Chapter 39 - Revenge

  Aaron treaded the edge of his captain's rented grounds. Moonlight shone on the sand before his feet. Dancing torch flames cast conflicting shadows of himself. He spared the raucous celebrations a passing glance. Party, they called this. More a gathering of slovenly individuals engaging in their insatiable appetite for both food and lust.

  And Eksa had paid for it all.

  Aaron didn’t like that. He saw sponsoring such an event no different than endorsing the acts engaged therein. Most of Dhorjun's near one hundred man navy was in attendance. And Eksa made sure they all knew who it was that'd paid for it. She was desperate for admiration and it showed. Desperate for respect from a crew that had none to give. And she couldn't see it. All this would do was put her in their good graces, so long as she continued providing them with entertainment to indulge in.

  A reward for hard work in hindsight is a good idea. But go too far, and the meaning behind the work is lost, while the reward is all your workers trouble themselves with. Such is the case with children, and grown men. When the reward becomes an expectation, respect for the task and leadership is lost.

  Aaron found himself relying on his ancestor's memories more often these days. This was a memory born from his worry for Eksa. A memory confirming what he feared. He stopped walking near a torch fire atop a six foot stake embedded in the ground. Aaron gazed at the flames and imprinted an image of it in his mind. He closed his eyes and further delved into the memory.

  Take for example soldiers. They risk their lives fighting, whether in attack or in defense. It is only right that in each successive victory, earned loot be rewarded to the fighting men. But lo! Reward them not with it all, but with a fraction of a fraction. Reward them with it all, and they will come to expect it all at every turn, after every victory. And when an instance arises wherein you cannot give them all that has been attained, which it inevitably shall as expenses in war are not trifling, know that the men will turn to razing and rioting instead.

  Better yet, reward them not at all but with the thought of their valor! Discipline them from the start and you will have the finest of warriors.

  Aaron blinked. Not the words of that pretentious and unworldly philosopher, but someone older from the long line of Flame Bearers. Some kind of a military theorist or general. Only, the words applied to all people. “Discipline them from the beginning,” Aaron mumbled. He snorted. When a supposed professional navy was nothing but whoring mercenaries and street grown dregs, that wasn't possible. Their mindset was firm in their ways.

  Eksa had a hold of the simpletons in her measly crew of nineteen. But the rest either held her in contempt, or were expecting something from her —Aki included, Aaron believed. He searched for his captain amidst the many heads. Even her blazing hair was a hard find in such a large gathering. And it was night.

  He sifted through the many tables full of men talking and drinking. Jackrin was standing on one, juggling a dozen knives at a furious pace. For once the largest audience was not his to behold. He was outdone by a woman in low cut green silks tinkering with a harp. Around her, others in equally scandalous robes danced to the intoxicating tune, while more yet skipped throughout the party, serving up drinks. Whores from some high class establishment that most here couldn't afford what with the fleet expanding and pay cuts to everyone's salary. And here Eksa had bought them, giving the sailors what would likely be the highest tier of reward that one could offer men like these.

  Aaron marched into the party. The sight of faked smiles brought back bitter memories of his own past. If there were a difference between this gathering and a regular service night in Celestial Whispers, he could not tell. He spotted Eksa sitting and drinking with Aki near the harp playing traipse. The barkeep is a bad influence…

  “Boy!” came a voice like rumbling thunder.

  Aaron turned to face Admiral Dhorjun. He lorded over a round table with others of similar size whom Aaron hadn't seen before. Newly recruited sellswords. He pulled up to the table and offered a salute. “Sir.” The mercenaries sniggered.

  Dhorjun took a long drink and slammed his empty flagon against the table. The riotous sound brought forth a frizzle haired woman who set down another full mug. The giant squeezed her waist with his meaty hand and forced her to sit on his lap, twirling her hair around his finger as if he were an infant, all while Aaron watched with his hands behind his back.

  “This him?” a long bearded mercenary asked. “The kid that gave you a black eye?”

  “Aye,” Dhorjun grumbled. “Boy, I hear you volunteered to inspect the corsair vessel that your crew brought back.”

  “I did,” Aaron replied.

  “And that you and that jester there killed three men each and brought down a fellow almost as large as myself.”

  Aaron narrowed his eyes, wondering who amongst Eksa's crew had had time enough to inspect the rear of the fight while the skirmish was happening. “Yes.”

  Dhorjun's eyes flashed with pride. “You don't strike me the serving type, you know. I've a Breaker with iron rams nailed to the front, and a slave crew with oars to pull her when winds fail. A mighty thing for raiding the seas. Yours for the taking once we find you a crew.”

  “I am content where I am,” Aaron answered.

  The admiral laughed to the point of wheezing. If a whistling gale were to blend with a roaring tide, it might have sounded like that. “Hear that lads? He's content where he is. The redheaded bitch's got his tiny tail wrapped around her finger,” Dhorjun said, tugging on the hair wrapped around his own finger and making the poor woman in his lap flinch in pain. The other mercenaries laughed too. Dhorjun pushed the woman off his lap and toward Aaron. “Boy's a damn hero. Give him his reward!” More laughter abounded. Dhorjun grinned. “This one's mouth will have you changing your mind about Eksa in no time. Go on, pull your trousers down. Or is it so small that you're embarrassed?”

  Aaron clicked his tongue and stood still as Frizzle Hair rested her hand on his shoulder and bent in a way to accent her already low cut top. Her other hand trailed down his torso and squeezed the iron between his legs. She let out a yelp as she was pulled away from behind. The long bearded mercenary pushed her to the side and towered over Aaron.

  “Hero eh?” the man sneered. “I fancy myself one too. How about a wager, eh lad? Winner keeps all. That woman's mouth and… that fancy black coat you're wearing.”

  Aaron snapped. His flash of anger was a hair's breadth faster than his arms. He rotated his waist and snapped his elbow into the mercenary's jaw, toppling him in an instant. Aaron mounted and rained down his fists before his foe could recover, brutalizing the man more than he'd ruined Shank. He spat at the end of it all and pulled out a tooth fragment stuck in his bloody knuckles. He then wiped his fists on the groaning man's shirt.

  Dhorjun took another sip of his drink. “Boy. I like you. But that was the head of a band of heavyweights. Do you have any idea how much they cost?”

  Aaron smirked. “Seems I saved you from a scam then. His bones are so weak he'd be better off drinking breastmilk. You should fire them. Sir.”

  “Scam eh? I gave your captain a hefty sum to hire more hands and she spends on cheap ale and harlots…”

  Dhorjun, it seemed, was intent on expanding the fleet at any cost without consideration for logistics. “I don't imagine you'll be putting an end to this party, sir. Not after you've cut everyone's wages by more than half. Everyone aside from those so called heavyweights you've been recruiting.” Viper had done a fine job reading Dhorjun's ledgers.

  The admiral narrowed his eyes. “I was right. You really aren't the serving type. Hmph. The pay cut is temporary. Give it a year and I'll have them getting double what they used to. My offer still stands, boy. A ship if you want it. Whenever it is you're done with the girl that is. I don't believe someone as smart as you is sticking with Eksa because you caught feelings.”

  “I'll consider it,” Aaron said, walking away. He headed toward Eksa's table again, only to be stopped halfway by one of the dancers taking a break. He swallowed hard and tried searching for a place to rest his eyes, but this woman was all skin. Short dark hair and a cropped yellow top barely holding together a larger pair than he'd ever seen. She wore a translucent yellow skirt similar to the face veils that desert women wore with jewels lining her hips and a silver piercing in her navel.

  “Here's a prettier face than I've spotted all night,” the woman said with an accent as thick as Aki's. She held Aaron's arm. “Scarless, sharp eyed, and young too. What might your name be?”

  Ashes! Jack would be getting all this attention if only he took his damn mask off. “Aarondel,” Aaron said, trying to pry free of her grip, surprised at how tight it was. He frowned, staring into her bright eyes. The gloss of sweat upon her high cheek shone a crescent of silver moonlight. There was something unsettling about her. Her smile wasn't fake. She was doing this willingly.

  “Uh-ron-dell,” the woman said, rolling the name with her tongue. Her accent was gone. “Sounds Xenarian.” Aaron flinched. “I'm right aren’t I? I'm Xenarian too. Tell me, Aarondel, does this accent please you more?” She leaned in nudging his nose with her own, their mouths mere fractions apart.

  “Xenarian,” Aaron breathed just as the woman kissed him. He felt her skin with his hands, sliding them up her sides, up her breasts, and around her neck. She prodded at his tongue with her own. Aaron squeezed her throat. Her eyes went wide. “Xenarian,” he said again, as flames shrouded his eyes and the screams of his ancestors filled his ears.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  ***

  Eksa nodded her head to the soft sounds of harp strings. She'd never heard a harp before. Part of her was pleased to have added this to the list of services she'd paid for. She found herself smirking, thanking Dhorjun in her head for a full purse of glittering gold. This kind of luxury wasn't something she'd be able to afford always, but she'd now set a precedent. The entirety of the navy was bound to respect her more. Her standing would only rise with each party thrown, albeit the following ones were likely to not be so grand.

  Aki handed her another flagon, which Eksa took gleefully. The cunning barkeep had brought Xenarian vintage for just the two of them to enjoy, letting the rest have nothing but cheap ale. Eksa took a sip which turned into several mouthfuls. It was too good to not indulge.

  “Is this your idea of a reward, little snake?”

  “It is,” Eksa admitted. “I thought long about it. I'm sorry for yelling at you, Aki.”

  The barkeep snorted. “So long as you don't do it again. This is a fine party with fine music. Now if only the blond boy could sing something to this addictive tune. That voice of his would create the perfect atmosphere.”

  Eksa agreed. Jackrin did have a beautiful voice when he used it to sing softer songs. Even his laughs would sound pleasing, if only the motives behind them weren't the darkest kinds of humor. Regardless, Eksa was content leaning back in her seat and focusing on the music rather than the roaring laughter of all others around. She found the sounds of strings resonating with her pulse. Her body swayed of its own accord. She felt hot despite the mellow night breeze and so rolled up her sleeves and undid the top three buttons of her shirt.

  “That is a rather lovely dance,” Aki muttered.

  Eksa took another sip, frowning to find less than a quarter of her drink remaining. She nodded to Aki's comment. The way the dancers harmonized their movements with the music was impressive. Their outfits, scandalous, only added to the hypnosis. Eksa blushed furiously, but she couldn't peel her eyes away from those swaying hips. To think the human body was capable of such a flexible range of motion. She almost wanted to try the dance herself.

  Eksa emptied her flagon. Her heart thumped. Her shirt began sticking from sweat. She felt at the edge of anticipation, but for what, she did not know. She undid another button, revealing the flowery white corset hidden beneath.

  Eksa looked down her own shirt and frowned. This wasn't for regular eyes to see. This was for Aaron and him only. But she felt too hot to care now. She almost wanted to get rid of the corset here and now. It was beginning to feel suffocating. “Aki, do you have more chilled wine?”

  “Of course, Captain.” The barkeep snapped her fingers and someone brought forth more flagons for them. Eksa took a long swig, letting some spill down her chin and roll along the length of her skin. It tickled, but felt strangely satisfying, like a soft pair of caressing fingers. She kept her eyes on the dancers and leaned forward, almost rising to join them. If only Aaron were here, then she would have. Wherever that idiot was, Eksa was glad he wasn't here. He was a man after all. He'd be too preoccupied with other women to even glance at her.

  But still…

  She undid another button, leaving only two. Eksa spread open her shirt and flapped with the edges, no longer caring for how much of herself was revealed for everyone to see. She undid the knot in her hair and let it spill over her back. She downed the rest of her drink and tossed the flagon away, more droplets rolling down her chin. Eksa closed her eyes and imagined Aaron's fingers gliding down her neck. The image of the dancing women were imprinted in her mind too. She blushed harder, imagining herself performing something so lascivious for him.

  “Do you want to dance, little snake?” Aki asked. Eksa opened her eyes. The barkeep was smiling. “I'll do it if you do.”

  Eksa swallowed. She still felt at the edge of anticipation. Something was stuck in her chest and it wanted out. Somehow, she just knew that relieving this feeling would bring great pleasure. She slowly nodded to Aki's question. Something told her moving her body would help with that feeling. Just as she rose from her seat, she spotted Aaron coming towards her. Aaron in his dark coat fluttering with his long strides. All of Eksa's previous notions disappeared and all she could think of was pressing herself against him.

  But someone stepped before him. One of the dancers that'd been taking a break. Eksa watched in horror as this barely clothed woman put her hands on him. And then leaned in. And then kissed him. Aaron was making no move to stop this from happening. He put his hands on her waist. They slowly rose up to the woman's breasts. Eksa could watch no further. Her vision fogged and she turned away.

  “Aaron seems to be enjoying your party,” Aki commented.

  “You don't think?” Eksa cried. She began stomping away. She grit her teeth, the fire inside of her only adding fuel to her rage. “How could he? How dare he? That insensitive, insufferable prick! Ugh!”

  Aki grabbed hold of Eksa's arm. “Come now. You're not going to let him ruin the party for us, are you?”

  “It's already ruined!”

  “Eksa dear…” Aki smiled and winked. She leaned close to Eksa's ear. “Should we get some revenge of our own?”

  “Revenge? How…?” But the thought came to her as clear as sea winds. Make him jealous as he did to her. Make him lament and come after her. “You mean finding a man who wants me?” Eksa asked. Somewhere, the small voice of a proud Estraean in her head screamed no. The barkeep nodded.

  “That won't be a problem, little snake. There's no one that doesn't want someone as exotic as you. You want him to regret choosing that whore over you, don't you?”

  Eksa nodded.

  “Follow me then. He'll only regret not choosing you after everyone's already chosen you.”

  Eksa flinched. Music thrummed in her ears. Her heart pounded and night wind passed over the glistening sweat upon her bared chest. “Everyone?” she said, but Aki was already dragging her along to the edge of the party where almost no torches were lit, but people undoubtedly were.

  ***

  “There's no pulse,” said Viper's hoarse voice.

  Aaron breathed hard. He looked at his own shaky hands then down at the body. Blessed Flames. What have I done? He looked around but no one was paying attention. There were a handful of people knocked out on the ground from overdrinking. None of them were women though. I murdered in cold blood. All because of a word she uttered. Aaron blinked back his tears. “Why did she have to utter that word?”

  You cannot change what has been done, said a surfaced memory. Now wasn't the time, but it forced him to maintain some amount of rationale. You can only decide what comes next. Aaron didn’t like what came next. If this matter came to light, he'd be tried by Eurale's king for murder. He bent over and emptied his stomach.

  “Aaron?” Viper asked.

  “I'm sorry, Viper. I've failed your hopes.”

  “Nonsense,” the Shadow Walker said. “If you wanted her dead, you could have asked me.”

  “I didn't want her dead. I…”

  Viper materialised from the Umbra and dragged the body off to a place where no light reached. “I can't say I condone the act, but it is not in my place to question you.”

  Aaron's tears broke free. “Viper, why is it you trust me so much?”

  The Shadow Walker bent over the woman and began pressing down on her chest. “Because we're friends. Because you're my first friend. Everyone makes mistakes, Aaron.”

  But the woman was a daughter of Xenaria. I am to be king. I am to be responsible for all Xenarians. Instead, he'd killed her. He didn't want this responsibility, but he didn't mean to actively spit upon his mother's final wishes. “But taking a life that never threatened mine or anyone else's that I love…”

  “Is a permanent mistake that cannot be changed. I've been there myself,” Viper said. He continued pressing down on the woman's chest in repeated motions. The dead woman suddenly gasped. Her eyes sparked to life and she turned over, coughing and drooling. Once she'd caught her bearings, she turned to find Viper kneeling before her. There in the dark, a man in all black with naught but his mouth revealed, the woman shrieked and ran off towards torchlight.

  Aaron blinked, confused. “How?”

  Viper smiled as he rose to his feet. “If you didn't want her dead, then it becomes my job to bring her back to life, no? I pumped her heart until airflow was allowed back into her head.”

  Aaron closed his eyes and leaned forward, resting his forehead on Viper's shoulder. Therein, he mouthed a silent thank you and cried for a long minute. He snapped up all of a sudden. “Eksa. You were supposed to be watching her.”

  “Ah!” Viper said, looking around everywhere. “I saw someone slipping a powder substance into some of the drinks. I didn't think much of it since it was a bare few flagons, but I thought I would tell you. That's when I found you here. Where'd she go?”

  Aaron looked around wildly. He sprinted over to the jester. “Jack! Jack! Find Eksa!” Aaron screamed, trying to push past the crowd watching the knife juggling show. Jackrin dropped all of his knives and lifted his mask, sniffing the air without question. Aaron felt a growing worry creeping in. There were many wearing perfume here. He wondered if the half-breed could distinguish between them. But Jack pointed in a direction and leapt from the table, leading Aaron down there, but sprinting considerably faster.

  Aaron arrived at the rented ground's edge where no light reached save for that of cloud veiled moons. He found Jack pulling on a screaming Eksa's arm who had her shirt completely unbuttoned. Aki tried prying the jester away, but Jackrin easily pushed her with his enhanced strength. A ways off, Hawthorne and a few dozen others were lounging and playing cards on a candlelit table with a few barely clothed women sitting between them.

  “What madness is this?” Aaron demanded.

  Eksa screeched and hurled incoherent insults his way. Jack let her go and the flame haired captain set upon Aaron, attempting to push him. “How was it?” she demanded. “How was that woman, huh? Well? What did her lips taste like? What did she feel like?”

  Aaron stood still while a weaker Eksa tried pushing him with every completed accusation. So that's what this is about.

  “She feels betrayed,” Aki said, folding her arms while keeping a wary eye on the masked jester. “Leave boy. You've no place here. Nor any in her heart.”

  Aaron slapped Eksa hard. She fell. A bead of blood formed on her lip and slowly rolled down. “So this is your doing?” he hissed at Aki. “I won't have you corrupt her. I told you to stay away!”

  Hawthorne snapped a finger and multiple men stood up from their game. “Corrupt?” Aki said. “Difference of viewpoints. I merely meant to give her a full taste of being alive. Don't apply your all righteous morals to everyone else. That's what those Flaming Trillians do and it sickens me.”

  “Burn you, woman! It's not my morals. It's Eksa's. You'd have her break her own beliefs and for what?” Eksa slowly rose and begun streaming out curses again. Aaron hit her temple and put her to sleep.

  “I'd have her break her na?veté. It would happen sooner or later. Better it happened on her terms and was not forced upon her to remain a scar in her mind. You don't own her boy. I've warned you of this before.”

  Aaron seethed. He restrained himself from drawing his knives. Hawthorne's men were inching closer. “You don't own her either. You can't make her decisions.”

  “I can, actually. I'm her guardian. And I can't be there for her always. She needs this before she finds herself in a precarious position. The navy has no room for someone with such obvious vulnerabilities and so easily moved by emotion. The girl is talented but too hampered by her own measly beliefs.”

  “And being drugged isn't a precarious position? Eksa isn't weak! Stay away—”

  “Or what?” the barkeep snorted. “You'll kill me? Go on then. You'll forever lose her support if you do. And you'll also die here, leaving her at everyone's mercy.”

  Aaron desperately wanted to call Aki's bluff. He had Viper and Jackrin. There was no competing against a Shieda and a Vampire after dusk. Not with so few men. But he couldn't kill everyone here. Eksa wanted to be a sailor. If he wiped out Dhorjun's right hand, she'd be sure to carry part of the blame. He laid his coat over his captain's exposed form before picking her up in both arms.

  “Are you going to teach her my lesson for me then, boy?” Aki called.

  “Lesson, huh? Was it you, then, projecting your own tragic past and fears upon Eksa?” Aaron saw Aki's fists clench. He felt a shred of pity for her then. He knew all too well what it was like. He bore Lera's most heinous memories like they were his own after all. “You're going about this wrong, Aki. You thought you could spare this girl your pain but you only would have hurt her more.”

  “It would have been temporary,” the barkeep argued.

  “Time does not heal all ailments. Or would you deny your own reality?” There was no return argument this time. Aaron walked away, Eksa held in his arms. Her cheeks were wet with tears and her pink lips turned in a frown. She must have been terribly hurt seeing him with another woman.