Gilded Obsession

by Zoey Rivera

  “Can’t have you hurting my pay, boys. Get back to your stations. Only warning,” Lorcan’s voice was low and menacing. The boys conferred with each other through glances as to whether the girl was worth fighting Lorcan over.

  They took too long.

  Lorcan flung the two he had clenched overboard. The group’s heads turned to see their friends falling rapidly towards the sea. One splashed into the water. He popped up onto the surface and began paddling his way back to the shore. The other was snatched up by a giant koi that had been lurking in the depths before he even had a chance. They stared wide eyed as the massive fish disappeared back into the depths of the sea.

  One thing was becoming clear about Lorcan, he had no remorse for murder when needed. And to him, this was a time that warranted a lesson. If these boys wouldn’t listen, he didn’t need them alive on his ship. And to him, that was that. They turned back to face Lorcan.

  “Greg, duck!” One of the boys called out as Lorcan swung his fist, just missing the boy as he tucked and rolled off to the side. More of the boys followed, slipping in and out of Lorcan’s grasp. They hopped back and forth getting blows in where they could. Lorcan got his fair share as well. The boys were panting. It was six against one. How was it that he wasn’t even working up a sweat?

  One of the others parted from the group and lunged at Catherine. She let out a scream as she used a deflection spell. Lorcan could only imagine how expensive it must be, vaulting the boy at least twenty feet away from them.

  He picked himself another target. There were only the three left now. The men hesitated, sending glances back and forth to each other. Was it time to retreat? No, Lorcan wouldn’t give them the chance.

  He rushed the boys. His sudden advance shocked them and made them attempt to flee. Before Lorcan could give chase, Catherine stood in his way.

  “Stop, leave them alone! That’s enough!” Her voice seemed to be shaking as she stood up to the man towering over her. He could see her tiny legs shaking slightly. Her lower lip quivered as she tried to find more words to defend her attackers against Lorcan.

  “My job is to protect you,” Lorcan said calmly.

  “I know but we were just… it was fine. They were just teasing me. I-I was okay. I am okay,” Catherine seemed to be holding her breath now. Her poor heart was probably throbbing out of her chest. Lorcan almost felt a little guilty.

  The group of cabin boys peeked out from behind the barrels they took cover behind. Catherine smiled back to them and gestured them to come up. They hesitantly approached her and she wrapped each of her arms around two of the boys as she smiled up to Lorcan.

  “See? We’re fine! We’re all fine,” Catherine unconvincingly assured Lorcan.

  “Oh really?” Lorcan backed off a little and relaxed his stance.

  “Yup,” her voice cracked as she spoke. “They were just playing around. Trying to toughen me up for life on the ship. I have to learn how to toughen up if I am going to survive in Eden, after all.”

  Despite lying straight to Lorcan’s face, she wasn’t completely wrong. She would, at the end of the journey to Hallifax, be living on her own in Eden. If she was going to survive, she would need to learn how to defend herself. In retrospect, the worst they really would have bothered doing on the main deck would be roughing her up a little. Still, he would rather not risk the threat of the oculi monitoring them.

  “Still, your parents put you under my care. Until you arrive at Hallifax, you do as I say and you stay out of trouble. Got it?”

  “Got it,” Cat squeaked.

  Lorcan eyed the group and the boys forced smiles with Catherine. He took a moment to really study the faces of each of them. They all seemed familiar.

  “Hey Erik,” Lorcan called out. Erik had been standing there watching the whole scene. His arms were folded tight against his chest and his face was redder than a tomato.

  “What?” the man’s voice was seething with rage.

  “Narrowed your search.”

  Chapter 2

  “I can’t believe it actually worked,” Samuel could feel his heart racing in his chest. His older twin brother laid out next to him against the wall beneath the window.

  “I told you to trust me. When I say I’ll get us in, I’ll get us in,” Robert proudly proclaimed.

  “I was wrong. I admit it. I had zero faith in you but you proved me wrong,” Samuel shrugged and smiled over to his brother. Robert reflected his grin and they both allowed themselves a good laugh in relief that their stress of getting onto the ship was now over.

  “Well, Mister Genius, what do we do now?” Samuel asked.

  The boy leaped up and looked around the room. It was clear from their surroundings that they had managed to squirrel themselves away onto some cargo-hold of the vessel.

  “We find work to do and casually insert ourselves into the crowd,” the boy mimed slipping into the crowd with his hands as he said this. They looked around for something reasonable to carry up to blend in and made their way out into the ship.

  “Oi, newbies!” another cabin boy’s voice called out to them. The two spun around and acknowledged him.

  This boy had very lean soft features that almost made him look feminine. His lack of facial hair didn't help his case either.

  “Are you just going to stand around? Help me carry these,” the boy ordered. It was pretty clear from his tone that he had no place ordering others around but Samuel and Robert weren't in a position to argue and this was their chance to blend. They picked up the boxes that the small boy pointed out.

  “Who are you two anyway? New crew from Crithm?” the boy questioned. Samuel looked over at Robert. They had rehearsed their origin story twenty times daily in the mirror. Robert had worked tirelessly on crafting this history for the two of them and worked even longer to ensure he and Samuel knew every word.

  Robert started to speak, “We’ve suffered long and hard as ranch hands under our cruel Aunt Beatrice’s unforgiving claws and -”

  “Yeah, we’re new from Crithm, do you know where this ship is going? We just wanted out of the town,” interrupted Samuel. Robert’s face looked so disappointed in his brother. Samuel glanced over at him and shrugged.

  “Right, we’re off to the docks in Central Yonta from here,” he said and gestured in the general direction the ship was headed.

  “What's there?” Samuel asked. Because he and Robert had never travelled too far out of Crithm, their maps were limited only to that area. They had heard of the other cities and townships by name but had no point of reference to know where they were in relation to them.

  “You know the Mir Forest, those co-species towns of Lamia and Gwintin, and then the town this client wants to go to, Hallifax,” he smiled softly at the thought of Hallifax.

  “Have you been there? You seem to know a lot about the area,” Robert spoke up. He had been keeping quiet while mourning the loss of his poor backstory.

  “Born and raised a Halli. When I first logged in four years ago, I spawned right in the heart of Hallifax. I can see why she wants to go there. It's the best place to be in all of Eden,” he declared proudly.

  They shifted the boxes and bags in their hands as they walked. Samuel noticed all the ones they had been made to carry were food items. The boxes were a decent size but apparently didn't warrant being carried in an inventory. They arrived at the dining hall and walked in on a big commotion happening. There was a petite girl with fluffy brown hair and expensive looking gear behind the counter.

  Both the boys were mesmerized by her appearance as she danced around the kitchen and showed off her cooking proficiencies. She was clearly naturally talented beyond having just done a lot of grinding for skill somewhere.

  Robert snapped out of his daze long enough to survey the crowd. His eyes skimmed past Lorcan and he immediately dove at his brother, pushing him behind the counters.

  “What happened?” Samuel asked startled.

  “It's him, the big guy from the docks,” Robert whi
spered in response.

  “Crap, what do we do?”

  “Thinking,” Robert whispered back.

  Lorcan rolled his eyes at the crew gawking over the young girl. He mused at the thought of his younger self acting just the same. After all, it was that persistence and determination that hormones filled him with that got him his only love, Anna. She was more lovely than the stars or sea and just as strong as any fighter. His eyes lowered as his last images of her being dragged away, lifeless, ran through his mind’s eye.

  He looked back over to the boys with Anna on his mind. A slight smile crept onto his lips as he lost himself to his memories. Chris walked up to him.

  “Bit old to be smiling at a young lass like that, aren’t you?” Chris commented with a snarky smile plastered across his face. Lorcan looked over to his friend and rolled his eyes.

  “Was just remembering Anna and us acting like that when we were younger,” Lorcan said.

  “Ah, Anna. She does kind of remind me of her. That look of curiosity and hope for adventure. Eden stole a good one that day,” Chris frowned.

  “Aye, that it did,” Lorcan responded solemnly.

  “Owe that girl my life. The only reason I bother taking care of you,” Chris joked. Lorcan nodded along.

  “I know,” he looked over at Catherine, “but now we’ve got this girl to worry about.”

  “I wanted to ask you about that, Lorcan. When you told me about the job offer you accepted, I knew it was going to be escorting an elite but you agreed to babysit?”

  “I knew it was going to be a young one but I was hoping for early to mid-to-late twenties, not that the elite are raised to act any older than this child anyway,” Lorcan joked.

  Chris nodded along and grinned. It was common for any member of Eden to have an ingrained hatred toward the elite. After all, it was the elite that puppeteered this dystopian world they lived in. Lorcan looked back over at Catherine dancing around the kitchen and playing around with the young men. She smiled as she handed each boy their plate and enjoyed the attention around her.

  Now only if they knew she was Elite.

  Once the last plate was served, Catherine came over with two more plates and sat down by Lorcan. She was seated a bit too close for Lorcan, practically resting on his arm, but he ignored it.

  “Hello Chris!”

  “Why hello, Cat,” Chris smiled to her. He caught Lorcan rolling his eyes and judging him in his peripherals. He shot Lorcan an icy glare.

  “So you’re enjoying your time on the Wandering Willow, Cat?”

  Her face glowed, “Absolutely, this ship is just like I imagined them to be on the monitors. And I’ve made perfect use out of this.”

  Catherine gestured and her dashboard came up before her. She clicked away and swiped at the screen to find the item. When she finally found it, it materialized into her hands. Lorcan looked down at the hat now in her hands. The design of the hat was clearly made entirely for show with its wide brim and frills.

  “What are the stats on that, any good for increasing your stamina or defense? Does it give you any useful abilities or proficiency aid?” Lorcan asked.

  “No, it’s just really cute,” Catherine smiled.

  The chipper way that Catherine said this made both men shake their heads, although Chris was more shaking his head in amusement rather than sharing the pain Lorcan was feeling. Chris really could see a lot of Anna in this little elite. It was strange thinking back to Anna again after all this time. He smiled softly to himself. He wondered if Lorcan noticed it too.

  The three ate together and the two men plotted more about the trip ahead.

  “And that is abouts when we should be arriving in the docks. I can take you to Lamia but I am not making the trek all the way to Hallifax. I have other places I need to be,” Chris said.

  “I know, taking us to the docks will do, you don’t have to come out to Lamia. When will you be back around or do I need to look for other arrangements back to Aeston?” Lorcan asked.

  Catherine fiddled around with her hat as the two men discussed logistics when she noticed two of the cabin boys staring at her from behind a pillar. She immediately recognized one of them as one of the boys who were climbing onto the ship earlier. She stood up and walked over to them, letting Lorcan know that she wasn’t leaving, just socializing. She greeted the two boys and they smiled back at her, still somewhat hidden from sight as they spoke with her.

  “I saw you guys climbing into the ship earlier. That’s a really weird way to board. Why didn’t you just walk on like everyone else?” Catherine asked.

  “You saw us?” Robert asked with a disappointed tone.

  “Of course! You might have well have been wearing gold armor, you stood out so much,” Catherine laughed as she spoke.

  Both of the boy’s heads dropped in self-pity for their poor attempt at stealth.

  “I’m Catherine,” she said to them with a smile. Robert and Samuel introduced themselves to her as well. They found some free seats over in the corner of the room. Catherine sat and make sure she was in eyesight of Lorcan, while the boys carefully placed themselves just out of sight behind her. “So, where are you two going, or do you just adventure on the willow, seeking adventure and danger?”

  Both the boys looked bewildered at her excitement at the concept of danger.

  “No, we just wanted to escape the home we were in,” Sam explained. “We lived in a home that was constantly harassed by the elite. We lost our mother to a raid and our father during a war of regions.”

  They sat there in silence for a moment, Robert and Samuel’s eyes glued to the table thinking back to their parents and the life that they lived with their aunt. It wasn’t the worst, Robert and Samuel knew it but they also knew they could achieve so much more if they could just be free. If they could just escape. Robert glanced upward and met Catherine’s awestruck face.

  “That’s so tragic, I love it!” she had a wide grin plastered across her face. Both of the boys stared in shock.

  “Love it?” Robert could barely feel the words echoing hers from his lips.

  “I never really think of the side characters effected in stories like that. How long ago was that? I might have caught that showing. Oh that would be so cool,” Catherine beamed.

  “What?” Samuel asked. He looked over at his brother completely bewildered at what the girl was saying. What did she mean ‘side characters?’ This was their lives.

  “I might have seen it, I’m elite so I usually watch Eden but I wanted to experience what it was like living here once I was old enough. But I’ve been in love with this place and especially Hallifax. That's where I'm headed. I want to open a restaurant or an inn there. It’s such a beautiful place when it’s not covered in bloodshed. And even a little bit when it is at times but it’s all really on how the oculi display it,” Catherine said.

  Just as Robert was about to say something the boat shook as if something had slammed into the side of the ship. Everyone rocked to the side. Lorcan rushed over to Catherine. She reassured him she was alright.

  “The hell was that?” Chris’s voice boomed across the room.

  His question was answered as a tentacle crashed through the walls of the ship. Lorcan shoved Catherine back as he began barking orders at the crew. He organized the panicked chaos and everyone seemed to be working in this unspoken unison. It was so much to take in Catherine didn't notice that Lorcan was yelling at her now.

  “Catherine,” he shook her by her shoulders until she stopped spacing out, “get to your bunker and stay there until we get you.”

  “What? No, I want to help! I bought a bunch of magics, they could maybe—”

  “Room. Now.”

  She runs off toward her room and once she is out of sight, Lorcan redirected his attention to the beast. What was that thing? Obviously it was some sort of tentacled creature but there was such a large variety of them along the Blacksalt Sea that it was hard to identify them off their limbs alone. He had to see the h
ead to know what he was up against.

  Chapter 3

  The crew rushed to the top deck. Chris and Lorcan were shouting orders and directing the crew as best they could. The ship rumbling under their feet. Lorcan could hardly keep his balance as he organized a defense. The crew and Lorcan gave everything they had toward the creature. Each time it's limbs crashed into the ship, they would hack at it. Fighting to release the ship from its slimy grip.

  “We’ve got six bolts,” Chris called out.

  He knew they would be limited on magics but he hadn't realized how little they had with them. It would have to be a physical assault then, there was no telling if the creature was immune to electrocution and there was no way he was going to risk wasting them.

  He ducked under a tentacle as it swung and slammed across the deck. Lorcan had materialized two machetes into his fists from his inventory. He glanced around to try and analyze any way he could get an advantage on the beast. Off in the distance, he noticed what seemed to be the tip of the head of the creature.

  “I think I see its head,” Lorcan yelled.

  “Where?” Chris yelled back.

  Lorcan pointed over to where the head broke from the surface of the water.

  “Alright then,” Chris grinned. Before all else, Chris was a fighter and this was him in his element. Lorcan watched as Chris opened up his inventory and summoned two machetes similar to his own. A tentacle slammed down right in front of Chris. He ran onto it and was vaulted into the air toward the beast. He pierced his blades into another tentacle and began sprinting toward the head. Once another tentacle came back around, Lorcan braced himself and let himself collide into it. He stabbed the squirming appendage with his swords, and gripped on for his dear life.

  Chris bounded and lept across the body of the beast, gradually drawing closer and closer to the head. He would slide down a leg and leap up to another with carefully calculated precision. His movements more graceful than you would expect of a man of his stature.