The Fifth Empire of Man

by Rob J. Hayes

  A week out from Larkos they’d started to see evidence that they were straying into the waters surrounding the Forgotten Empire. The shoreline was now visible on their starboard side, and the trees were taller and more dense. There was a strange feeling too, almost as though the land itself didn’t want them near it.

  The sea near the shoreline alternated between calm as glass and rough as bark, and the rocks grew ever more frequent, sharp, and devious. Every member of the crew was on edge, and even the normally serene Kebble seemed out of sorts. He came to Keelin on the third day of their navigation through the hazardous waters and made an earnest plea for them to sail away and never return. It fell on deaf ears. The crew were close to their fortune, and their captain was close to the vessel of his vengeance.

  Drake’s chart was proving invaluable. It didn’t map all of the hidden rocks, but it did show them the beach they were headed to and the best route for them to take. It also told them which islands off the coast they could stop at for supplies, and which of those islands no man should venture near. Keelin thought about Zothus’ giant spider. Everyone knew the spider had come from one of the islands near the Forgotten Empire, and that was an island he wished to stay as far away from as possible.

  Leaning over the side, Keelin could see deep into the crystal blue waters that lapped and sloshed against the ship’s hull. The sea teemed with life here, despite the ominous reputation of the area, almost as if the beasts that called the water their home had never heard of the fate that had befallen the once great empire. Not that Keelin knew much about what had happened to the Forgotten Empire either, only that it had vanished overnight and no one who entered the dark forests ever returned.

  “Do you see the fish?” Elaina said. Keelin wondered how long the woman had been standing behind him.

  “Which ones?” His eyes were focused on his ship’s path through the water, straining to see the hidden rocks before they presented a danger.

  Elaina laughed. “The big ones swimming around our hull. Must be easily the size of a person, and I reckon they’re playing games. Every now and then one comes closer and touches the ship with its fin, then backs off to join the others.”

  Keelin glanced downwards. Sure enough, there were some very large fish easily keeping pace with the slow progress of The Phoenix.

  Keelin looked at Elaina to find her staring back at him, a wide smile on her face. She had a kind of plain beauty to her when she smiled, and right now it reminded Keelin of all sorts of things he’d thought he wanted to forget.

  “Remember that time aboard the Death when my da stopped us for a spell off the coast of that island ring?” she said.

  Keelin nodded. It was an island surrounded by water, which was in turn surrounded by a ring of land, which finally gave way to the sea. Target, Tanner had named the island, and they’d spent a good few days there exploring, hoping to find some hidden treasure in its green interior. In the end they hadn’t found a single bit, but that hadn’t stopped a young Keelin Stillwater and Elaina Black having fun. The waters surrounding the island were clear, clean, and free of any predators large enough to do a person harm, and they’d explored them for days.

  “And why are you bringing up that little stop now, El?” Keelin said, turning his attention back to the ship’s course.

  “There were some pretty big fish there too. We caught a couple.”

  “Mhm,” Keelin agreed. “And I thought you were bringing it up to remind me that we spent half of that little stop fucking on every spot of beach we could find.”

  Elaina laughed. “We did that.”

  “Cap’n.” Aimi’s voice sent a wave of dread up and down Keelin’s spine. There was no way to tell how long she’d been there or how much she might have heard, but Keelin had a sinking feeling Elaina knew, and that was why she’d brought up their time on Target.

  “Aye?” Keelin was afraid to turn and look at Aimi, so he kept his eyes on the water.

  “According to the chart, we should be coming on the beach any time now. Just thought you might like to know.”

  Keelin sighed. Their relationship had been more than a little strained since Larkos, and Keelin could only assume it was because he’d let Elaina come aboard. Aimi still shared his cabin, but she spent almost no time there other than when she slept, and at those times Keelin’s bed seemed like hostile waters teeming with sharks.

  “Troubles?” Elaina said after a while.

  “Leave it, El,” Keelin snapped. “Hasn’t Morley given you some duties to perform?”

  Elaina laughed. “I do believe your first mate is a little afraid of me. Anytime I ask, he simply tells me to find something worth doing.”

  “And you thought distracting the captain was something worth doing?”

  His question was met with silence. Elaina turned her attention to the sea and a mad grin split her face.

  “So you really want to be queen of us pirates?” Keelin said. It was a question he’d wanted to ask since before they left Larkos, but he’d needed to judge his timing. Elaina could be prickly as a cactus in the wrong mood.

  “I really do.”

  “To make Tanner proud?”

  “Aye, that’s a small part of it, I suppose. Ain’t no way he could disapprove if I worked my own way onto the throne.”

  “Even if you stole the support that was meant for him?”

  Elaina was silent for a few moments, and the sun seemed to darken a little with her mood. Keelin shivered.

  “I didn’t steal his support,” she said eventually. “He sent me to Chade and Larkos to get help. Didn’t say it was help for him or the isles, just help. I went and got it for me. Besides, he went and bent a knee to Morrass, same as you. Way I see it, I’m the only one that hasn’t got down on my knees to suckle on his cock, so I’m gonna sail on in at the head of a fleet as strong as all the other captains’ combined and take the throne.”

  “And then suckle on Drake’s cock as his wife and queen?” Keelin braced himself for the fury of the storm.

  “Better that than as his boy.” Keelin glanced up to find Elaina pulling a face at him. They both laughed. “Pirates might have themselves a king, and Drake might have himself a crown, but both are gonna need a queen too. And there’s no other bitch of a captain in the isles worthy of that title.”

  Keelin thought about it. He imagined himself on the throne, and he imagined Aimi sitting beside him. She was smart as a scholar, quick as an eel, and stronger than most folk Keelin knew, but he wasn’t sure the other pirates would accept her. Elaina, they would accept. She was born and raised a pirate, and she’d fought, killed, and grieved alongside many of the other captains. Keelin wondered how Drake would feel about marrying into the Black family, and the image didn’t end happily.

  “That our beach?” Elaina said, pointing towards the shore.

  They anchored a good row away from the sandy shore, and there they floated for a while. Many of the crew had come up on deck to look out at the landing point that led to their promised fortune. What most of them would do with their share of the treasure was a question that would probably end in a few months of booze and pussy, and then it would be back to business as usual.

  “We’re a good ways out, Captan,” Morley said, joining Keelin at the railing.

  “I don’t want the ship getting too close. She should be safe here, sheltered from most anything nature can throw at her.”

  Morley grunted and said no more. The man had been so outspoken against many of Keelin’s decisions of late that it was going to be hard to leave the ship in his care. The only consolation Keelin could think of was that the rest of the crew would never let Morley leave the captain and the landing party behind when the promise of riches was so enticing.

  Keelin grinned, imagining the look on Arbiter Prin’s face when he realised who held the knife to his throat. He pushed away from the railing and walked to the centre of the main deck, whistling loudly to get the attention of his crew.

  “Listen up,” he
shouted. “We wait here for now. It’ll be dark in a few hours, and I want our first day on the island to be a good long one. Those coming ashore, I want you all up and ready to leave at first light. No stragglers. Good?”

  There was a murmur of assent from the crew.

  “I want ten volunteers to come with me,” he continued. “It’s gonna be…”

  “Something moved!” shouted Olly. “On the shore.”

  Keelin sighed as everyone who had gathered around ran back to the railing to stare at the beach. Sailors were ever an easy group to distract, and pirates were no different. Keelin walked over to the railing.

  “There was something on the beach, near the trees,” Olly insisted.

  “Ya bloody fool,” said Fremen. “Ya didn’t see nothing but the trees and a bit o’ wind.”

  “No,” Olly said. “It weren’t no tree taking up a rustle. I was just looking about the sand and then I saw it. It was big, and standing there, from this distance it blended right in with the trees, but when it moved… It were big.”

  Some of the crew muttered something about giants, while others laughed off Olly’s ramblings. Keelin shook his head and returned to the centre of the deck.

  “As I was saying,” he shouted, loudly enough to reclaim the crew’s attention, “I need ten volunteers to come with me. It’s gonna be tough and dangerous, but…”

  “I’m going,” Smithe said, standing tall among the crew with his arms crossed.

  Keelin nodded to him. Smithe had been courteous and helpful of late, but Keelin knew full well the man still hated him, and he reckoned he’d rather have Smithe with him on the island than back on the ship spreading sedition.

  Morley stepped forward, but Keelin shook his head. “Need you here, mate. Look after the ship.”

  “Aye, Captan.”

  “I’ll come along,” Feather said in a voice that made it sound like he was hoping someone would stop him. The lad may have moved on from the position of ship’s boy and graduated to a proper wage, but he was still young, and the young always felt like they had something to prove.

  Bronson stepped forward and nodded to Keelin. “I volunteer, Cap’n.”

  “Me too,” called Elaina from up in the rigging. She was sitting above the gathering and grinning down at them. As soon as she spoke, discord travelled through the crew. Keelin had to put a stop to it before the mood turned.

  “Elaina. What we’re… This is between the crew. There ain’t…”

  “Save it, Stillwater.” Elaina laughed. “I don’t want a share of the loot. I ain’t taking anything from any of you. I just wanna come along, is all. See what all the fuss is about. I promise neither me, nor any member of my crew, will claim even one bit of what’s found there.”

  That seemed to cheer the crew up a little, and he couldn’t very well argue with her. If someone else was willing to risk their life to further the wealth of the crew, Keelin wouldn’t stand in their way.

  “I volunteer,” shouted Aimi from her place on the deck.

  Keelin suppressed a sigh. “Aimi, I don’t think… It’s gonna be dangerous.”

  Aimi stood with her arms crossed and her chin raised in defiance. Keelin nodded his acceptance and wished he’d just handpicked a group instead.

  “I’ll come along,” said Elaina’s veteran quartermaster. “No share. Just as the cap said.”

  “You might need a healer,” said the priest who was always following Elaina around.

  “I volunteer,” said Jotin, and he was quickly echoed by his brother, Jolan.

  “One more,” Keelin said with a nod. “Kebble?”

  The marksman had kept quiet, and that was something Keelin hadn’t expected. He’d thought Kebble would be one of the first to step forward. A few of the crew moved aside to reveal Kebble leaning against the ship’s main mast, a wistful look on his face. He nodded once, and it seemed to be all the assent he was going to give.

  “Then we have our landing crew,” Keelin said. “Those of you who are coming, get ready then get some sleep. Tomorrow we go find ourselves a fortune.”

  Chapter 32 - Starry Dawn

  Rowing the dinghy over to the beach proved to be a lot more taxing than anyone had anticipated. But Keelin’s decision to anchor so far from shore had been the right one, even if it did mean the trip was long, with the currents whipping first one way then the other at nightmarish speeds. Elaina put her back into the oar and her trust into those rowing alongside her. Judging by the sheen of sweat on Keelin’s face, he was having just as hard a time at the tiller, and by the time the eleven-strong landing crew pulled the boat ashore, they were all aching and breathless from the exertion. It wasn’t the most auspicious of starts.

  Elaina knelt in the sand, her feet and legs soaked with saltwater and sweat dripping down her nose. Someone offered her a water skin and she took it gratefully, taking two short sips followed by two longer ones. She stood and looked around at the rest of the landing crew. Pavel was busy trying to wring the water out of his robes. Elaina thought him a fool for insisting on wearing the garb in such a situation, but the man was a priest above all else. Alfer was close by, staring into the ominous-looking forest, his hand resting on the hilt of the notched sword buckled at his belt.

  Keelin, dressed in a faded blue suit with tasselled epaulettes, was talking to the man with the rifle. Kebble Salt was an odd one, and Elaina had yet to figure him out. The man kept his head a short shave away from bald and maintained his horseshoe moustache with almost a lover’s touch. The crew of The Phoenix were more than just complimentary about him; they treated him as a hero, with all the awe and distance that folk afforded to such.

  Elaina looked around for Keelin’s waif and found her staring up the beach. The woman had insisted on taking one of the oars on the way across, and Elaina had to respect her for that. Despite her size, she didn’t back down from a challenge. Taking another couple of short sips from the water skin, Elaina approached her. “Here.”

  The woman looked down at the offered water and then away.

  “I ain’t trying to poison ya,” Elaina said with a sigh. “We all need to drink if we’re gonna survive this. Weren’t exactly an easy row over, and you did well at the oar. Reckon ya deserve a bit of hydration.”

  She looked at Elaina sceptically, but her thirst soon won out and she took the skin. “Thanks.”

  “Reckon you and me got off to a bad start,” Elaina continued, staring down at the smaller woman. “So I think we should rectify that, seeing as we’re gonna be around each other a bit. I ain’t trying to come between you and Keelin.” There was nothing quite like starting off an offer of friendship with a lie.

  The woman finished gulping down the water and handed the skin back to Elaina. There was a look on her face that said she didn’t quite believe the claim.

  “Then what are you doing here?” she said. “Why come aboard in the first place?”

  “Don’t think I caught your name?”

  “Aimi.”

  “Well, Aimi, if you can keep a secret – I came aboard The Phoenix because I don’t have a ship of my own. Bastard of a first mate pinched it while I was ashore in Larkos. Now, you might know that me and Keelin go a long ways back. Well, I needed passage back to the isles, and he was one I knew I could trust.”

  “Sorry about your ship.”

  Elaina laughed. “Oh, don’t you worry about that. I’ll be getting it back soon as the fucks make port.”

  “Why come along for this though?” Aimi said. “It’s a lot of danger for no share in the prize.”

  “I’d be bored sat on the ship waiting for you all to come back. Figured I might as well come along for the fun.”

  Aimi looked up at Elaina with an incredulous expression. “You’re mad.”

  Elaina grinned. “Runs in the family. Reckon we’re getting ready to head into the trees. Come on.”

  Each member of the expedition had their own pack to bear, and each of those packs contained food, water, and flint for starting
a fire. There were no illusions that the food they were taking with them would be enough, so one of their duties, while looking for whatever it was they were looking for, would be to search for food and fresh water. All eleven of them were armed with both a weapon of their choice and a thick knife for cutting through the undergrowth.

  “Stick close together,” Keelin said as the last of the expedition drew near. His gaze stopped on Elaina and Aimi standing close to one another, and Elaina thought she saw a flash of worry pass over his face. “But not too close. Be ready to help each other, just try not to get in each other’s way.”

  “What is it we’re looking for, exactly?” Elaina called.

  Her question was met with a silence that sounded suspicious at best.

  “We’re already here, aren’t we?” she said with a laugh. “Right along with you, and still promising not to steal your treasure. I think it’s about time you let us know what we’ve got ourselves into, eh?”

  “The city of HwoyonDo,” Keelin said, as though the name should mean something.

  “Oh. A whole city then. Big, is it? Hard to miss?”

  Keelin set to staring Elaina down, but she met his steely greys with her own bright blues.

  “Actually, the city of HwoyonDo was rather small compared to some of the other cities the Empire built,” said Kebble. “It was not the capital, nor a base of power, but instead the seat of religion and worship. People from all over the Empire would make a pilgrimage to the great temple, where they would offer up tributes to their god. Sorcerers would gather from the far reaches to crowd the Sky Spire and the Observatory, and watch the stars in hopes of enlightenment and to reap the rewards of the rocks that fall from the sky.”

  “You seem to know a lot about an empire that most folk call forgotten for a reason,” Elaina said.

  Kebble gave her a wistful smile.

  “Do you know the way?” Keelin asked his marksman.

  Kebble nodded. “More or less. The forest has likely reclaimed all the old roads though. It will not be easy.”