19 Lux 778 P.S.
South-eastern coast of Ibora
The first thing Xan noticed as he was coming to was the soft glow of a light shining over him. For a moment, he thought for sure that he had died, and his soul was transitioning to the Astral Plane. Then the pain in his shoulder smacked into his senses, and he realized that he was still very much alive. He slowly opened his eyes, trying his best to focus on the light dancing in front of him. He heard a warm purr in his ear, followed by the tickle of coarse fur on his cheek. Then he heard a voice calling to him, but the words sounded distant and muffled.
“… Xan, can you hear me?”
The words finally cut through as the fog lifted off of his mind. He moaned softly. Someone was there, calling his name. He concentrated on the figure in front of him, forcing his eyes to finally focus.
A woman was kneeling next to him. Her left hand glowed with a warm light, while her right hand was moving a small, warm orange ball over his body. The heat was welcome, and he could sense feeling returning to his limbs. But what caught his attention was the woman’s face. She was young, her brown eyes shone eagerly – and her skin was a deep green color. He knew of only one kind of people who had that trait.
“You’re… a Verdan,” he said in surprise.
An owl hooted nearby, and the young woman briefly looked up in the direction of the sound. Then she looked back down at Xan, laying her glowing hand on his chest.
“That’s right. You’re going to be alright, just-”
But Xan didn’t hear any more. The warmth from the orange ball felt amazing, and he was beyond exhausted. Before he could even think about it, he fell back asleep. When he finally woke up again, he found himself bundled up in furs. He felt so warm and cozy that he was loathe to move. At least his shoulder wasn’t bothering him anymore.
A snuffling sound approached him, and a creature resembling a silver weasel came into his view. It sniffed him expectantly, letting its antennas tickle his face, and then it licked his cheek.
“Hey there, Shadow,” he said, reaching up with his good hand to pet the weasel. “How you doin’, girl?”
The weasel purred as she arched her back. Then she shook itself once and disappeared with a soft pop.
Xan let his arm relax. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was alive. Somehow, he was alive. Then he grimaced as his thoughts began to turn back to the events of yesterday… was it yesterday? How long had he been asleep, anyway?
The floor beneath him rocked slightly as footsteps approached. He opened his eyes to see the young Verdan woman standing over him.
“Aha, so you are awake,” she said, sitting down on a bench next to him. A moment later Shadow reappeared. The silver weasel nuzzled his cheek again.
Xan groaned, rubbing his eyes. “How long have I been asleep?” he grumbled.
“Only for the night. You slept like a log, though. Lucky for you we had enough spare clothes,” the woman said.
She reached for a canteen and poured some water into a wooden cup. As she did so, Xan had a chance to see her better. She looked to be about the same age as him, probably close to seventeen. She was dressed in a set of heavy leather coat and pants, including fur-lined boots, gloves, and a cap. The curled ends of her short, dark brown hair peeked out from under the cap, framing her face.
“Come on, now, up you get,” she said, holding out a hand. Xan took it and eased himself into a sitting position. Shadow immediately curled up in his lap.
“Here, drink up,” the young woman said, handing him the cup. Xan took it gratefully. He tried to down it in one swig, but the frigid water made his throat seize, and he reflexively coughed. The young woman grimaced.
“Well, not all at once!” she scolded him.
“Geh… heh… sorry,” Xan said, catching his breath.
The young woman sighed. Then she held up the canteen and shook it. Xan could hear a generous amount of swishing from it. A loud, deep series of coughs sounded nearby. The young woman looked up in alarm, then quickly got up and left.
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It was then that Xan realized he was in some sort of covered cart, wedged between a bench and an assortment of crates and sacks. He had been lying down on a small pile of furs that had been stitched together to form a heavy blanket. His linen clothes had been replaced with a set of heavy leather ones, including soft boots and a cap. They were a size too big for him, but as he was much warmer now, he wasn’t about to complain.
He quietly sipped at his water, absentmindedly petting Shadow with his other hand. He could hear muffled voices from outside the cart, though he couldn’t quite make out what was being said.
Shadow stretched herself out in his lap, then disappeared and reappeared in the blink of an eye, clinging to his left shoulder. Xan winced in anticipation of the pain, but was surprised when he felt none. He gently slipped a hand under his collar to feel his shoulder. Where once had been a fresh, deep wound was now completely healed. He moved it experimentally. There was no pain, no catching – there wasn’t even a scar. Xan marveled. He had heard stories about the Verdans and their incredible healing abilities, but this was beyond his expectations.
Shadow nuzzled his cheek again, letting out a small whimper. Xan chuckled and picked her up off his shoulder.
“I guess you were worried about me, huh?” he said, cradling her in his arms. Shadow looked up at him with her large, round eyes, then settled herself in his embrace.
Once again, Xan’s thoughts began to turn back to the events of what he now knew was yesterday. He remembered the sudden pain of Shadow’s bite on his hand giving him the strength to break free of his oppressor’s will. As he had regained consciousness, he had quickly become aware of his surroundings, and what he saw horrified him.
Every one of his crewmates had been working on building a large raft, using whatever sharp objects they could find to cut down the trees and turn them into workable logs. In spite of the enormity of the task, they had been throwing everything they had at it. Even Baltazar, the enormous bull-like beast-man, had been simply using his bulk to push the trees over. And all the while, Seeker Torban watched, urging them on like a slave driver.
Xan had surreptitiously tried to get his crewmates’ attention, but nothing had worked. They had all been turned into mindless thralls, solely bent on fulfilling their master’s commands. That was when Xan had begun trying to think of a plan to get the crystal pendant that Seeker Torban wore. After all, this had all began when Seeker Torban had put that thing on. It must have been cursed.
The opportunity had come when Seeker Torban had ordered Xan to bring him some food. Having used up all of their supplies some days prior, Xan had set about to catch and cook a fish. Then, as he presented the meal, Xan had managed to pull the pendant off before Seeker Torban could even realize what was happening.
But it hadn’t worked. Seeker Torban had still been possessed, and his crewmates had still been his thralls. In a panic, Xan had fled into the trees on the island. His lungs had burned and his legs had threatened to give out underneath him several times as he tried to outrun his crewmates.
But it had all been for nothing. The chase had ended when they had cornered him among the broken ruins in the middle of the island. Captain Beck had approached him then, sword drawn. In a last desperate attempt, Xan had begged him to stop, to fight off Seeker Torban’s control. The captain had raised his sword, ready to plunge the blade into Xan’s chest – only for it to stab into his shoulder at the last second.
The moment the captain had pulled his sword free from Xan’s body, Shadow had appeared on Xan’s shoulder, hissing angrily at all of the sailors. The next thing Xan knew, it had felt like his entire body was being squeezed, and he couldn’t breathe. The instant after that, the pressure was gone – along with the island, his crewmates, and his captain.
The two of them had splashed down into the cold ocean somewhere far away. With his injured shoulder, Xan had struggled to tread water until a piece of driftwood floated by. He had managed to get a hold on it and, using it as a life buoy, put everything into swimming towards the distant shoreline. He barely remembered reaching the shore and collapsing among the surf.
The memories flashed in front of Xan’s eyes, cascading through his mind like an avalanche. One moment, he felt like he was back on that distant island, begging his captain to stop before cold steel seared into his shoulder. The next, it all seemed distant, like it had been a dream. But the leather scratching against his skin and the musty smell of the cart keenly reminded him that it was not.
As the reality of his situation began to set in, that he was all alone in a place far, far away, and that his crewmates were probably dead or even worse, wave after wave of emotions began to wash over him. He tried his best to force it down, but the flood was too powerful. He began to sob uncontrollably.
Shadow looked back up at him as the tears streamed down his face. She reached up to pat his cheek with her paw and squeaked softly. Xan just buried his face in her fur.
A few moments later, he heard the flap of the cart’s covering open.
“Is everything alright?” he heard the young Verdan woman ask. Xan couldn’t bring himself to look up at her. He gasped as he fought to calm himself.
He felt Shadow look at the young woman and squeak a couple times. As if in response, the young woman said, “Alright, then, take all the time you need. Breakfast is ready, come on out and get some when you can.”
The flap closed, and Xan was alone with Shadow once more. He sat there for several minutes in relative silence, broken only by his sobs. Finally he managed to calm himself down enough to take some deep breaths. He slowly sat up and wiped his face. Shadow twisted in his arms until she was face-to-face with him. She sniffed him again, then made a concerned trill.
“I’ll be alright,” Xan said weakly. He didn’t know if he was lying or not.
Shadow trilled again, then rubbed her face against his. Then she blinked away, reappearing near the tent flap. She pranced in place expectantly.
“Alright, alright, I guess you’re hungry, huh?” Xan said. Just at that moment, his stomach rumbled loudly. “I guess I am too.”
Taking another deep breath, he threw the fur blanket off of himself and moved to the flap. As he moved it aside, he gasped softly as he took in the scenery.