Heir of the Elements

by Cesar Gonzalez

  “I couldn’t agree more.”

  Chapter 13

  Falcon did not sleep much that night. The boat shook and rocked so much that he found it difficult to keep his eyes closed for more than a few minutes at a time. The fact that he was in a room with a half dozen snoring, sweaty, and smelly men did not help. For what seemed like the hundredth time, the rope hammock he was sleeping on slammed against the wall beside him.

  When daylight finally trickled though the small holes in the deck above, he couldn’t wait to leave the dark, depressing room and go up to the deck. Careful not to wake Sheridan, who slept on the hammock beside him, or any of the other men, Falcon moved slowly. He cringed when his foot landed on the floor, causing the panels to creak. No one seemed to notice.

  He opened the door and walked out into the narrow hallway. To his surprise, the door directly left of the one he had emerged from also opened. Faith and Hiromy were coming out. Unlike Falcon, they appeared well rested. There were no tired bags under their eyes, nor was the white around their pupils webbed in red.

  Faith brought her hand to her mouth, as if to suppress a scream.

  “Falcon!” she muttered after a moment of silence. “Are you well? You look as if you got no sleep.”

  “I didn’t. It was impossible in those hammocks.”

  “Hammocks?” Faith appeared genuinely confused.

  Falcon looked past the girls and into the room they had slept in and immediately understood. The room they used had actual beds. Sure, the white mattresses didn’t look all that comfortable, but he was sure it was ten times better than the old rope he was forced to endure all night.

  He pointed over to the room he shared with the pirates. “I had to sleep in one of those.”

  “Hey!” cried Hiromy, spotting Sheridan as he rocked back and forth in his net. She waved her hand. “Hi. Sheridan. Hurry up and join us up top soon, okay? I missed you last night!” The fact that he was obviously in a deep sleep and therefore couldn’t hear her did not seem to bother her in the slightest.

  “So? Where were you sneaking off so quietly?” asked Faith.

  His nerves heightened a bit. “I just needed to get some fresh air and some quiet before everyone woke.” He decided to leave out the part where he was planning to search the ship, looking for anything incriminating. He didn’t care what the girls thought. He still didn’t trust Armeen.

  “We were going up to train,” said Hiromy cheerily. “Isn’t that right, Faith?” The princess took off down the hallway and up the stairs.

  “I better go after her,” said Faith, hurrying behind the princess.

  When Falcon got up to the deck, he had expected it to be mostly empty, but he quickly saw that that was not the case. Many of the pirates were already up. Two of them were up high in the overlook. A few more of them were climbing up the ropes.

  “Prepare the riggings, Mr. Gertie!” yelled a suave voice.

  Falcon turned over to the sight of Captain Armeen. He was steering a giant half-broken wheel that looked as if it might fall off and roll across the deck at any moment.

  “Yes, sir!” yelled Gertie, a short, wrinkled man who wore a black and white striped shirt that could barely contain his massive belly. He grabbed the rope and began to climb toward the riggings.

  “Don’t look so scared, Mr. Falcon,” said Armeen, patting his back.

  Mister? thought Falcon. That certainly sounded strange coming from Armeen, considering that they looked to be about the same age.

  Armeen continued. “Mr. Gertie has been climbing and descending those ropes since before you were born.” The captain was now wearing a long velvet coat. He also wore a long tricorne hat that covered most of his hair, except for the long ponytail dangling behind him. A golden oval earring, depicting a coin, dangled from his ear.

  “All ready!” came the scream from above. Gertie had now opened all the sails and had joined the duo of pirates standing at the top overlook podium.

  The sails opened, and quite suddenly the ship gained speed, bopping and bouncing over the waves.

  Falcon felt his stomach turn. He darted over to the side of the ship, fully expecting to throw up the little food he’d eaten. But besides gagging noises, nothing came.

  A strong pat landed on his back yet again, making his stomach whirl viciously. “Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it in no time. It takes most landlubbers a few weeks to get used to the movement of a ship, especially one as fast as the Gold Chaser.”

  Weeks? The sound of that made him wish he were back on land facing murderous Suteckh. In a battle he was at home. But here? Stuck in the middle of the sea in a rickety ship that was sure to sink at any moment, he was but a lost soul.

  To add salt to the wound, Faith and Hiromy walked over to Armeen. Neither of them looked the least bit affected by the ship’s uneven movements.

  “Excuse me, Captain,” said Faith. “My friend and I were hoping to meditate. But it occurs to me that you may need some help around the ship first. Is there anything we can do?”

  “Oh no!” Armeen looked genuinely shocked. “No guests of mine will lift a finger on the Gold Chaser.” He pointed toward the back of the ship. “The port bow is an excellent place for that. Feel free to use it as you wish.”

  “Thank you,” said Faith. She turned to Falcon. “You don’t look so well. Want me to use some holy wielding to heal you a bit?”

  Armeen snickered. “We have some herbs down in the hold that can help. However, it’s usually saved for women and children.” He eyed Falcon from top to bottom. “Not fully grown men.”

  Feeling like an idiot, Falcon tried to stand upright and display confidence. His wobbly legs sure weren’t helping. “No. It’ll just take me a little while to get used to it. That’s all.”

  “Okay, then,” mumbled Faith, looking unsure. She and Hiromy headed to the backside of the ship and sat cross-legged. All along the captain watched them go, nodding to himself and mumbling under his breath.

  “You better not get any ideas about Faith,” warned Falcon. “She’s a good girl.”

  “Oh, her?” Armeen shrugged indifferently. “While that pretty lassie is certainly easy on the eyes, I have no interest in her.”

  Falcon breathed a sigh of relief.

  “I’m much more interested in the feisty one. What’s her name again? Oh, yes, Aya. And whatever I put my eyes on, I acquire.”

  “You best get used to disappointment. Aya wouldn’t waste a breath on you.” Falcon wasn’t sure if he himself believed those words. He’d seen Aya around the captain, and she certainly seemed different when he was around.

  “I wouldn’t be too sure about that. We spent the night alone in my quarters drinking wine, and she certainly seemed to welcome my company. Now please go wake your friend, Sheridan. I require your assistance manning the ship.”

  Falcon was left at a loss for words. Certainly Armeen had to be bluffing. He’d gone to sleep at the same time Aya had. There was no way she had spent any time with the captain.

  The captain eyed him. “Are you simply going to stand there all day? Light is being wasted. Come to me when your friend is with you.” Before Falcon could say anything, Armeen moved to the rear of the ship and disappeared behind the door to his quarters.

  Still a bit perturbed, he went downstairs to wake Sheridan. On his way there he ran into Aya, who was just walking out of the room.

  “Oh, good morning, Falcon,” she said. The oil lamp that hung above them barely emitted enough light to illuminate her face. But even through the darkness, he could make out a slight smile. The first smile she’d given him in ages. “Where are you headed?”

  “Just going to wake Sheridan. Armeen said he needs our help up in the deck. I’m not really sure with what.” He inhaled deeply. “So? How about you?”

  “How about me what?”

  “Where are you headed?”

  “Oh. I’m going over to Captain’s Armeen’s quarters.”

  “His quarters?” He could literally s
ee the color draining from the skin on his hands.

  “Yes. We spent last night trying to find a path through the mountain pass. If we can locate it we’ll be able to cut three, maybe even four days off our travel.”

  “He’s the captain of a ship,” said Falcon, unable to keep the irritation of his voice. “I’m sure he knows every passage there is in the seas already.”

  “That’s not true. He’s very young. The youngest pirate captain, actually.” She spoke with admiration, which infuriated Falcon even more. “There are many routes and secret passages he knows nothing about. Besides, the pass we’re trying to find isn’t one that is well known. It’s not even on any maps. It’s merely mentioned in certain early transcripts from ancient prophets. Serilda made mention of it, as did Atto the Grim.”

  “So you’re looking for a pass that probably doesn’t exist? Sounds like an excuse to spend time with him.”

  She blinked, looking at him with protruding eyes. “What if I am? I don’t see how that’s any of your concern.”

  “You’re right. I just wish you were straightforward about it and not pretending to be looking for some pass that doesn’t exist.”

  “Straightforward?” she hissed. “You mean like you?”

  “Me?” He pointed at himself, surprised by the accusatory tone in Aya’s voice. “What do I have to do with this?”

  “Faith.”

  Falcon shuffled his feet uncomfortably.

  “What do you feel for her?”

  “Well. Um…” He cleared his throat, which had suddenly become very scratchy.

  “Don’t even think about telling me you don’t have feelings for her, because I know you do. I saw you talking to her once, at K’ran’s home. You were on the roof. That was our thing, remember? But you still went and did it with her.” There was a layer of pain and anger mixed in her voice. “Yet, I didn’t interrogate you the way you’re doing to me now.”

  “Well, um—”

  “How about me?”

  “How about what?” Falcon was really regretting saying anything. His muscles stiffened as he clenched his jaw.

  “What exactly do you feel for me?”

  He wiped the sweat that seemed to be pouring down his face now, despite the cool weather.

  “I thought so.” She locked eyes with him. “Don’t lecture me about being straightforward.” She moved past him, leaving her strawberry scent lingering in the air. He turned, wanting to say something, but found himself unable to form words. Her dark hair bounced after her as she climbed the stairs and disappeared above.

  The silence that filled the hallway was haunting. He knew Aya was angry, but he hadn’t realized she was that angry. But then again, there was merit to what she’d said. He hadn’t exactly been open about what he felt. Whether he liked it or not, he would have to simply grit his teeth and let her do as she pleased.

  “Is Nakatomi gone?” Sheridan slowly opened the old door. A rat, the size of a full-grown foot scampered out and into a hole on the wall. “Sheesh, Hyatt. She told you. I’ve never seen Nakatomi that angry.”

  “You heard that?” Falcon felt himself turn a deeper shade of red.

  “It was hard not to. Nakatomi was yelling, and I was right next door.” He leaned in closer, his face eager. “But never mind that. Give me the details. I only heard half of the conversation. What happened with you and Hemstath that made Nakatomi so angry? Did you finally kiss those little holy wielding lips?”

  Falcon ignored him. “C’mon. Armeen wants to see us both. Something about helping around the ship.”

  ~~~

  Aya came up on the deck. The sun’s rays rained down on her eyes. Heaving loudly, she put her head down and walked toward the back of the ship. Her heart was still pounding from the confrontation she’d had with Falcon. She couldn’t believe he had the audacity to question her. Even harder to believe were the words that had come out of her own mouth. Aya didn’t even know she had felt half of the things she’d said. But now that they were out in the open, she realized that she had always felt them. They had been there, bubbling within her, threatening to explode or engulf her.

  “Good morning, Aya.” Faith leaned closer and waved, a smile on her face. Hiromy was beside her, spinning in place and humming a melody.

  Aya peered at Faith. “Good morning.” She felt a slight discomfort about being so close to the person who had been the subject of her rant mere seconds ago. There was no reason behind it, but part of her felt like a bad friend.

  “Would you like to join us? We’re about to do some meditating.”

  “Not right now. Perhaps another time, yes?”

  “Sure.”

  Aya set off in a rapid walk toward the captain’s quarters. She knocked on the door. Besides the metal skull insignia hanging at the center, it was as time worn as the rest of the doors in the ship. From her time reading, she knew that adorning ships with metal skulls was an ancient tradition practiced by captains of times long past. She found herself enjoying the small ancient details spread across the Gold Chaser. The moldy smell was welcome too. It made her feel as if she were part of history. Nothing but a speck of dust in the tale of the cosmos. Somehow, this seemed to lessen her troubles a bit.

  The door opened.

  “Nice to see you,” said Armeen, gesturing for her to come in.

  Aya walked in, taking in the scent of burning wax. Light from an open window at the side of the room let in rays of light, where dust particles danced wildly. Two lit candles stood over the husky table at the back. Over the table, countless maps were scattered. Books were also lying about. Some were open, while others rose in uneven stacks.

  “What woes trouble you, young lassie?”

  “Nothing of importance,” said Aya. She took a seat and picked up the book she had been examining the day before and continued where she’d left off.

  Armeen marched over to the small cabinet he had full of books against the walls. He picked two out and tossed them on the desk.

  “I think those two might have some information on trade routes used by Missea during the era of the Emperor Tanul. Around page eight, if I’m not mistaken.”

  Aya looked up from her book. “Why don’t you get the information and write it down with the notes I’ve taken?” She gestured over to the piece of parchment that she had written on the previous day.

  Armeen’s expression went from shocked to delighted. He smiled, exposing perfect aligned white teeth. “How about I just serve us some wine to get us through the day?” Against the left side of the wall was a scalloped wine rack nailed down. It held twelve wine bottles, mostly dark, though a few white bottles were also laid down vertically. He reached for a bottle and held it up to Aya. “Strawberry wine is your favorite, right?”

  Aya set her book down. The previous day Armeen had done the same thing. He had lain back and downed glass after glass of wine, without doing much work. Aya herself had drunk one too many wine glasses. On her way back to the cabin, she had almost taken a nasty spill on the floor more than once. She was not about to make the same mistake again.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” she asked.

  He poured the light pink red liquid into a clear glass and slid it toward Aya. “Simply giving us something to get us through the day.”

  “We don’t need wine. What we need is to get through this trade logs and see if we can find anything useful. This may not be important to you, but we need to get to Missea. Peoples’ lives are at stake.”

  “Yes. Of course.” He gave her a mock salute. “I will get to work right away.”

  Without saying another word, Aya returned her attention to the trade routes.

  But despite Armeen’s assurance that he was going to help, he didn’t. Instead, he spent most of the day describing his many exploits on the seas. Many were the stories of the times he cheated death. He also had countless tales of stealing gold and provisions from the wealthy to provide for the poor. Even though Aya was only half listening, she couldn’t deny th
at he found his tall tales entertaining. Armeen spoke with a contagious confidence that inspired loyalty. It was easy to see how he had become a captain at such a young age. She also found herself chuckling from time to time, something that she would have thought impossible mere days ago.

  “So how did you end up escaping?” asked Aya, after Armeen had described a particular situation where he’d been tied to a stake by a group of savage natives determined to sacrifice him to a flame god.

  “I used the very fire they lit under me to burn the ropes they had tied me with. I then threw myself down a three-hundred-foot cliff, landing safely in the raging river below.”

  “That sounds very…hard to believe.”

  “Most of my many exploits are difficult to grasp,” said the captain, seemingly unfazed by Aya’s doubts.

  Their eyes met. A strange sensation rushed from her toes to her neck. Rattled, she looked down and buried her eyes on her books, not wanting to show the captain her flustered expression.

  ~~~

  Gertie gave both wielders a small brush and had them wipe the floor of the deck. As they worked, Sheridan continued to pester him about what had transpired between Aya and him. Falcon found it extremely annoying. So much so that by the middle of the day he had pretend to throw up on five different occasions just to get away from him, which ended up not mattering much. Sheridan followed him to the side of the ship as Falcon feigned to vomit overboard.

  Finally, after almost an entire day of questions, Falcon had to tell him to stop talking about him and Aya, which Sheridan took as a sign to go on a rant about Hiromy and just how beautiful her hair was. He talked about the way it flowed. The way it looked as the sun hit it. The way it smelled when she washed it.

  By the time the moon peeked over the distant rain cloud, Falcon’s head was pounding.

  “For Va’siel’s sake. Stop yammering!” yelled Falcon, putting down his cleaning brush. “Nobody cares just how much Hiromy’s eyes glisten from afar, or how cute it is when she slurps her noodles, or just how her voice drips like honey when she sings.”

  Sheridan, who had been on all fours cleaning, stood, looking down with a menacing look. For a second Falcon thought he was going to space wield a meteor at him. But instead, he clenched his fists. “Be careful how you speak about Hiromy. I won’t tolerate anyone disrespecting her.”