ã€ŠEpitaph: The Journeyã€‹


 Prologue

    Of course, I knew one of them would die. Or at least that it was very likely. Then again, there had been times when we had thought entire groups would return, only for an act of fate to destroy them all. None of this is absolute.

    ¡°Elder Obheas (Aw-veh-sh)?¡± Elder Brumon (Bruh-men) asked. The interruption slightly pulled me from my thoughts. I moved my head in his direction to let him know I heard him, and he continued. ¡°They¡¯ll be arriving soon. We need to come to an agreement on this.¡± He urged. I sighed. Of course, he was right, but it wasn¡¯t so simple.

    I gazed back up at the illusionary tree that hovered between all of us. It glowed with a yellow and green hue. One large branch of the tree looked withered, almost festering.

    ¡°Festering branches mean death or ruin. We can¡¯t put them in as a Guardian.¡± I said, glancing down at where the trunk showed signs of festering as well. Not good. This could mean that the whole group will suffer, even die if this boy is given the wrong duty. There must be another way. A small sigh escaped Brumon.

    ¡°Obheas. We all want to keep the tree healthy, but we¡¯ve tried everything.¡± I shook my head slowly and pointed to the trunk, expanding and magnifying the image for the others.

    ¡°The trunk is at risk with this choice. We can¡¯t leave it be.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Brumon sighed, nodding.

    ¡°He¡¯s right and we¡¯re tired. We¡¯re trying to shine shite here lads. We need a break. The offerings will bring us the insight we¡¯re missin¡¯. We¡¯ll come back later with fresh eyes.¡± Elder ¨ªobhren (Ee-vren) said.

    ¨ªobhren was the oldest and most often wisest of us. So of course, he was right. All eleven Elders grumbled and nodded in agreement. ¡°Good. These old bones need nourishment.¡± ¨ªobhren said. As he turned to walk away, the illusory tree fizzled into small particles of yellow and green light, drifted slowly to the smooth black stone floor, and vanished.

    One of the Elders across the room pulled a lever from an alcove in the wall. The massive red and black stone doors ground open, letting in the near blinding light of midday. Elder Brumon and I held our hands up as we squinted.

    ¡°I swear the light of Kolob (Co-lob) gets brighter every year.¡± Brumon complained. I chuckled.

    ¡°You complain like an Elder. It¡¯s as bright as it¡¯s always been.¡± He smiled, but I could tell he was tired. Black magic did take its toll. Even so, our grey hair was the only thing that marked us as Elders. Even Elder ¨ªobhren took to jogging when he smelled our midday meal.

    It had always struck me as odd, being called an Elder and having the grey hair that was a signifier of old age for the other humanoid races, but nothing more. Benefits of being Cian¨ªan (Keen-ee-an). I thought with a small smile.

    ¡°Come on.¡± Brumon said, slapping my back. ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± I followed him out onto the balcony, moving from the red and black marble of the Pruning Room to blue and white marble tiles. Ornate dark wood tables packed with food lined the black and red stone railing.

    As usual, the food was mouthwatering and delicious. One of the perks of being an Elder. I talked with the others for two hours until the part I didn¡¯t enjoy arrived.

    ¡°They¡¯re here. Shall I send them in?¡± Asked our lead guard. ¨ªobhren nodded, chewing the last of a gravy covered biscuit before answering.

    ¡°Yes please. Thank you Odron (Ed-ren).¡± Odron bowed his head and backed away, walking briskly. I sighed heavily. ¨ªobhren looked over at me and chuckled. ¡°Come now Obheas. This is a joyous thing.¡± I shook my head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see it as joyous. I hate lying to them.¡± He squinted at me.

    ¡°We don¡¯t lie lad.¡±

    ¡°Yes we do. Every time we see a dead sapling among them, we pretend like they¡¯ve got a chance. It¡¯s cruel.¡±

    ¡°As opposed to what? Telling them the child is meant to die? You think that would ease their fears? You know why we do it lad. Why beat yourself up over it?¡±

    ¡°I do know why. Which is why I would never tell them. I just wish there was something we could do. It¡¯s such a cruel fate, dying just so that those around you can grow.¡± ¨ªobhren sighed.

    ¡°It¡¯s not cruel Obheas. It¡¯s the laws of Curnunnos (Cur-nun-no-s) God of the Wilds. Happens all throughout his dominion. Trees die, so the bugs can eat, bugs die so the¡­¡±

    ¡°I know the cycle.¡± I interrupted. ¡°I know there¡¯s no avoiding it. I just can¡¯t help feeling¡­¡± I didn¡¯t finish. ¨ªobhren smiled knowingly with a small nod.

    ¡°It¡¯s the price. Or at least it¡¯s tied to it. We give up our ability to have little saplings so that we can help raise the forest. After so many years lookin¡¯ after other people¡¯s children, you tend to either stop carin¡¯ so much and see them as just another project or seein¡¯ them all as your own children. You care lad. That there¡¯s a great thing. Just keep in mind, for the tree to thrive, sometimes, a branch must be pruned.¡± He patted me on the shoulder. ¡°Now let¡¯s go see what we¡¯ve got.¡±

    I sighed and nodded.

    ¡°In a moment ¨ªobhren.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t take too long there lad.¡± He said, then smiled and walked through the archways. I turned around, looking out over the city. Our great capital city. The browns, reds, and blacks of the rooftops below us stretched for miles around. The intricate grid system of the streets was clearly visible from this height.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    It felt odd for a moment, being such an integral part of something that I was, in a way, not a part of. I took a breath, steeled my mind for the task ahead and moved back inside to join the others, grabbing a handful of ripe, juicy, red grapes to nibble along the way.

    All the Elders gathered on an elevated platform at the main entrance to the tower, overlooking the large, beautiful, octagonal main hall. The two massively tall main doors lay wide open, allowing the light from Kolob to fill the room. A group of people were ushered in to stand in a line below us. The parents of the Agers. I noticed that while most of them stood in pairs, mother and father, two women stood alone. I sighed.

    Shameful, to leave your wife alone. Though whether they were left alone from the Eastern War, or irresponsible actions is yet to be seen. We descended stairs on either side of the platform to greet the parents. Some looked nervous, but others we¡¯d seen before. I smiled at two familiar faces. B¨ªutris (Bee-uh-trish) and Arden (Awr-den) Geal (Geh-l). They¡¯d brought many children to our overly opulent tower already. We smiled to each other as I approached them.

    ¡°B¨ªutris. Arden. A pleasure as always.¡± I said with a slight bow.

    ¡°Pleasure¡¯s all ours Obheas.¡± Arden said as they bowed back.

    ¡°Got something for you.¡± B¨ªutris said, holding her hands out to reveal two small shoes. I felt two pangs in my heart. One of joy, the other of sorrow as I reached out for them, cupping them gently in a single palm. So fragile.

    ¡°And the name.¡± Arden started. ¡°Is Cro¨ª (Kree).¡±

    ¡°Ahh.¡± I said, smiling. ¡°Little Cro¨ª Geal. Bright Heart. What a lovely name.¡± B¨ªutris grinned widely, as did Arden as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

    ¡°Right then Obheas. What can you tell us about our boy?¡± Arden asked. They were a gift to me, some of the rare people I wouldn¡¯t need to lie to. I took a deep breath in, focusing on the small pair of shoes in my hands, and Bealach Fr¨¦amh (Bell-awk Fray-ehv) extracted its price. My own blood and twenty years of life.

    As I saw the beautiful, illusory sapling spring up out of the little booties with deep, strong roots, I couldn¡¯t help but smile. Arden and B¨ªutris couldn¡¯t see the sapling, as they had not paid the price. I could see it though. I could see all of them. Including those that were withering, wilting, and shedding leaves like tears. I turned back to the Geals.

    ¡°The roots run deep and strong.¡± I said. They both grinned. ¡°Sturdy, upright trunk. That¡¯s good indeed. Quite a few branches for such a young lad, though some of them don¡¯t seem to be as healthy as others.¡± I chuckled. ¡°My, your boy has quite a bit of character, doesn¡¯t he?¡± I asked, smiling. B¨ªutris laughed as she wiped away a relieved tear. Arden grinned proudly and chuckled.

    ¡°That he does Obheas. Real fine boy.¡± I nodded. I could see it. See his good attributes, his willingness to learn and grow, his wish to help and be useful, but also his lack of self-confidence, and fear. Still there was something special about this little sapling. ¡°Thank you again Obheas. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll see you again sometime.¡± Arden said. I smiled and bowed to them, allowing the spell to fade, holding the small booties gently in my hand.

    ¡°A pleasure as always. I¡¯ll see you after the ceremony.¡± They grinned and waved to me as they walked away, followed by the other parents in their turns. When the doors slammed shut behind the last parent, it was time to work. We took all ten of our small trinkets back up the tower to the Pruning Room, placing them inside the circle and taking our places as the last of the guards and light left the room.

    ¡°The price is paid.¡± Said ¨ªobhren. Followed by Brumon, and two others as I quieted my mind and paid my own price.

    ¡°The price is paid.¡± I said, opening my eyes to see a brand-new tree, much fuller than when we had left it, though at the same time, significantly sicker. Each little sapling became a branch of the tree, adding to or subtracting from its overall health. If we put the wrong Ager with the wrong duty, the tree would perish, which was completely unacceptable.

    ¡°You were right Obheas.¡± Said ¨ªobhren. ¡°That branch is not suitable as a Guardian. Too much aggression and fear. Nowhere near enough protective instinct. Suggestions?¡±

    ¡°He might make a fine Provider.¡± Elder Sealc (Sh-awl-k) said, swapping out the branches. The tree wavered, one side withered, and the other looked almost entirely dead. ¡°Apparently not.¡± He put it back.

    ¡°Maybe this branch needs to be the Provider. Plenty of spunk and curiosity. She¡¯s quick on her feet, and smart.¡± There was a murmur of agreement, and the change was made. The branch took, flowering and covering itself in healthy leaves, growing to more than four times its size, before withering. Smaller branches dried and fell off.

    ¡°A good change. Now to find the others.¡± ¨ªobhren said. We worked tirelessly, swapping and reading branches, but no matter what we did, some portion of the trunk didn¡¯t work out right. I thought back to my special sapling. I duplicated its illusion and brought it in front of me to examine. I peeled away layers of bark and wood, down to the core, risking a bit more blood. There.

    It was there, plain as day. An incredibly strong protective instinct, strong sense of justice, and a love given as freely as Kolob gives light, and heat, if a bit on the cautious or timid side. That sense of justice could cause a problem if he grows to see the Aging as unfair. But that protective instinct and loving nature should override it. I duplicated the first branch picked for Guardian and looked at it closer.

    There¡¯s the problem. His protective instinct is too selective. He isn¡¯t a natural fighter; he was forced to fight. What he needs is to experience the side of life not led by the fist. He needs to learn to care.

    ¡°Move the Guardian to a Support, and move the¡­¡± I looked around for the Geal sapling, finding him in the experimental position of Leader. ¡°Leader to a Guardian.¡±

    ¡°Guardian? With that timid self-doubt? They¡¯ll be crushed the instant they¡¯re met with any adversity.¡± Elder Faocloir (Fee-k-lihr) said.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the core. He has a strong protective instinct, and the Guardian isn¡¯t truly a fighter, they have a caring soul.¡± There was a moment of grumbling, then some agreement.

    They put the branches where I asked. One or two Elders shook their heads, seeing it as a waste of time, while others squinted in confusion. Then the roots grew deep and thick. Every branch grew significantly until the tree pushed against the ceiling of the Pruning Room and threatened the walls. My mouth fell open in shock. By the Gods! That is some tree!

    ¡°Now that is no polished shite. That there is a genuine beauty lads.¡± ¨ªobhren said with a chuckle and a grin. I was grinning too, until I noticed some leaves falling. I looked up to see one branch suddenly wither and die. No. Gods! Then Brumon pointed to the trunk.

    ¡°The rest of the tree remains. It even compensates fully.¡± I looked up to see he was right. One of the branches expanded to help cover the space left by the dead one. The branches grew together yet again, threatening to burst through the walls. They stopped and ¨ªobhren¡¯s words rang in my head. ¡®For the tree to survive, sometimes, a branch must be pruned.¡¯

    It looked like he was right. The only combination we¡¯d found that led to the tree remaining healthy, was the one in which one branch died. I looked up to see a healthy tree, though noted that two other branches were dropping leaves. A clear sign that one or both could also die. But all that was left was the largest tree I¡¯d ever seen.

    I looked at Elder ¨ªobhren as the other Elders discussed. We both sighed and nodded to each other. Gods, please receive that poor, pure, beautiful little sapling, and keep this tree safe.

 Chapter 1

    I have heard many stories of the Islands. There was all manner of man-eating creatures there, none of them smaller than a man. Unfortunately, ghost stories were all I¡¯d ever heard. I could never tell which ones were true, and which were exaggerations. All the stories came from younger children that had overheard stories from the Aged. Those that had gone to the Islands and returned, undertaking the Aging.

    The Aging was a terrifying rite of passage, from what I knew of it. It began pleasantly enough, an annual twelve-day festival, beginning at the first of the year, and ending with a ceremony on the twelfth day. At the end of the ceremony, every child that has reached the age of sixteen is sent to Oile¨¢in Trialach (Eh-lawn Tree-uh-lock) or, in Common, the Trial Islands.

    I shuddered just thinking about it, the ceremony made me anxious enough. Mainly due to the vast amount of people. I hadn¡¯t had much, or really any experience interacting with people, so I was nervous to see how I would fare.

    I had been traveling to the Arena with my brothers, when they decided on a shortcut, that was turning out to be more of a challenge than it was worth. I was brought out of my thoughts by an all too familiar yell.

    ¡°Hurry up Blunder!¡± Blunder, the latest in a long line of colorful nicknames given to me by my older brothers. I looked up to see my eldest brother, Kixas (Kicks-us) standing atop the small cliff face we had been scaling. Kixas was the tallest of all my brothers. His long black hair was tied loosely behind his head and came to rest just below his shoulders. His black shirt was left unbuttoned at the top with his sleeves rolled up.

    Shut up jerk, I know already. I thought to myself, trying to focus, my hands and feet clambering clumsily up the rocks towards my brothers. Focusing was difficult with all the distractions. I was being watched by my brothers, I didn¡¯t enjoy being watched, it made me nervous. Then there was the sound from the hundreds, maybe thousands of people that had gathered for the Aging. Greatest of all, was the idea of the Aging itself that had me shaking with fear, making my progress up the rock face slow to a crawl.

    My stomach turned. I was the youngest of five brothers and two sisters. I had just turned sixteen last year. Now it¡¯s my turn to travel to some mystery Island with a bunch of strangers and possibly be eaten by demons, ghosts, and monsters, and my family seemed totally fine with that.

    ¡°Seriously little man, can you not wiggle your limbs any quicker? We''ll miss it at this rate.¡± This time it was my brother Cyclone, or, at least, that¡¯s what his new name was ever since he became an apprentice mage. It was a strange name. A word from the Common language, apparently having something to do with a strong wind.

    He stood atop the thirty-foot rock wall I was climbing. He was a little shorter than Kixas, and his head was bald, save for a wide strip of hair down the middle that tied in the back. Stylized tattoos decorated the sides of his head and his exposed left arm. His shirt was a dark, brownish yellow color, and asymmetrical in design, because it had no left sleeve, while having his right sleeve reach down to his wrist.

    ¡°Only if you keep distracting me with your impatience!¡± I yelled back to him. ¡°If we didn¡¯t wait for you to fix your hair, we wouldn¡¯t have been late at all!" Ha! I told him. I heard another one of my brothers cackling on the rocks above me.

    ¡°A true battle of wits has been won.¡± This time it was R¨ªger (Ree-grr). He stood with his right arm around Kixas''s shoulders, laughing at the whole spectacle and his own sarcastic comment. Kixas smiled with his arms folded across his chest, enjoying the scene.

    R¨ªger¡¯s clothes were ragged and torn, with holes in the knees of his pants, and tears on his oversized shirt. His hair was a jumbled mess, a small beard on his chin still jutting off to one side from when he¡¯d woken up. Contrasted by the always elegant, well-mannered, and well-tailored style of Kixas, and Cyclone''s asymmetry. I did my best to keep moving while they bantered.

    ¡°Like you would know, you brainless twit.¡± Cyclone jabbed. R¨ªger feigned offense.

    ¡°Well at least I still have a full head of hair.¡± R¨ªger said as he reached over to poke at the tattoos on the side of Cyclone¡¯s head. Cyclone swatted his hand aside with a grumpy scowl.

    ¡°Cro¨ª! What the shite is taking you so long?¡± Cyclone yelled down to me.

    ¡°Language, Faol¨¢n (Fall-on).¡± Kixas interjected.

    ¡°Bite me, arse muncher.¡± Cyclone snapped.

    Both R¨ªger and Kixas snickered at Cyclone. I had climbed twenty of the thirty feet by now, watching each hand and foothold carefully but moving quickly.

    ¡°I¡¯m moving!¡± I replied.

    ¡°Not fast enough!¡± Cyclone yelled.

    ¡°What? Got somewhere to be Faolan?¡± Kixas asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s Cyclone now, not Faolan. We all have somewhere to be.¡± Cyclone said irritated.

    ¡°Look, see that red in his cheeks, he¡¯s embarrassed. Aww poor baby.¡± R¨ªger teased.

    ¡°Oh, that''s bullshite and you know it. Let''s just get going.¡± Cyclone said frustrated. He stuck his left arm out towards me, palm up. I¡¯m not fast enough. He¡¯s gonna use Ventus on me? But I''m a third of the way up already. Thirty seconds more and I''ll reach the top.

    ¡°You got fifteen seconds, smart arse.¡± Cyclone stated as the Ventus magic became slightly visible, flowing on his arm like streams of mostly transparent yellow mist.

    I hate it when he does this stuff. I pushed off the rock I was standing on as hard as I could, trying to leap further up the wall. Unfortunately, the rock was unstable, and it came out from underneath me. I clung to the rocks in front of me with all my might, searching frantically for a foothold. ¡°Twelve seconds.¡± Oh, come on! I got a foothold and jumped again, this time with less vigor.

    ¡°Come on Cro¨ª! You can do it!¡± This blast of optimism came from the last of my brothers, Bacta (Bawk-tuh). He was physically the strongest of us all, though it was offset by him being the shortest, aside from me. He differed from the rest of us because of his generally serious temperament. Treating every test, game, or trial, as profoundly serious. Going so far as to tear up when I would complete a particularly difficult bout of training or seem to grieve occasionally when I would miss a target.

    R¨ªger and Kixas laughed at Bacta¡¯s fervent intensity, R¨ªger leaning down on his knees from laughing so hard. Ok, focus, one rock at a time but do it fast! I had about five feet more before Cyclone shouted down at me.

    ¡°Six seconds Cro¨ª!¡± Stop distracting me! Ok. That one next, now that one. Cyclone was counting every second out loud. Though, admittedly, each second he counted seemed a little long. I made it to the rock he was standing on just as he said ¡®One.¡¯

    ¡°Ha! In your face! Challenge accepted and completed! How''s that, oh master of wind puffs!?¡± I said defiantly, looking to my other brothers. R¨ªger clapped in a way that was half to mock, half to congratulate. Kixas just smiled along with Bacta, their eyes showing amusement. Speaking of eyes, I was not fond of the look in Cyclone''s.

    ¡°Wind puffs?¡± Cyclone growled. A mischievous smile split across his lips. Oh no, not good.

    He clenched his left hand tightly. The Ventus swirled on his arm and flew the two feet between us. The small, yellowish mist turned into intense gusts of wind that sent me flying.

    Ow, my ears! Stupid wind! I could feel my head spinning as my body turned end over end, making me dizzy until I suddenly felt my body stop, though my head continued to spin. The wind was gone. Wait, am I seeing things? Everything''s upside... It was too late by the time I made the realization. I fell three feet before contacting the ground. I rolled over and looked around, rubbing my head and shoulder. My brothers were still standing, except for R¨ªger who was now holding his stomach and crying with laughter, while gasping for air before bursting out laughing again.

    ¡°Shut up you idiot! You''re making us look bad.¡± Cyclone hissed at R¨ªger, gesturing towards the crowd. I hadn¡¯t noticed until now but in front of us on the plateau we had reached were several buildings, a paved road, and more buildings. The street was filled with people that had likely taken the proper route to reach the city gates. Cyclone and R¨ªger had decided that, instead of taking the long, curved, ramp with a cobblestone road to the gates, it would be more fun to take a more direct approach and climb the rock face instead.

    ¡°I know. That¡¯s what¡¯s so funny!¡± R¨ªger said, pointing to the crowd, some of which had stopped to watch the commotion. Several of them were young maidens, giggling and whispering to one another.

    ¡°What about you?¡± I asked Cyclone. He and my other brothers looked over at me questioningly. ¡°Having to use Ventus to beat me? Counting slow? You must be getting soft in your old age.¡± Cyclone let a wry smile cross his lips. Kixas chuckled.

    ¡°Come on brothers, we''re wasting time here, we should get to the Arena.¡± Kixas said as he walked past me, giving me a small pat on the back. ¡°Well played Cro¨ª.¡± Then chuckled as he strode off.

    ¡°Does this mean I won?¡± I asked, standing.

    ¡°Oh! Most emphatically my little man. If only for today.¡± R¨ªger snickered as he wiped tears from his eyes. Cyclone just chuckled and shook his head as he passed me by, ruffling my short hair.

    ¡°Don''t get too confident kid.¡± He said. I shook my head and started running my hands through it to fix it.

    ¡°Little Cro¨ª! I''m so proud of you.¡± Bacta said excitedly, nearly crushing me in a bear hug.

    ¡°Th¡­ Thanks¡­ Buh¡­ Bacta.¡± I managed to squeeze out. They¡¯re all being unusually nice to me. I mean, Cyclone did give me fifteen seconds to get up, and he was counting slow. It must be because of the Aging. They''ve all gone through it before. They must know the terrors of the Islands very intimately. Ok now I''m really freaking out.

    He finally released me a few seconds later before heading off through the large crowd of people, following the others and urging me to follow him. I obliged, following mindlessly through the large crowd. Now overwhelmed by the sudden sight of what looked to be thousands of buildings, some looking like homes, others with wooden plaques out front to signify a place of business, all separated by cobblestone pathways and roads. Most of them lay through the large arched opening in the city walls. My thoughts turned inward.

    What''s going to happen to me on those Islands? I don''t want to go there. What if I die? I haven¡¯t done much of anything aside from chores and training. I¡¯ve never really had any good friends. Never had a job like my brothers. I¡¯ve never owned my own sword or worn armor. I have a lot of stuff I want to do still, and I can¡¯t do that if I die.

    ¡°Come Cro¨ª, we must hurry if you want to eat and drink before the ceremony begins.¡± Bacta said, turning to me. His expression changed from cheer to one of worry. He came back through the crowd, whistled to the other brothers that had gone further ahead. Kixas turned and they slowly started making their way back through the crowd. Bacta turned and put his hands on my shoulders, looking into my eyes.

    ¡°What is it Little Cro¨ª? What troubles you?¡± Seriously? How could you not know?

    ¡°What do you think?¡± I asked.

    ¡°The Aging.¡± He answered, nodding slightly. I nodded back in agreement.

    ¡°I''m terrified. I feel as though I''m going to my death with all the stories I''ve heard, and you all seem to be completely fine with it. Like you couldn''t care less whether I lived or died.¡± I blurted. His brow furrowed, he took a deep breath and sighed before answering.

    ¡°No Little Cro¨ª. We do care tremendously for you. Why do you think we pushed you so hard all these years? Why we forced you to do things you didn''t want to do? We aren''t cruel, we love you deeply, and we were preparing you. The reason we all haven''t broken down in tears is because...well first off, it would frighten you. Second, because grieving for you before you leave is like accepting your death already, and we will not do that. We do our best to show that we have faith our Little Cro¨ª has what it takes to make it through the Aging.¡±

    My heart slowed and my mind quieted. Wow, the big dope really is smart when it counts. I chuckled to myself.

    ¡°What amuses you, Little Cro¨ª?¡± He asked, his smile as bright as ever.

    ¡°Nothing. Thank you Bacta.¡± I said smiling. His left eyebrow lifted in inquiry.

    ¡°Where''s your sash Cro¨ª?¡± I looked down at my waist. The Tus Nua (Tuss Nee) sash is to be deep black with a bright blue stripe down the center of it. It signified that I had come of age and that I was taking part in the Aging. I glanced around me, no sash anywhere, but I did notice my brothers coming to stand behind Bacta. Maybe they can help look. It must have been blown free when Cyclone was using me for his amusement. But if that was the case, then one of them would''ve seen it. I must''ve lost it back on the rocks.

    ¡°Never mind that, I''ll find it and bring it along.¡± Bacta said. Yeah I guess that''ll work out.

    ¡°Find what?¡± asked Kixas.

    ¡°Cro¨ª¡¯s sash is missing.¡± Bacta replied seriously.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you grab it. It¡¯s probably on the rock face.¡± Cyclone said. They ran off back the way we came from.

    ¡°So¡­¡± R¨ªger began. ¡°Do you guys know any waiting games?¡± He asked me and Kixas. Kixas snickered.

    ¡°You could always play the quiet game. Or twiddle your thumbs.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m no good at the quiet game. But twiddling? Sounds like wasting time and I¡¯m amazing at that. Just ask Mom, or Dad. Especially Dad.¡± R¨ªger said through his ever-present smile.

    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to play the quiet game?¡± Kixas asked. R¨ªger chuckled.

    ¡°But how will I humiliate old Faolan in front of his date if I can¡¯t speak?¡±

    ¡°Oh trust me, your existence is humiliating enough.¡± Kixas said. All of us laughed at the lashing Kixas had delivered.

    ¡°Well played brother.¡± R¨ªger said between gasps and laughs.

    ¡°What have we missed?¡± Bacta asked as he returned with Cyclone. Kixas and R¨ªger looked at each other.

    ¡°You¡¯d just have to be there.¡± Kixas said with a small shrug and chuckle. ¡°Found the sash I see, let¡¯s head to the Arena then.¡± Kixas turned to lead us through the crowd. Cyclone handed me my sash and ruffled my hair again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t lose that again alright?¡± Cyclone said. He turned to the others. ¡°I¡¯ll meet the rest of you there, I¡¯ve got a date to get to.¡± A wide smile crossed his lips.

    ¡°Not introducing her to the family yet Faolan?¡± R¨ªger scoffed. Cyclone let out a fake laugh as he responded.

    ¡°I¡¯m no fool. I¡¯d like to enjoy her company free of your embarrassment a while longer.¡± The brothers laughed and waved as Cyclone jogged away from us, vanishing into the crowd.

    ¡°Ruined your plans did he R¨ªger?¡± Bacta asked.

    ¡°A bit, but that just gives me more time to plan something even more devious when I finally meet her.¡± We laughed as we walked down the street. I glanced around, eagerly taking in the sights. A sea of jet-black hair, with rare dots of color. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of Cian¨ªan people. Massive thick stone walls housed the massive wood and steel city gates which stood open as we passed through with the crowds.

    I noticed a building we were walking to in the distance, a massive circular looking building that towered above most anything else, though we were too far away to see any real details. We zigzagged through small alleyways and wide streets. R¨ªger never let more than a minute pass before he jested with Bacta, Kixas or me. It helped calm my nerves, like a piece of home we brought with us.

    I could see the massive Arena looming over us through the occasional break between houses. The curved open top was visible now even over the two or three level homes and businesses.

    I unintentionally came to a stop as we reached the Arena, coming out of an alleyway onto the main road that was at least one hundred feet wide. It was split down the middle with a line of massive square stone pillars topped with blue flames. The Arena itself was a massive building. The road we had walked onto led up to its main entrance. All along the curved walls of the structure were what looked like depictions of battle scenes. Some of Cian¨ªans fighting humanoids, others of Cian¨ªans fighting beasts. Massive statues representing the Gods stood within arched alcoves. I didn¡¯t recognize some of them, but I did recognize Fomh¨¢r (Foe-v-awr) God of the harvest, and Aebhsean (Ay-v-shawn), Goddess of luck, my favored Gods. It was awe inspiring to see a massive physical form of the Gods.

    I looked down to see dozens of merchant stands lining the cobble stone road all the way to the entrance, and a few on the first and second landing of the steps entering the Arena. Most seemed to be selling food or clothing. One was full of small wooden dolls. Another further down was brimming with weapons and a few bits of armor.

    Oh that¡¯s amazing! I want those. If only I had coins. And that food looks and smells so good. Meat sticks, sweets, tons of vegetables, cooked fish, and some things I''d never even seen before. I haven''t eaten since this morning. Maybe I can get some coins off my brothers and get something to eat.

    ¡°Cro¨ª!¡± My attention was brought to Bacta waving me forward.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± I said quietly as I caught up with him. He smiled.

    ¡°Nothing to fret about Cro¨ª. It is awe inspiring, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and all the vendors. That food looks delicious. Can we get some?¡± I asked. He waved his hand dismissively.

    ¡°No need, once we get to our table, we¡¯ll have food waiting for us. Don¡¯t you worry.¡± He said. I sighed, looking at a few sticks of skewered meat as we passed them by.

    ¡°Ok.¡± I said glumly. Bacta stopped and let out a sigh.

    ¡°Oh alright. Let¡¯s get some.¡± He whistled to Kixas and R¨ªger, waving for them to come back. I smiled excitedly and followed him over to the stand. He paid the merchant a copper coin and we each took two sticks of meat. We thanked the merchant before moving off towards the steps of the Arena.

    I groaned with delight at the succulent juicy seasoned meats. Crispy on the outside but juicy and flavorful as I bit into them.

    ¡°Thank you Bacta.¡± I said smiling.

    ¡°You¡¯re most welcome Little Cro¨ª.¡± He said, tapping his meat stick against mine. ¡°Enjoy.¡± I munched happily as we followed the brothers.

    The steps leading up into the Arena were massive and grand, much like the Arena itself. My brothers stopped, smiling at my gaped expression of wonder as I craned my head back to look up at the massive structure.

    ¡°It¡¯s quite the sight isn¡¯t it Little Cro¨ª?¡± Bacta said.

    ¡°It¡¯s massive. How big is it?¡± I asked. Bacta looked to R¨ªger, who answered.

    ¡°It¡¯s two hundred and fifty-five feet tall, almost fifteen hundred feet wide, and a little over twelve hundred feet long.¡± The numbers didn¡¯t mean much to me, but the sheer size of the Arena was daunting. R¨ªger continued. ¡°There are nearly three hundred feet of steps leading up the main entrance. It has eighty-foot-tall statues depicting all sixteen of the Gods that line the outer walls, and.¡± He wiggled his finger in excitement. ¡°It only took ten years to build. And¡­¡± Kixas held up a hand to stop him.

    ¡°Not that we don¡¯t want to hear all of this again for Cro¨ª¡¯s sake, but we¡¯re supposed to be meeting the family now.¡± Kixas said with an apologetic smile.

    ¡°Right¡­ Ok. Let¡¯s go.¡± R¨ªger sighed.

    I followed my brothers up the long steps, thankful for the small interruptions every fourteen steps or so. Finally, we reached the top and were met with the bright, warm light of Kolob. To either side of the landing we had reached, connected with an ellipse shaped platform that moved around the entire arena, was filled with Cian¨ªans, some sitting at tables, others leaning on a railing that separated them from the platforms below. The steps continued down, stopping at landings to allow access to more of the ring-shaped platforms. I looked behind me to see that there were even more above us, five of them, for a total of ten. All of them filled with chattering, happy, laughing Cian¨ªans.

    We went down, exiting the steps on the second to last level, where we spotted the rest of my family sitting at a long wooden table. The brothers greeted Mother and Father first.

    ¡°Arden.¡± Kixas said as he hugged my father. A playful smile crossed my father¡¯s face as he shook his head at Kixas, leaning over to hug R¨ªger. Kixas moved over to mother. She squinted at him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare.¡± She warned playfully.

    ¡°B¨ªutris.¡± He said as they hugged. She cringed.

    ¡°Ugh you stinker. It¡¯s Mom or Mother to you, young man.¡± She said, wagging her finger at him with a smile. He chuckled.

    ¡°Yes Mother.¡±

    ¡°Attaboy.¡± Father said, hugging Bacta.

    I hugged Mil¨ª (Mill-lee), the youngest of my two sisters, first. Her short black hair framing her rounded jawline and small pointed nose, a welcoming smile across her artificially red lips.

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t wait to eat I see.¡± Mil¨ª said, nodding to the meat sticks. I smiled.

    ¡°They¡¯re delicious, do you want a taste? I haven¡¯t bitten into this one yet.¡± I offered. Her left eyebrow peaked with interest.

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll try a bite.¡± She pulled my hand up and bent down to take a delicate bite, a little more meat pulling off than she expected, making her giggle as she nodded and chewed.

    ¡°That is delicious. I might have to get one when we leave. Thank you Cro¨ª.¡± I nodded and turned to Seal¨ª (Shay-uh-lee), my eldest sister. Some of her long hair was pulled back in an intricate braid that draped over the rest of her long straight hair beneath it. Her youngest son, Drewk (Drook), was happily playing with a wooden sword and shield Seal¨ª had most likely purchased for him. He smiled when he saw me, thrusting them into the air with a grin. I grinned back and gave him two thumbs up.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Aeleen (Aw-lay-un)?¡± I asked, looking around. Seal¨ª pointed towards the entrance of the Arena.

    ¡°Shopping with her friends. She¡¯ll be back with Cyclone later.¡± She said. Aeleen was my niece even though she was sixty-seven years old. Even with the age difference, her and I had gotten along for the most part, especially when it came to playing harmless pranks on Seal¨ª.

    Seal¨ª and Mil¨ª were wearing fashionable Cian¨ªan dresses. Sleeveless, long and form fit, but not where it would restrict movement, widening near the bottom, ending below the knees. Tights or leggings covered the rest. The dresses had a crisscross pattern that overlapped in the front. Seal¨ª and Mil¨ª¡¯s dresses were blue with silver colored trim and accents. Both sisters had small trinkets and bands adorning their arms and hands to accent the outfits. Seal¨ª wore a pair of light brown laced up boots, and Mil¨ª wore leather shoes that only came up to her ankles.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    ¡°How was the trip Little Man?¡± Seal¨ª asked. I shrugged.

    ¡°Long and boring, but some parts were really pretty. We had to climb a rock face to get into the city though.¡± She scoffed, shaking her head.

    ¡°Did you now? R¨ªger and Cyclone¡¯s idea, no doubt. Instead of just taking the extra couple of minutes to go up the ramp. Typical.¡± The last word she said with a playful sneer at R¨ªger, who promptly stuck out his tongue at her. She chuckled, shaking her head. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you made it safe Cro¨ª.¡± She turned to slug R¨ªger in the arm as my Mother and Father smiled with open arms.

    ¡°There¡¯s my boy.¡± Mom said. Her hair was short like Mil¨ª¡¯s, and her dress is like those my sisters wore, but was a deep black with colorful flowers covering it. I was grateful she wasn¡¯t wearing red lip coloring as she kissed my cheeks multiple times. I giggled and squirmed. She pulled away smiling as Father stepped in for his hug.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want them, I¡¯ll take them.¡± Father said with a sideways glance and smile at Mom. He bent down and kissed the top of my head.

    ¡°I see Cyclone¡¯s been teasing your hair again.¡± Mother said. I nodded and Father stepped back as Mom came in to straighten my hair out. I didn¡¯t see much point, my hair wasn¡¯t more than a few inches long, all I had to do was shake my head and it usually laid just right. Mom loved to fuss over us though, so I let her.

    Father¡¯s hair was cut somewhat short on the sides, but remained a few inches long on the top, and was parted on the left side. He wore a well-tailored white dress shirt with a pair of black pants, a black vest with the same flower pattern as mothers dress, a dark blue jacket, and black boots.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your brother?¡± Father asked Kixas.

    ¡°With C¨ªara (Kee-ra). Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯ll be here before the ceremony starts; we¡¯ve still got a few hours.¡± Right. The Aging. I had almost managed to forget about it, almost managed to think we were on a family outing. As they talked, I looked around the Arena to distract myself.

    At first, I couldn¡¯t focus on much, just random people or objects. Then my eyes came to rest on three people, two boys and a girl, all walking together. They were wearing Tus Nua sashes, meaning I''d be going to the Islands with them.

    I immediately noticed something unique about the girl. Her hair was white, and she was unusually short. She must be Offborn! She was dressed in a nice flowing blue dress with purple and red accents. Her hair was pulled behind her head in a single braid that reached between her shoulder blades. She was wearing shoes that covered the bottom half of her feet, with red colored strings that wrapped up to just below her knees and tied off neatly.

    Both boys had black hair. The one on the right had short messy hair. His clothes were loose fitting, with his shirt looking like it was going to fall off, and his shoes looked more like slippers. The one in the middle had his hair in a loose ponytail.

    No way! The one with the ponytail had a sword on him. It was beautiful and ornate with what looked to be carvings all over the scabbard and cross guard. He also had armored bracers and a cloak. With a cleaner look to his attire than the one with short hair, he wore a nice fitting dark green shirt with light brown pants and a pair of black boots. Aside from the difference in hair and style, both boys had nearly identical faces.

    I wonder if the one with long hair is military. But he couldn''t be, he''s wearing a sash which means he''s not old enough. I tugged on Seal¨ª¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Yes Cro¨ª?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Look. That kid¡¯s got a sword, and they have Tus Nua sashes. Where¡¯s my sword?¡± Seal¨ª looked at them for a moment, then smiled.

    ¡°You¡¯re not Aged. Besides, swords are expensive.¡±

    ¡°Then why does he have one?¡± I asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s ceremonial, just for today, I think. Hey. Why don¡¯t you go talk to them? Practice some of what me and Mil¨ª taught you.¡± I got nervous. Talk to them? About what? I mean, I guess since all of us are Aging we would have some stuff to talk about.

    ¡°But what about the ceremony? Do I need to stay close?¡± I asked.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine dear. Horns will sound when it¡¯s time to gather. Until then, why don¡¯t you go introduce yourself?¡± Mother said from beside Seal¨ª.

    ¡°Ok then, wish me luck.¡± I said as I walked off towards the kids. I stopped short of them, feeling much more nervous than excited. I looked back for encouragement, or a reason not to go, but my family was busy talking with each other. I''ve got to try talking to them. If I can make friends now it''ll be easier when we''re on the Islands. But at the same time, it¡¯s a terrifying concept. I don¡¯t know how to talk to people, not really. I have to just go for it. Just say hey.

    ¡°Hey!¡± I yelled, a bit louder than planned, which surprised and embarrassed me. The boy with the shorter hair turned to see me, then turned to the boy with the ponytail, patting his chest and pointing a thumb towards me.

    ¡°Yes?¡± The short haired boy asked, seeming annoyed or impatient. I looked down, having a hard time with eye contact.

    ¡°I''m a Tus Nua just like you guys.¡± I pointed at my sash. ¡°I thought it would be a good idea to introduce myself.¡± I said sheepishly.

    ¡°Usually, an introduction requires some eye contact.¡± The girl chuckled. I looked up to see a mischievous smile on her face, her left eyebrow raised waiting for a response.

    I have heard many stories of the Islands. There was all manner of man-eating creatures there, none of them smaller than a man. Unfortunately, ghost stories were all I¡¯d ever heard. I could never tell which ones were true, and which were exaggerations. All the stories came from younger children that had overheard stories from the Aged. Those that had gone to the Islands and returned, undertaking the Aging.

    The Aging was a terrifying rite of passage, from what I knew of it. It began pleasantly enough, an annual twelve-day festival, beginning at the first of the year, and ending with a ceremony on the twelfth day. At the end of the ceremony, every child that has reached the age of sixteen is sent to Oile¨¢in Trialach (Eh-lawn Tree-uh-lock) or, in Common, the Trial Islands.

    I shuddered just thinking about it, the ceremony made me anxious enough. Mainly due to the vast amount of people. I hadn¡¯t had much, or really any experience interacting with people, so I was nervous to see how I would fare.

    I had been traveling to the Arena with my brothers, when they decided on a shortcut, that was turning out to be more of a challenge than it was worth. I was brought out of my thoughts by an all too familiar yell.

    ¡°Hurry up Blunder!¡± Blunder, the latest in a long line of colorful nicknames given to me by my older brothers. I looked up to see my eldest brother, Kixas (Kicks-us) standing atop the small cliff face we had been scaling. Kixas was the tallest of all my brothers. His long black hair was tied loosely behind his head and came to rest just below his shoulders. His black shirt was left unbuttoned at the top with his sleeves rolled up.

    Shut up jerk, I know already. I thought to myself, trying to focus, my hands and feet clambering clumsily up the rocks towards my brothers. Focusing was difficult with all the distractions. I was being watched by my brothers, I didn¡¯t enjoy being watched, it made me nervous. Then there was the sound from the hundreds, maybe thousands of people that had gathered for the Aging. Greatest of all, was the idea of the Aging itself that had me shaking with fear, making my progress up the rock face slow to a crawl.

    My stomach turned. I was the youngest of five brothers and two sisters. I had just turned sixteen last year. Now it¡¯s my turn to travel to some mystery Island with a bunch of strangers and possibly be eaten by demons, ghosts, and monsters, and my family seemed totally fine with that.

    ¡°Seriously little man, can you not wiggle your limbs any quicker? We''ll miss it at this rate.¡± This time it was my brother Cyclone, or, at least, that¡¯s what his new name was ever since he became an apprentice mage. It was a strange name. A word from the Common language, apparently having something to do with a strong wind.

    He stood atop the thirty-foot rock wall I was climbing. He was a little shorter than Kixas, and his head was bald, save for a wide strip of hair down the middle that tied in the back. Stylized tattoos decorated the sides of his head and his exposed left arm. His shirt was a dark, brownish yellow color, and asymmetrical in design, because it had no left sleeve, while having his right sleeve reach down to his wrist.

    ¡°Only if you keep distracting me with your impatience!¡± I yelled back to him. ¡°If we didn¡¯t wait for you to fix your hair, we wouldn¡¯t have been late at all!" Ha! I told him. I heard another one of my brothers cackling on the rocks above me.

    ¡°A true battle of wits has been won.¡± This time it was R¨ªger (Ree-grr). He stood with his right arm around Kixas''s shoulders, laughing at the whole spectacle and his own sarcastic comment. Kixas smiled with his arms folded across his chest, enjoying the scene.

    R¨ªger¡¯s clothes were ragged and torn, with holes in the knees of his pants, and tears on his oversized shirt. His hair was a jumbled mess, a small beard on his chin still jutting off to one side from when he¡¯d woken up. Contrasted by the always elegant, well-mannered, and well-tailored style of Kixas, and Cyclone''s asymmetry. I did my best to keep moving while they bantered.

    ¡°Like you would know, you brainless twit.¡± Cyclone jabbed. R¨ªger feigned offense.

    ¡°Well at least I still have a full head of hair.¡± R¨ªger said as he reached over to poke at the tattoos on the side of Cyclone¡¯s head. Cyclone swatted his hand aside with a grumpy scowl.

    ¡°Cro¨ª! What the shite is taking you so long?¡± Cyclone yelled down to me.

    ¡°Language, Faol¨¢n (Fall-on).¡± Kixas interjected.

    ¡°Bite me, arse muncher.¡± Cyclone snapped.

    Both R¨ªger and Kixas snickered at Cyclone. I had climbed twenty of the thirty feet by now, watching each hand and foothold carefully but moving quickly.

    ¡°I¡¯m moving!¡± I replied.

    ¡°Not fast enough!¡± Cyclone yelled.

    ¡°What? Got somewhere to be Faolan?¡± Kixas asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s Cyclone now, not Faolan. We all have somewhere to be.¡± Cyclone said irritated.

    ¡°Look, see that red in his cheeks, he¡¯s embarrassed. Aww poor baby.¡± R¨ªger teased.

    ¡°Oh, that''s bullshite and you know it. Let''s just get going.¡± Cyclone said frustrated. He stuck his left arm out towards me, palm up. I¡¯m not fast enough. He¡¯s gonna use Ventus on me? But I''m a third of the way up already. Thirty seconds more and I''ll reach the top.

    ¡°You got fifteen seconds, smart arse.¡± Cyclone stated as the Ventus magic became slightly visible, flowing on his arm like streams of mostly transparent yellow mist.

    I hate it when he does this stuff. I pushed off the rock I was standing on as hard as I could, trying to leap further up the wall. Unfortunately, the rock was unstable, and it came out from underneath me. I clung to the rocks in front of me with all my might, searching frantically for a foothold. ¡°Twelve seconds.¡± Oh, come on! I got a foothold and jumped again, this time with less vigor.

    ¡°Come on Cro¨ª! You can do it!¡± This blast of optimism came from the last of my brothers, Bacta (Bawk-tuh). He was physically the strongest of us all, though it was offset by him being the shortest, aside from me. He differed from the rest of us because of his generally serious temperament. Treating every test, game, or trial, as profoundly serious. Going so far as to tear up when I would complete a particularly difficult bout of training or seem to grieve occasionally when I would miss a target.

    R¨ªger and Kixas laughed at Bacta¡¯s fervent intensity, R¨ªger leaning down on his knees from laughing so hard. Ok, focus, one rock at a time but do it fast! I had about five feet more before Cyclone shouted down at me.

    ¡°Six seconds Cro¨ª!¡± Stop distracting me! Ok. That one next, now that one. Cyclone was counting every second out loud. Though, admittedly, each second he counted seemed a little long. I made it to the rock he was standing on just as he said ¡®One.¡¯

    ¡°Ha! In your face! Challenge accepted and completed! How''s that, oh master of wind puffs!?¡± I said defiantly, looking to my other brothers. R¨ªger clapped in a way that was half to mock, half to congratulate. Kixas just smiled along with Bacta, their eyes showing amusement. Speaking of eyes, I was not fond of the look in Cyclone''s.

    ¡°Wind puffs?¡± Cyclone growled. A mischievous smile split across his lips. Oh no, not good.

    He clenched his left hand tightly. The Ventus swirled on his arm and flew the two feet between us. The small, yellowish mist turned into intense gusts of wind that sent me flying.

    Ow, my ears! Stupid wind! I could feel my head spinning as my body turned end over end, making me dizzy until I suddenly felt my body stop, though my head continued to spin. The wind was gone. Wait, am I seeing things? Everything''s upside... It was too late by the time I made the realization. I fell three feet before contacting the ground. I rolled over and looked around, rubbing my head and shoulder. My brothers were still standing, except for R¨ªger who was now holding his stomach and crying with laughter, while gasping for air before bursting out laughing again.

    ¡°Shut up you idiot! You''re making us look bad.¡± Cyclone hissed at R¨ªger, gesturing towards the crowd. I hadn¡¯t noticed until now but in front of us on the plateau we had reached were several buildings, a paved road, and more buildings. The street was filled with people that had likely taken the proper route to reach the city gates. Cyclone and R¨ªger had decided that, instead of taking the long, curved, ramp with a cobblestone road to the gates, it would be more fun to take a more direct approach and climb the rock face instead.

    ¡°I know. That¡¯s what¡¯s so funny!¡± R¨ªger said, pointing to the crowd, some of which had stopped to watch the commotion. Several of them were young maidens, giggling and whispering to one another.

    ¡°What about you?¡± I asked Cyclone. He and my other brothers looked over at me questioningly. ¡°Having to use Ventus to beat me? Counting slow? You must be getting soft in your old age.¡± Cyclone let a wry smile cross his lips. Kixas chuckled.

    ¡°Come on brothers, we''re wasting time here, we should get to the Arena.¡± Kixas said as he walked past me, giving me a small pat on the back. ¡°Well played Cro¨ª.¡± Then chuckled as he strode off.

    ¡°Does this mean I won?¡± I asked, standing.

    ¡°Oh! Most emphatically my little man. If only for today.¡± R¨ªger snickered as he wiped tears from his eyes. Cyclone just chuckled and shook his head as he passed me by, ruffling my short hair.

    ¡°Don''t get too confident kid.¡± He said. I shook my head and started running my hands through it to fix it.

    ¡°Little Cro¨ª! I''m so proud of you.¡± Bacta said excitedly, nearly crushing me in a bear hug.

    ¡°Th¡­ Thanks¡­ Buh¡­ Bacta.¡± I managed to squeeze out. They¡¯re all being unusually nice to me. I mean, Cyclone did give me fifteen seconds to get up, and he was counting slow. It must be because of the Aging. They''ve all gone through it before. They must know the terrors of the Islands very intimately. Ok now I''m really freaking out.

    He finally released me a few seconds later before heading off through the large crowd of people, following the others and urging me to follow him. I obliged, following mindlessly through the large crowd. Now overwhelmed by the sudden sight of what looked to be thousands of buildings, some looking like homes, others with wooden plaques out front to signify a place of business, all separated by cobblestone pathways and roads. Most of them lay through the large arched opening in the city walls. My thoughts turned inward.

    What''s going to happen to me on those Islands? I don''t want to go there. What if I die? I haven¡¯t done much of anything aside from chores and training. I¡¯ve never really had any good friends. Never had a job like my brothers. I¡¯ve never owned my own sword or worn armor. I have a lot of stuff I want to do still, and I can¡¯t do that if I die.

    ¡°Come Cro¨ª, we must hurry if you want to eat and drink before the ceremony begins.¡± Bacta said, turning to me. His expression changed from cheer to one of worry. He came back through the crowd, whistled to the other brothers that had gone further ahead. Kixas turned and they slowly started making their way back through the crowd. Bacta turned and put his hands on my shoulders, looking into my eyes.

    ¡°What is it Little Cro¨ª? What troubles you?¡± Seriously? How could you not know?

    ¡°What do you think?¡± I asked.

    ¡°The Aging.¡± He answered, nodding slightly. I nodded back in agreement.

    ¡°I''m terrified. I feel as though I''m going to my death with all the stories I''ve heard, and you all seem to be completely fine with it. Like you couldn''t care less whether I lived or died.¡± I blurted. His brow furrowed, he took a deep breath and sighed before answering.

    ¡°No Little Cro¨ª. We do care tremendously for you. Why do you think we pushed you so hard all these years? Why we forced you to do things you didn''t want to do? We aren''t cruel, we love you deeply, and we were preparing you. The reason we all haven''t broken down in tears is because...well first off, it would frighten you. Second, because grieving for you before you leave is like accepting your death already, and we will not do that. We do our best to show that we have faith our Little Cro¨ª has what it takes to make it through the Aging.¡±

    My heart slowed and my mind quieted. Wow, the big dope really is smart when it counts. I chuckled to myself.

    ¡°What amuses you, Little Cro¨ª?¡± He asked, his smile as bright as ever.

    ¡°Nothing. Thank you Bacta.¡± I said smiling. His left eyebrow lifted in inquiry.

    ¡°Where''s your sash Cro¨ª?¡± I looked down at my waist. The Tus Nua (Tuss Nee) sash is to be deep black with a bright blue stripe down the center of it. It signified that I had come of age and that I was taking part in the Aging. I glanced around me, no sash anywhere, but I did notice my brothers coming to stand behind Bacta. Maybe they can help look. It must have been blown free when Cyclone was using me for his amusement. But if that was the case, then one of them would''ve seen it. I must''ve lost it back on the rocks.

    ¡°Never mind that, I''ll find it and bring it along.¡± Bacta said. Yeah I guess that''ll work out.

    ¡°Find what?¡± asked Kixas.

    ¡°Cro¨ª¡¯s sash is missing.¡± Bacta replied seriously.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you grab it. It¡¯s probably on the rock face.¡± Cyclone said. They ran off back the way we came from.

    ¡°So¡­¡± R¨ªger began. ¡°Do you guys know any waiting games?¡± He asked me and Kixas. Kixas snickered.

    ¡°You could always play the quiet game. Or twiddle your thumbs.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m no good at the quiet game. But twiddling? Sounds like wasting time and I¡¯m amazing at that. Just ask Mom, or Dad. Especially Dad.¡± R¨ªger said through his ever-present smile.

    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to play the quiet game?¡± Kixas asked. R¨ªger chuckled.

    ¡°But how will I humiliate old Faolan in front of his date if I can¡¯t speak?¡±

    ¡°Oh trust me, your existence is humiliating enough.¡± Kixas said. All of us laughed at the lashing Kixas had delivered.

    ¡°Well played brother.¡± R¨ªger said between gasps and laughs.

    ¡°What have we missed?¡± Bacta asked as he returned with Cyclone. Kixas and R¨ªger looked at each other.

    ¡°You¡¯d just have to be there.¡± Kixas said with a small shrug and chuckle. ¡°Found the sash I see, let¡¯s head to the Arena then.¡± Kixas turned to lead us through the crowd. Cyclone handed me my sash and ruffled my hair again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t lose that again alright?¡± Cyclone said. He turned to the others. ¡°I¡¯ll meet the rest of you there, I¡¯ve got a date to get to.¡± A wide smile crossed his lips.

    ¡°Not introducing her to the family yet Faolan?¡± R¨ªger scoffed. Cyclone let out a fake laugh as he responded.

    ¡°I¡¯m no fool. I¡¯d like to enjoy her company free of your embarrassment a while longer.¡± The brothers laughed and waved as Cyclone jogged away from us, vanishing into the crowd.

    ¡°Ruined your plans did he R¨ªger?¡± Bacta asked.

    ¡°A bit, but that just gives me more time to plan something even more devious when I finally meet her.¡± We laughed as we walked down the street. I glanced around, eagerly taking in the sights. A sea of jet-black hair, with rare dots of color. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of Cian¨ªan people. Massive thick stone walls housed the massive wood and steel city gates which stood open as we passed through with the crowds.

    I noticed a building we were walking to in the distance, a massive circular looking building that towered above most anything else, though we were too far away to see any real details. We zigzagged through small alleyways and wide streets. R¨ªger never let more than a minute pass before he jested with Bacta, Kixas or me. It helped calm my nerves, like a piece of home we brought with us.

    I could see the massive Arena looming over us through the occasional break between houses. The curved open top was visible now even over the two or three level homes and businesses.

    I unintentionally came to a stop as we reached the Arena, coming out of an alleyway onto the main road that was at least one hundred feet wide. It was split down the middle with a line of massive square stone pillars topped with blue flames. The Arena itself was a massive building. The road we had walked onto led up to its main entrance. All along the curved walls of the structure were what looked like depictions of battle scenes. Some of Cian¨ªans fighting humanoids, others of Cian¨ªans fighting beasts. Massive statues representing the Gods stood within arched alcoves. I didn¡¯t recognize some of them, but I did recognize Fomh¨¢r (Foe-v-awr) God of the harvest, and Aebhsean (Ay-v-shawn), Goddess of luck, my favored Gods. It was awe inspiring to see a massive physical form of the Gods.

    I looked down to see dozens of merchant stands lining the cobble stone road all the way to the entrance, and a few on the first and second landing of the steps entering the Arena. Most seemed to be selling food or clothing. One was full of small wooden dolls. Another further down was brimming with weapons and a few bits of armor.

    Oh that¡¯s amazing! I want those. If only I had coins. And that food looks and smells so good. Meat sticks, sweets, tons of vegetables, cooked fish, and some things I''d never even seen before. I haven''t eaten since this morning. Maybe I can get some coins off my brothers and get something to eat.

    ¡°Cro¨ª!¡± My attention was brought to Bacta waving me forward.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± I said quietly as I caught up with him. He smiled.

    ¡°Nothing to fret about Cro¨ª. It is awe inspiring, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and all the vendors. That food looks delicious. Can we get some?¡± I asked. He waved his hand dismissively.

    ¡°No need, once we get to our table, we¡¯ll have food waiting for us. Don¡¯t you worry.¡± He said. I sighed, looking at a few sticks of skewered meat as we passed them by.

    ¡°Ok.¡± I said glumly. Bacta stopped and let out a sigh.

    ¡°Oh alright. Let¡¯s get some.¡± He whistled to Kixas and R¨ªger, waving for them to come back. I smiled excitedly and followed him over to the stand. He paid the merchant a copper coin and we each took two sticks of meat. We thanked the merchant before moving off towards the steps of the Arena.

    I groaned with delight at the succulent juicy seasoned meats. Crispy on the outside but juicy and flavorful as I bit into them.

    ¡°Thank you Bacta.¡± I said smiling.

    ¡°You¡¯re most welcome Little Cro¨ª.¡± He said, tapping his meat stick against mine. ¡°Enjoy.¡± I munched happily as we followed the brothers.

    The steps leading up into the Arena were massive and grand, much like the Arena itself. My brothers stopped, smiling at my gaped expression of wonder as I craned my head back to look up at the massive structure.

    ¡°It¡¯s quite the sight isn¡¯t it Little Cro¨ª?¡± Bacta said.

    ¡°It¡¯s massive. How big is it?¡± I asked. Bacta looked to R¨ªger, who answered.

    ¡°It¡¯s two hundred and fifty-five feet tall, almost fifteen hundred feet wide, and a little over twelve hundred feet long.¡± The numbers didn¡¯t mean much to me, but the sheer size of the Arena was daunting. R¨ªger continued. ¡°There are nearly three hundred feet of steps leading up the main entrance. It has eighty-foot-tall statues depicting all sixteen of the Gods that line the outer walls, and.¡± He wiggled his finger in excitement. ¡°It only took ten years to build. And¡­¡± Kixas held up a hand to stop him.

    ¡°Not that we don¡¯t want to hear all of this again for Cro¨ª¡¯s sake, but we¡¯re supposed to be meeting the family now.¡± Kixas said with an apologetic smile.

    ¡°Right¡­ Ok. Let¡¯s go.¡± R¨ªger sighed.

    I followed my brothers up the long steps, thankful for the small interruptions every fourteen steps or so. Finally, we reached the top and were met with the bright, warm light of Kolob. To either side of the landing we had reached, connected with an ellipse shaped platform that moved around the entire arena, was filled with Cian¨ªans, some sitting at tables, others leaning on a railing that separated them from the platforms below. The steps continued down, stopping at landings to allow access to more of the ring-shaped platforms. I looked behind me to see that there were even more above us, five of them, for a total of ten. All of them filled with chattering, happy, laughing Cian¨ªans.

    We went down, exiting the steps on the second to last level, where we spotted the rest of my family sitting at a long wooden table. The brothers greeted Mother and Father first.

    ¡°Arden.¡± Kixas said as he hugged my father. A playful smile crossed my father¡¯s face as he shook his head at Kixas, leaning over to hug R¨ªger. Kixas moved over to mother. She squinted at him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare.¡± She warned playfully.

    ¡°B¨ªutris.¡± He said as they hugged. She cringed.

    ¡°Ugh you stinker. It¡¯s Mom or Mother to you, young man.¡± She said, wagging her finger at him with a smile. He chuckled.

    ¡°Yes Mother.¡±

    ¡°Attaboy.¡± Father said, hugging Bacta.

    I hugged Mil¨ª (Mill-lee), the youngest of my two sisters, first. Her short black hair framing her rounded jawline and small pointed nose, a welcoming smile across her artificially red lips.

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t wait to eat I see.¡± Mil¨ª said, nodding to the meat sticks. I smiled.

    ¡°They¡¯re delicious, do you want a taste? I haven¡¯t bitten into this one yet.¡± I offered. Her left eyebrow peaked with interest.

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll try a bite.¡± She pulled my hand up and bent down to take a delicate bite, a little more meat pulling off than she expected, making her giggle as she nodded and chewed.

    ¡°That is delicious. I might have to get one when we leave. Thank you Cro¨ª.¡± I nodded and turned to Seal¨ª (Shay-uh-lee), my eldest sister. Some of her long hair was pulled back in an intricate braid that draped over the rest of her long straight hair beneath it. Her youngest son, Drewk (Drook), was happily playing with a wooden sword and shield Seal¨ª had most likely purchased for him. He smiled when he saw me, thrusting them into the air with a grin. I grinned back and gave him two thumbs up.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Aeleen (Aw-lay-un)?¡± I asked, looking around. Seal¨ª pointed towards the entrance of the Arena.

    ¡°Shopping with her friends. She¡¯ll be back with Cyclone later.¡± She said. Aeleen was my niece even though she was sixty-seven years old. Even with the age difference, her and I had gotten along for the most part, especially when it came to playing harmless pranks on Seal¨ª.

    Seal¨ª and Mil¨ª were wearing fashionable Cian¨ªan dresses. Sleeveless, long and form fit, but not where it would restrict movement, widening near the bottom, ending below the knees. Tights or leggings covered the rest. The dresses had a crisscross pattern that overlapped in the front. Seal¨ª and Mil¨ª¡¯s dresses were blue with silver colored trim and accents. Both sisters had small trinkets and bands adorning their arms and hands to accent the outfits. Seal¨ª wore a pair of light brown laced up boots, and Mil¨ª wore leather shoes that only came up to her ankles.

    ¡°How was the trip Little Man?¡± Seal¨ª asked. I shrugged.

    ¡°Long and boring, but some parts were really pretty. We had to climb a rock face to get into the city though.¡± She scoffed, shaking her head.

    ¡°Did you now? R¨ªger and Cyclone¡¯s idea, no doubt. Instead of just taking the extra couple of minutes to go up the ramp. Typical.¡± The last word she said with a playful sneer at R¨ªger, who promptly stuck out his tongue at her. She chuckled, shaking her head. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you made it safe Cro¨ª.¡± She turned to slug R¨ªger in the arm as my Mother and Father smiled with open arms.

    ¡°There¡¯s my boy.¡± Mom said. Her hair was short like Mil¨ª¡¯s, and her dress is like those my sisters wore, but was a deep black with colorful flowers covering it. I was grateful she wasn¡¯t wearing red lip coloring as she kissed my cheeks multiple times. I giggled and squirmed. She pulled away smiling as Father stepped in for his hug.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want them, I¡¯ll take them.¡± Father said with a sideways glance and smile at Mom. He bent down and kissed the top of my head.

    ¡°I see Cyclone¡¯s been teasing your hair again.¡± Mother said. I nodded and Father stepped back as Mom came in to straighten my hair out. I didn¡¯t see much point, my hair wasn¡¯t more than a few inches long, all I had to do was shake my head and it usually laid just right. Mom loved to fuss over us though, so I let her.

    Father¡¯s hair was cut somewhat short on the sides, but remained a few inches long on the top, and was parted on the left side. He wore a well-tailored white dress shirt with a pair of black pants, a black vest with the same flower pattern as mothers dress, a dark blue jacket, and black boots.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your brother?¡± Father asked Kixas.

    ¡°With C¨ªara (Kee-ra). Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯ll be here before the ceremony starts; we¡¯ve still got a few hours.¡± Right. The Aging. I had almost managed to forget about it, almost managed to think we were on a family outing. As they talked, I looked around the Arena to distract myself.

    At first, I couldn¡¯t focus on much, just random people or objects. Then my eyes came to rest on three people, two boys and a girl, all walking together. They were wearing Tus Nua sashes, meaning I''d be going to the Islands with them.

    I immediately noticed something unique about the girl. Her hair was white, and she was unusually short. She must be Offborn! She was dressed in a nice flowing blue dress with purple and red accents. Her hair was pulled behind her head in a single braid that reached between her shoulder blades. She was wearing shoes that covered the bottom half of her feet, with red colored strings that wrapped up to just below her knees and tied off neatly.

    Both boys had black hair. The one on the right had short messy hair. His clothes were loose fitting, with his shirt looking like it was going to fall off, and his shoes looked more like slippers. The one in the middle had his hair in a loose ponytail.

    No way! The one with the ponytail had a sword on him. It was beautiful and ornate with what looked to be carvings all over the scabbard and cross guard. He also had armored bracers and a cloak. With a cleaner look to his attire than the one with short hair, he wore a nice fitting dark green shirt with light brown pants and a pair of black boots. Aside from the difference in hair and style, both boys had nearly identical faces.

    I wonder if the one with long hair is military. But he couldn''t be, he''s wearing a sash which means he''s not old enough. I tugged on Seal¨ª¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Yes Cro¨ª?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Look. That kid¡¯s got a sword, and they have Tus Nua sashes. Where¡¯s my sword?¡± Seal¨ª looked at them for a moment, then smiled.

    ¡°You¡¯re not Aged. Besides, swords are expensive.¡±

    ¡°Then why does he have one?¡± I asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s ceremonial, just for today, I think. Hey. Why don¡¯t you go talk to them? Practice some of what me and Mil¨ª taught you.¡± I got nervous. Talk to them? About what? I mean, I guess since all of us are Aging we would have some stuff to talk about.

    ¡°But what about the ceremony? Do I need to stay close?¡± I asked.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine dear. Horns will sound when it¡¯s time to gather. Until then, why don¡¯t you go introduce yourself?¡± Mother said from beside Seal¨ª.

    ¡°Ok then, wish me luck.¡± I said as I walked off towards the kids. I stopped short of them, feeling much more nervous than excited. I looked back for encouragement, or a reason not to go, but my family was busy talking with each other. I''ve got to try talking to them. If I can make friends now it''ll be easier when we''re on the Islands. But at the same time, it¡¯s a terrifying concept. I don¡¯t know how to talk to people, not really. I have to just go for it. Just say hey.

    ¡°Hey!¡± I yelled, a bit louder than planned, which surprised and embarrassed me. The boy with the shorter hair turned to see me, then turned to the boy with the ponytail, patting his chest and pointing a thumb towards me.

    ¡°Yes?¡± The short haired boy asked, seeming annoyed or impatient. I looked down, having a hard time with eye contact.

    ¡°I''m a Tus Nua just like you guys.¡± I pointed at my sash. ¡°I thought it would be a good idea to introduce myself.¡± I said sheepishly.

    ¡°Usually, an introduction requires some eye contact.¡± The girl chuckled. I looked up to see a mischievous smile on her face, her left eyebrow raised waiting for a response.

 Chapter 2

    ¡°Whoa.¡± I said accidentally. Her eyes were strange. She had black sclera just like all Cian¨ªan, but her irises were a bright orange instead of the usual nearly bioluminescent blue. How unusual. I wonder if she was premature or overdue. I wonder if she can use magic already. That would be soo awesome! I heard that the earlier they¡¯re born, the more prone to magic they are. Maybe hers is fire magic! Whoa I want to use fire magic that would be¡­

    ¡°Hey, quit staring at my sister.¡± Said the short haired boy. Oh, right, I probably have some dumb look on my face.

    ¡°Sorry, I was just curious. I''d heard about Offborn, but I''ve never seen one.¡± Offborn, from what I knew, were Cian¨ªans that were born prematurely, or overdue, and their eye and hair color would change to reflect that. I had also heard that they would take more naturally to certain forms of magic.

    Truthfully, I was mostly curious as to what her hair felt like. It looked like silk the way it seemed to glow in Kolob¡¯s light. The thought of it and looking at her face made my heartbeat faster, and I had a strange feeling in my stomach, like butterflies. What is that?

    She didn''t smell anything like my brothers or sisters. None of them did, but her especially. She smelled different, somehow, in a pleasant way. Though I had learned from my sisters that it wasn''t a good thing to blurt stuff out like that without thinking. Apparently, it was creepy and creepy was bad. I still didn¡¯t fully understand the concept of creepy.

    It was an awfully long, confusing, and grueling crash course on all kinds of etiquette. Most of which was far too vague for me to grasp. I turned to the girl, now with her right eyebrow slightly raised. I stood up straight with my hands behind my back and slightly bowed. This is a gesture to show respect and sincerity if I remember right.

    ¡°I apologize for making you uncomfortable with my curiosity, and behavior.¡± When I picked my head back up, the short haired boy was about a foot away from my face.

    ¡°What was that?! Now you''re calling her old?¡± Wait, what? How did he get that out of a respectful apology? Did I misremember? Was I not taught the right thing? The girl was now pressing her lips together in a visible effort to hold in her laughter. Does that mean I did it right? Or that I did it wrong and she found it funny?

    ¡°Uhm¡­ I¡­¡± I couldn''t really retort the boy''s odd behavior. This is so different from my interactions with my brothers and sisters.

    ¡°Ha! I knew it! Your silence proves your guilt!¡± He said loudly. His face got even closer to mine, inches now. This time the girl couldn''t hold it in and giggled at the boy, or me, hand over her mouth.

    ¡°You''re very strange, I think there might be something wrong with you. Also, you are making me uncomfortable.¡± I said, putting my left index finger on his lips and gently pushed until his head was an arm¡¯s length away. After seeing this, the girl who had been holding back her laughter stopped and stared, surprised for a second, then burst out laughing.

    The boy started growling at me, his face one of fury. His intensity is intimidating. He looks like he might hit me. That would suck. I came over here to make friends. My communication skills are more decrepit than I had feared.

    ¡°Calm yourself Flint.¡± Flint, so the short haired, weird one is named Flint. Good to know. The other boy put his right hand on Flint''s shoulder and pulled him back. He still looked mad, but at least he wasn¡¯t furious.

    ¡°My name is Klintock (Klin-tuck), and this is Sable.¡± He pointed to the girl. Sable? That doesn¡¯t sound like a Cian¨ªan name. ¡°And Flint''s the feral one. Might I ask your name?¡± He held his right hand out towards me. I grabbed his forearm and shook it once.

    ¡°My name is Cro¨ª Geal. Pleased to meet you.¡± Well, that turned out ok¡­ so far. I''m glad me and Flint didn''t end up coming to blows.

    ¡°A Geal huh? Bodes well for us.¡± Klintock said, with a wry smile.

    ¡°Why is that?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Geals are lucky, everyone knows that.¡± Flint said smirking.

    ¡°Well lucky or not, we¡¯re glad to have you Cro¨ª. Have you eaten yet?¡± Klintock asked.

    ¡°Uh, I had two meat sticks, nothing other than that though.¡±

    ¡°We should all head into the city for a few snacks then. We have a few hours yet and I¡¯ve a few coins that I need to spend.¡± Klintock said with a smirk, raising his eyebrows up and down quickly a few times before heading towards the large entrance to the Arena.

    ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s explore.¡± Sable said excitedly.

    ¡°Can I come?¡± I asked. Klintock chuckled.

    ¡°Sure, why not?¡± He asked. I glanced to Flint who was ignoring me, staring into the crowd, distracted.

    ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll ask my parents.¡± I rushed over to my parents. ¡°Mom, Dad, can I go with the other Agers and explore the city?¡± They glanced at each other, Mother looking uncertain. Dad slowly nodded to her, and she sighed.

    ¡°Yes. Just make sure you hurry back as soon as the horns sound.¡± Mother said, kissing me on the cheek. I smiled and thanked them, turning to see that the others were already on their way out of the Arena. Klintock waved and motioned for me to catch up to them. He reminds me of Kixas. Not with the way he looks but his composure, and attitude.

    ¡°So Cro¨ª, ready for the Aging?¡± Sable asked as I caught up to them. My stomach twisted.

    ¡°Uh. I hope so.¡± I said in a small voice.

    ¡°Yeah, me too.¡± Sable said with a small chuckle.

    ¡°About the Aging. Do any of you know if there is anything I was supposed to bring?¡± I asked. Klintock furrowed his brow for a second, glancing at the other two before answering.

    ¡°I can''t remember any information of items to bring with us. If I remember right, they will take what we have and give us all new equipment and assign us duties to perform.¡± Duties? Other than attempting not to be eaten or killed? Sounds¡­ sarcastically easy.

    ¡°Cro¨ª.¡± Sable started. ¡°Why haven¡¯t we seen you around? Where did you get your training?¡±

    ¡°Oh. Well, I live about four weeks ride to the North of here. I''ve only been to town a few times, and we only came for necessities before immediately returning. I trained at home with my family. Where did all of you train?¡± Klintock and Sable nodded their heads in understanding.

    ¡°Klintock and Flint trained with their family, I joined them on occasion, but most of my training I got from the Public Center.¡± Sable explained. Public Center? I think I heard about those places, where people could train if they couldn¡¯t train with their family. Which didn¡¯t make sense to me. Why wouldn¡¯t you train with your family?

    ¡°So.¡± Sable said as we started down the long steps towards the vendors. ¡°What is it like up North?¡± I thought about it for a minute. I guess the best way to describe it would be to compare it to where we are now.

    ¡°Well, it''s colder, being higher in the mountains, and it rains heavily for days at a time during the spring and fall months. There are many dangerous predators and beasts, such as wolves, bears, even R¨®nars (Row-nars). Sable interrupted me.

    ¡°R¨®nars? Are they as dangerous as the books say? What do they look like?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ve never read the books, but the ones I¡¯ve seen were big and aggressive. They¡¯re really scary too, but my brothers always said that if you just mark where their territory is, and try to stay out of it, you should be fine. They have big teeth, and black eyes that glow in the dark. They have big muscly, hairy arms, and long tails with spikes on the end. They have these big bones sticking out of the back of their head, almost like antlers, but they¡¯re flat, wide, and surround the top of their head kind of like a tall crown, but their bellies and hands are covered in scales.¡±

    ¡°Interesting. So does playing dead make them leave you alone?¡± She asked. I shook my head.

    ¡°No way. Why would it?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Well, the book says that they don¡¯t eat dead meats, so if you pretend to be dead, they lose interest.¡± She explained.

    ¡°Oh. I mean they don¡¯t care to eat you from what my brothers told me, they¡¯re just mad that you¡¯re in their territory. If you stay out of it than they¡¯ll leave you alone. So, lying down in their territory is just a good way to get yourself killed.¡± I explained.

    ¡°Good to know.¡± She said, looking serious for a moment, playing with her bottom lip. ¡°What else can you tell me about where you live?¡± She asked. ¡°Umm...oh, it''s harder to breathe the higher up the mountains you go, not sure why. There are almost no people around. So, we have to get our own food and tend to our own wounds and stuff like that. There are also times when we meet travelers from a human village when we''re hunting.¡± She turned to me with wide eyes and a small gasp. Klintock and Flint glanced back from their position in front of us, eyebrows raised with intrigue.

    ¡°You''ve seen a human? What are they like?¡± Her orange eyes sparkled with curiosity.

    ¡°From the times that we''ve encountered them, they seem more similar than different. Except maybe the first time I saw them.¡± I explained.

    ¡°Similar how?¡± Flint asked.

    ¡°Well, they look similar. They have the same number of limbs and stuff, and the ones I saw had similar skin. They are different in a lot of ways though. For example, Cian¨ªans, aside from Offborn, have black hair and blue eyes, right? Well Humans have all kinds of colors, seemingly at random.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡± Klintock asked.

    ¡°From the ones I saw, most were brown haired, with brown eyes that almost looked black sometimes.¡±

    ¡°Black eyes? That¡¯s kinda scary.¡± Sable said.

    ¡°Yeah, but some had blue eyes kind of like ours too, but different shades of blue, and I¡¯ve seen a few that had what they call ¡®blonde¡¯ hair, which is like a yellow-brown color, like wheat, and even one that had red hair.¡±

    ¡°My friend Darbh (Daw-rr-v) said there¡¯s a red haired Offborn that lives on the east end of the city.¡± Flint said. ¡°Do you think Humans have Offborns too?¡± He asked.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really know. I¡¯ve never asked. When Kixas would talk with them, they would always shout instead of just talking, and they all seemed kind of deaf too, Kixas would have to yell just to talk with them. Besides that, they speak a different language.¡± I said.

    ¡°Common right?¡± Klintock asked.

    ¡°Yeah. Although some of them speak different variations of Common, or something altogether different from Common.¡±

    ¡°So, you speak it?¡± Flint asked.

    ¡°Very little, sorry.¡± I said in Common. They all looked at me surprised.

    ¡°What did that mean?¡± Flint asked.

    ¡°I said very little and apologized.¡± His eyebrows lifted in surprise as him and Klintock turned away, walking towards some merchant stands.

    ¡°Can you teach me Common?¡± Sable asked. I nodded.

    ¡°I can teach you what I know. It¡¯s enough to understand a basic conversation, but nothing too advanced.¡±

    "I would like that." She said, smiling. Her smile made me smile ever so slightly, and that feeling like butterflies in my stomach returned.

    ¡°But other than that, they¡¯re the same as us?¡± Klintock asked.

    ¡°No. There¡¯s two other differences. Their ears are round instead of having the two small one and a half inch points like ours, and the outside part of their eyes, the sclera, is white instead of black.¡±

    ¡°White eyes? That seems like it would be unnerving.¡± Flint said.

    ¡°It¡¯s striking at first, but you get used to it. Apparently, they find our eyes intimidating, something about them glowing in the dark, or that the black scares them.¡± I said as we reached a vendor selling sweets. Klintock and Flint quickly picked out what they wanted, like they¡¯d done this before. Sable hesitated, but eventually found what she wanted. I stood back and waited.

    ¡°So, what about the first group you met? You said they were different than the others?¡± Sable asked as she turned. She looked surprised. ¡°Don¡¯t you want any?¡±

    ¡°Sure, but I don¡¯t have any coin.¡± I said. Klintock chuckled.

    ¡°Neither will I when the ceremony comes. Me and Flint saved up coin specifically for this, so grab one or two things and we¡¯ll move on.¡± I nodded, feeling slightly guilty, like I was taking something I hadn¡¯t earned first, but the sweets were too alluring to pass up. I picked up a puffy, square pastry with a hole cut in the middle, covered in a layer of chocolate, and thanked Klintock and the vendor as I bit into it.

    I groaned with pleasure, lost in the soft texture and the taste of the chocolate until I felt a small nudge from Sable. Right. First time I met Humans. I swallowed then spoke.

    ¡°The first group I met wore armor. They were marching East. When we came across them, we walked up to a man on a horse at the front of the group to greet them. We must''ve startled him because he pulled out his sword and started shouting at us. One of my brothers took me back into the woods. Then the man on his horse pointed his sword at the rest of my brothers and yelled loudly. My brothers told me later that they had to kill a few of them as they escaped because the humans just started attacking.¡±

    ¡°Really? How many of them were there? Why did they attack?¡± She seemed enthralled by my story. I thought about exaggerating the number to make my brothers seem more fearsome, but then my sister''s words rang in my head. ¡®Honesty is the best policy on most occasions little brother.¡¯

    ¡°At least twenty.¡± I said as we started moving down the street.

    ¡°How many brothers do you have?¡± Sable asked.

    ¡°I have four, but one took me into the woods, so the other three fought them. They said that they may have killed something like eight or ten of them.¡± I said, smiling as her mouth fell open.

    ¡°Three of your brothers killed ten human warriors?¡± She asked, surprise in her voice. It made me happy talking with her. That she was so interested in what I had to say. Usually, it was my brothers and sisters I was talking to, and they only listened to me on rare occasions.

    ¡°Yes, at least from what they told me later.¡± I answered. ¡°We learned later that there was a skirmish between kingdoms, and they thought we were on the other side. Their infighting ended pretty soon after that though, so, thankfully, we didn¡¯t meet any more of them.¡±

    ¡°Wow! Your brothers sound amazing. Have you ever fought a human? Do the humans always attack?¡± She was bouncing on her toes slightly with excitement as we walked. I couldn''t help but chuckle at her enthusiasm. She was fun to watch.

    ¡°They are amazing, yes. No, my brothers always said that I was too young to fight other people so if anything happened, they would get me out first. We did kind of fight one other time, but that was it. They¡¯re mostly just wary of us when they first meet us. There are some that we meet regularly and that¡¯s how some of my brothers learned to speak Common.¡±

    This is a much faster paced conversation than I''m used to with my brothers. So many subjects and questions all at once. It''s kind of hard to keep track. Though it is exciting.

    ¡°Truly? Come on, you have to tell us about this other time, what happened?¡± She asked as we reached another vendor, this time with a selection of seafoods. As the vendor finished with Klintock and Flint, I asked.

    ¡°What kind of fish do you have?¡±

    ¡°I have eel, pollan, three different kinds of char, and some oysters too.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any brown trout or white fish?¡±

    ¡°I do. I also have salmon for a copper more.¡±

    ¡°Ooh salmon?¡± I looked over to Klintock, who nodded his approval. Excitedly I said. ¡°I¡¯ll take the salmon please.¡±

    ¡°Come again when you get back kids.¡± Said the portly woman behind the cart. We thanked her and moved away from the cart and Sable interrupted me in the middle of savoring a bite of perfectly seasoned salmon to have me continue.

    ¡°Ok, well it started when me and my brother Kixas were traveling along one of the side trails to a neighbor¡¯s house, about ten or fifteen miles from our house. There was a heavy mist so we couldn¡¯t see very far at all, and we hadn¡¯t seen any aggressive or armored humans for about three years. We could hear two people running. And there was lots of shouting and the sound of many horses coming our way. Once we stopped, we could even hear arrows whistling through the air. My brother and I stepped off the trail and hid behind some nearby bushes so we could better observe what to do next.¡±

    I stopped for a moment, taking a bite of my fish, and moving around a small group of people that didn¡¯t notice us. I hope I''m giving enough detail and not confusing her.

    ¡°Yeah, then what?¡± She questioned excitedly as we came back together.

    ¡°One of the travelers running on foot, a woman, screamed. We could only guess that it was one of the arrows finding its mark. Then after a second or two there was only one set of feet running towards us, and then the arrows were flying past us, so we had to move and get behind a tree next to the trail.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, you got shot at by humans?¡± Sable asked with a surprised look on her face. Flint and Klintock¡¯s interests were peaked by this, so they turned to listen. Well technically, I guess.

    ¡°Indirectly, yeah I guess.¡± I said.

    ¡°That''s so cool.¡± Sable smiled.

    I would more say scary, terrifying even, but I don''t mind if she thinks I''m cool. Flint scoffed and Klintock elbowed him, pointing to a vendor further down the street. I continued.

    ¡°After a moment behind the tree, the humans came through the fog where we could see them. There was a man carrying a woman, and she had an arrow in her back. My brother Kixas told me to climb the tree, so I did. Then he came out from behind the tree and spoke to the human and they started going off the trail. As soon as he pulled them off the trail, the ones pursuing them came out of the fog. They were riding on horses, and they ended up passing us by.¡±

    ¡°I heard that humans are all fat too, is that true?¡± Flint asked.

    ¡°I don''t think so. Only two or three of the ones I''ve seen were fat.¡±

    ¡°Your brother is Kixas Geal?¡± Klintock asked. I nodded and he shared a wide-eyed look with Flint. Sable motioned for me to continue as she bit into her fish

    ¡°Well next my brother had me jump down out of the tree so we could leave. That''s when I noticed the girl was bleeding from the arrow and having a hard time moving.¡±

    ¡°What did she look like? Was she pretty?¡± Sable chimed in; a strange mischievous smile crossed her lips.

    ¡°She was pretty short, and her hair was a light brown color, same as her eyes. Yeah, I would say she had a pretty face and figure.¡±

    ¡°And what was it about her figure that was pretty huh?¡± Sable pressed, giggling. Uh that''s kind of a tough question. I don''t really understand. My sisters told me not to talk about a woman¡¯s figure if I could avoid it.

    ¡°She had good shapes, and was very proportional, I guess?¡± I said, questioningly, confused why she was laughing.

    ¡°Did she? You don''t sound too sure.¡± She laughed. I didn''t really know what to say to her, so I just nodded with an awkward smile. ¡°Calm down, I''m just teasing you. Now come on and finish up.¡± Teasing. Ok teasing is good. It¡¯s just a different kind of teasing than I¡¯m used to.

    ¡°Uh...After that, my brother Kixas told me to go back the way we had come and to have the humans follow me. Right after that another group of people came through the fog. About ten more humans on horses, but at the very front there was an Uraggian (Oo-raw-gee-un).¡±

    ¡°An Uraggian? Seriously? What did he look like?¡± She gasped. Again, this earned the attention of Klintock and Flint as we reached a vendor of some fresh fruits. Some of the fruits looked familiar, while some had strange hues of purple and were star shaped. Sable grabbed a star shaped one. I thought about grabbing one of those too but was nervous it would taste bad and decided to get an apple instead.

    While Klintock paid the vendor and talked with Flint about where to go next, I thought back to that day, gathering as much detail as I could.

    ¡°His skin was almost the same color as rust, but some of it was white. It kind of looked like he was rubbed with rust colored chalk on large portions of his body. His eyes were pure white. His hair was brown with some grey mixed in and went down to mid back. He didn''t really have a lot of armor on, but he wore lots of furs. He was covered in scars. The creature he was riding looked like an elk but had a greater number of thick horns with slight curves to them, and dark grey and black fur with white spots instead of brown. It had a long tail with a lot of fur at the end of it too.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, that''s a Gust, those things are fast, and they''re powerful. What was his face like? Was he hideous? Or fearsome?¡±

    ¡°No more than the humans next to him. Not that humans are ugly or anything, but him and the Humans he was with weren¡¯t exactly handsome. He did have a more muscular and pronounced jaw and bigger wider nose and jaw though.¡± To tell the truth he was fearsome. His eyes were so intense. Almost like they might be some form of weapon he could wield.

    ¡°And he was very tall, at least seven maybe seven and a half feet tall.¡± She gasped.

    ¡°Seriously? That¡¯s huge! That¡¯s like.¡± She thought about it. ¡°At least three feet taller than me! Maybe more.¡± I found it funny how long it took her to calculate such a simple problem.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± I said with a chuckle. ¡°My brother Kixas came out in front of the group of men and talked to the Uraggian in Common. He told him that if they pursued the humans any further, they would enter Cian¨ªan territory, and he would be forced to kill them. Some of the humans laughed but the Uraggian smiled.¡±

    ¡°Did they fight? Did your brother fight the Humans and Uraggian?¡± Sable interrupted.

    ¡°Well, he did fight the Uraggian, because the Uraggian had heard Cian¨ªans were great fighters. My brother told him that he would fight him and him alone and then they would leave.¡±

    ¡°And then they fought?¡± She asked while nodding her understanding. I chuckled at her enthusiasm.

    ¡°Yes, but it wasn¡¯t really all that epic. They didn¡¯t even touch swords.¡± She got a confused look on her face. ¡°My brother Kixas charged the Uraggian and was able to completely sidestep his sword and place his blade on the Uraggian¡¯s throat to end the fight just as soon as it began.¡± She sat there bewildered for a moment, taking in my words before her eyes lit up.

    ¡°So Kixas defeated an Uraggian without a single drop of blood spilt, and within a second?¡±

    ¡°Pretty much.¡± I said with a nod. She smiled.

    ¡°Do you even know how awesome that is? Uraggians are known for their brutal ferocity and never quit attitude. They get excited by the bigger and more dangerous enemies, but Kixas got one to back down within seconds. Wow. I knew Kixas was great but this? Your family is so awesome.¡± Yeah, I guess they are pretty cool.

    ¡°How do you know about Uraggians and Gusts?¡± I asked, trying to ignore the butterflies in my stomach.

    ¡°She¡¯s a book mite.¡± Flint said with a teasing smile. Sable stuck her tongue out at Flint before answering my question.

    ¡°I read a lot in the Hall of Tomes. The biggest bookstore in the city.¡±

    ¡°What about you two?¡± I asked the boys. Klintock answered first.

    ¡°I train, and when I¡¯m not training, I¡¯m following these two around and making sure they don¡¯t get too out of hand.¡± He said, flicking Flint¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Making sure? Come on Klintock, you know you couldn¡¯t stop us if you tried.¡± Flint jested, then he turned to me.

    ¡°I get in trouble with Sable sometimes, otherwise I train and play games.¡± As I was talking to Flint about the types of city games the three of them played and how fun they sounded, I was startled by the sound of a loud horn blaring. I had to cover my ears until it was over.

    ¡°That was loud.¡± Klintock said, slightly squinting his left eye in pain.

    ¡°That was an understatement.¡± Flint said. My heart started pounding, and only half because of the horn.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the Arena.¡± Klintock said, starting back to the long steps leading into the Arena. None of us spoke until it was time for us to separate and head back to our families. I stared down at the ground nervously.

    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll all see each other again in a couple hours.¡± Klintock said, pulling my attention back up as we reached the top of the steps. The rest of us nodded.

    ¡°Could be worse.¡± Sable said. We nodded again.

    Kolob was setting now, casting a beautiful pink, orange, and red glow across the clouds. As soon as we passed through the entrance and into the arena, light from Kolob¡¯s setting hit us, or, more noticeably, Sable¡¯s hair.

    Her white hair reflected the colors of Kolob¡¯s setting in magnificent fashion. I was stunned enough that I could barely manage to reply to her when she waved and told me she was heading off to her family. I just stood there, mouth and eyes mostly open, waving back slowly like I was brain dead. Eventually, I snapped out of it and rejoined my family.

    there, mouth and eyes mostly open, waving back slowly like I was brain dead. Eventually, I snapped out of it and rejoined my family.

 Chapter 3

    ¡°Little Cro¨ª!¡± Bacta greeted excitedly. ¡°Good to have you back. How was your adventure?¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± I said plainly. Cyclone had rejoined the table with Aeleen at some point. He gave me a small smile and wave, then turned back to finish what he was saying to Kixas.

    ¡°Oh good. Now we can eat.¡± R¨ªger said, licking his lips and looking down at his plate, already piled high with food. Mother smacked the back of his head.

    ¡°O¡­ kay.¡± He stood up and rubbed the back of his head. Were they all waiting for me? Why? Mother motioned for me to come over and stand in front of my family. I noticed that all the other families that had gathered were facing towards the center of the arena and quieting down, though many kept chatting. They seemed to be waiting for something.

    A man walked up onto a large wooden structure that had been constructed in the center of the Arena and blew on a horn, thankfully not so loud as the last one. The entire stadium went eerily silent and faced the center. Several other men and a woman walked up onto a platform at the top of the structure.

    All Cian¨ªans present saluted the individuals placing their right hand over their heart as they bowed their heads. My heart was pounding hard, and I was so nervous that I couldn¡¯t remember what I was supposed to be doing. I looked over at Sable, who was only a few tables to the left, and the others and copied what they were doing, left hand on the chest instead of right. A large man in armor standing on the platform shouted out to the crowd with a surprisingly clear voice considering the distance between us all.

    ¡°The ceremony will begin in two hours, at the sound of the third horn. Until then, feast!¡± After the man on the platform finished speaking, everyone cheered. I looked around frantically, startled by the noise for a moment

    ¡°Come on Little Cro¨ª. Join us and feast.¡± Bacta said as he grabbed me under my arms and carried me over to the table, plopping me down onto one of the chairs before going to his own.

    As I looked around the table, I could see all my family members laughing and joking. Not a care in the world. A thought crept up in the back of my mind. You will not see them again.

    My chest suddenly felt like it was collapsing in on itself, my breathing was rapid and irregular, eyes wide. My head was pounding. I looked down at the food on my plate, none of it appealed to me. What is going on? Just a second ago with Sable I was completely fine, scarfing down pastries and fish with glee, why isn¡¯t any of this food appetizing? What is this feeling?

    I could hear and feel my heartbeat in my head. Suddenly, I could feel someone shaking my shoulder gently. I managed to come to my senses enough to see that it was Mil¨ª.

    ¡°Cro¨ª? Are you ok? You don¡¯t look well. What¡¯s the matter?¡± I shook my head. No. I am not ok. I have no idea what¡¯s going on. My hands and body were shaking. I wanted to tell her, but I remembered times playing with other boys my age, they would laugh at me if I showed fear or cried at all. Calling me a little girl, or meek mouse. I learned not to show it. I put those skills to use now. Whatever this is, it must go away. I will bury it. I took a deep breath before responding.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just a little nervous is all. It¡¯ll pass.¡± I faked a smile. She looked at me skeptically for a moment.

    ¡°You¡¯re sure little brother?¡± I could see other members of my family starting to notice. For some reason just her putting her hand on mine calmed me considerably.

    ¡°Yes.¡± I quickly responded. I grabbed some of my food and ate it, giving her the best smile I could fake. She nodded slowly and returned to her food, participating in conversation with Seal¨ª.

    I did my best to focus on my meal. After I had a long moment to myself and was able to calm down, I could start to enjoy my food. My appetite was still oddly diminished as I only ate about half of my meat, some rolls, and a half tankard of water.

    Then I just sat and listened intently to all the conversations going around the table as my family visited. It gave me a strange feeling. Knowing that very soon, I would be on a ship, traveling to a far-off land filled with danger, and my family would stay behind, all of them, leaving me essentially alone, all of which has never happened to me before.

    I wouldn¡¯t be able to see them for two full years, provided I didn¡¯t die during the Aging. I wanted to do all I could to just enjoy them being happy and jesting with each other, but I found my shoulders slouching and my head began to hang low.

    I thought about running. Just getting up and excusing myself, then running all the way home. Every time one of my family members would try to jest with me, I would just give a fake smile and nod. I couldn¡¯t feel happy, all I felt was¡­sadness. Stop it, don¡¯t think about it. Are you a man or a mouse? Quit whining. I shook my head to try and clear out the thoughts, but the third horn sounding did that for me.

    ¡°My fellow Cian¨ªans!¡± Came a voice from the direction of the platform, startling me. ¡°It is time to gather to the center those who would undertake the Aging!¡±

    My family members stood and moved down towards the platform as cheers filled the crowd. Mil¨ª took my hand. I resisted at first, not wanting to leave my seat, but at her coaxing, I followed sheepishly behind her, both hands locked onto her wrist.

    ¡°Come on Cro¨ª, follow me.¡± She said, smiling kindly at me. I could feel myself resisting her pull through most of the walk. I don¡¯t want to go up there in full view of everybody. I don¡¯t want to be seen right now. What if I puke? What if I cry? Everyone will laugh at me. I looked at the immense crowd in the Arena.

    They filled up every space. There had to be tens of thousands of them. I had to cover my ears for fear that the crowd¡¯s cheering would deafen me. When we finally made it to the platform, I did my best to keep myself focused on making sure that my feet went exactly where they needed to, counting each wooden step as I went.

    I counted all the way to fifty-six before my head was able to see onto the top of the platform. It was a very large platform, big enough to hold three pedestals for the speakers, as well as twelve rows of benches.

    I could see the three speakers now. All of them were dressed extravagantly. I could see what looked to be glittering gold sewn into the stylish robe of the men, and the dress of the woman. Then I noticed their heads, each one was adorned with what looked to be a band of precious metal, embedded with beautifully cut gems. Wait, are they royalty? They look like they could be, maybe they¡¯re just lords though? I was distracted for a moment. Then I felt the front of my right foot hit into the side of the very top stair. Oh no!

    I lost my hold on Mil¨ª¡¯s hand as I brought my hands down to catch myself. Jumping back up as quickly as I could but the family behind me and many of the spectators noticed anyways, their many muffled snickers came together to form loud laughter. My stomach churned with embarrassment as I clung to Mil¨ª¡¯s arm for comfort. She chuckled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it Cro¨ª, just pay a little more attention from now on.¡± But I was paying atten¡­ she¡¯s right, I got distracted there at the last second. I looked back at that top stair. When I learn fire magic, I¡¯m gonna burn you. I threatened the wooden plank.

    My family and I all went to sit in the front row, but just as I was about to sit down, I saw Mother walking over to me with a small smile. Her kind eyes looked down on me as she spoke.

    ¡°Hold up your arms dear, let me re-tie that sash.¡± I held out my arms and she re-tied the sash around my waist. ¡°How did it get untied anyways?¡± She asked.

    ¡°It fell off when we climbed the rock wall.¡±

    ¡°Well, no matter, long as we get it on you there¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± She chuckled as she finished tying it on and brought me over and pointed to one of the benches in the front row, in front of where her and Father sat.

    I glanced around and noticed that my mother and I were the last two to be seated. All the Agers were in the front row, with their family sitting in the rows behind them. Mother left me to join Father and I took my seat near the middle of the front row.

    Oh man, Today is pretty much the worst day ever. It¡¯s so awkward sitting here, like everyone behind me is staring at me. But I don¡¯t want to turn around to find out if they are.

    ¡°Cian¨ªans! Join me in praying for these Agers. For their safe return, with a wealth of knowledge and experience, a sense of self, and purpose, as many who came before them have done! Pray that they may struggle and that in those struggles they will grow! Pray that all Cian¨ªans will benefit and rejoice in their return! This we do pray!¡± The speaker said.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    ¡°This we do pray!¡± The entire stadium repeated.

    ¡°This we will see!¡± The speaker continued.

    ¡°This we will see!¡± Once again, the entire stadium repeated. The speaker turned around and raised his hands into the air. The entire front row stood. I lagged behind slightly.

    ¡°Those among you, who would undertake the Aging, step forth.¡± The speaker commanded. I took a cautious step forward with the others. To my left, three boys and a girl also stepped forward, to my right, four girls and one boy. I noticed Sable on my right. Klintock and Flint were on my left.

    This was the only part of the Aging ceremony that I had been told about clearly. It eased my nerves a little just to have some idea of what I was supposed to do. The speaker continued. ¡°All of you will now undertake the Aging. Perilous and uncertain is the road that lies ahead of you, but this road leads to enlightenment, and wisdom. Both of which are necessary for you to function as a part of the greater whole that is the proud Cian¨ªan people!¡± The crowd roared in agreement.

    ¡°I know that some of you must feel a great deal of fear, anger, or confusion, but you must cast aside all but your willingness to learn, to grow, and to persevere as a team!¡± Again, the crowd cheered in agreement. I was doing what I could to listen and understand what he was saying, but I still missed some of it while trying to glance around at the others standing alongside me. The speaker stepped back, and two others came forward.

    ¡°Agers, when your name is called, bring up your sash. You may then say your goodbyes to your family and take your place with Captain Edorin (Ed-er-in).¡± Said the woman, pointing at a man in uniform near the top of the stairs.

    Edorin was tall and lean, his hair was in a low short ponytail, tied with a red ribbon. His clothes were elegant, and he looked well groomed, facial hair trimmed to shape on his chin and cheeks. His jacket and pants were a deep blue. His gloves and boots were made from black leather, and his clothes were accented with white detailing. I could see a white shirt underneath a blue vest with gold buttons. He also had a saber type sword hanging on the left side of his hip. He stood tall with his right hand held behind him on his lower back, the left hand on the hilt of his sword.

    ¡°He will be the one taking all of you to the Islands.¡± Said the man. It¡¯s really happening. I was starting to get a strange upset feeling in my stomach.

    ¡°C¨¦¨ªrde Al¨¦¨ªnn (Kay-erd Aw-lane).¡± Called the woman. A girl to my left started moving. I looked over just in time to see her finish removing her sash as she started striding forward.

    Her hair was in a ponytail that reached down to her neck, and she was wearing a dress like my sisters, fitting her tightly at the top but loosened near the bottom before ending at her knees. Though unlike my sisters¡¯ dresses, C¨¦¨ªrde¡¯s was a darker green, and didn¡¯t have the crisscross pattern on the front. She had some flat shoes that covered only the bottom half of her feet. Her arms all the way up to her shoulders were exposed except for a bronze band on her right bicep. Her skin seemed much darker than most other Cian¨ªans I had seen, which was strange to me. She had freckles on the tops of her cheeks, across her nose and on top of her shoulders.

    She walked up to the woman and held her sash out across her forearms, giving a slight bow. The woman bowed back and smiled.

    ¡°I wish the luck of Aebhsean, Goddess of Luck, and protection of Dagda, (Dawg-duh) Father of Gods upon you little one. May Fomh¨¢r gift you the harvest of your struggles.¡± Said the woman. C¨¦¨ªrde bowed again.

    ¡°Many thanks my Queen¡± Oh, seriously? So, she¡¯s the queen? Lady Grainne (Gran-yuh) herself? I knew they were royal, but the Queen herself? Wait, that means that the other man is Prince Objitar (Obe-jit-awr), and the speaker is King La¨ªdir (Lay-drr).

    ¡°Flint Bairde (Bard-eh).¡± Prince Objitar called out. Flint slipped off his sash and stepped forward as the crowd gasped collectively. His shirt had been laced up and tucked in, and he was wearing a vest now as well.

    Bairde? I know that name. It¡¯s the family name of one of our heroes. The Unbroken. He fought for King La¨ªdir when the Humans invaded our Eastern lands with the Uraggians ten years ago. Every Cian¨ªan knows the story.

    With a small company of men under his command, barely even a hundred strong, they were entrusted with the protection of Prince Objitar whom was on his way back and being pursued by a vast enemy force. The Unbroken got Objitar past the line of skirmish so that he could gain the King¡¯s assistance and bring reinforcements.

    The Unbroken held the enemy back for three weeks, a force of several thousand men. The Unbroken, along with his commanders used their incredible tactical minds, the terrain, fiercely brutal tenacity on the battlefield, and their skill and fury as warriors to keep the enemy back.

    After the three weeks of fighting, the enemy pushed The Unbroken and the last of his men back to their last remaining stronghold. Wave after wave, The Unbroken was the only man left standing. He came out at dawn to stand against the hundreds of remaining enemy warriors and stood tall. Facing his enemy head on, knowing that he would die.

    That¡¯s why they call him The Unbroken. The enemy crashed upon him and his forces like the waves of a tempest, but they could not break him. In the end, after they had killed him, the enemy broke under the might of reinforcements.

    Flint handed his sash to the Prince in the same fashion as C¨¦¨ªrde had done.

    ¡°My Prince.¡± He said, bowing as the prince accepted his sash. Objitar placed his hand on Flint¡¯s shoulder, pulling him from his bow with a small shake of his head.

    ¡°I owe your Father and his company my life, as do many in this kingdom. Our people are profoundly grateful for their sacrifice. May the Gods grant you favor and keep you from harm, as they did for our people.¡± The Prince said, giving Flint a deeper bow of respect.

    ¡°Many thanks my Prince.¡± Flint said, returning the bow. As he walked over to his family, Objitar called out.

    ¡°Klintock Bairde.¡± Again, the crowd gasped. King La¨ªdir stepped down from his pedestal to take his place beside the Prince and Queen. He pulled off his small crown, placing it on a small golden hook on his right hip. Klintock took off his sash and the sword he was wearing. He wrapped the sash around the sword. Klintock walked over to King La¨ªdir, knelt and held up the sword in the palms of his hands, offering it to the King. The King seemed to hesitate, his left hand over his mouth, with what looked like tears forming in his eyes before taking the sword in his right hand. Klintock kept hold of the sword and rose with the King¡¯s assistance before releasing the sword.

    ¡°My King.¡± Klintock bowed. The King pulled Klintock back up, shaking his head.

    ¡°The Bairde family does not bow to me.¡± La¨ªdir said glancing down and tapping the band he¡¯d set on the hook. ¡°We are equals in this moment young man.¡±

    ¡°If it were not for your Father, I would have lost my son, and I may well not have my life.¡± He turned slightly to address both Klintock and the crowd with a raised voice. ¡°This sword will rest above him among the Hall of the Immortal. It will represent all that his company sacrificed for their people to earn their title. The Unbroken. Heart of the Cian¨ªan.¡± The crowd responded with thundering applause.

    It was then that I noticed the sword had many inscriptions on it. Depicting his whole family first and foremost above all the other deeds he¡¯d accomplished. ¡°Safe travels Klintock Bairde.¡± The King said with a bow. He then turned to their family and bowed.

    ¡°Our King.¡± Their mother responded. Klintock returned to his family and him and Flint took turns hugging what I assumed to be their two little sisters and kissing their mother¡¯s forehead, they then quickly moved over to Edorin¡¯s side, while the King turned and went back to the top of his pedestal, holding the sword high in his right hand.

    ¡°The Unbroken!¡± The King yelled. The crowd roared and cheered with excitement. I could see Klintock¡¯s mother crying. She looked proud, but also incredibly sad. The crowd cheered the name several times.

    ¡°The Unbroken! The Unbroken! The Unbroken!¡± The King joined in with the next three chants before he settled the crowd back down, sheathing the sword on his belt before replacing his crown and motioning to continue.

    ¡°L¨¢nn Caida (Lawn Kaw-da).¡± Called the Queen. A girl stepped forward on my right. She had straight shoulder length hair. She was wearing sandals, and her dress was shorter than the rest of the Agers, then again, she herself seemed almost as short as Sable. She had a bubbly happy smile on her face as she walked up to the Queen. The Queen smiled back at her as she took the sash.

    ¡°May Aebhsean and Fomh¨¢r work in harmony with Dagda to bring you protection, luck, and wisdom little one.¡± Said the Queen.

    ¡°I thank you my Queen.¡± L¨¢nn said with a small bow before returning to what looked like her mother, and two sisters.

    ¡°William Donnell (Dawn-ll).¡± Called the Prince.

    William stepped forward. His hair was buzzed short on either side which made his ears stand out slightly, but not in a way that made him look silly. The hair on the top of his head was longer than on the sides, about three inches or so at the longest points. There was a bit of stubble growing on his chin and up his jawline. His attire was about as extravagant as mine, which meant to me that he came from a less wealthy family. Simple shoes without laces, simple pants, shirt, and jacket. His walk was one of confidence, borderline cocky. His eyes were intense and piercing as he passed a slight glance in my direction.

    He handed off his sash to the prince without a word, just a small bow.

    ¡°Blessings of protection and fortune upon you, young man.¡±

    ¡°Thanks Prince.¡± William said sharply, bowing again before walking back to his family. There was a mother and father that he hugged. A little girl and boy were crying and begging him not to go as they clung to his clothes. He bent down and looked them in the eyes.

    ¡°Be strong for me little ones. You know I''m strong, but if I¡¯m to make it home safe, I¡¯ll need some of your strength too.¡± The girl was doing her best to hold back her tears, but the boy spoke.

    ¡°But Will, what if you don¡¯t come back? What if what happened to our brother happens to you? What if it gets you too?¡± William shook his head, keeping a smile on his face, but there was a small twinge of pain.

    ¡°Keokin Dravik (Kee-oh-kn Draw-vick).¡± Called the Prince. William looked over as Keokin moved towards the prince.

    Keokin had shaggy hair that barely passed his ears. His ears, however, did stand out a lot more than William¡¯s. He was a kind of unassuming looking boy, somewhat thin compared to the rest of us, but also taller than the rest of the Agers. He had the same attire as me and William. Even though Keokin looked somewhat goofy, there was an air of intelligence about him. Though he looked more nervous than I felt.

    I heard William talk to his brother as the Prince and Keokin did the usual ¡®My Prince¡¯, followed by the ¡®bless you with luck and safety thing.¡¯

    ¡°If I don¡¯t come back? Come now little warrior, you know that I¡¯m always with you. Even if my body may perish, my spirit and the things I have taught you will stay with you forever. Now don¡¯t fret, I¡¯ll be back in two short years.¡± William smiled and stood up, moving his right hand to the back of a fair looking girl¡¯s neck, pulling her head close and putting her forehead on his.

    ¡°I will return to you, my love. Wait for me.¡± He said. She nodded her head quickly several times as tears rolled down her cheeks.

    ¡°I will. Who else would I go to? Draven? (Draw-vin)¡± They both chuckled as they held back tears.

    ¡°Thank you for everything you¡¯ve given me.¡± William said as he leaned in to give her a long kiss on her lips before turning to leave. That¡¯s kinda weird, and uncomfortable. On the positive side, after watching so many others go before me, I think my nervousness has left me; I don¡¯t feel near as strange anymore.

    ¡°Cro¨ª Geal.¡±

 Chapter 4

    That¡¯s me. That¡¯s me! Instantly all my nervousness was back and stronger than before. I heard my mother urging me forward.

    ¡°Go on son.¡± I walked forward as I tugged on my sash. It resisted for a moment before I finally pulled it off, draping it across my forearms, being careful not to misstep or do anything out of the ordinary as I walked up and held out the sash with a bow.

    ¡°Prince Objitar.¡± I could hear the nerves in my voice as I spoke quietly. I felt the sash being pulled from my arms. I remained bowed, any memory of what I was supposed to do next had escaped me. I could hear a slight chuckle come from him as he reached down and gently pulled on my chin until I was looking at his face, bringing his hands back to rest on the sash. His hand felt smooth and smelled clean and fragrant. He had a bright smile on his face. He was handsome, with most of his long black hair pulled back into a bun, his bangs were loose and went down to his chin.

    ¡°Another Geal huh?¡± He asked, looking up at my mother and father for a moment. They both nodded proudly, and there was a small chuckle from the crowd. I could see tears forming in my mother¡¯s eyes. ¡°Well in that case I look forward to your safe return.¡±

    What? No prayer? I mean, I don¡¯t know about some of the other Gods, but at least Aebhsean for luck, or Fomh¨¢r for a harvest of ability, maybe Curnunnos to appease the wild things on the Island, or Diamhair (Dee-uh-var) Goddess of Mystery and Dreams. ¡°Fret not little Geal. There have been seven Geal to undertake the Aging just from your father and mother. The last Geal not to return was more than five hundred years ago. Your family is the embodiment of Aebhsean, Goddess of Luck and Fortune. Nevertheless, I do pray for your safety.¡± He smiled and added. ¡°Thank you for the sash.¡± I nodded.

    ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re welcome. Prince Objitar.¡± I stammered out, glancing over at the King and Queen before bowing slightly as I walked back to my family. Well at least I didn¡¯t trip again, that¡¯s nice.

    ¡°M¨ªor¨²ilt Helios (Me-a-rule-t Hell-us).¡± Said the Queen. Sable nodded slightly to me and smiled as she strutted up to Lady Grainne. As my head turned towards my family, I saw Captain Edorin and the others who had been called up standing next to him.

    That¡¯s going to be me. I¡¯m going to have to go over there, and once I do, I''ll never see my family again. I turned and laid eyes on my family. All of them were standing, my mother was near the back hugging my father. I couldn¡¯t see her face, but even with all the commotion going on I could still hear her softly sobbing. She¡¯s crying. Mom¡¯s crying and it¡¯s all my fault. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked over to find Cyclone standing there.

    ¡°I think you¡¯re ready, brother. Do us proud over there alright?¡± Brother? He¡¯s never called me anything without saying little first, and very rarely if ever would he call me brother. I nodded and gulped; I didn¡¯t really know what to reply to that with, so I just said.

    ¡°Ok I¡¯ll try.¡± That strange feeling in the pit of my stomach was back, and my hands and knees were shaky. Next was Bacta, embracing me with his freakish strength.

    ¡°Oh, it all happens so fast. Our Little Cro¨ª¡¯s all grown up.¡± Bacta blurted out. I couldn¡¯t really tell if he was serious or not, but I could feel something different in his hug. This time he was more relaxed so I could speak.

    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you Bacta.¡± I said quietly. Why did I say that? Why do I feel like there¡¯s something stuck in my throat? He hugged me tighter and leaned in.

    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you too Cro¨ª.¡± He said before letting go and moving aside quickly. I could see tears forming in the big guy¡¯s eyes. Mil¨ª was next, tears already streaming down her cheeks. I was caught off guard by that, and her hug. Mil¨ª was never one to touch anybody. Even when it was just my father pecking her on the cheek, she would complain, but she was hugging me. I embraced her, thanking her for all the things she¡¯s done to help me through the years.

    She was the only one who was kind to me all the time, never rough or hard on me. Again, that feeling in my throat came up, I couldn¡¯t get it to go back down this time and my eyes started stinging. I hated this. Why do I have to go? I don¡¯t want to. What if I die? What if my family dies while I¡¯m gone? Mil¨ª backed away, following Bacta. Seal¨ª came up next. She wasn¡¯t crying, but I could tell that she wasn¡¯t as happy as she was trying to be. I could see the sadness in her eyes as she smiled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you go fretting ok? Everything will turn out all right. I have faith in your strength.¡± She touched my face. ¡°Stay true to yourself and keep yourself safe. You got that?¡± I nodded, ruffling Drewk¡¯s hair and saying, ¡°Goodbye little fella.¡± He smiled and swatted my hand away, giggling. Seal¨ª stepped aside. Aeleen followed her mother, giving me a hug.

    ¡°Goodbye Cro¨ª. I promise I will keep my mother on her toes.¡± She whispered in my ear, then pulled back with a wink.

    I went over to my mother and father, not sure what to say to them, I just rushed in and hugged them both. I could hear that Sable had finished and was heading over to her parents.

    ¡°Leola Jura (Lee-oh-luh Jure-uh).¡± Called the Queen. Another girl, but I was too distracted with my goodbyes to pay attention. I knew that I had to hurry up and go, but I wanted this to go on for as long as I could drag it out. My parents pulled away from me.

    ¡°Be strong son, and we¡¯ll meet again sooner than you think.¡± Said Father, smiling. Mother was sobbing quietly now.

    ¡°My boy.¡± She said as she fixed my hair and touched my face. ¡°I love you Cro¨ª. Always remember that.¡± She leaned in and kissed me on my brow in between my eyes. It was my special spot; she had a special place she would kiss for each of my siblings. Normally only when we really needed it though. And I needed it now. Then her and Father stepped away, Father putting his arm around her.

    Next to them was R¨ªger. His normally incredible smile and borderline insane laughter now vacant, replaced by an incredibly somber and sad look. He breathed deeply a few times before speaking.

    ¡°No matter what happens, stick to your name. Keep that bright heart of yours shining.¡± He pulled out a small necklace and handed it to me. There was a pendant made of stone in the shape of Kolob. There was a smile on one side, and a small cross with a circle on the other. The sign of Aebhsean, the Goddess of Luck. It was a bit crudely made.

    Then I remembered him always working on something off in the corner. For more than a year now I had noticed it. I never thought that all that time he was making this for me. I took it and put it on quickly before giving him a hug.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± I replied. I could feel a tear roll off my face. Memories kept flooding in. Memories of being teased by my brothers. Lectured by my sisters. Looking after my nieces and nephews. Helping Mother cook dinner. Chopping wood and fixing things around the house with Father. Kixas teaching me how to hold my own in a fight. Cyclone teaching me how to move swiftly over the terrain. Bacta and his weight training. R¨ªger teaching me how to use a bow and arrow. The crash courses I had with my sisters on rules and etiquette.

    I could feel two more tears roll off as R¨ªger backed away and walked off. Kixas stepped in and put his hand on my back as he guided me towards Captain Edorin. Wait! I thought, stumbling slightly from the sudden shift into movement. He didn¡¯t say a single word until we reached Edorin. I could hear the Queen calling out another name.

    ¡°Jael McKann (Jail Mick-ann).¡± I was half tempted to turn and look but Kixas spoke.

    ¡°Captain.¡±

    ¡°Lieutenant Colonel.¡± Captain Edorin saluted Kixas.

    ¡°At ease Captain, I¡¯m retired now, remember.¡±

    ¡°I know and I don¡¯t care sir.¡± Captain Edorin said. Kixas nodded back and put his right hand over his chest, and they bowed to each other.

    ¡°You mind if I take him to the gate, Captain? I got something I need to ask and we¡¯re running short on time here.¡± Kixas said.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got until we get there. I¡¯ll walk slow.¡± Edorin nodded. Kixas urged me towards the stairs as he put his hand on Edorin¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Many blessings brother.¡± Edorin nodded in reply and returned to watching the others. Kixas said nothing the entire time we were going down the stairs. Why isn¡¯t he talking? I thought he had something to ask. Was he just joking about that? Shut up you wimp! Quit crying. You¡¯re making a fool of yourself.

    When we got to the bottom of the stairs, the crowd was cheering, meaning that the ceremony had concluded, and the others would be on their way down soon as well. Kixas started walking a little quicker across the middle of the arena towards a gate on the other side; practically dragging me along.

    This gate wasn¡¯t like the entrance. It was small and simple, barely more than the walls around it. Through the gate I could see a tunnel leading to the ocean. There was a hill that started just after the gate that rolled down past buildings, and a long grassy field to the cliffs, and to the deep blue of the ocean where I thought I could see the tall sails of ships. Kixas looked down at me as we walked.

    The crowd¡¯s low roar died out as we passed into the tunnel. His eyes and the muscles in his face conveyed concern at first, though they slowly faded into a look of understanding. Then finally to a smile.

    What? What aren¡¯t you telling me? He just looked back up towards the end of the tunnel, not saying a single thing until we reached it, all the while my head was filled with questions and terrible thoughts. When we finally reached the end he stopped, crouching down right in front of me and looking directly in my eyes.

    ¡°There is something that I greatly desire that you do for me brother.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, my head going quiet. He gave me a half smile.

    ¡°Stay true to who you are.¡± He put his hand over my heart. ¡°In here.¡± I was confused. I had no idea who I was yet. All I¡¯d known was what my family told me.

    ¡°You look confused Cro¨ª.¡± Kixas said, looking at me questioningly. ¡°What is it?¡± I shook my head vigorously.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± I sniffled, wiping my nose with the back of my hand. ¡°I don¡¯t know who¡­ who I¡­ I am.¡± That thing was stuck in my throat again as I tried to speak, making it difficult to force the words out. He grunted and nodded, like he was saying he understood.

    ¡°Would you like me to tell you what I have always seen you to be?¡± I nodded and sniffled again.

    ¡°You have always had a drive to do what is right. Never flinching to help anyone in need, even when you yourself are the one needing help. Like now, you¡¯re struggling so hard to keep yourself from crying, trying to be strong and brave, but you don¡¯t need to.¡±

    He took a deep breath, seemingly to calm himself, then continued. ¡°Besides that, you are loyal to your very core. You could never betray anyone, especially not anyone you know. You are a fierce protector. I¡¯ve seen it in you when you would watch over your nephew. You are also very smart. You pick up on things so quickly, sometimes it leaves me speechless. You question life, and hunger for the answers, and to top it all off, you have incredible resolve. Keep hold of these things. I have faith in you, even if you do not. And Cro¨ª¡­¡± I looked up at his eyes as he spoke. ¡°I love you.¡± I could feel and see his honesty as he spoke. ¡°I love you.¡± He said again. This time I couldn¡¯t hold back. I jumped into him and hugged him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go!¡± I cried. ¡°I¡¯m scared. I don¡¯t want to die! What if something happens at home and I¡¯m not there to help? What if I get eaten? What if all the others leave me alone? Why don¡¯t any of you care about me? How can you say you love me but then let me go to my death?¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    My forehead was buried in his chest so I couldn¡¯t see much but the ground and his crouched lower body as I spoke. I noticed his stomach moving, like he was laughing. How can he be laughing? I looked up to see tears in his eyes, one falling off his cheek, his lips pressed tightly together. He¡¯s crying. Kixas is crying. ¡°What did I do? I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡± He interrupted me.

    ¡°No Cro¨ª. Never be sorry for being who you are. You didn¡¯t do this to me. I am taking off the mask I was wearing. All of us were wearing one. We wanted you to remember us happy and supportive. We didn¡¯t want to make you sad and leave you with that as your last memories of us for the next two years. We all, every one of us, care deeply for you. We may not show it all the time, but we do.¡±

    He wiped his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie to you Cro¨ª. I¡¯m scared. I know what awaits you on those Islands, and it terrified me to no end when I undertook the Aging. It killed me to keep my word with the Elders and not spill anything and everything that I knew about the Trials to you. In the end, I¡¯m not scared that you will fail, Cro¨ª. I¡¯m scared that your heart will be too big, and that when someone else¡¯s life is threatened you will step in to take their place. I feel selfish saying it, but I want my little brother to come back to me, because no matter whose life you save, they will never be worthy of that sacrifice in my eyes.¡± He took a breath and wiped his eyes again. ¡°Do you understand Cro¨ª?¡±

    I do, I really do. All this time I was thinking that they didn¡¯t want to get attached to me because they thought I was just going to die. But they really do care for me. I thought back to all their faces. I could remember the looks in their eyes, the sadness. That¡¯s why I felt their smiles were fake. All but R¨ªger. He couldn¡¯t put on his mask.

    ¡°I do.¡± I said, hugging him tightly. ¡°And big brother¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah Cro¨ª?¡± He sniffled and choked out a response. I cleared my throat.

    ¡°I¡­¡± My throat choked me as I tried to speak. ¡°I love you.¡± I managed to squeak out. I could feel him breathe in raggedly as he tightened his hold on me and chuckled.

    ¡°Thank you Cro¨ª. I needed that. Gods know I did.¡± He said. It was strange, nearly all my life I¡¯d been teased for showing emotion and done my best not to show it, but now, it helped a lot. It felt right, felt safe.

    I could hear footsteps and voices. The others were approaching. Which meant we would have to part ways. He took a deep breath.

    ¡°Ok Cro¨ª. It¡¯s time.¡± I hugged him tighter just for a moment, then let go. I sniffled a few more times trying to clear my nose and used my sleeves to wipe my eyes. Kixas ruffled my hair a bit.

    ¡°Remember Cro¨ª. No matter what anybody else tells you, stay true to you.¡± Again, he put his hand above my heart. I nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    ¡°Oh, and for that necklace that R¨ªger made you. Be sure to tell Captain Edorin that it¡¯s a religious charm. That way he will let you keep it.¡± He sighed. ¡°I hope to see you back here in two years¡¯ time. And I look forward to seeing how much you¡¯ve grown.¡± He smiled and I chuckled back to him as I nodded.

    ¡°Ok. Thank you Kixas.¡± I said.

    ¡°Goodbye Little Cro¨ª.¡± He smiled.

    ¡°Goodbye big brother.¡± I replied, this time barely even bothered by whatever that thing in my throat was. I watched as he walked back through the tunnel, nodding to the others as he passed. I leaned against the wall and breathed as deeply as I could until they arrived. I took my place in line right behind Keokin and did my best to keep pace with everyone. I kept my head down so they wouldn¡¯t see how red my tears had more than likely made my face.

    Captain Edorin led us all down a long path that led past the buildings, down past the long field, and winded down the rolling hills, finally reaching the docks.

    There were at least twenty or thirty ships docked. Some of them well over four hundred feet long, others small, fifty to one hundred feet, and others somewhere in the middle. I wondered which one we would be taking. Edorin led us to a small building that sat no more than twenty feet from where the docks began and turned to address us.

    ¡°All right then. Boys on the right.¡± He held out his left hand. Oh, he means our right. ¡°Girls to the left.¡± He held out his right hand. ¡°Once inside, you will find a bag with your name on it and fill it with all your current belongings, including your clothes. There is a change of clothes directly underneath the bag for you, as well as a larger pack on the wall above your bag. Be sure to leave the bag with your belongings behind. Don¡¯t worry, they will be delivered to your families for safekeeping.¡±

    He finished talking but none of us moved. I don¡¯t want to get dressed in front of them! Are you kidding me? This is terrible enough as it is, why do you have to add embarrassing stuff like that into the mix? ¡°Come on now we don¡¯t have all day.¡± He clapped his hands together a few times and waved his arms to get us to move.

    Keokin was the first in, followed by William. Then the rest of us followed suit. When we entered the room there wasn¡¯t much more than a small panel of wood to separate each bag, I found mine situated at the very end which I was incredibly grateful for. Nobody would walk by when I was in the middle of changing with me being at the end.

    I began by opening my bag and putting it up on a hook that was on the wall. I took off my shoes and socks first. Then I unfolded the replacement clothes and changed into them as fast as I could. The shirt sleeves were fairly form fit and stopped just above the elbow. In general, it was tight fitting, and felt sturdy. The pants were roomy, but only went down to just below my knees. The clothes were a medium brown color, which I thought was nice. We wouldn¡¯t have to try very hard to keep them clean.

    I retrieved the necklace that R¨ªger had made for me and put it on. The last thing I looked for was shoes, but I couldn¡¯t find any. What? I leaned out to see Keokin standing near the exit as Flint walked out. Neither of them had shoes on, just the same clothes as me and their packs. Keokin noticed me and gave me a questioning look and a thumbs up. I quickly nodded with a thumbs up and ducked back into my stall.

    So, we don¡¯t get shoes? What about the rest of my pants? Where did they go? Man, this sucks. I feel exposed and I don¡¯t like it. I sighed and looked down at my pack, the word ¡®Guardian¡¯ was written on it. I knew I was the last one out, aside from Keokin who was still waiting, so I just grabbed it and threw it over my shoulder. I took one last look to make sure that I hadn¡¯t forgotten anything. My gaze lingered a moment on the bag containing the remnants of what I was leaving behind before heading out the door to join the others.

    Surprisingly, I wasn¡¯t the last one out. Two of the girls hadn¡¯t returned yet. I didn¡¯t know which ones because I had missed a few of them after my name was called. I would make sure to learn their names later.

    I noticed that all the girls had essentially the same clothing as the boys. Sable¡¯s outfit wasn¡¯t as form fitting as the other girls were. Many of the outfits didn¡¯t have sleeves at all. Klintock, Sable, one of the taller, short haired girls and I were the only ones with sleeves. A few silent moments later the other two girls came rushing out. Both had typical Cian¨ªan features, black hair and blue eyes, but one of them had slightly reddened skin around her eyes, most likely from crying.

    It was C¨¦¨ªrde. I knew her from earlier, she was the first one to get called. I remembered her tan skin but last time I saw her shoulder length hair, it was in a ponytail.

    The other girl had much longer wavy hair that went down to below her shoulder blades. She was incredibly beautiful and a bit taller than C¨¦¨ªrde. Her skin was the palest of any of us, but it looked smooth and perfectly clear, except for some freckles that formed below her eyes and across her nose. I also noticed that she had some sort of scar on her left shoulder and bicep. It looked jagged. I wonder how she got that. She bowed slightly to Captain Edorin and spoke.

    ¡°Sorry, won¡¯t happen again.¡± Edorin nodded while keeping a constant expression of boredom on his face.

    ¡°Right. I¡¯ll hold you to that. Follow me and I¡¯ll take you to the Wayward Pony. That¡¯s the ship that will take you out to the Oile¨¢in Trialach. Remember, you are always, without exception, to do exactly what I say. Is that thoroughly, completely, transparently, and in all other ways, understood?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± All of us answered back.

    ¡°Furthermore, from this point on, you will all address me as Captain. Understood?¡±

    ¡°Yes Captain.¡±

    He nodded, then looked over at me, staring at me for a moment. ¡°What is that?¡± He pointed at me. I looked behind me. Nothing there. Is he talking to me? I pointed at myself questioningly. ¡°Yes. You. What is that around your neck? Personal items were to be left behind.¡± I stammered for a second before finding my voice.

    ¡°Kixas, he¡­ Kixas told me to tell you that it¡¯s a religious charm.¡± I put my hand on the edges of the stone Kolob. Edorin chuckled.

    ¡°Did he now? And what religious symbol would that be?¡± Oh man, my brain went blank. Come on, think quick.

    ¡°Huh?¡± I asked, trying to by myself some more time.

    ¡°Which God, or Goddess, is that a trinket for?¡± My mind thawed for a moment, and I was able to answer timidly.

    ¡°F¡­ Fomh¨¢r. God of the Harvest, and Aebhsean Goddess of Luck and Fortune.¡± He looked at me for a moment, looking serious.

    ¡°Fine.¡± He said, shaking his head with a slight smile. ¡°Everyone follow me.¡± Whew. That was close. Totally caught me off guard.

    Edorin walked down onto the dock, and everyone followed him. I stayed behind a few moments, trying to memorize every detail about the land I was about to leave behind.

    Deep down underneath all the nervousness and utter terror, a part of me was glad that we were finally getting this done and over with. Soon I¡¯ll find out what kind of man I am, or rather if I am a man. Then all the fear and terror returned to the forefront. What if I¡¯m not? What if I cower in the corner like a frightened child and burden everyone? I shook my head. Don¡¯t think like that. Stupid.

    I turned and caught up quickly with the others, wincing every so often as I stepped on rocks or dry grass, until we reached the dock. Edorin led us to a ship that was somewhat further back into the shipyard. It was a medium-sized ship compared to all the others we had moved past.

    The hull of the ship was a stained dark brown color. The three masts were completely black. I had to crane my head to see the top of them. Each mast had several very long horizontal logs, that reached over our heads, attached at regular intervals all the way up. Tied beneath the long horizontal parts of the masts, were bundles of dark red cloth that I assumed to be the sails. All of it was lashed to the ship with dozens of lines of rope. Painted, in white, on the side of the ship near the back were the words ¡®Wayward Pony.¡¯

    Wayward Pony. I hadn¡¯t thought about it until now, but it was a very strange name. Maybe I¡¯ll ask Edorin what it means later, provided we can ask questions at all, and if I remember. I could see and hear men working on the ship already. One of them was standing on the ship, right next to the gangway.

    He had on a thick jade green jacket with the sleeves rolled up. He was wearing black gloves, but the gloves were missing the fingertips. He had messy hair that was mostly kept back by two straps of cloth that he tied around his head. The larger one was the same color as his jacket, but the second smaller one was a bright red color. The pants he wore were a dark tan, and they were baggy with large pockets on the sides and tucked into his boots. His boots looked sturdy and well-worn and came up to just below his knees. They had the same bright red color on the laces that went all the way up. He was also wearing a sword on his right hip; I couldn¡¯t really get a good look at it though.

    ¡°Ahoy Captain!¡± The man yelled as he waved at Edorin. Edorin just put his hand up and made his way up the gangway and onto the ship, the rest of us right on his heels.

    We were barely over the water for more than a few seconds, but it made me nervous. Not being able to see the bottom, nothing but the dark and blue of the water. My mind was racing with images of what monsters could be in there. I¡¯d only seen fish, so I imagined they would be like giant fish with big teeth. I shivered and raised my wide eyes up and off the water.

    As Edorin reached the ship, the crewman turned and shouted.

    ¡°Captain on deck!¡± All the men stopped what they were doing and turned to salute Edorin.

    ¡°At ease.¡± Edorin said loudly. They went straight back to work, ignoring everything but their duties.

    ¡°Zanataz (Zawn-uh-tus).¡± Said Edorin as him and the crewman grabbed each other¡¯s forearms for a moment. ¡°I assume everything is ready for our departure.¡±

    ¡°Absolutely. Only thing left is the anchor and a bit of rope. Soon as you give the word Captain.¡± Replied Zanataz.

    ¡°Consider the word given. It¡¯s late. Get the Agers below deck.¡± He motioned towards us.

    Whoa! I could feel the ship move as we were standing on it. It was a very strange feeling. At first my hands shot out to balance myself. I thought I was falling over or something, until I saw the image of the ship moving against the stability of solid land beyond it. Cool. The waves cause the ship to move like that. But also, scary. Good to know.

    Captain Edorin and Zanataz chuckled as they noticed that all of us had just felt the ship moving for the first time. ¡°Mind that you find your sea legs quick kids.¡± Zanataz said. Edorin turned back to Zanataz.

    ¡°Get them settled. I¡¯ll speak with them tomorrow. For now, I want to get underway as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°All aboard! Shove off men!¡± Zanataz shouted to the crew. The crew, already in motion, surged with new vigor. There was the sound of chains being rolled up and stored, though I couldn¡¯t see them. Two crewmen came over and pulled the gangway up and underneath the deck of the ship, cutting off travel to and from the dock. Others climbed the rigging and pulled ropes that released the sails, filling them with wind. Zanataz turned to us as Edorin was walking towards a door at the back of the ship.

    ¡°Right then Agies.¡± Agies? That¡¯s new. ¡°Follow me and be quick about it.¡± Zanataz motioned.

    He opened a door on the main deck that revealed a set of stairs heading down to the lower deck. It looked like, at the bottom of the stairs, there was an opening to the left, and a short, narrow, hallway that continued further into the ship. Without descending the stairs, I wouldn¡¯t be able to see any farther.

    I took one last long look at Ionad Tal¨²n (Oh-ned Tah-loon), my homeland and our capital city. The place I was leaving behind. Rolling green hills and lush vegetation across the entire land. Steep and majestic rock outcroppings that were met by the crashing waves of the dark blue sea tipped with white spray. The Arena, where the ceremony had taken place, stood large and proud on top of the hills that rolled into the docks, with the city surrounding it.

    I mentally pictured my home, so far away now. The place I had grown up. A log cabin that my father had built with my uncles help. The thick forests that surrounded the rear of the house where I would play pretend with simple toys or sticks, imagining them to be swords and where I would observe small and large forest creatures with glee.

    My heart felt heavy as I realized the finality of the situation I was in. I had been physically experiencing it, but mentally I was just catching up. Now I understood what I was leaving behind and just how much I missed all of it and how much I didn¡¯t want to leave. No matter what reservations or qualms I held towards leaving, there was no going back. Not for the next two years. I scanned the environment one last time before tearing my eyes away from it. Closing my eyes to preserve the image as well as I could. Remembering the individual faces of my family members.

    I took a deep breath and realized everyone else except Zanataz had already gathered at the bottom of the stairs. Zanataz stared at me, his left eyebrow raised, head tilted. A kind smile on his face. Embarrassed, I moved quickly to catch up.

 Chapter 5

    Once through the door, Zanataz closed it.

    ¡°Hang a left into the galley!¡± He yelled to us. As we turned into the galley, I saw five small circular windows looking out onto the ocean and the beautiful multicolored sky from Kolob setting. There were six circular tables bolted to the floor, each with four stools, one of which was occupied by two crewmen enjoying a meal, who glanced up with small smiles.

    Looking left of the tables, I saw a bar along the left-hand wall with seven stools beneath it. There was a door behind the bar partly open, revealing a man working on something that smelled delicious.

    As we moved further into the galley, I could see another, wider, hallway leading towards the back of the ship. The main mast came through from the top deck and was surrounded by several barrels. Zanataz pointed to the first of two doors that were behind the stairs and motioned for us to enter.

    ¡°Well, this is it. You¡¯ll be sleeping here. If you¡¯re hungry, the galley¡¯s right outside. Go through the door behind the bar, that¡¯s the kitchen. The room next to this one is the chef¡¯s quarters. Talk to our chef if you want anything. Other than that, get some rest and the Captain will talk with ya in the mornin¡¯.¡± I moved to the far-right corner of the room and quickly set about making a spot for myself.

    ¡°Wait.¡± Said one of the girls. I looked over to see who it was. It wasn¡¯t C¨¦¨ªrde or Sable, or the pretty girl with wavy hair and pale skin. I hadn¡¯t caught any of their names or really observed much of them, aside from the one with wavy hair, but now my attention was on the one that was speaking.

    Her hair was shorter than mine, which was kind of unusual to me, and she was taller than the rest of the Agers, except Keokin and Klintock. She was holding a bag that said ¡®Guardian¡¯ on it just like mine. I also noticed that she was missing her pinky toe on her left foot. She looked strong and muscled, which was a stark contrast to the girl next to her. The other girl, L¨¢nn, had the word ¡®Support¡¯ on her pack. I was curious what these words meant but figured we¡¯d get told later.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that all of us are staying in the same room?¡± Asked the ¡®Guardian¡¯ girl, her eyes squinted at Zanataz, seeming angry or frustrated.

    ¡°And you are?¡± Zanataz asked.

    ¡°Jael McKann.¡±

    ¡°Well Sassy McKann, you¡¯re going to be doing the same thing on the Island. Might as well start now, right Jael?¡± He replied, his head slightly tilted with a sly smile, and a shrug. Jael scoffed and shook her head before moving off across the room.

    ¡°Thank you for everything Zanataz.¡± Keokin started. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure everyone gets settled.¡± His bag had the word ¡®Leader¡¯ on it. Oh, well I guess that solves that. Good to know.

    ¡°Good luck kid.¡± Zanataz said with a laugh. Then he left the room, closing the door behind him.

    ¡°You¡¯ll ¡®settle¡¯ us?¡± She asked in a snarky manner.

    ¡°Well, I am the ¡®Leader¡¯.¡± He pointed at his bag. ¡°Besides, I didn¡¯t mean it like that. Why don¡¯t you start by telling me what the problem is?¡± Keokin asked. She scoffed again. He persisted. ¡°Come on Jael. We¡¯re not going to get anywhere if we can¡¯t even figure this out together.¡±

    ¡°Well.¡± She started. ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of sleeping next to boys. I was always told to never sleep near them or be in their rooms.¡± Keokin nodded, using his right hand to stroke his chin for a second before replying.

    ¡°Ok, so what about this? We have the boys on one side of the room, and the girls on the other side. Now I know that we¡¯re all technically in the same room, but this way you can at least be sure that there is a degree of separation between us.¡±

    ¡°Guess it¡¯s better than nothing. If I have to stay here with you guys, then that seems like the least terrible way to do it. What about getting dressed? I don¡¯t want any of you peeping on me, and I don¡¯t want to see any of you either.¡± Jael said. William snickered.

    ¡°Don¡¯t flatter yourself sweetheart. You got nothin¡¯ on my woman.¡± He said, smirking at her. Jael glared at him, her fists clenched, teeth bared.

    ¡°Cool it William.¡± Keokin said, stepping between them. William scoffed and ignored the other two, setting up his own bedding on the floor near the bottom right corner of the room. Jael seemed to growl at William, but slowly calmed down and paid attention to Keokin again. ¡°Well alright. Seeing as how Cro¨ª and William have already gotten themselves comfortable over there, I guess this side will be boys.¡± He pointed to the right side of the room. ¡°And this side the girls.¡± He said, pointing to the left.¡± How does that sound?¡± Everyone agreed.

    I sat and watched as Keokin helped everyone get settled down. Sable and L¨¢nn set up their bedding nearest to me on the girl¡¯s side.

    ¡°Guess you can¡¯t follow us around anymore.¡± Flint quipped at Sable as he set up next to me.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to anymore; I¡¯ve replaced you with L¨¢nn here.¡± Sable said pointing a thumb at the smiling girl. ¡°She¡¯s a better match for me anyways. She¡¯s only an inch taller.¡± Sable said smiling at L¨¢nn. Flint rolled his eyes.

    ¡°Replace me? She¡¯s only enough for half of me, where¡¯s the rest of her?¡± Flint asked, grinning.

    ¡°Leola.¡± Sable said, this time her thumb pointed at the pretty girl with the wavy hair. Leola glanced up from the bedding she was smoothing out.

    ¡°Me? What?¡± She said suspiciously.

    ¡°You and L¨¢nn are helping me replace Flint as my best friend.¡± Sable said.

    ¡°Are you sure you want me? I might be too tall.¡± Leola said, hiding a grin. Sable¡¯s mouth fell open. Then she smiled.

    ¡°Absolutely.¡± Sable said. All three girls laughed along with Flint and Klintock. Watching this exchange, I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.

    ¡°Alright. Does anyone else need any help setting up?¡± Keokin asked.

    ¡°I need help replacing Flint. Apparently, he¡¯s gone out of style.¡± Klintock said, smiling as Flint slugged his arm.

    ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t help with that.¡± Keokin chuckled. ¡°But I do know where we can get ourselves some snacks. I have a few other thoughts I¡¯d like to run by the group.¡±

    He was really taking naturally to the whole ¡®Leader¡± business. Setting up a system for us to get dressed at different times so neither group saw the other. He took charge and settled disputes quickly and efficiently. Even with his somewhat goofy appearance, he did have that air of intelligence and respect.

    ¡°Good. Now that everyone knows where they¡¯re going to be, why don¡¯t we all get something to eat from the galley before we bed down for the night?¡± Keokin suggested to the group. Everybody agreed and they started leaving the room.

    ¡°You coming Cro¨ª?¡± Keokin asked. I didn¡¯t really know what to do. I could have forced myself to go and eat, and be part of the group, but I just didn¡¯t want to.

    ¡°Yea! Come on Cro¨ª! Let¡¯s go eat.¡± Sable said, bouncing on her toes.

    ¡°No, thank you. I¡¯m not hungry so I¡¯m going to stay here.¡± I said.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be hungry to hang out with friends.¡± She said, smiling brightly at me. L¨¢nn nodded in agreement behind her.

    ¡°It¡¯s good advice.¡± Keokin said, smiling at the two girls before smiling at me.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just tired.¡± I replied as sincere as I could manage.

    ¡°Oh, come on Cro¨ª. You know it¡¯ll be fun.¡± Sable said, tilting her head with a smile and putting her hands on her hips. I¡¯m not sure why I don¡¯t want to go, I just don¡¯t. I tried searching for an excuse, but I couldn¡¯t find one.

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re sure. I don¡¯t want you going hungry now.¡± Keokin said to my relief. I smiled the best I could. Keokin nodded and ushered Sable and L¨¢nn out the door before turning around.

    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to join us?¡± He asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± I said, continuing to smile weakly.

    ¡°Well, one thing my mother always taught me was that if someone says they¡¯re fine, they¡¯re likely anything but.¡± Well, he¡¯s got me there. I continued to smile weakly and struggled to keep eye contact with him, unsure what to say.

    He chuckled. ¡°But seriously Cro¨ª. I¡¯m here if you need me, so don¡¯t hesitate.¡± I nodded and he left the room. I sighed, finally dropping my smile.

    I was alone with my thoughts. Nothing but myself and my memories. Could be good. Or bad. The only memories that came up were those of my home and my family. Playing tag with my brothers or the occasional neighbor, marksmanship games, playing warrior with sticks, wandering through the forest fighting make believe monsters to rescue imaginary maidens, kings, or the odd puppy. Missing all the animals we owned. Petting the mousing cats, playing fetch with Bacta and R¨ªger¡¯s hunting hounds.

    Eventually I just laid down in my bed and sobbed quietly to myself as I heard the others laughing and joking. I couldn¡¯t understand how and why they could get over missing their families so quickly.

    The door swung open, and it startled me. I looked over my shoulder to see Leola looking back at me. I¡¯ve been crying. I can¡¯t let her see. I quickly turned back over.

    ¡°Hey.¡± I heard her say quietly.

    ¡°Hey.¡± I replied, embarrassed.

    ¡°You, ok? Want me to get you anything?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. Thanks anyways.¡± I replied quickly. I heard her grab something out of her bag.

    ¡°Are you sure? There¡¯s meats out there.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure. Thanks though.¡± I faked a chuckle.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± She closed the door, and I went back to quietly crying into my pillow.

    * * * * *

    * * * * *

    I woke up to them all coming back inside after having eaten. William was definitely the loudest, but I could also hear Sable and L¨¢nn talking. Mostly about being so short. I heard Keokin shush them. He must think I¡¯m asleep. That¡¯s nice of him, but I don¡¯t mind them having fun and stuff. I also don¡¯t really want to turn over and address them, so I¡¯ll just try to go back to sleep.

    ¡°Why?¡± William questioned.

    ¡°Let him sleep.¡± Keokin answered. William scoffed and chuckled a little.

    ¡°What? Got something to say William?¡± Flint asked.

    ¡°He¡¯s just being a sissy. Crying like a baby all the time and getting special treatment from Edorin just because his older brother is Kixas. Kixas may be near legendary, but he¡¯s our weak link. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it. Even him, it¡¯s why he¡¯s crying. He knows he¡¯s not strong enough to survive this.¡±

    That hurts. So that¡¯s how they really feel about me then. None of them think I¡¯ll make it. Can¡¯t say I blame them. I feel the same way. But if that¡¯s the case, then why am I even here? I could hear Keokin sigh heavily.

    ¡°Are you really that ignorant?¡± He asked William. ¡°It¡¯s because he¡¯s grieving his family.¡± William took a second to reply, but when he did it sounded like there was some food in his mouth.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    ¡°Why? They dead? Looked like they were still very alive to me.¡±

    ¡°No, but from what Sable said, him living off in the middle of nowhere like that, only him and his family. Like us, he may have disliked them sometimes, but they were better than being stuck with a bunch of kids he barely knows, headed to a terribly dangerous place where he will look death in the eyes.¡± William snickered at Keokin¡¯s words.

    ¡°Oh, come on. He¡¯s just being a sissy, acting like a little girl.¡± William replied. I could hear some of the girls in the room mumbling unkind words at William under their breath and laughing at him. Though they were drowned out by Jael.

    ¡°Say that again and I¡¯ll show you crying like a little girl.¡± She challenged.

    ¡°I bet you will.¡± William countered arrogantly.

    ¡°Stop it, both of you. Jael, just give me a minute with him first please.¡± Keokin interjected. She groaned out a sigh and I heard her plop on the floor. I shifted as slightly and quietly as I could, trying to draw no attention, while also getting a look at what was going on. Klintock and Flint were just sitting quietly on their beds, Flint with a smile on his face. The girls were on their side of the room still whispering to each other and laughing while looking at William. Keokin shook his head as he replied to William.

    ¡°And you really think your constantly irritating, ¡®I¡¯m a big boy with no fears¡¯ charade is any better?¡±

    ¡°Who you callin¡¯ a charade, arse wad?¡± William challenged. Keokin sighed again.

    ¡°All I¡¯m saying is that we¡¯re all suffering being away from our families and our loved ones. We all suffer differently. If you¡¯re not going to offer him comfort or support, then shut your mouth.¡± William sat back down.

    ¡°Fine, whatever ¡®boss man¡¯. I don¡¯t see what the big deal is with these Islands anyways. I¡¯ve been fighting all my life. I¡¯ve fought for everything I ever had. This¡¯ll be no different.¡± He said proudly. Keokin finally finished setting up his bed and started getting under the covers as he spoke.

    ¡°Sure, maybe against other Cian¨ªans or things you perceived as some big bad outside threat, but never against something of this magnitude or intensity. Your arrogance and hot-headed nature are likely to get one of us killed, and I¡¯m not okay with it. So as long as I¡¯m the leader, you will keep it in check.¡±

    ¡°I thought we all suffered in our own ways, oh fearless leader.¡± William snickered.

    ¡°We do, and I¡¯m fine with that unless your form of suffering is making everyone else suffer more. Then it becomes counterproductive for all of us and brings us down with you. That, I will not, and cannot allow. Now everyone, follow Cro¨ª¡¯s example, get some sleep. I get the feeling we might be needing it tomorrow.¡±

    William went back to eating his food. Sable and L¨¢nn were still chatting over in the corner. I tried not to pay attention to the conversation they were having, especially after hearing L¨¢nn say, ¡°Poor guy. He must have cried himself to sleep.¡±

    Eavesdropping, although easy when your hearing is exceptional and you¡¯re right next to the conversation, is not necessarily a good thing, or at least that¡¯s what my sisters had told me. I didn¡¯t understand that, because I had never said anything that I wouldn¡¯t be okay with people hearing, but my sisters said it had more to do with respecting their privacy more than anything, which I understood better.

    It took me what seemed like three hours to go back to sleep. By that time everyone else was sleeping. I could hear the changes in their breathing when I focused. I rubbed the pendant R¨ªger gave to me, saying a small prayer to the Gods asking them for help. I hoped that my message got through, but I never understood how praying worked. I hoped the Gods would forgive that. Unless not knowing how to pray meant that they couldn¡¯t hear you at all. I shook the thoughts out of my head and tried to get to sleep.

    I laid there in the dark and looked at the small amount of moonlight that penetrated the room through the bottom of the door. I could partially see some of the other boys in the room as they slept, as well as the lines marking the wooden planks on the floor, but little else.

    I wondered how far away we were by now. If I could still make it back if I tried, but these thoughts were replaced with thoughts of the shame I would most likely feel from abandoning the others, as well as the Aging itself.

    I wondered about the Island. About how many of us would die, and which ones would die. I didn¡¯t wonder so much about myself though. I felt like that was a given, though I hoped, for the sake of my family, that my prayers would be answered and the impossible would happen. My thoughts moved for a moment to if I would see the thing that killed me or if I would be dragged away in the night by some unseen terror. Wanting to avoid thinking about my own death, my thoughts went back to the others.

    William I might be able to do without, just because he¡¯s mean, and doesn¡¯t seem like a ¡®team¡¯ player, but the rest of them seem to be genuinely nice people. I didn¡¯t want any of them to die, even William if I was serious. My stomach growled, interrupting my thoughts. I didn¡¯t realize I was so hungry. I should have gone to eat with everyone. The memories of Mother¡¯s cooking and helping her in the kitchen replayed in my mind, giving me a small sense of warmth and comfort. Finally, I closed my eyes and slept.

    * * * * *

    * * * * *

    When I awoke, several of the others were already moving around. Keokin, Leola and Sable primarily. Sable was waking up L¨¢nn and Keokin was waking Klintock and Flint. I got myself up and rolled up my blanket and the mat I¡¯d been using to sleep on, laying it all neatly in the corner. Keokin followed me out of the room as I headed for the kitchen.

    ¡°Hey Cro¨ª.¡± I turned to face him. ¡°Don¡¯t forget. We¡¯re all going to get some breakfast, and then head straight over to Captain Edorin so that we can get our briefings from him. Maybe he¡¯ll explain some of the things our packs have in them and what we¡¯re supposed to be doing. You might want to get your pack before we head out.¡±

    Briefings? I thought we were just talking to Edorin. Man, I¡¯m so out of the loop all the time. How is it that everybody always knows what¡¯s going on?

    ¡°Thanks.¡± I said, turning back into the room to grab my pack. He smiled.

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m the leader, it¡¯s kind of my job, right?¡± He said, patting my shoulder before trying to wake William.

    I walked across the hall and went through the door behind the bar, into the kitchen. It was still a little strange getting used to the ship moving under my feet. Although it was kind of fun and relaxing when I focused on it.

    The kitchen was roomy. On the right end of the far wall, there was, what I assumed to be, the food pantry. My target. To the left of the pantry was a partially opened door that led to another room with what looked like more cupboards and pantries. I noticed an L shaped countertop in the bottom right corner of the room. On the wall above the counter, there were dozens of cooking utensils. Ladles, spatulas, and a large assortment of knives, all gleaming silver with beautifully stained wooden handles. Further right, closest to me, was a fancy looking oven, with cabinets on the wall above it. Mil¨ª would have loved a kitchen like this.

    After a momentary search, I retrieved a small portion of bread and an apple. I figured that would be enough to tide me over until later, but just in case, I took a biscuit and a bit of cheese out and sat at one of the tables in the galley as I ate. Just as I was on my last bits of food, the others all emerged from the room and headed straight for the pantry.

    The only one who noticed me was Leola. She turned and looked at me for a moment, still smiling from something someone had said. She has a nice smile.

    It was strange. I found myself wanting to be included in what the others were doing, but also scared of being included. I couldn¡¯t understand why. I shook the thoughts out and switched focus. I was curious to see what exactly was inside my pack.

    The first thing I noticed was a lot of thin, but sturdy looking, black string in a large figure eight and wrapped in the middle. Under that was two flints. I recognized them from camping trips I¡¯d been on with my family. When struck together, they would produce sparks to help with making a fire. That¡¯s useful, what else? On the underside of the top flap of the pack was what looked to be a compass.

    Ooh interesting. I wonder what direction we¡¯re traveling right now. I looked out one of the windows near me to see which way the ship was moving, then looked at my compass. Hmm, according to this it looks like¡­Southwest. That¡¯s fun. A small smile crossed my lips. I continued examining my pack and happened to glance at the others.

    My eyes met Leola¡¯s and I became embarrassed, glancing away quickly. Why did I just do that? Why did I look away? Now it¡¯s awkward. I don¡¯t want it to be awkward. I¡¯m going to try keeping eye contact this time. I looked back up, but Leola was talking with Sable, not looking this way. As I was about to turn back to my pack, she met my eyes. My stomach feels weird. I gave her a small smile. She returned it with a brighter one, giving me a little wave. My stomach feels really weird now. My face feels warm too. I hid behind my pack. I peeked over the top flap to get one more look at her. I think her face is a little red. I quickly returned to looking through everything.

    There was a small book with many blank pages and two pencils to write with. I wasn¡¯t sure what it would be for, but it was good to know I had it. Stuffed into the side of the pack was a small knife. It had a five-inch curved blade with a small barb on the spine of the blade, near the tip.

    I liked that I had a knife, but I wasn¡¯t sure what the small barb was for. There was also a sharpening stone connected to the sheath. I didn¡¯t see any bandages or other medical type supplies, or a hatchet or anything for mending or creating clothing. My primary concern being shoes and pants.

    There was a large pouch on the opposite side of the knife for water. There was a stone in there too. It had a strange spider web like fracture throughout it and was circular, being about five inches in diameter and half an inch thick. It was a beautiful blue color, speckled with some green. The stone wasn¡¯t attached to the sheath of the knife, so I didn¡¯t figure it was for sharpening. I couldn¡¯t really tell what it was for so I just set it on top of the rest of my gear and figured I would ask Edorin about it later.

    On the very top of the pack were two straps that had been used to secure the mat and blanket I¡¯d used to sleep on. I found another pocket on the side of the pack behind where the knife had been. I undid the leather straps to find the hatchet I was hoping for. It was small and simplistic.

    This is awesome! Better than I ever had. I got a knife and a hatchet! I smiled at the hatchet as I set it aside. There was also a single, blank sheet of paper. Odd. Not sure what that¡¯s for.

    I found several jars made of something that wasn¡¯t really glass but wasn¡¯t metal either. It was transparent like glass but didn¡¯t make the same sound. Again, no idea what these are for. There was another one of those circular stones as well, only this one was pure white with some spots of a very dark blue. I put it with the other stone and kept looking.

    There were two small vials of a strange, semi glowing, red liquid. I took one out and looked at it closely. There were white things floating around in it, and when I turned it, the contents of the vial moved slowly as if it was more of a gelatinous blob than a liquid. I put it back into the pouch next to the other one. There were also two small spherical glass bottles, one filled with a strange black powder, and the other with a green powder.

    That was everything that was in the main pack and the left side. I opened the right side¡¯s pouch and looked in. There was a hairbrush, a toothbrush, and a leather bag filled with what looked like hundreds of small green leaves. The leaves gave off a strong but pleasant smell. There was a thin string attached to a Y shaped wooden tool. This just looks like a bunch of hygiene stuff.

    I noticed that the others were finished eating and had started retrieving their own packs. Perfect timing. I put everything back in as nice and neat as it had been before and tightened down the leather straps, slinging it over my right shoulder. I reached back for the other strap but came to the realization that there was only one to hold it on my back. I put it over my head so that it would rest on my right shoulder, the strap going across my chest to the left side. That fit more comfortably. I looked up to see the others moving through the galley. I noticed that L¨¢nn and William¡¯s packs had two sturdy straps instead of one like mine. They were also much larger. I figured that it was to distribute the weight more evenly. Which made me wonder about why the rest of us seemed to have the one strap style of pack.

    ¡°Ready Cro¨ª?¡± Keokin asked as they exited the room headed towards the stairs that led up on deck. I nodded and followed them.

    While we walked, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the girls as they walked, mostly Leola as she was directly in front of me. It was interesting to note the differences in how the girls moved as compared to the boys. Seeming to have more bounce in their step. I also noticed that their feet looked more delicate. Narrower with less muscle and, in William¡¯s case, less hair. I felt more aware of how I moved, and my own feet, which I deemed ugly and was embarrassed by.

    There was no pause as we reached the top. I didn¡¯t really know how Keokin did it. Somehow, he seemed like he knew what he was doing and where to go. I guess that¡¯s what makes him the leader. We walked half the deck of the ship before Zanataz noticed us and came over.

    ¡°Good morning young ones. I was just on my way over to rouse you. Thanks for saving me the trouble. Come on, let¡¯s see the Captain.¡± I looked around us, curious if I could still see any land, but from what I could see, there was nothing but open water. What if the ship sank? How far away from land are we? What things lie in the ocean beneath us? I got an uneasy feeling in my stomach, but I ignored it and focused on following Zanataz.

    As it turned out, it wasn¡¯t really all that difficult to find Captain Edorin. His cabin was the only room on the back end of the ship, just below the quarterdeck, and there weren¡¯t any stairs to it either. I guess that¡¯s why Keokin was so confident about where he was going. Maybe all ship designs are the same.

    My nerves regarding the sea settled a little after we had entered the cabin and the doors were shut behind us but were replaced by a new kind of nerves. Why am I so nervous? I¡¯m shaking a little, and my hands and armpits feel sweaty. I need to make that stop. I distracted myself by looking around.

    The Captain¡¯s quarters were very roomy. The first thing I saw, was a thick mast a few feet into the room. Once I sidestepped it, I saw a large circular table with twelve chairs, and a six-panel bay window that Kolob shone through. The left and right walls had four windows each, allowing in plenty more morning light. There were two well maintained beds on either side of the room, along with dressers and nightstands. Which made me think that Zanataz slept in here too, not just Edorin.

    Edorin came in and sat at the far end of the large round table. Zanataz took a seat to the left of Edorin. Edorin glanced around at us, his hands on the table, fingers interlocked as he spoke.

    ¡°Sit.¡±

    We all did as we were told. I sat in the farthest right seat to the left of Zanataz. To my left sat Klintock, then Flint, and William. Keokin sat in what would be the middle. Then there was, Jael C¨¦¨ªrde, Sable, L¨¢nn and finally Leola. There was a moment of silence as we all focused on Edorin.

    ¡°Right then.¡± Edorin said as he adjusted some documents that were in front of him. ¡°First, I will be telling you about your assigned duties and what they entail, simple and to the point. Second, I¡¯ll be telling you about the Island itself and what you may encounter, as well as your goal as a team while there. Third, will be about the rules regarding fraternization. Next, I will explain all the uses for your equipment. Last, will be anything else I need mention, and a time for you to ask any remaining questions. I will then remove myself from the room and let you all decide a few things amongst yourselves. You will retrieve me when your decisions have been reached and we will proceed. Any questions about how this is going to go?¡±

    All of us looked around, but none of us had any questions. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s get started.¡±

    https://www.tumblr.com/coldthane/711511986275516416/layout-of-the-captains-quarters-on-the-wayward?source=share (link to an image, showing the layout of the Captain''s Quarters)

 Chapter 6

    I looked over and noticed that C¨¦¨ªrde had pulled out a book that was larger than mine and laid it on the table. It had faint, yellow, horizontal lines across the pages. She was already writing something at the top of it. Jael and William both sat back in their chairs and folded their arms. Klintock and Keokin both leaned forward. I moved my chair back a little bit and retrieved my pack, putting it into my lap. I saw that Leola was doing the same.

    ¡°The names of your specific duties are written on each of your packs. If you would.¡± Edorin said and motioned with his hands for us to put our packs on the table. Me and Leola were expecting this so ours were the first up. ¡°Guardian. That means Klintock, Cro¨ª, and Jael.¡±

    Pay attention Blunder this is you. ¡°The Guardian¡¯s duties are as follows. Top priority is to protect your fellow Agers from any harm. Do not let them die. Do not let them break any bones. Don¡¯t even let them get sad and cry if you can help it. Keep an ever-watchful eye on the safety and security of the group and your surroundings. Coordinate with the Leader and make sure that you take the safest route whenever possible. You will always take up the front, back, and middle of the group when traveling to act like a shield for your group members. Clear on that?¡±

    We all nodded in agreement. ¡°Second priority for Guardians is to maintain and produce weapons for the group so they can defend themselves. If you know any form of combat the group is unfamiliar with, you are to impart as much of that knowledge on your group as possible. Clear?¡±

    Again, we nodded, trying hard to keep up. ¡°Third priority is to observe and log any and all creatures of interest whenever possible. Primarily the ones that seem dangerous or pose a threat. Be sure to add in as much information on the creatures as possible. Along with this, you are to safeguard the findings of the Gatherer or other members of your group. This includes plant samples, dirt samples, animal samples and the like. Clear?¡± Jael rose her hand. ¡°What is it Jael?¡±

    ¡°Why do we safeguard the findings? What¡¯s so important about dirt and plants? And why catalog creatures?¡± There was a small pause, then she added. ¡°Captain.¡± Edorin looked around, then asked.

    ¡°Anybody have an answer?¡± I think it¡¯s so that if we meet that creature again it would be ¡®known¡¯ to us and therefore easier to overcome or evade, theoretically. And we could bring our books back to Edorin so that future generations would know what to watch for as well. But I¡¯m probably wrong. Klintock spoke up.

    ¡°We catalog the creatures so that they become easier to deal with for us in the future, as well as for the Agers that come after us. It¡¯s the same thing with the samples. If we find something dangerous that hasn¡¯t been discovered yet, it¡¯s important that we keep it with us so we can watch for it and make sure that we return with it for future Agers to study. Right Captain?¡± Edorin nodded, an impressed look on his face.

    ¡°Exactly. Make sense?¡± He asked, mostly to Jael. She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms again with a nod. What about?... I raised my hand, just barely to chest height. Edorin looked over.

    ¡°Go on Cro¨ª.¡± I put my hand back down.

    ¡°If we are in a situation where we must choose one over the other, is it ok to lose the samples if we keep the group safe? And I was wondering if we were going to be able to look at the findings of Agers that came before us Captain?¡± I asked nervously. Edorin smiled.

    ¡°That goes back to your priorities. Priority one is the group¡¯s safety, two is weapons and armaments, and last is the findings. If you¡¯re asking whether you¡¯ll be punished for losing the samples, the answer is no. As soon as I¡¯ve gone over everything in each pack and answered questions, then I¡¯ll hand over all the findings we have. Anything else?¡± I thought for a second.

    ¡°What if.¡± I thought about how to word it. ¡°What is the punishment for a Guardian if a group member dies?¡± Some of the group looked over at me and seemed surprised. What did I do? Bad question? Edorin answered simply.

    ¡°That depends on the death. If you sat by and did nothing, then you will be judged when you return. If you are the one that orchestrated the death, there is an incredibly good chance you will suffer the same fate as the one you killed when you return. If you do everything you can and the worst does come to pass despite your efforts, then you will still have to answer for what you did when you return, but your group should be able to testify on your behalf to help you avoid punishment. Although, admittedly, anyone in the immediate area is also responsible for that death as well. That answer well enough Cro¨ª?¡±

    ¡°Yes Captain.¡± I sunk back into my chair.

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me there¡¯s going to be a trial where we get judged on our performance when we get back? I thought when we get back, we choose our careers and move on.¡± William asked irritably. Edorin sighed.

    ¡°Now¡¯s as good a time as any to explain something else to the rest of you. I am your Captain, and it is respectful and proper for you to address me as such. However, my position, much like this ship, is designed to aid all of you. So, when needed, I will act as your mentor, or counsellor, but until such a time, I am always to be addressed as Captain. So, William. Choose our careers and move on¡­?¡± He asked, trailing off. William grumpily added.

    ¡°Captain.¡± Edorin nodded before replying to William¡¯s question.

    ¡°Not exactly. More that we ask a few questions to see how things went and what all of you need. If it¡¯s revealed that someone was, shall we say, morally challenged, we address that in whatever way is deemed most fit.¡± William scoffed and folded his arms. Edorin squinted at William, small and only for a split second.

    What was that? Was he studying him? Or was he mad? Edorin continued. ¡°When you return, you will meet with the Elders, and you will receive any help you need. Then you will be able to pick what place in our society you wish to aim for, but we don¡¯t need you to make those choices yet. For now, do your best to focus only on the Aging.¡±

    He glanced around gauging the effect of his words. Klintock raised his hand and Edorin nodded at him.

    ¡°You said the ship was made to aid us. What do you mean by that Captain?¡± Klintock asked. Edorin smiled.

    ¡°The layout is unique compared to that of most any other standard ship. There are large rooms designed with high ceilings for training, with large portions of the ship having been outfitted with workstations, tool benches, or other equipment necessary for your training. The crew is made up of individuals whose days revolve around training you before tending to their other duties.¡± Klintock nodded thoughtfully.

    ¡°Right.¡± Edorin started. ¡°Next is Assist, just you C¨¦¨ªrde. Your number one priority is pretty much what it sounds like. Your job is to make sure that everyone else¡¯s job gets done. If the group needs a fighter, you¡¯re a fighter. If the group needs a leader, you¡¯re a leader. If everyone is doing their jobs, then you go to your second priority. Provide counsel and aid to the leader and the specialists, meaning the Gatherer, Aid, and Provider. You are to operate independently of the others and stay neutral in all squabbles and debates, when possible. Other than that, you study the findings to the best of your ability and update yourself as to the challenges you¡¯ll be facing. Any questions?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I understand. No, no questions Captain.¡± Oh, that was fast, seems like it might be a tough job. Or at least a busy one.

    ¡°Good. Next is Support, William and L¨¢nn. Your top priority is to watch out for your group members in a slightly different way. You are to make sure that everyone has what they need to best accomplish their tasks. This means gathering materials so that you and the Guardians can craft weapons, gathering food for meals, pointing out anything you may need to the Provider and Leader for hunting parties, making clothes, mending clothes, that sort of thing.¡±

    He took a sharp breath and continued. ¡°You are to stick together and work together to the best of your ability. Whenever your group stops for the night, your focus will be on gathering wood for the fire, if allowed, set up tents if necessary, and generally set up your camp. If I were to make it even simpler, you¡¯re the homemakers. Like the mothers of the group. Any questions?¡± William chuckled.

    ¡°Yeah, I got one. Why in the great wide Saol (Sail) am I a support? Do I look like a mother to you?¡± Edorin sighed, flashing another small squint.

    ¡°I¡¯m assuming that was a rhetorical question.¡± Edorin said plainly.

    ¡°I am to be addressed as Captain.¡± The way he said it, emphasizing the word ¡®Captain¡¯, was intimidating. Almost like a low growl. William acted nonchalant, but I could tell he was affected like the rest of us. He stared William down. William tried to hold his gaze, but it wasn¡¯t long before he looked away and said.

    ¡°Captain.¡±

    ¡°As for why you were chosen to fill the extremely important Support position, the Elders back home on Ionad Tal¨²n all dedicate their entire lives to put those packs right where they belong. Maybe the reason your job is to be a ¡®mother¡¯ is because you lack a caring bone in your body, and this will help you develop one. It¡¯s not for me to know. All I know is that when I leave, you can all swap jobs to your heart¡¯s content, though, I strongly advise against it. The Elders are centuries older and wiser than I¡¯ll ever be, using magics that almost nobody understands. I would trust them and focus on what you can learn from this. That¡¯s all you need to know.¡± He said. William scoffed and sat back in his chair, kicking his feet up onto the table and folding his arms. Several of us sighed, disappointed.

    ¡°With respect Captain. If I¡¯m trusting my life, and the life of my group to the decisions of the Elders, I¡¯d like to know how they reached their decisions.¡± Keokin said simply. Edorin sighed.

    ¡°I would explain it to all of you, but I can¡¯t. Under order of the Elders. Every Ager learns the process when they return to be judged. The Elders make it clear to us that knowing the process before then could affect the outcome of your Aging. Why do you think the Aged keep our experiences on the Islands secret? Knowledge is a powerful thing but knowing something before it¡¯s time could be dangerous. The most I can say for now, is that it¡¯s a magical process. An ancient, and well-practiced magical skill that the Elders devote their lives to practicing. I can¡¯t say anymore. Just¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°Trust me. It works.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t much, but it was more than I¡¯d ever gotten. Then, suddenly, L¨¢nn¡¯s right arm shot up. Edorin blinked a few times, eyebrows raised.

    ¡°¡­Yes?¡± She put her arm back down and asked her question nervously.

    ¡°Are we the ones who gather the food Captain? And why do we all have specific jobs Captain? Why don¡¯t we all just do everything Captain? Also, why wouldn¡¯t we set up a tent or fire? Captain.¡± She got a surprised look on her face and held her hands up to her mouth as if to quiet herself, letting out a small muffled. ¡°Sorry Captain. Those just kind of slipped out Captain.¡± Edorin gave a lopsided smile and chuckled. L¨¢nn¡¯s nervousness was apparent to everyone.

    ¡°First, you don¡¯t need to call me Captain any more than once per exchange. As for your questions, yes and no. You are to gather things that you see and need, however, hunting and going off to look for specifics isn¡¯t necessarily your job, that falls on the hunting parties organized by the Provider and Leader. As for why you all have specific jobs, that is the way that has most often yielded success with previous Agers. You don¡¯t need to adhere to your duty every single moment, however. If a Guardian has an opportunity to do some gathering or providing then by all means, gather and provide. Your duty is to be your primary focus because that¡¯s what you¡¯re best at, according to the Elders, or it is something that you will grow into. You could do everything, but then you might get overworked, and there would be infighting regarding who the leader would be. Some jobs would be done more than others, and some not at all. This way may cause you all a little discomfort. Once you get used to it, you¡¯ll see the benefits. Some creatures on the Island only dwell on specific portions and are drawn to fire or are agitated around fire. Tents are nice, but if something gets in your tent, they tend to turn into more of a death trap.¡±

    He paused to let what he¡¯d said sink in. ¡°Anything else?¡± He asked. L¨¢nn shook her head quickly several times. ¡°Great. Next is the Gatherer. That¡¯s Flint. Your priority is to observe everything. Learn the findings as well as or better than the Assist and do your best to add as much as possible to them. Coordinate with the Assist the best you can to make sure you both are on the same page. Notify the Provider and Supports of all new ingredients, or things to avoid. Your job is, essentially, to learn as much as possible and bring all that knowledge back with you. Questions?¡± Flint was squinting and biting his lip. ¡°Question?¡± Edorin pushed.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    ¡°I¡¯m just not sure why I would get this job. I¡¯ve always been more of a fighter, not a thinker Captain.¡± Edorin tapped the table for emphasis as he replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s it right there. You¡¯ll learn just how useful that overactive brain of yours can be. Trust me kid, the Gatherer for my Aging was almost exactly like you. Couldn¡¯t sit still for more than five seconds and was always struggling to pay attention to our Captain.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it Captain.¡± Flint replied.

    ¡°Good. Mine¡¯s the only one you really need anyways.¡± Edorin said, smiling to emphasize he was jesting. ¡°Now. On to the Provider, M¨ªor¨²ilt.¡± Sable perked up.

    ¡°Aye Captain.¡± M¨ªor¨²ilt? I thought her name was Sable. Though now that I think about it, I do remember her being called by that name during the ceremony.

    ¡°Peppy, that¡¯s good.¡± Edorin said chuckling. ¡°Your priority is pretty simple. To provide. When the Supports need a deer, you get that deer. You are the scout; you are always looking out for danger. As well as looking for food or samples. When your group stops and camp is being set up, you are on the lookout for danger, constantly circling the camp and probing beyond the camp¡¯s borders to ensure that not only the campsite, but the surrounding area is safe. That all make sense to you?¡± Sable nodded, smiling.

    ¡°Yup. Sounds like fun Captain.¡± A few of us, including myself, snickered at her response.

    ¡°Great, that¡¯s a first.¡± Said Edorin.

    ¡°One thing though. I don¡¯t really go by M¨ªor¨²ilt at home. If it¡¯s not too much trouble, can you call me Sable, Captain?¡±

    ¡°Very well. Anything else?¡± He asked. She shook her head. ¡°Alright, next is the Aid, Leola. Your job is possibly the most troubling, but also one of the most important. You are the healer. You will provide medical attention to the injured, and Gods forbid the need arise, prepare, and follow through on funeral rites. Physical health isn¡¯t all you need to pay attention to. You will also pay attention to the mood of the group, help to root out squabbles and bickering, and comfort those lost in sadness. It would be preferred for you to stay out of any combat as well. Being as how your job is to patch up other people, not have to patch yourself up. Most important among your tasks, which our Aid will explain, is taking care of the mental growth of your fellow Agers. We have an amazing Aid on board this ship, the two of you will be introduced later.¡± Leola nodded her head.

    ¡°I¡¯d like that very much Captain.¡±

    ¡°Any questions Leola?¡± Edorin asked. Leola thought for a minute.

    ¡°You mentioned funeral rites. What do we do with the bodies, if that happens Captain?¡±

    ¡°Bodies are to be burned.¡± Several of the group members gasped. Burned? That¡¯s Dagda¡¯s Reverence though. I don¡¯t worship Dagda. My favored God, Fomh¨¢r, wishes that your body is buried upright, like a seed to bring new life. If I can¡¯t do that¡­ How would being burned affect that? Although now that I think about it, it does make sense. If someone died then you wouldn¡¯t be able to carry them around for the entire trip while trying to stay alive, or fulfill their specific funeral rites, without being a properly ordained Shepherd. But¡­ still¡­

    ¡°Captain.¡± Klintock started.

    ¡°What is it Klintock?¡± Edorin asked.

    ¡°Why burned? What about our families? What about our favored Gods? Will any part or token be preserved for return to our families?¡±

    ¡°The Shepherds communed with Dagda, Father of Gods. Ordinarily ritual burning is His Reverence but, in this case, it will send you to Dagda and he¡¯ll take you to your favored God or Goddess. The things you left behind, your clothes and jewelry, are what they will bury in your place. And yes, a lock of hair or special item, which is to be dictated by the hypothetical deceased, will be taken back from the Island by your fellow Agers. If the worst were to happen, you can be confident in the knowledge that you will not be punished by the Gods. Do you all understand.¡±

    We all nodded our understanding. Edorin continued. ¡°Ok, finally is the Leader, Keokin. Your job is probably the most important, and among the most difficult. Your priority is the survival and safety of the entire group. You will work closely with all of them to provide food, shelter, water, clothing, weapons, and guidance. Every decision rests on your head. Whether to cut across a river or find a safer way across. Every injury or, Gods forbid, death rests on your shoulders, and you will be the first one judged upon returning home. The mental and physical health of every group member takes priority over everything else. No piece of information or new species of creature is more important than the lives and safety of your group. Your team. Your family.¡± Keokin sighed heavily before replying in a serious tone.

    ¡°I understand Captain.¡±

    ¡°Good. Any questions from anybody?¡± Edorin asked. We stayed quiet and he nodded to Zanataz, who moved over to a chest and pulled out several large books and brought them over to the table. They thudded heavily as he let them fall a few inches. Edorin grabbed the top book. ¡°On to the second order of business. Your Trial Island.¡±

    He flipped the book open. ¡°The Island itself is quite massive. It will take you at least six months to cross it. However, if your group is delayed by injuries, having to double back, or any other general delays, then it will take you closer to the two-year mark. You have two years before I will return for you, and I recommend you take your time.¡± He unfolded a piece of paper and laid it on the table. It was a map of the Island. ¡°These areas.¡± He pointed to four areas circled in red near the northwest coast of the Island. ¡°Are primarily unexplored. As well as the peak of this mountain here.¡± He pointed to where the mountain was on the map. ¡°Nearly everywhere else on the Island has been explored to varying degrees. Your group will be dropped off right here.¡± He pointed to a spot on the Northeast portion of the Island near the top. ¡°And your goal as a team is to make it here.¡± He tapped a point on the southernmost portion of the Island. ¡°Before your two-year term is up, how you get there is up to your Leader, and I would guess some majority voting.¡± Keokin raised his hand.

    ¡°What sort of opposition are we expecting Captain?¡± All of us nodded. We had been hearing whispers and ghost stories about the Island and the creatures that lived there all our lives, but never specifics. We wanted to know what we would be facing. We wanted to know if it was worse or better.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie. Some of the creatures there are bigger than this ship. Several of them. And the ones that aren¡¯t, make up for it with their ferocious appetite, aggression, and tenacity. There¡¯s a reason we call them the Trial Islands. One of our groups came back talking about a fissure in the ground that insects of incredible size came from in the unexplored regions. Then there¡¯s Peata an Bh¨¢is (Pee-aw-tuh N Vawsh), the Pet of Death. An enormous spider that has already taken forty-two Cian¨ªans that we know of. If you ever do run across Peata an Bh¨¢is, there is a bounty on its head, as well as a reward for evidence of any recovered Cian¨ªan remains. Though I must tell you, that creature didn¡¯t get its name by accident. Nobody that¡¯s tried to kill it survived. Well, aside from Old Greig (Grey-g), but he¡¯s missing too many parts for me to be comfortable with.¡±

    Edorin rubbed his hand over his mouth for a moment and sighed. He sat back in his chair and looked at us for a moment, with a serious countenance. ¡°These books can tell you all about how big and how dangerous these things are, but it doesn¡¯t impact you the same way as knowing what they can do. I want to give you something you can feel and remember. How does that sound?¡± We looked at each other, some of us nodding ¡®yes¡¯, some of us unsure. We turned to Keokin, and he spoke for us.

    ¡°We accept. Don¡¯t hold anything back. The whole point of the Aging is for us to stop being children Captain.¡± Edorin smiled.

    ¡°Well spoken. Very well. I was a Support for my group. The first days on the Island were nothing special. We camped on the beach, and I cooked fish until our Leader decided to move inland. On the sixth night, we woke up to the sound of screams. We hadn¡¯t realized it, but we had camped close to a colony of Giant Ants. Each ant at least four or five inches in length. Quick little bastards. Our Assist was the one screaming. The ants had covered most of his body before he woke, and they were tearing him apart piece by piece.¡±

    He took a quick breath. ¡°None of us realized the extent of what was happening until our Gatherer brought over a stick ablaze with fire. With its light we saw the ground to the east of our camp was moving. The entire Eastern side, not just a few feet, but the trees, rocks, and ground alike were turned into a sea of ants. Luckily, the fire scared them off our Assist long enough for us to drag him away. Our Leader ordered me and the other Support to pack up immediately. The others grabbed sticks from the fire to keep the ants away for as long as they could. I swear I¡¯ve never moved so fast in my life. We were packed and ready within minutes and our Leader was ordering us to move out, but the Aid was saying that the Assist couldn¡¯t walk and needed a stretcher. We didn¡¯t have time, so I ran over, put him on my back and we started running, scattering fire behind us to keep the ants away. After we had crossed two separate creeks and believed ourselves safe, we started setting up camp and getting a fire going again. That¡¯s when I noticed that I was wet. ¡®Of course I¡¯m wet¡¯ I thought to myself. ¡®We¡¯re all wet, we just ran through creeks.¡¯

    He sighed, looking at the table. ¡°That¡¯s when I saw the Aid¡¯s face of terror as she looked at the Assist. She got a bed ready for him and I laid him down on it. Well, most of him. Little bits of him were stuck to me and got pulled off. That¡¯s when I noticed that the entire back half of my body was covered in his blood and gore. Then I saw his face.¡±

    He sighed and took a breath, observing the affect his story was having. Flint and L¨¢nn looked like they were about to be sick, and what he said next didn¡¯t help. ¡°His right eye was hanging out of his head, and the lips on the right side of his face were missing along with most of his tongue and several teeth.¡±

    This time L¨¢nn was shifting in her seat, visibly disturbed as her feet shot up onto the chair she was on. Flint¡¯s eyes were wide, and his breathing had quickened. Keokin wiped his brow quickly. ¡°He had no right hand, just some bone and a bit of muscle. Same with the forearm. The muscle on his stomach was mostly eaten away and there was a point where you could see his intestines. The entire right side of his body was like that, resembling mush more than a person.¡± L¨¢nn was now clutching her stomach and mouth at the same time. Zanataz quickly offered her a bucket, which she used to vomit into. Now even Jael and William¡¯s eyes were wide with fear.

    ¡°The left side had fingertip sized chunks torn away. Our Leader had to decide. Use as much of the Healing Concentrate as was needed to stabilize him or let him die and burn him. Our Aid was screaming for the Guardians and Leader to give her the means to heal him.¡±

    I could see Edorin¡¯s eyes get wetter as he spoke, but his voice didn¡¯t seem to waver, just get more grave. ¡°He was her brother after all.¡± I was shaking with fear. I was absolutely terrified as images flashed in my mind of my own brothers partially eaten, coupled with the feeling of ants crawling all over me. I shook my head to get the images out. Edorin continued.

    ¡°That was when we noticed that his body looked like it was moving. Some of the ants had burrowed into his skin. We brought over some fire and held it close to make them come out. It revealed to us just how decrepit his body had become. In such a short period of time too. No more than a minute. We ripped them off and tossed them into the fire. Our Aid was begging for us to help heal her brother, but the Leader had made his decision. He didn¡¯t believe the Assist would live even with the help. I was so angry.¡±

    Edorin shook his head with a sad smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t see how he expected us to sit and do nothing as our friend and the Aid¡¯s brother died. I knocked over one of the Guardians and was just about to hand the concentrate over to the Aid when I realized that the Assist had stopped breathing. He¡¯d lost too much blood. Our Leader was right. He didn¡¯t make it. While we had been arguing, the light left his eye, and he had died. None of us slept that night. We lie awake flinching at every shadow and listening to our Aid mourn her brother.¡±

    He rubbed his forehead with his right hand. ¡°I can still hear them sometimes. His screams of pain, and her screams of grief and cries of sorrow.¡± He took a second to collect himself. I did the same. Doing everything I could to keep myself from shaking in fear. I noticed that Sable, L¨¢nn, and Leola had all pulled their legs up onto their chairs. Like they feared the floor. Edorin continued.

    ¡°Most of us didn¡¯t really return to sleeping normally for years. After that experience, our group suffered immensely. Our Aid hated everyone but me and one of the Guardians. Our Leader hated himself, even though in the end he had made the ¡®right¡¯ choice. The rest of the group was mourning the loss of their friend and didn¡¯t have any idea how to help the others. We packed up camp and took the Assist¡¯s body to a cliff edge and burned it. We had many other encounters, but we didn¡¯t suffer any major losses and had gotten several months into our journey.¡±

    He tapped a point on the map near the largest mountain. Close to where the small symbol of a spider sat. ¡°We came across caves covered in web, none of us really wanted to go anywhere near them, and our Leader was of the same mind, but we needed to move through a rocky pass that ran next to the cave. Leader took a Guardian to go touch the webs furthest away from the opening. After he had tugged and pulled on it a few times we figured that whatever lived there wasn¡¯t home.¡±

    Edorin¡¯s brows fell, just a little. ¡°Behind one of the webs they were next to, I could see something moving slowly towards them. I shouted for them to look out. I grabbed two spears and started sprinting down towards them. I threw one of the spears at whatever the creature was, but my spear couldn¡¯t fully penetrate the web, a fatal mistake. My spear alerted the Guardian and Leader as to the creature¡¯s whereabouts, but it also spooked the creature into action. That¡¯s when it fully revealed itself to be Peata an Bh¨¢is.¡±

    His nose twitched, like he was disgusted and angry. His voice also showed that, ever so slightly. ¡°A spider more than seven feet tall, with two giant black fangs, each easily three feet long. Both group members were sprinting as fast as they could back to the group, but Bh¨¢is was much faster than them. I threw my last spear and hit its leg. It hissed and stood on its back legs before returning its attention to its prey. The Guardian stumbled only for a moment, but it was enough. Bh¨¢is rammed its fangs through him. Our Leader turned and charged the beast. He threw his spear, hitting one of its eyes. It wasn¡¯t enough to stop it, it still had seven other eyes and our Leader only had his Sealgair (Shall-guh-reh) left. But a two foot steel blade against a seven foot spider meant very little. Bh¨¢is charged him, and though our Leader severed a leg, one of its other legs caught his left arm. It tore the arm off as it threw him into the air with ease. That¡¯s when we discovered that, aside from the massive fangs, Bh¨¢is had a mouth full of teeth. It used this mouth to catch our Leader and bite off his left leg above the knee.¡±

    He glanced at me for a moment. ¡°Had it not been for our Guardian throwing a well-placed flaming spear into Bh¨¢is¡¯s face, impaling an eye, our Leader would¡¯ve died. Instead, Bh¨¢is retreated. The rest of the group joined in with the Guardian throwing spears. Bh¨¢is took the dead Guardian¡¯s body and backed into the dark of the cave. We grabbed Leader and went through the pass as fast as we could possibly go. We never saw that monster again. Now you know. If you don¡¯t do your jobs. If you don¡¯t act as a single cohesive unit. If you don¡¯t keep your heads on a swivel and take this seriously. Those of you that return will have similar stories to tell.¡±

    He grabbed the books and handed them out to us. ¡°Now. On that lovely note. On to our group policies regarding intimacy and fraternization. Do any of you know anything about them?¡±

 Chapter 7

    The change in topics had been so sudden and we were all still reeling a bit from the intensity of what we just heard. Edorin snickered. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a moment to think about it. I almost forgot. Any questions?¡± We looked around at each other. Primarily stunned. Keokin raised his hand.

    ¡°How would you kill Bh¨¢is? Does it have any weaknesses Captain?¡± Edorin paused.

    ¡°I¡¯m wary to tell you because I do not want any of you to think you can or should try to kill it.¡± Edorin said, slightly squinting.

    ¡°I don¡¯t plan to Captain. I just want to know in case we run into that monster.¡± Keokin replied. Edorin sighed and nodded.

    ¡°Good, nice instincts on you. Well, it is a spider, albeit a massive and cunning one. It¡¯s main method of hunting is entrapment or surprise. It hates fire from what we can gather from the encounters. The only groups that ran into Bh¨¢is without casualties avoided it using fire, the more the better, one or two torches won¡¯t do. It also has an exoskeleton like all insects. Meaning its skeleton is on the outside, but if you were to cut open the soft abdomen, its organs would leak out and it will die eventually. Which is much easier said than done. Other than that, be overly cautious and wary when you see webs.¡±

    This thing sounds legitimately terrifying. Even spiders the size of a hand are more than enough to freak me out. But this thing is seven feet tall! C¨¦¨ªrde rose her hand slowly, a slight shake to it.

    ¡°Yes C¨¦¨ªrde?¡± Edorin asked.

    ¡°I was wondering, you said forty-two Agers have been killed by Bh¨¢is, is that true or do you think it is more, Captain?¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know the exact number of Cian¨ªans that have been killed during the Aging in total. It¡¯s been going on for centuries, so I wouldn¡¯t know that. But from Bh¨¢is?¡±

    Edorin stopped talking and thought for a moment. ¡°We aren¡¯t positive about how old Bh¨¢is is, but we do know she has killed at least forty-two Agers over the three hundred and sixty years she has been known to exist. I would wager there to be much more we don¡¯t know about. If it weren¡¯t for its weakness or fear of fire, I shudder at the thought. At first, Agers didn¡¯t know to avoid her, but when they started avoiding her or trying to fight back, more were killed and Bh¨¢is started traveling through several different areas, expanding her territory.¡±

    That was a hard thing to accept. Forty-two young Cian¨ªans had been killed and eaten by a massive spider. That sounds like a terrible way to go, especially when hearing in detail how it happened from Edorin¡¯s story. But was Bh¨¢is the only unique creature like that on the Island? I raised my hand.

    ¡°Yes Cro¨ª?¡±

    ¡°Are there any other beasts like Bh¨¢is on the Island? Reputable creatures that we should steer clear of? What are their weaknesses or habits? Captain.¡±

    ¡°Good question Cro¨ª. Yes, there are. There are four more creatures that are significantly more dangerous than most. They are marked in your book.¡± I looked down and immediately opened my book, flipping through the pages looking for the monsters.

    There. There were several pages dedicated to them. One was Sc¨¢th Ard (Sk-aw-th Aw-rd) a six-legged creature that stood more than eighty feet tall. Each leg was nearly as thick as a tree trunk and disguised to look like one. Its legs acted like spears, and it specialized in rough forested terrain. The mouth was small for a creature of this size. Why though? With it being that size wouldn¡¯t it just swallow things whole? I looked through the notes to learn why and found it near the bottom of the page. It would catch its prey by poking them with the spear like tips of its legs and take them somewhere private before draining their blood, then crushing their bones and body until they were small enough to suck up and swallow whole.

    Apparently, a Provider had watched the creature do this to several animals. Before then nobody knew what happened to the Cian¨ªans that it had taken. This creature lived on an Island to the west of the one we would visit but could apparently migrate between the two using its long legs. It would lay splayed out and float across the water or walk across the ocean floor when possible.

    There was also a snake called a Bharc (Vaw-rk), so massive that just its head would measure at around three feet long. What even is a snake? Oh, I¡¯m in the creature section now, there are many snakes, and a giant worm called the Ciorcal Fiacla (Care-kul Fih-uh-cluh). Ok, so the ones that are marked as unique end with the Sc¨¢th Ard. I was interrupted by Klintock asking a question.

    ¡°If we were fortunate enough to take out one of the Unique, how would we prove we had killed it Captain?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s outlined in the book but each one of them has their own specific trophy. Take that with you as your proof. I should mention that if you bring home a false trophy and Agers are killed by the creature you claim to have killed, you will be sent back until you bring back the creature¡¯s entire body.¡±

    Makes sense, you would be the cause of their death being as how they would be expecting that creature to be dead. And you yourself might also die which would be fitting. I raised my hand again.

    ¡°Full of questions aren¡¯t you Cro¨ª? Good. Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°What is the rest of the group supposed to do with the duties of someone who dies? Like say for instance that I die. Does someone else take up the mantle of Guardian along with their own? Or is the title split among the rest Captain?¡±

    ¡°Good question. You would split the title among the survivors. If someone with a specified and unique title is killed, that title must be passed to a single individual that the group deems most likely to succeed. Make sense?¡± I nodded.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it Captain.¡± Jael said, raising her hand. Edorin sighed thoughtfully.

    ¡°Ok. Say that Keokin dies. There is only one Leader, and it is an immensely important job. So, it must be passed along to someone who can undertake it. Preferably a Guardian, or Support, as there are multiple people in those positions. Make sense?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I think I get it Captain.¡± She said with a nod. William raised his hand. Edorin motioned for him to speak.

    ¡°Why are there multiple Guardians and Supports? Is it because we¡¯re expected to die? We¡¯re expendable? Is that it?¡± Edorin paused, his eyes slightly narrowing. Williams eyes widened and he quickly added.

    ¡°Captain. Is that it? Captain?¡± Edorin kept his eyes on William as he answered.

    ¡°Well, technically each of you has an equal chance of perishing, whatever the means may be. The Guardians job is to be the shield of the group. What do shields do? They take hits and protect the wielder. So, yes, the Guardians are the most likely to die, but a good shield can take a multitude of blows before caving in. A good shield that is wielded properly can last even longer, and there is more than one way to divide up who takes the hits. Everything about this is designed to make you all work as a team. None of you are less important than the other, but one or two of you do have a definitive say in the actions the group takes. Any more questions?¡± Keokin raised his hand.

    ¡°Am I allowed to appoint a successor to my duty? Or is that strictly something to be done by the group Captain?¡±

    ¡°Good question Keokin. Yes, you can, but it¡¯s better if when you do, you talk to your group about your choice. In my opinion, I wouldn¡¯t name a successor for at least the next few months.¡± L¨¢nn put her hand up, this time just barely above her head in a timid fashion.

    ¡°Yes L¨¢nn?¡± Said Edorin.

    ¡°How are we supposed to defend ourselves? Because I don¡¯t know about anyone else here, but after hearing those stories, the training from the Public Center just doesn¡¯t feel like enough. How do we defend ourselves? How do we not die Captain?¡± Edorin looked at her as he addressed her question.

    ¡°It¡¯s going to take us a little over three months to get to the Island. During that time, we will be teaching you a few things about combat, building on what you know already. Not to mention nearly all the games that you kids play are designed by the Aged to help you all train while having fun. Most of you have learned and trained at the Public Center. I¡¯m sure that at least a few of you know a thing or two about combat.¡± He looked at Klintock, Flint and me for a moment. ¡°Which you are to share with the group. Anyone else?¡±

    I had a question to ask, one that I¡¯d been wondering for an awfully long time. But I was scared to ask it, so I just kept it to myself. William spoke up instead.

    ¡°So that¡¯s it then? You give us a few books and expect us to just know what to do? Your group had these books too, and they still died. What¡¯s keeping us from dying? Captain.¡± Edorin let out a small sigh.

    ¡°You are, and the rest of your group, and the knowledge from these books, and the knowledge imparted to you by me, my crew, and your fellow Agers.¡± I couldn¡¯t hold my question in anymore, I wanted to know.

    ¡°And what¡¯s the point? Why do we do this? What¡¯s the point in forcing us to do all of this? It seems like we¡¯re almost guaranteed to die in horrible and gruesome ways and there¡¯s absolutely no point, other than we¡¯re supposed to. There has to be a substitute for Aging that won''t kill us all...Captain.¡± Edorin sighed deeply before answering.

    ¡°There are no known substitutes. Sure, we could give you plenty of training. Rinse and repeat tasks like scale this wall faster and faster or hit this dummy over and over, but that¡¯s not what the Aging is about. The Aging is about developing the mind, as well as the body.¡±

    He interlaced his fingers beneath him as he squinted. He looked like he was weighing his words. ¡°We are Cian¨ªans, we are marked as the only ageless race on Edon. None of us will die from the advance of time, only external forces can extinguish our lives. However, this longevity comes at a cost. Our minds do not develop as quickly as other races with less time on their hands, which leaves us vulnerable as a people. Though, there is a way to quicken that development. Harsh experiences. Harsh experiences will force our minds to adapt and overcome, provided we receive the proper treatment. This is where Leola would come in, and why her duty is so incredibly important. We Cian¨ªans handle traumatic events differently than other humanoid races. If properly guided, it makes us stronger and wiser. If not, we fester and fumble.¡±

    There was a small pause, as he chose his next words, and we digested what he¡¯d said. ¡°We are a newer civilization, and we have been receiving many glances from the other races of the world, being poked, and prodded with minor battles, wars, and skirmishes to test our strength as we develop. As such we need to increase our numbers and the effectiveness of every single member of our society. The Aging, when done right, provides us the specific benefit of adulthood. This enhances the capabilities of our minds and allows our bodies to grow to reach their peak. That¡¯s why we go to the Islands. That¡¯s what this is for. We could let everybody just grow leisurely, sure, but then they would be less inclined to become Aged, and we would be left with a large population of, essentially, undeveloped naive youths. We need more Aged if we¡¯re to keep our kingdom safe and prosperous. There is something else. But I¡¯m not sure if you kids would understand...¡±

    He squinted, mouth slightly open, then continued. ¡°Think about it kids. We could die in the next storm, capsized by a rogue wave, or surprised by any number of creatures from the deep, and the danger only increases as we get further into the open ocean. My point being that this entire planet is full of monsters, creatures and people that can and will kill you. Training alone isn¡¯t going to ready your body and mind for that. That¡¯s all the explanation I¡¯m going to give to you for now. When you return, you are free to ask the Elders if you still don¡¯t fully understand.¡±

    I still don¡¯t fully understand. But I guess that¡¯s as much as I¡¯m going to get from anyone. It''s better than I¡¯ve had for a long time, so I appreciate it, just still...whatever. I¡¯ll just accept that I¡¯m more than likely going to die. Maybe I can at least help one or more of the others get home. I didn¡¯t have any more questions for him besides that. Seeing as no one else spoke up for a few moments, Edorin spoke.

    ¡°Now, I¡¯m guessing that none of you have any more questions, so I¡¯m going to move on to fraternization.¡± He paused and looked around at us for a moment. ¡°All right then. First things first. Physically intimate relations between Agers are more than definitely discouraged. This being the type of relationship that could end in Agers favoring one or more members over the others.¡±

    What is he talking about? What does he mean by ¡®physically intimate¡¯? Does that mean don¡¯t touch each other? What about hugs? Everyone else was nodding as though they completely understood what he was saying. Am I the only one that doesn¡¯t understand this? Again? Seriously?

    ¡°Second thing. We encourage that each one of you get to know every member of the group as intimately as you can without being ¡®intimate.¡¯ Learn what their likes and dislikes are, what their childhood was like, how many family members they have, everything. This will help you all to grow closer, which will lead to you all, hopefully, being keener on helping each other out.¡± William raised his hand. Edorin pointed to him. ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Why are intimate relationships forbidden Captain?¡±

    ¡°If a relationship that you have with another Ager compromises your ability to think clearly, you must be relieved of your duties. I¡¯ll put it this way, I sincerely encourage you all to become friends, not lovers. Make sense to all of you?¡± It makes sense. If you liked one more than the other, you would be more inclined to follow or pay more attention to the one you like, over what is right or efficient. Like I would be less likely to listen to William than anyone else. Not sure what a lover is though. ¡°If there aren¡¯t any other questions then I¡¯m going to move on.¡± He paused for a moment, seeming a bit more impatient than before.

    Nobody had any questions. ¡°Next reason then. Because it complicates things unnecessarily, especially if there ends up being a baby, and it severely clouds judgment. Any other questions?¡± Nobody moved. Baby? Where would a baby come from? Babies come when you get married. At least that¡¯s how it worked with my sisters. ¡°Good.¡± Edorin continued. ¡°Now on to your equipment.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    Edorin grabbed my pack and started pulling things out of it and setting them on the table. ¡°The most important things in here are these.¡± He pointed to the vials of red gelatinous stuff, and the two stones. ¡°This.¡± The red gelatinous stuff. ¡°Is called healing concentrate. When someone receives an injury that is severe, but not fatal, apply some of this onto the wound. It will drastically accelerate the person¡¯s natural healing factor.¡±

    That¡¯s amazing! I had no idea that stuff was so important. ¡°However, it can¡¯t heal all wounds, as in the case of our Assist.¡± Leola put up her hand.

    ¡°How would we know if an injury is too severe? Or if it¡¯s severe enough to use that Captain?¡±

    ¡°That is a tricky question.¡± Edorin responded. ¡°Some injuries may not look severe, but improperly treated they will fester and become infected, and other wounds depending on the creature, may be laced with deadly poisons, in which case the healing concentrate must be ingested.¡± Leola still looked a little puzzled. ¡°I¡¯m betting our Aid Lanaea (Lawn-ae-yuh) will be able to help you with that later.¡± She nodded understanding.

    ¡°Next, is the Lochloin (Lock-linn) stones.¡± He grabbed the two circular stones I¡¯d been curious about earlier and held up the white one. ¡°This one is specifically for liquids. What it does, is test them to see if they¡¯re safe to drink. If a liquid is poured onto it, and its color changes to red, that liquid is lethal. If green, it will cause discomfort. If it remains white the liquid is safe.¡± He looked around at everyone. ¡°Why don¡¯t we all empty our packs, and I can move around the table and explain everything easier.¡±

    Most of us carefully emptied the contents, but William, L¨¢nn, and Jael dumped theirs out quickly. ¡°Right, and this stone.¡± Edorin held up the green and blue stone. ¡°Is for testing foods. If placed upon the stone for ten to thirty seconds, the stone will change colors. If more blue than green, it is safe. Black is lethal. Red is potentially lethal. If more green than blue it means it¡¯s edible, but you may be taking a chance at getting sick.¡±

    He picked up my knife. ¡°For those of you unfamiliar with this, it is called a knife.¡± Some of us chuckled and he gave a wry smile. ¡°This little barb on the end of the blade is called a gut hook. It is used to open up the skin of an animal, making gutting easier.¡± Oh hey, that¡¯s convenient. ¡°This is what¡¯s known as a whetstone, it is a stone that, when slightly wet, will allow you to sharpen a blade. My crew can teach you this later if needed.¡±

    Next, he went over the hatchet and the rope. He explained the compass and the hygiene materials as well. He explained that the empty vials were for collecting samples, and that the empty paper was for a note to take back home which we would write later. The book of empty paper was for sketching and recording creatures, plants, and other oddities. The black and green powders were dangerous. The green one, if mixed with fire would create a toxic cloud. The black one when mixed with anything but the glass it was contained in would corrode and eat away whatever it touched.

    The other guardians had pretty much the same gear with little exceptions. Klintock had three grappling hooks, and Jael had tools specifically made to aid in improvised weapon making.

    Edorin moved on to Leola¡¯s pack. There were at least two dozen rolls of bandages. A tourniquet, which Edorin explained as a tool to cut off the flow of blood to a damaged area. Lots of needles and very thin thread for stitching. Some tools that looked very sharp and small. He told her she could learn how to use them from their Aid later. She also had a single small vial of green healing concentrate, called Verdant. It was only to be used under the direst of circumstances. There was also a small book containing information on many of the plants and wildlife of the Island that could prove useful.

    C¨¦¨ªrde¡¯s pack had a little bit of everything it seemed, just smaller quantities. She also had a spyglass, a few extra containers for water, and some carpentry tools.

    William and L¨¢nn¡¯s packs were almost double the size of ours, each containing separate things. William¡¯s pack contained a large and small cooking pot, as well as two large skillets, each designed to fit perfectly into the other with little to no wiggle room. There was also an assortment of other cooking utensils, tools for skinning and gutting, chopping firewood, sewing supplies and even more carpentry tools.

    L¨¢nn¡¯s pack had a large amount of thick rope and some clothespins attached to thinner rope, some tools, like chisels, that were designed for chipping into stone, as well as breaking open the shells of larger armored creatures, lots of cylindrical containers of seasonings, and many empty containers for more seasonings, or ingredients, and last was leatherworking tools.

    Keokin¡¯s pack had a map of the Island, as well as tools for reading distance. There was also a stone, which apparently would shine brightly in dark spaces. He also had a short wide bladed single edged sword. Edorin said it was a short sword they called a Sealgair, the same one that the Leader had from his story about Bh¨¢is.

    Sable¡¯s pack contained several more of the clear containers, skinning utensils, and tools that could be used to bind objects of value together. She had a large pouch in the middle of her pack that was empty, which was to be filled with things found along the way. She also had a short bow with twenty arrows bound together, a large knife, climbing picks, four torches, another light stone, spyglass, and a cloak.

    Flint had three books and several pencils for writing, as well as more containers for samples, dissection tools, magnifying glass, and a large empty storage space.

    Each of us had a small, lightweight personal tent attached to the bottom of our packs.

    Edorin took a long deep breath, exhaled and said. ¡°Alright. That¡¯s everything. Any final questions before I leave?¡± We all looked around at each other. Most seemed overwhelmed by all the information they just received. Klintock spoke up.

    ¡°You mentioned creatures that could kill us in the open ocean. Is that common Captain?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re out in the middle of the ocean by yourself and bleeding then it is. However, in this ship or just swimming around? No. There have been many journeys back and forth from the Island over the centuries, and only a handful of ships have gone down. We almost never know why they went down. I figure the age of the Leviathan was a contributor though. That beast took more than its fair share out of the sea before the Antilek (Awn-tea-leck) took it down. Nearly wiped them out to do it, but they did it, so I hear.¡±

    ¡°Antilek Captain?¡± Asked C¨¦¨ªrde, looking up from her notes.

    ¡°Yes. The Wave Breakers. Their top half looks somewhat like us, but their bottom half is fish like. They¡¯re amazing and fearsome creatures from what I hear. Not to be trusted or trifled with. I¡¯ve also heard that they can walk on land in disguise. Not sure that I believe it though.¡± Whoa. Those sound weird. I wonder if they have scales on their face. Do they have hair? Are they fast? Do they eat us? Would we eat them? Ew no way. Klintock interrupted my thoughts.

    ¡°Leviathan? What is that? Are there any more of them?¡±

    ¡°A legendary creature thought to be myth. It was so big, that its mere movement caused tremendous effects on the weather. It could swallow ships whole. I never saw it directly but heard the creak of the ship as the ocean swelled to accommodate its size as it moved beneath us. I couldn¡¯t tell its true size. Only that its wake brought tremendous waves and storms that nearly crippled our ship. When we got back to port, I stayed there for years. Two ships that went out during that time never came back.¡±

    He seemed to be far away for a moment, then he lightly shook his head and continued. ¡°As to there being more than one. Not that anyone knows about, but there are legends of creatures like it, or similar in size. We must consider them to be real now because the Leviathan was a legend too, up until one hundred eighteen years ago when one woke up and almost wiped out the Antilek. Luckily, however, we haven¡¯t had to worry about anything like that for a while, but there are still creatures large enough to tackle this ship, or at least try. I wouldn¡¯t worry though. We haven¡¯t seen anything we couldn¡¯t limp away from in all the...¡± He thought for a moment. ¡°Fifty-seven times I¡¯ve made this journey. Any other questions?¡±

    ¡°Have you ever seen an Antilek Captain?¡± L¨¢nn piped in. She was excited, a large smile on her face and her eyes were practically sparkling.

    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t, but after we lost two ships to the Leviathan, the Antilek sent an emissary to the King and told him they had killed it. Whatever they said must have convinced him. Nobody was thrilled by our losses, or the fact that there wasn¡¯t anyone to blame. It took a few years for things to settle down, and nobody¡¯s heard from the Antilek since then.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ ok.¡± She said, looking a little disappointed.

    ¡°Anything else?¡± Edorin asked. This time nobody spoke up. I had several questions, but I didn¡¯t really want to speak up for fear of saying something that might make me sound dumb.

    ¡°Very well then. Good questions, all of you. I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re all eager to learn. Now me and Zanataz will leave all of you to speak amongst yourselves. Keokin, come find me or Zanataz when you¡¯re done.¡± With that, he and Zanataz left. We sat in silence wondering what to do next, or what to say after all of that. L¨¢nn was the first to speak.

    ¡°Does anybody else kind of feel like they need to throw up again?¡±

    ¡°Actually.¡± Leola started. ¡°I do feel a little queasy.¡± Both were looking down at the table in front of them with wide eyes.

    C¨¦¨ªrde was putting her notebook down with the pencil on top of it, then took the pencil back as the swaying ship tried to roll it away. She sighed and looked around the table. William just sat there leaning back in his chair, feet up on the table as he looked at the ceiling. Keokin was studying the maps in front of him. Sable was excitedly mimicking how she thought she would use the climbing picks from her pack. Flint reached over and grabbed a book of creatures, flipping through the pages. Klintock was staring off into the distance, his elbows on the table, fingers interlocked against his mouth and chin. Jael spoke.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s actually worse than everything I¡¯ve heard about it. How insane is that? Usually, you expect the ghost stories to be exaggerations of the real thing. But this? How do you even try to fight something like that?¡± William scoffed.

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing with swords and spears. Which is what they should¡¯ve given us. Not all these tiny knives and a little hunting bow.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a laminated short bow actually. Recurve style.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde piped in.

    ¡°What?¡± William questioned; brows pressed together as he looked at C¨¦¨ªrde.

    ¡°It¡¯s a recurve short bow. Made to be small, powerful, and accurate in the right hands. Usable from near any position, on horseback, in trees, or on unsure footing. Not just a hunting bow.¡±

    ¡°Oh, and that¡¯s supposed to be better? Yeah, no thanks. It¡¯s puny! What is that supposed to do against anything bigger than a rat? Especially in her tiny hands.¡± I remembered the words of Kixas when he was first teaching me how to throw a punch. ¡®It¡¯s not about brute strength little brother. It¡¯s about precision and speed. Strength comes later. If you can hit the right spot, you can bring down most anybody.¡¯ I wanted to say something. But I didn¡¯t figure it would make much of a difference, so I went back to looking at the creatures in my book. Creatures. More like nightmares. William spoke again.

    ¡°Speaking of puny. Cro¨ª.¡± I was startled to hear my name and looked up at him. ¡°Yeah you. Give me your pack.¡± He started reaching over the table towards my pack. I quickly grabbed it and pulled it onto my lap. He looked surprised at first, but that quickly turned to anger, and he gritted his teeth.

    ¡°I said hand it over wimp!¡± William yelled. Keokin sighed. I didn¡¯t move, mostly out of fear. ¡°Fine then I¡¯ll come over there and take it!¡± He started moving over to me, but Keokin, Klintock and Flint all stood and looked at him, ready to fight.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s cute. Guarding the guardian? Don¡¯t you get it? If you need to protect him, he can¡¯t protect us.¡± William spouted as he glared at me through the others.

    I feel so awkward right now. I really don¡¯t want to fight; I just want to study the creatures and try to get a handle on this. Maybe he has a point. Maybe I¡¯m not meant to be a Guardian and the Elders got it wrong.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the rest of us, but I don¡¯t feel comfortable with you as a guardian. You¡¯re too headstrong, aggressive, and selfish.¡± Keokin said looking down at William.

    ¡°Agreed.¡± Klintock spoke up. The others nodded. That¡¯s also a good point. And everyone else seems to agree oddly enough.

    ¡°Alright fine, how about this? You.¡± William pointed at me. ¡°And me.¡± He pointed back at himself. ¡°One on one. Winner gets that pack.¡± I shook my head. I don¡¯t want to fight. His eyes narrowed at me, and he growled.

    ¡°Come on William, back off and sit down.¡± Keokin said. William looked at Keokin, furious.

    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of you talking down on me you, scrawny arse¡­¡± William trailed off as his fist struck Keokin¡¯s nose. Keokin¡¯s head jerked back, and his shaggy hair flew around his head from the impact.

    Klintock and Flint reacted immediately, each grabbing an arm and wrestling William to the ground, pinning him on his back. I closed my book slightly but didn¡¯t really know what to do. My body just froze. Everything happened too quickly for me.

    Leola got up and ran around my side of the table to Keokin and pressed some of the gauze up to his nose where it was bleeding. William was still pushing, shoving, and cursing at Klintock and Flint, trying to get off the floor. Keokin stood up and grabbed the gauze from Leola, keeping it under his nose.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± His speech was inhibited from pinching his nose to stop the bleeding, sounding more nasally.

    ¡°Yeah, no problem.¡± She said, stepping aside. Keokin walked over to William on the floor and stood over him.

    ¡°Are you done yet?¡± Keokin asked.

    ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m getting that Droch (Draw-ck) pack!¡± William struggled more. Keokin sighed.

    ¡°Is that so? You were the one that invoked Drochrath (Draw-ck-raw-th), so now you have to deal with the consequences.¡± He moved around to William¡¯s head and took off the bandage, allowing the blood to drip to the floor next to William¡¯s head. A small smile crossed my lips.

    Invoking Drochrath, Goddess of Misfortune, Aebhsean¡¯s twin sister, was never a good idea, and it always seemed to blow back on the one who uttered her name, as well as those around them. And with Drochrath being the opposite of my favored Gods, it always felt like a personal insult when someone invoked her.

    ¡°Calm down William.¡± Keokin said, his voice back to normal. He slowly inched the dripping blood closer to William¡¯s face.

    ¡°What the Saol?! Get that away from me!¡± William yelled at Keokin as he struggled.

    ¡°Calm down William.¡± Keokin said again, calmly inching closer.

    ¡°Alright! Alright!¡± William stopped struggling and lay still. Keokin put the bandage back up to his nose.

    ¡°Good. Now sit down. It¡¯s time to talk.¡± His voice was once again impaired by the gauze. Klintock and Flint waited until William was sitting before they themselves sat. Keokin winced and groaned a little as he blinked and moved his nose around.

    ¡°Now then.¡± Said Keokin, struggling to make his voice sound normal. ¡°Let¡¯s introduce ourselves.¡± It was kinda funny to me the way he acted like nothing was wrong. ¡°Why don¡¯t we start with you?¡± He motioned to William. William just groaned and sighed. ¡°Come on. You owe me.¡± Keokin said, pointing at his nose. William grunted again and sat upright in his chair.

    ¡°Fine. Should I start with my name, or can I skip that?¡±

    ¡°Use your name.¡± Keokin said.

    ¡°Fine. I¡¯m William Donnell. I am the son of Andain (Awn-dane) and Nalana (Naw-lin-uh) Donnell. I have a little brother, and sister Gareth (Gaw-reth) and Demain (Deh-mo-een) Donnell. Then there¡¯s my woman, Channa (Kaw-na).¡± Jael groaned and rolled her eyes. What does he mean by ¡®my woman¡¯?

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s cute.¡± L¨¢nn chimed in excitedly, holding her hands together to one side of her smiling face. ¡°Do you love her? Are you two going to get married when you get back?¡± Married? Love each other? Does that mean he¡¯s courting her? William looked startled but almost immediately went back to his gruff exterior.

    ¡°We haven¡¯t decided yet on any of that. But I mean if things keep going like they are, then¡­¡± He trailed off.

    ¡°That¡¯s so sweet!¡± L¨¢nn giggled with a slight squeal. Klintock interrupted.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. What else William?¡± William cleared his throat.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Keokin spoke first.

    ¡°I have a question. Why can¡¯t you just be Support?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. And why do you want Cro¨ª¡¯s bag so bad?¡± Sable asked. William rolled his eyes.

    ¡°Because I¡¯m not a mother or a caretaker. I fight. It¡¯s what I¡¯ve always done. So, I know I can do it. I would be useless for cooking and cleaning. Just like Cro¨ª would be useless in a fight. He¡¯d be great for a distraction for whatever beast came for us as he cowered in the dirt, we all heard and saw him crying, whimpering like a little bitch yesterday. You can¡¯t seriously tell me that you think that leaky little girl is someone you trust to protect your life and limb.¡± Jael groaned with frustration.

    ¡°What is it with you and calling him a crying girl?! Like that¡¯s some terrible insult, it¡¯s basic and pathetic. It shows more about you than it does him. Besides, I¡¯ve seen my fair share of boys crying too. Keep it up and I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re one of them. You cod swallowing shite polisher.¡±

    ¡°Because girls cry all the time over stupid shit. And I question his manhood.¡± William answered smirking, then he added. ¡°And you know I¡¯m always ready for you to try it, little girl.¡± He grinned, looking at her with his fists clenched, like he was hoping she would hit him. Keokin, ignoring this, looked me over, than spoke loudly to draw attention.

    ¡°What about it Cro¨ª?¡± He asked, the attention shifting from the potential fight to what my answer would be.

    ¡°What about what?¡± I asked nervously.

    ¡°What do you think? Do you want to switch with William? Or do you want to keep your pack?¡± I do want it. But do I deserve it? Is William right? He might be the better choice.

    I quickly looked at the faces of everyone around the table. They were all focused on me. Looking at me like they expected me to say something special, or like they want me to give it up. I couldn¡¯t tell. Jael was the only one not looking at me, she was glaring at William, itching for a fight. I started getting really confused, I couldn¡¯t think, so I just picked up my bag and put it on the table.

 Chapter 8

    ¡°Do you guys think I¡¯m worthy of this?¡± I asked. What am I doing? I should just hand it over and stop all this. But I already said it. I can¡¯t take it back. Why did I say that?

    ¡°I¡¯d rather Cro¨ª have it than William. He just attacked Keokin, so I¡¯m not seeing the protective instinct there.¡± Leola said.

    ¡°Yea! I agree with Leola. William isn¡¯t a team player. Besides, I just don¡¯t like him.¡± Sable chimed in. Jael looked at them, then at me, and sighed.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t.¡± Jael said. Arms folded. ¡°I absolutely hate saying it, given that he¡¯s a pig and a sexist arse, but I agree with William on this. Not for his ridiculous reasons, but because if I saw some big monster charging us down, from what I¡¯ve seen of you so far, I don¡¯t trust that you would stand and fight, or win if you did. I¡¯m not saying this to be rude, like this gobshite.¡± She glared at William. ¡°I¡¯m trying to be logical about this. I don¡¯t want you to get yourself killed, and I don¡¯t want anyone else to be at risk, if we can help it.¡±

    ¡°I disagree.¡± This came from Flint. ¡°I think he would fight, and I think he would do well. He¡¯s probably very quick, which to me is all that counts where we¡¯re going. You heard Edorin. No matter how strong William is, if he ¡®stands his ground¡¯ against that giant spider or those ants, he¡¯s a dead man. If he¡¯s quick and has a healthy dose of fear, he might stand a chance.¡± Klintock, Sable and Keokin all nodded in agreement.

    ¡°What about you two?¡± Keokin motioned to C¨¦¨ªrde and L¨¢nn. L¨¢nn leaned back in her seat with her hands raised.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want any part in this. Edorin said to stay as we were, so I¡¯m leaving it there.¡±

    ¡°So, you are for him keeping his pack then.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde said, emphasizing ¡®are¡¯. ¡°I for one, am undecided. On the one hand, William seems to be able, though his hot-headed nature may prove detrimental. Cro¨ª seems potentially able, but skittish by nature. I can¡¯t say I prefer one to the other.¡± William slammed on the table.

    ¡°You have to pick one! You can¡¯t just stay on the fence! And you can¡¯t seriously tell me you want this skittish moaning pup to be the only thing standing between you and the horrors of the Island!¡±

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s my job to stay neutral but offer some mild insights that I have observed. I¡¯m the Assist. Also, ¡®horrors?¡¯ I thought the Island was no big deal to you, just another fight.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde said, nearly emotionless except for a small crease above the left side of her mouth. L¨¢nn just shook her head.

    ¡°I¡­ I have no idea. I don¡¯t wan¡­ I don¡¯t really know either of you, and I don¡¯t want to be a tiebreaker that one side or the other yells at later. I can¡¯t choose one now only to have them end up running away at the first sign of danger, or stand their ground and die because of my vote, I can¡¯t pick.¡±

    ¡°Well, that decides it then.¡± Keokin started but was interrupted by William.

    ¡°The feck it does! By my count, that¡¯s me and Jael against you, Sable, Klintock, Flint, and Leola but there¡¯s still three of us undecided including Cro¨ª. So, the only way I¡¯ll be satisfied is with a tie breaker, or if these three neutral slacks pull their thumbs out their arses and pick a side.¡± Jael put her hands on her temples and groaned with frustration, shaking her head. Keokin sighed.

    ¡°Let me guess, by tiebreaker you mean a fistfight.¡± Keokin said folding his arms.

    ¡°You got that right! Now, are you three going to pipe up? Or are we gonna settle this like it should¡¯ve been settled from the start?!¡± Again, William pounded on the table to emphasize his point.

    C¨¦¨ªrde and L¨¢nn looked at each other, and I remembered what Kixas had told me. ¡®You are a fierce protector. I¡¯ve seen it in you when you would watch over your nieces and nephew.¡¯ Well, that makes up my mind. I must remain true to myself. Or at least the me that Kixas knows.

    ¡°I want the pack.¡± I said, grabbing it off the table and slipping it over my head to rest on my shoulder. C¨¦¨ªrde gave a small smile.

    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re forcing me to suspend my neutral status, then my vote is with Cro¨ª. As L¨¢nn said before, she remembers that Edorin told us it¡¯s a good idea to stick with what we have, and she liked that idea. Cro¨ª had the pack originally so by default she puts her vote with him. So that¡¯s that. No tiebreaker needed. Now, let¡¯s all be done with this and move on.¡±

    ¡°Even if I agreed with you to begin with, I¡¯ve been convinced otherwise, and my vote has changed. Besides that, I just can¡¯t stand being on the same side as you.¡± Jael said.

    ¡°Happy now?¡± Keokin asked. William answered by growling, glaring in my direction as he slowly slumped back down into his chair, followed by everyone else. ¡°Well then, anybody have any more questions for William?¡± Everybody shook their head. ¡°Okay who wants to go next?¡± L¨¢nn¡¯s hand slowly rose.

    ¡°I guess I can go, and we can go around from me. If that works for everybody.¡±

    ¡°Sure, works for me.¡± Keokin agreed, fiddling with his nose and the gauze. Leola got up and came over to help him, glaring at William. William didn¡¯t even notice.

    ¡°Okay then. I¡¯ll start. My name is L¨¢nn Caida. I¡¯m sixteen. Oh, but so are all of you...Well anyways, I have a mother¡­obviously, Celia (Kel-lee-uh), but my father died in the Eastern Wars ten years ago. I also have two Aged sisters, one named Geal, just like Cro¨ª¡¯s last name. The oldest is Maeve (May-v). I live not too far from the Arena. Um...Yeah.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s it feel to be the second shortest person in the group?¡± Sable asked, a smirk on her face. L¨¢nn giggled before replying.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty great. I¡¯m pretty much always shorter than everyone I meet, so it¡¯s nice to be a little taller than someone my age for a change.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, now both of you are snack size for anything on the Island.¡± William blurted out with a chuckle. Klintock groaned.

    ¡°Hey, William. The next time you want to open your mouth and grace us with your stupidity, do us all a favor and keep it shut, then go ahead and make a habit of doing that.¡± Klintock said with a glare.

    I wholeheartedly agree with that statement. I really wanted William to just shut up and leave us all alone.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, whatever.¡± William replied. Klintock groaned again then, turned to L¨¢nn.

    ¡°What does your mom do?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really know actually. I think she¡¯s in lending coin. I do know that she has a lot of friends that visit her. They¡¯re really nice. Sometimes they say goodbye in weird ways to my mom though.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean weird goodbyes?¡± Asked Sable.

    ¡°Umm¡­ I can show you, but it¡¯s¡­ weird.¡± L¨¢nn replied with an awkward smile.

    ¡°Ok then, pretend I¡¯m your mom and you¡¯re one of her friends.¡± Sable said standing up. L¨¢nn stood face to face with Sable and then giggled.

    ¡°It¡¯s weird, but they almost always do it. First, they say something like.¡± She attempted to make her voice get deeper. ¡°I¡¯ll see you again soon Celia. Then they do this.¡± She then hugged Sable, and as she was turning away from her, she reached her right hand over and smacked Sable¡¯s butt, then walked off imitating the way a large burly man would walk. Everyone burst out laughing. Klintock scratched his head as he chuckled looking down at the table with a weird smile. Sable looked really surprised for a second, her face getting a little red as she grabbed her butt and giggled hysterically with her hand over her mouth.

    By the way some of them were looking around it was as if they understood something extra about this and were looking to see if anyone else understood it too. Why? I¡¯m out of the loop again! That was a surprise though, that¡¯s for sure. I was always taught never to touch that area. Or anything other than the arms or below the knees really and only if you had permission. Flint asked the next question.

    ¡°So L¨¢nn. These friends of your moms. Did you ever notice any of them giving her money?¡± Klintock punched Flint in the bicep.

    ¡°You dolt.¡± Klintock said, half disapproving, half laughing.

    ¡°Actually.¡± L¨¢nn replied. ¡°Now that you mention it, I had noticed a few of them would say goodbye like that, then my mom would clear her throat and hold out her hand, and they would give her a bag of coins. She just said that they borrowed a lot from her, and they were paying her back.¡± This time several of the others started laughing. L¨¢nn looked around confused.

    ¡°What? What¡¯s so funny?¡± She had kind of a confused smile on her face. I shared her confusion. William started speaking.

    ¡°We¡¯re laughing because your mom is a¡­¡± Leola, who was standing and dealing with Keokin¡¯s nose, turned and slapped William¡¯s face with the back of her hand.

    ¡°Keep your judgments to yourself William. You don¡¯t speak for us. Do you have to ruin everything?¡± William stood slowly looking at Leola. Is he seriously going to hit her? Why did she hit him? I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯ll take her side over his, he¡¯s terrible. He must¡¯ve done something wrong.

    I could feel my heart start to beat faster, and I was becoming more and more angry and confused. I closed my book slowly and slid out of my chair, inching my way closer to him. I¡¯m not letting him hit anybody else. If he swings for her, I¡¯ll get in between them. Klintock interrupted my thoughts.

    ¡°Come on you two. We¡¯re listening to L¨¢nn right now, and I must say it is fascinating.¡± He said as he looked back at L¨¢nn who still had a confused and nervous smile on her face. I moved back to my chair and sat down with my book again. Leola went back to Keokin.

    ¡°What was that all about? And what were you saying about my mom?¡± L¨¢nn asked. William sighed, looking at Leola.

    ¡°It was nothing.¡± Klintock answered. ¡°William was going to make a joke about your mom, but Leola stopped him. We were laughing at your fine interpretation of a burly gentleman.¡±

    ¡°Tell us L¨¢nn.¡± Leola said as she took the gauze out of Keokin¡¯s nose. ¡°What¡¯s your favorite food?¡± L¨¢nn thought for a moment before replying.

    ¡°I would have to say¡­ Fish! I love fish. Especially the red one. I think it¡¯s called Pon¨ª¨² (Pawn-ee-you). Sooo good.¡± She sat down and rolled her eyes as she licked her lips. ¡°I want some really bad now.¡± She slumped forward pouting.

    ¡°Well, we are on the ocean so maybe we can catch a few.¡± Leola said, trying to cheer her up. It worked too. L¨¢nn immediately perked up.

    ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s catch some Pon¨ª¨²!¡± I found L¨¢nn and Sable fun to watch. They¡¯re so full of life and smiles; especially when they¡¯re next to each other.

    ¡°Ok then.¡± Keokin said as he sniffed. ¡°Any more questions for L¨¢nn anyone? Thank you, Leola.¡± Leola nodded and headed back to her seat left of L¨¢nn. Nobody spoke, so Keokin motioned to Sable. ¡°You¡¯re next.¡± Sable smiled.

    ¡°Ok then, my name is Sable Helios. My father is Loranden (Low-ren-den), and my mother is Andis (Awn-dish). I don¡¯t have any sisters, but I have two Aged brothers named Kareck (Kaw-wreck) and Derris (Dare-ish). My dad fought in the war and was injured so his legs are lame, but my older brothers are the breadwinners. Derris works for the city guard and Kareck is a carpenter.¡± She paused for a moment slightly exhaling while she thought. ¡°I think that¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°Ok then, any questions for Sable?¡± Keokin addressed the group. L¨¢nn had a question.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°What does your mother do? What¡¯s she like?¡± Sable smiled to herself.

    ¡°My mother has always been soft and warm and kind to me, and I hope that stays the same. She doesn¡¯t have any duties besides taking care of my father and me. My brothers live on my parents¡¯ property with their families, so they help maintain the home and property.¡±

    ¡°What happened to your father?¡± William asked as he put his feet down and leaned his elbows onto the table, fingers intertwined, staring at Sable with a slight smirk. Keokin, Jael, Klintock, and Flint all let out audible sighs of irritation and annoyance. Sable took a breath.

    ¡°My father and his men were attacked by a large group of battle beasts. He ordered their retreat and was mauled by one of the beasts, attempting to escape.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I thought I recognized the name Helios. My father talked about him. He talked about how because he ordered that retreat, dozens of soldiers died, including many of my father¡¯s men because your father was a coward.¡±

    Everyone at the table was either sighing in frustration, groaning, or glaring at William. William stared at Sable, waiting for a reaction. I was just mad because it was William.

    ¡°A coward?¡± Sable started, her orange and black eyes seemed to be tearing up. ¡°Because of what happened to my father, I decided to study beasts and monsters from any books or stories I could get my hands on.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± William interrupted with a chuckle. Sable continued.

    ¡°And I found out what beasts my father fought. They¡¯re eight feet tall. They have four, five-inch claws on each front paw. They have eight-inch tusks on their bottom jaw and an armored hide, along with a taste for flesh, and there were over one hundred of them.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± William interrupted. ¡°Sounds like an excuse to me. Your father had over fifty men under his command. He ran away with his tail between his legs and there¡¯s no escaping that. If your father was a true Cian¨ªan, he would have stayed and fought, but because he ran away, my father¡¯s unit with reinforcements for your father was ambushed and many of his men were killed. If he hadn¡¯t gotten inside a walled fort and funneled them in, him and his men would have died.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lie! Your father was moving to reinforce my father out of boredom from the southern forts, and it was against his orders! If he hadn¡¯t left his post, the enemy would not have broken through!¡± William squinted at Sable.

    ¡°That¡¯s a lie! He went under orders! And your gombeen fecker of a father¡­¡±

    He was cut short by Flint. Overcome with anger, he swirled around and slammed his left fist into William¡¯s face, knocking him nearly out of his chair. William recoiled quickly, almost seeming unphased and struck back at Flint. Before his punch could land, Klintock and Keokin both wrestled him to the ground. Flint jumped on him, attempting to punch him again. Klintock stopped him and pulled him off, leaving Keokin to deal with William.

    William overpowered Keokin, punching him and throwing him off, pushing to his feet and charging after Flint. Klintock turned and with a swift movement, tripped William making him flop onto the table. He whirled around, fists clenched as he looked at Keokin, Flint, and Klintock.

    ¡°Sit down!¡± Keokin ordered, pointing at William¡¯s overturned chair.

    ¡°I¡¯m sick of you giving me orders! How¡¯s about you try and make me sit down, huh?!¡± William stepped closer. He was no more than a foot away from Keokin now, slowly swaying back and forth as he stared up at him. ¡°Go on then!¡± He pushed Keokin hard and Keokin stumbled back several feet. He paused and looked at William before turning his head slightly to address Klintock, Flint, and Jael who had also moved around the table.

    ¡°You hear that? William would like some help finding his seat. Shall we help him?¡± All of them smiled as they looked over at William. Keokin made the first move and took a glancing hit to his chin, but before much more happened, Jael slammed William¡¯s chin, dazing him. He was wrestled into his chair by the four of them combined, getting another pop on his cheek by Jael when he struggled.

    Keokin took out a length of rope from his pack. ¡°Hold him down.¡± The others held William as he struggled. Keokin used the rope to tie William to the chair at his ankles, wrists, waist, and around his torso.

    After he was finished, they all stood and caught their breath as they returned to their own seats.

    ¡°Gods, that felt good.¡± Jael said, smiling. Keokin brushed off some blood from beneath his nose as he retrieved a cloth from his pack.

    ¡°Let me up!¡± William yelled in protest. ¡°Let me u...¡± Before he could finish, Keokin shoved the cloth into his mouth and tied it behind his head. He then crouched down in front of William and sighed.

    ¡°Now I¡¯m hoping this helps you get this through your thick skull.¡± He tapped William¡¯s forehead several times. ¡°You may be strong. Maybe even stronger than me, or even stronger than me and Flint on a great day, but all of us together.¡± He motioned over to the table and all of us sitting there. ¡°Are significantly stronger than you could ever hope to become. So, you had better learn to respect us, because otherwise you won''t become a part of this family and you won''t survive. I am going to give you a bit of time to think all of that over.¡±

    He patted William on the head before dragging William¡¯s chair a few feet away from the table, then rejoined us. ¡°Ok then, Sable, I believe you were telling us about your knowledge of beasts.¡± Sable glared at William for a moment before continuing what she¡¯d been saying, slowly returning to her more chipper attitude.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been studying everything I could. I studied all the local ones and then moved onto a bit of the more exotic ones. I¡¯m excited to be able to help study all the monsters in those books, and I¡¯m hoping that my knowledge will help us out on this journey.¡± She said smiling at us.

    She still seems very bothered by what William said. She glanced at him every so often, and she wiped away a tear or two. I feel terrible for her. I thought of ways that I might help her, then remembered I had one of the monster manuals in my hands. I also remembered how disappointed she looked when William had told her that her bow would be useless because it was small.

    ¡°Sable.¡± I said in a voice slightly smaller than I had originally meant it to be. She turned towards me. I slid the book across the table. ¡°You should start with this one. It has all of the information gathered on the most dangerous and unique creatures on the Islands, including Bh¨¢is.¡± Her eyes lit up with excitement.

    ¡°Thank you!¡± She immediately flipped it open and perused some of the creatures cataloged within.

    ¡°And Sable.¡± I said, again in a small voice. She looked up at me expectantly, and maybe a bit confused on whether I had said anything. I spoke a little louder.

    ¡°About your bow. I was taught how to use them by my brothers, and there¡¯s one thing they drilled into me. It doesn¡¯t really matter how big it is, only that you¡¯re fast and accurate.¡± She smiled at me. It was slightly different than the other ways she had smiled before, but I couldn¡¯t place how. Something in her eyes.

    ¡°Thank you Cro¨ª, that helped a lot.¡± She said sweetly. I have no idea what to say to that. I just nodded a bit and sat back in my chair.

    ¡°Yeah, I mean look at me.¡± L¨¢nn piped in. ¡°I¡¯m really tiny but I¡¯m sure that I have uses.¡± Most of us giggled and nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Absolutely.¡± Klintock said, chuckling.

    ¡°Right then, on that note, any other questions for Sable?¡± Everybody shook their heads as they looked around the table.

    ¡°Ok then, we will move on to C¨¦¨ªrde.¡± We all focused in on her, who, along with Jael and Leola had been silent for the most part. C¨¦¨ªrde sat there for a moment, quiet before finally speaking.

    ¡°I am C¨¦¨ªrde Al¨¦¨ªnn. My mother, Alexandra, is a Revorian (Re-vore-ee-an), and my father Denae (Den-a-yuh) was Cian¨ªan. He was a fifth-generation ambassador for the Cian¨ªan people. That¡¯s how he and my mother met, and why I¡¯m fluent in C¨ªanish (Keen-ish), Common, and Vorish (Vore-ish). Unfortunately, four years ago, he got sick and succumbed to his illness. My mother and I live far up to the North in Sandralia (San-druh-lee-uh). My mother is the assistant to the finance manager of Lord and Lady Loreann (Lore-ann) of Sandralia. My favorite foods are grape flavored taffy, chicken pot pie, and salted pork.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s all I can think of now. Any questions?¡± Most of us just sat with a startled expression on our faces. Keokin found his words first and mustered up a question.

    ¡°So, your mother is the assistant to the finance manager? Is that a lucrative position?¡± C¨¦¨ªrde shook her head slightly.

    ¡°No, not really. Truthfully, it is substantial enough to live a comfortable life, and we have our own home, but it¡¯s not like I live in a palace or anything like that.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Keokin responded.

    ¡°So, who are Lord and Lady Loreann? And where¡¯s Sandralia?¡± Asked Jael.

    ¡°It¡¯s a Revorian kingdom north of Ionad Tal¨²n but is not as populace, though it is a beautiful place. Lord and Lady Loreann are the rulers of Sandralia, but they are ruled over by a King named Efretis (Ee-free-tis). I¡¯m told that he is a just and wise ruler, but I¡¯ve never met him. He also rules over all the other northern Revorian kingdom of Adonida (Add-on-eye-duh).¡±

    That¡¯s amazing. I wonder how many races there are in the world. Humans, Cian¨ªans, Uraggians, Revorians. I wonder why we don¡¯t see them around our cities and villages more often. Probably for the same reasons I don¡¯t wander over to where they are. I don¡¯t know anything about where they are and it¡¯s scary to just walk up to other random Cian¨ªans, let alone someone that doesn¡¯t speak my language.

    ¡°What¡¯s a Revorian? What¡¯s Vorish? How much common do you know? Did you know Cro¨ª knows common? Can you and Cro¨ª talk to each other in common?¡± Sable asked enthusiastically.

    ¡°Revorians are like us, in most ways. Except their ears only have one point right on the top, but it¡¯s long, usually around two or three inches. Their sclera is completely white, with only their iris portraying different colors depending on the individual. I get many strange looks because of my eyes and ears from any new people to Sandralia. Vorish is the most used Revorian language in Adonida.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde chuckled a little, turning towards me.

    ¡°You know Common?¡± Oh. She¡¯s speaking common. Ok.

    ¡°Yes¡­ but not¡­ fluent. I¡¯m very¡­ slow. Sorry.¡± I replied in common. C¨¦¨ªrde smiled at me kindly.

    ¡°That¡¯s ok. I can teach you if you¡¯d like.¡± She said, once again in common.

    ¡°Yes, I would be¡­big thankful.¡± I said, grimacing awkwardly. She giggled, covering her mouth with her left hand.

    ¡°I look forward to it.¡± She said, still with a small smile.

    ¡°Come on you guys, quit flirting.¡± Flint said, returning us back to C¨ªanish.

    ¡°Yeah! Get a room.¡± Klintock added.

    ¡°Stop interrupting their budding romance. I¡¯m trying to listen!¡± Sable said. Budding romance? What does she mean by that?

    ¡°Do they have to do the Aging too?¡± L¨¢nn asked.

    ¡°Not that I know of.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde said simply.

    ¡°So why is your skin so¡­ dark? Or tan?¡± This came from Flint. C¨¦¨ªrde replied almost instantly.

    ¡°It¡¯s tan. In Sandralia I¡¯ve seen people with black skin, and one time I saw some with brown skin. It¡¯s due to a combination of things really. One is my lineage, being that I have one parent that is not Cian¨ªan. The other is my family¡¯s history of being, shall we say, adventurous with other races.¡± Flint was writing in his notebook as she spoke. There was a pause as no one else could think of what to ask or say.

    ¡°Very good. Thank you C¨¦¨ªrde.¡± Keokin took over. ¡°Next is Jael.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde sat down and Jael stood up.

    ¡°Do I need to name all my family or just say my name and move on to questions?¡± Keokin squinted for a moment.

    ¡°Just the name and a random fact or two, then we¡¯ll do questions. We have three months to get to know the rest.¡± She nodded, with a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Ok here goes. My name is Jael McKann and my parents are farmers. They farm wheat, potatoes, carrots, lettuce, and a few other vegetables. I generally like fruits though which is what my uncle farms. So... yeah.¡± L¨¢nn¡¯s hand shot up for a moment before she remembered she didn¡¯t need to hold it up to speak.

    ¡°What do you do on the farm?¡±

    ¡°Well. Uh. There¡¯s a lot of stuff. It depends on what time of year it is. In spring, we plow the fields and prepare the soil for planting, then near the end of spring, or middle depending on certain variables, we plant seeds, and wait for them to grow. Some don¡¯t really take as long, like lettuce, cabbage, and potatoes, but others take a bit longer. We also make sure the fences are well kept, and we¡¯ve been raising pigs for a few seasons, so that¡¯s taking some getting used to.¡± Flint leaned over.

    ¡°How¡¯d you lose your toe?¡± She looked down at the space where her left pinky toe should have been.

    ¡°Oh that. Well, that was one of the farm hands and me being a little stupid. We were working in the fields, and I jumped in without shoes on because I just got back from a little fun with friends. As we were working, he lost track of where I was and came down on my foot with a tool and poof. No more toe.¡± Flint frowned.

    ¡°Man, that sucks! I would have been throwing punches at that idiot all day.¡± Klintock snickered at his brother and commented under his breath.

    ¡°You¡¯ll throw punches at anything you dolt.¡± Flint rolled his eyes and paid attention to Jael¡¯s answer.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s no big deal really. I mean it¡¯s not like he meant to do it or like he took off my whole foot or anything like that. Besides, he showered me with gifts for at least two weeks after that to apologize.¡± Flint made a hmm sound and mumbled under his breath as he sat back, arms folded.

    ¡°I still would have punched him at least once.¡± Klintock shook his head slightly while smiling as Flint¡¯s comment proved his point.

    I stopped looking through the creature books with a small sigh and looked up for a moment. I noticed that nobody else was looking at me, so I chanced looking at some of the group.

    William was off in the corner, his brows still furrowed as he sat there tied to the chair. Keokin fidgeted with his nose every so often, pulling out some dried blood on occasion. Klintock snickered at Flint. Flint still had a dissatisfied look, knowing that nobody punched the ¡®idiot¡¯ that chopped off Jael¡¯s toe. Jael and L¨¢nn also snickered at Flint. C¨¦¨ªrde was writing things down, straight backed and nearly emotionless. Then there was Leola.

    Her smile partially hidden behind her left hand, I found myself focusing in on her. I focused on her hand, the pale skin, and slightly pink thumbnail. My focus trailed up to her cheek and the small brown dot on her left cheekbone. Finally coming to rest on her eyes. The way her eyes squinted as she smiled and chuckled. It almost seemed like her eyes were a different shade of blue than the rest of Cian¨ªans. Like they had a brighter glow than the rest of ours. Her hair shone bright from the light being let in from the large bay window.

    ¡°So then.¡± Keokin said before sniffling. ¡°Leola.¡± He motioned to her with his right hand. She cleared her throat.

    ¡°My name is Leola. Uh.¡± She thought for a moment. ¡°Both of my parents passed from the Deaneas (Daw-nesh) sickness that came fourteen years ago. I was taken in by Drea (Draw) and his wife Tanbhis (Tawn-v-ish) from the orphanage. Um¡­ Birth parents were named Sean (Shawn) and T¨¢ra (Taw-ruh). I don¡¯t really know where to go after that. Interests, I guess. I don¡¯t have a specific thing I do really, I just learn whatever I can.¡±

    That¡¯s so intense. Both of her parents died? I don¡¯t really know how to react to that. Does she need a hug? I¡¯m guessing just staying quiet is probably the best option, maybe change the subject. She doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯s going to cry or anything like that. She must have come to terms with it if she just casually brings it up like that. Nobody seemed to know what to say. Off in the corner came a low chuckle from William.

    I looked over to find him leaning back and seemingly laughing. I wanted to hit him in the face, but I didn¡¯t think it would do any good. Maybe one too many hits to the head was his problem to begin with. I mused angrily. Instead, I drowned him out with a sudden start that even surprised me.

    ¡°So, Leola.¡± I paused for a moment as I thought. What do I ask her? I looked down at the table. Oh, I know. ¡°You mentioned learning a lot of things. What have you learned?¡±

 Chapter 9

    ¡°Well. I worked under a master seamstress for a few years. I learned a lot about people, plants, animals, and the world in general from all the books I would read at the library whenever I had some spare time. I worked with a chef in a tavern, I¡¯ve learned the basics of sketching on paper, I liked helping at the orphanage with the children and learned how to skin an animal and fish from Drea. There are some other things, but I guess that¡¯s enough for now.¡±

    I was surprised. She had done a lot. I was curious what she was leaving out of that list. I hadn¡¯t done anything yet; just chopped wood and done household chores and repairs. Then again, I did help my brothers with their work on occasion.

    At this point, we could all hear William struggling to say something from his position, the legs of the chair clicking against the wooden floor planks.

    ¡°We can¡¯t hear what you¡¯re trying to say William, and we don¡¯t care. Just shut up and listen.¡± Flint said.

    ¡°Did you particularly enjoy any of the jobs you¡¯ve had?¡± L¨¢nn asked leaning on the table with her elbows, chin resting on her delicate wrists.

    ¡°Well, I did enjoy sewing. It was fun and very relaxing. Fishing is really pleasant.¡± Her voice. There''s just something about it that¡¯s calming. I want to keep asking her questions so that she¡¯ll keep talking. Ask her another question.

    ¡°So¡­¡± Oh no. Nothing¡¯s coming to mind...awkward. Just blurt out something, anything, fish maybe, something about fish. ¡°What¡¯s the biggest fish that you ever caught?¡± Phew.

    ¡°Um, let¡¯s see. I caught a two-foot black bellied Gobhen (Go-ven) one time. I¡¯ve seen bigger for sure, but that¡¯s the biggest one that I ever caught.¡± I have no idea if that¡¯s impressive or not. I nodded and looked around, waiting for someone else to ask a question.

    ¡°How did you get that scar?¡± Thank you Sable.

    ¡°This one?¡± Leola asked, pointing at the scar on her left shoulder and bicep. ¡°I got this when I was little. I was playing capture the flag with the other kids and ran into a tree. Unfortunately, one of the branches was broken off and there was just a sharp stub there. I have a few other scars like that, nothing exciting really.¡± Interesting, I have a lot of scars from stuff like that, but most are from practicing with my brothers.

    ¡°Great Leola. Anybody have any more questions?¡± Keokin with his usual phrase.

    ¡°So, did you grow up at the orphanage? Or, I guess, when did you get adopted?¡± Jael asked. Adopted? Orphanage? What are they talking about?

    ¡°No, oh sorry, I got adopted when I was little, maybe a year after being in the orphanage by Drea and Tanbhis, along with one other girl named Kaet (Kate). They just adopted another two boys this year, Joll¨¦n (Jaw-leen) and Jor¨¦n (Jaw-reen). They get mistaken for each other a lot.¡±

    ¡°Does your family not have a family name? I¡¯m just curious because you always mention your family by their first names and nothing else.¡± Klintock this time.

    True, I wasn¡¯t going to mention it, but I had noticed it. Another interesting thing. When I first met Klintock, Flint and Sable, Flint said that Sable was his sister. But they don¡¯t have the same family names. Klintock and Flint are Bairde, and Sable is Helios. I¡¯ll ask them about it.

    ¡°We do have one, but we usually don¡¯t use it, so I just forgot to mention it. Our family name is Jura though.¡±

    After that, there was silence, followed by Keokin¡¯s usual question for questions, and silence.

    ¡°Ok then, next up. I guess we can do both of you together, right? Bairde brothers.¡± Klintock and Flint nodded saying at the same time.

    ¡°Sure, that¡¯s fine.¡± Then smiling at each other. Klintock motioned towards Flint.

    ¡°You first.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re older.¡± Brotherly bickering. Now that¡¯s familiar. I thought they were both the same age though. After all, you do go through the Aging at sixteen. And Flint¡¯s right, Klintock does look older with his longer hair pulled back and more ¡®regal¡¯ attitude.

    ¡°Only by three hours.¡± Klintock argued. Oh well that¡¯s that, I guess.

    ¡°Still enough that you got to carry that sword around and personally meet the King.¡± Good point, that is something I would be jealous of too.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go first. I¡¯m Klintock Bairde, and this is Flint Bairde as you all know, and you probably also all know about our father, The Unbroken.¡±

    ¡°¨¢rtair (Awr-two-er) Bairde.¡± Flint interrupted.

    ¡°Right.¡± Klintock continued. ¡°Flint doesn¡¯t like the title, but I do. I thought I was going first Flint.¡± Flint shrugged and pouted, looking away from Klintock. Klintock smirked. ¡°Our adopted sister B¨¢nn¨ª (Baw-nee) is thirteen. Anyone else have a thirteen-year-old sibling?¡±

    ¡°Kaet is thirteen.¡± Leola said with a nod.

    ¡°My adopted brother Darragh (Daw-rug) is thirteen as well.¡± Keokin said.

    ¡°Your turn Flint.¡± Klintock said, smiling. Flint nodded.

    ¡°I just want to move to questions; I¡¯m having a hard time just sitting here. I want to stretch my legs.¡± Flint said. Jael nodded.

    ¡°Ok, where do you two live?¡± Keokin started.

    ¡°We live in a city twelve miles East of Ionad Tal¨²n called R¨¦alta Bheag (Ray-ul-tuh V-ugh)¡± Klintock answered. Now¡¯s my chance, I guess.

    ¡°I got one. Why do you call Sable your sister?¡± Flint glanced at me.

    ¡°We grew up next to her in the same village. She¡¯s been hanging out with us since we were little and I¡¯ve always seen her as a little sister, so I call her sister.¡± He smiled and I nodded, looking back down at the table.

    ¡°If you two are twins, why do you look so different?¡± Jael asked leaning her cheek on her left palm.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t like everybody always getting us confused. It was funny at first, but then I got in trouble for everything Flint did, and it got irritating, so I grew my hair out and started dressing different so people would be able to tell us apart.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough. Man, I gotta say, I agree with Flint. After all that stuff Edorin told us and dealing with William and trying to jam all this information in my head, I could really use some air, and maybe a snack or something.¡± Jael sighed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Jael. It¡¯s just me and Cro¨ª left. So please be patient for a few more minutes. Anybody have any questions for Klintock or Flint? Or should I start?¡± Keokin asked.

    Everybody shook their heads. It seemed like Flint and Jael were the only ones physically tired. C¨¦¨ªrde was still writing in her book, though I couldn¡¯t see what she was writing. L¨¢nn and Sable were still attentive and ready, and I was intrigued to hear about Keokin, but not excited for my turn to speak.

    After all that went on with William, I just didn¡¯t want any more attention. ¡°Ok then, I¡¯m Keokin Dravik, I have three adopted little brothers, Darragh, Cian (Kee-an), and D¨®r¨ªd (Doe-read) ages thirteen, twelve, and nine. I absolutely love the little guys, love training with them and playing games with them.¡±

    His smile reminded me of the small wry one Kixas would show sometimes. It made me smile. ¡°My mother¡¯s name is D¨¢riella (Daw-ree-ella), and my father¡¯s name is not important because he left us as soon as my mother got pregnant with me. I spend a good deal of time working in the Northeastern iron mines. I don¡¯t need to, mom and my brothers are with her family, pretty well taken care of, but I like her to have a little extra. Questions for me?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Do you have any free time? What do you do for fun?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I used to run around and play with other children or pull stupid pranks on people, but after my dad left, I came in on my mom crying one night. I hated the feeling I got when I saw or heard her cry so I decided to do what I could to make things easier for her. I started working at the mine, sucks, but it brings me coin that I use for food or nice trinkets for mom and the boys. For me, fun is taking care of my family, taking my brothers out to eat so mom can rest, playing with my brothers and making meals. That kind of stuff.¡± Wow, it sounds like he¡¯s the father and older brother in his family.

    ¡°So, let me mix this up a little. Any other questions for me?¡± Everybody at the table laughed in reply, most shaking their heads. ¡°Well ok then. Your turn Cro¨ª.¡± Oh dang. My smile instantly faded. I took a shallow breath before speaking.

    ¡°I¡¯m Cro¨ª Geal. I live up North near the B¨¢n (Bawn) mountains with my father, mother, four brothers, two sisters, a niece a nephew and me. I don¡¯t work anywhere because I live too far away from any village.¡±

    Everybody around the table was staring at me surprised. ¡°Uh. Any questions?¡±

    ¡°I mean, I knew you had a lot of siblings, but hearing all your family listed out like that sounds like a ton.¡± Everybody agreed with Sable¡¯s statement, L¨¢nn followed.

    ¡°Yeah. Everybody else has like two to four, but eleven? That¡¯s a ton. How many are adopted?¡± Jael asked. I scratched my head.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I replied quietly.

    ¡°I mean, how many of your siblings were adopted?¡± Jael asked again.

    ¡°What does adopted mean?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± She looked around at everyone, they all looked confused.

    ¡°Adopted means that some of your siblings aren¡¯t related to you by blood.¡± Leola explained.

    ¡°Oh, like a brother-in-law?¡± I asked. Leola shook her head.

    ¡°No. Not like that. I¡¯ll give an example. Say Jael has no parents or siblings, then your parents decide to raise Jael as their own daughter. Jael isn¡¯t a blood relative or an in-law but is an adopted sibling. Make sense?¡± She asked. I nodded.

    ¡°I believe so. In that case, none of them are adopted.¡± Everyone looked shocked.

    ¡°None?! Your mom had seven kids?¡± Flint asked. I nodded.

    ¡°How old is the oldest?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Kixas is two hundred and fifty-two.¡± Several eyebrows raised.

    ¡°That¡¯s unreal.¡± L¨¢nn said. I looked around, confused. Not sure what had them so baffled.

    ¡°So.¡± Klintock began. ¡°What¡¯s Kixas like?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Well. He¡¯s stern, and strict, but never cruel. He pushes me to the point where I want to quit, then helps me overcome that, or gives me a moment to rest. His eyes don¡¯t miss anything. You can¡¯t lie around him. He doesn¡¯t give out praise or compliments very often, but when he does, you feel like you really deserved it.¡±

    ¡°Wow. He sounds intense. Kind of what you¡¯d expect from someone like him though.¡± Sable said with her eyes wide. ¡°Can you introduce me to him when we get back? I want to hear his stories and stuff.¡± She smiled brightly with a twinkle in her eyes.

    ¡°Uh. Yeah. That shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± I said. What did she mean by ¡®someone like him¡¯?

    ¡°We should be able to introduce each other to all of our family members. Provided we survive this.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde said, fingers entwined beneath her chin.

    ¡°Any other questions?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I have a question.¡± Keokin started. ¡°What are you looking forward to doing when we get home?¡±

    I¡¯ve never thought about that. I¡¯ve always just assumed I would go back home and do what I always did, or to follow my brothers.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really know. I just figured I¡¯d go back home. Figure it out from there.¡± There was a muffled laughing coming from William in the corner.

    There was a moment of silence. We were done with all of this and wanted a reprieve. Keokin noticed. ¡°Well then. I guess that¡¯s it. Time for a break. I¡¯ll go find Edorin or Zanataz. The rest of you stretch your legs, but don¡¯t stray too far.¡± Jael and Flint immediately stood up, stretching with their arms high. L¨¢nn and Sable grabbed Leola¡¯s hand and nearly ran to the door. Keokin stood and walked over to William.

    ¡°Are you going to attack us?¡± Keokin asked. He shook his head. ¡°Have you learned your lesson?¡± He nodded. ¡°Good. Glad to hear it.¡± He set about untying him.

    I grabbed the book of creatures that I had given to Sable and started looking through it. Going outside did sound fantastic to me, but I wanted to at least learn the names and locations of the five unique creatures.

    I learned that three of the five lived on the Island we were traveling to. Bh¨¢is was one, primarily dwelling in the mountain pass, in the center of the Island. The second creature is Sc¨¢th Ard. ¡°Cro¨ª. Get some air, ok?¡± Keokin said from the doorway, interrupting my reading.

    ¡°I will. One minute.¡± He nodded and went outside. I was alone in the room now. I felt a deep sense of relief for some reason. I stood and stretched, walking around the table, pausing to admire the view of the ocean outside the bay window, and taking a few deep breaths before sitting back down to look at the book.

    The last unique creature from our Island was called An Crann Br¨¦agach (Awn Krawn Bray-gawk). It was a large creature that looked almost exactly like a tree, but with branches at odd angles. It would reveal itself only when its prey was near, and it was too late for them. If rocks were thrown at it, it sounded like you had struck a tree. Its hide was harder to cut through than a tree. It moved slowly through the forest and would dig itself into the ground near paths or in openings to hide.

    The drawing showed a tree with a thick trunk twenty feet tall that spread out into twelve thick branches that moved out in all directions. There were long lines of moss dripping down all over the branches. Apparently, these were tendrils that injected poison that would paralyze the target with a reach of at least sixty feet. Once the target was paralyzed, An Crann Br¨¦agach would slowly move over them. There was an image of what it looked like when it lifted out of the ground, apparently its mouth was on the bottom of the trunk, and it would situate itself above the prey to consume them.

    Because of its reach being sixty feet on all sides, it waits for creatures to go near its trunk so they can¡¯t escape. Hunting in this way had led it to kill at least thirteen known Agers, maybe more.

    Apparently, we need to stay together, but stay at least one hundred and twenty feet apart in case we run into this thing. Where is it?

    The book said that it dwelled primarily on the Southeastern part of the Island¡¯s forests but would roam further south occasionally. Either way, it keeps far east. Still, would be good to keep our eyes out for this thing.

    Does it have weaknesses? I searched the text entries for any mention of attacks or defenses. It had been set on fire once, but it separated its bark, and from inside the trunk, blew the fire out. Swords, hatchets, arrows, nothing penetrated, and there was no known antidote for the poison aside from time.

    Great, so if we meet it, we run or die. Good to know. I closed the book and sat back in my chair, exhaling.

    How are we supposed to survive against creatures like this? How did my brothers and sisters survive? How did they not go mad from the terror of it? They still laugh and smile and toil away like it was no big deal. But then again, they never really talk about it either. I¡¯m wasting time just sitting here. I should get some air.

    The door opened and Edorin came back into the room, followed by Zanataz and the rest of the group. Oh, too late. Edorin sat in his chair and waited for everyone else to take their seats before addressing us.

    ¡°Now then. You¡¯re all acquainted with each other, I hope.¡± He raised his eyebrows at us.

    ¡°Indeed Captain.¡± Keokin replied. ¡°There was some trouble with William wanting to change duties, but it was sorted out.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    ¡°Good. Now I¡¯d like all of you to follow Zanataz and get yourselves acquainted with the ship and crew.¡± Zanataz looked over at us smiling.

    ¡°Are ya ready kids?¡± We nodded tiredly. He chuckled. ¡°Follow along.¡± He said opening the door to the Captain¡¯s quarters. ¡°Now kids, if there¡¯s one thing I must press upon you, it¡¯s the proper terminology for the Pony.¡± He pointed his left arm out. ¡°Port side, not left side.¡± He held out his right arm. ¡°Starboard side, not right side.¡± He pointed to the back, then the front. ¡°Stern, not back. Bow, not front. Understood?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡± Most of us said, nodding.

    ¡°Another thing worth mentioning. If I say fore, it means it¡¯s in the forward half of the ship. Aft, means it¡¯s in the rear half. Still following?¡± C¨¦¨ªrde nodded enthusiastically. Jael scratched her head. ¡°Right, this here.¡± He motioned to the open area in front of us. ¡°Is known as the main deck of the ship, or just the deck.¡±

    https://www.tumblr.com/coldthane/707892103529857024/layout-of-the-wayward-pony?source=share

    The deck was wide and long, with two walkways on either side. There were several things that occupied the center of the deck. First was what looked like massive trapdoors. I figured these would open to allow easy access to the storage areas of the ship. Past that was the mast, and four smaller boats. They were secured side by side, and upside down, each one looked roughly twenty feet long.

    ¡°What are those?¡± I asked, pointing to them. Zanataz glanced at me before answering.

    ¡°Those are the dinghies. We use them to ferry crew and cargo to and from shore. Those.¡± He pointed to the trapdoors. ¡°Are the hold caps. They lead directly to the cargo hold. This here is the main mast.¡±

    ¡°How do you steer the ship?¡± Flint asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m getting there, don¡¯t jump ahead.¡± Zanataz said, smiling. Flint chuckled. Zanataz cleared his throat and continued. ¡°There¡¯s the main door that leads below, which you¡¯re familiar with.¡± He pointed to the door. ¡°And to either side of it, are the fore stairs.¡± He pointed to two straight staircases on either side of the door. ¡°They lead to the upper deck. Behind us.¡± He turned around, facing the stern of the ship. ¡°Those are the aft stairs.¡± He pointed to another set of straight stairs to either side of the Captain¡¯s quarters. ¡°They lead up to the quarterdeck. Which is our next stop. Follow along.¡±

    He moved up onto the quarter deck. There was another large mast, though it looked smaller than the main mast, that sat near the front of the quarter deck. He pointed to what looked like a wagon wheel, only thicker connected to a large wooden box with handles on the outside. A crewman was holding onto some of the handles, gently turning it occasionally. ¡°This lovely device.¡± Zanataz said. ¡°Is called the helm. This is where we steer the Pony with the help of our Helmsman and Quartermaster, Cormick (Core-mick).¡± Cormick turned and waved at us with a small smile.

    He was a chipper looking younger man. His square jaw was covered in stubble, and his broad shoulders were covered by his hair. His simple white shirt, lay un-buttoned near the top.

    ¡°Mornin¡¯ kids.¡± Cormick greeted.

    ¡°Morning Cormick.¡± We all said in unison.

    ¡°Right, let¡¯s keep this moving. Cormick¡¯s not great at thinking of more than one thing at a time. Wouldn¡¯t want him to get turned around now, would we?¡± Zanataz said, grinning at Cormick, who scoffed and rolled his eyes playfully.

    Zanataz moved towards the stern of the ship, leaning on the railing as he looked out on the ocean. I squinted, trying to see if I could spot any land, then sighed, disappointed. ¡°Wonderful, isn¡¯t it? Just look at the wake down there.¡± He said, pointing to the waves created by the ship as it moved through the water. L¨¢nn leaned on the railing, smiling as she looked down.

    ¡°It really is pretty.¡± She said. Zanataz nodded, then tapped a portion of the railing near the back left corner.

    ¡°Boys, if you ever need to relieve yourselves, and the restroom¡¯s full, this is the most satisfying place to do it, trust me.¡± The boys smiled, the girls frowned, and L¨¢nn quickly took her hands off the railing. ¡°Girls, if you see a man with his back turned up here, he¡¯s not lost in thought, he¡¯s taking aim.¡± He said with a wide playful smile. Flint and Klintock burst out laughing.

    ¡°And if he turns around without putting it away, this is where you throw him overboard.¡± Came a female voice from behind us. I turned to see a woman dressed in a modest mid-shin length red dress. It was simple and form fit, with sleeves that went all the way down to her wrists, and a split down one side, starting just above the left knee. She had a satchel that hung on her left side. She was holding a pair of long, red, leather gloves in her left hand. Her skin looked pristine, not a single mole, freckle, blemish, or scar to be seen on her face. That is until she turned her head and I saw a scar that seemed to come out of the top of her left eye. I also noticed that both sides of her head were shaved nearly bald, and her long hair was pulled over to one side, which I found interesting. She waved and gave Zanataz a playful glare.

    ¡°Terrible advice. What if he was holding a sandwich? That¡¯s an unacceptable waste.¡± Zanataz said.

    ¡°True. Take the sandwich first, then throw them over.¡± The woman said, smirking. Zanataz smiled and said.

    ¡°Now you¡¯re gettin¡¯ it.¡± He winked. ¡°Leola, this is your mentor, Lanaea. She is the Aid of this ship. Unlike me, she has almost no charm. I don¡¯t envy you.¡± Lanaea chuckled and shook Leola¡¯s hand.

    ¡°A pleasure Leola.¡±

    ¡°Likewise, ma¡¯am.¡± Leola said, smiling.

    ¡°Right. With me Agies, to the bow.¡± Zanataz said. ¡°We¡¯ll leave this vixen to her sandwich snatching.¡± Lanaea gave him a mocking smile and wiggled her fingers at him as we passed her. He crept up behind Cormick and flicked his ear.

    ¡°Ow! Zanataz you gobshite!¡± Cormick yelled with a slight smile, swatting at Zanataz as he skipped away.

    ¡°Both hands on the helm or we¡¯ll crash! Come on now Cormick, I thought you knew better than this.¡± Zanataz said grinning. Cormick shook his head and we followed Zanataz down the stairs and across the deck, heading towards the bow of the ship.

    Zanataz took us past several busy crewmen until we reached the upper deck, and finally, the bow. He put his hands on his hips and looked out on the ocean. It was lovely. The gentle waves rocked the ship up and down, light from Kolob bounced and reflected off the water, and the fresh, almost salty smell of the ocean spray was pleasant.

    ¡°Zanataz, it¡¯s about time.¡± Came a voice from behind us. I turned to see a very tall woman, probably the tallest person I¡¯d ever seen.

    ¡°Whoa! You¡¯re huge!¡± Flint said. She chuckled with a one-sided smile.

    ¡°That I am.¡± She said.

    ¡°How big are you? Are you half giant?¡± Sable asked.

    ¡°Six feet, ten inches. No, I¡¯m not half giant.¡± She said simply. Six foot ten?! She¡¯s massive. Being only four foot six myself, I had to crane my head back to look up at her.

    She had a scar starting in the middle of her forehead that traveled down over her left eye, ending at the bottom of her left cheek. She also had a scar with the same angle on her right cheek, stopping an inch above her upper lip. Like Lanaea, the sides of her head were shaved short, leaving just the hair on top of her head, though her hair was pulled back into a short ponytail. Both sides of her head had designs shaved into them that looked like simple waves and mountains. She wore a loose-fitting, sleeveless shirt that showed off her toned arms and her pants were cut to just below her knees.

    Her right foot had a scar that started at the top of the arch and moved to the inside of her foot, vanishing below. Her left leg had two slash-like scars on the outside of her calf. Minor scars spotted her left arm, some looking like arrow wounds, but on her right, there was a large scar starting on the outside of her shoulder that spread down her arm and up into her neck. The more I looked at it, the more it seemed to resemble a bolt of lightning.

    ¡°¨¢nada¨ª (Aw-nuh-day), a pleasure as always.¡± Zanataz said, smirking. ¡°C¨¦¨ªrde and Flint, this is your mentor ¨¢nada¨ª.¡± He then pretended like he was whispering but spoke at regular volume. ¡°She may look lovely and approachable on the outside, but don¡¯t let that fool you.¡± ¨¢nada¨ª snickered.

    ¡°Yeah, cute and cuddly, that¡¯s me.¡± She laughed. ¡°Honored to meet you two. I look forward to jamming your heads full of useful information.¡± She gave a slight bow, which Flint and C¨¦¨ªrde returned. L¨¢nn¡¯s hand shot up. ¨¢nada¨ª pointed to her. ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Is that a lightning bolt?¡± L¨¢nn asked, pointing to her right arm. ¨¢nada¨ª glanced at it then nodded.

    ¡°It is. Picked it up from an enemy mage during the Eastern War, along with all the rest. Well, except for the two on my face. Those are from an Armored Salamander I killed during my Aging.¡± She said. We were all amazed. But none of us knew what an armored salamander was.

    ¡°Showoff.¡± Zanataz said with a sly smile.

    A man walked up next to ¨¢nada¨ª. His stance was laid back, with his hands in his pockets.

    ¡°And this physical specimen is Gathaen (Gaw-hane). He will be your mentor Sable.¡±

    Gathaen was tall but judging by his forearms and neck, he had incredible muscle tone. His shoulders, chest, and back seemed to be trying to push through his shirt, and the same was true of his legs. He had shoulder length hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. There were two scars on the right side of his face, one near the outside of his right eye, the other just below that, starting on his cheek and stopping short of his jaw. He looked serious, despite his laid back pose.

    ¡°Nice to meet you sir. I look forward to learning from you.¡± Sable said, bowing.

    Gathaen nodded and shook her hand quietly, giving her a small smile.

    ¡°Right. Well, he¡¯s not much for conversation but he¡¯s easy on the eyes.¡± Zanataz said as he passed by the two mentors, giving a playful squeeze to Gathaen¡¯s bicep. Gathaen smiled for a moment, then nodded to us and walked off.

    ¡°Don¡¯t trust her. She may be cuddly, but cute?¡± Zanataz said, pointing at ¨¢nada¨ª. She quickly stepped in his direction. He didn¡¯t flinch but froze and raised an eyebrow at her. She clapped mockingly at him.

    ¡°You managed not to jump that time. I¡¯m impressed.¡± She said. He shot her a sarcastic grin.

    ¡°Yes, well I heard that a giant¡¯s vision is based on movement so¡­¡± He said. ¨¢nada¨ª moved to punch Zanataz, who ¡®Whooped¡¯ and giggled as he ran down the stairs. He led us below deck into the galley. He pointed to a door a few feet in front of the stairs.

    ¡°That¡¯s the infirmary just in case one of you gets a splinter or something like that. Usually that¡¯s where you can find Lanaea. When she¡¯s not snatching sandwiches that is.¡± He said, smiling.

    ¡°Is that where I go to train?¡± Leola asked.

    ¡°Yes it is. And if you keep heading down that little hallway there, that big open room is the training room.¡±

    ¡°For the Guardians?¡± Jael asked. Zanataz nodded, then looked towards the kitchen.

    ¡°Cairen! (K-eye-ren)¡± Zanataz yelled. A moment later the kitchen opened, and a portly man came out, grinning.

    His thick forearms bulged as he removed a stained apron to reveal a white shirt, unlaced at the top. His pants were a colorful purple and green that tucked into his black boot. He walked with a noticeable limp in his right leg.

    As my eyes trailed down, I noticed why. He had a prosthetic leg, half wood, and half metal. No pain seemed to show on his jovial face. He pushed his curly black hair back, but a small curl defiantly dangled over his forehead. He wore some sort of thick leather bracer over his right forearm that strapped two finger like appendages to his right hand where his pinky and ring fingers were missing. He also seemed to be permanently squinting his heavily scarred right eye, which, upon closer inspection, looked to be made from black glass.

    ¡°Ah, which one of these fine lads or lassies are mine?¡± Cairen asked. Right away I noticed that he spoke differently. It was an accent I¡¯d never heard before. Then again, I didn¡¯t get out much, if at all.

    ¡°Cairen is our cook.¡± Zanataz said. ¡°William and L¨¢nn, that¡¯s you.¡± William rolled his eyes, and L¨¢nn bowed.

    ¡°Pleasure to meet you mister Cairen.¡± She said. Cairen smiled.

    ¡°Now, now young miss, I¡¯m no mister. Just Cairen will do.¡± He said, shaking her small hand. He leaned over without looking and flicked William¡¯s ear with his left hand.

    ¡°Hey!¡± William protested with a glare.

    ¡°Ooh, looks like we got a live one on our hands, don¡¯t we lass?¡± Cairen asked L¨¢nn, pointing a thumb at William. The rest of us chuckled while William continued glaring.

    ¡°How did you get your scars?¡± Sable asked. He smirked and chuckled.

    ¡°Where are you from?¡± C¨¦¨ªrde asked. From? He¡¯s Cian¨ªan, so he¡¯s from Ionad Tal¨²n right?

    ¡°Southport.¡± Cairen said with a grin. ¡°Born and bred. Ever been?¡± He asked. She shook her head.

    ¡°No. I just love languages. You have a nice accent.¡± Cairen waved a hand in front of his face, looking bashful.

    ¡°Aww young miss. Ya flatter me so.¡±

    ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t.¡± Zanataz said. Again, he held up a hand like he was whispering but spoke at regular volume. ¡°His head¡¯s big enough as is.¡± Cairen raised an eyebrow at him.

    ¡°No nicknames for me today ¡®Z¡¯?¡± Cairen asked.

    ¡°Well I figured stumps or glinty were a bit too obvious for someone with my level of wit.¡±

    ¡°That they are. What¡¯ve we settled on then?¡±

    ¡°Sweetness?¡± Zanataz asked. Cairen pursed his lips to the side, thinking, then nodded and shook hands with Zanataz.

    ¡°Most agreeable good sir.¡± They both chuckled. Zanataz seems to have a thing for nicknames, like how my brothers called me ¡®Blunder¡¯¡­ and ¡®Skitter¡¯¡­ ¡®Runt¡¯¡­

    ¡°These my Guardians?¡± Asked a man sitting at one of the tables. He had shorter hair on the sides than on top. He had four large scars across his face going through his ear, eye, and the corner of his mouth on the left side. His left ear was missing most of the top half, and his left eye was slightly clouded over, but the blue and black still showed through. He was wearing a thick long-sleeved brown jacket with brown pants and boots. The tip of his right pinky finger was missing, as well as some of his right ring finger. He had an unkempt bushy beard, except for the parts that were bald from the scars.

    ¡°That they are. Cro¨ª, Jael, and Klintock, this is Sacae (Saw-kay). He¡¯ll be your mentor for this journey.¡± Sacae gave us a big grin.

    ¡°Absolute pleasure to meet you kids. But there¡¯s a problem Zanataz.¡± Zanataz raised his eyebrow at Sacae. ¡°They¡¯re too big. You didn¡¯t leave me any work to do.¡± He said smiling as he lightly smacked Klintock¡¯s shoulder. We chuckled.

    ¡°Well, if nothing else you can teach them to play a mean hand of cards.¡± Zanataz quipped. ¡°Now Agers, restroom is this way. Follow me.¡± We waved to Cairen and Sacae as we followed Zanataz. We passed by our room and Cairen¡¯s room, then turned left around a corner to find two doors side by side. ¡°Here we are.¡± He said, pointing to the one on the right.

    ¡°Which one¡¯s the girl¡¯s restroom?¡± Jael asked.

    ¡°Neither. The one on the left is for the crew, the one on the right is for you Agers.¡± Jael looked disgusted. Zanataz continued. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. They lock and you won¡¯t be the one cleaning them anyways. Now back into the galley.¡±

    We backtracked and Zanataz rubbed his hands together with a sigh. ¡°Alright. That¡¯s it really. The rest of the ship is for the crew or for your mentors to introduce. You¡¯re welcome to explore, but it¡¯s not exactly peak entertainment. Now, all of you head off to your mentors. Keokin, with me.¡± Him and Keokin left us. The rest of the group separated, saying small goodbyes, and exchanging nervous glances until it was just Jael, Klintock and I. We all turned and looked to Sacae, as he smiled in the corner.

    ¡°Right then little ones. Follow me into the training room. I¡¯ve got something fun planned for the three of you.¡± He stood and walked out of the galley, motioning for us to follow him. We looked at each other nervously then followed him out of the galley, heading for the stairs, but passed it by and went through the small, narrow, hallway towards the bow of the ship. When we made it through the hallway into a very large open training room, we saw several smiling crewmen.

    What¡¯s going on? I don¡¯t like this.

    ¡°Right then. Who¡¯s first?¡± Sacae asked, smiling as he walked towards us. First for what? I noticed Jael and Klintock take a step back. Should I be stepping back? Is he going to fight us? Well too late now. If he¡¯s going to beat me, I¡¯d rather get it over with.

    I took a step forward. Sacae smiled. ¡°Promising. You¡¯re first.¡± He cracked his knuckles, and I clenched my fists, readying for the worst. My heart thumped against my ribcage, like it was trying to escape, and my hands only stopped shaking when I clenched them. A man to Sacae¡¯s left pulled a table and chair over to the middle of the room. Sacae sat on the chair with his elbow on the table ready to arm wrestle. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±

    I was stunned for a moment, then relieved that it looked like we weren¡¯t going to fight. I took a breath and sat down, clasping hands with Sacae. One of the men came over and put his hand on top of ours, then counted down from three, taking his hand off quickly when he said one.

    I pushed against his hand as hard as I could, every muscle in my arm straining against him. His hand barely moved at all. He smiled at me, and slowly applied more and more pressure, forcing my hand down slowly onto the table. ¡°Well, that¡¯s it, you lose. You next.¡± He pointed to Klintock.

    I always lose at arm wrestling. Even to my sisters, it¡¯s embarrassing. Klintock sat down and essentially repeated exactly what I did. ¡°You lose kid.¡± Klintock got up and Jael sat down. Sacae folded his arms, looking down on her skeptically. ¡°What¡¯re you doing?¡± She looked at him, puzzled.

    ¡°Arm wrestling?¡± Jael replied.

    ¡°You¡¯re a girl. Get out of the chair.¡± Sacae said sharply. Jael¡¯s face twisted in anger.

    ¡°Why? I have to do the same things they¡¯re going to¡­¡±

    ¡°Out!¡± Sacae yelled. Jael¡¯s eyes widened. I was angry, but terrified. I didn¡¯t understand it. If she was going to the Island with us, she should be trained with us too. Not that arm wrestling seemed like good training to begin with, but there had to be a reason for it, and Jael should be a part of it, but Sacae and the other men didn¡¯t seem to think so, and they looked incredibly intimidating. Klintock looked conflicted too, but neither of us understood what was going on, or what to say against the large man in a room full of others that seemed to back him up. Jael huffed and got out of the chair. Sacae pointed at me.

    ¡°Sit.¡± I feared Sacae. The way he looked was horrifying, and the look in his eyes was intense. I sat down. ¡°Come on!¡± He waved his large hands, motioning for me to put my hand up. I hesitated.

    He reached across the table and slapped me. It was so fast. I felt dazed for a moment, shaking, then the pain of the slap hit. It wasn¡¯t bad, but it was coupled with a fear and anger at Sacae. I don¡¯t like this. I don¡¯t want to obey, but what can I do against him and the others behind him? I didn¡¯t understand what was going on.

    He slapped me again. I recoiled. Just do it. If I do it, he¡¯ll leave me alone. Then something Bacta said rung in my head. I had been crying after wrestling him and my other brothers all day to no avail. I was infuriated by my weakness. Bacta noticed and comforted me.

    ¡°You¡¯re not as strong as me, no matter how many times we do this you won¡¯t beat me, at least not until you get older maybe. But one thing you have right now is your brain. Use it as much as you can. Think of a way to beat me. Find out the rules and work around their edges. That¡¯s how you¡¯ll beat me.¡±

    I put my hand up into Sacae¡¯s. Again, the other man counted down from three. This time instead of pushing against his hand, I pulled mine towards the table. He wasn¡¯t expecting this and slammed my hand into the table. As soon as my hand hit, I got up and moved next to Jael, ignoring the throbbing pain in my knuckles.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Sacae shouted. ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°I lost.¡± I replied. Jael let out a small huff of laughter. He glared at us both then pointed to me.

    ¡°Teach him a lesson about giving up.¡± Three of the men came around and grabbed my arms, tugging me aside. I struggled uselessly, terrified of what was going to happen. Sacae pointed at Klintock. ¡°Sit and be serious.¡± Klintock glared at him.

    Sacae nodded at the man on my right who moved in front of me and punched me in the stomach. The air in my lungs was forced out and my legs buckled, dropping me to my hands and knees. I couldn¡¯t breathe. Five seconds passed before I was able to gasp. I struggled against the two men who renewed their hold on me, trying to get some part of me free so I could run away. I flexed as I saw the next hit coming. Flexing helped, but not much. I still lost my air and leg function and had to fight a near uncontrollable urge to vomit. I dry heaved once but managed to take deep breaths to calm my body. Klintock squinted, head down. He started turning to sit at the table.

    ¡°No.¡± I whispered. Klintock turned to me. I glared at him and repeated. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Sit, or I¡¯ll make it worse.¡± Sacae pointed to Jael. Three men behind her grabbed onto her and pushed her to her knees. ¡°If you don¡¯t sit down now¡­¡± He left the threat open ended. Klintock looked back at us, his eyes wide with fear and concern. He looked like he was looking for direction, or maybe permission.

    Use your head. How do you get out of this? I sat there on my hands and knees looking around at the situation. Nobody has hold of me. If I can at least get Jael free, then maybe her and Klintock can make a run for it. I don¡¯t know where they would go, but I don¡¯t think Edorin would approve of this. Maybe he will help us.

    I looked up, making eye contact with Klintock. I tried to convey my intent with just my look of momentary determination. I wasn¡¯t sure if he would get it but if I did anything more, Sacae or one of the men would notice.

    I sprinted, launching myself at the men holding down Jael, mostly the one on her right. If I got rid of him, she would have a clear shot for the door. The man didn¡¯t see me coming and I dove shoulder first into his hip, roaring a small battle cry as I did. Jael jumped to her feet and moved towards the galley. Klintock dove at the man nearest to her, tackling him from behind.

    ¡°Go!¡± Klintock yelled to her. The man I had tackled wrestled on top of me and pinned me down effortlessly. Jael was grabbed before she could get through the hallway and was pulled back into the room. Klintock was also subdued. Sacae pushed the table aside in anger and rushed over to me.

    ¡°You think you¡¯re brave? You accomplished nothing. We still have all three of you.¡± He¡¯s right. Nothing changed. Why? What¡¯s the point of all this?

    ¡°Captain!¡± I yelled desperately, trying to summon Edorin. Sacae put his big left hand on my throat and pulled his right up into a fist. ¡°You two watch closely. I¡¯ll show your friend how to take a punch or two.¡±

    I closed my eyes. I didn¡¯t want to see it coming. I felt Sacae move, then I felt a soft patting on the side of my face. I slowly opened my eyes to see him smiling over me. ¡°Well done.¡± He stood up and started clapping. The rest of the men in the room whooped and clapped along with him. I looked around stunned. Klintock and Jael were glancing around, mouths open.

    ¡°What?...¡± I started. He held his hand out for me to take.

    ¡°You three are promising. Very promising, I have to say. I didn¡¯t expect it to be that quick.¡±

    ¡°Expect what?¡± I fumbled out. He bent down and grabbed my hand, pulling me to my feet, then walked back over to the table and sat down. The men put out three chairs across from him and left the room. Sacae motioned for us to sit, pointing Jael to the chair in the middle and putting his arm up.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you all about it. But first, it¡¯s time for me and the lady to arm wrestle.¡±

 Chapter 10

    We all sat down tentatively. I rubbed my stomach and face for a second. Then Jael put her arm up.

    ¡°Would either one of you mind?¡± Sacae asked, pointing to his and Jael¡¯s interlocked fingers. Klintock reached up and did the countdown. Sacae won but took his time as he had done with Klintock and me. ¡°So. I¡¯m sure you have questions about what just transpired.¡± I don¡¯t. I don¡¯t care at all. I just want to be left alone.

    ¡°Yeah, what the Saol?¡± Jael said angrily, arms crossed.

    ¡°It was a test. One that all of you passed with flying colors.¡± Sure. Whatever.

    ¡°What test?¡± Klintock questioned.

    ¡°I¡¯ll explain. First, was to see if you would back down from me, as I am a menacing figure. You two backed away, but only a step or two. You.¡± He nodded in my direction. ¡°Actually stepped towards me, which was interesting.¡± He said, pointing at me. ¡°Then I introduced an arbitrary divide, one that you would be pressured into following by me and the men behind me. Separating out¡­¡± He held his hand out towards Jael.

    ¡°Jael.¡± She said.

    ¡°Jael here, because she¡¯s a woman. It¡¯s silly enough that you would both see the lack of reason to it, but innocuous enough that you would be tempted to go along with it given the pressure of your mentor and a room full of rough looking men. Ordinarily when I do this, it takes the Agers a few times arm wrestling before they speak up or push back in some way. But¡­¡± He motioned towards me.

    I just glanced at him, then looked off across the room. I was too angry, confused, and hurt to talk to him. Even if it was a ¡®test¡¯ I got genuinely punched and slapped several times. I felt betrayed. We trusted this crew to deliver us safely to the Islands, and to train us to survive. This was just cruel. Klintock spoke for me.

    ¡°Cro¨ª, and I¡¯m Klintock.¡±

    ¡°Cro¨ª? Are you a Geal?¡± How did he know that?

    ¡°Yes. How did¡­¡± I started.

    ¡°I knew Seal¨ª and R¨ªger.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± I said, surprised.

    Did he go through the Aging with them? How did he know them? And besides that, how would he know my last name just from knowing my first? Unless he was their friend maybe and had heard about me through them. Maybe he is trustworthy if he knows my family. I felt conflicted. Betrayed, but now that he was possibly a family friend, I felt a budding happiness. I wanted to hear tales he had of my family.

    ¡°Right. Cro¨ª here retaliated immediately, and the way he did it was smart. He didn¡¯t try to win like others have done, or just refuse. He took part, but in a way that made me feel small for doing what I did, and Klintock backed him up when the resolution was made not to participate. Even when Cro¨ª was on the floor, Klintock stuck with it at Cro¨ª¡¯s behest. Cro¨ª showed strong protective instinct when he broke Jael free. Exactly what we need in a Guardian. Jael showed a strong sense of situational awareness when she ran for the door, because a Guardian¡¯s goal is to keep everybody alive, but if the chips are down, to save as many as possible. Jael understood and tried not to waste the opportunity Cro¨ª provided. Klintock backed up Cro¨ª getting Jael out of a bad situation. All in all, I¡¯m impressed.¡±

    ¡°I guess that makes sense. Testing to see how we would react under stress.¡± Klintock said.

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m still mad though.¡± Jael seconded. I just stared off at a chair in the corner, confused, hurt, and curious, not knowing what to do or think.

    ¡°Right.¡± Sacae clapped his hands together as he stood and moved the table aside. ¡°Time to get some training in. Hand to hand combat.¡± My nose twitched with anger a few times as I got to my feet with the others. I hate this, can we just talk about Seal¨ª and R¨ªger? Sacae paired Jael with Klintock, using me to demonstrate techniques and moves for them to try on each other.

    They were grappling moves, some I¡¯d practiced with my brothers, some were new, but all were uncomfortable. Whenever he would say ¡®just let me know when you can¡¯t take it.¡¯ when applying pressure to my joints, I found it to be against my nature to say it, or to show him the satisfaction of my pain. This led to him being more and more forceful with the moves and holds.

    This continued, move after move, and throw after throw for the next four hours. At first, I was just uncomfortable, now I was in pain. My joints were throbbing, and my muscles were sore from being tossed on the hardwood floor repeatedly

    I felt more powerless than I¡¯d felt in a long time. Being thrown around like a small child by Sacae at the amusement of Klintock and Jael was humiliating, especially with my emotions still raw from the ¡®test¡¯ Sacae had given us.

    What¡¯s the point? Grappling? I can¡¯t even grapple Sacae. What good is that against a giant spider?! Or a tree that paralyzes you?! Or those worms that hide in the ground and engulf you? Absolutely nothing. There is no point to learning any of this. At least the training I got with my brothers seemed useful. How to move quickly, being accurate with projectiles, wrestling, with a focus on striking, or breaking weak points to bring down larger foes.

    A bell rang out, loud and clear four times, with pauses after the first and third ring.

    ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡± Klintock asked panting as Jael flipped him over her shoulder one last time with a smile.

    ¡°That is the bell. It rings in many ways, for several different things, but that pattern means supper is ready. That means we are done for the day. Go and eat.¡±

    Jael and Klintock exclaimed with joy and started running towards the galley. I waited for Sacae to leave, panting on my hands and knees. He followed them without a second glance towards me. Once I was able to catch my breath, I went up onto the deck instead of heading to the galley.

    Finally, I was out of that situation. I felt a deep desire to find a hiding place, somewhere to be unseen. I searched the ship thoroughly. Then remembered something I¡¯d seen when we first approached the Pony. As I moved quickly and quietly up onto the quarterdeck in the far back left corner, and looked over, I saw it. There was a shelf of sorts about eight feet down. People wouldn¡¯t even notice if they were right above me.

    Climbing down was easy, and I could sit cross legged and just gaze out onto the seemingly endless ocean as Kolob set. I was finally content. I wasn¡¯t visible from any point on the ship. Not even the Captain¡¯s quarters. I did my best to let the events of the past few days fade away while I felt the movement of the ship.

    I couldn¡¯t help but be pestered by memories of the ¡®training¡¯ Sacae had inflicted, and the added cruelty of Klintock and Jael¡¯s amusement. I don¡¯t understand why they are being so cruel. Was William, right? Did I make a mistake keeping that pack? I sighed heavily and did my best to push all the thoughts out of my mind.

    I replaced the thoughts with memories of home. Memories of my family. They were cruel to me sometimes, true, but they were far better than Sacae. They always apologized when they saw they had hurt me. I was also mad at Edorin for sticking me with Sacae. I was close to tears but fought them back.

    Eventually, I could hear sailors that had finished their meals moving around on the deck and chatting. I got nervous when they would get close but learned to ignore them.

    ¡°Zanataz sir?¡± Keokin¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Keokin ma boy, what can I do for ya?¡± He seemed to sigh as he was speaking.

    ¡°Have you seen Cro¨ª? I¡¯ve been searching for him for a bit, but I haven¡¯t been able to find him. He never showed up in the galley.¡± There was a pause before Zanataz replied.

    ¡°I did see him wandering the decks seemingly looking for something just before I went to the galley, but I haven¡¯t seen him in a while. Figured he went below.¡± Keokin sighed before replying.

    ¡°Very well, thank you Zanataz sir.¡±

    ¡°No problem. If you can¡¯t find him within the next few minutes, get ahold of the Captain and let him know what¡¯s going on. If he¡¯s gone overboard, we need to know now. I¡¯ll help you look.¡±

    ¡°I will. Thank you again sir.¡± I heard Zanataz walk away, and Keokin walking all over the quarter deck. He occasionally called my name, but I didn¡¯t answer. I didn¡¯t want him to find my hiding spot. I waited for him to leave, then I snuck back up onto the quarter deck and followed the sound of him calling for me, passing by and waving at Zanataz who seemed to sigh with relief.

    ¡°Cro¨ª! Oh, thank the Gods. I was worried about you. Did you get anything to eat? L¨¢nn, William, and Cairen cooked up some delicious fish with rolls and vegetables.¡± I shook my head.

    ¡°No. I was tired, so I went and sat down.¡± It was partially true, but still technically a lie.

    ¡°Where? I searched the whole ship for you at least twice.¡± I felt guilty for scaring him and lying.

    ¡°I moved around a few times, must¡¯ve just missed me. I came when I heard you calling for me.¡±

    ¡°Funny how that happens sometimes. Well, come on, let¡¯s get you some food.¡± He turned around and walked towards the galley. I sighed heavily and followed him, feeling the ache of my body. As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I heard Jael and Leola giving William a hard time.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you complained so much Will, you¡¯re a natural home maker.¡± Leola jested.

    ¡°And I bet you look fantastic in an apron.¡± Jael said laughing.

    ¡°Shut your traps you harpies!¡± William yelled back through their giggles. ¡°And don¡¯t call me Will. It¡¯s William.¡± They just laughed and nibbled on the last of their food. I took a small plate but noticed that there wasn¡¯t much room where the group was sitting unless I asked William to move. I didn¡¯t want any more conflict, so I glanced around to make sure nobody was paying attention and slipped up on deck and ate sitting against the railing.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    The food was particularly good. Well-cooked and well-seasoned. A small happiness to hold up against the terrible day. Eventually I finished and brought the dishes back down.

    ¡°Where¡¯d you go?¡± Leola¡¯s sudden question startled me.

    ¡°Up on deck. Just wanted a bit of air.¡± I said. She nodded.

    ¡°That makes sense. We¡¯re trying our hand at some card games with Cairen. Wanna join?¡± The offer was only tempting because it was from Leola. Her smile seemed to lift my spirits just enough to think participating might be enjoyable.

    ¡°Yeah sure. Lead the way.¡± I said. She smiled and walked a few feet over to the room we were staying in and opened the door, motioning for me to go inside. I went inside to the sound of ruckus laughter.

    ¡°Well youngins, I win again.¡± Cairen stated proudly, still sporting a mischievous wry grin as he slapped a hand of five cards on the floor.

    ¡°You¡¯re cheating, you must be. Nobody¡¯s that lucky.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde said, a slight jesting smile on her lips. Cairen laughed as he collected the cards.

    ¡°Play me again lass, and we¡¯ll see how my luck holds.¡± He split the deck in half and shuffled the cards together.

    ¡°Can Cro¨ª and me join in?¡± Leola asked. Cairen looked up at us and nodded with a smile.

    ¡°Of course lass, the more the merrier.¡± He motioned for us to sit in a circle with C¨¦¨ªrde, William and L¨¢nn. Klintock, Flint, Sable and Jael were in their own circle. I sat down next to Leola.

    I felt nervous, not just nervous being included in the group, but something about being close to Leola like this gave me a strange feeling in my stomach, like the one I¡¯d had the first time I saw Sable. Cairen flipped the top card face down towards C¨¦¨ªrde and went counterclockwise around the circle until there were three cards for everyone. I reached down to pick up the cards.

    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t pick them up just yet.¡± Leola said.

    ¡°Yeah leaky, haven¡¯t you ever played three five before?¡± A biting comment from William. Cairen shushed him.

    ¡°Now now, William. His name is Cro¨ª. If you don¡¯t call him by his proper name, I¡¯ll have to work with Zanataz on a nasty little name for you and pass it around.¡± William glared at Cairen and huffed, rolling his eyes. ¡°Now Cro¨ª ma boy, have you ever played three five before?¡± I shook my head slightly. ¡°Not a bother at all lad. Let me explain the rules. Practice round everybody.¡± He explained the rules of the game to me and showed me examples of what worked and what didn¡¯t.

    It seems simple but figuring out the turns might take a second or two to get used to. Sounds like it could be a fun game though. We finished the practice round.

    ¡°Got a grasp on it lad?¡± Cairen asked.

    ¡°Yeah, I think I got it.¡± I said. He grabbed all our cards back, shuffled them, then dealt them to us.

    We played the game for the next hour or two. Cairen and Leola won most of the time, but I won the first game. The rest was split between William and C¨¦¨ªrde. I lost most often but was awfully close a lot of the time.

    Eventually we started to get tired, and Cairen grabbed the cards and left, thanking us for playing. It was too late for C¨¦¨ªrde to teach us anything about Common, so we got into our bedding. I turned over to face the wall, trying to enjoy remembering the card game and being able to sit close to Leola like that.

    Leola, L¨¢nn, and Sable were chatting on their end. Klintock and Jael were talking about the grappling moves. They had learned many from training before coming but were happy to learn a few new ones. William argued with C¨¦¨ªrde about the importance of arm wrestling after hearing from Klintock and Jael about how our session with Sacae went.

    ¡°Arm wrestle me!¡± William yelled at Jael and Klintock. I heard them getting on the floor and counting down. There was a struggle for a moment then the sound of a hand hitting the floor. William grunted in victory and Jael cursed under her breath. ¡°Your turn Klintock.¡± Klintock and William got on the floor and Jael counted down. This time the struggle lasted much longer, but was met with the same result, William cheering his victory. I heard a few steps then a hand shaking me. I turned over to see William smirking confidently at me. ¡°Cro¨ª. Arm wrestle me.¡± I sighed and shook my head.

    ¡°No.¡± His look turned to anger.

    ¡°Why not?¡± He questioned. I sat up and sighed.

    ¡°I¡¯m tired William, and I don¡¯t want to. Now please leave me be.¡±

    ¡°Come on Cro¨ª, what¡¯s the matter? Scared I¡¯ll beat you?¡± He taunted. I sighed and glared at him, angry from the day¡¯s events, and him messing with me again.

    ¡°I¡¯m not scared. There¡¯s just no point to it and I don¡¯t want to do it, not with you.¡± He glared at me and lowered his chin. I rolled my eyes and tried to lay back down. He pulled me back up, startling me.

    ¡°No point? How about proving that you¡¯re more than a scared little mouse for once you skitterbrook!¡± I clenched my jaw against the insult.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to prove to you William. Leave me alone alright?¡± His anger turned cold. I barely saw him ball up his fist before he struck, hitting me in the left cheek, sending my head back into the wall. He grabbed my hair and pulled me forward striking me in the jaw.

    My vision was blurred, and every time he hit me, my vision blinked black and white for a moment. He hit me a third time on the left side of my nose and cheek. Klintock and Jael grabbed him and pulled him from me. He kicked me in the stomach as a final parting shot. I didn¡¯t feel it very much because of the spinning in my head.

    My hands came up to hold my head. Trying in vain to quiet the ringing and halt the throbbing.

    Ow. Why me? What is it with people wanting to beat me? Is it my face? My attitude? Is it just because he wants my pack? Why? I felt someone pull me up into a sitting position. Something tickling in my left nostril and then ran down my lips. I reached up and touched under my nose then looked at my hand. I¡¯m bleeding!

    ¡°Are you ok?¡± Leola? I felt so embarrassed. Embarrassed that she saw me get thrashed. Embarrassed that I was so weak. I pushed myself to my feet, wobbling as I went for the door.

    ¡°Cro¨ª, wait we need to stop the bleeding.¡± Leola called after me as I opened the door.

    ¡°That¡¯s right! Run-away cowa¡­¡± William¡¯s comment was cut short by Klintock¡¯s fist and Jael¡¯s yell.

    ¡°Keep your mouth shut before more shite falls out! What¡¯s wrong with you?!¡± I moved into the galley, heading for my hiding spot. There were two sailors sitting at a table with Cairen playing cards. Cairen¡¯s eyes went wide as he saw my hand covering my nose and mouth with blood dripping from it. I felt even more embarrassed and just tried to move past them with a slight nod like nothing had happened. Leola caught up with me and put her hand on my shoulder.

    ¡°Cro¨ª wait.¡± Her hand was gentle, the first comfort I¡¯d felt since I said goodbye to Kixas. I wanted to stop, but I didn¡¯t like feeling like an idiot. It would probably be dumber for me to leave now. Besides, I need this bleeding to stop, or I¡¯ll have to mop it all up. I swallowed the blood that had backed up into my throat from my pinched off nose.

    ¡°What¡¯s this now?¡± Cairen asked. Leola tugged on my shoulder slightly, pulling me towards a chair.

    ¡°Will happened.¡± She replied as she sat me down. I couldn¡¯t look them in the eyes. I noticed that my hands were shaking, and my breathing was heavy but didn¡¯t know what to do about it.

    Leola rolled up some gauze and pulled on my hand trying to get it away from my face. ¡°It¡¯s ok Cro¨ª, let me look at it.¡± I slowly and shakily let my hand off my nose. The blood I had held back by pinching it flowed freely now. Leola put the rolled gauze into my nostril. I winced from the slight pain and uncomfortable feeling. Once that was done, she wiped up the blood that had run down my mouth and chin. Cairen had set his cards down, and gotten a pan of water for her to wash her rag and to keep the used gauze in.

    ¡°There ya go lass. He¡¯ll be just fine. Give the young sir a bit of time and he¡¯ll be brand new. Doesn¡¯t look like the nose were broke, thank goodness. Pardon me a moment will ya?¡± Cairen asked as he walked into our room, telling everyone but William to leave for a moment.

    ¡°Hey, keep your head still ok.¡± Leola said as she pulled my face back towards her. I nodded, happy to have an excuse to keep my eyes on her for a moment. C¨¦¨ªrde and Sable came over to check on me.

    ¡°How''s he doin¡¯ doc? Is he gonna live?¡± Sable jested, she glanced at me to make sure I was in the mood to jest. I smiled at her. Leola chuckled.

    ¡°He¡¯s fine. Just bruised and dazed. Soon as the blood stops, he¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Glad to hear it.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde said, putting a timid hand on my cheek for a second and smiling. Again, I got a strange feeling in my stomach. What is that feeling? Like butterflies or standing on a high place. It¡¯s weird¡­ She¡¯s really pretty though.

    ¡°Cro¨ª. I¡¯m sorry we didn¡¯t get to him faster.¡± I glanced over to see Jael and Klintock. They looked ashamed. Why? They hadn¡¯t cared when Sacae was tossing me around earlier. Klintock put his hand on my shoulder. My muscles tensed and I nearly shrugged his hand off.

    ¡°We¡¯re sorry Cro¨ª. That was uncalled for. If he ever hurts you again, let us know immediately. We got your back. Guardians need to stick together.¡± The look in his eyes was earnest. Maybe they didn¡¯t notice I was in pain earlier. I was trying to hide it so Sacae wouldn¡¯t have the satisfaction. Maybe I hid it from them too?

    ¡°Really? I can count on you guys?¡± I asked. They both nodded.

    ¡°No matter what. Shield brothers and sister.¡± Klintock replied. Jael smiled. They¡¯re sincere. They were the first ones to get to William. They also stood up for me when William tried to take my pack the first time. Even if Jael sided with him during the verbal debate for a time. Shield brother. Shield sister. I like the sound of that.

    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll look out for you guys too.¡± They nodded and patted me on the back. Everyone but me and Leola went over to the other sailors and played cards. Leola sat with me.

    ¡°How are you feeling Cro¨ª?¡± I glanced at her.

    ¡°My head and my cheek kinda hurt, but not too bad.¡±

    ¡°No, I mean. How are you feeling? You seem unhappy. It¡¯s my job to look after everybody¡¯s mental and physical health, remember? I know it¡¯s a weird time, but I figure while we¡¯re together relatively out of earshot, I would check in with you.¡± She tilted her head and raised her brows at me with a smile.

    I don¡¯t want to talk about it. I don¡¯t want to be seen as weak. I looked over at the others. They were making enough noise and were far enough away that they couldn¡¯t overhear me. If I were to talk to anyone it would be Leola, but what should I say? I opened my mouth, then closed it. ¡°Come on Cro¨ª. You can tell me.¡± She urged. I sighed.

    ¡°I just¡­ miss home. That¡¯s all. I¡¯m fine.¡± She squinted her left eye, lifting her right eyebrow at me skeptically.

    ¡°Are you sure? You¡¯ve been having a rough time lately, is that all that¡¯s been bothering you?¡± I took a deep breath. I just can¡¯t talk about it. What if I start crying or something like that? Or she thinks I¡¯m stupid for being bothered by stuff that didn¡¯t seem to bother Klintock or Jael during training?

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m fine. Thanks though.¡± I winced as I tried to smile, reaching up to hold my jaw. It felt loose and uncomfortable on the left side.

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll leave it alone for now. But just know I¡¯m here if you need to talk, ok?¡± I nodded.

    ¡°Thank you, Leola. I appreciate it.¡± The door opened and Cairen led William out by his hair.

    ¡°Go on then.¡± He prodded William. William glared angrily back at him, to which Cairen promptly smacked the back of his head, hard. William groaned then looked at me.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Cairen grabbed William¡¯s ear.

    ¡°Like we practiced William.¡± He said sternly as he twisted it.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for punching you Cro¨ª. You didn¡¯t deserve it and I was being jealous and stupid.¡± Cairen nodded.

    ¡°Better. Now, time for you youngins to get some shut eye. You too young sir, once that bleeding stops.¡± He let go of William¡¯s ear and they all went back in the room. I turned to Leola.

    ¡°If you¡¯re tired, you can get some sleep. I¡¯ll be fine now. I¡¯ve had a bloody nose before, and the daze has worn off.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure Cro¨ª? I¡¯m fine waiting out here with you.¡± I wanted her to stay, but I also wanted to be left alone. Besides, she needs her rest. Gotta watch out for the group.

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll be fine. The headache and soreness are the worst of it now. You head in with the others. Make sure you¡¯re there for the next time Will loses it.¡± She chuckled, shaking her head and pursing her lips.

    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. Let me know if you need anything Cro¨ª.¡± I smiled and nodded. She packed up her things.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about cleaning. I¡¯ll handle that.¡± I grabbed the pan and started walking up the stairs.

    ¡°Ever the gentleman. Thanks, Cro¨ª.¡± She said. I nodded and smiled, headed up on deck. Feeling happy after she called me a gentleman, and just to be helping her.

    I used a bucket and some rope to bring up some water. Sitting down with it, I washed the pan and rags. When I was satisfied, I dumped the water out and rinsed the bucket. I plopped down on the deck and leaned against the railing, rubbing my cheek and jaw.

    I¡¯d taken beatings like this before from my brothers, but I usually learned a lot more from it, and thinking back on it, they weren¡¯t this rough with me. This was just painful. The physical pain was bad. The mental pain of being punched and slapped by people I thought I could trust like Sacae, for seemingly no reason, just stuck in my head. If nothing else, at least I know that the group would help if I needed it. Wait, I¡¯m the Guardian. I¡¯m supposed to protect them. Will I be able to when the time comes? Like Klintock and Jael did for me tonight? I sighed and looked up at the stars for a while before heading back down to bed.

 Chapter 11

    I woke before any of the others and set about my routine. I quickly changed, then took my hygiene stuff to the restroom, caring for my teeth and hair. Then I got something to eat. My soreness had recovered slightly, which I was glad for.

    One hour later, Keokin roused the others from their sleep. The boys groggily went to the restroom, clothes and hygiene implements in hand, before coming back up to grab food. The girls stayed behind to change then they went to the restroom to finish their hygiene. The boys sat and ate, chatting with each other as the girls came back up to join them. Once they were done, we set out to our respective mentors. It was easy for Klintock, Jael and I because our training room was in the next room.

    ¡°Good morning, Guardians. Let¡¯s get straight to work. Same partners as yesterday. Today we will be introducing some long throws and a few more interesting holds. First, any questions about any of the holds yesterday?¡± Jael raised her hand. ¡°Come now girl, you don¡¯t need to do that here. Just don¡¯t talk over me and we¡¯ll be fine.¡± She nodded.

    ¡°I had a question about the arm bar. Once you have them on the ground and you¡¯re holding their arm, do both legs go over their chest? Or do you put one leg on their neck?¡±

    ¡°Good question. Cro¨ª, if you wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± I sighed. I really would mind. Can¡¯t it be someone else for a change? As soon as I was within reach, Sacae grappled me to the ground. My head hit the floor and I squinted, groaning in pain as my headache grew but was quieted by Sacae¡¯s calf covering my mouth as he pulled my arm into position, using his pelvis to apply pressure on my elbow.

    I resisted tapping him for as long as I could while he talked to Jael about the move and why your legs went where they went. She watched with interest, then noticed my face.

    ¡°I think you¡¯re hurting Cro¨ª.¡± He eased up slightly before responding.

    ¡°Nonsense. Cro¨ª knows to tap out if he can¡¯t handle the pain. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± He released me and pulled me to my feet. I rubbed my arm. ¡°Now, a far throw. For this one, you will need to put a fair bit of force behind the throw to get any kind of distance. I¡¯m just going to execute the throw first so you all can watch.¡±

    He turned towards me. This is gonna suck. He grabbed my right arm and, before I really knew what was happening, He pulled me in and used my momentum combined with his tight spin, throwing me onto his back than pushed up with his hips, flinging me over his shoulder and tossed me through the air. I landed hard on my back and left shoulder.

    I laid there for a second, waiting for the pain to subside. Feeling my right shoulder throb from the force of the throw. Ow...ow...ow...ok I¡¯m good. I got up slowly, realizing I¡¯d been thrown at least twelve feet. I rolled my right arm and walked back. Jael and Klintock had expressions of concern on their faces. Jael had moved closer to me, probably to come check on me. I held up a hand to say ¡®I¡¯m fine, didn¡¯t hurt¡¯ putting on a stoic face. Sacae grabbed my arm and did it again when I got closer, but this time slower, so Jael and Klintock could see.

    ¡°The key to it is using the opponent¡¯s momentum in tandem with your own to allow both of you to spin quickly, like a top.¡± He pulled me in like before, then soon enough I was off the ground, he was leaning forward to counterbalance the weight.

    He set me down for a moment to explain the next part. ¡°Once you¡¯ve done that you must push your hip back into theirs while slightly crouched.¡± He pushed his hip into mine, forcing me to lie on his back with my feet dangling. ¡°At the same time, pull their arm over your shoulder and use that as a fulcrum point, but make sure that their shoulder is even with yours or it will just break the arm.¡±

    He demonstrated the wrong place to put the arm, causing me pain as my joints and bones bent, then put my shoulder even with his. ¡°Once their weight is over you, lean forward, jump and pull their arm at an angle, and it will throw them over you.¡± He followed through with the move. This time I only flipped over his back and flopped on the ground four feet in front of him. ¡°All of this has to be done very quickly or they won¡¯t be thrown as far. Now you two try it a few times, nice and slow.¡±

    This, I learned from yesterday, was my favorite part of these lessons. Sacae would go over and give direction to Jael and Klintock, leaving me standing off to the side. I would use this time to try and control my breathing or recover from the pain as much as possible before the next demonstration.

    Jael took naturally to the move, as it built on her favorite move from yesterday¡¯s lesson called ¡®looking from the window¡¯.

    The window move was done when the attacker was trying to put a choke hold on the victim from behind. The victim was to grab the arms of the attacker and crouch slightly to get them to lean forward. The victim would then lean forward and to the right as quickly as they could while pushing their hips back into the attacker. Then the victim would swing their body hard to the left. It was a simple move, but when done correctly, it would throw the attacker off their feet and plop them on their back in front of the victim.

    This was basically just an advanced version of that move, so Jael loved it. Klintock on the other hand yelled out as he was thrown through the air.

    ¡°Again! Let¡¯s do it again!¡± Jael exclaimed excitedly. Klintock groaned, taking a moment to get back up. Sacae motioned to me.

    ¡°Come on Cro¨ª.¡± I walked over, holding my arm out. Jael looked at me skeptically, then back to Klintock. She was nervous to put me through more pain.

    I remembered talking to them last night. Their concern for me. I had thought they were cruel or uncaring during training yesterday, but now I knew better. They weren¡¯t William, or Sacae. They were my shield Brother and Sister.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can take it.¡± I reassured her.

    ¡°If you¡¯re sure¡­¡± She raised an eyebrow at me. I nodded. She smiled, satisfied with my reply, and took my hand, twirling me around and throwing me through the air. It wasn¡¯t as bad as when Sacae did it, she was being as soft as she could with me, I was grateful. Next Klintock tried it. First on Jael a few times, waiting to throw her until he was sure he had the form just right, then he threw me.

    ¡°Alright then. One last demonstration on this move and then it¡¯s on to other throws. This time I¡¯m going to use full force to show how far you could throw your opponent. You¡¯re ok with that right Cro¨ª? Or should I ask for a volunteer?¡± The last one wasn¡¯t that terrible. Besides, if I¡¯m to be a proper shield brother. I¡¯ll take this hit for them. I¡¯ll be fine.

    I nodded. He motioned for me to come forward. As soon as I was in range he grabbed and spun me. This time he was much faster, spinning me three times before executing the maneuver with much more vigor.

    I felt tremendous pull and strain on my shoulder as I was launched, then was disoriented as I flipped end over end through the air and felt the familiar dull thud as I bounced off the floor, flipping over and rolling across the floor.

    It took a bit for the vertigo to wear off and for me to realize I was face down. Ow¡­ ow¡­ ow¡­ I pushed myself up onto my hands and knees, wincing and gasping as my right shoulder gave out on me a little bit. I looked around and noticed that Jael and Klintock were in between me and Sacae, jaws dropped. He had thrown me over both of them.

    There was a strange tickling sensation coming from my lip. I recognized it from what happened last night. I reached up and touched it to see a small amount of blood. I felt the same tickling from my right elbow. Klintock and Jael rushed over to help me as I was getting to my feet.

    ¡°Are you ok?¡± Klintock asked, worried. Jael seconded, but she was also smiling in amazement. I nodded.

    ¡°Yeah. Just a few scrapes.¡±

    ¡°You went right over us! That was amazing!¡± Jael exclaimed. That¡¯s one word for it.

    ¡°Now you see the full power and use of the move. Come on Cro¨ª, the next move will be a lot easier, don¡¯t worry.¡± I nodded, walking back in to get thrown across the room or slammed into the floor time after time. When it started taking me a bit to get up from the pain, Jael and Klintock got worried.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s getting a bit rough for Cro¨ª, so we¡¯ll move into a few more grapple holds. We¡¯ll focus a bit more on the legs and torso this time.¡± He showed Jael and Klintock many more new moves, pulling and twisting on my limbs and joints, wrenching my spine, and squeezing on my ribs. I felt like every time he did it, he was seconds away from snapping my bones, or popping my joints out of place.

    Eventually, covered in sweat and new bruises, I couldn¡¯t deal with the pain anymore and tapped out on a particularly painful leg hold. He pushed slightly harder, and I felt a small pop from one of my tendons before he let go. As soon as the leg straightened out the tendon popped back into place, and I lay there gritting my teeth and quietly hissing in a breath against the pain. Jael noticed and came over.

    ¡°Cro¨ª are you alright?¡± The pain subsided enough that I could move.

    ¡°Yeah, sure, just getting tired. Thanks Jael.¡± She helped me to my feet, looking very skeptical. I chuckled and patted her on the shoulder with a smile, putting everything I had into faking it. Finally, the bell rang, telling us it was late afternoon. Time to take a two-hour break.

    ¡°Well would you look at that? Eight hours goes by in the blink of an eye now, doesn¡¯t it? Off you go kids. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± Sacae walked out of the room.

    Klintock and Jael toweled off as they talked about the new moves they¡¯d learned. I grabbed my towel, shaking from exhaustion and pain. My right shoulder was having some difficulty lifting the towel at first. Jael caught me on my way over to the stairs.

    ¡°Hey. If you want, me or Klintock can be the dummy tomorrow. You¡¯re probably not learning too much just getting tossed around like that, and I bet it¡¯s pretty painful.¡± I thought about it for a moment. It would be nice to have a reprieve, and it would be nice if it was one of them that suggested it, because then it wouldn¡¯t look like I couldn¡¯t handle it.

    The thought of Sacae twisting Jael or Klintock like he had me until they were aching with pain and begging for mercy just didn¡¯t sit right. I didn¡¯t want them to experience this. I¡¯d rather it happen to me than them. Besides. I told them I would look out for them, watch their backs. I¡¯m their shield brother.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m only tired and hungry. Don¡¯t worry about it, you two just learn as much as you can. Don¡¯t let my pain go to waste. I got a lot of this from my older brothers.¡± She didn¡¯t look entirely convinced.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Sure, that I don¡¯t want to see either of you writhing in agony? Yes.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure. No big deal.¡± I patted her on the shoulder and walked up the stairs to the main deck.

    Ocean air filled my lungs. I took four deep breaths then went and leaned over a railing, looking down into the ocean.

    Only been traveling two and a half days now. Maybe if I jump in, I could swim¡­ I cut the thoughts short. Don¡¯t be stupid. You¡¯ve got at least three more months of this heading your way, and it¡¯s only going to get worse. Toughen up or you¡¯ll be useless to the rest of the group. And if I want to keep Jael and Klintock safe, I¡¯ll have to keep this to myself.

    I felt my right shoulder, the joint hurt, but the muscle in front was ok. The muscle behind it, however, was painful to the touch. I pulled up my sleeve to reveal puffy bright red skin. Some of the red was dark, like blood but muted as it was beneath the skin. That¡¯s going to look lovely tomorrow.

    Judging by the feeling of many other parts of my body, I had several of these bruises. I pulled the sleeve back down and took a heavy sigh.

    It would be best if nobody saw them. Otherwise, they would want to switch me out as the dummy.

    The door leading below deck burst open to the sound of laughter. I turned to see L¨¢nn, Sable, and Leola all holding fishing rods and a bucket.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°Cro¨ª!¡± Sable greeted. ¡°We¡¯re going to see if we can catch something. Would you like to join us?¡± I nodded.

    ¡°Sure.¡± I¡¯d gone on many fishing trips with my brothers but that was to lakes and rivers, never the ocean. Was the process different? Either way, it would be nice to get a refresher from L¨¢nn.

    ¡°Follow us.¡± They turned and walked up to the quarter deck. I sat down and leaned against the railing, watching them ready their hooks with fish heads and chunks of meat. L¨¢nn looked over at me.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go grab a rod? You can¡¯t fish without one.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± William chimed in as he walked up the steps. ¡°Grab your pole, Cro¨ª, if you can find it.¡± He had a smug look on his face. I stared at him blankly.

    I don¡¯t get it. Was that him being mean again? Usually, his name calling, and teasing has a point to it. But ¡®grab a pole¡¯ doesn¡¯t make any sense as an insult. And L¨¢nn called them rods, why was he saying pole?

    ¡°I would¡­ but I don¡¯t know where they are.¡± I turned to L¨¢nn. ¡°Would you show me?¡± William laughed.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right! I guess it would be hard finding your pole when there¡¯s just a hole there.¡± He laughed again.

    ¡°At first I thought that horrid smell was the fish heads and meat, but now I¡¯m realizing it¡¯s your breath.¡± Leola said with a wry smile. ¡°I suggest you leave us alone to fish in peace, lest I help you find your pole with a well-placed kick.¡± William growled, narrowing his eyes at her.

    ¡°Try it bitch, and I¡¯ll find a hole for my pole.¡± Her eyes widened and a look of anger, disgust and shock held her face. The look on L¨¢nn and Sable¡¯s faces were equally as shocked and angry.

    He took a step towards her. I could feel the tension between them, but I didn¡¯t understand the context of anything that was being said. I stood up, just to be ready in case Will tried to beat me or her.

    ¡°Right, because any hole will do for you right? Explains why you picked Channa¡¯s hole. She was probably the only one desperate enough to settle for something so small.¡± Sable and L¨¢nn burst out laughing and smiling. Sable¡¯s grin was more of a ready and aggressive grin. L¨¢nn¡¯s was amused, but also nervous.

    ¡°With a pole that compact, I doubt any hole would even realize it was there.¡± Sable said with a grin.

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you small!¡± William growled. He started moving forward but his progress was halted.

    He seemed to be pushing against an invisible force. Then he was suddenly forced back to the top of the steps where Edorin was waiting, hand outstretched, a barely visible purple glow on his hand.

    The glow faded and William was able to move again. He turned around with a look of terror in his eyes. Edorin put his hands behind his back, assuming his regular posture, except his chin was lowered at William.

    ¡°William. I just heard several troubling things slip from your lips. Did I hear right when you said, ¡®I¡¯ll find a hole for my pole¡¯ in reference to Leola?¡± William started to shake his head, but Edorin yelled. ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± His voice returned to its normal tone and volume. ¡°Lie to me William.¡± His eyes held a fierce glare at William. He looked horrified.

    ¡°I did. I did say it, sir, Captain. But only in anger. I wouldn¡¯t really¡­ She upset me, and I wanted to make her uncomfortable. But I didn¡¯t mean it, honest, I swear by the Gods.¡± Edorin stared into William¡¯s eyes for a moment. His eyes suddenly flashed purple, then went back to blue. William winced and groaned, like he was in pain.

    ¡°I believe you William, but I will not stand for such things on my ship. Not the thought, not talk of it, not jest of it, and absolutely not the act of it. Are we clear William?¡± William nodded several times, looking at the floor. ¡°Very good. Now I think you should go and find some other form of entertainment for today. Don¡¯t you?¡± William nodded and leapt down the steps, running back down below deck. Edorin turned to us, a pleasant countenance on his face. ¡°I hope all of you are well today. Not too bothered were you, Leola?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m alright, all thanks to my backup.¡± She motioned to Sable, L¨¢nn and me. ¡°And you Captain.¡± Leola said with a slight bow which Edorin returned.

    ¡°That was awesome! What was that? How¡¯d you do it?¡± Sable questioned excitedly.

    ¡°Yeah! How¡¯d you do that thing with your eyes?¡± L¨¢nn followed. Edorin chuckled as he turned to head down the steps.

    ¡°I called upon the ghost of the ship.¡± He looked back and wiggled his fingers as he made an eerie ghostly moan in jest.

    ¡°Oh, come on! Not ok Captain!¡± Sable yelled after him.

    ¡°I know right? I want to know how and what he did.¡± L¨¢nn said, frowning.

    ¡°Magic.¡± Leola said simply.

    ¡°Yeah, but what kind?¡± L¨¢nn asked.

    ¡°I would guess Reaving magic.¡± Leola said.

    ¡°No way, Reaving is dark magic, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sable asked. Leola shook her head.

    ¡°Not that I remember. I thought it had to do with moving things with your mind. That and reading other people¡¯s minds.¡± She said. The other two nodded understanding, but I squinted in confusion.

    ¡°Well, Cro¨ª. Follow me and we¡¯ll get you a rod.¡± L¨¢nn said.

    ¡°Uh, sure.¡± I was still confused. Mostly by the conversation, but also by what Edorin had done. It was magic, but magic I¡¯d never seen before. Leola said Reaving magic. What is that?

    It reminded me of when Cyclone used his wind magic, but there was no wind, and Cyclone¡¯s glow was yellow, not purple. I stopped thinking about it and followed L¨¢nn. She led me below deck, explaining that they were fishing rods, not fishing poles. She opened a small door to a closet filled with fishing supplies and grabbed me a rod, two hooks, and a reel of fishing line.

    ¡°There you go. Now let¡¯s go put them to good use.¡± We rejoined the others who already had their lines cast. L¨¢nn showed me how to thread the wire onto the hook, then apply the bait. She had me practice casting the line a few times to make sure I had it down before casting.

    ¡°Now, we wait.¡± L¨¢nn said. ¡°If we¡¯re lucky something down there will take an interest in our bait and take a bite. If it does, you¡¯ll feel it tugging and the line will start to reel out. Once that happens, pull this lever and pull up on the rod hard.¡± She pointed to a lever next to the cylinder of wire. ¡°That will stop the wire from reeling out and pull the hook into whatever took the bait. Then you crank on this.¡± She pointed to a small handle on the side of the cylinder. ¡°While you pull back on the rod, like you practiced, until you pull whatever it is out of the water. There¡¯s a bit more to it than that, gotta make sure you don¡¯t snap the line and all that, but we¡¯ll get to that later.¡± I nodded.

    ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll try to keep that in mind.¡± I said. Sable chuckled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s simple once you¡¯ve done it a few times, and these are heavy duty rods for big fish, even sharks. What we need to worry about now is what to chat about.¡± Leola and L¨¢nn nodded in agreement. ¡°Ordinarily you don¡¯t talk if you¡¯re on a river or lake because the noise will scare the fish, but on a ship like this, it¡¯s not so much of a worry.¡±

    I¡¯m still curious about the conversation earlier. I¡¯ll ask about that.

    ¡°What was that conversation earlier?¡± They looked at me confused. ¡°I mean, usually when William¡¯s teasing or insulting me it has a point to it. Like saying I¡¯m a cry baby or I¡¯m a little girl or something, but this time it was ¡®grab a pole¡¯ and other pole related remarks. Is that teasing us because we¡¯re fishing?¡± Sable and Leola looked at me surprised, then looked at each other and giggled. L¨¢nn thought about it. ¡°What?¡± I asked. Sable waved her hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ you¡¯re so innocent.¡± Sable said.

    ¡°It¡¯s sweet.¡± Leola added. A look of realization dawned on L¨¢nn¡¯s face.

    ¡°Oh! I get it now. He was talking about¡­¡± Sable covered her mouth, shushing her, then talked into L¨¢nn¡¯s ear for a moment.

    ¡°What? Talking about what?¡± I asked. They laughed with each other, and Leola replied.

    ¡°We¡¯ll tell you when you¡¯re older.¡± They laughed again. Sable doubled over, nearly dropping her rod. I sighed. Butt end of a joke again. Oh well, not exactly unusual but it still hurts, especially coming from them.

    ¡°Ok then.¡± I turned away, shrugging as I looked out on the ocean, suddenly wishing that I¡¯d said no when they asked if I wanted to fish. ¡°So, what do you want to talk about?¡± I asked to no one in particular. They stopped laughing after a moment.

    ¡°We weren¡¯t laughing at you Cro¨ª.¡± Sable said.

    ¡°Well, in a way we were, but not like William does. More because you did something we find very funny. It¡¯s endearing.¡± Endearing? I shrugged, with a small smile.

    ¡°Ok. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got something to talk about.¡± Sable started. ¡°Cro¨ª, who in the group do you think is cute?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by cute?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Like attractive or pretty, who do you like?¡± I remembered my sisters talking to me about this kind of thing. Telling me to be careful with my words, and that if there were multiple women present when it was asked, to say they were all cute and name something about them that I found genuinely endearing or attractive, aside from mentioning certain body parts in a certain way. It was vague, but the best I had to go on.

    ¡°Well. I guess put like that, I would say all of you.¡± Sable raised her eyebrows skeptically with a somewhat mischievous smile.

    ¡°All of us are cute huh? Please do tell. Start with L¨¢nn.¡± Sable patted L¨¢nn on the head.

    ¡°Sable.¡± L¨¢nn half whispered.

    ¡°Ok.¡± I started. ¡°L¨¢nn has an endearing personality, and a pretty face, and she¡¯s small which is nice.¡± L¨¢nn¡¯s cheeks turned red.

    ¡°What¡¯s nice about being small?¡± Leola asked, adopting Sable¡¯s smile.

    ¡°Well.¡± I¡¯m not sure. It¡¯s nice, I guess because it makes it nice to hug them. Like when I would hug my niece. ¡°I guess you could say they feel better.¡± L¨¢nn covered her mouth and blushed even more. Sable smiled and Leola giggled.

    ¡°Feel better when doing what?¡± Sable prodded.

    ¡°Hugging. Their head fits right under my chin and the hug feels more sincere. I guess. I can¡¯t really think of anything other than that.¡±

    ¡°Me now, my turn.¡± Sable said striking several poses. I chuckled.

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s number one. You¡¯re fun to be around, very energetic, and happy. You have unique eyes and hair which stands out too, and you¡¯re small like L¨¢nn.¡± She struck a regal pose.

    ¡°Please go on.¡± I chuckled but I couldn¡¯t really think of anything else to say. At least not that I thought they would be okay with. I just chuckled in response and Leola cut in.

    ¡°What about Jael? You¡¯ve been training with her right?¡±

    ¡°Jael is nice. She shows concern for me when Sacae is throwing me around the room, and she¡¯s good at grappling, and not afraid to speak up most of the time.¡±

    ¡°And C¨¦¨ªrde?¡± Leola questioned.

    ¡°Her skin and freckles are pretty. She¡¯s diligent and precise, and very smart.¡± My heart was beating fast. I was nervous about every word I said. Worried that I would say something stupid or creepy.

    ¡°And Leola?¡± L¨¢nn chimed in. They all seemed to be the only ones enjoying themselves.

    ¡°Leola has a lovely voice that helps calm me down, and she¡¯s really good at fixing me up. And¡­¡± I stopped. Is it ok to say she has a beautiful figure? Or is that a creepy thing? It¡¯s probably creepy. Then again, it worked ok when I said it to Sable earlier about the human girl. She teased me but it wasn¡¯t bad. I guess I¡¯ll risk it.

    ¡°And?¡± Leola pressed.

    ¡°Well, you have a nice figure. I mean, all of you do, but Leola¡¯s is just¡­different somehow.¡± Leola smiled, Sable and L¨¢nn giggled and leaned in to whisper to each other.

    ¡°Thank you Cro¨ª. From anyone else I think I¡¯d feel uncomfortable but knowing you, I take it as a compliment.¡± It worked. Ok that¡¯s nice. Man, this is awkward, gotta change the subject.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. If you don¡¯t mind, can we talk about something else?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Sable said with a wry smile. L¨¢nn¡¯s rod jerked forward. Her eyes went wide with excitement, and she took hold of her rod with both hands.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got one!¡± She waited for more of the wire to reel out of the cylinder before yanking up hard. It flexed and bowed tremendously.

    L¨¢nn planted her foot against the railing to get a more stable position. ¡°It¡¯s big for sure.¡± She huffed and grunted with effort as she dipped and pulled on the rod while reeling in on the small lever. The wire was taut all the way down to the water, leaving a straight line to whatever was on the other end. The fish was moving back and forth pulling against the wire but L¨¢nn held strong.

    Leola and Sable cheered her on. The wire surged closer to the ship, giving some slack. L¨¢nn reacted by reeling quickly to keep tension in the wire. Leaning over the railing, I could see a shape beginning to form below the surface. It was big but I couldn¡¯t see much detail. The wire moved away from the ship and L¨¢nn grunted as she felt the pull of the fish and the rod bent.

    As it reeled back towards the ship again, the fish broke the surface. It thrashed against the water¡¯s surface but was no match for L¨¢nn¡¯s experience. Soon it was out of the water, wiggling on the end of the wire as she reeled it up and over the railing, letting it flop onto the deck. It was almost three feet long. Primarily a deep blue color to match the ocean, but with a red stripe down the middle on either side.

    ¡°Go get Cairen!¡± L¨¢nn yelled. Sable sprinted below deck and returned a minute later with him, sporting his cook¡¯s apron.

    ¡°Well done L¨¢nn. That¡¯s quite a catch. Am I to assume this is to be dinner tonight?¡± L¨¢nn nodded enthusiastically.

    ¡°Yeah. I would love that.¡± L¨¢nn said, grinning. Sable was studying the fish, poking, and prodding it as it twitched and flopped, nearly striking her several times. Flint and C¨¦¨ªrde emerged from below deck and came to observe it. C¨¦¨ªrde began making notes about it in her book.

    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.

    ¡°That there¡¯s a Red Line Tarip (Taw-rip).¡± Cairen answered. ¡°Fairly common this far offshore, and they run in schools. Ordinarily if you catch one, you¡¯ll catch a few of his friends. This little welp must¡¯ve been unlucky.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde closed her book and bent down to touch the fish. ¡°Let¡¯s get to work.¡± Cairen said. ¡°L¨¢nn, grab William and I¡¯ll show you youngins how to gut and cook him.¡± L¨¢nn squealed excitedly and ran off in search of William. Cairen bent down and picked the fish up and walked off with it followed by C¨¦¨ªrde and Flint.

    Leola, Sable, and I reeled in our lines and took care of the fishing supplies. We retreated below deck and played cards in the galley while we waited for dinner. Dinner was the Tarip with mashed potatoes, carrot slices, and an assortment of other chopped vegetables I didn¡¯t fully recognize, but it was delicious. Food was something I looked forward to now.

    After dinner, we opened the books as a group and acquainted ourselves with the two unique monsters, and two creatures we were likely to face.

    The first of the creatures was a Giant Crab, aptly named as its body was roughly eight feet in diameter, with its right claw being much larger than its left claw. They would burrow into the sand and wait for something to walk near it, then they would pop out of the sand and attack.

    The last creature we studied was called the Hybrid Wolf. Named so because it had the face of a wolf, but the body, tail, and stalking habits of a large cat. It had four large, clawed fingers that it used to travel through the branches of trees, often upside down. They were much larger than most wolves or cats, standing five feet tall at the shoulders. They were solitary hunters primarily, but in areas where prey was plentiful, they would live, and hunt together. C¨¦¨ªrde and Flint shared books, making sure not to waste pages by making the same notes about the same creatures. When we were done learning about those creatures, C¨¦¨ªrde addressed the group.

    ¡°I know I said I would teach Cro¨ª and Sable, but does anybody else want to learn Common?¡± We glanced around.

    ¡°We all should. It will be useful for us later.¡± Keokin said. C¨¦¨ªrde smiled and we gathered around her. She passed out papers and pencils for all of us, and we started learning the twenty-six letters of the Common alphabet.

    ¡°How do you spell my name?¡± Sable asked, after reaching the letter ¡®G¡¯.

    ¡°Finish your alphabet first, then I¡¯ll tell you.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde said. Sable was silent until she reached ¡®P¡¯.

    ¡°How do you spell voluptuous?¡± Sable asked. C¨¦¨ªrde sighed with a small smile, but before she could reply, Flint piped in.

    ¡°How do you spell arse? Or gobshite? Or¡­¡± Klintock slapped the back of his head.

    ¡°Finish your alphabet, then we can start on forming words. Common is a deceptively complicated language. I assure you though, we will get to it after the basics.¡± Sable and Flint nodded. Sable got to ¡®V¡¯ when she took a breath, about to ask something. C¨¦¨ªrde looked at her with a raised eyebrow, and Sable pressed her lips together and finished.

    When we were done with our lessons for the night, we put everything away and headed off to some much-deserved sleep.

 Chapter 12

    My routine for the rest of the first week was similar. I would wake up to the pain of sore muscles, aching joints, and tendons, then roll over and feel the uncomfortable strain of the large bruises. Before anyone else was awake, I would dress and head out for a quick breakfast and control my breathing while the others would slowly rouse from their slumber.

    Then off to training where Sacae would demonstrate hold after hold and throw after painful throw, accentuating existing injuries and creating a plethora of new ones. I was starting to head to bed earlier each night and wake up later each morning as my body tried to rest and recover.

    For the first three days of the second week I would spend my break fishing with the group, never catching anything. On the fourth day, a rough day full of leg holds, made it exceedingly difficult for me to climb up the stairs, so I stayed in the galley and studied from the books or practiced my Common.

    I studied creatures that seemed to reside primarily in areas that our group would be most likely to travel through.

    One was called a Cloigann (Kl-eye-gen), which was a bird that stood eight feet tall. It was a powerful predatory bird that would most often target large prey animals by swooping down from great heights and attaching its talons to the neck of the creature, using them to sever the spine before taking off with the prey.

    There was the Shale Clam, a large land-based clam that would disguise itself as a shale like boulder and wait for something to approach it. Once approached, the clam would use its tongue to attempt to swallow and crush the creature. Eventually, after eating enough victims, the clam would form a precious stone from the compressed bones, similar to underwater clams forming a pearl.

    The last was the Undertaker Crab. A large creature which at the front end resembled a crab, but with four arms, and two long straight horns on the top of its head, and on the rear, had more of a long lobster or centipede like body. It apparently would come out of the ocean, attack, and drag prey back into the water to drown. It would store the prey in its tail with a set of smaller arms and search for more, keeping the freshest kills at the back end of the tail. It preferred semi rotting and waterlogged flesh, which is why it would hold prey and slowly shift it up to eat. If it killed more than it could carry in its underbelly, it would dig deep graves and toss the creatures in, covering them in a preservative like slime and leave them for later, which gave it the Undertaker title.

    There were also prey animals. One, a species of deer called an I¨¦o (Ay-awh). It was numerous, but only in areas that could be considered relatively safe. They had an incredibly evolved danger sense, as well as night vision, enhanced smell, and extraordinary hearing. Their agility was such that they had been noted as dodging arrows from certain distances. They grew two long, slightly curved horns on their head that made for great weapons due to their hardness. Many Agers had survived numerous traps, pitfalls, and ambush predators simply by observing and following the behaviors of a lone I¨¦o.

    By this time, the rest of the group came in and we enjoyed some beef stew with rolls for supper. C¨¦¨ªrde and Flint led us in studying creatures that specifically resided on the Northeast beaches of the Island.

    Sand Fish was exactly what it sounded like. A fish that swam in sand instead of water. It was four feet long, ran in schools and was omnivorous. They would avoid anything dead though.

    Sand Stars were large starfish, each of its six limbs reaching lengths of six feet or more. It would lie still most of the time, except when it was hunting Sand Fish or Giant Crabs. Although, they generally weren¡¯t considered a threat unless they caught you while you were sleeping.

    Horned Worms were ten feet long and covered in a tough exoskeleton that burrow into the sand. They would actively hunt anything within range that was making enough noise, or seismic activity, like stomping or walking. The worm would leap from the sand and attempt to impale the creature with its horned spear-like tongue and then engulf them before receding. They would be noticeable when moving as they didn¡¯t usually burrow too deep. If your ear was to the ground, you would be able to hear them moving underground. If you stopped moving, they would attack your last known position and they couldn¡¯t move through hard dirt or rocks.

    The more we learned of the creatures, the more I wondered how many Cian¨ªans had to die for this information. How many got impaled and eaten by Horned Worms? How many got dragged off in the night by the Undertaker Crab? Feasted on by Sand Fish or Shale Clams? How many more monsters were out there undiscovered? Just waiting for fresh Cian¨ªan meat to pass into their jaws.

    The fact that the northern most, western most, and northwestern portions of the Island remained mostly undiscovered worried me. How many creatures migrated south during the year? How many were just waiting for one of us to slip up and become an easy meal? My thoughts made it hard to focus during Common lessons with C¨¦¨ªrde. We were learning all kinds of words, and how to write and pronounce them. I knew a lot of it, but still found it good to have a recap. I went to sleep plagued by questions, along with the pain from training. The others would come in for bed talking about how amazing their days were and how much they were learning.

    Leola talking about medicinal herbs and their properties. Different medical procedures and surgeries she was learning. One day she dissected a pig, that was to be used for dinner, using its skin to practice sewing skin together, as well as the proper way to use surgical tools.

    Sable was learning to use her bow, and training in agility, acrobatics, and stealth to be an effective and quiet scout. She is also training in collecting plants and harvesting or hunting animals.

    Keokin spent nearly all his time with Zanataz or Edorin observing how the ship was run, how to maintain order, remain calm under pressure, when to be fair and when to be firm, quizzed on quick decisions and told when and why he was wrong. He was also there to observe how all of us were doing, judging our progress on somewhat regular visits with Edorin.

    Flint was there for some of Sable¡¯s lessons on proper harvesting techniques but was also taught how to sketch quickly and accurately from memory or life. As well as how to take precise and effective notes on anything encountered on the Islands with C¨¦¨ªrde. C¨¦¨ªrde would accompany Keokin in observing Edorin for some of the day, then break off to do long studies of the books with Flint. Focusing on those that we would most likely encounter, and they both briefed all of us when we came together as a group at night.

    L¨¢nn and William learned cooking in the morning with Cairen, then they learned how to set up tents and proper equipment maintenance, how to skin and tan animal skins to create usable leather, how to make boots, shoes, gloves, and other types of clothes, then at night they would help Cairen with preparing dinner. Sometimes William would come to watch as Sacae dished out his punishment on me, laughing in the corner.

    The last four days of the second week, I would retire to the galley with Cairen and his usual two sailors, named Danith (Dan-yuh) and Morean (More-yun), both short haired, but Morean was thinner and wore overalls, while Danith was big like Sacae but didn¡¯t have scars on his face. I played cards with them for a bit before retreating to the room and waiting for dinner.

    At the start of the third week when we went to Sacae, there looked to be a large pile of equipment sitting off in the corner, but I didn¡¯t recognize any of it.

    ¡°Good morning kids. Today, we will be focusing on fitness. I want to get a baseline on your strength.¡± Sacae said.

    ¡°Why not do that earlier?¡± Jael asked.

    ¡°Because I wanted to give all of you two weeks to make sure you were nice and loose.¡± She nodded understanding.

    ¡°Makes sense, I guess.¡± She said.

    ¡°Now. First exercise is pushups, and just so you know, yes this is a competition. I will tally up all the wins and losses, whoever loses, gets to be my dummy while I try out some particularly painful moves. Whoever wins, gets to try all the moves on second place.¡± Not looking forward to this. ¡°First up are pushups. Line up right here.¡± He pointed at the divide between two floorboards.

    ¡°How many exercises are there?¡± Klintock asked.

    ¡°There are ten in total, but I want you all to put in your best effort every time.¡± We nodded. ¡°First things first. Drop down and do as many pushups as you can, starting when I tell you.¡± We all dropped down and got in ready position. ¡°Go.¡±

    Klintock started quick, bursting out one after the other. Jael tried to keep even with him but slowed when she reached thirty, then stopped when she reached forty-five, lying on the ground and breathing hard to get more energy to continue, eventually making it to fifty. Klintock got to forty-five before he slowed ending at sixty-five, and I made it to fifty-five. I wanted to make sure and conserve some energy, as I planned on losing anyways.

    ¡°Good. Now on to sit ups. Get ready.¡± We all got into position. ¡°Go.¡± Again, Klintock burst quickly into the exercise, and Jael kept pace until they got up to thirty. Eventually Jael and I stopped and Klintock won again. This same process repeated itself for all the other exercises. Crunches, standing jumps, squats, pull ups, plank, then plank on left and right side. Sacae took out a crude dummy made from a burlap sack and told us to throw it as many times as we could, then to pick it up, lift it overhead and throw it as far as we could. When all was done, I lost, Jael was second, and Klintock won. I took deep breaths to ready myself for the pain to come.

    ¡°Yes! I¡¯m the best and you¡¯re the dummy¡± Klintock jested. Jael scoffed.

    ¡°Well at least you both did much better than Cro¨ª here. Speaking of which, since Cro¨ª was the loser here, he gets to continue his training as my dummy.¡± Sacae¡¯s words sounded somewhere in between jesting and serious, I couldn¡¯t tell which. ¡°Gather up and we¡¯ll go through the moves. Now this first one is one I like to call the heel hook.¡± He got on the ground, and we followed. He grabbed my right foot and pulled it towards him, pinning the rest of me down with his legs. He placed my foot into his left armpit and using his forearm, he leveraged the heel of my foot to twist it counterclockwise. I could feel the strain immediately on my ankle, knee, and part of the outside of my hip. ¡°As you can see, it puts considerable pressure on the entire leg, but especially the ankle and knee. Your turn.¡± He pointed to Klintock who mimicked the move on Jael, and she winced in pain.

    ¡°Sorry did I hurt you?¡± Klintock asked. Jael shook her head.

    ¡°A little but it¡¯s fine, just take it slow.¡±

    ¡°Good advice for all of these. A little too much and you¡¯re breaking something, so be careful.¡± Klintock nodded. ¡°Now this one I call the shoulder trap.¡± He motioned for me to lie on my stomach, then grabbed my right arm and pulled it behind my back, and up towards my head. He wrapped one leg around in front of me, putting my neck in between his calf and thigh, choking me. The other leg he used to pin my lower back to the floor. He kept the hold going, and the tension on my shoulder while Klintock watched, doing his best to replicate the move without hurting Jael.

    ¡°And if you really want to get your point across¡­¡± Sacae grabbed my left arm and put it back with my right, putting pressure on both shoulders, as I groaned. ¡°Use both arms.¡± Sacae started squeezing too hard with his leg on my neck and my vision started to go black, even though I knew my eyes were wide open, until he finally released me. It took a moment for the black to fade. ¡°There you go, you¡¯re getting it. Now on to the next one.¡±

    Sacae showed another six moves. Each one put incredible torque and pressure on large areas of the body, or pinpointed a singular painful point, like one he called the calf slicer, which focused all the pressure on a single point on the back of the calf to tremendous effect. ¡°Ok then. Starting tomorrow we¡¯re going to move into choke holds and holds designed for knockouts or even killing. Until then, rest up.¡± He walked away, leaving me lying on the floor facing away from the other two, who were focused on practicing what they had just learned. I forced myself up into a standing position and started walking towards the galley.

    ¡°Hey Cro¨ª.¡± Jael started. ¡°Are you getting something to eat?¡± I took a short, quick breath as I readied a fake face.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I was planning, just a little snack after that workout.¡±

    ¡°Good idea, we¡¯ll join you.¡± Klintock said as they pushed themselves to their feet. I struggled to keep myself from limping as I continued into the galley. William was in the kitchen cleaning out some pots and pans. L¨¢nn was sitting at one of the tables prepping some leather for use. She looked up, smiling as we entered.

    ¡°Hey. How¡¯d training go? Is it break time?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. We got off a little early today. He worked us out pretty good and had us max out a lot of exercises then practice some grappling.¡± Klintock explained. L¨¢nn¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°So you learned more moves? Wanna show me?¡± She asked. Klintock chuckled.

    ¡°Maybe when we¡¯re all on break.¡± He said. L¨¢nn giggled excitedly.

    ¡°What¡¯s that leather for? Did you make it?¡± Klintock asked. L¨¢nn shook her head.

    ¡°No. Cairen made it for me to practice on. It¡¯s for clothes hopefully.¡±

    I need some kind of distraction.

    ¡°L¨¢nn. Is there anything I could do to help you or William?¡± I asked suddenly. She tapped her chin as she thought.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve soaked, limed, and removed tissue from some hides, next we need to unhair, scud, and flesh it, but we were waiting for Cairen to finish something up first. Do you know how to do that?¡± She asked with a smile that almost looked like she was waiting for me to say no. I nodded instead, and her eyes opened with excitement.

    ¡°My brothers Kixas and R¨ªger work in tanning and leather working. I¡¯ll teach you if you¡¯d like.¡± I said. She clapped her hands excitedly.

    ¡°That would be awesome. I could impress Cairen by getting my work done early.¡±

    ¡°Yet another reason why I should be the Guardian.¡± William said, arms folded near the bar. Klintock and Jael groaned.

    ¡°Not this again. Are you still sour about that? Just accept it. Even if you pressured Cro¨ª or found him alone and beat him and took his pack, we would all go to Edorin to get it back for Cro¨ª, or just beat you and take it from you.¡± Klintock stated.

    ¡°Yeah. We voted on you staying right where you are. It¡¯s cute that you still think you have a chance at it though.¡± Jael said folding her arms. I¡¯m too tired to deal with this.

    ¡°Shall we go?¡± I asked L¨¢nn. She jumped up from her chair, also happy to get away from the brewing conflict.

    ¡°Let¡¯s.¡± She said, smiling. ¡°Follow me.¡± She turned to Jael and Klintock. ¡°You two want to join?¡± They looked at each other, then shrugged.

    ¡°Why not? Lead on.¡± Klintock said. L¨¢nn led us all above deck and around to the bow of the ship. There was a fleshing beam with a barrel of water containing the skins, and another with clean water for rinsing. On the side of the beam there were several scrapers, a knife, gloves, and aprons. All tools I was familiar with.

    ¡°How many skins are there?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Cairen said there was three. One for him, and one for me and William.¡±

    ¡°Why is he teaching you guys tanning?¡± Klintock asked. ¡°If it requires all this equipment, we can¡¯t do that on the Island.¡± I shook my head.

    ¡°Actually, if we properly skin the animals we want to tan, all we need is the chemicals, or maybe a lot of saltwater and a pool of water for the beginning stages. Not optimal, especially for liming, but doable. Then we just need the scrapers, gloves, and apron and a relatively smooth tree. We have some carpentry tools that we could use to smooth the trunk and add in the legs. Then we can pull the hides from the pool, trim, unhair, scud, and flesh them. The only problem I see is tanning and curing it. That takes time if you do it right, and a lot of effort. I¡¯m assuming Cairen has some tools or method that makes that faster or easier. After that, you need to wring or dry it, then oil it so it doesn¡¯t dry and crack. There are a few other things to pay attention to depending on what you want to use the leather for, like if you want it to be shiny, sturdy, soft, or flexible, but the first parts can be done with fairly minimal equipment if you know what you¡¯re doing.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡± Came a voice from behind us. I turned to see Leola, Keokin, and Edorin. When did they get here? We saluted Edorin.

    ¡°Captain.¡± In unison.

    ¡°At ease.¡± Edorin said, with a small wave of his hand. I felt embarrassed running my mouth off like that. Sure, I knew what to do, but I was no professional.

    ¡°I had no idea you knew so much about it. I mean, you said your brothers worked in leathers, but I figured it was just hunting and skinning and stuff.¡± Leola said, smiling.

    ¡°Truly.¡± Edorin seconded. ¡°Would you mind retrieving Cairen from downstairs? I believe he¡¯ll want to be present for this.¡± Keokin nodded to Edorin and moved quickly below deck. I sighed. I was fine when it was just the four of us, but now there¡¯s a crowd forming. I feel awkward, but why? I sighed again. I just wanted to do something relaxing, help for a minute. Maybe Cairen will take over. That would be nice. Cairen and Keokin emerged. Cairen saluted Edorin.

    ¡°You sent for me Captain?¡±

    ¡°At ease. Yes. Cro¨ª here is a rather knowledgeable tanner it would seem. I would like you to teach him along with L¨¢nn and William if you don¡¯t mind. Maybe let Cro¨ª try teaching if you want.¡± Cairen looked at me skeptically.

    ¡°Truly lad?¡± He asked, looking at me.

    ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡± I sighed out.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be modest Cro¨ª. Show Cairen what you can do. I¡¯ll send William your way.¡± Edorin said as he turned and walked away with Keokin, but Leola stayed.

    ¡°I¡¯m supposed to practice some sewing on the leather before it gets tanned.¡± She told Cairen.

    ¡°That so? Lanaea stuck you with me eh? Well, I guess it couldn¡¯t hurt. Right then Cro¨ª, ready yourself lad. Soon as William shows his lazy hide, we¡¯ll get to work tanning these hides.¡± I snickered at his joke and walked over, putting on the gloves and apron. William came up as I was pulling a hide and rinsing it in the second barrel. Let¡¯s get this over with. I plopped the hide onto the beam and got to work, quickly peeling off the hair and rinsing it before fleshing the other side. I took the knife and shaped it in several smooth motions, then rinsed it again. I looked around for some clue as to how Cairen tanned it but came up empty. I held it out to Leola.

    ¡°You can have it now. I¡¯m not sure how Cairen tans them.¡± She closed her mouth and took it from me, moving over to a table, laying it out and getting to work on it. I peeled off the gloves and apron holding them out. Cairen turned to L¨¢nn and William.

    ¡°Were you watching kiddos, or did you miss it?¡± They nodded. L¨¢nn¡¯s mouth was open; William rolled his eyes. ¡°Well, you know the drill.¡± They turned to each other and played rock, paper, scissors. William won. He put on the gloves and apron, then mimicked what I did until it came time to unhair it. He held the blade at the wrong angle and dug into the skin. Cairen came over and corrected him. ¡°Like this. Don¡¯t angle the blade down, keep it up, and move slow. Get used to the motion first or you¡¯ll end up without anything usable.¡± William nodded. I started walking away. ¡°Hold it Cro¨ª. Help Leola with her sewing, then bring me the skin and I¡¯ll show you how we tan it.¡± That sounds like it could be nice. I went and sat down next to her.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    ¡°That was impressive.¡± Leola said. I chuckled.

    ¡°Thanks. I was a little uncomfortable.¡± She laughed.

    ¡°Well, you didn¡¯t look it. You looked calm and controlled.¡± Her hands moved quickly as she sewed up a long, jagged cut she had made near the edge of the leather.

    ¡°Same to you.¡± I said pointing at her work. ¡°You¡¯re very graceful. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re the one that¡¯ll be patching us up.¡± She chuckled.

    ¡°Why, Cro¨ª, if I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d say you were flirting with me.¡± She jested. I sighed.

    ¡°Well, then it¡¯s a good thing you know better, I guess.¡± I leaned over onto the table, resting my head on my arms as I watched.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about flirting. My sisters tried to teach me, but I couldn¡¯t figure it out.¡±

    ¡°Your poor sisters. What did they say about it?¡± I thought about whether I should reveal any of their teachings. Thinking back on if my sisters had told me anything about this and decided I was too tired to regulate myself to that degree now.

    ¡°Well one thing was don¡¯t be creepy. Apparently, sometimes you¡¯re supposed to compliment people, women specifically on certain things, but those same compliments with different wording is apparently creepy.¡±

    ¡°Like what? What did they say was creepy?¡± I scratched my chin.

    ¡°I¡¯d rather not say. They said being creepy makes people less likely to talk to you. Which makes me nervous because I don¡¯t really understand what creepy means to begin with.¡±

    ¡°Well, they¡¯re not wrong. I would elaborate for you, but it¡¯s kind of a situational thing. It¡¯s hard to describe.¡± I sat there for a minute just watching her work. When she was done, I took it over to Cairen. He laid the skin out on the floor and used a towel to dry it as much as he could, then pulled out two pouches.

    ¡°This here.¡± He pulled out a bottle and a brush. ¡°Is an incredible mixture. Crows Tears Oil, oak tree oils, alum, and vegetable tannins. We rub a solid coating of this on. Normally, we¡¯d wait for it to dry proper like before we add the mixture, but this oughta be fine.¡± He poured the oil out onto the skin and moved it around with the brush until it was evenly coating the whole thing. ¡°This here.¡± He held up a black powder. ¡°Is called Charum (Car-um). She¡¯ll bleed in deep. Stir it up, make it more willin¡¯ to accept some change.¡± He sprinkled the powder across the skin. ¡°Only a light coating mind you, otherwise it¡¯ll get mushy, and be sure never to get it on your skin. Bad things happen.¡± He pointed to a portion of what looked like burn scars on his left wrist.

    I watched as the black powder spread across the surface of the skin and dissolved into it. ¡°There now. If we let it in Kolob¡¯s warmth for round abouts three ¡®r four hours. If you avoid getting it wet, it¡¯ll be beautifully tanned and oiled. Be as sparring as you can be with this stuff. It¡¯s blisteringly expensive, but as you can see, it¡¯s plenty worth it. All that¡¯s left is scraping and buffing. Then its ready to use.¡± My mouth fell open in amazement. Normally those processes took days, weeks, even a full year depending on how you did it, but to see it all done in a few minutes like that¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s like magic.¡± I said. He laughed.

    ¡°It is magic. Well, partly. It¡¯s all thanks to the Crows Tears Oil and the Charum see. Without those, it won¡¯t work.¡± I have to tell my brothers about this. Wait¡­ They already know, they¡¯ve gone through this. So why wouldn¡¯t they use it?

    ¡°So why don¡¯t my brothers do it this way?¡± I asked. He sighed.

    ¡°Not entirely cost effective, I¡¯m afraid. Only used by them that need to make leather but lack the facilities. Those like Rangers, Agers, some poachers, collectors, or folk who want to charge a fortune for their work. Elsewise, better just stick with the old tried and true methods.¡± That makes sense. ¡°Well, best check on the others. Run along now if you like lad.¡± He said, smiling and patting my shoulder.

    I waited around for a minute, enjoying the fresh air and warmth of Kolob, as well as the commotion caused by the group. A crewman came up and rang the bell for break, and the group moved below deck to get started on dinner.

    I stayed for a while but eventually joined them. We had pork that night with eggs and pickles. Pickles were new for me. At first, they were too intense, too salty and sour, like eating vinegar, but after mixing them with the other food, I eventually grew to like the taste of them, and their satisfying crunch.

    Then C¨¦¨ªrde and Flint lead us in a study of the Redback, a large four-armed forest dwelling creature, from a group of creatures called primates. It usually traveled in groups and was incredibly fast and strong, often uprooting or ramming through trees that got in between it and its prey. They were aggressively territorial pack animals as well. I¡¯d never seen anything like it. Apparently, there were all kinds of primates. Primates unnerved me because of how humanoid they were, they seemed so similar to the human¡¯s I¡¯d seen, but so different, covered in hair, with a prominent brow, and flared nostrils. The more I looked, the more differences there were, but the initial similarities were still unnerving.

    Flint and C¨¦¨ªrde also pointed out a three-foot caterpillar called the Spotted Fang. It acted like a regular caterpillar for the most part, but when it spotted anything with blood in its veins, it used two teeth like stingers on its rear end to paralyze its victim. It would then fill up on their blood. Ordinarily it wouldn¡¯t drink enough blood to kill a Cian¨ªan or an I¨¦o or something like that, but the victim would remain immobile for up to four hours. More than enough time for any number of creatures to feast on them. Once they had their fill and reached maturity, they wove blood red cocoons and emerged as giant black and blood red moths but kept their teeth like pincers as fangs. Hence the new name, Fang Moth.

    Not to be confused with the Blood Moth, a moth that was attracted to recently spilled blood but was otherwise harmless. Unless you ate it. It had eggs that would cling to the inside of whatever consumed it. The eggs would hatch into larvae that would lay more eggs in the body and eat their way out, eventually leaving nothing but a strange red moss like shape of whatever had consumed it.

    Armed with this nightmare inducing information, and some new Common words, we went to bed. The next days were filled with more lessons starting with rigorous exercise and ending in increasingly painful choke holds and twisting grapples. Rarely, Sacae would swap me out for Klintock or Jael, but would quickly switch back. Three days into the week, and I was completely beat. It was difficult to lie down at night in a way that didn¡¯t agitate a bruise or an inflamed joint. I had given up on going above deck because my legs were in too much pain. I could force it, but I preferred not to. Mostly I used my break to take a small nap and wait for the noise of people eating to wake me.

    Edorin came in for one of his usual observational periods on the fourth day.

    ¡°Sacae.¡± He said.

    ¡°Yes Captain?¡± Sacae asked.

    ¡°Is Cro¨ª always your partner?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not. I change out sometimes.¡± Sometimes being the optimal word there. I saw a slight look of disbelief cross Edorin¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Very well. Long as all of them are ready.¡± Edorin warned.

    ¡°Absolutely Captain. I¡¯ll whip them into shape.¡± Sacae promised with a wide grin. Edorin nodded and walked off into the galley. ¡°So.¡± Sacae said, rubbing his hands together. ¡°Who wants to do some pull ups?¡±

    ¡°Not me.¡± Klintock jested.

    ¡°Ha, ha, very clever.¡± Sacae said sarcastically. ¡°Now let¡¯s get to it.¡± Sacae was strangely lenient the next day. Switching me out for Jael and Klintock more often. Having me be the one to perform the moves instead of the other two. At first, I was worried for Jael and Klintock, but they were more vocal about what did and didn¡¯t hurt, and I noticed he was a lot gentler with them. So, it¡¯s just me for some reason? Maybe it¡¯s because I don¡¯t speak up. Maybe I¡¯ll try tapping out more often and see tomorrow.

    During break that day, L¨¢nn and Leola were sitting in the galley with the three tanned leather hides.

    ¡°What¡¯re you two doing with those?¡± Klintock questioned.

    ¡°We are going to make clothing with them. We were debating on who for and what kind though.¡± Leola explained.

    ¡°Should I get everyone down here to talk about it?¡± Jael asked.

    ¡°Yes please.¡± Leola said, smiling. After a few minutes, Sable came running into the room past Leola and L¨¢nn.

    ¡°Pants!¡± She turned to them, having to double back. ¡°I want pants!¡± She slammed her hands down onto the table with a wide grin. L¨¢nn and Leola recoiled in surprise.

    ¡°Why pants?¡± L¨¢nn asked.

    ¡°Because I¡¯m so small! You know what I mean.¡± She said pointing at L¨¢nn, who nodded agreement. Sable continued her explanation to Leola. ¡°They keep sagging. If it wasn¡¯t for my hips they would fall right off. I have to pull them up regularly.¡± She pulled the front of her shirt up just enough for Leola to see that she had made a makeshift belt out of a rope. L¨¢nn raised her hand slightly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have hips, so I had to sew mine shorter at the top. They¡¯re still uncomfortable.¡± Flint walked in.

    ¡°I want a hat.¡± We looked at him.

    ¡°Why?¡± Klintock asked. Flint shrugged.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never had a hat. Why not?¡±

    ¡°I think we should start with pants for Sable and go from there.¡± Klintock scoffed.

    ¡°Agreed.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde said from the corner. ¡°Pants for Sable, then we decide from there. I¡¯ll notify Keokin.¡±

    ¡°Very well then. Come over here Sable, and we¡¯ll decide on a style for you.¡± Leola said, pointing to her side of the table. L¨¢nn grabbed some of the leather and draped it around Sable¡¯s legs, checking for sizing.

    ¡°Who¡¯s up for some fishing?¡± Klintock questioned. Flint, C¨¦¨ªrde, Jael, and William all raised their hands. My legs hadn¡¯t recovered, so I stayed seated. ¡°Alright let¡¯s do it.¡± They grabbed the equipment and went above deck. I turned to see the girls hard at work.

    ¡°I need to be able to move freely in them. I do a lot of flips, acrobatics, jumping, running, crouching, stuff like that. So maybe make them baggy.¡± L¨¢nn put her hand on her chin.

    ¡°Except if they¡¯re made of leather they won''t breathe very well. They¡¯ll get really hot, and you¡¯re supposed to be quiet right? If there¡¯s too much extra material, they¡¯ll make noise.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Maybe we should do something else.¡± Sable sighed.

    ¡°Not yet.¡± Leola started. ¡°I think if we make them form fit, we¡¯ll only use one and a half of the hides, and if we add in parts from your old pants to certain areas, they¡¯ll breathe better, will be flexible, and quiet.¡± L¨¢nn squinted back and forth from the leather to Sable, nodding.

    ¡°I think you¡¯re right. It could work.¡± They all smiled at each other. L¨¢nn and Sable picked up the materials and ran into our room.

    ¡°Hey Cro¨ª.¡± I looked up at Leola.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± I asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to be fitting Sable in there, is there any way we can block off the door?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Block it off? Why?¡±

    ¡°Because she won¡¯t have her pants on, we don¡¯t want anyone to walk in on that.¡±

    ¡°Right. Well. I could sit or lay against it, or we could unfasten a table and shove it against the door. If the ocean is calm enough, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    ¡°Still.¡± Leola began. ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of breaking down the door with a table. Would you mind blocking the door?¡± I shook my head.

    ¡°Not at all.¡±

    ¡°Ever the gentleman. Thanks, Cro¨ª.¡± I nodded and walked slowly over to the door, plopping down in front of it as soon as she passed into the room. Now to nap.

    * * * * *

    * * * * *

    I woke up to the door opening and me falling through it.

    ¡°Oh.¡± L¨¢nn said laughing. ¡°Sorry Cro¨ª. Are you ok?¡± I nodded sleepily.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, just fell asleep. All done?¡±

    ¡°Not yet, it¡¯s dinner time.¡± She said.

    ¡°Right.¡± I started getting up. As I was standing, my left leg gave out and I dropped, momentarily groaning from the surge of pain.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Leola asked.

    ¡°Fine. Leg just fell asleep.¡± I lied, finally getting to my feet and hobbling over to sit at a table.

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re ok?¡± Leola asked. I groaned as I sat down.

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m fine don¡¯t worry about it. So, what¡¯s for dinner?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re eating some pork and beef stew.¡± L¨¢nn answered enthusiastically. ¡°I¡¯m excited for it. Oh, speaking of.¡± She put down her sewing things and ran back into the kitchen to help. Leola gathered up the materials and left them in our room. I waited for dinner to be ready, listening to the others chat.

    I liked the contrast between the two types of meat and the flavors they brought to the dish. I was still finishing off my bowl when Flint told us about the Arrowhead Snake. Snakes were new to all of us, as we didn¡¯t have any on Ionad Tal¨²n.

    It was a snake that lived primarily in tunnels or caves but would venture out at night. It was black with a white arrowhead like design on its head. It had no venom but had large teeth it would latch onto prey with and either crush them after coiling its body around them or swallow them whole. Its head usually measured two feet in length, but apparently, they never stopped growing until they died, and nobody knew how long they lived. One was found and killed with a six-foot-long head.

    C¨¦¨ªrde told us about Mace wood, a tree that was shaped like a flanged mace turned upside down. It had no branches, but was partially hollow, allowing it to fill itself up with water. It introduced minerals into the water to keep it fresh, so you could drink directly from it. However, it would introduce poisonous minerals if the water got below a certain level. Probably where the water filtering stone would come in handy.

    After learning about those creatures and having another Common lesson, we started playing cards while getting ready to sleep. L¨¢nn went to grab a few bedtime snacks. A few minutes later, she came sprinting back in.

    ¡°Guys! You¡¯ll never believe it! Cairen just told me how he lost his leg and got all his scars.¡± L¨¢nn said excitedly. We looked at her with interest.

    ¡°Go on!¡± Sable said.

    ¡°Ok. He told me that he got them wrestling with a shark. How cool is that?!¡±

    ¡°Wait what?¡± Klintock asked. ¡°He told me a wolf took his leg.¡±

    ¡°And me that he lost it in a cooking competition.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde said, squinting.

    ¡°And you two didn¡¯t feel keen to share?¡± Sable asked.

    ¡°He said it was kinda private.¡± Klintock said.

    ¡°He said it was embarrassing.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde said. They both looked at L¨¢nn.

    ¡°He told me he was brave.¡± Keokin laughed in the corner.

    ¡°Looks like Cairen¡¯s been having a bit of fun at our expense.¡± Sable laughed.

    ¡°That clever little trickster.¡± She ran out of the room towards the kitchen. We hesitated a moment, then rushed after her. Cairen was laughing hard enough to draw tears by the time I caught up.

    ¡°Come on! You gotta tell us the story!¡± L¨¢nn begged. He shook his head.

    ¡°That¡¯s for me to know, and you to wonder over. After all a man needs to keep some of his mystery alive.¡±

    ¡°Aww. No fair.¡± Sable said.

    ¡°Although¡­¡± Cairen said, catching some of the group¡¯s attention. ¡°Old Z might¡¯ve overheard me tellin that tale. I made him promise not to tell¡­ Though, maybe he can be persuaded.¡± Cairen said with a mischievous grin. Sable and L¨¢nn glanced at each other, then sprinted off to find Zanataz. I snickered, enjoying their enthusiasm, and decided I¡¯d head back to the room with Leola, C¨¦¨ªrde, and Keokin. I was tired, so I said goodnight, and went to sleep.

    * * * * *

    * * * * *

    The next day, training returned to normal. Sacae was more focused and brutal than usual. I decided to try tapping out, but like the first time I tried, he didn¡¯t let go immediately, instead he would wrench whatever limb he had even harder. It was even worse when Jael and Klintock were in a position where they couldn¡¯t see me tapping. Why is he so harsh with me? Did I do something to anger him? When? What? I decided to ask at the end of the session and waited for several painful hours for the bell.

    After the bell rang, I followed Sacae.

    ¡°Sacae?¡± I called.

    ¡°Yes Cro¨ª?¡± I felt nervous. I¡¯d thought about how to ask the question but now my mind wasn¡¯t cooperating. All the sentences I¡¯d calmly planned to say vanished.

    ¡°I was wondering¡­ I mean thinking¡­¡±

    ¡°Come on Cro¨ª spit it out, I¡¯ve got things I need to tend to.¡± He said it with a smile, but he looked angry.

    ¡°Sorry. I was just wondering if I did something to anger you?¡± He laughed.

    ¡°No. No of course not. Are you saying I¡¯m being too rough on you? Too harsh for you to take?¡± Why is he saying it like that? Why would he think that?

    ¡°No, I just¡­¡±

    ¡°Then what are you saying Cro¨ª?¡± He asked. His mouth smiled, but his eyes made me feel uncomfortable.

    ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­Well, whenever I tapped today, you kept going, just a bit, but it made me wonder if I did something to make you mad. I don¡¯t mean anything by it.¡±

    ¡°Well, I thought you could take it. Figured you were just tougher than the others which is why I always use you. I mean when I went through my Aging, I was paired with your brother R¨ªger. I could never get him to tap, no matter how hard I went. I guess I was just trying to see if you were made of the same stuff. I guess not. I¡¯ll swap you out for Klintock or Jael tomorrow¡­¡± He started walking away.

    ¡°Wait.¡± I want to be like my brothers. I want to toughen up so I can be a proper shield brother. If this is how R¨ªger did it then I¡¯ll push through the pain. I¡¯ll deal with it too. Sacae turned slightly.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t swap. I can take it. I just didn¡¯t want to make you mad, is all.¡± He nodded; his smile made me nervous.

    ¡°Very well Cro¨ª. I¡¯ll see you bright and early tomorrow then.¡± I walked back into the galley to find the girls getting ready to work on Sable¡¯s pants.

    ¡°Cro¨ª. Would you mind watching the door again? I swear this time I¡¯ll warn you when I open it.¡± L¨¢nn said, smiling. I nodded and gave a weak smile.

    ¡°Sure, no problem.¡± I sat against the door and listened to them giggle and laugh while they worked. At one point Sable convinced L¨¢nn and Leola to arm wrestle her and beat them both. She claimed it was all thanks to her training under Gathaen her mentor. She talked about how muscular and handsome he was and how they should meet him or try to make a shirt for him so they could see him shirtless. I chuckled lightly to myself, enjoying listening to them having fun until eventually I drifted off.

    At dinner we learned of the Ciorcal Fiacla, or Tooth Circle, that I had found before. It lived on a specific area of the Island; a long ellipse shaped territory known as the Trench. It was a trench of marshland in-between two, roughly, one hundred and eighty-foot-tall cliff faces, inhabited by all manner of horrors, but if you made it past the Trench and scaled the wall to the central area, you would reach Haven. This area inside the Trench was known as a primarily safe location full of useful flora and fauna, being home to very few predators.

    As for the Ciorcal Fiacla, the circle of their teeth was usually three to five feet in diameter. The center was usually covered in a light layer of mud, dirt, or leaves, supported by a tongue like appendage that would drop as soon as a creature stepped on it. It would then launch out of the ground and use its many teeth and four spiked appendages to ensnare the creature and swallow it.

    We also learned of a dragon like creature with six legs that fed on the Ciorcal Fiacla specifically but wasn¡¯t picky if hungry. It was called Na Tr¨ª M¨¦ara (Naw Tree May-raw) or Three Fingers, named so because it had a tongue with three finger like appendages on it, two on top and one on the bottom, and in the center was a two-and-a-half-foot retractable spike that it used to impale its prey. The fingers would wrap around and keep the prey in place as it reeled them back in to eat through a separated bottom jaw. Na Tr¨ª M¨¦ara had an armored plate on the front of its head and waterlogged hairs hanging out from the separation in its bottom jaw that it would use to dilute the acid from the worms it ate.

    Once we finished our lessons, it was off to bed. I acted as Sacae¡¯s ragdoll for the next three days, and I worked on trying to see the pain as a good thing or shrug it off like it didn¡¯t exist. Didn¡¯t work at all. My only joy came from being useful as a doorstop for the girls on my break. One of the times I was thrown, I ended on my back looking up at Edorin. I saluted him, forcing my body to attention while lying on the floor.

    ¡°Captain.¡± I said. He smiled quizzically.

    ¡°At ease.¡± He bent down to help me up. Sacae and the others noticed and saluted him. Sacae smiled like the others, but his eyes seemed almost fearful.

    ¡°Captain.¡± They said.

    ¡°At ease.¡± Edorin said. I winced as one of his hands pressed against a sizeable bruise on my ribs. His brows came together, and he squinted for a moment questioningly, then glanced at Sacae and back to me. ¡°Training going well Cro¨ª?¡± I looked up into his piercing eyes and was immediately nervous, looking at the floor instead as I answered.

    ¡°Yes¡­ Captain, just fine.¡± He made a small hmm noise then glanced at Sacae again and walked out, leaning over, and whispering to Keokin. I looked back to see Sacae glaring at me angrily for a moment.

    ¡°Ok then kids. Looks like we gotta switch things up. I¡¯ll see you all tomorrow to start your fourth week off right.¡± Four weeks. Man, it feels a lot longer than that. This is torturous. Well, time to be a doorstop. I wonder if the girls are done with Sable¡¯s pants yet. I found my answer as I was yet again sitting in front of the door during break. I noticed C¨¦¨ªrde and Flint walking through the galley, and an opportunity crossed my mind.

    ¡°Hey. What are you two up to?¡± I asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re heading in to grab a snack before dinner. Just a roll or something. Why?¡±

    ¡°Once you do, would you mind telling me about tonight¡¯s creatures? I¡¯m planning on getting to bed early.¡± They looked at each other.

    ¡°Sure. Sounds good to me.¡± Flint replied. Flint sat down and talked to me while C¨¦¨ªrde grabbed the rolls, with one extra for me. They told me about the Spitting Shadow, a creature that would blend in with its environment and mimic sounds of its prey until they got close. Then from the shadows it would spit a caustic liquid, targeting the limbs of prey, and trying to sever them. Once the prey left, the Shadow, looking like a sting ray that had loosely wrapped its wings around itself, would emerge to consume the limbs.

    There was also a creature called the Boulder Beetle, a large beetle that disguised itself as a boulder. Simple as that. Wasn¡¯t dangerous unless provoked, then it would attempt to roll over and crush its attackers. I thanked them for the early lesson and moved aside as the girls left the room, closing the door behind them.

    ¡°Well, they¡¯re all finished.¡± Leola said excitedly. L¨¢nn hopped up and down, enthusiastically clapping.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see them then.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde said smiling.

    ¡°Wait a second.¡± Leola ran around gathering the group to the galley, then called to Sable. ¡°Ok, you can come out.¡± The door opened and Sable walked out.

    I was stunned. I watched as Sable turned, twirled, and posed in her new pants. The back of the knees and part of the back of the calf and front of her crotch were made from her old pants to help them breathe and keep quiet, but the rest was a somewhat shining black leather. I could see the muscles in her legs move through them as she posed. I got that feeling in my stomach again, but much stronger, and my heart started racing. The more I looked, the faster my heartbeat, until I noticed a very strange feeling. I glanced around to see everybody focused on Sable, paying her compliments which made her move more, making my heart pound harder.

    What is going¡­ My thought was cut short by a feeling I had never felt. Something was moving, down below. What is this?! I moved backwards a few feet and sat down at a table as I noticed ¡®it,¡¯ whatever ¡®it¡¯ was, becoming more and more visible. Shaking with a newfound fear, I stared down at the table and took deep breaths. Why is it like this? Does it go back eventually? How do I make it go away? I looked around to make sure nobody noticed me. Is it happening to anyone else? I looked around at the other guys in the group. Nothing.

    ¡°How do they feel?¡± Leola questioned.

    ¡°They¡¯re amazing. I hardly notice them, and I don¡¯t have to keep pulling them up.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m delighted to hear it.¡± Leola said smiling.

    ¡°Me too.¡± L¨¢nn chimed in. Klintock leaned in and whispered to Flint and Keokin, they all nodded and Klintock spoke up.

    ¡°That settles it. You guys should make another pair, for C¨¦¨ªrde this time though.¡± Leola looked at him questioningly.

    ¡°Why?¡± Klintock thought for a second.

    ¡°Well¡­ because¡­ because she¡¯s always off on her own. It would be good for her to spend some time with you ladies.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde shook her head.

    ¡°I¡¯m too busy for¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s do it!¡± L¨¢nn yelled, interrupting C¨¦¨ªrde. ¡°Come on C¨¦¨ªrde. I want to make more. They¡¯re so fun to make and look how cute they are.¡± She pointed at Sable who wiggled, standing on her toes. I was breathing heavily, trying to avert my eyes from Sable, finding it difficult, and trying to see if breathing would make it go away. Go away. Leave me alone! What are you and why are you doing this? I focused on my breathing as I closed my eyes.

    ¡°It only takes a week at most, so it won¡¯t take up much training time.¡± Leola said to reassure C¨¦¨ªrde. I ventured a glance to see how things were turning out, trying to avoid Sable. C¨¦¨ªrde sighed with a slight smile on her face. My new visitor finally started to calm down. Thank Fomh¨¢r! I continued my breathing until I could feel it returning to normal.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do it.¡± L¨¢nn, Leola and Sable squealed with excitement. ¡°Now let¡¯s eat.¡± They all started walking towards the kitchen.

    ¡°Cro¨ª.¡± Leola said. I jumped in my seat.

    ¡°Uh! Yeah?¡± She raised an eyebrow at me.

    ¡°You ok? You coming to eat?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ Yeah.¡± She motioned for me to follow her.

    ¡°Come on then.¡± I took another breath or two then slowly slid off the chair, keeping a watchful eye on the area as I stood, happy to find the ¡®terrain¡¯ was back to normal. I looked up to see her even more confused.

    ¡°What is it? Something wrong?¡± I shook my head and caught up with her.

    ¡°No, of course not, just a little sore from training is all.¡± I lied. She nodded and shrugged, and we went to eat dinner. After dinner I went immediately to bed, wanting to get some extra sleep and horrified that whatever happened would happen again.

 Chapter 13

    I was up early the next morning, sitting at the table closest to the training room, finishing my rolls, when I saw Gathaen come down. He gave me a slight nod, and I nodded back.

    ¡°Seen Sacae yet?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Not yet. He might be in the training room.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± He said, moving into the training room. A few moments later, Gathaen returned, stopping near the bottom of the stairs and waved towards the stern. I followed his gaze to find Sacae smiling and waving back to him.

    ¡°Morning Gathaen. To what do I owe the pleasure?¡±

    ¡°Ready?¡± Gathaen asked simply. Sacae looked a bit nervous, scratching the back of his head.

    ¡°Fraid not. Think they¡¯ll need another week.¡±

    ¡°A week?¡± Gathaen asked. Sacae nodded.

    ¡°Fraid so.¡± Gathaen made a deep sigh.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Got one a bit slow on the uptake. Should be sorted by next week though.¡± Gathaen stared at Sacae for a moment, then nodded.

    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll tell the others.¡±

    ¡°Much appreciated. I¡¯ll get right to work on them.¡± Sacae said, smiling. But as soon as Gathaen left, his smile dropped. He pointed to our room. ¡°Get Klintock and Jael for me would ya Cro¨ª?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡± I said, stuffing the last of the roll in. We immediately jumped straight into an intense training session.

    ¡°Harder Klintock.¡± Sacae urged. We had been training for nearly seven hours, and now Klintock had clamped his arms around my neck harder and my airway was closed off. ¡°There you go. Now his airway is completely blocked. If you just hold it like that for a bit, he¡¯ll pass out. Of course, there is another choke that is far more effective that I¡¯ve been meaning to teach all of you.¡± I started getting tunnel vision. ¡°Ok you can let go now.¡± Klintock released and I gasped.

    ¡°You good Cro¨ª?¡± Klintock asked as he put a hand on my shoulder.

    ¡°Yeah Cro¨ª.¡± Sacae said bluntly. ¡°You good?¡± I looked up to see him nearly glaring at me.

    ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s move on.¡± I nodded.

    ¡°Good boy Cro¨ª.¡± Sacae said. He moved behind me, a second later I felt his left hand on the back of my head, and his right arm looped around my neck and interlocked into his left elbow. Suddenly, I felt enormous pressure on both sides of my neck. ¡°This is called the Blood Choke.¡± A few seconds later, my head started to feel a little light, and I felt uncomfortable. I blinked slowly.

    ¡°Cro¨ª are you ok? Are you ok?¡± I jolted awake, suddenly aware of every detail in the room. Jael and Klintock looming over me, wrinkles in between their brows and across their forehead, conveying concern. Sweat had built on both of them from the exercise we had done today. Sweat I could smell, along with the scent of wood from the ship. What just happened? How did I get on the floor? I shot up. My vision seemed delayed, and my head was fuzzy.

    ¡°What¡­¡± I felt the pain of a headache. ¡°What happened?¡± I asked. Sacae crouched over me.

    ¡°I choked you out. Knocked you unconscious with the blood choke. When properly applied, it only takes ten seconds, well, most of the time less than that.¡± I could feel Jael and Klintock¡¯s hands holding me up.

    ¡°It was weird. One second you were up, then you looked sleepy and then you were out.¡± Klintock explained. Jael turned to Sacae.

    ¡°Did you have to do that?¡± She asked. Sacae nodded.

    ¡°I plan to do it to all of you. I want you to know what you¡¯re doing to someone when you use that move.¡± I lightly shook my head, trying to get rid of the headache, only to make it slightly worse. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll do it one at a time, then you have the next hour to get ready for dinner. As Jael won exercises today, I¡¯ll supervise her on Klintock, then once he¡¯s awake, I¡¯ll knock her out. All clear?¡± Jael and Klintock looked to me.

    ¡°What was it like?¡±

    ¡°Does it hurt?¡± They asked simultaneously. I thought for a moment. My brain felt, foggy.

    ¡°Not really. I felt uncomfortable for a moment, strange. Then I woke up with a start. I have a bit of a headache and my brain feels¡­ slow. I guess.¡± They looked at each other and sighed, saying.

    ¡°Ok. Let¡¯s do this.¡± Sacae got them both on the ground and guided Jael¡¯s arms around Klintock¡¯s throat and told her how and where to apply pressure. I saw Klintock¡¯s eyes convey discomfort.

    ¡°Like this?¡± Jael asked. Klintock¡¯s eyes started to look sleepy.

    ¡°Just like that. Keep going.¡± Klintock¡¯s eyes closed. Sacae waited one second, then tapped her arm. She released quickly and he started to fall over. Jael caught him and rolled him over onto his back.

    ¡°Is he ok?¡± She asked, eyes wide. Sacae nodded as he put Klintock¡¯s feet up.

    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. The blood choke is great for safe knockouts. It¡¯s rare that something goes very wrong. Unless you apply it for more than ten to twelve seconds.¡±

    ¡°What happens then?¡± Jael asked.

    ¡°They die. Stops blood from getting to their brain for too long and they just stop functioning.¡± Jael looked back to Klintock, then to me and gulped. She lightly tapped Klintock¡¯s face a few times.

    ¡°Klintock. Klintock wake up. Come on, you ok?¡± She sounded worried, near frantic. My brain was still having trouble catching up with what was going on as I watched Klintock¡¯s eyes shoot open, and he took a deep breath, looking around dazed and frantic. He groaned.

    ¡°My head. That is so weird.¡±

    ¡°There we go. Right as rain. Jael, if you don¡¯t mind, it''s your turn now.¡± Jael took a deep breath, glancing at both of us, then nodded. Sacae moved in behind her, slipping his arms around her neck as me and Klintock watched. The same thing happened. She just went to sleep and Sacae laid her on the ground with her feet up. I went over and patted her cheeks.

    ¡°Wake up Jael. Time to wake up. The headache isn¡¯t all that bad if you don¡¯t move too fast.¡± I tried to explain. She was breathing but didn¡¯t wake up for about fifteen seconds. I was starting to worry. Then her eyes shot open, and she immediately reached up to her neck, gasping. She slowly got confused, looking at her hands as if they were foreign to her, and laid her head back down on the floor, groaning.

    ¡°That¡¯s so weird.¡± She said.

    ¡°I know right?¡± Klintock agreed. Sacae laughed.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s it for today. See you kids tomorrow.¡± He stood up and walked away. We all laid there dazed until Leola came in with Sable, L¨¢nn and C¨¦¨ªrde for break.

    ¡°Are you guys ok?¡± Leola asked. Klintock put a thumb up for a moment. I slowly stood up as I spoke.

    ¡°Sacae used a blood choke to knock us all out. It¡¯s a little weird to wake up from. You get a headache and your brain feels slow for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Are you ok though?¡± She asked. I nodded.

    ¡°Yeah. We¡¯re fine now.¡± Jael and Klintock nodded in agreement and started getting up. I walked into the galley, ready to sit by the door again. Leola just shook her head and went into the room with the others. Jael and Klintock decided to come and sit next to me. Flint woke me up later, and I realized that Klintock and Jael were both leaning on my shoulders.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± He asked.

    ¡°We got knocked out for the first time today. It¡¯s kinda tiring. Time for my lesson?¡± He chuckled and nodded.

    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re having fun. Kind of envy you guys. I just get filled with nightmares all day. Speaking of which.¡±

    He told me about the Giant Harpoon Fin, a fish with side fins resembling harpoons. It was a large fish that would only eat smaller ones. They typically grew to be roughly eight feet long and resided mostly in deeper pockets of river.

    He also told me of something classified as a jellyfish called the Hypnotic Eye. It was a glowing creature shaped like an eye when viewed from above. When viewed from the side, it was revealed that it was more of a spherical mushroom shape thirty-five feet in diameter with many dozens of tendrils dangling two hundred feet below it. Apparently, it would float up from the depths of the ocean near the surface of a particular portion of the southern cliffs, at which point it would begin glowing. Primarily it would be white or silver, with small highlights of pink throughout, and viewed from above, it created an array of shifting colors that would entrance prey to move towards it and relax. Anything that drifted into the tendrils was immediately met with shocking, searing pain and paralysis. Prey that died tangled in the tendrils would eventually be consumed over time. Being mindful not to look into the ¡®eye¡¯ too long and keeping in mind what the creature did would help prevent prey from being entranced. This meant it was generally not considered dangerous for sentient, thinking creatures.

    Cairen came out looking for L¨¢nn to start dinner just as soon as she knocked on the door to be let out. Me and Flint woke up Klintock and Jael and moved to one of the tables to wait for food. After eating dinner, I retired to the room, early as usual. The others stayed up for a while playing cards with Cairen, or Zanataz occasionally, or talking about their days and what they had learned. I heard Leola asking some of them if they¡¯d noticed that I¡¯d been going to sleep early every night and telling them she was worried about me.

    Looks like I need to stop that, or they¡¯ll get suspicious. Sacae doesn¡¯t like it when people get suspicious.

    I did my best to toughen up over the next three days. Everybody else got busier as well, coming back later from training looking tired or sore. I asked L¨¢nn about it and she said that all of them were doing special things with Zanataz, and it was a secret. I accepted it and moved on, but kind of missed sitting at the door for them. Blocking the door made me feel strangely useful after doing nothing but getting beat all day.

    Days later, on the morning of the sixth day of the fourth week, Zanataz was standing in the galley. I noticed him wave, but not at me. I looked down the hall to see Sacae walking over.

    ¡°Good morning Zanataz.¡± I said as I moved into the kitchen. Zanataz smiled and nodded at me.

    ¡°Good morning Cro¨ª.¡± I got my usual roll and cheese but hesitated before leaving the kitchen as I heard them speaking.

    ¡°¡­were supposed to be ready to join the others by now. What¡¯s the holdup?¡± Zanataz asked.

    ¡°One particular student is slower on the uptake than¡­¡± Zanataz interrupted.

    ¡°Then you would like. I¡¯ve heard that excuse already.¡± He said.

    ¡°It¡¯s no excuse Zanataz. He¡¯s a special case. Like I¡¯ve been telling the other mentors.¡±

    ¡°Really? I find that hard to believe. I don¡¯t see him as being all that difficult.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s been difficult since day one. He shows plenty of promise, but he¡¯s real particular with how he learns. He¡¯s close though. Shouldn¡¯t take more than a week.¡± Sacae said.

    ¡°A week? You¡¯re joking right?¡±

    ¡°Fraid not. Look I¡¯m frustrated too. Him being a Geal and all, I planned on him being more like the rest of his family, but he just isn¡¯t.¡± Sacae said sweetly. Geal? Wait, they¡¯re talking about me? My heart sank. I¡¯m holding everyone up? How? I¡¯ve been doing everything I¡¯m told. Maybe it¡¯s because I conserve my strength sometimes. But if I don¡¯t, I can¡¯t last all day. It¡¯s too painful.

    ¡°All the more reason to start group training. More mentors means more teaching styles and more eyes.¡± Zanataz said.

    ¡°That¡¯s not the problem. I know how to teach him. I¡¯ll admit though, kid was hard to figure out.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    ¡°So why not join now? Or at least let me join in from now on?¡± Zanataz asked.

    ¡°You can if you¡¯d like, but it would be counterproductive. You know his type. He¡¯s timid and nervous. Extra pairs of eyes all over the room will make it worse. I¡¯m just at the last stages of getting him used to being watched, breaking the shell. You see how he socializes now. That¡¯s all my doing.¡± Sacae pleaded. Zanataz huffed.

    ¡°It should not have taken you this long.¡± Zanataz accused.

    ¡°I know. I¡¯m sorry. Just¡­ Trust me. I know he¡¯ll be ready; I just need a little more time.¡± There was a pause. ¡°It¡¯s my last journey on the Pony Zanataz. I just want to make sure this is done right. Please.¡± Zanataz made an irritated grunt.

    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll tell Edorin. He¡¯ll have the final say.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all I ask. Thank you.¡± Zanataz didn¡¯t say anything. I heard both of them walk away. Am I really that weak? I can¡¯t let that happen. I have to toughen up. I can¡¯t let myself hold back the others. I pushed out into the galley and eagerly waited for the others so we could start training. ¡°Today, we will practice sparring.¡± Sacae announced.

    ¡°Sparring?¡± Jael asked.

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve been teaching you dozens of moves for nearly four weeks. It¡¯s time to see you put it to the test. These will be mock battles in which you will try to get your opponent to tap out to win. Just don¡¯t go breaking anything. Winning isn¡¯t that important yet.¡±

    ¡°Ok. So, do we just start hitting each other or something?¡± Jael asked. Sacae laughed.

    ¡°No. Square off. Face each other with your stance like this.¡± He crouched down slightly with his hands up in a defensive stance facing me. I mimicked him, realizing it was demonstration time. ¡°Then when one of you says go, we attack each other and try to pin or tap out our opponent.¡± They took a step back. I was nervous. I¡¯d taken beatings from him before, but I was expecting them. Now he could use any move at any time, and how was I supposed to defend myself against him. I¡¯d only practiced with my brothers, and with Sacae it had only been ¡®practice¡¯ taking blows, not dealing, or avoiding them. Jael breathed in.

    ¡°Go.¡± Sacae didn¡¯t dive straight in, he started rocking back and forth from his front to his back foot. He lunged then stopped mid lunge. I flinched and he smiled. He threw his hands out and, again, I flinched. A small chuckle came from him. I was getting more and more nervous.

    Maybe I should just make a move. Waiting is driving me nuts. If I¡¯m going to get beat, at least I can decide when. I targeted his leg and dove in for it, trying to wrap it up. His leg vanished as he jumped back and he pushed on my back, shoving me to my hands and knees. I tried to swipe out with my left hand and grab an ankle, but he reached down and caught my wrist. I immediately felt pain as he twisted my wrist. I looked up and analyzed the situation. He had my left hand and was twisting the pinky around to try and meet my thumb.

    If I can free up the twist and pull hard, I should be able to free myself. I put my legs beneath myself and pushed, rolled, and pulled my arm free. As I was standing, Sacae lunged for me, grabbing ahold of my right leg, and threw it to the side. All my weight dropped onto my left knee, slamming into the hardwood floor. I hissed in pain. He moved behind me, wrapping my neck up with his arms and stepped on my left calf so I couldn¡¯t stand. I was trapped, sitting there squirming, grasping at his arms trying to tear them away as he tightened his grip.

    ¡°You¡¯re weak Cro¨ª.¡± He whispered in my ear.

    ¡°Wha¡­¡± I gasped.

    ¡°You¡¯re weak. Like R¨ªger was.¡± Why is he saying this? Is this another of his stupid ¡®tests¡¯ to see how we react? I shoved my left hand up, forcing it in between his arm and my neck. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll switch targets though. Give you a break.¡± Think Croi, think. All of his weights behind me, if I do the window move, I could toss him. It¡¯ll hurt my calf, but it¡¯ll break his hold. I leaned back into him slowly, trying to push him back and make the move more effective when I leaned forward. ¡°But which one of them should I target? You obviously can¡¯t take it. Edorin¡¯s noticing you limping around, taking naps. I can¡¯t have that.¡± He taunted.

    ¡°Come on Cro¨ª! Don¡¯t give up! Protect the throat!¡± Jael yelled, worry on her face. I could feel the blood rushing to my head, and the lack of air as I gasped.

    ¡°Follow her advice like a good little boy. Or how about this. I¡¯ll use Jael. She¡¯s gotten so strong; it¡¯ll be fun to break her.¡± I focused everything I had on curling forward and to the right, then twisting left. To my amazement, it worked, and I still had hold of his right arm. He flipped over me, but at the last second, twisted himself to nearly land on his feet. I fumbled, trying to pull up on his wrist, and down on his elbow and lock his arm, but he just used his strength to pull me towards him.

    I leaned back trying to wrench my arm free, but his grip was too strong. He yanked on my arm, stepped back, and pulled me past him then let go, sending me sprawling across the floor. I¡¯d barely stood when I felt his hand on my wrist, pulling me in again, but this time he tripped me, making the tumble more painful.

    The third time, he grabbed my right wrist, twisted his back into my chest, and pulled my arm over his right shoulder as he bent over. My legs left the ground, and I swung through the air, landing flat on my back. I laid there breathless, cringing in pain as he stood over me talking idly to Klintock and Jael. ¡°¡­and that¡¯s the best way to continuously loop throws. Because he couldn¡¯t recover fast enough, I had free reign over how I wanted the fight to go. If he had capitalized on his throw earlier, things might¡¯ve gone differently. If he wasn¡¯t weak, his throw could¡¯ve been much harder, that¡¯s why we¡¯ll be starting strength training¡­¡±

    Sure. You being significantly bigger, stronger, and more experienced had nothing to do with it. Then it hit, he was distracted. Just for a second, he looked up as he was talking to the other two. His stance was leisurely, most of his weight on the right leg. I moved quickly, snatched his left ankle, put it under my armpit, and rolled. It forced him to the floor and twisted his ankle painfully.

    Tap out! I¡¯ll show you weak! I felt his hand on my leg, then the change in elevation as he pushed himself onto his free leg. He smiled. He rolled away from me, yanking his leg free. As I scrambled to my feet, he rolled back. I backstepped, trying to gain distance, but he caught my free left leg, twisted, and lifted it, before forcing me into the ground. He imitated me, locking my foot in his armpit and twisting, but unlike me, he had used his legs to pin me. I couldn¡¯t stand, twist, or yank my way out of it. I pulled with my arms, trying to drag my way out, until I felt a pop in my left ankle. I yelled through my teeth in pain. He pulled harder, spreading the pain up to my knee.

    ¡°Tap out Cro¨ª. Come on.¡± Klintock said, urging me to stop the fight. I reached for any part of Sacae, trying to turn this around, not to win, just to stop the pain and panic. He was too far away from me, and he twisted my leg further. I could all but feel the bones in my ankle starting to dislocate. I pounded the ground three times and Sacae released. I felt a tendon pop back into place. I grunted through my teeth from the pain and anger. I felt the hands of Jael and Klintock as they rushed over to check on me.

    ¡°Now that was a fight Cro¨ª. I had to pull out more than a few tricks. I¡¯m impressed.¡± Sacae said. I rolled over onto my back and sat up.

    ¡°Are you ok?¡± Jael questioned. I looked at Sacae. There was a menacing feel to his eyes and smile as he glanced at Jael, raising an eyebrow, and widening his smile. I understood what it meant. I nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine now. That move just messes with your leg a bit. It¡¯s you and Klintock¡¯s turn now. Don¡¯t be stupid like me, ok?¡± Klintock shook his head, chuckling.

    ¡°Stupid¡¯s not the right word for you Cro¨ª.¡± Sure it is. Thinking I could beat Sacae. Thinking I was anything but weak. I¡¯m a punching bag. And I¡¯ll keep it that way so neither of you have to be. Sacae clapped his hands together.

    ¡°Now then you two. Square up, and when I say go¡­¡± They nodded and walked to a more open area. Sacae circled around them and crouched near me. ¡°Go.¡± They danced around each other, searching for an opening. ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying. You¡¯re not bad, but I didn¡¯t lie about you being weak. You moping around all the time is making Edorin think I¡¯m not doing my job. I¡¯m training all of you for that Island Cro¨ª. I¡¯m going to toughen you up like I did your brother. He survived, right? But if Edorin so much as looks my way again because of you, I¡¯ll give up on you and switch to Jael. You get me?¡± Jael grabbed Klintock¡¯s hand and flipped him over, trying to put him in an arm bar, but Klintock reversed the hold, pulling her in and pinning her neck against his shin while pulling on both of her arms. So, it¡¯s special training. Like what he did when we met him. I hate it. But it¡¯s me feeling pain or them. I sighed and nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do better.¡± He smiled and sat back, folding his arms as Jael tapped on Klintock¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Good Little Cro¨ª.¡± Sacae said in a small voice. I don¡¯t like when he calls me that. I only like it when Bacta says it. It makes me feel uncomfortable. It feels more like a taunt than a nickname.

    ¡°Dang. I really thought I had you. You¡¯re slippery.¡± Jael said, helping Klintock up.

    ¡°Ok then. Looks like it¡¯s back to me and Cro¨ª.¡± Sacae turned to me. ¡°Be sure to give it your all.¡± He said. I nodded. For four hours, I continued to fight against Sacae, only taking small breaks to watch when Jael and Klintock sparred.

    By the end of it, the three of us were too exhausted to do anything but sit in the galley come break time, but I grabbed a book and forced myself to stay awake. If I was seen slacking off in any way, they would be punished.

    Flint came by and told me about the Blind Salamander, a ten-foot-long lizard that preyed in thigh deep water. It had no eyes but could feel movement through the water up to eighty feet away.

    The Rolling Caterpillar was a carnivorous, five foot tall and twenty-five-foot-long armored caterpillar. When it spotted prey, it would roll itself into a donut shape and, using its thick armored shell covered in spikes, it would run the prey over, then eat them.

    I showed him a creature that I had learned about called the Corpse Stalker. It was another giant caterpillar-like creature. Five feet tall, and fifteen feet long. It had an armored hide as well, though it was more like armored rings with small feet. On one end was the mouth, circular with many rows of long teeth leading into the mouth. Just below the mouth it had two small limbs like appendages that would scrape up dead creatures or bones and shovel them into its mouth. It moved very slowly and would only eat dead creatures. There was a drawing of a Cian¨ªan waving from directly in front of the mouth, even touching some of the teeth.

    The others filed into the galley, all seeming exhausted but satisfied. They had towels on their shoulders and were hungry and thirsty. I recognized these symptoms as my own after every day of training with Sacae. Were they all training in combat? Who with? I decided to test my theory.

    ¡°Good workout today?¡± I asked Sable. She nodded.

    ¡°Yeah, really good. Though not as hard as the other days.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde nudged her.

    ¡°Learn any cool moves?¡± I asked. Sable looked at C¨¦¨ªrde, both looking confused.

    ¡°How did you know?¡± C¨¦¨ªrde asked. I smiled triumphantly.

    ¡°Oh, that was dirty.¡± Sable said, glaring. ¡°But also, very clever.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but smile and neither could I. I¡¯d fallen prey to that very same tactic many times with my family. It felt nice to finally be on the winning end of that trick. The familiar deep tapping of Edorin¡¯s boots made us all look over as he entered the room with Keokin.

    ¡°Captain.¡± We said collectively with a salute.

    ¡°At ease.¡±

    ¡°Captain, I¡¯m sorry, we spilled the beans.¡± Sable blurted out. ¡°We didn¡¯t mean to. Cro¨ª tricked us.¡± She pointed at me. I huffed a laugh and smirked. Edorin held up a hand.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine Sable. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here. I¡¯m going to be making an announcement to the crew before dinner is served. So, Cairen.¡± We all turned to see Cairen poking his head out from the kitchen.

    ¡°Yes Captain?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t put the food out like usual. I¡¯ll send the crew down after the announcement.¡±

    ¡°Yes Captain.¡± Cairen said.

    ¡°That¡¯s one hour for L¨¢nn and William to help with dinner tonight. The rest of you will meet above deck when the bell is rung. Understood?¡±

    ¡°Yes Captain.¡± We said at once.

    ¡°Very good.¡± He turned and walked away, leaving Keokin with us.

    ¡°So¡­ What is it?¡± Klintock asked Keokin. Keokin looked at all of our curious faces.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say. Just wait for an hour or so and find out like everyone else.¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on, you¡¯ve got to be able to at least hint at it.¡± Flint pressed.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Keokin said, thinking. ¡°It¡¯s something that will help our whole group, some more than others, eventually. That¡¯s all I can say.¡± We all thought about it for a minute, unsure what to think about it.

    ¡°Well, at least it¡¯s beneficial.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde stated.

    ¡°Yeah. I was worried we were in trouble or something.¡± L¨¢nn followed with a sigh of relief. I stood up and started my journey above deck. I wanted to take my time. Unfortunately, I was followed by everyone but L¨¢nn and William who went into the kitchen to help Cairen. Once above deck, I separated myself from the group, walking to the bow of the ship. I peered off into the distance looking for anything that resembled islands or creatures. Far off to my right I could see dark clouds and the occasional lightning bolts but that was it. There wasn¡¯t even much wind blowing. I heard footfalls coming from behind me and turned to see Jael and Klintock.

    ¡°Hey Cro¨ª. We just talked to Sacae. He wanted us to tell you that he¡¯s introducing striking the day after tomorrow.¡± I moaned quietly.

    ¡°I¡¯m excited. I always loved striking.¡± Klintock answered. Jael agreed. You haven¡¯t been Sacae¡¯s dummy for four weeks. And now he¡¯s moving on to striking?

    ¡°Great¡­ That sounds great.¡± I lied. Klintock raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°You don¡¯t sound very excited.¡±

    ¡°I did some training in striking with my brothers. Some of them couldn¡¯t pull their punches and I guess I just had a bad experience with it.¡± A partial lie.

    ¡°Makes sense, but don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll go easy on you.¡± Jael said smiling as she nudged my shoulder. I winced from pain, bringing my hand up to the large bruise she had unknowingly hit. She looked at me, confused and worried.

    ¡°Gotcha.¡± I said, faking a slight smile. She scoffed and shook her head.

    ¡°Yeah you did.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You were just¡­ too tough for me there ya know.¡± I said, trying to keep the joke going. She held up her fist, flexing her bicep.

    ¡°You could bet on that every time.¡± She said. Klintock laughed at her, and she slugged him in the arm. He still laughed but not as hard. The bell rang five times to signify gathering on deck. We could hear the chatting of the entire crew that had gathered outside of the Captain¡¯s quarters. We started to make our way over to hear Edorin¡¯s announcement, the door opened, and he emerged with Zanataz.

    ¡°Captain.¡± We all said, saluting.

    ¡°At attention.¡± He said. All the crew straightened up with their heels together, shoulders back, and arms to their sides. Our group followed suit as Edorin spoke.

    ¡°Tomorrow marks the end of our fourth week on this voyage. As a point of celebration, I have been preparing what should be a fair bit of entertainment. There will be sparring matches between the Agers, wherein, each will face off against an opponent in a grappling only match. Ale will be served to the crew, followed by dinner for all, and a tankard of ale for the winning Agers.¡± Looking around I could see excited smiles break on all the crew members faces, except Sacae. He seemed worried. ¡°At ease.¡±

    As soon as Edorin said that the whole crew cheered. One of them shouting ¡®Ale!¡¯ at the top of his lungs. Edorin held up a hand, a very slight smile on the left side of his face and the crew quieted. ¡°The tournament will start after training for the Agers is completed tomorrow and will go until all matches are decided. If the Agers would step forward please.¡± He motioned for us to step forward and held out a bowl.

    I nervously made my way to him through the crowd. Eventually making it into the space with the rest of the group. He held out the bowl. ¡°Cro¨ª, Keokin, Flint, L¨¢nn and Jael. Take one please, but don¡¯t read it yet. The rest of you make a line.¡± We each grabbed a folded piece of parchment from the bowl. ¡°Now, read your notes.¡± I unfolded mine, heart pounding. It had a name on it. Klintock. I looked up at him. His eyes went wide. ¡°Now go and stand in front of the one named.¡± I stood in front of Klintock.

    My heart was pounding, and my stomach felt uneasy. ¡°There we have it. The person standing across from you will be your opponent tomorrow. Now, everyone report to the galley.¡± Edorin walked back into his quarters. The crew cheered and shook the shoulders and ruffled the hair of Agers they passed on their way to the galley. I was scared, but looking around, everyone else was excited, especially Sable, standing across from L¨¢nn. Keokin was with Leola, and C¨¦¨ªrde with Jael.

    ¡°Oh. This is going to be fun.¡± On my left, Flint and William. I¡¯m glad I don¡¯t have William. I wouldn¡¯t trust him to stop even if I tapped. Kind of like Sacae really. Klintock was the best option.

    ¡°Alright then. Let¡¯s get some food, do our lessons, and get some shut eye. Tomorrow¡¯s going to be a big day.¡± Keokin said loudly. We headed off, getting food before heading into our room. Though extremely tired, I forced myself to stay awake until the others started going to sleep.

 Chapter 14

    <u> </u>

    ¡°Cro¨ª?¡± I startled awake, nearly attacking Keokin. ¡°Whoa. Good morning to you too.¡± He said, smiling. ¡°It¡¯s time to get ready.¡± I nodded.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± I said simply. I slept in. I should¡¯ve been awake an hour ago. I got ready as fast as I could and grabbed a few things from the pantry before heading into the training room. I noticed a figure standing in the corner with my peripheral vision and looked over to find Edorin standing there. I saluted sharply, dropping my biscuit.

    ¡°Captain.¡±

    ¡°At ease.¡± He said quietly. I picked my biscuit up and looked at him awkwardly, unsure of what he wanted and why he was here. Also scared that Sacae would walk in, see us, and get mad. He came close to me, keeping his voice low. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I startled you Cro¨ª. I had a few questions to ask you. As a mentor, not your Captain.¡± He gave a slight one-sided smile.

    ¡°Ok.¡± I said, eager to hear what he had to say.

    ¡°How is your relationship with your fellow Guardians?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Really good. I¡¯m their shield brother. I¡¯ve got their back and they have mine.¡± I said, glancing up at him with a smile. He nodded.

    ¡°What about with the other Agers?¡±

    ¡°I get along well with everyone but William.¡±

    ¡°What happens with William?¡± He asked.

    ¡°He¡¯s just not very kind, I guess. It¡¯s ok though because Jael and Klintock watch out for me when they need to.¡± I said, glancing back up at him again.

    ¡°Do they need to often?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Uh. Not really.¡±

    ¡°Sacae.¡± I looked up as he said it. Not at him like I had with the other questions, but around the room to see if Sacae was there. He wasn¡¯t and I was confused as to why Edorin would say his name. I looked at him and saw a slight look of sadness. His eyes darted towards the stairs that led above deck and his expression returned to normal. ¡°You know.¡± He started, pursing his lips. ¡°Your brother Kixas and me were on the same Aging.¡±

    ¡°No way! Really?¡± I was excited by the idea that I might get some stories of Kixas. I missed him and was overjoyed to hear his name again. Edorin chuckled.

    ¡°Yes. Swear on the Sea God Machl¨ªr (Mock-leer).¡±

    ¡°What was he?¡±

    ¡°A Guardian just like you. He was the one that threw that flaming spear at Bh¨¢is.¡±

    ¡°Really? That was Kixas?¡± Edorin nodded, smiling at my enthusiasm.

    ¡°It was. After I threw mine and alerted Bh¨¢is, he was smart enough to remember its weakness to fire. He wrapped his spear in flammable cloth. Of course, the other Guardian and our Leader suffered in the time it took him to prepare the spear, but it was a brilliant idea. Worked like a charm and saved the rest of us.¡±

    He patted me on the head and started walking off quickly into the galley, giving a small wave over his shoulder as he went. As soon as he entered the galley, Sacae turned the corner and saw the last of me waving. He looked at me strangely and waved back slightly. I was relieved that he hadn¡¯t seen Edorin, and I was happy having heard a tale of Kixas. Jael and Klintock rushed in as soon as they saw Sacae.

    ¡°I¡¯m planning a fairly light session today. I want you three to show off what I¡¯ve been teaching you. As such, each one of you will be sparring with me for the next four hours. Then we will do our finishing stretches twice.¡±

    I was worried about Sacae sparring with them. If Edorin had talked to him that morning, there was a possibility he would think me weak and swap me out for Jael. He got into a sparring stance. ¡°Cro¨ª. You¡¯re up first.¡± I breathed a sigh of relief and stepped into position. Like usual, I struggled well before Sacae got me into a hold and forced me to tap out. Then was Jael and Klintock¡¯s turn. Sacae allowed them to have much more time, trying out lunges and feints, allowing them to begin a move on him only for him to reverse it and tell them how to do it better. I learned a lot from just standing there and watching, but, admittedly, it wasn¡¯t as good as doing it.

    Four hours passed quickly and for the first time in a while, I left the session with only three or four new bruises. All in all, not too bad a day. We decided to go and see what the others were up to, only to find them on the upper deck sparring with Zanataz. Sable waved when she saw us, then turned back to the match between Zanataz and Keokin.

    Keokin was putting up a good fight. He had the top position, somehow looping one of his legs under and around Zanataz¡¯s. It was a move I¡¯d never seen before, but it looked effective. That is until Zanataz made a series of quick and efficient moves that I didn¡¯t fully understand, and then Keokin was in a strange choke hold with Zanataz¡¯s legs, who now had both his arms free. Keokin tapped out and I sat there, stunned.

    ¡°We never learned that one.¡± Klintock said. Me and Jael nodded.

    ¡°None of them.¡± Jael agreed. I went over to the foremast and climbed a bit up it to watch. I observed several more moves and effective counters moves.

    ¡°Right then. Time for sparring. You have one hour left, that¡¯s one match each. Then the bell for a one-hour break and then tournament time. Sable and Leola, you¡¯re up.¡± Zanataz said. The two girls squared off in the center, both dancing back and forth until Leola dove in after Sable¡¯s leg. Sable leapt forward, flipping once and landing behind Leola. My mouth dropped open, but everyone else, including Leola, seemed unphased.

    How did she do that? Sable was quick to counterattack, as soon as she landed, she grabbed and twisted under Leola¡¯s arm, pulling her to the ground. Leola¡¯s foot went behind and locked into Sable¡¯s leg, taking them both down to the ground where they rolled and twisted over each other, grabbing arms and legs, and twisting, constantly vying for a better position. After a minute it was difficult for my eyes to follow, but then I was just looking down at Sable and Leola entwined with each other.

    My heart started pounding. It was amazing to watch their muscles move and flex, then clamp down on each other, and the skill they displayed with their movements. The feeling I got when I first saw Sable in her pants was coming back and I felt a pang of fear. I decided to get up and move to the back of the ship and watch the ocean instead. Whatever that feeling was, it caused uncomfortable and confusing things to happen. It made me feel strange.

    Maybe I should see Leola about it. But what if she doesn¡¯t know what it is? Maybe I should go to Leola¡¯s mentor. That could be a better idea. Maybe I¡¯ll do that while everybody else is resting. I went back to check on the match, only to find it was William and Zanataz. Leola and Sable were off to the side talking. I went down and asked, nearly in a whisper.

    ¡°Leola?¡± Her ears perked up like she heard something, then Sable noticed me and yelled in surprise.

    ¡°Geez Cro¨ª. You¡¯re like a ghost.¡± She and Leola laughed.

    ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t mean to scare you.¡± I said.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Leola said laughing. ¡°What did you need Cro¨ª?¡±

    ¡°I was just wondering, when is the best time to see Lanaea?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Pretty much anytime really. Why? Are you feeling ok?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Yeah, I¡¯m fine I just...Never mind.¡± I started walking away towards the bow of the ship.

    ¡°Wait.¡± She got up and came up next to me. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I shook my head slightly. I can¡¯t talk about it with her. What if she has to examine me? I can¡¯t let her see the bruises.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± I said.

    ¡°It¡¯s not nothing. Come on, I¡¯m the Aid. I¡¯m supposed to take care of you, but I can¡¯t take care of you if I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong.¡± Sable had noticed the conversation and came over to check.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Cro¨ª?¡± I don¡¯t like this. I need to go.

    ¡°He won¡¯t tell me.¡± Sable put her hands on her hips and leaned forward.

    ¡°Come on Cro¨ª, out with it. If you¡¯re hurt, we should know.¡± Both of them being this close to me made my heart beat fast, and the nervousness more intense, coupled with the potential of them finding my bruises, it was too much, then I looked down at Sable¡¯s pants which made everything worse.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just forget about it!¡± I yelled, turning to walk away. Leola grabbed high on my right arm. I winced, pulling away and went below deck.

    That was stupid. Even if I went to Lanaea, she might have to inspect me too. I kicked myself mentally for slipping up like that. I waited in the corner of the training room, moving the gear around so I would have something to hide behind in case Leola and Sable came looking, then sat down and took a few breaths to calm myself.

    It¡¯ll be fine. Like Sable said, you¡¯re a ghost. I¡¯ll be fine here for an hour. I couldn¡¯t get comfortable, and after a few minutes, I figured Leola and Sable wouldn¡¯t be looking for me, so I went and grabbed a book. This is always good for passing the time. This time I took out a smaller book labeled ¡®Legends.¡¯

    Apparently, these were accounts of single sightings by single Cian¨ªans, or a group that all saw the same thing. One entry was of a creature called the Spirit Wolf. It was a slightly larger than normal black wolf with red paws, and a grey skull instead of a face. This creature was referred to as a spirit because of a strange mist that permeated the area when it appeared. The description said that the spirit sat and stared at the observer for ten minutes, all the while being described as ¡®bleeding¡¯ something that seemed to be a bright red liquid from its eye sockets, that would vaporize into ash as soon as it hit the ground, and the air around it grew cold and stayed that way until it left.

    Apparently, the observer lost his fear of death, or all fear entirely to the point of being reckless. Eventually he regained a healthy amount caution but remained completely fearless.

    There was a sighting of an Antilek, or Wave Breaker. It was a drawing of a man from far away. The notes said that after making the nondescript sketch of the man, the observer attempted to communicate, but the man ran and dove into the water, disappearing beneath the waves. Seconds later a strange looking head popped up from the surf, well away from shore, that observed him for a moment before vanishing.

    The next entry was a terrifying image of a humanoid creature. It was tall and thin, with long clawed hands. Its eyes were small, and the mouth was just a vertical slit beneath a nonexistent nose. It was called the Pale Stranger.

    The observer was scouting the path ahead of her group, still within eye and ear shot, using the light from three full moons at the time. She seemed to not notice the light fading away until she could barely see sixty feet and lost sight of the camp, calling out for her group. She heard noises that sounded like two people walking and talking through the trees but didn¡¯t recognize them as part of her group. She was following the voices, calling to them, then back to her group, then the voices sounded like they were being attacked. She heard the two people die, then she heard large footsteps moving towards her, stopping in front of her. She lit her torch and was met with the image she had drawn.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    The creature was completely motionless in the torchlight, standing and staring at her as she yelled out in terror. She claimed that the mouth opened, and she felt the fear leave her. She felt like this creature was completely harmless and reached out to touch its face. It let out a scream that she recognized as her own, then ran away into the darkness with incredible speed. One of her group members arrived shortly after, along with the moonlight and she drew the picture, but forgot about the entire encounter on the short walk back to their camp.

    I closed the book and put it back in its place¡­ Cool¡­ Nightmares. I shivered and went back up onto the upper deck, craving any human interaction and the warmth of Kolob. Thirty minutes later the bell rang, and the entire crew came up onto the upper deck to observe the tournament. Cairen brought up two barrels and slammed a spigot into them, getting many tankards ready to serve what I assumed was the ale. Edorin opened the door to his quarters and stepped out. Zanataz yelled.

    ¡°Captain on deck!¡± Everybody saluted.

    ¡°At ease. Let¡¯s start the tournament off right away with our first bout. William and Flint.¡± The crew and Agers cheered as William and Flint made their way into an open circular area made by the crew. ¡°The rules are as follows. Grappling only, wins are by submission, knockout, or decision. We will not interrupt unless things get too heated. This is not a fight to the death, but it is to be a hard fight to test your skills. I don¡¯t want any of you breaking bones. But just for safety¡¯s sake, Lanaea will be available.¡±

    I looked at the two combatants in the center waiting for Edorin¡¯s next words. ¡°Now. Let¡¯s begin. Combatants face off. When I say ¡®go¡¯ you will engage.¡± William and Flint nodded and squared off against each other. There was a tense silence for a few moments, before Edorin said. ¡°Go.¡±

    William immediately charged at Flint, spearing his right shoulder into Flint¡¯s stomach, and slamming him onto the ground with a heavy thud. The crowd made an ¡®oooh¡¯ sound. Flint looked to be hurt but acted quickly, wrapping his right arm around the back of William¡¯s neck, locking his head in place, then taking hold of Williams right wrist and pulling it behind his back, trapping his arm and putting pressure on his shoulder. He wrapped his legs around William¡¯s torso. William struggled for a moment, trying to free his head, then got irritated and forced himself into a standing position. Flint was caught off guard and struggled to free himself but, before he could, William slammed him down onto the deck.

    I could sympathize with the expression of pain on Flint¡¯s face as he got into a guarded position and prepared for William¡¯s advance. William paced for a moment, pulling on Flint¡¯s legs, occasionally testing his defense. Eventually William backed off like he was going to let Flint stand up, but as soon as he tried, William charged him. Flint was up enough that he was able to dodge roll to one side and let William run past him. They squared off again in the middle, to the delight of the crowd. This time they stalked around the circle, each feinting and testing the other until William got impatient and rushed in. Flint dodged then lunged, grabbing around William¡¯s torso, and wrapped a leg around to trip him. Flint pushed forward, throwing William off balance and onto the ground.

    They stayed on the ground for a while, nearly at a stalemate, each getting occasional encouragement from the crew. Finally, William dove onto Flint¡¯s arm and pulled it out into an arm bar. Flint wasn¡¯t fast enough to block William from getting the hold. He struggled for a few seconds until William pulled on his arm. I could see a smile on William¡¯s face; he was enjoying the pain it caused Flint. He pulled harder and Flint yelled out, smacking William¡¯s leg, tapping, but William kept going.

    Lanaea stepped in and slapped William in the face. Sable grabbed his arms and pulled them off, then helped Flint up. The two girls took Flint out of the circle and sat him down as Leola and Lanaea checked on him. ¡°The winner of the first match is William.¡± Edorin proclaimed. The crew cheered for William as he got to his feet, hands in the air, grinning. Lanaea and Leola were bending his arm slowly and moving it, testing its mobility. Flint seemed to only have a mild look of pain as he answered whatever questions she asked him.

    Eventually, Lanaea looked back to Edorin nodded with a slight smile and said. ¡°It¡¯s time for a small break. At the sound of the bell, we will convene for the next match. Cairen if you would.¡± The crew cheered and swarmed around Cairen as he handed out tankards of ale. I watched Edorin come down to talk to Lanaea and Flint for a moment before rejoining the crowd.

    ¡°That¡¯ll be you someday.¡± William said from behind me. I turned, surprised to see him smiling with wide eyes.

    ¡°Yeah. I guess.¡± I replied awkwardly. He seemed confused by my reply for a second then angry as he grabbed my shirt.

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®yeah. I guess¡¯?¡± He growled. I noticed that I didn¡¯t feel as much fear towards William. He wasn¡¯t near as bad as Sacae.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s possible that you¡¯ll beat me. I might beat you if I get lucky. Who knows?¡± I replied, disinterested. He seemed both confused and offended.

    ¡°You should know.¡± He said in an angry whisper.

    ¡°What?¡± I asked.

    ¡°You should know that you''re going to win. That¡¯s what makes a fighter! If you can¡¯t even see yourself winning, you don¡¯t have the will to fight! You¡¯re useless and you don¡¯t deserve that pack, or the title that comes with it.¡± At first his words cut like they normally would, but then I thought about what being a Guardian really meant. Why I had chosen to keep it. I straightened up and looked him in the eyes.

    ¡°Being a Guardian isn¡¯t just being a fighter. Being a Guardian is being a shield. Edorin said so himself. I may not be the fastest, strongest, or wisest member of the group, but I can take a hit. So go ahead. Call me names. Beat me. I don¡¯t care. The pack and title of Guardian are mine, and I will be the best shield brother I can possibly manage.¡± He was surprised by my sudden outburst of courage. Admittedly, so was I. His anger returned, and he shook his head, but just as it looked like he was going to attack, his eyes glanced to the side. I followed to see Cairen heading our way, not looking happy.

    ¡°You¡¯re naive, and when you die, I¡¯ll take your place.¡± William said as he pushed past me and through the crew to get his tankard of ale. Cairen had what looked like stern words for him and took his ale from him. It looked like he was saying he had to apologize before he could have it. I sighed with relief, almost proud of myself for how I¡¯d handled that. Then the bell rang, and my heart started pounding hard again. Everyone reformed the circle and looked to Edorin.

    ¡°The second match of the tournament is between Cro¨ª and Klintock. Combatants, face each other in the circle.¡± My hands were shaking, and my jaw was chattering, like it did when I was cold, as I slowly pushed my way past the crew into the center where Klintock was jumping up and down, readying himself for the bout. I looked at the faces around me nervously. All cheering and whooping as they drank from their tankards. Klintock¡¯s face was pleasant but serious. I moved to the center.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Cro¨ª. It¡¯s just a sparring match. We¡¯ve done this dozens of times.¡± Klintock reassured. We squared off, and I couldn¡¯t stop myself from shaking, even by making fists.

    ¡°Go.¡± Klintock feinted several times in quick succession. Each one making me flinch in reaction until his real attack came. Instead of reacting, I just flinched. He slammed into my midsection. I was barely able to react by pulling my legs off the ground and just letting him push me for a bit before twisting out of his hold.

    I knew Klintock¡¯s style. After first contact he would rush constantly until a grapple was engaged. I dropped to the ground, causing him to trip over me. I took hold of his leg and put my right calf behind his right thigh, then sat on his right ankle, putting pressure on his leg as I went in for a choke hold. What I didn¡¯t remember was that with this particular move, if your shin bone isn¡¯t facing the opponent¡¯s calf, the pain isn¡¯t as severe. Klintock quickly turned and grabbed my arm, keeping our legs entwined as he forced me to the ground and pulled my arm behind my back.

    I felt stupid having messed up such a prime opportunity. I freed my legs and rolled forward out of the shoulder trap, but Klintock kept hold of my arm, bending my wrist. I rolled and pulled like I had done with Sacae to free myself, but was caught mid roll by Klintock, who took hold of my leg and dropped down, trying for a heel hook. I kicked out and rolled away.

    We both stood and squared off with each other again. I felt tired, wanting the fight to be over, but wanting to win to show off Sacae¡¯s training and make him look good. Klintock feigned high, and this time I reacted, but he went low, wrapping around my bruised ribs, then pushing out my leg and forcing me down onto my bruised back. The pain was intense enough that I barely reacted when Klintock pulled me into a leg bar. I sat for a moment, feeling the pain he was applying. I resisted for a few seconds but eventually tapped out.

    Tired and embarrassed, I pushed myself to my feet and limped out through the crew heading below deck, but I was halted by the sight of Sacae standing by the door, talking with another crewman.

    ¡°The winner of the second match is Klintock. Well done.¡± One of the crewmen slapped me on the back, and I winced.

    ¡°Well done boy, that was a good match.¡± Said a bearded, burly crewman I recognized from our first day with Sacae, he was the one I tackled. No, it wasn¡¯t. I¡¯m pathetic.

    ¡°Thank you sir.¡± I smiled wryly and headed off threw the crowd. I found my spot on the foremast where I could still watch all the matches to come, happy that there weren¡¯t so many eyes on me anymore. Good match? My technique was terrible, my bruises were constantly hindering my reaction time, and I was too worried about all the eyes on me to do anything but freeze.

    ¡°The third match will be between Jael and C¨¦¨ªrde. Please make your way to the center.¡± Both squared off. ¡°Go.¡± They were still for a moment, each one looking like they didn¡¯t want to make the first move. C¨¦¨ªrde lunged and Jael moved to one side, clamping onto her wrist, and spinning her. I recognized the move. Jael lightly tossed C¨¦¨ªrde across the circle, she landed awkwardly at the feet of the crewmen, who backed up in surprise.

    Jael waited for C¨¦¨ªrde to get back up and square off again. The next two attempts C¨¦¨ªrde made ended similarly, with Jael throwing her to the ground in different ways. C¨¦¨ªrde stretched the third time, smiling at Jael, partly impressed, partly annoyed. This time Jael took the initiative, rushing in and testing C¨¦¨ªrde¡¯s defenses before grabbing around her waist, lifting her up, turning around, and dropping to the floor, landing on top of her. C¨¦¨ªrde tried to recover, but it was too late. Jael grabbed her ankle and twisted it up. C¨¦¨ªrde struggled for a few seconds but tapped out from the pain.

    Jael helped her up and they hugged, putting their hands in the air to the sound of cheers. ¡°The winner is Jael. Well done Jael, head over to Cairen for your prize. The next bout, will resume after a short break to refill.¡± Break? That¡¯s a good idea. I need to calm down, take a break. I took a deep breath, trying to relax and calm myself. Then another, and another. My hands were shaking less, and I didn¡¯t feel like my heart was trying to claw itself out of my chest.

    Now that I was calm and able to think somewhat clearly, I did feel guilty for yelling at Leola and Sable earlier. They were trying to help me, and I asked them for help, then I yelled at them. I wanted to apologize, but also worried that if I did, I would have to explain what it was about.

    Of course, I could tell her that it was a personal matter. Technically accurate. I¡¯ll go with that. I searched for her, finding her leaning on the deck¡¯s railing with Sable. I took a few deep breaths to muster the courage and made my way down towards them. The bell rang and they rushed back into the circle. I sighed. Another time then. I climbed a bit up the foremast to watch. ¡°Keokin and Leola to the center.¡± The two squared off. ¡°Go.¡±

    They circled each other, Keokin would reach out and tap her hands, like he was going to grab them but then retreat. Leola seemed to be hesitant at first, flinching at his hands. Then suddenly she seemed to focus and snatch his wrist, pulling him towards her and trying to wrap him in a hold. Keokin resisted, blocking her from tripping him or looping an arm around his neck creating a stalemate.

    Finally, Leola, grabbed his right wrist and pushed hard, sneaking her leg behind him to trip him. As they fell, she managed to get her right arm looped around his neck, with his right arm jutting awkwardly out the top, but she landed off to the side, making the hold awkward. Keokin twisted towards her, loosening her hold. He struggled on top of her, forcing her arms open and slipping through them. She bucked him off to the side, but he had hold of her left arm and tried to pin it. She was quick and escaped the hold, taking hold of Keokin¡¯s arm, then going for his neck, eventually maneuvering behind him, putting him in a choke.

    They swapped positions back and forth like this for the next three minutes until they were both breathing heavily. Finally, Keokin was able to pin her facedown, and pull her arm back and up. She struggled and twisted, but he adjusted, keeping her from escaping and put more pressure on her arm. She groaned, thought about what to do, but couldn¡¯t see a way out and tapped.

    Edorin congratulated them and called for the last match between L¨¢nn and Sable. It was fun to note the size difference between them and the rest of the crew. As soon as Edorin said go, Sable was on the move.

    She sprinted at L¨¢nn, then at the last second, slid on the floor while taking hold of L¨¢nn¡¯s leg and pulled it up, forcing L¨¢nn to start falling over. Sable kept hold of her leg and stood up, pulling the leg into a strange hold, and putting pressure on it before L¨¢nn hit the ground. She struggled but was forced to tap out.

    All of us were stunned. It had happened within seconds. L¨¢nn didn¡¯t even have time to fight back. The crowd cheered as the two girls stood. L¨¢nn looked sad but also happy for Sable. ¡°There you have it. Sable is the winner of the final match of the evening.¡± They cheered again. Sable waved to get Edorin¡¯s attention and he nodded.

    ¡°Can I share my ale with L¨¢nn?¡± Sable asked.

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t hurt.¡± He replied.

    ¡°Yes!¡± She exclaimed. They both hugged each other and ran off to claim their tankard of ale.

    ¡°That¡¯s it then. One more round of ale for the lot of you and then it¡¯s down to the galley for a feast.¡± Maybe I should look for Lanaea now. Maybe she could help me figure out what¡¯s wrong. I spotted Leola talking with Sable, L¨¢nn, and Lanaea heading below deck. I jumped down the last three steps from the upper deck, as soon as I hit the ground my left knee and calf muscles gave out, sending me to my hands and knees. I groaned from the pain for a moment then stood, slowly. I looked up to find them already vanishing below deck. I sighed. Tomorrow then. Gods I¡¯m weak.

    ¡°You alright Cro¨ª?¡± Edorin asked from behind me. I turned to face him, putting on a blank face.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine, Captain. No need to worry about me.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? That¡¯s not a very great height, it shouldn¡¯t be affecting your young legs.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I just¡­ I don¡¯t know what happened. Landed wrong or something.¡± Not the whole truth, but not entirely a lie. He nodded.

    ¡°I suggest you get some rest, and something to eat.¡± I nodded and rushed below deck. I didn¡¯t spot the girls, so I followed Edorin¡¯s advice and got something to eat and went to bed.

 Chapter 15

    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 C¨¦¨ªrde knelt beside me smiling those strange smiles. C¨¦¨ªrde 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 C¨¦¨ªrde, 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 C¨¦¨ªrde 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 C¨¦¨ªrde. 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 C¨¦¨ªrde 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. Cro¨ª.¡± 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, L¨¢nn and C¨¦¨ªrde.

    ¡°Cro¨ª. 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 L¨¢nn. ¡°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 L¨¢nn and William, they take a few hours out of their duties so they can still work on dinner.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde 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 Ce¨ªrde¡¯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. ¡°Cro¨ª, isn¡¯t it?¡± I nodded. I was incredibly nervous, shaking, and fidgety. ¡°Well Cro¨ª, 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 Cro¨ª.¡± 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, C¨¦¨ªrde, 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 L¨¢nn 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 Cro¨ª. 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 C¨¦¨ªrde 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 L¨¢nn 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 Cro¨ª, 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.

 Chapter 16

    ¡°You call that a punch?!¡± Sacae yelled as he punched Jael in the stomach, dropping her to the ground. ¡°That¡¯s a punch!¡± He turned to me as she coughed and dry heaved on the ground. ¡°Your turn.¡± His leg shot out to his side and into my stomach. I¡¯d gotten particularly good at flexing before taking hits to dampen the impact, so it didn¡¯t hurt nearly as much as intended. This angered Sacae and he kicked my legs out from under me and slammed me to the floor, kicking me in the stomach and punching me in the face. Then he turned to the others. ¡°Time to spar.¡±

    The last three days of our week had been like this. Out of control chaos, sometimes it was nothing but sparring. I vomited several times from particularly nasty strikes to my stomach. The others would try to fight back, but I didn¡¯t see much point. I could occasionally land a glancing blow, but it would be returned by several vicious strikes. He would spare Klintock and Jael more often than not, taking out his rage on me instead. We would often keep training through our breaks, instead sparring till the dinner bell rang, or if people started to notice us.

    Jael and Klintock would compare bruises, small but painful ones. I would refrain, claiming that mine were just like theirs and I didn¡¯t like being immodest. My bruising, when I would check, was much more severe than it had previously been. Covering nearly all the areas that I could conceal with my shirt and pants, though my feet, hands, and face didn¡¯t inspire health either. Even more than before, I was craving sleep, exhausted all the time and waking up later and later in the morning.

    When it finally came time for the tournament, Jael and Klintock were given half the day off, whereas I was trained for an extra two to three hours, then left lying on the floor curled up in pain. ¡°If you don¡¯t win your match, I¡¯ll consider teaching you a waste of time. I won¡¯t even touch you, the other two will receive my full attention.¡± Sacae snarled angrily.

    I stayed on the floor until the tournament was called, forcing myself to stand and hobble my way up the stairs, and urging my muscles to work in a somewhat normal fashion.

    Edorin started the tournament in much the same way as he had the last one, having us draw out names, only this time Klintock, C¨¦¨ªrde, Jael, L¨¢nn, and I were the ones standing to the side. When Edorin told everyone to line up, I was disappointed to see William step in front of me. Fantastic. Looks like I¡¯m going to find out what it¡¯s like to break an arm. Keokin lined up with Klintock, Jael with Flint, C¨¦¨ªrde with Leola, and Sable with L¨¢nn.

    ¡°The first match will be between Cro¨ª and William. Combatants in the center.¡± The circle of crewmen was formed, and William eagerly rocked back and forth, smiling in the center.

    ¡°I told you it¡¯d end up like this.¡± He said under his breath.

    ¡°Go.¡± I was barely able to react to William as he stepped in, grabbed onto my wrist, and twisted, throwing me over his back onto the ground. I was unable to breathe for a few seconds as he got me into an arm bar.

    ¡°I¡¯m disappointed Cro¨ª.¡± He said, glaring at me angrily. I thought about tapping out. Just letting this all go. Then I saw Sacae, arms folded, behind Jael and Klintock.

    I can¡¯t give up. I mustered all my strength, pulling myself up and onto my feet. William abandoned the hold. I took hold of his hand, as soon as we squared off and pulled him towards me and at the last second tripped him, tumbling him across the deck. My legs gave out and I fell to my hands and knees.

    I was stunned by how exhausted I felt. I took deep breaths, trying to regain what stamina I could as I prepared for William¡¯s next advance. I didn¡¯t have to wait long. He was back on his feet before he had stopped moving, lunging towards me. I saw him about to dive high, so I ducked, he missed and tripped over me. He came at me slower the next time, snatching my hand. I fought to release it, but he was too strong. He yanked me in towards him and slammed his left shoulder into my chest, knocking the wind out of me. I didn¡¯t notice, but he¡¯d looped his leg behind mine, so I tripped and fell. He let go of my hand and wrapped my leg up.

    I struggled and writhed against him, but he got the hold, putting pressure on my ankle and knee, but I was used to this one. I was facedown. He was on his back with my right foot in his armpit. He twisted it. Working through the pain, I half stood and threw my knee to my chest, trying to yank it from him, it half worked, so I did it again and got free. Before I could finish standing, he tackled me from behind. We struggled for what felt like hours, getting close but never landing anything solid until William tired of this, deciding to just pick me up and throw me in one smooth motion. As soon as I landed, he was on me, pulling and throwing me again and again until I found it too difficult to get up. The compounding pain of all my injuries, inflamed by being rag dolled around, I felt too much pain to be able to move or defend myself. It was all I could do not to scream, cry, or puke.

    He slipped his arms around my neck and clamped his legs around my torso locking his ankles in front of me. I could feel my heartbeat in my ribs as he squeezed them, the pain and pressure making it hard to breathe or think.

    I felt something in my left ribs crack, then my right as I searched in vain for a way out. The pain was immense. My eyes were fogged with tears, and even as I tried to scream, only whimpers came out. Pressure crushing my ribs and William¡¯s choke hold helped with that.

    ¡°You¡¯re weak Cro¨ª. Just give up.¡± He clamped down harder on my neck. I couldn¡¯t think or react. I just sat there on my back, like a beetle and tried to scream again. My vision went dark, and I could feel my arms fall to my sides.

    ¡°That¡¯s it. He¡¯s done.¡± It was Lanaea, but her voice sounded faded, like it was behind a door. William¡¯s grip released and he shoved me face first onto the deck. I just laid there; the floor felt comfortable, welcoming. The stillness helped with my pain, as long as I didn¡¯t take deep breaths. I felt hands pull me up to a sitting position. Lanaea and one of the crewmen. She was holding my face and looking me over. It was strange having my eyes open but, at the same time, being able to watch my vision return from black.

    She smiled at me, then nodded to the crewman who picked me up, planting me on my feet. I struggled to stand for a second, breathing had become incredibly difficult and painful. Lanaea helped me wobble out of the circle, and I barely made it past the main mast before my legs started giving out. I stood still for a minute, leaning against the mast, breathing long, shallow slow breaths, trying not to upset my ribs.

    ¡°That¡¯s good Cro¨ª; long slow breaths will help you recover. Are you alright? Do you feel any pain anywhere?¡± Lanaea asked, looking worried. I shook my head, lying.

    ¡°Aside from a little...¡± My ribs twinged as I made a small cough. ¡°Pain in my throat. I¡¯m fine thank you.¡± I smiled.

    ¡°Nothing else?¡± I shook my head. She looked at me skeptically. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. What is it Cro¨ª? Where does it hurt?¡± I wanted to tell her; I wanted the help. I brought my hand up to where the pain in my ribs was, then I remembered Sacae, and brought it up to my heart.

    ¡°Just¡­ really disappointed.¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m trying¡­¡± I winced. ¡°Trying to keep it in. I need to be alone right now.¡± She squinted at me and sighed.

    ¡°Ok, let me know if you feel anything else, ok?¡± I nodded. ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s nothing else Cro¨ª?¡± I nodded again, head down. She went to watch over the next match. Off to my left I saw Cairen. I headed over to him.

    ¡°Cairen?¡± It hurt to speak.

    ¡°Yes Cro¨ª?¡±

    ¡°Would it be alright if I went down and ate some dinner now? I¡¯m tired from training and the fight. I just want to sleep.¡± He looked around.

    ¡°Are you alright Cro¨ª? You look worse off than only tired.¡± I nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just really tired is all.¡± My voice was small, it hurt too much to force air out.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. Your eyes, face, posture. Something¡¯s off, let me get Lanaea.¡± I sighed. No matter how I try, I can¡¯t hide my weakness.

    ¡°I¡¯m just weak. Forget I asked Cairen, just enjoy the tournament. I just need some sleep.¡± I started past him.

    ¡°Cro¨ª come on. You fought well, stay and watch the others.¡± I shook my head and waved to him with a smile and passed through the door. I supported my weight against the walls of the stairwell and stumbled through the galley, flopping into bed, exhausted, angry, sad, and sobbing with pain, which only served to provide more pain.

    * * * * *

    * * * * *

    ¡°Cro¨ª? Cro¨ª. Hey Cro¨ª.¡± I opened my eyes to see Keokin nudging me. ¡°Hey there you are. Come on it¡¯s time to wake up. Training awaits.¡± I groaned. Training. I failed. Jael and Klintock will be pummeled because of me. ¡°Come on, everybody¡¯s about to eat breakfast.¡± I nodded. I felt worse than I did before I went to sleep. Like I hadn¡¯t slept at all, just blinked and now it was morning.

    ¡°Thanks, Keokin.¡± I responded.

    ¡°It¡¯s what I¡¯m here for.¡± He smiled and walked out into the galley. I looked around to see everybody talking and waking up. Leola waved to me, and I waved back. The boys left the room.

    ¡°Cro¨ª, you know the drill, roll over and look away or go with the boys.¡± Jael said. I nodded and rolled over, pausing, and gasping from the pain for a moment, then finally gave a thumbs up. I listened to them giggle for a second, then talk about how sore they were from training and the tournament. I wondered about who beat who, and if anybody got injured or anything like that. Then I couldn¡¯t hear them anymore.

    ¡°Hello?¡± I said quietly. No response. I slowly sat up, gasping at a sharp stabbing pain in my ribs as I tried to turn around. I moved even more carefully. There was nobody else in the room. I slept in. I could hear them just finishing up breakfast. I sighed and grabbed a clean shirt and pants. As soon as I began taking my shirt off, I was met with severe pain. Ow. Maybe I should just stay in the clothes I¡¯m already in. No. I wore these yesterday and slept in them. I need to change. I tried taking my shirt off again. As I was pulling it up, the door opened, and I was immediately embarrassed.

    ¡°Oh I¡¯m sor¡­¡± Leola started. I pulled my shirt on as quick as I could, closing my eyes for a moment and controlling my breathing.

    ¡°Sorry about that. I woke up late an¡­¡± I started. She interrupted me.

    ¡°Cro¨ª!¡± I looked over to see her hands on her mouth, her eyes wide with shock and horror.

    ¡°What?¡± I asked looking down at myself, worried that ¡®it¡¯ had returned, and I hadn¡¯t noticed. No, not that thankfully. I looked behind me slowly. Nothing there either.

    ¡°Sable, go get Lanaea.¡± Leola said sternly. Sable looked at Leola with her head cocked to the side and eyebrows high.

    ¡°Why what¡¯s wrong?¡± She asked. Leola looked back at me then motioned for Sable to come in and closed the door.

    ¡°It¡¯s Cro¨ª.¡± Leola looked at me. I was starting to get uncomfortable, so I stood up unsteadily and started walking towards the door. Leola put her hands up.

    ¡°Not a chance Cro¨ª!¡± Her voice cracked just a little, and her eyes were wet with tears, but bright with anger.

    ¡°What did I do?¡± I asked softly, trying to avoid breathing as much as possible. She scoffed.

    ¡°Take off your shirt.¡± She ordered. Sable smiled nervously.

    ¡°Ooh Leola, taking charge. That¡¯s against the rules ya know.¡± I shook my head.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal, I need to¡­¡± Leola cut me off again.

    ¡°Bullshite! If it¡¯s not a big deal, then take it off!¡± Sable and I recoiled in surprise. The door opened and Keokin poked his head in.

    ¡°Everything alright in here?¡± Leola shook her head in frustration.

    ¡°No! Get in here but keep everybody else out.¡± Keokin nodded and turned to the others.

    ¡°We need the room for a minute. Nobody in or out.¡± Then he came in and closed the door. ¡°What¡¯s this about Leola?¡± She pointed at me.

    ¡°Take off your shirt. I won¡¯t ask again Cro¨ª.¡± I sighed and looked at the ground, nodding. It was bound to happen sooner or later, I guess. I was never going to be able to hide this forever. I grabbed the top of my shirt and started pulling, gasping in pain multiple times, but pushing through it. Sable¡¯s expression was nervous, and a little confused, Leola¡¯s shock, concern, and anger, and Keokin¡¯s confusion. I heard them gasp as soon as the shirt came up, blocking my vision. I groaned through the intense pain. When I finally had it off, all their expressions were that of shock, jaws dropped and eyes wide. Sable¡¯s eyes teared up.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ¡°Oh Cro¨ª.¡± Sable started, bringing her hand to her mouth as her brow creased. Keokin grabbed Sable¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Get Lanaea.¡± She nodded and ran out of the room.

    ¡°It¡¯s really not that¡­¡± I started, but Leola cut me off.

    ¡°If you say, ¡®it¡¯s not that bad.¡¯ Or ¡®I¡¯m fine.¡¯ I¡¯m going to scream. What in the great wide Saol happened?!¡± Keokin nodded agreement to her question.

    ¡°It¡¯s just training.¡± I said simply, still wanting to take the attention off myself.

    ¡°Training?! You call that training?! Do Jael and Klintock look like that? Or any of us?!¡± I shrugged and she scoffed, anger and concern still holding her face.

    ¡°Who did this Cro¨ª?¡± I shook my head. I can¡¯t tell them it was Sacae. He¡¯ll ruin Jael and Klintock. ¡°Cro¨ª this is serious. This isn¡¯t training, it looks like torture. Someone¡¯s been doing this. Who is it?¡± I shook my head again.

    ¡°So Sacae did this to you? Or is it Klintock and Jael?¡± Leola questioned. I shook my head.

    ¡°Not them. It¡¯s...¡± I stopped myself. The door opened and Sable came in, followed by Lanaea, who gasped in shock. Lanaea came over and examined me, urging Leola to do the same. I held back pained groans and winces as they pushed at the bruises. She sighed, looking around at my injuries then shook her head.

    ¡°I knew something was wrong, but I never guessed it was this¡­¡± She inhaled sharply and grabbed my face. ¡°Who did this?¡± I pulled my chin from her hands and put my head down. ¡°Name Cro¨ª. Who did it?¡± She insisted. I didn¡¯t want to tell them, but I knew they would persist until I gave it up.

    ¡°Sacae. But don¡¯t tell him, if he finds out...¡± Her expression turned to rage as she interrupted.

    ¡°Get him to the infirmary you three. Keep him there and keep him safe. Leola, you know what to do. Have them help you. Keep Sacae away from him. I¡¯m getting Edorin.¡± She stormed out of the room. ¡°Droch take that vile son of a¡­¡± The door slammed and they turned to me.

    ¡°Come on Cro¨ª. Let¡¯s go.¡± Leola said.

    ¡°But my shirt.¡± I protested. She sighed.

    ¡°Fine.¡± She grabbed my blanket and wrapped it gently around my shoulders. All three of them hurried me through the galley towards the infirmary.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is Cro¨ª alright?¡± Klintock asked. Keokin shook his head.

    ¡°No, he¡¯s not.¡± Klintock got out of his chair and followed us, along with Jael, L¨¢nn, and C¨¦¨ªrde. William sat back in his seat.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Jael asked. Leola shook her head angrily as we rushed into the infirmary. Leola told them to close the door then pulled off my blanket. They recoiled in horror.

    ¡°That¡¯s what happened! How the Saol did you two not notice? You¡¯re there the whole time just like him, and somehow you didn¡¯t notice him taking the hits that caused this? You had to have noticed. Lift your shirts. I¡¯m inspecting you two.¡± Jael had tears in her eyes. Klintock lifted his shirt up, looking down in disgrace. Leola checked them, satisfied they had no serious bruising, then turned back to me.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Jael said as she started sobbing. L¨¢nn comforted her.

    ¡°No. Don¡¯t be sorry. It wasn¡¯t your fault!¡± I said, then gasped in pain. Leola hushed me and pointed to a bed in frustration. I sat down on it.

    ¡°D¨ªan (Dee-an), Goddess of Healing, give me strength. I don¡¯t even know where to start.¡± Leola remarked. She brushed tears from her cheeks, then, with a determined look, took out several dried plants and herbs from a cabinet and tossed them into the mortar and pestle to grind.

    She looked at Sable. ¡°Check his legs. I need to know how much ointment and oil to make.¡± Sable nodded and looked to me. I pulled my pant legs up to mid-thigh, feeling incredibly embarrassed, revealing more damage, especially on my knees and thighs.

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna need a bucket.¡± Sable said, shaking her head, tears still in her eyes. Leola glanced over, then sighed, looking intensely back at the herbs she was supposed to be grinding.

    ¡°Ok. Jael.¡± Jael looked up, wiping tears away. ¡°If you are sorry and want to help, take L¨¢nn and go see Cairen. Tell him we need protein rich meats and some fruits, citrus fruits if possible, then come back and watch the door. Sable, get in that chest for me.¡± Jael and L¨¢nn left the room and Sable opened the chest. ¡°Take out a handful of Arnica (Ar-neeka), and a handful of Calendula (Caw-len-doo-la) and hand them to me. C¨¦¨ªrde, get in the dresser over there and take out the bottle labeled An¨¢il Fhuar (Un-all Oar). You and Sable can start applying it but be gentle. Klintock, watch the door. Don¡¯t let Sacae in here.¡±

    Everybody got to work quickly, Klintock staring at the door, fists clenched and ready. C¨¦¨ªrde and Sable took the bottle to me, pouring out some of the strange oil like substance on large areas. At first it didn¡¯t feel like much, but then it felt cold, almost to the point of being uncomfortable. Its smell was strong, but pleasant. I breathed slowly. It felt nice, the cool of the oil and the gentle touch of C¨¦¨ªrde and Sable. Even though this was all my fault, my failings for being weak, I felt a small pang of happiness to see that the group really did care for me. Then C¨¦¨ªrde brushed over my left ribcage. I recoiled in pain, flexing the left side of my body as I yelped, making it much worse.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Her tone wasn¡¯t its usual cool and calculated tone, but one much softer.

    ¡°No problem.¡± I gasped. I looked down at the ribs. The bruising was nearly black in a line across them, darker than the rest and mixed with purple, blue, red, and yellow. ¡°It just hurts a lot more there for some reason.¡± I explained. Leola looked over.

    ¡°Where?¡± She came and inspected the area. Poking gently at it and gauging my reactions then nodding. ¡°I think your ribs are fractured, maybe broken right there. I¡¯ll have to ask Lanaea to make sure though.¡± She addressed C¨¦¨ªrde as she went back to the mortar and pestle. ¡°Just be brief and gentle with that area and then steer clear of it.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde nodded and got back to work. Jael came back into the room.

    ¡°I saw Sacae. He was looking for us and I told him that Edorin wanted to see him up on the bow of the ship. He looked mad.¡± Leola nodded.

    ¡°Good work Jael, what about the food?¡±

    ¡°We explained everything to Cairen, and he was more than willing to help. William and L¨¢nn are with him now.¡±

    ¡°Good. Guard the door with Klintock please.¡± She turned to stand side by side with Klintock, staring at the door. I felt horrible seeing her and Klintock so sad. I couldn¡¯t help but feel responsible. I was responsible, if I wasn¡¯t so weak, I wouldn¡¯t have been found out.

    ¡°Jael, Klintock.¡± I said. I saw their heads slightly tilt towards me, then angle down, seeming ashamed. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. None of it, it¡¯s all my...¡± Leola held up a hand.

    ¡°Cro¨ª, I know you feel bad, but we need to make sure you¡¯re taken care of. Please just sit back and let us help.¡± I nodded and stayed quiet. A knock came from the door. Klintock and Jael tensed. Leola came to the door and tapped lightly on it two times, then paused and tapped one more time. Three slow taps came in reply, and she nodded to the Guardians as she opened the door. Lanaea entered with Edorin, Keokin, and Zanataz. Edorin¡¯s left eye squinted and Zanataz¡¯s lips pursed.

    ¡°It¡¯s like I said.¡± Lanaea said motioning to me. Zanataz shook his head.

    ¡°Worse. You said badly beaten. I call that brutalized.¡± Edorin nodded to him then looked to me.

    ¡°I had my suspicions that something was going on, but I didn¡¯t think it would be this bad.¡± Said Edorin. Leola pointed to me as she addressed Lanaea.

    ¡°I believe his fourth to seventh ribs on his left side may be fractured or broken.¡± I flinched in pain from Sable on the back of my right ribs.

    ¡°And these ones.¡± Sable said. ¡°Sorry Cro¨ª.¡± She added. Lanaea came close to inspect me, poking the ribs as Leola had done on either side, then my right arm around my bicep.

    ¡°Agreed. Fourth through seventh on the left. Sixth to eighth on the right. And a small fracture on his right humerus.¡± She turned to Edorin. ¡°This is grotesque Edorin. If Sacae did this, especially to such an innocent Ager, then this is a severe betrayal and calls for something equally severe.¡±

    ¡°I agree with you. I¡¯ll determine his motives as soon as he arrives, and we¡¯ll proceed from there.¡± He said.

    ¡°I told him you were waiting for him on the bow of the ship Captain.¡± Jael said, still remaining statue like next to Klintock.

    ¡°Thank you, Jael. Zanataz, if you wouldn¡¯t mind redirecting him.¡± Zanataz nodded to Edorin and left the room at a run. ¡°You two can stand down now. Help with whatever Leola and Lanaea need.¡± Edorin added. Jael and Klintock nodded to him then slowly turned and looked to the healers. Leola handed Jael another mortar and pestle and two of the dried flowers.

    ¡°Grind these two plants in there until they¡¯re a fine powder, like I¡¯m doing.¡± Lanaea reached into the chest and pulled out two more.

    ¡°This in your mix as well Jael. As for you Klintock, we will need some fresh rags and water from the kitchen.¡± Klintock nodded and rushed to the door. Sacae was standing there as soon as he opened it. At first he had a smile, but it faded quickly to surprise and anger.

    ¡°Captain on deck.¡± Said Zanataz from behind him. Sacae and several others saluted.

    ¡°At attention Sacae, the rest of you about your business.¡± Edorin said. Sacae assumed the position, glaring at me. Klintock pushed past him with a glare, slowly moving towards the galley but keeping his attention on Sacae. Leola looked over and noticed his glare.

    ¡°Keep your eyes off him beast born! Are you not satisfied with the damage you¡¯ve already dealt?¡± She yelled angrily. Edorin snapped his fingers and Sacae¡¯s eyes snapped over to him. Edorin¡¯s eyes flashed purple for a moment, and Sacae squinted, grunting in pain, his hand moving up towards his head.

    ¡°You meant for him to die then?¡± Edorin questioned. Sacae stammered, reeling from the question, trying to think of a defense.

    ¡°You demented fecker!¡± Klintock yelled, rushing back in. Him and Jael tackled Sacae to the ground, striking him in the face and neck. Edorin pulled Jael off, and Zanataz pulled Klintock off towards the galley. ¡°Jael, back to your duties. Klintock same to you.¡± Edorin ordered.

    ¡°You stupid poxshites!¡± Sacae started.

    ¡°At attention!¡± Edorin yelled. Sacae stood back up and focused on Edorin. ¡°You were planning for him to arrive at the Island bruised, broken, and untrained as well as the others. You wanted to kill him, and by extension the rest of the group. Explain.¡± He what?! He¡­ How?... I thought, dumbfounded. But he¡¯s an Aged, a mentor. He wouldn¡¯t do that. Right?

    ¡°Kill me? He wanted to kill me?¡± I blurted out. Edorin nodded to me. But he¡¯s a mentor! An Aged! He wouldn¡¯t! ¡°Why?!¡± I asked forcefully, immediately regretting it as my ribs contracted and brought me considerable pain.

    ¡°To hurt your family.¡± Sacae growled.

    ¡°My family?¡± I gasped through pain. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because feck them!¡± Sacae yelled. Edorin cleared his throat.

    ¡°Language Sacae, there are Agers present.¡± Sacae glared at Edorin. Edorin¡¯s arms slowly fell to his sides as he glared back, eyes flashing purple. Again, Sacae seemed to be in pain for a moment. ¡°I would explain yourself to the lad. Amicably.¡± Edorin urged. Fear quickly overtook Sacae as he cowered to Edorin and spoke through his teeth in defeat.

    ¡°Yes Captain.¡± He looked to me. ¡°Your sister Seal¨ª killed my little sister Anlea (Awn-lee-uh).¡± I shook my head in disbelief.

    ¡°What?!¡± My ribs sent a jolt of pain again. ¡°Seal¨ª wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± I said, nearly in a sob.

    ¡°Agreed. Explain yourself.¡± Edorin said, folding his arms back behind him, staring down at Sacae.

    ¡°My sister was on the same Island as Seal¨ª. Seal¨ª was the Aid, and my sister was the Provider. My sister Anlea was attacked by some beast. Instead of healing her, Seal¨ª killed her. Then there¡¯s R¨ªger. Cocky little ballwaxer! He was always on my arse about something. Always challenging me and using me like a practice dummy.¡± When Sacae finished, Edorin turned to Zanataz.

    ¡°Get me Danith.¡± Zanataz left. ¡°So. You say your sister was murdered by Cro¨ª¡¯s older sister, and that his brother R¨ªger treated you like you have been treating Cro¨ª and that justifies your actions?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely. The Geal¡¯s are dirty backstabbers!¡± Sacae yelled. Edorin¡¯s eyes flashed, then he sighed in disapproval and turned to Lanaea.

    ¡°Lanaea, how¡¯s Cro¨ª?¡± She sighed as she started rubbing the salve that Leola had prepared.

    ¡°He¡¯ll need time to recover, but with proper care and special medical supplies he should make a full physical recovery rather quickly. Of course, once it¡¯s more private, I can examine the rest of his injuries. If this continued at this rate, there¡¯s a good chance, no¡­ a certainty he would have died from internal bleeding or improperly treated breaks and fractures before he ever made it to the Island.¡± Edorin¡¯s eyes squinted, taking in the information.

    ¡°Lanaea, please let us know if there is anything at all we can do to help. We all feel¡­ tremendous guilt for not noticing this earlier. We want to make amends.¡± Keokin said.

    ¡°Good. That means you¡¯re not like him.¡± Lanaea pointed at Sacae.

    ¡°You wanted me Captain?¡± Danith said, saluting Edorin. Edorin turned.

    ¡°At ease. Danith, you went through your Aging with Seal¨ª Geal, did you not?¡±

    ¡°Yes Captain.¡± Danith said, smiling.

    ¡°Explain to me what happened between Anlea and Seal¨ª.¡± He nodded and looked over, glancing across all those in the room, stopping on me.

    ¡°What?...¡±

    ¡°Danith.¡± Edorin interrupted.

    ¡°Captain. Anlea was our Provider. Durl¨¢cke (Der-lock-eh), our Leader, ordered her to scout a particular area. She came back telling him that it seemed dangerous, advised strongly against us taking that route, but that she saw some cave. Our leader had apparently heard that there was loose gold in the cave, and he led us there, disregarding her warning. He was wrong. It was guarded by a Golden Gorrick (Go-rick). Durl¨¢cke knew about it but didn¡¯t warn us. We killed it, but Anlea was gravely injured, and wasn¡¯t going to make it.¡±

    ¡°She could¡¯ve made it! If Seal¨ª had done her job¡­¡± Sacae interrupted. Edorin slapped Sacae with the back of his hand. A swift nearly imperceptible movement.

    ¡°Do not interrupt again.¡± He warned, then turned to Danith. ¡°Go on.¡± Danith continued.

    ¡°She was done for. We argued over it, wanted to help her but it was still early on. Durl¨¢cke ordered we leave her. We wanted to ignore him, but Anlea didn¡¯t want us to. She understood the situation. Either we help her and risk having no healing implements and a maimed group member, or we put her out of her misery and save someone else later. She wanted Seal¨ª to do it. We tied Durl¨¢cke up and left him in the cave with broken legs for when the Gorrick¡¯s eggs hatched, or whatever else wanted him. Some argued against it, they wanted Durl¨¢cke to face Flun¨¢c¡¯s (Fluh-nock) justice with the Elders, but the need for retribution regarding Anlea¡¯s death was carried out in the end. By Seal¨ª.¡± Edorin¡¯s eyes flashed purple as Danith finished his story and he sighed.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss Danith. Thank you for your testimony, you may take some time before returning to your duties.¡± Danith made a slight bow, then saluted Edorin as he backed away and left. Edorin turned to Sacae.

    ¡°You lied. Your sister was not murdered, it was a mercy killing. Seal¨ª was innocent, supremely so, and her group took vengeance for Anlea. As for your claims on R¨ªger, I know R¨ªger very well. If he were to attack you or bully you for any reason, it was because you were the one doing the bullying. For these perceived wrongdoings, you endeavored to punish someone who had done absolutely nothing wrong.¡±

    Edorin took a short breath, glaring at Sacae. Pure rage filling his eyes for a moment. ¡°Attempted murder, torture, and mutilation. Horrid enough on its own but made completely unforgiveable by the fact that your target was an Ager, possibly the entire group if this had continued. The severity of these crimes is enough that I would execute you on the spot and feed your wretched corpse to Machl¨ªr. However, we have laws, and as Captain, I am bound to follow them.¡±

    He took a breath, calming himself. ¡°As such I have decided what is to happen to you. You will be taken above deck where the crew will be called and notified of your crimes. Then you will receive two hundred lashes and be confined to the brig awaiting trial.¡±

    Sacae glared at Edorin, then at me, then seemed to look around like he was planning something. ¡°Try it.¡± Edorin said. His voice cold and inviting as ice. Sacae gritted his teeth for a moment, flexing his body in rage, then exhaled and put his head down. ¡°Good. I¡¯ll follow you.¡± Edorin said, holding his arm out, inviting Sacae to move. Sacae started walking. ¡°Who do you need with you?¡± Edorin asked Lanaea.

    ¡°Leola should do just fine.¡± She said.

    ¡°The rest of you, above deck.¡± Edorin ordered. They all filed out of the room after Edorin, Jael and Klintock still with their heads down. Lanaea locked the door and pulled out a curtain that was near the bed.

    ¡°Leola, keep mixing that salve, and please stay on that side of the curtain if you would.¡± Leola nodded. Lanaea turned to me with a sigh and sat near the bed. ¡°Right. Take off your pants.¡±

 Chapter 17

    After Leola and Lanaea had taken care of me and laid me down in one of the infirmary beds, Danith came back in asking them if I was well enough to talk.

    ¡°He¡¯s well enough for that.¡± Lanaea said. She turned to me as she said the next part. ¡°But I don¡¯t want him up and about until he gets the ok from me or Leola.¡± She pointed at me with her eyebrows raised. I chuckled my understanding. My mood had improved greatly since yesterday, thanks to her and Leola¡¯s care.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that.¡± He came in and pulled up a chair next to me. ¡°I remember you being a lot smaller. You got big kid.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± I said awkwardly. I don¡¯t remember him.

    ¡°I know you don¡¯t remember me, but I used to visit your family every couple of years to see how everyone was doing.¡±

    ¡°Really? You used to visit? Yea, sorry, I don¡¯t remember.¡±

    ¡°Not a problem. I haven¡¯t been there for six years, so I don¡¯t expect you to remember me.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any stories of my family?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve got plenty, probably a few more than I should, but I¡¯ll tell you about those another time. I wanted to talk to you about something else.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Is it about Sacae?¡±

    ¡°At first yeah, I was told you may be confused about all of this, I thought I¡¯d tell you what I know about him. I also would love to talk about Seal¨ª. I¡¯m curious to know how she¡¯s doing, and the rest of your family. That alright?¡± He asked.

    I nodded. Somewhat unsure of how this would go, but admittedly curious about what he would say. ¡°So, Sacae first. I wasn¡¯t personally on the Aging with him, so all of this is what I¡¯ve heard from R¨ªger and his group. He was a terribly angry Ager. I would say a lot like William, but much worse. He would take out his anger on the smaller Agers, bullying them like he did you. R¨ªger was the one that would put him in his place. I guess he resented that greatly. As for the incident with Seal¨ª, I want you to know that it wasn¡¯t easy for her. She cried herself to sleep for weeks afterwards. Anlea was a great friend to all of us, Seal¨ª would never have hurt her. How are you feeling about all of that?¡± He asked, waiting for a response.

    ¡°I know Seal¨ª wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± I said firmly. I have always loved and respected Seal¨ª, there was no way I could believe she could be a murderer.

    ¡°Good. That¡¯s good. I don¡¯t know how Sacae got it all so twisted, but I am glad to hear that you don¡¯t believe any of it. Now on to your family. Speaking of Seal¨ª, how is she doing? How¡¯s Rendalae?¡± (Ren-duh-lay).

    ¡°Rendalae died in the Eastern War ten years ago.¡± I said simply. Danith¡¯s face fell. ¡°Seal¨ª mostly stays at home with mom, but she would come into town with us whenever we went.¡± I continued.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that. She never mentioned that. How are Aeleen and Drewk?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re well. Growing fast. Drewk turned six before I left.¡±

    ¡°Oh that¡¯s great! I¡¯m happy to hear it. Looks like I need to visit her when we return. Her and your family will want to hear all about your journey. Thank you, Cro¨ª.¡± I dipped my head with a slight smile. ¡°What about the rest of your family? How¡¯s Bacta been?¡± He asked. All this talking is really starting to hurt my ribs but I¡¯m enjoying talking about my family and don¡¯t want it to stop.

    ¡°He seems well, usually in high spirits. Though he tends to take almost everything with a fervent seriousness now.¡± I took a slow breath, trying to be careful with my ribs.

    ¡°Yes. Well, he would, Aging like he had. Still, he¡¯s had at least six years to adjust and I¡¯m glad he¡¯s doing well.¡± He took in a breath to keep talking but I interrupted, intrigued.

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®like he had¡¯?¡± Danith let out the breath.

    ¡°Are you sure you want to hear this right now?¡± I did¡­ But him asking that makes me nervous. But I¡¯m still curious. I want to know. ¡°I can tell you later if you¡¯d like, or you can ask him yourself when you get home.¡± Danith finished.

    ¡°I can ask you about it later.¡± I said with a slow nod. He smiled.

    ¡°Ok Cro¨ª. Speaking of brothers, Bacta¡¯s homecoming was somewhat opposite of your other brother¡­¡± He paused, looking at me quizzically. ¡°Cyclone? I believe that¡¯s what he¡¯s calling himself now. From what I¡¯ve heard from R¨ªger, he did not take kindly to how your parents raised him to be so naive. He had many unkind words for them. Took several years before he was calmed down enough to hold a civil conversation with them.¡± My eyebrows raised.

    ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t know that.¡±

    ¡°Well, you wouldn¡¯t, it was well before your time. I only know because I talked with R¨ªger. Speaking of R¨ªger. I hear he¡¯s taken up leather tanning with Kixas?¡±

    ¡°He did. I¡¯ve worked with them plenty of times.¡± I said. Danith nodded approval.

    ¡°Now, I¡¯m sure you have questions for me about our Aging right?¡± He asked, taking in a deep breath. My eyes opened wide.

    ¡°What was Seal¨ª like? Did she kill anything?¡±

    ¡°That she did.¡± He said, smiling. ¡°Aids aren¡¯t supposed to engage if they can help it, but Seal¨ª preferred a more preventative approach to her medicine. Liked to kill the monsters before they could kill us. In fact, she saved my life.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡± I asked.

    ¡°Twice, no...¡± He thought for a second. ¡°Three times.¡±

    ¡°What did she fight?¡±

    ¡°All kinds of things. Our leader for one, after fighting that Golden Gorrick with us. She broke his legs when he told us to leave Anlea. At one point she fought with a Redback.¡±

    ¡°Really? Redbacks are huge! How did she do that?¡±

    ¡°True. They¡¯re enormous, fast, and strong, but Seal¨ª never fought with strength, she focused on agility. She would jump and twist all over the place, nothing could hit her. Was a thing of beauty to witness.¡± I would never have guessed that. Seal¨ª always seemed to move calm and slow at home.

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you visited in recently?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m usually busy on this ship, I don¡¯t really have a lot of time for visiting people.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a shame. I¡¯m sure my family would like to see you more; Especially Seal¨ª, she seems lonely sometimes. Especially when she¡¯s not with her kids.¡±

    ¡°I suppose I could take a break, just for one season anyways.¡± He mused with a small smile.

    ¡°Could and should from what I¡¯m hearing.¡± Lanaea said with a knowing smile. Danith looked to her.

    ¡°Lanaea, keep it to yourself.¡± Danith said smirking, cheeks slightly red. She laughed.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. He doesn¡¯t understand the undertone, just the words. Right Cro¨ª?¡± Lanaea asked. I looked at both of them, confused.

    ¡°I guess?¡± I said.

    ¡°Alright, playtime¡¯s over. It¡¯s time for Cro¨ª to get clean, his ointments need to be reapplied.¡± Danith nodded and bid me good day. Lanaea led me to the washtub and helped me wash my back and hair, leaving the rest to me. It was indescribably awkward being naked in front of her. She laughed when my face turned bright red and dropped a towel into the water for me to hide myself with. ¡°If you¡¯re not thorough, I¡¯ll have to help with the whole thing next time.¡± She threatened as she walked behind the curtain. I absolutely did not want that. I was as thorough as I could be but had to be gentle with the majority of my body, especially my ribs.

    It had been a full day since Sacae¡¯s intentions had been revealed. Unthinkable, awful, cruel intentions. My thinking was notably muddled. I had trusted Sacae, disliked or maybe hated him sure, but trusted him. He was our mentor, a mentor Edorin had introduced us to. I hated his methods, but I believed he was trying to cure me of my weakness. Only to find out that he was trying to kill me. Kill us. It was unthinkable.

    There was a strange nervousness I felt around nearly everybody. Jumping when they would try to touch me, resistance to eating and drinking anything they gave me. Edorin frightened me now, more than conveying respect or awe.

    Once I¡¯d finished bathing, I gently pulled myself up and out of the tub and grabbed a dry towel. I heard the door open slightly, then whispering. I peeked around the curtain to see Edorin and Lanaea whispering to each other.

    What are they talking about? Why are they whispering? I tried to focus my hearing on them. I could start to make out small words at first, then some phrases from Lanaea then muffled sounds from what looked like Edorin. I could only hear Lanaea¡¯s side of the conversation.

    ¡°It¡¯s his mind I¡¯m worried about.¡± Then a pause as Edorin responded. ¡°You know him, naive is an understatement. I¡¯m just worried that Sacae caused more damage than we thought.¡± Another pause. ¡°Could? Not good enough, I know there are no guarantees as soon as they get there, but while they¡¯re here it¡¯s supposed to be safe.¡± This time a shorter pause. ¡°It isn¡¯t right. I¡¯m not going to just let this slide.¡±

    A long pause. I tried to make out what Edorin was saying, but it was too quiet. ¡°By then the damage could be done. What if it seeds distrust between him and the group? That¡¯s a death sentence on the Islands and you know it.¡± Another short pause. ¡°He¡¯s bathing right now. Come back an hour or two before break. He¡¯ll be ready by then.¡± She sighed. ¡°Thanks Captain.¡± She closed the door and sighed again. I walked out in my towel. I felt a strange unease, a new kind of nervousness regarding their conversation.

    It was just like before with Sacae. But this time it was Lanaea. She was talking to Edorin about me being weak. Falling behind. This is Lanaea though. She¡¯s not trying to hurt me. She¡¯s not like Sacae¡­ Right?

    ¡°Who was that?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Edorin. He came to check up on you. I told him to come back to see you later because you were bathing.¡± Her answer made me feel a little better. She seemed to be telling the truth.

    Then thoughts crept up, memories of all the times Sacae had told me things I thought were true. I felt that same unease of mind. Could she be like Sacae? No. She¡¯s helping me. But so was Sacae in the beginning. But she¡¯s not Sacae. ¡°Now, Leola should be here any minute to help lather you up and get that body back to its natural fresh state. Lie down alright?¡± I nodded and laid back down but kept my eyes on her. ¡°So, with everything going on, we haven¡¯t had much time to check up on how you were handling your condition.¡± Condition? Oh...that¡­

    ¡°You mean my¡­¡± I pointed down.

    ¡°Yeah. Any more problems with it?¡± I shook my head.

    ¡°Not really.¡± I said simply. She raised an eyebrow at me.

    ¡°Not really¡­ That it?¡± I nodded. She squinted her eyes in confusion.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Cro¨ª? Are you ok?¡± What am I doing? Why don¡¯t I want to tell her? I like talking with Lanaea. Why do I feel scared to talk to her now? ¡°If you don¡¯t want to share, you don¡¯t have to.¡± She said, smiling. I do want to. I just¡­ I couldn¡¯t figure it out. I opened my mouth to say something but closed it and nodded. She looked at me confused, then she seemed to focus in on me. ¡°I was right.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Hm?¡± I grunted.

    ¡°I told Edorin that what Sacae did to you hurt more than your body. Normally you liked talking with me. At least I thought you did. Now you seem like the first time you came to me.¡± I do want to talk. I think¡­ Should I try to? I mean¡­ Lanaea has helped me a lot right? She¡¯s fun and nice. She¡¯s never hit me. She helps me. I can talk to her.

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°Do what?¡± She asked.

    ¡°I like talking with you. I just¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know how to finish the sentence.

    ¡°Feels different?¡± She asked. I nodded. ¡°Would you like me to leave you be for a bit?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± I said.

    ¡°Ok then. Try answering the question, see how it feels. Have you had any more problems?¡± She asked again.

    ¡°No. I mean, I still feel attracted to them, but I haven¡¯t had any¡­ problems.¡± I said.

    ¡°Is that just because you haven¡¯t seen them so much recently?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know, you¡¯re the one that knows all about¡­ those. I haven¡¯t seen them much over the last week, so it¡¯s possible.¡± She laughed.

    ¡°Very possible. So, are you feeling better?¡± She asked. I opened my mouth to answer, but there was a knock at the door and Leola spoke.

    ¡°May I come in?¡±

    ¡°Come on in.¡± Lanaea responded. Leola came in with C¨¦¨ªrde carrying a plate of food.

    ¡°Good morning Cro¨ª, how are you feeling?¡± C¨¦¨ªrde asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m fi¡­¡± I remembered Leola telling me she would scream if I said ¡®I¡¯m fine¡¯ again. As if serving as a second reminder, Leola stared at me with raised eyebrows, like she was saying, ¡®try it¡¯. ¡°I¡¯m hurting, but not as bad as yesterday.¡± Leola smiled. It was difficult to say the words, to admit to weakness, but it made them smile, which cut back on the shame.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. No more lying about how you¡¯re feeling or you¡¯re in big trouble.¡± Leola said. I nodded, smiling weakly.

    ¡°Glad to hear it. Well, I¡¯ll see you at break.¡± As C¨¦¨ªrde turned to leave, I could see her expression turn sad. She¡¯s wearing a mask. Like my family did. I wondered if they were all wearing masks to make me feel better. I sighed in frustration. They wouldn¡¯t be wearing those masks if it weren¡¯t for me. If I could have just beaten William. I startled as Leola¡¯s hand touched my shoulder with the salve. She looked at me strangely.

    ¡°You, ok? Did I hurt you?¡± I shook my head.

    ¡°No, you¡¯re ok, just jumpy I guess.¡± I said in a small voice. Her and Lanaea looked at me skeptically.

    ¡°Jumpy huh? You sure that¡¯s it?¡± Leola pressed.

    ¡°I was just thinking about some things.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡± Lanaea asked. I sighed. I¡¯d learned in my interactions with them since yesterday that they wouldn¡¯t let up once they were interested unless I begged.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to explain it.¡± I said. Leola smiled as she spread the cold oil on my shoulder.

    ¡°Try. We have eight hours for you to figure it out. You¡¯re my training now.¡± Lanaea nodded agreement. I sighed deeply.

    ¡°Ok. Well, When Kixas said his goodbye to me, I told him that I thought my family didn¡¯t care about me, that they were okay with me going to the Island and dying. He had a happy, or sometimes stoic face but with something strange about his eyes, until I told him that, then he started crying.¡± Tears came to my eyes as I remembered that moment. The love I felt from my older brother, love that I longed for now. ¡°At first, I thought it was my fault and I told him I was sorry, but he said it wasn¡¯t my fault. That him and the rest of my family had been wearing masks to try to make it easier on me, but that he had taken his off. When C¨¦¨ªrde came in just now I could see her mask. She was smiling, but her eyes seemed sad, and when she turned to leave, her mask came off.¡± Lanaea nodded in understanding for a few seconds, then said.

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault Cro¨ª.¡± I looked at her, sighed and closed my eyes. Yes, it is. Sacae might¡¯ve had weird motives, but if I wasn¡¯t weak, or just wasn¡¯t me, none of this would¡¯ve happened. ¡°You get that right Cro¨ª?¡± She asked. I shook my head. ¡°Ok then, tell me how it¡¯s your fault.¡± She kept working but looked at me expectantly. I thought about it for a moment.

    ¡°I¡¯m weak.¡± I said simply. She put her hands on her hips, curling her fingers in to avoid getting ointments on her clothes. Leola squinted at me in confusion.

    ¡°Weak? What are you talking about? You¡¯re not weak so cut that out.¡± Lanaea said, waggling her finger at me and Leola agreed, adding.

    ¡°You¡¯re not weak Cro¨ª. It¡¯s silly to think you are. If you were weak, you wouldn¡¯t be able to move around with all these injuries.¡± I sighed and nodded.

    Yeah sure. If I wasn¡¯t so weak and pathetic, I wouldn¡¯t have been beaten like this by Sacae to begin with. But I am weak, and stupid, and he deceived and beat me for weeks. It¡¯s silly to think I¡¯m weak? Silly to think that I couldn¡¯t compete with my brothers? Silly to remember that the group had to protect me from William when I¡¯m supposed to protect them? Silly to think that I was too weak to take Sacae¡¯s punishment and too stupid to realize he was trying to kill me? Silly to think that I got beaten by William? Not to mention I can¡¯t even control or understand my own body. I¡¯m pathetic mentally and physically. You¡¯re all just too nice to say it out loud. All just wearing masks.

    I stayed mostly quiet as they finished covering me in healing ointments then ate some delicious breakfast. I felt stupid having everybody make such a big fuss about me. It was nice when they applied the ointment, but them getting me water and food, always asking if I was alright, just felt strange, wrong somehow. I asked them how the rest of the tournament went. Lanaea told me that Keokin was beat by Klintock, Jael beat Flint, and C¨¦¨ªrde beat Leola. She said it was a quick and decisive match and that C¨¦¨ªrde seemed to know what Leola was going to do before she did. Sable and L¨¢nn had a rematch, and L¨¢nn barely won.

    ¡°Who¡¯s training Jael and Klintock now?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Zanataz stepped in. In a week you should hopefully be well enough to get back to training with them.¡± Lanaea answered while focusing on some notes she was writing. A week? That seems soon. Are these salves really that good? There was a knock on the door and Lanaea opened it. ¡°Speak of L¨ªugh (Lee-h) and he appears.¡± Zanataz stepped in with a displeased but jovial smile on his face. He pointed to himself questioningly and made a small grunt with his eyebrows raised. Lanaea smiled wryly.

    ¡°Me the Trickster? Well, that¡¯s not very nice. How¡¯s my star pupil?¡± He asked. Lanaea snickered.

    ¡°He¡¯s recovering nicely. If all goes well, he¡¯ll be fit to start training by the start of next week.¡± Zanataz smiled at me.

    ¡°That¡¯s fantastic news. I was worried about you. Well, me and a few others.¡± He said, glancing towards the training room.

    ¡°How are they?¡± I asked.

    ¡°They¡¯re well, doing fitness training right now. Their worry for you was distracting their training, so I came to check up on you for them. Then again with these two lovely ladies looking after you, how could you be in any pain?¡± Lanaea swatted at him with the back of her hand, and he laughed. ¡°I would say ¡®I¡¯m only joking¡¯ but I think that¡¯d get me in more trouble.¡± He said fake whispering again.

    ¡°You¡¯d be right.¡± Lanaea said, smiling.

    ¡°Very well, I¡¯ve worn out my welcome. I¡¯ll give your companions the good news. Good day Cro¨ª.¡± He gave a slight bow to the three of us.

    ¡°Good day Zanataz.¡± I replied. As soon as the door closed, Leola spoke.

    ¡°Lanaea. Would it be alright if I went to the galley during break today?¡±

    ¡°To help with those pants again?¡± Lanaea asked. Leola nodded. Lanaea glanced at me with a smile. ¡°Sure. Just make sure to bring C¨¦¨ªrde in here when they¡¯re finished so I can check your work.¡± Leola smiled brightly with excitement and nodded.

    ¡°Absolutely. We can show them to Cro¨ª too. He seemed to like Sable¡¯s pants.¡± I blushed as Lanaea looked at me with a knowing smile. Stop it! I don¡¯t want them to know about it!

    ¡°How much longer do you have on them?¡± Lanaea asked.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve worked on them for about ten hours, so I would say another four hours should do.¡±

    ¡°Then take off early and get them done.¡± Leola¡¯s eyes lit up.

    ¡°Like, right now?¡± Lanaea nodded and Leola grinned.

    ¡°Thank you! I¡¯ll go now.¡± Then she stopped and looked at me, then back to Lanaea. Lanaea waved her hands.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll stay with him.¡± Leola thanked and hugged Lanaea and then lightly put her hand on my shoulder.

    ¡°Rest. Get better, ok?¡± I nodded and she left the room in a hurry. Lanaea turned to me.

    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s talk about your condition.¡± She sat down next to me.

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of it? And why didn¡¯t it happen to the others?¡± I asked. She chuckled.

    ¡°I think they¡¯ve already had it happen and explained to them and were able to control it, but you being raised how you were under the Pure Sect, you weren¡¯t taught any of it. As to what it¡¯s for.¡± She took a breath and sighed. ¡°Oh, dear how do I put this? It¡¯s used during...physical intimacy.¡± There¡¯s that word again. Intimacy. Edorin said it during our orientation, saying not to be physically intimate with other Agers. But what does it mean?

    ¡°What¡¯s intimacy? Edorin mentioned it during orientation, saying not to be intimate with other Agers. What does that mean? Are hugs intimate?¡± She chuckled awkwardly and put a hand on her face.

    ¡°Well¡­ It¡¯s¡­¡± She looked at me for a second. ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll just tell it to you clearly, catch you up with the rest of Cian¨ªans. If your parents wanted to be the ones to tell you, then they should¡¯ve told you before now.¡± She resituated and put her hand on mine. I jerked it away slightly, then stopped and kept it there, thinking this was part of her explanation. ¡°This is intimacy. One version of it, what I would call the good kind if you¡¯re familiar enough with the person.¡± She took her hand away. ¡°There are two types of intimacy, generally speaking. One is like the bonds of friendship or family. It¡¯s a type of closeness. That¡¯s something I think you¡¯ve already experienced right?¡± I thought about it.

    ¡°I feel a tremendous fondness for my group, for the most part. I¡¯m terribly nervous to meet them after everything that¡¯s happened, and I feel terrible having let them down or made them sad, but I want to make things right with them and keep going as we were. Is that what you mean?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly. That¡¯s a form of intimacy, basic, but still. What Edorin was referring to was physical intimacy specifically. There are levels or types of physical intimacy as well. First is something like a touch of the hand, a hug, or a pat on the head, which are more innocent. They¡¯re more shows of affection, or sensuality, depending on who does it and how its delivered. Then there¡¯s one level past that, and that¡¯s stuff like kissing or touching certain areas, generally considered personal or private. That¡¯s where the penis comes into play, among other things.¡±

    ¡°Kissing? Like my sister did before we left?¡± I asked, ignoring the bad word.

    ¡°She kissed you on the cheek?¡± Lanaea questioned. I nodded. ¡°Not that kind of kissing. I¡¯m talking about kissing on the lips or touching private areas. I¡¯m sure you must have caught your parents doing that on occasion, or your brothers and sisters with their partners.¡± Oh... I had seen it, but it was just awkward and strange to me. Kissing. Why? It seems like you would just get your lips all wet with the other person¡¯s spit. Sounds unpleasant. Maybe there¡¯s something I¡¯m missing. I thought about Leola¡¯s lips, how soft and pink they looked. I wondered what it felt like to kiss them. My heart beat faster. I immediately shook my head trying to get the thought out. Strange¡­ That¡¯s¡­ never happened before.

    ¡°So, kissing on the lips is bad, and touching private areas. I knew about touching from my family, mostly my sisters. They said not to touch someone above the knee or elbow without express permission or need.¡± I spoke quickly to try and pull my mind off the thought.

    ¡°Good advice.¡± Lanaea agreed.

    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t explain what a¡­ what the thing is for. Is it supposed to be touched?¡± I asked. She chuckled with an awkward smile, then sighed.

    ¡°An erect penis is used during a deeper form of intimacy called sex.¡±

    ¡°Those are bad words.¡± I said. Lanaea sighed, like she saw my response coming, but was still annoyed.

    ¡°Only to some. Very few now, especially among Cian¨ªans.¡± Her face went back to being pleasant for her next words. ¡°Sex is usually a primarily physical act of intimacy, and an erection is generally considered essential in performing sexual acts for males.¡± Physical act? Like running and jumping. But only for men? What about women?

    ¡°So, ¡®it¡¯s¡¯ used during¡­ the bad word¡­ for males, but what do women have?¡± She chuckled at my nervousness.

    ¡°Oh, D¨ªan this is actually kind of fun. No, women have something else.¡± My head was flooded with questions.

    Something else? Like what? If it¡¯s to do with¡­ bad word. I struggled to say the word even in my thoughts. Though my curiosity was starting to get the best of me. Then it¡¯s to do with marriage too, right? Because when R¨ªger mentioned¡­ it¡­ that one time, and I asked mom what it was, she got mad and said never to say it again and that I didn¡¯t have to worry about it till I was married. And I know that after people get married, they have babies, is it something to do with babies? Or maybe where babies come from? Maybe it¡¯s something to do with the stomach. Babies form in the stomach, right? So maybe it¡¯s the belly button. No, I have a belly button. Maybe I should ask.

    ¡°How do girls get pregnant?¡± She looked at me, surprised.

    ¡°Through the act of sex.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ How? What do they use to make a baby?¡±

    ¡°Babies grow in something called a womb. Is everything making sense?¡± She asked. I nodded cautiously.

    ¡°I get it a bit, but I still don¡¯t know how to make it stop, or what makes it go to begin with, and if I¡¯m honest, I don¡¯t know what to do with it when it comes to¡­ the bad word.¡±

    ¡°It happens when you get aroused. Usually breathing techniques or thinking about other things that don¡¯t arouse you, or just sheer willpower can make it stop. So I¡¯ve heard.¡±

    ¡°Aroused?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yes, like when you looked at Sable, you were aroused by her.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ Why? It¡¯s never happened before. And it doesn¡¯t really happen with Leola or C¨¦¨ªrde. Well, most of the time it doesn¡¯t. Or any of the other girls. Or even you.¡±

    ¡°Really? Nothing at all for anyone but Sable?¡± I glanced nervously around.

    ¡°I mean, not nothing. I get that same heart pounding feeling for some others, but I don¡¯t get¡­ ups for them, not really.¡± She thought for a moment.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because you feel more attracted to Sable than any of the others.¡± But¡­ I feel like I enjoy Leola and C¨¦¨ªrde¡¯s company just as much as Sable, so why is it only Sable? ¡°Are things starting to make sense now, at least regarding your problem?¡± She asked. I nodded. I had some vague notion of what was going on now but was still filled with questions.

    ¡°Mostly, I have a vague notion at least on where to start. Have you ever been intimate?¡± I asked. Her eyes went wide.

    ¡°My, you¡¯re forward Cro¨ª. Just for future reference, it¡¯s not usually polite to ask people that unless you know each other well, especially not so directly. But you didn¡¯t know so we¡¯ll let it slide. Yes. I¡¯ve had intercourse many times.¡±

    ¡°Really? So, you¡¯re married?¡± I asked. She chuckled.

    ¡°No. I was once, but I haven¡¯t been for a long time now. You don¡¯t have to be married to have intercourse, it¡¯s just¡­ well some people, like your parents, believe that it¡¯s bad to have sex before being married, but others think it¡¯s ok as long as you¡¯re safe and all parties involved are consenting.¡±

    ¡°Consenting? Like they all agree to it? They have parties for it?¡± She chuckled.

    ¡°By parties, I meant individuals involved in the act of intercourse. Yes, consent is making sure that those parties are all willing and agreeing to the act, of their own free will.¡±

    ¡°So, individuals. Does that mean more than just the man and woman are involved sometimes? How many people do you need.¡±

    ¡°I think we¡¯re getting a little too deep into things here. We¡¯ll leave it at that for now, alright? Maybe we can talk more about it later.¡± I sighed and nodded. I had dozens more questions now and was very confused, but at least I had some understanding of what my problem was. ¡°Now lie back and get some rest. I¡¯ve got some things to tend to.¡± I laid back in bed and immediately felt relief from my body that had been straining to remain upright. It was all so strange. I¡¯d never known that part of my body to be useful for anything, other than using the restroom. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

 Chapter 18

    I was woken up by Lanaea gently pushing against my shoulder a few hours later. I looked over at her, blinking and squinting, then noticed Edorin standing beside her. Startled, my arm shot up to my chest in salute with a jolt of pain from my ribs and bicep.

    ¡°Captain.¡± I squeaked out. He exhaled with a slight smile.

    ¡°At ease Cro¨ª.¡± A wave of fear gripped me suddenly, I glanced around the room looking for something, some danger to explain this feeling. I felt confused by my actions.

    ¡°Edorin would like to talk to you Cro¨ª. I¡¯ll leave you two alone for a moment.¡± Lanaea said, taking her hand off my shoulder and nodding to Edorin before she left the room. I was more nervous now. Alone with Edorin. What did he want? Was he going to scold me for being weak? Tell me I was to switch with William? Did someone else want to kill me? Did he? He looked around, then grabbed a stool and pulled it over next to the bed and sat down on it, relaxing his shoulders, and taking a deep breath before speaking.

    ¡°Cro¨ª, we need to talk about some things that are fairly serious, but to make real progress here we need to be honest with each other. I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ve noticed the change in the color of my eyes when I was dealing with William and Sacae. No doubt you have questions about it.¡± I had noticed it. Leola thought it was something called Reave. I was curious, he was right about that. But where was he going with this? Why tell me now?

    ¡°Yes Captain.¡± I said cautiously. He nodded and continued.

    ¡°It¡¯s a type of magic called Tellis (Tell-iss). There are many facets to this power, but the one I most often utilize allows me to peer into the mind of another individual. Generally, to tell whether they¡¯re telling the truth, to me and to themselves. I also gain an understanding of their intentions and plans regarding the issue at hand. Like for instance, when I talked to William, I invoked what he said to get him thinking about it, then used my ability to know that he truly was just trying to upset Leola, that he didn¡¯t intend any real harm.¡±

    He paused a moment, seeming to wait for a response. I nodded to let him know I understood. He continued. ¡°Whereas with Sacae, I understood that he had intent to kill you, not just harm you, and that he believes your sister killed his, all of this, combined with his dislike for your brother R¨ªger, festered and turned to resentment, hatred, and delusion.¡± He took a small breath to let what he¡¯d said sink in.

    It took a second or two because I¡¯d just woken up, but I was able to grasp it, and the conversation was forcing me to wake up quickly. ¡°I¡¯m telling you this so that you¡¯ll understand my intent. I would like to use this power on you, to make sure that you¡¯re being honest with me and that you understand what we need to talk about, as well as pull things from you that you might not yet fully understand. I would like your permission to do this.¡± I was confused and intrigued. Why was he asking me permission and not the others? And what did we need to talk about that was so serious? What¡¯s his intent here?

    ¡°Will it hurt?¡± I asked. He shook his head.

    ¡°No. You¡¯ll feel it and know it¡¯s happening, but it won¡¯t hurt at the level I¡¯ll be using it.¡±

    ¡°At the level? So, it could hurt?¡±

    ¡°If pushed too far, it turns into Mind Reave. Mind Reave forcibly pulls information from one person¡¯s mind and pushes it into the other. It¡¯s a potentially dangerous and definitely painful process, but that¡¯s not what I will be doing to you, so you don¡¯t need to worry. If you would like we can try it once, and if it¡¯s too uncomfortable we can stop. Would that work for you?¡± Mind Reave sounded scary, but he said we weren¡¯t doing that. Still, Sacae said he was helping too, but he was trying to kill me. But he¡¯s not Sacae. He¡¯s Edorin. He wouldn¡¯t try that...Right? Or would he? He¡¯s the Captain, nobody could tell him no.

    I was nervous about it. I didn¡¯t want to risk being hurt. I¡¯d already had my body beaten by Sacae. What if Edorin¡¯s job was to beat my mind? ¡°I¡¯m not Sacae, Cro¨ª.¡± I looked at his eyes. Did he just do it? Did he read my mind? ¡°I don¡¯t intend to harm, only to help. What do you think Cro¨ª?¡± I couldn¡¯t see any purple in his eyes. He probably hadn¡¯t used it, but the flash doesn¡¯t last more than a second, so he could¡¯ve done it. I shook my head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± I said. He nodded.

    ¡°I understand. Then I¡¯ll move on to the matter at hand. I¡¯m here because Lanaea and I believe that what Sacae did to you caused you more damage than we originally thought. Mental damage specifically, and I must admit that it¡¯s partially my fault that things got so bad.¡±

    Then he is intent on finishing me off. But he¡¯s aiming for my mind. ¡°I don¡¯t mean that I ordered Sacae to do what he did. I mean that I had suspicions that he was being too rough with you. Though I didn¡¯t know why, or just how rough. I thought that it would provide a good challenge for you, and maybe your group. That you would learn to speak up, or they would notice and do something, or, if nothing else, that it would provide you with an experience to learn from.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t order him? But you didn¡¯t stop him? Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡± I asked. He shook his head.

    ¡°I knew there was something wrong, that he wasn¡¯t treating you kindly. I didn¡¯t suspect it was so severe, and that¡¯s my mistake. That¡¯s where I¡¯m responsible. After I¡¯d learned the extent of the damage, I realized, with Lanaea¡¯s help, that I was wrong on another count, foolish even. I thought that this would teach you to be less naive, to speak up when things are hard for you and ask for help, or to learn the difference between someone meaning you harm, and someone trying to help you, but we fear that instead it led you to distrust everyone around you.¡±

    Trust. That¡¯s what the feeling is. That nervousness. I couldn¡¯t put my finger on it but he¡¯s right. I don¡¯t trust him. Or anyone. But I remember overhearing Lanaea telling Edorin that a lack of trust on the Island could lead to death. I don¡¯t want to let my group down. Not if I can help it. Maybe¡­ I looked up at him, studying him, trying to find some way to know if I could trust him. Maybe I could allow his Tellis, just to see how it works. Maybe he was trustworthy. Maybe I could give him a chance, or maybe he¡¯s just like Sacae. I couldn¡¯t know. I could only take a leap and hope I chose right.

    ¡°Ok. Let¡¯s try it. Tellis¡± I said. He gave a small smile.

    ¡°Very good. Then we¡¯ll start with this. Do you trust me?¡± His eyes flashed purple as he looked at me. I could feel something, like getting the chills but more intense and only inside my head, making it go foggy for a second. It was strange, but not uncomfortable or debilitating. ¡°I suspected as much, but at least there is more than a sliver of trust there. That¡¯s good. How are you feeling?¡± He asked. I nodded.

    ¡°Fine. It wasn¡¯t that bad. What did you pull out?¡±

    ¡°That you don¡¯t trust me. You debate with yourself on whether I was in league with Sacae. You worry that I¡¯m going to Reave you or hurt you.¡± Wow. So his ability works then.

    ¡°But¡­ how do I know you¡¯re not lying?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Cro¨ª, that¡¯s a part of trusting others that I hope you¡¯ll be able to learn from this experience, but unless you spend the time and energy I did to develop Tellis, there isn¡¯t really a way to be absolutely sure. The best I can do is point out things that show me to be trustworthy, and then you decide whether you believe them.¡±

    ¡°But what about Tellis? You can pull thoughts out, why not put them in?¡±

    ¡°The best I could do is to convey my honest thoughts to you, but then it would still be up to you as to whether or not you think those thoughts were honest, or lies I put in your mind to convince or confuse you.¡± In the end, it¡¯s all up to me. If I trust him, and I¡¯m right, things will go back to normal. If I¡¯m wrong this time, I might not be so lucky. Maybe I should hear him out. But after trusting Sacae didn¡¯t work out, can I even trust that I will make the right choice?

    ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll hear you out then.¡± I decided. He nodded.

    ¡°First, I have a question. What would I have to gain from killing you?¡±

    ¡°One less mouth to feed. Maybe one of my other siblings went on the Aging with one of your siblings or friends that died, and you want revenge too. I don¡¯t know.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    ¡°Food isn¡¯t really a problem for us. I have one adopted sibling, and an older sister that is alive and well. Not to mention, if I come back from my voyage and word gets out that one of the Agers under my care was killed, I would be relieved of duty and jailed, or executed immediately following a trial. I¡¯ll still likely be in trouble for what Sacae did and not catching it sooner.¡±

    He makes a lot of sense. Hard to argue with that. ¡°Another question. If I were so determined to see you dead, why wouldn¡¯t I just throw you overboard when nobody¡¯s looking?¡± That¡¯s true. If he wanted it done, he¡¯d be able to just toss me over, he wouldn¡¯t even need to touch me if he used the same power he used on William. That¡¯s a scary thought. But it does prove that he¡¯s on my side, in a way.

    ¡°So¡­ why didn¡¯t you ask William or Sacae for permission to use Tellis on them?¡± I asked.

    ¡°They were both under suspicion of threatening or perpetrating unacceptable acts of violence, and I needed to get to the bottom of whether or not they were guilty quickly. Trust me, if you threaten the life of an Ager or any crew member, I won¡¯t be asking permission, but for you, you need to learn the difference between people like Sacae, who pretended to be your friend, but truly intended to do you harm, and people like Lanaea, Zanataz, Cairen, and your group, who only want to help you succeed and see you come back alive.¡±

    I leaned forward, putting my face in my hands. He was making a lot of sense. I couldn¡¯t see where he was wrong, and, deep down, I didn¡¯t feel like he was really intending to do me harm, but something in my mind kept throwing in small, doubting thoughts. What is the difference between them? Sacae acted kind, and told me that when he was harsh, he was making me stronger. Just like him, they have reasons for what they do. How do I know that what they say is the truth?

    Again, I felt the feeling of chills in my head and a slight fuzz. I looked up to see the last bits of purple, replaced with the original bright blue. ¡°A fair point. What do you think the answer is Cro¨ª? Think back. Think about all the things you can remember from what Sacae said and did and try to compare them to the rest of us.¡± My head fell back into my hands as I thought.

    My first encounter with Sacae. He was mean right off the bat, but it wasn¡¯t until he learned my last name that he focused on me specifically. Until that moment he treated us all equally. Edorin¡¯s never treated me differently, aside from now, and if he did, it was to be nice to me, probably because of his relationship with Kixas. He let me keep the necklace R¨ªger gave me, let me say goodbye to Kixas too. I thought back to the most recent weeks with Sacae, looking for differences, or anything that stood out. I felt the Tellis in my head again and looked up. ¡°I see. Well, there is that. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve pinpointed that quite yet though.¡±

    ¡°Pinpointed what?¡±

    ¡°His behavior with you. Think about it. Focus on how he treated you when he wasn¡¯t hitting you, when I came around, or when other people walked in.¡± As I thought about it, one word came to mind over and over. Sneaky. I hadn¡¯t realized it at the time, I don¡¯t know how I missed it, but he was sneaky.

    Every time Jael or Klintock would get nervous and ask questions, he would answer for me, saying that I was fine. When Edorin would walk in, he would straighten up and his face would get cheerier, but he wasn¡¯t genuine, he was wearing a mask. Edorin used Tellis again. ¡°There you go. See the difference? He was sneaking around trying to make sure nobody noticed. Even made sure to try and only bruise or break you where people wouldn¡¯t see it. His actions didn¡¯t match his words.¡±

    He was right. When I looked back on it like that, it seemed more obvious. There were warning signs that I couldn¡¯t see before. Armed with this new information, the differences between Sacae and the rest of the crew and my group were becoming more and more noticeable. That and recognizing when and where people wore masks could help me figure out their motives. If I could figure that out, maybe I wouldn¡¯t be so naive, weak, and useless.

    I felt Edorin¡¯s Tellis again. ¡°An unfortunate way to think, but it will push you forward. I think that¡¯s a lesson for another time, but for now, it looks like you¡¯re getting a handle on things. It will take some time for you to learn the necessary lessons from this, but as you watch everyone around you, and measure them against the example Sacae has left behind, you¡¯ll come around.¡± I think he¡¯s right. He¡¯s pretty much proven himself and everyone else to be trustworthy. I guess that means the problem lies with me. My naivety. My weakness. Thank Fomh¨¢r for him. If Edorin hadn¡¯t talked to me, I don¡¯t know if I would¡¯ve figured that out. ¡°That¡¯s it then.¡± He stood, put the stool back and headed for the door. I shifted to get out of bed, pushing and groaning through the pain.

    ¡°Captain.¡± I said. He turned with a slight look of surprise.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be out of bed yet Cro¨ª. Lanaea won¡¯t let me hear the end of it.¡± I walked over and put my arms around him. I was grateful. Thanks to him I felt like things might return to some form of normal, and I knew what to work on to make sure this didn¡¯t happen again.

    ¡°Thank you, Captain.¡± I said simply. I felt his arms fall slowly to my back.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it kid. Just do your best to learn from this. Take the good and leave the bad; that¡¯s what all of this is for.¡± I nodded and stepped away from him.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re not trying to kill me.¡± I said, smiling. He smiled and chuckled as he nodded.

    ¡°Me too, kid. Me too.¡± He ruffled my hair and opened the door. ¡°Now get back in bed before I get in trouble.¡± He started walking out of the room.

    ¡°Back in bed?¡± Came Lanaea¡¯s voice from just outside. Edorin¡¯s eyes squinted closed then he shot a slight glancing smile towards me and walked away. Lanaea came in to see me sitting back in the bed. ¡°You¡¯re just a little troublemaker aren¡¯t you Cro¨ª?¡± She said, smiling. I nodded.

    ¡°Whenever I can be, you know me.¡± I jested. She snickered, smiling for a moment at me. She came inside and closed the door.

    ¡°Well get ready. The girls are probably almost done with those pants and then they¡¯ll be in here to show them off. I think it¡¯ll be a perfect time to test out some breathing techniques, if you know what I mean.¡±

    My mouth dropped. No. Not again. You¡¯re saying that¡­¡¯it¡¯ is going to come back? I groaned and laid down on the bed. ¡°Oh, come now. It¡¯s not so bad. I¡¯m sure one day you¡¯ll be overjoyed about it.¡±

    ¡°Overjoyed? How could I be overjoyed? It¡¯s awkward and it feels weird. I don¡¯t want it to come back.¡±

    ¡°Aw quit your whining. It¡¯ll be fine. You just need to learn how to control it, and how to hide it for when you can¡¯t.¡± She said smiling as she pulled the blanket over me and winked. I sighed.

    ¡°Fine. But I still don¡¯t like it.¡±

    Lanaea went about her work and I laid there, dozing off for about the next hour or so until I could hear excited giggling, followed by a knock at the door. Instantly I felt nervous. Lanaea turned to me, saying in a small whisper.

    ¡°Remember, control your breathing.¡± Then louder. ¡°Come in.¡± The door opened and Leola, L¨¢nn and Sable came in first standing on either side of the doorway and holding their hands out towards C¨¦¨ªrde as she entered.

    Her pants were like Sable¡¯s, with her original pants sewn into certain areas for added breathability and mobility, but the seams went down the front of her legs, instead of the sides. The shape of her legs was different from Sable¡¯s, who had more visibly defined muscle, while C¨¦¨ªrde¡¯s were smooth.

    It¡¯s coming back. I can feel it starting. Ok, ok, focus on breathing. I started taking long slow breaths as Leola was talking to Lanaea.

    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Lanaea came over and C¨¦¨ªrde lifted her shirt, turning so she could look at them while I stared wide eyed in amazement, noticing the small portion of skin that was revealed on her stomach.

    ¡°I love them. You did this by yourself?¡± Lanaea asked, grinning.

    ¡°No. L¨¢nn and Sable helped.¡± Leola replied.

    ¡°They¡¯re so cute, and the seam work is very impressive. Have you thought about selling these when you get home? I would certainly buy some, the men will love it. Some women too.¡± She smiled. ¡°Right Cro¨ª?¡± I snapped back to Lanaea, surprised.

    ¡°Uh¡­ resist what?¡± I noticed my breathing had increased, as well as the size of my ¡®problem¡¯. The girls laughed.

    ¡°Well, they resist wear better because of the leather¡­¡± Sable said with a confused look on her face, to the amusement of the others. I did my best to chuckle.

    ¡°Sorry, brain was somewhere else. They¡¯re lovely. You¡¯ve all outdone yourselves.¡± I said, smiling. They thanked me for the compliment and Lanaea started chatting with them again. I noticed I was shaking from nerves. What if they see it? I know it¡¯s hidden, but it keeps growing. How big does it get? I think it¡¯s stopped. Ok. Focus on breathing. I kept my breathing under control as I looked. Eventually, as they stood there talking, my nerves started to leave me.

    I became distracted by them, admiring the differences of their bodies and the way they stood or sat, then I looked to the rest of them, admiring their faces, and hair. They¡¯re really pretty. I love it when they smile. I noticed movement in ¡®the area¡¯ again. It¡¯s going back to normal! What did I do to make it go away? Was it the breathing? No, I wasn¡¯t focused on breathing. I was focused on them and admiring how pretty they are. Maybe that¡¯s it? Geez, this is confusing.

    ¡°Well then, I think we know what we have to do.¡± Sable said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± L¨¢nn said.

    ¡°Get more leather! We need to make a pair for all of us!¡± They laughed. ¡°I¡¯m serious, this is fun.¡±

    ¡°We should make more leather sure, but I think we should talk as a group about what to do with it next.¡± Leola said, giggling.

    ¡°I agree.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde said. ¡°These are lovely, and comfortable, though somewhat immodest compared with what I¡¯m used to, and I will need some time to adjust, but I believe there may be other uses for the next batch of leather. Maybe we could make something for Cro¨ª as he was such a great help with the door or begin working on shoes or boots of some kind as we will need them on the Island.¡± They looked over at me for a moment, considering what C¨¦¨ªrde had said.

    ¡°Yeah, I think...Yeah that sounds great.¡± L¨¢nn said as she stood and opened the door. All of them but Lanaea filtered out, saying goodbye. When they were all out Lanaea closed the door and turned to me.

    ¡°So. How¡¯d it go?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Terrifying at first, but after a while it went away. I stopped being so nervous and was kind of¡­ dumbstruck I guess, by them, and then before I knew it, it was gone.¡±

    ¡°Congratulations. You¡¯re conquering puberty.¡± She sat on a chair next to the bed with a long exhale and a smile. I leaned back as well, ready for more sleep. ¡°I¡¯m glad we made some headway.¡± She put her feet up on a small stool and leaned back in the chair, folding her arms and closing her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s nice to sit down for a moment.¡± I nodded agreement as I drifted off to sleep.

 Chapter 19

    After a somewhat slow morning and breakfast the next day, Lanaea told me that they were going to fix my ribs, but I would need to be unconscious for the process. She told me that it would ordinarily take several weeks, or longer, to fully recover from the injuries if I rested properly, but that she was going to use something to quicken the whole process to one week. She wanted to make sure my bones were all in their proper places first though. To this end she was going to be using the red healing concentrate. She mixed Klaris (Claw-riss) root with something called Ozaris (Oh-zaw-riss) and put them in a syringe and handed it to Leola.

    ¡°Leola, if you would, please.¡± Leola nodded and took a deep breath as she looked at me.

    ¡°Ok Cro¨ª. I need to put this in your neck. It¡¯ll make you sleep so we can work on you. We need you out for at least a few hours for this to work.¡± Hours? How many? That¡¯s... They can do that?

    ¡°Is it safe? Why in my neck?¡± I asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s safe in the right doses. That¡¯s the tricky thing that I¡¯m still learning about medicine. Many things are poisonous, but in small enough doses they¡¯re perfectly fine, or can heal you. Like this mixture. Too much and it relaxes you so much your heart stops, but in this amount, it relaxes, numbs, and helps you stay asleep. We can put you under for a total of eight hours before it gets potentially dangerous. This is a six-hour dose, so you¡¯ll be fine. Really groggy when you wake up and you¡¯ll have a really hard time moving while the muscle relaxer wears off, but fine. It only really works when injected into the bloodstream, preferably closer to the brain. It¡¯s a well-kept secret between trusted practitioners of medicine, otherwise people could use it for some pretty terrible things.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m scared now. You mean I won¡¯t wake up for eight hours?¡±

    ¡°Not even if we slap you.¡± Leola said, smiling. I shook my head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like the sound of that.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s that or you stay awake and feel the concentrate rearrange your ribs, heal most of your bruising, fix the bone in your arm, getting cut open¡­ you get my point. It¡¯ll be painful, and if you move and twitch you could misalign or snap a rib, then it¡¯ll heal improperly. Do you want that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll admit that doesn¡¯t sound pleasant. They both sound scary.¡± She put her hand on my shoulder.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Cro¨ª. We¡¯ll watch over you. You¡¯ll be fine.¡± She smiled. Her smile was lovely, infectious even. I couldn¡¯t help but smile back through my fear. I was still nervous, but I figured this was better than staying awake.

    ¡°Ok.¡± I conceded.

    ¡°Great. Now you¡¯re going to feel a little pinch from the needle, but I¡¯ll count down from three and go on one to give you warning.¡± I nodded. ¡°Three. Two. One.¡± I felt the pinch of the needle, then a strange twinge of pain as she squeezed the cool liquid into my neck. She pulled the needle out and pressed a small gauze patch against it and exhaled. Lanaea put her hand on Leola¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Excellent work. All that training paid off.¡± She said. Leola smiled then looked at me. My vision started to blur. My eyes felt heavy. I was feeling tingly on my face, arms, and legs. I blinked. I struggled to open my eyes and tried to pull my hand up but it wouldn¡¯t move. Panic was setting in. I heard Leola speaking, but it was muddled, like I was underwater.

    ¡°Close your eyes Cro¨ª. Relax, don¡¯t fight it. You¡¯re ok.¡± It felt like an effort even to move my eyes over to look at her. ¡°Man, this stuff works fast, it¡¯s kind of scary. That was like two or three seconds. Come on Cro¨ª. Sleep, it¡¯s ok.¡± Feeling the soft comfort of her hand on my forehead allowed me to calm, and I finally let my eyes close.

    * * * * *

    * * * * *

    I tried opening my eyes to the sound of the break bell. I felt sluggish. I could feel my body trying to move on its own, but nothing would happen aside from a small twitch.

    ¡°He¡¯s twitching, is he awake now?¡± I heard Leola ask.

    ¡°It¡¯s just his body trying to talk with the brain and find out what¡¯s going on. He shouldn¡¯t be awake for another couple minutes.¡± Lanaea explained.

    ¡°Ok.¡± Leola said, not sounding totally sure. I tried to open my eyes again, this time I was more successful. When I did, I saw Leola and Lanaea talking to my right.

    ¡°Like I was saying, that¡¯s why I¡¯ve been talking with him so much. The way he was raised left him so naive that most people would say it¡¯s fake. It¡¯s a form of trauma that the rest of you don¡¯t have to deal with.¡± Lanaea said.

    ¡°Trauma? From talking about sex?¡± Leola asked.

    ¡°Yes. It doesn¡¯t make sense to us but think about how strange it was to learn about it for the first time. Then add in that your whole life you¡¯ve been taught that it¡¯s a bad word. Just talking about it makes him shake with nerves and brings out intense feelings of guilt and shame. He¡¯s going to have to overcome all of that, while figuring out his own sexuality. All of this while he¡¯s dealing with the Trials.¡± Lanaea paused and Leola sighed heavily. I closed my eyes. I tried moving to let them know I was awake, but my fingers didn¡¯t move like I wanted them too. Then a thought occurred to me.

    Are they talking about me? It sounds like me.

    ¡°When you put it like that, then it really is a bit more daunting, and a bit of an extra challenge for me to treat. Does that mean we shouldn¡¯t talk about it? Or that we should?¡± Leola asked.

    ¡°More talk about it than not, but don¡¯t go out of your way for it, let it happen naturally. He¡¯s a very internal person. He doesn¡¯t let out much if any of what he feels unless it¡¯s overwhelming him, or he thinks it¡¯s socially acceptable. You¡¯ll have to find out how to broach the topic at some point.¡±

    They are talking about me. I don¡¯t know how I feel about that, it feels like a betrayal for her to tell Leola all of this. Really embarrassing. But on the other hand. Leola is training to basically be Lanaea. She¡¯s who I¡¯ll need to talk to eventually. Still, it feels weird. I tried moving again but same as before, it was like my body was still asleep. I was only able to slightly curl my fingers.

    ¡°Well.¡± Leola said with a sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can. He¡¯s a great guy. I really hope I can support him.¡± I stopped trying to move. She thinks I¡¯m a great guy? I mentally smiled, my lips twitching a bit.

    ¡°I think you¡¯ll be fine. Be sure to flirt or tease with him occasionally, or get Sable to do it, she¡¯s a natural. Just make sure that you¡¯re not leading him on. It¡¯ll help him acclimatize to it and hopefully help him see it¡¯s normal and fun, not just a ¡®bad word.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Right. I¡¯m wanting to lure out his trauma bit by bit, then counsel it?¡±

    ¡°Essentially yes.¡± Lanaea said with a sigh. ¡°Sometimes I wonder if it would be easier to be human, or Uraggian, or just some other humanoid.¡± Lanaea said.

    ¡°I mean in a way it would be worse, because from what you¡¯ve told me, they don¡¯t process trauma the same way we do.¡± Leola said.

    ¡°No, they don¡¯t. It often cripples them for years, depending on the severity of it. Whereas like we¡¯ve discussed¡­¡± She left it open, and Leola finished for her.

    ¡°If we get proper help coming to terms with it, we Age, we grow wiser, stronger, more durable. So, in a way, Cro¨ª being so naive will eventually make him much stronger. Provided I can counsel him properly.¡±

    ¡°Correct, but?¡­¡± Lanaea questioned, leaving it open once again.

    ¡°There is an element of risk to it. While we can get stronger from trauma, we aren¡¯t immune. Some Agers get too much too fast and they¡¯re not the same. If that happens it takes much longer for them to Age properly.¡± Leola answered.

    ¡°Granted, the amount of trauma it would take to do that to a Cian¨ªan would likely ruin a human, or many of the other humanoid races for decades. Not that there¡¯s anything exact about it. All of this is based on averages we¡¯ve observed. It¡¯s possible that Cro¨ª could shatter, but we know that the more naive one of us is, generally the worse the trauma. So, if he makes it through this, he might be incredible. Our entire race is gambling with the Trials. If we win, we get a large boost to our ranks, our kingdom is defended and prospers. If we lose, we lose time, resources, and lives.¡± With that they stayed silent for a while.

    I thought about what I¡¯d heard. So me being naive could be good, or it could ¡®shatter¡¯ me, as Lanaea put it. It seems like me being counseled by Leola can help. I¡¯ll have to try and confide in her like I did with Lanaea. Meantime, it might be good to get moving.

    I tried lifting my head, but it felt like it weighed at least double what it had before. It was strange, like my body was in slow motion, but my brain felt just fine. They noticed and came over to me.

    ¡°Good afternoon Cro¨ª. Right on time for break.¡± Lanaea said. I tried speaking but only grumbles came out, followed by a slow-motion look of confusion. They laughed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Cro¨ª. It¡¯ll wear off within the hour. In the meantime, just keep trying to make small movements all over.¡± Leola said, moving her shoulders up and down showing me what to do. I nodded, and focused on wiggling my toes and squeezing my hands into fists over and over. Shrugging my shoulders like Leola had shown me to do. ¡°There you go you¡¯re getting it.¡± She turned to Lanaea. ¡°Is he awake enough to talk? Or at least understand?¡±

    ¡°He can understand, that¡¯s why he¡¯s moving. It¡¯ll take him a moment to talk clear enough for us to understand.¡± She turned back to me.

    ¡°We have good news for you. Your ribs are pretty much healed, but they¡¯ll still be a bit sensitive. A lot of your bruising has healed though, which is great. Edorin wants to have another tournament at the end of next week. You have four days of resting then training for a week to prepare. You get all that?¡± I nodded slowly after a moment of blinking at her. It was so strange, having my mind and body be so slow and feel so sluggish. It all made me nervous that the effects wouldn¡¯t wear off. Besides that, I was still trying to come to grips with the conversation I¡¯d overheard. Leola stood and walked to the door. ¡°I¡¯ll go tell the others that they can expect Cro¨ª at the table tonight.¡± Lanaea¡¯s head bobbed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on him.¡± Lanaea said. Leola left and I continued flexing and moving all the muscles and joints that I could. The sooner this feeling was gone, the better. Even my breathing felt labored and extended, but the more I moved, the more it gradually loosened up. ¡°Notice anything?¡± Lanaea asked. I looked at her and blinked, then took a breath. Oh. That¡¯s lovely. I smiled.

    ¡°Breathing.¡± I said with a content sigh. It didn¡¯t hurt to take deep breaths anymore.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Those ribs of yours are healed. Well mostly. We didn¡¯t put a ton of red in you, but what we did put in was absorbed and spread throughout, so I would suggest not doing anything too strenuous for the next couple days. Still, you¡¯re back down to freshly healed bones and bruises in their final stages of healing, no more than two or three days and you¡¯ll be right as the Elders.¡± Lanaea sighed and leaned forward in her chair. ¡°You know, I¡¯m going to miss you. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re getting better, but it was fun talking with you. I¡¯m hoping you¡¯ll come talk to me occasionally, not just when you get a bump or a scrape.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± I said with a slow smile.

    Thirty minutes later, she was helping me stand up and walk around the room. Five minutes after that the effects had primarily worn off. There was some lingering lethargy and bouts of forgetfulness, but I was good other than that. The pain had gone down considerably, enough that I could move almost without pain, until I bumped a bruise or poked at my ribs too hard. Then finally, when I was ready, she held the door open for me.

    ¡°Right then. Thank you for all your help Lanaea. I really appreciate it.¡± I said, walking through the doorway.

    ¡°Nice to be appreciated. Now you take care of yourself, make sure to practice your breathing when you can and visit me often.¡±

    ¡°I will. Mostly the second one, the first one still just scares me.¡± We laughed and waved to each other as she closed the door. I was out in the hallway alone, looking around, feeling somewhat uneasy. I was nervous about meeting with the group again. I was hoping that things would go well, and that they weren¡¯t sad, or angry with me.

    For a moment I thought about just heading above deck to my hiding spot but was worried I would slip on the climb down. Besides that, Leola said she was telling all of them to expect me. I paced the hall until I heard the dinner bell and the chatter of the group, as well as the sound of the crew heading for the galley. I walked in behind a few crewmen. I heard a voice from behind me.

    ¡°Cro¨ª? You¡¯re up!¡± I turned to see Danith smiling. ¡°Happy to see you on your feet kid.¡± The crewmen heard this and turned around, smiles on their faces, speaking collectively.

    ¡°Cro¨ª!¡±

    ¡°About time man!¡±

    ¡°Good to see you Cro¨ª. We were sorry to hear about Sacae, the goat licking gobshite.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Happy to see you on your feet Cro¨ª.¡± I couldn¡¯t tell which comment was coming from which person and didn¡¯t know how to respond to so many all at once. I just sat there, dumbfounded, with my heart pounding, a weak smile of thanks on my lips in response.

    Going from the calm and quiet of the infirmary to the noise of the galley was jarring.

    ¡°Cro¨ª!¡± I looked around to see Sable just as she grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the table where the group was sitting. ¡°It¡¯s great to see you. We¡¯ve been worried about you.¡± She said, smiling.

    ¡°It¡¯s great to see you too.¡± I said, returning the smile. The rest of the group was smiling at me as I took my seat. I looked at their eyes but couldn¡¯t tell which ones were masks and which were genuine in my nervous state.

    ¡°Cro¨ª! How are you?¡± Flint asked excitedly.

    ¡°Yeah, how was the surgery?¡± L¨¢nn asked.

    ¡°Not too rough I hope.¡± Jael said. Klintock nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯m doing alright. Surgery went really well, got me all fixed up. I¡¯m a little sluggish, but otherwise doing well. How about you guys?¡± I asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re making more leather. If you¡¯re feeling up to it, we could use your help with that soon.¡± L¨¢nn said, smiling from her curled up sitting position.

    ¡°Sounds great to me.¡± I said in a small voice, accompanied by a weak smile. Looking around at the table, it was clear now that the initial excitement of my arrival had worn off, replaced by nerves and guilt. Jael and Klintock didn¡¯t look happy. They were barely smiling at all. L¨¢nn¡¯s excitement looked genuine, but it turned to one of concern as she noticed me looking around the table. Keokin spoke.

    ¡°It¡¯s clear that we all have things we need to say. We all experienced something horrible, some worse than others. What are we thinking?¡±

    ¡°I think this is a waste of time. What are you all so sad about anyways?¡± William grumbled. Jael glared at him from across the table.

    ¡°Go suck on someone¡¯s toes you overgrown meatball! You don¡¯t have a heart, so obviously you wouldn¡¯t understand!¡± William recoiled in offense.

    ¡°I¡¯m being serious here. Sacae was beating up on Cro¨ª and got caught. We all watched him get lashed for it. You all act like it was your fault or something.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°Because it was!¡± Jael hissed. ¡°If I had done my duty, or Klintock, or any of us, it wouldn¡¯t have gone so far.¡±

    ¡°Bullshite. This is all on Sacae and Cro¨ª. Cro¨ª lied to you, to all of us. If he¡¯d just fessed up to what was going on than it would¡¯ve been over with weeks ago.¡±

    ¡°Are you¡­¡± Jael began. I interrupted her.

    ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± They looked at me.

    ¡°What?¡± Klintock asked, almost in disbelief.

    ¡°He¡¯s right. If I wasn¡¯t so¡­¡± Stupid, weak, pathetic. ¡°Naive, I would¡¯ve recognized what Sacae was doing and how bad it was, and that it was stupid of me to try to hide it.¡±

    ¡°But if we¡­¡± Jael pointed back and forth between her and Klintock. ¡°Had spoken up sooner to Edorin, or Sacae himself, or pressed you to reveal what was going on, it would¡¯ve ended even sooner. That¡¯s our duty, watch out for the safety of the group, but we completely failed.¡± She put the side of her head in her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t deserve it. Not anymore.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± William sneered. She looked at him angrily with tears in her eyes, then put her head down, seeming to accept it.

    ¡°Feck off you vulture!¡± Klintock roared.

    ¡°Stop! It¡¯s my fault! If I hadn¡¯t hid this, you would¡¯ve stopped it. I know you would.¡± I pleaded.

    ¡°Yeah. You said that skitterbrook. Tell us, why, in your infinite wisdom, did you decide to hide it? Didn¡¯t think Jael and Klintock could help? Doesn¡¯t sound like you have much faith in your friends.¡± Ordinarily William was just mean for the sake of being mean. This time though, he was hitting the nail on the head.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad at first. I thought it was just part of the training. When we first met him, he was rough with us, ask them.¡± I nodded to Jael and Klintock.

    ¡°It¡¯s true. First time we met, he said Jael was less because she was a girl, then slapped Cro¨ª and had some crewmen beat him. We fought back and tried to free Jael. He commended us; told us it was all a facade to test us under pressure.¡± Klintock explained.

    ¡°That¡¯s why when he started what he did, at first, I took it as training. Eventually when it was too painful, I tapped out, but he twisted harder. I asked him about it, and he said that it was to toughen me up because I was the weakest. It was special training, and if I told anyone, or couldn¡¯t take it, then he would train Jael or Klintock in my place. I couldn¡¯t take the thought of them being put through that, so I kept quiet. And with William confirming everything that Sacae was saying, it felt true.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s demented.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde said.

    ¡°You did it to protect us?¡± Klintock asked. I nodded shamefully. ¡°That stings a little deeper I think.¡± Klintock said. Jael nodded agreement.

    ¡°I¡¯m seeing a lot of positives here.¡± Keokin stated, smiling crookedly. We looked at him with mixtures of anger and confusion. ¡°Hear me out. I¡¯m not saying that it was a good experience, but if there¡¯s anything that I¡¯ve learned from Edorin, it¡¯s that every experience has something for you.¡±

    He shifted in his seat. ¡°Like this for example, yes it was bad, yes it was scary, yes it hurts all of us in different ways, but it also taught us. It taught Cro¨ª that he can and should depend on us more. Jael and Klintock learned what it feels like to fail, and that they need to persist when they feel like there¡¯s something dangerous going on. I learned to pay more attention to those that don¡¯t want attention paid to them, among other things. We all learned something like that. We also learned the dangers of being too naive. We learned the dangers of blindly trusting someone just because we were told to. We also learned that while William isn¡¯t always the best at voicing it, he does know what he¡¯s talking about sometimes. I think that this will make us stronger and bring us closer as a group. Do we agree?¡± He looked around the table at us. I didn¡¯t know about the others, but I agreed with him. I had a newfound anger towards my shortcomings.

    I¡¯m naive, weak, stupid, and pathetic. But I have some time left to learn to be better. I have to if I want to survive, if I want to help all of us get home alive and safe. I¡¯ll take the next few days to rest like Lanaea ordered. But once that¡¯s done, I¡¯m training harder than I ever did before. I¡¯ll train while the group rests if need be.

    ¡°I agree.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde stated. ¡°Think of it this way, we¡¯ve already survived our first brush with death and come out stronger for it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. That too. Thank you C¨¦¨ªrde.¡± Keokin chuckled. She smiled. ¡°Is there anything else that needs to be said?¡± He addressed the group. After waiting for a moment, all of us looking around, Leola spoke up.

    ¡°From now on, if I think your ribs are broken, I¡¯m checking to make sure, whether you like it or not.¡± She smiled and we all chuckled, happy for a break in tension. It gave us an opportunity to change subjects and get back to our delicious, mashed potatoes, gravy, and ham.

    Things stayed calm, somewhat somber for the next hour, but after a while, everyone seemed to be back to their regular selves. We finished our food and as the others jumped in for a card game with Cairen, who was excited to see me. I separated off with C¨¦¨ªrde to catch up on the creatures and Common lessons I¡¯d missed.

    * * * * *

    * * * * *

    I woke to the noises of the others getting their things ready for the day. I groaned as I rolled over, stretching out my stiff muscles. I felt a sense of dread thinking about training, then remembered I didn¡¯t have to go. Sacae isn¡¯t my mentor, and I¡¯m in recovery today. I breathed a long sigh of satisfaction and relief.

    I wondered about what I would do. I could do anything if it wasn¡¯t training. Helping with making leather, or powdering herbs, maybe studying creatures or fishing. I could do all of them. Everyone had already gotten dressed and taken care of their bedding. Those that noticed me said good morning, asked how I was feeling, and jokingly said I was lucky I could sleep in. I smiled and laughed with them.

    They¡¯re right. I could just go back to sleep. I am tired, but I also feel restless, like I¡¯m wasting time. I waited for everyone to be out of the room before I got dressed and took care of my things, heading out to join them.

    ¡°Are you not going to sleep in?¡± L¨¢nn questioned, rubbing her eyes and blinking tiredly.

    ¡°I¡¯m not that tired.¡± I said. She nodded as she mindlessly nibbled on some bread.

    ¡°Suit yourself. I know I¡¯d be sleeping for at least a couple more hours if I was you.¡±

    ¡°Well, I was thinking that I could still be useful and help out. I¡¯m not supposed to be doing anything too difficult, but I can help with making leather if you¡¯d like.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ Yeah. That¡¯d be great. Sorry, I¡¯m just so tired.¡± She said. I patted her on the shoulder as I walked off to the kitchen for breakfast, nearly bumping into William as I was passing through the door.

    ¡°Sorry William.¡± I said. He grunted a slight response to me and headed for the table.

    ¡°Cro¨ª, good morning lad. Glad to see you on your feet. Feelin¡¯ strong today?¡± Cairen asked. I smiled as he handed me a plate. ¡°Take what you need, you¡¯re the last one.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. Yes, I¡¯m feeling rested and ready today.¡± I put some breakfast on my plate. Eggs, sliced potatoes, and cheese, simple but effective.

    After breakfast, I went above deck with L¨¢nn and William and helped them make some leather, same as we had done before, using the Crows Tears and Charum to expedite the process. It still amazed me that with the use of those ingredients, we could take a process, normally lasting days, weeks, or a year down to hours. I wondered why it was so expensive. If it could be more affordable, then my brothers could use it to significantly boost their business. It reminded me of what Lanaea and Leola had done with my injuries, reducing the healing process from weeks, down to days.

    We let the new leathers sit in Kolob¡¯s warmth, and went down to grab some fishing rods. Cairen wanted L¨¢nn and William to catch something to cook for dinner. I decided to stand in and help. Me and L¨¢nn chatted a bit about what to make out of the leather. We thought that jackets would be nice, but that it probably wouldn¡¯t be cold enough for them. We discussed gloves for Leola that she could clean off easily, or a hat for Flint. All conversation halted when all three of us got a bite. Wow! This is really heavy!

    We secured footholds against the bottom of the quarter deck¡¯s railing. I kept my eyes on the others and did my best to imitate what they were doing, and what I¡¯d seen them do in the past.

    Whatever was on the end of my line felt massive. I was engaging all my muscles just to keep hold of the rod, let alone reel it in. I groaned and gritted my teeth from the pain of straining my muscles so much.

    I had pulled whatever it was more than halfway in, but I was starting to really feel the fatigue and strain. I considered letting go but remembered that I would lose the rod. Even if I cut the line, I would lose the hook. There were replacements, but I was taught not to waste. I dug in. Training. This is training. But I¡¯m not supposed to be training yet. I kept struggling. William had pulled his up, a Red Line Tarip at least as big as the one L¨¢nn caught the time I was watching. L¨¢nn reeled hers up, revealing another Red Line, somewhat smaller than William¡¯s. L¨¢nn did a double take on my rod.

    ¡°Whoa Cro¨ª. Your rod¡¯s bent pretty hard. Stop reeling.¡±

    ¡°Not¡­ reeling.¡± I grunted. She went and looked over the railing and squealed with excitement. I wanted to look but was too busy waiting for a momentary slack in the line I could use to reel.

    ¡°Ok Cro¨ª. You got this!¡± L¨¢nn yelled, excited. Then she seemed to remember something. ¡°Wait¡­ you¡¯re recovering. Let me take it.¡± She said, pointing at the rod. I wanted to hand it over, but I couldn¡¯t figure out how. William walked over, and in a swift movement, grabbed the rod and shoved me out of the way, saying.

    ¡°Hand it over skitterbrook.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± I said, relieved. He didn¡¯t reply.

    Ten minutes later, William finally got it to break the surface and started reeling it up. It was another Red Line, but it was a foot bigger than the others.

    ¡°Geez! That thing¡¯s huge!¡± L¨¢nn yelled with excitement. I stared at the massive fish flopping loudly on the deck as William and L¨¢nn jumped on top of it. William, breathing heavily, pulled out a five-inch sharpened metal rod and slammed it into the head of the fish. A second later it was dead. He turned to L¨¢nn and me.

    ¡°We need to get these three below deck so we can descale and bleed them.¡± I nodded and grabbed hold of the slippery fish, finding it awkward to try and lift. Then I saw L¨¢nn, and William grab their fish by the gills, and simply drag them. I mimicked them, dragging it down to the galley.

    When we finally got all the fish below deck and back into the kitchen, we placed them on a special table for skinning and gutting animals. I watched L¨¢nn and William work on their fish. Each had a special knife like the one in my pack. They used the blade to scrape off the scales of the fish first, then used the hook part on the back of the blade to make a long slice up the belly of the fish, starting near the tail and ending under the jaw. They were quick and efficient, even joking while they worked. William actually seemed to be enjoying himself, smiling as he joked with L¨¢nn. He glanced over at me, then did a double take. ¡°Where¡¯s your knife?¡±

    ¡°Knife?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, your gutting knife.¡± He held up his, wiggling it for emphasis. ¡°Go get it and get to work.¡± I quickly retrieved my knife, excited to use it for the first time.

    William taught me how to properly scale, gut and bleed the fish to get maximum usability out of it and all its parts, keeping some of the organs but leaving the others on the table. Once we were done, we put the fish in a large container that emanated cold. They said it was lined with an enchanted material to keep things cool.

    ¡°What¡¯s enchanting?¡± I asked.

    ¡°This is how Cairen explained it. It¡¯s the process in which an inanimate item is imbued with a new property through a complicated magical process involving several high-grade ingredients by an enchanter. I have no idea the process or the ingredients used, but it works. How do you think we¡¯ve been having meals with meat in them for so long without having livestock on the ship? We slaughtered them all in the first week and filled the Ice Boxes with the meat.¡±

    He walked over to a door that led further into the stern of the ship and pulled it open. It was about the same size as the kitchen, but had pantries, cupboards, and cabinets lining the walls. William pointed to a large box with drawers directly to my right as we entered.

    ¡°Open that.¡± It had a heavy lid, but when I pulled it up it latched onto the wall. There was some slight staining and discoloration, but it was a mostly white, porcelain like material attached to the bottom of the lid. The rest of the box was also lined with it. As soon as I opened it, a steady stream of cold seemed to flow out of the box.

    William moved me out of the way and pulled out another one that was below it, filled with ice. He pulled out a shovel like tool and filled the bottom of the top box with a layer of ice, then L¨¢nn dropped one of the carved fish into it. William put another layer of ice, then another fish and closed everything back up.

    I was amazed by all of this. Back home we had to put things in a specially made underground chamber. At first, I was curious why we didn¡¯t have one of these, but then thought back to the leather making ingredients and figured this was like that. Great if you could afford it, but too expensive for pretty much anybody else. Just how expensive is this ship? It¡¯s incredible. I want a house like this for my family. The last fish was left out and cooked for dinner.

    During dinner, Edorin joined us and listened as Flint and C¨¦¨ªrde told us about four creatures they¡¯d studied that day.

    First was the White Crawler. It had two arms and two legs, both tipped with two thick, long fingers, wielding large, black claws. It had somewhat grey fur covering patches on its body and a small stubby tail. Its head had an odd shape to it, almost like it was upside-down with a long snout. Instead of eyes or ears, it had several holes lining the top of its head. Its large teeth were always visible because it had no lips. They were small at three feet long, but they were stealthy, patient, and hunted in packs.

    Second was something called the Bleeding Spine. It was a tree that would grow in certain areas in the northern part of the Island. The tree itself wasn¡¯t really all that strange, slightly red in color, but the roots would grow through the ground and resemble a slightly protruding spine. It constantly secreted a blood like substance to attract small creatures, bugs, and small lizards. Bugs would get stuck, and an appendage would emerge from the root, slowly eating it. Lizards or bigger things that ingested the substance would be poisoned. The root would shoot out a small appendage that would latch onto the prey while it was eating the blood. This appendage was attached to the root by a long rope like fiber. Most creatures would die within a minute and once stable, the tree would quickly grow an offshoot of the root towards the creature and consume it, or what was left.

    Third was a group of creatures called The Eyes. It was a group of black furred, large bellied, primate like humanoids with big ears and glowing white eyes. They were small, three feet tall mostly, but they had numbers. Still, they weren¡¯t necessarily dangerous unless they could catch a creature alone, in which case they would drag them off, tear them apart and eat them.

    There was a variation of The Eyes. They would travel in groups of two to four, they were six or seven feet tall, and would stalk creatures, catch them, and drag them off to their lair before eating them. They were scary no doubt, but apparently if you showed them aggression in groups larger than two, they would frighten and leave you alone.

    The final creature was one that wasn¡¯t nightmare inducing. It was a small six-inch tall bat called the Skeleton Bat, named so because its skin and flesh were nearly transparent, leaving only the skeleton and some of the red organs visible. It hunted small insects or ate fruit from trees and was generally friendly, though cautious.

    I noticed that during the briefing, Edorin had been keeping an eye on me. When the lesson was done, he asked to borrow me and took me aside.

    ¡°Jael and Klintock have already been told, but Sacae was not keeping any of you up to date on your training. After Zanataz took over, he realized you¡¯re all weeks behind. I¡¯m not trying to frighten you, just keep you informed. Your training will be very different when you return to it. All of you will be training as a unit to tackle objectives. Given your injuries, and that you won¡¯t be able to participate, I¡¯ve talked with the mentors, and we¡¯ve agreed that we¡¯ll have this last week be split. The first half of the day will be regular, and the last half will be team training. All of this making sense?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Yes. I understand. Thank you for letting me know Captain.¡± I said.

    ¡°Besides that, I wanted to see how you were doing.¡±

    ¡°Thanks to our Aids, I¡¯m doing really good, even caught a massive fish today.¡± He gave me a small smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad. Now, back to lessons with you.¡± He said. I nodded and went back in to join the group for Common lessons. It felt nice to have so many people watching over me. Though at the same time, I didn¡¯t like making people fuss.

    I spent the rest of the week in much the same fashion. Visiting and helping members of the group while they went about their new training and routines. I noticed that Edorin would come and check up on me with a fair bit of regularity. Always asking how I was feeling and how I was doing with my resting. I would tell him I was doing well, or sometimes that I was struggling and wanted a bit of time alone and would retreat to my room or my special spot for a bit until I felt rested enough to keep going.

    When the last day of my rest period came around, I decided to follow Sable for her last solo training session with Gathaen. Sable was both fun and difficult to shadow because I got to shoot bows with her as she practiced, but was next to her pants, pretty face, and bubbly attitude, which was difficult.

    Gathaen didn¡¯t look or act cruel, just serious. I came to find he was very personable and kind when he was teaching Sable some holds and was asking me to be her dummy. Then he stopped and looked at me.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I wasn¡¯t thinking. I¡¯ll ask someone else.¡± It took me a second to figure out that he was referencing what had happened with Sacae.

    ¡°Wait. It¡¯s ok. With him it wasn¡¯t really my choice, this should be ok though. At least for a few moves.¡± I said smiling. He studied me for a moment then nodded with a slight smile and got to work. It was almost pleasant being the dummy this time. Sable was much gentler than Sacae, or even Jael or Klintock, and Gathaen was ever watchful. It only got uncomfortable when I realized I was so close to Sable.

    Gathaen offered for me to test the moves on Sable as well, but I refused, saying I needed a break to catch my breath, which was partially true. After that he had us meditate for twenty minutes or so. Which was essentially just us doing what we could to shut out everything else we could hear, everything in our minds, and focus purely on our breathing.

    It took nearly the full twenty minutes to be able to block everything out and just breathe. It felt great, then Gathaen told us we were done, and I was slightly disappointed. We went down to the galley during break to find everybody gathering to decide what to do with the leather that was made. Once everyone was gathered, L¨¢nn addressed us.

    ¡°Ok everyone. We have prepared all the leather they brought for us. We counted it up to be about thirty-five square feet of leather. We need to decide what to do with it.¡±

    ¡°Then it comes down to what would be most useful on the Island that we¡¯re lacking.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde started. ¡°I don¡¯t know about any of you, but I would thoroughly enjoy a nice pair of shoes.¡± My eyes lit up.

    ¡°You guys can make shoes?¡± I asked L¨¢nn and William. They nodded.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been taught the basics of anything we might need to make, and we can get help from Cairen when we get stuck.¡± William stated.

    ¡°Yeah. Like the pants.¡± L¨¢nn said pointing to Sable and C¨¦¨ªrde.

    ¡°That¡¯s great, because walking around on the ship barefoot has been strange, even painful for certain older areas of the ship that are more worn out than most. I don¡¯t much fancy getting slivers in my toes. It¡¯s only happened two or three times, but it¡¯s still enough for me to want protection.¡± Flint stated.

    ¡°Good point.¡± Keokin said, sitting forward. ¡°What kind of shoe were you thinking?¡±

    ¡°Just something like what I was wearing at the ceremony.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde said.

    ¡°But those were like slippers or something, are you sure that¡¯s what you¡¯d want on the Island?¡± Flint questioned. C¨¦¨ªrde thought.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m honestly not sure what other kinds of footwear there is, or at least I don¡¯t know the technical names for them. Aside from boots, and sandals. I¡¯ve never been a fashion-oriented person.¡±

    ¡°What about some good, solid work boots?¡± Jael queried.

    ¡°Now there¡¯s an idea.¡± Leola said. ¡°Boots. If they¡¯re made a little more streamlined so they¡¯ll be easy to move in, not too heavy, then we can try to make them water resistant and sturdy. They¡¯ll be good for trudging across all that rough terrain on the Island. Is that doable?¡± She asked to L¨¢nn and William. They looked at each other and William shrugged as he spoke.

    ¡°I mean, maybe? It¡¯s complicated because it takes something like five square feet to make boots I think, nice ones anyways, and five times ten is fifty. We don¡¯t have enough leather for all of us to have boots, but maybe if we take it down to five boots, for those that need them, then shoes for the rest of us, that could work. If we¡¯re lucky, we can make a bit more leather on the Island.¡±

    ¡°Right, so what we need to decide is who needs them more.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde stated. We looked around for a moment. I was fine not having them, long as I got something for my feet.

    We decided that Klintock, Sable, C¨¦¨ªrde, Keokin, and I should have boots, the rest would have sturdy, ankle high shoes. We also settled on a potential marching order that we would get into when marching through the Island. With that we moved on to a pleasant card game before dinner, lessons, and a good night¡¯s rest. With that, my sixth week, and week of rest was over and tomorrow it was time to resume training.

 Chapter 20

    Edorin told us that morning that we would be having another tournament at the end of the week. I groaned quietly to myself, not excited by the prospect of resuming training, let alone having another tournament. Edorin also told us that we were officially at our halfway point in the journey.

    This startled all of us. It didn¡¯t seem like much time had passed. Looking back, it seemed like there was training, then Sacae was found out, then a week of down time. It seemed like just a couple weeks, but it was a month and a half. Just a month and a half more and we will be at the Island, likely fighting for our lives.

    The thought of it gave me an uncomfortable feeling in my gut. Still, I had to push through it, force everything out of my mind except learning how to survive. I ate the rest of my breakfast quickly and thanked William and L¨¢nn for it. When I reached the training room a bit early, it was totally different. There were strange wooden figures and dummies lined with burlap and rope. There were all kinds of strange rope walls and platforms locked to the floor with metal hooks, looking like rocks or cliff tops. The far wall had what looked like climbing obstacles across the whole thing. Zanataz was standing with his hands behind his back, smiling. ¨¢nada¨ª and Gathaen were behind him, sitting and talking. They looked up and smiled as I walked in.

    ¡°Good morning Cro¨ª. Welcome back. We have much to do if we¡¯re to get you caught up. We look forward to shaping such fine iron into a strong blade.¡± Overwhelmed by his greeting and the idea of being back in this room, even unfamiliar as it was, I could only manage to bob my head at him and control my breathing. My eyes were wide, and I felt shaky. Zanataz pointed to the wooden figures. ¡°No doubt you remember them from your training.¡± I shook my head, taking a step back towards the galley.

    ¡°Not¡­ really.¡± I replied quietly.

    ¡°Right, you trained with your brothers, not in the Public Centers. Well, are you ready to try some training with these?¡± He asked.

    ¡°I guess.¡± I said.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get started then.¡± He walked over and grabbed a wooden short sword and tossed it to me. It landed awkwardly in my hands. I flipped it around and squeezed on the handle, feeling the fit of the grip in my hand. ¡°That will be one of your practice weapons. You will also be using hatchets and spears. All of them can and will save your life.¡± He held out a spear and I traded the short sword back to him.

    The spear was heavy but felt good in my hands. Memories of being taught to use weapons just like this spear by my brothers flashed in my mind, along with a little excitement.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see how you handle this; we¡¯ll be practicing accuracy today.¡± ¨¢nada¨ª said. I was familiar with this. I nodded to her. ¡°Ok then, give it a try.¡± She urged, pointing to a basic target. I felt the spear in my hands for a second, sensing the balance point, then used my thumbnail to put a very slight mark in the hardwood shaft and tossed it at the target, hitting near center. Aw man, I was off. Zanataz looked at me questioningly.

    ¡°Have you thrown before?¡± He asked with a playful smirk.

    ¡°I¡¯m somewhat familiar with spears from my brothers.¡± I said. He chuckled as he walked over and retrieved it.

    ¡°I would never have guessed.¡± He said sarcastically, smiling as he tossed it back. ¡°Right then. Looks like we can move you up a level then. What about dynamic sharpshooting? Tried that?¡±

    ¡°Like moving while throwing? A bit yeah.¡±

    ¡°Ok, then I want you to practice in the following order to show me where you¡¯re at. You will practice starting with the spear from rest position, and turning quick shots, then switch that out for jump shots, from both sides, and straight on, and switching out left and right hand shooting. I also want you to try shooting using alternate forms, like a side toss, or throwing at the target without turning all the way around. Catch all that Ace?¡± Ace? As nicknames go, I¡¯ve had worse. Especially from William. I set that aside and thought through the information for a moment. Committing all the things he wanted me to practice to memory.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got it.¡± I answered.

    ¡°Good. Then let me see it, and don¡¯t forget to have fun, but also don¡¯t forget what this training is for though.¡± I shook my head. My group and me surviving. ¡°Good, then get to it. Let me know if you have any questions or difficulties. I¡¯ll be watching to correct any flaws in your form. I saw you in the tournaments, you have a problem with people watching you and I want to try and move you past that.¡± As he watched me, ¨¢nada¨ª and Gathaen started setting up other targets and grabbing other weapons in preparation for when the rest of the group arrived.

    I thanked him and got right to work. My first couple throws were bad, my nerves made me second guess myself and miss. He called out my foot placement, or my follow through, then told me ¡°Remember Cro¨ª. My eyes can¡¯t hurt you.¡± I tried to keep that in mind as I tossed a few more times, still somewhat off. ¡°You¡¯re letting me get to you. Remember, nothing matters but the shot. Doesn¡¯t matter what I¡¯m thinking, what you do is what matters.¡± Gradually I was getting better. Thinking about Zanataz as if he was Kixas, off in the corner watching me carefully and giving me advice, seemed to help.

    After about an hour, I barely noticed him unless he corrected or praised me. Jael and Klintock came in with everyone else. Seeing me hard at work, they quickly picked up their spears and started tossing at their own targets, per the mentor¡¯s instructions. Occasionally we would switch out static targets for ones that moved across the ceiling on metal rails. One exercise was to hit the target before it reached a dummy that was supposed to be a stand in for one of us. Flint threw too late one time and struck the dummy.

    ¡°Flint! Why¡¯d you kill me?¡± Sable asked, smiling.

    ¡°I just couldn¡¯t take that you found new friends to replace me! I¡¯m sorry!¡± Flint said, falling to his knees and fake crying. We all laughed as he went to retrieve it. My hands had blisters all over them. One had rubbed off and was starting to bleed.

    Zanataz noticed me picking at them. ¡°Cro¨ª. I don¡¯t want you to throw till you bleed. You won¡¯t be able to train efficiently that way. We¡¯ll start on some fitness, striking, agility, and grappling tomorrow to give your hands a moment. Otherwise, great work today, you¡¯ve improved quite a bit.¡±

    ¡°What about us?¡± Jael asked.

    ¡°Eh. A little sloppy.¡± He jested. ¡°But seriously, not bad. A little more on mobile accuracy for you Jael, and more power for you Klintock. The rest of you need to work on leading the target a bit more, but overall, not bad at all.¡± We nodded and thanked the mentor¡¯s as we split up, some went into the galley, others up on deck. I felt an urge to keep practicing. The smack of the spear in the target was very satisfying. Even if it hurt my hands, it was an essential skill to learn.

    If we were going up against stronger or armored opponents, we would need to hit their weak points at a distance. I wouldn¡¯t be satisfied until I could hit my spear into the end of a knife from any point in the training room, from any angle. I need to be able to do that with any weapon I pick up, even a kitchen knife or a cup if I have to. I grabbed the knife and hatchet out of my pack and started heading back into the training room.

    ¡°Where are you headed with those?¡± Klintock questioned sternly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been resting for a week; I need to do more.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. You heard Zanataz, not until he gives you the go ahead. Come sit and play cards.¡± Jael said.

    ¡°But I have to¡­¡±

    ¡°Sit.¡± Klintock pointed at a chair he pulled out. I sighed and put my things away. Of course, he was right, and I knew that. But something inside me hated sitting still for so long, being pitied by the group pulled at me in an unpleasant way. No matter, I¡¯ll just put everything I have into training tomorrow.

    About an hour later, the bell rang and L¨¢nn came rushing in with Sable and William. They put Sable¡¯s feet up on the table and measured them for her boots. L¨¢nn took measurements of her legs while William started cutting out several layers of leather. Her feet were so small, it was intriguing comparing them to mine, not just the size, but the shape. My middle toe was slightly shorter than the rest, but hers seemed to all follow a near perfect arc, and they were narrower than mine as well.

    How is it that she¡¯s so pretty? And she¡¯s pretty all over too, not just her face, but her hands, and figure, even her feet. Now that I think about it, I feel the same about Leola and C¨¦¨ªrde. Oh but wait. I noticed that her pinky toes were ever so slightly shorter than the other toes. I wondered if Leola and C¨¦¨ªrde¡¯s were the same way. I know their faces are lovely. But why though? Why not L¨¢nn or Jael? Or¡­ No Lanaea is pretty too, now that I think about it. I shook my head to clear out the unpleasant invading thoughts.

    ¡°Cro¨ª.¡± Klintock said bluntly.

    ¡°Huh?¡± I said in a slightly higher tone than expected, snapping my attention back to him.

    ¡°Your turn.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± I focused back on the card game we were playing and put down some cards, hoping nobody had noticed me staring. We had made two new card games out of boredom during my rest week and were having fun playing them.

    We played a variety of games for an hour or so until it was time for dinner. Cairen brought everything out as the bell was ringing.

    ¡°You youngins will need to catch another fish ¡®r two for dinner tomorrow. I¡¯ll be expecting it cooked up nicely before break. Then you can keep working on these.¡± Cairen said pointing to the partial sole of one of Sable¡¯s boots that William had been working on. He set down the food he was carrying and picked up the sole. ¡°This yours lass?¡± He asked Sable with a surprised face. She nodded excitedly.

    ¡°Yeah! I can¡¯t wait.¡± She said. He looked at her suspiciously a few times.

    ¡°Are your trotters really that tiny?¡± He held the sole up to the bottom of his foot. From his heel, it didn¡¯t even reach the ball of his foot, making it apparent how small it was. She laughed and held out her foot and he put the sole on it, there was even a bit of wiggle room around her foot. ¡°Goodness me lass! That¡¯s amazing.¡± He handed it back to William, shaking his head with a wry chuckle. ¡°Nice work on the leather there William. Turned out nice and hard just like we wanted.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± William said bluntly as he got back to work. He didn¡¯t really stop until he was done with both soles a couple hours later. He seemed to have taken a liking to layering and cutting the leather. Getting everything to fit together just right. Even holding a pleasant countenance on occasion when he forgot that people were around.

    Over the course of the rest of the week, training was difficult, but I was having fun. We were learning a variety of things, aside from just accuracy, like how to use the weapons in close combat as a team against larger armored opponents that moved quickly, defensive use of the weapons, and how to strike while running away.

    We only sparred as a warmup. Zanataz said it was silly to train against people when you''re fighting beasts and was very angry that Sacae hadn¡¯t been teaching us properly. He used the wooden structures to represent large creatures with their heads and vital areas covered in target material for us to practice striking. We would also practice grappling the structure.

    ¡°If you lose your weapon and what you¡¯re fighting closes the distance, you¡¯ll want to try and stick to it like glue somewhere it can¡¯t reach you or tear you off. Eventually it should tire, and you¡¯ll have a chance to kill it or run away. For many creatures, this is just behind their head. Though some are flexible enough that most anywhere isn¡¯t safe, but for something like a Hybrid Wolf, you could use a choke hold on it if you¡¯re quick enough. But it¡¯s absolutely a last resort, likely to earn you some severe injuries.¡± He explained.

    He exercised us daily, mostly me, focusing on muscle groups and exercises that would accent our speed, power, and agility. At least an hour was usually spent on climbing the wall. There were ropes and hand holds that imitated rocks and hazards that Zanataz would activate to simulate sticking your hand into a creature¡¯s nest or grabbing a loose rock. We would have to pull ourselves up and check the hold before we used it, or risk falling to the matts below and starting over. ¨¢nada¨ª and Gathaen would hold long poles with what was supposed to be birds of prey on them, attempting to pull us off.

    They taught all of us hand signals that meant basic things. Like holding a hand up in a fist to either side of your head, which meant ¡®stop.¡¯ They had us all separate and try to communicate with the hand signals to achieve separate objectives. If we talked, we lost. It was difficult. Some of the objectives required some intricate instructions, but we eventually managed. After several hours of silence, it was back to exercises.

    They made us do exercises where we would try to dodge mock attacks from large and small predators alike. They honed our combat skills, sometimes even sparring with three to five of us at once to show us how to work together against an opponent. Occasionally all three would attack to set us up against odds that weren¡¯t in our favor. ¨¢nada¨ª would drag one of us away while Zanataz and Gathaen attacked us. We would have to figure out how to defend ourselves while rescuing our group member. It was nice to end each day with a pleasant exhaustion instead of pain and discomfort.

    When we plopped down to rest after another full day of training, William got to work on the nearly completed soles, and L¨¢nn cut out leather for Sable¡¯s boots, then moved on to making the soles for Klintock¡¯s. Apparently, it was a long process that would utilize Charum yet again.

    Ten layers of leather were cut to shape and layered on top of each other. Then the ingredients would be added in between the layers. Everything would then be placed between two weights, which would bind and glue them together, shrinking them all down to one solid layer. This process was repeated for the heel, which was then attached to the sole.

    This new multi layered, hardened leather was called a Charred Leather sole, because of the black color brought about by the process. Cairen said that there was something called rubber that worked as good or better under certain conditions, but it was more difficult and expensive to make unless you had a specific place dedicated to it. Whereas this method only required the leather, some cutting tools, weights, and wooden blocks to shape the product during weighting.

    I was fascinated by these ingredients. Charum, Crows Tears Oil, whatever that rubber was. It made me curious about what other materials there were, and what else they could do. I was also curious if there were more things like them that produced magical and fantastic effects, and where one could acquire them.

    C¨¦¨ªrde and Flint told us about many creatures from our Island and some that migrated between two. Most of the creatures were small birds that could be used to find safety or food, insects that were large and dangerous, or large birds of prey that targeted anything out in the open on certain sections of the Island. They even found out about something that was in the legends section.

    It was called the Fifth Island. A massive island that seemed to move from time to time, sometimes being nestled up against an Island, other times being further out to sea. For years nobody knew why until it moved far up onto a portion of an Island¡¯s beach. One of the Agers was brave enough to inspect it. She found that there was a waterline where the dirt and vegetation of the island ended, and a hard material continued into the mound of sand that had been pushed up the beach by the Fifth Island.

    She ran around to one end and found, far out into the water, that it almost looked like there was a massive cave just below the surface heading inside the Fifth Island. She swam out along it and dipped down, peering into the cave where she saw, through the murky water, the front part of a tortoise¡¯s face.

    They waited on that portion of the Island for several weeks until one day, as Kolob was going down, the ground shook as the giant tortoise rose and moved back into the ocean before settling again. It was estimated to be nearly twelve miles across, but was never known to do anything aggressive, aside from eat a whale or two on occasion. Even when it noticed the Agers who waited for it to move, it didn¡¯t attack them, just moved away to sleep several miles offshore. We asked Edorin if it was true, as something that big sounded fake. Besides that, if it was that big, it would have to empty out the oceans to feed itself.

    ¡°It¡¯s true, I¡¯ve seen it. It showed up around the time of the Leviathan. If you ask me, the Leviathan was hunting it and it found refuge there by snuggling up to the Islands.¡± That didn¡¯t really sink in. While amazing, I couldn¡¯t really imagine what something that big would even look like. An island that moves? It didn¡¯t seem possible. I shrugged and went about my routine.

    By the day of the tournament, William and L¨¢nn had finished Sable and Klintock¡¯s soles, and were almost done sewing the leather onto them. They were taking shape nicely. I was surprised at the efficiency and accuracy of my companions. I figured I would¡¯ve failed long ago and given up, but they kept at it with Cairen¡¯s guidance. I was very excited for the end product. To finally have shoes on my feet. We all turned as we heard Edorin walk into the galley.

    ¡°Captain.¡±

    ¡°At ease.¡± Edorin said.

    ¡°Well kids, you all ready?¡± Zanataz asked.

    ¡°For what?¡± L¨¢nn asked.

    ¡°The tournament, it¡¯s an hour from now, but I¡¯d like for all of you to be up there a bit early.¡± Edorin said.

    ¡°Oh, right Captain.¡± She saluted him and he smiled as he walked off.

    ¡°Should we just head up now?¡± Keokin asked the group.

    ¡°I mean¡­ I guess so.¡± Leola sighed. ¡°I¡¯m just not feeling a tournament today.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde and Sable nodded agreement.

    ¡°Are you guys alright?¡± L¨¢nn asked. Leola leaned over and whispered in L¨¢nn¡¯s ear. ¡°Oh. Yeah.¡± L¨¢nn responded. ¡°Mine hit me a few days ago. Jael and I just got done with ours.¡± I was confused.

    ¡°It¡¯s stupid that girls have to deal with those.¡± Flint said.

    ¡°I agree.¡± Said C¨¦¨ªrde. ¡°Though I consider us lucky. Being long lived as we are we don¡¯t have them anywhere near as often as humans do, or even Revorians for that matter.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Leola questioned. ¡°How often is it for humans?¡±

    ¡°Every month.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde said with a sympathetic smile

    ¡°Every month?! That¡¯s brutal.¡± Leola said wide eyed.

    ¡°When did you get yours Cro¨ª?¡± William asked, smirking. I squinted at him with my head tilted. Completely baffled by the entire exchange.

    ¡°My what? What¡¯re you guys talking about?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Knock it off William.¡± Jael scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it Cro¨ª, it¡¯s a woman thing, you¡¯ll find out later. Let¡¯s head upstairs.¡± I nodded and brushed it all aside.

    I wanted to focus on the tournament for now. It would be nice to win this time if possible. I still wasn¡¯t in peak condition, but I figured I was well enough to put up a fight. Edorin had us lineup after drawing names. I opened mine and read

    Sable. What?! I can¡¯t fight her! Grapple her?! What if I touch her legs? Those pants do weird puberty things to me. Or what if I touch, other parts? That can happen during a grappling match. Besides that, she¡¯s a girl. I mean, Jael¡¯s a girl too. But she¡¯s a guardian that¡¯s taller and maybe stronger than me. Sable¡¯s tiny. I¡¯m not supposed to fight girls, my family said that a lot. Well. They said don¡¯t hit them, this is grappling¡­ I groaned, my mind racing for any excuse not to fight with Sable, then giving up. Can I trade? I looked over at Klintock, he had C¨¦¨ªrde. Dang. Jael was next to me and she had L¨¢nn. Crap!

    ¡°Line up Agers.¡± I groaned. This is going to suck. I stood in front of Sable. She smiled.

    ¡°Cro¨ª eh? Oh, this¡¯ll be fun.¡± She smiled mischievously and rubbed her hands together. I exhaled and groaned nervously.

    ¡°Agers, one more thing before you begin, this time striking will be allowed along with grappling. You may strike anywhere on the body. As usual, tapping out during a grapple, knock out, or giving up will lose you the match.¡± I heard a concerning chuckle from my right. I looked over to see William standing across from Leola. My heart sank at the thought of what could happen there.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna make you eat those words about my girl bein¡¯ easy.¡± He threatened.

    ¡°You can¡¯t eat words nimrod.¡± She replied dismissively. I chuckled. She¡¯s right. Also, what¡¯s a nimrod?

    ¡°First match is between Flint and Keokin. Clear the stage and get ready.¡± Everyone got out of the way, forming the usual circle with Flint and Keokin in the center. ¡°Go.¡± Flint was the first one in. He threw a right jab that Keokin dodged, then a left and another right. Keokin grabbed the last right and pulled him into a grapple, taking his legs out from under him and slamming him on the floor, landing on top of Flint, he wrestled his way into a full mount, with his legs between Flint¡¯s, looking to ground and pound him.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    Not used to the idea of striking being permitted, Keokin kept his head up and Flint slammed his jaw, dazing him. Flint took the opportunity and pulled Keokin¡¯s head under his right armpit, wrapping his legs around Keokin¡¯s torso. Keokin threw up a blind fist, hitting Flint in the cheek, but not hard enough. Flint moved his head to get into a better position but was met with another strike. Keokin landed several more strikes, but Flint kept the hold and eventually Keokin had to tap out or pass out. They stood and shook hands with a smile as the crowd cheered.

    ¡°Next. Klintock and C¨¦¨ªrde.¡± Called Edorin. They squared up and Edorin gave the command. C¨¦¨ªrde adopted a more protective stance, seeming to be primarily defensive. Klintock poked and prodded at her defenses, feinting a high punch, and moving into a leg sweep. C¨¦¨ªrde flipped and slammed onto the floor. Klintock tried to dive in to grapple her, but she rolled over and got to her feet.

    Changing tactics, she started throwing strikes back at him. He was thrown off for a minute and she got a few solid hits in. She threw a high kick and Klintock caught her leg, pulling her in and wrapping her into a complex hold, putting pressure on slowly. C¨¦¨ªrde struggled, but the position Klintock used was one that maximized his strength and minimized hers. She tapped out and they were done. C¨¦¨ªrde looked disappointed, and Klintock did his best to reassure her that she did well, but his words didn¡¯t seem to bring her much comfort.

    Next up was Jael and L¨¢nn. The contrast between them was stark. L¨¢nn was nearly a full head smaller than Jael, and much thinner in comparison, but she seemed determined. She threw several punches and kicks, some of which stumbled Jael. Jael was holding back; I could tell from the time we¡¯d spent sparring. That is until L¨¢nn hit Jael in the face, stunning her enough for L¨¢nn to close the gap. She hit Jael three more times and tried to move in for a grapple, but Jael recovered and gave a single solid punch. L¨¢nn stumbled for a moment, gritting her teeth from the pain.

    Jael advanced, landing strikes while shrugging off L¨¢nn¡¯s hits. Eventually Jael landed another solid hit to L¨¢nn¡¯s stomach, and she went down. She sat there for a moment then tapped her hand on the floor. Jael instantly went down to check on her and help her up. She was fine after a minute or two and smiling again, repeatedly telling Jael she was fine, but she was obviously still in pain. Jael just kept apologizing.

    ¡°Cro¨ª and Sable, you¡¯re up.¡± No. No way. I looked over to see Sable smiling at me with mischief in her eyes as she bounced from one foot to the next. A whimper of fear escaped my lips, as the crowd cheered. I timidly walked into the makeshift arena. ¡°Go.¡±

    Sable moved, first right, then left. I felt panicked. I tried a jab at her, but there was no heart or intent in the strike. She took hold of my arm and threw her body up, wrapped her legs around my neck and let herself fall to the ground. Her weight on my neck with her hold on my arm, forced me to fall over. As soon as I hit the ground, she let go of my hand, and waited for me to get up while staying in my blind spots. As soon as I was on my knees, her arm slipped around my neck and I felt her body slam into the back of mine, my body began to lift as she pulled me over hers. I flipped backwards over her and flopped onto my stomach.

    Ow. Ow. Ow. Ok. I don¡¯t have to hit, maybe I can grapple, or run away. I got up as fast as I could but was met yet again by a strange twirling hold. This time she stayed on me as I hit the ground. I couldn¡¯t see much with my face on the floor, but it felt like her arms were around my neck, and somehow barring my right arm. I reached up to find her face with my left hand but found something strange that felt thick, muscled. I felt her twitch around my neck harder and I choked. Panicking, looking for any kind of hold, I moved my hand up to find her lower back.

    Her back? Wait, I touched her butt?! I¡¯m sorry! What¡¯s even going on?! I got a leg under me and pushed to try to roll over and get a better idea of what was going on, but I felt a strike to the back of my knee that dropped me back down. The pressure from what I now knew was her legs, increased on my neck. Somehow, she was choking me with her legs, and her feet were wrapped around my right arm, barring it.

    How?... I¡¯m just going to tap. This is way too awkward. I have no idea what¡¯s going on or what I¡¯m doing. I reached up to tap out, but then remembered her butt was there somewhere and slammed the floor instead. She released and I stood up as she crawled off me. I looked over to see her smiling, face slightly red. I dipped my head and quickly walked to the crowd, feeling my face flush red. She threw her hands in the air and the crowd cheered.

    I figured I would apologize to her later in private when the crowd wasn¡¯t cheering. I stood at the edge of the circle to watch the next match.

    ¡°William and Leola.¡± Edorin called. I¡¯m nervous about this match. William doesn¡¯t pull his punches, and he¡¯s vindictive and spiteful, and I¡¯ve felt his wrath. But I have no idea what Leola¡¯s fighting skills are like. I don¡¯t see this going well though.

    ¡°Go.¡±

    Leola moved first. She went in to wrap up his legs. William let her, but when she tried to pull, he just punched her in the side. Leola tried to push him off balance by tackling his hips, but he dropped to one side at the last second when she dove, and she fell over him. He jumped on top of her, she threw her right hand up to protect against his strike, as her left was holding her up. He pulled her hand down and punched her in the face. He moved back, smiling as he waited for her to get up.

    I felt tense. I didn¡¯t like watching this. There was something different. Something off. Leola got to her feet and took her stance, giving a slight shake of her head, then setting a determined gaze on William. She came in and tried to work on another grapple, mixed with scattered strikes and feints. This time William shifted under her jab, grabbed around her waist, lifted her off her feet, and tossed her. She flopped onto the ground behind him but got up again. She tried more strikes, but William had longer reach, so whenever she would move in close enough to strike, he would just wait and strike back as soon as she punched or kicked. But he was pulling his punches, much like Jael had been, smiling as he did.

    I didn¡¯t like the smile; it was like when he would threaten me. It was cruel. Leola feinted a kick, and when he dropped his guard to block, she punched him, then hit two more times. She went in for a hard kick to the stomach, but he caught it. His cruel smile returned to his lips as another blow struck her stomach. He was too fast for her to grab his arm or deliver a counter blow. He released her leg and she stumbled back. He moved forward and hit her in the arm, then the ribs, then her thigh which buckled her leg slightly, then he struck her stomach again. She buckled onto her hands and knees. The pain of the hits she¡¯d taken were plain on her face as she grimaced, she knelt there on all fours for a moment, getting her breath back.

    I looked around at the rest of the people watching this happen. None of them were making a move. Why won''t they stop it? There was a smack sound as William¡¯s fist slammed into Leola¡¯s left cheek as she stood. This time she yelped out in pain as she was thrown back to the floor. She quickly rose back up to her feet. My fists clenched for a moment as I wished she would get in some strikes, pay him back.

    She shook her head again and stepped a few feet away from William, her fists up, ready for another strike. The crowd had gone silent now, aside from some cheering Leola on. Their faces were serious, expectant. William came at her with an overhead right. She put up her forearms to block, but his fist stopped just short of her arms and his left hand came straight up into her stomach again. A strange groaning noise escaped her mouth. She staggered back but didn¡¯t fall. She did drop her hands however, which William took advantage of as he punched her yet again in the left cheek.

    Stop this! I looked over at Lanaea. She looked uncomfortable, focused, but she wasn¡¯t moving. Edorin was stoic. My fists clenched tightly and every muscle in my body tensed. William lunged at Leola with his left hand. This time, Leola dodged out to William¡¯s left side. Her right arm pulled back and released, striking William in his ear. He growled from the pain, holding his ear with his left hand. His right swung wildly at her, but she ducked underneath it and threw a solid punch to his face, this one hitting him almost squarely on his nose. He yelped and stepped back. Several people including me cheered, applauding her skill as she landed four hits to his left and right cheek. William moved back, eyes watering, but squinted at Leola, enraged.

    Leola stood there, breathing heavily, and held her stomach with a slight smile on her face. A moment passed before William pulled his hand away from his nose, a steady stream of blood coming from his left nostril. His face changed from surprise to unbridled fury as he strode towards her and waited for her to swing. Once she did, he sidestepped, grabbed her wrist, and pulled. She stumbled off balance right into his outstretched leg and he pushed her down onto her back, landing on top of her. As she lay there trying to catch her breath, William abandoned any pretenses of playing, now serious. William threw a strike at her, glancing her arms and striking her face, then another, mostly caught by her forearms. He grabbed and pulled her arms away as she kicked him in the back.

    Stop it! She needs help! I looked around at those in the crowd again, desperate for someone to stop the fight. Most stood there with their arms folded in front of them, some were grimacing, others were blank faced. Two men I could see in the corner were smiling; it looked like they were joking with each other. A strike smacked into Leola¡¯s face, and she yelled out in pain.

    Stop! Before I realized what was happening, my legs pushed off the wooden planks beneath me and I sprinted towards William. I had no plan in mind. I hadn¡¯t even told my body to run, it just did. William had his left arm raised above him, ready to come down on Leola. She lay, pushing back against his right hand, and looking somewhat dazed. Before he could bring it down, I leapt at him, tackling him from his left side and slammed him to the floor. I could feel us sliding across the deck. When we stopped, he was pushing to his hands and knees trying to stay upright.

    My left arm wrapped around his neck. I felt my legs moving, slamming my right knee into his ribcage repeatedly. I released my hold on him, and quickly switched to another, grabbing him, both arms around his waist from behind. Pulling with all my might, I lifted him off the floor and backwards over me, letting him go before we hit the floor and sending him tumbling.

    I didn¡¯t wait for him to breathe or recover. I reached back, catching myself before I hit the ground and ran after him. I was on top of him as soon as he got to his knees, my right leg came straight up into his chin, throwing him backwards. My left slammed into his stomach, forcing him to double over for another right kick to his cheek. Seizing the opportunity, I moved behind him and put my arm around his neck and started to squeeze, tighter and tighter.

    Around this time, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked up to see Edorin in the crowd. Him and Lanaea had moved from their places to the inner circle. Were they coming to stop the fight too? Edorin¡¯s eyes were wide with surprise. Lanaea was closing the distance to us with Zanataz. I abruptly realized what I was doing, like my mind had been thrown out of my body and was now being shoved back in. I felt my arms slacken a bit. William must have felt it too.

    His hand grabbed my arm, and he pushed his hips into mine, throwing me off balance. I could feel a sliver or two go into my toes as my feet slid for a moment across the deck before I was thrown over William and slammed on my back. I saw him readying to strike me. I glared through the pain and balled my fists. Come on! Just as he was bringing his fist down, he was stopped by someone in the crowd. I was pulled up by Zanataz.

    Leola! I looked around to find her staring at me, her eyes wide with surprise. Or shock. She looks scared. As I looked around at the crowd, I got mixed expressions. Most seemed surprised, others looked angry, and one or two were shaking their head in disappointment, but it was Leola¡¯s face that had hit me the hardest. The last thing I wanted to do was scare her. I just couldn¡¯t take watching William do that to her; it felt wrong.

    I looked down at the wooden planks for a moment, some stained with William¡¯s blood, feeling shame and guilt for what I had done, but utter confusion as I couldn¡¯t see how what I did was wrong, or even how I did it to begin with. I noticed a small gap in the crowd, and I ran through it, running off to the quarterdeck. Before I went up, I checked to see who was watching. Everybody¡¯s eyes were on Edorin, Leola, and William, who was raging about wanting to beat me. I retreated to my usual hiding place, just down from the quarterdeck, once I was sure I was out of sight. I waited there until I heard everybody go back about their business, drinking ale, celebrating, singing, and dancing, then going down for dinner.

    I stayed till Kolob sank and the bright moons and stars were the only light left. Why did I do that? They were fighting. She could have tapped out. Why didn¡¯t she? Why didn¡¯t they stop it earlier? Especially Edorin or Lanaea. Maybe they were going to, but I moved first. I looked at my hands. How did I do that? Last time we fought, William wiped the floor with me.

    I sighed, thinking about the expression on Leola¡¯s face. Did I do the right thing? Was she scared of me? Or was I just imagining things? I groaned silently to myself, realizing I would get no answers to my questions and returned to silence. I spent the next couple of minutes staring off into the night sky. I wonder what everyone else is doing. I hope that Leola is ok.

    I noticed what looked like a yellow light forming on the waves, light made by a lantern, then the accompanying shadows of the railings on the quarterdeck above me. It¡¯s fine, nobody ever notices me down here. They¡¯ll pass. Don¡¯t mind them. I pulled my knees up to my chest, and small stinging pains reminded me of the splinters in my toes. I started picking at them, but it was difficult without any light.

    I heard the lantern being blown out and placed on the ground. The soft sound of someone¡¯s hands on the railing were next. I was curious who it was but didn¡¯t feel quite like looking up, so I ignored it. Until I heard something unusual, the creaking of the railing above me as someone was climbing over.

    As I looked up, I noticed the pale, slender feet of Leola coming down to the platform. I watched as her left foot touched down first. More than usual, I noticed every curve and crease of her foot, ankle, and calf. I glanced away but couldn¡¯t help glancing back. She made me feel wonder and fascination. She turned around after touching down with both feet and slowly lowered herself to sit next to me. I did my best to avoid eye contact, as I didn¡¯t really know what her intentions were. Besides that, I was incredibly surprised that she had found me. Nobody knew about this spot but me.

    As I stared out at the vast expanse of ocean and the accompanying sky full of stars and moons, I kept finding my vision drawn to her. Mostly her legs, with her arms gently wrapped around them, as they were the easiest to see at a glance without having to turn my head towards her.

    I kept noticing a strange feeling, like an urge. I wanted to reach out and touch her, put my hand on her knee, or hand. Why though? That would just be awkward. And its intimacy, that¡¯s not allowed. I¡¯d felt her hands on me when she would patch me up, and they were warm, soft, comforting. Was all of her like that? Would I get that same feeling if I was the one that touched her hand? Would she feel comforted if I touched her or is that a creepy thing? My thoughts and the silence were broken by her soft voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing you like to come here to be alone, and not get bothered. Sorry to interrupt that, but I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute maybe? About what happened, if that¡¯s ok?¡± Oh man. Those same feelings of guilt, shame, and nervousness popped up as she mentioned it, and that same scared face she made.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I replied.

    ¡°Sorry?¡± She asked. I nodded.

    ¡°For scaring you. I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to.¡± I could see her nodding slowly in my peripheral view, then her toes stretched and curled before returning to normal. My heart started beating faster. I was nervous, scared of how this conversation would go, but I was also feeling butterflies from being so close to her.

    ¡°It¡¯s ok. You don¡¯t have to apologize for that really.¡± She said. There was a pause, but I didn¡¯t know what to say to that, so I didn¡¯t speak. Luckily, she continued. ¡°I mean, I was scared. But only because I didn¡¯t expect you to do what you did, and because I was so scared of William. I mean, he was vicious.¡±

    ¡°Right? Geez what¡¯s wrong with him?¡± I asked quietly, allowing some irritation to show. She chuckled.

    ¡°Exactly. My cheek, arms, and stomach are all still sore and hurting because of him, and he wasn¡¯t stopping. Maybe even if I tapped he would¡¯ve kept going. So¡­ I guess, what I¡¯m trying to say is¡­ Thank you Cro¨ª. I really appreciate what you did.¡± Thank you? I could feel a slight smile form on my face. I helped her? I didn¡¯t just scare her? I smiled and glanced over at her, only able to make eye contact for more than a few seconds as I spoke.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. I¡¯m happy I could help. I was thinking that I did something wrong.¡±

    ¡°Oh no. Definitely not. William was¡­ well, William was being William, but worse, and you stopped him. I mean, yeah it was supposed to be between me and him, but in that moment, right when you stepped in, I felt like I was done. He wasn¡¯t though. Edorin was impressed too, said he¡¯d never seen William be put in his place like that before, and never seen you do something like that. William¡¯s been raving about having a rematch with you, so you have that to look forward to.¡± I sighed. Not looking forward to that.

    ¡°But why didn¡¯t Edorin stop it? Why didn¡¯t Lanaea? Or anyone else?¡± She took a breath, looking out on the water while she answered.

    ¡°Out of respect.¡±

    ¡°Respect? How is letting you get beat up by William respectful?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± She squinted for a second thinking. ¡°They were respecting my fighting spirit. I hadn¡¯t tapped out yet. I hadn¡¯t given up. I was really scared, sure, but I wanted to beat William. They were waiting for me to tap out to stop the fight. Some of them were mad because they thought I could¡¯ve still beat him, but Edorin and Lanaea were moving in to stop it. You just rushed out before they could get to me.¡± I hadn¡¯t thought about it like that.

    ¡°Does that mean I was disrespectful to step in?¡± She shook her head.

    ¡°No, you were being a Guardian. It¡¯s in your nature to protect. And at that point, I had given up.¡± I sighed with relief.

    ¡°Good, that¡¯s good. Maybe next time you¡¯ll kick his teeth in.¡± She snickered.

    ¡°I¡¯d rather not make so much work for Lanaea.¡± She jested.

    ¡°Speaking of Lanaea¡¯s work, how are you?¡±

    ¡°Sore. Nothing broken, just covered in salves and filled with pain relieving tinctures.¡± She said with a smile.

    ¡°Thank Aebhsean for Lanaea.¡± I said. She rubbed her cheek for a moment, then asked.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking though. Why did you do it?¡± Why? That¡¯s a good question.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, really. I was just so mad that William kept hitting you. It felt wrong. And nobody was stopping it. It was cruel. I got so angry at him and then¡­ I don¡¯t know. My body moved on its own. I just started running at him and my body did the rest.¡± I could see her nod and make a slight hmm noise.

    ¡°It was kind of like an instinct thing? Because you were mad?¡± Instinct? Yeah, I guess that¡¯s right.

    ¡°I think so? I mean there was some thinking involved. I kinda knew what I was doing after I hit into him the first time, but it was like I forgot about everything else for a minute. It just made me mad, and I had to stop it.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± She nodded a moment. ¡°Why did it make you mad though?¡± She raised her voice slightly and talked a little quicker as she added. ¡°I mean you didn¡¯t do it when Jael and L¨¢nn fought. And I¡¯m sure everyone there was angry with William, but they didn¡¯t do what you did. I¡¯m just curious.¡± I thought about it for a bit.

    ¡°Well, with Jael and L¨¢nn, at least Jael was pulling her punches. And it didn¡¯t go on for too long. It stopped after there was a clear difference between the fighters. And the mood was lighter, it was just sparring. But with you, it just seemed to keep going. William had this look on his face that made me feel, I don¡¯t know¡­ uneasy. And besides that¡­¡± Besides, he was hurting you. Every time you let out a squeak or yell of pain it felt like it hurt me deep down and I couldn¡¯t bear it. I wanted it to be me taking those punches instead of you.

    ¡°Besides that, what?¡± She coaxed.

    ¡°Well, he...because you¡¯re¡­he was hurting you. It hurt me to see you hurt, and I couldn¡¯t bear it when you would yell out. I just thought, I would rather it was me taking those hits instead of you.¡± Well, that was kinda awkward, but I guess it was accurate enough. She was silent, then suddenly chuckled. I looked over at her. Did I do something weird? Say too much?

    ¡°You¡¯re definitely supposed to be the Guardian. You were my shield today. Thank you Cro¨ª.¡± I managed to look over to see her smile at me. I was entranced for a second or two before I could reply.

    ¡°Absolutely. Happy to.¡± I managed to smile back at her before looking back at the ocean.

    ¡°You know, this is a really nice spot you found here.¡± I could see her looking up at the stars in my peripherals. I slowly turned my head a little so I could see her more clearly.

    ¡°Thanks. It¡¯s why I come here.¡± She¡¯s so lovely. Her eyes shone from the starlight. Her delicate jawline led into the bend of her slender neck, down into her pronounced collarbone, and the u-shaped dip it made in the middle of her neck. Her hair reflected the moonlight and her toned, yet slender arms resting on her knees pressed into her chest. I tore my eyes away from her and closed them. Thankful that I could see an after image of her in my mind now. I heard her move and, as I opened my eyes, I could see that she was looking in my direction. I glanced over to see her smiling.

    ¡°Well.¡± She said as she started standing up. ¡°I¡¯d better get some rest and see if I can get myself all healed up and ready for tomorrow. I would suggest you do the same.¡± I nodded.

    ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll be in soon.¡± She started climbing but stopped for a second.

    ¡°You know, I know you don¡¯t just come here for the view. If you ever need to talk, just let me know. I¡¯m the Aid after all.¡± I chuckled slightly.

    ¡°Yeah ok. Thank you.¡± I said. She resumed her climb. I turned my head and watched her. Watched the change in her calves as she pushed off with her feet and her hair swaying back and forth from the slight breeze. I stopped looking before she reached the top. Just listening as she walked away.

    I feel like I miss her already¡­ That¡¯s weird. I shrugged the thought aside. We did have a very nice conversation though. I¡¯m glad she helped me clear things up.

    The familiar feeling of chills ran through my head and a little fuzziness, which I recognized as Tellis. Footsteps came up to the railing and I looked up tentatively to see Edorin leaning over, looking out on the ocean. I hope he¡¯s not mad at me. Leola said he was surprised, but hopefully he¡¯s not mad. Again, I felt Tellis touch my mind.

    ¡°Just for the benefit of anyone who may be listening. I¡¯m going to have a private conversation with myself.¡± That¡¯s strange, I¡¯ve never heard Edorin do this before. ¡°I am the Captain of this ship for one reason. I love to see Agers learn, grow, and become strong, brave, or smart. Though Gods know, I¡¯ve been heartbroken or had my faith in the purpose of the Aging shaken when certain Agers haven¡¯t returned.¡±

    He took a breath. ¡°Some were worried about one particular member of this group. I was worried about him, worried about his naivety, and lack of confidence. But he showed me something today. Improvement, and conviction. I¡¯m so¡­¡±

    His voice seemed to break ever so slightly as he paused. ¡°Relieved, and grateful. I hope and pray that he¡¯s not done growing.¡± As I was looking up to where his head would be, I saw a small drop of water glisten from the moonlight as it passed me by, dropping into the ocean. Was that¡­ is that a tear? I felt Tellis, this time I felt almost no fuzziness in my mind.

    ¡°For anyone wondering about the moisture under my eyes. It¡¯s not tears. It¡¯s just the spray of the sea.¡± He tapped the railing lightly with his knuckle. ¡°I should be getting rest now, goodnight, to anyone who may be listening.¡± Goodnight Edorin. I said in my mind as I felt Tellis.

    I felt happy. I did something good. I helped Leola, had a great conversation with her and was honest like she likes. Edorin¡¯s happy with me too. I also got to beat William.

    I sat there for another hour, thinking about what Leola said. I have William to deal with. I don¡¯t know how, but I¡¯ll think about it before heading back. When I finally stood and retreated below to our room, William was still fuming with anger.

    ¡°There you are twerp! Let¡¯s do this!¡± Jael and Klintock got in between us. I balled my fist instinctively, flinching in response to his aggression.

    ¡°Back off William!¡± Jael shouted. I looked through the shield that Jael and Klintock created. I can¡¯t let this keep going, I¡¯m supposed to be their shield brother. We protect each other, and I appreciate them watching out for me, but this. This can¡¯t continue. We need to stand together, and we can¡¯t do that if I¡¯m cowering behind them. Like Leola said, I have to deal with it. No matter how scary he is, William is nothing compared to Sacae. Compared to a Hybrid Wolf, or an Undertaker Crab. If I can¡¯t get over my fear of William, I¡¯ll never get over Sacae, or any creature on that Island. Besides, after the beating Sacae gave me for so long, whatever William can do will pale in comparison.

    I put my hand on Jael and Klintock¡¯s shoulders and pulled them back a bit, bringing me even with them. William smiled.

    ¡°About time you grew a spine. Swing away little mouse.¡± He started rolling his shoulders, readying himself for a fight. I shook my head.

    ¡°We¡¯ve already fought William; you beat me remember?¡± My hands and jaw were shaking. But I had to stand up to him.

    ¡°Bullshite! You were all broken then, that was like fighting a child. What you did today was something else entirely, even if it was a dirty sneak attack. You started this; I just want to finish it.¡± I sighed, taking a breath to steady my nerves.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care William. I¡¯m not going to fight you unless we¡¯re in a tournament against each other. It¡¯s pointless. Even if you start another fight, I won¡¯t hit back and my shield brother and sister will gladly pummel you in my stead, but you still won¡¯t get your fight unless you wait for a tournament.¡± He glared and growled at me, clenching his fists.

    ¡°Pointless? Of course, there¡¯s a point, payback for your sneaky nonsense. I¡¯ll show you just how out of your league you are. You¡¯re just a little coward! A skittish skitterbrook. Hiding behind your guard dogs because you know I¡¯d kick your teeth in.¡± I reached up and touched my little Kolob pendant to calm myself as I spoke.

    ¡°I know you would like to, and I think there¡¯s no point in that. I already wasted a week resting, I need to keep training, not waste my time getting my teeth kicked in. And in case you haven¡¯t noticed, they¡¯re behind me now. I¡¯m right here, telling you no.¡±

    ¡°Waste? Waste of time?¡± He was practically shaking with rage. ¡°Waste of time like you would actually stand a chance against me?¡± I set my jaw as I saw his hand twitch, turning my head to the right as I saw his fist coming for the left side of my face, lessening the force of the blow. Jael and Klintock tackled William to the floor, twisting him into two separate grapples, forcing him to calm down. I looked at William, his hit hadn¡¯t phased me, and he could tell, it infuriated him. ¡°You little gobshite fecker! I¡¯ll catch you alone and kick your¡­¡± Jael locked him into a blood choke.

    ¡°Just calm down and go to sleep William, or I¡¯ll put you to sleep.¡± He glared at me, and I walked over to my corner, saying goodnight to everyone, told C¨¦¨ªrde I would catch up tomorrow, thanked Klintock and Jael and wished them luck then went to bed. The shaking eventually calmed down and I fell asleep.

 Chapter 21

    My hands were shaking the next morning, one touching my pendant, as William knocked my food to the floor, slamming his hands on the table and grinning at me.

    ¡°William! Come on man I worked really hard on that food.¡± L¨¢nn complained. William rolled his eyes, Jael and Klintock stood, getting ready to pounce.

    ¡°Eat up Cro¨ª. Gotta be at full strength for training today.¡± He mocked. I moved from my seat, reaching for my plate and what little food remained. William stepped over and squished the food I was reaching for. ¡°Oops.¡± He walked off towards the kitchen. I shrugged and sighed as I picked up what I could and finished breakfast.

    ¡°We can beat him Cro¨ª. We want to. Just say the word.¡± Jael said eagerly.

    ¡°I appreciate it, but like I said, ignore him unless he hits me. It¡¯s not worth the extra energy.¡± Jael sighed in frustration and finished her food. All three of us went in for training, finding Zanataz talking with Gathaen.

    ¡°Good morning, Agies. We will be having our second to last tournament at the end of the week.¡±

    ¡°Second to last? We have two more? Anything special about them?¡± Klintock asked.

    ¡°The one this weekend will be like the most recent, grappling and striking. The last one will be between Agers and Crewmen.¡± Gathaen replied.

    ¡°Crewmen? Oh boy, that¡¯ll be rough. Which ones?¡± Flint queried.

    ¡°Us.¡± He replied, emotionless.

    So, we¡¯re going to fight the crew. I wonder who I¡¯ll be fighting. Lanaea would suck, it¡¯d be a repeat of what happened with Sable most likely. Zanataz would just pummel me, same with Edorin or Gathaen. Cairen would beat me senseless I bet, even with him missing a leg, eye, and part of his hand.

    Either way, our training took precedence over anything else. Today the mentors were particularly devious. Gathaen went around tying up certain limbs on certain Agers.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been teaching all of you to work as a team, and you¡¯ve been really good so far, though with a few hiccups.¡± We glared at William. He¡¯d pulled Leola off the climbing wall yesterday, and had, on several occasions, ¡®killed¡¯ me by shoving me off cliffs or ¡®accidentally¡¯ hitting me with a spear, among other things. None of us were happy about it and at this point, even the mentors were tired of his antics. ¡°We will be going over much tougher scenarios with you now. If your limb is tied off, consider it lost, or unusable.¡± ¨¢nada¨ª explained.

    Zanataz came over and took my spears and Sable¡¯s bow.

    ¡°Agers, come up to the cliff.¡± Zanataz said, heading up to the fake clifftop. Leola had ¡®lost¡¯ her left leg, so I offered to help her hop along. Flint, Klintock, L¨¢nn, and I had lost arms. Sable had lost her right hand. ¡°One more thing.¡± He tossed a circular red token to Keokin. ¡°Dead token. Your leader is down.¡± Keokin looked disappointed and laid down. ¡°Go.¡± Zanataz said, pointing across from where the ¡®cliff¡¯ was facing.

    Gathaen was there with dozens of softened javelins. There was a gap between our platforms of at least ten feet. The padded deck between was supposed to represent a ¡®bottomless pit of doom¡¯ as Zanataz had put it.

    The first javelin was thrown at me. I ducked and it whizzed by my head. Leola stumbled and fell on top of me. Flint was hit by three javelins and fell off the ¡®cliff¡¯ and ¨¢nada¨ª tossed a red token on him. Klintock used the stump of his lost arm to deflect a javelin and moved behind cover. With my good arm, I grabbed Leola and moved us behind a rock to cover us. L¨¢nn tried to dive for cover but didn¡¯t dive far enough and got pegged in the forehead.

    ¡°Ow.¡± She said, rubbing her forehead a bit, then laying still as Zanataz tossed a red token on her. William grabbed two javelins off the floor as he dove for cover with the rest of the group, occasionally trying to peek as Gathaen tossed javelins, which ¨¢nada¨ª and Zanataz retrieved for him.

    ¡°Do I have healing implements?¡± Leola asked Zanataz. He thought for a second as he tossed a javelin back.

    ¡°Only the basics. No concentrate or potions.¡± She huffed and pulled out a torniquet, wrapping off my arm.

    ¡°Klintock, I need to tie your arm off or you¡¯ll bleed to death. You too Sable.¡± She tied off her own leg as the others feinted Gathaen out and switched cover. Leola wrapped up Sable, and as she was going to wrap up Klintock, he was hit with a red token.

    ¡°What? Why?¡± He asked Zanataz.

    ¡°They¡¯re poisoned. Deflecting them with your arm was a good idea, but they were poisoned, and now you¡¯re dead.¡± Klintock looked disappointed, then stuck his tongue out and feigned fainting.

    ¡°We¡¯re dropping like flies!¡± Jael yelled with a bit of a giggle. I chuckled, then a javelin zipped by me, and I got nervous again. William feinted, getting Gathaen to throw, then poked out and tossed a javelin back. Gathaen easily dodged it. William got greedy and tried another toss. Gathaen threw at the same time and hit William¡¯s leg as he was dipping back into cover.

    ¡°Shite!¡± William shouted. ¡°I¡¯m poisoned!¡± Leola looked to Zanataz.

    ¡°I¡¯m assuming I don¡¯t know how to¡­¡± Zanataz shook his head and she sighed. ¡°Sorry William.¡± She said, and Zanataz tossed him a token. William harumphed and laid down. What do we do? If we get hit, we die, and we don¡¯t have ranged weapons to fight back with. What about catching a javelin? Or¡­ I looked over at L¨¢nn. The javelin that had hit her head was still near her. I pointed to it and motioned for Jael to toss it. Gathaen nearly hit her hand as she reached for it, but she got it. She was about to toss it to me, but I stopped her.

    He might hit it out of the air. He saw her pick it up, he¡¯ll expect us to toss it across. Jael¡¯s a good shot. If Gathaen is focused on me, she might be able to hit him. But I wouldn¡¯t count on him just sitting there and taking it. I could make that gap, but he¡¯d hit me two or three times before I reached him. I glanced down at Klintock.

    ¡°How would you like to still be useful?¡± I asked. He grinned. Leola helped me pull him up, and I moved out of cover with him. Gathaen hit Klintock two times, then he started trying to shoot between his feet and hit me. Klintock¡¯s dragging feet pulled a javelin into cover and I laid him back down. ¡°Your sacrifice is appreciated.¡± I said, smiling. He chuckled. I used the javelin to reach out and pull in two more.

    Ok. Now the obvious thing to do would be to use Klintock as a shield and try to hit Gathaen, but Gathaen would expect that. He¡¯d also expect us to sneak attack with one of the others.

    I couldn¡¯t think of what else to do that Gathaen wouldn¡¯t expect. Maybe just brute force him. Throw all we have at once¡­ bad idea. He has cover too. Oh wait¡­ I had an idea. I motioned to Jael and C¨¦¨ªrde, telling them to throw what they had one at a time, then handed all but one javelin to Leola and Sable.

    ¡°Keep him behind cover. I¡¯m going to jump the gap and get in close to throw. But I¡¯ll do it on the left side. Sable, you do it sneaky on the right and peg him.¡± She grinned and nodded. I counted down from three and they all threw javelins, one after the other, forcing Gathaen behind his rock. Now! I ran, trying not to be too obvious, and jumped. I threw my javelin in the air and was met with a javelin as soon as I landed, then another as I fell over.

    Sable landed and Gathaen noticed but seemed to hesitate a split second, and Sable¡¯s javelin hit him in the butt. Gathaen dropped his javelins and showed a small, knowing smile and we all cheered. It felt good to win, even if he¡¯d let us.

    ¡°Great job Agies. Great job!¡± Zanataz said, collecting our tokens and limb ties. ¡°Now let¡¯s reset and try again.¡±

    William pushed me off the ¡®cliff¡¯ twice and was punished. ¨¢nada¨ª scolded him and made him do push-ups, but he didn¡¯t care as long as he messed up my winning shot or just my fun in general. L¨¢nn and William left an hour or so before break to go with Cairen, and we were left to defend against whatever madness our mentors could throw at us.

    We found it difficult to stop training when the bell rang but smelling the food from the galley made it easier. There was food set out on the table by L¨¢nn and William when we walked in. Fish filets and mashed potatoes with a brown gravy and some fresh rolls. My mouth was instantly filled with saliva from the anticipation.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Sable asked, wondering why the food was ready two hours early.

    ¡°We¡¯re doing all the cooking for the Agers from now on. Getting ready for the Island. And what we can use from the kitchens is limited to only the supplies we might have available. Hope you guys like it.¡± L¨¢nn said with a nervous smile.

    We didn¡¯t fuss, sat down, thanked L¨¢nn and William for the food and started eating. ¡°We¡¯re also supposed to start asking for things from people, like asking Sable to get us fish and stuff.¡± Sable chewed a bit before gulping, her hand still in front of her mouth.

    ¡°My pleasure, how many do you need?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Just one Red Line sized fish should feed us all for dinner.¡± William replied. ¡°Get ready to eat fish and potatoes every day for at least a month.¡± He then took the opportunity to glare at me. I looked down at the food on my plate.

    Fish is delicious, especially cooked like this, and I love potatoes. Baked, mashed, sliced, grated. I don¡¯t see a problem, but I wonder how I¡¯ll feel about that in a month. I pushed the thought aside and ate my food, wary of William¡¯s position. I didn¡¯t want to lose my food like before.

    I finished quickly, then thanked William and L¨¢nn and ran into the training room, continuing training until the others came and got me for lessons and bed.

    *      *      *      *      *

    *      *      *      *      *

    I awoke before any of the others, dressed and rushed out into the training room. Zanataz was there, early as usual. I was curious about just how early he arrived, and why, but I had something else to ask him.

    ¡°Zanataz?¡±

    ¡°Good morning Stud, what¡¯s on your mind?¡±

    ¡°I want you to train me. I want to spar with you and prepare to fight the crew.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m doing, with all of you.¡±

    ¡°I know. But I¡¯m good with accuracy, not satisfied, but good enough to split my attention. I want to conquer someone, or rather, my fear of them.¡± He glanced at the galley and crouched down, motioning for me to do the same.

    ¡°William?¡± He asked. I shook my head.

    ¡°Sacae. But William is the first step to that, from what I figure. I¡¯m terrified of him. I¡¯ve been standing up to him the best I can, but I shake every time.¡± I sighed heavily. It was difficult for me to talk about my problems, always had been, but I¡¯d learned from what happened with Sacae. Sometimes talking about it to someone who could help was the best thing to do. I was putting that realization to the test.

    ¡°I can do that, but I¡¯d like to know your reason.¡± He said.

    ¡°I have to get over my fear of Sacae, or deal with it somehow. If I¡¯m too terrified to face Sacae, what will I do when I face the horrors of the Island? William is the first step. I conquer my fear of him, then Sacae, then hopefully I¡¯ll be ready.¡± He looked to me, brows raised.

    ¡°You surprise me Cro¨ª, over and over this whole time you surprise me. I¡¯ll do it. Very well, let¡¯s get started.¡± I nodded and we got to work.

    Zanataz put on some large gloves and practiced sparring with me. Practicing dodging, movement, and striking. The gloves made the hits hurt less, but they were still rough. Eventually, the smell of some delicious breakfast wafted into the training room. After this match. I¡¯ll get breakfast after¡­ Zanataz hit my left cheek.

    ¡°Keep your head in the fight Cro¨ª.¡± He scolded.

    ¡°I can trade you places if you¡¯re tired Zanataz.¡± William said leaning against the corner with a smirk.

    ¡°William! Get your lazy arse back in here and clean up after yourself lad!¡± Cairen yelled. William sighed. I found the situation funny, and I chuckled and waved at William. His anger deepened and he paused before moving back into the galley. I felt a jolt to the side of my head from Zanataz.

    ¡°Don¡¯t antagonize him, he¡¯s probably just as scared as you are. Now pay attention Cro¨ª.¡± Scared? William? How could he be scared? He¡¯s been the loudest and most aggressive member. He¡¯s beat everyone he¡¯s spared with. Another bop to the side of my head. ¡°Cro¨ª. What¡¯re you doing?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean. William scared? How?¡± Zanataz sighed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure, it¡¯s more of an educated guess. I¡¯ve seen dozens and dozens of Agers, not one of them has gone in totally unafraid. All of them go in with a healthy level of fear. William¡¯s no different. Now let¡¯s get back to it.¡± He hit the big gloves together and I put my hands up to guard.

    We sparred for a few more minutes before Zanataz stopped. He took his gloves off and sent me in for some delicious fish and potatoes. Then it was back in for some team training.

    Later during break, L¨¢nn was working on sewing together Sable¡¯s boots, and William was cutting out leather for Klintock¡¯s, getting caught up to L¨¢nn. I was very intrigued by the whole process, and how it would look when it was done.

    ¡°How much longer do you think it¡¯ll be?¡± Sable asked leaning on the table, sitting next to L¨¢nn.

    ¡°I already told you, we ran a little behind so food will be ready in an hour.¡± L¨¢nn said, slightly frustrated.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    ¡°I mean the boots.¡± Sable specified.

    ¡°Oh, well¡­ tomorrow. I¡¯ll have it done enough for you to try the fit on your feet, then maybe by the next day, or day after that. So maybe three days? Just be patient.¡±

    ¡°But they look so pretty.¡± Sable whined. L¨¢nn laughed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment.¡± The other members of the group, including Keokin, came in and were all sitting around. I felt restless so I grabbed my knife and hatchet and practiced until it was time to eat.

    Occasionally I heard the group laughing. When I came in for food, I saw Keokin sitting at the table telling the group a story.

    ¡°¡­ So then my mom turned around and slapped him, and the guy looks at her all surprised and says, ¡®I¡¯m sorry ma¡¯am, I thought you were my wife.¡¯ And she slaps him again.¡± The group started laughing. I chuckled but didn¡¯t really understand it or why it was funny. ¡°Cro¨ª, good of you to show up. You done playing around in there?¡± Keokin jested.

    ¡°Oh you know me. I can never get enough of playing with myself in there.¡± Several members of the group looked at me surprised then burst out laughing. I looked at them confused, unsure why a simple statement was so funny to them, then chuckled along anyways.

    ¡°It¡¯s funny because we all know that the only person you¡¯ll ever play with is yourself.¡± William said laughing. I looked at him, confused. Technically I get to play with twelve people a day during training so that¡¯s not true. I ignored him and grabbed some food.

    ¡°Gross William.¡± L¨¢nn said. Gross? Why? Is playing with someone an intimate act? Since when?

    ¡°What? You telling me I¡¯m wrong?¡± William accused.

    ¡°Very regularly. Yes.¡± L¨¢nn affirmed.

    ¡°Oh? Then are you saying you want to play with him?¡± Her cheeks went slightly red.

    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ I mean maybe if¡­ That¡¯s not fair and you know it William.¡± I was very confused; her face went through several emotions, and she looked very flustered. Some of the group members were laughing at L¨¢nn¡¯s frustration, others were shaking their heads in disapproval of William.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it, what¡¯s bad about playing? I¡¯ll play with anybody, except maybe you William, you¡¯re mean, and you¡¯d probably cheat like you do with card games.¡± I said. The group laughed.

    ¡°I believe you have been called out William. Your response?¡± C¨¦¨ªrde quipped. William¡¯s eyes narrowed. He had two kinds of anger. Normal everyday anger, and the anger he had now, which usually leads to threats and punching.

    ¡°Take it back.¡± He ordered. I took a breath, feeling the rising tension.

    ¡°What?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t cheat.¡±

    ¡°Maybe not all the time, but I¡¯ve seen you switch out cards when nobody¡¯s looking. That¡¯s cheating.¡± He took a step towards me. Jael and Klintock stood.

    He glanced at them then back to me, then kicked a chair towards them and rushed towards me. I dropped my food on the table and put my hands up, widening my stance and backing away, circling towards Jael and Klintock. William threw two left jabs that I swatted aside with my hand. He front kicked and I dodged to the side and slipped between the two who rushed him and grappled him to the floor.

    ¡°Again William? When are you going to learn?¡± Klintock said calmly. I slipped back in for my food and went above deck with it to let everyone cool off and to catch my breath. I did it somewhat. I thought to myself looking at my hands shake. I stood up to him, and when he came at me, I didn¡¯t get hit. I¡¯m improving. I did my best to avoid William the rest of the day, playing cards with Cairen and Keokin, then helping and chatting with L¨¢nn and Sable. Then I remembered the tournament when I¡¯d touched an inappropriate area on Sable.

    ¡°Oh Sable.¡± I said.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°I never got to apologize during the tournament, and I kinda forgot after that, but I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°For what? Oh, for that?¡± She glanced down at herself. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, just surprised me is all. I saw it as a good thing actually, my style of fighting focuses on quick and confusing movements, trying to confuse my opponent into making mistakes so technically that means I¡¯m getting good at it.¡± I nodded.

    ¡°Good. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re not angry.¡±

    ¡°What are we talking about?¡± L¨¢nn asked.

    ¡°Just Cro¨ª playing with me.¡± Sable replied, putting some emphasis on the word ¡®playing¡¯ with a mischievous smile. L¨¢nn blushed.

    ¡°Really? But Sable that¡¯s¡­¡± L¨¢nn said surprised. Sable shook her head.

    ¡°Just messing with you.¡± I still didn¡¯t understand what everybody meant by playing, thinking that maybe they had a different version of children''s games where they had grown up and left it there.

    That night and the night after, I had trouble sleeping. Instead of lying awake till Kolob¡¯s rise, I snuck out of the room and trained, lighting a few lanterns and using the low light to throw weapons and practice flipping and moving around like Sable and Gathaen had trained us.

    I found that Zanataz would usually arrive just after first light. He was surprised to see me the first day but treated it as regular the second. He took the opportunity to train my reaction times and combat skills, as well as regularly testing me on accuracy. The second day when break was called, I opted to stay behind.

    ¡°Cro¨ª.¡± I looked up at Zanataz from push up position.

    ¡°Yes sir?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t train yourself too hard, ok? If you overexert yourself, it starts to degrade your progress. Make sure you¡¯re taking breaks when you need to.¡± He said.

    ¡°Yes sir.¡± I continued doing pushups, then moved on to other strength building exercises with heavy metal weights, finally stopping an hour later, sitting down in the corner on a small stool breathing heavily. I heard a few exclamations of excitement coming from the galley and thought it might be time to go and eat but wanted to rest for a few minutes more.

    I heard a clicking sound, almost like the sound Edorin¡¯s boots made when he walked around, but higher pitched coming towards me. Raising my head, I found it was Sable. She was wearing her new boots, happily walking over to me with a plate of food. I almost didn¡¯t notice it; I was transfixed on her boots. They were black and form fit, and the creases on them changed with every movement she made. Sable sat next to me, crossing her legs in my direction, and slightly wiggling her boots.

    ¡°They¡¯re all finished! What do you think?¡± My mouth fell open as I stared at them. It was almost the same as what the pants did, but this was different. I was oddly fascinated. ¡°I take it that means you like them?...¡± Sable asked trailing off with an eyebrow raised. I shook my head and rubbed my eyes.

    ¡°Yes. Sorry I¡­ They¡¯re very cute. They suit you well. Are they comfortable?¡± She smiled and nodded excitedly, looking down with a smile and wiggling them.

    ¡°Absolutely! Wait till you get yours! I love them. L¨¢nn and William did a great job. But hey, is everything alright?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Huh?...Yeah, I think so why?¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve been getting up super early, then training really late, and when I walked in here, you were looking at me kind of¡­ weird. Are you sure you¡¯re ok?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ I don¡¯t really know. I mean, I feel fine physically for the most part. I¡¯m just, wrestling with a few things in my head.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if it would be a good idea to get into certain problems with her, so I was trying to be careful.

    ¡°Like?¡± She queried. So much for careful, but after Sacae, I can¡¯t blame her for pressing.

    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know where to start.¡±

    ¡°Start with why the extra training? And that look. Do I look funny or something?¡± She asked, smiling. The look is the one I¡¯m worried about answering.

    ¡°I¡¯m training because I need to be¡­ better. I realized that I¡¯m weak, in a lot of ways, but the biggest one seems to be¡­ fear. I¡¯m scared of a lot of the people on this ship, and all the things on the Island, but I realized that I need to get over those fears. The only way I can see to do that is if I make myself more competent.¡± She nodded, glancing towards the galley.

    ¡°Can I tell you a secret?¡± I nodded and she looked around. ¡°I¡¯m terrified. I mean, I¡¯m going to be the first one moving over the terrain, and any potential traps, pitfalls, predators, anything.¡± Her typically happy face had fallen serious. ¡°These boots aren¡¯t going to do much to protect me, I know that, but it¡¯s better than being barefoot. I¡¯m trying to just be positive, keep up with my training, and study those books as intently as I can, but the thought is always there. What if I miss something? What if I¡¯m tired or injured and I mistake a circle of teeth for a pile of leaves? That¡¯s it. I¡¯m dead. Not hurt, not ¡®oops try again.¡¯ Dead. It¡¯s a horrifying thought.¡± She inhaled, blinked slowly, and exhaled. ¡°But what makes all of that a little easier to bear, is the thought that I¡¯ll have all of you there with me. Able to help me¡­ hopefully.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve had similar thoughts.¡± I admitted.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Yeah, but mine are a little different. I¡¯m horrified that I won¡¯t get there in time or see the danger in time and one of you will die because of it. Or that when the time comes for me to step up and help, I¡¯ll cower and run.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± She bobbed her head slowly. ¡°I¡¯m sure the rest of the group have fears like ours, but I¡¯m starting to like our chances, just looking around at us during training.¡± She breathed in and smiled, handing me the plate of food. ¡°So, tell me what that look was about.¡± I was hoping she forgot. We¡¯ll see how this goes, I guess.

    ¡°Look? Oh, well I¡¯m not sure. I just looked up and saw you and the boots and just got¡­ fascinated, I guess. Just looking at them, you know? I like them.¡± She looked a little confused and shrugged.

    ¡°Ok then, well I¡¯ll see you in there soon I hope.¡± She smiled and walked back into the galley. I watched her as she walked, absorbing every curve, crease, and wrinkle. Lovely. I shook my head, feeling guilty for staring and started eating my food. I looked forward to hearing the click of Sable¡¯s boots over the rest of the journey, enjoying that strange feeling of excited fascination I got when I looked at them, and at her. Though not excited by the strange feelings of guilt and shame I got from looking.

    I don¡¯t get it. It¡¯s just looking right? Why do I feel so ashamed, and awkward about it? I¡¯m not hurting anybody, I¡¯m not having any weird thoughts, I¡¯m just admiring¡­ I sighed, annoyed, and pushed the thoughts aside, feasting on my food, and diving back into my training with extra vigor before some lessons and sleep.

    My thoughts, and our training was interrupted the next day by the hurried footsteps of what turned out to be C¨¦¨ªrde running down the stairs.

    ¡°You guys! Hurry! You must see this!¡± We looked at her, confused but interested. Then we looked to our mentors. Gathaen sighed, Zanataz smiled and nodded.

    ¡°Go ahead.¡± We ran up above deck with C¨¦¨ªrde to find the rest of the group peering over the port side of the ship¡¯s railing. Keokin waved us over to an empty spot. I looked out over the ocean, at first everything was normal, then I noticed a massive shadow coming up from the depths. The shadow turned bright as the head of a giant creature broke the surface.

    A massive creature began to break the surface of the water slowly revealing more of its massive body. Just behind its off-white-colored head, there was a hole. From it came a tremendous noise and a jet of water at least seventy or eighty feet into the air. As it rose higher out of the water, another hole blew a second geyser. I was awestruck. The creature was massive. At least two hundred feet long. I stared, mouth open, as it continuously rose till it was taller than the railing of the ship by at least ten feet, revealing two large fins, and one below the waves that lazily moved the creature forward. Slowly it started to sink back into the waves.

    We felt the ship lurch, pushing us further towards the creature. I looked over to see another one on the other side of the ship, even closer, making a noise, like a high and low pitched whine. I stood there stunned, as several crewmembers ran to the railing to see it up close, the same massive geyser¡¯s blowing high into the air. I was startled, feeling the ship lurch as the massive creature surfaced. C¨¦¨ªrde grabbed my arm, helping keep me stable.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They¡¯re friendly.¡± She said somewhat giggling. ¡°They¡¯re just messing with us. They¡¯re called Bone Head Whales.¡± Bone Head Whales? I never read about them. I looked back at the other whale on the port side, it had rolled in the water, raising all three of its fins sixty feet into the air, slowly moving away from the ship before stopping. C¨¦¨ªrde patted my back as she grabbed the railing. ¡°Brace yourself!¡± I grabbed on and held strong as the fins came down with tremendous speed, pushing a large wave of water up onto the deck, sweeping several crewmen from one side to the other.

    The water was cold but not unbearable. I shivered from the initial wetness. Both the crew and C¨¦¨ªrde were laughing, I chuckled, but was mostly in awe at the enormousness of the two creatures. I heard another puff and turned to see a third and fourth whale behind the ship. There are so many of them. Are they all going to splash us? ¡°Cro¨ª! Brace!¡± I ducked into the railing as a wave passed over me from the other side. Their version of playing around seems a little rough. We shouldn''t be near the railings. Me and C¨¦¨ªrde laughed as we picked up Keokin, who blew water out of his nose with a smile.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s so salty!¡± He complained. We laughed and prepared for another wave. I was amazed by the whales, their power and grace, as well as how careful they were for such massive creatures. Then a thought came to mind, after seeing what looked like scars on the bone colored heads of some of the whales as they passed us by, most of them splashing us with a massive wave. A thought turning to a worrisome question. Are there predators that eat these creatures? Things bigger than them? I looked at the biggest of the whales, roughly three hundred feet long, as it glided through the water at the back of the group, passing the ship by and catching up with the rest of them. I turned and went to Edorin.

    ¡°Captain.¡± I saluted.

    ¡°At ease. What is it Cro¨ª?¡±

    ¡°I was wondering. I saw scars on some of those whales, and was thinking, is there something big enough to eat them?¡±

    ¡°Aside from the Leviathan? Not that I¡¯m aware of. There are several creatures that can attack the whales when they are young, up to the hundred-foot range, but nothing that can get to them when they¡¯re that big, and not when they¡¯re in pods, usually.¡±

    ¡°Would those predators be able to attack this ship?¡±

    ¡°They could, yes, but they usually wouldn¡¯t. They do from time to time, but as soon as they see or taste that the ship is made of wood, they leave it alone. Some on the other hand, are smart or lucky enough to have figured out that there are people on the ship, so they go fishing for us. But those are rare, we¡¯re more like snacks to them, not something they¡¯d want. Think about it this way, would you rather eat the nice thick piece of grilled chicken on your plate, or a single pea, or kernel of corn?¡±

    ¡°The chicken.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. To creatures big enough to tackle ships this size, we¡¯re peas, or a few kernels of corn. Not worth the effort.¡±

    ¡°But you said the Leviathan ate several ships.¡±

    https://www.tumblr.com/coldthane/711513152945340416/the-bonehead-whale?source=share

    ¡°Yes well, it didn¡¯t eat my ship. I don¡¯t know what kept me safe from it that day.¡± He stared off into the water as he spoke, his eyes seemed to glaze over, and for the first time since I¡¯d known him, a look of fear gripped him just for a moment, then he blinked and shook his head slightly, looking back at me. ¡°That¡­ monstrosity was unique, as far as I¡¯m aware, something from myth and legend. It¡¯s likely the only one, or one of very few. Doesn¡¯t follow the patterns of nature, and as we don¡¯t know where the Antilek are, or how to contact them, we¡¯ll likely never know. But, to alleviate your fears, we are likely safe on this ship, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Ok then. Thank you Captain.¡± I smiled and went below deck to finish up training.

    At dinner, Klintock¡¯s boots were finished. They looked different from Sable¡¯s in some ways. I didn¡¯t get that same feeling of fascination from them, but they looked cool. Almost like Edorin¡¯s, but not as shiny.

    ¡°How do they fit?¡± L¨¢nn asked expectantly.

    ¡°They¡¯re great! Not too tight, not too loose. Thank you both.¡± He made a slight bow to L¨¢nn and William who nodded back.

    ¡°We¡¯re getting good at this.¡± L¨¢nn said excitedly. When I looked at William, he was just glaring at me. I sighed and went off to the corner to read up on things in the legends book.

    There was an entry for a place instead of a creature or plant. It was called the Bowels. The observer found a large opening, somewhere on the Northwestern portion of the mountain. The opening was nearly covered in green moss. Apparently, he thought it was a wall and fell through it while taking a rest on a scouting mission. Inside, the floor, walls, and ceiling were hard, black, smooth stone, looking man made. He lit a torch and observed that it went deeper. He ventured into the cave deeper and deeper until it came to a three-way split. One of the directions was blocked by rubble, the other had webbing. Fearing it to be the lair of Bh¨¢is, he fled and rejoined his group. He couldn¡¯t pinpoint its location on a map, and the group didn¡¯t want to chance a run in with Bh¨¢is, so they moved on.

    I was curious about his description of the cave as ¡®man made¡¯. If it was, what would that mean? Are there people living on the Island? Or were they living there before, only to be killed or pushed off the Island by Bh¨¢is? I was intrigued, but not intrigued enough to go looking for it.

    ¡°Hey Cro¨ª. It¡¯s time to make your boots, come over here.¡± I looked up to see L¨¢nn patting a chair next to her. Over there? With my feet up on a table where I¡¯ll be at the mercy of William? No thanks. I glanced at William then back to her skeptically, then sighed and moved slowly over to the table. William glared as he sat there working on C¨¦¨ªrde¡¯s soles. ¡°William. Remember what we said, if you can¡¯t focus on your work then go somewhere else.¡± William glared at her, then grabbed his things with angst and moved slowly to another table, keeping his back to us. ¡°Feet up.¡± She told me, I put them up, feeling embarrassed as she blocked in the basic shape onto some rough leather soles. ¡°Ok, you can put them down for a minute.¡± I did so quickly.

    ¡°Is there any way I can help?¡± I asked. She squinted at me with pursed lips for a second.

    ¡°Sure. You can cut out more of these shapes in this.¡± She gave me one of the shapes she had cut and pointed at the thick leather. I set about making myself useful, finishing several before I remembered food was ready. Fish and potatoes with carrots, delicious the way they cooked it. Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside.

    While I was eating, there was something that kept coming to mind, something I needed help with. Once my meal was eagerly consumed, I went to find Edorin. He was the one that I thought could help me. Tomorrow was the tournament, and there was something I needed to do. It was terrifying, but that was why I needed to do it. I found him up on the quarter deck at the helm and approached him.

    ¡°Captain.¡±

    ¡°At ease.¡± He kept his eyes on the ocean ahead of him.

    ¡°I want to ask you something, it¡¯s about the tournament tomorrow. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s allowed but I wanted to ask.¡± I paused, nervously fiddling with my hands waiting for a response.

    ¡°Go on.¡± He urged.

    ¡°I want to fight William.¡± He glanced slightly in my direction.

    ¡°Why is that?¡±

    ¡°Because I need to conquer fear. I need to get over my fear of Sacae, so that I can be ready for the Island, but in order to do that, I have to start at the lowest rung of my fears with William.¡± Edorin sat motionless, aside from occasionally blinking, for ten agonizing seconds. Then he glanced in my direction and nodded, then went back to steering the ship. I¡¯ll take that as a yes. Ok then, time to get ready. ¡°Thank you, Captain.¡± I saluted and went below deck to get some rest to prepare for tomorrow.

 Chapter 22

    I woke earlier than usual from nerves and headed into the training room. I picked up the spear to practice my accuracy but didn¡¯t feel my usual urge to train. My mind was too transfixed on what was to happen. I sat down on the floor with the spear across my lap.

    Fighting William. Am I ready for that? Every other time I¡¯ve been solidly beaten. But that one time. And I don¡¯t know how that happened. It was scary, but it was also exciting. How could I harness that? Get it to happen again? But why did it happen? Was it a protective instinct for Leola? If it is then that means it will only come out if she gets hurt, and I don¡¯t want that. Ugh. This is getting me nowhere. I need to train. I stood, stretched, and trained for the few hours before Zanataz showed up. I wonder what my nickname will be this time. I thought with a small smile.

    ¡°Mornin¡¯ Stallion. At it early again, I see.¡± Heh. Nice. Maybe I should think up a nickname for him. Something small and nice. I nodded and tossed a spear the length of the room as I leapt through the air, striking near the center. I sighed with frustration and walked over to retrieve it. ¡°Something wrong?¡± He asked. ¡°You almost missed the center altogether that time.¡± I sighed as I walked and talked with him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready.¡±

    ¡°Ready for?¡± He pressed.

    ¡°The tournament. William. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready.¡± I wrenched the spear from the target. He grabbed it from me and pulled me into the sparring circle.

    ¡°Let¡¯s find out.¡± He started putting on his gloves. If I can¡¯t dodge his bare fists, I couldn¡¯t dodge William¡¯s or Sacae¡¯s. I put my hand on his glove, preventing him from putting it on. He looked skeptical for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Very well.¡± He tossed the gloves aside.

    As he turned back to me, I noticed his eyes lock onto me, and his body started to move. I leapt backwards, barely dodging his kick. He moved in quickly, throwing jabs and elbows. Left, right, right, left high, right low. I struggled to keep up. Most of them connected, but were light, glancing hits. He was fast, I barely had any time to react to him.

    I have to hit back, disrupt him or I¡¯m done for. I waited for his next right jab, leaned into it, and threw a right jab at his face. His fist hit my cheek, but I was expecting it.

    I knew my right jab wouldn¡¯t reach him, so I threw my left jab behind his already outstretched right arm. He caught my right hand and I inched closer as his right arm was pulling back. My left hit him square in the side of the face and I followed it up by throwing my knee into his side. I threw another jab, but he ducked, landing a light jab on my cheek, and moving back away from me, a surprised smile on his face. ¡°Not bad, Cro¨ª, not bad at all. Risky, but it paid off. Let¡¯s see if you can do that without risking getting yourself hurt. Just a few more rounds.¡± His fists came up, along with mine, ready for round two.

    Over the next two hours, we fought. I was getting better at reacting to his hits, gauging his feints, and capitalizing on them. He landed upwards of twenty-four hits on me in the first two bouts, not counting the grazing hits, but I only landed five grazing and three solid strikes the whole two hours. I felt frustrated, being so close but seeming to be miles away at the same time. He seemed to see all my hits coming a mile away. My frustration made me sloppy, and he landed a solid hit to my jaw that rattled me. I fell backwards onto my rump, mostly out of frustration, somewhat from a momentary dizziness. ¡°You alright Cro¨ª?¡± I shook my head.

    ¡°I¡¯m too slow.¡± I said, shaking my head, trying to clear the daze. He crouched down in front of me.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. You don¡¯t realize it, but you¡¯ve got a real talent for this. Bit more training and experience, you¡¯ll be phenomenal.¡± I sighed. More training? I only have the rest of the day until the tournament, and maybe four or five weeks total until we reach the Island. ¡°Hey. When you face William, don¡¯t underestimate him. Treat him like he¡¯s me. Gauge his strengths, weaknesses, his speed, and accuracy. Then you¡¯ll understand just how much you¡¯ve grown.¡± Zanataz said with a small smile. I nodded, exhaling in frustration again. ¡°Right then, sourpuss. Time to take a break. Get some water then come back in with everyone else for some accuracy and agility training.¡± I followed his instructions then focused on the training.

    For training this time, L¨¢nn had ¡®lost¡¯ her left arm, and Keokin was ¡®missing¡¯ his right leg. I kept my spears and wasn¡¯t hurt, aside from being ¡®blind.¡¯ We had to protect Leola so she could heal us. Another exercise was all the Guardians were injured and the Supports had to step in to protect the group. Generally, these exercises ended in disaster. I couldn¡¯t hit what I couldn¡¯t see, Leola got ¡®killed¡¯ and so did we, and L¨¢nn got tackled off the ¡®cliff¡¯ by ¨¢nada¨ª, while William got tag teamed. Even so, we were starting to improve. We adapted much faster and communicated more efficiently with hand signals.

    Before I knew it, the bell rang. I felt a hand on my shoulder spin me around. ¡°Come on Cro¨ª. Above deck, rest and wait. You¡¯ve done what you can. The training will kick in when it needs to, you just need to focus, let the training do the work.¡± Zanataz urged.

    I guess he¡¯s right, one hour isn¡¯t going to make all that much difference at this point, and if I go up there shaking from exhaustion I¡¯ll lose anyways. I went to the galley, grabbed a small roll, and drank some water before heading up to sit by the railing of the upper deck and waited. Waited for Edorin to call the crew up, waited for him to finish his announcement, then waited for the drawing of names where I went last. Edorin handed me the paper with William¡¯s name on it, then the waiting was over.

    ¡°The first match is between Cro¨ª and William. Clear the floor.¡± I stood on one end of the arena floor, going over what I¡¯d learned, then I remembered Zanataz¡¯s advice. I closed my eyes and cleared my mind. The training would kick in when it needed to if I focused. Clearing the nerves, clearing the feeling of being watched, clearing the expectation of winning, clearing everything but the fight.

    I turned and faced William¡¯s smiling face; my eyes focused on him. His smile slowly dropped, and a slight look of worry and confusion took his face. ¡°Go.¡± He snapped back at attention, bouncing around for a moment I moved with him, keeping my focus, but creeping closer. He glanced down at my stomach.

    He¡¯s going to charge. His head dipped and he sprinted at me. I dipped low, like I was going to challenge his charge, driving him lower, then at the last second, I leapt over him, while pushing on his back, allowing him to slide across the floor. He rose to his feet immediately and charged again. This time I let him hit me, putting him in a headlock while I dug my feet in, keeping my balance. I flexed my sides as he slammed his fists into them. Gauge the strength of his strikes. They had good power, but not as much as Klintock, Zanataz, or Sacae. I let go of his neck and took his wrist instead, using it to manipulate him, moving him away from me as I backed away.

    I wanted a striking match. I needed one, to see what my training had done for me. Was I still a scared boy crying in the corner, afraid of William, Sacae, and everything beyond them? Or had I grown into something Kixas, my brothers, my family, would be proud of? William threw a right cross at me first. I dodged it, surprised at the ease I felt. But I wanted to wait, to see if he was holding back. Left, left, right, right uppercut, left from above, side kick, front kick, left, front kick. I backed away from him, he seemed slow. Or maybe I¡¯d gotten faster, more in control.

    Was this what Zanataz meant? By understanding how much I¡¯ve grown? I balled my fists. Let¡¯s see what I¡¯ve got William. I moved in, waiting for an opening. William jabbed. I swatted it aside and leaned in for a solid right cross to his cheek in the same movement. He stumbled, unsure, then became enraged, and charged me. I brought my leg up into his lowered chest, stunning him enough to land another hit to that same cheek, stopping his charge and dazing him. He roared with anger, shaking his head and came in again, this time a look of focus and determination on him.

    His strikes were faster and more careful. We traded blows, testing each other, catching, and countering strikes. Neither of us landed anything serious. I think I know what you mean Zanataz. I¡¯m faster than him, I see it. I pushed towards him, steadily forcing him back. Smacking aside hits that he threw and countering them with my own. Right to the cheek, left to the abdomen, side kick to the kidney, left to the cheek, dodge. I kept pushing, harder and faster.

    He hit me in the cheek with a left I didn¡¯t see coming. Like I did to Zanataz earlier that morning, he threw it while I was mid hit. But I¡¯d taken many stronger hits, it barely phased me now, and training took over for a moment. I grabbed that arm by the wrist kicked his stomach, then jabbed his jaw to daze him, then turned, pulling him over my shoulder and slamming him onto the floor, jumping on top of him as he had done to Leola. I punched him, then again, and again. He hit me, throwing desperate punches between my hits. But I could see his eyes starting to glaze over. I held down his right arm over his neck, giving me a clear shot at his face and struck him three quick times, then pulled back for one last aimed shot at his chin.

    In the moment before I struck, I could see him looking up at me, somewhat dazed. Should I hold back? Should I end it here? Then memories of all the times he¡¯d hit me, tossed my food, mocked me and done all those same things to the group flashed through my mind. For a split second, I glared and struck hard.

    There was a loud smack, and then his head jiggled and the look in his eyes changed. Almost emotionless, except maybe surprise, he wasn¡¯t fighting back anymore, just lying there. Is he faking it? Feinting to gain an advantage? I looked at Lanaea, realizing now that she was right beside me, her hand touched my chest as she lightly pushed me off William. I knelt next to him, now worried that I¡¯d hurt him more than intended.

    ¡°Is he ok?¡± I asked.

    ¡°He¡¯s fine, just a bit dazed.¡± She lightly tapped William¡¯s cheeks, getting him to focus on her face. ¡°William. Come on William. Focus on me; you¡¯re alright, come on.¡± Slowly, William blinked a few times and the look in his eyes changed, from dazed back to confused. He looked over at me, angry at first, then as he heard the crowd cheering and Edorin announce the winner, his look turned to one of sadness, his mouth fell open and tears filled his eyes. Small whimpers and gasps escaped him as he pushed my offered hand aside and shoved his way through the crowd, heading below deck.

    Lanaea made several hand movements to Edorin and chased after him. I felt a slap on my back as Jael and Klintock ran in to congratulate me. I smiled, accepting surprise hugs from them, but felt a strange sinking in my stomach. That look of sadness from William, I¡¯d never seen him sad before. He was mean, sometimes cruel, but he did help me gut the fish. He was instrumental in making us all dinner every night and helping make boots for Sable and Klintock. He was a part of our group, I didn¡¯t want him to suffer, just conquer my fear of him.

    I shouldn¡¯t have thrown that last punch. He was beaten, I didn¡¯t need to hit him again. I thought about going to check up on him but figured he wouldn¡¯t want to see me right now. Lanaea would help him, she was good at that. ¡°Next match, C¨¦¨ªrde and Sable.¡± Edorin announced. We moved out of the arena. Sable had already removed her boots, so as not to hurt C¨¦¨ªrde, and handed them to Leola. The more I thought about William, the worse I felt about my victory. A voice rang in my head, loud and clear. I recognized it as Edorin¡¯s.

    ¡°Cro¨ª. Stop worrying. Cheer your victory and focus on supporting your friends. William¡¯s with Lanaea, he will be fine.¡± I shook my head; it was a strange feeling having someone else¡¯s voice in my head. But I understood his meaning. I nodded to him and focused on Sable and C¨¦¨ªrde¡¯s match.

    Sable was moving all over, like she¡¯d done with me. Seeing it from the outside helped me understand what had happened. C¨¦¨ªrde was moving too, keeping herself at a distance to avoid any lunging attacks from Sable. Sable realized this and switched to striking, primarily capitalizing on her powerful legs and quick hands. C¨¦¨ªrde was careful and precise, dodging or parrying every strike until finally, she caught Sable¡¯s ankle. Sable was off balance, too far forward to retrieve it and C¨¦¨ªrde pulled her further back, delivering a kick aimed for her stomach.

    Sable¡¯s arms blocked the strike, but she fell to the ground and C¨¦¨ªrde twisted the foot she¡¯d caught to put Sable in a leg lock. Sable tapped, smiling at C¨¦¨ªrde through her disappointment. Leola and Klintock were next. I was nervous to watch Leola fight, given what happened last time, but accepted that Klintock wasn¡¯t William, and this would be different.

    Leola dodged Klintock¡¯s attempts at grappling, remembering her experience with William, opting instead to strike when Klintock tried to grapple, or when he moved within range. Klintock stuck to leg strikes, maximizing his distance, hammering in on Leola¡¯s arms. I could see she was in pain, but she held out, ducking, blocking, and dodging until one time she ducked below Klintock¡¯s kick and threw a kick of her own. He didn¡¯t see it coming and it hit his jaw, knocking him unconscious. The crowd went silent.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    Leola looked shocked; the crowd cheered. She did too, surprised that she had landed the blow, then her caring instincts took over and she roused Klintock. The crowd helped her move him out of the arena while he recovered.

    Jael and Flint were next, though that fight wasn¡¯t long. Flint jabbed, but Jael countered with her own that rocked Flint. He tried going on defense, but Jael overwhelmed him. Giving him no chance to recover. He gave up before she could go too much further.

    Keokin and L¨¢nn were next. As soon as Edorin said go, Keokin held up his hands.

    ¡°Can we do grapple only L¨¢nn?¡± She looked to Edorin, who shrugged. She sighed in relief.

    ¡°Yes please.¡± They circled around each other, looking for openings. L¨¢nn thought she saw one, but it was a trap and Keokin snared her, pulling her to the ground with an arm lock. She struggled, looking panicked. Keokin didn¡¯t ease up but talked to her.

    ¡°What¡¯s your other arm doing?¡± She glanced at him, then realized what he was saying and used her arm to put his leg in a lock. He groaned in pain slightly, then released her arm and broke free of hers, putting her in a headlock from behind. Again, L¨¢nn seemed to panic, and he talked to her. ¡°What¡¯re your legs doing?¡± She pushed up off the ground, getting to her feet then leaned forward, throwing him over her, holding onto his arm and putting it in a lock. He struggled for a moment, pulling one of her legs off him, but eventually tapped out. He smiled at her. ¡°Well done L¨¢nn.¡± She huffed, disappointed.

    ¡°You went easy on me.¡±

    ¡°No. I gave you advice on how to beat me. There¡¯s a difference.¡± They smiled.

    ¡°L¨¢nn wins. That¡¯s the tournament. Unless any of the crew wish to test their metal. Agers, you know what to do.¡± The crew cheered; two men rushed to the center. It came to my attention that I had never been to the end of a tournament. I¡¯d always been below deck, at least for the most recent ones. I watched the others as they moved to a table on the other side of the ship that Cairen was tending to. That¡¯s right. Winners get a tankard of ale. I went over to the table. C¨¦¨ªrde, Sable and L¨¢nn had two tankards that they were all sharing, Leola and Jael had their own cups.

    ¡°Cro¨ª! Welcome to the winner¡¯s circle lad. With a superb victory to boot.¡± Cairen greeted. The others cheered for me.

    ¡°That just leaves me as the only loser.¡± Flint said, disappointed. L¨¢nn put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him after taking a sip of ale, her smile topped with white foam.

    ¡°It¡¯s ok Flint. You¡¯ll get it next time.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Next time.¡± Jael said. Flint looked at her skeptically.

    ¡°Next time it¡¯s us fighting the crew. That¡¯ll be even worse. It¡¯s just because I keep getting stuck with Jael. She¡¯s just a bad match for me.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah? Why¡¯s that?¡± Sable asked. I took my tankard from Cairen and smiled to him.

    ¡°Mind how fast you swig Cro¨ª, that¡¯s got alcohol.¡± Cairen said, bringing my attention away from the conversation taking place. Alcohol? Flint looked flustered as he answered Sable.

    ¡°Because she¡¯s bigger and stronger than me. Besides, I don¡¯t like hitting girls.¡± His cheeks turned red.

    ¡°What¡¯s alcohol?¡± I asked Cairen. He thought for a moment while Sable pressed Flint further.

    ¡°Oh yeah, sure that¡¯s what it is. I think there¡¯s another reason you¡¯re uncomfortable around her. Why you don¡¯t want to grapple her and snuggle up to her.¡± His face went a darker shade of red. L¨¢nn covered her mouth and Leola giggled. I didn¡¯t understand and listened to Cairen¡¯s response.

    ¡°Do you happen to remember times when your brothers ¡®r sisters would drink something all night, and seemed to turn them into, shall we say, less intelligent versions of themselves?¡± I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s alcohol.¡±

    I thought back to those times. One of the rare times I had actually been hurt was when Cyclone had some alcohol and used his magic to throw me across the yard into a tree. He laughed and told me not to tell Mother. Kixas would usually have a somewhat permanent silly smile on his face and be very placid unless someone provoked him beyond the breaking point. R¨ªger would tease people relentlessly and try to coerce them into drinking more, then challenge them to compete in physical obstacles. Bacta would get wobbly and talkative, and would sometimes end up crying, repeatedly telling people that he loved them.

    I remember telling myself that I never wanted to drink whatever it was that they were drinking because in those moments, they weren¡¯t my brothers. Cyclone hurt me and laughed. Riger¡¯s teasing became hurtful and coercive. Bacta would cry and hug so hard it hurt, then not let go even when you tried to scream. They weren¡¯t safe to be around anymore.

    My sisters weren¡¯t immune from alcohol either. Mili would resist at first, but would eventually cave in. Seal¨ª would contain herself, mostly staying quiet, unless provoked. They would gossip together or play cruel mind games with me. Mili would try to provoke people into fighting each other, then giggle if she started a fight. They all turned into totally different people. My thoughts were interrupted by Flint.

    ¡°What do you mean snuggle up? It¡¯s a fight. Grappling, not snuggling. Or maybe you have something you¡¯d like to tell us.¡± Flint said, glaring at Sable. Sable looked at him with raised eyebrows and a slight smile. Jael interjected.

    ¡°Hey now, you two don¡¯t need to be fighting over little old me. Not when all three of us could be fighting right now.¡± Jael interjected. I turned to Cairen.

    ¡°If this will make me like my siblings or their friends those times, then I don¡¯t want it.¡± I held it out to him.

    ¡°Come on you guys, we just got done fighting, we don¡¯t need to fight more, have some ale instead.¡± L¨¢nn said, trying to interrupt the smiling trio.

    ¡°Naught to worry about young sir. This isn¡¯t enough to get you drunk, maybe just a wee bit buzzed is all.¡± Cairen said as he pushed it back to me.

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you join us?¡± Jael said, looming over L¨¢nn.

    ¡°Now now everyone, let¡¯s just sing and dance instead, before we possibly damage our vocal cords or dancing ability with choke holds and leg locks.¡± Leola interjected.

    ¡°Drunk. That¡¯s the silly or rambunctious bit. Buzzed, tends to remove a bit of your fears and worries. Go on lad, give it a go, and see what you think. If it¡¯s not to your liking, go ahead and pass it along. Just mind you don¡¯t drink too much too fast.¡± I looked down at the nearly golden liquid in the tankard and the ring of white foam inside. It smelled slightly sweet, like a fruit of some kind, but there was another strong, almost rancid smell that followed it.

    ¡°Agreed. Let¡¯s dance.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde stated as she walked over to Cairen. ¡°Cairen. Do you have your lute?¡± He turned to me.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine lad.¡± He turned to C¨¦¨ªrde. ¡°Why yes, I do young miss.¡± The lute was strapped onto his back. With one easy motion, he pulled it around to rest near his abdomen, grabbed it, and walked over, pulling up a chair he¡¯d brought from the galley, sitting on it as he started strumming some chords.

    I looked down at the ale again, intrigued by the look and smell, yet repulsed by the memories, and the strange, almost sour smell that came after the sweet. I pulled it up to my lips and took a sip. There was an initial delicious fruity, berry-like flavor, mixed with a sweetness like honey, which was immediately followed by a strange, bitter, burning kick at the very end. I moved my tongue around, tasting the remnants. It was tasty, even the bitter wasn¡¯t bad.

    There was a strange after flavor that I wasn¡¯t fond of, not terrible, but not good. I sipped it again, met with nearly the same result. I almost wanted to keep drinking it to keep getting the initial fruit flavor. Not bad. I could get used to it. I leaned against the railing and watched as several crewmen brought out three more instruments, a flute, a violin, and a drum and started playing an upbeat song.

    Leola, Sable, Flint, and L¨¢nn all danced to the tune. I watched, holding my tankard gingerly in both hands, sipping from it as they moved in the fading light. Sable and Leola primarily caught my eyes. They were smiling and laughing as they moved, bouncing up and down on their toes, hips swaying back and forth with their hands in the air.

    It was so amazing to watch, that I forgot all about the ale. Forgot about the tournament, William, Sacae, the Islands, all of it. I just leaned back against the railing and admired them until the song ended and they laughed excitedly, moving over to the table to get a drink of water. Leola glanced over at me, I tried to pretend like I wasn¡¯t looking their way and practically buried my face in the ale. Then coughed slightly as the kick at the end was a bit much.

    I watched Flint trying to learn how to play the lute from Cairen, feeling amused, and sipped from my ale. L¨¢nn was learning how to dance with Keokin. I noticed movement to my right and looked over to see Sable and Leola.

    ¡°Are you finished with that? Can I have some?¡± Sable asked, looking at my ale. I shrugged; I¡¯d had more than half of it. Besides, I still wasn¡¯t sure how I felt about it, might as well let her have the rest.

    ¡°Sure.¡± I handed her the tankard.

    ¡°Sable stop. You¡¯ve had plenty.¡± Leola pressed with a small chuckle.

    ¡°Maybe you should share it with me then.¡± Sable stated as she sipped from the tankard. Leola rolled her eyes and held out her hand. Handing Leola the tankard, Sable turned to me.

    ¡°Are you gonna dance Cro¨ª?¡± I shook my head.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t really know how.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll teach you. And hey, you did great today! I didn¡¯t know you could fight like that. Were you holding back against me? Or did you just want to touch my butt?¡± Sable questioned. Leola nearly spit up her ale and coughed a bit.

    ¡°He what?!¡± Leola asked with shock. Sable laughed, taking the tankard from Leola. I immediately felt embarrassed.

    ¡°You said it was ok. You know I didn¡¯t mean to. I was just all turned around.¡± I sputtered.

    ¡°Relax, I¡¯m just teasing you.¡± Sable said, coming up from the ale. ¡°Come on, we¡¯ll show you how to dance.¡± Sable handed the tankard back to Leola and grabbed my hand, pulling me out into the open area of the deck.

    ¡°You drank pretty much all of it.¡± Leola accused before finishing the tankard and putting it back on the table, running over to join us. Sable jestingly stuck her tongue out at Leola.

    ¡°Right, so first things first. We¡¯ll teach you slow dancing.¡± She grabbed my hands, pulling my left up with hers and my right down onto her hip. I immediately let go of her hip. She looked at me with an eyebrow raised. ¡°What¡¯s the deal?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to touch people there, it¡¯s creepy.¡± She grabbed my hand and pulled it back to her hip, chuckling.

    ¡°Not if you¡¯re dancing, and I give you permission. Now listen up.¡± Her hand¡¯s so soft! This is crazy! And she smells nice, maybe it¡¯s the fruity ale on her breath. I felt awkward, but oddly enough, not as awkward as I thought I would be. ¡°Good, now normally the man leads, but for now just follow my lead.¡± I nodded. Leola giggled with L¨¢nn off to the side. ¡°This is the basic stance, alright? And from here, what you do is just sway your hips back and forth, stepping lightly like this.¡±

    She demonstrated, and I mimicked her to the best of my ability, trying to treat it like it was training. ¡°Good, you¡¯re doing great.¡± She smiled. ¡°Now let¡¯s try something else, step forward with your right foot.¡± She stepped backwards and I stepped forward. ¡°Now this way.¡± We stepped right, then back, then left, back to where we started, in a square. ¡°You¡¯re a natural at this Cro¨ª. Good job.¡± It¡¯s simple, just moving in a square really.

    What they were doing earlier struck me as far more complex and intriguing, but I didn¡¯t figure me doing the same thing would produce the same effect. ¡°Now let¡¯s do some more complex stuff, this is¡­ Well I don¡¯t know the technical term, but it¡¯s a twirl. We step closer.¡± She stepped in and I followed, feeling my cheeks flush a little. ¡°Then we step apart.¡± We stepped apart and she twirled under my arm keeping hold of my right hand, pulling it where it needed to go, then coming back to the basic stance she¡¯d taught me.

    That was fun. This is fun. I was unable to stop a smile. I got slightly distracted when I noticed L¨¢nn and Leola dancing next to us but returned my attention to Sable.

    After about ten minutes of dancing, we decided to get some water and sit down for a moment. Cairen stayed on his chair and accepted his lute back from Flint and began playing a familiar tune. I recognized the song as an ode to Klintock and Flint¡¯s father, the Unbroken. A somber, almost mournful tune, but one with a building undertone of hope and courage. A voice came out of the silence to accompany the tune created by the band of instruments. Beautiful and entrancing. It came from Leola. It made all my muscles relax, and I closed my eyes and listened.

    ¡°Far away in the west, in a land not their own. The Unbroken Company found their calling, wielding blades well honed.

    Royalty pursued by armies, those marked by the beast. Following close behind the Prince, who found safety in the east.

    A desperate ride across the countryside, bringing a message of warning. Alas this desperate ride was destined to end in mourning.

    Invaders from the east, desperate for glory, met their match when they faced down their quarry.

    On the line, our homeland in chains, put to the sword. The Company held strong, a wall against the horde.

    Discarding their fears as they waited. They followed their leader to glorious deaths now fated.

    The Company moved forward, forsaking temptation to run. Determined they stood against the odds, one hundred to one.

    One hundred men stood tall and strong against the horde, failure they could not afford.

    Seven days The Company stood against the waves. Brave warriors fighting, over their brother¡¯s graves.

    Six days of fighting left six to stand Unbroken. These six they stood, against the horde, its bloodlust awoken.

    One by one these six did fall, leaving one man, his last words unspoken. ¨¢rtair Bairde, fought on alone, the last man Unbroken.

    On the line, our homeland in chains, put to the sword. The Company held strong, a wall against the horde.

    Discarding their fears as they waited. They followed their leader to glorious deaths now fated.

    The Company moved forward, forsaking the temptation to run. Determined they stood against odds, one hundred to one.

    The morning of the seventh day left one last man standing strong against the horde. One last man standing fast and bold, proud to be his kingdom¡¯s ward.

    He stood upon the hill, cast in rays of warmth and light. His face steeled with resolve as he stood over his brothers and sisters, knowing he had one last fight.

    Though his life he would give for his homeland, knowing he would see it no more. His roar of war shook his enemies to their cores.

    He fell by blades broken against his armor, the horde reduced, small and soft-spoken. His brothers rose with Kolob over the hills, to avenge them all, The Company Unbroken.¡±

    Klintock and Flint both had tears in their eyes.

    ¡°Ah, one of my favorite sheets of music that.¡± Cairen said, also with tears in his eyes. Then he looked at Klintock and Flint. ¡°Aw young sirs, deepest apologies. This dull old pan never meant to evoke any sadness.¡± Cairen said, giving a small apologetic tap to his forehead. Klintock took a deep breath.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Our father was a hero. We hear songs about him often, not often sung by such a beautiful voice.¡± He looked at Leola. She gave an apologetic smile. ¡°But it does remind us that while we¡¯re grateful to him for his sacrifice, we wish he was still with us, and we¡­¡± His voice broke and his eyes got wetter as his chin quivered for a moment. ¡°We miss him.¡±

    L¨¢nn sniffled and rushed over to them, holding her arms out to hug them. They both accepted the hug with a smile and a slight chuckle as L¨¢nn began weeping. Klintock patted L¨¢nn on the head as she sniffled again. ¡°There there, L¨¢nn. It¡¯s alright.¡± Klintock said, smiling. She chuckled and separated from them.

    ¡°Well then.¡± Keokin started. ¡°Looks like I came at the right time.¡± He was carrying a large platter full of snacks for us. We all ate them gratefully, joking with each other before retiring below deck to our room, staying up a few hours playing cards. Eventually William entered the room, guided by Lanaea. He barely glanced in our direction before moving straight to his bedding, covering himself with his blanket. The room went quiet, some of us shared confused looks, but we finished our game quietly and went to sleep, hoping to be ready for a new week of training.

 Chapter 23

    ¡°Good Cro¨ª. Just remember, snakes¡¯ coil back, then release with intense speeds. You can¡¯t rely on being able to dodge it. So, what would you do if you can¡¯t dodge?¡± Zanataz asked the next morning. I squinted at the large snake like statue, the head covered with padding, so it did hurt as much when it hit us. I gripped my spear tighter as Zanataz moved behind it.

    There was a click as he released the lever and the massive head of the fake snake lunged at me. Without thinking, I jammed the spear into the top of the snake¡¯s mouth, where I figured the brain would be. It kept moving, knocking me over. Zanataz came out from behind it, looked at it, and clapped. ¡°Well done. Use its own momentum against it, drive the spear up into the brain and it¡¯ll die. But.¡± He offered me a hand up. ¡°It¡¯ll keep moving and most likely knock you on your arse. And don¡¯t forget that most snakes have teeth, and the number of teeth, or size of them can tell you essential information, like whether or not the snake is venomous for example.¡±

    He pushed the snake¡¯s head back and it latched into place, then ripped my spear out and tossed it to Jael. ¡°Your turn.¡± He said with a smile.

    Then we heard shouting above deck, and people running. I looked to Zanataz.

    ¡°Exercises on deck with the others?¡± I asked. Zanataz shook his head slowly, eyes locked on the ceiling. The door opened and Danith shouted down.

    ¡°Zanataz! Ships sighted!¡± Zanataz looked to us, considering what to do.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go check it out.¡± Klintock said, excited. Zanataz considered a second longer, then nodded.

    ¡°Come on then.¡± He said with a small roll of his eyes. We smiled and followed him up on deck. Zanataz walked straight over to Edorin on the quarter deck, and all of us moved to the upper deck. The ships were nothing more than small colored blips, far ahead of us. Kind of anticlimactic. I was expecting them to be close enough for us to see the crew of the other ship waving to us.

    ¡°I was hoping we would see something cool, like a ship full of Uraggians or something.¡± Sable said from behind us.

    ¡°Me too.¡± Klintock said.

    ¡°We won¡¯t need to be waiting long.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde said.

    ¡°How long?¡± Sable asked excitedly. C¨¦¨ªrde looked down for a second.

    ¡°I would say roughly two hours. Maybe two and a half.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a long time.¡± Sable groaned.

    ¡°Maybe we should get back to training.¡± I said. They all looked kind of bummed but agreed. We turned to see Zanataz just coming onto the upper deck with Edorin, who said.

    ¡°Get back to training, all of you.¡± Sable raised her hand, Edorin raised an eyebrow at her.

    ¡°Do we know who they are? Where they¡¯re from?¡± He shook his head.

    ¡°No. Just white flags, no colors. Possibly a stranded ship. Either way, it¡¯ll be two hours until we find out. Back to training.¡± He said.

    We rushed back to the training room, all feeling a bit distracted. I personally wanted to know who was on those ships. Were they Human? Were they Uraggian? Or were they something I¡¯d never seen before? Were they heading to the Trial Islands? Zanataz clicked the lever, and Jael got slammed by the padded snake head. The spear clattered across the floor, and she slammed flat on her back with a grunt. Zanataz sighed.

    ¡°Focus, Agers. I know you think it¡¯s exciting to meet another ship, but you need to set that aside while we train.¡± Jael nodded as she got to her feet and Zanataz kicked the spear to her.

    ¡°Now. Let¡¯s try it again.¡±

    For the next hour and forty-five minutes we trained with the snake and a dog like dummy. We learned which positions to be in if we were forced to fight a Hybrid Wolf or other four-legged creatures from the Island. Each one was slightly different, but the tactics were generally the same. Wound or slow it. Surround and kill it. There was commotion up on deck again from the crew running around tying up the sails to slow the ship.

    ¡°Will do Captain.¡± Zanataz said suddenly. ¡°Captain wants all of you to stay down here with me.¡± Why though? It would be cool to see other people.

    ¡°Why do we have to stay down here?¡± Sable asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re keeping you all down here for safety¡¯s sake. If those ships happen to be marauders, or sneaky pirates, we don¡¯t want the ten of you up on deck when the fighting starts. Captain Edorin will feel them out and see if their need for aid is genuine. If it is, I¡¯ll take you up myself.¡± Sable huffed then nodded as she sat, leaning back on her palms with her legs outstretched. Pirates?

    ¡°Seems reasonable. When will we know?¡± She asked.

    ¡°When the fighting starts, or we start moving and I get a message.¡± Zanataz replied. I grabbed a spear and chucked it at a target.

    ¡°Quiet.¡± Flint said. ¡°I¡¯m trying to listen.¡± I forgot about the spear and focused my hearing above me. I could hear an unusual quiet. There wasn¡¯t any of the usual noise from the crew, just the usual sounds of the ship creaking as it bobbed up and down in the water. Then I could hear something else, muffled voices. I couldn¡¯t hear what they were saying. They were too far away. I moved as close as I could to the stairs. A loud voice was speaking.

    ¡°¡­ course all our papers are in order. Just picked up some valuable resources. Would be happy to let you take a look, but in the meantime, we could use some help on repairs for the Wonder. Those Gods cursed Royal idiots have no idea what they¡¯re doing. Sent the ship out on a test run without proper supplies. Just need a bit of supplies and a few hands is all. They¡¯ll pay you of course. Royals are nothing if not wealthy.¡± The man said with a loud chuckle. Why is he yelling? Well, he must be on the other ship further away right? Of course he¡¯s yelling. Then I heard Edorin answer much quieter.

    ¡°We¡¯ll help you. We don¡¯t have much but we¡¯ll help how we can.¡± Edorin said.

    ¡°Great! We¡¯ll get our leaky tub turned around and meet you alongside the Wonder then. Away ya scabby rats! Get a move on!¡± The man yelled. Me and the other Agers glanced between ourselves and the mentors.

    ¡°Sounds like the Captain¡­¡± Zanataz started, then paused. ¡°Yes Captain.¡± He said. ¡°Ok, follow me up on deck then kids.¡± He said as he trotted up the stairs, the lot of us following eagerly on his heels. Once we got up on deck, we were met with the sight of a much larger ship than before. Two sails unfurled and we started moving closer to it.

    The other ship was larger and grander than the Pony. It had three large masts in the middle and three small ones divided between the front and back, some even hanging over the sides of the ship. It looked to have at least two more decks than the Pony and looked more bulbous on the bottom. Parts of it glistened in the morning light of Kolob. I realized it was covered with flowery, flowing, golden framework. It was primarily light brown and cream colored with bright blue and red accents. A few of the white sails looked damaged, like something had sliced through them. I couldn¡¯t see any of the crew though; the deck was too high up for me to see onto it. There was a large red ribbon carved from wood surrounding the name of the ship, The Wonder, in big golden Common letters.

    ¡°It¡¯s huge!¡± Sable said, smiling.

    ¡°It looks expensive. Is it covered in gold?¡± Flint asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful!¡± L¨¢nn said, giggling excitedly.

    ¡°The Wonder. Not a bad name.¡± Keokin said.

    ¡°What happened to the sails? They look like they got sliced.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde pointed out. I nodded to her.

    ¡°I saw that too. Looks like something sliced them. But what could do that out here? Some kind of bird or something?¡±

    ¡°Maybe some pirates tried to get them. Pirates go for the sails from what I heard, so you can¡¯t escape.¡± Flint said.

    ¡°Pirates?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yeah. Really bad people that sail around looking for other ships to rob.¡± That doesn¡¯t seem smart. These are the first ships we¡¯ve seen since we left. You¡¯d starve to death before you found another ship to rob. Probably a myth.

    A man suddenly popped up on the railing of the other ship as we approached. It surprised me. If I¡¯d blinked, I would¡¯ve missed him. He stood completely still, hanging with one hand on the rope that tied off to the sails above him. He looked unusually pale and was bundled up tight in his clothing. His eyes were extremely wide open, and his mouth was covered by a dark cloth. Something about him made me nervous.

    A hand pulled him down and a loud voice shouted at him for standing on the railing, then told him to go and clean a toilet somewhere. Laughter came from the deck of The Wonder, which made me think it was a joke the other sailor was playing. Though, as I looked around, only a few of our crew chuckled. Edorin didn¡¯t look amused.

    The crew furled our sails. Ropes with hooks attached were thrown from one ship to the other and hooked to the railing, pulling the two ships side by side. I watched the crew tie the ropes down and the gangway of The Wonder rolled out from below its deck and lowered down to ours by wires attached to the railing. Edorin stood near the bottom of the gangway. There was a small moment of silence, and he squinted at the other ship. What was that look? Where is the other crew?

    ¡°Captain of The Wonder.¡± Edorin called. There were several heavy footsteps, then a heavyset, larger man with a big, wide brimmed hat appeared at the other end of the gangway. His big, bushy, grey beard and hair looked unkempt, but his clothes looked well-kept and really fancy for the most part. He wore form fit dull silver and gold armor with two swords, one on each hip. There was a red sash across his mid-section, breaking up the deep blue of the rest of his clothes. Just like the other sailor I saw, there was something strange about his eyes. They were wide open, and he never seemed to blink. It made me feel uneasy.

    He dipped to a bow, holding his hat to his head.

    ¡°Pleasant greetings Captain. Come aboard.¡± The man said in a deep dry voice. He was strange, but I couldn¡¯t figure out why. He looked normal enough, aside from those eyes. Edorin didn¡¯t move, just sat staring at the other Captain, then his eyes flashed purple as he glanced at Zanataz. Zanataz moved towards us, almost looking rushed, his eyes serious. What¡¯s going on? I looked back at the other Captain as he spoke.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    ¡°Won¡¯t you come aboard Captain?¡±

    Edorin held his arms out wide and sported an uncharacteristically wide smile, and spoke in a grand and flamboyant way, that was just as unnerving as the other Captain.

    ¡°Of course! Just let me pick out which men I want to send over.¡± The other man didn¡¯t move, but his eyelids started fluttering, dipping down almost to a squint, then shooting wide open, over and over again.

    ¡°Get below deck, all of you.¡± Zanataz whispered. We followed him.

    ¡°Where are they headed? Come aboard!¡± The other man yelled.

    ¡°They¡¯re going to get the supplies you wanted. Not to worry.¡± Edorin answered. I was weirded out by the strange behavior of Edorin. Then I glanced at the crew. None of them even glanced at us as we passed them by, heading for the stairs. All of them had firm grips on their sword hilts. Just as Zanataz reached the door and pulled it open, the other man shouted.

    ¡°Captain! Please stop!¡± There was a strange, guttural howling from the other two ships. The crew of The Wonder suddenly appeared, all with weapons raised as they ran and leapt from the railing of their ship. One of our crewmen moved forward and whipped his sword in an upward arc at one of the sailors, just before he hit the deck. Blood sprayed from the massive slash in the sailor¡¯s torso as another sailor landed on the deck and sprinted with unnatural speed towards us.

    ¡°Move Cro¨ª!¡± Zanataz yelled, pushing me through the door before following me. He slammed a board down across the door, locking it in place. Sounds of fighting and screaming burst from the deck as we rushed down the stairs. ¡°Into your room!¡± Zanataz ordered. We obeyed quickly, moving past a few crewmen and slipping into the relative darkness of our room. I was starting to panic; I didn¡¯t know what to do. Were those pirates?

    ¡°Stay in here. Lock the door and don¡¯t let anyone but me or Edorin in. No matter what. Get your weapons out and keep them at the ready. Try to stay calm and be as quiet as you can. Breathe Agers. I¡¯ll be back.¡± He smiled at us, then pulled the door closed. Several breaths came and went before anyone moved. Keokin hissed a whisper.

    ¡°Weapons out guys, come on.¡± He unsheathed his Sealgair and knife. We rustled through our things and pulled out our weapons. I tested the grip on mine, and bounced back and forth on my toes, trying to control my breathing. As I listened, I could hear fighting above us. Yelling and what sounded like swords clashing. Right, lock the door he said.

    I started moving quietly across the room. Then I heard a sound. Someone was running towards us from further below deck. I heard them yelp as they tripped and fell. They shouted in the hallway outside our room.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to do this! Please! No sto¡­¡± They were cut short by a strange squelching slice, then a gurgle, then silence. L¨¢nn let out a small whimper but quickly covered her mouth. I slowly flipped the lock down and backed away from the door. Heavy footsteps came from the galley seconds later, heading towards us, then two shadows blocked most of the light from the bottom of the door.

    A blade came through the small gap in the side, pushing the lock up, and the door started to move. I was shaking with fear, horrified by the thoughts of what might come through. Glancing around, I could see everyone else felt the same way. Holding their weapons tightly, shifting from one foot to the other as sweat beaded down their faces, their eyes were locked onto the opening door as it slowly swung open.

    There was a man standing in the doorway. He had short black hair, overalls, and bare feet. It took a second to recognize him as Morean. He would play cards with Danith and Cairen.

    But there was something odd, almost eerie about him. His posture was slackened, and his feet looked almost twisted, like they weren¡¯t even below him or supporting his weight. Then my eyes adjusted to the light, and I noticed his head, drooped to the side with his dead eyes slightly open, mouth slackened, blood still drenching the right side of his body, a slash across his throat. He¡¯s dead!? But, how?... There was someone behind the body, someone large, muscled, and bulky. My hands started to shake as recognition of the shape began to dawn on me. A face peeking over the shoulders of Morean¡¯s body. It was scarred with one milky eye. The body was pushed into the room from behind, landing with a sickening smack on the floor as the larger, familiar shape filled up the doorway.

    My jaw clenched shut, my hands began to shake, my eyes found it hard to focus, and my breathing became quick and shallow as my wide eyes locked onto the figure I now recognized. Sacae entered the room, smiling, and holding a short sword, his sickening smile and eyes locked in on me as he spoke.

    ¡°Hello there. Little Cro¨ª.¡± His grip tightened on the sword and his smile widened. William dropped into a fetal position, cowering in the corner by my bed. Jael and Klintock took wary steps forward, weapons in their shaking hands. Their movement shook me enough to remember to breathe. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t if I were you whelps.¡± Sacae pointed his sword at them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get to you soon enough. But right now, I just want him.¡±

    He pointed his sword at me. The look on his face changed. His eyes were wide, but there wasn¡¯t any emotion in them, no rage, no fear, just pure malevolent, murderous intent. The look shocked me; he didn¡¯t seem like a person anymore. The look was like being targeted as prey by a predator. Keokin stepped up on my left, shaking, but with determination in his eyes. Focus. That¡¯s right, I need to focus. I¡¯ve trained for this. I beat William. Now I have to conquer Sacae. Why won¡¯t my body move?! If I don¡¯t beat Sacae, he¡¯ll kill us all! Gods¡­This is real, isn¡¯t it?

    ¡°I¡­ If you want him. You g¡­ gotta¡­¡± Klintock stammered out but was interrupted by Sacae.

    ¡°Go through all of you first?¡± He smiled. A sickening smile. ¡°Not much of a challenge, is it?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve grown.¡± Keokin said confidently, though his shaking hands betrayed him.

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it¡¯s gotta be then? All of you want to get in the way?¡± I knew I wanted to help my shield family, but I couldn¡¯t move. I was frozen, shaking with fear, the best I could do was focus on my breathing. ¡°Very well then.¡± Sacae began, the look in his eyes showing a slight sadistic joy now. ¡°As you wish, Leader.¡± His smile widened for a moment, then dropped as he focused on Klintock with the eyes of a predator.

    He moved quickly, too quick for Klintock to fully react. He brought up his hatchet to block an overhead strike from the sword, but Sacae wasn¡¯t aiming for Klintock¡¯s head, he was aiming for his hand.

    There was a slicing sound and a dull thud as his right middle finger fell to the floor. Jael and Keokin, were spurred to action by his movement. They lunged at Sacae as Klintock stepped back, shock on his face as he looked at his hand. There was a severe gash across the knuckles of his pinky and index fingers. His middle finger was missing, and his ring finger held on by a small thread of skin.

    This is happening. This isn¡¯t a nightmare. Keokin tried to stab Sacae, but Sacae caught his wrist, while he blocked a blow from Jael¡¯s hatchet with his sword and kicked her in the stomach at the same time, sending her flying past me into the wall. She coughed and gagged as she fell to her knees, then vomited.

    I looked back to Sacae. Keokin had dropped his Sealgair into his other hand as Sacae was kicking Jael aside, and now stabbed forward with it. Sacae twisted, but the blade still sliced across his stomach. Keokin brought the Sealgair around, aiming to chop off Sacae¡¯s hand, but his wrist was caught again. The world seemed to be moving slowly around me as Sacae twisted Keokin¡¯s wrist. I heard a snap and his scream of pain as the Sealgair was flung from his grip out the open door. Keokin was brought to his knees as Sacae smiled, slowly raising his sword.

    He¡¯s going to kill him! He¡¯s going to kill him! What can I do? I felt a small tap on my chest from my necklace as my body straightened with fear. Focus. Training. Accuracy. That¡¯s it! Almost on instinct, my hand flipped the knife over. I reeled it back quickly and threw it, aiming for Sacae¡¯s head. He noticed the movement just in time and tried to sidestep out of the way. Keokin wrenched his broken hand through Sacae¡¯s thumb and ran out into the galley.

    My knife dug into Sacae¡¯s right cheek, deflecting off the cheek bone and flying into the galley above Keokin¡¯s head. A sickening look overcame Sacae¡¯s face again, that animalistic predatory focus as he slightly raised his sword and he lunged towards me, only a small grunt escaping his lips.

    Focus! Or he kills you and then the group. I brought my hatchet up and deflected the lunging blade but was hit by his right jab to my face. I recovered quickly to see his sword swinging at my neck. Again, I pulled the hatchet up in time to hook the blade, this time expecting his fist. I moved my head left and crouched low, diving under his outstretched right arm and out of his field of view. Mid dive, I brought my hatchet down into his right thigh, where I lost my grip on it and rolled away from him.

    I looked over to see Klintock pull his ring finger the rest of the way off and ready his grip on his hatchet, his two remaining fingers white and shaking from pressure, but I didn¡¯t see his knife. I took a quick breath, glancing at Jael as she stood. She nodded to me and held out her knife. I took it, and she motioned for me to back away. I saw a flash of movement. I was distracted taking the knife from Jael and didn¡¯t notice Sacae twisting with his blade low. I moved back but it was too late.

    I felt the tip of the blade slide several inches into my abdomen. My muscles clenched. Oddly enough, I didn¡¯t feel much pain, aside from the initial sharp burst, just shock and surprise, which helped me stay focused. I reached up and grabbed hold of his wrist, keeping his sword hand extended, gasping as it felt like the wind was knocked out of me. I tried to stab him, but my body wouldn¡¯t move forward. Jael saw the opportunity and brought her hatchet down in a glancing strike to Sacae¡¯s forearm.

    As Sacae¡¯s grip on the sword was torn away, I accidently pulled the sword slightly further into my stomach and stumbled several steps back, dropping to my knees from the intense pain. Klintock¡¯s hatchet buried itself, with his guidance, into Sacae¡¯s right shoulder blade. Sacae yelped and mule kicked Klintock, sending him stumbling to the ground. C¨¦¨ªrde, Leola, Flint, and L¨¢nn all rushed the now bladeless Sacae. No! He excels at hand to hand! But I couldn¡¯t open my mouth fast enough to warn them.

    Sacae¡¯s massive hands encompassed the entirety of C¨¦¨ªrde and Leola¡¯s faces as he pushed their heads together with a hard crack. L¨¢nn and Flint punched his stomach and face, barely fazing him. The back of his hand moved through the strikes L¨¢nn was throwing and into her jaw, knocking her back. Jael dove low behind him and dug her hatchet into the back of the same thigh I¡¯d hit and was met with a stern elbow to the jaw. She flopped to the floor, dazed.

    Sacae dodged two of Flint¡¯s punches before leveling one of his own at Flint¡¯s stomach, collapsing him in pain. It was then that Sacae and I noticed Sable in the corner of the room with her bow. She had been waiting for a clean shot and she now had it. Sacae brought up his already injured hand as the arrow flew, piercing through it. The arrowhead burst through his hand, scraping against the side of his head, slicing off the top of his left ear and embedding itself in the wall behind him as he growled and roared with anger.

    He glared at Sable as she pulled out another arrow, shakily trying to nock it. Sacae pulled my hatchet from his thigh and threw it at her. She dropped low, sliding to the floor as the hatchet slammed into the wall above her head. Several white hairs fell next to her. He kicked Jael again as he bent over and picked up L¨¢nn, throwing her at Klintock, who had no time to react and caught her, but was slammed into the wall.

    Sacae moved towards Sable, bent, and grabbed her left ankle, dragging her towards him and pulled Jael¡¯s hatchet out of his thigh. Jael quickly got up and leapt forward, grabbing onto the arm with the hatchet as Sable readied another arrow, kicking Sacae¡¯s shins with the bottom of her boot. As Jael used her body weight to jerk Sacae away from Sable, he kicked his foot out just enough to tap the bow and deflect Sable¡¯s shot. Angered by Jael, he slammed his injured fist into her jaw, dazing her again. Sacae glanced at me as he pulled the hatchet up.

    I can¡¯t move. I need to get the sword out. I need to help. A metallic flash passed through the air from the galley as Keokin tossed a knife back into the room at Sacae. It struck handle first into Sacae¡¯s forehead, stunning him. Flint pulled Jael out of the way as the hatchet struck the floor, barely missing her head. I remembered the knife I was holding and readied it. Looking behind Sacae, I saw Klintock rising to his feet with his knife. He nodded at me. I took a quick breath.

    It¡¯s a target, just target practice. I followed through with my throw, feeling the satisfying feeling of a solid release, followed by searing, debilitating pain in my stomach. Sacae looked up in time to see the knife but wasn¡¯t fast enough to catch it. I watched it slip through his fingers and sink deep into the right side of his chest as Klintock moved in behind him.

    The impact from the knife twisted Sacae enough that he noticed Klintock. He looked up at him and moved his hand out to stop the blow, but again was too slow as Klintock pushed through Sacae¡¯s fingers. Klintock¡¯s knife dug deep into Sacae¡¯s neck. There was a moment of calm as Sacae realized he¡¯d been struck. He made a gurgle noise and moved his hands towards Klintock¡¯s throat. Klintock pushed the knife out to the side, severing Sacae¡¯s left carotid and kicked him to the ground.

    My breathing became slightly hoarse as I sat, staring into Sacae¡¯s glaring eyes as he crawled towards me, slowly losing strength, and finally collapsing, still glaring at me. Emotions flashed through his eyes. Anger, rage, and eyes intent on murder. Other small emotions also seemed to pass through his eyes. Sadness, desperation, panic, then back to anger. I watched his eyes in horror as the light slowly left them.

 Chapter 24

    This is a nightmare. A terrible nightmare. All of it. It seemed unreal, looking into Sacae¡¯s now fake looking eyes. Seconds ago, they were beaming with hatred, rage, and murderous intent. But now, they seemed to not even reflect the morning light of Kolob that was coming into the room.

    Klintock dropped to his knees, holding his hand, and groaned, seeming to finally feel the pain. Keokin walked slowly into the room holding his arm, staring at the now lifeless body of Sacae. Flint roused Jael, she looked around the room somewhat dazed, then she fixed on me, panic in her eyes as she saw the sword sticking out of me.

    I seemed to suddenly realize it was there as well. Strange, very strange. Ow. That doesn¡¯t feel¡­ ow! I shakily held up my hand, waving off her worry.

    ¡°Them...you got¡­gotta check¡­ on them.¡± I pointed to the group. She looked conflicted, glancing between me and everyone else, then nodded and rushed off to help rouse Leola. Klintock looked up at me, nodded and did the same, pulling Sable and L¨¢nn to their feet. Sable started running out of the room, but Keokin held up his hand, stopping her.

    ¡°Wait, there¡¯s still fighting upstairs. We need to wait for Zanataz.¡±

    ¡°But look!¡± She pointed to me ¡°We need Lanaea! I need to go!¡± Keokin shook his head.

    ¡°It won¡¯t do much good if whatever they¡¯re fighting up there kills you first. We have Leola, Jael¡¯s waking her up and she¡¯ll keep us stable. She''s trained for this. Have a little faith. Wake up C¨¦¨ªrde instead.¡± Sable glanced at me, then to the other injured group members, then groaned in frustration and nodded, running over to wake C¨¦¨ªrde, lightly tapping her face.

    Keokin stepped into the room and closed the door crouching beside me, holding his twisted arm. ¡°You¡¯re not bleeding too much on the outside, hopefully you¡¯re doing alright on the inside. How do you feel?¡± I thought about it.

    ¡°Fi...¡± I coughed. Something about talking seemed to hurt and make me feel like I was going to throw up. I gave Keokin a shaky thumbs up, wiggled my shaky ring and middle finger, and pointed to Klintock. Get his fingers. Keokin nodded and moved, stepping over Sacae¡¯s body and bent to pick up both of Klintock¡¯s fingers. I let my head sag and tried to breathe as slowly as possible.

    Did all of that really just happen? I looked at Sacae¡¯s body. His dead empty face, then to Morean¡¯s. It still didn¡¯t seem real. It couldn¡¯t be. I looked at the group, Leola sitting up and holding her head, Klintock helped Sable pick up C¨¦¨ªrde, then L¨¢nn balled up some cloth for Klintock¡¯s vacant fingers to try and staunch the bleeding. Jael hugged Flint and thanked him for pulling her aside. I felt a tickle on my belly and looked down to see a steady stream of blood coming from the wound.

    It was strange, looking at the sword in my stomach, I could see it, but...Ow! Only now was I beginning to feel it, and it was painful, with every tiny shift I could feel it move inside me, activating damaged nerves and possibly damaging new ones. I could even feel the weight of the sword pushing down into the wound, and the muscles flexing, clamping down on the blade. I did my best to stay still, but my hands were too shaky. I couldn¡¯t help but groan through gritted teeth.

    ¡°Get my pack! Sable throw it to me! Jael bring yours!¡± Leola yelled, catching her pack from Sable as she stumbled over to me, shaking her head slightly. Not me, Klintock, his fingers! I held up a shaky hand to wave her away.

    ¡°Klinto...Klintock. Hand.¡±

    ¡°Shh. Let me work.¡± Leola urged. She assessed my wound, pulling out the vial of concentrate from Jael¡¯s pack and taking a deep breath, squinting as she held her head for a moment. ¡°Ok, Cro¨ª, this is going to hurt. I need to pull the sword out, but your muscles are clamping onto it, trying to keep you from bleeding out. I need to pull it out and shove some concentrate in to start the healing, but I need to get it in deep so it can push out the internal bleeding, otherwise you¡¯ll keep that blood in you and it¡¯ll cause problems. The concentrate should fix any severed intestines. You ready?¡±

    She seemed to be talking to me, as well as talking herself through the process at the same time. I took several shallow breaths, then nodded. Leola passed me a thick piece of leather to bite on. ¡°Bite down on this.¡± I bit down and she turned to Jael. ¡°Take this with both hands and pull hard when I tell you. Try to keep it as straight as possible.¡± Jael nodded and grabbed the sword handle. I groaned as it wiggled inside me. Leola pulled out a thick needled syringe and dipped it in the concentrate then nodded to Jael.

    It didn¡¯t come out fast, but it came out. I bit down hard onto the leather, as my muffled scream moved through the room. Leola immediately shoved the syringe into the wound and injected the red liquid. I groaned as I felt the burning sensation of the concentrate slowly moving around my stomach, and blood started gushing more and more from the wound as the concentrate pushed it out. Leola handed the syringe and bottle of concentrate to Jael. ¡°He needs maybe one more shot, just a little at a time. Wait for the burning to stop, that means you need more.¡± I fell to my side, unable to keep myself upright, groaning and shaking with pain and discomfort.

    She hesitated, not wanting to leave, then glanced at the others and nodded to both of us, grabbed the second vial of concentrate and stood. She stumbled, holding her head and almost fell, but made her way to Klintock. She took his fingers from Keokin.

    I watched her realign them, checking to make sure where they fit back together and marking them with a small cut from a tool in her bag. Once satisfied, she used another tool to put a small amount of concentrate on one severed finger and slowly positioned it in place. Klintock flinched and squinted for several seconds as Leola kept his hand and finger aligned. She let go thirty seconds later and the finger stayed on. She grabbed the second finger and repeated the process.

    I could feel the burning stopping in my stomach and looked down, it didn¡¯t look like the healing had reached my abdomen yet, but already I felt better, still in a lot of pain, but it was something I could at least deal with. I took the syringe from Jael with a shaky hand and nodded towards the door. She understood, hesitantly grabbing a hatchet from Sacae¡¯s body and a knife from the floor. I stuck the syringe in the wound, wincing and pushed the plunger down gently, letting out some of the liquid, feeling the same burning sensation.

    I looked up to see Leola let go of Klintock¡¯s hand then reach into her pack, pulling out several splints and some gauze. She made sure the wounds on his hand were healed before she splinted both fingers together, making sure they weren¡¯t too tight, but were wrapped well enough that Klintock wouldn¡¯t be able to bend them easily. She nodded to him, patting his shoulder then turned her attention to Keokin¡¯s wrist.

    Keokin had pushed it and pulled it while it was numb, hoping all the bones had fallen back into place. Leola checked it, decently satisfied with his work. Feeling around the damaged area, she was able to determine most of what broke and how. She had Flint and Sable hold him steady as she pulled and twisted the bones back into place. He bit down hard on the roll of leather Leola had put in his mouth. Once done, she splinted his arm and slung it over his shoulder.

    ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m not Lanaea, I don¡¯t know exactly how to fix this, but I¡¯ve got it started.¡± She closed her eyes and groaned as she held her head for a moment. C¨¦¨ªrde was doing the same. We¡¯re stable for a moment looks like, but we need Lanaea. Leola¡¯s injured; head injury might be affecting her thinking. I looked down to see a slight red glow from the concentrate beginning to fade nearly a quarter inch into my stomach. The bleeding hadn¡¯t stopped, but it was good enough that I could move around without terrible pain.

    I listened carefully to the sounds above deck. The fighting seemed to have subsided. Maybe the fighting¡¯s over. No way to tell what they were fighting or who won. But we need to get Lanaea in here to help Leola. If nothing else, we need to let them know we¡¯ve been attacked. I stood and moved over to the corner and pulled my hatchet from the wall, heading to the door.

    ¡°Wait Cro¨ª. We need to stay here till Cairen arrives.¡± Keokin said. I nodded.

    ¡°Yeah, but it sounds like the fighting has stopped, or slowed at least. If they won, they need to know we need help. If they lost, we need to know what to expect.¡±

    ¡°But what if the enemy just doesn¡¯t know we¡¯re down here? You could alert them to our presence. Besides, your stomach isn¡¯t fully healed.¡± Leola challenged.

    ¡°If whatever it was managed to beat the crew, we don¡¯t stand a chance and they¡¯ll find us eventually anyways. Better to know that sooner than later. My stomach¡¯s good enough, at least to go above deck for a moment, thanks to you, but we need Lanaea.¡± I turned and walked over to the door, taking a last glance at Keokin and Leola. Keokin looked frustrated but nodded in agreement. Leola looked annoyed but went about making sure everyone else was alright.

    I opened the door slightly, peeking into the galley. There was nothing there. Nodding to Jael, I left the room, feeling the pain of my open wound as I moved towards the stairs. I could hear talking at the top, even a laugh. I peeked up to see a humanoid figure. I kept still and stared at them.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    If they¡¯re Cian¨ªan, we should be alright. The figure turned slightly, and I saw the two points on their ear. I breathed a small sigh of relief but had a thought. What if Sacae being loose wasn¡¯t an accident? What if he had help? This could be a mutiny. I decided to creep up the stairs as quietly as I could, hoping to see Cairen or Edorin. Instead, I heard Lanaea yelling orders to someone.

    ¡°It¡¯s in the first drawer down on the dresser to the left of the first bed! Get at least two handfuls!¡±

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± I heard footsteps and Danith appeared at the top of the stairs. He looked down, surprised to see me, then his eyes trailed to my hand on my stomach and the blood trail leading down my shirt and pants. ¡°Cro¨ª?!¡± He turned and tapped the man at the top of the stairs. ¡°Get Lanaea over here!¡± I shook my head.

    ¡°We need Lanaea down there. Sacae attacked the group. We¡¯re alive but he killed Morean.¡± Danith and the other crewman¡¯s eyes went wide, then a shock of pain went through Danith¡¯s.

    ¡°Ok, come up here and see Lanaea. I¡¯ll go check on your group.¡± He ran down the stairs and I pushed above deck.

    I looked for Lanaea but couldn¡¯t ignore all the carnage. Looking around, I could see dozens of bodies, body parts, and blood all over the deck. I fought against my stomach to keep myself from vomiting.

    Several crewmen were looking over the dozens of dead for things that could be useful, then stripping the clothes from those with fancy uniforms, before tossing them in a pile on one side of the deck. Others were washing off the blood, pushing it into the ocean. I quickly turned away.

    I had to find Edorin, or Lanaea, or Cairen, anybody to help the group.

    To my right, I could see Lanaea working on someone. I couldn¡¯t see who it was, but I started moving towards her. When I got close, I noticed two bodies lying side by side next to her, Cian¨ªans. I didn¡¯t know either of them by name. I¡¯d seen them around, seen them laughing and smiling at the tournaments, but I¡¯d never asked their names. I felt sad knowing that I would never get the chance. Lanaea turned and shouted.

    ¡°Where is my shite Danith?!¡± She was working on Cairen. He had a slash on his upper torso, and two stabs in his stomach that she was applying concentrate to. He looked like he was in pain, and the wounds looked much deeper than mine had been but at least he was alive. Her face turned to shock as she saw me. ¡°Cro¨ª? By D¨ªan¡¯s mercy!¡± I held up my hands.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. Don¡¯t worry. How¡¯s he?¡± I motioned to Cairen. He chuckled as a small stream of blood dribbled from his mouth. Lanaea looked stunned.

    ¡°He¡¯s uh... He¡¯ll be fine if I get some gauze and disinfectant!¡± She shouted towards the stairs. ¡°Then he needs some concentrate to heal him up. What happened? Where¡¯s the rest of the group?¡± She moved my shirt aside, looking at the wound, then checked the rest of me quickly, her long red leather gloves spattered with blood.

    ¡°Sacae attacked us.¡±

    ¡°Sacae?! Where is he?¡± Edorin asked as he walked up to the side of us, purple vanishing from his angry eyes as he was looking downstairs. Footsteps came running up and Danith emerged, holding gauze and disinfectant.

    ¡°He¡¯s dead. So is Morean.¡± I answered. ¡°But when he¡¯s alright.¡± I pointed to Cairen while addressing Lanaea. ¡°We could use some help.¡± She nodded, sighed, and accepted the supplies from Danith. Danith turned to Edorin, whose eyes had softened.

    ¡°It¡¯s true sir, Sacae escaped and killed Morean. No Ager casualties, by Aebhsean¡¯s grace, but they got banged up.¡± Edorin nodded to Danith and pointed downstairs.

    ¡°Get down there. Let them know they¡¯re safe now, then I want you figuring out how in the Other Sacae got free.¡± Edorin ordered. Danith ran below deck.

    I refocused on the bodies surrounding us. They looked human. Some were dressed in fine blue and gold uniforms, most stained with blood or missing limbs. Others were dressed haphazardly with strange torn clothing or rags. All their faces were gaunt and dry looking. Their lips were shriveled so much that they revealed their discolored teeth and gums. Their eyes were wide open and terrifying. They had strange lesions all over their skin. Some of them looking like small red mushrooms.

    Who are these people? What¡¯s wrong with them? What¡¯s going on? I thought, feeling dazed, keeping my eyes on the deck of the ship to avoid any more of the terrifying bodies.

    I sighed and rubbed my stomach. It felt strange, off somehow. My body felt tingly, mostly my lips for some reason. I felt Edorin¡¯s hand on my shoulder. I glanced up at him.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright now Cro¨ª, breathe.¡± At first, I was confused, but then I noticed I¡¯d been hyperventilating. When did that start? I took two deep breaths, shaking my head and looking at Edorin¡¯s chest, then his face.

    ¡°Captain Edorin sir?¡± I asked. Edorin looked down at me, his eyes again turning from purple to blue.

    ¡°What is it Cro¨ª?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why did they attack us? Who were they?¡± I asked, glancing down at a nearby body. Edorin took a deep breath and sighed.

    ¡°A mistake. When we came even with the smaller ship, The Glory.¡± He pointed over to a smaller ship really close to the stern of the Pony. It was a dark color with white sails. Very simple looking, with no extra designs, or accents of color aside from the three men slumped over the railing with arrows in their chests.

    Edorin continued. ¡°The sails on The Wonder were damaged. They said they had been attacked by pirates and were left stranded, needing aid.¡±

    His eyes turned purple again as he looked to another crewman on The Wonder. The crewman glanced over at Edorin, saluted with a small nod, and rushed off. ¡°When I talked to the Captain of The Glory, Tellis didn¡¯t pick up any lies. But with the Captain of The Wonder, I wasn¡¯t getting anything coherent from him. Just pure intensity. Hate, fear, sadness, joy, just for a moment, then it cleared. I should have recognized it sooner. But the Captain of The Glory was fresh, I didn¡¯t see the eyes until it was too late.¡±

    Edorin looked annoyed for a moment, pointing to one of the bodies. ¡°Those weird looking mushrooms, see them?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± I said simply.

    ¡°They¡¯re called Lobhadh Aigne (Luh-vedg Ae-g-nuh). They grow on the Trial Islands.¡± The Islands?! I looked down at the small mushrooms growing from the face of a wide-eyed man. All the way out here? ¡°They breathed in the spores of Lobhadh. Within a day, it changed their brains. Small things at first; a twitch, or a giggle during a serious moment. Eventually, they¡¯re nothing like who they used to be. It doesn¡¯t kill them, it takes over. Some, like their Captains, become cunning and are able to act normal enough to close the distance. Then the others come into play. Feral, strong, depraved, and fearless. They¡¯re formidable, even for the likes of us.¡±

    I was terrified. This is a small taste of what is waiting for us on the Island. I gulped. I need to talk to C¨¦¨ªrde and Flint about these things. Find out if there¡¯s any kind of cure. I don¡¯t want to end up like¡­ I looked over at the man. His skin was covered in open wounds, sores, and lesions, with Lobhadh sprouting from his skin in patches.

    ¡°Wait, you said spores¡­¡± I said, worried. Edorin held up his hand to interrupt me.

    ¡°We¡¯ve checked them already. Any Lobhadh mature enough to bear spores was thrown overboard almost as soon as the fighting stopped. Lanaea will be mixing up potions for the crew later.¡±

    ¡°Cures?¡± I asked. Edorin shook his head.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t one that we know of, but concentrate can help your body get rid of it. There are potions to slow its spread while the body deals with it.¡± No cure?... Gods¡­

    ¡°We lost Landae (Lawn-day) and Hanaes (Hawn-ae-sh).¡± Edorin said with a small pause as he pointed downstairs. ¡°And Morean, unfortunately. They were excellent crewmen.¡± He sighed. ¡°Besides that, with all that blood in the water, we¡¯re going to be attracting a feeding frenzy soon.¡±

    ¡°On the other hand¡­¡± Cairen started, interrupted by a wince of pain as Lanaea injected more concentrate and wiped him again with disinfectant. ¡°We get¡­ a wee peek¡­ at any loot¡­ aboard the other ships.¡±

    ¡°Great. Now shut up you jolly idiot.¡± Lanaea warned.

    ¡°Aye miss.¡± Cairen said, miming tipping a hat to her. Edorin looked over the two dead crewmen. He took a long deep breath, a momentary expression of sadness flickering on his face, then turned to me.

    ¡°We could...We could use Sable, if she¡¯s not hurt.¡± I thought back on the fight, I couldn¡¯t remember her being injured too seriously.

    ¡°She should be fine.¡± I said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be the judge of that.¡± Lanaea interjected. ¡°I¡¯ll head down there as soon as I¡¯m done with this big baby.¡± Cairen laughed then groaned, glaring at Lanaea playfully. Edorin grabbed my shoulder and led me to the door.

    ¡°Go wait with the others. Come up after Lanaea clears you and check in with me. Tell Keokin I would like a report when he¡¯s cleared.¡± I walked back down into the room. Leola immediately pulled me over and started checking on my wounds, satisfied that the cuts on my face from Sacae¡¯s punches were nothing serious. She pulled off my shirt to check the stab wound.

    I looked over to find Sable sitting with L¨¢nn in the corner, who was leaning on Sable¡¯s shoulder, crying. Sable was holding her and rubbing her back gently, eyes seeming glazed over with shock. Keokin was talking with William in the other corner. Flint was comforting Jael near the door. Klintock was out in the galley where he had dragged the two bodies and was cleaning the blood off the weapons with C¨¦¨ªrde. I looked over to William. What happened to him? He¡¯s like a completely different person.

    ¡°It might be best not to use concentrate for the rest of this. Lanaea knows what to¡­ uh¡­¡± Leola held her head, breathing. ¡°She knows what to do.¡± I grabbed her shoulder.

    ¡°Are you ok?¡± She started shaking her head then winced.

    ¡°No. I think I have a concussion or something. Head hurts so much.¡± She glanced over at where Sacae¡¯s body used to be, then turned away, breathing heavily.

    ¡°But Leola.¡± I spoke quieter. ¡°Are you ok?¡± Her bottom lip quivered for a second and she pursed her lips to stop it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, I just need something to do or focus on.¡±

    ¡°Lanaea will be here in a moment, until then we still have cleanup and healing to do. When that¡¯s all done then we can evaluate our mental states.¡± Keokin interjected. I nodded, patting Leola on the shoulder as I went out into the galley to retrieve and clean my weapons.

    Admittedly, I was curious about William. It was strange to see him like this. Crying, sitting balled up in a corner. Like he was terrified. Granted Sacae was terrifying, and I couldn¡¯t move for a good portion of the fight, but he claimed to have been a fighter all his life, so this shouldn¡¯t have bothered him. There must have been something else going on with him. Klintock handed me a hatchet and knife.

    ¡°Thanks. How¡¯s the hand?¡± I asked. He shrugged.

    ¡°No big deal really. Occasional twinges of pain but Leola said that¡¯s good, means the nerves are lining up so I should still have some feeling in them. How¡¯s your stomach?¡± He seemed unphased. Most everyone else was crying, shaking with fear, or wearing a blank face, but he was acting like nothing had happened, maybe even happier than he was before.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ good, I guess. I¡¯m gonna wait for Lanaea to do the last bit of healing.¡± I looked over at C¨¦¨ªrde, she looked exhausted, then suddenly her eyes widened, and she bent over, throwing up onto the floor. She fell backwards to a sitting position, groaning as she held her head. ¡°Are you alright?¡± I asked standing over her. She looked at me, looking tired and confused.

    ¡°Everything. It¡¯s all. Lot is.¡± She groaned, then focused on what she was trying to say. ¡°Everything¡­ is¡­ spinning. So¡­ tired.¡± Leola sat down against the door frame.

    ¡°You too? I keep forgetting where we are.¡± Forgetting where we are? Are they ok? What do I do? I heard footsteps and turned to see Lanaea.

 Chapter 25

    ¡°Lanaea. These two got their heads smashed together. Leola keeps forgetting where we are, and C¨¦¨ªrde threw up, says everything is spinning and she¡¯s having trouble speaking.¡± Lanaea rushed over to us, nodding.

    ¡°Sounds like concussions. Thanks Cro¨ª. Must¡¯ve been some knock you girls took huh?¡± Leola nodded.

    ¡°Lost consciousness. Cro¨ª needs some touch ups, Keokin¡¯s arm was twisted and broken, did what I could. Klintock¡¯s right middle and uh¡­ the uh¡­ ring finger were severed. I did¡­ did the thing and put them back. Rest are pretty ok.¡± Leola leaned her head into her hand, groaning. Lanaea nodded.

    ¡°Ok. You two, don¡¯t let either of these girls go to sleep for a while. They¡¯re having trouble holding conversations. That¡¯s not a good sign.¡± We nodded. She went into the room and checked through all the group members. Once satisfied, she sent them to go sit in the galley.

    L¨¢nn, Sable, Jael, Flint, and William were all sitting at one table, then she pulled the rest of us back into the infirmary. She examined Keokin first, moving his arm, hearing how the injury happened. ¡°Right. Well good news is it¡¯s not shattered or anything, likely just fractured and dislocated. Leola did good wrapping and splinting it, so that¡¯s fine. Just need to heal it. I¡¯ll make you a potion to drink that¡¯ll accelerate the healing.¡± Keokin nodded.

    ¡°Thank you. May I go to Edorin now?¡± He asked. She nodded.

    ¡°Sure, just don¡¯t do anything with that arm. Don¡¯t even squeeze your fist ok?¡± He nodded and left the room. Next, she looked at Klintock¡¯s hand. He had several scars on it, one large one in a line across his hand from the strike that had severed his fingers, and small scars from the incisions Leola had made to align them. Lanaea looked them over thoroughly, checking alignment.

    When she was satisfied, she pulled out a small pin and poked lightly at certain points on Klintock¡¯s fingers, finding that the right side of the tip of his middle finger was still numb, and the top two sections of the ring finger were also numb. ¡°That should improve over the next couple days, maybe a week or two, but some small portions may remain numb for much longer. You should be fine using those fingers, just don¡¯t stress them too much. If you get any pain from them, stop what you¡¯re doing and let them rest, alright?¡± Klintock nodded.

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am. Am I clear to go help under those conditions?¡±

    ¡°Yes, under those conditions.¡± He made a slight bow and left the room. ¡°Now you.¡± She pointed at me. I moved closer, and she examined the wound. ¡°Looks like the muscle wasn¡¯t set dead on, but not bad, though most of the bleeding has stopped or coagulated, so we¡¯ll have to clean the wound, then I¡¯ll need the Coleus and Crow¡¯s Tears Oil, and a numbing agent.¡± She went over to the cabinet and pulled out a small vial filled with a grey and black liquid, and another bottle filled with a blue powder. She set them aside and had me lean back onto a grate she put over the bathtub.

    She rinsed the wound off and used a rag to brush off any debris left behind, which was painful. She then poured an alcohol solution onto the wound which burned a lot, and I could see some small white bubbles come up from the wound. She lightly rubbed on a solution that burned at first, then felt cool, and eventually went numb. Bringing me back over to the table, she laid me down. Taking a second, she leaned over and lightly tapped the girls¡¯ cheeks to keep them awake.

    ¡°Come watch this you two.¡± She told Leola and C¨¦¨ªrde. They came over and watched, Leola with as much eagerness and excitement as she could muster. ¡°This is going to hurt a bit Cro¨ª. Bear with me, ok?¡± I nodded. She put a roll of leather in my mouth. With a small blade, she sliced into the wound, quick and straight, separating some of the flesh that had already healed. Mostly I felt pressure, but deeper down there was very definitive pain that caused me to flex my stomach, making it worse. She used a tool to apply small amounts of the blue powder to my wound, pushing and packing it in as I winced and groaned.

    She was working amazingly fast but was still very gentle, aside from the shock of the initial slice she¡¯d made. She pulled a dropper out of the other container and slowly put small drops onto the blue powder. The oil like liquid mixed into the powder, and it started moving, turning slowly from the beautiful blue into a slight violet, then to a flesh like red color. Like the concentrate, there was a slight burning sensation.

    Over the course of ten or fifteen minutes, the burning stopped, leaving a very slight red line. Lanaea used the rag to wipe it, and the previously three-inch-long wound was completely gone, not even a scar.

    ¡°How?...¡± I stared at it, along with Leola and C¨¦¨ªrde, amazed. Lanaea went to rinse off in the sink.

    ¡°Concentrate dramatically accelerates your own body¡¯s healing. It¡¯s fantastic, but if you use it on a misaligned bone or muscle grouping it can heal improperly. When it heals right, it still leaves scars like your body naturally would. The only partial exception being some of the internal organs.¡± She shook off the gloves and hung them on the foot of the bed. ¡°With Cro¨ª¡¯s injury, most of it was healed, but there was a portion of the muscle that was misaligned, so I separated it and used the second, slower, but more reliable method.¡±

    She reached over and tapped on the bottle with the grey and black liquid, the small label reading, Crow¡¯s Tears oil, before continuing. ¡°Concentrate heals a wound like that in a minute, maybe less depending on the depth, but this took roughly thirteen minutes. Coleus comes in many colors, and has many herbal uses, but for this, Blue Coleus is the best. What it does is use the dried flesh of the Coleus, and several other herbs that aid in regeneration, to make more of¡­ well more of you, that¡¯s what the red was.¡±

    She said, pointing to the rag. ¡°The Crow¡¯s Tears Oil is the catalyst that changes the mixture of herbs and ingredients into raw skin, muscle, or bone tissue and then align and attach them with your injured parts. It''s a much more complete way of healing, but also blisteringly expensive. We have to get this from really far away, and they don¡¯t have buckets of the stuff to begin with because some of the ingredients are pretty rare.¡± Leola¡¯s mouth was open, even as she winced with a bout of pain from her head.

    ¡°That¡¯s amazing! What¡¯s the rare ingredient?¡± Leola asked. Lanaea sighed.

    ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t really know everything that¡¯s in either of these, I just know it works wonders. Some say its gifts from D¨ªan, our beloved God of Healing, others say it¡¯s dragon¡¯s piss, and others say it¡¯s unicorn hair. Love to find out someday, but as for now, I¡¯m simply happy it works. Now Cro¨ª, go see if there¡¯s anything you can help with. I¡¯ve got these two hard heads to take care of. And please, for the love of D¨ªan, be careful.¡±

    ¡°Right. Thank you Lanaea.¡± I said. She gave me a smile and a nod on my way out the door, then inspected Leola¡¯s eyes. I went to our room and changed clothes, using the dirty ones to wipe all the blood I could off myself. I kept feeling like I needed to be careful with my wound, only to look down and find it not there. I also noticed myself shivering, like I was cold, even though I wasn¡¯t. My hands wouldn¡¯t stop shaking, and I found myself breathing hard sometimes. It worried me, but I tried to push it aside and keep moving. The door pulled open as I reached for it and Jael jumped as she saw me, gasping with fear and balling her fists. I held up my hands.

    ¡°It¡¯s just me Jael.¡± I said. Her wide eyes blinked as she let out a breath, patting her chest.

    ¡°By the Gods Cro¨ª, you startled me. Are you ok?¡± She asked. I nodded.

    ¡°I am. Lanaea didn¡¯t even leave a scar. I didn¡¯t think that was possible. Where is everyone else?¡± She blinked, looking at the spot where the stab wound used to be as I lifted my shirt.

    ¡°That¡¯s unbelievable, how?... Oh, I¡¯m sure I wouldn¡¯t understand anyways I¡¯m just happy you¡¯re alright. L¨¢nn, Flint, C¨¦¨ªrde, and me were going to stay here in the galley and play some games, try to keep our minds off¡­ what happened. Williams in the kitchen making food for us.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±

    ¡°Cro¨ª. How¡¯s everyone doing?¡± Flint asked as I walked into the galley.

    ¡°They¡¯re good. Klintock and Keokin are above deck with Sable. I was just about to join them. C¨¦¨ªrde and Leola are still with Lanaea.¡±

    ¡°What do you need to do above deck?¡± L¨¢nn asked. I shrugged.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, just figured I might try helping with whatever I can.¡±

    ¡°So. Cro¨ª?¡± L¨¢nn said in a small voice. ¡°What happened up there?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Danith tell you?¡± I asked.

    ¡°He told us we were attacked but that it was over now. What attacked us? Why didn¡¯t we see it coming?¡± She asked. I told them all that I saw. The blood and piles of bodies, my conversation with Edorin about the Lobhadh, and Cairen injured but healing. They were intrigued, but not enough that they wanted to see any of it up close.

    I wished them good luck and headed above deck, passing by a crewman heading below with a mop and bucket, I assumed to clean up the mess caused by¡­ the mess in our room. I got a small flash of those last moments, Klintock jamming his knife into Sacae¡¯s neck, then forcing it out the side, blood spraying out before Sacae clamped a hand on it. I shook my head and saw the stairs again.

    The deck was buzzing with activity. Crew members were still cleaning the decks, two were pulling the bodies into piles, others tossing limbs into the water below. Curious, I cautiously looked over the railing into the water. Dozens of shapes writhed below the water¡¯s increasingly red surface, splashing everywhere. There were several bodies that creatures, sharks most likely, were feeding on, tearing off chunks and releasing more blood into the water. I noticed a pair of crewmen that looked to be fishing while Cairen supervised, but they didn¡¯t keep anything they caught. They pulled up sharks, or large, strange fish with long teeth, all looking predatory, but would dump them back in after removing the hook.

    I backed away from the railing as they pulled up another large fish, it had somewhat large bites taken out of it. I found Keokin and Klintock with some crewmen and Edorin, but no Sable. They were standing over the trapdoors that usually sat closed in the middle of the deck. They were wide open now, as one of the crewmen dropped a barrel down below.

    Maybe Sable¡¯s on the other ships? I looked at The Wonder, there were people bringing over large boxes, barrels and crates to drop below deck. I then looked at The Glory, which was somewhat behind us. There was a rudimentary walkway between the two ships made from a rope ladder, with a guide rope lashed slightly above it to hang from. Sable was there with Gathaen. She was throwing up over the side of the ship.

    ¡°What¡¯s she doing over there? Is she ok?¡± I asked. Klintock looked up, then shrugged slightly.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like it. I didn¡¯t even know she was over there.¡± Maybe Edorin would know.

    He was making hand gestures to another group of crewmen on The Wonder. The crewman gave a thumbs up and went back below deck. Keokin turned and noticed me.

    ¡°Cro¨ª. You¡¯re looking well. Come up to help?¡± He asked. Edorin glanced my way, then continued his signaling. I nodded to Keokin as I answered.

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯m also curious about what they¡¯re doing on the other ships.¡±

    ¡°Gathering intel, surveying them to see if there¡¯s anything we can loot, maybe things that can tell us where the ships are from, if there are slaves on board, things like that.¡± Edorin answered.

    ¡°I¡¯m worried about Sable, she¡­ well she looks sick.¡± Edorin glanced at The Glory, his eyes flashing purple. Gathaen, who was next to Sable, glanced at Edorin, rose both hands and waved them while shaking his head, then returned to comforting Sable. Edorin sighed.

    ¡°She¡¯s fine, physically. Just learned something about life she wasn¡¯t ready for. How terrible, poor girl. Now with Klintock Cro¨ª. The crew is bringing supplies over from the other ships. I want you with Klintock, Orae, and Knuckles to help get them below deck.¡±

    ¡°Yes Captain.¡± I said.

    ¡°Captain!¡± Cairen called to Edorin.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Edorin asked. Cairen pointed at the bite marks on a shark they pulled up. Another crewman pulled over something that didn¡¯t look like a shark, it was longer and more aggressive, like the snake creatures in the books, but with fins. It had bite marks on it as well.

    ¡°Got us a few exotics here Captain.¡± Cairen informed. Edorin acknowledged Cairen¡¯s warning and turned towards The Glory. His eyes flashed purple again. He ordered a few more crewmen to stop what they were doing and start helping transfer supplies. Then he went up onto the quarterdeck.

    ¡°Hey. What¡¯re your names?¡± I called to the two crewmen next to me, passing a heavy barrel down into the cargo hold. The man closest to me had short black hair, sharp features with a scraggly beard. He looked thin, but strong, and designs covered the entirety of both of his arms. On the left, intricate detailed images of sharks, waves, anchors, and a scantily clad woman. The right seemed to be just random but appealing designs, maybe with some lettering. Both were very bright and colorful.

    ¡°Name¡¯s Orae (Oh-ree).¡± He said. ¡°That¡¯s Knuckles.¡± He glanced at the man next to him. ¡®Knuckles¡¯ had longer, shoulder length hair, pulled back in a poof behind his head. He was a stockier build than Orae, but also looked shorter. He also had some designs on his arms, though his were sparser and not nearly as colorful. They looked like a tree, moving up both his arms. His left shoulder had a stylized heart on one of the branches with two ribbons flowing over it, with the words MOM and DAD in Common. His fingers just below his knuckles had the same kind of lettering on them. They spelled two words, ¡®hold¡¯ on the right, and ¡®fast¡¯ on the left. Knuckles waved at me then focused on his work, hefting a large crate over the opening. Two crewmen below held up their arms and he dropped it down.

    ¡°I¡¯m Cro¨ª. This is Klintock.¡± I said.

    ¡°Seen the two of you in tournaments, made some money off of you Klintock, lost it on Cro¨ª¡¯s last fight with William to Knuckles though.¡± Knuckles smiled a big toothy grin at us. ¡°What¡¯s up Cro¨ª?¡± Orae asked.

    ¡°Why are we rushing so much? Are we in trouble?¡± They both chuckled a bit.

    ¡°Might be.¡± Orae said.

    ¡°What from? More marauders? Pirates?¡± I asked, dropping two smaller barrels down below.

    ¡°No. From the great wide ocean. Some of the creatures in the ocean can sense blood from miles away, which is why we have a frenzy going on, but that amount of movement and blood also attracts more predators, and eventually, we might work our way up the food chain to something a lot bigger than a shark. It¡¯s usually not such a worry, but these waters are well known for housing a few big predators. We¡¯d rather have all of this secured below before we leave.¡±

    My mouth fell open and I gulped as I realized what he was saying. We could be ringing the dinner bell for something big enough to take on those whales, or us. To distract myself, I asked Knuckles a question as I worked, with a bit more speed.

    ¡°So Knuckles. That¡¯s Mom and Dad written on your shoulder right?¡± He glanced at the heart and nodded.

    ¡°That they are. You boys read common?¡±

    ¡°We know the alphabet and how to hold a basic conversation, but that¡¯s about it.¡± I replied.

    ¡°Lately we¡¯ve been struggling with vowels.¡± Klintock added.

    ¡°Yeah, they pronounce their vowels weird with common.¡± Knuckles rubbed his chin with the back of his hand.

    ¡°Why get Mom and Dad tattooed on yourself?¡± Klintock asked.

    ¡°Because I love my parents.¡±

    ¡°Momma¡¯s boy more like.¡± Orae jested.

    ¡°Damn right.¡± Knuckles said, proudly.

    ¡°What does ¡®hold fast¡¯ mean?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Words of wisdom. Saved my life more times than I can count.¡±

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re gonna regale us with that tired old tale again.¡± Orae groaned.

    ¡°I was thinking about it but now they¡¯ll have to suffer because of your bitching.¡± Knuckles retorted, eyebrows raised with a wry smile.

    ¡°They¡¯re not missing out on anything.¡± Orae chuckled.

    ¡°Not missing out? It saved my life! It¡¯s a good story.¡± Knuckles claimed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you a good story, we all get back to working hard and live happily ever after. How¡¯s that?¡± Orae said with a smile. They chuckled at each other.

    ¡°You two bicker like an old married couple.¡± Klintock jested. They turned to him, offended, then laughed and we went back to focusing on the sail.

    A few minutes later, I heard the clicking of Sable¡¯s boots on the deck. I looked up to see that they were pulling the smaller ship she had been on closer to ours; some crewmen had brought several crates and boxes above deck and were waiting by the railing. Edorin was talking with one of the crew from The Wonder. I couldn¡¯t see the deck, but it looked busy. Edorin ordered more men across to help as Sable sat down on the stairs to the quarterdeck. She looked rattled. Primarily out of concern for her, but partially out of curiosity, I called to her.

    ¡°Sable.¡± She didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Sable!¡± She startled and looked at me. Her usually sparkling, fun eyes were dull and filled with shock and horror. I motioned for her to come over to us. She took a breath then stood up, looking shaky, and walked over.

    ¡°What Cro¨ª?¡± She asked, sounding off.

    ¡°Are you alright? You look unsettled.¡± I asked.

    ¡°What¡¯d you find over there? Anything useful?¡± Orae chimed in.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Sable droned for a moment, eyes wide, mouth dropping slightly open. ¡°We found some crates. A few with cotton, and a small barrel of tobacco. Uh¡­ I don¡¯t know what else.¡±

    ¡°Tobacco? Man, I hope we get some.¡± Orae said, nudging Knuckles.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± I repeated. She shook her head slightly. ¡°What happened?¡± Her mouth opened like she was going to talk, then pulled closed, then opened again after she swallowed.

    ¡°They were, uh¡­ there were some slaves over there.¡±

    ¡°Are you bringing them back?¡± Orae asked, I glared at Orae for a second, irritated by his interruption and he quieted down. ¡°Sorry, go on.¡±

    ¡°What happened Sable?¡± Klintock urged. She took a breath.

    ¡°The marauders¡­ they had slaves, but¡­ they ate them.¡±

 Chapter 26

    ¡°Ate? As in¡­ like, cooked and ate the slaves?¡± Orae questioned, Knuckles sat with his jaw dropped. Sable nodded a few small times while looking absentmindedly at the deck, then blinked and answered.

    ¡°Yes. There uh¡­ were body parts in the kitchen, not many, but enough. No bones. They tossed those, I guess. But there were¡­¡± She closed her eyes, shaking her head and gulped, clearing her throat before continuing. She looked like she was fighting back being sick again. ¡°Parts for at least three people in the galley. One woman, two men. There was no food onboard, aside from meager spices they were using on the...¡± She held back vomit again. ¡°Bodies. It looks like they also ate their shoes, belts, and some rope.¡±

    ¡°By the Gods.¡± Knuckles said, repulsed.

    ¡°I take it she¡¯d like some comfort right about now?¡± Orae said to me and Klintock. Klintock stood, holding his hands out to Sable.

    ¡°Hug?¡± He asked. She dove into him, shaking and crying quietly. I sat back on my heels. Slaves? I leaned over to Orae.

    ¡°What¡¯s a slave?¡± He looked at me, shocked.

    ¡°Other people. People that you sell to other people to be used for work usually, or much worse. It¡¯s outlawed strictly back home, thank the Gods.¡± People? Wait...so the Marauders ate people? Why? They were human, weren¡¯t they?

    I looked over to the pile of human bodies. They¡¯re human. I looked down at my hand and imagined taking a bite out of it. There was a small bit of intrigue. I was admittedly curious about the taste. We¡¯d eaten fish, pork, beef, many types of meat. But Human? Or Cian¨ªan? It could be considered meat, I guess. I mean, the sharks were eating those bodies, all the creatures on the Island want to eat us too.

    But there was just something terribly wrong about the idea. Thinking about Sacae or Morean lying dead on the floor was terrible enough, to imagine cutting into them, cooking them, then eating them. I felt a twinge from my stomach as the thoughts nearly made me vomit. Ok definitely not curious anymore. Sable separated from Klintock, thanking him for the hug and shook her head, taking a deep breath before heading back towards the small ship.

    I distracted myself from the terrible thoughts by focusing on Sable as she walked away. I noticed that her walk wasn¡¯t the same, there was no bounce to it, just quick steps. It made me worry. Again, I shook my head and distracted myself with working on the sail.

    Sable¡¯s group brought over several crates of valuables, likely stolen by the marauders from other ships they had attacked. The other group brought over much the same, only more.

    ¡°Orae. How long till that cargo is loaded?¡± Edorin asked as he was looking over some papers, one with a red ribbon attached to a broken red seal.

    ¡°Maybe twenty minutes at most Captain.¡± Orae answered. Edorin nodded, still reading the paper.

    ¡°Good.¡± He squinted, then raised an eyebrow. ¡°Interesting.¡±

    ¡°Captain?¡± Orae queried. Edorin glanced at the four of us. We looked at him expectantly.

    ¡°It would seem the larger ship was previously owned by Romlia (Rum-lee-uh). More specifically it was a gift for Princess Ralissa (Ruh-lee-suh) of Romlia. Thankfully, she wasn¡¯t on the ship when it was taken by marauders. It was to be a birthday gift to her, though now that cannibalism has taken place on it, they¡¯ll likely recommission it for their navy. I¡¯ll have to spare some crew to have it follow us, we¡¯ll return it to them when we get home.¡± Edorin said.

    I looked over at the bigger ship, noting that it had three massive masts, was one or two decks taller and seemed a lot wider as well. So that¡¯s a royal ship? It¡¯s big and fancy. I wonder how the pirates got ahold of it. ¡°You¡¯ve had your fill of gossip, now focus on the cargo.¡± Edorin said, looking back down at the paper.

    He moved over to several crewmen that had just finished working and pointed towards the royal ship as he spoke to them. They saluted him and moved over to the other ship, getting it ready to sail. ¡°Right. We set sail as soon as the cargo is loaded and stowed. Dump them.¡± Edorin pointed at the pile of bodies. Two crewmen nodded to him, sighed, then took hold of one body a piece and started throwing them overboard.

    ¡°They¡¯re chumming the water now boys. We need these supplies down there yesterday.¡± Orae said with a worried look that Knuckles echoed. Zanataz and Edorin walked up onto the quarterdeck and waited for the scouting group to return and redraw the ropes they had been using.

    He saw me and Klintock and rolled his right index finger over itself horizontally, telling us to hurry up. Over the course of the next ten minutes, we were able to finally get the last of the boxes and barrels down. Orae and Knuckles pulled up the trap doors, then dropped them down and latched them in place. Sounds of splashing over the edge of the ship became more frequent.

    ¡°Captain!¡± Orae yelled. Edorin looked over to see Orae giving him a thumbs up. Edorin nodded then held up a finger, twirled it in a circle and pointed towards the bow of the ship. Wrap it up? Probably help with whatever¡¯s going on at the front of the ship I guess. Orae turned to us. ¡°Thanks for the help kids.¡± They moved quickly off towards the upper deck.

    We stepped aside and watched as The Wonder started moving through the water ahead of us, when another voice rang out.

    ¡°Captain!¡± This time it was Cairen. Edorin looked over. Cairen was holding the body of a rather large shark that had been bitten in half. Edorin nodded, moving steadily to the mast of the ship below the crow¡¯s nest. His eyes flashed purple for a moment as he was looking up to the crewman that occupied it. Cairen tossed the body back overboard.

    I looked over the railing to see the terrible sight of churning red water, body parts of humans and creatures alike littering a large area. There were dozens of creatures that would briefly breach the water¡¯s surface to snag onto a piece of meat, or a floating body part, then vanish. It made me feel sick. I grabbed my pendant and did my best to calm myself.

    ¡°We got something big!¡± One crewman said to Cairen. I followed their lines into the water, noting that they both ended in almost the exact same spot. The two crewmen struggled hard; feet pressed against the railing. Whatever it was, it was huge. Both fishing rods were bent in a severe arc.

    I watched eagerly to see what it could possibly be. It was fast, swimming from one side of the churning water to the other. At one point it looked like it was going to dip below the ship but changed direction. Finally, the creature broke the surface about twenty feet away. Only half of it was visible, but it was clearly a massive, mean looking shark, a much darker grey than the others, with a large mouth lined with rows of teeth.

    Those of us watching gasped in amazement at the size of the creature. It sank below the water again and pulled down hard. They had to let loose a lot of line to keep it from snapping. The lines went tight again as the crewmen redoubled their efforts. The thrashing of the water quieted. Then suddenly the two holding the rods flew backwards onto the floor, the lines going slack.

    ¡°Captain!¡±

    As I watched, I saw a massive shape moving beneath the waves. What is that? There was an eerie quiet now that the thrashing had stopped.

    ¡°Wading Behemoth port side!¡± Came a high-pitched squeaking voice from the crow¡¯s nest.

    The ship seemed to rise for a moment. It was like a shadow came over the area, but there were no clouds in the sky.

    Edorin sprinted over, eyes wide, catching a glimpse of the creature. I saw two large rows of spikes break the water¡¯s surface, seeming to curve away from the ship before vanishing. Edorin turned and shouted.

    ¡°Sails to full! Get a move on! Bombardment crew, hit the area around The Glory on my mark!¡± ¨¢nada¨ª, Zanataz, and a crewman I didn¡¯t know sprinted over and held their arms out towards The Glory. The rest of the crew was frantically untying ropes to drop the sails to catch wind, lurching the Pony forward. Edorin stood with his hand raised, eyes wide and focused on the now calm surface of the water. I looked out, glancing around.

    I froze with fear. The water was rippling. It formed a rounded wave that grew taller and moved towards us. Through the wave, I could see the partial face of the Behemoth showing through. It was brown in color, and its head looked to be a wide wedge shape, with what looked like a beak of some kind as it pushed through the water straight for the Pony.

    Edorin dropped his hand. ¡°Fire!¡± Red mist formed and flashed on all three crewmen¡¯s arms. There was three steady ¡®thoom¡¯ sounds, as balls of fire flew through the air with a loud hissing, cracking boom when they hit the water around The Glory, leaving behind large rising clouds of steam. The wave created by the Behemoth turned, aiming at The Glory now. We all watched silently as the Behemoth lunged from the massive wave.

    There was a loud crack as the creature bit down on the deck of The Glory, snapping through massive chunks of wood, cutting loose the ropes holding the sails in place. Large, clawed fingers slammed down on the bow and stern of the ship, piercing the deck. The ship tilted heavily on the side the Behemoth had latched onto.

    It pulled its mouth off the ship and shook its head, spitting out the large chunks of wood and rope. It let out a loud roar. Oscillating and high pitched, yet bass filled enough to shake my chest. The water around its torso gurgled and jumped. The Behemoth pushed off the ship, splashing back into the water. It had pushed The Glory almost a hundred feet away from us and the feeding frenzy.

    I looked out onto the size of the Behemoth. Its tail was still wading through the swirling, red water our ship had been sitting in. It had a long, thick neck that was covered in irregular, rock like armor. Its head looked like that of a snapping turtle. Its body was large and long, mostly oval like in shape.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    The Glory fell on its starboard side. Water rushed in through the massive holes the Behemoth had left in the deck, slowly dragging it below the waves. ¡°Fire again.¡± Edorin said. They fired at the blood this time, creating massive clouds of red steam.

    I assumed the Behemoth went for the explosions, but I couldn¡¯t see it anymore. ¡°Level out.¡± Edorin said to Cormick at the helm. Cormick nodded and slightly turned the ship.

    I stood there dumbfounded. The ease with which the Behemoth had destroyed The Glory, shoved it nearly a hundred feet through the water, and then left it to sink. If that had been us¡­ if Edorin¡¯s bombardment hadn¡¯t redirected it¡­ we¡¯d be dead. Drowning, being eaten alive¡­ I leaned against the railing and stared blankly out at the now calm water as the crew cheered.

    I looked down at the water. Normally beautiful, calm, and blue. Now, terrifying, deadly, and unpredictable. I gulped. ¨¢nada¨ª slapped me on the back.

    ¡°Quite the sight aren¡¯t they?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Huh?¡± I said, blankly.

    ¡°The Behemoth. Terrifying and massive, but beautiful in their own right.¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ sure.¡± I said, plainly. I took a deep breath and rubbed my pendant, looking for a distraction. They¡¯d shot fire from their hands! ¡°Hey.¡± I said.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± ¨¢nada¨ª grunted.

    ¡°How did you do that?¡±

    ¡°Do what?¡± She asked. I held my arm out and mimed them shooting fireballs.

    ¡°Oh that.¡± She chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s bombardment magic called a fireball.¡±

    ¡°Can you teach me?¡± I asked.

    ¡°¡¯Fraid not. At least not with the time we have left. It takes a long time and plenty of focus to learn any kind of magic. I¡¯ll teach you when you get back home ok?¡± She said. I nodded, disappointed. Shame, I could¡¯ve used that against Bh¨¢is.

    ¡°Cro¨ª, there you are.¡± Keokin said from behind me. ¡°Let¡¯s get below deck. The crew still has a bit to do, and Edorin wants to keep an eye out for a bit longer to make sure the Behemoth isn¡¯t following us.¡± I nodded.

    Edorin walked towards us, shouting to the man in the crow¡¯s nest. ¡°Keep a sharp eye Aenrick (A-yun-rick)! We don¡¯t want to be caught off guard!¡±

    ¡°Aye Captain!¡± Aenrick shouted back. He had short, thinning, almost bald hair, and his ears were like Keokin¡¯s, protruding to either side, and was skinny and small but moved quickly. He kept both hands over his eyes as his gaze circled the waters around the ship.

    ¡°You two.¡± Edorin addressed us. ¡°I¡¯ll send Zanataz for your group later, but for now, keep to your room or the galley.¡±

    ¡°Yes Captain.¡± We said in unison. Keokin held the door open and motioned for me to go first.

    ¡°Captain, I know you want us below deck, but would it be alright if I stayed with you? I want to know what to do in this situation.¡±

    ¡°What about your group?¡± Edorin asked.

    ¡°They¡¯re below already. I made sure of that, it¡¯s just me and Cro¨ª left.¡± Edorin thought for a moment, glancing in the direction of the Behemoth, then sighed.

    ¡°Keep on my heels. If anything else comes for us, you sprint below deck, understand?¡± Keokin nodded. I sprinted to the perceived safety of the room. The others gasped with surprise.

    ¡°Cro¨ª! We were worried about you.¡± L¨¢nn said smiling, then her look turned to worry as she glanced at the door. ¡°Where¡¯s Keokin?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s fine. He¡¯s with Edorin, observing.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be observing?¡± Klintock asked.

    ¡°No. It might be chasing us, so they want us below. They¡¯ll come get us when it¡¯s safe, or when we can help out.¡±

    ¡°So, what was it?¡± Leola asked. I sat down with them.

    ¡°Aenrick and Edorin called it a Wading Behemoth.¡±

    ¡°Wading Behemoth?¡± C¨¦¨ªrde asked. I nodded. She pulled over her pack, slipped out her book and flipped through it. ¡°There it is. Wading Behemoth. A member of the Behemoth class. Known to be a nomadic creature. It moves across oceans following a pattern of migration throughout the year. These creatures are one hundred feet long. The largest being recorded as near one hundred fifty.¡± She said.

    ¡°This one was probably over a hundred. They get to one fifty?¡± I asked. She nodded. So that one wasn¡¯t even fully grown? Gods. That thing was deadly enough as is. I shuddered and C¨¦¨ªrde continued.

    ¡°They typically aren¡¯t a danger to ships, but they will bump into them to test them. If the ship continues moving, they will take a small ¡®nibble¡¯ at the ship, and if they realize it¡¯s wood, they leave it be. However, when there are large amounts of blood in the water, they

    https://www.tumblr.com/coldthane/711513207719723008/the-wading-behemoth-would-be-genuinely-terrifying?source=share

    become aggressive and attack the largest moving thing they can find in the area, including ships. Your only hope is to retreat from the bloody area and hope it doesn¡¯t stay curious or aggressive.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde turned the book around so we could all see the image of the Behemoth.

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± I confirmed

    ¡°You mean that thing attacked the ship?!¡± L¨¢nn gasped. ¡°Look at the size of it. How did we survive?¡± Everyone turned to me for answers.

    ¡°Well, it didn¡¯t attack our ship. It was going to, but they shot fireballs at the water near The Glory, and it turned its attention to that ship. It popped out of the water and latched onto it, pushing it nearly a hundred feet, then just fell back into the water. Sunk The Glory just like that. Barely even seemed like it was trying.¡± They gasped.

    ¡°The Glory?¡± L¨¢nn asked.

    ¡°Yeah, one of the ships from the marauder attack.¡±

    ¡°Right. Busy day huh?¡± Flint interjected.

    ¡°Busy and terrifying. Those marauders¡­ they didn¡¯t look right. And the Behemoth was terrifying. Especially the way it was able to just¡­ disappear after all that. Thanks to Edorin and the crew though, we¡¯re all alive and well. Well¡­ Most of us.¡± I said.

    ¡°Thank Fomh¨¢r, right? What luck to escape something like that.¡± L¨¢nn said, looking blankly at the image in C¨¦¨ªrde ¡¯s book. We all nodded in agreement, and I absentmindedly grabbed my pendant.

    Thank Fomh¨¢r and thank R¨ªger for the necklace, and Edorin for his fast acting, and Zanataz and the others for their ability. Without them, we would surely be in the belly of the Behemoth.

    ¡°What were you all doing up there before the Behemoth?¡± Flint asked. Sable¡¯s face went white. She didn¡¯t seem to want to speak about what she saw, so I tried to pull the attention away from her.

    ¡°We were handling cargo from the other ships.¡± I said, pointing at Klintock and myself. ¡°There was actually quite a bit of it.¡± The group nodded, seeming satisfied with the idea of something more mundane. Moving boxes sounded better than being attacked by Behemoths and marauders.

    ¡°Do you know what was in them?¡± C¨¦¨ªrde asked. I glanced to Klintock; he shook his head.

    ¡°Not really. Maybe cotton or tobacco? Stuff like that.¡± Klintock said.

    ¡°What about you Sable?¡± L¨¢nn asked.

    ¡°I went¡­ on The Glory.¡± She said, quietly. I dreaded the question I knew was coming.

    ¡°One of the marauder ships?! Awesome! What did you find?¡± L¨¢nn asked excitedly. Sable shook her head.

    ¡°Nothing¡­ nothing all that¡­¡± She closed her eyes and gulped, taking a deep breath.

    ¡°Nothing cool or incredible. She found horrors, let¡¯s leave it at that, ok?¡± Klintock said, putting a hand on Sable¡¯s shoulder. She made a small smile at him in thanks, and he nodded.

    ¡°What happened? Are we still in danger?¡± Jael asked. Klintock and Sable shook their heads, I shrugged. We could be, we can¡¯t be sure.

    ¡°All of you know?¡± Flint asked. ¡°Why not us?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s horrible, and unpleasant to talk about.¡± Klintock argued. Flint glared.

    ¡°If we¡¯re in some kind of danger and you three aren¡¯t telling us¡­¡± Sable cut him off.

    ¡°They were eating people, ok?! They had slaves, and they cut them up, cooked them, and ate them! I walked through the ship, saw their¡­ parts on plates, like leftover chicken legs. Saw the kitchen where they¡­ where¡­¡± She put her hands over her mouth and fought hard to keep herself from vomiting, dry heaving once before I was able to grab a bucket and hand it to her. She emptied her stomach into it. The faces of the group were sunken as they stared at the floor. Klintock handed Sable a rag to wipe her mouth with and she thanked him.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Flint said, quietly. She threw up again.

    ¡°You should be. Thinking we would keep things from you. Idiot.¡± Klintock said angrily, while rubbing Sable¡¯s back and trying to calm her down. There was a quiet pause until Sable was able to calm down. She sat down with a sigh.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry too. I just¡­¡± She didn¡¯t finish. Nobody said anything. L¨¢nn came over to sit with Sable, and comfort her while she sobbed quietly, as Sable had done for her after Sacae. Sacae¡­ That was this morning, not more than a few hours ago¡­ What is going on? Gods, I¡¯m exhausted.

    The events of the day ran through my head on repeat. Every mistake I made during my fight with Sacae that led to a group member being hurt. What I could''ve done differently. Why I froze, and what broke me out of it. Seeing all the dead bodies, seeing them churned up and devoured in the water. The thought of the cannibals. It all made me feel sick thinking about it. The horror of the Behemoth attack, and the strangeness of it all.

    I kept rubbing my fingers over my pendant, using it to keep me calm. That or distracting myself by watching the group talking. Laughing after their nerves had worn off and Sable slowly returned to her old self, making a joke or two with L¨¢nn and Flint. William hadn¡¯t said a thing, hadn¡¯t even looked at us, and I was worried about him, but I had no idea what to do to help. I thought I would tell Lanaea about it later.

    L¨¢nn and William had started working on C¨¦¨ªrde and my boots as we talked. I was excited to see what they would look like when they were done. Mostly C¨¦¨ªrde¡¯s though. I looked at Sable¡¯s, admiring them for a moment, then a thought occurred to me.

    ¡°Do we have socks?¡± The group looked over at me. Sable laughed. I felt embarrassed.

    ¡°Where did that come from? We were talking about food, and you pipe up with socks?¡± Flint asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t mean to say that out loud. It just came out.¡±

    ¡°Came out why?¡± He pressed.

    ¡°I was looking at them making boots, then at Sable¡¯s boots, then I thought that I don¡¯t have any socks, so she probably doesn¡¯t either. I remember always wearing socks with my shoes and I got curious.¡±

    ¡°Uh huh. Same old Cro¨ª, eyeballing my sister.¡± Flint said, squinting. My eyes widened and I stuttered, searching for a reply. He laughed. ¡°Man, you take us too seriously. We¡¯ll teach you how to tease someday.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Maybe.¡± I said with a small voice as I mentally retreated.

    ¡°We made socks for everybody that needs them a while ago.¡± L¨¢nn said, smiling. ¡°Several pairs, but we didn¡¯t give them out because if you walk around in them without shoes, you¡¯ll ruin them.¡±

    ¡°Oh ok.¡± I acknowledged awkwardly. ¡°Sorry to interrupt.¡±

    ¡°Eh, don¡¯t worry about it. The conversation was sputtering anyways.¡± Flint said with a sigh.

    There was a knock at the door, and it swung open. Cairen came into the room smiling and was in turn greeted with smiles, everyone telling him they were happy to see him up and about, and that they were worried about him after hearing he had been injured.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine youngins. No need to worry about me. Lanaea fixed me up proper like. Anyways, I¡¯m to gather the lot of you so Edorin can have a little chat.¡± We looked around, then got up and sluggishly followed him.

    When we got above deck, there were small gasps from the group seeing the remaining bloody stains. ¡°Right nasty that. Not to worry though, she¡¯ll be clean and shiny like new come morning.¡± Cairen said, noticing the gasps. He knocked on the door to the Captain¡¯s quarters. Zanataz opened it and thanked Cairen. He nodded and closed the door as he left.

    ¡°Come in and sit down Agers.¡± We sat in the same spots we took last time we visited, looking around expectantly.

    ¡°A lot has happened in the last weeks. I want to talk with all of you and discuss it, but this time will be different. Cro¨ª is familiar with my Tellis, as is William, and I¡¯ll be familiarizing all of you with it as we speak, with your permission. I would like all of you to prepare yourselves and try to be as open as possible.¡±

    He looked around the table, gauging all of us. ¡°We might delve into things that make some of you uncomfortable, but this close to the Island, it¡¯s necessary we do this.¡± He took a breath, looking around to see us nodding our understanding. ¡°Tellis is a magical ability I have developed that allows me to see and hear what¡¯s on your mind. I only use it when necessary, and try to ask permission, unless it¡¯s for something I need dealt with immediately. Questions?¡± L¨¢nn raised her hand and Edorin nodded to her.

    ¡°Does it hurt Captain?¡± He shook his head as he answered.

    ¡°No, only a slight awkwardness at most. Cro¨ª can vouch for that.¡± I nodded as the group looked to me. ¡°William can¡¯t, as his was more forceful. For the time being, until you all leave today, Captain is optional.¡±

    ¡°Why is that necessary Captain? The Tellis, I mean.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde asked. He smiled.

    ¡°Because often times I can pick up on things that even you don¡¯t realize were a problem. Remember, the whole point of this is to learn and grow together, not stagnate and allow things to fester or be ignored. This exercise will allow me to get to the heart of the matter and help all of you get on the right path as quickly as possible. I urge you to allow me to help you, but I will respect if you decline.¡± There were several members of the group that thought about his offer for a long time, breathing heavily as they thought.

    Eventually, all the group members cautiously agreed. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s begin.¡±

 Chapter 27

    ¡°I want to talk to all of you now because I can feel that all of your emotional states are very raw. First, I¡¯m going to link with your minds so I can communicate with you. I might prompt you to say something. If I do, consider it an order to say what¡¯s on your mind, understood?¡± We all nodded. He took a deep breath, and I heard his voice in my mind. ¡®Do I have permission to speak and to listen until this session is over?¡¯ I responded in my mind. ¡®Yes.¡¯ He nodded. ¡°Now. Do any of you have something you would like to mention or talk about? By show of hands.¡±

    C¨¦¨ªrde rose her hand. ¡°Captain? Can you tell us just exactly what happened today? Who were they? Why were they here? How did Sacae get out?¡± Edorin nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯m assuming Cro¨ª told all of you about the mushroom.¡± We nodded. ¡°Good. To start, The Wonder was stolen by pirates and chased south. It got turned around in a storm and pushed out to sea, where they met The Glory. The Glory was a merchant vessel, who made semi-regular trips to the Trial Islands to try and grab anything valuable. This time, they brought along slaves and new labor. One of them stepped on this.¡±

    He pulled out one of the deflated mushrooms. ¡°We believe it was a slave that got infected. There¡¯s mention in their documents of strange behavior from the slaves, then of an attack and strange clouds of dust. From there, The Glory was seen as a target by the pirates aboard The Wonder. The documents end there, but I¡¯m assuming that¡¯s when the crew of The Wonder was infected.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t your Tellis work on them?¡± Leola asked.

    ¡°It did. That¡¯s the problem. The Captain of The Glory was one of the more well preserved infected, so I didn¡¯t notice anything off with him. The mushroom made him truly believe what he was saying, so I saw he was telling the truth. It wasn¡¯t until I saw the Captain of The Wonder, and his crew, that it started to sink in.¡±

    ¡°So there are other people on the Islands?¡± Flint asked.

    ¡°Not so much. They¡¯re not as well versed on the Island as we are. They go there to grab specific things. They know some plants are medicinal, and catch a few creatures to kill for sport later, that sort of thing. We¡¯ve had Agers run into them before. Didn¡¯t end well for them so they keep to themselves for the most part. Either way, if you see a ship that isn¡¯t the Pony, assume they¡¯re not friendly.¡± Flint added it to his book.

    ¡°What about Sacae?¡± Klintock asked.

    ¡°When Zanataz went below to gather the crew, it seems Morean was on guard duty. He moved too close to the cell and Sacae grabbed him, knocked him out, took his keys, and waited for Zanataz and the others to move up on deck before letting himself out. We assume Morean woke up and was running for his life or for help when Sacae caught him in the galley.¡±

    There was a moment of silence. All of us took in the information, then Edorin looked at Jael. She rose her hand.

    ¡°Does anyone else?...¡± She trailed off for a moment, then inhaled sharply. ¡°Does anyone else keep seeing dead bodies when they close their eyes?¡± Silence fell on the room, then Sable rose her hand, followed by Keokin, L¨¢nn, C¨¦¨ªrde, William, and me. We looked to Flint, Klintock and Leola. Leola spoke first.

    ¡°I was unconscious. By the time I woke up, the bodies were dragged from the room, and I never went above deck.¡± We slowly nodded and looked at the other two, curious if they knew how to get the images out and keep them out.

    ¡°I¡¯m kind of on the same ship as her.¡± Flint started. ¡°I got knocked for a loop, came back in time to pull Jael away, then before I knew it, he was on the floor, but I didn¡¯t see his face.¡± Flint said quietly. ¡°I just¡­¡± He glanced at Edorin, and I noticed Edorin¡¯s eyes were remaining purple instead of vanishing, and I also noticed a small Tellis effect in my mind.

    I wondered what Edorin was saying, but then Flint suddenly continued. ¡°I just wish I could¡¯ve done more. I just froze when I saw him. Didn¡¯t think it was real for a couple seconds, didn¡¯t think he would really do it. Even when he started swinging his sword at all of you, I just sat there. I can¡¯t help thinking, what if I hadn¡¯t moved? Jael would be dead. Nobody else would¡¯ve been there in time.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for that by the way.¡± Jael said.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Flint said smiling.

    I understood him. I felt the same way. Sure, I fought with Sacae, even injured him, but I froze, froze long enough that Klintock, Jael, and Keokin all stepped up first. Then he stabbed me, and while I was sitting there with a sword in my belly, he tore through the rest of my group.

    ¡®Tell the group.¡¯ I heard Edorin¡¯s voice in my mind.

    ¡°I feel the same.¡± I said quietly.

    ¡°What are all of you talking about?!¡± We were surprised by the sudden outburst from William. ¡°You guys can¡¯t talk like that! Me, sure. But you can¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯re you talking about?¡± Sable thrust out. ¡°You¡¯ve been a pain in our ass since day one. You called my father a coward, said Klintock and Flint¡¯s dad wasn¡¯t all that great when you thought nobody was listening, picked on Cro¨ª and fought with us day in and day out. You even screwed up training exercises just to mess with Cro¨ª. All the while claiming you¡¯re this big grand fighter. Then when it comes time for you to actually contribute, you just curl up in a ball and cry?! Ever since the tournament, you¡¯ve been acting like the crybaby you kept claiming Cro¨ª to be and it¡¯s pissing me off. What¡¯s your problem?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m dead! That¡¯s my problem!¡± William yelled. Sable reeled back, confused. Seeing this new side to William was strange. We were used to the anger, the bravado, the insults, even the punches. But crying? Weeping in fear? It was disconcerting.

    ¡°What do you mean William?¡± Leola asked, leaning forward slightly. William glanced around at us, fear stricken, wet eyes, and took a shaky breath in before answering.

    ¡°My older brother.¡± His bottom lip quivered. ¡°Was the strongest man I¡¯ve ever known. He could lift things that normally took two or three men to lift. But he¡­ he died. He got¡­ eaten. He never came back!¡± His voice broke and he sobbed. He looked like he was trying to hold it in, and keep talking, but it was coming through anyways.

    ¡°I alwa... always believed¡­ the only ones to survive, wou...would be the strongest. I fought everyone, beat everyone. Then I came here, and got stuck as a Support, wa¡­ washing dishes while you all trained to fight. W... Watching as the weakest Guardian became st... stronger than me. Now I¡­ I know I¡¯m the weakest. I¡¯m going to die!¡± He buried his face in his hands and sobbed, grieving like he was already dead. L¨¢nn got up and moved slowly around the table and held her hands out to him, tapping his shoulder.

    ¡°Hugs?¡± William accepted her tentative attempt, pulling her close and holding her tight. Edorin looked at Leola, she took a breath and addressed William.

    ¡°I think you¡¯re wrong though, William. You heard what the Behemoth did to The Glory. That thing was big enough that if it really tried, we¡¯d all be at the bottom of the ocean, or in its stomach right now. It doesn¡¯t matter how strong you are, everything else is stronger. Or at least we should assume it is. So, saying that you¡¯re going to die because you¡¯re weak? I don¡¯t believe it. How did Lanaea survive? She¡¯s probably not as strong as you physically, but she¡¯s tremendously strong mentally, quick as a whip. She works with her crew and doesn¡¯t hesitate to do what needs doing without whining about it.¡±

    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s one of the things you needed to learn. Maybe that¡¯s why you were put in the Support role. So that you could learn what true strength really means, and which type of strength you need to focus on.¡± Edorin added calmly.

    ¡°But¡­ what¡¯s the point? Why do all this and learn all that if some monster is just gonna leap out of the ocean and swallow us whole? Why not just stay home where it¡¯s safe?¡± William asked.

    ¡°Because it isn¡¯t safe. Not yet. We as a race are not strong enough. We need to be a power that the neighboring kingdoms see as an equal. Otherwise, there is a chance one or many will try and step on us. They¡¯ve tried it before by probing us with wars. We may not die from the slow creep of time, sure, but we might die if we¡¯re stupid, complacent, weak, or monumentally unlucky. That Behemoth wouldn¡¯t have attacked like it did if we hadn¡¯t chummed the water with blood, and we wouldn¡¯t have chummed it with blood if the marauders hadn¡¯t attacked and left us laden with bloody bodies, and they wouldn¡¯t have attacked if I had noticed what they were sooner. But we gained from it. We gained in resources that we took from the ships. We gained another ship that we can give to a neighbor for some good will. We gained experience that we can use in the future to help us survive and thrive.¡± Edorin said. William seemed to calm down, taking all that was said into account, mulling it around in his mind as we continued. C¨¦¨ªrde was next to raise her hand.

    ¡°I would like to say that I agree with Leola, and Edorin, but I feel like I understand you a bit more William. Thank you. I also don¡¯t really remember much about the attack. I remember Morean dropping to the floor, then a shadow in the doorway, next is being in the galley.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the concussion. The potions we drank from Lanaea will help heal us, but we¡¯ll have spotty memories about what happened. Maybe forever.¡± Leola responded.

    ¡®What about the rest of you? Cro¨ª, Klintock, Keokin, Sable, and L¨¢nn?¡¯ Edorin pushed. Keokin spoke first.

    ¡°I feel like I failed on many levels, much like Flint and Cro¨ª expressed. My combat skills weren¡¯t enough, and the group suffered for it. On the Island, Sacae would¡¯ve killed at least one of us, especially if he was a creature. I blame myself for that. I feel like I haven¡¯t been a very present or involved leader and I would like to apologize to the group.¡±

    ¡°Well, I accept the apology, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary.¡± Klintock said, nearly with a smirk. All of us at the table nodded agreement. ¡°You probably think it is, but to me, you stepped up when we needed you, put your life on the line to help and protect us, and if not for that well placed knife, Sacae wouldn¡¯t have been stunned enough to miss the catch on Cro¨ª¡¯s knife, and then he would¡¯ve caught my knife too. So, thank you. And thank all the rest of you for what you did. Even William, because now that he¡¯s figured his shite out, I hope he¡¯ll be supporting us next time.¡± We all agreed and accepted his gratitude. L¨¢nn raised her hand.

    ¡°I share William¡¯s fears.¡± She was taking in breaths to calm herself, then looked at Edorin. ¡°Ok. I¡¯m¡­ It¡¯s just hard.¡± She looked at him again then took a breath. ¡°Sure, I¡¯m a Support, but that doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t have to run, or fight, or hide. I¡¯m terrible at all of that. I¡¯m not a fighter. I¡¯m too small, and I¡¯m not skilled enough to fight like Sable. Honestly, I¡¯ve been trying to hold off on this for the longest time¡­¡± She wavered, holding a hand over her mouth for a moment before continuing with a shakier voice. ¡°But I¡¯ve realized it since we set sail. I¡¯m bite sized. Like William said when we met. I¡¯m slow, weak, and clumsy.¡±

    Tears were streaming down her face and her hands were shaking as she spoke. ¡°I just want to go home to my family and my friends.¡± None of us really knew what to say. I thought about saying something like. ¡®Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll protect you.¡¯ Or. ¡®It¡¯s ok, we still have time to train.¡¯ But I realized that both of those weren¡¯t really things I could promise. I was sure that we would do our best, but some of the things on the Island, like Bh¨¢is, we couldn¡¯t fight that, and if she was too slow, or tripped. If any of us were too slow or tripped, well¡­ we¡¯d all heard what happens from Edorin¡¯s story. She put her head down. ¡°See? We all know it.¡± She sniffled as more tears ran down her face.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°That¡¯s not why they were silent L¨¢nn.¡± Edorin said gently. ¡°They want to offer words of encouragement, but they have the same fears about themselves. Worried that they won¡¯t be fast enough to keep you and William safe.¡± He looked to Jael and Klintock. ¡°Or that they won¡¯t be able to see the danger coming.¡± He looked to Sable. ¡°Or that the group will meet something big enough that if any fall, they will die.¡± He looked at me. ¡°Everyone here lacks confidence in their own ability. Which to an extent, is healthy for what you need to do.¡±

    He sat forward, resting his elbows on the table. ¡°Too much confidence in your strength and you might try to wrestle with wolves. Too little and you leave your friends to be devoured by them. Just enough, lets you realize that with your friends, you are stronger than the wolf pack. If it were just me against that Behemoth, I¡¯d be dead. But because I had Zanataz and ¨¢nada¨ª to bombard it, Aenrick to spot it, we made it out alive. You all need to pay attention to each other. Know what your friends excel at, and where they lack. Think back to your fight with Sacae.¡± L¨¢nn reacted much the same as William. Taking the words in and thinking them over intensely as she nodded slightly and leaned back in her chair. ¡°Cro¨ª, Klintock. You¡¯re the last two.¡± I glanced at Klintock.

    ¡®Cro¨ª, you first.¡¯ I raised my hand uncomfortably.

    ¡°I¡¯m uh¡­ I think most of what I had to say has already been mentioned.¡± Edorin looked at me, then he squinted and pursed his lips slightly. At first, I thought he might say something, but he kept quiet. Probably for the best. If anything, he would just pull up more of my whining. Nobody needs to hear that. But something did come to mind.

    ¡°I think you¡¯ve been a great leader Keokin.¡± He glanced at me. ¡°Remember when I came out of the infirmary? All of us were sitting in awkward silence till you pushed us to talk. We talked a lot and came to some important understandings because of that.¡± I stopped for a moment, then heard Edorin.

    ¡®Good Cro¨ª. But you have one more thing to say. About Sacae.¡¯ I sighed, looking at Edorin. I felt taxed already for some reason, like talking about this stuff was physically draining me. It made me shake with nervousness, but I knew there was worth in it.

    ¡°Another thing. About Sacae. I need to apologize to the group for that. I was thinking that the only way to prepare myself for the Island was to conquer my fears. William was first. I¡¯d been afraid of him since day one, and with Zanataz¡¯s help, I beat him. I also hurt him in the process. Then I focused on Sacae, thinking he was the next fear to conquer, but as soon as he entered the room, I froze. I fought him eventually, sure, but then I almost immediately got stabbed and had to watch him tear into the rest of you.¡±

    ¡®Go on Cro¨ª. Just a little more.¡¯ I groaned.

    ¡°And what¡¯s worse, is that I feel bad for killing him. I can¡¯t get over the way his eyes changed. They were filled with emotion while he was on the ground, then just¡­ nothing. It was like they weren¡¯t even reflecting light anymore, and I thought that he didn¡¯t deserve that. If I had conquered my fears, and been more competent, none of you would¡¯ve been hurt, and he wouldn¡¯t have to die.¡± Klintock scoffed, glaring at the table with pursed lips. He glanced at Edorin, and an eyebrow raised for a split second.

    ¡°All right. I think that last part is bullshite. I don¡¯t really understand why everyone is so squeamish about what happened with Sacae, or those marauders. Yeah. It¡¯s unsettling seeing a dead body, but feeling bad for them? Why?¡±

    ¡°Because he was just misguided.¡± I replied. ¡°Even the marauders were just possessed, hungry. They¡¯d eaten their shoes first before turning to the slaves.¡± It was strange, I hadn¡¯t thought about it till now, but I did feel bad for them, bad for their families. ¡°They had families too. What if Sacae has children? Or a mother back home that he was taking care of like Keokin? The marauders too. They just needed to sit down with Edorin maybe and it would all be alright; they could have gone home to their families. Maybe a cure could¡¯ve been found and they could be fixed.¡±

    ¡°Cro¨ª, that is ridiculously naive and unhelpful. What about the slaves?¡± Klintock asked. ¡°What about their families? Do you think they wanted their sons, daughters, brothers, whatever, to be slaves? Or worse yet, to be cut up and eaten by a bunch of infected, feral, cutthroats?! What about our families? Do you think they would be ok with what Sacae had planned for us?¡±

    I shook my head and Klintock continued. ¡°I¡¯m glad he¡¯s dead, and I¡¯m glad we were the ones to do it. More specifically, I¡¯m glad I was the one that did it, because he deserved it. Misguided or not, he still tried to kill a bunch of Agers. Twice! An atrocity by all Cian¨ªan standards. And those marauders weren¡¯t innocent even before when they were pirates. Pirates steal, kill, rape, pillage, and sell people all the time. They were all horrible people who got what they deserved, first by being stripped of luck by Aebhsean, then by being stupid enough to attack The Glory.¡±

    C¨¦¨ªrde and Flint were nodding. Leola hung her head but looked to be somewhat in agreement. ¡°You can all mourn their passing, but I¡¯ll celebrate it and our survival.¡± He sighed, seeming to calm down a little. ¡°Think about what we¡¯ve been through. We¡¯ve survived a sneaky attempted murder from Sacae, then a full-on assault by him, an attack by marauders and a Behemoth. We¡¯ve already faced death four times. Twice as a group, and we¡¯re all alive.¡± I had to admit, I could see his point of view. I could partially share it too, but a big part of me kept thinking that maybe they could¡¯ve been helped, though I couldn¡¯t see how. Klintock¡¯s words were making me debate on whether saving them was the good or right thing to do, but it did bring to mind more troubling things. I was curious if Klintock experienced these things as well.

    ¡°So, you don¡¯t see his dead eyes when you close yours?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Of course, I do. I killed him; I was looking at his face when I pushed the knife out of his neck. It scares me, and the memory is still stuck in there. But it was justified. It was him or us, and I chose us. I¡¯m proud of that.¡±

    ¡°Then why do I feel guilty?¡± Jael asked. ¡°I know what Klintock¡¯s saying makes sense. More sense than that they could¡¯ve been helped or cured, but I can¡¯t help but feel guilty, and I don¡¯t know why.¡± I nodded, as did Sable.

    ¡°Because our bodies don¡¯t like us killing each other. It doesn¡¯t matter if the person we kill deserved to die. Our minds have a difficult time with the idea of killing. Especially young, naive minds.¡± Edorin said.

    Edorin held his hands out, motioning to us as he continued. ¡°You all did nothing wrong here. You did what you needed to do to survive, and I¡¯m proud of you all. I did what I could with him too. He was just¡­ too possessed by his perception of reality to see it differently. I¡¯m sorry that it troubles you, but you¡¯ll eventually be able to deal with it better.¡±

    All of us had a lot to think about. We sat quietly for a minute, then Edorin broke the silence. ¡°Agers. I¡¯m expecting all of you to meet in the training room tomorrow. There''s about a month left until we reach the Island. We¡¯re going to do all we can to challenge your group until it¡¯s time for you to go.¡±

    He sighed. ¡°I appreciate your honesty and candor, and I hope you¡¯ve learned a lot from this. I do plan to have at least two more sessions like this. Individual ones too.¡± He glanced at Sable, then waited to see if we needed to respond in any way, but we mostly just nodded to him. He got up and left the room, followed by Zanataz. Just like last time, leaving us alone with our thoughts.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Keokin said breaking the silence. ¡°There¡¯s a tournament this weekend. We face the crew this time. That¡¯ll be exciting, I¡¯m sure.¡± Some huffed a chuckle.

    ¡°Well.¡± Sable said, standing up. ¡°I don¡¯t know about all of you, but I actually feel much better. I didn¡¯t really say anything, but everything on my mind was still out in the open. Thanks to Klintock, I don¡¯t feel as guilty, and knowing that everyone else feels like they should¡¯ve done more helps me too. I think we should go to our room and talk, or go out and help, then play cards. What do you say?¡± She smiled, but her eyes didn¡¯t show as much happiness as she was projecting.

    ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Klintock said. ¡°I vote for helping first though.¡±

    We went out and talked with Edorin to see if we could help in any way. He didn¡¯t seem to think so. I remembered getting slivers in my toes during my fight with William. I mentioned this to him, and he nodded.

    ¡°The deck could use an extra coat; it hasn¡¯t been done in a few years. If your group wouldn¡¯t mind, we can get that done.¡± Keokin agreed and for the next several hours we worked on the deck of the ship with Orae and Knuckles until we had run out of proper light from Kolob. They had us leave a large portion of the deck bare, on the starboard side.

    ¡°Why?¡± Flint asked. Orae and Knuckles exchanged a glance.

    ¡°For Hanaes.¡±

    ¡°Hanaes?¡± L¨¢nn asked.

    ¡°One of the crewmen that perished.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde said. Knuckles nodded.

    ¡°His reverence will be carried out tonight, just an hour or so from now.¡± Knuckles said.

    ¡°Should we attend?¡± Leola asked.

    ¡°Not unless you¡¯d like to pay your respects. It¡¯s not necessary though.¡± Orae said.

    ¡°What¡¯s going to happen with the rest of the bodies?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Landae, Morean, and Sacae will be stored in the morgue.¡± Knuckles said.

    ¡°We have a morgue?¡± Flint asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s in the larger freezing box two decks down. Normally they keep the food in there, but a section is converted into a morgue when needed.¡± Orae said.

    ¡°Wait. They put the bodies in the same place as the food?¡± Sable asked. Her eyes wide and scared.

    ¡°Not entirely. They¡¯ll be sealed away in their own containers, and they won¡¯t be touching any of the food. I can show you later if it¡¯ll ease your mind.¡± He said. She nodded, still looking a little uneasy.

    ¡°Why store Sacae¡¯s body? Why not just toss it overboard?¡± Klintock asked.

    ¡°He¡¯ll get taken back to Ionad Tal¨²n and be judged by your families under the eyes of one of Flun¨¢c¡¯s Shepherds. Together, they¡¯ll figure out some way to give him an appropriately dishonorable burial.¡± There was a moment of quiet.

    ¡°I don¡¯t envy that Shepherd. Keeping the peace between our families is sure to be a tough job.¡± Keokin said with a small chuckle.

    Orae dismissed us when we¡¯d finished, thanking us for our help. Leola, Keokin, Sable, Klintock, C¨¦¨ªrde, and I stayed up on the quarterdeck. We were curious about the burial but didn¡¯t want to intrude. The others went below to relax and play cards. We chatted idly as we waited. I joined in where I could, but I also felt nervous, even more so as more crew gathered, and we all went silent.

    Five fires were lit in a circle. Lanaea, Zanataz, and Cormick spread out a large cloth, almost like a blanket. The center had the image of a large, many tentacled, beast. The edges had writing all around it. The rest of the blanket was filled with images.

    One was an image of an island. The next was a figure with a spear fighting a large predatory bird. Then an image of a ship on stormy seas. A beautiful woman, then that woman with a child in her arms. I gasped.

    It¡¯s his life. The Island is his Aging. He fought some big bird monster, then came home in a storm, met a girl and got married, had kids¡­ The blanket was full of symbols, but I was distracted. Edorin was carrying Hanaes. He was mostly nude, except for his undergarments. Edorin held him over the blanket as Cormick spoke, too quietly for me to hear.

    Once he¡¯d finished, Lanaea laid a rope from one end of the blanket to the other and attached it to a small anchor. Edorin laid him on the blanket and, with Cormick¡¯s help, tied him tightly in it. When they were done, Lanaea tied the small anchor around his ankles, then she took out a needle and quickly sewed the blanket shut. Cormick, Zanataz, and Edorin picked the bundle up and brought him over to the starboard side of the boat.

    They put the rope on a pulley attached to an arm that swung out over the ocean. Each crewman took a turn lowering Hanaes. When the last man had taken his turn, Hanaes was already far below the water. Edorin pulled his sword, held it in front of himself, said a few quiet words, then sliced the rope. There was a moment of silence, then Cairen poured a tankard of ale and handed it to Edorin, who poured it overboard. Then Cairen poured for the rest of the crew. They all stood in the circle, waiting until Cairen himself had a full tankard, then they raised their tankards starboard and drank heavily.

    The mood changed and they started talking and joking amongst each other. Some wiped tears away, others wept and were comforted, but when they¡¯d finished two rounds of ale, they slowly left the circle. Zanataz, Lanaea, Cormick, and Cairen each doused a flame as they left, leaving just Edorin. He snuffed the last flame and headed to his quarters. We moved down to the main deck, looking over the starboard side railing to the black water below, glistening like stars as it reflected the moonlight.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go like that.¡± Sable said.

    ¡°Same here.¡± I said.

    ¡°Seemed kind of peaceful and beautiful to me.¡± Keokin said.

    ¡°Sure, the first part was, but the idea of being sewn into a constricting blanket like that, and dropped into the abyss sounds terrifying.¡± I looked down at the black, imagining the horror of being dropped into the black abyss, full of Gods only know what and shivered.

    ¡°How would you go then?¡± Leola asked.

    ¡°Fomh¨¢r¡¯s reverence, planted in the soil like a seed, where I¡¯ll feed Edon with my body, and new life will spring out.¡± I said.

    ¡°I¡¯d prefer the reverence of Lugh (Loo-ck), God of Dualities and Honorable Warriors.¡± Klintock said

    ¡°So you¡¯re aiming for a military career?¡± Keokin asked. Klintock nodded.

    ¡°I want to serve Ionad Tal¨²n, like my father did.¡± He confirmed.

    ¡°An admirable endeavor.¡± Keokin said.

    ¡°Technically this topic holds no bearing. All of us will receive the reverence of Dagda Father of Gods.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde pointed out.

    ¡°Not necessarily, I can do my best on the Island to give each of you your preferred reverence.¡± Leola said.

    ¡°Only for simple ones, like Cro¨ª.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde said.

    ¡°Or mine. Curnunnos, God of the Wilds is pretty simple, well mostly.¡± Sable said.

    ¡°Your favored God is Curnunnos?¡± Klintock asked. Sable nodded. ¡°How come I never knew that?¡±

    ¡°You never asked.¡± She shrugged.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± He grunted.

    ¡°I think this is a conversation for the whole group to discuss. We should all go over our preferred reverences with Leola, and if she can, she will deliver them to us if the need arises.¡± Keokin said. We nodded, and moved below deck to talk, and go over some Common before lying awake for an hour or two until sleep took us.

 Chapter 28

    During warmup exercises, ¨¢nada¨ª took a special liking to L¨¢nn, often giving her extra exercises that would help L¨¢nn keep track of her spatial awareness, help her be less clumsy, and more confident. Then it was on to team exercises and having all of us show our skills against dummies, or against the mentors themselves, where they would handicap us and force us to overcome or lose the game.

    After dinner we were encouraged to keep training and practicing by challenging ourselves to different kinds of games where we had to work with tools or people we normally wouldn¡¯t. We also helped and sparred with each other. Since we were mainly practicing combat, Jael, Klintock, Sable and I became mentors in our own right, and showed the others proper form and technique.

    Sable and I wanted to show special attention to those that seemed least skilled. L¨¢nn, William, Leola primarily, while Jael and Klintock worked with Flint and C¨¦¨ªrde. L¨¢nn had similar problems as me, a dislike for being seen, trying, and failing. We all watched her train, mimicking the method Zanataz had used on me. William lacked confidence, but after realizing that he really was a strong, capable fighter, his confidence began to return, with a measure of humility.

    On the fifth day at first break, something hit me and C¨¦¨ªrde on the back before thumping to the floor. We looked down to see a pair of boots beside each of us.

    ¡°They¡¯re finally done!¡± L¨¢nn shouted with her arms in the air.

    ¡°Sorry it took so long. We''ve all been focused on training. We worked on them before bed. We can start on Keokin¡¯s now, and the shoes for everybody else.¡± William added. I picked them up, the leather was softer than I thought it would be, sturdy but not stiff.

    ¡°Thank you, both of you, for your hard work.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde said with a bow of gratitude. The grace she displayed reminded me that she was involved, though somewhat remotely, in court affairs. They tossed a pair of socks to each of us. My smile displayed my excitement as I pulled the socks and boots on, they fit snugly on my feet and calves, but were loose around my ankle until I pulled a strap over and buckled it around the top of my ankle. Now I know why Sable and Klintock¡¯s boots have the strap on them.

    ¡°You guys are amazing. These are great.¡± I said, glancing up at them. William¡¯s smile was small, but L¨¢nn¡¯s toothy grin displayed more than enough enthusiasm. I stood up and walked around the galley in them, noticing the distinct lack of the clicking Sable and Klintock¡¯s boots made. I sat and observed the soles of the boots.

    ¡°We modified them. And yours.¡± L¨¢nn pulled out Sable and Klintock¡¯s boots and tossed them over. ¡°We didn¡¯t want any of you alerting potential prey with that clicking.¡± As I moved my foot around, I noted a strange yet pleasing sensation against the front of my ankle. I liked the tight feel of the boot. These things are awesome. But I did notice that they weren¡¯t as fascinating as Sable¡¯s boots, or C¨¦¨ªrde¡¯s, which I noticed were slightly different compared to Sable¡¯s, the heel seemed to be an inch taller, but Sable¡¯s soles seemed thicker. C¨¦¨ªrde noticed this too, as she stood.

    ¡°Why are mine so tall?¡± She asked

    ¡°Each pair is slightly different. Sable¡¯s have thicker soles for better protection and durability. Klintock¡¯s have thicker leather on the back of the calves. Cro¨ª¡¯s are thicker on the front and on the arch. C¨¦¨ªrde¡¯s are taller because I saw a lady walking in tall shoes and it reminded me of you, and they have extra weight with thicker leather on the heel. There¡¯s also a stud on the heel because we noticed you like to kick like that.¡± L¨¢nn answered deftly. I was impressed with the amount of thought they¡¯d put into this.

    ¡°But look at her, she¡¯s like, almost a head taller than me now.¡± Sable complained.

    ¡°Next time.¡± L¨¢nn said, smiling. ¡°We¡¯ll make a pair for both of us that make us taller than everyone else.¡± Sable smiled and hugged L¨¢nn, then William.

    ¡°Thank you both, seriously.¡± Sable said, backing away.

    ¡°It¡¯s our duty. Thank all of you for teaching us.¡± William replied.

    ¡°Speaking of teaching, let¡¯s eat and get back in there.¡± Keokin pumped his fists in the air like he was sparring with someone. It was strange adjusting to wearing the boots. I had grown used to being barefoot, unpleasant as it was for me. Now I had to get used to the new way of walking in the boots, trying to find out exactly how I needed to walk to produce the least amount of sound and getting used to the tightness of them.

    I finished my food before the rest of the group and sat back, watching them enjoy their food. I thought about what type of training would be best to help them. Then I wondered if Cairen or Lanaea missed teaching us. Lanaea! I should go visit her while I have some free time. I stood and walked towards the infirmary.

    ¡°Where you headed Cro¨ª?¡± Keokin asked.

    ¡°Visit with Lanaea. Knock on the door when we¡¯re ready to start training and I¡¯ll join you.¡±

    ¡°Everything alright?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Just a friendly visit for once.¡± Keokin nodded and returned to his conversation. I thought about what we should talk about. Figuring she would likely want to talk about my unpleasant business. I heard the door to the infirmary close and looked up to see ¨¢nada¨ª, the area around her eyes was slightly red.

    ¡°Cro¨ª, didn¡¯t see you there.¡± She wiped her eyes. I was concerned. Why is she crying? Do I ask her?

    ¡°Good evening ¨¢nada¨ª. How¡¯s your night been?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Oh, fine. Just a little sea spray in the eyes. You know how it is.¡± She smiled. Sea spray? I mean it¡¯s possible. But we¡¯re on the ocean. Wait. That¡¯s what Edorin said before. I get it, its code, saying they¡¯ve been crying but don¡¯t want to admit it or talk about it.

    ¡°Right, yeah must be all that salt. We were going to do our nightly extra training if you wanted to join in.¡± I said. She chuckled, wiping her eye again with a slight sniffle.

    ¡°I appreciate the offer Cro¨ª, but I think I¡¯m going to get some rest.¡± She moved past me. ¡°Keep up the good work though.¡± I waved after her.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Then slightly quieter. ¡°You too.¡± Still feeling a little worried, but not knowing what to do. I said a small prayer to Aebhsean, asking for a blessing of luck to help her out. A little of Aebhsean¡¯s blessing never hurt anyone.

    I knocked gently on the infirmary door and opened it as I called in. ¡°Lanaea? You in here?¡± She was sitting by the bed with her back to me. I heard a sniffle as she slightly turned. She wiped her eyes as she spoke.

    ¡°Cro¨ª. How are you? Everything going well?¡± I nodded as she turned around, I focused on her face. Just like ¨¢nada¨ª. What¡¯s going on?

    ¡°Did I come at a bad time?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Gods no. Anytime is good for a visit from you Cro¨ª. Well, except when I¡¯m elbows deep in somebody¡¯s stomach or something like that.¡± She replied with a small smile. I recoiled.

    ¡°Does that actually happen?¡±

    ¡°From time to time.¡± She laughed. ¡°So, is there something I can help you with? Or did you just come for a chat? Nice boots by the way.¡± I smiled as I looked down at them, picking one foot up slightly and putting it back down.

    ¡°Thanks, L¨¢nn and William just finished some for C¨¦¨ªrde and me. I just came to visit with you before we started training again. I told them to come and knock when it was time to start.¡± She rubbed her eyes for a moment, then motioned towards a chair.

    ¡°Sit then and let¡¯s chat.¡± She crossed her legs as I sat down. My eyes locked onto her boots, becoming aware of my apparent fascination with them. Hers were a darker black than the rest of ours, with red soles, and laces that ran up from the ankle to just below her knees where the boot stopped. ¡°Cro¨ª? Should I start?¡± I shook my head lightly.

    ¡°Uh. Are you sure it¡¯s an ok time for you?¡± I blurted out. She smiled and bobbed her head.

    ¡°Just fine. But, how about you? What was that pause just now?¡± I stammered, thinking about what to say. This is Lanaea though. She knows things about me that nobody else knows, I hope. If anyone understands she does.

    ¡°Well, I got uh¡­ distracted.¡±

    ¡°Oh? By what?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Those.¡± I pointed at her boots.

    ¡°In what way?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Ever since Sable got hers, I¡¯ve noticed this weird fascination with them, but it¡¯s not there with Edorin¡¯s, Zanataz¡¯s, Klintock¡¯s, or mine. Just you, C¨¦¨ªrde, and Sable. I don¡¯t really understand it. It¡¯s not like with the pants. Well, it is, but it isn¡¯t. It¡¯s really confusing.¡±

    ¡°Oh dear. Sounds like puberty¡¯s really doing a number on you, isn¡¯t it?¡± She asked. I smiled. It felt nice talking with Lanaea. I missed her. I felt like I could ask her anything and get an honest answer. Though I still felt guilt or shame when she mentioned certain words.

    ¡°Yeah, I guess so. Still don¡¯t really understand it all that much. Does everyone go through it? Did you?¡± She chuckled.

    ¡°Yes, everybody does, it¡¯s a natural part of growing up. Some earlier than others, some later. And it affects everybody in different ways.¡± She explained.

    ¡°What happened to you during puberty? Did it make you like boots and pants too?¡± She breathed in, furrowing her brow, and let out a slightly awkward chuckle.

    ¡°Well, I will say that¡¯s not a question you want to go around asking people, so keep that in mind. For me. I mean, I think boots and pants are cute, but they don¡¯t arouse me. Not everybody is aroused by the same things.¡±

    ¡°Lucky.¡± I interjected. She chuckled before continuing.

    ¡°But I did notice a distinct interest in many things I hadn¡¯t noticed before.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡±

    ¡°Well. Like¡­¡± She paused for a second. ¡°Like an interest in being physically intimate with many different types of people.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by different types of people?¡± She thought for a second.

    ¡°I mean I get aroused by men, women, and a couple things that aren¡¯t really Cian¨ªan, we¡¯ll say.¡±

    ¡°Not Cian¨ªans? So, like, creatures?¡±

    ¡°No. Gods no. Just¡­ well other humanoid races.¡± For the first time during these discussions her cheeks got mildly red.

    ¡°Ok. So, you get aroused by everyone?¡±

    ¡°No, not really.¡± She thought about it for a second. ¡°Kind of like how you get aroused by Leola, C¨¦¨ªrde, and Sable, but only at certain times, and not L¨¢nn or Jael, or me really. You get aroused by women, generally speaking. Make sense?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°And for me it¡¯s like that, but it¡¯s men and women. Has breathing helped you?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s helped a lot. Except for certain times.¡± I admitted. There was a knock on the door as she was opening her mouth to speak. Keokin¡¯s muffled voice came through the door.

    ¡°Cro¨ª, we¡¯re about to start.¡±

    ¡°Ok. Thank you.¡± I yelled back.

    ¡°No problem.¡± We listened to his footsteps recede.

    ¡°That¡¯s great Cro¨ª. But I don¡¯t want you to be afraid of it happening, or ashamed of it. It¡¯s a natural thing. I agree it¡¯s not great to have it happen in public, or in front of someone, but try not to see it as an enemy, or something to be afraid of, ok?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try to keep it in mind.¡± I said.

    ¡°Great. Thank you for visiting Cro¨ª. A pleasure, as always.¡± She said. I nodded with a smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s fun to talk with you. I don¡¯t feel as scared around you as I am with others.¡± I confessed. She seemed to pull in her lips for a moment as a look of sadness flashed before being overtaken by a smile. What was that? Is she?... No, not a mask. She just got sad for a second, then happy.

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear Cro¨ª. Thank you. I needed that.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± I left the room and returned to train with the others, feeling happy and energized by the visit. If a little confused.

    I got used to attacking and moving with the new footwear, finding that in many ways, it was easier, my grip seemed more consistent, unless I put the boots at a certain angle, then I would slide. As a group we decided to buckle down and get more dedicated with our training, only taking necessary breaks and distractions for the rest of the week.

    When the day of the tournament finally came, we felt sore, but as prepared as we could be. L¨¢nn, Leola, and William had made large improvements over the last week. L¨¢nn and William were mostly doing what I had done, holding themselves back with their nerves and fears. Leola just needed training in precision and technique.

    I was surprised it had only been a week. It made me think about why we were doing this in the first place. To strengthen our minds. I couldn¡¯t understand that before, but I was starting to see it now in the improvements of my friends. We left our boots down in the training area, and we all took a moment to calm ourselves. As we walked up the stairs, I held my pendant, saying a small prayer to Fomh¨¢r and Aebhsean.

    Aebhsean, my thanks to you for the blessing of fortune and luck. And to Fomh¨¢r, I give thanks for the harvest that is my skills and newfound confidence. Please bless my friends, that they may also be blessed with luck and fortune, as well as a bountiful harvest of skill from their training.

    Light hit my eyelids as I stepped above deck. The crew was already assembled, cheering us on as we walked to the middle of the circle. We waited for Edorin to speak.

    ¡°Crew. This will be the last little bout of the journey, and the most difficult for our Agers. All of you will be facing crewmen, chosen by me. All Aged. I don¡¯t expect any of you to win these bouts, but I do expect you to try your hardest. These Aged will be showing you just what it is you¡¯re working towards.¡±

    We¡¯re all gonna lose? I mean, it makes sense. It took all of us with weapons to be able to beat Sacae, even then we almost died. ¡°Agers, line up.¡± We lined up in the middle. We looked around at the rugged crew as they smiled. Orae and Cairen emerged first. Orae lined up with Jael, Cairen with William. Then Lanaea stood in front of Leola, Danith with Klintock, Knuckles with Flint, Gathaen with Sable, C¨¦¨ªrde with ¨¢nada¨ª. Zanataz stood in front of me. Finally, Edorin himself stood in front of Keokin.

    I looked up at Zanataz. All the time sparring with him, I¡¯d only been able to hit him a handful of times. I grazed him a bit more often, but I wanted more hits. I didn¡¯t want to lose until I¡¯d at least hit him one more time. ¡°We¡¯ll start on the left end with Cro¨ª and Zanataz and move on from there. Aebhsean¡¯s blessing on you all.¡± The circle was reformed, and it was just me and Zanataz. I bounced on my toes a few times, taking several deep breaths and assuming a combat stance against my mentor. ¡°Go.¡±

 Chapter 29

    I braced myself in a defensive position, waiting for him to make the first move. He obliged, coming in with a flurry of kicks and punches. My mind went back to our early morning training sessions, which ended up being a detriment. He used different moves when he was fighting. He landed several hits, then swept my legs out, dropping me to my hands and knees. He lightly prodded my ribs with his foot.

    ¡°Come on Cro¨ª, where¡¯s your head at?¡± He asked. I smiled as I stood. As soon as we squared up, he lunged in with a jab. On instinct, I grabbed his wrist and fell backwards, pulling him with me. At the same time, I planted my right foot in his hip and kicked, sending him over me.

    I did it! I tossed him! We quickly rose to our feet. A small smile broke on his lips, a smile that grew as I returned it. This time I made the first move, throwing several jabs and leg sweeps, keeping him guessing as to which were feints and which were strikes. He dipped under one of my left jabs, lightly brushing aside my arm with his left and striking my face with his right. I barely flinched as I went in for a right jab.

    No this isn¡¯t right. He¡¯s expecting this. But I was too late to stop, he grabbed my wrist, pulled, and threw me onto the floor. I rolled away from him, getting up just as he kicked into my ribs. It was painful, but manageable. And in a rare moment, I could see where his next strike was coming from. He went to follow up with a left straight. I moved just enough so that his fist grazed my right cheek.

    Now! I released my coiled right fist, watching it fly straight up into his cheek. I finally got that solid connection I was looking for, but it was followed by a knee to my flexed abdomen. I kept pressing him, wanting another good hit, but he was too slippery. His return strikes were much more accurate.

    I made a mistake, forgetting entirely about grappling. Zanataz caught my hand and bent the wrist, while at the same time, pushing my elbow up. It made me tippy toe from the discomfort. He smiled. Oh no. Before I could do anything, he pushed me forward, and tripped me, pulling my arm behind my back, and sitting on my back. I punched uselessly at his thighs and tried to kick his back, but he just pulled my arm up further. I stopped punching him, and lightly tapped.

    He released and pulled me to my feet. I took a deep breath, shaking the dizziness out of my head. He ruffled my hair.

    ¡°Well done Cro¨ª. You¡¯ve definitely improved.¡± I bowed my head to him, then leaned in close to grab his forearm in mine and talking up into his ear over the cheering of the crowd.

    ¡°Thank you, Z.¡± He looked at me skeptically, mouthing ¡®Z?¡¯ and I mouthed back in the affirmative, ¡®Z.¡¯

    ¡°Next match, Leola and Lanaea.¡± Me and Zanataz left the arena, standing next to Klintock and the others as we watched. I was intrigued to see Lanaea fight. ¡°Go.¡±

    Both of Lanaea¡¯s feet were close together, left slightly in front of the right, her left hand extended, palm facing the sky. Right close to her chest, slightly curled. Contrasted by Leola¡¯s wide stance, and both arms up in a boxing stance. Lanaea remained static.

    Leola made the first moves, throwing jabs and kicks at Lanaea, who used her outstretched hand to glance aside punches, and her lead leg to block any kicks. Lanaea kept backing away from Leola, forcing her to keep pressing and overextending herself. Leola noticed this and stopped for a moment, taking a step back to figure out what to do next. It was then that Lanaea advanced with small, fast, footsteps, keeping up a steady forward pace, forcing Leola to move around the space.

    When she got close, Lanaea would use her legs to strike, low or high in an instant, deflecting any punches with her outstretched hand. Leola looked frustrated and decided it was now or never, and dived straight at Lanaea¡¯s hips, arms open wide. Lanaea stepped back but wasn¡¯t fast enough. Leola caught onto her with her left arm and used her momentum to swing around Lanaea, holding onto her from behind and pulled hard, throwing Lanaea off balance and slamming them both to the floor.

    Before Lanaea could roll away, Leola went on the offensive. Using elbows, knees, and fists to strike. She hit Lanaea several times in the ribs and face. Lanaea rolled one more time, gaining some distance and they both stood. Then, with her right hand out straight, she struck Leola with her fingertips to the abdomen. Leola yelped, stepping back from the pain. Lanaea stood and advanced yet again. This time assuming no stance, walking normally.

    Leola threw a right jab, Lanaea flexed her abdomen, absorbing the hit as she retaliated, hitting Leola in her exposed right rib cage. Leola winced and Lanaea moved, coiling around Leola like a vine, somehow catching her in a full body lock I¡¯d never seen before. Leola tapped out after a few seconds on the floor. But she fought well. Held her own for a while. L¨¢nn and Aenrick were next.

    I remembered Aenrick from the Behemoth attack. He was the one that occupied the crow¡¯s nest and kept Edorin informed as to the Behemoth¡¯s location. He was easily the smallest crew member, which I hoped would make an even match for L¨¢nn. ¡°Go.¡±

    L¨¢nn stayed put with a defensive stance as she breathed and focused on any movements Aenrick made. Aenrick moved in slowly, prodding at her defenses with light jabs and weak kicks, which ended up being a mistake. We had taught L¨¢nn to capitalize on this. Seeming weak was a great advantage if she could utilize it, which she did.

    Aenrick threw two light right jabs, on the third, L¨¢nn lunged under his jab while throwing her right arm up and around his neck, trapping his right arm and head in a lock. She pulled her forearm into the base of Aenrick¡¯s neck, and he winced and squinted, struggling against the hold. He tried to trip her, but instead, she pulled her legs up, putting all of her weight on Aenrick¡¯s neck. He focused on trying to pull her arm off, and that¡¯s when she used her legs to kick the back of his knees and drop him down. She had full control. He couldn¡¯t use his legs, he couldn¡¯t twist out, he couldn¡¯t pull her arm off, he was trapped. He tapped out. L¨¢nn was too focused on keeping her hold and kept going. Aenrick tapped harder and she opened her eyes, letting him go in surprise.

    ¡°The winner is L¨¢nn.¡± Crew and Agers alike roared with excitement. She actually beat one! I can hardly believe it! She didn¡¯t just land a hit, she beat him.

    Aenrick pulled L¨¢nn to her feet and whispered something to her. She giggled and nodded, saying ¡®you¡¯re welcome¡¯ through the roar of the crew. Edorin stepped into the circle, patting her on the head. Then looked at Keokin. Keokin stepped in with him as L¨¢nn and Aenrick stepped back into the crowd. Edorin stood, hands behind his back and waited for the cheering to quiet, giving L¨¢nn her much deserved moment. When all was quiet, he focused on Keokin. ¡°Go.¡±

    Keokin moved towards him, trying to capitalize on his openings, but Edorin was fast. As soon as Keokin threw a punch, Edorin leaned to the side, letting it pass by and brought his knee up into his stomach. Keokin coughed and held his stomach. Edorin took a step towards him, throwing out a front kick that Keokin dodged. Three more kicks, front, side, sweep, all within an inch of Keokin, while keeping his hands behind him, not even his expression had changed.

    Keokin on the other hand, looked focused, dodging each kick deftly until Edorin threw a high sweeping left kick. Keokin, who had been taking a step back, suddenly crouched, and stepped forward under the kick. He caught Edorin¡¯s knee with his right arm as it passed by his head and pushed, throwing Edorin off balance. Edorin¡¯s hands finally came out, slapping against the floor, breaking his fall.

    Keokin was still pushing against him, causing a stalemate. Edorin and Keokin smiled. Keokin put the back of Edorin¡¯s knee on his shoulder, leaned in and punched Edorin several times in the stomach, then Edorin kicked out with his right leg, slamming it into Keokin¡¯s chest, sending him back. In an instant Edorin was standing, arms at his sides moving towards Keokin. He focused on his incredibly fast kicks, but whenever Keokin paid too much attention to his feet, Edorin would lash out with a jab.

    I was amazed by Keokin¡¯s skill, his speed. He was able to dodge consistently and actually trade blows with Edorin in an incredible display. Edorin swept Keokin¡¯s legs from beneath him, after a good hit to his cheek, but he landed on one hand, pushing himself back up before Edorin could land another strike. The entire crowd was silent in amazement.

    Then finally, Keokin sidestepped Edorin¡¯s front kick and landed a jab on his jaw. Edorin moved back, not stumbling or dazed. His face changed, becoming serious, and he put up his fists in a boxing stance. Keokin took several steps back, his focus mixed with fear. Then a smile of pride. I understood that smile.

    Edorin advanced quickly. His strikes were even faster now and Keokin couldn¡¯t keep up, taking several hits to the face and ribs, seemingly out of nowhere, Edorin¡¯s fist slammed into Keokin¡¯s stomach, and he doubled over. Edorin stood over him, waiting, but Keokin couldn¡¯t recover. He tapped the floor. Edorin started clapping, looking to the crowd. We snapped out of our daze and cheered as he crouched down, putting a hand on Keokin¡¯s back, saying something to him. Keokin slowly rose to his knees and said something back to him. He gulped, then smiled and laughed as they stood. Klintock leaned over in my ear.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t fight like that with me.¡± He said. I thought back, realizing he was right. Klintock¡¯s fight with Keokin hadn¡¯t been anywhere near as intense. Almost like Keokin had let Klintock win.

    Keokin hugged Edorin, surprising him, but Edorin smiled and hugged him back gently, leading him out of the circle. Cairen and William were next.

    Their match was tactile at first, each one gauging the strength of the other until William caught one of Cairen¡¯s punches to the stomach. He stumbled, falling back on one knee, and Cairen moved forward, throwing a punch to finish it as William looked up. William caught the punch in the palm of his hand. Cairen threw another but William dodged to the outside of the punch, standing as he delivered a punch to Cairen¡¯s face. Cairen hit him back with an elbow to the chest, and William took it, delivering one more punch to Cairen¡¯s face. William put Cairen on the defensive, forcing him to block William¡¯s strikes until Cairen found an opportunity and dazed William with a chin strike.

    With William¡¯s onslaught momentarily stopped, Cairen was able to move in with several well-placed strikes and stun him. He snatched William¡¯s wrist and twisted it at an awkward angle, applying steady pressure. William delayed it as long as he could, trying to kick or twist his way out of the hold, but Cairen twisted his wrist further, forcing William¡¯s arm behind his back so he could better control him. Eventually William tapped. He looked disappointed, but our cheering seemed to help him feel better.

    Klintock and Danith were next. Danith loomed a head taller and a foot wider then Klintock. His size reminded me of Sacae, but thankfully that was where the similarities ended. As they fought, I observed that even their fighting styles were different. Danith¡¯s stance and the flow of his moves were more efficient as he landed hits on Klintock, and his defense was advanced enough that as soon as Klintock threw a punch, Danith would immediately swat it aside while throwing a counter punch. Klintock capitalized on this, throwing a right jab, but keeping his left hand ready to catch the retaliating fist. As soon as he had Danith¡¯s right wrist, he pulled him in and brought his right elbow up into Danith¡¯s jaw to daze him, then twisted and bent, slamming him onto his back.

    Danith, still on his back, received two punches to the face from Klintock, blocked the third with his forearm, and caught the fourth. He slammed his fist into Klintock¡¯s jaw. He fell over onto the floor dazed. He wobbled like he was trying to stand but couldn¡¯t. Danith patted him on the back and Edorin declared the match over.

    Once he recovered, Me and Klintock moved into the crowd where we found Leola, Lanaea, Keokin and Edorin. We joined them to view the three remaining matches.

    The first of which being between Jael and Orae. Orae was holding his arms in the air, exciting the crew, and coming over to Jael and high fiving her before the match started. As soon as Edorin said ¡®Go¡¯, he rushed in to fight. His fighting method was very unorthodox. He punched from odd angles, kicked backwards at her like a mule, then threw a double fisted punch. Jael didn¡¯t know how to deal with this, remaining mostly defensive. Orae dropped into a stance and threw a solid jab that dazed her. He rushed in, hitting her stomach, ribs, then face before returning to his random attacks.

    As she started to refocus, Orae¡¯s style changed back to serious. This time she was ready, blocking with her arm and throwing a kick as soon as he punched. She connected with the side of his thigh and his leg seemed to go dead. He jumped around on one foot, which prompted Jael to move in, but he was feigning the injury. He side kicked as soon as she approached. Jael reacted quickly, catching his foot, and pulling his leg down into a leg bar. Orae tickled Jael¡¯s foot, trying to distract her, but she wouldn¡¯t budge, if anything she twisted his ankle harder. He howled in pain for a few seconds before tapping out.

    ¡°I¡¯m impressed. I mean Orae is kind of an idiot, but your group won two fights.¡± Lanaea said. ¡°Bit more training and you¡¯ll be a mean bunch; I¡¯ll tell you that much.¡± She looked proud, a slight smile on her face as she looked down at Jael, her arm raised in the air by Orae before moving back into the crowd. Sable and Gathaen were next.

    They were opposites. Sable was bouncy and happy, but Gathaen was stern and focused. As soon as Edorin said ¡®Go,¡¯ Sable focused on Gathaen. It was strange seeing her standing still. Normally, as soon as the fight started, she would leap onto the opponent and use her own momentum to throw them around, but I guess since Gathaen taught her this method, she wouldn¡¯t be able to use it on him.

    Gathaen rolled forward to close the distance. She threw a side kick at him, but he caught the heel of her foot in his palm, stood up and lightly pushed her over. She stumbled but regained her footing, inching closer to him. His muscles gave nothing away, remaining absolutely still until, in a flash of movement, he jabbed her cheek. She punched back at him. He grabbed her wrist, punching her again to daze her, then bent down, took hold of her ankle, and threw it into the air. She flipped over, slamming onto the floor. He crouched down next to her as she was recovering, took hold of her wrist and bent it at an awkward angle.

    I was fascinated. Normally Sable was too fast for us in sparring sessions. But now, Gathaen was crouched next to her, almost looking bored, and used simple holds or moves too fast for her to react to effectively. I was dumbstruck.

    She yelped, feeling the pain in her wrist, and turned to kick at him, but he blocked it, pulled her wrist towards him, and flipped it, forcing her to kneel, as he put more pressure on the wrist, lifting the arm behind her back, straining her shoulder. She tried to twist away, but he stepped to either side of her, blocking her with his legs and pushed her down further. She shook her head and looked back at him, giving a slight nod and he let go. She stood slowly, holding her wrist. ¡°Then again. There¡¯s Gathaen.¡± Lanaea said, almost sounding disappointed. With that we had one match left, C¨¦¨ªrde and ¨¢nada¨ª. ¡°Excuse me kids.¡± Lanaea said as she moved back down into the crowd.

    ¡°Go.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde was first, moving in with two left jabs, and a feint right that turned into a spinning right kick. With a smirk, ¨¢nada¨ª caught C¨¦¨ªrde¡¯s foot inches before it hit her face. She pulled C¨¦¨ªrde forward to throw her off balance, but C¨¦¨ªrde pushed off with her left foot, aiming a strike at ¨¢nada¨ª¡¯s head. She dodged, letting go of C¨¦¨ªrde. C¨¦¨ªrde kept on the offensive, moving in close with a feinted right kick that turned into a left jab at the last second, then a straight right kick, left hook, right cross.

    ¨¢nada¨ª struck back with a straight kick. C¨¦¨ªrde caught the foot in her stomach. It looked painful, but she pulled it, mimicking ¨¢nada¨ª and Gathaen¡¯s moves. She twisted ¨¢nada¨ª¡¯s leg, dropping her to her knee. ¨¢nada¨ª rolled away, pulling her leg free. C¨¦¨ªrde pursued, moving in for a right cross that landed on her cheek, then a knee to her stomach. ¨¢nada¨ª took C¨¦¨ªrde¡¯s wrist as she threw another punch, pulling her off balance and tossed her across the deck. ¨¢nada¨ª held her stomach, seeming to feel the hit more than she should¡¯ve.

    C¨¦¨ªrde paused, thinking she might be feigning injury and backed off. ¨¢nada¨ª recovered, looking somewhat angry, flexed her stomach muscles, then pushed in towards C¨¦¨ªrde. She slapped a punch aside and countered, hitting C¨¦¨ªrde¡¯s cheek, jabbed her again. A kick swept out C¨¦¨ªrde¡¯s legs and she fell, but as she did, she pulled her legs over her and kicked herself back up.

    ¨¢nada¨ª kept moving in with left and right punches that C¨¦¨ªrde blocked with her forearms, being forced back nearly into the crowd. C¨¦¨ªrde dropped her block as another punch was coming in and made a straight kick. The punch knocked C¨¦¨ªrde back into the feet of some of the crew, but her kick was solid, and to the stomach. ¨¢nada¨ª took a step back, seeming winded and dropped to one knee. She moved, like she was going to stand but stopped, flinching. C¨¦¨ªrde got to her feet and took a stance, inching closer to ¨¢nada¨ª, but stopped, crouched down, and held out a hand, palm down. ¨¢nada¨ª waved her hand side to side, smiling and stood slowly as Lanaea came to her side. She put C¨¦¨ªrde¡¯s fist in the air and moved ¨¢nada¨ª below deck as the crowd cheered.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    Strange. Is she alright? How hard did C¨¦¨ªrde hit her? ¡°Well, that¡¯s it crew. C¨¦¨ªrde is the winner. Three Ager victories, impressive without a doubt. Now it¡¯s time to celebrate. Each Ager will receive a tankard, those that won can have two. Crew, your food and a tankard are downstairs. Well done everyone.¡± Edorin said with a slight smile. The crew cheered and slowly filtered through the door below deck. Edorin went into the Captain¡¯s quarters, and I went to the table to get myself a tankard of ale with the other Agers. C¨¦¨ªrde moved into the line behind me. I turned to see her hand on her chin as she nibbled at her lip. I recognized this along with her furrowed brow as her nervous, thinking face.

    ¡°Are you thinking about ¨¢nada¨ª?¡± I asked. She snapped from her thinking and looked at me.

    ¡°Huh?¡± As I was about to repeat my question, she continued. ¡°Oh. Yeah. I hit her hard, but I don¡¯t think it should¡¯ve done that much damage. Unless I¡¯m much stronger than I thought.¡±

    ¡°Well, kick me like you did her. I won¡¯t even flex and we¡¯ll see how much it hurts.¡± Wait, why am I suggesting that? That¡¯s a bad idea.

    ¡°What? No. What if I hurt you too?¡± Oh good. She went back to nibbling on her lip.

    ¡°You know what? Let¡¯s go check on her.¡± I said, grabbing C¨¦¨ªrde¡¯s hand away from her chin and pulling her towards the door. She resisted.

    ¡°Wait, are you sure? Maybe it¡¯s something private. Maybe it¡¯s not that bad.¡±

    ¡°Look, you¡¯re going to chew your lip bloody come morning if this continues, and I can tell it¡¯s bothering you, so let¡¯s just go and ask alright? Besides, we need to grab our boots.¡± She dipped her head nervously and agreed.

    ¡°If you guys are going downstairs, will you grab our boots too?¡± Klintock asked.

    ¡°Yeah, just hold my drink till I get back. Don¡¯t drink any though.¡± I said, jokingly glaring at Klintock. He nodded, taking the tankard. We went below, moving through a few boisterous crewmen. We hesitated before the infirmary door. I heard something that sounded like laughing, but when I listened closer, it sounded more like crying, a sound I was becoming more and more familiar with, from me and my group lately. I hesitated but looked over to see C¨¦¨ªrde focused on the door, and my hand that was raised to knock on it. I exhaled and gently knocked on the door.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Lanaea asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s Cro¨ª and C¨¦¨ªrde.¡±

    ¡°What do you need?¡± Right. Spill it and hope for the best then I guess.

    ¡°That kick shouldn¡¯t have been enough to drop ¨¢nada¨ª, and the way you rushed her down here is making us worry. We want to know if she¡¯s ok. Is there something we can do to help? I¡¯m owed a tankard of ale if that will help.¡± There was a small chuckle followed by a small cough, then a sigh and a moment of whispering.

    ¡°Alright then.¡± I heard Lanaea get up and come over, unlocking the door, letting us inside, then locked the door behind us. ¨¢nada¨ª was leaning over a tin, vomit already inside. She gave us a weak smile and raised her eyebrows. Her breathing seemed labored, and her shoulders were shaking. It was strange to see her like this, she was usually like a pillar of strength.

    ¡°Is she ok?¡± C¨¦¨ªrde asked, her brows twisted with worry. Lanaea glanced back at ¨¢nada¨ª, who nodded and looked back into her sick bucket.

    ¡°No. She¡¯s dying.¡± Lanaea said bluntly.

    ¡°Dying? What happened?¡± C¨¦¨ªrde asked, glancing between the two women.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t you, so don¡¯t worry about that. She¡¯s ill. Has been for a while now. It¡¯s why she¡¯s mentoring Flint and you. She can¡¯t mentor the Guardians anymore. If she takes a good knock to the stomach, she¡¯s down for the rest of the day.¡± Almost as if on cue, ¨¢nada¨ª threw up into the tin and wiped her mouth. ¡°I can¡¯t heal it. I¡¯ve tried everything, concentrate, Crow¡¯s Tears Oil, Coleus, and dozens of different herbal combinations, but nothing¡¯s working. It always comes back after a while.¡±

    ¡°But I thought that Concentrate and that oil could cure anything. They helped me and Leola with concussions, Cro¨ª and Keokin¡¯s bones, stab wounds too.¡±

    ¡°True. But whatever this is, those only serve as a deterrent. It¡¯s not a bone problem, a muscle problem, not blood, organs, brain, skin, or tendons. Not any disease or illness known to me, those would¡¯ve all been cured with what I¡¯ve already tried.¡± Lanaea sighed in frustration, rubbing her forehead. ¡°I¡¯ve had nothing but bad news for her.¡± Now it clicked in my head as to why she said ¡®I needed that¡¯ when I told her it¡¯s fun to talk to her, and why her and ¨¢nada¨ª seemed upset. Lanaea had tried something, and it hadn¡¯t worked. ¡°The only thing that any of the Aids back home, or myself can point to is her genealogy.¡±

    ¡°Genealogy?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Her ancestry. More than most, her ancestors were explorers. They traveled all over, meeting many new kinds of people, and, in many cases, mixing with them. Some mixes went better than others. In ¨¢nada¨ª¡¯s case, it was several generations that mixed with Berg.¡± Lanaea explained.

    ¡°What¡¯s a Berg?¡± I asked. This time ¨¢nada¨ª answered me.

    ¡°Berg are a race of huge people. The men average seven and a half feet tall, and the women are seven feet tall on average. The men grow large, long beards and decorate them intricately. The women have been known to grow facial hair, but years of selective breeding and magical modifications have left them with long thick hair just on their head. Their physical strength is only matched or beaten by the Tauren (Taw-ren) and they¡¯re very smart.¡± What¡¯s a Tauren? ¡°Well, their women are brilliant, but the men tend to be thick of body and mind. It¡¯s where I got my height and strength.¡± Wow. They sound like monsters.

    ¡°Then do you think it could be an illness specific to these Berg?¡± C¨¦¨ªrde questioned, her hand on her chin, as she nibbled her bottom lip again.

    ¡°We¡¯ve tried that too. Any of those would and have been cured already, well, at least those that match the symptoms ¨¢nada¨ª is suffering from. Whatever it is, healing actually seems to make it worse sometimes.¡±

    ¡°Healing makes it worse? How does that work?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I have no idea, but it seems like accelerated healing tends to accelerate the condition, specifically concentrate, but only if the healing is applied to the affected area, being her stomach.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde and Lanaea both sighed, thinking.

    ¡°What if because she¡¯s Berg and Cian¨ªan, the red stuff doesn¡¯t know which one to make and so it makes the wrong one?¡± I asked. Lanaea looked at me confused, followed by C¨¦¨ªrde and ¨¢nada¨ª.

    ¡°Red stuff?¡± C¨¦¨ªrde and ¨¢nada¨ª asked together.

    ¡°Yeah. From the Coleus and Oil, you said it makes new ¡®me¡¯ parts and puts them where they go. What if it doesn¡¯t know which one to make, or how to make both together?¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be that, that mixture works on every known race. When we tried it, it didn¡¯t have any effect on the illness, and passed straight through her system, like there wasn¡¯t an injury or illness. I think we would have to dig around in her stomach to find out what the real problem is and then apply it, but that¡¯s too dangerous.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde¡¯s eyes lit up.

    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s because the problem isn¡¯t with a known system.¡± Lanaea looked at her confused. ¡°Think about it. You said it¡¯s not a problem with her muscles, bones, organs, whatever else. Maybe it¡¯s a new system, something brought in by her ancestors.¡± Lanaea looked like she was about to dismiss the idea, but her eyes locked in place.

    ¡°New system.¡± She repeated. ¡°New system. New genealogy. New category altogether.¡± She looked at her hand, closely, then turned around, putting her hand under a curved magnifying glass and looked even closer. ¡°What is it made of? How does the Coleus mixture work? How does it know what we¡¯re made of and what to do with us? How to make new parts? What are those parts made of? Why would concentrate make it worse but Coleus not?¡± She sat down slowly at her desk, pulling over a paper and pencil. ¨¢nada¨ª turned to us.

    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve started her up. Might as well go enjoy your ale kids. I¡¯ll be back to kicking you around tomorrow morning.¡± She got up slowly from the chair she was sitting on, putting the tin on the bed, and ushering us out. ¡°Thank you for the visit, and your concern.¡± She ruffled our hair.

    ¡°Sure. See you tomorrow.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde replied. The door closed behind us. I looked at her and we both shrugged.

    ¡°Guess you said something that stuck.¡± I suggested.

    ¡°Guess so. Now let¡¯s go make sure Sable hasn¡¯t had all our ale by now.¡± We started walking back towards the stairs when I noticed my boots out of the corner of my eye.

    ¡°Right.¡± I picked up C¨¦¨ªrde¡¯s and tossed them to her. ¡°You go on ahead, I¡¯ll bring theirs up.¡± She nodded and moved up the stairs. I sat down and put mine on, then looked over at the two pairs next to me.

    My heart quickened looking at Sable¡¯s. I sighed. Why? Why not Klintock¡¯s or mine? I felt a strange determination to know what the feeling was, but the idea of examining Sable¡¯s boots made me feel uncomfortable. I was always taught, ¡®if it isn¡¯t yours, don¡¯t touch it¡¯ and these weren¡¯t mine. I scanned the area, satisfied that I wasn¡¯t seen by anyone. I am supposed to retrieve them. It couldn¡¯t hurt. I picked them up, feeling a strange shaking in my body, an excitement to have them, but nervousness that I would be seen with them.

    Why? How are they different from mine or Klintock¡¯s? They¡¯re soft, like mine. Black like mine. Tall like mine. Have that awesome smell of leather just like...Not just like mine. I looked around, just to be safe, then leaned in slightly closer. They smell better than mine. There¡¯s the leather, but something else too. I jumped as one of the crew slammed something on a table, laughing loudly.

    This is wrong. I shouldn¡¯t be doing this. If it wasn¡¯t wrong, then I wouldn¡¯t fear being caught right now. But I need to know why. Just a few more seconds, it can¡¯t be just the smell, I¡¯ve never noticed that until now.

    I slowly bent and picked up Klintock¡¯s. Something about the shape wasn¡¯t the same. Hers were more slender, more pleasing to the eye somehow. But why?! I shook my head, and stood up, angry with myself. I felt like I did something wrong, but I couldn¡¯t fully understand why I did it. I huffed and marched up the stairs, grumbling to myself, frustrated that I couldn¡¯t understand why these new sensations assailed me.

    Puberty. That¡¯s the problem, maybe I can ask Lanaea how to stop it, or reverse it. Maybe then this weird fascination will leave me alone. I grumpily tossed the boots over to Sable and Klintock. ¡°Puberty, always messing with me. ¡®Hit you hard didn¡¯t it Cro¨ª?¡¯¡± I mumbled to myself in a barely audible tone as I grabbed a plate of food and a tankard. ¡°Stupid nonsense. Feel like a criminal now.¡± I plopped myself down on the floor near the railing after grabbing my ale from Klintock. ¡°Can¡¯t say sorry though because it¡¯s too embarrassing to explain, and I don¡¯t want people hating me. Stupid puberty¡­¡± I trailed off, not noticing that several of the group members were looking at me.

    ¡°Are you alright Cro¨ª? You seem upset.¡± Leola¡¯s voice interrupted my pouting. I huffed.

    ¡°Fine. Just fine.¡± She looked very skeptical, even a little bit angry, but sighed and shrugged.

    ¡°Alright, if you say so. I¡¯m just hearing some angry grumbling and I¡¯m worried about you, but if you say you¡¯re fine, I guess you¡¯re fine.¡± She took a sip of her ale as she walked away from me. I felt guilty, which made me angrier. This was Leola, I¡¯d lied to her by telling her I was fine before at great cost to myself and the group. She was the Lanaea of our group; she¡¯s supposed to help. As angry as I was, I still realized that. I groaned a sigh.

    ¡°Ok fine. But not in front of everybody else.¡± Leola nodded and motioned for me to follow her up onto the quarterdeck. I got up and followed her, shooting a glance at the rest of the group.

    ¡°You guys go ahead and keep celebrating, we¡¯ll be down in a second. No eavesdropping. Especially you Sable.¡± Sable glared at Leola, with a sly smile as she sipped her tankard. Leola turned back to me, satisfied by the noise of the group as I plopped down by the railing. ¡°So, what¡¯s this about Cro¨ª?¡± She sat down cross legged in front of me. I grumbled as I finished a bite of my roll. I thought about saying, ¡®you know what¡¯ in reference to the conversation I¡¯d overheard between her and Lanaea, but I figured that might be a bit confrontational, so I decided to find a way to tell her as if she didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°Do you know what p¡­ puberty is?¡± I asked. Leola was taken aback by my question.

    ¡°Yeah. Why?¡± She asked with a small smile.

    ¡°Because apparently that¡¯s what¡¯s causing my problems.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean apparently? Don¡¯t you know?¡± She asked. I shook my head. ¡°Your family never told you about it?¡± She asked.

    ¡°No. Nobody told me. I didn¡¯t know about any of it until¡­ Well, Lanaea¡¯s helping, and I¡¯m still learning about it, but I don¡¯t like it.¡± A small knowing look washed over Leola¡¯s face, and she moved in slightly closer, even more aware of whether or not people could hear us.

    ¡°Can you tell me about these problems? Are you hurting anywhere?¡± She asked, still smiling. I sighed in frustration, shaking my head. I might as well tell her. I¡¯ve been getting...ups, more and more frequently in the mornings. Eventually I¡¯ll still be sleeping, and it¡¯ll get noticed. I took a deep breath. Alright, get ready to be embarrassed.

    ¡°Ok fine. I¡¯ve talked to Lanaea about it, and she¡¯s helped me to understand some of it, but basically, I¡¯ve been having¡­ I¡¯ve been getting¡­¡± I spoke almost in a whisper. ¡°Ups.¡±

    ¡°Ups? What do you?...¡± Her eyebrows raised in understanding. ¡°Oh¡­ ups ok.¡± Her smile faded a bit and she glanced down. ¡°I will have to say though, I was worried about you and talked to Lanaea about you.¡±

    ¡°Lanaea told you?¡± I asked, feigning ignorance.

    ¡°Yes. She did. I¡¯m really sorry Cro¨ª, but I¡¯m the Aid. I need to know what my group is going through. I was worried about you after we fixed your ribs and I asked if you were really alright. She said you were dealing with something. She explained some of it to me in the hopes that I could help you with it while we were on the Island. I¡¯m sorry if it makes you feel betrayed.¡± I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. If I was being honest, I wasn¡¯t really all that upset about it, the fact that she told me the truth right away made me trust her more.

    ¡°No. I mean. Not really. But I would really rather it not get passed around, it¡¯s embarrassing enough as it is.¡± She nodded.

    ¡°I promise. So, what¡¯s bothering you?¡± She asked.

    ¡°You know what it does?¡± I asked. She nodded.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve gone¡­ well, I guess I¡¯m in the middle of it.¡± She said with a small smile. I sighed, slightly relieved. She knows then.

    ¡°What about the rest of the group? Do they know?¡±

    ¡°About you? No. About them in general? Yeah.¡± I sighed.

    ¡°This is all just so confusing. I hate this. It¡¯s like I don¡¯t have control over myself. I¡¯m curious about things I was told were wrong. I¡¯m doing things I was told not to do. I feel bad just looking at¡­ some things now, and I don¡¯t know why.¡±

    I ran my fingers through my hair, squeezing my head with frustration. ¡°If I could at least control it or turn it off, or even understand it, that would be one thing. But this? I have no idea what¡¯s going on And I still have no idea what creepy means, so I think everything I do is creepy, because I don¡¯t want to be creepy. But I don¡¯t know, and you can¡¯t talk about it because all of it is ¡®bad words¡¯ and we¡¯re not supposed to talk about it.¡± I rubbed my forehead, scratching at my head with frustration.

    I noticed that the group had gone quiet and glanced up to see them quickly look away. ¡°Great! So much for not in front of everyone.¡± The roll of my head matching my eyes as I moved further back, leaning over the railing as I shook my head. I heard Leola moving towards me. I hopped over and started climbing down. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about it. Just celebrate with the others. I¡¯ll be fine tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Cro¨ª wait.¡± I felt her hand on mine. I felt a calming sensation, if only for a moment. I stared at her hand, pale and beautiful in the light of the moons. ¡°Give me one second, please, climb back up here and we¡¯ll talk alright? I haven¡¯t seen you this upset, so it must be really eating at you. I want to talk to you, ok?¡± I exhaled heavily, closing my eyes, and drooping my shoulders.

    Yeah, because that works so well. Oh, shut up. I argued with myself. ¡°Please?¡± Her voice was sweet and soft, impossible to resist. I nodded and hopped back on deck as she turned and made a shooing motion to the group. ¡°Go on, I said not to eavesdrop. Now get to the bow and do your celebrating there.¡± She put her hands on her hips.

    I recognized the pose from the times my mother had been upset by my brother''s antics. They grumbled, some smiling as they grabbed their things and moved to the bow.

    ¡°Fine! Keep your naughty secrets then!¡± Sable yelled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t even start.¡± Leola chided.

    ¡°Alright, sorry Cro¨ª.¡± Sable said chuckling. I snickered.

    Leola came and sat down next to me. ¡°Ok, so what¡¯s bothering you most right now? Something you need to get out or talk about?¡± She asked.

    ¡°I just.¡± I hesitated, trying to find what was really bothering me. ¡°I feel out of control sometimes, like new things and feelings are invading and I don¡¯t know what they are or why or how to stop or control them. I¡¯m trying to fight myself, my mind and body, and prepare for our Aging. Besides that, I just¡­ I don¡¯t like talking about how I feel. It¡¯s awkward and... scary.¡± I said with a bit of an awkward chuckle.

    ¡°That¡¯s puberty.¡± She said with a smile. ¡°Your body is trying to grow, and it¡¯s trying to grow your mind along with it. You need to stop trying to fight it. Your body is your friend, unless you make it your enemy.¡± Not my enemy? So, it¡¯s a new me, and it¡¯s trying to make me grow into it?

    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± I said returning her smile, only smaller.

    ¡°Good. Now what made you so grumpy?¡± She asked, nudging me. I stiffened, not wanting to admit it. It¡¯s awkward, and I did a bad thing. Though, I suppose I didn¡¯t hurt anyone. But I think it was creepy. I don¡¯t want her to dislike me.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not sure I can tell you.¡± I said scratching my head. She tilted her head and squinted.

    ¡°Why not? Is it something to do with me? Naughty secrets?¡± She asked with a chuckle.

    ¡°No. No, it¡¯s not you.¡± I chuckled back. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s Sable¡¯s boots.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What about them?¡± She let out a small fake gasp. ¡°Did you try them on?¡±

    ¡°No! I¡­¡± I paused, slightly baffled, squinting at her sideways, then continued. ¡°They¡­ I was supposed to take them up, but before I did, I got¡­ curious.¡±

    ¡°Curious? About why they fit you?¡± She asked, smiling to make sure I was in on the joke. I chuckled back at her.

    ¡°No not that. They fascinate me, and I can¡¯t figure out why. I can hardly take my eyes off them and her pants. I just wanted to know why.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, a boy being fascinated by a cute girl, definitely sounds abnormal.¡± She jested. I laughed. ¡°That¡¯s not too bad. What did you do?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± I hesitated, glancing at her. She raised her eyebrows expectantly. ¡°I tried to examine them.¡± She snickered.

    ¡°That¡¯s it? What¡¯s so bad about that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I grumbled. ¡°They¡¯re not mine, and I touched them without permission, and I felt¡­gross.¡± She blinked at me expectantly. ¡°Maybe even creepy?¡± I added with a small shrug.

    ¡°I can understand that. It¡¯s not fun when people go through your belongings without permission. At least you understand that. But why do you feel so guilty about it? All you did was touch them, right?¡± I nodded.

    ¡°Yeah basically. I was trying to find out what the difference was, and the only thing I could come up with was the smell.¡±

    ¡°The smell?¡± She asked. I cringed.

    ¡°Is that creepy? Please tell me it¡¯s not creepy.¡± She bobbed her head from side to side.

    ¡°Generally sniffing someone¡¯s shoe ware isn¡¯t a great thing to do.¡± I hung my head, ashamed.

    ¡°I knew it.¡± I groaned. She laughed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s terrible, though. I¡¯ve heard much worse. Besides, you were just curious. That¡¯s a big part of discovering your sexuality is curiosity, exploration, trying things out and seeing what sticks. This was you being curious. I don¡¯t fault you for that. And to be honest, I don¡¯t blame you.¡± I looked at her, confused.

    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°No. You can¡¯t help the interests you were born with. Yours just happen to be a bit more¡­ exotic, I would say. And if I were in your position, I don¡¯t know how I would go about it. It would be awkward to go up to Sable and ask¡­¡± She puffed up and made her voice deeper. ¡°Hey Sable, mind if I borrow your boots for a bit? I really want to give them a big strong whiff.¡± I snickered.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not how I¡¯d do it.¡± I said, laughing.

    ¡°Though now that I think about it, I don¡¯t think she would really care.¡± She said laughing.

    ¡°She probably wouldn¡¯t. She¡¯s great like that.¡± I chuckled. Leola nodded, smiling. We both took long breaths and sighed them out.

    ¡°Is there anything else you need to talk about?¡± I thought for a second. Thought about asking her why I got the feeling of falling when I was with her. Why I was fascinated by her sometimes. Or why Sable and C¨¦¨ªrde fascinated me. But decided I¡¯d had enough awkward fun for one night and shook my head, smiling.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m good for now. Thanks Leola.¡± She smiled and stood, offering me a hand up.

    ¡°Right. Back to celebrating.¡±

 Chapter 30

    A new form of training was implemented where we were startled awake by one or all three of the mentors coming in and attacking to simulate predators, sometimes even dragging us out of the room and running off with us while the others tried to catch up. We started sleeping in shifts, or watches, to make sure we weren¡¯t surprised anymore, which worked wonders. As a group, we also worked on being able to draw our weapons from our packs at a moment¡¯s notice, we all realized that if our camp was attacked, we would need to be ready in an instant.

    They took the door off its hinges making it easier for them to sneak into the room. It mimicked the idea of sleeping in a small cave or alcove and got us used to the idea of changing clothes around each other. The idea, but not the act. That would take some time.

    The girls caught Flint trying to peek one time and Jael thrashed him. I didn¡¯t understand why he would want to look; the idea was scary to me. When we weren¡¯t training, we were studying all manner of plant and animal life, knowing which ones to avoid, which ones were helpful and in which ways. We would meet with Edorin sometimes, especially when one of us lashed out or woke up screaming.

    I still found that I was sleeping less and less because of all this extra training, down to nearly four hours a night. Sometimes I was plagued by nightmares.

    Nightmares where anyone that had been dragged away was torn apart by monsters while I sat by, frozen in fear. I would overexert myself in training to try and make sure this wouldn¡¯t become a reality. Gradually my accuracy even impressed many members of the crew. Often, I would finish my meal early and go back to training. The crew would watch, sometimes placing bets on when I would miss, and counting a strike outside the four-inch diameter center as a miss. Sometimes they would make requests to see if I could pull off tricky shots, betting on whether I would succeed.

    When I was sure nobody was awake, I would take a spear to one end of the room. It would allow me to practice throwing as far as I could, roughly fifty feet, while remaining accurate.

    The combination of a childhood pushed by my older brothers and the brilliant training practices of Zanataz made my accuracy nothing to scoff at.

    I also made it a point to learn the names of the rest of the crew during the times they would watch my training, finding that there were twenty-three remaining crewmen, including our mentors, Edorin, and those sailing the other vessel. Most of them were delightful to be around, much like Orae. Jovial and fun, teasing and making fun of each other regularly.

    One of them named Obhean (Aw-veen) was a sour man, seeming to have a general contempt about him. I found out that it was because the two slain, were his friends. I felt bad for him, wishing there was something I could do for him.

    I decided to bet and play against the crew, challenging them to games, using certain points on the board to see who reached a certain number first, or who could reach a specific number or playing a game called Mimic. Having the crew repeat complicated or difficult shots.

    Eventually I had two handfuls of coins. I told Obhean that I knew it wasn¡¯t much, but that it was all I could think to do and handed it to him. He was surprised and I left him alone, opting to try not to bother him any more than that. He eventually joined in the betting, always betting that I would succeed, and winning the bet more times than not. It gave me even more reason to succeed.

    Training caused the time to fly by at an alarming rate. A week passed by. L¨¢nn and William were able to finish Keokin¡¯s boots, as well as two pairs of shoes. Sable¡¯s accuracy with her bow was just as incredible as mine, though not while mobile. Our strength and endurance training seemed to be slowly changing our bodies. Klintock, Flint and Jael seemed to be in a competition to see who could lift more or do more pushups or pull ups. As a group, we had improved tremendously from where we first were, mentally and physically. We still fell short of our mentors, but I felt like we still had time.

    ¡°Cro¨ª.¡± I turned, hatchet and spear still in my hands. I saw Edorin in his usual stance. The crew was still saluting him, some hiding the coins as they weren¡¯t supposed to be betting. I quickly placed the weapons on the floor and saluted him.

    ¡°Captain.¡±

    ¡°At ease. Come into the galley for a moment, I¡¯d like to talk to your group.¡± He walked past the others, some of them passed worried glances at each other before giving nervous smiles and dispersing. Quickly I picked up the spear and hatchet, throwing both at the same time, slamming them into their intended homes. Money changed from disappointed faces to smiling faces as I passed them by into the galley.

    Edorin had just finished calling the others out of our room and waited for us all to sit down. ¡°We¡¯re at the point where any day now, we should be spotting the Island. I would say we will spot land in five days.¡±

    My heart beat faster, my mouth suddenly dry ¡°When the Island is spotted, I will send for you. You will gather all the items you are taking with you and head above deck. We will run up as close as we can to the shore where you will all offload, into a dinghy. Then we will set sail. You will then do as you see fit to reach the Southernmost point of the Island. The Islands are massive. The one you¡¯ll be traversing is roughly eight hundred and fifty miles. Meaning if you travel five miles a day, it should only take you about six months. I would recommend going slower. Just make sure you¡¯re safe. Finally, at the end of your two years, I will come ashore with some of the crew to retrieve you. But until my feet touch the sand, your Trial isn¡¯t finished, and we cannot interfere.¡±

    None of us spoke. The mood fell as we were reminded of why we were on this ship. I still wanted to train more. Sure, my accuracy was great, but what about the others? They needed more training. I needed more training. Edorin continued. ¡°I think you kids have a great chance at this. All of you are bright, smart, and skilled. Your teamwork has improved immensely as well.¡±

    ¡°I agree Captain. I think we¡¯re as ready as we¡¯re gonna get. We¡¯ll get through this.¡± Keokin stated confidently. I wished I shared his confidence, but his statement seemed to resonate with others in the group.

    ¡°Now is the time for you to write a note for those back home. Bring them to Zanataz when you¡¯re done. I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡± He walked back above deck. Keokin went into our room, motioning for us to follow.

    ¡°Come on, come grab your things and we¡¯ll sit down at the tables to write.¡± Nobody seemed to move. I inhaled deeply and forced myself to stand and move to the room, giving Keokin a slight smile as I heard the others follow suit. Once I was sat down with the blank page in front of me, I hesitated on what I wanted to say. I knew I wanted to thank everybody, so I figured I would start with that.

    Dear family,

    I am incredibly grateful to all of you, no matter what happens. Thanks to the training I received, my accuracy is better than most of the crew. I¡¯m also fair, if not proficient, with many other necessary skills. I hope that it will be enough.

    Kixas, I will do my best to keep my promise to you; however, I must say that I have grown quite attached to my group. The thought of any one of them falling. Well I can¡¯t stand it. I will be the lead Guardian, so I will do my best to ensure that we do not get in any trouble. Oh, and a friend of mine has been giving us lessons on speaking Common. It¡¯s confusing but amazing.

    R¨ªger, your gift has been instrumental in me finding my strength and focus. Thank you for teaching me how to use a bow, and telling me it¡¯s not the size, but the accuracy that matters most. I¡¯m incredibly grateful to you.

    Mil¨ª and Saelee, your teachings have also been helpful, sometimes more confusing than helpful on the more vague areas, but I figure that¡¯s because, much like the Island has unknown dangers, so does the social landscape, so I must do my best to navigate all of it and learn from any mistakes.

    Cyclone, thank you for teaching me the Common alphabet, and what I know of Common. I was able to talk with a crewman named Orae thanks to my recognizing that his tattoos are written in Common. Not to mention your help in agile movement has been a great help, I think I could beat you in a race now.

    Bacta, mixing your strength training with that of Zanataz, our second mentor, I believe I am among the strongest in the group. A few of the others hold competitions to see who is strongest, but I hold them in secret and have realized I can often match them.

    Mother and Father, thank you for teaching me all that you did about right and wrong. Thank you for raising me, working hard to keep me fed, warm, and loved. Thank you for making sacrifices for me so that I could become who I am today.

    I like my chances with my group. Now that I think about it, I believe our Leader Keokin was right. We have learned all that we could, trained hard and survived many ordeals. I have faith that Fomh¨¢r¡¯s harvest for our group is Aebhsean¡¯s blessing. We have already survived life threatening events.

    One from a former mentor named Sacae, he apparently had a sister that went through the Trial with Seal¨ª that died and he Aged with R¨ªger. He resented our family and took it out on me. Eventually he tried to kill me and my group during a marauder attack, but our group killed him. We were also almost attacked by a Wading Behemoth, but Edorin was very smart and has an amazing crew, so we survived. Whoever gives you this paper should be able to fill you in on any missing details regarding my or the group¡¯s injuries.

    I love and appreciate all of you. I look forward to seeing your faces again and showing you how much I¡¯ve grown. I hope that I retain my bright heart and good nature.

    Thank you all again for everything you¡¯ve done for me, please know that if I do die, it¡¯s my own fault, not the fault of any of you or the crew. I love each and every one of you with all my heart and can¡¯t wait to see you all again.

    Your Son and Brother

    Cro¨ª Geal

    I set my pencil down, satisfied with the letter I¡¯d written, and the personal discoveries I¡¯d had while writing it. I looked around to find that some of the group were crying. L¨¢nn, William, Sable, and Flint. As I turned to look at the others, I realized C¨¦¨ªrde was as well. I wanted to do something to help them, but I didn¡¯t know what to do, or even if they needed help. I just got up, rolled the paper, and brought it to Zanataz. He gave me a small cylinder of wood; I slid my letter into it, and he screwed a top on it.

    ¡°Who delivers those?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Edorin and I will. Your families will gather at the Arena and await our return. We will give them the letters and answer any, likely irate, questions they may have.¡± I smiled, thinking about how my family would react to the news that we were attacked by a mentor, marauders, and a Behemoth on the voyage.

    ¡°Thanks Z.¡± I said. He scoffed.

    ¡°Still not done with that nickname, are you?¡±

    ¡°Definitely not.¡± I confirmed. He glared at me playfully.

    ¡°You know, I could ¡®accidentally¡¯ drop this overboard.¡± He jested. I laughed.

    ¡°Good luck. You¡¯d get a lashing from the entire Geal family if you did.¡±

    ¡°Z it is then. Run along.¡± He said, smirking. I smiled and moved into the training room.

    After a while, I noticed that everyone was done but remained sitting at the table, with their heads down, except for Keokin. He was looking around at them, seemingly wondering what to do. He noticed me looking and motioned to the rest of the group, making a frown then miming it into a smile. I looked at the targets. A few games should help get their minds off things, or at least liven them up enough to talk. I nodded my head towards the targets.

    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s play some games then.¡± Keokin said rubbing his hands together as he stood. The others stirred slightly but didn¡¯t seem energetic enough to move. Most just shook their heads ¡®no¡¯ in response. I walked into the galley and asked.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter you guys?¡±

    ¡°Just leave us alone for a minute.¡± Klintock replied grumpily. I moved over to Keokin, shrugged, and asked quietly.

    ¡°What happened?¡± He leaned in.

    ¡°If I had to guess, I would say that it¡¯s because we all just wrote death letters.¡±

    ¡°Death letters?¡± I asked, not fully understanding.

    ¡°If we die, those letters become our last words to our families.¡± A small look of sadness hit him as he looked away for a moment.

    I never thought about it like that. But even thinking about it like that, I¡¯m just glad that my last words to them would be how grateful I am, and how much I love them.

    ¡°Should we call Edorin in to talk to them? Or just leave them alone like Klintock said?¡± I asked. Keokin sighed, shaking his head as he looked around at the group.

    ¡°Normally I would leave them alone, but their mood worries me. They look like they¡¯ve given up already. I¡¯m worried about them.¡± He looked over the group, one hand crossed under his chest, the other rubbing at his chin.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°Why not leave them for a while, then check on them later. Maybe if it persists to tomorrow, we can do something about it.¡± I suggested. He sighed and nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s probably for the best. At least for now. In an hour let¡¯s talk with Cairen and get some food.¡± I nodded and we walked out of the galley, playing some target practice games for a while, then heading above deck to take in the warm midday air.

    ¡°So¡­¡± I started. ¡°Did your letter make you sad?¡± Keokin pursed his lips as he thought.

    ¡°It did, but only because there are things I wish I could say in person.¡± I nodded and Keokin stretched, then lightly slapped my arm. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go check on the group and get them some food.¡± Not much had changed when we made it below deck. The group had moved a bit, but they all had the same look of gloom and defeat.

    Even after eating some of Cairen¡¯s delicious food, perfectly seared and seasoned fish with steamed vegetables and sliced fried potatoes, they just sat staring at the tables. Keokin sighed heavily.

    ¡°Come on group, let¡¯s play a few training games.¡± Klintock, Jael, Leola and C¨¦¨ªrde stirred, standing with an effort. The others just sighed. ¡°Very well then, looks like it¡¯s time to talk, into a circle everyone.¡± He sat down motioning to the others as they groaned. ¡°Come on.¡± He urged.

    ¡°Why?¡± Flint growled. ¡°Why can¡¯t you just leave us alone?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m taking this seriously.¡± Keokin said. Flint scoffed, angrily glaring.

    ¡°Taking what seriously?¡±

    ¡°Training. The crew may come for us tonight, I want us to be ready. If you¡¯re all moping around, practically ready to die, I don¡¯t see us making it through the night.¡± Immediately after Keokin spoke, L¨¢nn responded loud and angry.

    ¡°But we aren¡¯t on the Island! We¡¯re safe now, so let us be sad!¡± He shook his head.

    ¡°I can¡¯t. We need to get used to being able to deal with issues quickly so they don¡¯t get in the way of surviving. If you can¡¯t do it now, in a safe zone, what makes you think you¡¯ll be able to later?¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t easy!¡± Sable yelled. ¡°Not all of us have perfect families like you and Cro¨ª!¡±

    ¡°My family¡¯s not perfect.¡± I said quietly. I love my family, especially now, but they had done plenty of unpleasant things to or around me. She glared at me.

    ¡°Might as well be.¡±

    ¡°Compared to yours, you mean?¡± Keokin asked. She clenched her jaw for a moment, then sighed, looking away from us. Keokin sighed, a look of disappointment flashing, then determination.

    If it¡¯s really that important that we pull them out of this slump, I know one thing that might work. If I pester them, it could irritate them enough to change their focus from all the pain, worry, and fear into anger for me. It¡¯s worked once or twice between family members. I thought for a moment, about what to say, then took a breath and said it, prepared for outrage to follow.

    ¡°Seems to me you all might want to rethink what you wrote. If your faces are any indication, your letters will depress your families for years after you¡¯re gone.¡±

    ¡°Just shut up Cro¨ª! What in the great wide Saol do you know anyways?! You did nothing but cry and mope for the first half of this doomed expedition! Then you called down Sacae on us, and broke William!¡± Even though I was expecting it, the outburst surprised and hurt me because it came from Klintock. Though, if it was affecting Klintock like this, the others were definitely suffering.

    ¡°Feel better?¡± I asked with a slight hopeful smile. Klintock seemed to snap out of his anger and realize what he¡¯d said.

    ¡°Cro¨ª. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I cut him off.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. If there¡¯s one thing I¡¯ve learned, it¡¯s that I can take a beating. Now, are you all going to come talk? Or do I need to pester all of you one at a time?¡± Flint, Leola and C¨¦¨ªrde all looked up, then looked down, but not defeated. I braced myself for a strike as I walked over to William and flicked his ear. He threw a punch at my stomach, but I was able to soften it by flexing. I smiled at him and quickly flicked his ear again.

    ¡°Stop it!¡± He slugged my stomach again.

    ¡°Come on William. Take it out on me like you used to. I won¡¯t even fight back.¡± He lowered his fist.

    ¡°I¡¯m not like that anymore Cro¨ª.¡± He said in a small voice.

    ¡°Then come talk.¡± I said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

    ¡°Fine.¡± He submitted. Keokin was joining my efforts, talking to L¨¢nn. I walked over to Sable.

    ¡°Leave me alone Cro¨ª. I just need a minute.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± I stood there, arms crossed in front of me at the wrists, looking around lazily while I waited. After fifteen seconds or so she sighed.

    ¡°You¡¯re insufferable. Just like Leola.¡±

    ¡°I think we both prefer the term persistent.¡± I looked at Leola. She gave me a slight smile and got up, pulling C¨¦¨ªrde up with her. Keokin spoke.

    ¡°I know you all think I¡¯m annoying, and you want to be alone. Normally that¡¯s what I would do, but we don¡¯t have time for that. Cro¨ª and Leola recognize that, I think all of you do too. We need to talk this over, help each other out tonight.¡± They all nodded, except for Sable, who was still sitting. I waved to Keokin and pointed to her, trying to tell him I would talk to her.

    He nodded and started again. ¡°I know we¡¯ve all been down since Sacae. Things seem to have been piling up, and I feel like writing these letters made all of it that much more real by making us face that this Trial is really happening, and that we¡¯re about to reach the Island any day now. That¡¯s genuinely terrifying and overwhelming, but unavoidable. So, let¡¯s not avoid it.¡± I sat down at Sable¡¯s table.

    ¡°Ready to talk?¡± She rolled her eyes and looked down at the table. ¡°Come on Sable, let¡¯s chat.¡± I persisted. She huffed. ¡°We made a deal remember. I gave you at least a minute.¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t! You did!¡± She said in an angry half whisper, half yell.

    ¡°I kind of had to. You wouldn¡¯t say yes or no.¡±

    ¡°Because I want to be alone Cro¨ª. I¡¯m sure you can understand that. Running off whenever you get upset.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I do get it, but you haven¡¯t run off. You stayed here. We¡¯re friends Sable. No matter how many insults you throw my way, I just want to hear what¡¯s on your mind. What¡¯s bothering you?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s bothering me? Are you kidding? How is it you¡¯re the happy, strong one now? You¡¯re supposed to be the naive idiot, crybaby.¡±

    ¡°I talked to my friends and mentors. That helped.¡± I said pointedly. She huffed again, shaking her head, and looked away from me. ¡°I also came to realize, I think Keokin and Edorin are right. We¡¯ve been through a lot, and we¡¯re as strong as we could be to take on the Trials.¡± She huffed with frustration.

    ¡°I know that. I have my doubts, but I already know all that nonsense. That''s not my problem.¡±

    ¡°Then maybe tell me what the problem is. It might help to just let it out.¡± She looked at the group, noticing that while they were talking, one or two were paying attention to us. She shook her head and started to get up. I put my hand on hers. ¡°Wait, please. Whatever it is, I won¡¯t judge you. I¡¯ve got my own problems that are hard to talk about and mine¡¯s pretty embarrassing. Especially if I tell you, but I talked about them. It helps, trust me. Please Sable, trust me and I¡¯ll trust you.¡±

    She looked at my hand for a moment, then gently pulled hers away. She walked over and stood on the other side of the galley bar, facing the others, looking at the stool in front of her and back to me. I obliged. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± I said as I sat. She waited for a while, nibbling on her thumbnail before finally talking.

    ¡°The thing that has me upset, is that those letters are our last words to our family.¡±

    ¡°What did yours say?¡± I asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s not what I said, so much as what I didn¡¯t say.¡±

    ¡°What didn¡¯t you say?¡± I pressed.

    ¡°I lied to them. My last words to my family are lies.¡± Again, she paused, tearing up, and I was left confused. This time I just sat there and waited for her to expand on what she¡¯d said. ¡°Well?¡± She said, looking for a reaction. I squinted, confused.

    ¡°Well, what?¡± I asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard what the lie is, or why it¡¯s a lie.¡±

    ¡°Ok fine. My parents are devout followers of Lochloin.¡±

    ¡°God of Love and Purity, right?¡± I clarified.

    ¡°Yes. How much do you know about the separate sects within the followers of Lochloin?¡±

    ¡°I know that the Sect of Change is the largest of the three and that my mother raised all of us under the Sect of the Pure.¡± She nodded, then glanced at me, eyebrows pressed together.

    ¡°A lot of things make more sense with you now.¡± She shook her head, refocusing. ¡°And the rest of the Sects?¡± She asked. I shrugged.

    ¡°Not much.¡± She took a breath in and out before she spoke again.

    ¡°The Sect of Change is the biggest, full of the followers that accept love and purity in almost any form, very few forms of love are seen as impure or disdainful to them. They¡¯re one of the biggest reasons that Cian¨ªans¡­¡± She paused and looked at me. ¡°Most Cian¨ªans are very open to love and talk about love and love making. The other two are the Sect of the Pure, and Sect of the Doctrine. The Pure believe that love is pure, and sacred. Not something that should be shouted in the streets but adored and held in private.¡±

    I nodded agreement. She continued. ¡°The Doctrine believe in the original doctrine and teachings of the prophet of Lochloin. They believe that to be pure, love must be between a man and a woman, so that fruit can be born to brighten the future of believers and community alike. This is where my family lies.¡± She sighed heavily. ¡°Making sense?¡± I nodded, squinting with intensity as I ran through all the information. She continued. ¡°But there¡¯s something about me that''s considered impure to some in the Doctrine Sect.¡± She took a deep breathy sigh, making sure nobody was listening. I sighed, still not fully understanding.

    ¡°Impure? How? Do they not like that you¡¯re Offborn?¡± This time she sighed, frustrated. She looked like she was having a war within herself, trying to figure out what to say.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­ it¡¯s that I¡­ well¡­¡± She groaned in frustration, her face in her hands, then tried again. ¡°So, I have a question for you Cro¨ª, like a hypothetical. So, if you found out that¡­ let¡¯s say Jael, had a secret but she didn¡¯t want you to tell anyone or it would be bad, what would you do?¡± I thought for a second before responding, not sure how this tied into being impure.

    ¡°I would keep her secret. Unless it was harming her or other people.¡± She sighed, not seeming completely satisfied with my response.

    ¡°What if it was that she liked L¨¢nn¡­ intimately. Is that hurtful?¡±

    ¡°No. But I would remind them that being intimate is against the rules. Why?¡± She let out a small chuckle, then took a deep breath, again glancing at the group then shrugged, slightly shaking her head.

    ¡°Fine. Alright. My family¡­ would think I was impure, because¡­ I uh¡­ I find¡­ both types of people attractive.¡±

    ¡°Like, guys and girls? You want to get intimate with both?¡± I clarified. She nodded, again looking around to make sure nobody heard me, and to gauge how I was reacting while adding in a few defensive words, shaking nervously.

    ¡°Not all of them, just some, but yes. It¡¯s not a big deal really. Like I said, the majority of Cian¨ªans are fine with it but my family¡­ the sect they¡¯re in¡­ I just don¡¯t want everybody to know about it.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± I said plainly. She looked confused.

    ¡°Ok? That¡¯s all you have to say?¡± She asked angrily, still shaking.

    ¡°Yeah. I know someone else like that. I mean I have questions, but I don¡¯t want to interrupt.¡±

    ¡°You do? Who? Is it Leola?¡±

    ¡°Not that I know of. Wait, should I tell you? You want it kept a secret, so shouldn¡¯t I keep it a secret for them?¡± I asked. She shook her head.

    ¡°Not unless they¡¯re part of the Doctrine Sect. If they¡¯re not, then it¡¯s not really a big deal. Actually¡­¡± She thought for a second. ¡°Just to be safe, don¡¯t mention it unless that person gives you permission. It¡¯s a very private thing.¡± I nodded, then refocused.

    ¡°Ok, but why is this a problem? Where does the lie come in?¡±

    ¡°Well, Doctrine Sect teaches that pure love is between a man and a woman, right? So, for me to like both¡­ is considered to be very impure.¡±

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you just pick a boy? Or better yet, worship a different God, like Fomh¨¢r or Aebhsean. Or the Sect of Change for Lochloin?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that. I can¡¯t just pick one. It¡¯s part of me. Like how you like girls¡­ right?¡± She asked. I nodded.

    ¡°Girls are really pretty.¡±

    ¡°Right. But you don¡¯t think men are pretty, right?¡± I shook my head.

    ¡°Not in the same way. They¡¯re big, powerful, and handsome sometimes, but they don¡¯t make my heart act all funny and make my brain go mushy.¡± I said simply.

    ¡°And if I told you to pick Klintock? Or Edorin?¡±

    ¡°Intimately? Like¡­ kissing?¡± I asked. She nodded. I shuddered. She held out her hand and nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I can¡¯t just pick one.¡± Her gaze turned to the group, and she feigned a smile and waved, then continued speaking while keeping a watchful eye on the group. ¡°And my family does worship other Gods, but Lochloin is their favored God.¡± I followed Sable¡¯s gaze while she spoke. Leola had turned and waved back before turning to talk to L¨¢nn. I looked back to Sable, seeing a look in her eyes, a longing. Something about it was familiar.

    ¡°You think Leola¡¯s cute.¡± I said. She looked at me with wide eyes, cheeks red and spoke quickly.

    ¡°No, no of course not.¡± I looked at her skeptically. She huffed. ¡°Yes. Alright? Fine I do. Just, don¡¯t tell anybody, for the love of the Gods.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what you lied about.¡± I said as realization dawned on me. ¡°That you¡¯d found someone you like, but you couldn¡¯t tell them it was Leola.¡± She nodded. ¡°I think you should talk to Lanaea. She¡¯s really good with intimacy issues and things with puberty. She helped me out. But I can see why that would bother you. Do you think there¡¯s any chance that your family would accept you? Maybe change to a different Sect?¡± She sighed sadly and shook her head.

    ¡°Not a chance.¡±

    ¡°Why? What would they do?¡±

    ¡°Depending on how devout your family is, some will try to¡­ force the person to like someone they believe is good for them, others will try to slip in expensive magical potions to change them, others are devout enough that they become violent. Of course, if they get reported to the authorities, they get jailed or worse, but I just¡­ I don¡¯t think I could do that to my family, and I don¡¯t know what they would do if they knew this about me.¡±

    Violent? So, if Sable¡¯s parents found out, depending on how devout they were, they might get violent? But they¡¯re her parents. There¡¯s no way they¡¯d do that right?

    ¡°But your parents wouldn¡¯t¡­ would they?¡± I asked. She shrugged.

    ¡°Like I said, I have no idea what they¡¯d do. The way they talk sometimes makes me think they would lock me in the cellar and force me to change, but other times, they almost seem like they might take it well. I just can¡¯t be sure, and it kills me because I love them, they¡¯re my parents. They raised me, made sure I had what I needed, they love me dearly, love my friends, but I can¡¯t be sure if they would accept me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Sable. I really am. But if it helps at all, I think you¡¯re amazing, and I feel like I¡¯ve grown for having known you. You help me smile when I¡¯m down and I appreciate it.¡± I pointed a thumb at the group. ¡°And if your parents don¡¯t like you, Klintock¡¯s would. I know without doubt mine would accept you too, so hopefully that gives you some options, maybe. I have no idea if that helps or not, but I hope it does.¡± I looked up to see her smiling at me, her eyes more wet than before and her chin quivering slightly.

    ¡°Thank you Cro¨ª. I needed that.¡± I nodded with a smile. ¡°But Cro¨ª. Don¡¯t ever tell or hint to anybody else about this, ok?¡± She warned. I nodded.

    ¡°Absolutely. You have my word.¡±

    ¡°Now Cro¨ª, you mentioned an embarrassing secret involving me¡­ Do tell.¡± She grinned mischievously, chin on her hands. I could practically feel myself growing redder. I did tell her that I would tell her. And I don¡¯t see a way out of it.

    ¡°Oh dear.¡± I said with wide eyes.

    ¡°Oh dear indeed.¡± She said, grinning wider. I chuckled awkwardly. Where do I start? How do I start? Oh Gods. ¡°Well?¡± She pressed. I glanced at the others.

    ¡°Can we switch places?¡± I asked. She smiled and jumped over the bar as I slid around it, taking a deep breath. Here goes nothing. ¡°Ok. So, um¡­ Well there¡¯s this thing¡­ and it happens, and it happened to me¡­ when you¡­ well you had them¡­¡± I huffed in frustration.

    ¡°Slow down there Cro¨ª, you¡¯re losing me.¡±

    ¡°I know. It¡¯s just¡­ really embarrassing.¡± She smiled mischievously.

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°Right. So, when you first got your leather pants. I was looking¡­ admiring¡­ then something else happened that was really scary¡­ to me.¡± She looked at me confused. ¡°Lanaea says it¡¯s normal and that it happens to everyone¡­ well to all guys¡­ But this was my first and I was freaking out pretty bad.¡± Suddenly her eyes opened wide.

    ¡°No way!¡± She shouted. We both glanced back at the group, waving to their confused faces, then she whispered. ¡°Cro¨ª Geal. Are you saying I gave you your first¡­¡±

    ¡°Shh don¡¯t say it.¡± I hissed. ¡°It¡¯s a bad word.¡± She chuckled with a wide smile.

    ¡°No way! Man¡­ That is embarrassing. For you specifically. You¡¯re sneaky. Sneaky Cro¨ª. I never suspected a thing.¡± I buried my head in my hands. ¡°Ok ok. I¡¯m sorry. It just caught me a little off guard. I¡¯ll be serious now. Oh! Am I the only one? Do you have a crush on me?¡± She asked. I shook my head.

    ¡°This is¡­ You promise not to tell anybody?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep your secret if you keep mine.¡± She said, holding out her hand. I shook it, then continued.

    ¡°No. It¡¯s happened si¡­ a few more times since then. It¡¯s mostly you, C¨¦¨ªrde, and Leola. And twice from scary weird dreams.¡±

    ¡°You counted them? Wow Cro¨ª, this really is freaking you out.¡± She said, chuckling. I sighed and nodded. I had kinda expected her to freak out and get mad. Laughing and joking is much better¡­ Still really embarrassing though. ¡°Is that it though? Just that you¡¯re getting¡­ what do you call them?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Ups.¡±

    ¡°Ups?¡± She laughed. I hung my head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s just¡­ Wow.¡± She cleared her throat, composing herself. ¡°So. Anything else? What about these dreams?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± I felt a small chuckle and a smile break through all the nerves. ¡°No. I also have a strange fascination with your¡­ footwear.¡± I said. She pursed her lips in a smile.

    ¡°Oh yeah? What about ¡®em?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I don¡¯t know. I have no idea why any of this is a thing or how to make it go away.¡±

    ¡°Oh there¡¯s no point trying to make it go away. Once that stuff starts it¡¯s permanent.¡± She said.

    ¡°Drat.¡± I sighed, defeated. She made a fake gasp.

    ¡°Why Cro¨ª. Swears from you? By the Gods I never would¡¯ve seen that coming.¡± She jested.

    ¡°Drat isn¡¯t a swear.¡± I argued. She raised an eyebrow at me.

    ¡°True enough, and Cro¨ª.¡± She said.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it.¡± I smiled.

    ¡°Glad to help Sable.¡± She smiled back.

    ¡°Now. Who are you crushing on more? Me, C¨¦¨ªrde, or Leola?¡± She asked. I groaned.

 Chapter 31

    ¡°Land ho!¡± I flinched, completely missing ¨¢nada¨ª with my spear as I heard the faint yell from Aenrick, echoed by many of the crew. I looked around to the group, seeing many of them frozen.

    ¡°Looks like that¡¯s it Agies. Training is over.¡± Zanataz sighed, rubbing his hands together.

    ¡°We¡¯ll clean up here. You kids should get up on deck.¡± ¨¢nada¨ª said, picking up a javelin. There was a moment of silence, then Keokin took a heavy breath.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s gather our things. We¡¯ve prepared for this.¡± He said, waving for us to follow him into the room. Some lagged behind but we all followed.

    I retrieved my knife and hatchet from the targets, and headed into the room, rolling up my bedroll with the blanket, strapping it on the top of my pack, placing any hygiene items that I¡¯d used that morning, as well as my freshly washed spare clothes inside. I put my knife and hatchet in their place, then looked around my area, mentally double checking to make sure I wasn¡¯t forgetting anything.

    Satisfied, I slung my pack over my head, letting it rest over my right shoulder. I helped the rest of the group gather their things and led them up the stairs in the marching order we had decided would be our default. Me and Keokin up front. Sable behind Keokin, or in front of me, depending on if she was scouting. C¨¦¨ªrde and Flint behind Sable, followed by Jael, L¨¢nn and William. Leola and Klintock were in the back, but the order might change if someone was injured, and Leola needed to be near them.

    When we got above deck, everything seemed completely normal, nothing out of the ordinary, just dark blue water everywhere. Edorin was near the bow of the ship, and when we got closer, he pointed straight ahead. We all squinted. He held out a metal device, looking like several cylindrical shafts, each slightly smaller than the last.

    ¡°Look through the small end and scan the horizon in front of us.¡± Keokin was first.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± He exclaimed as he looked through it. ¡°I can see so far away. Oh. I see it, it¡¯s so small though.¡± He lowered the device, peering out with his naked eye, then raising it again. ¡°Wow it¡¯s really far away.¡±

    ¡°Let us see!¡± Sable demanded. Keokin handed the device to me. I mimicked what Keokin had done, lining the device up and then peering into it. There was a small glass part at the end and once I looked through it, I could suddenly see much further away than I normally could. The middle was clear, but the edges were somewhat blurry. I scanned the waterline slowly until a small blip of black appeared. I focused on it and could see what appeared to be a mountain. So that¡¯s it. That¡¯s the Island. I handed the device to Sable who repeated what we had done.

    ¡°What is that thing? It¡¯s not like our spyglasses.¡± I asked Edorin.

    ¡°It¡¯s a Visus (V-ih-sus).¡± He responded.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a Spyglass?¡± C¨¦¨ªrde asked.

    ¡°Technically, but this one is different, it allows ten times sight instead of eight times, and it¡¯s from a different country than those Spyglass comes from.¡± Edorin clarified.

    ¡°Ten times is impressive.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde admitted.

    ¡°So how far away is that?¡± Sable asked, pointing to the Island as Flint peered into the Visus.

    ¡°Roughly seventy nautical miles.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you mean miles?¡± Sable asked.

    ¡°Nautical miles are what we use at sea, hence the name. One nautical mile is a little over a mile. So, the Island¡¯s roughly eighty miles away now. If this wind keeps up, we¡¯ll reach it just as Kolob¡¯s setting.¡±

    ¡°What should we do till then?¡± Jael asked as she peered into the Visus. Edorin shrugged.

    ¡°It¡¯s up to you, really. If you want to go around saying your goodbyes, that¡¯s an option, or you can say goodbye when everyone is up here to see you off. You could train, eat, or just relax.¡± Jael handed the Visus to L¨¢nn, nodding to acknowledge Edorin¡¯s answer.

    ¡°I think I¡¯d like to play some games, cards or training games if anybody¡¯s up to it.¡± Keokin said.

    ¡°That.¡± L¨¢nn started, looking into the Visus. ¡°Sounds¡­ lovely. Ooh I see it! Yeah, it does seem small, doesn¡¯t it?¡± She said, giggling. Keokin clapped his hands together and rubbed them in excitement.

    ¡°Alright then. Cro¨ª, I¡¯ll stay with the group, you and Sable go down and get things ready. Maybe get some food for prizes and stuff like that.¡± We nodded and headed below deck. We grabbed a few delicious snacks that we knew the group would enjoy with Cairen¡¯s permission and set them aside. As we worked on the targets I glanced over at Sable.

    ¡°So. How are you doing? Did you ever go see Lanaea? Talk to her about things?¡± She glanced at me, then back at the room.

    ¡°Actually¡­ yes. It was very enlightening. We also talked about you.¡± She said, smiling but not looking at me.

    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± I said, feeling somewhat nervous. ¡°What about?¡±

    ¡°You sure you wanna know?¡± She asked, grinning.

    ¡°On second thought, I think I know a trap when I see one.¡± I said. She laughed. ¡°I was thinking though, would you be able to talk to your parents maybe? Get them to understand your point of view?¡± I asked. She shook her head.

    ¡°They¡¯ve never listened before, why would they now?¡±

    ¡°Because they¡¯re your parents. They must love you right? Even if they believe that, they¡¯d have to at least have second thoughts about it for you, right?¡±

    ¡°I guess I didn¡¯t grow up with parents like yours. Mine have always put their worship first. They take it very seriously. They love me, they do, but they want to make sure they do right by Lochloin so their souls will end up in his care.¡±

    ¡°Could you move? Live with Flint and Klintock? Do you think they would care?¡±

    ¡°Maybe. I mean¡­ if I make it home. Maybe I¡¯ll talk to them and see what happens. If they get mad and try something strange, I¡¯ll try Klintock and Flint¡¯s house, or maybe yours.¡±

    ¡°Ok. I mean, it sucks but I guess it¡¯s unavoidable.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to get away from them for a long time. It¡¯s why I was so excited about the Trials.¡± She shook her head as she chuckled slightly. ¡°How sick is that? That I¡¯d get excited by the idea of being away from them, even if it means I¡¯m on my way to an unforgiving Island in the middle of the ocean. Not to mention the contradiction of loving them yet fearing them.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s definitely something wrong with you.¡± I jested. She glared at me and slugged my arm as I laughed. ¡°But seriously. I¡¯m sorry that it¡¯s like that. I really do think you would fit well with my family. They might not like intimacy jokes, but they wouldn¡¯t get mad or shun you for them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡± She chuckled.

    ¡°Plus, you¡¯re part of the group now. We¡¯re kind of like your new family.¡± I said as I hung the last target up. I glanced at her and noticed a small smile as I turned to carry the spears over to where we would be standing.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± She said. ¡°Now, is it exciting just for me to say the word boot? Or do you have to see them wriggle to get excited?¡± She teased. I looked back at her wide eyed. She had been teasing me like this on and off for the past five days. It was difficult to get used to. She would tease me, which would get my heart pumping and make me nervous, but she was funny. I would usually go red and stammer, trying to push past it.

    ¡°Define excited.¡± I said nervously. She laughed and went about her business.

    ¡°Just teasing. Let¡¯s get this done before the others come down.¡± I sighed, relieved, but for the first time, I almost felt like I wanted her to keep going.

    We didn¡¯t have to wait long for the others. They filtered down, noisily chatting to each other. We played several different games, using the spears, hatchets, and knives for different games. One going to fifty, another where certain numbers set you back a few points, and other games where we had to work in teams of two to reach specific numbers. Eventually the group tired of playing accuracy games as me or my team were almost guaranteed to win. I felt bad, even though I gave away all but one of the tasty treats. I felt like I¡¯d ruined their fun by winning and made a mental note not to do so well next time.

    We switched to card games, this being as most of the games seemed to be luck based with some strategy thrown in, I was far less likely to win. That brought us to around midday and we grew tired of being below deck. We decided to watch L¨¢nn and William do some fishing while we rested.

    Sable and Leola left for a moment, when they came back, they had Cairen in tow. He had his lute and started playing it while the group danced and sang. Some of the crew would join in while they were passing by. I found great joy in watching the others dance and seeing them smiling and happy. I watched the grace with which Leola and Sable moved.

    C¨¦¨ªrde was graceful too when she knew the moves. She seemed to have a hard time improvising, but she had fun all the same. I was pulled in by L¨¢nn to dance, learning as I went. I found it to be far more nerve wracking without ale and I was getting the same feeling I got when I first started fighting in tournaments, feeling like everyone was watching me.

    Not to mention being so close to them during slow songs holding around their waist and holding their hand in mine, I would shake just from that alone. Sable would tease me, making use of my embarrassing secret, though she was careful not to push it too far. After I learned the moves and focused on keeping my movement as natural as possible to distract from the closeness, I started to see why the others enjoyed it so much. Tired after hours of games and dancing, we collapsed.

    ¡°You know. I just want to say that if I had to do this with any group, I¡¯m glad it¡¯s with all of you.¡± Keokin said quietly. ¡°I never thought I would be able to live up to that.¡± He pointed at his pack, and the word ¡®Leader¡¯ clearly visible. ¡°Back home, I take care of my mother and my brothers and that¡¯s it. I get yelled at all the time at the mine for not doing enough, fast enough, or at least I used to. I was always just a grunt there though. Following one set of orders tediously for years. But with all of you, I actually feel like something more. I¡¯m really grateful to you guys for that.¡± There was a moment of silence, then Klintock spoke.

    ¡°I feel the same. About doing the Trials with this group. I was skeptical at first, not just of me, but all of you. Then training started. Immediately, I felt out of my depth, but I had Cro¨ª and Jael to lean on, and the rest of you at night. I was eventually only worried about William, but he proved me wrong too.¡± He looked towards the front of the ship.

    I followed his eyes and was shocked to see the Island within eyesight and much larger than it had been previously. ¡°Now I¡¯m not really nervous about the Trials. I mean not in the same way. Before I was nervous thinking it would be a bloodbath. Now I¡¯m just nervous, in that I feel a healthy amount of awareness and caution for the dangers we face.¡± William spoke next, with a more somber tone.

    ¡°I¡¯m grateful to both of you for that vote of confidence. But I don¡¯t feel like I can share it, not fully, because I want to retain my fear of that place. Fear will make us cautious, jump at shadows, which is useful when the shadows could be out for your blood. I don¡¯t want to be so terrified that I can¡¯t leave the beach, but I don¡¯t want to feel anywhere near overconfident.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Flint said in agreement. ¡°It¡¯s a hard line to walk. I want to share the confidence that my brother and our Leader share, but I¡¯m also terrified. Me and C¨¦¨ªrde know the dangers more than anyone here, aside from maybe Sable, so we know the reality of what we¡¯re walking into.¡±

    ¡°But surely you must have some faith in our group?¡± Keokin asked. Flint nodded.

    ¡°Absolutely, don¡¯t get me wrong I¡¯m glad to be with all of you. Cro¨ª¡¯s accuracy is infuriating but awe inspiring. Natural talent mixed with years of training, but what good is that against a giant armored crab? Or the False Tree? Sable moves like a ghost sometimes, but when the thing she¡¯s stalking has a sense of smell that can detect anything within fifty to a hundred feet of it, her stealth becomes useless. I¡¯m absolutely confident in our abilities, but I understand that our abilities have their limits.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°You¡¯ll find no disagreements from us.¡± Keokin said with a smile. Klintock nodded agreement. ¡°But we¡¯ll continue to celebrate the newfound talents of our new family members.¡± Some of the group stirred as he mentioned us being a family.

    L¨¢nn, Sable, Klintock, Flint and Jael seemed pleased. Leola, L¨¢nn, and William had a hint of skepticism in their smiles. I liked the idea, and smiled, but also felt sad as I remembered my own family back home and rubbed the pendant as a reminder of all that I was thankful for from them. ¡°Well, it seems we¡¯ve still got some hours before Kolob sets. I suggest we head below and enjoy a meal before we depart.¡± Keokin said. L¨¢nn shook her head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to eat. I¡¯m too nervous.¡± I noticed her leg bouncing repeatedly. Her eyes were fixed on the Island.

    ¡°Well, all the same, it might do us some good to get away from the sight of it for a moment. Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± Keokin said waving and we followed him below deck. I engaged in more training to hold off or expel my nerves. Listening to the others talk and laugh also helped pass the time.

    I played games with myself, picking even smaller targets to lock onto. I became melancholy as I pulled the spear from one of them. I would miss the calm of the training room. The consistent thwack of the spears, hatchets, and knives against the targets. Playing games with the others, that ended in frustration. Having the crew bet on my accuracy. I had come to really enjoy all of this. I looked over at the group, seeing them smiling. I took in the scene, doing what I could to memorize every detail, every smile. Soon we would be on the Island, and while I was confident in the abilities of some, others were far more vulnerable, and the thought frightened me.

    ¡°Agers! Come on, we¡¯re about to pass the line.¡± It was Orae. I took a deep breath, looking around the ship as the group followed Orae up the stairs. I nodded to Keokin that I would be up soon. I took in one last deep breath as I looked down, feeling the heft of the spear in my hands. One last throw eh buddy?

    I examined the small mark I¡¯d made in the spear to mark the balance point. At first, I¡¯d marked it with my thumbnail, but later I scratched it with the blade of my hatchet. I held the spear up to my shoulder, exhaling as I acquired my target, the bullseye. I threw it hard, twisting my torso, extending my right arm, and followed through. I felt satisfied, knowing as soon as I¡¯d released, that my aim was true. My confidence was backed up by the sight of the spear slamming into the well-worn center of the target. I smiled to myself and turned, heading up the stairs to join the others.

    They were at the bow with Edorin, who was using the Visus.

    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked as I joined them. Keokin turned to me with a smile. ¡°Look ahead, can you see it?¡± I looked, seeing the Island stretching across my vision. The details were more visible, like the peak of the mountains to my left, barely visible through the atmosphere. If I squinted, I could see the beach and the trees of the thick forest beyond. Then I noticed it, there was an irregular line in the water. It looked like the dark blue ocean water was being held at bay by a cloudier white water.

    ¡°What is that?¡± I asked Keokin.

    ¡°It¡¯s a dividing line between the saltwater of the ocean and the fresh water that flows from the Island. It happens when freshwater rivers empty out into the saltwater ocean. It also tells us we have roughly two hours or so until we anchor.¡±

    I watched as the ship slowly approached it. I expected to feel a change in the tension between the ship and this new type of water, like hitting a wall, but there was nothing. As we passed over it, we followed it back onto the quarterdeck, looking out to see the trail of dark blue water we had pulled across the line slowly vanish into cloudy brown.

    I turned, again gazing upon the enormity of the Island in front of us. We all slowly returned to the bow of the ship, watching as the cloudy water slowly became a lighter shade of blue. Gradually, we watched as a bed of sand rose from the deep, dark depths. Now we could see fish, some big and dull, some small and colorful.

    I was focused on something bigger, moving back down into the deep. An Undertaker Crab. Not just a drawing in a book described by a few words, but a real, large beast. I whistled to the group and pointed into the water. They rushed to see the tail end of it as it vanished into the depths, likely frightened off by the appearance of the large ship.

    ¡°That¡¯s an Undertaker Crab.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde said. ¡°A real Undertaker Crab.¡± I gathered by her quiet, almost shaking tone that she was also struggling with setting eyes on the real thing and putting a face to the stories.

    ¡°It¡¯s bigger than I thought it would be.¡± Klintock said. ¡°But big means easy to spot, and easy to hear.¡± No. I shook my head.

    ¡°Not with them.¡± C¨¦¨ªrde said, a fraction ahead of me. ¡°If they¡¯re on sand, the sound of their legs is muffled because of how thin they are. Like shoving dozens of spears into the sand. It makes a sound, sure, but nothing that would alert you to something that massive. Further inland they would be easier to hear, but that¡¯s one reason why I think they stay on the beach, and in the ocean. But yes, it is easy to see. We have that at least. Well, and they¡¯re really heavy, so even if they don¡¯t make much noise, if you lay your head on the ground, or a rock, you can hear them from further away.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Klintock said, his confidence slightly shaken. ¡°Good to know.¡± For the next hour, we watched the water and the shoreline closely, looking for any signs of predators or prey.

    ¡°You¡¯ve all got good focus. I like that. Bodes well for you.¡± Zanataz stated, calmly. He started walking towards the dinghy. ¡°Come on then.¡± We looked at him confused, but then we felt the ship start to turn to starboard, slowly baring the port side of the ship to the Island. Orae approached us and, for the first time, I noticed that the sails had been pulled up to slow us.

    ¡°Off you go then kids. Follow Zanataz.¡± He moved through us as we started walking. The crew unfastened several large rope lashings at the bow of the ship. There was a big splash as the anchor dropped into the water, and a moment later the ship stopped moving, aside from the gentle movement of the water. Oh Gods, this is it. It¡¯s really happening. This is it.

    Edorin walked down from the quarter deck. I felt like I couldn¡¯t take deep enough breaths to keep myself calm. My hand shook as it latched onto my necklace moving down to the pendant. Breathe, focus, slow, in and out. The Wonder had swung around in front of the Wayward Pony, anchoring roughly a hundred feet away. We waited for the crew to come over and crawl up on deck before Edorin spoke.

    ¡°Agers. It¡¯s been a delightful, albeit stressful three months with you. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching all of you grow.¡± A smile had broken through onto his face, and there was a slight increase in the wetness of his eyes. ¡°All of you, when you first boarded my ship, were terrified, naive children with a vague sense of teamwork. But look at you now. Strong, learned, skilled Agers, working together as a family. Still a bit terrified though.¡±

    The crew chuckled slightly. They knew the fear we all felt, they¡¯d all been through it before after all. ¡°But you¡¯re not running anymore.¡± His bottom lip quivered slightly. I could see the pride in his eyes as they flashed purple one last time. ¡°I pray that I will see all of you, safe, two years from today. Blessings of the Gods be upon all of you.¡± Orae nudged Knuckles with his elbow, saying just loud enough for most of the crew to hear.

    ¡°Captain¡¯s crying again.¡± The crew laughed, lightheartedly as Edorin raised an eyebrow, glancing back at them.

    ¡°There is a slight increase in moisture, but I¡¯m not crying. It¡¯s just the spray of the sea.¡± He smiled, looking back at us. The crew chuckled. It was then that I noticed a large portion of them were following suit with Edorin. Zanataz, arms folded in front of him as a tear ran down his left cheek. Orae discretely wiped his eye as he wrestled Knuckles. Lanaea wiping away a stream from her eyes. I was starting to notice a sadness creeping in on me as well. It wasn¡¯t enough to overrule my nerves, but it was enough to dampen them. I stepped forward, holding out my hand to Edorin.

    ¡°Thank you for delivering us safely, Captain and crew of the Wayward Pony. It¡¯s been an honor.¡± He grabbed my forearm, and we shook.

    ¡°Pleasure was all ours Cro¨ª.¡± I stood back and saluted him.

    ¡°Captain.¡±

    ¡°At ease, kid.¡± After that, the crew and Agers mixed, hugging, and shaking hands, giving thanks, and saying their hopefully temporary goodbyes. I hugged Lanaea and Zanataz the longest. While I appreciated what the entire crew had done, they had been the most instrumental to me. Zanataz helped me learn to fight, taught me that I have more skill than I let myself believe. Lanaea gave me someone to talk to freely and openly, without any fear of judgement.

    I was the first one to step foot into the dinghy behind Zanataz and Edorin. I waited for the others to file in one by one and made sure that my pack was secure and that I hadn¡¯t forgotten anything. The dinghy lurched as Edorin and Zanataz began lowering us down into the water, until there was a dull thud. They sat down and pulled up oars, pushing us away from the Pony before splashing the oars into the water, lurching us towards the shore.

    I watched as the ship slowly moved away from us, with the crew all watching, some waving. Glancing over the side, I could see the sand at the bottom of what looked to be a twenty-foot dive. It slowly rose until the dinghy reached it, coming to a lurching stop. Zanataz jumped out and pulled on a rope attached to the bow until we reached the shore.

    ¡°Exit off the bow. Watch your step.¡± Edorin said. Zanataz made a sweeping gesture with his right hand to emphasize what Edorin said. The group leapt off onto the sand one by one, and exclaimed, nearly tumbling as they hit the ground. Several of them reached for their heads or stomachs. Zanataz laughed.

    ¡°A little too used to your sea legs I see. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll wear off.¡± I leapt off, landing on the soft, yellow tinted sand of the beach. My head felt strange, like I was still moving, but was contradicted by my still body. I noticed my body trying to compensate by mimicking the motions of the waves we¡¯d been riding for the last three months. L¨¢nn and William were the last off. I turned to Zanataz.

    ¡°Thanks Z.¡± He chuckled and shook his head.

    ¡°See ya in two years kid.¡± He addressed the others, speaking louder. ¡°I¡¯ll see all of you in two years.¡± They nodded, some giving a thumbs up and a weak smile. He pushed the dingey back out into the water while Edorin pulled on the oars. As the water was gaining on Zanataz¡¯s thighs, he leapt in, his back to us as he assisted Edorin in rowing.

    I scanned the beach and tree line in the light from Kolob¡¯s setting. I noticed no movement aside from that of the group wobbling, and the leaves or bushes being blown by the wind. There was a one-hundred-and-fifty-foot distance between the water and a defined line of lush, thick vegetation. There were some gaps that I was able to use to see further into the forest, but not far. I looked north, down the beach that seemed to run for miles, spotted with large black rocks and the occasional driftwood before curving west, and out of sight.

    Looking south revealed much the same, though with the notable exception of what looked like a far more open expanse of sand, just before it dipped west out of sight. No threats yet, that I can see. And it looks like that open area might be best to set up camp in. Given that there¡¯s no hidden surprises.

    I turned back around to see the dingey being raised onto the Pony. Oh right. I was going to ask Edorin about the name, and Danith about Bacta¡¯s Aging¡­ Oh well, too late now.

    The sails unfurled on The Wonder, its heavy anchor being raised from the water and lashed to the ship as they set sail, turning steadily away from the Island. The Pony mimicked the other ship, even down to the crew waving goodbye one last time before turning and sailing away.

    My stomach sank. I wanted to call out to them to come back, but I stopped myself. I saw one last wave from Edorin, then nothing as we watched them get smaller and smaller until they disappeared. I heard a noise to my right and turned to see L¨¢nn crouched down, face buried in her arms, crying. I turned to see the forest again. It seemed much more intimidating now that the ships were well and truly gone.

    That¡¯s it then. We¡¯re alone. Yes, we¡¯re alone. But given that Company here consists of beasts and monsters, I guess that¡¯s a good thing now. I grabbed my pendant and went to take a deep breath, but realized my lungs were already full. I exhaled. I thought the situation through, observing our surroundings one more time. I listened to the small sobs coming from L¨¢nn. Nobody had bent down to comfort her; they were all transfixed on where the ship had been. Danger. Are we in danger? I looked around slowly, spotting no movement. I took a deep breath. Ok then. This is it. Let¡¯s get moving.

    <u> </u>

    Adonida: Add-on-eye-duh

    Aebhsean: Ay-v-shawn

    Aeleen: Aw-lay-un

    Aenrick: Ay-yun-rick

    Al¨¦¨ªnn: Aw-lane

    An Crann Br¨¦agach: Awn Krawn Bray-gawk

    ¨¢nada¨ª: Aw-nuh-day

    An¨¢il Fhuar: Un-all Oar

    Andain: Awn-dane

    Andis: Awn-dish

    Anlea: Awn-lee-uh

    Antilek: Awn-tea-leck

    Arden: Awr-den

    Arnica: Ar-neeka

    ¨¢rtair: Awr-two-er

    Bacta: Bawk-tuh

    Bairde: Bard-eh

    B¨¢n: Bawn

    B¨¢nn¨ª: Baw-nee

    Bealach Fr¨¦amh: Bell-awk Fray-ehv

    Bharc: Vaw-rk

    B¨ªutris: Bee-a-trish

    Brumon: Bruh-men

    Caida: Kaw-da

    Cairen: K-eye-ren

    Calendula: Caw-len-doo-la

    C¨¦¨ªrde: Kay-erd

    Celia: Kel-lee-uh

    Channa: Kaw-na

    Charum: Car-um

    Cian: Kee-an

    Cian¨ªan: Keen-ee-en

    C¨ªanish: Keen-ish

    C¨ªara: Kee-ra

    Ciorcal Fiacla: Care-kul Fih-uh-cluh

    Cloigann: Kl-eye-gen

    Cormick: Core-mick

    Cro¨ª: Kree

    Curnunnos: Cur-nun-nos

    Dagda: Dawg-duh

    Danith: Dan-yuh

    Darbh: Daw-rr-v

    D¨¢riella: Daw-ree-ella

    Darragh: Daw-rug

    Deaneas: Daw-nesh

    Demain: Deh-mo-een

    Denae: Den-a-yuh

    Derris: Dare-ish

    Diamhair: Dee-uh-var

    D¨ªan: Dee-an

    Donnell: Dawn-ll

    D¨®r¨ªd: Doe-read

    Draven: Draw-vin

    Dravik: Draw-vick

    Drea: Draw

    Drewk: Drook

    Droch: Draw-ck

    Drochrath: Draw-ck-raw-th

    Durl¨¢cke: Der-lock-eh

    Edorin: Ed-er-in

    Efretis: Ee-free-tiss

    Faocloir: Fee-k-lihr

    Faol¨¢n: Fall-on

    Flint: Flint

    Flun¨¢c: Fluh-nock

    Fomh¨¢r: Foe-v-awr

    Gareth: Gaw-reth

    Gathaen: Gaw-hane

    Geal: Geh-l

    Gobhen: Go-ven

    Gorrick: Go-rick

    Grainne: Gran-yuh

    Greig: Grey-g

    Hanaes: Hawn-ae-sh

    Helios: Hell-us

    I¨¦o: Ay-awh

    ¨ªobhren: Ee-vren

    Ionad Tal¨²n: Oh-ned Tah-loon

    Jael: Jail

    Joll¨¦n: Jaw-leen

    Jor¨¦n: Jaw-reen

    Jura: Jure-uh

    Kaet: Kate

    Kareck: Kaw-wreck

    Keokin: Kee-oh-kn

    Kixas: Kicks-us

    Klaris: Claw-riss

    Klintock: Klin-tuck

    Kolob: Co-lob

    La¨ªdir: Lay-drr

    Lanaea: Law-nae-yuh

    Landae: Lawn-day

    L¨¢nn: Lawn

    L¨ªugh: Lee-h

    Leola: Lee-o-luh

    Lobhadh Aigne: Luh-vedg Ae-g-nuh

    Lochloin: Lock-linn

    Loranden: Low-ren-den

    Loreann: Lore-ann

    Lugh: Loo-ck

    Machl¨ªr: Mock-leer

    McKann: Mick-ann

    Mil¨ª: Mill-lee

    M¨ªor¨²ilt: Me-a-rule-t

    Morean: More-yun

    Nalana: Naw-lin-uh

    Na Tr¨ª M¨¦ara: Naw Tree May-raw

    Obhean: Aw-veen

    Obheas: Aw-veh-sh

    Objitar: Ob-jit-awr

    Odron: Ed-ren

    Oile¨¢in Trialach: Eh-lawn Tree-a-lock

    Orae: Oh-ree

    Ozaris: Oh-zaw-riss

    Peata an Bh¨¢is: Pee-aw-tuh N Vawsh

    Pon¨ª¨²: Pawn-ee-you

    Ralissa: Ruh-lee-suh

    R¨¦alta Bheag: Ray-ul-tuh V-ugh

    Rendalae: Ren-duh-lay

    Revorian: Re-vore-ee-an

    R¨ªger: Ree-grr

    Romlia: Rum-lee-uh

    R¨®nars: Row-nars

    Sacae: Saw-kay

    Sandralia: San-druh-lee-uh

    Saol: Sail

    Sc¨¢th Ard: Sk-aw-th aw-rd

    Sealc: Sh-awl-k

    Sealgair: Shall-guh-reh

    Seal¨ª: Shay-uh-lee

    Sean: Shawn

    Tanbhis: Tawn-v-ish

    T¨¢ra: Taw-ruh

    Tarip: Taw-rip

    Tauren: Taw-ren

    Tellis: Tell-iss

    Tus Nua: Tuss Nee

    Uraggian: Oo-raw-gee-un

    Visus: V-ih-sus

    Vorish: Vore-ish

    Zanataz: Zawn-uh-tus