A/n: This chapter is very dialogue heavy. Apologizes in advance if the reading is dry :(

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SoulsStorm

By: Lindsay

Chapter 77

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The storm continued over the course of the night. Waves crashed into the ship, spilling over the gunwale and flooding the main deck, the water eventually making its way into the lower decks. The distant groaning and creaking consumed every waking moment, the ship protesting as it fought its way through the unending storm. Time ticked by, and with each passing hour the storm's strength ebbed away, taking the rising swells and pounding waves with it. The floor still swayed and dripped, but the stagnant, humid air of the lower decks was filled with silence.

"Kasha?"

Kasha sat on the floor, her legs crossed and leaning against a sticky, damp wall.

"Yes, Jerrek?"

"…Glad I'm not the only one unable to sleep."

A heavy sigh escaped past her lips. Exhaustion consumed her body, weighing each limb down in a soothing effort to draw her into the dark layers of sleep. The soft pull grew stronger with each passing moment, wishing to lead her into its trance-like grasp… but to no avail. Her body thoroughly exhausted, but her mind still raced, consumed by one entity. The single entity responsible for the events that led up to the current problem that Nimbus, Yamaos, and Suikos now faced.

Deciding to entertain Jerrek, she stared at him until he felt her gaze and turned to meet it.

"What?"

"I can't stop thinking about Reiayn and what we're going to do."

Jerrek let his head drop back against the box he leaned against. "…You and me both." Jerrek shifted so that he faced the blue witch. "What's really unnerving is… I think Logan doesn't know what to do either. He always has a plan. Always."

"There has to be another option other than the three of you dying to prevent Reiayn from gaining Nimbus, Suikos, and Yamaos," insisted Kasha. "Dying can't be the only way out."

"The reason why Reiayn is still lingering is because it wants Yamaos, Suikos and Nimbus back. We'll never let it take them, and as such, will probably end up dying to do so. Then the three will be reborn into new carriers… and repeat the same process over and over until the end of time itself."

Kasha sighed and moved to stand up. "If we're going to discuss this, then I'd suggest Logan and Emily need to be present."

Jerrek stretched and released a soft sigh. "…Your right-"

"I'll get them!" Nixie chirped from her warm spot between Japhet and Anmazti. "I've been wanting to see Emily and Logan again."

Jerrek glanced to Nixie and smirked. "I don't see why not. She'll be better at sneaking through the ship anyway."

Kasha hesitated a moment before sliding back to the floor.

"I suppose so."

*****

Logan stood, sliding the smelly pants up his legs and over his hips, buttoning them together when the door creaked open. Gasping in surprise, he jumped before Emily's dozing form protectively when the small figure entered the room.

"…Nixie?"

She smiled and ran to him, throwing her arms around his waist in a warm hug.

Logan returned the hug before placing his hands onto her tiny shoulders and pushing her away. "What are you doing here?"

Nixie stepped away. "Jerrek and Kasha were talking about Reiayn and they thought you should be there… and why do your pants smell bad?"

"It's a long story."

A dreadful silence followed before Logan let a soft sigh escape his lips.

"Yeah… they're right. Let me wake Emily up…"

*****

Nixie led them to the lower deck where the rest of their group was hiding away. Emily was last to enter the room and shut the door behind her.

"Nixie told us you were discussing Reiayn?"

Jerrek nodded and shivered, drawing his arms around his chest to warm himself.

Emily picked the empty spot beside Jerrek and slide to the floor, Logan following soon after.

Kasha gazed at the three of them, her pale eyes nearly glowing in the stark contrast to her cool, blue, indigo skin.

"I was thinking about Reiayn… and about what it is."

"It's just a ghost… a spirit, right?" Emily asked, her tone hesitant.

"Reiayn is more than a spirit-" Kasha stopped herself and tried to gather her thoughts. "Reiayn… is something I have spent my life learning about, something that occasionally haunted the forests close to my old homeland, something that was my responsibility to seek and provide help to so that it could move on."

"You were a holy woman in your tribe… right?" questioned Emily. "I think I remember you saying that… your people looked to you for guidance and help with… otherworldly things?"

"Yes…" Kasha trailed off, feeling the stares of everyone on her. "I did those things… and so much more."

Anmazti let Nixie take her place at his side and leaned forward. "Don't hide any insight you may have on Reiayn. Anything is better than nothing at all. Right now all we know is the stories passed down over the past thousand years."

"We know more than that-" countered Emily. "Remember what Suikos told Nixie and I?"

"Yes, that is true, but that doesn't change the fact that Reiayn predates written history. All we know about it is what has been passed down by word of mouth."

Kasha nodded, gathering her hands together in her lap. "Reiayn…I believe it is a vengeful spirit."

"What makes you say that?" questioned Logan. "Is there any way that can help us in defeating it?"

Kasha stared at the floor and called up the years of experience in ridding the forests of such spirits.

"In order to vanquish a vengeful spirit, one must understand why they are vengeful," reasoned Kasha. "Fact states that it is a vengeful dragon spirit… but in truth, it is so much more than a mere vengeful spirit. It is an entity that hates the 'tiny, and insignificant' creatures that fills the world of today. If you understand why it is vengeful, then you have a means of helping it pass on."

"But the last time Reiayn was 'alive' was thousands of years ago." Emily shook her head. "How could we possibly know what happened to make it vengeful if it predates written history?"

"This is what we do know," started Anmazti. "Upon Reiayn's birth, the first race of peoples it met was the elves and it was to them that it gave the gift of magic. Then, as the centuries elapsed by, it grew lonely and longed for others of its own kind… eventually ending up as the mother and father of the Dragonic race… and yet, as the decades and centuries lapsed, something happened, and Reiayn grew angry. It started a civil war amongst the dragons… "

Emily's golden stare turned distant. "I remember Suikos saying something about Reiayn disliking how everyone was using the gift-?"

"No-no," interrupted Nixie. "Suikos said the dragons wanted to control everything. He said Reiayn wanted to rule everyone and everything, and said it would stop all war and create peace. But Suikos and the other… 'lesser people' didn't like that. So they rebelled."

"Right!" Emily gasped, the memory replaying within her mind's eye. "He said the civil war between the dragons started the first Great War. He said it lasted hundreds of years, and it eventually turned into the 'lesser people' against the Dragons. Hundreds of thousands died, entire civilizations were lost…"

"That explains the loss of historical documentation from before the war…" muttered Anmazti. "But it seems Reiayn's original intentions were noble… but the price far too great."

"And now it's been twisted throughout the last thousand years so much… Reiayn only wants his magical power back." Jerrek let his head fall back. "If he gets his magic back, his vengeance will be fulfilled."

"Killing us in the process," Logan stated, angry. "And once Reiayn regains its magic, it will be unbeatable."

"I remember Suikos saying something about that…about how… Reiayn was literally unbeatable," Emily admitted softly. "He said that… it would seem as if Reiayn's body was dead… but that it came back… somehow… and its body would heal."

"Wait… you mean to say that… if Emily and I were to use our powers together… my power to keep someone dead still attached to their body… to be dead but… alive at the same time… and Emily's power of healing…" Jerrek grew still and stared at Emily. "That… it could make someone unable to die?"

"They were able to kill Reiayn before… even if they failed in truly killing it," Nixie supplied, her voice hopeful.

"Yes, but they had dozens upon dozens of wizards, sorcerers, dragons… many people were focusing on defeating it. The battle probably lasted for days before Reiayn's body couldn't take any more magic." Emily countered. "We can't let it gain our powers, no matter what. You saw what it did with me… if Reiayn had gotten out of that room it could've destroyed that entire city ten times over. Imagine if that were you, Jerrek…"

Emily refused to speak of Logan being possessed by the ancient dragon.

Logan fell silent and stared at Emily.

"There has to be something that happened, before Reiayn's magic was taken, that caused it to go down the path of vengeance." Kasha ground out. "All vengeful spirits have one thing in common, and that's the event or memory of something that affected them emotionally… something that caused them to become vengeful. If only Reiayn wasn't more than a thousand years old… and everyone who knew it in life has already died hundreds of years ago."

"Even Kailen isn't old enough to know what exactly happened… and he was alive during the First Great War," Emily admitted. "And even if we were to… somehow… able to talk to Nimbus, Suikos and Yamaos… they wouldn't be able to tell us. Yamaos was a human, Nimbus was a werewolf and Suikos was a young elf. They wouldn't have been alive to hear or see what happened."

A stormy silence, both thick and pungent, flooded the room.

Emily let her head fall against Jerrek's shoulder. 'It seems impossible… How can we defeat a vengeful spirit if we don't exactly know what caused it to become vengeful? If we give it our magic… then there will be no stopping it from starting another major war. It seems to only want destruction and death. Yet… Kasha's right. There has to be a reason for its anger and vengeance. Something happened long ago… if only we knew exactly what!'

A soft gasp escaped her lips.

"That's it." Emily turned to Kasha. "We just need to find someone who was alive during Reiayn's early years, someone who knew Reiayn. It would have to be a dragon-"

"Too bad their all dead," Jerrek spat. "Kailen wasn't even born yet-"

"No, no!" Emily leaned forward. "It doesn't matter if their dead! We have Sajani!"

Realization dawned on everyone's faces.

"Sajani's curse," Jerrek started, his gaze weary. "She would be able to see a spirits final moments before death. Would that even work?"

Kasha remained silent, her brown creased in thought.

"In theory, it might work," allowed Anmazti. "It worked for Agni because there were historical records, journals, and military documents that directly referenced the time and location of Agni's death. But for Reiayn, we have none of that. The first Great War destroyed almost everything of historical value, including many famous libraries that held current knowledge… a lot of that was lost during the war. You have to remember, there is physical evidence that shows us that… civilization was quite advanced before the first Great War… it wasn't until after the war that all of that knowledge was lost."

"It's worth a try," Emily stated, her tone desperate. "It's all we have."

"If we were… somehow able to locate someone who was close and alive while Reiayn was still peaceful… then maybe it would work." Kasha ran her fingers through her damp silver hair. "We'll have to get as much information from Kailen as we can, seeing as how he's the only one we know who was alive during the First Great War."

"I hope so…" Emily bit her lip. "Kailen wasn't very high on the draconic 'chain of command', so he may not have been given a lot of information-"

"I know someone who was alive during the draconic civil war," Logan interrupted. "We all know him."

Emily jerked her head to the side, her golden gaze piercing Logan's icy, wide-eyed stare.

"Who??"

"Cael."

"But… you're sure he was alive then?? He may have only been a child- a baby-"

"He was one of the oldest elves I knew, Emily. He knew about types of magic that I've never heard of before… and when asked, he said that they were from before the first Great War."

"It won't work."

Logan turned his stare at Jerrek. "Why do you say that?"

"First of all, what makes you think he'll tell us, if he knows?"

"After what happened, I think he'll tell us. He'll be angry. Plus, even if he doesn't know, we can still get valuable information from him."

"He won't tell us, Logan. The man wanted us dead."

"Only because he thought it was the only way to stop Reiayn."

"What- Cael was working for Reiayn!"

"Only so he could extend his life. I think he wanted to extend his life, at any cost, so he could continue his attempts to try and stop Reiayn."

"He wanted our power for himself! Don't you remember him nearly killing you? Does ripping Suikos from your body ring any bells??"

"He told me he once fought with carriers of Nimbus, Yamaos and Suikos long ago. He's already been down that road-"

"You weren't even conscious when he was trying to kill us all! He put Sajani and me in a magically guarded cell that was filling with water! If it weren't for Nixie, we would've drowned!"

"I understand what you're saying, Jerrek, but logically… it makes sense to ask Cael. He's already been down this exact same road, the same hardships-"

"-and they failed."

"Jerrek-"

"He killed Kasha's son in order to extend his life! He killed- murdered a little boy! Someone who is able to do that with a straight face and no guilt is not in their right mind, Logan!"

"All I'm saying is that he could have valuable knowledge that we can use," Logan ground out, his patience running thin. "He may know someone or a location-"

Jerrek crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes.

"We're not using Sajani or Emily or Kasha to- to talk to him. At all."

Logan glared at him. "You have no right to go and make decisions like that."

"Well guess what? I just did."

"We decide things as a team," Logan stated, his tone icy and sharp. "Right now, all I hear is ignorance spewing from your mouth."

"So you finally come out and say it. I was wondering when that was gonna happen."

Emily barely suppressed a sigh and dropped her head into her hands, silently wishing she wasn't sitting directly in-between them.

"You never look at anything logically." Logan trained his icy glare on Jerrek's molten stare. "It's all about your gut feeling, your emotions. The only reason you haven't been killed by now is due to your dumb luck."

"There's more to life than following a plan or following logic!"

"…Which is why you would still be in that tiny, insignificant town, working at that dead-end job, if it weren't for us."

Emily felt the tension in the air snap.

Jerrek glowered at Logan, his gaze seething.

"That dead-end job gave me a place to live, put food on my table, and put my sister through sorcery school."

Logan returned the glare, his eyes like cold steel.

"Well we all know how that ended up, don't we."

Emily held her breath, surprise flooding her. 'He actually said that?? Talking about Jerrek's sister… that's something we've always been careful never to bring up… and if it does come up, we're usually so careful about what we say…'

Jerrek clenched his fists and breathed in deep through his nose. He stood up stiffly, glowering down at Logan.

"You take that back."

Logan also stood up, having no problem in meeting Jerrek's simmering glare.

"Take what back?"

"You know what!" Jerrek shouted, his voice rising. "You've always had a problem with me and my past! With how I do things! What, are they not good enough for you!?"

"I just wish you would rely more on logic than on your gut feeling."

"Already told you the answer to that," Jerrek growled

"And I told you my answer, or have you forgotten already?"

Jerrek's hand shot out and fisted into Logan's shirt.

Emily jumped up in alarm.

"Hey! Stop it, both of you!"

The two remained where they stood, Logan leveling an icy glare, while Jerrek kept his hand fisted in Logan's old button-down dress shirt.

"I'm done putting up with his bullshit, Emily!" Jerrek growled. "You heard what he said!"

"You know I'm right," Logan shot, his voice calm yet sharp. "He has-"

A vicious shove was all the warning Emily had before Jerrek drove his fist through the air and across Logan's face. Logan stumbled backward, reeling from the punch. Kasha jumped out of the way, edging towards the back wall where Nixie, Anmazti, and Japhet sat. Emily fell back into a stack of boxes, knocking them over. Groaning, Emily shoved the boxes away and jumped to her feet. The voices of Jerrek and Logan, spitting, cursing, throwing and dodging punches filled the room. Logan slammed his fist into Jerrek's chest, leaving him gasping. Jerrek flung himself at Logan, tackling him to the ground, letting out a breathless, wheezing growl.

"Hey!" Emily shouted, ignoring the whispered warnings of the crew hearing from Anmazti. "Hey!!"

Déjà vu flushed through her at the sight of them fighting, images of darkness and heat, memories of them fighting in the mine arose.

Not wanting this to end badly, Emily picked up a box, hefted it over her head, and flung it across the room. The box slammed into Logan's head, who was currently sitting on Jerrek's stomach with one hand around his throat and the other keeping Jerrek's hands away.

"Agh!" Logan's grip faltered and Jerrek threw him off. "What the-"

Jerrek slammed his fist into Logan's stomach.

"Damnit-!" Emily sprinted across the room, fisted her hand into Jerrek's thick, wild locks brick-red hair, and dragged him away from Logan, who was trying to force air back into his lungs once more. "Stop!"

"Ow, ow, ow- Emily-!" Jerrek barked. "I-"

Emily released her hold on his hair.

"What's wrong with you?! Both of you! I thought we were past all of this!"

"They've fought before-?" questioned Japhet before Anmazti shushed him with a wave of his hand.

Jerrek glared at Logan, his lip split and face bruised. "I've had it with his mouth!"

"And I'm tired of dealing with his ignorance!" Logan spat, sporting a bruised, swollen eye and a bloody nose, his icy calm demeanor gone. "I mean to have us succeed at any cost and he gets offended at the slightest-!"

"You're the one doesn't understand what Cael did!" Jerrek snarled.

Logan stormed to his feet, his eyes flashing in the dark.

"I know exactly what he did!" Logan bellowed, his shouts reverberating off the walls and floors. "He murdered and killed and then drove me to murder for him! He's dangerous, but has knowledge that we can use against Reiayn! I don't want to use him any more than you do!"

"Then why did you bring that murderer up in the first place-??" Jerrek growled, barely keeping a lid on his broiling temper. "-When you knew this might happen!"

"Because that murderer is all we have left to turn to, Jerrek!" Logan growled his name through clenched teeth. "Unless you can come up with a brilliant plan using your vast knowledge-"

"Take your plans and shove 'em up your-"

"Will both of you shut up?!" Emily yelled, glaring at Jerrek, and then turning her angry gaze to Logan. "We're not deciding anything until we talk to Kailen."

"But-"

"That is my decision." Emily growled, narrowing her already angry glare at Logan. "So for now, both of you shut up."

Logan's glare lingered on Emily for a moment before he turned and left the room.

"Good riddance," Jerrek spat as he gingerly touched his split lip, hissing softly. "Emily-"

"I'm not healing it." Emily stated flatly. "And I'm not healing Logan either. Maybe the pain will remind you two of your idiocy."

With that said, Emily turned and left the room, wanting to be away from the hostile atmosphere and alone in her thoughts.

*****

Sajani sat in her cell and swirled the gray and white slop in the metal plate with her finger. The sun had long set, taking the detached warmth away and leaving behind the cold, salty, penetrating air behind. Curling her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees, she kicked the pan away, feeling it was pointless to eat when her execution was tomorrow. Tomorrow, before the break of dawn, the guards would come with their swords, clinking chainmail, chains and magic wards. They would come and wrap her in the cold metal links, parade her though a throng of people, all coming together to celebrate her death. The death of a pirate who terrorized, plundered, murdered, stole, looted and did many other horrible things.

Sajani let her head fall back to the cold stone wall and sighed. The infamous pirate captain Sajani deserved to die for the wrongs she committed… but none of them would know of the Sajani who sacrificed her life multiple times over for a wish that she very well expected to never come true… a wish that kept her pushing on when she felt too exhausted or too broken to continue. Deep down, she wished to see those three succeed… and she wanted to help them get to that point. Maybe if she helped them finally destroy Reiayn once and for all, all of the past wrongs she committed would be forgotten… maybe… she would be redeemed of the promise's she broke, so that one day, when she would finally get to meet her father again, she would meet him with honor.

Clawing her fingers through her short, dirty-blonde hair, she stared at the spot on the floor where the moonlight spilled across like frothing milk.

There was movement on the opposite side of the cell door. Darting her eyes to it, Sajani stared as a figure covered from head to toe in a dark cloak stopped at her cell door. A pale hand emerged and gripped one of the thick metal bars.

Sajani stirred, wondering if it was Kailen. Standing, she made her way across the cell, avoiding the light, and came close to the door. "What do you want?"

The hand clenched and rose, taking the edge of the hood between her forefinger and her thumb, and pulled the hood back, revealing long, wavy brunette locks, pale skin, and deep violet, almost inky-black eyes. Sajani started, moving back.

"You," She hissed, feeling her chest clench. "Reiayn. What do you want?"

Katherine sneered, revealing translucent, sharp teeth. "I want my life back."

"Somehow, I'm sure you want more than that."

"I must follow orders… for the time being." Katherine then gripped the cell door, squeezed, and yanked it open, the sharp sound of metal snapping flooding the air momentarily. "You will be coming with me."

Sajani frowned and moved away, backing further into the cell. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"You will come with me. Be it conscious or dragged."

Sajani stiffened and took another step, feeling her back hit the wall.

Katherine stared at her for a moment, her narrow eyes concentrated on her face, as if she were studying a very small insect slowly being smashed by her delicate heeled boot.

"So be it."

*****

A/n: I meant to have this a month ago if it were not for the Olympics and school! I apologize for the incredibly long wait. Thanks to those who favorited/reviewed this story! I always read every message/review you send, as they only make me want to write more :) Constructive crit. is welcomed and encouraged. Thank you for being patient!