As the crimson sun slides across the horizon, I take a deep breath of the salty sea air and lean proudly on a pile of boxes of liquid gold in the ship's storage room, reveling in my victory. It turns out that my plan worked far better than expected; when I gave Lina the flowers, she couldn't stop raving about them, and kept ordering the soldiers to bring me to her room for a spot of tea. I'll admit, I am not the best with children, so the process of drinking from an empty cup and tossing around old cloth dolls at first seemed like a bygone pastime of childhood. After a bit of coaching from Natalia, however, everything went smoothly. The soldiers, on the other hand, quickly grew tired of dragging me through the ship every few hours, and after two days of back and forth, finally allowed me to walk through the ship as I pleased. Now, I can finally find that Cardinal's damned case of wine. It has to be in here somewhere; he's not crafty enough to find a good hiding place.
I continue to scrounge around until I hear the door open behind me.
"Oh, I was just looking for some crackers! Nothing to see here!"
I immediately shoot up and turn to the door, expecting a cross soldier pointing his weapon at me, only to meet the smirking eyes of Natalia. Those bright, piercing eyes, looking at me like I was a puppy who had spilled a bit of milk and was trying to apologize.
"Is that so?" she chuckles. "Do you have any crackers to share, then? I've been busy for most of the day fetching wares for the Cardinal and the King, and I haven't a moment to eat a proper meal."
"Well, we can't have that. I believe I have a box right here."
I turn to one of the crates I had already checked and grab a box of crackers and a small jar of jam. I find a spoon that looks moderately clean on the table across the room and hand it to Natalia.
"My apologies it is not more, well... edible. If I had more time, I'm sure I would have found something more tantalizing."
"It is fine, thank you," she says graciously, taking the spoon and scooping a bit of the jam. She tries to eat daintily, but soon she devours half of the box of crackers. I try to tamper my surprise, but a bit of shock shines through. She spots my expression and laughs.
"I told you I hadn't eaten. You should be more ravenous than I, with all of your important duties. It mustn't be easy dealing with running an expedition and helping me keep sweet Lina occupied."
"Ah, the guards feed me well enough, and I don't mind spending time with you two. It's sweet seeing how much she enjoys your company."
"And I, her."
We sit in silence for a few moments, gazing at each other with a deep interest neither wants to reveal yet. As much as I enjoy it, I eventually look away and break the tranquility.
"So, how did you arrive in service of the King? Did you always want to work with children?"
"Actually, yes. I was a teacher for years at the King's former day school," she explains. "One day during a charity trip, he spotted me with a group of students and offered me the position on the spot. I hated leaving my students, but dear Lina had lost a mother and, if I may be blunt, barely had a father; she needed someone to care for her, and I am honored to hold that position."
"I'm sure your students miss you to this day, Ms. Ziri," I say, impressed with her selflessness. She nods in thanks then reflects the question to me.
"What about you? Do you think you'll continue service with the King once this journey is over? Surely, Lina would be heartbroken if you left us so soon."
"While kneeling to the Crown does not fit my life plans, I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be open to visiting the Castle, as long as Connor doesn't lob my head off the minute I knock at the door."
"I'm sure you've earned plenty of good favor with him after your jaunt on the first island," she assures me. "Helping negotiate with an entire tribe that lives within the trees? Astounding! What do you think you'll find on the next encounter, if one occurs?"
"I don't like to make assumptions, but whatever we find, I'll be sure to bring back a few more discoveries for Lina, and tell you all about what we saw... perhaps over dinner instead of tea, next time?"
Her eyes widen, and I start to think I've misspoken. It's strange; usually when I'm in the middle of a carnal conquest, I'm not this nervous, but something about her makes me... jittery. I lean back and begin to stammer, half waiting for a 'yes' or 'no' and half wishing she never answers until another knock comes to the door.
"There you two are!" bellows Gene, his heavy boots tapping on the worn wood of the ship. He seems shocked to see us together, but easily dismisses it with his urgency. "We've found the second island. The men have already begun to anchor; we need you immediately!"
I look back at Natalia for a moment, but her gaze is flittered with nerves.
"I- I'll find you once we're back, okay?" I ask.
She nods in return and simply looks away with a small smile. My eyes practically bulge out of my head as I stumble out of the room to follow Gene. He grabs my arm and practically drags me to the deck. A sliver of concern escapes his eyes.
"She blew you off, didn't she?"
"Not a blow off per se. More like a... parlay. Yes, we'll go with parlay for now."
"If that's what helps you get through this mission, fine. Although I must admit, through all our time at the academy, broad after broad you brought to the barracks, you've never reacted like this. Perhaps you've changed after all, hm?"
"W-what?! That is preposterous, utterly preposterous!" I say in a falsetto that instantly betrays me. "I am the same cunning Casanova who always beat you in training, breaking hearts wherever I lay my head!"
"As I said, whatever helps you get through the mission," smirks Gene. We reach the door back to the deck and three things catch my eye: First, the soldiers have become somewhat competent, almost accomplishing the entire anchoring process without my aid. Second, the Cardinal has finally emerged from his quarters and is shivering on deck, whispering impatiently with Connor. Whatever the topic, it seems that the Cardinal has become very interested in our findings. Third, and probably the most pressing, is the island in front of us. To say it is different to the first island is an understatement; while the first was a beautiful horse with a bright, luscious coat, this one reminds me of an aged turtle with a spiked, weathered shell. A shell that appears to be moving.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Both mine and Gene's mouths gape as we peer toward the interior of the desolate island and see the towering mountains thunder across the dunes like chess pieces, plotting some unknown strategy to victory, with the rest of the island divided into jagged 'levels' beneath. I walk up to Connor, who immediately ends his conversation with the Cardinal when he sees me coming.
"Ah, Sir Orenson, nice of you to join us!" says the King in his usual sniping tone. "Is there anything in military training that prepares my men for this? What on earth could cause the ground to move this way?!"
"Well, judging by the last island, my guess is that the inhabitants may have a hand in this, proving my earlier assessment that this would get more dangerous as time goes on," I reason.
"How are we even supposed to dock with all of this movement? We could get crushed almost immediately," asks Connor.
"Have faith, dear boy," creaks the Cardinal, smiling a decrepit, grease-ridden smile. "The soldiers have found an open bay for us to land. We will find the path forward once we disembark."
"Yeah, like we found the path last time," I groan. "I'm sure the wolves would've just loved you."
"Enough. The Cardinal has chosen to join us on today's search, so I suggest you play nice."
"What?! We had a rocky enough time on the last trip when everyone had military experience, now you wish to bring a man devoted to so-called peace?"
"Our Lord will protect me. I do not need a musket to shield my life."
"And neither do I... wait, musket?"
Connor points behind me, where two soldiers have dragged two boxes of muskets and ammunition to the side of the deck. My face immediately turns beet red.
"We do not need this! Whatever these creatures are, I'm sure they will not appreciate getting shot at! Let me lead us in strategically, as discussed, and we can avoid using these. Do you really want to mess up your trade strategy?"
"I'm sure these beings, if intelligent, will appreciate a show of our technology. As long as you stay out of the way this time, all will go as planned," growls Connor, showing his complete lack of expeditionary experience. "Now, the men are about to pull us onto shore. Use your blade if you wish, but Gene and the other two soldiers who accompany us will carry the weaponry I paid good money for."
Realizing I'm fighting a losing battle, I nod and rush to my quarters to grab my sword. I rejoin the group just as the men put down the board for us to disembark. I turn to Gene, who flashes me a quick glance of displeasure, and we turn to the bay. It's situated near a little cove, far below the shaking and shifting in the main valley. It was burning in our ears on the ship, but now that we're directly underneath, feeling every quake of the rock through our feet, it could shatter the mind if one were not careful. The Cardinal kneels on the sand and does a quick prayer before rising and surveying the area. He turns to a small stretch of sand that steadily rises toward the rim of the valley.
"This shall be our path. I can feel the light guiding our steps."
"The sand is too steep, and could be unstable from the tremors caused by the mountains," notes Gene. "If we try climbing the rocks above the cove, we could avoid getting buried, and reach the summit in half the time."
"I actually agree with the Cardinal."
It feels like acid as the words escape me, but it's true.
"A landslide while climbing the rocks could leave us buried under stone that's harder to dig out of and could cause more injuries. Buried under sand, while still highly unpleasant, at least gives us a higher chance of survival. We need to take the... path..."
The Cardinal smiles and waves his hand for me to lead.
"After you, Sir Orenson. I knew understand my methods eventually."
"Don't count on it, Magic Man. Come on, everyone; we discovered this island in the afternoon, so we've already lost plenty of daylight. We must hurry if we want to continue sailing today."
The group utters various agreements and follows me up the sandy path. As Gene deduced, the sand is certainly not stable, and we slid down quite a bit, but as we climb and dig deeper through the grayish granules, we find thicker footholds, allowing us to pull ourselves further up the cove and onto solid ground. The bad news, however, is that it took us a good hour and a half just to climb half a mile. Completing this expedition quickly now seems to be out of the question.
I look around and see we're still about a level or two beneath the mountains. I see a few rocks tumbling around us, but they're easy enough to dodge. I turn toward the mountains and track their movements. At first, the mountains seemed to thrash randomly across the wasteland, but watching their dance for a few minutes reveals a crude choreography, all held within a tight perimeter that refuses to touch anything within 20 to 30 feet of the edge of the craggier rocks below. I believe I have the pattern figured out when Connor disrupts my thoughts.
"Well? What are you waiting for?"
"Other than the puppy my uncle promised me at six, I wanted the mountains to complete another turn. The mountains don't go past a certain point near the rim, which gives us a good deal of space to work with as we travel. If we want to explore the interior, we'll have to follow their pattern."
"Will we be fast enough to not get flattened?" questions Gene.
"Most of us? Probably, but I worry about our fearless leader and the man of the cloth. I'm unsure they can keep up."
"Keep up? Bah! I'm sprier than you think, young man!" argues the Cardinal. He turns toward the hill and starts his hike forward. We follow his (albeit slow and limping) lead and reach the main level after another quarter hour of walking. The shaking of the massive rocks is now at our eye level, throwing up small clouds of dust and pebbles. The miniature sandstorms leave us choking with small dents and gashes in our armor, and the grinding of stone grows more unbearable by the minute, but for the most part, we're safe. Then, as smoothly as it moved, it all stops. Not a rock tumbles, not a breeze whispers. Everything is still. Gene walks over to me in confusion.
"Thoughts?"
"Whatever was moving the mountains now knows we're here," I whisper.
I gingerly walk deeper into the island, my arms raised. Connor sharply mutters something to try and get me to return, but I already feel the eyes of our hosts peering at me from unseen places. Sharp chittering follows, and soon they're revealing themselves from every crevasse you could and couldn't find on the island. Their bodies are thin, grey, and lanky. Their hands and feet end in giant, curved claws that, while imposing, are hopefully for the job of moving the monoliths that surround us. I stop walking and turn toward the group, who is now surrounded by about a dozen of the beings. Gene remains calm and orders his soldiers to raise their hands. One complies, but the other dolt, practically drenched in sweat and not wanting to relive the first trip, grabs his musket and aims at the head of one of the creatures.
"Don't!" screams Gene, but it is too late. The bullet leaves the gun and sails through the air, the only saving grace being that the man is a horrible shot, and the lead lands in a small stone a good ten feet away from any of the beings. The creatures stare blankly at him, then turn to me, then back at the group. I smile sheepishly and try to communicate.
"We... come in peace?"
The beings don't say a word, merely continuing their back-and-forth observations, until the tallest of the beings steps forward and begins to clap. The others follow, and soon, the creatures start darting all over the rocks like rabid animals, childlike laughter now filling the air. The creatures begin rapidly chanting "Again! Again! Again!" and I feel mildly confident that we're safe, but how safe should one really feel around people that see gunshots and shaking the earth as forms of entertainment?