Chapter 19: Little less conversation

 

Glen

Little less conversation

 

 

They finally left the ancient temple and its white columns behind early the next morning. Almost a week after Glen first came upon it. Two freshly-dug shallow graves covered with bleached rocks by the side of the paved road, perhaps fittingly, their own contribution to the tranquil scenery. One –the bigger- for the siblings, since the pink-haired girl insisted they’d want to be close in the afterlife, the other for their former employer. The woman that had tried to kill him over a piece of parchment.

Glen being the first up on account he’d not slept at all, kept away from everyone still lost in his thoughts. Zola was agreed by all that she’d ride on Val, with Emerson leaving the lead to Dante after a brief but colorful exchange. This meant everyone but the old Knight and the injured Issir woman, was returning on foot. Dante, Soren and Jinx at the front, the mounted Knight partnering with a grim-faced Zola riding on Val manning the center, and him with Lith bringing up the rear.

The first couple of hours went without anyone complaining. On that first stop for a ten minute rest, already deep inside that alien forest, a part of it Glen had never seen before, Emerson found him sound asleep next to a humming Lithoniela.

When Glen probed him for an explanation, since he didn’t remember any of it, the Knight just shrugged his shoulders. He did let him ride Duke for a while though, another long time coming wish, which Glen again kind of missed. It is apparently much easier to fall asleep on the saddle.

So Glen remembered little of the narrow forest road leading to the coast facing the Jelin continent. He would have missed all of it in fact, but for Duke’s response to Dante’s outburst very late in the afternoon just before the final stop of the day. The mercenary Captain stopped dead in his tracks to yell at his nose-less Ranger, so naturally Duke coming up no more than three-four meters behind them, dug his hooves in the soft muddy ground and came to a full stop himself. Glen completely oblivious of all the goings-on around him, slipped unceremoniously from the saddle and fell –by Luthos miracle no doubt- shoulder first then face, in a deep pool of mud between the horse’s legs.

“Gah!” Glen coughed up spit and a mouthful of muck, brutally waking up.

“You’re okay there lad?” Emerson asked pulling him up from a wet collar.

Glen snorted panicked to clear his nostrils from all the filth that’d snaked its way in and pushed hard to get away from him still half asleep.

“Woah now,” Emerson said letting him stagger away. “Calm down lad.”

“What happened?” Dante asked coming close. “Is the young gentleman all right?”

“He’s fine,” Emerson replied gruffly. “Mud clears the pipes well once ye get it all out.”

“So you say, still it would be best to keep an eye on him,” The Captain commented. “Haven’t seen a gold coin yet. You see how I specified the quality of the metal? Just to be on the same page here.”

“No one’s changing the terms mister Blackwood.”

Dante smacked his lips. “Right. Seeing we talk about terms and all—”

Emerson cut him before he finished.

“No one’s changing the terms.”

“Heard you the first time,” Dante replied recovering quickly. “Still, I believe no one agreed us traveling with a…” He made an indecipherable gesture that may or may not have been addressed to Lithoniela. “ah…” he again stalled unsure.

“A Zilan,” Jinx helped.

“Fucking monster,” Zola cried from atop Val a scowl on her face.

“Ayup,” Added Soren narrowing his eyes ready for a scrap.

“I ate a bug,” Murmured Glen catching everyone by surprise. Seeing them staring at him all pissed off, he added. “What? Twas a big one. I think.”

That, He decided. Or a very soft pebble.

On the bitter side.

 

 

“You probably scared her off!”

Glen was really mad with everyone. For making him fall in the mud, messing up… sort of his… clothes and before that wanting to kill him for coin. While he could understand the appeal of gold guiding a man’s heart, Glen hadn’t exactly forgiven them nor he was about to trust them fully. Wanting to get rid of the girl was just the stroke that broke the mule’s back.

“Pfft, boy thinks wit his cock,” Jinx the freak scoffed. “Assumin’ he has one.”

Glen had enough. “What did you say?”

She raised a thin middle finger in response.

“Enough!” Emerson snapped at her. “I want none o’ that.”

“You can’t force us to work with a demon,” Dante said when everyone quieted down. “People will freak out, if they found out.”

“Aye. She killed Cass and Kirk,” Soren showed them the count with his big fingers, greedily adding. “And Zola.”

“I’m not dead yet, you dumb fuck!” Zola snarled, almost falling off Val in the process.

“I did the big guy,” Emerson replied with a sigh, after putting a hand to stop her from toppling over. “We’ve talked about all this.”

“We didn’t think you were working with her,” Dante said. “I mean I didn’t know these things existed yesterday!”

“Matters not,” Emerson insisted face turning sober. “While I agree it’s unnatural, still she helped the boy out. Myself as well. If she wants to come with us, she will.”

“To Castalor,” Dante said. “You want to bring a Zilan there?”

“Your man will take us across,” Emerson replied. “Then we can all go our own ways. We’re not exactly attached at the hip.”

Dante sighed.

“Told ya, they’re not leaving her behind,” Jinx taunted him.

“Yeah, you are right,” He relented. “Any way to keep ourselves safe?”

“From what?” Emerson grunted.

Dante paused for a moment as if to determine, whether he was serious.

“Her spells,” He finally said.

“What?” Soren asked ogling his eyes.

“There are no plaguin’ spells,” The Knight replied gruffly. “Nor magic. I see no demon, just a girl with pointy ears.”

Glen, a silent observer up until now, made to speak but caught himself at the last moment. The old man knew about the dagger, so perhaps him not saying anything was a ploy to keep them in the dark, he decided.

Emerson gave him a knowing stare.

“As if he would know,” Jinx annoyingly decided to intervene. “This is how it starts.”

“Aye,” Soren agreed, though he probably had no idea what she was talking about.

“Only weird one I see right now is you. In the same vein we’re talkin’ here, ye kinda fit the profile,” Emerson spat in a no-nonsense kind of way. “But you ain’t seeing me clamoring to have ye nailed atop a tree.”

“Hey, no one is nailing anyone… anywhere,” Dante jumped in to nip it in the bud. Proceeding to talk like an experienced politician or a member of the merchant’s guild. “We have a contract. Yes I know… it’s a weird one. We are professionals though, right? Which means, we are proud to work… and this is important, all the jobs that pay the roof over our heads. So we do this,” He talked over the murmurs of his crew. Volume of his voice increasing as he pumped himself to a crescendo. “We lost some people. Some will say friends even. We are hurt. Tired. So what? We give up? Nay! We will honor their memory finishing the bloody job they gave their life for!”

Zola sighed deeply, either giving up or too pained to keep it in.

Emerson gave Glen a smart nod that all was well.

Jinx -dirty scoundrel that she was- pressed a hand between her legs all flushed and more pink in the face than it was probably possible. Glen found it interesting, in a weird way. Something raw about the strange girl, a naughty aura so faint he would’ve missed it unless he gave her his undivided attention. Soren cut through such thoughts with a battle-axe…

“Not payin’ for any goddarn roof and what not,” The huge Northman griped. “Ye promised me a fuckin’ horse.”

…perhaps for the better.

 

 

Two days later, the sun rising in front of their large sailing boat, a much better vessel than the one Glen had used to reach the Lazuli Peninsula, the unlikely crew with the addition of a pale-faced Lorian named Victor had settled in a quiet rhythm. An understanding, as Emerson called it. Everyone kept to their side of the boat, or path before that and the conversations were kept to a bare minimum.

Which meant people argued less than was expected and no one but Glen paid any attention to Lith. The Zilan had become one with Zestari’s hooded cloak, wearing it all the time. As much a disguise, Glen supposed, as a tactic to keep her own boundaries and peace of mind. A strange thing really, since the alien girl still possessed that uncanny ability to disappear without anyone noticing.

“How do you do it?” He asked her, back against the boat’s right side just before its narrow bow. It pained him he couldn’t see her face under the hood.

“To learn secrets milord,” She breathed, her voice barely audible. “First learn to keep them. As all in nature, this also comes in three.”

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“Right,” I have my secrets too, Glen thought a little peeved. “Well, I just thought it will come handy… should the need arise,” He made a gesture in the air mimicking Dante’s.

“Knights have rarely went down this path.”

“Huh, more fool them,” Glen said.

Lith turned her head towards the nearing Boarsnout Peninsula. Most people on the Free Isles were calling it that on account of its shape, but those living near or around Castalor, preferred using the large city’s name for the whole area.

The Zilan said nothing for a while.

Forcing the young man to change the subject.

“Have you ever crossed them?” Meaning the Krakentrap Straits. “Victor said, it’s a six-seven hour journey, less with favorable wind. Still seems kinda slow.”

Lith chuckled softly. A faint sound, but melodic, like the notes starting a song. Glen smiled unwittingly, a warm feeling chasing the cold of the sea away.

As if by magic.

“Once or twice,” She said snapping Glen back to reality. Adding somewhat bitterly. “Years ago. Seemed but a short breath then.”

“Must have been a bigger boat.”

The Zilan took a deep rugged breath, head rising to reveal her face to the skies, as the hood fell back. The sun washed over her lovingly and she stared back at it unbothered, searching for something that wasn’t there, mouth split just enough to show the tip of her tongue touching her lower lip. She was glowing, but for her eyes that had turned a deep blackish blue, like the sea.

It was amazing, how she could just change them at will, Glen thought then realized, she was now looking at him, hood on its place, everything hidden in the shadows.

“Learn to listen,” She said in that singsong manner of hers “Mind where you are.”

And with that walked away towards the center of the boat, found the opened hatchet and went below decks. No one seem to notice her walking in front of them and Glen had the sneaking suspicion, she allowed him to see her this time.

Was it a gift? What did her words really mean?

Mind where you are?

Wait…

Ah.

“Yer braver than ye look kid,” Jinx snickered hidden behind the sail just across from him. Another sneaky one, Glen thought. Too sneaky. He respected that.

Up to a point.

“What do you want?”

“What do you mean?” Jinx mocked not moving from where she was. Glen could only see part of her face and a touch of pink hair.

“I asked first.”

“I corrected it for you,” She countered.

“Are ye lookin’ for a fight?”

Jinx’s head tilted and popped out from behind the sail. She gave him an once-over.

“Nah,” She replied.

“You’re scared then?”

She threw her head back and laughed hard. Made the ink on her lower neck more visible. A weird pattern, Glen hadn’t seen before. Lots of weirdness on this bloody boat, he thought.

“This girl is no fool,” Jinx said, stepping out from behind the sail.

Damn, Glen thought. She’s really short. A good head shorter than him at least.

“Could’ve fooled me,” He sneered.

“I’ll fight ye, if you tell me how you beat that Issir cunt,” She paused, picked something out of her front teeth and then cleaned the lucky finger with a bright red tongue like a cat. “Gave me Silent Servant vibes. Not the priests, the other dudes. Ye know, they usually come in three as well. One master and two siblings, or pupils.”

Glen shook his head not wanting to think about that, deciding he had enough.

“Not tellin’ you anything.”

“Us island folk should stick together kid.”

“I’m not a kid, weird short girl. What happened to your nose?”

“Don’t have one.”

“Why?”

“It’s how we are,” Jinx said a little defensively. Glen felt a little bad for mocking her. Decided to soften it with something witty but came up empty and stared at the points of the corpse’s boots he wore instead. They had a ton of mud on them. Mixed in with rotten leaves.

A bit of dried shit here and there.

Darn it.

“Soren says your island is no more,” He finally said, deciding to make amends. “Got sunk or something.”

“Soren’s thick as a rock.”

Glen laughed at that. Jinx grinned as well, a cute little smile that froze, when she caught him checking her out.

“Don’t.”

“I just… was thinking about eating something,” He immediately deflected, showing great mastery at the art.

“Like what?”

“We could try fishing,” Glen offered going for the common ground and the first thing one could think, when surrounded by water.

Inside a fishing boat.

Oh, for Luthos sake.

On a second read, he had to begrudgingly admit it was a poor dodge.

“So you thought, Island girl, she probably likes fish. Right?” Jinx said, smirk back on her lips. “I do. But not the kind of fish ye meant. By the way, speakin’ on fish ‘n stuff. Seein’ we kinda cozied up on each other like starved cunts on a plump cock, ye really don’t mind yer Mistress’ eating habits?”

“What of them?” He asked unsure on what she meant and taken aback from the sewage language that reminded him of the rough whores of Bayspell.

Mistress?

“You don’t know?”

Then he remembered what Emerson had told him days back.

Something about…

“I don’t mind,” He decided after recalling the conversation. “I mean, it’s gross sure. But… to each his own.”

Emerson had said that last part a couple of times and he liked it.

Steal anything that isn’t nailed down, whatever that may be.

Jinx puckered her mouth as if thinking about it, then gave a nod before jumping behind her sail again.

Glen waited a couple of minutes and seeing her not talking, he started towards the others, mainly Emerson, in search for food. All this talk about it, had worked up his appetite something fierce. A little less conversation next time, he decided.

“As I said Glen,” Jinx was heard behind his back as he walked away. “You’re braver than ye look.”

 

 

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