Change At Sea

Bynx lifted a hand to shield his eyes from a light that shone brightly above them where horses and their shadow masters left a blazing, and flaming trail behind. Despite the fear swelling in his chest, he couldn't tear his gaze away from the sight. His grandfather mentioned this many times before to Violet and him when the moon for once at night was white with a red ring, the goddess mourning in the sky for her beloved even long after morning vanished in the blanket of dusk. They fed off death, chaos, man's depraved minds. And they were standing by it—a battlefield at sea.

Hot soot smeared across the back of his hand just as his father called out to him. "Get Ray'ven and take the men that cannot fight. That's all you're capable of right now." Ja'ule said. The words were harsh but Bynx swallowed his pride. Pride wouldn't kill those things, and the God slayer wasn't here to wield his lightning and rang the warning sounds of thunder.

He moved for Ray'ven only to notice her skin was pale white and blue. Her eyes were slightly open, lips cracked and dry. Even her chest wasn't moving. "She, she isn't alive." Bynx managed to say the words.

His father's head snapped away from the sky. "What do you mean? Don't just stand there, chest compressions. Don't just stand there boy!"

Bynx moved to do as he was commanded but tendrils of dark mist curved around her body, tossing him across the deck. He skidded, rolling over onto his hands and knees. Blood still dropped from his face from where Razmyr left a gash. It stung his eyes to the point he had to squint them shut. Ray'ven was dead. Had that been his fault too for sending her out by herself? The wound on her shoulder hadn't gone unnoticed. Probably not by him or his father who watched his every move.

He pushed himself onto his feet, terrified when he saw Ray'ven rise from the ground in a backbend, floating all the way up until the tip of her toes touched the floorboards. Even then, it didn't seem like she was completely standing on her own.

On the inside, trapped inside her own mind, she felt as though she were on fire, a burning equivalent to when the goddess of death took her hand. Still the God of death's voice rang out. The simple word: mine, and the fact he was the one who cared for her more than anyone else. Her eyes shot open, a brilliant blue ring around black eyes. Every time she breathed mist lingered in the air.

"Listen to him, everyone abort to the other ship while we hold everything." Two voices at once, one her own and the other being the one who lended her the abilities to save them. Only if they knew what deal she struck or how she wasn't the one in control.

Aurelia shouldered past Ja'ule and pulled Strelitzia into a hug. The moment Aurelia touched her, she remembered her, temporarily forgetting the way her memory had been twisted before. Tears were in her eyes. "I don't want anything to happen to you, so I need you to listen to me, okay?"

Recognition lit within Strelitzia's eyes, hugging her mother back. It had been ten years now suddenly both of her parents showed up within the same day. Were they all bound by tragedy only destined to be together when the Gods tried to pry their souls from this world? There were a lot of feelings to unpack but for now she settled for listening, nodding her head in hasty understanding. "Of course." She would do whatever she needed to help.

"Get on that boat and take someone you know will protect you until me and your father have everything under control. Don't forget to take your brother." She jerked her chin toward Bynx who was still sprawled out on the deck where he'd been knocked back.

"Okay." Strelitzia peered around her mother spotting James and Baeron further off amongst the crew. She knew her aunt was also on the deck somewhere, asleep from whatever magick Baeron put on her. James would protect her but hadn't she just yelled at him for nearly drowning her. There wasn't enough time to contemplate these things when death seemed to be fast approaching all of them.

First she found Baeron battered amongst the crew. "I need your help. Can you carry my brother and mother over to the other boat?" Without even waiting for an answer, she waved to James, also pointing to the boat her mother had arrived on. Mouthing the words, "Meet me over there."

Baeron had a little magick he could work with to move Bynx from off the ground and over to the boat that Ja'ule had arrived in. He didn't say a word, his serious facial expression speaking louder than words ever could. James didn't wait until Baeron went for Strelitzia's aunt. He lifted the blonde haired woman up and slung her over a shoulder.

After steadying himself from the jolting force, he walked across the gangplank, laying her mother down onto an reclined wooden chair on the deck. "Ready."

Baeron caught Strelitzia's arm. "Ya better watch out. These shadow people are after somethin', and you ain't got time to be sittin' around waitin' for Ragnar to come for your head as well. You betta get Goin' quick."

"I just wanted to make sure they were taken care of first. They're both unconscious on account of me and it would be wrong to overlook them." Strelitzia gave his hand a gentle pat, before turning to cross the gangplank as well. Her steps were painfully slow while she tried to focus on the deck in front of her instead of the swaying boats or the angry black waves beneath them. "Don't worry, Baeron. I don't want to get in anyone's way or become a hostage again."

James stood up from his crouched position, the waves slapping violently against the sides of the ship. "I'll sail south for now. If Ja'ule wishes to find us, they have Baeron now. I'm not the best person to transport us on a ship, but I've learned a bit from Aaron."

Once she was safely boarded onto the other ship, she turned to watch the rest of them on the crumbled wreckage bracing themselves to fight. "This was the first time I've seen my mother and father in ten years, even longer since I've seen them together. And here they are suddenly telling me to leave them behind." Her hands grasped at the railing so hard that her knuckles turned white.

"Thanks for coming along. I don't think I could have lived with myself if you'd have been hurt or worse just because I was upset about earlier." Even though she spoke to James, Strelitzia's eyes never left the other boat.

"Trust me. I can tell they'll walk through hell fire if it means they'll see you again. They won't leave you for long." James gave Strelitzia an encouraging smile as he steered the ship into a circle once the men of Ja'ule crew changed and opened the sails. Rain heaved down upon them accompanied by lightning with thunder following behind each jagged flash in the sky. He wasn't a Mage or Sorcerer of dark magick to know that something was brewing far worse than a storm. The phantom figures struck the ship once, but now even from the distance they kept swooping around as though they were waiting for something.

He gestured to one of the men to take over, explaining them to keep the helm straight. Aaron taught him many things when he hadn't even laid hands on a helm before but was able to jump right into action the moment the situation called for it. After all, the man could teach a baby just as easy. Turning to Strel, James took his cloak off and wrapped it around her, making sure to pull the hood up over head. "We don't need to draw attention to anyone that left the other ship."

"You're right. It just doesn't make this any easier. At least I have you with me. We haven't known each other long but I know that I don't need to be worried around you." Bynx and her aunt Charlotte were also safe. She tugged the hood further to keep the rain from her eyes. Everyone seemed to think she was the target. Even though they didn't even know what was attacking the others. "I'll be glad when we're back on land. I think I'll take my adventures by car or airship."

"I hope we'll make it to land, I have a bad gut feeling something terrible is going to happen. Also, in case that gut feeling is right, I want to apologize for almost drowning you." It was the second time he'd apologized but he hoped this time she wouldn't say she wanted to be away from him. "I genuinely mean it."

Strelitzia finally peered at him from beneath the hood, emerald green eyes partially shuddered as she tried to sort one thought from another. One feeling from the next. "I forgive you. I was never truly mad to begin with. In the sake of honesty, because it tore at me before to try and lie to you, regardless of your apology we'll have to try to keep our distance. I can't explain to you why. And I suppose on some part this is a choice you can make, but just know that it will endanger everyone." Her shoulders sagged beneath the weight of her own candor only wishing she'd been born a liar or thief. Maybe even a pirate.

Then she would be free to do whatever she wanted with not a soul to care for the consequence. Yet here she was. An all but abandoned princess being sent away while others fought her battles.

The incoming storm mixed with soot making the rain look black and leaving trails of obsidian in its wake. Strelitzia wiped a stray drop from her cheek. "I'll leave it at that lest we find ourselves in more danger of my making. Just know you have my whole hearted forgiveness and I will not fault you for whatever you may choose." In the meantime, she still clung to the makeshift bandage she'd torn from her gown earlier. She knelt down beside her brother Bynx and fastened it around his head to cover the nasty gash he's earned trying to protect her from Razmyr.

"So Captain James," She said over her shoulder with an innocent smile. "Where shall we escape to? To go south we'd have to curve around the coast of D'treroh until we've got Kovyan waters."

"They could give us shelter. If we end up on the right side. I have no map and I'm going by the wind and where the crimson moon sets. If we end up in bluebeard's waters, it could be just as bad as what we're running from." There was a gentle smile on his lips from her calling him captain James, though his gaze seemed serious from how concentrated he was on the waters and the turning of the wet, wooden helm that bumped against his palms. Razmyr would've wanted him to go ahead. In fact the look on his face told him he should've gone sooner.

As the pirate lords of the onyx sea, there wasn't anything he couldn't track even though water didn't hold prints like the earth did. Many people including himself always wondered how he managed it. "When Charlotte wakes, do you think she'll still be unable to handle the death of Rogan?" They all had too many enemies lurking Eros' corners—seemed to him there were more dangerous people than places; the locations only cursed by their presence.

"I don't know honestly. Me and my uncle are all she has. You can see how our family is. It'll be difficult I think but at least we have each other." Strelitzia sighed, gently brushing Bynx's hair from his face before righting herself once more. "I'm sure we'll all need time to adjust to things."

Her face nearly filled with wonder. "Who is Bluebeard? What side of Kovya is the nice side? You've been there before?"

"The island that is further south is the nicest one, the one that is a little more to the east of it doesn't like us. Don't think that'll ever change either." James took a moment to answer the question everyone seemed to ask when they didn't know who he spoke of. "Bluebeard is a Kovyan that comes from a long line of people who hate the 'paled skinned'. He believes that our ancestors, everyone's, follow you. Help us make decisions based on what's wrong and right in their ways. Our ancestors that chained his people long ago, he fears will lead us to do it again. That in our blood the pale skinned will always seek out to destroy the dark skinned race."

A sick learning system—raising children to be in fear and hatred toward something that should've been let go a long time ago. "But I've never been. I've been around the good portion, but never on the island or in the old Isles of the Ruin Witch. That has its own tales."

The girl listened intently after finding a seat on a crate near the wheel so that she could hear him better. Her elbows were propped on her knees, chin resting in her palms while she crossed her legs at the ankles. It was a terrible posture but there was no one there to care. "That seems rather sad honestly. I can't imagine being raised to hate others and fear them solely on their skin. As someone who is pale yet still looks different in this land I know that people can be cruel. But it's never good to blame everyone for those shortcomings. Just short sighted individuals afraid of change."

She sighed and shrugged it off. "Well, hopefully we land on the right side. I don't think we can afford much else going wrong."

"Yeah, all people can be cruel, no matter the color. I've experienced it my entire life. Over here we turn against ourselves too and wonder why the gods keep their backs to us." James' blonde brows lowered—he'd always remember the scars left behind by people made Devils. Thinking to change the subject, James noted aloud, "You seemed happier around the creature that was back at the mountain."

"What creature? The mountain was nice. It was kind of like a break away from everything. I felt safe. At least until I was attacked by those soldiers. Plus if we hadn't been there then you might not have made it." Her head tilted curiously though she made sure to keep her face hidden by the hood. Once they came down the mountain it was like the world started moving again. Only this time fast forward and Strelitzia could only struggle to keep up. Family. Enemies. Weird gaps in her memories. She couldn't help but miss the quiet.

"It's frustrating." Strelitzia admitted. "I feel like there's so much I'm missing out on and just don't understand. And there's no one to blame for it. Nothing I do seems to help me keep up."

The ocean shook when a great gust of wind hit the sails, and immediately James turned to glance over his shoulder. He already had a gut feeling something wrong was going to happen. There, just a few miles out in sea where they sailed from, those sectors twisted rapidly, causing the water to rise high above what was left of Razmyr's ship. The queen could be seen throwing her hands up into the air but only part of the enormous blast froze. The rest splashed over the solid eyes, knocking the ship over and taking it under water.

A thunderous noise filled the air when the spectors broke Baeron's shield, sending the brute diving over the edge himself.