Chapter 150: Time Will Tell

Maximus pushed his frozen limbs onward, each stroke through the cold water felt like trudging through wet sand. The snowstorm worsened, the wind howled around them, sending large waves crashing over them.

“T-this w-was a horrib-ble idea!” Loh yelled through chattering teeth.

“Just hold on,” Maximus gritted his teeth. “Stryg! We need help, dammit!”

“He c-can’t h-hear us.” Her hands were too cold and numb to grab anything, instead, she wrapped her arms around Maximus and held on for dear life.

A large wave rose towards them. Maximus cursed under his breath and braced himself for impact. The wave crashed over them, yet did not hit them, as if an invisible shield covered Loh and Maximus.

Maximus’ jaw went slack, baffled as the water flowed over him.

“There they are!” Stryg’s voice carried over the water.

The wave dispersed into the sea. Relief flooded Maximus as he spotted a lifeboat sailing towards him. Stryg stood at the bow of the ship, pointing his finger towards Maximus and Loh. Two sailors in blue navy jackets stood behind Stryg, they waved their hands in the air in coinciding gestures. The water curled around the lifeboat and propelled it forward at breakneck speeds.

“Blue magi,” Maximus laughed. “He brought blue magi!”

“H-he a-actually did it,” Loh closed her eyes in relief.

One of the blue magi pulled his arms back, the water shuddered and stopped the lifeboat next to them. The other blue mage casted a torrent spell that formed two enormous arms of water from the raging river. The aquatic arms encircled Maximus and Loh, picked them up, and swept them onto the lifeboat. The duo fell over with grunts of pain.

“Young Mistress, are you alright!?” One of the blue magi yelled over the howling winds.

“Y-you could have b-been easier with the landing,” Loh grimaced.

“I’m glad I found you in time.” Stryg walked over and threw some blankets over Maximus and her.

“Me too,” Loh shivered.

“Agreed,” Maximus groaned.

The centaur stayed on the wooden floor, content to just rest his limbs for a moment. He could already feel his beard beginning to freeze over and the warmth from the exertion of the swim began to fade away.

“I can’t believe you actually heard this crazy guy over the storm,” Loh shook her head with a smile.

“I almost didn’t. Max’s voice was very low and the storm’s winds were very loud,” Stryg admitted. “Luckily the Ghost Flame was nearby. I got the captain to lower down the lifeboat immediately and I set off with these two blue magi.”

“Lucky us,” Maximus coughed up water.

“Thank you, all of you,” Loh said.

The blue magi simply nodded and focused on casting torrent spells to turn the lifeboat around and back to the Ghost Flame.

“I honestly thought we were done for when Maximus jumped into the water. We had no choice, the docks were on fire and enemy soldiers were right at our backs,” Loh rubbed her arms for warmth.

“Well, you made it, that’s all that matters now,” Stryg grabbed her grey hair gently and wrung out the water.

Loh nodded her thanks. “I gotta admit though, I never thought there would be someone crazy enough to jump into the Dire River in the middle of winter, much less a storm. You’re one of a kind, Maximus. No other centaur would have been able to make that swim.”

Maximus smiled tiredly, “Thanks.”

“Well, not the only centaur,” Stryg muttered.

“What?” Loh and Maximus said.

~~~

“I can’t believe it, she really did it,” Loh stared at a sleeping Rhian.

“I helped a bit, but she made it all the way to the Ghost Flame. She didn’t stop swimming until the very end,” Stryg nodded.

Maximus shook his head, “It shouldn’t have been possible. I was bred to be the strongest of centaurs and I struggled just to keep my head above water while only carrying Loh. Rhian is a show horse. How did she manage to carry the heaviest goblin alive, along with a second rider, and still make it all the way to the ship?”

Stryg smiled weakly, “Like Rhian always says, she’s the best.”

“Maybe she is,” Loh whistled.

Maximus furrowed his brow. “At what exactly? Perhaps being the most eye-catching centaur in the room, that’s what she was bred for; to be glamorous and nimble, but she has half my muscle mass. She was not bred for stamina, speed, nor weight. If she made that swim it wasn’t because of her physical attributes, but her mental fortitude.”

“Her body has clearly paid the toll,” Loh said.

“...Yeah, she has, and it’s my fault,” Stryg stared at his feet.

“Stryg, you can’t blame yourself for this,” Loh said.

“You don’t have to comfort me,” Stryg shook his head. “I’m fine, don’t worry about me. You and Maximus should go rest. The ship’s captain says the ride back to Hollow Shade will be rough.”

“What about you?” Loh asked.

“I’m gonna stay with Rhian until she wakes up. That’s what a good chief would do.” Stryg sat next to the sleeping centaur and rested his head on her forelegs.

“Okay. Well, I’m gonna get some much-needed rest and have one of those pretty concubines the captain prepared for me sent to my room,” Loh stretched her arms.

“What sort of rest is that?”

“The best kind,” she winked and walked out of the stables.

“I’ll be in the pen across from you, Stryg. Call me if you need me,” Maximus turned to leave. “I don’t know how you managed to hear me, but thank you for coming to save us when I called.”

“That’s what friends are for,” Stryg nodded.

Maximus sighed, “I am a centaur, a war steed of House Noir. You are the Young Mistress’ esteemed apprentice. Forgive me, but we cannot be friends, not really.”

“What? Why not?” Stryg frowned.

“Because we will never be equals.”

“We both know no one is truly equal,” Stryg chuckled.

“Many would disagree. The thing is, for people to be friends they must be treated and seen as equals.”

“Huh?” Stryg tilted his head.

Maximus raised his hand, “Please, do not take my next words as an offense. You come from a warlike people and have grown up in one of the Realm’s most hostile environments. You know as well as I how dangerous this world can be. Our lives revolve around a food chain, where the strong prey on the weak.”

“What are you getting at?”

“I have seen many things in my life, Stryg. I was trained and taught to expect and recognize all sorts of threats and dangers. I know what I see. I know that most of the people I have ever met are harmless fish at the bottom of the food chain, swimming about a lake, looking to survive till the next day.”

Maximus spread his hands apart, “Then there are bigger fish, the gifted. They are trying to get ahead of the pack, swimming a tad faster than the others. Finally, there are sharks, the ones who encircle the fish. When the sharks grow hungry they devour whichever fish they desire and no one can stop them. That’s just the way it is. Sharks and fish cannot be friends, prey and predator can never be friends, no matter how much you wish. It is in all our natures to consume. We cannot escape this truth.”

“So, in this scenario, Hollow Shade is the lake, you are a big fish, and I am a shark?” Stryg cocked his head to the side.

Maximus smiled bitterly, “Everyone on this ship from the captain to the sailors, to even Rhian and I, we are all fish, only trying to survive. Loh Noir is the shark we must obey if we don’t wish to be eaten. You, Stryg, are a sea serpent. Small as you may be, one day you will grow larger than any shark. Someday, you may just swallow us all.”

“You’re wrong,” Stryg frowned.

“Perhaps. Time will tell. Nonetheless, I am grateful for your help today. Feel free to call on me if you need my help,” Maximus bowed and left.

~~~

Rhian felt warm, comfortable. She could smell the earthy tones of river water wafting up to her nostrils. The world felt as if it was rocking back and forth, and would tip over at any moment, and she would simply fall off into the unknown.

Rhian opened her eyes in a tired haze. She glanced around her surroundings, her dulled mind tried to make sense of what she saw. There were bushels of hay all around her, which were enclosed by tall wooden beams. After a few moments she realized she was in a stable pen, not one she recognized.

Her body was covered in wool-spun blankets. She tried getting up, but she noticed a small grey tuft of hair sticking out from one of the blankets near her legs.

Rhian pulled the blanket aside.

Stryg was curled up next to her, his eyes closed, his breathing silent. Rhian stopped moving and simply took a moment to enjoy the sight. Stryg always seemed to have something on his mind. No matter how hard he trained, it was never good enough for him. He always fell short of some invisible standard he always held himself to.

It was only when he was asleep that he seemed to finally relax. She could watch him like this all day. Rhian smiled, she loved his sleeping face, he looked so innocent. Who would guess it was the face of a goblin who had no problem tearing another man’s face off if push came to shove.

“Please, don’t go… Please, don’t…” Stryg mumbled.

“Master?” Rhian poked his soft cheek.

His eyes shot open and his mouth clamped down on reflex. Rhian yelled in pain as his teeth bit down on her finger.

Stryg opened his mouth slowly, “Rhiannon?”

“Ugh, why did you have to bite so hard?” Rhian muttered while she nursed her finger.

“You’re awake? You’re awake!” Stryg hopped on top of her, wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and squeezed tightly.

Rhian gasped for breath as she was knocked backward. “Too tight, release, please.”

Stryg lessened his grip but did not let go. He laughed brightly, “Sorry, I’m just happy.”

He nuzzled his face against her cheek, “You’re finally awake.”

Rhian’s muscles went rigid, he was acting odd, well, odd for Stryg. She quite liked it.

“Sooo, I take it we managed to get on the Ghost Flame?” Rhian asked.

Stryg sat up on top of her and grinned, “Yeah, you were great.”

“...I knew it,” Rhian sighed in relief. “It was so cold, I thought we were going to die at the end there, but we made it.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t have done more,” Stryg’s smile fell.

“Well, that’s mean,” she grinded her teeth.

“Huh?”

“You told me to never forget that I was a daughter of Ebon Hollow. I believed you. If you really consider me a part of the tribe, then you need to trust me to pull my own weight.”

“But you literally just said you thought we were going to die.”

“Forget what I said! Listen to what I am saying now. Like how Feli always reminds us, we are in this together. Don’t go moping around just because I managed to get us back to the ship without you holding my hand every step of the way, gods know you already mope around enough.”

“Okay?” Stryg said hesitantly.

Rhian crossed her arms under her sizable chest and nodded, “Good. And what do you have to say to me, the most exquisite of all steeds?”

“Thank you?”

“I couldn’t quite catch that.”

“Thank you,” Stryg sighed.

“One more time, a little louder, please.”

“Thank… you,” Stryg’s eyes wandered off to her large breasts right in front of him.

Rhian caught his look and smirked, “What are you looking at?”

“Nothing,” Stryg blinked.

She hugged him close, his face fell between her bust.

Rhian looked down at him with a wide smile. “You were saying?”

“What are you doing?” Stryg mumbled.

“Feli always hugs you like this, it’s my turn,” Rhian winked.

“What are you saying? You hug me like this every time you try to fall asleep, I’m not a pillow,” he grumbled.

“Yeah, you’re not. Pillows don’t bite your chest every time you look away,” she glared at him.

Stryg froze, his open mouth hung over her breasts, his teeth an inch from her skin.

He looked up at her sheepishly, “I like biting them, they are quite soft, and I like the taste of your skin.”

“That sounds like you're going to eat me,” she rolled her eyes.

“Never, but now that you mention it, I saw a bunch of vampire riders drinking blood from their centaurs at Castle Mora. Does centaur blood taste good?”

“Not at all?” Rhian said hopefully.

“You don’t sound very certain. It would be easy to find out, I just have to bite down a little harder than usual,” Stryg licked his lips.

She groaned, “All I wanted was to hug you for a while. Is that so much to ask?”

“Not at all…” Stryg closed his eyes and simply enjoyed the warmth of Rhian.

He would taste her blood later.