by Oxford, Rain
Edward then took the lead and we went below the deck. The halls were made of a simple, dark wood. Little candles were mounted about fifteen feet apart from each other on the walls, but they didn’t appear to melt. On the right of each candle was a sliding door with an indent for a handle.
We finally stopped at a door and Edward slid it open. The room was about ten-by-six with dark wood walls, which made it look smaller. There was one bed against the wall, about three feet off the floor. The blanket and pillow were identical to the ones on my bed, back on Shomodii. Next to the bed was a wooden table, no bigger than an average four-person card table, and a chair. An unlit lamp was lying on its side on the table. Against the far wall was a two-by-two foot window with wooden shutters.
“Don’t stare. Go in,” Edward said. I did and sat on the bed to try to stay out of the way. Divina sat next to me and Edward started shuffling through his pack. He retrieved a pile of clothes and handed them to me. “Get this on; you’re attracting stares.”
I looked at Divina expectantly, but she just smiled back. “Don’t you want to leave?” I asked.
“Why? Do you have something to hide? I’ve seen what men have.”
I just stared at her until she got up and left without another word. Edward started shuffling through the bag again and I quickly changed clothes.
I didn’t look right in Edward’s clothes. The tan-colored shirt and dark brown pants seemed to clash with my skin. Not to mention they were too big, which made me look small. Despite the size, they were very comfortable. The shirt was a little stretchy but seemingly strong, very soft, and light.
Edward pulled out a pair of boots identical to his and there was no hope at all that they would fit. Still, he handed them to me and I put them on without complaining. They fit better than I thought they would, because the leather material was thick.
“You don’t need to wear those right now. It’s going to be a while before we get to Mijii.”
“Can I wear my shoes in the forest since there won’t be anyone there?”
“No. Your shoes would never hold up there. I’m surprised they still stick to your feet.” Edward then pulled a book out of the bag and sat down. With nothing else to do, I rolled over and daydreamed.
Chapter 5
The ship ride was interesting. I had never been on a ship; Mother was sure I would fall off. Edward and Divina decided to take turns babysitting me in our little compartment to avoid any unnecessary problems with language.
As there were only three languages on Duran, none of which were anything like English, Edward suggested I played mute. They both argued over whether or not I should play deaf or mute or both. Playing deaf could end badly if I accidently reacted to a noise, but playing mute could go down the same way if I accidently said something.
They decided to hide me instead.
Divina spent most of the time reading a book from her backpack, while Edward spent most of his time sharpening his daggers and twitching at every unexpected sound. In a ship full of people, there were a lot of unexpected sounds.
“What was Ronez like? Where did he work and live?” I asked Edward when I couldn’t take the quiet scratching anymore.
Edward frowned for a second but stopped his sharpening. “His hobbies and talents were very diverse. Ronez was the kind of man who had a three-car garage next to the trailer he lived in. He had a 1980 Corvette, 1967 CougarXR7-GT, and a 1952 Studebaker Commander Regal Coup. He went to Oxford University, Tokyo University, Ritsumeikan University, and a bunch of other ones I can’t recall; those three were his favorite. In just a few years, he collected three doctorates’, five masters’, four bachelors’, and several associates’ degrees, yet he worked at a small shop where he fixed up cars for people. He wore clothes that make yours look fancy, which usually consisted of grime and rips, and liked to change his hair color when he got bored.
“He owned a large black dog named Cutie, and a little toy munchkin named Cujo, both of which are long dead. Several times he told me that if he died before me, he wanted to be mummified. That’s not an option because of… the way he was killed. He had started several cults and convinced many people that he was the god who made food in the icebox get moldy. My brother had the tendency to be very persuasive.”
“Were you?”
“I’ve had my moments, but mostly, I just intimidate people into doing or believing what I want. He’s gotten us both into a lot of trouble, which he always got out of by fooling everyone involved, on his side or against him. Nobody could stay mad at him. He liked to gamble and try everything. He was a fantastic cook, oddly enough. Everyone thought he lived only in the moment, but I could see that, while he was very spontaneous, he was always planning and working for a better future. He knew more Earth languages than all the languages I know, of all the different worlds. Ronez was very unique.”
“He sounds awesome. What was his favorite food?” He rolled his eyes, though at me or the memory, I’m not sure.
“Pizza. He liked pizza and a certain soda I can’t recall. The older he got, the younger he was until he reentered the teenage stage. When he actually was a teenager, he was a hardworking, wealthy, family man. When he died, he was a single, soda addict living paycheck to paycheck with his guitar and cars, who spent his weekends playing video games on a television set that had to stay in his garage because it wouldn’t fit in his house. He was always very fun and uplifting to be around. In his entire life, he never once said goodbye.”
“And Divina was friends with him?”
“Yes. Why?”
“I think I upset her by bringing him up on the way here.”
“Divina and Ronez were somewhat friends, but if his death has upset her, it’s not very much. She never considered death to be anything more than a long period of absence. Even when a very good friend died, she always acted like that person had just moved away and they could hang out if that person ever decided to come and visit. I told her what happened to Ronez before I left for Earth. She clearly felt sorry for me, but didn’t know why I was so upset. I’m not sure if she even gets it or knows that he is not coming back.” After that, he went back to his knife sharpening, but I kept thinking about it.
What if she does know? I had read about so many types of defense mechanisms, several that involved the death of loved ones. Denial was a bad way to cope with a pain. What if she misses him, and I did make her upset?
Neither seemed interested in talking, and soon their brooding preparation rubbed off and I lay there, imagining how bad the Aradlin was going to be. Then I remembered that I had no breakfast and probably wouldn’t get any until we got to Anoshii… in several days.
I’m going to die at sea by starvation. With that thought, I lapsed into depression.
* * *
After about five hours of boredom, during which I played Sudoku in my head, Edward entered the room and Divina stood. “They’re serving dinner now,” Edward declared. I jumped up and he frowned. “Perhaps I should bring yours to you.”
I shook my head suddenly enough to make it hurt. “Boredom causes bad things to happen around me. I have to get out of this room before I start seeing things. I have to eat before I shrivel up and die. I have to---”
“Okay! Just don’t say anything to anyone. If someone asks you a question, look down or pretend you didn’t hear them. I mean it- not a word, not a sound. Got it?”
“Uh,” I said wisely. Divina grabbed my arm to turn me to face her. She raised a dark blue, round, glass squirt bottle, about three inches tall and an inch in diameter.
“Hold still and open your mouth,” she said.
I had a really, really bad feeling about it, but since it was Divina, I did what any good dog would do. She sprayed the ice-cold liquid, which had the consistency of water, down my throat carefully. The small amount that touched my tongue was about the worst thing I had ever tasted. I coughed and choked, but the foul liquid seemed to stick to the lining of my throat.
“What is that?” I coughed
.
Edward did the most frightful thing so far; he started counting down.
“Just a little home mixture,” Divina said cheerfully. It was a potion. Nothing except forcing her control down a man’s throat can make a girl that happy.
Edward looked at Divina when he finished counting. “How long does it last?” he asked her.
She smiled. “Until I give him the antidote.” Her smile faltered and she glanced at her bag next to the bed. “I’m sure I brought it.”
I opened my mouth to demand what she did, but nothing came out. My voice wouldn’t work! While I could breathe and hyperventilate (which I did plenty of), I couldn’t make a sound, not even a whine.
Edward shrugged. “If you didn’t, I’m sure it won’t hurt him to go a while without asking a question.”
I nodded violently that it would, yet neither took any notice of me. Edward left and Divina wrapped her arm around mine. I tried to be angry, but I failed when she gave me her unnaturally beautiful smile.
“I was just cheering Edward up; I did bring the antidote. This is just so nothing will slip out. Come on.”
With great relief, I followed her. We found our way back on deck, where there was already a crowd of twenty men, half who were twice my size and all who were at least twice my age. There were no lamps because the sun was still up. Divina pulled me along to sit beside Edward and then sat on the other side of me like protective parents. It was very frustrating, but I couldn’t complain… I mean, I was physically unable to complain.
Everyone was speaking either a language that was smooth and delicate, which I was sure was Sudo, or something that sounded harsher, like German. I recognized a few of the Sudo words that Edward taught me, but other than that, it was impossible to guess what they were saying.
Their body language was odd, too. None of them touched each other. No one was left out of anything, except me, who couldn’t be in any proper conversation even if I could talk. The men didn’t strike me as the rough sailors I saw in movies; they were more polite. If one would raise his voice too loud, he would give Divina an apologetic look before continuing quieter.
However, the biggest difference I saw between them and humans was their appearance. While they were all humanoid, I noticed some people had odd coloring, such as the three people with white hair. They didn’t look old enough to have pure white hair, so it occurred to me that white hair could be a natural color on Duran. Another odd appearance was purple eyes, which several people had. Though I expected beings to look different on other planets, I never expected to see a young alien that looked human with purple eyes and white hair.
“Yatunus.” I noticed a man arrive as he called out Edward’s last name. I was surprised when everyone fell silent and Edward stood up with a bright smile. This man was a few inches larger in every direction than Edward. While the majority of the men on the ship looked to be no more than working men, Edward had a predatory look to him. The man standing in front of us looked like a bodyguard.
The man was heavily built and had a rather flat head, a square jaw, and small eyes the color of worn money. His nose was flattened from being shattered several times and there was a scar above his lip, which made his unshaven stubble look lopsided. He wore a closed gray leather vest, a black sleeveless T-shirt underneath it, black denim-like pants, and black boots. The overall effect was something like a retired or undercover mobster.
“Rhade. Nonjide imedae,” Edward said in greeting. Rhade took a seat across from Edward. Everyone started talking again, even quieter than before, but a few gave the man secretive glances. Edward said something else and I heard, very clearly, my first name and Divina’s name.
As he introduced us, I noticed that he didn’t point or indicate either of us. I was trying my best to soak up all the rules and taboos, but they were all the same on Earth.
Rhade said something to Divina that she repeated back to him. When he said the phrase to me, Edward leaned forward and quietly explained my silence. Rhade nodded with a pitying expression and evidently changed the subject. I was left out while everyone was enjoying themselves. I only wanted dinner to come.
Finally, it did, and I stood when everyone else did as three men about my age entered, carrying large bowls and plates of food. They set them on the table and left, but everyone remained silent and standing. The three men returned three more times to bring food before finally returning with plates and other dining utensils. They distributed them and said a phrase before leaving. Everyone sat and I examined what was in front of me.
The dark green plates were the same clay stuff that Edward’s jars were made of. There was a tan cloth that looked like Edward’s bag material, only thicker. The last object was a long, wooden spoon. On one end of the straight handle was a wide, slightly curved, almost flat scoop. On the other end, it was sharpened into a spike. I guessed that was in case the food tried to sneak away.
The food itself was scary. One of the dishes contained a thick brown paste with wiggling chunks. There were green things, red things, black and blue things. The only thing that looked edible was a plate piled with strips of meat.
They started passing the food around, very politely. When Edward handed me the first thing to come my way, which was the dancing brown paste, I quickly passed it to Divina before it could eat me. Divina used the spatula-spoon and put some of it on my plate, despite my obvious fear. This process repeated for several dishes until Edward stopped her from putting something blue on my plate and I heard the word “milwyd”. She nodded, put some on her own plate, and passed it on, saving me from its torture.
When all the food was served, I watched everyone start eating. I tried to mimic the way the men were using the spoons, but it was impossible. Divina used hers perfectly, whereas I couldn’t get anything on it. I looked at Edward when I noticed she was glaring at him. He was using his fingers, not his spoon for the dry meat, so I decided to mimic him. His way was easier.
Using the meat as a scoop, I was able to sample the more unrecognizable cuisine. It tasted like Chinese food- the American kind. The chunks in the brown stuff were actually meat and the sauce was very sweet. Most of the food was sweet or salty, yet there was nothing to drink. Divina said something threatening to Edward, causing him to grin, and I was sure it was about his eating manners or teaching me bad manners. I didn’t care; I was just hungry.
Finally, when everyone was done eating, which was soon because there was very little talk, the three men brought out drinks. I was pleased to find that it was Kamitsue juice.
After a little while of friendly chat with Rhade, Edward stood and said his goodbyes. Divina and I stood too, and followed them back to the compartment. It was very cramped with all three of us.
“You are friends with Rhade-so Imo?” Divina asked Edward. “Think he’ll play later?”
“I don’t think so.” He looked at me. “Rhade is famous in Anoshii as a musician. You did better than I thought you would.”
I looked pleadingly at Divina. Taking mercy on me, she dug through her bag for a second before holding up a bottle identical to the blue one except it was dark red. The antidote tasted and felt the same as the other potion did, but it washed away what was still in my throat.
I coughed and wheezed. “Never do that again!” My voice was weak and broken.
“I liked you better when you couldn’t even talk to me,” she said, unimpressed.
I glared at her as best as I could, which wasn’t much. “You can’t use that on me again. I was just taken by surprise,” I said.
Her smirk was absolutely predatory and I froze. Edward moved out of the way and I retreated towards the door. For every step back I took, she advance two until her face was inches from mine.
“Was that all?” Her sweet breath left me stunned and my eyes slipped closed involuntarily. “Are you going to stop me next time?”
Her warm breath passed over my lips and they parted. Every ounce of blood in my body was redirected. I couldn’t think right; my mind was
fuddled. Her scent was exotic, but also sweet, like poison.
“Divina, down! You’re giving him a stroke!”
I barely heard Edward. Divina pressed against me so lightly it could have been imagined. My legs went weak. I tried to lean into her, but the door had been holding me up and so, against my will, I slid to the ground.
“Dylan! Are you okay? Divina, you devil. Hey!” He shook me as I tried to clear my head.
I forced my eyes open. “I’m okay,” I lied, climbing to my feet.
He turned to Divina and growled. It was a very inhuman sound.
“Relax, he’s fine,” she told him, no longer smiling.
He pushed me onto the bed and faced her. “He needs to heal. You need to let him do that.” His voice, while not threatening, was low and authoritative. She nodded and Edward sat next to me.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize he was still so injured.”
“You smell like plants,” I said without thinking. That just struck me as odd.
“I make potions for people,” she explained.
I couldn’t help but wonder, though, if it were some kind of magic that made me react to her scent. Her beauty was undeniable; however, Vivian was beautiful, too. Vivian had a great scent, but it never made me dazed. Either magic was to blame for my sudden and extreme reaction, or I was in trouble.
“You look tired,” she said after a few minutes.
“I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“He had a Guardian warning dream,” Edward added. Divina frowned, obviously clueless as to what it was. “When our books are in trouble, they try to help us by giving us visions that reveal plots or even show the future.”
“Your book is already in danger?” she asked me.
I tried not to be offended. “It’s not my fault. The ones who killed Ronez are still after it.”
“I thought you killed the ones responsible.” She started pacing in the tiny room.
“Why did you think that?” Edward asked. “I told you I was leaving for Earth and that Ronez had been killed. Then I brought back Dylan. Where did you hear that I killed anyone? I couldn’t even find anyone responsible. As far as I can figure out, it was Vretial’s servants.”