Verina gazed across the rippling waters of the lagoon, transfixed by the oddly calming sound of the tide splashing against the pillars of the dock. She breathed in the musk of the cave air and reminisced about all the times she would be caught “lazing about” by her father. That wouldn’t happen anymore. Verina’s father was gone, reduced to a puddle of nothing by the magic that coursed through her veins. She snickered.
‘That was quite the showcase, Tomekeeper,’ the snakish voice complimented. ‘I’m impressed.’
Verina snapped her head up and looked around with a glowing smile. “My goddess? You grace me with your voice?”
‘Yes,’ Istio confirmed. “Let’s not call attention to it. To give information to others is to provide weakness for them to take advantage of.’
‘Do we have enemies, my goddess?’ Verina thought. ‘We are safe among your worshippers.’
‘From this point onward, Tomekeeper, everyone is either an enemy, pawn or prey,’ Istio asserted. ‘Understood?’
Verina nodded just enough to acknowledge Istio and turned her attention back to the ships entering the docks. There were four of them, most old and worn by the tides of time itself. One, however, stood out from the group. It was a stunning black carrack with rectangular rich blue sails on the front and middle masts. Two triangular white sails, smaller and to the sides, helped complete the lumbering frame of the ship and add a splash of brightness. Verina imagined in the pure dark of the night sea, they looked like a pair of ghastly eyes dashing across the water.
She clutched her satchel, full of what little belongings she had, and made her way down the ramps and toward the bay the carrack was crawling into. A ship as regal as the carrack had to be coming from - and heading back to - Prodigium. All Verina needed to do was sneak on, make her way down to the hull and hide until it docked once again.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Fwen Inati pulled back the strand of dark olive green hair that dangled in front of her pallid face and tucked it into her bun. Wisps of dark magic absorbed into her skin. As she stood, she smoothed out the wrinkles on her plum-colored dress and turned toward her parents. Duke Venhal and Duchess Carth, Fwen’s parents, sat on iron thrones at the end of the gothic banquet hall. Venhal had a look of displeasure on his face, while Carth seemed deep in thought. Fwen stepped forward and adjusted back into her pristine posture.
“So, my own daughter has been blessed by Netot today,” Duke Venhal exhaled. His beady gray eyes narrowed. “Quite a way to get out of attending To’tenkhar Academy.”
“Silence, Husband,” Duchess Carth commanded. She tossed him a look of utter disgust. “Do you not comprehend the magnitude of this? The power we could wield? The knees we could bend in and outside of the Noctide?”
Fwen placed her hands behind her back, fingers interlocked, and continued to let her parents squabble as usual. She never had a say in her own decisions. She didn’t ask to be born into royalty, to spend her life learning the ins-and-outs of politics, or to be propositioned to To’tenkhar Academy like a prized horse for the sake of more influence. She certainly didn’t ask for Netot himself to grant her his power or the pair of onyx wings that erupted from her shoulder blades and had now shifted into a cloak. For once, she wanted a say in her own life. Purple crystals emitted a soft glow from above.
“Are you listening, child?” Carth berated. The bangs of her raven-black hair fell in front of her face and gave her an unhinged look. “I commanded you to show us the powers of Netot. Once we know what you’re fully capable of, we can put you to good use.”
Fwen scoffed and motioned with her hands. “I don’t know how to use these powers, or even what powers I possess. I can’t even shift the wings back from this accursed cloak.”
Carth sneered, tilted her nose up and turned to her husband. “She’s as useless as you are. Send for transportation so that this wretched pup can be on her way to Prodigium.”
Duke Venhal pursed his lip and shifted his attention to Fwen. He made a shooing motion with his hands. Message received, Fwen curtsied and rotated on the ball of her left foot to face the doors. Her red eyes blazed with a renewed sense of purpose. She would be back, but she needed an army first.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yonni observed Queen Monalei as she slept silently on her end of the carriage. Even at rest, the Queen was as perfect as could be. Yonni yawned. She understood why her mother was asleep - she rarely got a moment to breathe - but Yonni couldn’t bring herself to keep her eyes closed. She was too excited and perhaps too nervous about the situation at hand. The land above was a tantalizing, yet terrifying, place. There was only the smallest sense of ease within her because she knew that her mother could show her around.
Yonni looked out of the window at the current passing by. Streams of water and bubbles from the aquaway splashed across the window. She had never taken the aquaways out of the kingdom, only the ones that led from district to district as needed. Still, she marveled at the vast network the Anqualai had managed to create.
‘Maybe one day I can travel to the depths,’ She thought. There were places, and things, hidden deep beneath the kingdom of Anqua that very few people knew about.
‘Some things are better left alone,’ the metallic voice grated in her mind. ‘Be wary of the siren’s call to the unknown.’
Yonni wasn’t sure how to respond to the voice of Drinex that occupied her mind. Having a god offer (sometimes unsolicited) advice was intimidating, to say the least. She pressed her hand up against the cold window and felt the vibrations of the current on the other end.
‘Simple acknowledgement is enough, Tomekeeper,’ Drinex stated. ‘I’m not fond of wasted breath and empty answers, but I also expect a modicum of respect.’
‘Are all of you this full of yourselves?’ Yonni questioned.
‘Most,’ Drinex responded promptly.
Yonni rolled her eyes and let out a small sigh. She tried to focus on the terrain outside, searching for a landmark to determine their position. Her tail flicked impatiently.
A small rock smacked into the window and flew back into the current, startling the mermaid princess. As she leaned in to investigate, another one, slightly bigger, impacted the same spot and cracked the window. The crack began to web out rapidly with the tinkling of compacting glass. The sounds of yelling and distressed Wallu picked up outside.
“Mother?” Yonni squeaked. She reached over and tapped the Queen’s arm. The latter stirred. “Mother, something is -“
‘Brace!’ Drinex commanded in an ethereal shout that overwhelmed Yonni’s senses.
The carriage flipped with the sound of crunching wood and coral. The cracked window exploded, shards of glass joining the chaos as Yonni and Queen Monalei tumbled inside. Loud thuds barraged the carriage from the outside, mixed with the screams of terror, confusion and pain from the guards around them. Yonni felt a heavy pull as the pressure in the carriage shifted and the force of the aquaway threatened to claim her. The Queen clasped the side of the carriage’s seat and grabbed Yonni’s hand.
Another force impacted the carriage, loosening the Queen’s grip. Yonni flew back against the window and was sucked out completely by the pull of the current. She tumbled through, knocked around by pieces of the other carriages as they slammed into her. Her sense of direction was thrown off entirely, and no matter how hard she tried to swim against the current, it was too much. Yonni felt herself drift further away from her mother and the rest of the guard, forced to watch as boulders and jagged rocks tore through what remained of the caravan. Yonni screamed out for her mother.
‘Drinex, what’s going on?’ Yonni asked.
‘It looks like some sort of cave in from the tunnels. It must have flowed into the aquaway. Princess, you need to protect yourself or you won’t survive,’ Drinex warned. ‘Repeat after me.’
“Nasfuocarin,” Yonni recited as Drinex placed the word in her mind. Bubbles from the current began to cling to her body, wrapping around and combining into a singular form. She bounced along the current in her bubble of protection, sliding around the slick interior. The bubble sped up, shooting upward and into a smaller, darker tunnel. The darkness cloaked Yonni for a brief moment before light from the land above reappeared. She could feel the state of her body changing as she rose. Her stomach and lungs felt heavier, and an odd tingling rippled down her neck. Suddenly, a shimmer caught her eye. She looked up towards it and saw a layer of golden light getting closer. The normally shadowed water around her became brighter.
Yonni’s bubble launched from the tunnel with a pop and rocketed toward the light, making its way across a magnificent trench full of fluorescent creatures and plants. It was like walking into a dream, a flashing rainbow world hidden from those too far above and those too far below. Stone pillars ran up the side, creating what Yonni thought looked like a stone bowl.
‘We’ve arrived,’ Drinex announced. “The Font is my special sanctum that only keepers of the past have seen.”
The bubble popped and Yonni spun, tail flicking as she tried to regain her balance. She shook her head, hair flowing in the water, and looked up toward the golden light once more.
“We need to get back, Drinex,” She said aloud, thoughts of her mother’s safety at the forefront of her mind. “I need to make sure they’re okay.”
‘The current only flows one direction, Tomekeeper,’ Drinex responded. ‘Not only that, but you were taken through a different tunnel. Even if you could go back, the chances of finding the rest of your people are slim. The only way to truly return is to cross the land toward the Anquan Circle. That, or continue forth toward Prodigium, claim your tome, and we can have better control over this all.”
Yonni reflected on Drinex’s words and, despite fearing for her mother’s safety, agreed that there wasn’t anything she could do in the moment. She had been raised to keep pressing forward in the wake of disaster. It was the royal way, after all. Still, she felt a bit gross inside for willingly leaving her mother behind. She tried to tell herself that it was what the Queen would have wanted and that ensuring her arrival in Prodigium was the most important thing, but it did little to assuage her emotions.
Yonni swam to the light and reached out with her hand. As she pressed her fingers against the skim of the water’s surface, it rippled outward. There was a whole new set of experiences for her waiting on the other side. Countries and kingdoms she had never seen, types of people she had never met. There were foods to try, sights to see and smells to breathe. Yet she was destined to face it all alone. There was no other way.
‘You’re not alone, keeper,’ Drinex put forth, having invaded her thoughts.
“Thank you, great voice in my mind,” Yonni responded with a bit more bite than she had intended. “I do have a question, however. How am I supposed to cross the land above without legs?”
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Kliev’s legs burned fiercely, yet he willed himself to keep going. Vintar’s men had somehow managed to find him in the aftermath of his treetop tumble, and there was no way he was going back to face any sort of punishment from the overzealous Chief. Unfortunately, the jagged and crooked mountainside seemed to be working against him every step of the way. Whether it was the sharp, stabbing pains from stepping on loose rocks or the even sharper, even more stabbing pains of stepping on broken branches, Kliev was exhausted and in more pain than he thought possible. His rabbit ears twitched as he heard a high-pitched whistle from somewhere behind him. He studied the area for a surefire way to escape his pursuers. A small ledge led to a relatively steep drop just to the east of his location. While a drop that deep would hurt a normal Human, the Wojlidoj and their absorbent skeletal structure laughed in the face of danger. He scrambled toward the ledge and leapt down.
Yet again, Kliev’s knack for doing before thinking seemed to get the best of him. The drop was even further down than he had anticipated and the shock of landing put a strain on his bones that the rest of him wasn’t expecting. He let out a yelp as his body froze and he tumbled down the side, smacking into trees and rocks on the way down to the mountain’s base. The sloped ground dropped off again into the turquoise river he had seen from up high, its choppy waters dragging him along to its depths.
Kliev spat out a mouthful of water as he floated to the top. The river’s chill seeped into his core and wrapped around his lungs. He coughed and tried to take a deep breath, then reached out and grabbed a tangled knot of roots from the river’s side. Kliev held tightly as more frigid water splashed against his face. He tugged the roots to ensure they were secure, then hoisted himself out quickly and rolled onto his back across the forest soil. Birds sang among the branches.
‘I’m not going to lie, keeper,’ Wogiwoj howled in laughter from the inner depths of Kliev’s mind. ‘That was pretty great!’
Kliev gurgled and coughed out the last of the water that burned in his lungs. He stood, exhausted, and waved his fists in the air. “Aren’t you supposed to protect me?”
‘I could,’ Wogiwoj answered, ‘but that makes things way less fun.’
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Verna, protect us,” Utic pleaded under his breath. The barge shuddered and the rusted metal groaned as another tentacle whacked it in the side. Utic felt his footing slip and he rolled into a pile of crates. Splinters stabbed him in the back.
“Man the harpoon, boy!” Orghov, owner and captain of the barge, yelled over the roar of the Ducoleo. The creature, a gelatinous pink squid slightly bigger than the barge, swam through the sand around them. It crept closer, then leapt above the barge and crashed into the dunes on the other side. It let out a small squawk then burrowed back into the ground. Orghov pulled his goggles tighter.
“That infernal beast will be coming back for us any moment now,” He explained. “Make sure you’re ready.”
Orgov pulled a lever next to his captain’s wheel and the barge lurched forward with a loud bang and a blast of flames from behind. Utic slid across the floor and to the side, where he was able to latch onto one of the barge’s side railings. He lifted himself up, legs shaking, and made his way to the harpoon launcher soldered to the barge’s front. As the barge picked up speed, the sand beneath them began to swirl.
“I think that thing is keeping up with us!” Utic shouted at Orghov. The latter nodded in response and rolled the wheel to the left. The barge shifted, crossing over a small hill before dipping back down. The Ducoleo jumped out again from where the barge had just moved. Orghov let out a loud curse.
“It’s coming back around. It’s now or never!” He shouted at Utic.
Utic hopped on to the launcher and rotated it around to face the Ducoleo’s direction. Large sprays of sand shot out from the ground as it borrowed through. Utic felt his hands tremble against the grip of the launcher. He had only learned to use one in case of an emergency attack on Montenau, but that moment never came. Shooting a moving sand beast was an entirely different situation.
‘Calm, Tomekeeper,’ Verna instructed sternly. ‘I would be made a fool if my chosen were to die before even gathering his true power.’
‘I’m just a bit frightened by the giant creature trying to eat me,’ Utic responded. His racing thoughts made it harder to talk in his head.
‘Most things will. They eat, maim or kill. Such is life. The sun does not grow colder because you find the heat to be too much. We adapt.’
‘Yes, Verna.’ Utic replied. Despite his inner doubt, he wasn’t about to argue with a goddess.
The Ducoleo breached the sand and moved closer to the barge. Its eye was like a green marble drenched in black oil. The stare bore right into Utic’s soul. He steadied his grip, focused his vision down the launcher’s sight and fired the iron harpoon at the monster. It missed.
Utic reached down and frantically tried to grab another one. Behind him, Orghov yelled something incomprehensible. His hand wrapped around the harpoon and lifted it into the firing chamber. He pressed it forward until it clicked, then replaced the spent ignition crystal in front of the hammer. The Ducoleo rushed forward and swerved around to face the barge head on. Utic knew he’d only get one more shot in.
‘Stop the sand, keeper,’ Verna chimed in. ‘Trust your heart. You know the words.’
Utic waited for the Ducoleo to get closer, hands steady. It squawked again and leapt from the sand toward the barge.
“Matcahver!” Utic shouted. The sand around the creature suddenly solidified into a dense chunk of sandstone. It let out a cry of pain as the back half of its tentacles got caught and the force slammed it back into the ground. Utic fired again. The iron harpoon whizzed through the air and into the Ducoleo’s eye with a squelch. The impact sent it back just enough for Orghov to maneuver the barge around it.
“How the hell did you do that?” Orghov shouted from the wheel. “You didn’t tell me you were one of those so-called Tomekeepers.”
Utic loosened his grip on the launcher and stood. His palms throbbed with pain. He made his way to the back of the barge as Orghov pushed the lever for the throttle back up. The barge drifted across the sand before coming to a stop.
“I don’t know what happened,” Utic told him. “I just knew what to say. It’s like a whole language just unlocked itself inside my head.”
Orghov chuckled. “Well whatever it was, it sure saved us. Think you can conjure up some more of those magic words and get us to the Font faster?”
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Fwen boarded her family’s boat, the Midnight Lily, her boots thudding against the sanded wood with every step. The small chest of personals she carried behind her scraped against the ground. She looked around at the crew, a well-organized gang of the best sailors in the country of Silnathum. As she stepped further onto the deck, a middle-aged man with a ponytail and a ruffled uniform walked up to greet her.
“Madame Inati,” He said with a bow. “It’s a pleasure to have you on board.”
Fwen gave only a nod in response. She preferred silence when possible. One couldn’t calculate and be aware of every acute detail if they were busy running their mouth.
“I’m Captain Halnaur,” He continued, unphased. “Your parents have tasked me with bringing you safely to Selenti. I’ve had your quarters below prepared already. You may do as you wish.”
Fwen took the Captain’s words as an invitation to leave, and did just that. As she stepped down toward her room in the ship’s hull, the smell of salt started to tickle her nose. She despised sailing. The tides churned her stomach and the food was pitiful at best. It was, however, better than being stuck with her parents. She pressed open the door to her cabin and slid the chest into the corner. Fwen closed the door, removed her boots, and laid along the thin, feather-stuffed bed she would call her own for the next few days. Her eyes drifted closed. Her wardrobe creaked open not long after.
Fwen waited patiently, eyes still closed. for the right moment to strike. Too soon would give her attacker a chance to fight back. Too late would mean her death. She reached out and grabbed her assailant’s wrist. Her eyes opened to the painted face of a female Terrolaff cloaked in green.
‘Of course it’s one of those killer clowns,’ She groaned to herself.
“What are you doing here, you murderous miscreant?” Fwen fumed.
“Sending you back to your cherished Netot,” the woman snarked. She placed her free hand against the bottom of her dagger and pressed it toward Fwen’s shoulder.
The right side of Fwen’s cloak slithered up and knocked the dagger from the woman’s hand. It clattered across the floor and came to a rest at the door. The left side of the cloak broke off, becoming a shadowed tendril that wrapped itself around the woman’s neck. It lifted her up with ease and constricted her throat.
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Fwen imparted. “He’s already with me.”
Fwen felt a slight burning sensation coming from the tendrils. Despite not being a part of her physical body, she could still feel and move them like any other limb. The burning increased until it became a sizzling pain that ate away at her magic.
‘This one isn’t as she seems, Tomekeeper,’ rang the ice cold voice of death itself. ‘Stay your hand.’
She dropped the woman to the floor and stepped back. Her tendrils retreated back to her side. The woman stood, her body radiating a noxious green magical energy.
“You’re a Tomekeeper too?” Fwen inquired.
“I follow the whims of my goddess, just as you follow yours. I would do anything to please her,” the woman answered. She looked off to the side. “She says I don’t have to stain my blade with your blood. Yet.”
Fwen shot a tendril toward the dagger and picked it up. She pulled it back toward her, then used the tendril to press the blade into her index finger. She felt the prick of pierced skin and rubbed crimson along the tip. The tendril tossed the dagger back toward the Terrolaff.
“Consider your blade stained as a sign of goodwill,” Fwen asserted. “What do I call you?”
“Verina,” The Terrolaff responded. “Verina Hinlon.”
“Well met, Verina. I am Fwen of the Inati Family, To’tenkhar’s current rulers. If you would like to hear me out, I believe I have a plan that can appease both of us.”
Fwen cracked a devilish smile. After all, an army was only as strong as its best general. What better person to lead than one hellbent on pleasing the goddess of war herself?
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