The ocean expanded endlessly. Everywhere he looked, water. Lucian had been to the beach once; the day before his foster parents died. Now he laid his eyes upon even greater waters, but it was once again mired with death. Still, the calmness that the waves emitted through its steady push and pull on the ship had a soothing effect on his mind. It had been 8 days since he left Abenor in that tavern. 8 days since he set foot on the "Red Maiden," bound for Kinghaven. The guards did not question him once they saw the papers that he was a member of a lord of the Jare's entourage. He even got a nice little room in the heart of the vessel that had views of the ocean. This was ordinarily reserved for VIPs, but the clerk had assigned him and Abenor those seats.

Though he spent the first few days locked inside the room, the words of Abenor telling him that he had to find his sister, and live on eventually lifted him up. The on-walkers of the main deck were all human, conversing with each other, drinking, even in the early mornings, without a care in the world. These were not good men. Good men do not trade and do business with the demons that preyed on innocents. Lucian despised looking at them, but he knew that he would have to endure it till they reached Kinghaven in three days time. Looking out at the ocean was his only reason for coming up.

This morning, Lucian walked to the rear end of the ship, where there were less people. Everyone crowded in the front, with their incessant talks that polluted the air. He needed time to properly think. Haymond, son of Rutherford. Who was he? Obviously, Abenor had told Lucian that he was a friend and someone who would help him. But who was he actually? Another circus performer?

"Pardon, do you mind?" a feminine voice said behind Lucian.

He glanced back to see who it was, and the figure of a woman, medium height, long black hair, and sharp foxy features greeted him. Lucian nodded his head no, and looked back at the ocean once again. She leaned on the railings next to him, also gazing at the vast waters.

"I like it here too, quiet and peaceful right?" she asked.

He did not say anything.

"Not much the talking type, are you?" she laughed. "Your attire, are you lordsguard?"

Why is she asking so many questions? Does she suspect me? Best to keep quiet.

"My father told me about them. It is a messy business, dealing with the Nosferatus. Personally, I fear them. But they do keep the slavers in business," she continued.

No response.

"You look very young to be a lordsguard."

"That's because I am not," Lucian finally replied. He feared his cover had been seen through, and he had to pivot. Luckily, no one knew him here, in this whole ship. Only the guards had checked his papers and let him in when the ship departed. Unless she had knowledge otherwise, which could be possible, she should leave the matter.

"Oh, so you do talk," she grinned. "Why are you wearing that then?"

"I found it for sale, in a local shop," he lied.

"You really should change that, people might think you one of them," she advised.

He shook his head yes.

"I'm Adelaide Kyres," she turned and looked at him. "And you?"

He took his hood off, and said, "Lucian, son of Abenor."

“From the far east are you?” she questioned. “Long ways from home.”

“Why do you think so?” he asked.

“Well, I never heard of anyone introducing themselves as you except for the eastern travelers and merchants,” she answered, chuckling.

"Ade!" someone shouted. A man, brown bearded, maybe around her height, a little taller waved her over. "We have things to do!"

"Coming father!" she yelled back.

"Well it was nice to meet you, Lucian," she foxily smirked. "I bid you farewell."

What a weird woman.

Lucian went back to his quarters and heeded her advice. Perhaps it was best to take off the disguise now since he was no longer under any danger in here. No one cared about him or his identity truly. The new strength he felt when he fought the nosferatu was odd. There was no telling what caused this, but one thing he figured out was the connection between him and the longblade. The sensation of even more power in his body after he killed the monster was something he never felt before. How could he use so much energy yet be more energized after? The only answer was the blade. It connected directly to his body, one way or another. He could feel it.

The kill counter had increased and read "3" now.

Abenor's death could have been prevented. If only he could have been strong before. If only.

Lucian closed his eyes in his quarters and held the blade. Remembering the battle with the nosferatu, he began to imitate the movements of not only himself but the creature. He was fighting the shadow of the creature in his mind. Strength was needed in this world. He could not afford to slack, and lose anything else. He had been training, using the same method for the last four days. The movements were even more smooth now, and the blade seemed to move exactly how he wished. They were one and the same.

His training was distracted by a loud thud that shook the whole quarters. Peering out the window, he saw another ship, very close to the "Red Maiden." The ship seemed to stop as did his. For the moment, he sat near the window and simply observed. As the minutes passed, the ship seemed to almost touch the "Red Maiden." The boards above his head were shaking, and loud noises could be heard above. They were not people talking, but the sound of feet running. He stood on his bed and placed his ears right next to it to hear better. Through the muddled footsteps, screams mixed with laughter could be heard. Something bad was happening above.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The stampeding footsteps were now down to his floors. Outside the door, he could hear the screams of men, and women. His door was made of thin filmy material. It was not see-through, but you could make out shadows, or figures outside. He crept near it and saw giant shadows wielding swords striking others, and more causing chaos.

Mutiny, or perhaps pirates. Either one, I need to survive.

He did not want to admit it, but a part of him felt a strange thrill from everything. He lusted for action, and then his hands twitched in anticipation. Blade at the hand, and eyes peering through the door, he saw the shadow of a woman running, and moments later he spotted a huge figure chasing her, with an ax. With no hesitation, the blade was stabbed through the door and into the man. It had hit. He twisted it out and opened, and found the man's neck severed. A clean hit. The woman was on the floor, in dismay. He yelled, "Get into my room, and close it!"

She obeyed.

Another gigantic man was at the entrance to the quarters, walking down the steps.

"Did you kill Waggy!" he screamed, while he charged with a cutlass in his hands.

Lucian darted at him and ducked left, slicing his belly, and rolling away. He rotated quickly, and struck his back, now piercing the heart. The same energizing feeling pulsed through him again. The kill counter rose from three to five. Running up the steps, he saw hordes of men, many shirtless, wielding similar cutlasses. The slaying was not over. He ran, almost elatedly.

A nursery rhyme from the orphanage ran through his mind. The older kids would tell it, and try to scare the younger ones. He remembered:

Ten fireflies blinking in the summer night

Flitting and flashing, a beautiful sight.

One flew too close to a spider's hungry web

Nine fireflies circling, a missing thread.

Eight fireflies dancing in the dewy grass

Two got lost chasing shadows that pass.

Six fireflies lighting a path in the breeze

One got sleepy and drifted off with the trees.

Five fireflies whispering secrets untold

But a hungry owl swooped, leaving them cold.

The herd was culled. There seemed to be only a few left. He looked up, and the kill counter read, "15."

Other people, quite skilled Lucian gauged, had been on the ship too. Three men, scattered around the main deck, were cleaning up the remaining attackers. Their movements were similar to Lucian's but better. Even more precise, and practiced. When there appeared to be no more attackers left on board, a roar of "Abandon" was heard from the neighboring ship, and it sailed away.

"Cowards!" one of the three men shouted.

The captain gathered everyone in an urgent meeting. The crowd was relatively the same groups of people Lucian had seen around the ship. He tried to spot Adelaide but did not see her. A pity, he thought if she did not make it. According to the captain, the casualties were seven, including three mercenaries hired as protection, and four merchants. The crowd murmured in grief, but Lucian could see the relief in their faces. He knew that they probably thought, "Better them than us." A prayer was called for by the captain, to honor the men that had died.

"The Gods give and the Gods take. Lords of the Heavens and Earth, Valdorin, Kyndra, and Drakaros, have mercy on their souls. Let their deaths be their salvation," he said. Everyone looked down, eyes closed. Except Lucian. He glanced around, intrigued by this. Surprisingly, he was not the only one. Adelaide was there too. He had missed her standing right behind him. She smiled at him warmly and gestured for him to follow everyone else.

"I would like to take this time to also thank our brave fighters! We had three royal legionnaires! They bravely fought and dismantled those wicked pirates!" he proclaimed.

The trio of men, all clean cut, lean built, and wearing gold and blue metal plates, with a red cape attached, stood next to the captain. The crowd clapped, some even rushing up to them, thanking them. A woman from the mass shouted something, but amidst the noises of gratitude, it was lost on Lucian's ears. She tried again, and this time, everyone quietened down.

"There was another man, he saved me!" she said.

Lucian recognized her. It was the woman he had saved. He wished she did not say anything. Attention was bad, and this was the worst time to have prying eyes on him.

She walked up to him, and easily recognized him, as he was the only man with blonde hair in the whole ship. "He saved me!" she exclaimed.

The crowd was muttering now, and Lucian could hear some whispers that said, "He's barely a man," and others saying "Who is that?"

"It is true. He cut through maybe a dozen of them! I've seen it," replied one of the legionnaires.

He had time to handle those pirates, and observe?

The people were now saying, "if they say it, and she says it, it must be true."

Hands pushing him forward, Lucian found himself right next to the three "saviors" as they were dubbed. Everyone circled around them, celebrating. The captain patted him hard on the back, and put his hands up in the air, to signal silence.

"To celebrate them, and the lives of those who passed, we will feast tonight, in the dining halls. On me!" he cried passionately.

The remainder of the day was spent cleaning up the mess that was made. Everyone, even the seemingly posh and finely dressed men helped what little they could. Adelaide tagged alongside Lucian, pestering him with questions, ranging from his origins, to his age, to all other types. The ship departed from Eltrea, a different kingdom from where he was headed. Hetsvjek was only a stop on the way to Kinghaven. If he was to gain anything, this was the only thing of value he got from the annoyance of Adelaide.

Night swept over the waters thereafter, and the chandeliers and candles were lit. The feast began. It was quite extravagant, and nothing like the meals he had eaten this whole voyage. Lucian was seated beside the legionnaires. Though it was advertised as a feast for all, not everyone was able to fit inside. The nobles, and “important” men were given priority, while the rest were given food outside, where they partied. The pleasantries had all finished by now, and all the men and women knew his name.

“Whereabouts are you going, Lucian,” the captain asked him after the group decided to meet once again later in the week in Kinghaven, and he declined saying he was not sure if he could.

Everyone waited for his answer.

He decided that he might as well take advantage of their hospitality while he could. “To visit Haymond, son of Rutherford,” Lucian said. “Actually, I am unsure of who or where he is, does anyone know?”

“Haymond!” someone from the table cried. “The theater master?”

Theater master!?