My eyes opened. I was in a forest, surrounded by trees and I could hear the distant rumble of thunder. The ground still moved and creaked as if I was on a ship. I looked around, nobody was there, just me and a small fire.
“Hello?” Nobody answered. I pushed off my covers, just as I went to stand up, I heard a twig snap. My head swiveled in that direction. “Sable?” She was just standing there, hands on her hips and a weird smile on her face. “Where is everyone?” I asked. She pointed behind me. I turned to see Leola, also with a strange smile.
I was starting to get uncomfortable; my heart was beating fast. “Is anyone else here?” I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned to see Sable and Céírde knelt beside me smiling those strange smiles. Céírde grabbed my hand and guided it to Sable’s shin. I could feel the leather, but not the leg beneath it. I pulled my hand away. “What are you doing?” Leola held her finger up to her lips, her eyes were wide, and her face was emotionless, like a doll.
Suddenly she was on top of me. Pinning me down. “Stop it.” I said. She smiled. Her eyes were empty, and her smile was too long. I turned away to see Sable and Céírde, their limbs entwined, but too long and too flexible. Like there were no bones in them. I was having difficulty looking away. I was fixated on the sight, intrigued and uncomfortable by Sable mostly. She looked at me with the same smile and licked her blood red lips. I heard a scream and turned back to Leola, only to find the face of the Pale Stranger staring at me. Its long, clawed hands came up at me from my peripheral vision.
I woke with a start, gasping for air and covered in sweat. I felt like the Pale Stranger was right behind me. I was too scared to look. It was a dream. It was just a dream. Calm down. That thing might not even be real, and if it is it’s not on this ship. Calm do… My thoughts were interrupted by a strange feeling under my covers. I managed a slow scan of the room. Nobody else was awake. I reached down under the blankets.
It’s back! What is this?! I pulled my covers up and sat forward, leaning on my knees to hide it. Flashes of the dream, Sable and Céírde entwined like that, Leola’s doll like face and too wide smile. The Pale Stranger. I shook them out. After a few minutes of breathing deeply, I was able to get myself and my parts to return to normal. I breathed a sigh of relief.
I need to talk to Lanaea about this. I don’t know what’s going on, just that it’s giving me nightmares. It''s in a private area, and it seems like it’s linked to Sable, Leola, and Céírde. But mostly Sable? Or was it the pants that did it? But if so, why hasn’t it happened till now? I’ve been around and handled plenty of leather. Even seen my sisters in leather clothes. Thought they looked nice, was incredibly intrigued even fascinated, but never had this problem.
I shook my head. It doesn’t matter yet. I’ve got to get ready for training. I double checked to make sure things were normal, then I took care of my bedding and quickly changed my shirt and headed out into the galley. I was three hours early, judging by the position of Kolob as it rose into the sky. I went and grabbed some breakfast from the food cupboard and picked up a book to read.
I learned of a creature called Flat Horns. It was ten to twelve feet tall and hunched over like a redback. Only, instead of human like hands and fur, it had hands with three large fingers tipped with talons and an opposable thumb that hid in the forearm. It had plate like scale projections that protected most of its body and had spikes coming out of its elbows. It had two large flat horns coming out of its head. The horns were used to intimidate or deal heavy blows. It also had a long tail with a small ball on the end used to whip anything that managed to get behind it.
There was an entire section dedicated to creatures that were essentially just labeled as Giant and left pretty much at that. They all had notes on what was different about them from other creatures. Like the Giant Octopus being slightly armored and having small teeth on each suction cup that would help maintain grip. There weren’t as many Giant creatures as I thought there would be, and they were generally spread thin, but they were terrifying, nonetheless.
I put the book down and figured I would see if Lanaea was awake. I found the door to the infirmary open, but nobody inside, so, I decided I would just go back to the training room and wait. Several hours of waiting, thinking, and slight sleep later, training was in session.
“Today marks the first day of your fifth week on this ship. Which means that it is time for us to start a far more intensive part of your training. We will be focusing on striking.”
“When you say intensive, what do you mean by that?” Jael asked, slightly rubbing her eyes.
“It means starting today, we will be learning how to throw punches, kicks, elbows, and much more. As well as condition all of you in taking them.”
“Sacae.” Klintock started. Sacae nodded at him to continue. “Why are we learning this stuff? I’m grateful, but I don’t see how much use it will be to grapple one of those giant snakes or punch a Redback.” Sacae nodded.
“I do see why you would be confused. Essentially, we’re going through the basics. Getting all of you physically fit enough to take on threats like that, more so than the training you’ve received at the Public Centers. Eventually, we’ll train you in the use of weapons like spears, daggers, bows, things like that. Just be patient.” Klintock nodded and Sacae continued. “Alright. First things first. You all did well at the tournament yesterday. Especially you, Jael. Taking down Céírde quick and decisive like that. It was very impressive.”
“Thank you.” Jael smiled.
“Same partners as before. I’ll test your punches, kicks, and blocks before we move on. Just a basic rundown of what you likely already know. Croí.” I stood even with him. “First things first, when you strike, you want to align these two bones.” He made a fist and pointed to the knuckles on his index and middle fingers. “With these bones.” He drew a line down across his forearm bones. “You do this because the bones for your middle and index fingers are stronger, less likely to fracture. Those on your pinky and ring finger will fracture easier and should be avoided when possible.” Jael and Klintock were nodding absent mindedly, having already gone through this from the Public Centers. Why all this run through of the basics? Just start with the stuff we don’t know.
“Second thing is weight. You want to make sure you have weight behind the punch, for example.” He readied himself to punch me. I instinctively put up my arms, he shook his head and I put them down. “No weight.” He punched at me, just using his arm, and hitting me in the chest. I barely moved. “Little effect. However, put weight behind it.” I hate this part. He slammed his fist into my chest. I flopped onto my back, groaning as I struggled to breathe for a moment. “Much better.” I got up, my left arm feeling numb for a second.
“To put weight behind it, you put your whole body behind it, mostly the hips and legs, depending on the punch. You start from here.” He got into a standard pose, his right fist pulled back and ready. “And as you move your fist, you twist your legs, hips, and shoulders.” He mimicked it a few times then hit me and knocked me down again. “Now you two try.”
As natural as Jael took to grappling, Klintock seemed to be with striking. He seemed well practiced, balanced, accurate, and fast. Sacae taught them dozens of different ways to strike. Every time he switched from fists to shins, or shins to elbows, he would strike me to the ground. It reminded me of the first days of grappling training, getting thrown around and being kept in a constant state of pain. I was starting to grow accustomed or at least familiar with the pain of grappling, but this was new. The bones in his knuckles dug deep into my muscles, creating a new lingering pain that made it much harder to utilize them.
“Sacae? How would you combine striking with grappling more effectively than they taught us in Public Centers? Like against larger or armored opponents.” Klintock asked.
“I’ll demonstrate.” He looked at me, and just as his hands were going up, the bell for break rang. He looked disappointed. “I’ll demonstrate tomorrow. You kids rest up.” Why demonstrate on me anyways? I’m not larger or armored. Just then Edorin came down the stairs.
“Captain.”
“At ease. Just who I was looking for. The tournament went well. Well enough for general morale that we will be holding another one at the end of the week. I will be making the announcement at dinner time, but I figured I would give you all a heads up.” He smiled and walked off into the galley. Sacae’s shoulders dropped, and he huffed angrily.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Well, you heard him. We’ll be training much harder starting tomorrow.” He stormed off.
“I wonder what that was about. He sounded angry.” Jael mentioned.
“Don’t really care at the moment. It’s time to play cards and sit.” Klintock said, heading into the galley. We followed him to the familiar sight of Leola, Sable, Lánn and Céírde.
“Croí. Just in time. Would you mind?” Leola asked, smiling. I nodded, smiling back at her.
“I would love to. How much longer do you need me?”
“About…” She thought, looking at Lánn. “About two more days, I think. But we’ll only have today to work on it this week.”
“More training?” Klintock questioned.
“Yes... We’re all going to train during break. Except Lánn and William, they take a few hours out of their duties so they can still work on dinner.” Céírde replied.
“Ok then. May the best fighters win.” Klintock said, pulling out the cards. They walked into the room, and we played cards outside the door. We skipped learning about creatures after dinner and went straight to bed, to Ceírde’s annoyance. The next day in training, Sacae showed up with a scowl on his face.
“It would appear that the others are receiving special training from Zanataz in an attempt to get them ready for the tournament. I’ll be expecting much more potent strikes from here on out, no half measures.”
“But won''t that make us too sore when the tournament comes along?” Klintock questioned. Sacae glared at him, then leveled a side kick to his chest, knocking him off his feet, and he slammed onto his back. Klintock was surprised but recovered quickly.
“Feel too sore to move?” Sacae questioned. Klintock shook his head but stretched and strained against the pain of the kick. “Exactly. This part of training is to toughen you up and get you ready for the punishments of the Island. If you hurt, too bad. You can’t quit on the Island, or you die. If you quit here, I’ll hit you harder.” The atmosphere had totally shifted. Sacae seemed to almost be a different person. No smiles, just stern glaring eyes. “Now, get ready to spar.”
He spent the rest of our training time using the three of us as punching bags, focusing more on me, then had us beat each other. When the bell rang, he punched us each once in the face to ‘let us know what it felt like’ and stormed off. I told Klintock and Jael to go ahead. I felt raw, in more ways than one. I didn’t know if I was strong enough to take this much longer. I took many deep breaths to calm myself and push the emotions back down.
Once I’d recovered enough to move, I headed towards the infirmary. I wanted to go see Lanaea and had finally got up the courage to do it. I walked into the infirmary to see her sitting at a desk, grinding some plants into a mortar and pestle. I knocked lightly on the door frame.
“Excuse me?” I asked. She turned her head quickly, then gave me a slight smile.
“Come in.” I took a step inside. She squinted at me. “Croí, isn’t it?” I nodded. I was incredibly nervous, shaking, and fidgety. “Well Croí, is there something you needed?” I shouldn’t have done this. But I can’t just leave. At least I don’t think I can.
“I have been… uh. Having a really strange...problem.” I said. She raised her chin slightly, studying me a little.
“Really? And what kind of problem is it? Please, come in and have a seat, close the door if you don’t mind.” I closed the door and stood for a second before sitting down. She stared at me expectantly for a few seconds. It was difficult to keep her gaze. “So?” I took a deep breath.
“Well...It’s uh...I’m sorry.” I shook my head feeling stupid and ashamed. I couldn’t figure out how to word it or describe it.
“Don’t worry. Take a few deep breaths and start with what area it’s affecting alright?” She had a kind smile and a calming voice, it helped. I took a few deep breaths, calming myself slightly.
“Ok. It’s in.” I motioned to my crotch. “This area.” She looked confused.
“And what exactly seems to be the issue? Reddening? Swelling? Rash maybe?” She asked. I shook my head.
“No, none of that. It’s just that… Well it can. It goes up.” I said nervously. She made a slight chuckle of disbelief. Her strained smile looking to be a mix of amused and annoyed.
“Oh, it does, does it? And let me guess, it might happen soon, and you would like help getting rid of it?”
“Well, I don’t know when it comes, or why, but I would like it to stop.” I explained.
She pursed her lips and glared at me.
“Oh really?” She asked angrily. I nodded. “You don’t really think I’ll fall for that do you? You really think you’re the first to try that?” I was dumbfounded. Fall for what? It isn’t a trick. Why would I do this if I wasn’t serious?
“Fall for what?” I asked. My voice cracking slightly. Her pursed mouth shifted to the left, and she sighed heavily, squinting at me. My breathing increased. I glanced around the infirmary. I should just leave; I don’t know what I did, but it made her mad. This is so awkward. Her face changed as she leaned back in her chair. Her left eyebrow raised.
“You are serious, aren’t you?” She asked. I nodded.
“I… I mean, I’ll just…” I pointed at the door and started turning to leave.
“Hold on.” She took a deep breath in and groaned. “How forgetful of me. I’m sorry. You’re a Geal aren’t you?” I nodded, still inching towards the door. “I’m sorry, I was distracted, or I would’ve caught that earlier. That explains everything.” I stopped, confusion and intrigue overriding embarrassment.
“Explains what?” I asked in a small voice. A small smile crossed her lips and she motioned for me to come in and sit.
“Come away from that door and take a seat please Croí.” I sat. “You’re sure this isn’t some immature attempt at playing doctor?” She asked.
“What does that even mean?” I asked. She smiled, seeming satisfied, confusing me more.
“Your family, do they still follow the teachings of Lochloin, under the Sect of the Pure?” She asked. I nodded.
“Yes. Mom loves Lochloin.” I said with a small smile. She nodded.
“Right, we’ll ease into it then, baby steps. That area rising. Do you know what brings it on? Certain thoughts? A certain person?”
“It’s usually when I’m around certain Agers, but it’s not all the time, and it happened from a dream this morning I think.”
“And which Agers is it specifically? And which times?”
“Leola, Céírde, and Sable. My heart beats really fast, like I’m falling from a great height, and on a few occasions, the rising thing happens.”
“So, you say being near these specific three causes your symptoms. When did that start?” I took a deep breath and nodded, then tried to explain.
“Well, Leola and Lánn were working on a pair of leather pants for Sable. She needed new ones because she’s small and the ones she had kept sagging and were uncomfortable. They would work on them in our room while I sat at the door to make sure nobody bothered them. Then one day, they finished working on them. When Sable came out to show them off, the feeling started. I’ve had that feeling a few times since I’ve met her, but this time it was intense. I found it hard to look away, I just kept staring. Then. It happened.” I took a breath. She was smiling, almost laughing at times.
“I believe I know what this is, and you’ll be just fine.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“What you’re experiencing is called an erection. It’s a symptom of puberty.” I blinked a few times.
“Ere…? What’s that? Is there a cure? What’s puberty?” She snickered, giving a little sigh as she thought.
“Puberty is… a time when your body reaches sexual maturity and undergoes certain changes. What is sex to you?”
“It’s a bad word. I was taught to mind my language.” I said, shaking my head.
“Right.” She pursed her lips thinking. “Allow me to explain Croí. Your family is one of many families that is raised under the Sect of the Pure. This means that you weren’t taught anything about sexuality, or any thoughts associated with it. You were actively shunned away from these thoughts. This makes you extremely naive in this area, to the point where almost anybody else wouldn’t believe it, but it’s actually quite understandable once they know how you were raised. You were never taught anything about puberty, sex, or erections. Any of that right?” I shook my head, embarrassed by the words. “Do you know what kissing is?” She asked.
“Yes, my mom kisses me all the time, and hugs me.”
“What about on the lips?”
“No. That’s only for married people.” I said. She nodded as she took a deep breath. “So, because I was raised by my parents, who worship Lochloin, then I have this… problem with my body?” I asked slowly.
“Not really. I believe it may have been caused by the pants amplifying your existing attraction to Sable. I wager that if Céírde or Leola wore them, they would have the same effect. It’s a natural thing. You simply think that those three are more beautiful or attractive than the others. It’s the first step in a relationship that goes...past friendship, shall we say.” She explained.
“I guess that’s true. I do find it to be more fun to be around them than Lánn or Jael sometimes, and they’re very pretty too. What do I do about it?”
“That’s what I’m wondering. See, it’s interesting, because I don’t have personal experience with your particular problem. Are there any thoughts that you noticed accompany the… problem?”
“I wanted to touch Sable’s legs. I did in the dream, but it was weird, like just the leather was there without her leg.”
“Well, as I don’t have one myself, but have heard many things, the best advice I can give you is, when that starts to happen, sit down, or avert your eyes, and calm yourself through breathing exercises. Think about their faces, or the times they said something that made you happy, or about something you find very unattractive, and please remember Croí, this is a natural thing. It’s not something to be scared of, or something to feel overly awkward about. But I would also mention that just because it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s something everyone else should see. So, practice your breathing, and come back to let me know how it works in a few days, ok?” She asked. I nodded.
“Ok. Thank you Lanaea.” I stood up to leave and she stood too.
“And again, I apologize for my overreaction.”
“It’s ok. Thank you for your help.” I thanked her and headed back into the galley. I barely listened to Edorin’s announcement, because my head was still swimming from all the information she had given me. I ate absentmindedly, barely able to hold a conversation or engage in lessons before heading to bed, laying wide awake for what felt like hours before finally dozing off.