by L. L. McNeil
‘Ro, what are you thinking? You want to go on the Arillian ship with those two?’ Eryn gasped.
‘Fine by me. Darkness is upon us, we should move, now,’ Sapora said, turning to walk down to the front of the deck.
‘Hold on a minute,’ Amarah barked. ‘I haven’t got a plan, yet!’
‘I will go on first and ensure you are not met with resistance. You will locate and take the sphere, and then return to this ship. We’ll continue our journey, with the Arillians nonethe- wiser.’
‘That’s not what I meant…Palom, Kohl, how many Arillians are there? Could either of you see? Morgen, you’ll have to hold onto Khanna for me while I’m off ship. You do remember what I told you about flying? You and Eryn are always hanging about while I tell Moroda what’s what.’
Morgen shuffled forward at mention of his name, his face pink. Kohl straightened out his cloak and hat and followed Sapora onto the deck, with Amarah and the others close behind.
‘I could not see, but I should think the ship carries Imperial soldiers,’ Kohl replied. ‘Arillians have no need of airships. But Aciel has a large following now, who cannot fly.’
‘Hmm, didn’t wanna hear that. Those ships can hold a hundred soldiers,’ Amarah said, both hands on her hips. ‘But I don’t see as we have a choice. This is an opportunity, as our friend pointed out. It’s too good to pass up. Plus it gives our snake a chance to make himself useful for once.’
Moroda swallowed, nervous about whether she was making a foolhardy choice, but she couldn’t let those two alone on the ship, she just couldn’t. As Khanna approached the ship, she exhaled, readying herself to join Amarah’s ranks of thieves.
Chapter Sixteen
‘Alright. My heist, my rules,’ Amarah said, keeping the airship low as she approached Jato’s ship. ‘I’ll get as close as I can to the ship, and keep behind and above them. Morgen will hold Khanna while Sapora gets on the rear deck of the ship. We’ll use the steps on Khanna’s side to get down. Me and Moroda wait while Sapora deals with any guards. Once the coast is clear, we join him, get the sphere, and get back onto Khanna. Kohl will be our eyes, and Anahrik, too, in case we have to get off sharpish. Everyone clear?’
Eryn shook her head, the only one in a crowd of agreement, but Amarah ignored her and continued on course. ‘Ro, I don’t like this at all. This is far too much. This is above anything we were going to do.’
‘Please try to understand, Ryn,’ Moroda said, giving Eryn a hug in a feeble attempt to reassure her. ‘Without this sphere we’ve no chance of finding a powerful dragon in Val Sharis. Without the dragon, we’ve no chance of stopping Aciel.’
‘I do understand! But I don’t know why you have to go, too! I don’t know why anyone here needs to get involved! Can’t we just go home?’ Tears formed in the corners of her eyes as she pleaded. ‘You’re going onto an enemy ship. Aciel himself could be on board! You’ll be trapped there with a Varkain and a pirate!’
‘I’ve got the Samolen magic, don’t forget. I can look after myself.’
Eryn’s words choked in her throat, and she sobbed.
Moroda took her gently by the hand and led her to where Morgen stood by Amarah and the wheel of Khanna. ‘Please, Ryn, I’m scared enough as it is.’
‘Then don’t go! Stay on the ship with me!’
Moroda could feel tears threatening at her sister’s pleas, but she had to remain firm. ‘Morgen, please may you look after her? Ryn, I promise I’ll stay safe, I promise it’ll be worth it.’
‘Ro!’
Moroda remained with Eryn, hugging her and soothing her as best she could. Amarah manoeuvred the ship into position, and stepped away from the wheel, leaving Morgen in charge.
Eryn’s sniffles were muffled as she cried into Moroda’s shoulder, and slowly grew quiet.
‘Ro, I’m so scared,’ Eryn said, not lifting her head from Moroda’s shoulder.
‘I am too. But… I’m less scared when I do something. I have the power to do something. You do, too. We’ve never had that before. It’ll be alright.’
‘Moroda! We’re going. Now!’ Amarah called from the front of the deck.
‘Ryn, you’re safe here,’ Morgen interjected. ‘For all their flaws, Amarah and Sapora can handle themselves if Moroda needs back up.’
‘See? I’ll be just fine.’ Moroda smiled, stepping back when Eryn lifted her head. Her heart ached at seeing her sister so distraught, but she understood why. ‘We won’t be long,’ she said, holding Eryn’s hands and bringing them up to her lips in a kiss of reassurance.
Unable to stall any longer, Moroda turned and hurried along the deck, forcing her way through the torrential rain before clambering onto the steps carved into Khanna’s side. Amarah was halfway down already, scythe in hand, and held her position. Jato’s warship flew below them, just a short drop beneath the edge of the steps. Moroda could hear the waves far below, but it was too dark to see the water, and Jato’s ship took up too much room. The rushing wind drowned out all noise, and Moroda’s ears rang. She focussed on her footing.
‘Sapora’s on board. We wait here,’ Amarah shouted above the wind.
Moroda shifted her weight and braced herself against the force of the wind, flexing her fingers. She could feel the now familiar warmth through her hand from the crystal, and it calmed her. In truth, she was almost as scared as Eryn, but she knew what had to be done. She was sick of being bullied and pushed around, of reacting to every threat. This was something proactive. This was a decision she had made to try and regain some control over her life. She took a deep breath and looked down at the warship, wondering if it was indeed the right course of action to regain control. But it was too late to have a change of heart.
Sapora stepped into view, eyes and teeth glinting in the darkness. ‘He’s back,’ Moroda said. ‘Do we go?’
‘We go.’ Amarah grabbed Moroda’s hand as they shuffled down the last few steps. Moroda had no time to ready herself when Amarah leapt, the pair of them dropping onto the deck below like stones. Moroda felt the wind knocked out of her as they landed; she did not have the grace of Sapora or the skill of Amarah, but she had Amarah to brace against, which helped a little. She let out a muffled squeak as she landed, but Amarah did not reprimand her for the noise.
‘Follow me. Keep up. Keep quiet.’ The pirate let go of Moroda’s hand and darted after Sapora as he disappeared below deck.
Moroda ignored the stinging pain in her feet and shins, and hobbled after Amarah as quickly as she could. Her breathing was laboured, and she worried half the ship would hear her pounding heart as she scurried along the wide corridors.
While she’d been aboard luxury cruiseships before, it was the first time she’d been on a warship. It dwarfed Khanna, and after a minute of darting down corridors and glancing into empty rooms, she felt the whole place was a maze. The warship had several decks, with others towering above the rear one they had landed on, and could have easily held a thousand people. For a ship of this size, it was eerily deserted, and Moroda began to tap into her crystal to feel whether anyone was close by. People gave off a warm buzz the closer she got to their energy, and her crystal remained largely quiet.
She and Amarah followed Sapora once he had scouted ahead and checked rooms and corridors were clear for them.
Outside, the storm continued to rage, so even Moroda’s less-than stealthy footsteps wouldn’t be heard above the raging wind. It gave her a little comfort.
After checking everything on the rear half of the ship’s floor and finding nothing, they followed Sapora up a flight of stairs. Light flickered at the top of the stairway, and Moroda felt the heat from her crystal signifying life. ‘Amarah, there are people up there.’ She said, slowing down. The two dropped back as Sapora raced ahead.
He came back a moment later and nodded, before continuing.
When Moroda reached the top of the stairs, she saw three members of the Imperial Guard lying on the floor in various states of undress, no doubt due to the late hour.
She could see a little blood on the arm of one of the men, but as she walked closer, she gasped. At first glance they seemed unharmed, but on closer inspection, it was clear they no longer lived.
She shuddered and stopped where she was, bile rising in the back of her throat. Her crystal had cooled once again, confirming the result of Sapora’s swift attack. ‘Please, as few casualties as possible.’
‘Hah, Sapora chooses to kill them, you know. His venom can paralyse as well as kill. Depends on the strength of the bite.’ Amarah crouched by the bodies and rummaged through their pockets.
‘No…That’s not true? A bite always means death,’ Moroda replied, watching as Amarah callously moved to the next body. ‘Why would he choose to kill them if he didn’t have to? I know you don’t like Sapora, but surely…’ She tried not to look at the bodies, half-fooling herself they were in a deep sleep and ignoring the truth from her crystal. She felt dizzy and sick and wanted to run away.
Amarah stopped and rolled up the bottom of her breeches to expose her left calf. ‘These scars? A Varkain attack.’ She traced a finger along her discoloured skin, thin white scars ribboning her leg. ‘I’ll tell you about that another time, if it makes you feel better.’ She stood up, pocketed the florins and crowns she had stolen, and made for the door Sapora had slipped through. ‘Keep up, Moroda. You wanted to come.’
Moroda swallowed and took another breath, Eryn’s words echoing in her mind. She reminded herself why she was on board, that getting the sphere was the most important thing. That everything else could be ignored, even senseless killing. With a shudder, she followed Amarah through the door and onto the corridor.
‘Dammit, he’s disappeared,’ Amarah said, glancing up and down. The corridor stretched out to their left and right, with doors on both sides. ‘Which way, which way,’ she muttered, before choosing to go left and heading off. ‘This way.’
Amarah opened the nearest door and entered one of the ship’s cabins.
‘Who’re you?’ A man bellowed, whirling around at their entrance. He was fully armed and armoured in Imperial livery.
Amarah raised her scythe and he lunged at her with his drawn sword.
She ducked out of the way and countered with her own weapon, bringing up the scythe to his helm. The guard reacted instinctively, blocking her attack with a round, metal shield attached to his vambrace, and the clang of steel-on-steel rippled through the air.
‘Amarah!’ Moroda raised her hand and felt the energy in the guard’s swing, the heat in his blade. She held it there a moment, unable to move it as she would a flame, but the moment was all Amarah needed to retaliate.
Bringing her scythe across his face, Amarah knocked him to the ground. Spinning the weapon in her hand, she lunged again, but Moroda sapped the strength from her attack, and Amarah sank to her knees, her scythe falling from her grasp. ‘What do you think you’re doing?!’
‘No more casualties. Sapora will kill too many. I don’t want that number added to!’ Moroda replied, defiant.
‘You’re far too forgiving. It’ll get you killed if you don’t change!’
Moroda lowered her head and said nothing. She didn’t understand why she had to change, why she seemed to be so wrong for who she was. She was doing her best, wasn’t it enough?
‘We’re getting close if there are guards here.’ Amarah said, ignoring the guard as he bled on the floor. His body shook, but he was alive. She got to her feet and picked up her scythe, giving Moroda a long look as her strength returned, before exiting the cabin.
‘I think we need to carry on this way,’ Moroda said, one hand on her ring. She could feel the heat surge every time she faced a certain direction. ‘Something is definitely along here. More people could mean the sphere?’ She took over the lead and hurried along as quickly as she dared.
Her heart continued to pound as the heat began to rise, and they hurried up another flight of stairs. She did not know how many decks the warship had, but she felt what they sought was on the top deck, as high as they could go. The crystal really did tap into her own abilities; she likened it to having her own intuition intensified and enhanced a hundred-fold. She could hear and feel the murmur of chatter behind closed doors as they passed rooms and private cabins, and everything grew louder and busier the closer they got.
She followed the crystal, trusting in its power as much as she had trusted Topeko, even though it was still unfamiliar. As they reached a crossroads, Amarah grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her down behind a large barrel of supplies. ‘Ssh, people coming.’ She crouched down beside her.
Moroda frowned, turning her ring this way and that, but she couldn’t feel anything. She was about to argue when she heard footsteps approaching, and ducked back down, peeking round the barrel when they passed. Two Arillians wandered past, and Moroda’s heart sank. Topeko had said something about Arillians having their own branch of magic, not unlike the Ittallan, so they could not use the Samolen crystals. Was that why she was unable to tell when they were near? She could only pick up on others like herself? Those from Corhaven?
As she mulled it over, the Arillians stopped a short way down the corridor, laughing and joking with one another. She and Amarah watched them closely, but remained hidden, waiting for an opportunity to get past them without being seen.
‘Won’t be long before we’re in Val Sharis and the fun begins.’ One said; he was tall, like Kohl, but far surer of himself in the way he stood, and more strongly built.
‘Tell me about it. Glad we finally cleaned up the last of those damned merchant ships,’ his companion replied, rolling his shoulders and yawning. ‘Took over a year to pick them all off! How many times do they need to be told? The sky belongs to us!’
Moroda felt a cold, numb sensation in the pit of her stomach. Her brain struggled to keep up with what he was saying, much less try to understand it.
‘Aciel’s got everything under control. Won’t be long before the land is ours again, too,’ the tall one said, smiling. ‘Now the last of them Goldstones are gone.’
Moroda trembled. Her body was cold, the sensation in her stomach spreading to her limbs and snuffing out the heat in her hand from the crystal. Amarah said something to her, she thought, but she couldn’t quite hear what it was. The Arillian’s words rang. Those damned merchant ships. Were they…? Could they have been the ones responsible for her father’s death? For the lack of information she and Eryn had? For the black flag hung above their home while they were in mourning? For the loss of her friends, her lifestyle, her value?
Moroda blinked and went numb. She was dimly aware her cheeks were wet, but she did nothing about it. Both hands were raised, fingers tingling, as a surge of emotion welled up within her, and fire rippled across the barrel she stood behind, along the walls, ceiling, and floor—to where the Arillians stood.
‘Moroda!’
She whirled round to see Amarah screaming, flames burning all around where they crouched.
‘Amarah… I…’ she stammered, her body returning to normal after her outburst, and her vision clearing.
‘Go, go, go! Up the stairs!’
Moroda ran after the pirate, her flames distracting the Arillians while they ascended to the next deck. ‘Amarah, I don’t know what came over me,’ she said, following the pirate onto the next floor. She put her hand to her chest. The cold sensation had passed, but she felt shaky.
‘Perfect diversion, Moroda. Don’t be silly,’ Amarah replied, tapping the blade of her scythe against the floor as she continued. ‘Could have done with a bit less fire, though. That’ll spread quickly. Most of the ship is wood. Won’t be long before it hits an engine or two.’
Moroda inhaled. She’d hardly been aware of her actions. She just felt rage flowing through her body at the realisation of what she heard. Her father had not been killed in an unfortunate accident. He had been targeted because he was a merchant, because he was in what they thought were their skies. She was sickened. She sniffed, trying to refocus. She felt the h
eat from her crystal and the heat from the flames below, and tried to blink away the tears rolling down her face.
As they rounded another corner, the ship lurched underneath them, and Moroda steadied herself against the wall.
‘Let’s hope that’s one of the auxiliary engines,’ Amarah said, glancing back.
A moment later, the ship juddered again, and the power went out, plunging them into darkness. ‘Hope ain’t on our side, then,’ Amarah sighed.
‘Will the ship crash?’ Moroda asked, her eyes wide. ‘I’m so sorry!’
‘Nah, big old lump like this’ll drop a bit. Worst case it’ll still float in water. Arillians on board, don’t forget. If they wanna, they’ll keep something in the air.’
Moroda felt a wave of panic wash over her. Amarah headed off again, and she followed, stumbling along in the semi-darkness, the orange glow of the flames partially lighting things from below. Moroda squinted as she followed Amarah, the low, flickering light making it harder to focus than if they’d been in pure darkness.
‘Watch your step,’ Amarah said, just as Moroda tripped over a thick coil of rope. Moroda braced with her hands as she slammed into the floor, adding to the pain in her legs from her earlier rough landing.
‘I said watch your step,’ Amarah said, scowling at her.
‘Sorry.’ Moroda kicked the rope out of the way as she clambered to her feet. ‘Stupid thing.’ As she shoved it away, the light caught it, and she realised it was not a length of rope at all. It was snakeskin. ‘A…Amarah!’
The skin moved, and Moroda jumped back.
‘It’s Sapora,’ Amarah said, tutting. ‘Harder to see a snake in darkness.’
The snakeskin was very dark grey, almost black, and about two foot wide, but the light was too low for Moroda to make out any details. She watched him move, silent, and shuddered at the thought of how many he had killed that night, and how many he would go on to kill.