Alexx and Virgil could smell the briny air again as they entered the city. They traversed through a bustling market place towards the docks. Spices of lemon and garlic and fresh fish hung danced in their noses. Stalls made of hewn wood and brightly colored canvas painted the street they walked. Both of them agreed that in obtaining information, the piers would have the best intel for Vendors would shout their prices and goods to them and nearby buyers– barrels of glistening fish, sacks of fragrant coffee beans, and bolts of fabrics with different colors and design. The clatter of jingling coins and wooden carts helped them slip through quietly to the docks.
Passing under the stone archway, the piers sang of creaking wood under their feet while the waters rose up and down. Waves splashed against the stone wall underneath, and the planks were slick with salt spray. The ships bobbed as they were tied securely and the sailors were all bustling, and barking at each other with their complaints and orders. They continued through the hustle toward the warehouses, where fewer dockworkers dwelt. Beyond the warehouses were broken docks that connected to land, and some abandoned buildings where very few people were here– a few teenagers hanging around, speaking in hushed tones while skipping their day away. There weren’t many eyes out this way, so the two of them walked on further where the walls where the cities back are turned. No lanterns, or patrol here. Save for two fellows in heavy robes. One is of a dark blue, and the other a dull gray. Alexx knows the significance of the colors, and clears his throat as he approaches.
“Verily, one must have purpose to reach this place, or be unfortunately lost.” said the husky voice in the dark blue robe.
“We have purpose,” replied Alexx, “I want to know what happened at Shallow Ford, and where in this city Sheila is hiding.”
The men in robes looked up to face Alexx. Their features were hidden by the shadows of the hood, but it didn’t matter to Alexx what they looked like. They did flash smiles at him, as if remembering a joke they heard before.
“Alexx…” the voice trailed as if trying to hold in laughter, “The puppy has come back home.”
“But home is gone,” the other robed figure spoke, their voice deep and loud, “Gone in one night while the puppy went searching for treasure.”
“How was I supposed to know?” Alexx said, his voice rising quickly, as his temper rose just as fast, “And what were you doing? Standing ominously behind the city?”
“We come to exchange information, and that is our role to play.”
“And speaking of exchange, you must pay.”
“I don’t have anything to exchange. You’re going to tell me what I want to know anyway, you guys owe me.”
“What about that sword?” the deep voice cried out, “I’ve never seen something so remarkable, where did you get that?”
“Oh, you want to know something? Well, isn't that ironic.”
The two robed men looked at each other. The one with the deep voice and gray robe made an apology sign with his hands, while the other scowled at him.
“Sheila is indeed in this city. She is hiding in plain sight, and is outside the Lieutenant's window every night, listening to her beloved husband serenading the night.”
“Good to know. I found this is Attricot.”
Both of the men were surprised, “No one can step foot in there!”
“I found out how, and that secret is not for sale.”
Both of them were bewildered and festering in their frustration. “What would it take for you to give us the information?”
“Or the sword?” said the gray robe.
“Nothing,” Alexx said, feeling superior, “But I’ll give you guys some info for free– there’s a large ship that can fly. It’s carrying a crazy psychopath that is killing people. Stay away from it, and him, he’s got a way of getting into your head.”
The two of them stared at each other, and then at Alexx.
“Do you take us as children to believe your tales of fantasy?”
“Whatever,” Alexx turned and walked away. Virgil followed beside him amused by their interaction.
“I never liked the way they talked, so bland and always only about business,” said Alexx.
“Their twins annoy me more.Too energetic and would rather tell jokes,” replied Virgil.
“Oh, but I love those guys!”
“You would.”
With renewed energy from the meal given to them by the soldiers, and the free clothes, Alexx and Virgil spent their day gathering money. They separated and each went into the city looking for work. At one point Alexx thought about lifting the money, but with everything else being such a hassle already, getting caught now would make things worse. He was also kidding himself thinking his thieving skills were great. He relied on his natural gift of talk, and made his way back to the docks. They took his help in unloading the boats. Later that day, he walked until he found the district with a tavern. He quickly found the musicians talking amongst each other and relaxing. Alexx spurned them into a raucous with laughter from his jokes, and took up one of their concertinas and fiddled a jig. The rest of them laughed at the lyrics he made up on the spot, and joined in with him. Taking a hat off of one of them he laid it down in the street while he danced and performed for everyone nearby. The tavern emptied, including the owner, and the street was alive with claps, laughs, and cheers for a brief moment.
So sing, my friends, and clap your hands,
Stamp your boots and splash up the sand,
A tune, a laugh, a dance you’ll see
You can be happy for free!
No one pays to share a song,
No tax, no theft, to you it belongs,
So flaunt it now your eyes will see,
You can be happy for free!
He played more than he sang, and his fingers danced like mad on the instrument. His own happiness was spilling out after not having touched a song since his bad days began. His passion was just a little over the top, which sold his performance all the more. By the end of it, he remembered that this was why he wanted immortality, and what he wanted the rest of his days to be like.
The end of the song was exaggerated, he did not want it to end. But the applause was comforting enough for him to put the instrument back, and return the hat. He grabbed a handful of the money and left the rest with them. He talked happily with the bartender, turning down a permanent position, and a free drink. He remembered how sour he felt that day Erym tied him up to the post and the sun detoxed the alcohol out of him. He settled for water and a meaty sandwich.
He couldn’t leave the tavern for hours, many of the people wanted to hear more, or stay and talk with him, sharing their stories of travel. They managed to get one more song out of him before exhaustion took over. The sun waned and he said his goodbyes as the building began to fill up. It didn’t take long for Virgil to find him, figuring he could find Alexx is this place, and also having overheard the party happening a street over. Virgil also had money, just slightly less than what Alexx pulled, but he only did one job. Virgil made his way over to the traders guild and helped them recover some lost stock. He demanded a high price, but he promised pristine and quick service. He had knowledge of thieves from his old days in Nue Sirius, running the same lines they did for his jobs. So when he checked the sewers, he found them easily, and recovered more of their stock than even the guild would have imagined.
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As they sat down to eat inside the inn, Virgil initiated conversation.
“You’re a terrible pirate.” he said.
“I like to think the pirate term has a… broad range in meaning.” replied Alexx.
“You seem more of an adventurer, with petty crimes.”
“Blame my parents for giving me a decent rearing.”
“What were they like?”
“My dad is a Peacemaker– no, he was. I don’t know what he’s doing now. My mom is a priestess.”
“Then how did you become a treasure hunter?”
“My grandpa. Charles was a world traveler, but he told me that he couldn’t get any farther without breaking the law, so he settled down. But he gave me all his notes and maps. I decided I was going to go farther, no matter what.”
“Well, maybe the pirate term has a broad range in meaning.” Virgil huffed a soft chuckle.
“So tell me how you became,” he stopped before saying ‘Sorek’ in public, “...engrossed in your career.”
“Sorry, sore spot. Don’t like talking about it.”
“Oh,” Alexx replied, “Didn’t realize you found your feelings.”
Their gazes lock over their mildly warm plates of food. The jab hangs in the air between them, the subtle humor not being missed. The battle of wills commences. Alexx tilts his head slightly, daring Virgil to break first. Virgil leans in just a bit, as if doing so tips the scale.
Almost at the same moment, a smirk cracks, a breath hitches, and Alexx’s breathy laugh slips out. Virgil shakes his head and huffs two chuckles. Less about the jab, and more about the game they played.
“Terrible pirate.” Virgil smirked.
Alexx is the first to leave the inn, with Virgil slowly following behind, taking his time to survey the city at night. Many people are still around, but the shops have closed, and many residential lamps are burning inside the windows. Taking a left to the inner city, Alexx begins looking for the Lieutenant's home. They wander through the middle section, to the beginning of the cleaner, richer part of town. Here, the guards are more constant, and the lamps are burning bright and well maintained. The cobblestone walkway feels better under their boots than the earlier gravel, and the people here are all inside enjoying their families, or solitude.
They pass into a large circular walkway with a large water fountain in the middle. Here, paper lanterns dance on the water’s surface with the lily pads. The water ripples without ending. Benches are positioned along the edge, and only one couple sits on the other end of the quarter. Alexx and Virgil walk around until they hear a song singing in the air over the noise of the water. It’s an operatic melody, and a clear voice utters the song with precise performance. Alexx vaguely remembers the voice, and so nods to Virgil that they found Brag’s house. They sit down on the bench next to the couple, and keep their glancing intentional to not arouse suspicion. Alexx enjoys the music, while Virgil pretends to chart the stars. As he’s comfortable Alexx whistles a chime that resembles a bird song. Hammond stutters his song to a stop. He clears his throat and goes back to singing. His song has changed, but his tempo and his dramatic tone stay the same. Hammond sings ‘You can be happy for free’, the couple shift in their seats, and Alexx leans his head back in contentment. The hidden message that a friend was here had been received.
“Let’s go, Virgil.” Alexx said openly. With a silent nod, they left. Both of them returned to the inn. As they walked through the door to their room, Alexx leaned back against the wall, and crossed his arms. Virgil began adjusting the chairs to be closer to the beds like he was preparing for a meeting.
After two minutes there was a knock at the door. Alexx smirked and opened the door without moving. Two hooded people walked in, they resembled the couple from the inner city area. Alexx looked out into the hallway to check if the coast was clear, and closed the door and locked it. The couple threw off their hoods. The girl had deep, long red hair tied up, and her left arm was missing, but her eyes were fixed on Alexx. Alexx looked at the missing limb in horror, but looked back at her with concern. She silently acknowledged the state of affairs with a sigh.
“I didn’t know I needed to see another friendly face until now,” she said with a tone of exhaustion escaping. She hurled her arm around his neck, and Alexx smiled, returning the hug.
“Good to see you too, my lord.” replied Alexx.
Sheila pulled away with a frown, “It’s all gone, Alexx. They destroyed Shallow Ford.”
“I heard from the twins,” he replied.
“The funny ones or the serious ones?”
“Serious,”
Sheila let out a noise for displeasure, “The good those two are, or their captains.”
She turned around to survey through the window when she caught sight of Virgil. Her eyes locked with his, as he pleasantly waved his hand at her. Sheila turned back to Alexx.
“Why is the Sorek here?”
“A story to tell that will dwarf your problems, unfortunately.” Virgil said from behind.
Sheila turned back displeased, “Worse than everything being taken from me?”
Alexx and Virgil spent the next half hour explaining everything they witnessed. Virgil told his end of the story, until the time of Alexx’s actions. Sheila did not take kindly to the revelation of Senkazital being free.
“I told you not to do that!” Sheila said loudly.
“Yeah, and I did it anyway!”
“You realize everything he’s doing is your fault now, right?”
“I mean he’s still–”
“Whatever he does could have been avoided if you left him alone.”
“I had to go further than my grandpa, it was the only way!”
“Was this really all worth it?”
“We think the Moon’s Heart might be the Child of Prophecy.”
Sheila stopped and stewed on that thought for a few seconds.
“You’re still going after it, right?”
“It’s mine, and no one else can have it.”
“And you’re going to stop this once you have it?”
“Cross that bridge when I get to it.”
“No,” Sheila stepped close to him, “I like where I live, and I like having people in it. I don’t care if this world is a prison or not, people are people and are not someone’s thing to turn into dragons. You will stop him, or I will make sure you don’t live in peace for eternity. Got it?”
Sheila’s words echoed in his mind, louder than the internal screaming he was making. The weight of her command pressed down harder than any punch he’d ever taken. It wasn’t just the words, but the implication that he had to stop running. His mind wandered to the faces he’d seen torn apart, and twisted. Was that really his fault? Was this why his grandpa stopped? The weight of the price began crushing him more. It began to come clear that this wasn’t a fate set by someone else, this was a fate he made for himself. His future of immortality suddenly changed to be either one of a prison of internal misery, or satisfaction of doing what was right. Could he live with bailing on not just the innocent people, but his friends? The decision was his, and he never felt more alone.
The situation loomed larger than any shred of fear. The hard reality gnawed at him. There was no escape from the two outcomes. He looked away from Sheila, his jaw clenched tight. This was no longer about survival, but duty. The weight of his decision settled in his chest like a stone. He looked back slowly, and nodded, his voice barely a whisper, “Got it.”
It was a hollow acceptance, more a surrender than a choice. His heart pounded in his chest as the words left his mouth. His path was set now, and his failures echoed, haunting him. Alexx didn’t feel like a pirate anymore, but instead a tool.
“No running?” Sheila asked softly, her eyes glaring eagerly. Alexx slowly shook his head, “On your orders, my lord.”
She smiled, and breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t speak again, but she didn’t need to. Her silence said it all. She was proud.
Virgil cleared his throat to interrupt the silence, “The situation is clear, Alexx is the closest one to getting the Moon’s Heart. So we should hurry the rescue attempt, and get out of here.
“No time like the present,” said the figure still standing in the room with their hood up.
“Oh, this is Rosa, she’s letting me stay with her.” Sheila stood next to Rosa, as a pair of thick leather gloves removed the hood. A head with yellow feathers and a small, smiling dark yellow beak appeared, along with large eyes and some red adorned necklaces. Alexx silently nodded at meeting another Avian. Rosa removed her gloves and stretched her talons to Virgil to shake. Virgil obliged the shake. Rosa put her coverings back on, and Sheila donned her hood. “Let’s go.”
