Plague of Death

by D. L. Armillei

  “We have to check the seal.” Van stressed about completing the mission. She didn’t need another task added to her thirty-day window, which closed in three weeks. Although, she found some relief having already crossed two other items off her list: find Daisy and check to see if Ferox had a dark thread.

  “Once I get the Cup, I’ll let you go,” Ferox said. “Then, you can do whatever you want.”

  “Van,” Paley whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Give him the Coin.”

  “You can’t possibly believe him,” Pernilla placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at Ferox.

  “I suppose, we could simply get it back later,” Kopius suggested.

  Ferox grimaced. “Not likely.”

  “I trust him. His energy is pure.” Daisy smiled at Ferox, shining like a ray of light in the dingy cabin.

  Ferox seemed pleased with Daisy’s endorsement.

  “Give it to him,” Brux said. “It’s our best option.”

  “Our only option, from where I’m standing.” Kopius eyed the edgy soldiers by the door.

  What choice do I have? Van turned out her palm. They were in no shape to fight everyone on the ship. Going back to the Skeleton Coast would set them back time-wise, even if they managed to escape Balish imprisonment, making it near impossible to complete their mission before her protection from the Quasher ended.

  Van called the Coin from her palm. It rose to the surface of her skin.

  She had a deja vu moment. Her mind flashed to last year when she tossed the Coin to Solana. The Balish princess caught it with her bare hand and then burst into a thousand shadowy pieces.

  Although Ferox was the enemy, the thought of him exploding made Van uneasy. He seemed agreeable to not incarcerate—or kill—them and her soul needed no unnecessary further damage.

  “Um.” Van hesitated. “I think, maybe, you should wear gloves.”

  “I’m well versed in the stories of the ancient royals and the Dark War.” He wiggled his fingers for Van to hurry up. “I’m royal. I can handle touching the Coin without corruption.”

  Solana was a royal too. She didn’t move.

  Ferox sighed. “I’m not consorting with demons. I’m not planning on killing any of you. I’m only interested in peace.” He stretched his arm toward Van, hand open.

  She placed the Coin in his palm and winced. Expecting him to explode.

  Nothing happened.

  Ferox didn’t even appear smug about getting the Coin. He tucked it into the same pouch that carried the fairy’s tear. He looked as if he had mentally checked off another task on his long to-do list.

  “We Balish are good people,” he said. “We believe in the light of the sun. I want to prevent Solmor by making sure there is no war between the Lodians and Balish. Now that I know who you are, it’s my duty to find the real reason why Uxa sent you out-of-bounds.”

  “I’ve already told you. To check the second seal,” Van said, striving to look honest. “Really.”

  “We need to put a stop to the demon illness,” Daisy said, still shaken by the news. “Ferox is on the right path. The Cup of Life is the only way to cure those who are already sick.”

  “Agreed.” Ferox turned to Van. “Apparently, you’re the only one who can retrieve the Cup. Once you do, you will give it to me. I will see to it that the illness is stopped. And then you are free to go check the seal.”

  “Okay, yup.” Van bobbed her head trying to be convincing, but, at the end of their journey, she had no intention of letting Ferox walk away from her with the Coin or the Cup.

  “We have to mend the seal first, to stop the spread of the infection,” Brux said.

  “Maybe we should split up?” Pernilla suggested. “I mean since we’re not prisoners.” Everyone, except Daisy and Van, talk-shouted at once. Offering suggestions, fighting between what to do first: get the Cup or mend the seal, who should go where and who should do what.

  Van remained silent. The pressure had helped her injury, and it wasn’t dripping blood anymore, but she didn’t have it in her to join the argument.

  “It’s a what came first the chicken or the egg scenario,” Paley said.

  Ferox looked perplexed; apparently, he had never heard the expression before. “Why, the egg, of course!”

  “Where’d the egg come from if there was no chicken to lay it?” Pernilla asked.

  Ferox looked at her as if her question was absurd and said, “From the eye of the sun.”

  “Didn’t anyone think that we might need the Cup to mend the seal?” Daisy said, speaking up in her airy, yet authoritative voice.

  All eyes turned to stare at her. A moment of silence followed as they paused to absorb her question.

  Ferox gave Daisy a nod. “We will retrieve the Cup, and then I will let you use it to mend the seal, if need be,” he said, with finality.

  Their discussion was over, and they turned their attention to their current situation. The group left the cabin and went on deck to survey the ship.

  The remaining crew, soldiers, and pirates had already begun working together. They tended to the injured and had started taking inventory of the damage to the ship.

  The laocoon had obliterated the pirate’s ship. The pirate captain was dead, and only a handful of his crew remained—three human men; one male, blue-skinned pirate with pointed facial features; and one humanoid, fish-woman with coral-colored scaly skin, and gill-like ears. Her face protruded outward with bulging, overlarge eyes, and she had a round mouth with pouty lips. Van thought she looked like a human-sized goldfish.

  The fish-woman removed her newsboy cap when Captain Widsith introduced her as Thyra. Instead of hair, a gold-colored fin fanned across her scalp.

  “Fascinating,” Kopius said, clearly interested in learning more about the strange woman.

  She gave them a curt, nervous bow.

  The newly merged crew got busy repairing The Obelus.

  Ferox allowed them access to their backpacks and Brux dashed down to the designated cabin. He returned with a backpack full of medicinal supplies, a change of shirt for Van, and jackets for his teammates since the air had gotten much colder.

  As Brux and Daisy applied tinctures and patched up Van’s wound, she watched Ferox working side by side with the crew. Despite the cooler air, he was sweating from the repair work and had removed his outer marketeer’s shirt. He wore a tight fitted tank that displayed his muscular torso and tapering waist.

  Van narrowed her eyes at Thyra working next to him, chatting away. She scowled. The fish-woman needed to focus on the work at hand, not flirting.

  “Sorry, did I hurt you?” Brux pulled his hand away from patting down her bandage.

  “No,” Van said, only taking her eyes off Ferox for a second to glance at Brux.

  Although Widsith was the official captain of The Obelus, and Cortica wasn’t legally ruled by the Balish, there was an unspoken acknowledgment that Prince Ferox was in charge. It seemed all people, even creatures like Thyra, deferred to him, practically groveling for his approval.

  Ferox required Kopius and Brux to pitch in with the ship’s repairs. But since the ship was considered patriarchal Balish-occupied territory, human females weren’t allowed to help with repair work.

  “Seriously?” Pernilla shifted her weight to one side and placed her hands on her hips.

  “That’s okay with me,” Paley piped in.

  “We have to respect his beliefs,” Daisy said, in good stride.

  “It’s obnoxious.” Van muttered a string of words, the most audible were “chauvinistic” and “dictator,” as the girls were shuffled down into the galley to help prepare dinner.

  “I don’t even know how to cook,” Pernilla said with a huff.

  “I do.” Daisy smiled, as if happy with the arrangement. “I can show you.”

  The galley appeared to have little damage from the attack and was bigger than Van imaged. It was stocked with bags of grain and barrels of vegetables. Stacks of pots, some tin
mugs, and a handful of iron ladles and spoons were secured in cubbies in the wall. Chains hung a small iron stove from beams, and the floor of the galley was lined with tin to prevent the coals from the setting the ship on fire.

  The girls got to work, with Daisy instructing them.

  Before long, Ferox popped in to see how they were doing.

  “Fine,” Van said with an attitude.

  Pernilla grunted and pounded her fist into the biscuit dough she volunteered to kneed.

  Daisy bobbed her head but didn’t stop humming.

  Paley giggled while chopping carrots. “It’s fun.”

  Ferox peered at Van, who was peeling a potato. “You don’t look so good.”

  “No, she doesn’t,” Paley said. “She’s terribly pale.”

  “You need to gain your strength,” Ferox said to Van.

  “I’m fine.” Although, she felt exhausted.

  Ferox gave Van a once over glance. “You’re not recovered enough from your injuries to be helping in the galley.”

  “I said I’m fine.”

  “Get to the captain’s quarters and rest,” Ferox commanded. “That’s an order. Go.”

  Van tossed her knife onto the butcher block table. She didn’t want to waste her energy arguing and trudged up several stairwells and across a deck to the captain’s cabin. While lying in the small, wooden bed, Van heard people shuffling around, working outside. She raised her ear hoping to catch some conversation.

  She heard bits and pieces, and most it was about the repair work they were doing to the ship, so she found it boring. Until Van heard Brux ask Ferox if he could be allowed to check on her.

  Ferox denied him.

  Van fumed. Of all the pompous, self-righteous—her thoughts abruptly stopped when someone tapped on the cabin door.

  “It’s Ferox. May I come in?”

  “S-sure,” Van said, feeling her cheeks turn pink as she realized Ferox said no to Brux because he personally wanted to check on her. Van snuggled into her bedcover to make it look like she had been sleeping.

  Ferox entered the cabin with confidence. His presence engulfed the room, making Van’s entire body feel warm. Her attraction to Ferox was becoming an issue—one that she couldn’t comprehend or accept, especially since she thought he was kind of a jerk.

  But, then again, he seemed to be fair, and reasonable and had a lot in common with her.

  Van brushed away her feelings as a mere physical attraction brought on by his good looks, and, perhaps, him being a prince, and his ability to take command. He seemed to affect all females this way, and it annoyed Van that she became one in the crowd.

  Ugh. This thought process wasn’t helping at all.

  Zurial warned Van about this kind of situation in her memory engram—don’t get involved with a Bale. Her ancestor’s relationship with Manik definitely turned out poorly, Van had no wish to repeat it. She wanted her feelings for Ferox to be false.

  But her heart insisted otherwise. It twirled like a cyclone when Ferox grabbed the chair next to her bed, and turned it so he could face her.

  “How’re you feeling?” He leaned in close, looking genuinely concerned.

  Van closed her eyes and inwardly shook away the notion that he cared about her wellbeing. She reminded herself that he was the enemy. He had taken the Coin from her and now wanted the Cup, nothing more.

  Didn’t Jacynthia advise me to see him as an ally?

  “Are you hungry? I can have some food brought in.”

  Van opened her eyes. She gazed at Ferox and shook her head. For the first time in a year, she had no appetite.

  She had to face it. Ferox was a good guy.

  Van gaped at him, not able to think of anything to say. She still felt embarrassed at her earlier outburst. Plus, she felt guilty for lying to him about agreeing to retrieve the Cup. She had no intention of getting the Cup, never mind giving it to him. All she wanted to do was check the seal and get home.

  “We’ll be arriving at Cortica tomorrow morning,” he said. “Are you able to walk?”

  Van nodded. She remained unable to speak.

  “Good.” He smiled.

  Van’s insides melted.

  “I heard there are healers on the island. I’ll take you to one once we dock.”

  His words wrapped Van like a warm blanket. She smiled, and managed a feeble, “Thanks.”

  Several hours after Ferox left the cabin, The Obelus docked at Outlaw Island.

  Chapter 27

  It was late morning when they reached Cortica, also known as Outlaw Island. Van scanned the entire shoreline standing on the deck of The Obelus, and couldn’t see the end. If she hadn’t been told it was an island, she wouldn’t have known.

  Ferox and five of his soldiers prepared to disembark with one of the pirates familiar with the territory. Of course, that pirate was Thyra.

  Van rolled her eyes. Apparently, the fish-woman was unable to be more than three feet away from Ferox at any given time.

  The rest of the crew was instructed to guard the ship and continue with repairs.

  Ferox commanded them to leave their backpacks and ordered Daisy, Paley, and Pernilla to stay on the ship for their own safety.

  Pernilla looked like she was about to burst like a geyser.

  Instead of pointing at her and saying, “Thar she blows!” Van took the high road and let it go.

  “I’m not thrilled about going to Outlaw Island anyway,” Paley said, nervously twitching her shoulder.

  Daisy looked devastated. “I don’t think we should split up.”

  Van’s heart lurched seeing Daisy’s saddened face. Plus, Van agreed with her. They needed to stick together. She turned to Ferox and said, “We’re a team, placed with each other for a reason. They need to come to shore with me.”

  Ferox looked skeptical.

  She knew he didn’t want them to go because they were human females, the weaker sex, in his mind.

  “It’s an Anchoress thing,” she added, hoping to seal the deal.

  Ferox agreed. “There’s a lot about the Anchoress I don’t yet understand,” he said to Van, making her squirm under his intense interest.

  Although dressed as marketeer’s scouts, Ferox allowed his soldiers to carry swords, but not the swords of the royal Balish soldiers, the ones left by the dead pirates. He chose to take a dagger.

  “Marketeer’s scouts carry weapons,” Ferox said as if someone was going to object.

  From what Van had heard about Cortica, no one in their right mind would object to them carrying weapons.

  “Where’s mine?” Kopius extended his hands.

  Ferox grimaced at the ridiculous question.

  “We’re not prisoners,” Brux said. “This place is dangerous, and we have no interest in killing the Balish Crown Prince.”

  “Where are going to run to?” Kopius shrugged. “Plus, you could use us as back up.”

  Ferox considered their request, then nodded.

  “Yes!” Kopius curled his fist and jacked his elbow downward, in a winning gesture.

  He and Brux both chose to conceal daggers.

  “Me too?” Pernilla raised her eyebrows.

  Ferox didn’t look happy, but said, “Go on, then.”

  “Yes!” Pernilla said, in a similar manner to Kopius. She also snagged a dagger.

  Daisy, Paley, and Van perused the weapon inventory.

  Two daggers remained, and Daisy and Paley reluctantly took them, urged by Kopius and Brux.

  “I’m afraid I’ll stab myself to death with this thing,” Paley said as she tucked the dagger into one of the many side pockets in her cargo pants.

  “I don’t want this,” Daisy said holding the blade between her thumb and forefinger. “You can be my weapon.” She beamed at Kopius.

  He grinned back. “I will be.” He took the knife and slipped into the long, side pocket in her cargo pants. “But take the dagger just in case.”

  The only weapons left were swords, cutlasses, axes, and the li
ke. “I’m not taking any of those,” Van said.

  All of them tried to give their dagger to Van, even Pernilla.

  Van refused. “I’ll be fine.”

  “You’re not going on land without a weapon,” Brux said.

  “You can stay close to me,” Ferox said to Van. “I’ll watch over you.”

  Brux scowled and shifted his weight. “Hold on.” He rummaged through his pants pockets. “Here. Take this, at least.” He handed Van a jackknife. “Put where you can easily find it.”

  Van opened her mouth to say she didn’t need a weapon, she was a weapon, when Brux cut her off.

  “Just take it,” he said.

  He looked so serious, Van didn’t have the heart to fight with him. They had no time to squabble, anyway. She tucked the knife into her jacket pocket.

  With the weapons issue settled, Ferox commanded them to get moving.

  The team disembarked. They walked past several sketchy ships in dock, plus a handful of smaller boats, and went over to the wharf master’s cabin.

  Ferox placed two bagocs in the wharf master’s palm.

  He gladly accepted the legit Balish-stamped gold coins and asked no questions.

  As they headed down the wide, dirt road, a murder of crows took flight from the surrounding trees.

  The fluttering black birds caused Van to think of Solana, of the moment when the Balish princess burst into a thousand shadowy pieces after touching the Coin. Van couldn’t shake the feeling the crows had appeared to remind her she had corrupted her soul by incorrectly using the power of the Coin. That she danced close to darkness and needed to be careful.

  Van rubbed her arms, trying to ward off the willies, and re-doubled her intention of never laying a finger on the Cup. Uxa was right, Van wasn’t ready. She couldn’t be trusted to handle its power.

  After walking along a winding dirt road for about a mile, they reached the outskirts of downtown Cortica.

  Most of the structures they passed were saltbox shacks and tenements. But they passed by a swampy area, and Van noticed some stilted houses built far from the road. In front of one, she saw ripples of water and caught the snapping snout of what looked like a crocodile. Her imagination ran away with her as she pictured it as a watery graveyard for cutthroats and thieves that had double-crossed one another.