Beside the Rock and Cloud

by Pete Draper

  “You were so cute back then.” Carilyo looked in her eyes, seeing his innocent little sister again. “When we used to play, and I’d pick you up and swing you around. I was so tired.” He laughed a little on the inside. “And you’d always say, ‘again, again.’”

  A smile cut through Cassi’s lips. “I remember that, it was so long ago. You were so much bigger than me back then.”

  “You know, he was much tougher on me than he was on you.” Carilyo’s eyes were pink, his heavy throat felt like a pebble was jammed in there. “He still treated you like you were his child, but I was just another one of the crew. I was still just a boy.” Carilyo’s chest pounded from within; tears streamed down his face. “I was just a boy. I tried so hard to please him, but nothing ever worked.”

  “It did. He always used to show you off to his friends at the different ports we went to.” The tears built up in the lower half of her eye. Carilyo barely ever saw her cry, she was always the strong one, no matter the situation. “He would be so proud of you, you captained his ship all these years, you were a man from the moment he was gone.” Cassi looked down the hill, the drizzle drained through her dark hair. “I was lost when he died, but you kept us together. You were strong for both of us when I needed you most.” She stroked the shoulder she’d dug her nails in earlier, the pain in it subsided.

  A tear dripped from his long eyelash, but his gaze was the strongest it had been in years. “Everything I had; I owed it to you.” Carilyo looked down at his sandals, one was dangling precariously from his foot.

  “You don’t owe me anything,” Cassi nodded towards Samia and Doriya, they looked utterly helpless, “You owe it to them.” She hugged him tight, it felt awkward at first, after a moment it was warm, comfortable even. He wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back.

  “I love you Cassi.” The words left his mouth with relief, he’d wanted to say it all these years, but never did. It felt like a warmth filled him. “I’m sorry I never said it before.” He sniffed, wiping the corner of his eye. “You mean so much to me, I’m sorry I haven’t appreciated all that you’ve done for me, everything you mean to me.”

  “I love you too Carilyo.” Cassi sobbed so hard, Carilyo could feel her heart vibrate through his hands.

  “When Papa died, it should have brought us together, but it only pushed us apart. I will make things right.”

  Cassi nodded; her tiny smile looked so pretty. Why have I not treated her better all these years?

  “I know you will. You always do.” It was like a sheet was removed from her face. Her strength returned immediately. “I’m sorry I’ve been so hard on you all this time. I guess I thought you would deal with the responsibility, just like I do.”

  Carilyo pulled one arm away, wrapping the other around Cassi’s back, together they looked down at sea.

  “You did the right thing,” said Cassi, “Freeing those two. Papa would have approved.”

  Carilyo’s throat hardened more.

  “I wish he were here to see the man you grew into,” she said. The tears were almost gone completely, replaced by her usual confidence. “He would be so proud.”

  “He would be prouder of you.” Carilyo cried. His eyes were much clearer now, the lump in his throat melted.

  “Promise me one thing, when we get the ship back,” Cassi said. Looking at her eyes reminded him of the little girl she was, when she was all that mattered to him; when he knew how to be happy. It was Cassi that made me happy.

  “Anything you want.”

  “Teach me how to sail it.”

  Carilyo thought for a moment, they both sat silently as the waterfall trickled beside them. “It will take time; you must learn how to read and feel the water. But I can teach you. Will you teach me something in exchange?”

  “What?”

  “Teach me how to barter, how to deal with people. I will carry some of the burden of negotiations.”

  “That,” Cassi smirked, “Will be much harder.” They shared a laugh.

  “I have no idea how Papa did both,” Carilyo said.

  “Me neither. Look, Papa heard our plea.” Cassi pointed at the oncoming ship. Red flags, Levacian traders by the looks.

  “Now, let’s go get our ship back,” Carilyo said. His voice had the confidence which had been missing for so long.

  A Bit of a Blur

  It sparkled and glimmered, flashing more than the glitter paths in the sea. Each blue stone poked out above the white gold around it. A deep blue light pulsed from the sapphires.

  “You can’t trust those Trakians,” Captain Stogg said. With Cassi’s ring held in his palm, he watched the light circle it in admiration. “I stay away from the east end of the Arrizean when I’m out that way. And I especially stay away from their food, except the kebabs.”

  Carilyo laughed. “We all do.”

  “Where’d you pick the Rocklander up?” Stogg asked. Murta was slumped on the hammock, snoring away like he hadn’t slept for weeks; except he was asleep prior to boarding.

  “I’m not sure. I don’t really remember. One day he wasn’t there, the next he was. But I don’t remember what day that was.” Carilyo thought for a while, he could barely remember who Murta was, never mind where they got him. He didn’t even know Murta was a Rocklander. “Recent times are… a bit of a blur.”

  His head spun around with nausea. A strange tingling feeling made his skin feel paper-thin. After he blinked, a thousand yellow spots filled the sky.

  “I certainly know how that feels,” Stogg chuckled from behind his white beard. “Rum?” Gripping his bottle by the body, Stogg tilted the tip towards Carilyo.

  He stared at it a good long while. With the lid off, the vapours sucked him in, like fingers gesturing him towards it. ‘You know you want to,’ they whispered.

  “Thank you.” Carilyo reached for it, then stopped himself, wafting the vapours away with a rigid hand. “But I really shouldn’t.”

  “Fair enough,” Stogg chuckled again, “More for me.” He tipped his head back and laughed, then took a heavy swig, spilling some down his bushy white beard. “It’s always handy having a Rocklander with you, some say it’s good luck.”

  Carilyo stroked his chin, watching Stogg’s daughter Roxy cross the deck. “Not for me it wasn’t.”

  “Don’t be too quick to decide that.” Stogg took another drink. “You’re still alive after all.”

  Carilyo thought for a moment, still looking at Roxy. She had shaved hair and a broken nose, which had a big red mark halfway down it. His eyes turned back to Stogg, then Murta. “Maybe you’re right. Cassi would have sunk to the depths of the Green Sea if he wasn’t there.”

  “Don’t get too attached to Roxy there,” Stogg said, catching Carilyo’s eyes on her. “Not that I’m protective.” Stogg snorted. “She can look after herself better than I can. But she’s not into men.”

  Carilyo scanned the quarterdeck for a way to change the subject.

  “Where did you get your hat?” He asked. It was black with a yellow rim. He always fancied a nice hat, but could never find one he liked enough.

  “I got this one back in Levac,” Stogg said, stroking once around the rim. “Coalville, I think.” He twirled the hairs on his chin. “Or was it Eastborough?”

  “Can I ask you something? Though it may sound strange.” Carilyo looked at Stogg, who looked back with a peculiar smile on his face; the smile of a man who was about to get the chance to impart some experience on a younger man.

  “Ask away, I’m an open book.”

  “Well, you like to drink, but what else makes you happy?” Carilyo watched the rum swirl around the bottle.

  “This?” Stogg looked at the bottle before dumping it on the boards of the quarterdeck, it rolled around, spilling rum on the dirty floorboards. “Sure, I like the taste, and it feels nice when you’ve had a drink. But this…” Stogg pointed an open palm at the sea and the skies, then down to his ship, “This is what makes me happy.” He closed his eyes and sniffed. �
��You don’t get that smell anywhere else, not up on the hills in Aeronia, or the fields of Lezollo, not even in those mountains in Rockland. The sea is where I belong. Feeling the waves beneath me is enough to make me happy.”

  Carilyo thought for a while, he used to love sailing, but now he found it a chore. Maybe because it was the sea that took Gianlo from him.

  “My family too,” Stogg grinned, looking at Roxy. “Watching her grow up was priceless. Though I think it’ll soon be time for her to fly from the nest.”

  Carilyo felt the unsettled waves on the port side bouncing towards them. He twisted his head; he’d felt some ripples in the waves.

  A rock.

  Stogg tilted the wheel before Carilyo could tell him. He was a good Captain. “Don’t you worry young Carilyo, I know what I’m doing. Though you’re a good sailor yourself.” Stogg paused a moment. “Well anyway. Never mind that Trakian who stole your ship. At least you still have your family, they’re the most important. That niece of yours is pretty cute.”

  “Niece?” A look of puzzlement crossed Carilyo’s eyes.

  Stogg raised an eyebrow.

  “Oh yes, of course, my niece Doriya is so precious to us.” Carilyo whistled as innocently as he could. “I’d better see how my niece is doing.”

  Cassi was playing with the girl. It was nice to see his sister enjoying herself, it was the happiest he’d seen her for so long. Cassi had picked Doriya up and was helping her fly through the air like a bird. “Birds flap!” Cassi said, lowering Doriya, “Otherwise they fall.” The little girl giggled, flapping her arms quicker. Carilyo smiled, remembering doing the same with Cassi brought a tear to his eye.

  Cassi only had one ring left on her left hand, she’d given the rest to Stogg to pay for their journey.

  “Again! Again!” Doriya shouted when Cassi put her down.

  Cassi’s shoulders slumped, but her smile was still there. “I need a rest. Carilyo will play with you.”

  “No, I want to play with you,” Doriya said before blowing a raspberry at Carilyo.

  “Doriya loves your sister.” Samia appeared behind him.

  “She’s enjoying herself,” Carilyo said, turning his eyes back to Cassi. “I always thought Cassi hated children; she’s never spent more than a couple of minutes with them.”

  Samia rested on his shoulder. “I cannot thank you enough for what you have done so far Carilyo, you saved me and my daughter from a life of misery. You are a good man, an honourable man. I hope you get your boat back from that disgusting brigand Taylan. You don’t deserve such treachery.”

  Carilyo turned, seeing the beauty behind those sparkling eyes and long eyelashes. “No man with honour could leave you at the mercy of House Otep. It was my duty as a human. What could happen to me is irrelevant.”

  Samia smiled, her olive skin glittered in the sun. She stroked his cheek with the softest of hands, feeling the creased skin below his eyes. “I see you are troubled; I know an addiction when I see one.” Samia sighed.

  “Did your husband drink too?” Carilyo’s face turned grave, a cold shiver bit his cheeks.

  Samia shook her head. “No. He liked to gamble.” She turned her skirt to show the brand of House Otep on her thigh: the isosceles triangle with a zero inside. “He liked to visit House Otep’s casinos, some nights he won, some nights… he didn’t.” She frowned, watching Doriya. “He never told me how bad it had got. One night he came home in a panic, saying we had to leave. But I refused, it was our home, and Doriya was too young.

  “So I kicked him out, not knowing that the debt collectors were on their way. He left, and we were taken as his payment. They didn’t care that I had kicked him out.”

  Carilyo’s heart sank through his body.

  “They put a bag over our heads and took us away. They wouldn’t even let me hold Doriya’s hand when they branded her. She screamed so much.”

  Carilyo shuddered.

  “I am sorry Samia, I can’t imagine the pain you must have felt.” Carilyo looked back at Cassi. My own actions could have caused the same for her.

  “We should cheer up, those two are having the time of their lives.” The smile returned to her face when she saw how happy Doriya and Cassi were. “I hope you get over your drink problem. If I can help in any way, I will.” She stroked the back of his hand.

  Just then, Doriya whizzed past them, her and Cassi chuckling away together. Carilyo took a step back.

  “Seeing you and Doriya go free in Argosa, is all I need to be happy.” Carilyo saw the beaming smile of Cassi’s face. “I may not be able to free all the slaves in Traki, but if I can save a few... well, then I have done my part.”

  Doriya waved at Carilyo, who waved back. Samia nodded.

  “You should stay with us when we get to Argosa. We could be good together, we could be a family, sort of.”

  Carilyo took in a deep breath of consideration.

  He could picture them living happily ever after, he could imagine himself marrying Samia. She was beautiful after all, her brown hair had a glossy sheen, her chestnut eyes had a gorgeous, mesmerising stare. He could even be a papa for Doriya, such a sweet little girl.

  Alas, he had more work to do.

  “Thank you for the offer Samia…” he exhaled, “But my place is at sea, the water makes my heart beat. Without it, I would wilt and die like the flowers of autumn.” He thought again, he hadn’t spent more than a fortnight on dry land since Gianlo died. “My ship is my home.”

  “I knew you would say that…” Samia pulled something out of her bag. “Before we left the island, I picked this up.” She held out his mother’s rum bottle. “I knew you wouldn’t want to leave it behind.” Carilyo looked at it for a moment. “I filled it with water from the stream; it looked so fresh. I took a sip myself first, I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Thank you Samia.” Carilyo felt his heart skip with happiness. “This is the nicest gift anyone has ever given to me.” Wrapping his hand around the neck, he listened for the exciting pop as the cork came out. He took a gulp, the cold, fresh water was exhilarating as it filled his mouth. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand, rubbing the dry bits from them.

  “I hope the New World treats you better than the old one,” Carilyo said.

  Withdrawal

  Warped, evil smiles curved around the wood of the bulkheads and deck. The knots in the wood watched him like a bunch of eyes. Carilyo swayed down the passageway, his head was spinning, the bulkheads lifted left, then right.

  The weather sure changes quickly in the Green Sea. When he came down the hatch, it was beaming sunlight. Now it felt like they were caught in a hurricane.

  With difficulty, he widened his eyes, feeling the crustiness in the corners of them. The boards creaked when a man approached around the corner. A man he recognised. Gianlo.

  Carilyo’s mouth drooped open, what do you say to a dead man?

  “What has happened to you?” The man, Gianlo demanded.

  “Papa?”

  “Don’t give me that, what the fuck is wrong with you?”

  Carilyo stared with a gawping mouth, his eyes began to tear.

  “You turned out to be a real piece of shit Carilyo. I saw the way you’ve treated your sister all these years. And the drinking; your mind has turned to mush.”

  His sharp teeth locked together. He stood much taller than Carilyo; Gianlo’s son hadn’t inherited his broad shoulders, barrel chest or his height.

  “This can’t be real,” Carilyo muttered. Gianlo sure looked real, the glistening light on his shaved hair was as clear as day.

  The rain splattered on Carilyo’s shoulder, he peered up at a crack in the overheads. The stars glowed through it.

  “Is this the Hall of Ancestors?” Carilyo groaned.

  “It will be, if you don’t change your ways.”

  The bulkheads tipped much further than they should. The ship rocked the opposite way, throwing Carilyo flat on his back. A great wave rolled the ship over. Water burst through
the hatch, filling the passageway; the cold chill took a deep bite into his heart.

  “What’s happening?” Cassi watched Carilyo. He wriggled around like a maggot on the deck of the passageway with his eyes closed. The steaming sweat soaked him, seeping through his clothes.

  “He looks like he’s in shock,” Roxy ran over, kneeling beside him. “Hand me the blanket, it’s in the next chamber.”

  Cassi didn’t move, she couldn’t.

  “It’s in there.” Roxy nodded at the door.

  Cassi snapped out of it, wriggling her shoulders. She hurried into the room, grabbing the blanket from the bed. Roxy wrapped it around Carilyo. He’d stopped twisting and turning, but his head was bashing on the wooden boards.

  A cold shock zipped through Cassi’s wrists.

  “Grab the pillow too, to rest his legs on,” Roxy ordered.

  Cassi raced into the chamber again, the panic hit her gut. She wasn’t ready for him to die.

  She placed the pillow under his feet while Roxy tried to hold him still. His dirty hair was covered in sweat. His face wore a pained grimace.

  She knelt and held his hand, feeling how cold and clammy the palm was. “Pull through this Carilyo,” Cassi gasped.

  His head hit the boards again. His arms slumped, they stopped moving. His whole body stopped moving.

  Roxy leaned over, placing her ear over his mouth, “He’s not breathing.”

  Cassi’s heart stopped; she couldn’t breathe. Her eyes filled with tears. She leaned over Carilyo, kissing him on the forehead.

  With a cough and splutter, his eyes flicked open.

  It’s A Start

  A clear sky was always bittersweet, seeing the stars at their most vivid made up for the bitter chill. Alissa’s arrow was bright as ever, as was Corsov’s star: five stars that made a larger star formation. Cassi shivered; she was wrapped in Murta’s jacket like it was a blanket.

  “I’m glad you’re alright,” she said. “I thought I was going to lose you.”