Snakard and his crew rushed off the floor and towards the ceiling, yelling as they flew above the pillars that lined the edge of the carpet and grew smaller and smaller as they zoomed to the top of the throne room. Just before they hit the stone ceiling, Xisanisto flicked his hand down and they all froze and hovered just below it.

The King of Tennivoor’s laugh echoed throughout the hall whilst Snakard and his crew stared down at Xisanisto with widened eyes and shivering bodies. The man was powerful. His magic wasn’t just a bluff, but to what extent?

One thing that Snakard didn’t understand was the collection of his blood. Was that necessary for him to cast magic, or did he collect it for the same reason that the Templaga did? The servant brought Xisanisto rossance wine after collecting his crew’s blood. Did that have their blood in it? Did he need to consume their blood to cast magic on them? Was his magic connected to nastagles? Xisanisto, dwarans and nastagles did originally come from Megella so it could’ve been possible.

His earrings glowed when he cast magic. Did that mean his earrings were the source of his magic? It wasn’t just him who wore black earrings, but his wife and all the Lords of Tennivoor, who sat at the table, wore black earrings as well, albeit a lot less than Xisanisto.

The King of Tennivoor didn’t appear to be omnipotent, so Snakard smiled. He focused on his breath. He refused to let any fear show in him, but unfortunately, his crew didn’t behave the same way; they shivered, whimpered and stared with wide eyes and quivering eyelids, together raining sweat down onto the black carpet below. Only Pilla, Griever and Dartine appeared to try to control themselves. But despite their effort, their cocky grins twitched, and they breathed fast; Snakard could tell that their confidence was just a facade. But it didn’t matter. As long as the captain appeared strong, then Xisanisto would be more hesitant in trying to exploit them. Xisanisto scowled into his eyes, but Snakard’s eyes didn’t flinch or flee; they stared back.

His crew slowly fell to the black throne room carpet. Sighing in relief, their trembling legs stumbled as they landed. However, Xisanisto didn’t let their captain join them; Snakard stayed in the air. He chuckled; he didn’t think the King of Tennivoor would be such a petty overgrown child.

Alas, he flicked his wrist and Snakard plunged across the throne room. Everything rushed, zoomed, and blurred around him. Wind slapped his face, billowed his black tunic and flapped his hair. He froze inside the halls’ ogee archway, his hair nearly touching the archivolt and his right shoulder brushing the jamb columns. Everything was sti-

He burst backwards, hurtling past his blurring pirates and towards the hazy dais. He froze. Nausea wormed through his stomach and rushed up his throat, so he swallowed and sighed. He refused to let himself vomit. Everything was sti-

He shot upward, twirling and spinning towards the ceiling. Stained glass windows, the stone walls and stone pillars rushed past hi-

He froze. Everything was still, but despite that, the room rippled, spun and pulsed. He groaned as vomit, rough and hot, rushed into his mouth. Wincing and clenching his fists, he gulped it back down.

Regardless, he sighed. First Palpaul and then Xisanisto; no one knew how to torture. Mainly because they were weak. Palpaul needed him and Xisanisto probably did as well. The King of Tennivoor hired pirates and Snakard was the best pirate captain there was. He didn’t have the biggest crew, but he was the former leader of the Golden Dragon Knights. There was a reason Xisanisto went out of his way to invite him; he was good. The King of Tennivoor needed him and there was no way that he was gonna feel scared towards a pompous bastard who needed h-

“Insolent brat!” Xisanisto roared as he swung his arm. Snakard zoomed towards the ground, falling faster than gravity could make him. Rolling, swirling and twirling, he shot at stone tiles. He slowed just before he hit the floor, but not by much. Yelling and writhing, he crashed on the ground and tumbled across it. Even the Lords of Tennivoor lurched to their feet and gasped as he fell.

He just got used to the last day’s bruises and wounds, but the fall shoved them back to the front of his consciousness once again. Cuts reopened, bruises throbbed, and blood-soaked his black tunic. He punched the floor, frustrated he couldn’t go a day without an injury.

Despite that, he staggered to his feet, pushing away Griever and Dartine who rushed to him to pull him up because he needed to show Xisanisto that he didn’t need their help and that his attempts at intimidation were nothing more than petty inconveniences. He glowered up at Xisanisto as he crossed his arms from atop the dais.

“Dear, do you not think that was a bit harsh?” Drackyssa walked up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. “They have already agreed to work with us. It is a waste to hinder them in their task for such petty reasons.”

The other Lords of Tennivoor nodded.

Xisanisto’s eyes scattered across them and smiled. “Don’t worry,” He chuckled and turned to Snakard, reaching into his pocket. “The injuries aren’t severe. And I only injured him for the sake of demonstration.”

“Quite the painful demonstration,” Snakard said before he tripped, falling to the floor. Griever and Dartine caught him before his head could slap stone, and they heaved him back to his feet. He flushed but gratefully nodded at the two of them.

“Don’t worry, sailor,” Xisanisto turned away, clearly hiding his snickering. He turned back to Snakard and threw a pouch. “The ends will justify the means.”

Snakard caught it. “What’s this?” The pouch squished and squelched as he squeezed it.

“Shadow Sludge,” Xisanisto strolled back to his chair, along with his wife. “When you get back to your ship, rub some of it on your wounds. Your body’s natural healing will drastically accelerate. No need to thank me.”

“I won’t,” Snakard shoved it in his pocket. “I already had more than enough wounds that I could’ve tested it on.”

Snakard rolled his eyes as he saw Xisanisto laugh in response to that fact.

What’s wrong with this guy?

Regardless, he sighed in relief when they said their farewells and Xisanisto’s wife offered to lead them out of the Royal Keep.

She led them through hallway after hallway of stone walls, stained glass windows, and flat stone ceilings covered with rusty chandeliers. For a Royal Keep, it looked bland. Contrasting the architecture, santhrashans and dwarans - people Snakard would rarely see - rushed about him and filled him with curiosity. He inspired a grimace from a few by staring for too long.

He read about santhrashan culture many years ago. He admittedly found the reading quite dull, and many times questioned why he was doing so. The only reason he could come up with back then was the age old conflict between Tennivoor and Galladria, but glancing at Drackyssa, he never thought it would be so useful. Snakard thought back to when he saw Drackyssa cringing down at Xisanisto eating sinelody bird breast and wondered how he could bring the topic up to her.

Drackyssa slowed down to walk beside Snakard. She turned to him. “What is your relationship like with the captain of the Mauloom pirates?”

“He tortured me last night,” Snakard grinned “Well, tried to.”

“I see,” she chuckled. “I hoped you were enemies.”

“Why’s that?”

“We want to destroy the Mauloom pirates,” she clenched her billowing brown mantle, her santhrashan tail scraping across the stone tiles below it. “They pillage our coasts and sabotage our pirates. Which is especially infuriating considering how they are one of the most powerful pirate crews near Tennivoor and Galladria.”

“I can help you with that. You see, Palpaul can’t kill me.”

“Why?”

“That’s a secret,” He smirked and tapped his temple. “However, despite that being the case, I have no motivation to kill him. He can’t kill me and killing him would be too much effort. Unless you were to give me something.”

“We are already promising to give you plenty. What more could you want?”

“I want to know what you and the nobility of Tennivoor Island think of Xisanisto.”

“He is a…” Drackyssa paused. “He is a powerful ruler who protects the dwara and - I guess - the Santhrashans of our Kingdom from Galladria’s long-existing imperial ambitions.”

“You guess he protects the santhrashans of Tennivoor? Does he or doesn’t he?”

“He does,” she frowned. “What are you insinuating? What are your motives behind this line of questioning?”

Snakard paused and gazed around the room, looking for the right thing to say. “Do you know what the Shadow Smith is?”

“No.”

“Is that the same for the rest of the nobility?”

“Xisanisto is the only one who knows.”

“What about nastagles?”

“All the nobility have access to nastagles and the most powerful Dukes and Duchesses have access to grand nastagles.”

“The same happens in Galladria - or at least used to. I’ve not kept up to date with Galladrian politics recently. Male or female, by the way?”

“All of them male, none female. But yes, to summarize, he restricts his vassals access to certain things because that’s what royalty does, but you still haven’t answered my question.” She slowed her walk. “What are your motives?”

Snakard gulped. “You and the rest of the santhrashan nobility dislike Xisanisto, don’t you?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I’m just curious.”

“Are you trying to inspire betrayal?” She grimaced. “I could tell Xisanisto this and he’d be glad to finally find an excuse to kill you. He’s very conflicted on the matter.”

Sweat dripped down his temple. He paused again. He stared out of the stain glass windows, a staple of dwaran culture, barely able to see the Tennivoor jungle through the multi-coloured mess. The dwarans didn’t want to look out of their windows considering how unsightly their environment was in Megella; considering how unsightly they made it. But Tennivoor was different. The santhrasha were different. He glared back at Drackyssa. “You’re lying. You can’t tell me you’re not angry.”

“About what?” She raised her brows.

“At all of this.” Snakard swiped his hand across the hallway. “Are you telling me you aren’t angry about the fact that Xisanisto’s dwaran ancestors came from their godforsaken Megella Empire, what is now a barren wasteland, to come here and take over, destroying all of your beautiful santhrashan culture?”

“The dwarans destroyed nothing.”

“I heard that the santhrashan Royal Palace was a crimson ziggurat, made from the Tennivoor jungle’s blood bark. Paintings from the greatest santhrashan artists covered the walls. But after the dwaran’s invasion, they burnt down the palace and replaced it with this.” Snakard pointed at the wall. “Dull stone walls with no art in sight and stained glass windows which obscure the views of the lush and beautiful Tennivoor jungles.”

Drackyssa shrugged. “Ok, the Palace looks a bit worse, so what?”

“It’s not just that,” Snakard grasped her brown mantle. “The santhrashans used to wear green and sometimes blue lipstick and eyeshadow. You wore colourful clothes that freed the skin, keeping you cool in Tennivoor’s long summers. But the dwarans brought over Megella’s values of modesty and simplicity, which are embedded in the core of their religion. Which is another point of contention.”

“I like the way I dress now,” she slapped his hand away from her mantle.

“What about your faith? Are you fine with being forced to follow the religious practices of the dwaran’s Tallim? Are you fine with forsaking the practices of Lisia?”

“I haven’t forsaken them!” She clenched her fists and whispered. “I still practice them in private.”

“You’re the Queen of Tennivoor. Yet, the Kingdom you have power over has been tearing down Lisian temples and hunting down Lisian followers, like yourself, to hang them in the streets.”

“Faith comes from the heart, not buildings.”

“Which is why I question your faith.”

“You know nothing about me!” Stopping her walk, she spun, turning back towards the throne room. “I’ve given you more time than I should’ve to explain yourself.”

“The dwarans have oppressed your faith.” Snakard grabbed her wrist. She yanked her hand away and kept marching. His crew eyed them from further back in the hallway. “Why else would a Lisian feast on the corpse of the holy sinelody bird!?”

She stopped and turned back to him. “So you saw.”

“Yes, it was a tragic sight.” He grasped her wrist.

“Stop lying.” She ripped her wrist free from his grasp and continued to lead him towards the exit. “I know you don’t care.”

Snakard followed. “But I know you care. Quite a lot. If not, you’d be on your way to snitch on me.”

“I could still do it. Why are you so sure I won’t?”

“Because I’m right. You and the santhrashan nobility dislike Xisanisto.”

“We don’t.”

“So you like eating the holy sinelody bird? You like to have your culture and your religion oppressed like this?”

“I don’t…” She paused. Her mouth opened and closed, hesitating to respond. She turned away and whispered. “I don’t like Xisanisto or the dwarans.”

“See?” Snakard sighed in relief. “Honesty isn’t so hard.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“The Tennivoor Kingdom’s structure is bound to break apart soon.” He stared at the black earrings on her ears. “I assume the only reason you’re supporting him is the magical advantage he has over the santhrashans, and you want the magic he gives you, right?”

She nodded. “What does that have to do with you?”

“After this job, and especially after a few, I’ll be a part of this Kingdom. And I want to be very clear on where my alliances lie before the civil war erupts.”

“And you’re doing this to let me know that you’re on my side?” She chuckled as she approached the Royal Keep’s door, an archway plated with silver towering over them. “You’re a pirate and you’ll only end up becoming a mere Lord of a Village or Town at most. You won’t be the one with the armies. I appreciate the sentiment, but your support won’t be all that valuable to me and thus makes your insults nothing more or less than that..”

“You underestimate me,” Drackyssa pushed open the doors of the Royal Keep’s entrance. As Snakard stepped out, sunlight showered him and twinkled on the jungle canopies. Complimenting their green was the crimson blood bark of the trees, and between them were the red houses, constructed with their wood. He looked up, and the sky was clear. Not a single cloud blocked his vision. He could see far further than he could even fathom. That was his future, far and vast. He turned to Drackyssa and smiled. “My path won’t end at villages or towns. The Kings of Tennivoor and Galladria should enjoy their thrones while they can, because I plan to take everything very soon.”

“I’m against this plan.” Dartine sat on the rim of the ship, glaring down at Snakard as he leaned his elbows on it. Crewmen bustled across the deck as they got ready to sail. The crashing of waves, the rumbling of floorboards, the shouting of crewmen and the hustle and bustle of sailors rushing across Tennivoor port’s quays made it hard to hear Dartine’s objections. He wished they were louder. “Kidnapping twenty people from Galladria for some vague idea of power to some Dwaran with mysterious motives isn’t my sort of plan.”

Griever nodded, tightening his blue bandana. “Who’s to say that Xisanisto won’t betray us?”

Snakard shook his head. “He won’t.”

“Even if he might, what choice do we have?” Pilla crouched on the ship’s rim. “We need the power to defeat Palpaul somehow. And this is the best chance we can get.”

Snakard nodded.

“We don’t need to defeat Palpaul!” Dartine slammed the ship’s rim and glared at Pilla. “We can give him that useless treasure map and be done with it!”

Pillla wobbled as she crouched on the ship’s rim and jumped off, landing with a stumble to collect herself. “Giving up the treasure map isn’t an option.”

“And kidnapping twenty innocent Galladrian’s is!?” He hopped off of the ship’s rim to tower over Pilla.

She didn’t waver. “What does innocence have to do with it?”

He paused and looked away. “I’m fine with pillaging the castles of wealthy coastal Lords, attacking wealthy merchant ships, and attacking other pirates, but kidnapping innocent civilians to be tortured?”

Pilla laughed, and Snakard just sighed. He finally knew why he felt inexplicably hesitant to give a promising but inexperienced, pirate like him a high rank. “They’re civilians who you don’t know and mean nothing to you,” Snakard said. “People like that die all the time. No use fretting over it.”

Dartine crossed his arms and flushed. “Just because they mean nothing to you, doesn’t mean they mean nothing to everyone else.”

Pilla’s laughter turned into more of a screech. Snakard put his hand on her shoulder. “Calm down, you’re embarrassing him.”

“Sorry,” she giggled as she wiped tears from her eyes. “He just seems a bit confused.”

“Look, Dartine,” Snakard turned to him and patted his back. “I appreciate your confidence and please feel free to critique my decisions in the future, but I’m going to be kidnapping twenty innocent Galladrians so the King of Tennivoor can torture them for God knows how long and I’ll be doing that again and again and again and will do a lot worse things in the future. If you’re not fond of that, then you need to get off this ship and I’ll wish you good luck in your future endeavours.”

“Fine.” Dartine pushed Snakard’s hand, turned, stomped away and stormed down to the lower decks.

“He looks like an issue, Snacky,” Pilla glowered at the door as Dartine slammed it.

“He won’t be.” Griever crossed his arms and sighed. “I’m not fond of this plan just as much as Dartine, but just like him, will do it. I’m sure the money will be good enough to be worth bloody hands and a few sleepless nights.”

“I hope so,” Snakard glanced at his crew. They all either sat around, guzzled ale from tankards or threw knives at dartboards - either groaning as they coughed up pouches of rubounds or cheered as they shoved some into their pockets. They were ready.

Snakard hopped on the ship’s rim and stared at them all. Despite not making a sound, they silenced by themselves and shushed each other. “Future Lords of Tennivoor, we are about to begin our first mission for our temporary King,” Snakard smiled as the crew cheered in response to being called future Lords of Tennivoor. “The first step in that mission is the capturing of twenty Galladrians. Which Is why I want us to burst across the ocean; full sail ahead to the Kingdom of Galladria’s Archi Town! Let’s force the world to revolve around us!”

The pirates cheered and Snakard hopped off the ship’s rim. He jogged to the helm, grabbed it and stared at the horizon. Excitement rushed through him.

Brother, I promise, He thought. I’ll wake you up soon!