Gift of Gold (The Year of Churning Bloods)

by Leone, Hudson

  “We need all the help we can get,” I stated.

  Rimu considered this. “What is your reward for this quest?”

  “Three wishes.”

  “Any three?” Rimu asked, taken aback.

  “Yes,” I responded quietly.

  Rimu took a moment to quietly confer with the first mate, speaking her thoughts in a raspy whisper. The two haggled for a moment before the bald man nodded and stepped back.

  “Two wishes,” Rimu requested sternly. “In exchange for our battalion’s assistance throughout your quest, we ask for two wishes. This is our condition.”

  “And an awful one at that!” Gregor stated, marching forcefully up to the dealers. “We can give you one wish and no more!”

  The first mate shook his head sadly. “Keep in mind what those wishes are being used for in this situation,” he advised Gregor in a soothing voice. “One is being used to let you leave this place alive, the other is for our services in fighting this dragon.” The first mate crossed his arms proudly. “Our deal stands.”

  Gregor and I shared a look of disgust from across the rom. “Keep in mind your captain’s position,” I reminded both of them.

  Rimu looked intently into my eyes.

  “And what position is that?” she asked with genuine curiosity.

  “We know where Totara is. If you don’t let us leave this ship or you kill us, then you’ll never know.” Rimu’s face remained stony butI could see her pupils widen. The location of the lumberjack seemed to be my bargaining edge.

  “Now hold on!” the first mate said, turning to face me. “Are you saying you would rather die, than tell our captain where this man is?”

  “That I am,” I bluffed grandly.

  Gregor and Rimu shifted uncomfortably on their feet, neither liking the stretch they were being contorted into.

  The first mate stared at me, completely baffled by my false sincerity.

  “Keep in mind if you kill us you get neither wishes, nor the location of Totara. Our offer stands: One glorious wish, you could use for absolutely anything as well as the location of Totara.”

  Rimu’s breathing subdued to small, painful intakes of air as she considered everything I’d said so far. “We accept your deal.”

  In the blink of an eye, Gregor had scribbled a taborthodox contract:

  “Henceforth:

  From the activation of this contract, The clan of the pirates, known as the Storm Striders, will be made to help hunt the dragon Orthonus, along with any associates he may have until the end of the year. During this time period of one year, they are obligated to take the orders of Gregor Tyrannus and Jacob Ofpacis so long as they benefit in either finding or killing said abomination(s). Failure to do so, results in the sovereignty taken from their captain Rimu.

  In exchange for their services, Gregor Tyrannus agrees to grant one wish to the Storm Striders, so long as they fought to the best of their abilities. Alongside one wish, Jacob Ofpacis agrees to immediately reveal his knowledge of the whereabouts of the lumberjack Totara, to anyone, and everyone whom in the clan of the Storm Striders feels his location may be of any concern.

  Here ends the contract.”

  From his own coat pocket, Gregor removed the same pin from yesterday, and gently pricked his thumb. Rimu did likewise, before Gregor rolled up his contract and forcefully began to shake the hands of every one of the Storm Striders who cheered loudly at this agreement.

  ***

  Two hours later, I found myself resting comfortably in a small chamber along with Gregor, who occupied himself by tossing darts at a large cork dartboard. The small porthole opening at the far side of the room filled the area with the bright glow of the early morning light.

  As it turned out, I was right about being on a boat at sea. I’ll admit that the first hour was quite disorienting but after the initial shock of it all, I became more than happy to simply drift along. I took great pleasure in exploring every room aboard the ship and even the pirates themselves didn’t seem to mind my company much. If anything, they were too busy daydreaming about what sort of things they would wish for. Growing weary of the silence in the room, I asked Gregor how he thought the deal went.

  “It was the powdered luck that led us to Rimu wasn’t it?” Gregor asked, peeling his eyes off of the dartboard for a moment. “If she hadn’t have been there, the only way to get out of there would’ve been to give both wishes, or die fighting.”

  “In other words?” I asked, feeling a slow grin slide across my face.

  “In other words I don’t think it could have gone any better,” Gregor grumbled in a hollow voice.

  I chuckled to myself and laced my fingers together behind my head. “Sow what now?”

  Gregor shrugged. “I suppose the first thing the captain wants to do is sail back to the Charlie-horse woods to meet up with Totara. After that, who knows?”

  “I think I have an idea,” I said, nervously biting the side of my cheek.

  “Oh you think, do you?” Gregor smirked at his own dry joke before inspecting his nails.

  “I know I have an idea,” I clarified.

  “Please, the suspense is killing me,” he said, returning back to his game.

  “What if we send the pirates after the rest of the people in your father’s debt? We have an entire army now right? It wouldn’t do them any good just letting them gather dust. In the meantime I think we should get the prophecy that I was telling you about earlier.”

  Gregor landed his first bullseye, causing him to pump his fists with pride.

  I coughed loudly, forcing his attention away from the game.

  “You’re really stubborn about this prophecy idea of yours aren’t you?” Gregor asked. The tone of his voice was plain and impossible to read.

  “It’s our next best option.”

  Gregor exhaled as he considered my last statement. He sprawled out on the bed he was sitting on, closed his eyes and crossed his arms in deep focus. All in all, he would have the final say. There was little I could do to stop him.

  Gregor smacked his lips together and yawned. “Well then, I suppose there’s not much more I can do to try and stop you. Congratulations Sunshine. You’ve persuaded me.”

  I leapt out of bed and dashed into the hallway before I could stop myself. I was so happy I didn’t even notice that I had bounced straight into Button’s room. I froze as suddenly I realized where I was.

  Sitting huddled up on one side was a flabby mess of a man who looked like he’d been sobbing for the past couple of hours.

  “Hey,” I said, awkwardly raising a hand.

  Button glared but didn’t speak.

  “I just wanted to say sorry for-”

  “Why’re you sorry!?” Button thundered unexpectedly. “You didn’t try to sign your own fleet away! You didn’t lose a drinking contest to someone half your size! You don’t have a stupid name!” Button stood up and promptly fell headfirst into his dresser with a dull thud. He howled in pain before forcing himself back onto his feet and stumbling terribly. He knocked a half dozen empty bottles from a shelf which shattered on the floor with a loud crash.

  Terrified, I tried to dash out the door yet this only seemed to aggravate Button further.

  “Don’t leave!” he insisted, blocking my advance with an outstretched arm. “Please,” he added desperately.

  I reluctantly stepped back in the room and awkwardly sat myself on the bed.

  Button threw himself into a nearby armchair and cupped his face his fat hands “You don’t actually know this but... I’m a joke of a pirate,” he confessed in a low whisper.

  “Oh...” I mumbled, not sure how to respond to this.

  “Yeah, it’s surprising isn’t it? After today, I’m now the lowest of the Storm Striders and a complete joke who should’ve run off to the circus long ago. At least I’d have a shot with a name like Button,” he said, sinking even further in his seat.

  “Don’t think like that!” I urged, lightly prodding him in the shou
lder. A fine layer of dirt smudged onto the two fingers that made contact. “So you’ve had a bad moment! Big deal, I’m sure your time will come around.”

  “Don’t be so sure,” Button whimpered, pitifully looking around for something to drink. “I’ve been a member of the crew for longer than both the first and second mate combined.” Button shifted in his seat grumpily and closed his eyes.

  “I know it won’t make you feel any better, but I’m an orphan too you know,” I said in a quiet voice. “All the Grimlar trainees are,”

  “Is that right?” Button asked, although I could tell he was too tired to care. Within minutes, the pirate was asleep.

  I quietly left the room and made my way outside. A warm breeze fluttered my uncut hair just as the clouds parted and a ray of sunlight struck my face. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When I finally did look around again, I realized that someone was standing beside me.

  “Captain... um... Rimu?” I asked as politely as I could.

  She nodded and stepped forward. I noticed that she had unbraided her hair. “Can we talk?” she asked, sounding rather deflated.

  I nodded and followed her onto an isolated area by the stern.

  “You never told me how you met Totara,” she said, crossing her long arms and bending down to look me in the eyes. “I want to know.”

  I paused, scratched the back of my head uncomfortably and slowly began to tell her everything.

  Rimu gaped accordingly and asked a few questions here and there, most of which I couldn’t answer. I told her about the miracle powder and how Totara had grown his own sailboat to try and search for her. When I briefly mentioned Totara being abducted by pirates she stopped me.

  “Sorry to interrupt but did Totara say anything about these pirates?” Rimu asked carefully.

  I cocked my head as if to somehow channel my memories better. “Yeah... Yeah he said he was abducted by a group of people called-” The sudden realization jostled my stomach as if I had suddenly been punched. “A group of people called the Storm-Striders,” I concluded uncertainly.

  Rimu nodded. “If it was about a month after I left then that was when I first joined the Storm-Striders. I would have been there when Totara was abducted.” A single tear traced her tanned cheek. She scrubbed at it with her thin fingers and glared at the salty droplet, as if appalled at herself for crying.

  “He managed to escape,” I assured Rimu but she didn’t seem to be listening. “He’s been in the Charlie-horse woods ever since, working as a lumberjack to earn some money and travel home.”

  Rimu wiped her eyes. “So you found him there?”

  “Yeah. We got caught in a blizzard and tried to break in,” I said, laughing at the memory

  “Well... Thank you,” Rimu said, awkwardly pulled me into a tight hug. After a moment, she spasmed and quickly brought her arms back to her side, before scratching her nose self-consciously “That never happened,” she clarified, staring at me with a look that didn’t make me think otherwise.

  “So are you ready to see Totara again?” I asked.

  Rimu sighed and stared down at her shoes in deep focus. “I don’t know. We’re different people now and after all this time he’s spent looking for me he’s going to be furious.”

  “Is that actually what you think?” I asked in disbelief.

  Rimu nodded.

  “Look, you’ve got nothing to worry about,” I assured her quietly. “You were the reason he left the clan to begin with. He loves you Rimu.”

  “That’s what I was worried about,” she mumbled under her breath.

  “What do you mean?” I asked heatedly.

  She turned to face me, her expression as cold as steel. “The reason why I left in the first place was because I felt restricted. I don’t want to be tied down to other people.” She shook her head quickly and began to stammer. “I should have never told him I was leaving. He wasted seven years looking for me and... It’s all my fault.” Unable to contain herself any longer, Rimu burst into tears and fell against the handrail like a frail old woman.

  I coughed uncomfortably and turned my attention elsewhere, pretending not to notice. “Those seven years weren’t wasted,” I said after about a minute. “Totara built himself a hut. He cut down hundreds of trees. Even though he never found you, he made a life for himself.”

  Rimu sniffed, nodded and straightened herself up. Although her eyes were staunch and strong, she was trembling from head to toe. “I never wanted to hurt him,” she said quietly. “He’s been kind to me. He knows how I felt.” She looked out to the shoreline aimlessly and sighed. “We’ll be returning shortly. Feel free to do what you want until then. I have some thinking to do.” Rimu forced a smile and strode away before I had time to say goodbye.

  ***

  Eventually, we arrived on the shores of Euphradis. Out on the docks I watched in fascination as Rimu’s mood swung up and down like a pendulum

  One moment, she was singing shanties with her crew, the next, shouting down a pirate who’d asked if she was hungry. Hiding back in the shadows, she tried throwing pebbles at a small man ranting on about taxes but after awhile, got bored and started imitating bird calls.

  To be honest, I felt like I was watching I was watching a very energetic child, much less the leader of a criminal organization.

  Rimu pointed at something off in the distance, diverting the attention of a merchant long enough for her to swipe an apple or two. Waltzing into the plaza area, Rimu smiled charmingly and shook hands with everyone she met before smugly walking off.

  It didn’t take me long to notice that Rimu was wearing a number of rings and bangles I hadn’t noticed before. “Where did you get-” but before I could finish my sentence, she had already dashed off again.

  As we approached the outskirts of the Charlie-horse woods, it seemed like Rimu was at a loss for what to do. She looked around, twiddled her thumbs and even climbed a nearby tree. Her hands fiddled with her hair and quickly formed a complex looking braid. Apparently unsatisfied with this, Rimu undid it and kept trying until it became an unworkable mess.

  “How do you know we’re going the right way?” she asked, rubbing her arms quickly.

  I turned back to look at her and saw that she was trembling again, rather like a dried up leaf caught in a thick storm. “You see that strange looking red thing just up there? No, right there,” I said, redirecting her attention with an extended finger. “That’s the flag that Totara uses to call in the wood merchants. His hut’s just under that.”

  Rimu nodded and continued to frantically rub her arms. Four pirates offered her a coat yet she refused them all and claimed she was fine. Surprisingly enough, all of the pirates had decided to follow their captain even though she’d told them it was unnecessary.

  After a long couple of hours, we eventually came to the familiar clearing littered with stumps and melting snow. Realizing we’d arrived, Rimu paled and hid behind a tree.

  “C’mon,” I said, extending an arm.

  “I’m not holding your hand,” she pouted, looking back the way we came.

  “And I’m not going to let you run away. It’s been long enough.”

  “I don’t want to go,” Rimu insisted fiercely.

  “Then why did you come?” I asked. “Why did you agree to our deal?”

  Rimu went quiet. She gripped the bark on the tree so tight I thought for a moment she might rip it off.

  “Look,” I began in a quiet voice. “You can leave now if you want, but you should know what would happen to him. Totara would spend his entire life looking for you. Even if you don’t love him, you shouldn’t abandon him like this.”

  Rimu glared down at me, completely disgusted.

  “I love that man more than you could ever imagine,” she said, glaring at me with pure spite. “Who are you to tell me what to do or how to feel?”

  I took a step back and felt my face burn red. “I’m sorry.” I said quietly. “I just want to see him happy. He’s my friend you know.�
��

  Rimu sighed and let go of the tree, finger by finger. “Walk with me,” she ordered, marching stiffly towards the hut.

  I nodded and awkwardly plodded alongside her while Gregor and the pirates lingered back in the forest like shadows hiding from the sun. I stepped on the porch and gently knocked on the door. It opened.

  Totara stared at me blankly before craning his neck to look at the woman behind me.

  “Rimu,” he said, as if he was answering a very simple question. Totara floated out of his house like a ghost and held up a trembling hand to his mouth.