by Jeff Kish
“Bolster the boarding defense!” Turk cries as two of the flame-throwers fall, allowing a flood of soldiers to infiltrate the vessel. He again takes aim at the nearby boarding plank and blasts a group of opponents into the ocean, but the nearby soldiers repeat their earlier act by shaping the water into a barrier for themselves. Turk angrily glances over to the other ship, watching as Marin stands smugly on her quarterdeck. “Won’t get your hands dirty, eh?” he mutters to himself.
A soldier swings at Turk, who meets his blade and shoves his hand into the soldier’s gut, unleashing a blast of water that launches his opponent into the air and over the edge. Taking a moment to survey the scene, the pirate captain can tell it’s a hopeless scenario for him and his men. They were outnumbered two-to-one to start with, and the odds aren’t moving in their favor quickly enough. Gripping his sword, he charges three soldiers, spraying their faces with water as he unleashes a flurry of sword strikes, determined to take as many of them down as possible.
Suddenly, a pair of newcomers crawl up behind the soldiers positioned on the quarterdeck. Turk watches in surprise as Era and Fire catch two of the military crewmen off guard and kick them over the rail. Fire quickly disposes of the remaining soldier while Era runs over to the rail and spots Turk. He cups his hands and raises his voice as best he can over the clamor of the battle. “We’re here to help! How do we activate the rune?”
Turk blasts a sailor away and turns back to him, realizing these must be the allies Jem had mentioned. “Won’t work! Their rune is better!”
With Era having drawn attention to himself, a group of soldiers charges the set of stairs to get to him. Fire makes quick work of them, kicking the first one in the face and starting a domino effect with the rest.
“Just tell me!” Era screams at Turk.
“It’s the lever behind you! Pull it!”
Era dashes to the back of the quarterdeck and finds the lever. He gives it a tug, and the mechanisms below deck take care of the rest. The rune fires its stream of water out, but the two ships remain conjoined by the boarding planks. They start rotating around one another with enough force to dizzy the combatants.
Leaving Fire to fend for herself, Era leaps over the rail and lands on the quarterdeck. He races toward the nearest board and claws at it, desperately searching for a way to unlatch it. A pair of naval sailors charge across the plank, but Turk steps in and washes them away with ease.
Era turns to thank him, but his eye catches Marin swinging their way, and he tackles Turk just in time to save the pirate’s head. Marin lands and enwraps Turk’s wrist with her whip. “You’re not escaping!” she grunts as she flings him into the mast. Era jumps onto her back and tugs at her hair, but she flips him over her head and slams him into the deck.
A loud commotion breaks out as something like a massive plow races from the companionway, shoving soldiers and pirates alike out of the way. Holding Di perpendicularly as she extends a shield of air, Jem charges forward while letting loose a battle cry.
“WHAT THE BLAZES-” Marin cries as they crash into her and push her over the nearby railing. As she falls, she snaps her whip to the rails on her own ship, saving herself from plunging into the ocean.
“Jem! Di!” Era exclaims.
“Era!” they shriek in unison as they run toward him, but a soldier cuts them off. Di lifts a shield up in defense, and Era slams the sailor’s head into the hard wall of air from behind. The three hug each other awkwardly amidst the clashing swords.
“Not the time, people!” Turk cries as he dispatches a sailor.
Era sheepishly releases his hold. “R-Right! We need to cut the pirate ship loose!”
Jem pumps her fist excitedly. “Time to use the hammer again, Di!”
Di resolutely nods, trying to reconcile her immense joy at reuniting with Era with the terror of the battlefield. She holds both hands outward and solidifies the air into the form of a hammer, this one larger than before. It shimmers in the sunlight as if made from glass.
“Clear the boarding ramps!” Turk bellows. “Protect our new friends!”
“Stop them!” Marin shouts as she climbs toward her ship’s railing.
Jem grabs the hammer and signals Era to do the same. A group of soldiers moves to intercept, but Fire leaps down on them from the quarterdeck. “GO!” she yells.
Screaming as they run, Era, Jem, and Di charge the boarding ramps while reeling the giant hammer back. They swing it forward and smash the edge of the ramp to pieces, which causes the entire plank to fall into the ocean below. They repeat this for the next plank while Fire and the pirates fight to protect them.
Just as they move to the third, Marin leaps onto the ramp and whips the handle of the hammer, pulling it tight and preventing the three from reeling it back. Her men jump onto the fourth plank, hurrying to pincer them.
“Di, just make a new one!” Jem grunts as she and Era desperately pull back against Marin’s hold.
“Oh yeah!” Di exclaims as she releases the hammer, instantly causing everyone to fly backward from the release of momentum as the air dissipates into the atmosphere.
Leaping to her feet, Jem yanks Di onto hers and forces her hands together. “Again! Quickly!” The air shaper forms a hammer, and the Allerian swings the elemental weapon back around the opposite direction, slamming an approaching soldier in the stomach.
Era jumps up and wastes no time in helping to guide the giant weapon to its target, causing another plank to fall into the sea. The remaining boarding planks bend and crack as the pirate ship’s rune tries to accelerate away.
“Match their speed!” Marin orders the helmsman as she scrambles to her feet. He frantically works at the levers to activate the rune, but it fails to activate. The final boarding planks snap, and the ships tear apart from each other with a jolt. Its bindings freed, the pirate vessel lurches and races away from the cargo ship.
Marin races to the edge of the ship, but the gap quickly becomes too far for her to jump. “NO!”
Naval soldiers race to the pirate ship’s helm to disable the rune, but Fire greets them and swiftly disposes of the group, skillfully knocking each of them out with a single strike. She admires her handiwork while rubbing her knuckles, clearly enjoying herself while a pirate runs past her to retake control of the ship.
Turk unleashes a jet of water on nearby soldiers, sweeping them into the ocean. “Fight on, men!” he cries. The pirates let out a cheer, and it doesn’t take long for Marin’s men to surrender. The pirates herd them to the bow of the ship, where they strip them of their swords and force them to their knees. Their victory achieved, the crew lets loose a thunderous shout of triumph.
Turk runs to the quarterdeck and watches back after the cargo ship in confusion. “Why are they not giving chase?”
Fire smirks, holding her dagger up for Turk to see. “Someone may have cut the propulsion mechanism to shreds.” Sheathing the weapon, she adds, “Aaaaaand that same person may have scratched most of the symbols off the rune. Just in case.”
Before she realizes it, Turk embraces her in a giant bear hug. She lets out a small yelp as he swings her around before dropping her back to the deck. Her arms freed, she slams the pirate captain in the abdomen, making him double over in pain. “Never touch me,” she mutters, leaving him hunched over as she leans over the rail and looks down over the deck.
While half the pirates are busy tying up their prisoners, the other half of the crew surrounds Era, Jem, and Di, cheering and hugging their saviors. Fire watches Era as he sheepishly scratches his head, a recurring habit of his she has noticed while traveling with him. ‘The idiot was right. It all worked out in the end.’ She finds her mind wandering back to their conversation in the cargo hold, and the conviction again stabs at her like a knife through her heart. The more she watches him and his new friends celebrate their victory, the more shameful she feels.
Turk stumbles next to her while rubbing his stomach. Weakly, he groans, “Quite a crew you have there, Captain.�
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“Captain?” Fire scoffs. “What makes you think I’m in charge?”
Turk shrugs. “I can’t say for sure, but you seem to have that role somehow.”
She frowns. “Controlling those three is like herding wild pigs. It can’t be done.”
“Welcome to being a captain!” He swings around and leans back against the rail, basking in his victory. He takes a deep breath and relents, “Look, I owe you and your friends for that one. Where were you going? Canterin? We’ll drop you off before retreating to Allerian waters.”
“I was hoping you’d say that,” Fire says.
“You saved my life, not to mention the lives of my crew. Giving you a ride all the way to Canterin is about the easiest I should come out.” Looking to the sun, he adds, “If sneaking in is an option, I can drop you off a few miles outside the city. The darkness should aid your cover.”
A chill runs down Fire’s spine as she recalls the commander’s words regarding troop deployment. Going straight to the shores of Canterin would be the perfect opportunity to cash in on the bounty, yet she finds herself hesitant.
“Just tell me what you want!” Turk exclaims, interrupting her thoughts.
“What I want?” Fire looks down once more to her three companions as the celebration begins dying down. Era glances up at her, and he enthusiastically points her out to the pirates standing nearby, oblivious to her inner turmoil. In that moment, she knows exactly what she wants. “Take us to Canterin.”
Turk raises a fist in the air. “To Canterin, then!”
Fire turns away from Era and watches out over the sea as Turk barks orders to his crew, steering them toward their final destination.
Chapter 17
Jem stretches and massages her wrist, ecstatic to be free from the bindings that long held her to Di. “Yeesh, that was annoying. Thanks Fire!”
Fire moves to Di’s wrist. “Now, hold still. The lighting is getting worse.”
Di glances at the reddening sky as Fire works, wondering how much longer the voyage will take. It feels like time is crawling as they cruise along under normal sail power. “Why can’t we use the rune to get there faster?”
“Give it a rest, Di,” Jem snaps. “Turk already said he’s not sure how much water it has left. They need to use it to get away if they stumble across the navy again.”
“Let her be excited, Jem,” Era says, placing a hand on his partner’s shoulder. “She’s going home tonight!”
“Ow!” Di exclaims with a wince.
“This side is rusted…” Fire mumbles to herself.
Jem gives Era a nasty look. “Hey, why did it take you an hour to mention Fire could pick our locks?”
He shrugs. “Didn’t think about it, I guess.”
“And my necklace! My rune!! Those were going to make me a fortune! How could you leave my bag behind!?”
Era frowns as he realizes his bag was also left. “W-Well, it would have been hard to manage those hefty bags while swimming between ships and all that. But look!” He reaches into his wet boot and retrieves the emerald necklace.
Jem gasps and snatches it. “When did you-?”
“Ah-ah! A thief never reveals his secrets!” he says with a wink. “I swiped it some time ago and never mentioned it.”
“You swiped it!?” she exclaims, though she hardly sounds upset as she caresses her recovered treasure. “Well, at least I still have my necklace.”
“That’s Andrea’s necklace,” Di insists. “You stole it!”
“And that’s what makes it mine!” she smugly responds.
Era scratches his head. “Doesn’t that make it mine, then?”
Jem ignores his comment as she wraps the jewelry around her forearm. “So what happened after we got taken? You two met up, and then what?”
“We hid in the captain’s cabin!” Era excitedly explains. “No one ever thought to look there.”
“But how did you get in there without being spotted? And besides that, what would you have done if you’d gotten caught?”
“Well, the plan was to scale the hull again,” Era starts to explain, but Fire shoots him a look, reminding him of the penalty for revealing her secret.
“Scale the hull?” Jem asks, already interested. “How do you scale the outside of a ship?”
“That’s what I want to know!” Turk exclaims as he approaches. “You did that on my ship as well, showing up on the quarterdeck behind those naval sailors.”
Era glances around as everyone, including Fire, watches him expectantly. “W-Well, if you just… I mean, Fire showed me that if you grip it really tight…”
“We found climbing hooks in the hold,” Fire interjects nonchalantly while picking Di’s lock. “They must have slipped into the sea after we climbed aboard this ship.”
Everyone sort of shrugs, taking her at her word. Era wonders how she can lie so convincingly, though it certainly helps to maintain such an intimidating aura.
Turk claps his hands, drawing attention back to himself. “Well, we should be gettin’ to Canterin in an hour or so. Sit tight!” he shouts as he heads back to the quarterdeck.
“Ow!” Di again yelps as she yanks her hand away from Fire. “Stop pinching me!”
Fire stands in frustration. “Come talk to me when you’re ready to have that thing off.” She walks to the far side of the ship to watch out over the sea.
Di pouts as she massages her wrist, and Era places a hand on her arm. “Better go apologize, Di. Unless you want that thing dangling there when you greet your father.” Groaning loudly, the girl saunters over to Fire.
Jem takes a moment to study Era, alone with him for the first time in what feels like months. She’s relieved they managed to make their way back together. Just two years back, she couldn’t imagine worrying about someone in this way.
“I’m so glad I found you, Jem,” Era says, as if reading her thoughts. “The way things have been going… I thought that was it for us.”
Jem nods, reserving her enthusiasm. “I’m ready for this adventure to be over.”
Concern washes over Era as he remembers Fire’s words from earlier that day. “Jem, this won’t end after we return Di.”
“It better end!” Jem exclaims. “I want nothing to do with that girl anymore. She’s nothing but trouble.”
“But won’t the military keep pursuing us?” he asks. “Returning her won’t wipe out our bounties.”
Surprised, Jem glances over to where Di is begging for Fire’s help. “So are you saying you want to sell out to the military?”
“N-No!” Era insists. “I mean, it keeps crossing my mind, but… Jem, I just can’t do it. Even if it costs me my life.”
“It might cost me my life too, you know! Think about me for once!” With a huff, she says, “Those are our only choices, Era. Turn her in or be on the run… indefinitely.”
He sighs. “I doubt we’d last long on the run. We don’t exactly plan well.”
“Hey, I know you don’t plan well, but I can keep us alive just fine.” Exuding confidence, Jem says, “Don’t worry! Once we have that reward money, we can survive just fine running from the military. Those sluggards will never find us.”
Era is taken aback by Jem’s confidence. “So turning in Di is off the table?”
“It’s never been on the table, Era,” she says. “I know you don’t think much of my compassion, but I don’t want to turn her in, either. That girl can be grating, but no one so young deserves something like that.”
Era looks relieved. “Hey, it looks like I’m starting to rub off on you!”
“Why do you think kindness is something you need to teach me!?”
“Well, I also taught you sympathy, a sense of humor…”
Shaking her finger at him, she argues, “You haven’t taught me a thing in nearly two years! I’ve still got a lot to teach you, so…” Quieter, she adds, “So stick with me, Era. We’ll get through all this together, somehow.”
Her partner offers a warm smile.
“I like being with you, too. Thanks, Jem.”
She turns back to Fire and Di. “Don’t thank me yet. We’ll have our hands full, for sure. That nasty assassin might pursue us for our bounties once Di is home.”
Era nods. “Fire’s good, but we can beat her together.”
“Yes, together,” Jem stresses. “No more solo stuff.” After a moment, she adds, “I’m glad I met you, Era. You’re pretty special… in your own way.”
“In my own way?” he asks, raising an eyebrow. “That’s a poor attempt at hitting on me.”
The Allerian bursts into laughter. “Hitting on you…” she mutters in glee as she walks away, leaving Era to wonder what’s so funny about the idea.
As Jem wanders past the quarterdeck, the captain leans over and calls out to her. “Hey lass, come up here!”
Curious, Jem climbs the stairs. “What is it, Captain?”
“Call me Turk,” he responds. “I wanted to… errmmm… you know… see how you like the ship?”
Jem smirks at the pathetic attempt at conversation. “Just how long has it been since you’ve seen an Allerian woman?”
Turk appears hurt by the question, but he kicks at the deck and mutters, “Aye, it’s been awhile…”
“Well, I’ll still take the attention as a compliment,” she offers with a smug grin. “And look, I want to say thanks. I know this is risky for your men, and I’m sure they’d rather go home right now than sail deeper into Valvoran waters.”
Turk grunts his disagreement. “You think my men just want to go home? We live a dangerous life, Jem. A day like today is what makes us feel alive!”
“All the same, thanks. This means a lot to us.”
“This is nothing,” he insists. As she turns away, he blurts out, “You could always come with us!” Jem stops in her tracks, and he stutters, “Y-You could come back to Alleria. Live among friends! You don’t belong in Valvoren.”
Jem turns to Turk with sadness in her eyes. “I don’t belong in Alleria, either.” She glances back to Era and says, “I belong with them, for now at least. You can understand that.”
