“When a great ship is in harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But that is not what great ships are built for.” — Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Poor girl was terrified. Hands twitching and shoulders stiffening from terror. The liembel they rode in was too small, barely enough to stabilize and shakey at best. “Whatever happens” he said to her back, “Don’t stand up.”

Red spiders are known to have as much intelligence as crows, but what made them far less inferior than black birds was their poor hold on their passions. Red spiders were easy to incite, easy to anger. A rather moody pet only reserved for those with the largest patience. Maksim remembered there was a whole chapter about sensitivity training around red spiders but the details weren’t clear to him since he had been far too engrossed with what the weaver girl was saying than to notice that they were amongst the most volatile species in the world. And far too vindictive, too.

What books he learned from the god prince’s private library can prove useful at a time like this. If only he remembered the inscription on that tiny fauna book. The curse of eternity also brought the unfortunate symptom of forgetfulness, poor memory. It didn’t help that he merely saw that page inscription once as he turned pages. By Brumcia, there was such a time when he used to have exceptional memory. Has the damned curse really worn away his mind? Might it be close for him to choose a successor?

Suddenly, a whistling sound rang out from someone at the end of the tunnel behind them. Both he and Lei’la twisted back looking to see who had just arrived. It was another teenage boy with a large gray cloak around his shoulders, his hair unnaturally darkened, and his green eyes zeroed in on River’s terrified weaver. The liembel he arrived in was uniformed like any other. Wooden and carved with tribal symbols.

The red spiders stiffened to a halt then proceeded to move towards the boy’s boat. Thousands of them skittering away excitedly in a manic speed.

“U’tu!” called the weaver girl, her shoulders slackening “Get fucked.” and threw him an offensive gesture before paddling away once the red spiders cleared the stream to follow after the boy.

Maksim took that as a cue to follow through her direction, calling upon the waters in his mind to drag their liembel forward at a flying speed and putting more distance away from red spiders.

“No looking back, snow prince!” screamed Lei’la “We are getting the fuck out of dodge. I’ll gather that asshole’s bones later for a fashion. Let my enemies know what happens whenever they mess with me.”

Bloodthirsty, he thought to himself. Where was the trembling girl who was scared of Brumcia’s spiders? Dying from it was a pain-riddled process of organs swelling up inside one’s body until it explodes. This girl truly wanted that for the boy. Leaving him back there with no lifeline. “I shudder to think what that boy might have done to you.”

“Don’t worry about it.” she said as she actively paddled more forcefully, propelling them towards a wider stream where some of the other teams were already racing for the finish line.

The looming buildings of the wildlands settlement appeared under the tunnel’s blue hazy glow, their liembel catching up to the others as they matched their pace at an equal rate. It wasn’t enough. The other team had warriors too. He caught some of the snow tribespeople who were in other teams attempting to manipulate the stream they were riding on with flourishing arm strokes in the air. Obviously, they had a greater advantage than the teams that didn’t have snow tribespeople in it.

“Woah” Lei’la straightened, “Are you doing this?”

Their own liembel propelled even further, faster. But the strength of its current also affected the wider waters, propelling some of the other teams forward just like them. Since the other snow tribespeople weren’t bothering to hide themselves, Maksim dropped his faux paddling act and stretched both his elbows backwards as if he was knocking off something behind him.

The water stream whipped waves on both his sides. Two simultaneous splashes were heard close behind, as their liembels got overturned. The ones that were already gaining headway got slapped away with a forcing wave when he punched his fist at their direction, overturning their liembels with as much speed as they already were going.

“Fuck.” Lei’la grinned at him, “That was awesome!”

A rough exhale. It was harder than he thought it’d be. He was overpowering other snow tribespeople for control over the water stream they were riding on. “Do you think River will be thrilled?”

“More than thrilled, we’re winning bitches!” she stood in delight.

He inwardly sighed as he stabilized the liembel using the powerful waters with his mind. Which was truly difficult, at best. Influencing waters to bend into a powerful storm of waves was one thing. And it is an entirely another thing to actually tame it enough for balance.

“Look! It’s River. She’s waiting for us.” She squealed, riding high on the forefront of liembel racing.

Following her line of sight, Maksim easily found a peach bonnet hat in the gathering crowd. A fog horn blared indicating their own victory as they passed the finishing line. The mixed crowd of tribespeople from different territories grew wild and rampant.

“That was the fastest I’ve ever seen!” a random person said.

“Holy Brumcia! Was that you who used the waters to CAPSIZE A FREAKING LIEMBEL?!”

“Noa’hu, the man capsized four liembels.”

“No fucking way! There has got to be a trick. Snow tribespeople for the win!”

Lei’la soaked up the attention with glee, hands over her hips with her chin held high. Over her shoulder, she poked a thumb his way “I told him to do that.”

A woman dressed in a white dress said, “You guys make a great team.”

“Teach me how to do that!” exclaimed someone in the growing crowd.

“Wow! You guys did an amazing job!”

“How in the hell does snow tribespeople get to use their abilities, but we don’t? Ouch!”

“Don’t you say that out loud you idiot!”

“Why in the hell not?”

Lei’la spoke and when she did, the crowd around her fell deathly quiet. “He is young, he needs to listen more to his elders. Noa’hu, is it?”

The boy’s eyes widened when all the attention veered to him, he nodded.

“Liembel racing is a part of snow tribespeople culture and their sports accommodate their use for water powers. When we play their sport, we honor it with the celebration and joy it deserves. Just as others will offer good sportsmanship when we play our battle arena games.” she said thoughtfully, “That’s what Aidan would have said. What have you heard about our sun prince?”

“That we..” he looked up to his older brother next to him, unsure “We no longer need them. Our dark tribe majesty does a better job in keeping us safe, united. Long ago we were separate tribes, but now we can have games with other tribes thanks to our dark king.”

“My name is Lei’la from the sun tribe, I am an elder weaver and have been one for the last couple seasons. It is true that our king has united us. He does it by taking on curses for every tribe. Except for the snow tribe, though.”

“Why hasn’t he?” Noah’u’s older brother asked in wide eyed disbelief.

A red-headed teenage girl chortled “Would have figured he gets to possess the recent snow tribe curse like the others.”

The boy she was clinging onto shrugged and said, “He already has three curses.”

“He doesn’t actually offer a comment on the matter.” she bit back with a roll of her eyes “Ever since its discovery, he has been unusually quiet.”

A woman in a white dress with feather-like scales tattooed in silver ink down her arms spoke up, “Probably due to the fact that he already is a king. What more does he need to do to prove himself? Nothing. Besides, a cursed king is all bells and whistles. Everyone knows the real power lies in the dark assembly.”

Noa’hu nudged his brother, “Dark assembly are the people managing the dark tribe, are they not?”

“Yes, excellent.” Said Lei’la “It’s good you remember your lessons.”

“Noa’hu, is that you?” The crowd fell away to make space for a guy who just spoke, it was the one from before who he thought was a goner in the middle tunnel where red spiders had gathered. He was still alive, by some miracle.

“U’tu!” Exclaimed the boy, rushing over at him with open arms for a hug. The grey cape he wore swung open from the middle to receive the boy’s hug. “I missed you.”

Maksim watched Lei’la frown at the exchange in front of them, “Let’s go back to River.” he said to her.

As if pulled away from a spell, she peered up at Maksim in surprise “Where is she anyways?”

He glanced over his shoulder. When he couldn’t find her with a quick sweeping gaze, he finally pushed a loud thought in his mind focusing on River. Where are you?

He felt the power of his mental plea stretch sidewards, upwards, in an echo that resonated beyond what horizons his eyes could see.

Her soft response was instantaneous, her voice holding pride. Hey Maxi, congratulations. I saw you win. Couldn’t be prouder.

As expected, their bond was stronger, bigger. It felt more massive than it was weeks ago. He suspected it was because of his proximity to River, the behagthi, whose powers bore resemblance to that of a Sun queen. Answer the question. He rasped. Not even physical distance could tear away her sunny influence. Just by this simple connection of their thoughts, he already felt renewed, invigorated as if he was a hundred years younger.

Well, you see. A soft response. It’s kind of complicated.

What about it?

I thought I smelled something familiar, and I asked this stranger what it was.

Fuck. Doesn’t she know they kill behagthis in this universe? A surge of protectiveness rose up inside him. A primal instinct that neglected proper decorum and sense. He knew he would have to go against River’s wishes. This wasn’t the universe for her to play hero with. She was gonna have to go back with him to his proper universe where they sang praises of her instead of putting out her light.

It’s not that serious, she reassured in his mind. No one knows I’m behagthi. It is just that it’s supposed to be secret and I got to persuade them to share with me when I told I can trade them in exchange for a funny story.

What the fuck were you doing, using stories as currency? You might as well have told them you’re a behagthi. That does it. He was gonna have to drag her into his own fucking portal underwaters.

They accepted, she defended weakly. And don’t worry, I’m good at reading people they don’t suspect a thing.

That is exactly what you told Aidan, he gritted. And those damned brothers turned out to be bald-faced liars.

His wife doesn’t have the best judgement of tribespeople, he told himself. Already, a coil of worry snaked through his spine down to his belly and he froze. How was he going to live his life without her in it? Her noble light was like the sun from his own universe, its bright sunny rays empowering and it washed away curses in the likes of which he has never seen before. If she were gone to him, his life would become even more dull and darker now that he knew how her light illuminated parts of his world. He stared down at his palms and he felt his eternal power that was no longer cursed, thanks to her. If he wanted, he could chose not to be reborn anymore and waste away into another plane of existence where he didn’t have to think what life would be like without his River.

Look, it’s different this time. They seem to be really nice dark tribespeople.

Lei’la grew alert upon seeing his odd expression, “What’s wrong?”

Maksim tried to tamp down the growing panic that threatened to overwhelm him for the first time in hundreds of years. Tell me exactly where you are, River.

I don’t know. They blindfolded me back to their lair. It is a top secret matter, I’m told. Important stuff. Need-to-know basis. Apparently, the goods I’m looking for are frowned upon by most tribespeople.

He felt himself go numb and it took everything in him to push words past his lips, “She has taken to a secret location by dark tribespeople.” He reported to Lei’la.

She cursed, “Festivals like this always lure in underhanded trades. It can’t be helped, this time of year yields fresh supplies so this red spider festival comes strongest in demand.”

“Is she in danger?” He asked, hands fisting. The urge to dominate this tribal settlement was strong in him. He was a prince well within his power to push others into submission. However, the presence of god tribespeople made him wary. Those were the unpredictable bunch whose powers vary from each individual. If a god tribespeople resisted his royal dominance then suspicions will follow after. The thought of endangering River worse was the only thing that made him hold back his primal urge to push these tribespeople down to their knees, demand they carry her to him and let them leave this awful universe.

Lei’la began pacing around “How is she, did she sound fine to you?”

“She sounded confident.” He said, “And thrilled.”

She nodded seriously, “If they truly wanted to harm her then—“

“They would have done so by now. Any idea where could she be?”

She shrugged, looking away “I’m not a hunter I—“ she trailed as U’tu waved to her, strutting forward like a king. A red spider peaking from under his shirt collar. “I forgot this errand I should be doing. It’s really important.”

“More important than River?” He glared at the nervous girl.

She laughed nervously, eyes shifting to the side. “That guy U’tu? Best hunter there is among the sun tribes. If you want someone found, then he is your bloodhound. I’m just gonna go ahead—“

He grabbed her by the shoulders, “You are not going anywhere. I need you. So far River has a habit of opposing me since we met and I could never predict her resistance but she doesn’t get like that with you. She cares about you. I’m going to need you to talk some sense in her when she starts talking about nonsense.”

“Do you truly think she will listen to me?” She has to, he thought to himself. Or else he would give in to his instincts and steal her away.

“Lei’la.” Called U’tu right behind her, a wistful tone in his voice.

She paused in a bid to collect her wits about herself before twisting on her heels, facing him with a cold smile of indifference.

Green-eyed U’tu hungrily devoured the sight of her as he took her in with a longing stare. “Come home.” He finally muttered.