Okay, Jose, I lied. You were right in chapter 19. Er, 18.
How pathetic is this? I have just been rendered speechless by, wait for it, a staircase. Granted, it was a very functional, white, concrete staircase with white brick walls and maroon paint on the railings, with pipes sticking out of it to make it industrial and with enough windows to scatter light everywhere and make the fluorescent bulbs useless, but still, a staircase! I am such an architecture nerd . . .
A staircase. I am totally whacked. Okay, I'm going to go brood about this change in events and let you read this story. Ne?
Chapter 21
It is said that before someone dies, their life flashes before their eyes. For some, that may be true, but it is not as much a full life as it is regrets, what that person will miss, and how loved ones will react.
Mional never saw his full life. The early years hurt too much. Instead, he saw what he had not yet done: peace for the pirates, marriage to a good girl, being a husband to her, having children of his own flesh and blood. He regretted some recent temper-acts, and he could easily see Sardo's eyes, filled with unhidden hatred. He would miss the feel of the sea wind on his hair and the ropes in his hands. He would miss his conversations with Ilen, Rodol, and Jefeline, all of his friends. He would miss his long talks with Narul and Anga's easy friendship. He would miss his manor and his people and his dear, dear Shadow children.
Mional could clearly see their reactions to his death. His radii-de children would gather together and wail aloud to the sky and the sea their pain, and anyone nearby would know it. Rodol would stare in shock and grieve with a few close friends in private, but in public he would be strong and hide it. Nhala and Jefeline would not show outward pain, but they might cry together. Ilen might let a few tears cross her face in public, but she would not grieve otherwise. Anga would disappear for a month into the forest of Ile di Voltire and come back after that month, acting as if nothing had happened.
But Narul. He would not grieve in public or in private. He would act calm, but his aura would be of a terrible grief, so terrible that anyone standing near him would be affected. Slowly, his grief would build as he bottled it up, and then one day, the Vanguard would go up in flames. When Narul wanted a ship to sink, it would sink or he would die trying.
All of that would happen. When Mional died, of course.
Trouble is, Mional had no intention of dying yet. He just was not afraid of it when the time truly came. Struggling lightly to make sure he did not consume his limited air supply, the Shadow sunk deeper and deeper into the water. Coral formations started to appear, as did black spots. He needed air, and fast.
Suddenly, the loose end of the knots holding the weights to his arms caught in his fingers. Weakly, he pulled.
Instantly, he was lighter. The weights started to sink even further into the dark water, but he stopped sinking. He hung suspended, too exhausted to do much but kick weakly toward a coral formation. Under the dark edge he ripped open the Shadows.
The first breath of the Shadows was wonderful, exhilarating, life-giving. Yet the Shadows could not sustain his body's desire for air. Mional pulled upon the remains of his strength and reached as far as he could. He was a powerful Shadow, but being beat up, giving up strength in sobs, and being nearly drowned weakened him some. The farthest he could feel was just before the shoreline near Ville in Grist. There, there was an opening into light, but what he would end up in he did not know. Yet that was preferable to trying to get to the Vanguard.
Mional staggered out of the Shadows and found himself in a room, probably of a ship judging by the rocking. The first thing his tortured lungs did was inhale viciously, sucking in the air he was desperate for. Suddenly, the door to the room opened, and a dark face froze, staring at him.
He must have looked terrible, beaten up, soaked to the bone, leaning weakly against the wall of the room, his hands tied together. "Help . . .me," he whispered, and the Shadow collapsed.
The next thing he knew, he was lying on a bed on that same boat. A dark, black, face stared down at him, and Mional shifted. "I hurt."
"I do no doubt so. Ya 'ave been sevurely 'hausted, I dare say. 'Ow'd y'ever managed to git ta a fight that did dat ta ya, I've no idea. Doc says y'ave some cuts from where some weights drug you down, no doubt."
"How long have I been out?"
"Long 'nuff, Detene."
Mional winced. He had hoped the man would not have noticed what he was, but Detene was the slang term Mitselo and elves used for Shadows. Yet, how else would he have gotten onto the ship? He had been too negligent. "Please, I need to know." Almost absently as he asked, he raised a hand to his split lip, glad to realize the Shadow had not affected it.
The elf watched him carefully. "Doc says y'ain't to move quite yet."
"Just tell me."
"No mor den four 'ours."
"What ship am I on?"
"Wa'a elf ship, Sa."
Water elves. They just might be able to help him. Mional knew that with the betrayal of Sardo, his entire manor was in danger, and the very first thing those pirates needed was a ship. Water elves may depend entirely on their ships for livelihood, but they were more likely to understand a pirate. Water elves did not follow the rule of the king of Grist and were more likely to be open hearted.
"Where's the captain?"
"Cap'n's right 'ere."
"You are the captain?"
"Betta bet on it."
"I need your ship."
"I do no doubt ya do. Da Mitselo 'ave tales of the p'rates fightin' by your man'r, Masta Soumon', Sa."
"And I thought our secret was safe," Mional muttered darkly.
"We elves and Mitselo 'ave no care for the 'fairs o' men."
"I am not one of them."
"Are ya no?"
Mional turned to meet the dancing blue eyes set in the dark face of the water elf, his white teeth visible beneath his lips. "Ya may be diff'rent, Detene, but ya still 'uman."
"I am glad you think so."
"I'm no da only one, Detene."
There was a soft knock on the door, and the dark face of another water elf peered into the room. "Cap'n?"
"Yantha?"
"Doc says da Detene can move now."
The captain nodded and the water elf smiled quickly at Mional before he closed the door behind him. "Ya 'eard Doc. Ya can leave."
Mional and the captain examined each other, as if sizing the other up. "I still need your ship."
"No p'rate can run long wit'out a sword, eh? I give ya my sword, and ya give me my ship when ya can, heh?" The captain started to play with his belt, as if about to give it to him right that moment.
"R-really?" Mional asked, his eyes wide.
"I trust ya, Detene. Sometime, it only take one bit o' trust to wake up a wounded soul."
Mional smiled softly and drew his hands up to his face for examination, running his fingers over the deep grooves in his wrists made by the weights. Those would fade soon. A dark skinned hand took one hand from him, and the water elf captain examined the reddened skin.
"Painful, eh?"
"Yes, in more ways than one."
"Mayhap, one bit o' trust go long way?"
"Maybe," Mional murmured.
"'Oo did it?"
"A fellow pirate that double-crossed us."
"Really? Da knot 'twas falseknot. Only way it woulda slipped off so nice. Doc ne'er mistaken, Detene."
Mional sat up straight, his green eyes wide. "A falseknot?"
"One liddle tug and it slip off, yep."
Mional drifted off into his memory. The knot had come undone rather easily. Was Sardo really a double-crosser, or was he playing his part extremely well? Mistaking a knot was not something an experienced sailor would do, and it had been Sardo that had tied the knots. "Maybe I was mistaken, Captain."
"'Twill 'appen, Detene. Now, for da p'rate 'tack. Dey 'tack us, eh?"
"It needs to look like they took it over."
"No prob'em for me crew."
"Good. What is this ship's name?"
"Wa'a elf Mehrmad's Dans."
"Thank you, Captain."
"Call me Ankal."
"Yessir. I am named Mional."
The captain smiled and bowed, and helped Mional steady himself on his feet. "I wish ya good luck, Detene. I fear I no see ya 'gain, so good bye." The elf then took his sword sheath from his belt and handed it to Mional. "Give it ta anoda elf ta give ta Ankal, eh?"
"Yes, I will. Good bye, Ankal."
And the Shadow disappeared into the Shadows again, refreshed and healed a little bit more. The elf captain only smiled and patted the empty spot on his hip, feeling somewhat at a loss. "Now, me crew, we got a bit ta work on."
Kenicha slowly slid from the Shadows near the entrance to Soumont manor, his heart heavy. Ever since he had left the sullen Zaku in Rodol's arms, Kenicha had been even more certain that his big brother had been killed. He had seen them push the Shadow overboard, and never before had his heart screamed like it had then.
But why so close to home? To safety?
Kenicha let out a soft sigh, and automatically, two swords nearly cut his throat. "Yipe! I'm sent by Narul!" the boy shrieked, knowing the power of that single name to pirates.
Two men stopped their attack and stared at him curiously. "What's your name?" the seeming leader asked, his dark eyes looking the teen up and down.
"Kenicha. I was sent to tell you that you're to evacuate the manor immediately."
"Whatever for?"
"Vael got away, and-" Kenicha cut off, trying to keep his voice steady. "Mional was murdered." He failed miserably. His voice cracked and broke when he simply said Mional's name.
The two men stared at him blankly, looking about to get angry and not believe him, but both saw Kenicha's scar. The men looked at eachother before lowering their gaze to the ground. "How?"
"A pirate betrayed him. He had been new. Sardo. He was the ex-commanding lieutenant of the Machismo."
"How did they kill him?"
"Threw him overboard with weights."
"But the knots were falseknots," a voice interjected suddenly.
The three men jumped in shock, and the teen was the first to respond after turning toward the voice behind him. "Mional!" He could hardly believe his eyes. But it was Mional, his blond hair still slightly damp and his torn clothes hanging weakly around him, but he was alive. His wounds he had inflicted for effect were starting to fade already, and a sword hung at his waist.
"Yes."
Kenicha threw himself into the radii-de, but quickly had to catch himself at the sudden stumble of his surrogate big brother. "Mional?"
"I'm weak, Kenicha. Being near drowned will do that to a man."
The Shadow teen whimpered and clung tighter to his elder. "Master Mional," one of the pirates murmured. "Do we still need to evacuate?"
"Yes. I've made arrangements with a water elf crew in Ville to make it seem like you take over their ship. The ship is called the Mermaid's Dance, and it's near the edge of the docks. They are preparing for your attack, but do not harm a single one."
"I doubt I could if I wanted to," one of the pirates muttered darkly. "We never go after water elf ships."
"Now, you do, because they are expecting you. You won't want to stand them up, will you?" Mional teased with a soft smile, one hand reaching up to ruffle Kenicha's hair. "I trust you will get everyone, Asa."
"I will, Mional," the leader said calmly as he looked at the Shadow. The manor pirates were some of the few pirates that were close to the radii-de, even if it was only a business friendship. "You can trust me."
A smile crossed Mional's face. "I can," the radii-de responded. Mional took the sword on his belt off, handing it to Asa. "This is the sword of the captain of the Water Elf Mermaid's Dance. Hand it off to him when you take the ship, and tell him Detene is grateful."
Asa looked at the sword in his hands before looking up with a smile. "I will."
The two Shadows then opened the Shadow world and traveled back to the Ile, the young Shadow boy clinging tightly to the older. It was a long jump, and he personally could not reach that far. Yet, with his hands tight in Mional's shirt, his reach extended by a huge amount. That was the power of Shadows, and a radii-de learned to master it quickly.
Trust was a primary function Shadows had to learn quickly, as well as fear. It made for a confusing, mixed life.
It's official, I love the Water elf accent/dialect. I spent a lot of time making sure they spoke the right way. Hope it's obvious.
Okay, I've had my fun. On with the rest of the story! Sometimes, I like to make people think something is not what it seems. Like one story, where I introduce a bad guy, but keep him nameless, and then introduce two new characters, and leave you to guess which he is. So, I'm a bit of a jerk about this sorta thing.
Sorry about the deception, I just love to make people think one thing and have it be another.
Until next time, See ya.
Shadow