“I did,” Kai said. “A conversation about what?”
“Bloodlines.”
Kai looked at Paeleon in confusion.
“You probably didn’t know this but my uncle is from Seron,” Paeleon continued. “He was a powerful man. He always said he was destined to rule the entire island. He got his chance and usurped himself a throne. But, he made a folly. He chased a prize he was underequipped to handle and he was burned by dragonfire.”
Kai eyes widened as he realized the captain’s uncle was King Ramsey of Kosal. He had led his army against the Tower of Kings and was defeated, almost single-handedly by Isabella and Sisera. The army was almost entirely wiped out. Kai had not been there as he had traveled to find Rosalie but he found the king’s son, Erik, on the road back. Erik had been the cause of all his previous misfortunes so Kai took his retribution when they met.
“You know what I am talking about, I see,” Paeleon said. “Good. Then I won’t have to explain too much. My uncle had a son, my cousin, Erik. I loved him very much. We grew up together. We were nearly inseparable until my father insisted I leave my mother, Erik’s mother’s sister, and join him on the sea. Word has it you are responsible for his demise.”
Kai looked around nervously, unsure of what to expect. There was a small complement of crewmen gathered around in case he tried to run. He looked for Aarav but could not find the man anywhere in sight. He looked back at Paeleon and took a deep breath. “OK. So, what now?”
“I take that to mean you understand what I am talking about. You are admitting to me right now that it was your dagger that pierced his eye and sent him to the next life?” Paeleon’s voice began to grow into a shout as he spoke. He began to pace in front of Kai but without breaking eye contact.
“It was.” Kai was sure to keep his head held high. He had every right to take the prince’s life, any judge in the world would agree. He stood by his actions, no matter what the cost. It couldn’t be much worse than what was waiting for him at the port, should Aarav not come through on his promise.
Captain Paeleon drew his sword and let out a mighty scream. He swung the sword toward Kai but he was standing far enough away the blade flew by just inches from his face. Kai managed to barely flinch. He thought about trying to explain his side of the story to the captain but he was not sure the captain would be interested to hear it.
The captain turned and stared out across the ocean. Everything seemed to stop as no one seemed to want to move until they were sure he would allow it. It seemed to Kai that even the crew men were holding their breaths to be sure there would be no chance of incurring the captain’s wrath for disturbing his thoughts.
After a few long moments, the captain turned back to face Kai. His face had lost the angry expression and had gained a more solemn one. Paeleon caught Kai’s gaze and held it for a long while.
“I can’t kill you,” he said finally. “I knew that from the start. You are much too valuable. I cannot afford to have the Sacred Blood retaliate against me for harming you before they get their hands on you. So, what am I to do? Last night we conversed. I feel like I got a pretty good idea of the kind of man you are. Proud. Noble. Loyal. All words that describe you. It may surprise you to know that I know the full story of your encounters with my cousin. Erik was so angry that day you caught him with your woman and beat him senseless. He was going to have you killed, you know? I convinced him otherwise. Who knew so many years later our paths would cross like this? You made a name for yourself regardless of the circumstances you had to endure. Commander of the Daxrah, protectors of the Dragon Princess. Impressive, I must say.”
Kai listened to the captain rant on but his thoughts turned to his memories of those days that seemed so long ago. He could vividly remember the sight of the Prince of Kosal thrusting away on his Rosalie, in his tent on his bed. The memory brought more satisfaction to his memory of thrusting his knife into the man’s head. The man who had blackmailed Kai’s betrothed, Rosalie, into betraying him by threatening to kill her father, who was late paying his taxes. Prince Erik then banished Kai, who then spent the next seven years as a town drunk in a backwoods village. It was there he met Raven, who changed his life once again.
Raven.
She was the whole reason for his journey. Kai gritted his teeth. He had to get out of this and find her. She was the one who saved him in that village. He owed her his life.
“So, what am I going to do?” Captain Paeleon brought Kai’s attention back to the present. “I feel like I need justice. But, at the same time, he put you through a lot. I do admit you did deserve your revenge. It is not often people get the revenge they deserve. You seem to have unnatural luck. It is truly amazing. The more I hear of your story, the more I am convinced of it. Even, here, right now, your luck is saving you from me. Perhaps, it is the will of the gods. Perhaps, they have plans for you. Who am I to interfere with the gods?”
Paeleon threw his arms up to the sky and shouted upward every time he mentioned the gods. His eyes would roll back and show just the white. It looked to Kai like the man was a fanatic, who he knew to be very unpredictable. Kai began to get a nervous again.
“I did my godly duty,” Paeleon continued, meeting Kai’s eye once again. “I saved you. I gave you food and let you rest. But now, you must answer for your transgressions against my family. I will not kill you but I will make you suffer. Consider it your penance to me. Endure it without a fight and we will be even. I enjoy your company, Kai Woods. I wish to converse with you again in the future but first, you must pay your debt.”
Paeleon paused to let Kai consider his words.
“What is the punishment?” Kai asked with false confidence.
“You will be chained to the mast for the duration of the voyage. We will sail into the harbor with you naked and prostrate for all to see. It will be a small humiliation for you but it will suffice as retribution.”
This man is truly insane, Kai thought to himself as he considered the punishment. Although, it could be much worse.
“Agreed,” he said and he was immediately stripped and made to climb up to the crow’s nest as the captain watched, overjoyed.
A small platform had been installed on the main mast on which Kai was made to stand. His arms and legs were spread out and shackled. He was comfortable but he knew after a few hours he would wish he did not have arms or legs.
It’s only a few hours, he thought. He kept repeating it in his head to distract him from the cat calls and lewd comments from the crew below. He appeared to be humorous to them. He looked around for Aarav but could not see his friend. I hope he has a plan to get me out of this.
16
From his platform at the top of the mast, Kai had the best view of anyone as the Scarlet Shade entered the massive harbor of the Tri, a common nickname for the three cities that each controlled a piece of the gateway to Evresh.
The politics were complicated. Frida had tried to explain them to Kai but she had gotten frustrated as Oshri was constantly interrupting her and offering alternative facts to the ones she was presenting. Although the descriptions were vastly different, they both had a similar theme: Evresh was a dangerous place.
I may not even make it ashore, Kai considered what would happen if he got transferred to the Brotherhood ship.
“Bang the drum,” Captain Paeleon shouted as he rode at the bow of the ship, one leg up on the railing, chest puffed out. The ship entered the harbor and was beginning to pass close by other ships. He began to shout at the top of his lungs “Hey, check this out.”
Kai could not help but be impressed with the man’s confidence. A notorious pirate would not usually attempt to draw attention to himself but here was this man, arguably the most notorious pirate alive today, calling out to strangers as if he were advertising a carnival show.
He had already endured a few hours of shaming from the crew so what was a few more people enjoying a laugh at his expense. It was all just more of the same type of comments but nearly all of them
ruder than Kai had ever heard before.
Aarav. Where is Aarav? Kai had not seen the man since the first night when he promised to help Kai escape. That did not install confidence. Kai kept scanning the deck for any possible sign but found none.
The Scarlet Shade sailed deep into the huge, twisting network of canals that made up the three connecting harbors of the three competing cities. Frida had told Kai the cities were founded thousands of years ago by the children of a tribe’s chief. The chief died and his children were left to lead the massive, nomadic tribe. They decided to break tradition and settle down. They sailed the Grim Isles for many years and, after many failed attempts, found the Island of Evresh. They found the very southern tip to be uninhabited, and surrounded by lush farmland, perfect for their needs.
“There were three children, two brothers and a sister, triplets. Resik, Rollick, and Reyna. They were each strong leaders, as they learned well from their father.”
Frida had spoken with great respect about the legendary characters. Kai was always a bit skeptical when it came to historical tales. He thought it was all too easy to change a story to suit ones’ needs. Without proof, it was all just hearsay, as far as he was concerned.
She told him all about how each child picked one of the three peninsulas that make up the southern tip. Each was a huge area with lots of room to expand and all three did just that. The mountain ranges beyond the lush farmland were stocked full of valuable gems and precious metals. The ports became an incredibly rich trading hub as more people flocked to the island to mine the mountains and find their fortune.
“For years, humans kept to the southern mountains but eventually, perhaps inevitably, humans ventured far enough north through the mountains to encounter the Pyx, an ancient race of small but powerful creatures. They have inhabited the northern third of Evresh for millennia before humans even existed,” Frida said. “They are the main reason people invent horrible stories about Evresh. Although, most of the stories are actually true and much worse than people have heard. The Pyx are incredibly powerful but we are at peace with them. They control the only route into the heartland of the island, which is where you must go. Few humans are allowed to pass but the witches have had excellent relations with the Pyx for a very long time. They have helped accelerate our understanding of magic to unimaginable levels.”
I really wanted to see those little guys, Kai thought as the ship arrived at its destination, at least according to the shouts of the crew members below. The Scarlet Shade had turned down an empty canal and had traveled into a dead end. A single ship occupied a large, sparsely-lit dock.
“Sacred Blood,” Kai whispered aloud as he saw the banner on the massive ship. It was even bigger than the one he was on, which was now previously the largest he had ever seen. A horrible feeing gripped the pit of his stomach. For a brief moment, he forgot he was chained naked to the top of a ship’s mast. Flashbacks filled his mind’s eye and terror filled his heart.
The Scarlet Shade crept slowly toward the Brotherhood vessel. The crew had become silent, they were not at a comfort level with the fanatical arms dealers to show any signs of disrespect. The group was infamous worldwide for their magnificent and innovative weapons that they were more than willing to sell for the right price. The funds the Sacred Blood made from selling weapons, they used to fund their own personal war on those things in the world they felt offended their strong beliefs. Dragons and the Dragonblood topped their list which sparked the thousand years of war mankind has had with the mystical beasts.
Dragons had traditionally ruled the world. The origins of the original bonding are not common knowledge. Very few know the actual truth but none of those who know were known to Kai or anyone else. Kai suspected that Frida knew but she was very good at keeping secrets.
“Get him down,” Paeleon shouted and Kai was released from the mast and given his clothing. He dressed as quickly as his sore muscles would let him. He was given a cup of water which he gladly accepted but drank too quickly and began to choke. A crewman quickly threw an arm around him and patted his back until the water came back up.
“Get ready to run.”
Kai looked the crewman in the face to verify that he was not creating things in his mind. It was Aarav. He gave Kai a serious look that told him to hold his tongue.
“Get ready to run,” Aarav said again in the same hushed tone. “You’ll know when.”
He helped Kai back to a standing position and disappeared into the crowd of crewman that crowded the deck.
Kai stood and faced Captain Paeleon who had just finished giving instructions on how he wanted the ships latched together.
“Thank you for your penance,” Paeleon bowed to Kai. “I loved my cousin. You did what you needed to do and so did I. I wish you the best of luck on your future adventures.”
Kai had mixed feelings about the captain but he extended his hand. Regardless of the outcome, the two men had created an undeniable bond during their brief encounter, albeit a strange one.
“No. Don’t touch him!”
Kai instinctively pulled his hand back and turned to face the source of the shout which was Aarav. He burst through the crowd of crew men, toward Kai with his hand extended. He grabbed onto Kai and suddenly a flash of blue light and a terrible pain ripped through Kai’s body.
“Can you move?”
Kai looked around. He was now in the middle of a busy dock. His mind spun out of control as he looked around. His eyes settled on a blurred face, which slowly came into focus.
“Can you move?” Aarav repeated the question, his face just inches from Kai’s.
“Yes, I think so,” he said instinctively. “I will explain later. Now, we run.”
Aarav grabbed Kai by the arm and pulled him to his feet. The two men took off running. Kai stumbled a bit at first but soon found his stride. He followed Aarav through the twisting streets of the foreign city.
How did he do that? Kai wished he could think of a logical answer but he was too busy trying to keep up.
The look of the city was very different than Kai was used to seeing but at the same time there were common factors. Streets and alleyways in any city in the world were an excellent place to get lost.
Aarav came to a stop in front of a doorway in the middle of an empty alleyway.
“In here. Quickly,” he said as he pushed the door open.
Kai ran inside and, with nowhere else to go, crumbled to the floor of the empty room to catch his breath. Aarav followed him in and shut the door without making any noise. He carefully latched the door before collapsing to the floor with his back against the barred door.
The two men sat in silence, allowing their hearts to stop racing as they listened for any strange noises.
After a long time, Kai sat up and faced Aarav. “Ready to tell me a story,” he asked. “Thank you, by the way.”
Aarav nodded. “It was the witches’ plan. They needed a man so I volunteered. Jaime was the first to speak up but the council would not let him go as he was needed there. Word had gotten out that you were being held captive so I joined a pirate crew. It was surprisingly easy to do with the help of the witches. I showed up at the docks and they took care of everything else. The crew treated me as if I had been with them for years. The witches also, somehow, convinced the captain to search you out. It was all truly impressive.”
“The captain told me he met Browe in Bridgewater, who told him about me,” Kai said.
Aarav laughed. “Browe’s ship was destroyed in battle when they went after the jewel transport. It was guarded by a small fleet and they were defeated. The man Paeleon spoke with was a magical ruse, good enough that he was fooled. We set sail immediately to find you.”
Kai’s mind tried to make sense of this new information but he could not.
“Where are we now?” Kai asked, having decided to deal with the present moment instead of giving himself a headache.
“In a safe room. We are meant to wait here.”
“Fo
r how long? For who?”
Aarav chuckled. “The witches, of course.”
Kai looked around the barren room. It was dimly lit but there was nothing in the room to see anyway.
“Here?”
“They are making sure that we have not been followed here. Our disappearing act could be easily traced by the right mage so we may not be safe just yet,” Aarav said, leaning his head back against the wall.
“Will they come here when it is safe or will we go to them?”
The wall opposite the front door suddenly slid open to reveal a hidden passage. A tall, lanky figure appeared in the entrance. He was dressed in a simple habit, cinched at the waist by a piece of thick rope.
“Greetings, Kai. We are glad you are safe. Welcome to Evresh.” The voice was soft but clear. “Please come in so we may set the wards.”
Kai was confused once again but Aarav got to his feet and motioned for Kai to follow suit.
“Who are you?” Kai asked before stepping through the doorway into the safety of a witch’s hideout.
The boy slid the secret door shut behind them and, without making eye contact, said, “My name is Bastion.”
17
“Is that Droll already?” Isabella shouted to Sisera. Even though using the mindlink was easier, she still enjoyed speaking out loud to her friend. “It seems like we are going faster.”
“It just seems that way but, yes, we are making very good time. I figured you could handle flying a little higher than usual which helps increase the speed. We could probably make it all the way to the Dragon Isle if we flew at night.”
“Well, if I fall asleep and roll off, please catch me,” Isabella said with a forced chuckle. Flying at night made her nervous but she also knew how important this was for Sisera. She trusted her friend.
After transporting Adina and a crate of supplies up to Caritha’s cave, Isabella and Sisera took off from the monastery just after sunrise. The sky was clear when they left but when they reached the Grim Isles, thick dark clouds had blanketed the world below, obscuring the island chain from sight. Isabella had hoped to see some ships because it amused her that they looked like toys from the sky. There was no break in the cloud cover until they were nearly across the Grey Sea.
Dragon Flight: Sisera's Gift 3 (Dragonblood Sagas Book 5) Page 12
