The Wrath Of the Forgotten (33 page)

Nori winced. “That’s right, Flara never mentioned that specifically.” He closed his eyes and imagined his dream once more. “My homeland was completely destroyed by the enemy. I’m one of the last Onistans alive.” When he opened his eyelids again, he had to blink away some of the wetness. “I can’t give you a definitive answer on what will happen with whom. I can honestly say at the moment, I’m just trying to get by with breathing in and out. The best I can offer is a vow that I won’t try to knowingly hurt anyone or lead anyone on.”

Vihori took another step back and studied Nori for a moment. In the time that it took for Nori to lean back against the railing, Vihori’s mood had visibly changed. A small bit of suspicion still danced in his eyes, but it had been overcome with a new emotion. Vihori’s limbs relaxed, and he placed his hands behind his back. The pirate prince took another step away from Nori and shifted his whole body to the side.

“I’m sorry to hear about your people,” Vihori said. “I know it doesn’t mean much, but I do feel badly for you. I would be in a great deal of emotional duress if Gohoda were destroyed. I’m confident that Luxi can look after her own, but I suppose you understand if I still want to protect her.”

“Much the same way I want to protect Flara,” Nori replied. “It goes beyond just duty. She’s my friend, and I care for her.”

Vihori lingered near Nori for another moment before he moved away from him. Nori watched him go below deck, and then he noticed something else. Luxi leaned over the railing near the helm. Her hawk like eyes centered on Nori, a troubled expression plastered on her face.

Nori waved at her and gave her a weak smile. No doubt he would hear about it later from the diminutive, yet strikingly fascinating captain. He leaned over the railing and gazed out into the river.

On one bank stood Luxi, while on the other Apisa. In the far distance, a black hole swallowed everything it came in contact with. The river plunged into its dark chasm continuously. Which bank would he choose? Both of the women had their merits, but did he truly deserve to hope that one of them would love him like he wanted? Should he choose neither and be swallowed up?

Alone in his thoughts, Nori stared out into the river.

IT FELT CLOSER
now. The vibrations coming from Tov’s gem armband pulsated into him through his skin. Every hair on the back of his neck wiggled around wildly. It was almost time for him to act.

The heat of the day had already settled in, and the sun blared brilliantly from above. Tov adjusted his straw hat so that it would both block his face from the humans around him and also provide some relief. Tov moved down the dirt streets of Cao Xi, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible.

Buildings constructed from clay bricks ran down the lengths of the roads. The streets were narrow, so Tov had to be pressed up close to dozens of smelly humans. Due to the heat, the people of the city sweated profusely. A foul stench of unwashed bodies polluted the air. Waves of nausea swirled around Tov like unrelenting sand storms. Despite the fact that they were the ones who smelled, the humans often sneered at Tov for the way that he was dressed. They wore breathable fabrics that provided some comfort in the desert heat. Tov didn’t sweat as much as they did, even if he wore poor-looking garments from the far north.

Tov had been in Cao Xi for many days. The entire city had been in an uproar as the annual Festival of the Dead swiftly approached. All of the humans were both excited and also mournful. Hundreds upon thousands of strangers had filtered into the city, and most just considered Tov to be a wandering homeless man. It had been the perfect place to lay low and wait for that accursed group to come by. If fortune truly favored Tov, then that ship would stop here in the city.

Unsurprisingly, Tov didn’t run into any other Yaoguai while he recovered in the desert city. All of the others had been recalled home in order to prepare for the doom that would soon befall the land. His mind shifted to Urae again. His stomach dropped lower into his waist. Just thinking about her preparing for battle sent a thousand spikes into all of his pores. Everyone was needed, even her, but still… if he could lessen the burden for all of them, then all of this toil would be worth it.

Tov stopped by a fruit cart and dug into his coin purse. The vendor noticed him and recoiled back when Tov placed the coins on the wooden counter. For a moment, the large man just stared down at the gold as if at any moment, the coins would explode.

“I’m not contagious,” Tov said with an over enunciated voice. “You aren’t allergic to gold, are you?”

The man slowly reached over and slid the coins into a pouch. After that, he placed three large apples on the space where the coins once sat. Tov took them, and started to move away. He didn’t have to look back to see that the vendor glared at his back. Even upon taking the fruit, Tov knew he had been over-charged.

People like that fueled Tov’s desire to brutally wipe them all out. A sweet taste flooded Tov’s mouth as he bit into the fruit. He devoured one apple, and placed the other two in his bag. They would help him stave off the hunger later.

The gem armband pulsated beneath Tov’s straw cloak. Judging from the rapidness of the signals, the ship should be either passing by or stopping in Cao Xi the day after tomorrow. He still had plenty of time to relax before more action would be required. With that in mind, Tov continued to move through the crowds.

NORI SLOWLY WALKED
up the stairs toward the deck of the Grinning Panda. Just as the many nights that preceded it, Nori found himself wide awake when he should be asleep. Would this dreadful pattern become engrained into something more permanent? He certainly hoped not. While he loved the splendor of the night, he found its consecutive exposure less mesmerizing.

He waved at Carjo and Motani, the night crew sailors who manned the helm most nights. Though he couldn’t see Daga, he knew the plumper man was watching from the crow’s nest. Just like every other night, they would acknowledge him before returning to their duties. As per the usual ritual, Nori carried his lute case on his shoulder. However, one particular thing differed from what Nori had grown accustomed to.

A slender woman leaned against the rail and watched as the moon’s reflection dance on the river’s surface. She shivered as a chilly wind rushed past her. Her long black hair flew along with the gust.

Nori causally walked up and leaned on the rail beside her. Flara jumped as soon as he came into view. She darted her eyes around, but eventually settled her attention on him. “Oh… hi there. What are you doing up this late?”

Nori chuckled. “I’m always up this late. What about you? What’s keeping you from sleeping? Is it the enemy?”

Her gaze fell slightly. “Yes and no. I suppose I’m always thinking about them in some way. They’re going to do something really bad to Korrine, I know it. However, something else is making me nervous.”

“Is it Vihori?” Nori asked. “You don’t have to go through with a wedding if you don’t want to.”

Flara said, “I do actually. Even though I’ve not been in Xian Ba for a while, I still remember how small our actual navy is. I’m not sure what’s going to come with these Celestial Ones, but we’re going to need all the help we can get.”

Nori asked “And that involves you sacrificing yourself for the good of others?”

“How is what I’m doing any different than what you do every day?” Flara peered over the side of the ship into the darkness of the river. “I’m royalty, even if I don’t want to be. We’re expected to make sacrifices for the greater whole. At least he’s not an ugly man. That helps… a little.”

“Luxi said he’s a good guy,” Nori said.

Flara replied, “I know he’s a good person. I’ve had the luxury of talking to him and getting to know him. He’s just as nervous about this arrangement as I am. I just hope that I can come to love him one day, instead of just tolerating him.”

Nori shifted against the rail and faced her. “By the way, I have a question for you. As long as I was in Xian Ba, I’ve never noticed a man around the throne.” He paused for a moment. “Would it be inappropriate for me to ask about your father?”

She flinched. “No, but I would rather not talk about… him. Let’s talk about you instead. How are you doing? Are your dreams still bothering you?”

“Not like they did before, but yeah.” Nori sat beside the rail and placed his lute case on his lap. He opened the box and pulled out his precious instrument. “How about this, we forget talking about sad things and focus on the music.”

Flara grinned and sat beside him. She settled her hands in her lap, and watched him with wide eager eyes. She rolled her shoulders for a moment, and then remained utterly silent. Nori strummed his fingers against the strings and descended into an uplifting melody. By the time he finished the first song, Rayko and Apisa had come out to join them. They didn’t say anything, but they settled on the other side of Nori. Apisa sat closer, and she placed her hand right beside his thigh. Was it his imagination, or did her littlest finger rest directly against his leg? Pressure built up in his belly, but it wasn’t quite uncomfortable.

Luxi and Vihori came to the bow of the ship a song later. Vihori remained standing at the back, but Luxi leaned up against the rail. She pulled out her flute and played along with Nori’s strumming. At first, their differing sounds contrasted with one another, but Nori blended his harmony with hers.

“Ideaaaa!” Rayko said as she clapped her hands together. Her tattoo flashed, and a pair of men appeared floating above them. One of the men stood, relatively speaking, behind a pair of large drums. The other man had some kind of metal horn in his grasp.

The pair of illusions played along with Nori and Luxi, and their addition didn’t create a single moment of discord. Rayko rocked from side to side, her brilliant tattoo creating areas of illumination and shadow in the darkness.

Wondrous music enveloped them all, and Nori felt the comfort that only came from being around those who cared for one another. Vihori approached Flara and asked her for a dance. To Nori’s surprise, the meek princess actually accepted. Vihori carefully placed his hands on the right spots on her body, and kept an appropriate distance from her. His eyes locked with hers, and anything else aside from the pair of them appeared forgotten. Flara became transfixed in the spell as well, and she got more enthused as she danced. Apisa grabbed Rayko by the hands and pulled her up. They laughed with one another as they danced beside Flara and Vihori. Eventually, Apisa and Rayko grabbed both of Flara’s arms and began twirling about.

Vihori stepped back, but Rayko pulled him back into the middle of the trio. They all skipped around him, and Vihori could only grin awkwardly.

A wide smirk covered Nori’s face. He wouldn’t have traded Vihori’s spot for anything in the world, aside from the revival of Onista. Nori hated being the center of attention.

Luxi caught his eye. Her lips were wrapped around her flute, but pure amusement sparkled in her eyes. In the heart of this dark and terrible storm, they had stumbled upon a brief moment of joy. Would there be many moments like this in the future? Or would the rest of their lives be dominated by these Celestial Ones?

Nori pushed those thoughts away for the moment. and started another upbeat dance song. Plenty of sadness, anger, and frustration would bombard them in the future. They all needed to savor moments like these. The enemy was coming. In their wake, death would surely follow.