by Elina Vale
“Oh, good times, eh?” He whispered into Shri’s ear and squeezed her throat tighter.
Shri searched for her magic desperately, but it wasn’t there. She was broken. And her journey would end here.
“Let her go!”
Teron appeared at the mouth of the alleyway, his coat fluttering behind him in the rain. He didn’t look like scared; not like the young man Shri had rescued a few weeks ago in the forest. He looked fierce, magic shining from his eyes and rain glistening on his dark red hair. He looked like a true senatai.
“Damn it,” Knudson whispered, nudging Don’s sleeve. “The kid’s a senatai.”
“Maybe they’ll double the reward if we take ‘em both.”
Teron thrust his hand forward, and Don was thrown against the wall. Knudson pulled Shri closer and placed the knife on her neck.
“Don’t you make any sudden moves, senatai-boy,” he growled. “Or I’m gonna bleed her to death right here in the alley.”
“You don’t want to do that,” Teron warned. “Let her go.”
Knudson started to drag Shri backwards, pressing the steel against her throat. “You get lost if you want her alive. You hear me, boy?”
Don managed to stumble up, but Teron’s face scrunched, his eyes shining with brighter light.
“If she dies, you die with her.”
The men faltered, and the dagger started to move slowly away from Shri’s neck. When it was far enough away, she twisted out of the man’s arms and raced over to Teron.
His body was shaking from the strain of the magic. He had frozen the men in place.
“Shri, run,” he whispered between his clenched teeth. “I can’t hold them for much longer. Get out of the city.”
“What about you?”
“Don’t worry about me. I can get away, but it’s you they want.”
“I don’t want to leave you here.”
“Just go. I’ll find you later! Hurry!”
He was right. She had to escape, to find a way to Ironflare. Teron could find her there. But where could she hide? Certainly, she couldn’t return to the inn, and she didn’t know this city at all.
“Be safe,” Shri whispered.
She sprinted out the alley. She had gotten as far as the street near the inn when she heard running steps behind her. Glancing back, she realized that the men had broken free and were already after her. Teron was casting beyond his current level of skill, and he must have collapsed from the strain.
Running through wet streets and dark alleys, she scouted for paths that would help her to lose her pursuers. The moment she slowed down to catch her breath, their voices urged her to continue. When a familiar salty scent reached her nose, she realized that she had arrived near the harbor. She snuck behind a shed, flattening herself as small as she could, and hid in the shadows. Within thirty seconds, she heard her pursuers run past.
Resting her head against the wall, she closed her eyes and let her breathing calm. Teron had saved her, but how long would she need to rely on other people’s help? If Shea wanted her, there was no way she could continue to escape forever.
How did I ever think I could help Father and Susu, not to mention the rest of Ironflare? I can’t even take care of myself! What a fool I’ve been!
The sound of scrabbling feet alerted her, but when she crouched into a defensive position, ready to flee if necessary, she heard only silence.
The rain dripped from the eaves, and a rat scattered across the alley.
“Don’t worry, girlie,” a voice echoed from the darkness.
A man emerged into sight. He had blond shoulder-length hair, decorated with beads and feathers. On the side of his face, he had paintings, or maybe they were tattoos; lines, and round, twirly shapes. Colorful ribbons of red, yellow, and green traveled down his jacket sleeves. Another man followed him. Shri saw peculiar markings on his skin also, which marked his neck and hands. The twirly markings seemed to cover his arms, but Shri couldn’t be sure as those vanished under the sleeves. He had a short gray hair, and a similar beard. He stared at Shri intensely.
“What do you want from me?” Shri demanded. “I have no silver or valuable items!”
“It’s not something you carry we want,” the bearded man said with a raspy voice. His appearance was stark and his shoulders broad. He was clearly a warrior.
“If you’re thinking about giving me to the city guards, I—”
“I would never be so wasteful.” He narrowed his eyes.
“Whatever you want from me, you can’t have it,” Shri raised her knife.
“Look, Aigon,” the blond man said. “The girl’s got claws!”
“And I’m not afraid to use them.” Shri knew that she was bluffing. She had sound fighting skills, but these two men looked far too practiced for her to take down on her own, even more than the two she had met earlier.
Aigon smiled. “Good. She’ll need claws on the Thunder Islands.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Shri lashed out as the blond man approached, hitting him in his face with the hilt of her knife. Without flinching, he grabbed Shri and tripped her onto the ground. Shri struggled with all her might, but she was pinned.
“Let me go!”
“Not one with a will like yours,” Aigon said, kneeling down beside her. “Nor a face as lovely. You’ll be perfect.”
“For what?” she said, fighting to break free.
“To join us, the Maira, on Thunder Island.”
Shri stopped. “Thunder Island? The Maira?”
“Yeah,” the one holding Shri down said, smirking. “We need new blood on the island.”
“There’s something...” The older man placed his hands on both sides of Shri’s head. “She’s a senatai.” He reached into his pocket and withdrew a black ball, which he smacked against Shri’s wrist. It unraveled the moment it touched her skin and wrapped around her wrist.
The blond man released her.
Shri stumbled up, trying to yank the bracelet away, but it held firm. “What is this?”
“I sense the magic in you,” Aigon said. “Why didn’t you use it against us?”
Shri ignored his question. “What is this? Take it off me!”
“If you are a senatai, you have greater defenses than you’ve shown.” After several moments, his face brightened. “Ah, you’re a trainee! Or are you a free runner? Never been taught in the art of magic?”
Shri lifted her arm, staring into his eyes.
“Very well,” Aigon said. “This is a ma’tera bracelet. A nice little thing my people have invented for magic-wielding people like you.”
“What does it do?”
“It blocks your fountain. You can’t access your magic. Still, we will need new senatai on the island. So, when your... acclimation period is over, you will begin the training with us.”
“You train your own senatai?” Shri considered the power struggle between the Spike and Senatai Island, and how the Order of the Senatai wanted to control all the magic in the land. If the Order found out that the pirates had their own senatai... That might be a reason for a different war.
The blond rogue chuckled. “Of course we do. We are not slaves to your kingdom’s laws, nor are we slaves to the Order. We are a free people. We are the tribe of Maira that you land-bounds call ‘Rogues.’ And you will soon understand why you should work with us instead of fighting us.”
“Enough,” Aigon said. “The tide goes out in a few hours. We must ready the ship.”
Mistress, not again.
She would have to get on a ship again. Shri’s stomach turned at the thought of it. “No... I can’t get on a ship.”
The blond man yanked her closer, twisting her arms behind her and tying her hands behind her back. “Well, we ain’t asking, girlie. Now get those legs moving.”
Aigon turned his back and began walking. The other man pushed Shri forward, forcing her to follow him. Should she scream? Would the city guards help her? Even if they cou
ld, she was a wanted woman; rescue in Glasswater would only lead to another form of captivity. She had to escape from the city. The Rogues, the Mairas, offered her that chance—free passage—but if she went with them, she might never get to Ironflare.
The moment they were distracted, Shri took off. She ran as fast as she could, but they were right behind her. She turned a corner and stopped short.
The two townsmen were standing in front of her.
“There she is!” Don called.
The pirates came to a stop behind her. She was surrounded.
“Look,” Don said, nudging his cohort. “Rogues.”
“I can see them,” Knudson said, revealing the long knife from under his shirt. “Don’t care what they are, they’re not taking our silvers!”
“Silver?” Aigon said. “We don’t care about your silver.”
“Then give her! We got her first.”
“She belongs to us, now.”
“This creature killed a senatai!” Knudson insisted. “The city guards have promised seven silvers to the one who turns her in. You got no right to help her escape!”
The blond pirate grabbed Shri again, and this time she didn’t resist. The Mairas have magic, she thought. Teron’s tale about Ordan and the king who destroyed him surged into her mind.
“She leaves with us,” Aigon repeated.
“You skinny rogues ain’t no match for a soldier!” Don rushed forward, but before he had taken three steps, a small throwing iron punched into his neck. He gurgled and pulled the blade out, but the blood flowed like a river, and he fell to the ground, holding the wound with both hands. Red dripped between his fingers. His mate looked at the Mairas with anger, then vanished into the alleyway.
“Let’s go senatai-killer,” Aigon said, leading Shri toward the docks. “After we get you on board, you can explain me why you killed a senatai and how you did it without magic.”
As they walked toward the ship, Shri tried to figure out how to get herself out of this mess. She felt being torn to many directions. The old mercenaries wanted to turn her in for a reward. Shea wanted her to help conquer the world. Eavan wanted her to help save it. And now, these Mairas wanted her too. But her family needed her. Susu need her. How could she save them if these pirates took her away? Could the Mairas help her somehow? Clearly, they knew something about magic, as evidenced by the bracelet pressing against her wrist. They might have even invented this item to block it. Shri knew she had something important to do, something that had brought Eavan into her life, but she couldn’t accomplish anything without her magic.
When they reached the marina, a massive ship emerged into sight, dwarfing the others moored alongside it. It was like a black mountain in the darkness, only a few torches alight on the deck.
“Stop.” Shri said, halting in place. “I can’t leave.”
“Why not?” the blond rogue asked.
“I have important things to do. I don’t have time for this.”
He turned her around. He was taller than Shri and stared down to her with a smirk. “Tough. You’re coming with us.”
Aigon was already halfway up the gangplank.
Won’t have a better opportunity to escape.
“Not today,” Shri whispered. She jumped up and hit the man’s jaw with her head. He grunted, releasing her as his hands came to his face. She took off as fast as she could. The fact that her hands were tied behind her back made her escape challenging, but her legs had lost none of their speed. Unfortunately, the man was just as fast, and he sprang on her from behind, tackling her at the knees and bringing her to the ground. Shri tried her best to squirm out of his grasp, unable to fight back with her arms, but he was too strong. Pulling a sweet-smelling cloth out of his tunic, he reached around to the front of her face and pressed the damp fabric over her nose and mouth. The very second Shri inhaled, her head began to tingle. Quickly, the buzzing warmth spread through her muscles, down her limbs, and her vision began to fade.
The last thing she saw was the silhouette of the ship waiting to take her away from her family.
CHAPTER 11
WALKING THE STREETS OF Glasswater brought back memories.
Boa loved this city. It was filled with scents of the world, and it provided a comforting feeling of possibilities. From Glasswater, one could journey to any place in Aviden. The extensive network of inland river-routes started here, and by jumping into a brellyboat, one could travel almost anywhere on the mainland. While the river-routes were the most common mode of transportation, three grand roads leading away from Glasswater were also well-traveled. If one wanted to go somewhere exotic, ships traveled to foreign lands beyond the Salty Sea.
This was a city Boa had visited with Eavan after she had convinced him to be her drokashai. He had been only a young, angry boy, and Eavan had been... well, an over-confident, gorgeous young trainee. They had ended up in so many adventures, but here, in this city, was where it all started. Now, here they were, visiting the city once more. They’d arrived in Glasswater two days earlier. Eavan had been sniffing around, trying to find out if Shea had infiltrated any of her local spies. She was certain she’d obtain information; this was the nearest large city to Senatai Island. Once they were finished here, they would take a brellyboat to Sungarden and seek an audience with the king.
Separated by their different errands, Boa and Eavan hadn’t seen each other for the whole day. He had agreed to meet her at Fountain Square, the busiest trading spot in Glasswater. It was past midday, and the market was filled with people.
Nodding to familiar merchants as he walked, Boa searched for Eavan.
“Hey, Mister, wanna buy your lady a nice scarf?” a voice called.
A salesman with a cart full of colorful silk and cotton fabrics had hailed him. Boa let his hand slide across one of the bright blue scarves. Blue was Eavan’s color.
The salesman leaned closer, hoping Boa might spend some coins. “These are the last ones from Ironflare. Get one now, because the prices will only skyrocket as the city becomes ever more independent!”
“Why do you say that?” Boa mumbled as he tried to decide between two beautiful shades of blue.
“Haven’t you heard? The High Master is dead, and some wicked and powerful senatai queen has taken over! Some say she’s mad, and they believe that the city is doomed.”
Shea had certainly begun to lose her mind. “Bah. A queen.”
“Just sayin’ what I’ve heard.”
Boa put the one of the scarves down. “What else do you know?”
The man started organizing his scarves and fabrics in neat piles. “I’m just a poor salesman. What could I possibly know?”
Boa dropped a silver coin into his palm.
The merchant tucked it inside his pocket. “Oh, now I remember. The city is closed to outsiders. That’s nothing new, but the old High Master knew what was best for the economy, and he used to let us trade there for the good of all! But the new queen seems paranoid. She’s locked down the city, and she won’t even trade with noble merchants! There’s a rumor that she plans to march her senatai army across the land, all the way to Sungarden, and overthrow King Magnus.”
“Is that so?” Boa gently rubbed his beard. The rumors might hold some truth, but they seemed exaggerated. Shea didn’t have an army of senatai, and few would march openly against the king and Senatai Island.
“What is it?” a voice near him uttered.
Boa awoke from his musings to find that the bustle of the marketplace was winding to a halt.
“It’s coming this way!” someone else shouted. “It’s going to hit us!”
Boa snapped his eyes upward. Above the city, a black dot tumbled through the clear blue sky, approaching in a trail of black smoke.
Magic.
He pushed the scarf back onto the cart and ran to the center of the square. “Clear the square!” he started shouting, encouraging people away. “Get out of the streets!”
Several people began screaming and pushing thei
r way to shelter, but the bulk of the crowd stared at the approaching dot, mesmerized. They didn't move until the object was moments from landing, and people realized that it was, in fact, going to hit the city. Boa glanced around for Eavan, but the masses of fleeing citizens rammed him out from the center of the square.
People scattered as the black ball landed in the marketplace, destroying the fountain with a crash. The fallen object was the size of a large squash. It continued to smoke heavily, but beyond that, it didn’t move. Boa stumbled up and ran toward the ball, but he was too late to stop the foolish bystanders from prodding at it with sticks and canes.
“Get away from it!” he warned. “Don’t touch it!”
The ball cracked like an egg. People murmured, taking hesitant steps back as Boa tried to push himself through the crowd. The shell fell away to revealed six fist-sized spiders. Crowd reactions were mixed; some ran away screaming, while others laughed, as though it was the start of some friendly conjuring trick. The illusion of goodwill was dispelled, however, when the spiders’ hairy legs began to grow and their ugly, bloated bodies expanded to the size of adult horses.
As the rest of the crowd fled, Boa took his blades into his hands. “Right, then. Gigantic spiders.” He hopped into action. “Haven’t seen gigantic spiders in, oh, fifteen years.”
The spiders scattered in unison. Boa ran to the fallen fountain pole, climbed up and jumped onto one of the spiders with a massive roar. He fell onto its back and clung to its spindly hairs to stay aboard. The spider hissed and shook its abdomen, fighting to throw off the attacker. Boa dug his boots firmly into its flesh and struck his blade deep into its back, then rolled off the spider as it twitched and fell. The creature died, but with its death throes, it sprayed webbing across the square.
Boa fought to catch his breath. The city was congested with fleeing citizens, terrified screams filling the air.
“Terrific,” Boa mumbled, wiping the sticky substance away. “Spider web.”
“Boa!” Eavan’s voice echoed across the deserted square. She ran to him, out of breath. “You’ve killed one! How many are there?”