Chapter Eight

As the Devil’s Gambit came into port, Thomas ran excitedly to the deck to see a new land that his eyes had never gazed upon before. While he was afraid to leave the safety of his home, he still imagined the outside world, and this place was definitely different. The buildings, while being made of stone, were smooth and a light sand colour with rounded roofs. And were laid out more haphazardly so that transportation was not thought about in the least. Street vendors seem to be endless from the edge of the docks straight into the heart of the city. The closer they got, the louder the sound of bustling people going on about their business and day-to-day life got. This astounded Thomas as he lived in the capital of Estaria in the city of Windheart, which was also a port city, and it was never this crowded or loud. Then Thomas thought, maybe the kingdom used magic to keep the noise under control, that's plausible. Just another thing to ask when he got home.

Stitches gazed out at the bustling city from Thomas’s bag in disappointment. This kingdom used to be a crown jewel for trade meticulously laid out for efficiency in the travel of goods. Seeing the haphazardly built buildings that would barely let a pull cart through, let alone a wagon, brought great sorrow to him. Vendors were not being regulated, and people shoved against each other, and all the noise. How could such a great landfall to ruin? Were the great sorcerers of old needed this much? Were he and his people to blame for this degradation? In the end, were they selfish? He had never had to question himself before but had never left to see the consequences of his actions. How many great nations or kingdoms had fallen due to his and his brethren's choice. They were given this power to help against monsters. And this world that he was gazing at was filled with monsters of a new kind, one that he helped create. With this thought, he vowed in his death he do more, even if it just meant his promise to Thomas and that one day Thomas would be a great sorcerer.

“All right, get this stuff unloaded. The faster it’s done, the faster you get to go on shore leave.” Captain Victoria barked.

With wide smiles and goofy grins, the crew picked upped the pace; they moved almost to a supernatural speed.

“So you lot are that sick of being on my ship, I see. Thomas, we will be leaving for the next port in three days. I prefer you stay on the ship, but I won’t make you. If you do go out, use the bathhouse, and that goes for all of you. The term salty sea dawg is a literal thing and is potent.” Captain Victoria said with disgust.

For the first time in a while, Thomas had lost his sense of smell, and after she pointed it out, great regret washed over him as it came back. Thomas began practically sprinting off the ship and into the horde of people. As soon as they left the ship, Stitches felt as though someone was watching him and Thomas but decided to keep this to himself as the boy seemed to be having the time of his life and enjoying a much-needed distraction from the peril that the adventure they were on truly was. Thomas decided to explore the city, pursuing many vendors and shops and even bought some souvenirs for his family and staff from the coin they earned. Much to Stitches discomfort, the feeling of being watched did not wain, but there was a good chance this person worked for Captain Victoria, which relaxed him after all it happened after they left the ship. As evening came, Thomas ate and went to the public bathhouse. Which had a rule that did not sit well with Stitches Thomas had to leave all his belongings in a locked locker, which included him and the stone that let them communicate. Leaving them no choice but to go along with the rules.

Thomas walked into a empty bath, surprised but a welcome one and washed off and went for a soak until he began to get sleepy. Not hearing the four men that were fully dressed with a burlap bag behind him till it was too late. The biggest problem Stitches had with the locker was how muffled everything sounded outside with being jammed up against all Thomas’s belongings and the thickness of the wood. For a brief moment, he thought he heard a whimper but nothing afterward; now hours had passed, and he knew he had blown it; something was wrong. The feeling of being watched was clearly not the captain's work. Now wasn't the time for subtlety he built up his mana into a clear ball of pressure and blew off the locker door, then jumped down onto the floor and gazed up at Thomas’s things and made mana tendrils that grabbed them and deposited them into the small spacial storage that kept the coins and walked into the bath startling many people that were bathing as he began yelling with power in his voice suffused with mana.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“Where is the boy! I won’t ask again.”

“Oh gods, please don’t kill us demon.” A small man replied in a panic while shielding a child.

“What, boy? I don’t understand,” An elderly man said, nearly keeling over from Stitches' power.

“Please don’t take my son. Take me instead, I beg of you.” Another man said as he protected his children.

“He clearly isn’t here, and this is going nowhere fast. Actually, what was I thinking? I am more calm and more rational than this, aren't I? I just scarred these people, probably for life. and they think I’m a demon that answers questions about golems, at least. Well, I should put things right here or at least try to.” Stitches thought to himself.

“You all have nothing to fear from me. Someone has taken my charge and will pay for it. Have a lovely evening.” Stitches said once again with a mana-infused voice and walked away feeling that everything was now okay, but missing where almost everyone in there was on the verge of tears and about to pass out.

Deciding to go out a window by using his mana to move and stack boxes in the storage room to avoid detection was clearly his best choice of option right now. And he needed help, and the best he could think of was a certain captain. As he landed on the ground, he weaved his mana into dark shadows around his body to conceal him, not perfectly, but you would have to really look to notice, and since he was a plush patchwork doll, he didn’t need to muffle his footsteps which would require a lot of contraction and slow him down which time was of the essence. Making his way through the dark alleys and back onto the ship took him well into the midnight hours, where he carefully snuck into the captain's quarters, thinking he was unnoticed.

Leaning her head up with tired eyes from a mountain of paperwork, Captain Victoria scanned the quarters, knowing something was amiss.

“I know you're here. So come out. You got one chance for this to end peacefully.” Captain Victoria warned.

“Alright, but you mustn't scream or yell. And give me a chance to explain.” Stitches replied calmly.

“Hmmm… A voice nobody you have my attention. I accept those terms but try anything, and you will meet the end of my blade.” Captain Victoria said calmly.

“Understood” After those words, Stitches dropped the shadows concealing him and stepped into the candlelight of the room, leaving Captain Victoria in a mix of emotions.

“Are you a demon or a familiar of some kind of the boys?” Captain Victoria asked with some panic in her voice.

“No, why does everyone think that? Is demon summoning a regular occurrence? Never mind those questions, Captain Victoria Thorn. I need your help. Thomas has been kidnapped, and I can’t track him, so you are going to help me find him I not asking but telling, but I do want there to be trust between us. So I’m going to tell you everything you need to know that Thomas does not, and you will not tell him, understand?” Stitches said with authority.

“ I understand; please go on.” Captain Victoria replied, knowing she was about to have a lot of trouble ahead of her and her greed had caused it.

“Good first off, this is not my body. I am possessing it, and no, still not a demon. I am a long-dead sorcerer of old. I found Thomas after he had escaped his abductees. And found his way into my home. I possessed his doll healed and, as not to frighten him, told him I was his spirit guardian. Once again, you are not to tell him any of this and destroy the bond that we have formed. Saving him is much to your benefit as he is the son of Viscount Marcus Lionheart. Seeing him home will gain you many connections with the upper nobility. All the magic you saw was me performing as Thomas acted since you had a steep price for a child to get home. Granted, I am teaching him some. But since we arrived and got off the ship, I felt someone watching us. I assumed it was someone who worked for you since you had a vested interest in him. I assumed incorrectly, and someone grabbed him in the bathhouse while I was in a locker. Thus here we are now.” Stitches said vehemently.

“That is a lot to take in… I guess we better get started. That boy is either a golden goose or a powder keg that were stuck with.” Captain Victoria stated as she got up and picked upped Stitches.

As The captain ordered the crew to head up the coast without her and canceled all shore leave, they saw the doll she was holding and the sword hilt she was grasping and understood someone had messed with her crew.