“You must be troubling yourselves with what happened. I assure you, the plan was exquisite.”
Unimpressed, Xoey rolled her eyes. She wasn’t very happy being in this situation. Despite her reaction, Pene continued. “Nix had assured us he would be ready, even if we were captured. On land, he set in motion a chain reaction of events, which included the wind tunnel. Quite brilliant, if you ask me.”
They walked together up the plank and into the belly of the flying ship. It was quite empty and quite dark. Small flames rested on the candlesticks giving an eerie glow in the back corner.
“It’s funny how wind tunnels work. You never know where they are going to end up. It’s like taking a shot in the dark. Sometimes, the risk is worth it all. And so, you two were caught in the storm and the rest of the crew ended up in the sea. One can hope their desperation of kicking in the gentle waves gave enough momentum for a swim back to the shore. Of course, wherever they end up, they’ll be arrested for harboring a fugitive.” She could feel him staring at her, but she could also feel someone else in the room before them.
One, two—pause—one, one two—pause—one, two—pause. Xoey pushed her wrists against the tight shackles. Above them, humming light flickered. She squinted her eyes, wishing she had her hat to avoid the glare. She felt very vulnerable, and it wasn’t a good feeling.In the moment before she lifted her gaze to see the man before them, she thought of her father and how much she missed him. Dressed in a blue jacket with fine gold buttons in rows, khaki pants, and polished black shoes, Nix smoothed out his pressed hair. He adjusted his sleeves in contempt.
“The one and only Xoey. The pirate girl—”
She interrupted him. “I ain’t a girl.” She could see colors within his body swirl. It looked familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Nadine didn’t appear to notice.
“And rude, too.” Nix blew on his nails and rubbed them on the lapel of his coat. He gestured someone forward. That someone slammed a fist down and everything in her world turned black.
Chapter Eleven
For a moment upon waking, Xoey swore she was on the ship. She smiled thinking her father was near. It was but a small, futile moment and as the haze of sleep washed away, she could see Nadine kneeling over her. “Are you okay?” Xoey sank into her clothes, attempting to hide every feeling of sadness and disappointment. Nadine understood her reaction, it seemed. She smiled faintly. “You don’t have a concussion. My mother watched over me when I slipped and fell on the slippery deck of the airship. I’d give anything for that moment again.”
“I’d give anything to see my father again,” she said softly.
The enclosed room of stone and dirt lacked windows. Even the iron door shielded them from the outside world. The smell of musk, old moth balls, and poor hygiene filled her nose. It was far from the worst thing she’s ever smelled. Nadine, however, looked pretty pale. Xoey couldn’t understand how they were to be seen as heroes of Grittle. She didn’t feel like one and every step of the way they’d always been one step behind Nix. She didn’t know if Ramos survived. They were still missing the little one to fall from the sky. Xoey pressed her head against the wall. She didn’t feel well. Her stomach gurgled. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and yawned.
The sliding peephole on the door opened with a resounding thud. A speckled man with dark eyes squinting underneath wired eyebrows peeped in, catching their curious glances. “Message for the pirate.” He paused, shuffling through his pockets, and shoved a stack of cards through the slot. The deck scattered across the stone floor. He giggled and shut the peephole. Nadine picked up the bloody triangle card. “Taire…”
“This is my fault,” said Xoey. “He’s dead because of me.”
Nadine looked down. “It’s not your fault. Taire helped us because he wanted to.”
Xoey sniffed, suddenly feeling very small. “There were plenty of places along the way to gather up provisions. The crew decided to go to Grittle because I wanted to. If I had not been so selfish…” She chewed her lower lip. In the dark, under Nadine’s watch, Xoey began to cry.
Nadine edged over to her, slid down the wall, and held the pirate tight. “We’ll get out of here. I promise. This isn’t the jail.” She gestured to the far wall. “See the water?”
Xoey wiped the tears from her face. Outstretched like roots, the water trickled down the rough stone. “Where is it coming from?”
Nadine thought about it for a moment. “There’s only one place in Grittle that is old enough to leak water.” She pulled herself up. “It’s in Old Town. It’s a small wading pool. There were always complaints that the water levels were never consistent.” Her eyes shone brightly as she looked back to Xoey. “Best part is no one swims there anymore.”
For once in her life, Xoey was tired of water. She swiped up the All Things Dark game and placed it in her back pocket. “I think we should discuss this.”
“Too late,” Nadine said. She lifted up her hand toward the ceiling. The conch shell buzzed to life. Radiating white light filled the cell. Lifting up her arms, Xoey covered her eyes. She pressed flat against the wall, as she didn’t want to experience being thrown again. A large resounding boom radiated so hard it shook the iron door. Mud and foul water poured down through the crumbling stone. Nadine grabbed Xoey’s hand. “Whatever you do, don’t let go!”
“Why would I—” She jerked as something touched her leg.
Legends of sea creatures filled the ship’s dead time. The stories that were spread from vessel to vessel had been around for generations. But, this was different. The room quickly flooded with hundreds of gallons of dirty water not from the ocean. “Something just touched me!”
Nadine no longer smiled. “Water worms. Just keep as still as possible,” she said in a hushed tone.
Xoey didn’t want to think of how silly it sounded to be swimming in water and not moving. It usually suggested drowning. They were a few feet from the floor of the pool. One hand still gripped to Nadine, she used the other to slowly remove her suspenders. “What is a water worm?”
She tossed one end of the suspenders, hoping they’d catch onto something. The make-shift rope slapped down into the water. A large slender worm with wrinkled green skin, white bulging eyes, and a large gaping mouth jumped up out of the water and swallowed the shiny clasp of the suspenders and dragged the rest of it underwater. Xoey opened and shut her mouth. Nadine grasped the rugged stone opening and slowly pulled Xoey close to her.
“Climb on my shoulders and reach up. Once you’re up there, you’ll pull me out.”
Xoey looked at her. “We’ll go together.”
“We can’t go together,” she said. “We can’t reach that far. You need to step on my shoulders.” It’ll be okay,” Nadine reassured her. “Just go.”
With a huff, Xoey climbed onto Nadine’s back. Her boots dug into her shoulders. Nadine pressed her discomfort into the stone.
Up in the pool, a few worms flopped around desperately looking for a source of water. Xoey lay down on her stomach, slid over to the hole, and reached out for Nadine. “Come on.”
Nadine smiled wearily. She grabbed Xoey’s hand. Her boot scraped against the rocks. The movement stirred up the worms. One jumped up and bit down on her leg. Nadine screamed in pain. All the strength that Xoey possessed was used to pull her out of the hole. Her entire body ached, but the pain dulled at the sight of Nadine’s leg. A big chunk of flesh was ripped from her calf. The blood flooded the floor underneath them. Xoey spotted a door. She lifted Nadine and carried her over her shoulder. She feared each step would be agonizing. Instead, Xoey didn’t feel hindered by the lack of food. She pressed forward.
Xoey grabbed a dish cloth from a clothesline between two buildings. In the back of a small cart, Nadine stifled a scream as the pirate wrapped the wound. Many times on a ship, injuries would happen. Bleeding was one thing she could slow down. Restoring missing fles
h, however, was not her specialty. “Nadine, where is the Ichen Lager?”
Nadine didn’t respond. Xoey hurried down the streets of Old Town and down the steps into Under City.
She grabbed the arm of the first gnome she spotted. He adjusted his spectacles and cleared his throat. “Please,” she said. “My friend is injured and I need to find Ichen Lager. I don’t have time to go to Storm’s Hold. Is Ferr around?”
He narrowed his gold-colored eyes, possibly weighing her words for truth. “Ferr is not here. If you seek help, go to the last house on the right. She’ll be able to give you what you seek.”
The last house on the right was a two-story corner home. It was wedged between a larger home and the wall of Under City. She knocked on the door with haste. Nadine coughed up white spittle. Xoey could feel it dribble on her shoulder. A female gnome with long lashes and painted nails answered the door. She tilted her head at the sight and said, “Come in.”
The floor was covered in rugs of all shapes and colors. Along the walls, every bit of space available was hidden by posters of theatric quality. She ushered the two down the hall and into a small room with a long silver table. “Place her there.”
She tugged on a magenta string near the door and a chandelier of magnifying glasses descended. The gnome introduced herself. “I’m Lesria.”
“Xoey. This is Nadine.”
Something with Lesria’s black eyes shimmered. “I have heard of you. How is Decyl?”
Xoey tried not to shrug, but she was too exhausted. “I don’t know. He went with Mal.”
Lesria smiled a toothy smile. She carefully examined the wound. “Not to worry, child. Decyl is my husband.”
“Oh…” She felt rather dimwitted. “I didn’t know.”
The gnome waved it away. “Male gnomes are reserved about their family life. We women, however, gossip away.” She paused. “It seems your friend here was poisoned. Can you tell me what she was bit by?”
Xoey lowered her gaze. “A water worm.”
“Ichen Lager only helps with wounds,” said Lesria. Her voice softened in the dull light. “She will have to fight the poison on her own.”
Nadine’s cracked lips turned a hue of a periwinkle. In the dead of silence, each breath was more raspy and hollow than the last. Xoey fought back tears. “There’s nothing anyone can do? Where is Ferr? Ferr can save her.”
Lesria slowly brewed the concoction for the gaping hole. “She must save herself. Poison of the water worm is something we, even Ferr, cannot remedy.”
The buzz of Under City stopped. Lesria’s long ears perked up. Her vanilla-colored pelt stiffened. She turned to Xoey with a large ladle of Ichen Lager. Xoey was glad to see that it was not boiling. “Hide. I can hear the steps of guards. They are unlike ours.”
“What about Nadine?” Xoey pleaded. “You have to save her.”
”I will find a way,” said Lesria. “But you need to go.”
Nadine coughed up a swill of white, heavily tinted with red. Her hand felt ice-cold to the touch. Her porcelain face paled significantly as water droplets formed on her forehead. Lesria placed a soft cloth upon Nadine’s brow. “The battle against the poison has just begun.”
Xoey leaned in so that her friend could hear her. “You can’t give up. You have to see Mal. He’s waiting for us.” Xoey squeezed her hand. “I believe in you.”
She looked up at Lesria. “If she glows white, duck and hold onto something.”
The gnome regarded her curiously, but did not ask for a clarification. Xoey ran out the front door.
Outside of the house, the gnomes ushered along the outside of the center where the guards grouped together. They each looked large and imposing. Coordinated in black suits, they looked rather silly huddled in a circle. Xoey set her boots near the front steps. It was better not to trip when on the run. She snatched an orb labeled Smoke ‘em out from behind a stall. Xoey glanced at the instructions that said to just throw it. With a shrug, she whistled and as the guards turned, she waved and threw the ball. It landed a mere foot in front of them and a large cloud of multi-colored smoke billowed from the broken remains of the orb. She ran across the street, around the train, and waited.
Shouts and commands echoed throughout the cavern. She peeked to see the wide-shouldered brutes kicking and shoving gnomes of all ages out of their way. One gnome refused to get out of one guard’s way and he kicked the poor soul into the boomerang booth. Xoey leaned over and grabbed a large gun from on top of a booth. It was twice as long as her arm with spiked arrows sticking out of the barrel. She retrieved Decyl’s lighter that she had used in Desert Town and lit the fuse. She stepped out into the open space where the guards were picking on an elderly gnome. They kicked his cane and broke it.
“Not too bright to be picking on the very creatures that are always armed.” She pulled the trigger after the elderly gnome ducked and covered his gray ears. The arrows whizzed through the air. Some went high and others went low. They all stopped next to the cowering guards. The noise and the light struck them like being hit with a bottle. The shock scared them more than the noise, but she imagined the bang caused temporary hearing loss. A small crowd gathered to help the gnome up and handed him a new cane.
Xoey froze at the sudden grip around the back of her small neck. The stranger tossed her into the side of the train. The gun clattered and slid under the imposing transport. A figure, dressed in a gray twill jacket and black slacks, slapped her across the face. Her knees buckled as she had never been hit before. Not like that, at least. The warmth of his handprint settled across her face. She looked at her attacker. He had a wide face with a large red mustache that greeted his rosy cheeks. However, there was nothing rosy about the man. Upon the lapel of his jacket was the familiar gear pin.
A voice settled from behind the council member. “No one hits a child.”
Xoey peered around the large man to see a large number of gnomes with their weapons drawn.
“Now, now…” her attacker said. “Let’s not get too hasty.”
“You sent your guards in here. Question is…where are they?”
He looked to his right to see the guards were indeed missing. The spectacled gnome that Xoey had grabbed earlier stepped forward. “Seems to me, sir, they are missing. So, if you’ll be so kind, hand over the pirate.”
The man’s large hand enveloped her wrist. He held it tightly, unwilling to barter. He pushed her in front of him. “You do not want to start this war. Over a child, no less.”
The gnome adjusted his glasses with a toothy grin. “You have no idea how long we have been waiting.” They all placed fingers on triggers. “Life or death, Councilman Silyas.”
She could feel his hand drenched with sweat. She wanted nothing more than to wipe it off. He shoved her forward. One of the gnomes grabbed her hand and led her through the group. She sat down on the booth’s table. Silyas held up his hands. “I gave you what you wanted. Now you’ll let us go.”
Xoey leaned down to the one who escorted her. “Who is that?” She pointed to the gnome who was talking.
The burnt-orange gnome stifled a laugh. “Our leader, Gaim.”
She blinked. “I thought that was Ferr.”
He shook his head. “Being the eldest doesn’t make one a leader. Ferr retired many moons ago.”
Gaim shrugged. “Silyas, I have to apologize, but you are mistaken. I never said anything about letting you go.”
Silyas’ cheeks reddened with anger “You cannot do this! Nix will destroy you all.”
“Not quite. We hold all of the weapons.”
Gaim weighed the movements of the councilman. “Xoey,” he said, “you may wish to turn around.”
She watched the crowd of gnomes move in and around Silyas. Only one raised a weapon fashioned of bronze and copper with a beautiful red jeweled hilt. Silyas collapsed after one shot. His hand clutched t
o his chest as the other gripped his lapel with the gear pin fashioned to it. All she could think when the blood seeped into the stained slotted drain was that she was thankful that they incapacitated him quickly. Gaim adjusted his spectacles with an order to remove the body. He approached her with a polite smile. “I am sorry you had to witness such an unfortunate event.”
“I’ve seen worse,” said Xoey. “It’s all right.”
They walked side-by-side into Lesria’s house. The vanilla-colored gnome looked at Xoey with sadness. “I’m sorry.”
A white sheet had been pulled over Nadine’s body. Xoey’s heart dropped. Each step she took toward the table felt heavier than the next. “No.” Xoey pulled back the sheet to see Nadine’s pale face. Her lips had blued significantly. Gaim and Lesria stepped back to let the pirate mourn. Xoey slammed her hand on the table. “No!” she cried. Tears streamed down Xoey’s face. She could feel her knees weaken. She clutched onto Nadine’s cold hand. The shell embedded into Nadine’s palm, however, radiated with warmth.
Her body wanted to acknowledge the death, but Xoey’s stubborn mind refused. She pressed herself back up. “I have to find Mal. He’s the only one who can bring her back.”
Lesria dismissed the notion. “Xoey, it’s been too long.”
“Just keep her warm. I’ll find Mal.”
Gaim nodded to Lesria. “Sometimes we must have a leap of faith. Go on, Xoey. We’ll watch over her.”
Chapter Twelve
Mal huffed in the cramped quarters of the flying cargo hold. It was designed for merchant trade. A small engine buzzed underneath the deck loaded with crates. He felt it was a miracle it could fly. Decyl’s eyes glowed with glee at all of the undiscovered wonders the boxes contained.
Adventures of Captain Xdey Page 12
