Eden

The group crouched behind the barrels and watched the ship dock. There was already twenty people waiting at the dock where the ship stopped, and as soon as the gangway dropped, the twenty boarded the ship and twenty disembarked. The ones that disembarked looked unshaven and haggard, while the ones who boarded looked clean shaven and refreshed. They all wore matching, dingy purple coats and the people as a whole were decorated with scars and prosthetics, as if life was particularly rough for them. A peg leg here, a hook for a hand there, some wore eyepatches, and all had scars visible from a hundred feet away, which was about how far the group had ended up from the ship.

“This is bad.” Bran said. “I thought the guild was the only antagonistic group involved. But with the Headsman’s Joy here, I’m starting to think that they are responsible for Lord Joyautombe’s kidnapping. And they fit the bill. Look at how muscular they all are!” Eden noticed that his assertion was absolutely correct. Each of the pirates, both male and female, were veritable scarred, heavy-lifting adonises.

“So now we’re going to have to fight pirates, too? Awesome!” Eden, in full spring, said enthusiastically.

“Are you serious?” Vorol asked Eden. “These guys are much more dangerous than the guild. The guild, at least, tries to keep killing to a minimum. Pirates have no second thoughts. Eden had a thought that plunged her into winter, but after a moment, she lodged herself squarely in fall.

“Then we might not be able to, either.” She said, trying not to give it too much thought. She remembered Senator Mystern telling her that she should strive to be better than Ichabod, but would that be a feasible reality? She didn’t have enough magic to put every enemy she came across to sleep. Sariel seemed to echo her thoughts.

“Well, there’s a reason we didn’t put boxing gloves at the ends of our weapons. And it’s not like I can really control how deadly my magic can be. Perhaps it’s better that we’re going against opponents that we don’t have to hold back against.”

“Well,” Bran said, “It’s not all bad.”

“How do you mean?” Vorol asked.

“The fact that we’re seeing what is essentially a changing-of-the-guard here at the port means that Joyautombe is not being held on that ship, and is, instead, being held captive somewhere in the city; they change out people to guard his location. If he was on the ship, they wouldn’t have to dock. What I want to know is why the city guard aren’t mounting an assault on that ship. It just sailed in, no problem, and there’s no commotion. Eerie, if you ask me.”

The group watched as the disembarked pirates had a brief huddle and then split off into two groups. Ten pirates headed north, ten pirates headed south, all strutting as if they owned the city.

“Should two of us follow the far group and two of us follow the near group?” Vorol inquired.

“What?” Bran asked. "That’s a terrible idea. No, let’s all follow the group heading to the southern end of town. I’m willing to bet they’re going to get a bath and a shave.”

“So we’ll follow them to an inn.” Eden thought aloud, watching the pirates walk away.

“I doubt it.” Bran replied, standing up as soon as the pirates were walking all with their backs to the group. “They’re probably all sleeping at the place where Joyautombe is. We’ll likely be following them to a barber shop or spa. Either that, or they’re going straight to their hideout. Either way, we’ll end up at the hideout, following this group. If we hurry, there will only be ten opponents for us to overcome.”

The group followed the pirates at a distance, chatting amongst themselves, so as not to seem out of place with the crowds, though Eden wondered how her group could blend in at all with her season-changing, Sariel wearing white robes, and Vorol with a literal spear strapped to him. She supposed it wasn’t such a far-fetched idea, as literally no one was paying attention to the miscreants they were following. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that the general populace wore bright, eye-catching attire, as protection from traffic that caused wandering eyes to be desensitized enough to miss events such as what was taking place: pirates being obviously followed by a group that looked like they had nothing in common. On multiple occasions, she thought for sure the pirates would notice that they were being followed, but they walked with all the confidence in the world, as if the city was as much home to them as their ship. Something about it bugged Eden. Then, she had another thought.

“Bran, it doesn’t look like they have weapons on them. Do you think they’re concealing them?”

“Undoubtedly. In a city that doesn’t allow for the general populace to have weapons, the only weapons you keep with you are concealed ones. If I had to guess, probably daggers strapped to their legs or short swords like mine strapped to the small of their backs, and probably some throwing knives in their pockets for good measure.”

“...you’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?”

“When you make plans to go up against the guild, you do research, and that research covers concepts that overlap with different sects of the criminal world.”

“I suppose so.”

"It's strange, though..." Bran said, thoughtfully. "We should be carded for our weapons, but I don't see a guard in sight. Looks like bribes are the name of the game for these pirates."

The pirates led them through a long walk through the city. Eden mentioned to Bran that they, as a group stood out; he protested that no they weren’t, but after a bit of arguing, he conceded and implemented tactics to counter any suspicion. Sometimes the party crossed the street to shake things up, sometimes Vorol would turn down an alley, sprint up a couple blocks, and watch the pirates walk by from the shadows. The pirates never noticed. Bran, after a while, ran to an alley, and by a succession of vaults off of and onto fire escapes, wound up on the rooftops, running and jumping from roof to roof, far above the oblivious eyes of the crowds below. Eden whistled softly, watching him in action. She had been told that he had his own set of skills, but it was wild, seeing him in action. Who jumps across rooftops? How did a noble develop those kinds of skills?

Sariel tilted his elbow up and said,

“While the other two are being obnoxiously athletic, shall we also look less like we are tailing people?” Eden smiled and took his arm and fell in step with him.

“Yes, let’s. While we’re here, though, would you mind telling me how a priest-to-be get recruited on… well… this?” Sariel smiled, amused.

“It’s not really a big jump, for me, honestly. The majority of those involved in Ma’atic worship have no real issue with conflict. My temple’s beliefs are that all life came from Ra, that he dried out land from a great expanse of water, creating our world–though some traditions hold that the world was enshrouded in darkness, and Ra illuminated the world, freeing it from the darkness. Either way, Ra is a creator-god of light, and that light is known not only for its illumination, but also for its purification power. His worshippers are most often expected to hold those same values, to pierce darkness and bring to light things that hinder life. Many people interpret such things in a number of different ways, so the collective temples serve to guide worshippers into embodying light and life. In this case, Bran needed a healer in his group and I jumped at the opportunity to bring light to the thieves’ guild.”

“To expose their dark activities?”

“Exactly. They use stealth, intimidation, corruption, and sometimes robbery. Now, those are all bad things, sure, but what makes those things intolerable is that they affect people who just want to live. Most people in this city aren’t rich. Yet many come home to a ransacked house. Some people are smart enough to make the necessary connections and start the vital process of prosecution, but have their health and everything they own threatened. Those that aren’t affected by intimidation start the process of prosecution and find that the lawyers, judges, and senators that take up the cases either sweep it under the rug or stall it long enough to where the people never see justice because either those responsible go into hiding or the case simply stops mattering anymore due to the sheer amount of time that has past. Because of those three things, the guild can come to the surface and mug people with zero consequences.”

“Like Megan on my first day here.”

“Yeah, I heard about that. Bran has all the more reason to go after the thieves’ guild. I think your intervention was the main reason for your recruitment.”

“I only did what anyone else would do.”

“No, you didn’t. Everyone else runs scared. You didn’t. Regardless, though, such events are why we absolutely must be successful.”

“What will the city look like if we’re successful, do you think?”

“I don’t know. What I do know is that people are being taken advantage of right now by an organization with a lot of resources and manpower. Making a move to rid the organization of its resources and therefore its manpower is not only the right thing to do, it’s also the only thing to do. I think worrying about what the city will look like after we are done is a good way to invite inaction, and inaction of people who have the ability to act is how the thieves’ guild stays as a landmark feature of our city.”

“You feel very strongly about this, don’t you?”

“I wasn’t particularly hard to convince. Vorol was trickier, from what he’s told me.”

“What happened with him?”

“He just wasn’t interested, initially. He came to Valekenport to hone his fighting skills, and gets plenty of opportunities to do so in the colosseum. Bran had to play to his ambitions.”

“Which were?” The two turned a corner into an alley when they saw the pirates stop at a salon.

“How many fighters are able to boast that they have also taken down the thieves’ guild?”

“Bragging rights?” Eden asked, amused.

“Most assuredly. Not everyone does noble work from a position of noble conscience.” Eden briefly thought about Azrael carving little idols and religious symbols for the faithful despite his general lack of care for anything religious.

“I suppose you’re right.” she said, delving slowly into winter before righting herself into autumn. Vorol walked up the alley beside Eden and joined them, followed by Bran, who dropped lithely from a fire escape.

“Looks like we found the barber shop pirates instead of the hideout pirates. Well, guys, what’s the plan?” Bran asked, brushing himself off.

“Aren’t you the mastermind here?” Vorol retorted.

“I’m the organizer. I don’t have a plan for everything, which is why I have you guys. So, any ideas?”

“We could bum-rush the place.” Eden suggested jokingly.

“And cause a spectacle in a public place? We don’t need to draw eyes to us just yet. If we get caught up in an altercation here, word could get back to the hideout pirates and they might move or even kill Joyautombe.”

“We could wait for them to get done being pampered and follow them back.” Sariel offered.

“That’s not a bad idea, L.” Bran praised. Eden winced, shifting back to blue.

“You okay, Eden?” Vorol asked, tilting his head, squinting his almond-shaped eyes at her. “You went to winter fairly quick.” She shook it off and resumed autumn.

“I’m fine. Counter-offer, though, we could lure one pirate out and find out where the hideout is through bribery or interrogation.” Bran shook his head at this and said,

“I don’t like it. Too much could go wrong, there.”

“No, I like that idea.” Vorrol added, nodding as though thinking. “We probably wouldn’t have to lure one out, either. Just follow them to a bar. Think about it. They probably have some time to drink before they relieve the other ten to do the same.”

“You’re probably right.” Sariel replied. “And if you’re not, we still have my plan as a backup.”

“Provided we don’t cause a scene somehow and put them on edge,” Bran said with a groan, “that might be a decent idea.”

***

The group waited for the pirates to come out all at once, but instead of moving as a group, they trickled out one by one, moving to a nearby tavern, The Wooden Glass. Eden found the name terribly uninventive and would probably just refer to it as The Cup if asked. The group decided it was best to split up in the tavern and seem less like a group to put the pirates they spoke with more at ease. Sariel sat at a table close to the back corner, Bran sat at a table near the door, Eden sat at one end of the bar in a seat that rounded the bend, and Vorrol sat on the other end, facing Eden.

The tavern was full and loud before all ten pirates came in, and while six of them sat at a table to themselves, three chose secluded locations at separate tables, and one set herself up at the bar. Vorrol raised his eyebrows at Eden and she subtly nodded in return. She waited a bit and then walked from her position to take the empty seat next to the pirate, who was an aging human female with a buzzcut and cheek piercings. Hopping up into the seat, Eden asked,

“Can I buy you a drink?” The woman angled her head, looked at Eden, and rolled her eyes.

“I’m not into older women, hun.”

“That’s great, because I’m not offering sex. The only company I’m seeking from you is simply to drink with you, here, at this bar.”

“You’re selling something, then.”

“You have my word, I want no money from you, nor have I anything to sell to you. …I’m not a fan of drinking alone. Now, can I buy you a drink, or no?” Eden pushed. The pirate scoffed and replied,

“If you’re burning your money, I’ll drink the swill your money buys.” Good enough. Eden put two gold coins on the counter and called to the barkeep,

“Whatever my new friend is having, here.”

“Beer.” The pirate grunted at the barkeep. Eden felt a decent amount of power form in the center of her being. If the woman knew not to accept food or drink from fae, then she must not have realized that Eden herself was fae.

“Did you hear about Almaz?” Eden asked, innocently.

“The white city of worship?”

“That’s the one.”

“It’s full of dumbfucks with sticks up their asses.” The woman replied, taking a swig of her beer.

“Not so much, anymore.”

“Hm?”

“It’s gone.”

She swallowed her drink and looked at the she-elf with a confused glance. “Gone?”

“Wiped off the map. Some say there was an explosion. Some say there’s a crater there now.”

“You’re fucking with me.”

“On my honor, I’m not.”

“What happened?”

“No one’s sure. But it seems whatever happened to it happened quick. No one has shown up from Almaz to say what happened.”

“Well, hells, now I’m glad I got a drink outta you. Now I’ll have a talking point with some of the boys.”

“I’m actually kind of surprised you hadn’t heard about that.” Eden pressed.

“Well, little elf, I’ve been out on the sea for weeks. It’s only recently I’ve arrived to Valekenport, and even then, I haven’t gotten out much chance to have talks like this.” she paused for a moment and said, “‘Little elf’ sounds a bit rude. What’s your name?”

“My friends call me Eden. May I have yours?”

“Tabitha.” Eden felt a little more power consolidate into her core.

“I take it you’re going to ship out once you’ve rested up, then?” Eden asked.

“You guess right, though, if things go according to plan, I should be making frequent visits. I’m even helping set up a base of operations for my crew to make Valekenport our home base.”

“Whereabouts are you staying?” Eden asked, using up all the power she had collected at once. The woman hesitated, then replied,

“Over in the livestock section of town, where auctions and such go down.” She frowned as if she was trying to figure out why she let that much slip.

“Really? There are inns over there?” Eden could tell the power she had used still had sway over Tabitha, but Tabitha resisted nonetheless and changed the subject. Dammit.

“Actually, I might be convinced to stay somewhere else for the night if I can manage to bed him.” She pointed to Vorrol.

“Oh, him? I could introduce you to him, if you would like.” The pirate looked at Eden in disbelief.

“You know him?”

“Oh, yeah. Give me a second.” She turned to look at Vorrol, leaned over, caught his eye, and mouthed “get me out of here” to him. He smiled, stood up, and walked over to the two women. “Tabitha, this is–”

“Actually, Tabitha,” Vorrol interrupted, “if you wouldn’t mind, excuse us for a minute; I need to have a word with my cousin.”

“Sure.” Tabitha downed the last of her beer. Eden hopped off the stool and Vorrol guided her out of the bar.

Once the two were safely outside, Vorrol asked,

“Did you get anything?”

“Well, I’ve narrowed down the location to one section of town. That might be enough to go on.”

“Why’d you need to leave?”

“It was either that or pimp you out to the lady.” Eden replied coolly. Vorrol made a face and replied,

“Yeah, I’d rather just tail them to their hideout.” They walked around the side of the building to wait for the remaining two members of their group, who showed up only a couple minutes after.

“Well, I got a bit of information just listening to the group at the table.” Bran said. “Apparently, they’re set up at a place called Vipijiyay. Anyone know what that is?” The other three collectively shook their heads.

“It sounds familiar…” Sariel thought aloud, tapping his forehead.

“The lady I was talking to said something about ‘the livestock section of town where the auctions and such go down.’ Does that help?” Eden asked. Sariel raised his head in triumph.

“Valekenport Goat Authority! VPGA. That’s where many goats that are bought for annual thanksgiving-sacrifice at the temple of Ra are bought, usually as kids.” he said, excitedly. Eden just blinked at him for a moment.

“The temple of Ra sacrifices goats?” she asked, shocked and turning to winter. Sariel turned to her, confused, and replied,

“Of course we do. Some people give coins, but many of the old-fashioned will buy a kid from the VPGA and raise it as a household pet, and after a year of giving it care and affection, the family will bring it to the temple, where it will be euthanized, and then burnt to ashes–the ashes, in turn, are sent to construction companies to help make bricks, which will be used to build and rebuild city buildings or orphanages.”

“Why would a family raise a goat as a pet just to kill it?” Eden asked, not quite believing the strange thing she was hearing. Winter started warming to summer.

“Because they want to give from the heart. If you really want to give something as a sacrifice, shouldn’t it be a sacrifice to you, and not some impersonal coins? Sacrificing something that you’ve formed an attachment to is an incredible way to make your sacrifice mean something. It’s the worshipper’s way of thanking Ra for the light that he has given their lives.”

“I’m really not sure how I feel about that.” Eden said, focusing on reigning in her emotions and balancing on autumn.

“Oh…” Sariel said awkwardly. “Do yourself a favor and don’t stop by the temple to Sobek, okay?”

“Guys, we can discuss religion later.” Bran interrupted. “We gotta make tracks. Waiting for them to stagger out and following them to the hideout would waste precious time that Lord Joyautombe might not have.”

The group set out.