The Flames of Arathia

by Jordan Liberatore

  Nathan was used to being alone. The last three years had been cold for him, numb and dull. It was to his surprise that he heard that trademark laugh at the bar in the tavern he stepped into in hopes of avoiding some rowdy soldiers. Nathan raised an eyebrow, watching Adam Brightheart swing the young woman next to him to his side, kissing her passionately. “Round for the newlyweds!” another man called out to the bar tender.

  “Is that… Beings above, Nathan Rodrick, could it be?” Adam breathed as he laid eyes on the young captain. Nathan lightly waved, looking at the woman next to him. Lu had longer hair back then, down the end of her spine. It hung around her and the woman was nothing more than a cold beauty. There was an icy chill in her gray eyes, but it was alluring all the same.

  “Adam, who is this?” Lu asked softly, resting her hand on Adam’s shoulder.

  “This, dearest Lu, is Nathan Rodrick. I used to work for his father,” Adam explained, kissing her nose. “I must say, Nathan, I thought you good and dead when I heard what happened.”

  “I’m not so easy to put down,” Nathan sighed. “I see you’ve gotten your catch though.” Adam smiled proudly, wrapping his arm around Lu.

  “Meet Lucinda, my wife,” Adam introduced. Nathan offered his hand out to her, but she just waved. That was the first sign to Nathan, though he ignored it, thinking her just shy. Adam was more the charming and social man, clearly outgoing. “So what brings you here?”

  “Actually, I’m looking for a small crew for the ship. Just two people I suppose, maybe one if it comes to it,” Nathan sighed, ordering a drink.

  “Funny as I’m looking for work myself. I think the Beings may be wanting me back with the Rodrick family once again,” Adam cooed. Nathan chuckled.

  “Well, you know the beauty well enough for me to trust you. What of your wife?” Nathan inquired.

  “I’ve never worked a ship, but I’m sure I can learn,” Lu assured coldly. Nathan stiffly nodded.

  “I suppose that might settle it then,” Nathan sighed, not realizing the journey he was starting right then and there.

  Adam was not a man to laugh and joke around in a tavern any longer. He pushed back his hair, revealing his own secrets. His ears formed up to a point, the sign of an Elf, and Elf he was. The tattoo on his arm was also Elven, the sign of a promise. His eyes reflected his parents: Queen Avariana and Roark Brightheart, the latter being a fireblood refugee. Adam was truly a wonder, as Sefton so often told Nathan. Adam was the result of a love story. Avariana had been hunting when she found Roark half dead. She took him in, and nursed him to health. The rest was, well, history. It was one of many tales of firebloods narrowly escaping death that Sefton used to tell. He loved them. Nathan now had to wonder if Sefton could pull the same tricks as the heroes he looked up to. But Nathan knew better. The dead stayed dead, and seven years was too long dead for any hope.

  “She has met your mother,” Nathan sighed. As the girls would be working up deck, there was no need for that powerful, ancient Elven language. Lu never questioned the use of it, so Nathan was still a bit in shock on how Drusilla picked up on the habit as she did. She was a keen one, just as Nathan’s sweet Flower. She would have laughed though, praising how Nathan was careful and wise. Drusilla was just suspicious.

  “So she has informed me, Nathan. I will say, I am not surprised, not in the very least,” Adam sighed, not bothering to hide his heavy Elven accent. Even after eleven years it never really went away. He was proud of it, and it made him sound as noble as he really was. Adam rolled up his sleeves, crossing his arms. “You still feel for her, don’t you?” Adam inquired. Nathan looked down at his desk.

  “Adam, I cannot love one who hides all that she does,” Nathan argued, shaking his head.

  “I believe she hides more from you. She’s a good woman though, Nathan. She also needs us more than ever,” Adam pointed out.

  “Should I tell Lu that?” Nathan asked, looking up. Adam frowned. Suddenly all childishness was gone without a trace.

  “Go on ahead if you wish. The rumors around Tiarta are that she’s a Mace,” Adam reported. All that love he may have once had for Lu in that tavern those years ago was gone. Nathan couldn’t help but question how much of that was caused by simple rumors Adam managed to pick up. On one hand, Nathan couldn’t blame Adam for asking questions as there was little Lu would tell him. On the other hand, Nathan had to argue with what Adam was doing. Lu had grown on him, and he wasn’t so willing to call her a traitor just yet. Still… This seemed to be just another question for Annloe. Nathan once again let his thoughts land on the Dinthlayi Amarca. Something seemed to be stirring in the air, and it was setting Nathan on edge. If the Free Striders were indeed gathering, that meant little good. The last time they gathered, a war broke out, a war that had not technically been ended.

  “Malcolm’s a Mace. The two look alike, you know,” Nathan sighed. He had to give Adam that much credit. Nathan himself had noticed the resemblance very early on. Lu was kinder though, at least back then. She used to smile, and now… The change was certainly queer. A few years prior she had been called home to see some passing family member, and she had begged Adam to go with her. He wouldn’t because he was helping me fix up the ship before storm season, and she went alone. The woman that came back was certainly not the one that left, at least not entirely.

  “I am aware that they do. It also holds true that no one knows where she was last night, the night that Malcolm died. I still pity Sill for it. She’d only just gotten hope of them together again,” Adam sighed. His posture was full of worry, and his gaze was cold and calculating. Nathan had learned how to read the prince like a book. At least, he could when the mask was down. When the mask was up, well, the sailor was not the same as the prince.

  “It may be just a coincidence, Adam,” Nathan assured. He couldn’t fathom someone who was like family betraying him. He had grown up in a village that had to rely on each other. There was no room for betrayal. Nathan knew where Adam stood though, that man that now glared at him. It was with some regularity that an Elf decided to forsake his kingdom and fall in with the Dark Elves. Adam used to tell stories of those he’d seen leave. He would laugh and joke about it. Still, he understood the sting of family turning their back. Nathan did not.

  “You know that I do not believe in coincidences, Nathan. I know you do,” Adam replied calmly and coldly.

  “That I do, though I may believe in such things. What would you call Drusilla meeting your mother as she did?” Nathan countered, hoping to get some kind of upper hand. It was near hopeless though, as Adam always seemed to have some sort of card to play. That was just in his nature. Nathan could swear that Adam inherited some form of foresight from his mother. Adam seemed to know that too. Often Adam avoiding sleep to avoid dreams, perhaps scared of what they’d show. Nathan could understand as much. He also knew that pain. His never showed the pain of the future though. No, it reminded him of the past, constantly reopening wounds just as they would begin to scab over. He’d never be rid of it, that near deadly cycle. Nathan had long ago accepted that and so plunged himself further into his duties.

  “I know not as to why my mother does what she does. She just does and it is to be left at that. I fear what she told her though. Mother said that Drusilla was fated to become extremely close to one close to my mother, and that the beginnings of that have already begun to work themselves,” Adam told Nathan in a concerned tone. Nathan understood what it was Adam was hitting at. That was something dangerous. It was innocent enough, if it weren’t for one other person.

  “I can’t say as to what your mother meant at that, Adam, and therefore cannot give you any comfort. It may be just that you are destined to be good friends with her,” Nathan suggested. Adam laughed, seeing right through the ploy.

  “Don’t even try, knowing that you know as well as I. Nathan, Mother usually only watches those who are destined to be in love with one of her own kin. If Lu ever heard word of this, she’d have the two of us murdered,” A
dam sighed. He feared Lu, perhaps as much as he once loved her, as once upon a time he did. Nathan studied Adam. There was no love left for Lu, just fear and remorse, perhaps even pity. There was no hate though, that much Nathan could see. That would be good. If Adam began to hate his wife… Nathan would be the one afraid. Hate was an emotion that Adam rarely ever felt. It was not something to be awoken in him. Those that did found themselves in one very bad position. Nathan still remembered that last pirate that pushed Adam to that. It took days to wash the blood off the deck.

  “Sometimes love is short lived. You know what all I lost that night. You knew her just as I, and you knew I loved her. Please keep that in mind,” Nathan argued. He hated bringing up Lillian. She was a deep wound, one that never even tried to heal itself. Love can leave that kind of damage. Nathan saw that. It was the kind of loss that tore one to pieces and left them half alive only to watch them suffer. Nathan felt a chill run down his back. That was probably how Drusilla felt now.

  “So you have spoken to me. I cannot give either of us the comfort we so desperately desire. I doubt I’d even be able to reach out to Drusilla,” Adam sighed, shaking his head.

  “Can anyone?” Nathan pointed out. They both flickered a smile.

  “I suppose no one ever will. My predicament may just be short lived, but alas my friend, yours shall not. I wish you well and this you know. Still, you could reach out to Sill. You both know what that loss is like,” Adam mused before leaving. Nathan leaned back in his chair, watching the candle on his desk flicker. He folded his hands, resting his chin on his fingers. He let himself become lost in thought as the ship rocked back and forth. He knew Adam meant well. Of course he did. Still, he couldn’t help Drusilla. Nathan couldn’t close his own wound. He just wanted to forget, and to move on. But all he saw was Lillian’s laughing face, and her ragged mess of dirty blonde curls, the things he missed most of all.

  Chapter 3:

  Evening came and with it Nathan found himself on top deck. The sunset was blood red, streaking like flames against the sky. Adam and Drusilla were standing at the wheel talking about some piece of history or lore. Lu was sitting nearby working on some ropes. She seemed tense, Nathan noticed, as Adam and Drusilla laughed together. Still, it was a good thing to hear. Considering the news Drusilla was working through, this showed she had hope. Nathan turned his gaze back to Lu, watching as she took out a knife and a bit of cloth to clean it with. She seemed to be trying to scrub away some sort of red substance on the blade. It was a red substance Nathan recognized and knew shouldn’t be there.

  As Nathan walked towards them, Lu quickly sheathed her knife again. She glared up at Nathan with cold eyes and frowning red lips. It was chilling how she acted. Was this really the person Nathan once knew? He sighed, unable to tell. She was so much a mystery, and if Adam was right, the truth could very well be deadly. Still, Nathan had to hold onto the memory of the woman Lu once was.

  “It’s exhilarating!” Lu laughed, stretching out her arms and leaning her head back to welcome the wind as they sailed. It was their first day at sea, and Lu was enjoying herself. Adam smiled over at her.

  “I told you,” Adam teased. Lu glared at him but smiled.

  “It’s like flying without actually flying,” Lu breathed. She turned to face Adam and Nathan, leaning on the side rail. “And you both live like this?”

  “Actually my father did. After his death I took over,” Nathan explained. Lu slowly nodded.

  “How, if you don’t mind my asking, did he die?” Lu inquired, a flicker of darkness in her eyes.

  “Fire,” Nathan sighed.

  “Nathan, you don’t have to,” Adam insisted. Nathan shook his head.

  “No, it’s fine,” Nathan assured. “My village was burned down by the Brethren. I am the only survivor of that night.”

  “That’s… Sad,” Lu cooed, crossing her arms. She turned back to the water, clutching the wood side. “Very devastating.” There was almost a hiss in her voice, like a poison being spit out. She sighed, slowly relaxing as she let herself get caught up in the feeling once again.

  “How close do you think we are?” Drusilla inquired, walking over to Nathan. He looked up at her, shaken out of thoughts of the past. She was still tense, though not as bad as before. It was as though she were trying to still be on friendly terms with Nathan. He remained quiet for a moment, thinking through his answer as he studied her muscular figure. She had tucked her dark pants into her tall boots, and wore a white shirt that seemed a size or two too big for her. It was probably Malcolm’s, as she usually wore green not white. She had her jacket swung over one shoulder, her blue eyes studying Nathan. Her pink lips were slightly parted, her head cocked just a bit.

  To Nathan, Drusilla was a princess in a bandit’s guise. He couldn’t understand how someone could be so naturally beautiful and yet so cold and deadly at the same time. It was the same with many of the women Nathan tended to gravitate towards. Still, even Lillian was never so withdrawn, holding back so much. Drusilla was full of secrets, dark and taunting. She was one book Nathan certainly wished he could open and read. “I would say that come morning, land shall be seen. Would you please get some dinner together, Miss Free Strider?” Nathan replied. A spark of belonging flickered in Drusilla’s eyes.

  “I’d be happy to Captain,” Drusilla sighed, walking away as she moved her jacket to be over her arm. Nathan couldn’t help but wish things had gone differently between them. They may have been able to help each other heal. Now… Now Nathan just had to hope they could stay on good terms until all was done. He once though he’d found the cure to his pain in an inn in Lokko, but now he realized his mistake. There was still a reason she was here though. Avariana had visited her, so Nathan had to be at peace knowing he’d made the right decision. That in mind, he walked over and took over the wheel, leaving Adam to help Lu out for a bit. The Captain needed the fresh air and the control. It kept him from falling apart at times like this.

  Being at the wheel reminded Nathan of who he was: a leader. He was a Captain, a man born to lead on the seas and land. It was his heritage that led him to where he was, and where he was going. He was a Rodrick, and that meant something. He wasn’t going to back down. His family would have been so disappointed, and Lillian would have yelled at him for hours. No, he wouldn’t let them down. He couldn’t. He had a birthright to take back.

  Nathan was five when his father took him for a hike in the valley. “Papa, what do you want to talk about?” Nathan asked, swinging his arms. Sefton Rodrick chuckled. He had one of those deep laughs, like the rumble of the storm. He was so much like the sea in that way, as in others.

  “Do you know how the firebloods came to be?” Sefton inquired. Nathan shook his head. “Well, son, what matters about that is that they once ruled this land. They found Galdirr and made it their home. Then one day some very evil people took over, and they pushed the firebloods to live as we do.”

  “That’s not so bad,” Nathan remarked. Sefton smiled.

  “No, but they are not the rightful king. You see, son, one day the fireblood will take back the throne. It might even be this generation, or yours, or the next,” Sefton explained. He stopped, kneeling down next to his son. “And you see, Nathan, our family is special. When the old fireblood king was killed, his son escaped, and we come from that line.”

  “So… I’m a prince?” Nathan asked, looking curiously at his father. Sefton kissed his son’s forehead.

  “In a way yes, a boy that should be a prince,” Sefton sighed. “And it may be you who takes back the throne. I will teach you more when you get older and tell you of the prophecy that we look to. You can still lead though. You can always lead. One day you may be a leader of this village, and one day you will lead as Captain on my ship. So never take life lightly, son. Enjoy it, but know that there is always work to be done.”

  “Sure, Papa,” Nathan assured, hugging his father. “Let’s go get some berries, Papa. Can we?” Sefton laughed, picking up his son. />
  “Of course, Nathan, we’ll get some berries. I’m sure your mother would love them,” Sefton replied with a wink, carrying on in the summer sun.

  Drusilla was relieved to have a moment alone to cook. She set aside her jacket and rolled up her sleeves. She didn’t know why, but wearing Malcolm’s shirt seemed to help her. It seemed… Right. She would have sent his body to his home town, but she didn’t know where that was. Thus she was stuck letting the people at Tiarta care for the body. It was strange. A week ago she wanted that man dead more than anything, but now she missed him terribly. She wiped away a tear as she began to prepare some potatoes for dinner. She needed the distraction. But inside she was so broken. It was like a part of her had been forever ripped out when she’d only just got it back. She was dying inside, and she needed someone or something to save her. She just hoped the Beings saw that and reached out before it was too late.

  Chapter 4:

  The sun was completely set by the time dinner was done. Lu gripped Adam’s hand as they walked down. There was a strange flicker in her eyes that Nathan couldn’t really explain. Something about it set Nathan off a bit and he debated mentioning to Adam. The man in question though kept his gaze forward, not really paying attention to Lu. Nathan felt so torn. He felt obligated to tell Adam, but also to just trust Lu a little longer. He couldn’t give into the rumors. He’d known her for four years. That had to count for something. It just had to.