When we were back inside, Morgan and Annette sat down on his bed with a deck of cards, playing poker, blackjack and all sorts of card games while I sat on my bed surrounded by maps. Unfortunately there weren't any maps of Panaethene itself but there were plenty that led up to the demon stronghold. I'd heard whispers that many of the people had moved into an underground city while the rest had become the slaves of the demons. The people who had successfully moved underground had set up plenty of charms to keep the demons out, but none of them dared to go above ground for any reason. No need to chance it I guess.
“Say Annette, where is it that we actually have to go?” I asked after a while, looking up at them from the maps. They both looked over at me, each with a card stuck onto their foreheads.
“Oh, well...once we get through Panaethene, we have to go to this place known at the Forge of Destiny. And...well...uhm...” She paused and looked down at the pile of cards on the bed. “How desperately do you want to be rid of these binds?”
Her question surprised me and I just looked at her.
“I don't want to end up like the others. No one deserves this. Why?” I said, wary of why she was asking.
“It's just that...once we get to the Forge...in order to break free...you'll have to offer up the life of someone else in order to gain your freedom.”
I felt my eyes widen at this new piece of information and then put my head in my hands.
“Oh you are kidding me...I do not believe this. Are you serious?” I asked.
“I'm afraid not. I didn't believe it when my grandmother had told me...but it turns out she'd offered the life of a man who'd been torturing people that had suffered greatly in the war. So...are you desperate enough to get free that you'd offer up someone's life in exchange for your own?”
I didn't say anything but instead fell onto my back, letting my legs go forwards and landing on the maps.
“I...I don't know. I've never really thought about killing someone before, or have someone die for me. I...I just don't know. I guess we'll find out when we actually get there. But if I can't...then I suppose...I suppose I can offer up my own life to allow Morgan's brother to rest,” I said, bringing my hands away from my face and turning to face them. Morgan stared back at me in surprise, the card falling away from his face.
“I...you...you'd really do that?” he said in complete disbelief. “I mean...you hardly even know me. I nearly tried to kill you, yet you'd do something like that for me?”
“Like I said, no one deserves that. And your brother was just a kid. If he's going to have his life stolen for whatever reason, he should at least be allowed to rest peacefully.”
We stared at each other for a moment then he smiled softly.
“I could kiss you right now,” he said.
“Please don't.”
“How about a hug then?”
“Fine, but nothing more. Or I really will hit you.”
He gave a small laugh and got up from his bed, coming to sit next me then pulling me into his arms as I sat up. It felt a little weird to be hugged by him, probably because I wasn't really used to being hugged by anyone, but it was nice at the same time.
“Awwww, you look so adorable together!”
We both looked at Annette with a frown and she just smiled back at us, her eyes shining.
“Well stop mentally pairing us together then! We still don't even really like each other as acquaintances, let alone in a lovey dovey way. And besides, that's really creepy,” I said, pulling away from Morgan and lying down again.
“Yeah, seriously girl, it is creepy. The internet doesn't exist any more, so stop shipping us already. You know it won't ever happen,” he said, lying back himself.
“Alright alright, I'll stop, promise,” she said with a smile. I shook my head then got up, going over to the chest of draws and grabbing a towel.
“I'm going to take a shower, I feel really dirty,” I said.
“You smell pretty terrible too,” Morgan said. I just gave him a look and he smiled innocently as I disappeared into the bathroom, shutting the door and locking it. It was true though, I did smell pretty terrible. I'd been on the road for a good few days and hadn't had time to wash in any way. So stripping down and stepping into the hot water was the greatest relief in the world at that moment. I must have stood there for about 5 minutes just letting the water flow over me before I actually started washing. It felt so good to use soap and shampoo after a long time, I could actually feel the dirt being removed from my body. I probably would have started singing in happiness for a moment if Morgan and Annette hadn't been right outside. There was a knock at the door while I was rinsing out my hair.
“Who is it?” I called out.
“It's me,” Morgan answered.
“What do you want?”
“Can you open the door for a sec? I've got some clothes you can borrow for the night until we get yours cleaned up,” he said.
“Oh...well, I wouldn't need much. I usually just sleep in my undies and a shirt,” I called out.
“Well then let me toss the shirt in then. My shirts are big even for me, but I like wearing loose stuff.”
I leaned out of the shower far enough to undo the lock, easy to do since the bathroom wasn't that big but not that small either, and the door opened just a tiny bit, Morgan's arm coming in and dropping a large white shirt and a fresh pair of black panties onto the toilet lid.
“Thanks. I apologize for you having to touch my delicates like that,” I called out.
“Well it's not the first time. I'm the one that does the laundry in my house anyway,” he answered. I couldn't help but laugh. Once I felt clean enough, I reluctantly climbed out of the shower and dried myself off, pulling on my undies and Morgan's shirt. It was warm and soft, the material a lot more comfortable than I'd thought it would be. I walked back out to them, the towel wrapped around my head to stop my hair from dripping and found both Morgan and Annette in their night clothing as well. Annette was wearing a simple silk night dress with lace around the edges and Morgan was only wearing a pair of dark red PJ bottoms. He took one look at me and then looked away again.
“Well, that's quite a pair of legs you've got,” he said, clearing his throat. I glanced down at them.
“You think so huh?” I said, suddenly wanting to see if I could make him blush.
“Y-yeah. They're...long, slender, nicely to-” He looked back at me with a glare and I just smiled at him. “Oh I know what you're trying to do. And it's not going to work.”
“What? I'm not doing anything! Honest,” I said.
“Whatever,” he said. I quickly dried off my hair and then threw my damp towel at his face.
“Yeugh, that's nasty,” he said, pulling the towel off his face and throwing it back at me. I caught it with one hand then put it on the heater to dry off. Annette giggled at us for a moment then pulled back her covers to settle down.
“Hmmmmm, these covers are so warm and snuggly,” she said, clearly happy.
“Yeah, they're definitely different to what I'm used to,” I said, settling down in my own bed and sinking down in the mattress. It was like sitting on jelly.
“Well I hope that you'll be able to sleep fine now that your stomach is empty,” Morgan said, yawning then turning to fluff up his pillow before lying down again.
“I feel a lot better than before, seriously. I think I've gotten used to it,” I said.
“Just don't throw up on me, alright?”
“I'll try not to.”
I saw him smile before shutting off the bedside lamp. For once, I actually felt like I could have a whole night of undisturbed sleep which was certainly rare for someone like me.
“Good night Annette, Morgan,” I said into the darkness.
“Good night,” they both said back. I then just lay there in the darkness for a while, staring at the ceiling and then slowly let my eyes close.
Last night was terrible. I had to run to the bathroom at least 4 times to throw up and ended up grabbing a blanket and just sitting by the toilet trying to sleep until I thought my stomach was clam enough to actually let me lie down properly in bed. Morgan looked at me with raised eyebrows when morning came around.
“You look like Hell,” he said.
“I feel like Hell. I feel like I'd be better if someone removed my intestines from my abdomen,” I said.
“Well, we're going to go and get something to eat, you want to join us?”
I glared at him as my stomach somersaulted at the mention of food. He held up his hands.
“Alright, alright. Won't mention it again. Just don't zap me or anything, okay?” he said.
“Just go already. And bring back more ginger, I feel like I'm going to be living on that stuff till we get to port,” I said, curling up on my bed and breathing deeply.
“Sure. We'll bring back as much as you need,” Annette said, elbowing Morgan. He shook his head at her then gave me a small wave before disappearing, shutting the door behind him gently. Now that I was left all alone, I leant over to my bedside table and picked up the photograph of the old man and Teine again. Maybe it was because he was also a Mage, or maybe it was because the grandfather reminded me of my own Uncle who I no longer had, but I felt like I had to find Teine, I had to pass on the message. Heck, I just wanted to meet another Mage who was near my age. My uncle Naetis had been in his late 70s when he'd passed away and the few Mages who'd come to us to be taught by him had arrived, they'd all been a lot older than me, especially since I'd been about 6 or so when the last one had come to visit.
I slowly rolled onto my back and stared at the photograph, trying to imagine Teine as a 22 year old. He was about 15 in the photo with his hair just brushing past his ears, so if he'd kept it long then maybe just short of his shoulders? Definitely taller than before, not sure how much taller though. He looked to be about 5'6 or so in the photo. Looking closer, I saw he had small black diamond-like marks at the outer corners of his eyes, about 5 of them beside each one. Probably marks that had appeared along with his powers. Other than that, I was clueless as to how different he could be. Maybe he was married by now, or maybe even dead if he lived in Panaethene of all places. I hoped I got to him before that happened though, otherwise I would have felt like I'd failed his grandfather.
“Where are you Teine? Who are you?” I said out loud. There was no answer of course, but for some reason it felt right to ask the question out loud. “Oh well. Might as well go and see how Liandri's doing.”
I swung my feet off the bed and stood up, grabbing a clean set off clothes from my bag. Once I was dressed in a clean beige shirt and black trousers, I slipped my feet into my black flats, a pair of shoes I hadn't worn in such a long time, I ran my fingers through my hair as I left the room, grabbing the bag of crystallised ginger and stuffing it in my pocket. Who knows if I'd even be able to get down to the stables without feeling sick. I didn't know where the stables were, so I walked down the hallways in search of one of the crew members. I found one eventually, a tall young man carrying a big box.
“Excuse me, but can you tell me how to get to the stables?” I asked. He paused and turned to face me.
“Oh, well I'm heading there myself actually. Why don't I take you there?” he offered. I nodded and he stared at me for a moment. “Say...are you a...Mage?”
“What's it to you?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.
“Relax, I've got nothing against your kind. My sister was one. Until those bastard soldiers from Bristine killed her,” he said through a clenched jaw. “Oh how I'd love to get my hands on that Captain there...”
I paled slightly.
“W-well, why?” I asked, taking the chance.
“Why? You ask me why?! That bastard is in charge of the monsters who murdered my sister!”
“So that means it's automatically his fault?”
“Of course it does, their faults are all his responsibility.”
I sighed and lifted up my left arm, pulling back my sleeve to show him the mark. His eyes widened.
“Oh dear God...”
“Yeah, and guess what. You're not gonna lay a finger on Morgan. He willingly got me and Annette here on the ship safely when he could have just killed me. And trust me when I say I need him. I need him to help me get where I need to go, because he lost someone very close to him, someone who suffered the fate that I'll suffer. And I've decided to free that person if I can't free myself. Got it? Now where are the stables,” I said, not giving him a chance to talk back. He stared at me for a moment then sighed.
“It's this way. I need to take this box of hay down to them anyway,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. He then hefted the box onto his shoulder and started walking. The ship was rather quiet as we walked, but that was probably because everyone was at breakfast. The man glanced over his shoulder at me briefly.
“Which horse is yours? There's quite a magnificent black horse down there. She doesn't seem all that comfortable though,” he said. I smiled a little.
“That one would be mine. Liandri's not all that fond of being tied up in one place for a long time. She prefers being able to run around freely,” I said. I saw him smile a little.
“I can tell. She definitely doesn't deserve to be down here with the others for so long. I can see her running around through the fields happily. I bet you'll both be glad to get off this ship,” he said.
“Most definitely,” I said with a small shiver. “This is my first time ever on a boat and it turns out I am severely seasick. Thankfully my friend went and found me some crystallised ginger.”
He gave a small laugh as we entered the stables.
“Yeah seasickness is a real bitch. Well, here we are. Your horse is in the very end stall, I'll bring some food over for her in a minute,” he said. I nodded and said thank you to him before heading off to the very end of the stalls. Liandri neighed happily when she saw me and moved as close to me as she could. I smiled and reached over to stroke her muzzle.
“Hey there girl, how are you doing? Ohh, I missed you too,” I laughed as she started breathing right on my face. I patted her muzzle and spoke to her the comforting words I always said to her when she was feeling uncomfortable. I also stuck another piece of ginger in my mouth since I was feeling a little seasick at that moment. “Don't worry about being cooped up in here for too long. We've only got a few more days on here before we can get back onto land, and you can charge about to your hearts content.” I sighed.” Just a few more days, that's all.”
“Say Annette, where is it that we actually have to go?” I asked after a while, looking up at them from the maps. They both looked over at me, each with a card stuck onto their foreheads.
“Oh, well...once we get through Panaethene, we have to go to this place known at the Forge of Destiny. And...well...uhm...” She paused and looked down at the pile of cards on the bed. “How desperately do you want to be rid of these binds?”
Her question surprised me and I just looked at her.
“I don't want to end up like the others. No one deserves this. Why?” I said, wary of why she was asking.
“It's just that...once we get to the Forge...in order to break free...you'll have to offer up the life of someone else in order to gain your freedom.”
I felt my eyes widen at this new piece of information and then put my head in my hands.
“Oh you are kidding me...I do not believe this. Are you serious?” I asked.
“I'm afraid not. I didn't believe it when my grandmother had told me...but it turns out she'd offered the life of a man who'd been torturing people that had suffered greatly in the war. So...are you desperate enough to get free that you'd offer up someone's life in exchange for your own?”
I didn't say anything but instead fell onto my back, letting my legs go forwards and landing on the maps.
“I...I don't know. I've never really thought about killing someone before, or have someone die for me. I...I just don't know. I guess we'll find out when we actually get there. But if I can't...then I suppose...I suppose I can offer up my own life to allow Morgan's brother to rest,” I said, bringing my hands away from my face and turning to face them. Morgan stared back at me in surprise, the card falling away from his face.
“I...you...you'd really do that?” he said in complete disbelief. “I mean...you hardly even know me. I nearly tried to kill you, yet you'd do something like that for me?”
“Like I said, no one deserves that. And your brother was just a kid. If he's going to have his life stolen for whatever reason, he should at least be allowed to rest peacefully.”
We stared at each other for a moment then he smiled softly.
“I could kiss you right now,” he said.
“Please don't.”
“How about a hug then?”
“Fine, but nothing more. Or I really will hit you.”
He gave a small laugh and got up from his bed, coming to sit next me then pulling me into his arms as I sat up. It felt a little weird to be hugged by him, probably because I wasn't really used to being hugged by anyone, but it was nice at the same time.
“Awwww, you look so adorable together!”
We both looked at Annette with a frown and she just smiled back at us, her eyes shining.
“Well stop mentally pairing us together then! We still don't even really like each other as acquaintances, let alone in a lovey dovey way. And besides, that's really creepy,” I said, pulling away from Morgan and lying down again.
“Yeah, seriously girl, it is creepy. The internet doesn't exist any more, so stop shipping us already. You know it won't ever happen,” he said, lying back himself.
“Alright alright, I'll stop, promise,” she said with a smile. I shook my head then got up, going over to the chest of draws and grabbing a towel.
“I'm going to take a shower, I feel really dirty,” I said.
“You smell pretty terrible too,” Morgan said. I just gave him a look and he smiled innocently as I disappeared into the bathroom, shutting the door and locking it. It was true though, I did smell pretty terrible. I'd been on the road for a good few days and hadn't had time to wash in any way. So stripping down and stepping into the hot water was the greatest relief in the world at that moment. I must have stood there for about 5 minutes just letting the water flow over me before I actually started washing. It felt so good to use soap and shampoo after a long time, I could actually feel the dirt being removed from my body. I probably would have started singing in happiness for a moment if Morgan and Annette hadn't been right outside. There was a knock at the door while I was rinsing out my hair.
“Who is it?” I called out.
“It's me,” Morgan answered.
“What do you want?”
“Can you open the door for a sec? I've got some clothes you can borrow for the night until we get yours cleaned up,” he said.
“Oh...well, I wouldn't need much. I usually just sleep in my undies and a shirt,” I called out.
“Well then let me toss the shirt in then. My shirts are big even for me, but I like wearing loose stuff.”
I leaned out of the shower far enough to undo the lock, easy to do since the bathroom wasn't that big but not that small either, and the door opened just a tiny bit, Morgan's arm coming in and dropping a large white shirt and a fresh pair of black panties onto the toilet lid.
“Thanks. I apologize for you having to touch my delicates like that,” I called out.
“Well it's not the first time. I'm the one that does the laundry in my house anyway,” he answered. I couldn't help but laugh. Once I felt clean enough, I reluctantly climbed out of the shower and dried myself off, pulling on my undies and Morgan's shirt. It was warm and soft, the material a lot more comfortable than I'd thought it would be. I walked back out to them, the towel wrapped around my head to stop my hair from dripping and found both Morgan and Annette in their night clothing as well. Annette was wearing a simple silk night dress with lace around the edges and Morgan was only wearing a pair of dark red PJ bottoms. He took one look at me and then looked away again.
“Well, that's quite a pair of legs you've got,” he said, clearing his throat. I glanced down at them.
“You think so huh?” I said, suddenly wanting to see if I could make him blush.
“Y-yeah. They're...long, slender, nicely to-” He looked back at me with a glare and I just smiled at him. “Oh I know what you're trying to do. And it's not going to work.”
“What? I'm not doing anything! Honest,” I said.
“Whatever,” he said. I quickly dried off my hair and then threw my damp towel at his face.
“Yeugh, that's nasty,” he said, pulling the towel off his face and throwing it back at me. I caught it with one hand then put it on the heater to dry off. Annette giggled at us for a moment then pulled back her covers to settle down.
“Hmmmmm, these covers are so warm and snuggly,” she said, clearly happy.
“Yeah, they're definitely different to what I'm used to,” I said, settling down in my own bed and sinking down in the mattress. It was like sitting on jelly.
“Well I hope that you'll be able to sleep fine now that your stomach is empty,” Morgan said, yawning then turning to fluff up his pillow before lying down again.
“I feel a lot better than before, seriously. I think I've gotten used to it,” I said.
“Just don't throw up on me, alright?”
“I'll try not to.”
I saw him smile before shutting off the bedside lamp. For once, I actually felt like I could have a whole night of undisturbed sleep which was certainly rare for someone like me.
“Good night Annette, Morgan,” I said into the darkness.
“Good night,” they both said back. I then just lay there in the darkness for a while, staring at the ceiling and then slowly let my eyes close.
Last night was terrible. I had to run to the bathroom at least 4 times to throw up and ended up grabbing a blanket and just sitting by the toilet trying to sleep until I thought my stomach was clam enough to actually let me lie down properly in bed. Morgan looked at me with raised eyebrows when morning came around.
“You look like Hell,” he said.
“I feel like Hell. I feel like I'd be better if someone removed my intestines from my abdomen,” I said.
“Well, we're going to go and get something to eat, you want to join us?”
I glared at him as my stomach somersaulted at the mention of food. He held up his hands.
“Alright, alright. Won't mention it again. Just don't zap me or anything, okay?” he said.
“Just go already. And bring back more ginger, I feel like I'm going to be living on that stuff till we get to port,” I said, curling up on my bed and breathing deeply.
“Sure. We'll bring back as much as you need,” Annette said, elbowing Morgan. He shook his head at her then gave me a small wave before disappearing, shutting the door behind him gently. Now that I was left all alone, I leant over to my bedside table and picked up the photograph of the old man and Teine again. Maybe it was because he was also a Mage, or maybe it was because the grandfather reminded me of my own Uncle who I no longer had, but I felt like I had to find Teine, I had to pass on the message. Heck, I just wanted to meet another Mage who was near my age. My uncle Naetis had been in his late 70s when he'd passed away and the few Mages who'd come to us to be taught by him had arrived, they'd all been a lot older than me, especially since I'd been about 6 or so when the last one had come to visit.
I slowly rolled onto my back and stared at the photograph, trying to imagine Teine as a 22 year old. He was about 15 in the photo with his hair just brushing past his ears, so if he'd kept it long then maybe just short of his shoulders? Definitely taller than before, not sure how much taller though. He looked to be about 5'6 or so in the photo. Looking closer, I saw he had small black diamond-like marks at the outer corners of his eyes, about 5 of them beside each one. Probably marks that had appeared along with his powers. Other than that, I was clueless as to how different he could be. Maybe he was married by now, or maybe even dead if he lived in Panaethene of all places. I hoped I got to him before that happened though, otherwise I would have felt like I'd failed his grandfather.
“Where are you Teine? Who are you?” I said out loud. There was no answer of course, but for some reason it felt right to ask the question out loud. “Oh well. Might as well go and see how Liandri's doing.”
I swung my feet off the bed and stood up, grabbing a clean set off clothes from my bag. Once I was dressed in a clean beige shirt and black trousers, I slipped my feet into my black flats, a pair of shoes I hadn't worn in such a long time, I ran my fingers through my hair as I left the room, grabbing the bag of crystallised ginger and stuffing it in my pocket. Who knows if I'd even be able to get down to the stables without feeling sick. I didn't know where the stables were, so I walked down the hallways in search of one of the crew members. I found one eventually, a tall young man carrying a big box.
“Excuse me, but can you tell me how to get to the stables?” I asked. He paused and turned to face me.
“Oh, well I'm heading there myself actually. Why don't I take you there?” he offered. I nodded and he stared at me for a moment. “Say...are you a...Mage?”
“What's it to you?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.
“Relax, I've got nothing against your kind. My sister was one. Until those bastard soldiers from Bristine killed her,” he said through a clenched jaw. “Oh how I'd love to get my hands on that Captain there...”
I paled slightly.
“W-well, why?” I asked, taking the chance.
“Why? You ask me why?! That bastard is in charge of the monsters who murdered my sister!”
“So that means it's automatically his fault?”
“Of course it does, their faults are all his responsibility.”
I sighed and lifted up my left arm, pulling back my sleeve to show him the mark. His eyes widened.
“Oh dear God...”
“Yeah, and guess what. You're not gonna lay a finger on Morgan. He willingly got me and Annette here on the ship safely when he could have just killed me. And trust me when I say I need him. I need him to help me get where I need to go, because he lost someone very close to him, someone who suffered the fate that I'll suffer. And I've decided to free that person if I can't free myself. Got it? Now where are the stables,” I said, not giving him a chance to talk back. He stared at me for a moment then sighed.
“It's this way. I need to take this box of hay down to them anyway,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. He then hefted the box onto his shoulder and started walking. The ship was rather quiet as we walked, but that was probably because everyone was at breakfast. The man glanced over his shoulder at me briefly.
“Which horse is yours? There's quite a magnificent black horse down there. She doesn't seem all that comfortable though,” he said. I smiled a little.
“That one would be mine. Liandri's not all that fond of being tied up in one place for a long time. She prefers being able to run around freely,” I said. I saw him smile a little.
“I can tell. She definitely doesn't deserve to be down here with the others for so long. I can see her running around through the fields happily. I bet you'll both be glad to get off this ship,” he said.
“Most definitely,” I said with a small shiver. “This is my first time ever on a boat and it turns out I am severely seasick. Thankfully my friend went and found me some crystallised ginger.”
He gave a small laugh as we entered the stables.
“Yeah seasickness is a real bitch. Well, here we are. Your horse is in the very end stall, I'll bring some food over for her in a minute,” he said. I nodded and said thank you to him before heading off to the very end of the stalls. Liandri neighed happily when she saw me and moved as close to me as she could. I smiled and reached over to stroke her muzzle.
“Hey there girl, how are you doing? Ohh, I missed you too,” I laughed as she started breathing right on my face. I patted her muzzle and spoke to her the comforting words I always said to her when she was feeling uncomfortable. I also stuck another piece of ginger in my mouth since I was feeling a little seasick at that moment. “Don't worry about being cooped up in here for too long. We've only got a few more days on here before we can get back onto land, and you can charge about to your hearts content.” I sighed.” Just a few more days, that's all.”
