Tycon''s head throbbed like the beat of a drum as he woke on the rug he''d passed out on the night before. He fluttered his eyes open to see Sylaina staring out the window to his right, she hadn''t noticed that he was awake. She stared with her palm in her hand, out into the distant sea where the volcanoes loomed on the horizon like blemishes in the earth. He was glad she had come along with him, he was grateful for everything his friends had done in the name of saving the world. He''d come so far since Selenicar, since his first encounter with the gems and as he watched the faint wind blow her brown ponytailed hair, he tried desperately to stop himself from climbing to his feet and hugging her as tight as he could.


    The overwhelming and sudden urge took him by surprise as if a reminder of everything they''d been through had swept over him like a tidal wave. Even with his throbbing head, he couldn''t help but find his mind lost in those thoughts. The face of Balin flashed within his mind as well as Ren''s and... Ambre. He missed them all.


    Tycon slowly climbed to his feet and Sylaina turned to face him with a smile, "Tycon," She said, "It''s almost time to get to the shi-"


    He grabbed her by the vest that sat snugly over her blouse and pulled her towards him, his body moving on its own as if it yearned for the warmth of hers. He embraced her tightly, a part of him not wanting to let go and it was clear she was taken aback but she soon fell into it.


    "What''s this?" She said softly between bated breaths, "I - I don''t know what to say."


    "Thank you," Tycon replied warmly, "For coming this far with me, even after everything. All the blood and pain, I just want you to know that I appreciate it."


    He could hear her let out a smile, "Are you sure you''re not still drunk?"


    "I''m being serious and... I''m sober."


    She sighed and rested her head on his chest, "Well since we''re being honest, I don''t know what compelled me to follow you," Her voice was tender, "The goal of saving the world? The desire for adventure? I''m not sure but all that matters is that I''m glad I followed you."


    They let go and for a moment they locked eyes, he could only imagine how scruffy he looked in her point of view, but then again; They both did. Her large emerald eyes studied him as he studied her and he looked to her lips then back again, the nostrils of her small freckled nose flared as she began to breathe heavily, clearly flustered by the sudden embrace. Tycon pretended not to notice.


    "We''re about to take a huge risk going out there," Tycon began as the mood died down, "I wanna ask again if you''re sure you wanna do this?"


    Sylaina put her hands on her hips and leaned on one leg, "You really think I''m gonna follow you over a huge fuckin'' mountain and nearly fall to my death, just to chicken out now? C''mon Tycon, of course, I wanna do this."


    "Okay," He said, "But don''t look at me if everything goes to shit."


    Sylaina rolled her eyes, "I''ve heard that before."


    They both began to gear up for the coming voyage out into the volcanic isles of the south. He pulled on his tattered coat and checked his blade by running his finger across it. the action had become routine and if his finger wasn''t bleeding by the end then it wasn''t sharp enough. As he watched the crimson liquid emerge from his finger, he slipped the blade back into its scabbard and began strapping on his leather gauntlets. The gauntlets slid on his hands snugly and he buckled the straps over the bracers to keep the armor on tight. In the corner of his eye, he could see Sylaina doing the same.


    The time had come to venture forth. Tycon double-checked his daggers were strapped to his waist and without another moment''s hesitation, the two elves left.


    <hr>


    Daenor was waiting in the tavern for them on his own. Tycon glanced around but couldn''t see Valin anywhere, he assumed he was on the ship. The tavern was all but empty, he could only hear the clanging of glasses as they were cleaned. There was no music and no conversation.


    "Hello my friends," Daenor waved as they approached.


    "Hey," Tycon replied bluntly, "How''s the ship? Is it ready to go?"


    Daenor nodded, "I''ve got Valin and the boys on the ship prepping for sail now. If you would follow me, I''ll take you to where we''re anchored."


    "Lead on," Tycon gestured his hand to the door.


    The village was almost as quiet as the tavern, not many villagers were wandering the sandy trails and he only saw one or two down by the small fishing dock. It was still early in the morning, the sun had only just presented itself over the mountain so he figured most were still asleep, though the quietness was still unsettling. They followed Daenor from the tavern and down the sandy trails heading east towards the lush jungle that stood just beyond the borders of the village opposite the mountain they''d come from.


    Tycon was beginning to get tired of forests or anything like them. He''d spent too much time recently among trees and he was just beginning to get used to the coastal scenery. Daenor led them into the dense jungle and they followed foot-made trails through the greenery and eventually over a small creek. The air was hot and the distant sounds of exotic birds made him feel a lot farther from civilization than he was. Tycon kept his hand over the pommel of his sword in case Daenor was leading them into some sort of trap, even if it seemed like he was paranoid.


    Just as the darkness of the trees overhead began to reach their peak, they soon found the jungle getting thinner and through the trees, Tycon could see the brightly lit sand in the morning sun just ahead of them. He let his grip over his sword falter for a moment, at least until he noticed anything else suspicious.


    Once they reached the beach and his eyes had adjusted to the bright reflective sand, he noticed the large silhouette of a Brigantine ship out on the water, swaying with the movement of the waves. Daenor turned to them, moving backward with a proud grin on his face.


    "This is the Wavesplitter," He declared, "The fastest ship in the south."


    "It''s very impressive," Sylaina said politely.


    Tycon admittedly agreed, "Indeed it is."


    Daenor, who was satisfied with their comments, turned back and began walking towards a small rowboat that was beached nearby with Valin standing beside it, waving them over. Tycon glanced at Sylaina who gave him an approving nod in return and they both followed the man to the rowboat.


    Once they were on board, Valin began rowing and Tycon realized it was going to take a while before they arrived at the ship. They slowly moved against the force of the waves and none of them could escape the spray, he could taste the salt as the water collided against his lips. The wind began to pick up the further they made it out to sea which only made the seaspray worse, Tycon was convinced they''d be soaked by the time they reached the ship.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    "So what do you do? You a pirate?" Sylaina asked, her soft voice barely being able to be heard over the sea and wind.


    Daenor cackled at the question and shook his head, "No, mostly cargo transport but I do loot any pirates we sink. They''re an annoying bunch."


    "You run into pirates often?" Tycon asked.


    "Quite often, that''s why I''ve got the ship equipped with some of the best defense cannons in the region, though we try to avoid conflict when possible. You never know when some bastard will get a lucky shot and sink your damn ship."


    Tycon nodded slowly, "So if you transport cargo, why are you out here treasure hunting?"


    Daenor paused for a moment, "If there''s money to be made and I''m close by, you''re sure-as-shit gonna find me making it."


    Tycon knew that Daenor would inevitably betray him for the treasure. With a whole crew at his back and just the two of them, it made sense that he''d want it all for himself, maybe not entirely out of greed but simply because he could and because he had the means to. Maybe he was wrong though, perhaps he was honorable and would split the reward, only time would tell.


    Once they arrived at the ship, a couple of crewmen dropped down some ropes for Valin to tie to the boat. Tycon took the other rope and tied it onto the back of the rowboat and Valin thanked him quietly. He couldn''t help but wonder what was up with him, he really seemed out of it.


    The four of them were raised onto the deck and Tycon got a good chance to admire the beauty of the ship from up close. The deck felt strong and firm, even when waterlogged by the sea. He watched as the crewman worked, preparing the black sails for the upcoming voyage to the ashen isles. Before he got a chance to truly study every aspect he was beckoned to follow Daenor to the quarter deck where once he arrived, he turned with an even larger grin than before.


    "Just you wait til you see her in action, she glides through the water like it were butter."


    "How long do you think the voyage will take?" Tycon asked, refraining to comment about the ship.


    Draenor''s grin quickly disappeared and he walked over to the railing that faced the distant isles, "I''d say around two or three hours give or take. It depends on the strength of the wind." He paused raised his head to the sky as if taking in the salty air then he turned back to them, "Come, I''ll show you below deck so you can get comfortable, we set sail in five."


    Again the two elves followed Daenor down to the main deck where he opened a large trap door with stairs that led below deck. Once they got down Tycon''s stomach turned and he heard Sylaina let out a short gasp.


    He scanned his eyes across the room and his mouth fell agape. Strewn across the room were animal cages but within them, he saw men and women, naked and frail; too weak to even pick themselves up from the floor. Their skin had shrunken and withered, wrapping tightly around their bones, it became obvious they hadn''t been fed in weeks.


    A spark of rage became an ember in his chest and he clenched his jaw tight as his hand wrapped around the grip of his blade seemingly on its own. Tycon turned to face Daenor who had four other men at his back with their weapons brandished. The chilling smiles of the men made the anger swell faster with each second that passed. He glanced at Sylaina who had her blade out, her eyebrows arched, and her posture stiff with anger.


    "What the fuck is this?" Tycon hissed.


    "Business," Daenor replied with a shrug, "Gotta make money somehow."


    Sylaina pointed her blade to Daenor, "So you''re a slaver? Human scum."


    "I prefer businessman but sure, I''m a slaver and I hear elves go for a good price these days," He focused his gaze on Sylaina, "Especially the female ones."


    "You touch her and I''ll feed you to the sharks."


    Daenor smiled menacingly and his sword hissed from its scabbard, "We''ll see about that."


    Two of the men charged at Tycon and he didn''t hesitate to react, he raised his sword in front of him and blocked both their incoming strikes, pushing one away with a sharp kick so he could turn his attention on the other. The second man came in for a follow-up attack but Tycon quickly slashed his blade across the man''s chest, spattering his face in blood.


    By the time he was done, the other crewman recovered and was coming in for another attack, Tycon lunged aside from the incoming blade in a roll, dodging it. He noticed chained shackles sitting by the wall and quickly grabbed them, immediately tossing them in the man''s direction, hitting him. He followed it up with a quick strike across the neck, almost severing the head.


    Sylaina seemed to be taking care of herself with one man already lying across the floor facedown in a pool of blood and in battle with the other. Tycon quickly began making his way to Daenor who had dropped his weapon and began to flee up the stairs. Tycon dropped his sword and chased after Daenor, grabbing him before he could make it to the top and throwing him down onto the deck below, landing with a loud thud just in time to be spattered with his last crewman''s blood.


    Sylaina pointed her sword at him as he scurried on his back towards a nearby cage, "D-don''t kill me," He whimpered, "I needed the money. I have debts."


    Tycon walked to where he sat pathetically and crouched over him, peering into his eyes, "Oh, no. I''m not going to kill you, you''re going to take us to the isles. Try anything funny and you''ll be shark food quicker than you can say... Help," His final word a whisper.


    Suddenly the door creaked behind them, Tycon shot a look over his shoulder to see a pair of boots descending the stairs until it revealed Valin, holding a crossbow. The man''s eyes widened at the sight of the crewman that were spread across the now-crimson wooden floor. His gaze scanned the room until it settled on the shaking and whimpering Daenor at the foot of a cage.


    "Master?" He said softly.


    "Valin," Daenor cried, "K-kill them."


    "Shut it," Sylaina spat and gave him a swift kick.


    Tycon grabbed his sword off the floor but when Valin didn''t react to his movement, he kept still. He was a slave and Tycon didn''t want to kill him if he didn''t have to.


    Valin''s face fell blank and unpredictable, there was no way of telling exactly how he felt. He simply stared at Daenor with empty eyes.


    "I gave you a command," Daenor shouted, "Kill the-"


    He was interrupted by another kick by Sylaina.


    Tycon waited for Valin''s next move, he slowly danced closer to the man to get within killing distance of him should he decide to turn on them. If he shot his crossbow at either of them, he''d be dead before he could see where the bolt hit.


    For the first time, Tycon saw a smile creep onto Valin''s lips, it almost seemed as if a new life had sparked within him. Valin squeezed the grip of the crossbow and shook his head.


    "No, I''m not going to kill them... Only you."


    In a split second, Valin raised the crossbow and fired a bolt that landed directly into Daenor''s throat, ending any chance he had to beg for mercy.


    "Great," Sylaina said sarcastically, "Who''s going to take us to the isles now?"


    "I will," Valin replied, his voice suddenly strong, "This is my ship now, if the rest of the crew don''t agree then they''re welcome to leave once we dock," He pointed to Daenor, "The keys are on his body, free the slaves and get them fed. By the time this is over, I''ll have a new crew free of slavery."


    "Why didn''t you kill him sooner?" Tycon asked.


    "You don''t know what it''s like to be a slave do you?" His tone was sharp, "This life was my whole world, I''ve been in it for eighteen years... since I was three. Following orders was my pride, getting them right made sure I wasn''t whipped at night," He paused and looked at the lifeless body of Daenor, "I''m supposed to be loyal but when I... Saw him, lying there like that, so pathetic and weak, something awakened within me. I think this is the first time I''ve truly felt conscious and to consciously make a decision for what''s right, the feeling is indescribable. So there''s your answer, as long as it is."


    "I''m sorry," Tycon said, "I don''t know what it''s like. I didn''t mean to offend you and thank you for not killing us."


    "Forget it, he was scum. Luring the treasure seekers into a trap and selling them into slavery, his death was an ironic and fitting one. I''ll take you to and from the isles but first I need to attend to the people here. The voyage will be delayed for a short while."


    "We can wait," Sylaina said, "If you need any help we''ll be happy to oblige."


    "Indeed," Tycon agreed, "Consider it payback for not killing us."


    "I''ll accept your offer. You''ll soon be there finding whatever it is you''re looking for."


    With that both Sylaina and Tycon helped free the people in the cages, feeding them and eventually had them rest in the cots. It wasn''t much but it had to beat the deck. Before long they found themselves setting sail through the choppy waves and towards the volcanic isles of the south. He didn''t know what they''d find but he hoped it''d be worth the trouble.


    As he stood on the quarter-deck looking ahead as the ship sailed, he pulled the gem from his pocket and looked into the green-stone once again. The celestial spirals within never ceased to amaze him, they had to be something for another world. Their beauty could not be from a place so dark like Sciolyn, or any other continent for that matter.


    What kind of secrets do you hold?