ACT XI

"I do not have a good feeling about this," Athyra stated, leading the small group of Tavra, Onica and Nith scuttling behind.

"You never have a good feeling about anything! Why should I be worried?" Nith returned promptly, shouting her retort over Onica's shoulder.

The morning sun had risen, and fallen again into an ocean of clouds. Rain was sure for this town today, the weather above the Port of Sky was clear of it's intentions. Dark grey sullen clouds soon swarmed overhead, but with a gentle silence which did not conjure strong winds or dangerous sparks, only a calm steady drizzle misting the air. Tiny specks of water droplets beaded their hair as they walked through the town, dancing around stray puddles which filled the large cracks between the sea stone roads.

Athyra gazed back at her. "I simply fail understand why you must accompany me. You know well my crew is very capable of questing."

"Because," Nith said as she scurried around Onica to Athyra's side, matching her stride as best she could with her much shorter legs. "As I said, this is my adventure too." She patted a finger to her chest. "You know you wouldn't even have this information if it weren't for me. I am the map! Literally and figuratively."

"A map we already have!" Athyra barked. "I have copied it, sent the information forward to my crew, and now we are ready to sail."

Nith's brow wrinkled in frustration. "Did you listen to anything I said? I've been targeted! Chosen, even! These tattoos were not a mistake, they were intentional!" She jumped with impatient enthusiasm.

"Trust me, Nith," Athyra waved at her dismissively. "Becoming a target is never a good thing."

"It is in some circumstances--and you know that. This is an advantage to your crew!"

"And what about you?" Athyra stopped and faced her. "All this does is put you in danger. As I told both Tavra and Onica when they first arrived, the sea is not a place for the young of body, nor of mind." She leaned in closer and fixed Nith with speared eyes. "You know little of what may await you out there."

Nith took a moment to absorb the notion, but then quickly realized that Athyra was speaking of herself as well. "Neither do you." She countered, narrowing her eyes and relaxing her body into a more confident pose.

Athyra returned to a tall stance, casting Nith's figure in shadow, and crossed her arms reluctantly. Try as she may, she promptly realized Nith's resolve appeared to be as strong as her own. Perhaps it was a good idea. Nith now stood before them as the final piece to her new ensemble. After all, she was not a child. She was seasoned and strong, just like the rest of her crew. And although she lacked any real sea experience, the sea was still her home. Finally letting a small, hesitant grin slip her lip, Athyra sighed and began to stride forward once more. "Come on, then." Was all she said.

Nith said nothing more. She smiled to herself, and to Onica and Tavra as they passed, then followed her friends down the road toward the town gate.

Upon arriving before the great opening at the front of city, one of Athyra's crew was ready with a personal lift-transport which swiftly returned them to the bottom layers of the ship yard where the Silver Rose was waiting; fully repaired, restocked and ready to battle the sea. As the lift reached the waterline, it was like descending into the sky, as a thick layer of fog had poured into the open sea doors with the early morning storm. Every space within the ship yard was draped in a thick curtain of white cloud, as if a giant ghostly spirit lay sleeping late into the blinded daybreak.

After a brief walk through the rusty wooden docks, they came at last to Athyra's ship, ready and waiting with an eager crew. They shouted down to her as she came into sight, waving arms and swords in the air. As they began to dock, Loe jumped down the gangplank to met them. "Are you ready, captain?" He asked.

"Are we?" Athyra inquired, investigating her crew's readiness.

"We are." Loe ensured. He leaned to the side and gestured at the ship. "She has been fully inspected, both by their crew and ours. Fully stocked with nearly every provision you requested. The crew is well rested and ready to sail. And your map has been delivered securely to Yuun and Yuul. They remain in their quarters, studying." He turned back to Athyra.

"Good." Athyra remarked with gusto. "Our day begins grey, but with confidence on our side."

Just as she began to walk forward again, Loe's voice stopped her. "And there's one more thing, captain," he said, placing two fingers in his inside his large front pocket. Athyra halted herself and looked down at Loe's hand. As he pulled an item out of his pocket, her eyes grew wide with wonder. Between his fingers was what appeared to be a sharp chunk of gold. "As the sailors say, a grey morning brings luck indeed." He said.

"Wow!" Nith exclaimed, standing on her toes to peer over their arms.

"What is it?" Onica asked taking a step closer. Athyra grabbed it and held the item up to the sky, attempting to catch as much light as she could. As it glinted in the hazy air, the group could now see she was holding a bird's beak.

"It's a Sharp Awlid beak!" Nith yelped with joy.

"Incredibly rare." Athyra commented, examining the prized find. "Usually only found in the mountains surrounding Ha'rar after the Awlid's shed them."

"Miners in the area often mistake them gold." Tavra added, unable to remove her eyes from it.

"And even then," Athyra continued. "They are almost never found, as their habitat is so high in the peaks."

"But what does it mean?" Onica wondered.

Athyra turned to her and tossed the beak in her direction. Onica quickly reacted and snatched it from the air. "You're the far dreamer--you tell me."

Onica held the beak in the palm of her hand, rolling it from side to side. "A good omen?" She answered with a educated guess.

Athyra smiled to her, displaying her approval. It was absolutely a good omen. A sign that the energies of the world were on her side. She then turned to Loe again. "Where did you find this?" She asked.

Loe motioned to the top of the center mast. "The workers found it stuck into the top of the mast."

"A piece of shrapnel?" She wondered.

Loe shook his head. "No, it was not blackened when they found it. The sharp edge was wedged into a crack just beneath the flag."

"Curious," Athyra spoke softly.

"See? See?" Nith jostled her arm, then jumped up and punched her shoulder. "The mystery continues! What did I tell you?"

"Hardly," Athyra countered. "Perhaps a gift from a crewmate who wished to remain anonymous." She looked down to Nith. "The only mystery here is you!" She began to walk forward, making her way up the gangplank to her familiar home. But half way up, she was once again stopped, this time by Onica.

"Just a moment, Athyra," she called out.

Athyra turned to her. "Come, let us go. We cannot afford any more time."

"Before we get on that ship again, I need some answers." Onica demanded. "This time I truly do not understand what is going on."

"What do you mean?"

"Nith is right. This beak may be a good omen to you, but it is mysterious. Our entire adventure grows more puzzling and concerning with each morning. I don't like this. "

Athyra leaned over the railing, pushing her presence in Onica's direction. "And that, my dear Onica, is precisely why they call it an adventure. Curiosity, mystery, danger--these are all inherent."

"That may be true," Onica continued. "But I will not set a foot on your deck again at risk of attack. The reason we are even here is because someone almost sank your ship!"

"Oh please," Athyra scoffed and crossed her arm. "Simple pirates."

"Those simple pirates almost ended us." Onica held Athyra's stone gaze captive for an uncomfortable amount of time. They both realized neither was allowing ground in this moment.

After the stare down, accompanied by Nith's nervous eyes darting between them, Athyra huffed a deep sigh and walked away once more. "Fine. Stay here then." She determined.

This was not the answer Onica wanted to hear. She had imagined that somehow, someway, she may be able to bend Athyra's will. To stop her, or at least delay her actions. Fear began to riddle her senses as she smelled the ocean waves once more. The wet paint covering the blackened planks, still fresh with the scent of battle. The wounded limping down the stairwells. The sounds of blades being sharpened below deck. This was all too real. But as much as it pained her to admit, she longed--desired even--to continue her adventure. She simply did not know how to take the next step without understanding if it was leading off a cliff.

However, as usual, Tavra remained by her side. Loyal in spirit, and offering humble motivation with her kind words. "Onica," she said gently as she stepped in front of her. "Remember what I told you back in Cera-Na?"

Onica knew, but sought for banter anyway. "Remind me." She uttered with a tone of slight petulance.

Tavra smirked, recognizing her subtle behaviors. "We can't let her go alone. I think we can agree on that, at least. The last place I want to be is home and unaware if something major happens."

"I agree, but..." Onica gazed out over the ocean.

Tavra smiled at her and held a rough palm to her cheek, pulling Onica's beautiful eyes into her. "You have never seen battle before, my love. And yet this is the world beyond what we know. This is our chance to take a step into a larger world. One that may have a deep impact on our lives."

Onica considered this thoughtfully. Although she did not speak often, Tavra's wisdom was overwhelming when she did. And although Onica remained hesitant of her next action, she could not deny a certain force of Thra pulling her ever forward, refusing to let her turn in the opposite direction. Tavra was right. This may well be their time to take a giant leap. With a stifled exhalation, Onica managed to crack a small smile, reviving what little bit of confidence she had left. "Okay. Let's go." She agreed.

Tavra gave an affirmative nod, then placed a hand on the hilt of her sword. "Trust this," she said. Then she placed her fingers over her heart. "And trust this."

Onica let the words warm her heart, and allowed the trust and compassion she had for Tavra to overtake her uncertainty. "That's all I have to trust?" Her sarcasm returned. Tavra chuckled. They shared a brief, happy kiss, then turned toward the gangplank together, making their way up the shaky platform and onto the deck of the ship.

Nith caught sight of them first and jumped in front of the entryway with a gleeful expression. "You did come!"

"We came." Onica replied.

"Good!" Nith beamed. "I was honestly worried Athyra was going to leave you. Definitely wouldn't have been much fun."

"Oh come now," Onica dismissed. "I'm sure she wasn't going to leave us."

"Oh yes I was." Athyra's voice suddenly called out from behind them. She was standing awkwardly, staring upward at one of the masts, keeping an eye on the crew setting sails.

"Of course you weren't!" Onica raised her arms in the air.

"I was." Athyra retorted immediately.

"What happened to all that talk of needing a far dreamer, then? If you can just so easy throw them away."

Athyra turned and began to walk in her direction. "It was you who left, Onica. I cannot control your will." She said. Onica sighed reluctantly. "But I do need it." She added.

Onica met Athyra's gaze. Once again, the deep pools of black within her shone with a vibrancy of honesty. The strong resolve and passion that had stayed with her all this time. Deep beneath their skin, both knew they could not afford to loose each other. Although Onica knew not why, the fact that Athyra did gave her an odd sense of comfort. Despite her ever present fear, she was beginning to trust her. "I understand that. I came, didn't I?"

Athyra motioned to Tavra. "Please. You're here because of her!" As she walked past them, Athyra bumped Tavra's broad shoulder with her fist as a sign of shared hardiness. "She's the only one besides me with a warrior's heart. That's what it takes to sail. And now you're learning..." Her thoughtful words trailed as she continued to talk to herself all the way up to the front of the ship, until she disappeared into a small crowd of sailors at the bow.

Nith laughed at the odd moment and turned to Tavra and Onica. "I hope you enjoy strange captains."

"Strange and deadly." Tavra declared. "We're used to it by now, right?" She looked to Onica.

"Ready for anything." Onica smiled.

Suddenly, the crew around them began to sing once again. At first only a few, then with each following verse, one after the other, they raised their voices high into the air, filling the Port of Sky's main gate with the joyous sounds of departure songs.

Nith bounced with excitement, stomping her feet playfully on the deck, which caused several items to tumble from her backpack. "Here we go!" She exclaimed. "Come on, let's climb to the top of this mast and get a good view!"

"Oh..." Onica cautiously looked upward at the tall structure. "We're fine right here." She assured.

Nith stuck out her bottom lip, displeased. "You two are boring so far--let me up!" She squeezed between them and leapt onto the rope ladder. Quickly--yet clumsily--making her way to the top.

"Careful, Nith!" Onica called after her.

"I hope she has enough of that energy for all of us." Tavra laughed.

Athyra, who had been watching the activity from a far, smiled to herself knowing her crew was secure. Ahead of them was open ocean, and a grand adventure at their feet. She hopped up to the narrow corner of the bow, positioned above her crew, and grabbed onto a rope for balance. She stole a swig from her silver flask and wiped the stains from her mouth. Then raising a fist in the air, she shouted into the winds of the open harbor. "Set sail!"

After the Silver Rose had cleared the outer reaches of the Port of Sky, the rest of the samaudren slowly began to gather together once more among the waves. It was a slow progression at first, with one ship appearing shyly from beyond the blue haze. Another would seem to breach from the white caps beside them like the head of a whale. One by one they combined, until at last all seven ships were together again.

Athyra's samaudren was much larger than conventional fleets. Usually they numbered only three or four, and rarely five. It was a true testament to her ability to command and control, whether through an iron fist or wise words of wisdom. Whatever force drew this crew was purely manifested by their leader. They were proud of her. Beyond proud. Dedicated in a way only the evil would lament. She was indeed a fierce alpha wolf of the sea, and her pack was monstrous.

Tavra kept a watchful eye on all the ships as she held herself over the railing near the bow. She dipped her head down just low enough to catch the fresh ocean spray on her face. The water cooled and refreshed her senses, a welcome relief now that the sun had returned. As she raised herself up, the distinct sound of a stifled moan filled her ears. Looking to her side, she spotted Nith, who was obviously in severe discomfort. "What ever is the matter?" She asked.

Nith was laying flat on her back, a tattooed arm flung over her face, and hair a mess from the salty wind. She was clearly wasting no time becoming one of the crew, in appearance at least. "I knew it. I knew it!" She called to the sky.

"What happened?" Tavra wondered.

"The sea happened!" Nith protested, shaking her fist once at the horizon.

"Don't tell me you get sea sick."

"Obviously..." Nith grumbled.

Tavra was certainly surprised by this. "But you've spent your entire life in a sea town. Surely you've spent much of that time on boats as well."

Nith suddenly sat up and placed her hands down beside her, slouching her shoulders and drooping her head. "Boats, Tavra. Boats! Not ships."

"What's the difference?"

"Size!" Nith proclaimed. Then she spun her head around to look at the crew. "And smell!" She added with a burst of energy. "The smell is awful!" She was practically shouting insults.

"For Thra's sake, what's all the noise?" Athyra's voice rose from the deck below.

"Ugh..." Nith murmured, catching sight of Athyra striding up the stairs. She returned to her laying position, flinging an arm over her face again, perhaps attempting to play dead.

"What's the matter with you now?" Athyra inquired, stopping in front of her.

"Sea sick." Tavra answered for her.

"Again?" Athyra had clearly seen this before. "I thought you had cured that long ago."

"Maybe it's not the sea," she peered at Athyra over her arm. "Maybe it's something about being on your crazy ship."

"It's not too late to get off, you know."

"No!" Nith sat up again and shook her finger at Athyra. "No matter how bad things get, no matter how sick I am, no matter how simple minded you may be..." Athyra rolled her eyes. "You won't chase me off this ship!"

"Who's chasing anyone?" Athyra retorted. "Just trying to keep you informed."

"I can look after myself, thank you."

"Clearly." Athyra replied in a sharp, mocking tone. She crossed her arms and stared down at Nith with a sly smirk.

"Fine!" Nith jumped to her feet in the blink of an eye. "See? I'm not sick. Mind over matter!" She tapped the side of her head. But almost immediately, she lost her balance and held herself against the railing. Athyra and Tavra shared a laugh at the comedic moment.

Athyra reached out and grabbed Nith's arm to keep her steady. "Come on," she said. "Let's head below deck so I can get your something."

"So this is how I die." Nith stated.

"Will you please!" Athyra shook her arm and dragged her down the stairs. "Sometimes I think that tattoo spell kept your brain young as well."

Nith raised her free hand and made a chopping motion toward her. "I'll show you a tattoo spell!"

Tavra laughed, then abruptly remembered that Onica was missing all the fun. "Athyra, where is Onica?" She asked.

"She is still in the map room."

"She's been down there quite a long time."

"Indeed she has." Athyra replied thoughtfully. She turned and met Tavra's eyes. "There is much to decipher."

Moments later, they had descended several small stairwells, until finally reaching one of Athyra's private, tucked away rooms on the ship. As they rounded a narrow corner, a thin door appeared at the end of a cramped hallway, as if the passage was built between two walls. When they entered the room however, it unexpectedly expanded into a much larger space than they had anticipated. Although the ceiling was low, it seemed to span the length of the entire aft section of the ship.

Upon the walls were the same deep red curtains, a reoccurring theme in Athyra's chambers. Along with the half melted candles, incense holders, piles of pipe ash on old wooden furniture, and moth eaten books, maps and scattered pages around the corners. In the center was a very large, wide object, which appeared to a repurposed crow's nest, with a smaller square table in the middle. On each end there was an opening to walk through, enclosing the space around the table. And standing at the table, were the Dousan twins, Yuul and Yuun.

As usual, they were conversing with each other using their unique form of communication; clicking jeweled finger nails together to produce a structured language. A deep conversation was obviously well underway, as the sounds of rapid snapping and popping filled the air. Beside them, Onica stood quietly, pondering various images on the map before her. As Tavra came into view, she broke her gaze and smiled at her, waving them over.

"Tavra," Athyra said. "You can join the others at the table while I retrieve this item for Nith." She ordered. Tavra nodded and briskly made her way onto the shallow platform. "Come on then, over here." She said to Nith, pulling her reluctant body in the right direction.

In one of the far corners of the room, there was a tall cabinet made of mossy wood with water leaking out through the cracks. As Athyra opened one of the drawers, it revealed a dark pool of murky water, gurgling with random air bubbles, some of which seemed to be producing unsettling noises. Nith's face grew more crooked with every second. Athyra quickly rolled up the sleeve of her tunic, and plunged a hand into the water. After a bit of struggle, she finally pulled a blob of something from the stagnant liquid. It appeared to be a round, plump reptilian creature, with two bulging eyes and a head of thick matted hair. "Here," she said, presenting the animal as if it were a fruit. Nith's mouth dropped open in disgust, as she began to share uncomfortable glances between the creature and Athyra in place of words. "Here!" Athyra repeated. "Take this," she shook the creature at her, which sprayed some gelatinous mucus onto Nith's arm.

"Are you insane?" Nith protested. "That's a toad or something!"

"It's a Flingit." Athyra corrected.

"It's revolting!" Nith finalized. "What exactly is it suppose to do, distract me from my other pain? Doesn't work that way! And now I'm covered in this gross stuff!" She wiped her arms.

"Will you listen for a moment?" Athyra held her still. "That mucus is going to help your sickness. We keep them here on our ship for that very purpose."

Nith was confused. "You...stare at toads to cure sea sickness?"

"No."

Nith abruptly gasped. "You eat them?! You're a mad woman!"

"No!" Athyra said again, physically holding Nith's excitement down. "We lick them."

Nith said nothing for a long moment, lost in bewilderment. She studied Athyra's face for any signs of sarcasm, but there was none to be seen. "You're serious." She said in disbelief.

"Yes!" Athyra assured, and placed the Flingit in her hand forcefully.

Nith glanced down at her slimy palm, which was now lively with the wriggling body of an uncomfortable reptile. "You're a toad licker." She remarked pettishly.

"Enough! Now let's join the others." Athyra gestured toward the table and pushed Nith toward the center of the room.

Finally gathering around the table as a full group, all eyes fell onto the center of the structure, which was a flat, thin stone which had been squared to create a sturdy surface. In the middle was a new piece of map paper that looked very familiar; hastily inked images of the tattoos on Nith's back. Onica had not removed her eyes from the page. Athyra noticed this, greatly intrigued by her memorized expression. She glanced at Yuul and Yuun, displaying a flicker of her eye brow; a quiet command shared between them. With haste, the twins bowed their heads and drifted away from the table, making their way toward the exit.

Athyra returned her gaze to Onica. "I had asked Yuul and Yuun to identify the point of interest for you. Did they?" She inquired.

Onica batted her eyes, as if waking from a dream. "Yes," she answered in a hushed tone. "But it is not a place I am familiar with."

"Nor I," Athyra replied. "In fact, I had always assumed the land was uninhabited."

"I'm sorry--what are we discussing?" Tavra chimed into the conversation, feeling left behind.

"I can't even see!" Nith chirped from behind them, struggling to see over the lip of the table.

"What do you want us to do, hold you?" Athyra said. "Besides, what does it matter? You have it on your back! It's not as if you've never seen it before."

A sour expression seethed on Nith's face. "Fine! I'll just stand here with my flicker."

"FLING-IT!" Athyra corrected, sounding every letter.

"I'll fling-it at your face!" Nith rattled the creature at Athyra, conjuring fussy croaks from the startled being.

"Alright!" Athyra held up and hand to keep her at bay. She then reached under the table and dragged an unusually large tome onto the floor in front of Nith. Satisfied with the action, Nith dawned a smug smirk and made sure Athyra watched her stepping lively onto the giant book with great delight. She even did a small twirl, puffing cobwebs and dust into the air. "Good?" Athyra asked with a raised eye brow.

"Good." Nith replied happily.

"Wonderful. Now be still. Lick your toad." She ordered.

"You lick it!" Nith barked one last retort.

Athyra took a breath and leaned both hands on the table, letting her eyes fall on the map again. "Do you see this point here?" She asked Tavra, pointing at red mark. Tavra leaned forward and nodded. "This is exactly where the aureyal was located on Nith's tattoo. And there is a line connecting these two points," she traced her fingers across the map, indicating the locations. "One over our hidden islands, and another here. In these mountains. Far south of the great ocean river, and west of the Swamp of Sog." Her fingers lingered on the mysterious peaks, which were no more than scribbles of ink.

"Part of the unknown lands," Tavra remarked. Although this region of Thra was unclaimed, Tavra had heard much from travelers about this strange region of high mountains which continued infinitely down the Silver Coast. "A region scarcely explored. Only whispers exist."

"Pray tell me of these whispers, Tavra," Athrya beseeched. Tavra looked to her. "For once, you will be teaching me. I know nothing."

"Truly?" Tavra wondered. This was a slightly strange notion, given all of Athyra's experience. "Well, I must be honest," she continued. "I'm not sure I know much more than you. I have only heard brief exchanges between travelers, or simple camp fire stories. Myths most likely."

Athyra smiled. "Yet all myths have roots of truth." She concluded.

Tavra allowed a moment for her thoughts to gather. "I have heard that it is an ancient place. A place where the Mystics originally gathered."

"That's definitely a myth," Nith said. "The Mystics were never real, just a good legend."

"Who said that?" Athyra asked.

"skekSa wrote a lengthy journal entry about that."

"And how is it that you came by one of skekSa's journals?"

Nith shrugged. "Lots of stuff comes through our libraries. You know how vast our collection is."

"My sister Brea would love to see that." Tavra interjected, almost to herself.

"And that is what you believe?" Athyra asked.

"I would trust her word over most of the other lords, wouldn't you?" Nith protested.

Athyra decided not to answer. An unexpected anger raced through her. She instead quickly redirected her attention to the map once more. "Continue, Tavra." She said.

Tavra followed her eyes to the map. "Beyond that, I have only heard scraps of information."

"Such as?" Athyra grew impatient.

"Old relics. Strange rock formations. Celestial symbols carved into the trees. And..." her voice trailed in distant memory. "A mouth."

"A mouth?" Athyra repeated.

Tavra nodded. "The mouth of the mountain." She had hoped this would mean something, but it did not appear so, until Nith abruptly pointed to her.

"Is that the same mouth from that old poem?" she snapped her fingers, trying to remember a few verses. "Within the mist of earthly shadow, the mouth it lingers by the fallow, down the belly to the gallows...something like that?"

"Yes!" Tavra said immediately, recognizing the words. "That was part of the song they sang."

Athyra turned and looked at Onica, who had been oddly silent throughout their exchanges. Distant from the conversation, her eyes still fixated on the map. "Onica," Athyra said to her.

"I know that poem," Onica said without lifting her eyes. "My parents used to recite it for us as children. To keep us away." Tavra could tell something was deeply effecting her, and drew Onica's body close to hers.

"From what?" Nith wondered.

"From the mountains." She replied in a gruff whisper. "It's a Drenchen poem. Brought to us by settlers who moved to our shores long ago." Her eyes finally lifted from the map.

Athyra could see tears clouding her lashes. "I see..." she said, lifting a thoughtful finger to her chin.

"And that is not the only thing," Onica continued. The group looked to her with curiosity. "I have been dreaming about his place. Every single night."