Trail of Flames

by Marlow York

  We heard the river before we saw it. A small but well-worn path wound through the trees. The path lifted just over a small hill, and on the other side was the thundering river. Dark water crashed and swirled over boulders, flowing in a southeastern direction. The two men stood along its banks, Roger pointing to something on the other side of the water. There was nothing to see there, but by the way Cypress was laughing, I suspected Roger was telling another story about something interesting that had taken place there many years ago.

  Cypress heard us first, our feet thumping against the hard-packed dirt and our bodies pushing through the foliage. He turned and smiled. For a moment, I thought about what Saven had said. I never presumed Cypress had deep feelings for me, or perhaps I avidly chose to ignore the idea. He was always kind and friendly to anyone he encountered—aside from King Atlas. Such was his charismatic personality. To think he could favor me above someone else was a foreign concept to me.

  “But you see what I mean, don’t you?” Saven barged in on my thoughts.

  “Hush, you,” I chided.

  “What did you want to show us?” Anza’s tone suggested she was still annoyed that Roger hadn’t asked her to come along. It had nothing to do with her gender and everything to do with her personality. That, and her compulsive habit of attacking people without warning.

  “Follow me,” Roger said, smiling eagerly. There was a mischievous twinkle in his pale eyes.

  We continued down the path, following the edge of the river for quite some time. The water rushed along and though my instincts insisted I remain on edge, I recalled what Cypress had said about calming my mind. For the first time in a long time I felt like it was okay to let my guard down and take in my surroundings. Insects buzzed around us, active in the warm air. I looked down with interest at a cluster of tall orange and black flowers growing along the riverbank. Their long, pointed petals spread outward like fingers.

  “Tiger lilies,” Cypress said, coming up beside me.

  “I’ve never seen these before.” I touched the spotted petals and my hand came back with streaks of bright orange pollen.

  “I’m surprised to see them too,” Cypress said. “Look at those.”

  He pointed to a calm pool in the river. Long brown fish with speckled backs and a streak of pink along their sides glided through the cool water.

  “Trout,” I said.

  “A very common fish around here,” Roger added. “The population has bounced back over the years, now that the village is gone.”

  “There must be more plants and animals here because the City isn’t around to kill them off,” Cypress said.

  “That too.” Roger frowned, his voice low. “Let’s keep going.”

  He led the way and Cypress followed him. I looked back and saw Mjoll crouched on a boulder, tail flicking dangerously as she peered into the water. She lunged, and with a mighty splash, her face reappeared with one of the trout flopping helplessly between her teeth.

  Mjoll passed the fish to Anza, who took a huge bite out of its side. She chewed, grinning at me, and then tossed the rest of the fish into Mjoll’s open mouth.

  I shook my head, trying not to smile, and followed Cypress and Roger.

  The river curved to the right, creating a small pond. My eyes widened with wonder as I looked up at the sight in front of me. A wooden ship bobbed gently in the pool, held in place by huge ropes tied to trees along the shore and a massive anchor sitting at the bottom of the water. A pair of words were painted on its side, now faded and peeling after years of sitting in the sun and rain: Salty Mutt.

  “That’s your ship?” Cypress gazed at the vessel in admiration.

  “Yes, that’s her.” Roger looked at the ship with proud eyes. “She’s a little old and could use some repairs, but she still gets the job done.”

  “Do you still take her out fishing?” I asked.

  “I haven’t in a very long time,” Roger admitted. “With the village gone and no family to feed, I can sustain myself just fine by fishing on shore. I also never wanted to bring any attention to myself, on the off chance an airship might pass through.”

  “But none have recently?” I asked.

  “Not in two years,” Roger said. “Still, it’s difficult to get over the fear that it could happen any day.” He looked at me. “Especially after the stories you youngsters have told me.”

  “If there was any time for an airship patrol, it would be nowadays.” Cypress frowned as he looked the ship up and down. “Can we go onboard?”

  “Of course.” Roger led the way.

  I knew absolutely nothing about ships, but I could tell this one had gone into disrepair. The wood was cracked and splintered, the sails fluttered pathetically with small rips in them, and algae and mold clung to the sides. The floorboards creaked as we stepped onto the gangplank.

  “Maybe you two should stay there,” I said, looking back at Saven and Mjoll. I was afraid their weight might cause the floors to break.

  “Don’t underestimate her,” Roger told me. “She may be old, but she’s stronger than she looks.” He clenched his fist, grinning at me.

  I couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm. “Have you ever thought of taking her back out to sea?”

  “I have,” Roger said. “In fact, that’s exactly why I decided to show her to you.”

  We all looked at him curiously.

  “As I mentioned to Cypress and Anza, I happen to know people who would be very likely to join your cause.”

  “The Istkaal and Theria?” Cypress asked eagerly.

  “Yes,” Roger said. “Known for their secrecy as well as their destructive power.”

  My heart lifted suddenly, like a child hearing their wish had come true. “Known by who?”

  “Only me, as far as I know,” Roger said. “I haven’t seen them in many, many years, but they have defenses even the City wouldn’t be able to penetrate.”

  “Where do they live?” Cypress asked.

  “On an island, far out at sea,” Roger said.

  “They must be easy targets out in the middle of the ocean.” Anza’s eyes narrowed.

  “On the contrary,” Roger said. “In fact, very few people ever make it to their island alive.”

  “Why is that?” Cypress asked.

  “Because they don’t want anyone to,” Roger said gravely. “An island might seem like a bullseye in the center of a huge target, but when the island’s inhabitants control the wind and water, the target becomes a massive weapon. They can create tornadoes that destroy anything in the air, or whirlpools that suck ships down to the very depths of the ocean.”

  “How do you know all this?” I asked.

  “Because I have seen it with my own eyes.”

  “You’ve been there?” I asked. “And they didn’t kill you?”

  “Wait.” Anza crossed her arms. “You have met the Istkaal and Theria, seen their powers firsthand, and yet you seemed very surprised to learn about ours.”

  Cypress and I stared at Roger.

  “She has a point,” Cypress said.

  Roger took a deep breath, his shoulders falling. “There are two reasons for that. Firstly, their leaders swore me to secrecy. Why would I tell a group of youngsters who might be City spies about them? What reason did I have to trust you when you first arrived here?”

  “Now he has a point,” Cypress said.

  “Secondly, I’ve heard rumors about Ancient Powers, but they were just that. Rumors. Myths. Not fact. Imagine how surprised you would be to see fire sprout from a teenage girl’s hand?”

  He looked at me and I tilted my head. “True. Please, tell us what you know.”

  Chapter 14

  It’s a long story.” Roger sat down on an old crate and sighed. “The first time I went to their island was about ten years ago, when the village and my family were still alive. I was making a living as a fisherman, and I had been out at sea for about a week. A massive storm rolled in out of nowhere. I did my best to keep my ship on course
, but the storm raged all through the night. It was nearly daylight when the storm finally stopped, and by that time I had already been thrown wildly off course. I had no idea where I was, and my ship was taking on water through a crack in its hull. To be honest, I was afraid I was going to sink and die out there at sea.”

  “But you didn’t,” Anza prodded him along.

  “No,” Roger said. “As my ship was filling with water and I was preparing myself to be stranded at sea, I felt the wind pick up. The clouds started to spin angrily in the sky, and I wondered if another storm had come back to finish what it had started. But the sky didn’t darken, and the clouds didn’t look like rainclouds. The wind whipped violently, throwing me to the deck. I felt the ship shaking and groaning, like she was going to break apart. Then I felt myself being pulled upward.”

  “You, yourself?” I asked.

  “No, the entire ship. I peered over the railing and realized the ship was lifting out of the water.” He laughed. “I was certain I had gone mad!

  “I was so preoccupied with trying to save the Mutt that I never noticed another ship creeping up on me. When I turned away from the water, I saw the dark vessel approaching and figures standing on the deck, watching my ship with interest.

  “I called out to them, ‘Help me!’, more to see if they were real than anything else. I didn’t think they could actually save me, even if they turned out to be friendly, but I needed some reassurance that I hadn’t completely lost my mind.”

  “What did they do?” Cypress asked, transfixed by Roger’s story.

  “Nothing,” he answered. “No one called back to me. In that moment, I knew I had found demons, or some other sort of horrible creatures that had pushed the Mutt off course. And there I sat, in a broken boat in the middle of the ocean. No one would know where to look for me, and as their ship glided towards mine, I knew I’d never see my family again.”

  His eyes became distant and he paused for a moment, lost in the recollection of events long past. I wondered if he had ever told this story to his wife and children, and if they had believed him. I’m sure I wouldn’t have told anyone, if I were him.

  “As the ship drew near, I began to make out the faces on board. It was a huge vessel with a large crew. They dressed in unfamiliar clothes, their faces darkened with makeup. They wore long, curved swords on their hips. Pirates, I assumed. Then I noticed one of them, a beautiful young woman with her arms raised above her head. Her dark brown hair whipped around her face with the wind blowing beneath my ship. She had the most stunning blue-green eyes, like the color of the ocean just before a storm, and they stared at me with a dark, ominous power. ‘A Siren!’ I thought to myself. ‘Here to call me to my death!’”

  Anza snorted and snickered to herself. Roger looked at her suddenly, his once distant eyes pulled suddenly into the present. “Perhaps it is easy for you to believe she was like you, but for me, just a silly little human, she was a devil and an angel incarnate.”

  “Go on,” Cypress prompted. When I looked at him, his face was that of a child completely captured by his grandfather’s story. I grinned and wondered how many stories he had heard in his years as a trader. Even if he knew what was coming, I could tell he was the type who loved a good tale and appreciated any spare moment to enjoy one.

  Encouraged by Cypress’s eagerness, Roger continued. “She gently twisted her wrist, and the Salty Mutt slowly turned until it was facing the other boat. She made a beckoning motion…” Roger demonstrated with his own raised hand. “…and my ship glided closer, until their sides were nearly touching.

  “‘Please!’ I begged, ‘Take what you want and spare my life!’

  “A tall, black-haired man stood beside the beautiful woman, his dark eyes piercing into mine. He smirked, but his eyes didn’t smile. ‘And why should we do that?’ he asked. ‘Your ship has trespassed into our territory.’

  “I looked around me. ‘But, sir! I didn’t come here intentionally. The storm overtook my ship and sent me this way. I don’t even know where I am!’

  “‘Then no one else knows where you are, do they?’ The man snickered, and his crew laughed behind him. ‘The City will pay a heavy ransom for one of their own.’

  “I gave him a bewildered look. ‘The City? I’m not from the City. I live in Landsend, the village just along the coastline. I’m a fisherman there.’”

  “‘Landsend?’ The man’s smile disappeared and he looked thoughtful.

  “I nodded. ‘Yes, yes. Please, I have a family waiting back home. They won’t be able to survive without me.’

  “But the man didn’t seem to hear me. He turned and whispered to the woman beside him. She frowned, but eventually nodded.

  “‘Tell me, fisherman,’ the dark-haired man said. ‘Does the City buy fish from you?’

  “I nodded. ‘Yes, but not very much. There are other fishermen in the village.’

  “‘How many?’ he asked.

  “I thought for a moment. ‘Perhaps a dozen, maybe less. It is a very small town.’

  “‘And I’m sure you’ve noticed the fish have started disappearing?’ he continued.

  “I gave him a quizzical look. ‘Not that I’ve seen. I still get a very successful catch each time I go out to sea.’

  “This time, the entire crew frowned and whispered amongst themselves. They seemed worried and angry, but I couldn’t tell why. At that time, the fish population was normal. It wasn’t until several months later that I noticed the fish disappearing and the City came to Landsend to see if we wanted to seek refuge from the plague we didn’t yet know was coming.” Roger coughed, his voice rough from talking.

  “So, what did the pirates suspect?” I asked. “They noticed the fish were disappearing from deep in the ocean before you did?”

  “To put it shortly, it was the City’s doing. The City knew the people who controlled the wind and water lived somewhere far out in the ocean, so somehow they made the fish disappear in an attempt to not only destroy their way of living, but also kill them in the process.”

  “And did they let you go?” Cypress asked. “They obviously didn’t kill you, so something must have changed their mind.”

  “Well, at first I was a prisoner,” Roger said. “They brought me aboard their ship and towed mine along behind it. I didn’t know what to expect when we reached the island. I didn’t even know there was an island or any people that far out into the ocean, but there was.

  “An entire village nearly filled a small island in the middle of the sea. It was a beautiful village, nothing like the dreadful place I had been envisioning as we sailed farther and farther away from the mainland. The ship docked in a large port alongside numerous boats of all sizes. The crew left the vessel before the beautiful woman and the man, who I assumed was the captain of the ship.

  “‘What are you going to do with me?’ I asked them. I had since stopped begging for my life, and sat in exhausted silence, trapped somewhere between wakefulness and a stupor of disbelief.

  “‘Do not worry about it,’ the captain said tiredly. He then cut the ropes that bound me and prodded me down the plank to the docks.

  “It was nighttime, and the cobblestone streets were lit with gas lamps. Beautiful stone and brick buildings stood tightly packed together. As we walked down the street, I observed the many shops and homes we passed. This isolated island village seemed to be living in more luxury than those of us in Landsend.

  “‘Do you trade with the City?’ I asked them curiously. I had almost forgotten I was a captive and let myself speak, awe and curiosity surpassing my fear.

  “The woman scoffed. ‘Of course not. We only trade with other villages. We would never trade with those murderous scum.’

  “I was taken aback to hear someone talk harshly about the City. In Landsend we had always lived harmoniously with the City, up to that point, of course. To hear these people hated them so fiercely for reasons I could not yet understand somehow offended me, as though I myself were a City Dweller.


  “We arrived at a short building made of dark stone stained odd colors over the years. From the outside, the place looked ominous. A faint glow came through the darkened windows, but other than that, the building looked empty. The woman rapped on the door. I noticed a detailed star had been carved into the rich wood. A moment later, a small window slid open and a voice came from inside.

  “‘Who is it?’ the voice asked, muffled through the thick door.

  “‘Cut the crap,’ the woman said tersely. ‘You know who it is. Let us in.’

  “The window slid shut and I heard the sound of several locks and bolts scraping the door. When it finally opened, the glowing light inside was not any brighter. The woman walked through first, and the ship’s captain prodded me along behind her. We stepped past a short, round man who eyed me curiously as I passed.

  “‘Who is that?” the short man asked. ‘Are we letting just anyone join nowadays?’

  “‘Do you ever stop talking?’ the woman muttered. She looked at me. ‘Ignore him and follow me.’

  “We walked past several tables and chairs. A long wooden counter stood near the far wall. We were in a tavern, I finally realized. Only a small candle illuminated one corner of the room. I followed the woman through a doorway and nearly tripped and fell down the staircase in front of us.

  “‘Watch your step,’ the man said, his voice suggesting a smirk at my expense.

  “The stairs wound to the side as we continued down into the basement. It was not until we reached the bottom that I could finally see my surroundings.

  “A yellowish light filled the room. There were a handful of people down there, both men and women, chatting amongst themselves. They glanced up when they saw the woman appear, and the room fell completely silent as one by one they noticed me behind her.

  “‘This is Roger, a fisherman from Landsend,’” the pirate captain said to the group. No one said hello or made any sort of acknowledgment. They stared at me, some with looks of confusion, others with expressions of contempt. I shivered from the damp, cool air, but also from the sensation that I was a mouse in a den full of hungry cats.