Chapter 51 - One Step Closer

  Aaron looked over the edge of the ship. The sun had set, its last vestiges no stronger than a distant candle glow. The flames upon the ship itself began to dim with rain picking up. It's crew was ruined, every rogue aboard turned to ash. Beneath, slaves chained to oars still remained, some among them perhaps wounded.

  Aaron turned to the cavemouth. He stared at it a hard ten seconds, holes in his memory filling up as might a puzzle.

  “I'll be damned,” said one of the Foura twins. “We survived. And won to boot.”

  “Shuari protect us all,” said Severum. He was quaking in his boots. “That was the Great Serpent. A servant of the evil sea deity Katri.”

  Evil… No. None from the lesser deities had ever been evil. History had been twisted in subtle ways over the course of centuries. All that the Flame Bearers once knew and taught had been twisted and turned upside down. A servant of Katri. No. That isn't quite right. It was more of a pet.

  But that wasn't his priority right now. He took measure of his surrounds. Dillon was beyond recovery, slowly sinking to the depths. A portion of The Harpoon's bow was undamaged by the flames. It was where the dozen survivors of Eksa's crew stood in a huddled group, Aki among them. Most had their eyes on Jackrin. Madman, they called him. They'd all seen him twist and turn in the air and stab at a being only heard of in frightened whispers. They were all awestruck of the jester, none apparently having noticed Aaron himself throwing great iron bolts with one hand. His right shoulder throbbed from the effort. Borrowed power was not true power, after all. His muscles could only handle so much strain.

  Aaron pulled the half-blood up by his collar, uncaring for the stares come their way. “You absolute imbecile. You Flaming, stupid… What kind of idiot jumps into the jaws of a noxious serpent?”

  Jack shrugged. “It'd have bit a sizeable chunk out of the ship had I not.”

  Aaron shoved him away. “A broken half that was sinking,” he seethed. “Listen here. You do not have my permission to die. Am I understood?”

  “Uh, sure.”

  “Am. I. UNDERSTOOD?”

  Jack was silent for a few stretching seconds. “Yes,” he finally said.

  “None of you are allowed to die. Not you, not Viper, nor Eksa. Not until I say so. Not until I've built…” built the world I want to see. Flames. I really am considering it. He turned again to that cavemouth. His memory of the place had become whole. Within it lay the burdens of a responsibility he did not want. Yet fate has brought me here, just when I was needed.

  Jack removed his mask and nodded. He examined the extent of damage on his hands. In the deepening night, his palms appeared almost black, their surface a sticky mess of blood, mud and wood splinters. How he was not cringing in pain, Aaron could not tell. His own hands burned still.

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  “You sure Viper survived? Haven't heard a peep from him,” Jack said.

  “… Ostensibly,” came the subsequent hoarse voiced reply from the jester's shadow.

  Aaron sighed. He walked over to where the crew now stood in a circle around Aki and Eksa.

  “Is anyone going to address what she's doing here?” one from among them asked.

  ***

  Eksa crossed her arms, glaring at Aki who stood more than an inch taller. The barkeep in turn had her own arms crossed, not at all bothered by the hostile force surrounding her. “You came to kill me,” Eksa said. “Crow's obedient little hunting dog.”

  That hurt Aki like Eksa knew it would. She was a proud woman, the barkeep. Proud enough to match an Estraean.

  “Not even going to make an excuse?” Eksa demanded.

  “I'm not groveling at your feet, girl.”

  Eksa closed her fists. You're not making anything better, Aki. You came to kill me, but I saw you just as well throwing your spear to save Aaron. Why are you here, really?

  “Get on with it,” Aki said. “Off with my head and be done.”

  Eksa's crew offered the barkeep sneers. They drew their cutlasses but Eksa held up her hand. So that's it, then? You'd rather die than apologize. “She returns alive. Returns alive to report to Crow about how it is she failed to complete her mission.”

  “I would rather—”

  “—Rather die?” Eksa cut in. “I know you would. Which is precisely why you don't get to die, Aki. You're my hostage now.”

  Aki bared her teeth. “I'll kill you when next I get a chance.”

  Eksa snorted. She actually found it in herself to break a smile at that moment. “No you won't,” she said with confidence. I know now where your heart lies, Aki. An apology would far from absolve the barkeep of her crimes. But it would be a start. The stab of betrayal was still strong. Though perhaps working at the behest of Crow from the beginning, Aki had been a friend. Eksa's first true friend. You changed your mind about killing me this day. I will steal you from Hawthorne's side yet, Aki.

  “I do not agree with this,” Aaron said. Jackrin was beside him, his clothes a mess of slime and blood. “I think we should throw her overboard and be done with.”

  Eksa glared at him. The fires aboard the ship had all but gone out. Staring at him was easier with so little light upon his face, his features near masked to her. But she still felt needles of ice crawl beneath her skin so near to him. “Your agreement is unnecessary for my decisions,” Eksa said, as cooly as possible. “I am the captain. My words are final.”

  Aaron held her eyes for a hard moment. Eksa cringed, backing away a half step. He then glanced at Aki, sighed, and relented in his opposition.

  “Good,” Eksa said. “Tie her up to a post somewhere. The rest of you take measure of the ship's damage, and tend to the slaves below deck. I'm taking them under my wing. They are to be treated will and folded into our —my fleet.”

  The day had been a long one, but it was ended at last, and ended on a somewhat positive note. The Harpoon had no sails left and the masts were all but broken remains, but she had oars that could take her back to Kovar. Lost one ship, gained another that's in need of dire repairs. Not much use lamenting over it. They had seen the great serpent of myth, and they had defeated it in battle. Tales of this would spread, and hopefully, at the forefront of it all, would be Eksa's own name.

  It had been an adventure, truly. One that has seen several of my crewmembers sink to the depths…

  Eksa closed her fists and eyes. That was something she could, and would lament over in the days to come. It would remain as a stain on her record as a captain —events she would have to record with detail in a logbook once she returned to Kovar. But the day's triumphs had truly been great. Eksa was one step closer to restoring to glory the Raudsol name. And one step closer to ending Dhorjun's tyrannical reign.