The first thing that Nina saw when the Seaward Symphony began to slow down an hour or so later was the island in front of them. It looked as though it was only large enough to support a small group of people, while it was surrounded by a ring of pristine white sand that slowly disappeared into the clear waters around it. Thin and tall trees lined the grassy slopes which were a little higher up, and she could already see a small café on the shore that some children were currently running towards. If Areinis had coconuts, this was probably the scene where they were handed out before the children returned to their homes which lined the only street on the island. It was an idyllic setting, and Nina was already convinced that she was going to love it.
It was then that Jade turned the boat.
Nina’s dream holiday destination was suddenly replaced by a finger of black rock that rose out of the ocean. Surrounded by steep cliffs on what seemed to be all sides, the peak of the island towered some fifteen meters above the gentle waves that lapped against it below. After turning her attention towards the top, she could see a few wooden buildings dotted around amongst what seemed to be dense foliage, but it was difficult to be certain from where she sat. There wasn’t any sign of life either, from what she could see, and so suddenly she was hoping that Jade would turn the boat back in the other direction once more.
“I like it,” Svanda said as she looked out towards the island while shielding her eyes from the sun. Nina quickly confirmed that she was indeed looking towards what could have easily been described as a sea fortress, and her heart sank a little as a result. This was their next destination, and while they would surely be safe from Ormain, she was already beginning to wonder if their living conditions would be worse than before. It didn’t exactly look like a comfortable place to recuperate, but she also had to remind herself that judging a book by the cover was probably unwise.
“A place like this won’t attract Ormain’s attention?” she asked. Surely it would be more unassuming to base themselves on something a little more… inconspicuous rather than a giant slab of black rock, but at the same time she knew that Reina would have had her own logic behind the decision. At least they would be able to see him coming if he did, although if he was actually approaching with his team she would probably have a lot more questions on the tip of her tongue.
“There are hundreds of islands like this,” Reina explained as she focused on the peak for a moment before returning her attention to the water in front of them. “Don’t worry, he won’t find us here. Jade, take us around to the left. The entrance should be over there somewhere.”
Jade followed her instructions and steered them to the left a little as they approached the island. The closer they got, the larger the sheer black cliffs seemed to become until eventually they towered over them as the sun was blocked out. The water was both deep and clear which aided their navigation, so at least their passage was straightforward as they followed the cliff at a safe distance. It didn’t take long at all for an ominous looking hole in the rock to appear in accordance with Reina’s prediction, so after she pointed towards it Jade steered them through the opening.
“This is pretty neat,” Jade remarked as they found themselves in a sea cave after sailing through, the surface of the water now tranquil as it was shielded from the open ocean outside. Light from a set of lanterns above them reflected off the water as it danced around the interior, while streaks of red moss hung from deep scars in the stone. The noises from outside were muted now, and the gentle hum of the motor took over as it reverberated around the cavern. It wasn’t a particularly large space, just over fifty meters long and thirty or so meters wide by Nina’s guess, but it was spacious enough to play host to a well-maintained dock which ran in a U-shape around the cavern.
“Looks busy,” Trim commented as they eyed the collection of boats which were already moored. A series of individual docks on the left-hand side that were clearly for larger boats were mostly full, with seven of the ten berths already occupied. On their right, several smaller boats that Nina didn’t bother to count were scattered around a series of smaller platforms that stuck out from the main dock. It wasn’t anything like the docks down by the shores of the Fire Fountain, that was for sure, but it seemed that there was still more activity on the island than what she had initially assumed.
Jade guided the Seaward Symphony into one of the larger berths with surprising ease before Svanda and Trim jumped off to tie them up. Nina found herself distracted by the large boat they had pulled up next to, or rather the obnoxious candy-apple red paint job that it was sporting, but Reina soon placed a hand on her shoulder before guiding her over to the side.
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“We’ll bring your gear up for you, don’t worry,” she said with a smile before she paused, looking around as though searching for something. “I hope there’s an elevator, because lugging everything up to the top would be a pain.”
“You’re in luck,” said a man as he stepped out from an alcove which had been chiselled into the dark stone, his sharp green eyes quickly skimming over the group before he took a second glance at the Seaward Symphony. Black curls of hair hung down past his shoulders, although it looked like they were a little stiff after seeing too much salt in their time. Nina’s first guess was that he must have been in his early fifties, but then again it was hard to tell with people from Areinis. Weathered brown skin from days in the sun wasn’t exactly a rare trait, but it tended to make people seem older than they really were.
Like most of the locals on Areinis he was wearing a singlet and shorts, this time a white one with a round blue logo of what was probably a local company plastered all over it. A necklace of crude wooden beads hung around his neck, and Nina also noted that he was barefoot. She certainly wouldn’t want to be walking around in a stone cavern without any form of foot protection, but the man’s casual demeanour and disarming smile had already left her with a favourable impression.
“The new group’s a tough crowd, huh?” he mumbled to himself after he realised that Reina wasn’t planning on responding. Shaking the setback off, however, he instead smiled. “Welcome to Moonglass Isle. I’m here to guide you to where you’re staying.”
“You’ve been watching us, have you?” Reina asked nonchalantly as she watched Trim and Svanda drop what was left of their gear against the wall to the side. “Is that something we should be concerned about?”
“Of course not,” the man chuckled as he took a second glance at the rifle that was slung over Svanda’s shoulder without seeming concerned. “It’s just how we do things here, a lot of eyes out on the water when we see someone we’re not familiar with. That’s probably good for you thought, right?”
Reina’s decision not to answer only caused the man’s smile to grow even wider. It wasn’t malicious or scheming, however, instead seeming more like he was enjoying a prank. Even Nina knew that it wasn’t particularly hard to put two and two together to work out that Reina had chosen this location for a reason, so their intent was rather clear even if the words remained unspoken.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask any questions,” the man smiled. “Moonglass Isle rule number three, no questions about why you’re here.”
Svanda raised an eyebrow. “Even if we’re at odds with the authorities?”
“Moonglass Isle rule number four,” the man smirked in return. “Rule number three doesn’t cover people who are wanted by the Fountain League. You’re not wanted by the Fountain League though, are you?”
Nina guessed that the Fountain League were the local authorities or the police of sorts. Each fountain was independently governed, although they did work together underneath the one umbrella in some cases. Security just happened to be one of them, and it was put in place so that people were dissuaded from causing trouble before fleeing to another jurisdiction.
“No, we’re not,” Reina replied as she picked up one of the bags after seeing that they had finished unloading the boat. “You can lead the way now…”
“Joolah.”
“Alright Joolah, lead the way.”
The group grabbed what gear they could carry before setting off after Joolah who had quickly disappeared back into the alcove. Nina was the only member of the group who didn’t carry anything, so she used the opportunity to be the first person to duck into the thin stone passage in pursuit. It was damp inside, much to her displeasure, and also a little stifling even though they were so close to the open ocean. At least it was well lit with a series of bright lights in the roof of the tunnel every five or so meters, and Joolah wasn’t particularly quick either which made him easy to follow.
“What’s rule number one?” she finally asked after she had caught up with him. She knew that it was what he had wanted to hear, but it wasn’t going to stop her from asking either. Throwing rules three and four out there was obviously going to raise their curiosity about rules one and two, but Nina wasn’t prideful enough to pretend that she wasn’t interested.
“Moonglass Isle rule number one,” Joolah said over his shoulder as he continued to walk. “Don’t kill anyone who lives on the island.”
Killing people that didn’t live on the island was alright, apparently.
“And before you ask, Moonglass Isle rule number two,” he continued. “Residents of Moonglass Isle will protect Moonglass Isle.”
Unbeknown to Joolah, a small smile cracked Nina’s expression. If she was interpreting rule number two correctly, it would mean that everyone who was living on the island could be roped into fighting against Ormain if he turned up at their front door. Not finding them in the first place was obviously the preferable solution, but it certainly wasn’t a bad backup for the worst-case scenario.
Now she just had to hope that there wasn’t anyone else on the island with more skeletons in the closet than they had.