Estrix bent at the waist, taking in the tiny kobold. She grinned happily at the enormous orc. He glanced up at Skree. “I thought the kobolds were extinct.”
“So did everyone else. And they also thought they were monsters, ready to eat their children. I want to change that, for you and for them. I am building a home for the kobolds and if you will trust me, I would welcome the strength of the orcs. We can start something new that benefits all of our people.”
A murmur broke through the crowded deck, the orcs hearing his words. Everyone who wasn‘t an orc tensed at the sudden change. Estrix signaled for silence. “What of this ship? We have surrendered it to you.”
“You may keep it. We will help you rescue any survivors, collect any salvage we can and return it you. And as a show of good faith, I will part with any excess food we may have aboard.”
Estrix dropped to a knee, head bowed. “I accept your offer. We will cease all attacks against the other races until we reach a more permanent agreement.”
Skree extended a hand, helping the orc to his feet. “Thank you, Commander Estrix.” He turned and addressed the non-orc crew. “We have struck a bargain. The orcs will no longer attack us in these waters, nor any other ships that pass through these waters. In exchange, we will allow them to leave with this ship, after we help them rescue the survivors.”
“Bold.” Fenna said, grinning. “You really are a crazy bastard you know. But if we can finish this journey without further attacks, I am all for it.”
“This is a mistake Skree.” Hawkins said, taking in the crew of orcs. “They will stab us in the back as soon as we give them the chance.”
“If you dislike it Hawkins, keep it to yourself.” He snapped. “Priestess, your knife please?”
She shrugged, handing it to him. He dragged the blade along his palm, cutting a thin line that welled with blood. He concentrated and a stream of words entered his mind.
“Commander Estrix, before the eyes of the many I swear to keep my word. My people will do you no harm and we offer you trust in return.” He passed the knife to the commander who slashed his palm, repeating the words.
“Captain Skree, before the eyes of the many I swear to keep my word. Safe passage and cooperation in return for your trust.”
They clasped bloodied palms and a tingle of magic flared, sending a shiver up Skree’s arm. He withdrew his hand and marched from the ship.
“Crazy bastard.” Old Greg said as he passed them, on his way back to the Sawbones. “I like him!”
~~~
“You did what?” Fenna laughed. “You invited the orcs to live in your settlement?”
“Not all of them obviously, but yes.” Skree said, sitting in his captain’s chair. Behind her, Hawkins leaned against the door, arms crossed over his chest. Elaina stood to Fenna’s right with hands tucked behind her back. Her face was calm and expressionless as usual. Priestess was sitting on the corner of his desk, tail twitching.
“What were you thinking?” Hawkins asked. “Orcs and the other races hate each other.”
“And should it remain that way?” Skree asked. All this inherent racism was grating on his nerves.
“Probably.” Hawkins mumbled. “I’ve lost many a friend to them.”
“And they could easily say the same, I’m sure. It does not matter, we stuck the deal and I hold the responsibility for any fallout.” Skree explained. “Open your eyes Hawkins, the world is on the brink of a catastrophe, and now is not the time to be fighting each other.”
“You‘re talking about the Rift?” He asked. “It continues to expand but it could be hundreds of years before it reaches Theseldora‘s shores.”
Skree shook his head. “So it isn’t your problem? Their homes are being destroyed and they are doing what they have to. When Theseldora falls, and it will fall, where will you go?”
“I don’t know.” Hawkins said. “But the orcs are dangerous, and I don‘t trust them.”
“Did you trust Priestess, or me when we met?”
Fenna chuckled and looked back at her first mate. “He has a good point. You don‘t trust anyone or anything.”
Hawkins ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “Just be careful Skree.”
Skree nodded, glancing to Elaina. “How go the rescue and recovery efforts?”
She flipped through the pages on her clipboard. “We fished forty-one orcs out of the water, and around twenty crates of a assorted cargo.”
“The Typhoon has similar numbers. No dust ups with the orcs we rescued. They seemed happy to be alive.”
“Who wouldn‘t be happy to be alive?” Priestess asked, clutching the edge of the desk. Skree could see how frustrated she was. The kobolds faced many of the same criticisms and drew many concerned stares. Even the day they marched through the streets of Theseldora, it had been tense. “They aren‘t monsters. They are smart, they care for one another and want to live as much as you do.”
“Whoa little lady, don’t worry about me.” Fenna said, holding her hands up in surrender. “I happen tothink what happened today is incredible and bodes well for the future. Skree brought the kobolds onto my ship and it worked out fine. I want to see what you can do with the orcs.”
“Thank you for your vote of confidence.” Skree said. “What food were we able to spare?”
Elaina flipped the pages again. “We gave them two days’ worth of rations, but I refuse to give them any more. You should never be on a ship without extra rations. Trust me, a hungry crew is likely to mutiny, especially a crew as new as this one.”
“The Typhoon could spare four days’ worth.” Hawkins grumbled.
“I appreciate your generosity and will reimburse you.” Skree said, sliding a bag of coins across the table. “With interest.”
Fenna snatched the bag from the table, stuffing it into her pocket. “I knew you were good for it.”
“Okay, lets make any needed repairs and get back on task. We are only a few days out from the rift.”
Fenna popped out of her chair and snapped a sloppy salute. “Aye captain.”
They took half a day to repair the ships, and it fascinated Skree watching Mills hammer a board into a gap that molded into the ship like putty. Every board repaired the hull strength of the ship. Once they were back to one-hundred percent, the ships were underway once again.
Just beyond the next horizon the Great Rift waited, and hopefully it would have the answers he needed.
Chapter 50
A day later, Skree got his first glimpse of the Great Rift. Just beyond the horizon a shimmering wall of mercury created a separation between the sky and the sea. It was just a sliver of silver, a stark divider that grew in size with every hour they sailed.
As the wall grew, so did Skree’s certainty of their mission. Whatever this thing was, it was bad news. The crew grew more and more nervous as the Rift neared and it was easy to know why. The end of the world loomed in the distance, quiteliterally in this case, and they were sailing straight toward it.
Skree leaned into the wind at the bow of the ship, feeling the cool mist of the ocean patter against his skin as the Sawbones cut through the waves. Beside him, Zuka and Priestess watched the sun approaching the endless expanse of silver. The brilliant light of the sun faded as the bottom of the star vanished behind the Rift. It was like Like watching an impossible eclipse, except instead of a shadow blocking the sun's light, it disappeared entirely from view. A perfect horizontal line bisecting the sun.
Much like old Greg’s arm,he could swear the sun was still in the sky. Even after the star had completely vanished behind the rift, he could still feel the sun‘s warmth on his skin.
“It‘s gone, right?” Priestess asked, shielding her eyes from a sun that didn't exist.
“I don‘t know, but whatever is happening, it makes no sense. I can still see it, blinding and brilliant, but look around you, it's dark.” he gestured expansively. “The stars are visible, but the sun still burns my eyes.”
She hissed
, looking away. “Mine too. What do you expect to find?”
“Nothing.” Skree said, giving her a strained smile. “But I still have the Heart of the Island.” He patted his Nearly Bottomless Bag. “Sawbones said I would know when to use it and I feel like this is as good a time as any.”
Priestess flinched. “The last time King Sawbones used it, it nearly led to the death of our people. It is dangerous.”
“I don’t think it is.”
She met his eyes with a hard stare. “But you can‘t know.”
“But what else can I do?” he asked, slamming his fist against the railing. “If I do nothing, this rift will consume Raiya. Sharktooth brought here me for a reason and I have never been more sure that is why.” He pointed at the Rift. “Look at it. Nothing like it should exist and yet, there it is.”
She wilted. “I know Lord Skree.” She said using the honorific title granted to him by Sawbones. “But if something happens to you…” she trailed off, eyes welling with tears.
“This is my burden, Sharktooth chose me for a reason. I do not know why, but he believes I can save you, save them.” he said, waving a hand toward the crew. “I won‘t do nothing. I won’t standby and watch the world burn.”
Zuka rubbed his head against Skree’s hip, and he smiled. “It‘s okay boy, I’ll be fine.” He straightened, watching the ghostly apparition of the sun dip below the horizon sending the world into true night. The sun‘s heat faded from his skin, and a chill ran down his spine.
“Tomorrow, we will be at the termination line. We can stand at the base and stare into the abyss. Tomorrow, I will decide what to do.”
Skree returned to his cabin for the evening, settling in for a long, sleepless night.
~~~
“This is as close as we can get.” Elaina said, staring at the rift a few hundred feet away.
Skree pointed to a nearby island, cut in half by the Rift. “Can you drop us off there?”
“Drop you off?” She asked, eyes going wide. “Captain, you are responsible for every life on this vessel. If something happens to you while you are away, it will leave us adrift.”
“Nonsense, if something happens to us, you can have the ship.”
“You cannot be serious.” She said, glaring at him.
“I am.” he said flatly. “If we die,” He glanced at Priestess, “The ship is yours.”
“This will be stupid dangerous.” Old Greg said, turning the ship toward the island. “But hey, I survived an encounter with the rift. You’ll probably be fine.” he bobbed his head. “Probably.”
“If you‘re going ashore, I am coming with you.” Mills said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
Skree patted his hand. “You are a good friend, but no, this is something I have to do on my own.”
“But you‘re taking Priestess.” He objected. “Surely you could use another hand.”
“Where he goes, I go. He promised.” Priestess said, placing her hands on her hips.
Skree chuckled softly. “You heard the lady.”
Mills sighed. “Aye-aye, captain.”
The Sawbones slowed to a stop a hundred feet from the island and the crew lowered a rowboat containing Skree, Priestess and Zuka to the water. He freed the clips securing the ropes and took up the oars. With a heave, the tiny boat pulled away from the mighty ship. Above, the faces of his crew watched apprehensively as the distance between them increased.
“I’m scared.” Priestess said. Skree smiled at his friend, who was clinging to Zuka for dear life.
“Me too.”
They settled into a companionable silence broken only by the oars splashing into the water. Within minutes, the row boat bottomed out on the sandy beach of the island. Skree hopped out, pulling the tiny craft onto the sand. Priestess and Zuka leapt from the boat, and she climbed onto his companions back. Together, they walked toward the rift with a steady pace.
Something was not right on the island. It was deathly silent. No bird songs, no insects calling out for mates. Each step sounded thunderous in his ears as the left the beach, moving into the silent jungle beyond. No biting insects, no buzzing gnats. All life had fled the island it seemed.
They broke free of the dense trees, stepping onto a rocky surface that approached the shining wall at a steep angle. With careful steps, they climbed until they stood at the point of intersection. Here, at the base of the impossible rift, the world ended.
Mere feet away, the silver barrier stood, casting no reflections. They did not see themselves in the mirrorlike surface.
“It’s… incredible.” Priestess gasped. She craned her neck skyward, and Skree followed her gaze. Infinitely the wall shot into the sky, cutting the brilliant blue in half. Clouds drifted into the rift, the billowing white shapes moving effortless across the barrier. No ripples or disturbances appeared at the point of collision. He could not describe how his eyes could perceive the rest of the cloud beyond the wall, until the moment the last of the vapors cross the point of no return. Then, it was if he had never seen that cloud at all.
“It‘s impossible.” Skree said, turning his head from left to right. In every direction, the rift extended as far as he could see. In the distance, other islands were disappearing behind the rift,mere remnants of once large landmasses. He bent down, snatching a stick from the ground. With a shaking hand, he plunged it through the rift. When nothing happened, he pulled the stick back. He stared wide-eyed at the perfectly flat end where small branches used to be.
He held the stick closer to his eyes, staring hard at the now featureless stump. It looked like he had cut the wood with an impossibly sharp saw but bark still covered the flat end with a smooth, featureless surface. His eyes told him it had grown exactly like this, but he knew they wrong. Even though the branch no longer existed, his mind and his eyes were in the middle of a disagreement. He waved a hand through the end of the branch, bracing for the impact, but he felt nothing.
“What now?” Priestess asked, tossing a rock at the mercurial wall. It disappeared without a trace.
Skree reached into his bag and withdrew the heart of the island, the relic of destiny. He didn’t know what to expect, but nothing happened. He grunted, staring down at the shimmering blue rock.
“What do you want from me?” he shouted at the stone in frustration.
Priestess placed a calming hand on his leg. “You’ve seen it. Let‘s head back.”
He took one last look at the impossible wall and turned back toward the beach. The return trip was just as uneventful. They clambered back into the boat and shoved off, rowing back to the Sawbones.
“Did you feel anything from it?” Priestess asked, scratching Zuka behind an ear.
He considered her question. Had he felt something from the rift?
“I don‘t know. It felt as if it hungered. Like it wanted to consume me.”
Priestess shifted uncomfortably. “That is a good way of putting it.”
“So you felt it too? I’m not just crazy?”
“No, you‘re not. We stared into nothing. A void of non-existence.It is so far beyond our ability to understand that it hurts my brain just trying.” Priestess shuddered in revulsion.
Once again, silence fell over the tiny boat, oars splashing through the water until they bumped against the ship. The crew lowered ropes and hoisted the small craft back aboard.
“Did you find what you were looking for?” Elaina asked.
“Only more questions.”
“I told you, it‘s creepy.” Mills said, his face contorting in disgust. “Gives me the willies.”
Skree could agree with him on that point. Everything about the rift was wrong, and he still had no more answers than he started with. “Nothing more to see here my friend.”
“Shall we set a course for Carver‘s bay?” Elaina asked.
“Shortly. Give me a moment alone in my quarters.” He said, marching toward his room. This wasn’t good enough. He had come all this way and still, nothing had changed. No
quest from the Archons, no grand moment of inspiration. Skree was done messing around. He slumped into his chair and fished out the Heart of the Island.
“Sawbones, I hope this is the moment you were talking about.”
He focused his will and a prompt appeared.
Congratulations! You have found a relic of destiny. These powerful objects exist to change the very world around them, the primordial power of fate condensed in physical form. The effects they have on races and kingdoms cannot be overstated. Races are elevated to new levels of power and prestige. Empires have risen from dirt when wielding these relics.
You have found Azure, the heart of the island. Will you claim it’s power and become a force of change in Raiya - Yes or No?
With a deep breath, he selected yes and burning pain racked his entire body for a single instant before the world faded away.
Chapter 51
Skree winced, sucking air through clenched teeth. He blinked away the haze of tears, wiping at his eyes. He stood upon a small patch of sand, surrounded by an endless ocean.
“That took longer than expected.”
Skree whirled to face the voice. “Sharktooth?” The shark-headed god with the body of a man stood grinning, revealing rows of razor-sharp fangs.
“Hello again Skree. It’s good to see you.”
“I don‘t know if I can say the same.” He said, marching to stand before the Archon. He glared up into his beady shark eyes. “You ready to tell me why the hell you brought me to Raiya?”
Sharktooth shrugged. “I could, but there is more to the story than meets the eye.”
Skree clenched his fists in anger. “Enough Sharktooth. Or it Hakora?”
“Hakora is what the people of Raiya call me, but Sharktooth works.”
“Okay Sharktooth, time to tell me why I’m here.”
“You already figured it out. You’ve seen it with your own eyes. You need to stop the Great Rift.”
“And how do I do that?” Skree asked, feeling exasperated.
“By stopping the Archon Abrenacht and his chosen.”
Skree frowned. “Abrenacht is an Archon?” His brows furrowed in confusion. “And what is an Archon, anyway?”
Raiya- Early Game Page 35
