I sit with my back against Emerald for the entire week, till it’s time to leave. One member of the crew comes to get me, the morning of the departure.
“We are ready to leave, Milady.” The boy looks as if he got struck by lightning.
“At ease. I’ll be there in a minute. Go on ahead.”
“The Captain said you might say something like that, and so I was instructed not to listen to any orders from you, my apologies, Milady, but I will be escorting you onto the deck.” The Noxian says. Geez. That damned Captain. Fine.
“Then stay there and don’t move.” I give another order to the boy. He doesn’t even breathe.
“I guess it’s time.” I look at Emerald.
“I’ll be waiting.”
“I know.” I press my forehead against hers and leave.
“Hey, old man!” I shout for the keeper. “Take good care of her, will ya?”
“Are ya telling me how to do my job you, brat?” The geezer shows up from his room with a face of pure disgust, as if I just spat on his wife’s grave.
“No, just a friendly reminder.” I smile and walk away. The young lad follows me. As soon as I get onto the ship the captain approaches me.
“I was told to keep a close watch on you. I assume you are capable of comprehending the importance of this mission. That being said, I expect you to behave.” He gives me “The Stare”. For someone who made the mistake of underestimating me the first twenty seconds of our first meeting, he sounds strangely more intelligent this time around. I open my mouth to speak, but Crile beats me to it.
“Don’t bother, captain, she’s a lost cause.” I guess this little comment is for the last time that I left him standing speechless, in a sea of people, at the docks, a week ago.
“Takes one to know one.” The Captain isn’t pleased by my childish remark. To be honest, I’m not thrilled about my answer either. So, I straighten myself out, bow and shout to the Captain at the top of my lungs.
“Do not fear Captain, you won’t even notice I am here.” I stand up right and walk away, down below the deck, to check on my cabin. It isn’t hard to find, since it’s the one with the two guards stationed out front. Oh boy. This trip is going to be loads of fun.
“What’s this?” I ask them.
“What does it look like?” Crile’s voice answers behind me.
“Geez, does he really think I will escape this thing?”
“Who knows. You might.”
“Well, if I will, it’ll be because you’re giving me one Hell of a headache.” I slam the door behind me. What is wrong with me? I’m not myself around him. I never was. But now isn’t the place or the time. I stick my head back out the door and address the two guards.
“Boys, would you be kind enough to let me know when we’ll be out in the open sea, far enough from the land?”
“Yes, Milady!” They answer in unison.
“Thanks.” I shut the door again. I have to find a way to occupy my mind. If I start missing him now, I’ll be useless. I lay down on my bed.
“Emerald.” I whisper.
“Missing me already, Child?” Her deep growl echoes in my mind.
“Help.”
“What is it?” I feel the worry.
“Crile.” I whine like an injured cub.
She doesn’t say anything for a long moment.
“Why do you resist?” She asks me finally.
“Because every time I think about him all I can remember is the good old days, when the three of us were happy together, and Starlight… How I killed her… And how I found him with…” I fall silent… “There are too many regrets related to him, I can’t be happy like this… Not now…”
“Child, it’s been half a century now… Let it go…”
“No.”
Emerald sighs. I feel it. “Then there isn’t much you can do about it. Embrace the pain and live with it, use it to get stronger, Child.”
“Thank you.” I whisper.
“Always.” She answers. She really did feel like a mother to me. I guess being over a couple of centuries old does have its perks. I roll on my side and stare at the wood. I close my eyes for minute.
A knock on the door wakes me up. Huh. Must’ve fallen asleep for a bit.
“Yes?” I ask without getting up.
“We’re out at sea, Milady.” Right.
“Thank you.” I take the armor off and leave it on the bed. I rustle through the bags that Laira packed for me and take out the light weight armor. That should be enough. I go back up on the deck.
“Nice weather we’re having, Captain.” I shout. He doesn’t seem to care. Ok.
“Mind if I stretch my legs, Captain?” He looks at me. Got your attention now.
“Sure, as long as you don’t leave the ship.” Some of the men laugh to the Captain’s remark. Well, the joke’s on them anyway.
“Don’t worry Captain, I won’t be going anywhere far.” Before he can say another word, I run to the starboard, jump over it and shift. I spread my wings, letting them catch the air current and fly up. The wind howls between the feathers. I climb up as far as I can and dive down. Half way down I shift back into my human form and brace for impact. I feel the freezing water eat me up. As soon as the water hits my body I shift again. Now I let my body slide away into the depths of the ocean for a bit and then shoot back up with all of my strength. I burst out of the water revealing my whole, scaled body.
“A snake?” I hear someone shout.
“That’s a water serpent, idiot!”
“What’s the difference?” Someone asks. That makes me laugh. I always thought serpents were more graceful and less ugly than snakes. I shift again and fly off into the distance. I push my body to the limit. I climb up and dive down over and over again. I fall into the waves countless times, swimming deeper and deeper each time and then shooting back up into the air. It feels great to be free again. I circle the ship just so the Captain would see that I kept my promise – I’m not going anywhere far. Each time I pass it, I hear the amazement and the excitement in the crew’s voices. That makes me happy a bit. I’m not trying to show off, but I’ll be damned if I don’t use the opportunity to loosen up a bit. Finally, I climb up to the sky one last time, change back into my human form and fall down looking up at the sky. Just before hitting the deck, I shift and land safely with my wings spread wide. I see the look on everyone’s faces.
“Are you done showing off?” The Captain ask me. Yeah right.
“So cool!” I hear a child’s voice. I turn my head. A Balli woman is barely holding on to a boy that’s struggling to get away from her. He gets loose and runs straight at me.
“So cool!” He has the biggest smile on his little face ever. He reaches for me. I lower my head, so he can feel the feathers.
“Bo! Get back here!” The woman calls out to the boy, a bit angry. I shift back just for a moment.
“It’s alright.” I speak quickly and shift again. I nudge the boy with my nose and lay down so he can climb onto my back.
“Awesome!” The boy quickly settles in place and grabs the fur on the back of my neck, I shake a bit, and he tightens his grip. Hang on. I dash across the deck all the way from the stern to the bow and back. I jump around like a puppy that just got a bone. The boy’s smiling. That makes me happy. After a while of acting like an idiot, I let him get off and just play tag with him around the deck, he doesn’t seem to enjoy those times when I fly away. But it’s fun to see that big smile shine on his face. Eventually the boy gets tired and falls asleep next to me. I lay in my wolf form, curled up around the boy, After the sun sets, the mother comes up to us with a blanket.
“I will take him down below now, Milady.” She takes her son and wraps him in the blanket. I shift back.
“Lovely son you have.” I smile at her.
“Troublesome one too.” She looks at him and then at me. “I apologize for him.”
“No need, it pleases me to see children smile in this day and age…” I glance back at her. We know what that means. She goes back without saying anything more. I walk over to the side of the ship and gaze at the horizon.
“Last time I saw you, you only had the cat and the bird.” Crile stands next to me.
“A lot can change in fifty years.” I walk away. It’s true. My fighting form used to be a mountain lion. But I had to make a choice... I go back to my cabin.
“That was amazing if I may say so, Milady.” One of the guards was clearly star struck after my performance. I reach for him and put my hand over his cheek.
“I’m glad you enjoyed that.” I whisper to his ear and wink at him. He turns red like a candle. Oh boy, this is fun. I go inside and lock the room. I take the armor off and lay across the bed.
We have been sailing for a week now. It’s late at night and I’m flying around as usual. After my first performance, the Captain decided to use me as an extra look out. I didn’t blame him for using me. It beats sitting around twiddling my thumbs. So here I am, doing my rounds when suddenly something in the distance catches my eye. A spark. Interesting. I fly on ahead to see what it is. To my horror it’s a ship. One of the Rebellion. Even more horrifying is the fact that it is a whole fleet of them! Oh Gods help us. I rush back to the ship.
“Captain! Trouble! A whole fleet of enemy ships are approaching us!” I shout as soon as I change back.
“How long?” He asks.
“Not far.”
“Captain!” The look out from the crow’s nest shouts down. “I see them already.”
“That means they can see us too.” Crile speaks.
“Kill the lights! NOW!” Captain gives the order.
“Captain!” I jump onto the bridge. “I can get us out of here put you need to trust me.” I give him my hard stare. I have no idea if he even sees me glaring at him in the dark. He hesitates.
“Captain!” I push for an answer.
“Men! Listen up! Do whatever the Druid tells you! That’s an order!”
“Yes, Captain!” The crew answers as one. Better get a move on.
“Any fire casters gather by the sides of the ship, if we heat the surface of the water around the ship that will give us some cover! There’s already a light fog surrounding us, it will give us a chance to slip by the enemy ships!” People rustle to their feet. I know that this is the first problem I have to take care of and fast.
“Listen carefully: do not shoot out the attacks in a burst, focus the energy at the center of your palm and let it stream out in a steady flow, concentrate and keep it going. Once you see the steam rising up, increase the power behind your spell, like so.” I jump down to the starboard of the ship and let out a stream of silver energy from my palm. It takes me a few seconds to get the water surface hot enough for the steam to appear. I give the spell a kick. I quickly show the other side what to do too. Let's hope they won't start firing at us just yet...
“Come on! All off you made it onto the Royal Navy! You can figure this out! Am I wrong?”
“NO!” The determination of the youngsters is so thick you can cut it.
“Great!” I look at the Captain.” Is there a Ravo among your crew?”
“Zaltem!” The Captain’s voice roars across the entire ocean.
“Yes, Captain!” The boy materializes out of nowhere. Perfect. This might just work.
“Listen to me carefully. I need you to focus on the energy of the ship. I need you to focus on the wood that the ship is made of, feel the energy behind it and pull on it. The same way as using small amounts of the medicinal vines. Only in this case instead of making them small and precise make them big. Giant. Don’t worry about anything else other than the size. Do you understand me?”
“Yes.” The boy nods.
“Then do it!” I tell him. The boy closes his eyes.
“Druid there is no time for your tricks!” The Captain is impatient.
“There has to be if we want to live!” I look back at the boy. “Can you feel it?”
“Barely.” He answers. That will have to work.
“Pull on it. Pull on the energy that surrounds you, use it to boost your conjuring from the sides of the ship all the way to the top of the main mast. Surround the ship in a dome. Do it if you want this crew to live! Cast a net of thick, strong vines from the sides of the ship! Make it air tight! DO IT!” I bark at the boy. Zaltem raises his hands slightly up, as if trying to grasp the energy around him and pull on it. The sides of the ship rumble. Vines shoot out of the deck and masts, and the rest of the ship.
“Good, keep it up.” I stand in the middle of the ship and begin casting. It’s taking too long. I give my mana a kick. Come on. I feel something. There! I pull on the energy at the bottom of the ocean and force it to rise up. Come on. I can tell the Druid is a having a hard time.
“If there’s an Earth type Shaman on board - help the Druid now!” I bark and focus on the energy rising from down below.
“I’m a Shaman.” A girl walks up to me.
“Can you feel the earth’s energy resonating in the wood?” I ask her.
She catches on faster than the boy. “Yes. Too weak, though” She answers.
“Even if. Focus your mind on it. Pull on it. Force it to obey you. Give the Druid a power boost using that energy and make the vines grow faster. Can you do it?” I look at her.
“Yes.” She closes her eyes and exhales. The boy is shaking. We need to hurry. The girl exhales again and raises her hands in the same manner as the Druid. I feel the vines tangle faster around the ship. Good.
“Keep it up you two!” I look at the sides of the ship. The steam we created is already climbing over the sides of the ship.
“That’s enough cover. Step aside.” I call out and everyone moves away. I’m still far behind with my casting. Damn it. I give my spell another kick. Finally, I hit the bottom of the ship. This is it.
“Breeze if you are doing what I think you are then stop it! It’s too dangerous!” Crile yells at me from the bridge. Took him long enough.
“You have better ideas?” I ask him. No answer.
“What is she doing?” The Captain asks Crile.
“She will submerge the ship underwater.”
“What?” The Captain’s voice is filled with horror. “That’s madness!”
“We don’t stand a chance against a whole fleet.” Crile’s voice is calm. Too calm. He’s afraid of this just as much.
I raise my hands slowly, all the way above my head, I force the vines to merge with the ship. As soon as I feel that I have a good grip on them, I pull the whole ship down. I keep pulling till I feel we are completely underwater.
“Hang in there you two!” I tell the two casters. “Keep it up a while longer.”
“Yes!” They answer with the strain reflecting in their voices.
“As for the rest of you – keep quiet and do not move a muscle.” I try not to lose focus of my grip on the ship. At the same time, I shift my ears so I can hear the ships’ coming. They are close, but for us to live through this, we have to let them pass us and put some distance between us. Unfortunately, there’s no telling how long the kids will last. They are getting weaker by the minute. Come on! Hurry! I don’t know how long I can keep it up myself. My ears twitch. I hear the water smash against the ships as they are approaching. Come on. Move, damn it! There are more of them than I care to count. Just hang in there guys. I pray for the young ones to keep it together long enough for us to get out of this alive. Seconds go by, I feel my grip weaken. No! Not yet! Just a bit longer. There! Silence! I listen for a moment longer, the surface is calm above us. I wait a minute longer just to make sure. It really is quiet. The ships have passed. Finally. I begin raising the ship. Slowly. If we burst out of the water too fast, there’s a chance they might spot us. I feel something. Oh no. The kids are at their limit. Screw it. There is no time to play it safe. I push the ship and force it out of the water, as soon as the sides are above the water, I bark out a command.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Let go you two! NOW!” The two casters collapse. The conjured vines slowly slide back into the ship.
“Someone, tend to those two!” I call out. The crew rushes over to check on the Druid and the Shaman.
“How are they?” I ask.
“Suffering from exhaustion. They should recover in a couple of days.” That probably is one of the healers. Good. They’ll live. I keep listening. Nothing. I let the vines go and almost collapse myself.
“Move them some place, so they can recuperate.” I make my way over to the bridge where the Captain is.
“Still don’t trust me?” I ask him.
“Not even close.” He answers, clearly not impressed.
“So be it.” I smile and go down below to my cabin. I shut the door behind me, lock them and pass out right on the floor.
Wow. I could have never guessed that was possible. But she pulled it off. I’m stunned. I never doubted her abilities, skill or talent. My only concern ever was her wellbeing. Whenever she had a crazy idea, like pulling the ship underwater, I was worried about one thing and one thing only. What will be the cost of such a display of power on her body and mind? She always had a knack for overdoing it and breaking all known laws of nature. Yet she never even stopped to consider what that will do to her. That’s because it was my job to worry. When it was the three of us, Starlight would be the one to give Breeze a piece of her mind. Starlight was usually a shy and quiet type. Unless someone she cared about was in trouble. At times she could be just as powerful and scary as Breeze. So, every time Breeze would think of something dangerous and crazy, Starlight would be the first one to say no.
I have to admit it. I liked it. She would lecture Breeze enough for the both of us. I would only tell Breeze my thoughts on the issue when it was just the two of us. Of course, I also knew that if anyone could pull it off it was her. So, I never stopped her. Yet it did not mean I wasn’t nervous. I would always worry about her back then. As I do now still. I close my eyes and concentrate on the image of me, Breeze and Starlight. The image is vague. It’s been too long. I open my eyes and gaze into the darkness of the night. A hustle takes place on the deck. The ship’s cook stands with a tray and is arguing with the guards and one of the ship’s Cleansers. The woman seems concerned. I decide to check it out.
“May I be of some use?” I ask the cook.
“Perhaps.” She waits a moment. “Lady Deathbreeze is not answering her door. I tried to open it, but the door is locked.” She looks at the guards.
“Those two said they didn’t hear any sound after the lady stepped inside her cabin.”
The Cleanser speaks next. “We made sure to tend to the Druid and the Shaman, they both suffer from a nasty case of exhaustion. Considering the level of the spells they cast.” He hesitates.
“I say they are lucky to be alive.” The man pauses again. “Of course, that left me thinking what was the toll the Beast Druid had to take in after a performance like that. So, I wanted to check on her just to be sure.”
“I figured the lady could use a meal and some herbal tea to replenish her mana, however, neither one of us could see her.” The woman looks down. “I have to say, I am worried.” Shit. I should have known.
“That’s alright. Let me take care of that for you.” I take the tray with the food from the cook.
“If you would follow me then, sir.” I tell the Cleanser and go below the deck, to check on the clever idiot. I try the handle. Perfect. I hand the tray to one of the guards.
“Hold this for me, please.” The boy takes the tray and stands still. I get one of my blades out of its sheet and stick it inside the key hole. A bit of pressure and a click. The door opens. I push them wider and see the one thing I was afraid of. Breeze. On the floor. Out cold.
“Is she dead?” One of the guards asks.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” The old man kneels next to Breeze and checks for pulse.
“She’s there. Just weak.” I take the tray back from the boy and go inside the room.
“Stand guard.” I tell the two soldiers and shut the door in front of them. I set the tray on the table and go over to pick up Breeze off the floor. She’s barely breathing. Idiot. I lay her on the bed as gently as I can. The Cleanser checks her vitals.
“She’s steady, but extremely weak. Ideally she would need to drink that.” He points to the cup of the herbal tea, the ship’s cook had prepared for her.
“It might be a while before she is conscious again, however, in her current state, she might just not wake up at all. I shouldn’t be explaining this to you, but the mana is a vital part of a caster. Even a half breed like her. If the mana is not restored, her body will not have enough power to collect and store the energy needed for her to recover fully.”
“That’s fine. I can take care of her. It’s not the first time she’s done this.” I watch Breeze as her chest moves up and down, barely.
“Has she submerged a ship like this before?” The old man asks.
“No. But she has been on the brink of death plenty of times before. Same as now.”
“Then I have no more business here.” The old man stands up.
“One last thing, though.” I stand next to him. He looks at me.
“Insult her again and it will be your last words.” The Cleanser thinks about it for a brief second and smiles.
“Very well.” He leaves the room. I look around for some bandages or something like that. No luck. I think of tearing up a piece of the linens for the bed, but my eyes catch one of the bags Breeze had taken on board with her. I’m not really excited to go through Breeze’s stuff like that. Again. But if Laira was responsible for packing the bags, I’m bound to find some medicine. To my surprise the first leather pouch has exactly what I need. I take some bandages out and cut a large piece of it. I fold the cloth several times and dip it into the herbal tea. I squeeze the cloth just a little so it wouldn’t be dripping all over. I sit on the bed next to Breeze’s unmoving body. For some reason I get nervous. I know what I need to do. I just hesitate. Oh come on. I pull myself together and slightly open Breeze’s mouth. Just enough for a drop of the tea to go past her lips and onto the tongue. This is one of those moments when I miss having Starlight around the most. She used to sit like this and “force” Breeze to drink the meds.
That is until Starlight mastered Water healing. Once that happened, Starlight would just force the healing water to go down Breeze’s throat and into her system. Breeze would be back in just hours instead of days. She is stronger now, but that only means she will need twice as much restoration and healing, if not more. Unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury of using healing spells. All I have is a lukewarm cup of mana rejuvenating tea and a piece of folded cloth. I keep dipping the cloth into the fluid and simply hold it over Breeze’s mouth, making sure the tea goes in slowly. Drop by drop. It’s a tedious task, time and energy consuming. I don’t care. I know I’m probably going to be sitting here like that till morning if not afternoon. But I don’t care. I’m alone with Breeze. Even if she’s barely breathing, I’m not worried. She’s too stubborn to die. I smile.
“Reckless as ever.” I say into the silent room. I take my time to look her over. She hasn’t changed much. Her hair has grown out. It suited her. It was darker now, though. I could have bet she had a lot more scars now too. Starlight was always the one who made sure to minimize our battle souvenirs with her concoctions as much as possible.
“I’ve missed you.” I whisper as I let my fingers brush against her face. I feel an urge to hold her in my arms. It would be so easy. Just lean in and pick her up. No. If I do that, I know I’m not going to let her go. Ever. I take the cloth again and continue to repeat the process with the meds. I feel hours go by. My hand’s getting tired and my stomach’s asking for food. I valiantly ignore both of them. She will need at least a few more drinks before her mana would be strong enough to restore her energy. I sigh. That means I’ll be stuck here a little longer. No matter. We are in the middle of the ocean. Not much else to do anyway. Last drop goes in. I put the cup down and stretch my arms.
“I’ll ask the lovely lady in charge of the kitchen to make you some more tea. You be good now and don’t go anywhere.” Now who’s the idiot. I smile and go out to look for the cook. It’s late morning. Surprisingly warm enough, considering where the ship is located. The crew seems relaxed. I guess it’s a good sign. I step into the ship’s kitchen. The woman is busy preparing the meals.
“I don’t mean to intrude, but I could use your help for a moment.” I approach the cook with the empty cup in my hand.
“Oh my!” She jumps. “You startled me, sir.”
“Pardon me. I didn’t intend to.”
“It’s all good.” She wipes her hands with the apron she has tied around her waist and looks at me again. “Now, what is it you would like me to do for you?”
“If you could show me, where you keep the herbs, meant for mana rejuvenation, I’ll sort the rest out myself and you won’t have to distract yourself from the task you have.” Being humble was never my strong suit, but I had grown accustomed to it over my years at the Royal Palace.
“Oh no, sir, it’s quite alright, I can make the tea. Is the lady awake?” She takes the cup from me.
“Not quite.” I look around. “You do seem to have your hands full here, it’s no trouble for me to make the tea instead. I will be bringing it to Deathbreeze anyway.” I almost never call Breeze by her full nickname. The woman looks at me for a minute.
“As you wish, my lord.” She sets the cup on the table and goes over to the back. She comes back with a wooden box and a linen pouch.
“You should find all you need here.” She hands me the box and the pouch.
“Very well.” I open the box. Nothing I haven’t seen before.
“One last thing. Can I borrow a tea pot and a Heat stone?” The woman doesn’t even bat an eyelash. She rustles a bit and hands me both. I thank her and want to leave already when she hands me a tray and a larger canteen filled with water.
“Probably a good idea.” I set everything on the tray and cover it with a lid.
“Hope she gets well soon.” The cook gives me a warm smile.
“Don’t worry. She’s too stubborn to give up so easily.” I say and the woman laughs a little.
“Good to know.” She waves to me and I go back to Breeze. The outside is calm still. The ocean, the sky and the crew as well. I wonder if this calmness could be any reason to worry or am I simply being paranoid. Who cares. I have a reckless, half dead Druid to take care of. The guards aren’t by the door when I get back. Weird. I push them open. The captain is standing next to Breeze’s bed.
“Can I help you?” I ask setting the second tray next to the first one.
“What happens if she dies on her own?” The brute grins.
“That won’t be happening.”
“Why so sure?” The brute turns his head to look me in the eye.
“She’s a lot stronger than you think.” I don’t like this guy.
“Of course, she is.” He looks back at Breeze. “So, who is she, exactly? Or should I ask what is she?”
I laugh. He doesn’t like my response. “Does it matter?” I ask him.
“His majesty seemed to think she is important enough to arrange such a trip on short notice. I wonder. Is she that good?” He runs his fingers through her side. That’s it. I grab his hand and pull it away from Breeze.
“Touch her again or even look at her the wrong way and it will be the last move you’ll ever make.”
“Threatening the ship’s Captain, are we? I can have you arrested for that and you’ll spend the rest of the trip locked up with the rats with no food or water.” He tries to pull his hand out. No luck. I had my claw in him and I’m not about to let go so easily.
“Who said it’s a threat?” I give him a murderous grin. “Just a friendly advice.” I take an extra second to glare at him and let go of his hand only after. The brute is not pleased. But he has enough brains not to take this any further so he leaves. I close the door and place a chair against it. Just to be safe. I check Breeze’s pulse. Barely there. I get the herbs, the pot and the water out. I grind the herbs while the water is heating up. Just as it boils, I place the herb dust in a piece of the cloth, I used earlier, and let it sit for a couple of minutes, submerged in the hot water. I take the cloth out and set it aside. She’ll need that dust later. I know it. I pour the tea into the cup and let it sit long enough to cool below finger burning temperature. After that we are back where we started. Dip the cloth into the tea. Drain gently and continue slowly, drop by drop, pouring the liquids down Breeze’s mouth. I sigh.
“You owe me.” I say quietly. “I forgot how annoying it can be bringing you back from the dead.” What am I expecting here to happen, exactly? I check her pulse again. Weak. One good thing about mana – if there aren’t any physical injuries, the amount of mana restored, even in a weakened state of the body, won’t go below the level it already is. I finish with the second cup. I’m starving. I look under the lid of the first tray. Fish. Steak. Vegetables and even dried fruit. Almost all one would need to recover. She always did prefer the fish over meat. So, I sink my teeth into the nice and juicy steak. Even cold - it is delicious. I make a mental note to be sure to compliment the chef later on. I drink some water from the canteen and look at Breeze. Right. Back to work. Starlight once told me.
“You can’t rush it. You don’t want her to drown or choke, do you?” Of course not.
“Just wish Starlight was here. She would have you fixed up in no time.” I really did miss Starlight almost as much as I missed Breeze.
“You know,” I was talking to Breeze even if her condition inhibited her from answering me; “you are so selfish. In a way.” I hesitate. “I mean, I lost one of the two of my best friends and the love of my life on the same day.”
I breathe in. “You could have stayed. Instead you ran and I was the one left to tell Starlight’s parents that her daughter was lost, beyond the point of even having a body to bury, think I enjoyed that?” I glance at her. No sign of improvement. I sigh again.
“I’m not saying I’m mad at you, but I do think it is fair enough to say you hurt me by leaving just as much as I hurt you. You left me to deal with all of the rage, loss, pain and sorrow alone.” I stretch my arm out a bit. It’s hurting again.
“I needed you. I realize I’m not exactly in a position to be complaining here. But that is the truth. Do you know that the first time I mourned Starlight’s death were only nine weeks after the battle? I was so busy dealing with all the bullshit left by the battle, it took nine weeks for me to finally mourn my dead friend. “I take the cup. Still half left.
“I missed both of you so much. You. Starlight. Even Emerald.” I continue with the tea and the cloth.
“I wish Starlight was here right now, at least she was the only one who stood a chance of talking you out of pulling idiotic stunts, like submerging the ship underwater. At least she could say all that I think and feel about you and maybe you would even listen to her.” I set the cup down for a second to rest my arm again.
“Sorry.” A whisper. I raise my head. Breeze had her eyes open.
“Sorry.” I whisper. With the corner of my eye I see Crile raise his head. I whisper again.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t.” Words are hard to speak. He shakes his head.
“Don’t.” He waits. “Can you move?”
I try moving my arm. Won’t budge. “No.”
“Right, then.” Crile takes the cup into his left hand, slides his right under me and gently lifts me just enough to give me a drink of the tea. I drink in small, slow sips. I cough. He puts the cup down and holds me for a moment longer till I get my breathing back in place.
“For someone so powerful, you sure are helpless without her.” He lays me back.
“Starlight was always my weakness.” My voice only a whisper.
“Yeah.” He hesitates. “I should leave now that you’re finally conscious.” He looks at me.
“Yeah.” I whisper again.
“Take care.” He walks toward the door.
“Wait.” I hear the word slip by me.
“What?”
I gather bits and pieces of my strength and ask. “What did I look like back then, when the Celestian in me was unleashed?”
Crile doesn’t answer me for a long minute. I figure he isn’t about to bring up the past, but then I hear him say.
“It was a sight I could never forget.” He pauses. “You were the most beautiful being I had ever seen, yet the power was so overwhelming the horror shook me to my core.” Crile waits. “You looked like a fallen star. All silver, as if transparent. The power made you levitated. You weren’t even touching the ground as you casted the spells. So magnificent, so terrifying.” He stops. I feel tears roll down the sides of my face.
“Thank you.” The two words are all my lips manage to push out of my body in a single breath. Crile doesn’t say anything else. Soon enough I hear the door open and close shut. I’m left alone in the dark to sob. His words echo in my mind. “So magnificent, so terrifying.”
I can’t see much in the dark. Must’ve passed out. I try to move again. A little better now. We’re half way there. I turn my head to the side. I know there’s some mana tea left in that cup, all I have to do is drink it. Easier said than done. I pull all of my strength and force my arm to move. It resists me, but it’s my limb and damn it I’m going to make it budge. I feel the metal. Ha! Now for the tricky part. I hesitate for a long moment before I pick the cup up. I have to set it down immediately. I don’t have the strength to pick it up and move it to my lips. Exactly another reason why I should drink it. I exhale slowly and force my body to push itself upward off the bed, just enough for me to be able to pour the remaining herbal mixture down my throat, without choking on the cold water. I barely move an inch. This will have to do. I take the cup again into my palm and slowly lift it up to my mouth. One simple move like that seems to take an eternity to make. Finally, I sip the tea.
Nothing. I take another sip. Nothing. Screw this. I gulp what is left of the mixture and almost drown in it. The cup falls on the bed. I have a hard time breathing. I cough for a good few minutes before I can catch a breath again. Nonetheless. The last of the tea kicks in and I feel the power surge through me. Now we’re talking. I sit up on the bed. My head swims. I close my eyes and focus. I shift my eyes, suddenly the darkness seems a lot clearer. Much better. I see two lids on the other table. Food. My mouth waters instantly. I’m starving. I push myself of the bed and stand up. I sway a little. Whether it is from exhaustion or from the fact that I’m on a ship – it doesn’t matter. I have a goal. Slowly, I begin dragging my feet across the floor toward the table. The walk is short yet it feels like a journey. I hate this. I scan the items set on the wooden tabletop. Most are used to grind the herbs and make the tea. I reach for the second lid. Bingo! Food! Fish, vegetables and fruit. Perfect. What the? There were bits and pieces of meat on the plate yet no steak. Crile. He must have sat there dripping the damned tea for me long enough, if the steak was gone. Oh well. Can’t blame the guy. Besides, I prefer the fish anyway. I gather some strength and pick the tray up. I move my feet without lifting them of the floor and make myself turn.
Oh, I really hate this. I make the trip back to bed. I manage to set the tray on the same small wooden surface that the cup was set onto before. Seems like the hardest task in my life. I slump back on the bed and take a bite of the fish. It was starting to go bad. Serves me right for blacking out. Even so, it tastes amazing still. I eat the whole thing. Just the carcass is left. The vegetables go next. I save the fruit for last. Only when I reach for a piece of the apple, I notice something on the corner of the plate. I stick my finger in it and give it a lick. I feel my mana getting a kick. No way. He remembered. I take a piece of the dried apple and stick it in the wet, ground herbs. My mana gets another boost. I clear the plate completely and finally feel some decent energy run in my blood. I manage to tidy up a bit and make myself another serving of the tea. In fact, I drink like five more cups of it. That really gets me back up. Bit by bit, I begin feeling tired instead of weak and powerless, so I do the one reasonable thing left to do. Slip out of my get up and crawl under the blankets. I’m about to pass out again when it hits me.
“Emerald?”
“Child!” She sounds worried. “Finally, what is going on?! Are you injured?” I was never so happy to hear her sweet growl.
“I’m fine. Just did something stupid and reckless and I was out for some time. Don’t worry, nothing serious.”
“Is that so?” She’s clearly suspicious of me.
“Yes. I will tell you everything later, just wanted to make sure you knew I was fine.”
She doesn’t answer for a moment. “If you say so, Child.”
“Thank you.” I feel the exhaustion flow through me. “Goodnight, Emerald.”
“Rest well, Child.”
My eyes pop open from a loud noise outside my door. I sit up and listen. A muffled complaint comes from the other side of my room.
“And I am telling you she still needs to eat some time. Now let me pass!” It’s the ship’s cook. I smile, get out of the bed and open the door as soon as I’m clothed again, well, clothed enough to open the door, anyway. One of the guards is taking his duties way to seriously here.
“And I am telling you nobody besides sir Crile can enter.”
“Is that so?” I ask the boy as I stand in the door way.
“Good morning.” I greet the cook. “Please, come in, no need to be shy.” I step aside and hold the door open for her. She quickly catches on and slips past the guards before they even know what hit them.
“As for the question of who is allowed into my room and who is not, I believe I should be the one to decide, no?” I look the two guards over. They aren’t the same ones as before.
“So here are new orders for you: stand still till I tell otherwise, do I make myself clear?”
“Yes.” One of the kids answers, I don’t even wait for the other one to come to, I shut the door and speak to the woman.
“I appreciate the trouble, but you needn’t worry yourself with bringing the food to me like this.” I take the tray from her and set it on the smaller table by the bed.
“Oh, well, you see, Milady, I wasn’t sure if you were awake yet, so I.” I cut her off.
“That is perfectly fine, oh by the way, how is your lovely son, Grindella?”
The woman is clearly flustered by the question. “Oh he is just fine, Milady, he was asking about you, just this morning.”
“That’s nice of him, you can tell him I will play with him again soon.” I open the lid. Mmm. “Smells delicious.”
“Thank you, Milady.” She takes the other two trays. “I will leave you to it then.”
“Oh, please, let me.” I get up to open the door for her. “And, please, call me Breeze that silly title makes me uneasy.”
Grindella looks at me with a motherly look and says.
“If only it were so simply, Milady.” She inhales. “You see, my late grandfather was apart of the fighting forces back then.” Oh no. “I grew up believing in the legendary Deathbreeze Skyrider as being one of the most absolute forces of our time.” She pauses again.
“And after bearing witness first hand of what she can do… It gives me hope the world can be saved.” She looks at me again, eyes full of respect. I’m stunned.
“How did you?”
“Oh, I had my suspicion since you pulled the entire ship underwater, not many are so powerful these days.” I continue to stand there speechless.
“That and I do not believe “Deathbreeze” to be a common girl’s name.” She smiles.
“Oh.” Ok. Now what?
“No need to worry. Not a single soul will believe any of us even if we tell the world about what happened. Only those who seen it happen can connect the dots, Milady.”
“Thank you for caring for me.” I smile back at her and let her leave.
“One of you take the trays and escort lady Grindella back to the ship’s kitchen.” One of the soldiers, a Cornutese boy, quickly drops his mace, grabs the trays from Grindella and walks out onto the deck. I shut the door again and get dressed.