Heir of the Elements

by Cesar Gonzalez

  “Sorry,” said Falcon. “I tried, but we don’t coordinate all that well together.” Memories of the Tiazhan game he and Sheridan had lost to Laars flashed in his mind. He reached out to Hiromy, who had landed on him and wasn’t moving, and tapped her shoulder. “Hey, are you okay?”

  She lifted her head from his chest and smiled at him. “Yes.” Her eyes were full of wonder, like a child with a new toy. “I was listening to your heart. It beats at such a wonderful rate. I could listen to it all day.”

  “I’m sure my heart also beats at a wonderful rate,” said Sheridan, hastily picking himself up. “If you ever want to listen to it!”

  Hiromy stood, still smiling. “No, it’s fine. I’ve had my fill for the day.”

  Sheridan frowned but refrained from saying anything else.

  “So where are we?” asked Faith. Like Aya, her clothes were covered in grass stains. Her hair, too, was not as pristine as it usually was. He’d expected as much. After all they had crossed a forest, traversed a desert, and fought a sandworm in a matter of days.

  “It looks like the riverbank that leads to Makeda.” Aya turned toward the space wielders. “Good job, guys. You saved us a long walk.”

  Falcon took in their surroundings. Indeed, they were on a grassy prairie beside a raging river. Salmon jumped out of the water in perfect arcs, landing with soft splashes. No doubt they were on their annual migration. Off in the distance, a large jade mountain chain rose from the ground. A few scattered pine trees dotted the area around them but not too many. If this were any other time, Falcon thought, this would be the perfect place to have a picnic. Perhaps even fish for the day or go hunting. But it was not one of those times, and the way things were headed, he doubted it was ever going to be.

  “Which way do we go from here, Nakatomi?”

  Aya pointed south. “We follow the river. It will take us directly to the port village of Makeda. We’ll find who we’re looking for there. At least I hope we will.”

  The wielders took off, following the winding river. The scenery didn’t change much. Once in a while they would see an elk in the distance, but they would all take off after they heard Hiromy’s cheerful screams.

  Falcon walked beside Aya. “You look tired.”

  “I am very tired.”

  “A lot has happened in the last few days. Do you want to talk about it?”

  “No. I’m fine.”

  Falcon swallowed hard, trying not to show his uneasiness. He’d known Aya for years, and though she wasn’t one to whine and complain about her problems, she never had a problem talking to him about what was going on with her. In a way he felt as though he was losing her. Or at least losing the friendship that he had counted on for so long.

  Nonetheless, not wanting to impose, he left her alone.

  A few steps ahead of him, Faith and Hiromy walked, deep in conversation. He couldn’t hear everything they said, but he did make out a few words here and there coming from Faith.

  “You shouldn’t just run toward everything you see,” she said. “It could be dangerous.”

  “But I just wanted to touch it.” Hiromy glared at Faith, her smile turning into a frown. “I like animals.”

  “Me too. They are my favorite. But we must be careful. Some of them will attack you.”

  Hiromy looked confused. “Why? I just want to be their friend.”

  “They don’t understand. So we must be careful.”

  The princess kicked small pebbles under her. “I don’t understand. I…I…” Her body began to shake. She threw herself on the floor and sat cross-legged. The stone pebbles crunched loudly as she repeatedly beat them with her balled fists. “I don’t understand, don’t understand…”

  Sheridan, always at the ready when it came to Hiromy, ran to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. This seemed to calm her a bit. She stopped hitting the ground, though she continued to nod and mumble under her breath.

  “What happened?” asked Sheridan, his eyes glassy.

  Faith answered without a moment’s hesitation. “It’s my fault. I was trying to help her.” Her voice was full of guilt. “I didn’t intend to trigger another outbreak.”

  “No,” said Sheridan, helping Hiromy up to her feet. The princess rested her head on his shoulder. “You were just helping. She’s tired, that’s all. Once we get to Makeda she should nap for a few hours. I’m sure that will help.”

  Falcon, however, had his doubts. Hiromy had been showing progress in the last few days. Now, it looked as though she had reverted back to her old self. Who was to say that this wouldn’t be a common occurrence? Taking two steps forward, just to later take three back.

  “Hey, Hyatt!” yelled Sheridan. “Are you just going to stay back there?”

  Sheridan’s voice brought him back to the present. “No. On my way.”

  As they walked across the riverbank by the meadow, they spotted signs that they were getting closer to the village. Trees that had been cut down to the stump. Broken fishing rods that had been left atop large rocks. Stomped grass where picnic blankets had been set up. Shrubbery that had had all its blueberries picked clean off.

  Sure enough, as they took a sharp turn to the right, off in the distance, veiled by a white mist, was collection of buildings. From afar it appeared as nothing more than a blob of brown and gray, nestled between a large blue sea on one side and a mass of green on the other.

  But as they got closer, the details took shape. Dozens of sea-faring ships bobbed serenely on the pier, being held by thick rope tied to their metal poles. The ground that led into the city was paved in yellow stones that had been carved evenly to create a flat walking ground. There was no wall around the village, which exposed row after row of tall buildings. In the streets, there were hundreds of people milling about. Many carried nets of freshly caught fish over their shoulders. Others sat atop horse-drawn wagons filled with everything from squid to seaweed, rice, salmon, carps, or mollusks.

  “This place is almost as big as a capital city,” Faith said.

  Aya inclined her head, her attention fully on Makeda. “I suspect in a decade or so it will be a capital city. It’s a hub for trade of all sorts.” She held up the stained leather pouch of oil rocks. “Lucky for us, this also draws in pirates looking to sell the loot they’ve stolen. All we need to do is ask around a bit and I’m sure we can find information on one.”

  “You guys go on your search.” Sheridan looked from Falcon to Faith. “I need to take Hiromy to rest.”

  “Agreed,” said Aya. “Besides, the fewer people we have the better. We don’t want to raise too much suspicion. The guards here are constantly on the lookout for pirates.”

  With that in mind, they moved into Makeda in search of an inn. It didn’t take long. A few short steps into the village, and Falcon spotted a large wooden building with the words The Fisherman’s Haven above the redwood door.

  “These people sure love their fish,” said Sheridan with a slight frown. “Even the village reeks of it.”

  Falcon couldn’t argue with that. One of the first things he noticed when he neared Makeda was the fishy, almost salty aroma that hung in the air.

  “They are a fishing town, after all,” said Faith with a slight frown. “Kind of sad all those poor animals have to die, though.”

  “As long as they have some nice flowers to mask the stench inside the rooms, they can kill all the fish they want.” Sheridan led Hiromy into the inn as he waved goodbye. “See you three in a bit. Come back with good news.”

  Falcon remained silent as he looked down at the ground. Finding a pirate was not going to be easy. Many of them would probably be out at sea, looking for their next big cargo to steal. And even if they did find one that took them in, who was to say they would not turn on them once they were at the middle of sea? Pirates were a deceitful, cowardly lot. More likely to kill their own mother for a gold coin than help someone in need.

  “Let’s go to the pub,” said Aya, mirroring Falcon’s own idea. “That’s
the best place to find some information.” She pointed down the busy street. “If I recall correctly, it’s down this way, toward the pier.”

  “After you,” said Falcon, motioning Aya to lead the way.

  The trio of wielders pushed through the crowd of people, which was hard to do, thanks to the puppet show that was going on. A man inside a cart, covered mostly by a red curtain with an opening at the middle, had set up a small play. Two puppets moved through the opening in some weird strange dance Falcon had never seen before. The kids seemed to like it. Their loud laughter and snickers drowned out all other noise.

  “Excuse me,” he said, as he squished between a chunky lady and her equally large son. “Many pardons. Let me just get through here.” When Falcon and the girls finally came out through the other side, he felt as though he’d run a marathon. “That’s something I never want to do again.”

  Unfortunately, the rest of the path wasn’t much better. They had chosen the worst time of the day to arrive at Makeda. Most of the fishing ships were coming in, bringing in their morning catches, which meant that the streets were nearly impossible to navigate. Falcon lost count of how many times people stepped on his foot, or how many times he was slapped across the face by a careless fisherman swinging his net of carp, salmon, or mollusks.

  “There it is,” said Aya. She pointed at a medium-sized building. It had a dirt-stained window on its left side and a muddy straw and stick roof. It was strange seeing it, surrounded by buildings made of stone and brick. It was almost as if the pub had escaped from another time and forced itself into this era.

  The pub fell silent as they pushed open the creaking door and trudged in. Dozens of men who sat in front of circular tables playing card and emblem games looked up at them. For a moment, Falcon thought they were going to throw them out, but after a long glance, they all returned to their drinking and games, seemingly uninterested in the newcomers.

  They walked over to the only empty table, on the edge of the pub, and took a seat. Laughter and loud voices bounced off the walls. A short lady sat in a chair at the end of the pub, singing a lively tune as two men behind her played soothing melodies on their long flutes.

  “Can I get you kids anything?” asked an older-looking lady. She wore a tattered dress and her face was grimy with dirt.

  “Just some water would be fine,” Aya responded.

  The lady frowned. “You do realize that you’re in a pub, right? We don’t serve water. Either you get some of the strong stuff or get gone.”

  “Three mugs of berry wine will do, then,” said Falcon. He lowered his voice. “And we would also like some information.”

  The woman raised an eyebrow.

  “Where could we find a pirate?”

  “I don’t know nothing about no pirates.” The lady swayed with uneasiness. “And I think it’s best if you don’t speak about that in here.” She turned and hastily made her way behind the bar.

  Falcon’s questioning eyes moved between both his companions. “What’s gotten her so riled?”

  “Oh, don’t mind Old Miss Rose,” said a loud husky voice behind them. Falcon turned to see a large man sitting on the table next to them. He had a nasty scar running across his forehead, and long dreadlocked hair. “She simply doesn’t like when people with no brains go around poking into things that aren’t to be meddled with.” He motioned at the small insignia attached to Falcon’s jacket. “Especially when those asking are Rohads.”

  “What’s wrong with Rohads?” asked Aya, caressing her own insignia of the double dragons.

  “Let’s just say that Rohads have a tendency to meddle with pirate affairs.”

  Aya nodded knowingly, and Falcon was certain she knew exactly what the man was talking about. She’d read every book there was on Rohad missions, after all. Many of them told stories of skirmishes and battles between pirates and Rohads who had been charged to bring them in to answer for their crimes.

  “Today we’re not here to take anyone in,” she said. “In fact, it’s the complete opposite. We want to work together with them.”

  The man clapped his large belly as he erupted in a fit of laughter. Once done, he took a large sip from his mug and slammed it back down, sending the little brown liquid that was left pouring down the sides and onto the table. “You hear that boys? These Rohads are in the business of working together with pirates.” He said Rohads with spite, as if it were a worm he needed to squish under his heavy gray boots. “As if we’re not all aware that it is them that have taken most of us to the law.”

  Falcon couldn’t help but notice that the man had said, us. They were in the right place, after all, which didn’t necessarily seem like a good thing. Most of the men were staring at them with bulging, murderous eyes.

  “We want no problem with anyone,” said Faith softly. “I don’t know about any previous Rohads you’ve met, but these two are honorable. They speak the truth.”

  The man smirked and took another sip from his mug. “I suppose I’ll just take the word of a nobody.” He belched loudly toward them as ale dripped down his long, red mustache. His thick fingers ran over his chin and he hummed thoughtfully. “No. It would be much easier to simply kill you all.” Many of the men stood, reaching for the curved swords hanging by their waists.

  Once again, Faith smiled, seemingly worry free. “I don’t think you want to do that.”

  “And why is that? I’m Captain Redclaw, master of the finest ship in the sea, The Crimson Maiden. I sail the seas, helping lowly folk who can’t help themselves. I am the master of my own destiny!”

  “What a cute name!” shrieked Faith. “Crimson Maiden. Why do you call it that? Is there a beautiful figurehead at the front of the ship?” Faith spoke dreamily, as if there weren’t an entire pub full of pirates itching to run a sword through them. “Or is it a mermaid?” She brought her finger up. “Yes, I’m sure it’s a mermaid.”

  Some of the men laughed, and Redclaw stood with a stunned look on his face. His mouth hung open, and his eyes were wide. “Cute? It’s not cute! We’re cutthroat pirates, stealing from anyone who gets in our way!”

  “Hurrah!” The men from the bar shouted at the top of their lungs.

  “Oh.” Faith looked disappointed. “I guess there’s no mermaid, huh?”

  “There is a mermaid, actually.” He gulped loudly as he quickly added, “But it’s definitely not cute.”

  “This girl is funny, sir,” said one of the pirates.

  “Yes,” added another. “Let’s take her with us.”

  “She can replace Rosalina.”

  Redclaw suddenly stood, drool dripping from his mouth in anger. “Who said that?” There was a stunned silence. “No one can ever replace Rosalina!”

  Faith reached out to the man and caressed his humongous arms. “It’s obvious you cared for this Rosalina greatly.” Her voice was tender, as if she were speaking to a wounded animal. “You shouldn’t worry about her being replaced. Wherever she is, she now lives in your heart and memories. No one can ever replace that.”

  Falcon’s throat went dry. He half expected Redclaw to pick Faith up by the neck and toss her into the wall. But instead, the man looked at her with droopy eyes.

  “You do remind me of her a great deal,” said the captain. “You have the same innocent soul. And if it was only you that needed passage in my ship, I would gladly grant it.” He turned toward Aya and Falcon. An intense fire lit up in his eyes. “But I refuse to have Rohads anywhere near my ship!”

  Falcon secretly wondered why the captain hated Rohads so much. Curiosity would have to wait, though. He needed to get the man to agree to give them passage, and with the man showing a liking to Faith, this was his chance.

  “We can pay,” he said.

  “We want nothing from Rohads.”

  “Not even valuable oil rocks?” countered Falcon. “And not those cheap imitations. We have a full leather pouch of the real deal. Straight from the source. How long do you think that could power up your ship for? F
ive months? Maybe six?”

  Redclaw’s bushy eyebrow rose a few inches.

  “We are in need of oil rocks, sir,” said a skinny man with a blue patch over his right eye.

  “Quiet!” thundered Redclaw. The man cowered back to his seat where he had come from. “I’m fully aware of our needs.” The man looked down at Falcon with a wild look on his face. “All you Rohads are the same, a pompous bunch.”

  “I’m not like—”

  “I wasn’t done speaking!” Redclaw stomped over to the table beside him and picked up a board with two dozen miniature emblems resting on it. Grinning, he brought it over to his table and set it down. He looked directly at Falcon. “Beat me in a game of emblems and I’ll give you passage.”

  “And if I win?” asked Falcon.

  “Then you give me the oil rocks and walk way.”

  Feeling confident, Falcon took a seat in front of the captain. A crowd gathered around them, eager to see the outcome.

  Redclaw set up twelve emblems on his side of the board, while Falcon set up his twelve, one for each element.

  “I should probably mention that I have never lost an emblem match in my life,” said the captain with a smug look on his face. “And I don’t plan to start now.”

  Falcon didn’t offer a word. He drew in his breath, staring down at the board that seemed more terrifying all of a sudden. The black and gray squares that before had looked so bland now seemed like an impossible puzzle to solve.

  “Relax, Falcon,” said Aya behind him. She rubbed his shoulders, which only made him more nervous. “You’re the best emblem player at the academy. You can do it.”

  The captain made the first move. He reached for the void emblem and moved it from its starting point, a gray square, to the black square directly in front of it.

  What to do? thought Falcon as he reluctantly reached down to his own void emblem on the board. There were twelve straight lines, and the purpose was to take out the opposing player’s dozen emblems. Should he move forward as the captain had done, or should he settle for the less-played and riskier horizontal move? If he moved horizontally, that meant his void emblem would be stuck with horizontal moves the rest of the game. Could he take that gamble?