There shouldn’t be any need to worry about being attacked tonight. The Quintz would not mess up their opportunity for a swift and easy take-over by acting overeager. Especially now that they knew it was all in the hands of a little girl. Balthasar half expected them to show up with bribes for Milly the next morning, and he would have bet on it with Joe or Ference, only they were both of the same opinion.
The pirates all spent the evening together, sitting around a fire near the cottage, talking about the good old times. They all missed their captain, but they were still getting used to the life here. Making friends with the villagers and finding their individual purposes in the Highlands was nice; it was something they could get used to.
Balthasar wondered what Selene had in store for their future. Right now, all of the pirates were keen to protect their current home, no matter how little time they had spent here.
*****
The next morning the three of them rode back to Myara Hill. Again, the ambassador was waiting with three uniformed soldiers, even though it hadn’t reached noon yet. Today he had left the hood off. Just as Balthasar had expected, there was a pile of presents behind the man, ready to be handed to the girl who would decide the fate of the Highlands.
After exchanging the Quintz greeting once again, the ambassador chose not to waste much time. With a grand gesture, he pointed at the heap of goods behind him.
“We have brought gifts for this joyous occasion. Take a look for yourself, young lady, and we will eagerly await your decision.”
Milly didn’t have to be asked twice. She leapt forward and looked excitedly and carefully through all of the boxes and bags. Balthasar could see the ambassador nervously fiddling with his robe, and the anxious sweat appearing at his temple. There was likely more on the line for this man than just the success of this mission.
Balthasar wondered how much, but he didn’t care enough to let his judgement of the situation be swayed. If he had cared that much about the life of strangers, he would never have become a pirate.
“Well?” the ambassador asked. His tone was a mixture of impatience and whining. Milly shortly looked up at the man.
“I want a pony,” she declared. “My brother has one. I want one, too.”
The ambassador exchanged a few quick words with one of the soldiers in their language. Balthasar had to admit that Milly had been right; it really did sound hard and angry. After a moment the ambassador turned to Colm.
“We can arrange a pony, just give us a little time. But please, you must make a decision,” he begged.
Milly put the things she was holding back on the pile and returned to Colm and Balthasar’s side.
“I don’t think I want to belong Quintz,” she said straight out. “You guys don’t seem like much fun.”
The man had clearly expected a different answer. For a moment, his rigid posture disappeared, and he seemed like a lost old man. But then he straightened himself up again and turned to Balthasar once again.
“Surely you must see that this is insanity. If you truly go by the whims of a child, then these lands will soon be overrun by war and many people will die! I cannot imagine that you want that,” he pleaded. Balthasar shrugged.
“Ye heard d’girl. I got nothin’ else t’say.”
The ambassador gulped. One glance at Colm confirmed that they were all of the same mind.
After a moment of silent desperation, the man’s features darkened and he grabbed Milly’s arm.
“You will surrender to us,” he demanded. “Or else the girl dies.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than icicles appeared all over the skin and clothes of the arm that was holding Milly. With a yelp, he let go of her and she sprinted back to stand behind Balthasar.
“Ye’re okay lil’ one?”
She nodded, her eyes not leaving the ambassador. One hand was clutching Balthasar’s shirt, her other hand found his and he squeezed it gently to reassure her.
“Well done,” he said quietly.
Meanwhile, Colm was staring at the ambassador with ice cold eyes.
“I believe we’re done here,” he said.
Balthasar’s attention was drawn to the soldiers by their yelling. Roots had risen up and had bound them to the ground. Realizing that the ambassador couldn’t help them, they now changed shape to birds to escape the roots, and fled back to whence they had come.
The ambassador quickly followed them on foot.
Colm watched them go for a moment.
“I suppose we should tell everyone to get ready,” he said.
“What in the world did you think you were doing?” Selene yelled.
Lilith stared at the ground. She had woken up only a little while ago, surrounded by her friends – who were luckily all unharmed, give or take a few scratches. They had told her what had happened, how her eyes had glowed blue and how she had suddenly been surrounded by blue fire. The earth had rumbled, and a few minutes later, she had lifted the Hellfire Naginata over her head, screaming in agony and rage, and, with some sort of lightning shooting from the orb into the ceiling, she had blown it up.
Ayalon and Amethyst had barely managed to follow her through the opening, only to realize that they had been deep under water. The blast Lilith had set off had parted the water for only a moment. The two of them had been caught by the waves crashing back down, and when they had finally made it out of the water, Lilith had disappeared inside a cocoon of swirling blue fire, floating slowly back toward Port Kalhes.
Selene and the others had also noticed something wasn’t right, but they had left the tunnel the way they had originally come after waiting for the first day. They had just reached the exit when the earth had shaken, and they had gotten out just in time to see that the sea had withdrawn, leaving large fish stranded in the drying bay, while all the people hurried to get as far away from the shore as they could.
While Selene and Zero hadn’t understood at first, they had quickly grasped why the people were fleeing, when they saw the tremendous tidal wave approaching the evacuated city, followed by Lilith’s globe of fire.
They had taken to the air and watched from a distance as first, the tidal wave had left the city in ruins, and then the blue fire ball had taken its place above the center. It had hung there for a little while, before it had suddenly and rapidly expanded, quickly engulfing the entire city, before basically imploding.
Now they were here, none of them quite comprehending what had occurred, or why. Her head hanging low, Lilith began to tell them what had happened to her mind at the same time. Nobody interrupted her. When she finished, everyone stayed quiet for a moment. Finally, Selene said, “I’m glad you’re okay.”
The others nodded in agreement. After another pause, Amethyst hopped closer to Lilith.
“And you really met Death?” he asked. “Like the thing that happens to everyone?”
Lilith nodded.
“I am sorry. For all of this,” she gestured toward where had once been Port Kalhes.
The others looked at her expressionless.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Zero eventually said. “You didn’t do this by your own will. You were in a state where you had no control over your actions.”
“If anything, it was that thing,” Ayalon huffed a breath of steam.
Tears came to Lilith’s eyes. Their words didn’t ease the guilt she was feeling. But at least they assured her that she wasn’t hated. She felt like she didn’t deserve their kindness.
She hid her face in her hands so they wouldn’t see her tears, even if her trembling shoulders betrayed her. After a moment she felt warm feathers rub against her leg, a warm, scaly hide on her back, and someone patting her head, while someone else took one of her hands into theirs.
Slowly, her vision still blurred, Lilith looked up at her friends.
“There, there,” Selene mumbled uncertainly while continuing to pat her head.
Lilith couldn’t help but let o
ut a little giggle. Selene’s discomfort about showing any sign of direct affection was obvious. But the fact that she nevertheless decided to act on it in order to comfort Lilith, just as all the others were, made her feel warm and loved.
“Thank you all,” she whispered.
“We’re friends, right? Friends are there for each other.”
Lilith saw the grin on Selene’s face and took the hand the girl had extended to her. Selene pulled her up and for a moment they stood face to face.
“We are,” Lilith agreed and smiled.
“Now that we’re all being happy and sad, and I don’t even know what is going on anymore, shouldn’t we think about going back now? I mean, we have the thing… right?” Amethyst cut in. He looked around hectically. The fact that the Hellfire Naginata was nowhere to be seen was clearly worrying him. The others had noticed now as well and looked around for it.
“Did you lose it somewhere?” Selene frowned.
Lilith shook her head.
“It is right here,” she said, and summoned it. The same way her wings appeared out of nowhere when she called for them, so the Hellfire Naginata now appeared in her hand.
Awed, her friends stared at it.
“It’s extraordinarily beautiful,” Zero noted.
“If I touch it, will I go crazy, too?” Selene wondered aloud.
Lilith shook her head. “No. You may go ahead. It has chosen me, and I have not been consumed, so I have become its master. It will not hurt anyone ever again unless I allow it,” she explained.
“How can you be so sure?” Selene asked suspiciously.
Lilith’s face darkened.
“I have learned much about it while I was forced to watch the atrocities it has been used for. I have seen every mistake that has been made in handling it and how to avoid them. I do not claim to know everything about it – that would be impossible – but I do know more than anyone has ever before. In over five hundred years I am the first master it has had.”
Selene chose to accept that explanation. Without hesitation, she let her fingers glide over the beautifully ornamented staff and the flat side of the blade. She did not dare to touch the edge. The others kept a respectful distance. After a few moments of admiring the weapon, Selene stood back and put on her usual stoic expression.
“Do you want to go and see how the townspeople are doing?” she asked.
Lilith hesitated for a moment, considering the option. But no. She could never look them in the eyes after what she had caused.
“No. It is better if I disappear,” she decided.
“Let’s go then,” Selene said.
The winds were getting stronger. They ripped at Lilith’s clothing and wings, making it difficult to fly in a straight line.
Her friends didn’t have it any easier. They had flown for only a little while, still in sight of the ashes of Port Kalhes. But now the wind pushed them further and further east. Continuing this way would only injure or weaken them. It would get them nowhere.
Lilith’s wings were already aching. The other two could probably take it for longer, but Lilith knew that she would soon reach the limit of her abilities. Perhaps her contact with the Hellfire Naginata had taken more of her energy than she had first realized.
“We need to land,” Selene shouted over the roaring of the wind.
Lilith was glad for it. While she knew she couldn’t continue for much longer, she also didn’t want to be the reason for a delay. After all, every wing beat she managed was one closer to being back home, to her family, and to completing her mission. Even so, she fell, rather than flew, to the ground. At the last moment, she used her wings to break her fall and slow her down, so she could land on her feet. Her friends followed quickly.
“We can’t fly on,” Selene declared. “We’re going to need to walk for a while. At least until the winds stop. Maybe we can get horses in a town or village on the way. I’m sorry, Ayalon, you will probably have to walk yourself.”
The dragon grumbled something about not having any problems with that while the others exchanged worried glances. Lilith gnawed at her lip. The fact that those winds delayed their return seemed like a bad omen to her. At least they didn’t have to stop completely and wait until they died down.
They continued walking right away, in the hope of finding a village Zero had seen from the air. Soon, they got to a road. As they stepped onto it to choose a direction, a familiar voice called Lilith’s name. She turned to see Khaleb galloping toward her. A little way behind him was his uncle, also walking in their direction.
“I’m so glad you’re okay!” Khaleb shouted. He stopped just before her and pulled her into a tight hug. “I thought for sure the tsunami would get you while you were in that tunnel!”
“You are not angry with me?” Lilith asked uncertainly.
Khaleb looked at her in honest surprise.
“How could I be angry with you? I’m just glad you didn’t drown!”
He hugged her again. Lilith let it happen.
“I am glad nothing happened to you,” she mumbled. She wasn’t sure if he had heard her or not, but he pulled away from her to look at her properly, his eyes gleaming with unexpected joy.
“What are you doing here anyway?” he asked excitedly.
Lilith quickly shot a look at her friends who were watching the scene, confused and wary, as they could not understand it.
“We were on our way home, but the winds are too strong, so we decided to walk until they ease up again,” she told him.
Khaleb shook his head apologetically.
“That won’t be any use,” he explained. “These kinds of storms can last for days, even weeks on occasion. Where do you live? I don’t think I ever asked. The capital? If so, then you’re going in the wrong direction.”
Lilith shook her head.
“No, I live in the Highlands,” she said.
“The Highlands? That’s a long way away.”
“We were hoping to take a steamrail to Tsoaluo or Nenbalon,” Lilith admitted.
Khaleb shook his head.
“You won’t be able to. A bridge collapsed on the line to Tsoaluo a few weeks ago, and the one to Nenbalon was damaged by the tsunami. It won’t run again for a while.”
Helplessly, Lilith listened to his explanations.
“Perhaps some horses…?” she ventured.
Again, he shook his head.
“In this country? I doubt it,” he laughed. “But maybe you could come to Taquin with us? That’s where we’re going. We don’t really know what to do yet, now that our home was destroyed, so we figured we’d go visit my aunt and stay with her until we figure things out. We’d be happy to have you and your friends along,” he said, smiling and considerably more upbeat than she would have been in his situation.
She considered it for a moment. It seemed like a good idea and better than most other options they had.
“I shall ask my friends,” she therefore said, before turning to them and repeating the centaur’s offer. Selene discussed it with Ayalon and Zero in a few words, before agreeing that it was probably the most sensible course of action, considering the new information. By that point Khaleb’s uncle had caught up with them and his nephew had explained the situation to him.
“Didn’t she have wings last time?” he asked with a frown. Lilith could hear the confusion and the disapproval in his voice. She had barely noticed that she had made her wings disappear when she had touched the ground again. It had become quite natural to her to deal with them. While Khaleb tried to explain the fact that she could make them appear and disappear at will, Lilith decided to strengthen the young centaur’s words by summoning her wings while pretending not to listen to their conversation. After hearing a surprised gasp from the elder centaur, she turned back to them and relayed her friends’ reply to the offer.
“We would be delighted to join you.”
They began following the street, Khaleb’s uncle chatt
ing to Zero in the shape of a horse, and Ayalon trotting after them with Selene on his back. Amethyst was on his usual spot on Lilith’s shoulder, from where he could easily keep Khaleb in his vision at all times.
Khaleb was walking close to Lilith, occasionally stealing glances at her. After they had walked for a while, he noticed she was getting tired. Without hesitation, he picked her up and deposited her on his back. Surprised, Lilith didn’t even protest.
“I don’t want you falling over.” Khaleb smiled.
Lilith didn’t know what to say to that, so she thanked him, while Amethyst grumbled something about manners and hybrids being as bad as humans. They walked for a long time, taking only one break in the afternoon and making camp at dusk.
The next morning, Lilith went out with Selene to find breakfast for everyone, hoping to get Khaleb’s uncle to warm up to the human girl. The plan worked and he even had some smiles to spare for her throughout their travels that day. This time, they took plenty of breaks but kept their steady pace. Lilith expected to make camp again around dusk, but Khaleb told her that they were close to the border and wanted to pass it before stopping for the night.
“Why is it that you want to go to Taquin? Do you not have family in Macrin?” Lilith eventually asked.
“Yeah, my parents live in the capital, but they’re terrible. We figured after all this, we might need a change of scenery, and seeing my parents isn’t exactly high on my list.”
He grimaced.
“How so? If you do not mind my asking.”
Khaleb sighed.
“They think that our government is fine the way it is, that the strongest are at the top and the weak don’t deserve anything. They’re not exactly the biggest fans of humans either.”
“Is that normal in Macrin?” Lilith asked, thinking back to her experiences in Port Kalhes.
“Yeah, generally they all think that everyone who isn’t a hybrid isn’t worth anything and humans are the worst of it all,” Khaleb explained.
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