“So we don’t have a source of crew?” I said.
“Mara and I are asking around our contacts…” Kim started.
“But we have to be sure they are not working for Knot.” Mara finished.
“You have a visitor,” I said to Mara after being alerted by Kai.
She must have sensed something through her vessel and went out. She came back a few minutes later, “That was the Harbour Master. We need to vacate this dock.”
“Just move the ship to my private dock,” I said.
We went out and got the ship underway. It was fairly easy when the wind was always blowing the right way, thanks to Mara’s essence. I carefully examined the dock as we got close. It would be easy to set a trap to damage the ship.
There was nothing we could see. I was tying the ropes when a loud, low, menacing growl reverberated from my shed, raising my hackles. Mara and Kim were reaching for weapons.
A big grin spread across my face, “Finally,” I said. Several Kais raced into the shed. I followed at a brisk pace, Mara and Kim following warily.
I opened the door wide for them and looked shocked as I said, “Man, you got large. I hope you are fully grown.”
Nkwe was crouched, growling at three iron rankers huddled in the corner. Last I had seen him, he was just big enough for Jab… Olivia to ride him. He was crouched but I estimated his standing shoulder height would hit two meters. He was a typical tiger colouring, and his sabor teeth were massive and very menacing. He was showing teeth to the three he had cornered. The menacing effect was negated a bit with the Kai’s crawling up on his back.
Mara and Kim were standing well back from the door, staring.
“He is fully grown,” a voice floated down. I looked, and Jabari, or Olivia, was now sitting on top of my stone storage shed. “He caught these three skulking around, obviously up to no good.” She jumped down. Both she and Nkwe were bronze rank and well into bronze rank, by the sense I was getting. She approached, and we greeted each other with a short hug. “Good to see you, little bro,” she said with a smirk. She towered over me by a full head as most Leonids did.
“You are the younger one, remember?” I teased.
She just ruffled my mane, emphasising the height difference. “These three are up to trouble. Those packs are full of nasty trap stuff,” she indicated the three packs to the side. “What sort of trouble are you in? Nkwe is hungry, and I am sure Kai is as well. Can he eat them?” Her own Leonid teeth showed as well.
She was dressed in well-worn hunter belts. There was no sign of the fancy fur colouring and styling she used to have when she was married. She had a natural, even light tan fur. I was small and had darker brindle fur. We didn’t look like brother and sister.
She had several earrings and a nose ring. A large knife strapped to her leg was almost big enough to be a sword. For me, it would be a short sword. I saw a bow to the side and a quiver of arrows. That was new. She didn’t used to use a bow. That was her previous brother's speciality.
“I think we should let them go and take a message to their boss,” I said. Two of them were nodding. “After they stack their possessions on the floor, of course,”
We looked at them, and Olivia said, “We only need one to send a message.”
They started emptying pockets hurriedly.
“Clothes, too,” I said. “We wouldn’t want you hiding something.”
They were soon down to their underwear. Nkwe licked his lips.
“You are looking tastier,” Olivia said. “You had better leave now and fast.”
They sidled along the wall, keeping as far from Nkwe as possible. They got to the door and took off. Bat Kai flew after them, and two other Kais also followed.
“That’s new,” Olivia said, watching Bat Kai fly.
“Bronze rank was good to them,” I said. I turned to her. “You are looking good.”
“You are still scrawny,” she replied. Although we are legally brother and sister, we didn’t really know each other that well. I avoided contact with her before due to her husband.
I turned to Mara and Kim. “Come in, you two. Let me introduce you to Olivia and her bond, Nkwe.”
They came in hesitantly. Nkwe rose to greet them. He might be slightly bigger than my estimate.
“He will get your scent and know you are friends,” Olivia said.
“This is Mara, Captain of the ship outside, and Kim, her friend. This is Olivia.” I introduced them.
They exchanged greetings, “And you are brother and sister?” Kim asked sceptically. Her observation and intuition skills will be triggering that something was not right.
“That's right. We haven't seen each other since mid-iron rank,” I said.
Kim continued, “I thought Sabor-tooth tigers were restricted…”
Stolen novel; please report.
“Don’t ask about our past,” I interrupted, “It is complicated.” I looked her in the eye, “Can you leave it?”
“She can,” Mara said, putting her hand over Kim’s eyes, “as long as Olivia and Nkwe join our partnership. I want them on my ship.”
“What partnership?” Olivia said.
“That is a long discussion and still not finalised,” I said.
“We did promise to go hunting together,” Olivia said, looking at me. “I am open to options if you are.”
“That needs a longer discussion as a lot has happened, and some of it involves home,” That took the smile off her face. “Would Nkwe be happy aboard a ship on water or in the air?” I asked.
“No idea, but he is a lazy beast,” Olivia said.
Nkwe chuffed, “I am not the only one,” he said in a deep voice, startling us all.
“Really?” Olivia said, “Are you not going to continue to play the dumb beast?”
“Not to Theo,” he said.
“How long have you talked?” I asked him.
“I have been teaching him since the Bronze rank level up,” Olivia said, “But he is a beast of few words.”
“What she said,” Nkwe growled.
“So, are you interested in joining our ship?” Mara was clearly enamoured with Nkwe.
“It sounds like we will need a much longer catch-up with Theo before we decide anything,” Olivia said.
“Yes,” said Kim as she started guiding Mara out, “and we should let them do that. Time is not to be wasted, especially with people out to get us.”
She guided them out and back to the ship.
“They will be having their own discussion,” I told Olivia. “She has the Eye and Knowledge essences and will have picked up a lot.”
Nkwe settled down again, this time in the corner, and he lay with his back to the wall. Kai scrambled up on his fur.
“I wonder if Kai and Ardisia can learn to talk?” I mused.
“I don’t know, but you should probably find out,” Olivia said. She wandered over to the pile of clothes and picked out the coin purses. “So what is going on?”
That was a very lengthy discussion. We took a break, and I bought some food for us and a goat for Nkwe.
“I have always been envious of that Hunters Pack,” Olivia said when I brought out the food. “I have to lug everything around.”
“Who does the lugging?” Nkwe growled.
“Fair point,” Olivia said.
Nkwe, being a beast, was not an essence user, but he had natural abilities, particularly in hunting, tracking, and killing. His Hearing, Smell and Sight were every bit as good as my essence-enhanced ones. His strength and agility were probably at least equivalent to a Might and Speed Essence for his level. I am not sure what other skills he will have, probably teeth and claws etc. Maybe protective fur like me. They will all be high for his level, but because he is not an essence user, he won’t have the variety of abilities we have.
“So you think the Temple of the Full Moon is counteracting the Temple of the Dark Moon regarding this prophecy?” she summed up.
“And they are still fixated on me for some reason.”
“Plus, someone is messing with the gates to the astral spaces?” she asked.
“Yeah, but I don’t know if they are related.”
“They are definitely related. Siro had his favourite parts of the prophecy, which refers to astral veils torn and astral paths burning. The most common interpretation when I was there was an attack through the astral gates, but making them unstable could also cause devastating destruction as well. There are two large astral spaces in Kekie, one silver/gold level one with its gate inside the city itself.”
“Why me?” I asked.
“Initially, it was Siro’s essence skills, but, according to him, it was confirmed when you became a cleric of the Goddess of Death. The prophecy refers to the saviour as a person of death. Most think it will be a great warrior, but Zesiro took a different track. I remember two lines he used to quote,
“For only death can close the gate,
And silence the song of the void-born’s hate.”
Most assumed a great warrior was causing the death to save us and close the gate, but not Zesiro, and obviously not others either.”
“Shit.”
We sat in silence for a while.
“Somebody was keen to drag me there against my will and torture me. I don’t know whether that was to break me and make me comply or to turn me against the kingdom so I wouldn’t fulfil this so-called prophecy,” I said. “I don’t know which as I escaped. I am not keen to return, leaning to the latter interpretation.”
“My parents and sister are still there,” Olivia said.
“I suggest you tell them to get out,” I said, then I remembered something my own Goddess said. “However, I am not sure there will be many safe places. I remember my goddess saying the disaster is going to be much more widespread than Kekie, and many gods are preparing their people, just like the moon goddess.”
“Did she say when?” Olivia asked.
“No, but it was years away. However, that was a couple of years ago that she said it. I guess it could be imminent. If it is definitely linked to the astral spaces, it is close. I need to contact the professor and see what she has found out.”
“So, are we going to be part of fighting this?” Olivia asked.
“A worldwide disaster? Yes, it is why my goddess called me to be a Cleric. It is also why I became an Adventurer: to stop disasters from happening to ordinary people. If you mean, am I going to Kekie to fight it? Then, the answer is no. They have their own people and the prophecy.”
“I will never be welcome back in Kekie,” Olivia said.
“You said, ‘Are we going to fight this.’ Are you going to stay with me?” I asked.
“We are to hunt together. It sounds like people are causing the astral space disaster. We can hunt people to stop this,” she replied.
“Nkwe?” I asked.
“Hunt good. People prey not as tasty,” he replied.
“So we need to find out who these people are, and we know where to find them,” I said.
“At astral gates,” Olivia said. “Are we going to be travelling by flying boat?”
“I am not sure about that yet. I need to contact the professor. I can probably recreate the astral gate testing ritual, as I have helped with it a number of times. That will tell us if a gate has been tampered with. Others must be working this out as well. I will get a water chamber communication to Vitesse and ask. The academy should know what is happening.”
“What about this local bully?” Olivia asked.
“I guess we keep him off our back while we find out more, and then we can leave him behind,” I said.
“What does he taste like?” Nkwe asked.
“He is silver rank,” Olivia said, “He will give you indigestion.”