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Chapter 4: Salty
The suns beamed down on us as we walked along the beach. I had always wondered what the weather must have felt like with all suns still burning alive. It was for the better that three had already died, or more salt would pour into the air. Soon, the fourth one would find its end.
We passed the pier and left Bay Coast. Nita led the way. She had refused to walk in the shadow of the wall. Instead, we lounged on the waterfront.
“My boat is hidden behind the palm trees there.” She pointed ahead.
“Very well hidden. I can see it from here.”
“And this little boat is really going to take us to Pepe's in a few hours?”
“Pepes?”
I sighed. "Peles’ Pendulum.”
An Island with mostly mansions, formerly found by a renowned noble house, the Peles. Then, it was attacked a year ago.
“Sure. You should see the latest prototypes of our smarties. They can fly a bit if the waves cooperate.”
“Hey, engineering is—wait, fly?! Hold up. You serious?”
She gave me a thumbs up.
“See?” I spread my arms and gestured with my hands, even though she didn't see me. “Engineering is a formidable profession and the future of . . .” I don't think she was listening, yet I continued to brag about possible inventions I wanted to build someday.
The simple boat didn't look like speed. Instead, it looked like a lot of rowing.
“Hold onto something!” Nita urged.
She sat behind a steering wheel with levers. Bubbling sounds came from below.
With a recoil, the boat shot forward, knocking me into a wind wall. Nita gleefully grinned as we accelerated. The water rushed past us as if we were riding a horizontal waterfall. Cool water rippled like soft hail, refreshing my hot skin.
A large cylinder burned out a steady stream of green under the end of the boat, and the muzzle lifted with momentum.
“Woah! This boat is awesome! Let me drive, too!” I shouted over the wind and splashing.
“I'll teach you next time. If we get any later, I'll be in trouble.”
“That’s a promise!”
Nothing but water separated us from the distant bluish horizon: a familiar scene, yet a different experience. Before Lisa had joined my last crew, I had never felt a sense of community, not to mention the omnipresent lack of camaraderie. Now, for the first time, I was traveling across the ocean with another woman by my side.
I watched Nita's hair flutter in the wind. A green tattoo ran from her hairline to the nape of her neck. Fine, intertwined lines wrapped around one another, with stars—or glitter—at the end.
The strong wind turned the hot sun into a comforting warmth, and the salty aroma smelled better than usual.
Nita seemed to have an aversion to constant yelling, so I told her about my theories on how the boat's propulsion worked. The amount of Jade Mint the engine would need to maintain that speed puzzled me. Either they enhanced the chemical, but that came at high prices, or they must have compressed or concentrated it more so it would take up less space.
Jade Mint wasn’t on the light side of chemicals. The more an engine for transportation required, the more weight would add up. Thus, it would take more energy. And the cycle continued.
—
“We’re almost there!” Nita shouted.
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Peles, the vast island, was controlled by a thief guild: Verdant Kleptos, the crew that had claimed the monopoly on Jade Mint with the first and only factory. House Peles had lost a fierce battle to them, the very first time a noble house had lost, and an event that ushered in the Age Of Thieves.
Only the trustworthy had a chance to qualify for a job. The salary attracted many workers desperate for money. Some curious scientists and engineers also joined.
“A shame . . . this crew had discovered Jade Island,” I murmured.
Glimpses of a memory of my parents resurfaced; one I dreamed of every night but forgot in the morning. My mother's figure pointed to a large map covering an entire wall and talked excitedly to my father.
Nita turned off the engine. “Stay quiet until we get to the base.”
A gentle current led us into a cove screened from the factory side of the island. As we passed through a rock tunnel, Nita lit a green and a red torch. The wet stone walls glistened in a balanced tug-of-war between the two colors, while the rippling water became an echo of bubbles to calm the squabblers.
“You’re late,” a deep male voice grunted.
“Sorry, Elrad.” Nita nonchalantly stepped out of the boat. “Complications with your man delayed me. But! I brought a talented recruit.”
He scoffed. “We’ll see how long this one lasts. Now come on, the Captain demands you. Rookie, follow me.”
I climbed off the boat as well. “No crew has any sense of greeting, huh?”
Elrad looked at me fixedly.
“My name’s Hercu. Nice to meet you, Elrad.” I extended my hand to him.
The dark circles under his eyes looked like tattoos in the light of the torches. His hair was neatly combed back, and his three-day beard had bald spots in the cheek area.
He accepted my hand, and I immediately regretted not giving him my lifeless hand. I gave my all to keep up with his grip strength while trying to keep my poker face. The pain quickly went numb, and the fear that he might break my hand set in.
“Hm, not so bad. Now come on, Rookie.” Elrad let go and turned to show me the way through the darkness.
“We’ll catch up later.” With a nod, Nita walked through another corridor.
It took a few minutes before some light appeared again. Bright green lanterns shimmered at the end of the tunnel. A room full of grim and trying-to-look-creepy faces eyed me. A small group of guys in scholarly clothes observed my prosthesis and raised their eyebrows like: ‘Are you for real?’
“Wait here, and don’t touch anything.” Elrad turned and disappeared behind a metal door.
Amid rocks and grumps, all of whom had probably pulled an all-nighter. The base seemed more like a makeshift hideout, crudely organized. Weapons lay scattered around. Two muscular men guarded a small mound of supplies. The small group of scholars worked on a complex mechanism, their clothes covered with green stains. The rest stood or sat around a campfire, some cleaning their weapons, checking their equipment, or eating. A subtle ire smeared over the mood.
“Are they waiting for something? Oh, wait . . .”
I smoothly slid my arms into my pockets and lowered my voice. “Yo!”
No one responded.
“I go by Hercu. Here's to good cooperation.” I considered adding a smooth ‘ay’ to round it out, but that only sounded cool when elders said it.
A tall man put away his two-handed sword. “Hey, rookie, how much did you beg Lady Nita to let her join you?”
A few other men laughed forcedly behind him, a few with bruised faces.
I turned to him. “You should rather ask how much she begged me.”
His eyes twitched as he towered himself up in front of me. His face, almost horizontal above mine, stared at me with more masculinity than I could ever mimic.
“Screw off, sissy. We don’t need a petite wuss to babysit.” He reeked of sweat.
“Yeah! We didn’t wait half a day for this.” Another guy bellowed, and more joined.
“Hey, hey, don’t be jealous,” I smirked up at the big guy. “The princess chose me. Nothing you can do about it.”
The veins on his forehead stood out, and he clenched his fists. The bystanders' comments cheered him on to beat me up.
“Come on, Gale, let it slide.” A voice I recognized as Hale weaved his way through the line of onlookers.
“Gale? Hale? How annoyingly similar—all the more reason to get rid of him.” I left my hands in my pockets and extended my smile to a toothy grin. Gale snapped.
I sidestepped his punch. His anger made him simple to read.
“Gale! Catch,” a man from the group behind him threw him his two-handed sword. Gale caught it and swung it at me without hesitation.
“A giant sword to a fist fight . . .”
My eyes widened. His heavy blade blurred toward me, accelerating faster than it should. I ducked. The wind ruffled my hair. Smoothly controlled, he cross-swung back toward me. Dodging wasn’t an option.
I grabbed my cutlass with my prosthetic hand. The pistons in it rattled my shoulder. My faithful companion arrived just in time.
Metal clinked in a flash. I held on but slid across the wet stone floor. The moment I lost grip, he sent me flying. I shot past men and crashed into the pile of supplies.
I picked myself up, ignoring the back pain. Silence reigned in the cave. Half the men glared at Gale, the other at me.
Maybe I shouldn’t have picked a fight with that douche my first minute in the new crew. But there was no turning back now. I would kick his ass!