concern, it sounded more like a warning.
Nova took a deep breath and without another word she turned and left the three men alone afraid they would see how frightened she truly was.
Nova cast off the dock in one of the skiffs and rowed quickly to the Vengeance. She rushed to the sleeping quarters and hid her face in her scratchy blanket tucked against the corner. Fear of Smythe filled her head. What if he did kill her? She couldn’t deny she’d fought Chipper and he’d ended up losing his senses, but would he believe Kale as a witness?
After a long time worrying, Nova left her mattress and wandered along the main deck breathing in the fresh air and watching the brilliant stars. Slowly, one by one the crew returned to the ship, too drunk to even notice her.
After a final glance at the endless sky, she left to return to her bed. As she approached the stairs she nearly ran into Smythe who was walking up from the crew’s quarters. It was strange; the captain never went below deck.
“Ah, miss Nova. Ye had quite a night on Pierata Island as I hear it,” Smythe’s eyes twinkled mischievously.
Nova took a deep breath and stood straight. “Sir, please understand he attacked me. He told me I didn’t belong on the crew, and ⸺ˮ
Smythe held up a hand to silence her. “Aye, our newest crewman told me everything he saw.”
Thank you Kale, she thought.
“Chipper be useless now, but another ship took him as their burden, so ye won’t have to see the likes of him on board anymore. Try to keep the fightin’ to a minimum from now on lass,” he said. Nova studied him warily, unsure why he was taking the situation so lightly. Smythe cleared his throat and pushed passed her. “We arrive at Koning in two days’ time. I can’t have ye losin’ focus on what yer really here for.”
Smythe’s face was dark and serious as he turned to leave. She released a long, shaky breath before walking down the steps.
To her surprising disappointment, Atlas wasn’t at her bed. Her heart hammered in sadness. It would seem she was on her own for the night. As she sat on the straw pillow, she eyed the messenger bag next to her bed.
Her breath caught, the flap was opened! Quickly she ruffled through the bag, cursing herself for foolishly leaving it alone. She was sick as she pulled her hand out. The dagger, it was gone.
Chapter 18
Sky of Monsters
Stifling humidity surrounded the dark ship as Smythe’s crew carefully meandered through a treacherous sky. Island debris was common amongst the edges of Launi, but particularly so near the king’s island.
Nova held tightly to a thick rope which burned her palms as it slipped her grip over and over. Three pirates stood behind her, each an extra step back. Word had spread like a raging river through the ship about the “female fighting Chipper” and in the days since they’d left Pierata Island, no one had said a threatening word to her.
Nova scoffed at the irony. She’d waited day after day for the crew to give her the respect she believed she deserved, yet now that they’d silenced their taunts, the only thing consuming her thoughts was worry over the lost dagger.
Taylor was just as concerned as she was, and he’d spent their early morning sessions helping her scour the ship’s numerous decks and hidden nooks, but no dagger.
Nova pulled the rope again, seeing the sail above them become taut in the hot breeze. The feeling of eyes on her caused her to turn; Atlas was staring at her from the helm. His face seemed sad, yet hardened in a strange way. He wasn’t as concerned about the lost dagger as she and Taylor. In fact, Atlas seemed almost relieved it was gone.
Smythe stood behind him, stroking the raven’s beak and watching the line of broken island bits through his spyglass.
“Take her due west,” he instructed the crew.
Atlas rotated the great helm four notches to the port side and held the ship steady. Nova and the other men behind her loosened the slack on the sails. She held her breath as the Vengeance slithered carefully past a cluster of angry, jagged stones threatening to obliterate their hull.
“Hold her steady,” Smythe shrieked. The crew tensed in all their different stations as they obeyed.
The humid air stilled as sudden as a lighting flash in a thunderstorm. The Vengeance suddenly swayed and pitched in the rough sky, and the canvas sails billowed before falling like limp blankets on the masts. Silence swallowed the ship and sent shivers down Nova’s spine. The sky was darkening quickly, but it was the lack of any breeze that was unusual.
Whispers hissed along deck as the pirates grew uneasy at the sudden change.
“We should come about, Cap’n,” Master Kane shouted from the center of the main deck. “The Vengeance is stilled in dangerous skies. Defenseless. Sir, we don’t even know where we be going.”
“Shut it,” Smythe snarled. “We be fine. Now keep to yer posts.”
Smythe stared ahead through the spyglass. The crew looked around nervously as the gray clouds descended upon them, hiding all the floating debris. Nova’s line of sight grew smaller as the ship bobbed dangerously in the rough current. Despite the lack of breeze, the Vengeance would occasionally hit a natural air stream and it would sway the vessel, turning her stomach with each dip.
Her attention all of a sudden ripped above them to the crow’s nest. Clayton, the lookout, was frantically shouting down below.
“Gather yer gu
ns!” he cried like a frantic child, trying to shimmy down the rope out of the nest. “Pyrebirds!”
As he said the word, an enormous black head burst through the ashen sky and shrieked so loudly, the wooden deck trembled beneath their feet. The creature’s body was nearly all black, as dark as night apart from its yellow eyes and gigantic red wings. Spouts of steaming, molten saliva shot from its black beak. Splashes of the hot liquid fell along the deck, charring the wood and burning anyone standing close. Men screamed and clutched their seared skin as they rolled, trying to avoid the dangerous splatters.
The men scrambled for their weapons while some rushed down to the gun deck. Smythe stood stalwart, shouting commands Nova couldn’t hear as the monstrous creature shrieked again. The trembling pirate who’d pulled the rigging behind her held tightly to his cutlass, watching the fierce bird fly wide on the outside of the ship. Her heart nearly stopped when another shriek sounded from the opposite side—a second Pyrebird.
The smaller, yet just as fierce, creature flew low over the main deck and wrenched the frightened man off the ship with its large, pointed talons. In a swift moment, her crewmate was impaled by one black claw then tossed through the air like a pile of trash. The gruesome sight spurred her into action. She held out her old cutlass and dove behind the thick center mast.
Deafening blasts filled the sky as the Vengeance released her guns. The monsters cried angrily, flapping their wings to avoid the onslaught of cannons. Muskets and pistols fired at the birds, but they only seemed to anger them more.
Someone thumped behind Nova, but she didn’t turn around, keeping her focus on the dark sky monsters.
“Where is your magic dagger?” She glanced behind her and saw Kale lying on his back and firing his flintlock at one of the fearsome beasts. “We could sure use it now.”
“Missing,” Nova said, slicing the air as one of the birds dipped close to her position. Her attempt at stopping the creature was laughable.
Kale frowned and stood steadily on his feet, firing his pistol and swinging his blade near a cluster of pirates. The strength of their numbers seemed to work for a moment. The larger of the Pyrebirds flew higher beyond the dark clouds in retreat.
Smythe had pushed Atlas away from the helm, and he pulled the large wheel tight, causing the ship to lie almost completely on its side. Nova wrapped her thin arms around the mast just in time, but she watched in horror as several men tumbled along the deck and over the rail like weeds blowing in the wind. Their cries haunted her as they fell into the Below.
Despite the loss of men, the move seemed to work. Smythe sailed the ship underneath the confused creatures, righting it after the two birds were no longer on top of them.
His actions were only temporary, but gave the pirates time to reload the cannons and their pistols.
“Fire at will, men,” Smythe shouted, keeping his focus straight ahead.
Nova scanned the deck, watching as the pirates seemed too frightened to think straight. Atlas stood near the captain, holding his own pistol and blade, ready to attack as the birds beat their large wings furiously in pursuit.
Nova knew she needed to do something or the Vengeance would lose its battle with the burning birds. What could she do without her dagger? A faint glimmer of the strong power flickered in her heart. Birds were not about to best the Star’s Vengeance crew.
The more she thought on it, the stronger the confidence was. She rushed up the steps toward the helm, clutching her cutlass tight. The birds were once again upon the ship, ready to spill rivers of hot molten breath on their decks. Nova glared at the creatures, watching angrily as they approached.
With each loud beat of their strong wings, she grew angrier. The darkness encompassed her and in one swift movement she thrust her cutlass above her head. The sharp blade implanted deep into the feathered chest of the smaller monster as it flew over her head.
The bird shrieked in pain and floundered above the ship, her blade still deep in its chest. Nova watched in amazement as the beast dove below the ship and out of sight. Its larger companion seemed distracted for a brief moment at the attack, and the other men were able to take clean shots with their muskets and guns, hitting the larger bird on its beak, wings, and midsection.
The bird flapped wildly, trying to avoid the heavy rain of gunfire. It sunk lower against the hull of the ship and with a perfect blast, three of the cannons shot the large Pyrebird into the Below, dead and gone.
“Ready the sails. Get us movin’, ye no-good dogs, before the other returns,” Smythe shouted, never acknowledging Nova as she stood next to him.
Her knees wobbled beneath her as adrenaline fled from her body. Glancing up, she saw Atlas watching her as he took over the helm again. The corner of his mouth flicked into a small smile, but nothing more. Her brow scrunched, hurt by his sudden coldness. She’d just saved the crew. The fury knotted in her chest urged her toward him, ready to confront, but she stopped as the gray clouds parted and the white sun shimmered along the deck again.
Below them, an enormous island with numerous coves and ports gleamed. A white marble palace stood atop a small hill, with beautiful stone homes and manors lining the streets of the town below. Crystal clear streams and rivers dotted the land of Koning as the Vengeance bobbed above the island, out of sight.
“They’re sure to have heard us, sir,” she said low to Smythe.
“Nay, we be out of sound range outside the gray cloud barrier. That be what the monsters were for, trying to break us before we entered the island borders,” he said without looking at her.
A large naval port floated just off the shores of Koning, but their ship had already sailed beyond its borders and out of range of any guns the navy had.
She looked over the side at the large island. Smythe was right; no one seemed to know the dark ship floated high above the palace.
“The king’s island?”
“What be here?”
“We’ll be lynched for certain.”
The men mumbled amongst themselves. They stood in awe as the truth of the destination became clear, but no one seemed ready or willing to pillage the king’s treasury.
“Captain, we can’t survive a raid on Koning,” Kane shouted. “We’ll be killed in an instant.”
Smythe smiled. “We won’t be raiding anythin’. Only one of us be enterin’ the palace tonight.”
His eyes fell on Nova, and the crew, seeming to understand, smiled wickedly. Even Atlas seemed pleased, but Nova shrunk. The dangerous mission overwhelmed her as the beautiful palace gleamed in the bright sunlight.
“Welcome to Koning, Miss Nova,” Smythe said darkly. “Ye’ll prove yer worth for certain on this night.”
Chapter 19
Koning
The Star’s Vengeance floated above the palace for hours. Clouds surrounded the dark ship as it settled like a silent predator stalking prey, and only on occasion did Smythe direct Atlas to alter positions to avoid being seen.
As the white sunlight faded underneath the dark cloud cover hovering over the Below, the pale blue moonlight filled the sky with magical sheens. The palace reflected the light and glimmered brilliantly across the king’s province. Nova would’ve enjoyed the fabulous view any other night, but now she leaned nervously against the rails, holding tightly to a thick piece of loose rope.
“So you’re the only one going onto the island?”
She whipped her head around as Kale stood several steps back, his arms folded tightly over his chest.
“That’s what the captain said, didn’t he?” she snipped.
“Seems strange, that’s all. Why send only one person without any protection?”
Nova bit the inside of her lip. How could she explain to Kale that she was oddly stealthy, and often fueled by a curious darkness? “I’m good at breaking into places.”
He shrugged. “I guess. You did break into the naval treasury. What exactly are we going after?”
“What am I going after, you mean,” she said. Nova t
ook a deep breath and turned toward the palace again.
Kale’s handsome face sparked something inside her, especially since Atlas had been distant for the past several days. But it was unreasonable to think of Kale in such ways; he despised her and she didn’t think much of his brooding moodiness.
“Pardon me, what are you going after?” he corrected, rolling his eyes.
“I can’t tell you. Captain’s orders,” she said and brushed passed him, leaving him standing alone watching her with peaked curiosity.
She caught a glimpse of Atlas sauntering along the rail near the bow. Without so much as a good-bye to Kale, Nova jogged toward him.
“Atlas,” she said placing a gentle hand on his elbow. He turned and looked at her from beneath his furrowed brows. “I haven’t spoken with you all day, it seems. I…I wanted to see you before…I went into the palace.”
She stepped closer, nestling against his chest. Atlas noticeably stiffened but didn’t back away. “What is wrong?”
“I’ve been busy with my duties,” he said. “And you’ve been busy enough with Taylor.”
“I’ve tried to make time for you,” she said brushing her hand over his, but he tucked his into his coat pocket. Her heart ached for his touch as she scoured her mind trying to think of what she’d done to deserve such coldness. “What do you want from me, Atlas? I’m sorry about Chipper; I didn’t think he really meant something to you. If I succeed on this task, perhaps we can bargain for our release and be free of the Vengeance for good.”
Atlas rolled his eyes and leaned against the rail of the ship. His jaw clenched and she saw the muscles twitch.
“That is what you want still, isn’t it?” she asked. “To leave the crew, to escape piracy?”
“This is why no one respects you, Nova. You’re always thinking of what’s best for you,” he shouted, surprising her. “Maybe it would suit you to think of others instead of your own agenda. Maybe whatever is in that palace will benefit you, me, and everyone. But instead of that crossing your mind, you’re only thinking of what you want.”