Ruhak cracked his eyes open as his back landed with with a thump. Two hands held his shoulders up under his armpits that dragged him onto the sand.

He glanced up, squinting in the sun's face.

“Cecile?” Ruhak groaned.

“You’re awake.” Cecile gasped lightly, letting his shoulders down. As she did, pain stabbed into his right shoulder.

Ruhak cursed as he cradled the injury.

Cecile knelt down next to him, “Let me see that.”

Her pale face had been blackened with soot. She pushed his hand away and tentatively touched his shoulder, drawing a hiss of apprehension from him.

“Your shoulder is dislocated. I’m going to pop it back in place. Ready?”

Ruhak nodded, clenching his teeth. Cecile sharply pushed on his shoulder, eliciting a crack from the bone and a grunt of pain.

“There. Take care for a few days. Don’t put too much stress on it.” Cecile said.

“What the hell happened?” Ruhak asked.

“The Nikan happened.” Cecile grumbled, “Blew our way of escape to smithereens. Now they’re just circling this island.” She pointed out at Guanyu’s ironclad, with its sails up while the crew repaired the damaged steam engine.

“And the others?”

“Most of them are fine. Bjorn got a pretty nasty gash in his side and Peng’s head is killing him. But aside from that, we’re just disoriented. The longship crew, though...they took a few losses.”

Ruhak staggered to his feet with only his good arm and followed her up this beach they’d found themselves on.

It was one of the many Koini Isles, so a wall of even whiter stone that rose in a long, jagged cliff side surrounded the white beach, topped with vegetation.

Near the back of the beach stood the rest of his allies. Bjorn sat with a bandage around his abdomen, while Peng lied down in the sand, covering his eyes with an arm. Besides them, a Khongirat woman and Gustave attempted to separate themselves from the loitering Ascommani that chatted with each other and bandaged their wounds.

Taya was speaking with a furious blonde woman.

“-Not only are we out of a ship, but now we’re being circled by that...that thing that can kill us pretty much any time it wants!”

“Panicking is not going to solve anything.” Taya insisted.

“I should’ve had you pay me three- no, five times more if I knew this was going to happen.”

“The past is the past. Leave it be. We should focus on finding a way off this island.” Taya said.

“There is no way off. We’re dead!”

“Why not build a boat? We can launch off in the opposite direction to the ironclad.”

“That would take weeks, even if eleven of my men weren’t dead. Where would we find the food to sustain us all? And even if we wanted to, all the trees I’ve seen so far are cypress. We can’t build anything out of those.”

Taya looked at Bjorn.

“She’s right.” the Ascommani muttered.

The woman scoffed, “You didn’t believe me?”

“Look, Katla,” Bjorn grunted as he adjusted his position, “I get that you’re mad. But I’m sure Taya’s just trying to help and-”

“Is that all people around you are good for? Thinking that you’re helping and actually helping are very different things, Stormtamer,” Katla spat, “You of all people should know that.”

Bjorn flinched at the woman’s harsh words.

What on earth could Bjorn have done to deserve this woman’s wrath? Even some of the other Ascommani appeared extremely uncomfortable around him, as though the idea of associating with him was some kind of omen.

“Well, let’s see if there’s any kind of oak trees further inland.” Taya said.

“I’ll help.” Ruhak offered.

“What?” Cecile exclaimed, “Just because I popped your shoulder in place doesn’t mean you’re unhurt.”

“I can climb with my wires if I have to. Aside from that, I can walk just fine.”

“I’m coming with you.” Cecile grumbled.

“I believe my knowledge will be of use to you. May I join as well?” the Khongirat asked.

Ruhak nodded, “Of course.”

“You idiots have no clue what you’re looking for,” Katla muttered. “I’m going with you. Cnut, Tors, with me.”

Two of the larger Ascommani, which was really saying something, stepped away from their crew and stood at Katla’s side.

“I’ll go t-” Taya started.

“Excuse me,” Gustave announced, “Taya, may I borrow you for a time? I have something dire I must discuss with you.”

“Uh...sure. Then you all go ahead without me.” Taya followed Gustave as he beckoned her to another part of the beach.

“Let’s go find some trees then, eh?” Ruhak asked.

Traversing the forest was not as easy as Ruhak suddenly wished it was. Through a small wind-eroded archway in the stone was the island’s greenery. But it was all at a steep incline fit for a mountain range.

If one of his arms was being held in a makeshift sling, the incline would’ve been no problem for his wires. But he only had a single hand to fire with and to pull with. No flinging himself like a slingshot and no climbing. So he was stuck with everyone else, except for the Khongirat, who appeared to leap through the trees like a stalking panther.

There was no doubt in Ruhak’s mind that the landscape must’ve looked beautiful from a pleasure cruise or anything else out on the water.

He guessed they were somewhere around the Ember Cay, given the fertile darkness in the soil. Perhaps there was a small volcano on this island. Ordinarily, he would’ve known. Ruhak prided himself on his knowledge of geography, but all that knowledge came from officer school. He’d only been deployed in the Isles for a few months.

“Poplars, cypress, firs,” Katla muttered once the ground had leveled out a bit, “Nothing worth splitting planks from. No oaks will even have a chance of growing if the altitude gets too much higher. Best we’ve got are a few chestnut trees. But nothing meant for a longship.”

“Just a bit further before we give up.” Ruhak urged, “Let’s know for sure.”

“Hey!”

Ruhak nearly fell over as the Khongirat appeared from nowhere.

“I found something up ahead. You’re going to want to see it.”

“Is it an oak tree?” Katla asked.

“Even better.” the Khongirat grinned.

Ruhak and the others followed the small, but nimble woman through the woods to the edge of a rocky white cliff.

The Khongirat pressed her finger to her lips before beckoning them to the cliff’s edge, pointing downwards. Ruhak didn’t hesitate to take a step forward and look over the edge.

He let himself gasp.

“What?” Cecile hissed, “What is it?”

“Come look.” Ruhak whispered.

Cecile, Katla and her Ascommani bodyguards glanced over the edge along with them. On the beach far below was the wreckage of a dromon, a Koini galley. All around it was makeshift scaffolding to prop it upright and long planks that were being fitted to the vessel.

Fifteen to twenty men sat around the mouth of a cave on the cliff side, chatting, laughing, drinking and eating.

But something else entirely consumed Ruhak’s attention among the scene. The black flag with a golden eagle upon it that billowed in the coastal winds.

“They’re using the chestnut wood to repair their ship…” Katla muttered.

“They,” Ruhak hissed, “are pirates.”

“What?” Cecile asked.

“It’s a huge problem in Avisilan and Koini waters. Koini criminals and Qahtanads go around in stolen dromons and start raiding coasts to find people to sell into slavery.” Ruhak growled, “They’re dangerous.”

“More dangerous than our supernatural abilities?” Cecile raised an eyebrow.

“I wouldn’t go underestimating them. They’re ruthless killers and rapists who would have no qualms condemning a fellow man to a life of subservience.” Ruhak said, “I say we go back. They don’t know we’re here. If we decide to contact them, we’re going to want reinforcements.”

____________________________________________________________________________

“So, what can I do for you?” Taya asked as she walked along the silvery-white beach with Gustave. Her toes felt pleasant digging into the warm sand.

Gustave had lost his armor after being taken captive and this was the first time she’d seen him without it. The Sarfan man was lean, but not as big as his armor made him out to be. He was still taller than her and wore his shoulder-length dirty blonde hair in a bun, with a slight stubble growing out on his chin.

“I wanted to speak with you about this.” Gustave pulled the very loose collar of his white linen shirt down to reveal a black mark spiraling along his shoulder.

“Oh, shit.” Taya cursed, much to Gustave’s annoyance, “Have you gotten any symptoms?”

Gustave shook his head, “I don’t think it’s Plague.”

Taya nodded, unsure of how to work him through this. He somewhat dismissed what she had told him, but she didn’t want him to feel overwhelmed and double down on that dismissiveness.

“Have you...tried to do anything with it yet?” she asked.

Gustave shook his head, “Figured it would be better not to experiment with any sort of pagan magics while in captivity.”

“You’re not pagan or a heretic because you have a Shedim, Gustave. Our powers have nothing to do with our personal beliefs.”

“But you believe your Shedim is a god, right?”

Taya shook her head. “I believe in no gods, Gustave. While my Shedim may have been worshipped as one, that doesn’t make it divine.”

“No gods?” Gustave asked, “Then how the hell do you cope with all this world ending nonsense? How is there an apocalypse with no god involved?”

“Armageddon isn’t a simple matter of good versus evil. And there are certainly beings in play here that surpass humans. But they are the enemy. This battle is between humanity and the Circle of Ancients. Beings older and more powerful than the pagan gods we used to worship.” Taya explained, “A battle between free will and fate. But nevermind that. For right now, I can help you manifest your Shedim.”

Gustave nodded.

“If you really look for it, you can feel a chill within your core. That’s your power. Take that chill. Harness it and force it out of your body.”

“Force it out?” Gustave frowned.

“Do whatever you feel you need to in order to get it out. The energy will follow any movements or thoughts you make with enough willpower.” Taya explained.

They stopped walking when Gustave took a deep breath. Upon his exhale, bright crimson mist flowed from his body and manifested in the shape of a muscled form, clad in old Koini armor and wielding a legionnaire’s shield and spear.

Gustave turned and flinched at the Shedim’s appearance.

“To dismiss it for the first time, you have to identify it. Most Shedim connect to people of the same culture that once worshipped them. Cecile had a hard time with hers, but apparently several of your patron saints are actually former gods.” Taya said.

“This...this is no patron saint I’ve ever seen.”

“Have you seen this figure anywhere else?” Taya asked.

Gustave squinted from the gleam off the Shedim’s armor.

“Wait...I’ve seen statues like this before. Different, but pretty similar.” Gustave muttered, “This is one of the gods from Koinelia’s pagan past.”

“Who is it?”

“The Battle Lord of the Red Banner.” Gustave said, “I think.”

The form dissipated and returned to Gustave’s body, who shivered at the transition of power.

“What...what can I do with it?”

“That’s for you to find out. All Shedemic abilities are different,” Taya said.

Gustave nodded, “I suppose I have time to experiment, then.”

“Maybe talk to some of the others when you get the chance. They-”

“That’s the other thing I wanted to talk about.” Gustave said abruptly. He took a deep breath. “Looking back at how I regarded you and your allies, I realize now that I was being a fool. But since traveling with you and even while captured, I feel like I’ve learned something profound that will help me and my ability to lead. I just...I don’t know what it is yet. All I know is that the greatest lessons I might learn will come from you. I’m sure of it.”

Taya pursed her lips. “You want to travel with us, don’t you?”

Gustave nodded vehemently. “My men fell victim to the Nikan. That was a failing on my part. But I was born to lead, nevertheless. So I cannot give in. I believe you are a woman worthy of the admiration of all who lead men, so I wish to become your disciple.”

“We can always use more fighters. But don’t look to me as though I’m some kind of prophet. My word is not and will never be gospel. But I admire your desire to improve. It takes a big man to admit he’s got room to grow.”

“Thank you, Lady Taya.” Gustave saluted her.

“Oh, hell no. Drop all that.” Taya said, taken aback, “I’m not your commander. I’m only a leader because people choose to follow me. Treat me like a friend. The only sign of respect I need is for you to put up with my cursing.”

Gustave twitched as though he were going to salute a second time, but stopped himself. “Yes...er, alright. Still...thank you.”

Taya nodded.

“Taya!”

She glanced over at Ruhak, Cecile, Katla and her guards as they emerged from the beach’s one entrance.

“We have a problem!”

_______________________________________________________________

Despite Ruhak’s protests, Taya wanted to meet these pirates their group spoke of. With no wood to make a longship, a half repaired galley was the best thing they could ask for.

Taya mustered everyone save for Peng, Bjorn and the Ascommani who were too injured to walk or fight and had them follow her to the pirates’ home base.

They found their way onto the other beach and were met astonishingly quickly by a rank of armed pirates.

They were all well dressed in fine leathers and silks that had been tattered after days of never changing. Before they were stranded here, they must’ve been rather successful slavers. Among them were Koinis, Hikupti, Qahtanads and even some Sklavenis.

“We aren’t here to fight, but make a wrong move and you all die. Who’s in charge here?” Taya asked.

“What are you doing in this abandoned part of the Isles, young lady?” a man in a billowing red shirt and a tight vest of brigandine pushed past his men, “Where the great beasts of the deep now threaten men as much as the sailors of the great epics.”

The man spoke with a poetic eloquence in his words and tone, but sounded more like a village bumpkin in the way he pronounced everything.

“It appears to be the same reason you are.” Taya raised her eyebrows, “Shipwrecked.”

“You all from that hunk of metal that’s been circling us?”

“Sir,” a scrawny man- no, actually she was a woman on closer inspection- whispered to him, “Those are mostly Ascommani. That ironclad’s a Nikan vessel.”

The man grumbled, “Mm, right. So who are you?” As he spoke, Taya could sense them looking her up and down. Ruhak had warned that they were slavers, but Taya saw fear and confusion in their eyes rather than lust or opportunity.

“Taya Sergeyev, soon to be the most wanted criminal in the Nikan Empire.”

“Good to meet you, Miss Sergeyev. I am Captain Gualtieri Marcello, the man who pays this band of lowlives enough to stop them from selling my boat. What inspired you to come visit us?”

“That ironclad? It’s hunting my comrades and I. But we want off this island. So we’d like to take a ride on your boat.”

Captain Marcello deliberately turned to look at the still-wrecked galley behind him.

“Even if we weren’t repairing it, why should we let you on?” the scrawny woman asked.

“We can help repairs go faster.” Taya offered.

“Ooh...we don’t have enough food to feed that many mouths.” Marcello hissed.

“We can forage.”

“That doesn’t change the fact I was about to add that steamships go far faster than any dromon could hope to match. If it’s chasing you, it would just catch up.” the woman continued to protest.

“Ah, but there’s the additional fact that we’ve damaged their steam engine. All they’ve got are sails and lackluster oars while they’re repairing it.” Taya countered.

Captain Marcello sighed, “Listen, girl, I really don’t think you understand who you’re trying to strike a deal with. Especially with enemies like yours.”

“You’re slave traders.” Taya said, “Which I highly disapprove of, but that doesn’t mean you’re slave traders at heart. I’m not worried. And besides, even without these Ascommani here, none of you would stand a chance against me. I carry this claymore around more than just for show.”

The woman next to the captain growled, “Yeah? Let’s see if your bite is as scary as your bark.”

The glimmering of a spinning knife blade reached Taya’s eyes just in time for her to catch the blade between her fingers with so much energy behind them, she snapped the blade off.

The pirates stared at the broken knife in the sand.

“Now would you rather have this with you or against you?” Taya asked, smirking.

The Captain chuckled, “Alrighty then, miss. I welcome you to our beach! Let’s get off this godforsaken island! Go speak with my men. They’ll get you started on helping us.”

Taya’s allies and Katla’s crew were split up into several groups to talk to different people about certain tasks in helping ready the galley. Taya herself was brought to talk to one Ricco Vitelli.

“He’s the one who actually knows how this thing works.” Captain Marcello said. That left Taya expecting a somewhat scrawny engineer like Peng, but Ricco fit none of that criteria at all.

The pirate was a ruggedly handsome man, slightly taller than her and the rest of his crew, likely only outdone by the Ascommani men and Gustave. He had very light facial hair that revealed a sharp jawline beneath it, accompanied by a head of short-cut, curly black hair. He wore a white cotton shirt with the collar popped up and a pair of trousers tucked into black cuffed boots.

He was directing a few of the pirates on how to shape a collection of planks twice as long as Ricco was tall.

“Ricco!” the Captain laughed as though his name were the funniest joke he’d ever heard, “Come meet my new friend Taya! She wants to help us repair the ship!”

“Quit your yelling, old man.” the pirate sneered, his voice gravelling and growling like a wolf.

“You show some respect for your betters, seadog.”

“To what? A grandpa who’s probably half drunk right now and with half a million diseases from whore houses across the Mesogeonian coast?”

“You act like those are negatives.” Now that she thought about it, Taya could hear a bit of slurring in the captain’s voice.

“Come back to me once you’ve stopped draining what little beer we’ve got left like a leech minutes from starving to death.” Ricco muttered.

“Just...get ‘er up to speed, will you?” The captain huffed before sauntering away back to the cave that the pirates called their residence.

“You wanna help rebuild the ship?” Ricco asked, “Go boil some water for when the boys go on breaks.”

Taya sighed. “I’m seriously considering becoming famous just so people will stop treating me like that. Alright. How many of those planks do you think I can lift?”

“Half of one.” Ricco said without flinching. At least he was confident in himself.

“I up you eight times.” Taya said, kicking four of the planks into her grip effortlessly, save for a faint glow around her mark. “Are we done with that bit?”

Ricco blinked in an astonishment that didn’t carry through to his voice. “Impressive. Can you carry trees?”

“Only two at a time, but yeah.”

“I’ll show you a place to start a lumberyard.” Ricco said, beckoning her to follow him, “We’ve mostly been looting this one salvage on a beach in the South. I’ll show it to a few of your compatriots, but it won’t do forever.” After a long pause of walking in silence, he spoke up, “So...why’s the ironclad hunting you?”

“I take it you enjoy eavesdropping.” Taya said, although she hadn’t really tried to keep her confrontation with the captain private.

“Personal hobby of mine.” Ricco grumbled, “Along with stealing and killing.”

Taya considered making up a story to respond to his questions, but...what good would that do? Besides, the more people who knew about the Armageddon Event, the better.

“My strength comes from an ancient Shedim within my body that is worshipped as a god of war and death and only came to bond with me to prepare for an oncoming war between a collection of gods older than any we know of and the human race called the Armageddon Event. The Nikan Emperor wants to stop me from doing that by any means necessary.”

Ricco stopped in his tracks, “That is...the dumbest story anyone’s ever told me.”

Taya shrugged, “It’s true.”

“Well, true or not, at least you have a few other interesting stories to tell. God knows I can’t bear to hear Donnino tell about his second cousin a fifteenth time.” Ricco muttered. He stopped and gestured to the stretch of sand before her. “I don’t really care how the tree comes down, just make sure it’s a full log and made of chestnut wood.”

Taya narrowed her eyes as the pirate walked off. Something was irking that man that was irking her. It was almost as though he didn’t care whether he lived or died. Or that he didn’t seem to care about anything.

No wish to live. No wish to be proud. No wish to even be spared from hardship, it seemed, as he was just taking this whole boat building thing in stride.

This man had no ambition. Perhaps there was something she could do about that.