Isle of the Gods (Part 1)
Blood and Starlight Chapter 6 Part 1
Blood and Starlight: A conjurer, a vampire, and a mechanical demon embark on a rescue mission.
Audience: Adults (contains violence, strong language, and sexual content)
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Chapter 6
Isle of the Gods (Part 1)
Ely opened his eyes to glittering ocean. A ship's deck swayed beneath his feet, ropes creaking on the mast, sea breeze stroking its sails. Wasn't he just elsewhere? Aching pain rippled through him, and for a moment he felt his faraway body stir. Gentle waves undulated in a soothing rhythm. Like hypnotic breath.
"What are you thinking about, diakana?" The lilting tones rooted him back to the ship's deck. He turned, heart crashing against his chest.
"Kai," he breathed.
The pirate prince looked at him inquisitively. His long black hair was braided back, and he wore a loose russet tunic unlaced at the neck. Why did this moment seem so familiar? Had this day already happened?
Kai leaned against the polished mirrorwood railing.
"Seasick, my friend?" he asked in his rolling accent.
"Maybe a little," Ely replied with a wry smile.
"We're almost there," Kai chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. "We will stop in Séocwen for a few days before we go on to the Isle of the Gods. A hot meal and solid ground will help."
Ely nodded, remembering all at once what they were doing here. Rión had carried a message to him in Death's Vale, entreating him to come to the aid of her allies. A rupture in the heart of a long dormant volcano threatened the ten thousand souls that lived on Séocwen and its neighboring islands
Ely came at once, traveling first to Fjarat, then on to the cold, rocky coastal village of Norrholdt. Kai met them there, no longer helming his little sloop but captain of a sleek, full-sailed ship. The Marisola. That was the name of this vessel. How could he have forgotten?
"Thank you for coming, Ely," Kai said, quiet and sincere.
"Of course. I'm glad to help," Ely smiled.
"Melór!" someone called.
"What is that? "Ely asked.
"Land," Kai grinned.
The ship exploded to life as the crew prepared for their return to shore. The Séoc coastline drifted into view. Pristine golden sands and waving palms. Ely turned to lend a hand, but the sudden burning in his chest doubled him over...
Ely woke to blind pain. His sternum felt as though it had crumpled inward. His leg should not be lying at that angle. When he managed to peel open his encrusted eyes, he found nothing but a tangle of thick black bark above him. The Hollow.
Ely stirred, but root and rock pinned him into the crevice in which he had fallen.
"Help," he rasped, his voice no more than a whisper on dead air.
"Elyssandro!" Quinn's muffled shout resounded from high above. He strained to look for his friend.
"Here!" he wheezed. "I'm here..."
The hive of angry hornets began to buzz again, and the roots of the biomechanical prison shuddered. Pulsing. His head fell back. Mind adrift...
"Wake up, Ely."
He lay on a comfortable cushion in the open air of a shady balcony overlooking the sea. Kai's bungalow. That was it. They had disembarked at the port yesterday and journeyed out of the bustling coastal city through the jungle to the pirate prince's secluded cove.
"What did you say?" Ely asked, still groggy.
Kai laughed. "Come on, get up. We have to beat the sun."
Ely nodded, rising with a groan. What had he been dreaming about? A tree with evil roots choking him.
"Leave them," Kai commanded as Ely reached for his boots. Ely hastened after him, still blinking the dream away.
"Take this."
Kai thrust a bucket in his hands and headed out the door.
The blast of a salted breeze revived him. Kai led him past the beach's silky sands to porous rock formations shaped by volcanic eruptions. The Séoc set out across the sharp, wet rocks without a flinch. Ely grunted, trying not to appear too slow and tender-footed. Kai glanced back once or twice just to chuckle at him.
They stopped where shellfish clung to the rocks amidst the ocean spray.
"Patescado," Kai named them.
Crouching down, he drew a knife from the belt at his waist. He demonstrated the technique to dislodge a patescado shell from the rocks, then handed the knife to Ely. He mimicked Kai's motion, attempting to lodge the tip of the knife between the shell and the rock. The first three attempts proved fruitless, but the fourth saw a periwinkle shell detach with a pop and sail over the edge of the rocks into the water.
"See? You got it," Kai said with an encouraging smile, then drew a knife of his own to harvest the bounty before them.
They worked in silence. Ely managed to hold onto his next few patescados long enough to toss them into the bucket with Kai's swiftly growing pile.
The sun climbed from the embrace of the sea, scattering warm, blushing light. Ely paused to watch the play of color. Never before had he seen such rich hues as the deep blues, lustrous golds, and fierce pinks that burst across the Séocwen sky.
They returned to the bungalow with a full bucket. Kai set a fire in his outdoor cooking pavilion. Then they sat on the steps while the pirate prince taught Ely how to use the knife to open the shells, revealing the translucent treasure inside. He tipped the contents of the shell into his mouth. Ely followed suit. It was slick and salty, not for the faint of stomach but oddly exhilarating.
The rest they saved for their meal. Kai sent him to fetch water, garlic, oil, and a few other necessities while he finished shucking. Then the pirate prince manned an enormous steel pan that sat over open flames. He set Ely to work mixing gritty nut flour with salt water then showed him how to shape the dough into folded rounds to steam. They feasted at a driftwood table overlooking the ocean, retiring after to braided hammocks under breezy palms.
They were awakened by Kai's trio of cousins—SalÃa, Yamon, and Mirit—who arrived carrying fresh-caught fish tied to poles. Kai stoked the pavilion fire. Taking up a paring knife, he fileted the enormous red-scaled fish, removing head, bones, and innards with a single motion. These he piled in their own pot, doused with water, and hung over the fire on a hook to boil. He moved on to slice mounds of onions, garlic, and colorful vegetables that smelled of earth and spice. The knife blade sang, moving with terrifying speed.
More friends arrived, bringing their own food offerings. Spirits were poured and fragrant smoking herbs passed. Ely noticed they all greeted their prince with embraces and hearty laughter. Their smiles faded, and they lowered their gazes when Ely approached. They were quick to move from his path with stiff nods of acknowledgement and mumbles of, "Diakana."
As evening arrived, Ely found himself sitting alone near the water, watching the foaming waves roll. Kai joined him, passing a glazed cup overflowing with zaqual.
"How do you find Séocwen?" he asked.
"It's beautiful," Ely replied with breathless sincerity. "The water, the sky, the feel of sand. And, of course, there is the food."
"They don't feed you where you're from?" Kai laughed.
Ely shook his head, and the pirate prince's smile faded as he realized that his companion meant no jest.
"How do you live?" he asked.
"The stars," Ely replied.
"Of course. You are diakana," Kai nodded. "Rión Twin Axes told me you dwell among the dead in Dianessa. Is that true?"
Ely confirmed with a nod, reticent to speak of his home. Perhaps it was because the dingy cobwebs and macabre company would seem a horror compared to the paradise that surrounded them. Perhaps it was the way the others had been avoiding his gaze.
"Do I frighten them?" Ely asked, inclining his head toward the bungalow where the others sat laughing around a purring campfire.
Kai pondered a moment, considering his words carefully before he replied, "They are cautious. And trying to be respectful. You are a legend made flesh, and they do not yet know what to make of you."
"So they are frightened."
"Maybe that is not such a bad thing, diakana. With awe and wonder, and yes, a little fear, you allow them to believe that you can save them."
Ely sighed. "As long as you're not afraid of me."
Kai turned a quiet smile to his face. "I have seen you snatch a man's soul from his body, freeze blood in veins, and pierce flesh with shadows. You'll have to do better than that to frighten me, Elyssandro Santara Ruadan."
Ely turned misted eyes to the sea. No human had ever offered more than curses after knowing what he was.
"Have I offended you?" Kai asked, concern in his voice.
Ely shook his head. "No. When others find out my secret, see it with their own eyes...I don't blame them, but I'm not used to being looked at as anything other than a nightmare."
Kai met his eyes, regarding him with a soft, earnest gaze that made Ely's cheeks flush hot. "Without you, I would be a slave behind the mast of a Canon ship. I wake drawing free breath, and I thank the named gods for you."
"It's no more than anyone would have done," Ely murmured.
A rumbling tremor shook the ground, confusing the tide and sending flocks of birds screaming into the sky. Ely and Kai both stood, eyes fixed seaward where a billowing column of black smoke streamed high into the air.
"The rupture?" Ely asked.
Kai nodded. "It is angry again."
"How long will it take to get to the volcano?"
"We should leave now."
The furious ache was spreading again. The beach and the pirate prince faded away...
Hypnotic roots tightened their embrace as consciousness returned. Ely could no longer feel his leg. A small relief. Probably a very bad sign.
Sleep.
The Hollow buzzed in his ear. Ely fought to wrest his eyes open.
Sleep...
Make me wonder if the rapture made it to the volcano and that is why they are trapped but at least it was after they got something to eat. See you next time.
A life without food would be… bland.