CHAPTER 26 - AMBUSH

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«“But... but how did you do that? I’ve never seen a move like that in my life...”» Those were the only words that could actually come out of Natirra’s incredulous mouth at that moment. She wasn’t even angry anymore, just astonished by his abilities. How in the world had he managed to create such effective damage with such a small jet of water?

He had cut through that door as if it were a mere vegetable or some weak fabric.

But how? Natirra was so surprised that she kept asking him the same question over and over. Finally, Gaid, who had recovered from the substantial blow, looked at her and gave a detailed answer:

«“I recognize that material, Colispite. It’s often used for making weapons or simple tools. The peculiarity is that over time, this material weakens, losing its effectiveness. Initially it was used for weapons, but this type of Colispite... is no longer used for weapon production, except in poor areas. It’s a tough material, that’s true, but it quickly loses its properties—those that make it sharp—in a sort of process where it essentially decays. That’s why it’s sold in the market for little money, either in pure extract form or as tools made from it. The tools are still sold and make up a large part of the market, mainly because they’re very easy to produce and are made in bulk. On the island where I lived as a child, many people used it, and well... most people on the island are familiar with the pressurized water gun tactic, which is essentially why we’re able to sell this material in such bulk. At first, I didn’t recognize it, but... after careful analysis, I realized what it was. Not that it couldn’t have cut through other things, but with Colispite, I was sure my plan would go smoothly.”»

“So, he’s not from Amelis...”

«“You’re not as dumb as you look, you know, Gaid?”»

«“Are you calling me dumb? And what makes you think that? I’m the one who helped you discover all of Algalunga’s plans!”» he said, taking offense at her words. Natirra seemed to have, in a way, figured out how he worked; he was easily offended by everything, so insulting him wouldn’t be a good tactic—it would only make things worse for her. With that comment, her amazement slowly dissipated, and the situation returned to its initial calm. Natirra remained silent as Gaid turned once again toward the piece of the door he had broken, touching it, as if to calm himself, while reflecting on the material.

«“Well... I didn’t think she would stoop so low as to use this material for cell walls. She never changes.”»

«“She?”» Natirra asked, confused and curious.

«“So, do you know someone on this ship?”» He turned toward her, as if she had asked the obvious.

«“Of course I know them! But it seems like a cruel joke of fate that I ended up on this exact ship.”»

«“What exactly do you have in store with these people?”»

«“That’s personal business. We’ve known each other for less than three days, so I don’t think it’s a good idea to tell you stuff, do you? Rather... let’s hurry up and get out of here.”» Natirra was about to protest, but she thought that, in a way, he was right. She couldn’t expect to know everything so soon, so she couldn’t help but agree with him, or she would seem quite insensitive.

As quickly as possible, she and Gaid exited through the door. Of course, it wasn’t easy. Natirra was immediately struck by the pain of the bruises from the wounds she had received in the battle the previous afternoon, before she was captured. Although they were only superficial wounds, they were still enough to be felt from a distance, making her walk more labored and slow.

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Nevertheless, she managed to make it out of the cell. Once outside, she was overwhelmed by a feeling of happiness so bright that she didn’t even notice she was still on the ship. Finally, after all her hopes had completely vanished, a stroke of luck like Gaid had arrived, even though, in a way, it had been Gaid who got her into this situation in the first place.

Gaid, upon exiting, immediately turned toward her, this time whispering instead of speaking out loud, which made Natirra understand that she probably should also follow the implicit advice and keep quiet.

«“Don’t make too much noise. Remember, there could be pirates around. It’s already a miracle they didn’t hear the door breaking. If they catch us, it’s over, got it?”» She couldn’t waste this opportunity. If she did, she trembled to imagine the consequences, which would have been the same if Gaid hadn’t arrived. She would have spent the rest of her days working until death.

Thinking about that, her mind couldn’t help but wander to her brother’s face and the idea of what he could have been doing. She wondered if he, during his grand journey, had encountered tragedies like this. Maybe he had been kidnapped too and had to escape. Or perhaps he had managed to get far enough to evade the pirates? She had expected him to return, but so many years had passed that she could no longer imagine where he might have gone.

The thought that he might have met the same fate she had now consumed her soul with guilt. Even now, as she stood outside her cell, she felt that visceral anxiety, that murky sense of guilt, and the thought that she hadn’t even worried about where he might be. The mere thought made her feel terrible. But she couldn’t dwell on such things—it was too late now. She didn’t know where her brother was, but she would find him, no matter the cost. And if she didn’t find him, well, that was her loss. But it didn’t matter; she wouldn’t give up anyway. Thinking that, Natirra felt better, not about the situation, but more because she felt she had given herself a goal.

Without even waiting any longer, she observed where they were.

The ship’s basement was a long corridor, and from there, they should have been able to escape easily.

Natirra thought,

“So all we need to do is walk down that long corridor, and everything will be fine. We can escape.”

She immediately set herself into action, starting her slow, almost limping pace, but before she could move even a few meters, she was immediately stopped by Gaid.

«“And where do you think you’re going?”» Gaid asked her, still in a low voice but inevitably with a scolding tone, and with a bronze gaze that pierced her soul.

Natirra, confused and with the most honest answer, told him,

«“Getting out of here, right?”»

«“Are you crazy? Use some logic, would you?”»

«“And what problem could there be?”»

«“You can’t escape now. It’s dark outside, and you’ll get lost in the sea if you try to swim, meaning you’ll sink after losing your strength. We don’t even know where we are. Also, suppose one of the crew members catches you—they’ll call the others, and you’ll essentially burn all our chances. Don’t you think? You don’t think you can fight off an entire crew by yourself, do you?”» Thinking about it, he was right. Maybe she was making a move a bit too hastily. And for sure, even if she encountered a single crew member, he would have been able to put her in her place anyway. So, it was pointless. Natirra stopped and stayed quiet, listening to what Gaid had to say.

«“We’ll stay awake all night until morning to plan, clear? And when morning comes, and those filthy pirates come to check on us, give us breakfast, and assign the first tasks, we’ll strike. And we’ll escape from this wretched pirate ship.”»

Natirra stood still for a moment, thinking about the plan that had just been proposed to her.

«“An ambush?”»

«“Exactly.”»

«“But why can’t we go now? Isn’t it even worse if a group comes in the morning? We’ll be recognized more easily, and nothing guarantees that the escape will be simple.”»

«“You’re right, but we can achieve something. We have to get rid of most of the pirates and take control of the ship. If we do it at night, as I told you, we’d be at a clear disadvantage.”» Seeing that Natirra wasn’t entirely convinced, Gaid glanced around frankly.

«“Listen... just follow my plan, okay? I’ll use my jet, and I don’t want to waste it, and then...”» At that point, Natirra felt that the issue was becoming a bit deeper and that Gaid wanted it to be morning for other reasons.

«“And then, if it’s morning, I can face the captain of this ship.”»

Natirra decided not to ask any more questions, and so both of them decided to wait for the morning to come.