8.

Eliza ran through the streets of Oldport, doing her best to maneuver the winding streets. ‘Did they let me go on purpose?’ she thought to herself. ‘No way they didn’t notice me leave; this is probably just another one of her sick games.’ Darting through an intersection and startling an elderly naga couple, Eliza kept running towards her goal. Her bodyguard had always told her that if she got lost or kidnapped, she should try and go to the highest point possible and use the tracking beacon so they could find her. That thought was what sent her towards the lighthouse, towering over the harbor. Finally leaving the buildings behind her, she stopped briefly to catch her breath before resuming jogging up the winding slope.

The land on and surrounding the backside of the hill was farmland, and Eliza could barely see over the tops of the green stalks that swayed gently in the breeze. She had to hand it to these monsters, they had good taste in location. Oldport itself was a thick crescent hugging the shoreline with many docks and pylons leading out into the water. On top of the retaining wall, which was somewhat out of place given that there were no waves, stately brick buildings gazed out across the bay. That skeletons ship was still partially sunk so its deck was level with the retaining wall. She still grew cold as she remembered being dragged out from her cabin and on to the deck and seeing the captain slumped against the railing, the rest of the crew strewn about the deck. The impassiveness of the zombies as they went about transferring cargo. And most of all the giant ship looming over everything, as if they were just unnoticeable ants under a giants’ feet. She shook away the clouds of dread and focused on moving forwards. The lighthouse was located on a massive bluff to the right of the town, isolated on a peak of sunny grassland. Panting as she reached the top, she gave the town behind her one look as she reached forward and pushed the door open. Eliza frowned as she saw the staircase in front of her, but desperation spurred her onwards.

Eliza had made her first official proclamation: Stairs sucked. And this set of stairs felt like they went on forever. Eliza just kept her eyes down and took one step at a time. As she kept winding upwards, her legs feeling heavier by the minute, Eliza regretted not taking her teachers seriously when they said she should stay in shape. She was planning to be a mage dammit! They didn’t have to run or sweat, just sit in the back and throw around cool magic. “Stupid stairs.” She muttered. Why the hell were these stairs so long anyways? Just as she was about to look up and check how far she had to go her head hit something in front of her. Eliza reeled back and pinwheeled her arms desperately to maintain her balance. After a moment of uncertainty, she drew upon an inner strength she didn’t know she had and took one step forward, planting her foot and kicking the stupid door in front of her wide open with a heartfelt battle cry.

As the door flew open, Eliza wobbled through and fell to her knees, her last outburst of strength had pushed her legs past what they could take. Looking up, she gazed in triumph upon what appeared to be… a well lived in room?

“A visitor? Don’t get many of those.”

A voice to her right prompted Eliza to whip her head around to find the source. Which, surprisingly turned out to be a rather handsome young man who was, human? “Why is there a human here?” She exclaimed. The young man stiffened slightly, then relaxed again. “It looks like you’re from out of town.” He walked in front of her and held his hand out. “My name is Bowen, and I am indeed a human. I live in this lighthouse.” Eliza could barely focus on his words. ‘There was someone else trapped here too? I’m not alone!’ “Eliza. She replied, taking his hand and rising unsteadily to her feet. “So, why are you living up here?”

Bowen replied with a tight smile. “I like living by myself. It’s too crowded and I only have one friend down there anyways.” He turned away and led her by the hand to a table in the corner under a window. “Sit down and rest for a while, and you can tell me why you came up here.” Eliza just nodded and dazedly sat down. Looking out of the window, she gasped. Darkness reached up high, shadowing the world. Everyway she looked there were just sheets of darkness, with the occasional splinter forming and disappearing again. Jolting to her feet, tiredness forgotten, as she tried to put some distance between her and the window. “Ah, sorry about that.” Bowen said casually from her side. Reaching out, he swung the shutters on either side closed and the disappeared. Eliza could still feel its presence however, roiling just outside, waiting for the tiniest mistake to enter and erase the two of them from existence. “The last one here was my brother, and I forgot normally people don’t like to look into the void.” Eliza swallowed a few times, her mouth dry.

“How high up is this tower?” Bowen smiled and sat down, motioning for her to join him. Once they were sitting again, he cleared his throat and said casually.

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“I never got your name.” Eliza just looked at him sideways.

“You have the literal void floating outside of your window and you’re not bothered by it?” Bowen just shrugged.

“I like the void. When I go to Haven it just feels, fake, surrounded by all those illusions.” He gestured to the closed window. “At least up here is real, no matter how much it wants to kill me. Besides, it keeps me sharp and when you look out in the void long enough, you sometimes see things. Very interesting things.”

“Uh-Huh.” Eliza drawled. “You sure you aren’t just going crazy?”

Bowen’s smile stretched wider and he started laughing, “Hahaha, maybe I am. It doesn’t feel like it but who knows? I have been up here a long time after all.” He refocused and looked at her again. “And you still haven’t told me your name or why you came barging up here.”

Eliza cast aside her doubts. Crazy or not, he was the only other human here she had seen. But she always had to be cautious, now more than ever. “My name is Eliza, and I came up here to see if I could contact my family.”

“It’s good to meet you Eliza. You seem like a good person and I’m sorry to tell you this, but there is no way to contact the outside world from inside.” Bowen said sadly. “If you are trying to contact your family now, are you perhaps a new refugee?”

‘I can use this as a chance to gather information!’ “Y-yes I am! I just arrived here today and don’t know anything about this place. It’s all so big and complicated! Would you please tell me?” Eliza said while giving Bowen her very best puppy dog eyes.

Bowen shrugged nonchalantly. “Haven isn’t very big or complicated. We are in Oldport right now, which is the southernmost point. If you follow the road for a day or two, you will reach Capital, the main city. Any further than that is all individual territory and the Outskirts. East and West are just farmland until you reach the coast.”

“Who names the capital city Capital? They have no creativity!” Eliza interrupted with a giggle.

Bowen laughed along. “That would also be my brother, he never had the greatest naming sense.” His laughter died down and he frowned. “It’s safe enough for a young girl like you to travel by yourself but recently Capital has been changing. Some people are trying to fight for control of the city. I have no idea why; it isn’t like there’s a lack of resources or anything to tax.”

“I guess even with abundance monsters can’t act civilized.”

“Eliza.” Bowen’s voice was sharp for the first time. “You may have just arrived here, so you don’t know, but the use of the word ‘Monster’ is seen as a great insult.” He gestured vaguely to the ground far below them. “Everyone who has come here has dedicated themselves to living a simple life without conflict.” Visibly deflating, he continued. “In this case however I am the hypocrite, after all I train every day to become stronger.” Bowen gestured at a rack of weapons in the opposite corner that Eliza had not noticed previously. “Mostly so what happened during the Era of War can never happen again.”

“Era of War, wasn’t that nine thousand years ago? You’re telling me you have ancestors that fought in the wars?”

“No, not my ancestors.” Bowen pointed at himself. “I did.”

‘What?’

“Nine thousand years ago I fought on the shores of the East continent to protect my family.” He clenched his fists. “And I failed. And so, we have lived here since then.”

Looking up, Bowen spotted Eliza’s stunned expression. “Oh, my bad. I didn’t mean to weigh the conversation down like that. Sometimes I end up going on tangents. Why don’t you tell me about yourself too?”

“Hold up!” Eliza spluttered. “You’re that old?!”

“Older actually, but that would be telling.” Bowen winked, and Eliza was struck with another sense of doubt.

“You are absolutely positive you are human? I have never heard of anybody living that long, even in legends.”

Bowen patted his chest. “Absolutely. Though I haven’t stayed in the same body all the time, my mind and soul remain the same.”

Bowen paused, then smirked. “You’ve got me talking again. Aren’t you clever?” Leaning forward and resting his forearms on the table, hands clasped, he regarded her with a probing gaze. “You’re a young lady, who is human, and doesn’t know anything about Haven. I would label you as a refugee, but when I said there was no way you didn’t cry or try to find another way. You could be a stowaway, but I doubt Morrigan wouldn’t notice you. So, there is only one option left.” Giving her a meaningful look, Bowen finished. “You must be the princess he brought back with him. Isn’t that right, your highness?”

Eliza stuttered, trying to make some excuse. ‘He found out! What am I going to do, he’s going to drag me back to that witch! I won’t go back there!’

Left reeling under Bowen’s amused stare, Eliza decided to do away with her pride. Standing up quick enough to knock her chair to the floor, she made a mad dash for the door. Reaching it, she swung it open and looked back to see if Bowen was chasing her. To her surprise, he was still sitting there, making no move to get up. Mentally apologizing for just running away, Eliza turned to leave before freezing. Beyond the doorframe was nothingness, leading straight out into the void, instead of the staircase she came up.

Eliza just looked out into the void, being drawn once more into its depths. She could feel herself being drawn in deeper and deeper. Just as she was about to let go and step through the doorway, a hand reached out beside her and pulled the door closed. Eliza shuddered as the hold the void had on her was broken, and she looked sideways and saw Bowen standing there, still smiling.

“Now why don’t you sit back down, and we can have a nice long chat.”

Eliza numbly nodded and couldn’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu.