Isle of Wysteria: The Monolith Crumbles (14 page)

The High Priestess was at war within herself. “Every fiber in my being tells me that this child is a threat to us. A threat to the order of things. It is all I can do to keep myself from screaming at you right now.”

She looked up at the Queen. “If you were anyone else. If you were anyone but the hero who saved our forest from destruction, I would dismiss your request without a second thought.”

She looked down at the baby again and made her decision.

“I will stay the tribunal until the Weaver makes his report to us. But, this is the very limit of my clemency and tolerance, do you understand? I must protect the purity of our doctrine and the forest. No matter how much I may look up to you for what you have done, I cannot ignore this further without violating my sacred oaths. Have I made myself clear?”

The Queen nodded. “Thank you, High Priestess. You have been most fair with me and my household. I shall not forget it.”

Without a word, the Black Guard filed out of the room. The High Priestess followed them, pausing to say one last thing at the door.

“I am sorry it has come to this, my Queen. I have no desire to be your enemy, but I must do what is right. I must follow Milia’s will. I hope you know that.”

As soon as the door closed, Athel’s knees gave out and she collapsed to the floor. Pulling Ash close in to her chest, she began weeping openly. She kissed her baby, her tears pattering on his soft little head.

“I was so scared,” Athel sobbed, tears running down her cheeks and dripping off her chin. “I was so scared that they were going to take him and kill him. I was so scared that I was going to have to watch my baby die right before my eyes.”

Athel doubled over, her entire frame shivering as she wept. Alder, Mina and Evere crouched down and put their arms around her in comfort. They could not help but cry, too.

“I want to leave,” Athel sobbed. “I want to leave this horrible place. I don’t want to live the rest of my life with an executioner standing over me, watching everything I do. Waiting for me to make a mistake.”

It was hours before she stopped crying.

But if I leave…everyone will die.

Privet could not help but breathe a deep sigh of relief as Wysteria became nothing more than a hazy speck on the horizon. The air felt right again. Free of scrutiny, there was no heady fog of encroaching and hostile life here, only the crisp salty air. It was so exquisitely silent, save for the rustle of the sails and the pleasant rhythmic creaking of timbers.

“Odger, bring us up to six thousand feet and hold steady,” he ordered into the command tube. A yelp and clattering of pans from below let him know that he had startled their Stonemaster from his slumber.

The sails slackened as they moved up, the wind now coming south-southwest. Privet stretched his chiseled jaw to pop his ears as he manned the crank and rotated the yardarms about the upper and lower masts to catch the wind more fully. They bellowed when the angle was right and he felt the ship surge forward to the northeast. He tapped the glass of the binnacle, checking the compass within, and marked their heading on the charts that were laid out.

The charts made him pause. Not because of what was on them, but because of what they lacked. Back on the Dreadnaught, Athel had marked up all of Captain Evere’s charts with her own notes in chalk. Places she planned on going, food she planned on trying. Privet absentmindedly ran his fingers over the crescent-shaped island of Lahiti. He remembered how Athel had drawn all over that one. The Neverending Falls were there, as well as the Floating Gardens. Many times, Athel had attempted to divert the ship there, but the moment had never been right.

Now, it was gone. Nothing was drawn on the map anymore. Athel had sacrificed everything to save her forest.

Privet’s hand balled into a fist. She was gone. The old Athel would never have sent him on this mission with Setsuna. Twice now she had used him as a bargaining chip. He understood the reasons; he had even agreed to it, but he still felt betrayed nonetheless.

“Maybe she really is gone.”

For a while, he stared at the map in silence. Then, shaking his head, he grabbed a quill and began drawing in a crude waterfall next to the island the way he remembered it.

Setsuna walked up on deck, yawning luxuriously as she stretched, flaunting the curves of her taught, athletic body.

Privet ignored her.

“So, we’re finally underway then?” she asked, hopping up on the capstan to peer over his shoulder.

“You know, it’s a lot easier with two people,” Privet commented as he folded up the charts.

“It just shows how skilled you are that you can do it all yourself.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Setsuna giggled and placed her hands on his broad, muscular shoulders. “Oh, don’t be so stuffy. I tell you what. I’ll make it up to you with a nice long massage.” She slid her hands down his chest, squeaking with delight at the sensation of his rippling muscles. “Senndesian massages are famous the world over, don’t you know?”

“I’m sure they are,” Privet commented as he moved away from her groping hands. “But aren’t you supposed to be keeping the other end of the gate open?”

Setsuna flicked the tip of her long pointed ear. “Is that what I’m supposed to do? Hmm, interesting.”

Privet raised an eyebrow. “If the connection is severed, the whole mission is a bust. Wysteria will run out of drinking water within…”

“Oh relax, you big dummy,” she teased, placing her hand against his rippling abdominal muscles. “As a matter of fact, I just came up from charging your oh-so-precious gate for the day.”

“Really?” he asked, surprised at her fastidiousness.

She nodded sweetly, running her fingers across his abs. “And now, you can do something for me.”

Privet rolled his eyes.

“…You’re going to love this. I have arranged a private concert, and I want you to join me and listen.”

“Oh…wait, really?”

Her beautiful green eyes narrowed seductively. “Why? What were you thinking I was going to suggest?”

Privet gave her a scolding glance, but before he could say anything, he was interrupted by the most lovely soprano singing from below deck.

Privet’s jaw dropped open. “Dwale?”

Nearly trampling over Setsuna, Privet flew down the stairs and found his brother standing on a little makeshift stage in the middle of the galley, singing the most beautiful rendition of I’ila ari’io that anyone had ever heard.

“Dwale!” Privet yelled for joy.

“Brother!” Dwale called back, holding out his arms.

Privet ran up and they fell onto one another’s shoulders, breathing out greetings between tears of joy.

Setsuna came down and looked on happily as the two brothers embraced. Odger, hearing the commotion, came up from the core to see what the fuss was.

“Is this really happening?” Odger asked as he waddled up alongside Setsuna.

Setsuna leaned in towards him, an impish grin on her face. “Why are you asking me?” she whispered into his ear. “I’m not really here. I’m just a figment of your imagination.”

Odger’s eyes went wide as saucers, confusion piling up on top of his confusion in layer after layer until the gears in his mind finally seized up.

“I…uh…I think I’m going to go back down to the core and lie down.”

Setsuna laughed as he waddled away, and gave the two brothers a few minutes to speak quietly before she interjected herself.

“I told you you’d like this concert,” she said in a satisfied tone as she sauntered up.

Privet couldn’t contain his joy. He reached out and scooped her up, giving her a big bear hug as he spun her around.

“Oh wow,” she laughed. “I could get used to this.”

“Thank you so much,” Privet exclaimed. “This is absolutely incredible!”

Forgetting himself, he gave her a big kiss on the cheek.

Setsuna gasped in shock, blushing brightly.

“Oh…oh my,” she said as she touched her skin where he had kissed her. Her heart was beating so fast it felt like it would burst.

“Oh, sorry,” Privet said as he set her down, fearing he had done something wrong.

Setsuna shook her head dreamily. “Sorry? Are you kidding? That was the first time you’ve ever kissed me.”

Now it was Privet’s turn to blush. He opened his mouth to make excuses and explanations, but the emotion of the moment robbed his ability to speak.

Setsuna bit her lip, her mouth splitting into a silly grin as she hugged herself. “I finally got him to kiss me!”

She jumped up in the air, disappearing and reappearing around the room in flashes like fireworks, cheering girlishly to herself.

“She’s very energetic, brother,” Dwale said, placing a dry hand on Privet’s shoulder.

Privet could not help but smile in appreciation as he watched her celebrate. She threw flowers in the air, she cart wheeled about. She disappeared and reappeared so fast there appeared to be a dozen of her. “Yes, she is.”

Finally, her manic energy was spent. She came to a rest on the galley table, breathing euphorically, reliving the sensation of his kiss over and over again in her mind as she squirmed about giddily.

Privet leaded in over her. “But…how were you able to buy his freedom?” he asked. “Even the Queen couldn’t get that old twig to part with Dwale for me.”

Setsuna breathed against her long painted nails and polished them up against her jacket. “Hey, I’m a pirate lord. I can be very persuasive.”

* * *

In her hovel, Madam Freesia sat in stupored awe at the pile of priceless gemstones sitting on the table before her.

* * *

Akar slid his dry tongue along the bit in his mouth as he was yanked by vines around his neck and ankles up onto the dais for the small group of Matrons to inspect. A dozen more men were brought up along with him, although they did so without struggling.

The Braihmin-class families got first pick, of course. Dahlia Buckthorn walked up and placed a pair of white gloves on her hands. She had a very pretty face, but it was unbalanced by her cruel eyes. She lifted up their arms, checking for lice. She lifted up their lips to check their gums for rot. She gave a swift kick to the back of their knees to check their balance.

“Not too bad,” she praised, taking off the gloves and tossing them into a wastebasket. “What about temperament?”

Iris Bursage pointed her staff at Akar. “That one’s one of ours. He’s a biter. He’s already had a full taste of the whip, but he’s still useless.”

Dahlia put her hands on her hips. “Why are you offering me a biter?”

“One of the navy captains has been pestering us about him, so my mother told me to push him off so he’s not our problem anymore.”

For a second, Iris cast her eyes down. Captain Ssykes’ words had cut her more deeply than she realized. In her mind she remembered his admonition, repeating the pain almost reflexively, like pressing one’s tongue against a sore tooth. His words rattled in her mind over and over again like a gavel.

All you have taught him is how to hate you.

“Iris?”

She cleared her head and got back to task. “The, uh…the others are for the most part agreeable. But take note of the one at the end there; he’s a reader.”

Although older than the others, the man at the end was very attractive. His hair was kept long, pulled back in a wavy, dark ponytail, his chin rugged, his aquiline nose sharp and fetching.

“You’re a reader, eh?” Dahlia asked.

The man answered, without raising his eyes. “Madam Primrose was training me to be a house-husband.”

“What is your name?”

“Hibiscus.”

“Well, Hibiscus, the Primrose family was destroyed, along with the town of Snapdragon. Her few remaining assets that survived are being folded into the Buckthorns. You belong to us now, and we have no call for any new house-husbands. You’ll not give me any trouble being assigned to the mines?”

His eyes fell farther. “No,” he whispered.

“Good.” She walked down the line to Akar. “And you, biter. You’re a strongback and my property, you’ll either wear that gracefully or you’ll fertilize the soil.”

She glanced over at Iris. ”How much for this one?”

Iris looked at him sadly. “For him? Four thaain.”

Dahlia chuckled. “You hear that, biter? You’re worth four thaain. Even my worst man can pull twice that out of the earth in an hour. So, don’t think for a second that I’ll shed a tear over losing my four thaain if you don’t work out. Pull your weight; do as you’re told, or I’ll have you strung up in front of the others as a lesson to them, you hear me?”

Akar’s eyes remained fixed, his fists clenched, struggling to contain the fire within him.

Dahlia tightened her grip on her staff, and the vines reacted, strangling Akar where he stood. He gasped for breath, gagging at the bit in his mouth. His eyes bulged from the pain, his skin turned pale, but he remained on his feet.

For a second, Iris raised her hand, as if she meant to stop her, but she remained silent.

“A woman asked you a question, man,” Dahlia spat. “When a woman speaks, you will answer swiftly and succinctly, do you understand?”

She slackened the vines and he gasped for breath, drawing the air in deeply to keep himself from passing out.

“I understand,” he whispered. The fire in his heart roared white-hot. In his mind, he recalled the words of Captain Ssykes. He remembered what he had seen. A man had stood up to a woman. It was almost unthinkable. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes…

Dahlia’s lips twisted into smug satisfaction. “Good.” She moved on to the next man.

“…I understand,” Akar continued defiantly, speaking as best he could through cracked lips. “I understand that you women hide behind your magic and your wealth…”

Dahlia paused and turned around in shock.

Akar spit against his bit. “…You hide behind these accursed trees. You hide because you are cowards.”

Dahlia stepped up, rage in her eyes. She gripped her staff tightly. When she spoke, her voice quivered with rage, barely above a whisper. “What did you say to me, pig?”

“You heard me, woman! You are a coward!”

Thorns erupted from the vines that held him, piercing his flesh. He felt the venom course into his body like red-hot liquid, robbing him of his wits. His vision went blurry and he watched himself detachedly crumple to the ground. The last thing he saw were Dahlia Buckthorn’s cruel eyes looking down on him.

Iris ran up alongside her, regret on her face. “Go easy on him, he’s had it rough,” she advised.

“Oh, I’ll go easy on him,” Dahlia snickered, cracking her knuckles.

* * *

The heat of the bubbling swamp water had caused Mandi’s blonde hair to become a drippy, frizzy mess. It clung to her neck as she hid in a knotted log along with Molly, watching the sky with an odd intensity, as if she expected it to bolt off and run away at any moment.

“I don’t like Senndai,” Molly complained, swatting at a mosquito that was buzzing around her ear.

“No one does, that’s why most of them leave,” Mandi responded without taking her eyes off her quarry.

As the shadows coming down from the drooping trees shortened, Mandi silently pointed to the fetid green waters before them.

“All right, we have to be careful as we do this,” she explained, a mosquito landing on her wrist. “We have to walk out to the center of the pond at precisely noon, or the god Ramma will notice.”

Molly covered her mouth to stifle a cough. “Why noon?”

Mandi watched as the mosquito tried to suck her blood. After a couple slurps, the poor little insect broke off and began contorting its body, writhing about until it boiled away to nothing but ash.

“Because that is when Ramma takes her tea break.”

The two sat quietly for a moment.

“I’m bored.”

Mandi exhaled. “I’ll buy you some stoneberry shortcakes when we’re done.”

“You’d better.”

“I will, now be quiet.”

Several more moments of silence passed by.

“I want sprinkles too.”

“Oh, by the gods, girl, give me a break!”

Suddenly the shadows reached their shortest point, and the heavens shifted. The clouds that had been dripping in the sky slid away, almost as if some invisible presence had flown off; the only indication of its presence being the wake it created.