Trail of Flames

by Marlow York

  “Was that your sister’s necklace too?” Cypress asked, straightening up.

  I shook my head. “My mother’s.”

  I stood and breathed deeply as I gazed at the ocean. “The circumstances that brought us here were terrible, but I want to see good in it where I can. If the City had never attacked the Fiero, we wouldn’t be on this mission right now. There would be no hope of stopping them. To say that being a slave was a positive thing would be a lie, but it led me to one of my best friends, Sarrenke, and eventually to become a Warrior. I never would have met Saven or you or seen any of the rest of the world. I’d still be a quiet Harvester, letting fate do with me what it wished.”

  “We can’t change the past, but at least now we have a shot at our own future,” Cypress said.

  “It’s not just that,” I said. “This is my duty.”

  Saven tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

  I looked up at him. “It’s my fault my village is gone and my people and parents are dead. It’s my fault the same thing happened to the Grakkir. The City took Grakkir captives and tortured them to find me; their blood is on my hands. Tarek’s death is my fault too. Those are facts I have to live with for the rest of my life.” I looked at Cypress, who frowned back at me. “I have no right to ask anyone to fight the City with me. I might be leading them to their deaths, but all those deaths would be for nothing if I didn’t try. And if this doesn’t work, then I’ll just give myself up to them.”

  “That is a load of horse shit,” Anza said.

  We turned, not realizing she was behind us, listening to our conversation.

  “How long have you been standing there?” I asked.

  “I completely agree that you are the City’s main target in the attacks,” Anza said, ignoring my question and striding up to us. “As much as I hate you for what happened to my people, giving yourself up to them is not the answer. As a Grakkir Warrior, that should already be ingrained in your mind. A Warrior never gives in to the enemy and takes an honorable death in battle over defeat. Besides,” she added, lowering her voice, “if you give up, that doesn’t mean the City will stop trying to kill the rest of us. They will keep attacking and hunting us down until the Ancient Powers are defeated.

  “If we have any chance of surviving without hiding in forests and underground and on islands in the middle of nowhere,” she gestured at the wide expanse of ocean around us, “then we must never give up. All of us need to keep fighting until there is no one left standing. Stop wasting your time whining about how much of this mess is your fault and start doing something about it.”

  Cypress grinned. “I doubt the City’s soldiers were trained with that much conviction.”

  He was probably right, and, as much as I hated to admit it, so was Anza. Unlike me, she had been raised with steadfast beliefs about honor and war. I was the one who always doubted myself and blamed myself for what I had no control over. It was time to change that.

  “I agree,” Saven said.

  “Okay, folks. It’s going to be a bit of a journey, from what I remember.” Roger joined us on the deck. “You might want to get some shut eye. I’ll let you know when I see a storm approaching.”

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  I felt the ship heave from below deck long before I heard Roger shouting up above. My eyes popped open and my feet were on the floor before I had time to think. Anza nearly fell out of the bed beside mine.

  “So much for warning us about the storm,” she said.

  We both were thrown into the wall as the ship bucked violently to one side. We scrambled to our feet and rushed up the wooden stairs. When I shoved the door open, rainwater raced down the steps. The storm crashed and thundered around us. I faintly heard Roger calling orders to Cypress. Saven struggled to keep from sliding across the slippery floorboards.

  “What’s going on?” I shouted to Roger, who fought to keep the ship on course.

  “I had no time to warn you!” he called back. “This storm didn’t roll in gradually; it fell out of the sky!”

  I turned to Saven, who had wrapped his tail around the main mast to anchor himself in place. “Where is Cypress?” I asked him.

  “Up there!”

  I craned my neck upward. Cypress was trying to climb to the crow’s nest. The raven flag flapped wildly in his arms as the wind whipped around him.

  “The pulley system to raise the flag broke,” Saven said.

  The wind gusted violently against us. I watched as Cypress was nearly blown off the netting he clung to. The raven flag ripped out of his hands and sailed towards the ocean.

  I gasped and ran after the flag, slipping and sliding on the soaked deck. A wave crashed against the side of the boat, showering me with frigid water. I rushed up a short set of stairs and cornered the flag where it had become tangled in a pile of ropes.

  Another wave crashed into the boat, throwing me to the ground. I helplessly slid towards the railing. My fingernails tried to dig into the wood of the deck, but everything was too slippery. I looked over my shoulder and saw the angry sea churning around us. Another wave hurled over the railing, and at the same moment I felt something clamp down painfully on my shoulder.

  A massive body stood over me, bracing against the railing to keep us from getting tossed into the ocean. Mjoll’s huge paw pressed my chest down. When the ship heaved in the opposite direction and the water drained away, I looked at her huge yellow eyes and gave a nod of thanks. She nodded back.

  I clambered to my feet and hurried for the main mast where Cypress now stood on the deck. He held onto the ropes and watched me until I reached him with the flag.

  “We need to get it up there so they can see it!” he shouted over a clap of thunder.

  I followed his pointed finger and saw a small basket attached to the top of a pole many feet above us. A narrow rope ladder, now soaked with ocean water and rain, was the only way to get there.

  “I can climb it,” I said. My years as a Harvester gave me plenty of experience climbing all sorts of trees. I hated to admit aloud how different this was, but I couldn’t let that stop me.

  Cypress grabbed my wrist and I looked at him. “Be careful.”

  I nodded and shoved the flag down the front of my shirt. I stepped onto the rough rope ladder and climbed. The ship pitched again, and the slippery material almost wrenched from my grasp. I hugged the rope with both arms until the ship righted itself. The ascent was painfully slow. It was nearly impossible to keep a firm grasp on the ladder as the ship lurched over waves. When I looked around, there was nothing but the blackened sky above and angry dark sea beneath us. If I fell overboard, I’d drown beneath the waves before anyone could attempt a rescue. I refused to look down and see how far away the deck was.

  After what seemed like forever, I reached the crow’s nest. A thin wooden ladder stood straight up against the side of the circular platform, with a small opening in the railings to the left. I climbed up the short ladder and quickly hurled myself into the nest. As the ship heaved again, I was almost thrown through one of the openings around the outer rim.

  The top of the mast stood several feet through the center of the crow’s nest. There I saw the rest of the broken rope that was supposed to raise the flag. The pulley clanked against the mast as the wind tossed it around. I risked a glance down and quickly regretted it as vertigo swept over me. This was definitely higher off the ground than I’d ever been as a Harvester, and there was no ground to catch me.

  I hopped out of the nest and grabbed on to the ladder. I climbed as high as I could, but I still couldn’t reach the flagpole. I wrapped my legs around whatever small piece of rope and netting I could find and pulled myself, hand over hand, towards the flagpole.

  I heard voices calling from beneath me, but I ignored them. I reached for the small metal hooks and latched them onto the flag. As soon as I released it, the wind grabbed ahold of the fabric and pulled it taut. The raven flag snapped as it flapped in the wind, and I quickly shimmied back down into the cro
w’s nest.

  I waited several moments as the ship continued to pitch and heave. Waves crashed over the side of the boat. The sound of splintering wood startled me; one of the other masts leaned while the wind and waves beat against it.

  “Look out!” I cried.

  With a great cracking, the mast broke free and fell onto the deck. My companions quickly rushed out of the way.

  I looked at Roger, fighting to control the ship. Desperation loomed on his face. The flag was up, so why were the people from Three Winds still attacking us?

  “Maybe it’s just a storm!” I called down.

  Thunder boomed around us, and Roger’s voice followed it. “No! This is no ordinary storm!”

  I couldn’t tell the difference, but I had to trust him. I looked up at the flag. Lightning cracked, illuminating the raven and the ocean for a split second before darkness settled around us again—a darkness so thick I could hardly see my companions on the deck several feet beneath me.

  “They can’t see it,” I said to myself. “They can’t see the flag!”

  I called the Ancient Fire to my hands and lifted them towards the sky. I sent a blast of fire just past the flag and held it there, watching how the raven glowed in the reddish-orange light.

  “Hey!” I called into the darkness. “We’re allies! Stop attacking!”

  My voice hardly left the crow’s nest. I concentrated all my energy on the fire, holding the flame in place as brightly as I could. Lightning crashed again, and I thought I spotted a large, dark shape in the distance. My heart thumped wildly in my chest. “Stop!”

  When the lightning crashed again, I saw it for sure this time. There was a massive vessel approaching.

  “A ship is coming!” I screamed.

  I panted with excitement, trying to keep the flame steady. I couldn’t tell if the adrenaline was helping, or if all my practice had paid off, but I kept holding on. I heard Roger calling below me. He had seen the ship too.

  The thunder and lightning stopped first, and quickly the wind settled down. Each wave that hit the boat was less and less violent. The other ship became clearer, its dark paint and massive sails making the Salty Mutt look puny. As it got closer, the rain eased to a fine mist and the sky began to lighten. The early morning sun crept over the horizon. Finally, I lowered my arms and relaxed.

  “Is it them?” Anza shouted.

  “It’s them!” Roger confirmed.

  I noticed a man and a woman standing close to the railing. The crew had gathered on the deck and all eyes were looking up at the crow’s nest. Whether they were staring at the flag or at me, I couldn’t tell.

  The ship pulled alongside us. As I climbed down, I spotted the word “Nautilus” painted on the ship’s dark side. After hearing Roger’s story, I felt as though I recognized Captain Lagan and his wife before they recognized Roger. The crew looked from one face to the next, and when Captain Lagan’s eyes fell on the old man, they went wide.

  “You,” he said, his voice low and gruff.

  Roger nodded, and for a moment, his face fell. The captain didn’t seem happy to see him. Then, suddenly, Captain Lagan’s face broke into a huge smile. “Roger the fisherman!” he cried in an accent I’d never heard before. “I gotta say, the raven flag was a unique touch. I’m impressed!” He laughed.

  “I hoped you would get the message.” Roger grinned from ear to ear.

  “Who do you have with you?” Captain Lagan’s eyes fell on me and darkened. “This one…is not like you, is she?” He pointed at me.

  I raised my chin under his harsh gaze but said nothing.

  “None of us are like him.” Cypress took a step forward.

  The crew chattered amongst themselves, pointing and gasping as Saven and Mjoll approached.

  “Really?” Captain Lagan sounded interested, but there was something guarded about the way he looked at us. “Then tell me, where are you from?”

  “I’m from the Secara clan. My name is Cypress.” He nodded to Anza. “Anza is from the Grakkir clan, and Valieri—”

  “I am Fiero,” I interrupted, not taking my eyes off Captain Lagan.

  “So, you were the one in the crow’s nest, lighting the flag up.” Captain Lagan attempted to look right through me, but I held his gaze. “A Fiero with the Warrior’s Shield. That’s…unusual.”

  I noticed the black tattoo showing through my soaked shirt. Saven slithered up behind me. His mind continued to reel even in still waters, but he raised himself to his full height and hissed at the captain.

  “There are two Animal Gods with you, but only one Grakkir?” Captain Lagan said.

  “Saven, the snake god, is my companion,” I said.

  Captain Lagan’s lips parted in amazement while his eyebrows knitted with confusion and concern. His crew continued chatting amongst themselves.

  “You are very unusual,” the captain’s wife said. Her low voice curled around their unfamiliar accent and she sounded more interested than wary. Her eyes were just as Roger had described—the same blue-green color of the sea, contrasting sharply with her long dark hair.

  “What brings such a motley crew together?” Captain Lagan asked. “And why have you risked your lives trying to find us?”

  “I’m sorry, Captain,” Roger said quietly. “I know you told me never to return to your island, but this is serious. The City is hunting people like you and they need to be stopped.”

  Captain Lagan and his wife exchanged looks and the captain sighed. “I should have known something was wrong when the raven didn’t come home.”

  “It never reached you?” Roger asked.

  The captain shook his head. His wife looked upward, assessing the skies. “Perhaps we should continue this conversation someplace safer?” Judging by the serious look in her eyes, it wasn’t a request, but a warning.

  I looked up, but I couldn’t see or hear anything. The breeze flapped the slack sails and I noticed several of the crew members shifted anxiously.

  “She must be Theria,” Saven said. “They sense something on the wind the rest of us cannot.”

  “Do you smell danger?” I asked.

  “No, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t coming.”

  I cleared my throat and stepped forward. “Captain Lagan, sir, with your permission, we wish to follow you back to Three Winds and discuss what has been happening on the mainland.”

  The captain met my eyes again, holding my gaze. “Are you always this serious?”

  I furrowed my brow, taken aback. “I…uh….” I glanced at Roger, wondering if it was a trick question.

  Captain Lagan and his wife burst out laughing. “Lighten up, Fiero! Any friend of Roger’s is a friend of ours. Please, let us tow you back. It seems the Salty Mutt has fallen victim to Calima’s storm once again.”

  Roger heaved an exasperated sigh, looking at the fallen mast. “Yes, the old girl will need repairs. Again.”

  The captain flicked his wrist and the water beneath our ship trembled and swirled. The Salty Mutt slowly turned in a wide circle until both ships faced the open ocean. A man in the Nautilus’s crow’s nest raised his arms. The wind suddenly changed direction and puffed out the sails. Roger returned to his place to control the rudder, but it didn’t seem necessary. With the wind and water pushing us along, the two ships floated across the glassy water.

  Chapter 17

  Three Winds was barely a speck on the horizon, but when Saven spotted it, he perked with excitement.

  “Are you eager to explore a new land?” I remembered how curious he’d been as a baby.

  “Yes, but I’m more eager to get back on any land. A ship is no place for a creature without arms and legs.”

  I giggled, turning my attention to the Nautilus. She was impressive. Her huge size made the Salty Mutt look like a rowboat. Her crew bustled around the deck, pulling ropes and calling orders, while Captain Lagan and Calima watched over them. Clearly, everyone had years of experience working a ship, which made me wonder what it was like to grow up o
n Three Winds. The ocean was only a dream to Fiero children, and our lives were expected to be lived with two feet planted on the ground as we worked for the City. The open ocean was both terrifying and exhilarating.

  “Mostly terrifying,” Saven interjected.

  As the island neared, I realized Three Winds was actually a collection of islands. The main island was large and covered with tall stone buildings. A small boat was making its way to an island on the left, which appeared to be covered with a forest or orchard, while other smaller landmasses dotted the ocean on either side of the main one.

  Voices flitted across the water, loud and exuberant. The harbor and surrounding docks bustled with activity as ships unloaded their goods and fish. Many stopped to stare while the Nautilus returned to port, the Salty Mutt close behind it.

  “Captain Lagan!” voices cried.

  “Is there danger on the water?” someone asked.

  “Are you all safe?” a woman’s voice rang with concern.

  Captain Lagan stepped across the deck and addressed the growing crowd. “Don’t worry, everyone. The Blackguards were merely fetching an old friend. There is no trouble and we return unharmed.”

  As the crowd cheered, I turned to Roger. “Blackguards?”

  “His crew,” Roger explained. “They’re the island’s guardians. Three Winds’s version of soldiers or Warriors.”

  The Salty Mutt slipped easily into a spot beside the Nautilus and we made our way to the docks. The crowd clustered around to stare at Saven and Mjoll, recognizing them as gods but clearly having never seen one.

  Mjoll growled irritably and a few people backed away, gasping in alarm.

  “Mjoll does not feel well.” Anza swayed, feeling the same dizziness I did. Though my feet were fixed on an unmoving surface, my brain thought I was still on the boat.

  “Ah, I see you don’t have your sea legs yet,” an old Blackguard laughed, revealing a gap where his two front teeth should have been. He carried a heavy rope and began tying the Nautilus to the dock.