Flameseeker (Book 3) (19 page)

“So, who is this woman?”
Kaijin asked.

Silas pointed to the
rear of the room, where a lone woman knelt on her hands and knees, scrubbing
the wooden floor with a brush. A layer of soap and water covered the area she
cleaned. She seemed to pay no mind to the people nearby.

“That’s her,” Silas
said.

The woman was a half-Dragon,
young and rather scrawny, from the looks of her thin body and ruddy scaly,
arms, which were exposed by the rolled-up sleeves of her oversized tunic. Long,
red locks spilled from the front of her black headwrap and hung over her face,
and big, golden hoop earrings dangled and twinkled almost unnaturally in the
light as she scrubbed and scrubbed, tirelessly.

“She doesn’t look very
intimidating to me,” Kaijin said.

Silas guffawed. “You
should see her drink.”

“Aidan’s no slouch, either,
when it comes to drinking—or eating.” Kaijin glanced at Omari and then grinned.

Silas clapped his hands
together. “Well, then. How about a friendly competition, hm?” He put two
fingers to his lips and whistled loudly, interrupting the current arm-wrestling
match and getting everyone’s attention. “Let’s make things interesting,
everyone,” he announced. “How about a match between Aidan and Clarice?”

The woman stopped
scrubbing and looked up, her earrings dangling and sparkling in the light.

“Yeah! Now
that
I
wanna see!” one of the ship’s crewmembers said from the crowd.

“I’ll put money on
that,” a passenger in the crowd said.

The crowd’s chatter
continued, and their gazes turned to the woman.

Aidan smiled and
gestured for her to join him. She politely refused and returned to her work.

“Aw, give it a rest,
bird,” one of the sailors said, approaching her. He swiped the brush from her
hands and tossed it in the bucket of water beside her. “Ye been workin’ on the
damn decks since we shoved off.”

Clarice sighed and sat
back on her knees, looking up to the man. “Ya seadogs pay me to work,
don’tcha?” she asked sharply.

“Aye,” the man replied.

“Well, the decks surely
ain’t gonna swab themselves!”

“Bah, get up. Ye gotta
new challenger. He’s a mighty big one.”

Growling, she stood up
and placed her clawed hands on her narrow hips. Standing only shoulder height
to the man, she tilted her head up to look him in the face. Her earrings gave
another brief twinkle. “And what if I don’t wanna challenge the ‘mighty big
one’?”

“Then ye be yellower
than me own piss.” The man laughed and returned to the table. Several other men
joined in the laughter.

Her amber eyes
narrowing, Clarice stormed over to the table and slammed her fist down on it so
hard, the wood split on the edge. Everyone, including Aidan, jumped and fell
silent.

“Say that again, ya
swivin,’ milk-livered scullion, and I’ll swab the decks with ya ugly face!”
Clarice snapped at the sailor.

Omari smirked at Kaijin
and Silas. “Finally, something interesting!” He slowly approached the crowd.

Kaijin and Silas
followed.

Aidan frowned slightly.
“There is no need for violence.”

Some people in the crowd
snickered.

“I wasn’t talkin’ to ya.”
Clarice looked Aidan up and down. “Ain’t often I run into kin. So ya th’ one
who wants a challenge?”

“Well ...” Aidan rubbed
the back of his neck.

“Of course he does.”
Omari broke in, and all eyes turned to him. “Why, he told me that he can break
your scrawny little arm like a twig if he arm-wrestled you.”

Aidan looked horrified.
“Aidan did not say that!”

Kaijin whispered to
Omari, “I think you’ve been hanging around Nester too long.”

Omari twisted his lips,
trying to hide his widening smile. “Perhaps. But I will have to admit, Kaijin,
it
is
fun.”

Clarice turned her gaze
back to Aidan and took a seat in an empty stool across the table. “Snap
my
arm? We’ll see about that.” She put her thin bony elbow on the table and
readied her clawed hand. “And ya better not let me win, or I’ll slap th’ silver
offa ya.”

Aidan gulped, set his
elbow on the table, and slowly took her hand.

A sailor stood before
them and initiated the match. “Ready?
Go
!”

The crowd cheered and
stomped the floor. Clarice stared at Aidan as she resisted him. Their clasped
hands shook. The muscles and veins in Aidan’s arm strained and bulged, and
sweat poured down the sides of his face. Clarice looked unperturbed. Gritting
his teeth, Aidan grunted and began leaning to one side, as if it would help him
pull her arm to him, but she didn’t budge.

Omari watched,
dumbfounded.
Amazing! She is actually
beating
him?

Clarice and Aidan’s
hands shook more and more as Clarice slowly bent his arm backward, not taking
her eyes off him. The crowd cheered louder and louder, the closer Aidan came to
defeat. Aidan growled and snarled; he seemed to be giving everything he had,
but it was not enough.

Finally, with a loud
grunt, Clarice tapped the back of his hand against the table.

Kaijin rubbed his eyes.
“Did I just see what I think I saw?”

“Apparently so,” Omari
said. “Because I saw it, too.”

The crowd went wild. One
of the sailors slapped her shoulder, and she elbowed him in the gut to get him
off her. The man doubled over and staggered backward.

Aidan stared at the
table, bewildered.

“She can’t possibly ...
I mean, I don’t see an ounce of muscle on her. Not like Aidan, anyway. How—”
Kaijin paused, as though understanding had suddenly dawned on him. “Magic. It
must be magic.”

“Maybe.” Omari looked at
the woman. He wasn’t sure if Clarice was amongst the white noise of arcane
auras he felt. “So you feel it as well, Kaijin?”

“How can I not?” Kaijin
said. “Though I suppose it shouldn’t be any surprise that most of these passengers
are probably wearing some sort of magical item. And let’s not forget the cargo
below us.”

“Yes, I know. Well, if Clarice
really is amongst those wearing magical items, then I admire her cunning for hiding
it so well.”

“Or perhaps she didn’t
think she’d be in the presence of mages who can detect them.” Kaijin smirked.

The cheering dwindled,
and Aidan smiled at Clarice. “Aidan’s never lost at arm-wrestling before. You
are worthy opponent.”

Clarice returned a
half-smile. “And don’tcha forget it, none, either.” She prodded his chest with
her clawed finger.

“Let’s have a round of
drinks!” one of the sailors called over his shoulder as he walked toward the ale
casks.

Clarice grinned, baring
her set of fangs. “Yes, let’s see if he can redeem himself with a drinkin’
contest. How ’bout it, Aidan?”

Before Aidan could
answer, two sailors set a full cask on the table before him. Another slid two empty
flagons across the table.

“There’s only one rule,”
Clarice continued, grabbing one of the empty flagons. Her hoop earrings twinkled
in the light as she moved. “Once ya start drinkin,’ if that tankard touches the
table again, you’re done.” She turned on the spigot and filled her flagon
brim-high with the hearty, earthy-smelling drink.

Aidan cringed. “Aidan
has never done this before.” He picked up his empty flagon, filled it up as
well, and waited gingerly for the contest to begin.

“Well, now ye gonna see
if ye can beat Clarice!” one of the sailors said. “Ready?
Go
!”

Both Clarice and Aidan downed
their first rounds of ale in gulps. The crowd began cheering, more for Clarice
than Aidan, and many of them huddled around her to watch her drink.

Kaijin walked over to
Aidan and watched him worriedly as the giant refilled his empty flagon once
more. Clarice was already on her third round, as she chugged the drink like
water. Omari approached Kaijin and stood beside him, observing him and Aidan. When
Aidan downed his second round, his pupilless eyes began to water, and his face
turned blue and purple.

Kaijin bit his lip. “You
know, Aidan, if you want to stop, there’s no shame in that,” he whispered.

Aidan shook his head
slightly in response. He refilled his flagon and drank. His gulping slowed, and
he closed his eyes. Clarice was now on her fifth drink, and she showed no signs
of slowing. She occasionally looked toward Aidan, smirking triumphantly as she
refilled her flagon.

“I am rather curious of
Aidan’s limitations,” Omari muttered to Kaijin. “Can a half-Dragon really get
drunk?”

“I don’t see why not,”
Kaijin replied. “Though I’ve never seen a drunken half-Dragon before, either—and
I’m not sure I would
want
to.”

Finally, halfway through
his fourth round, even though there was clearly still ale in his flagon, Aidan slammed
it on the table, sloshing its contents everywhere. His eyelids half-closed, he
slumped over and braced himself on the table with both hands. The group stomped
their feet and cheered wildly. Clarice continued drinking the remaining
contents of what was now her seventh round. Her gulping had begun to slow, and
her body swayed slightly. When she glanced over at Aidan, her drinking slowed
even more.

Omari tilted his head,
curious about Aidan’s condition. “Aidan? How do you feel?”

Aidan groaned. “Aidan is
okay, but ...” He paused, placed one hand over his stomach, and let out a loud
belch. “That stuff is awful tasting. He could not drink any more, no matter how
hard he tried.” His face turned green and sickly, his cheeks bulged, and he
quickly covered his mouth. His body shuddered, and his lower abdomen contracted.

Anticipating a gruesome
outcome, Omari quickly stepped away from Aidan, eyes wide. “Aidan, I swear, if
you vomit on me, I will make you regret it!”

The look of sickness
subsided from Aidan’s face, and he lowered his hand from his mouth. “Aidan is
okay now. Honest.”

Kaijin blinked. “Aidan,
are you drunk?”

“No?” Aidan lifted an
eyebrow. “Why would Aidan be drunk?”

“Well you
did
just have nearly four rounds of ale in one sitting,” Omari said.

“Not drunk?” Silas asked,
then he motioned to the rest of the crowd. “Did you hear that, everyone? Aidan’s
not drunk!”

“Hogwash!” one of the
sailors yelled. “He chugged that shite down like an orc! How can he not get
drunk from that? Even Clarice is drunk!”

After downing the last
of her ale, Clarice collapsed to the floor, her fingers still curled in the
handle of the empty flagon. “I win!” she said weakly.

“Seven! Seven drinks for
Clarice! She wins,” a spectator exclaimed, then more cheering erupted. They
chanted her name, “Clar-ice! Clar-ice! Clar-ice!”

Two men tried to pull
her up to her feet, but she seemed unable to stand on her own. Her eyelids fluttered,
and as the men jostled her back and forth trying to rouse her, she burped.

“ToldyaIwin,” she
mumbled, slurring her words.

Aidan frowned and
approached her. “Are you okay?”

“Bah, whoyaaskin’?” she
replied, pushing him away. “I beatya likeIsaidIwould!” She then broke out into
a drunken chanty, and the sailors joined in happily.

Rip! Roar! Ya salty dogs!

Beware she comes a’blow

Pawn ye gear and rattle ye luck

Onward! The seas we go!

Raise the sails! We’re shovin’ off!

And prod the dead man’s fellow

Drink up ye ale, ye swivin’ haggard

Onward! The seas we go!

Yo! Ho! Ho!

Onward, off, and shovin’

Yo! Ho! Ho!

Onward! The seas we go!

Omari exchanged glances
with Kaijin. Omari didn’t recognize the song, and judging by the confused look
on Kaijin’s face, neither did he. After the song ended, the crowd continued celebrating
Clarice’s victory with another round of drinks.

Clarice finally sprawled
out on the floor and fell asleep, despite the ruckus all around her. Aidan sat
beside her and watched her sleep, still appearing dumbfounded.

Kaijin nudged Omari and
whispered, “Should we tell him?”

Grinning, Omari shook
his head. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d been so entertained. “No,
Kaijin. Let him bask in his ‘defeat.’”

XX

Hours before sunrise the following morning, Kaijin
jumped awake, roused from his deep sleep by the clanging of the ship’s warning
bell and Miele’s frantic screeching. Gazing groggily above him at the blackness,
where he heard Miele flapping her wings at the ceiling, he groaned.

“What’s going on?” he muttered. “It’s so early.”

Nervousness channeled through Kaijin’s mind, and
shaking off the sleepiness, he sat up in his mass of blankets. He summoned a
small fireball in his hand and cupped it with his fingers, to dim its brightness.
He squinted at Miele, letting his eyes adjust to the light.
“What’s happened?”

Miele screeched again and flew to the tiny window.
She hooked her claws to hang upside down from the top. She looked back and
forth between Kaijin and the ocean.

Frowning, he got out of bed and approached the window.
The sky was devoid of the moon and stars. A cool, salty breeze touched his
face. Miele shuddered on her perch. Kaijin stared out at the ocean and saw
brief flashes light up the cloudy sky in the distance, followed by the rumble
of thunder.

Kaijin exhaled. “Just a thunderstorm, Miele. Why
are you so afraid of—” The cool breeze picked up, a little more forceful. The wood
beneath his feet bucked harder and the sound of the sea grew louder. Kaijin
gulped.

Miele flew off her perch and landed on his
shoulder. She rubbed her furry head against his neck. Cringing from the
tickling sensation, Kaijin tightened his fist, extinguishing the flame in his
hand.

A sailor yelled, “All hands on deck!”

Within moments, Kaijin heard muffled voices yelling
and footsteps pounding all throughout the ship. He yanked the curtain to his
quarters aside and noticed some of the passengers, their faces filled with
concern, wandering the narrow corridors carrying lit candles. He looked across
from his quarters and noticed his friends were all awake as well, the curtains
to their tiny quarters also drawn back. Everyone was accounted for, except for
Aidan.

“Oy! What’s all th’ noise about?” Nester grumbled
sleepily, scratching his side.

“Whatever it is, it sounds serious,” Zarya said.

A passenger disappeared around the corner of a
corridor, only to be escorted back to his quarters by Clarice, who bore a stern
gaze.

“And
stay
back here, ya crazy lout!” she
barked, then stormed back down the corridor.

Kaijin looked back at his friends, the brief presence
of the half-Dragon reminding him of his missing companion. “Where’s Aidan?”

Jarial looked around. “Maybe he’s above.”

The floor rocked, and Kaijin stumbled forward but
managed to stay on his feet. “What the—!”

“The floor’s movin’!” Nester clung to the edge of
the wall.

“
Drop the main sail!
” the captain yelled
from the deck above. Other sailors echoed the orders.

The floor rocked again, this time to the other
side. A few passengers yelped.

A crack of thunder resounded, and Kaijin heard
glass and other unsecure items rattling.

Sable hissed and cowered between Jarial’s legs,
while Percival, squeaking, draped his shivering body along Omari’s shoulders.

Omari stumbled forward to his knees. His face
looked pale, with a greenish tinge. Percival hopped off his shoulder,
squeaking.

Zarya’s gaze shifted to Kaijin and the others. “We
should find Aidan. He might be in trouble.”

Jarial shook his head. “We won’t be able to find
him in all this chaos. We’ll have to wait until we’ve gotten out of this
storm.”

Everyone reluctantly agreed except for Omari, who still
looked green.

Kaijin grimaced. “Hey, now’s not the time to be getting
sick.” He slowly approached Omari, still trying to keep his own footing as the
floor continued moving from side to side. Kaijin helped Omari to his feet. “And
I swear, if you vomit on me, I’ll make you regret it,” Kaijin added with a
smirk, remembering Omari’s threat to Aidan from the night before.

Omari groaned in response.

Zarya walked toward Kaijin and Omari and stumbled,
but Jarial was nearby to grab her arm to keep her from falling. He walked with
her and helped to keep her balance. Zarya placed her hand over Omari’s hairless
head. She spoke a prayer and her hand began to glow. The light encompassed
Omari, and the sickly look left his face. Zarya concluded her prayer, and the
glow dissipated. “You should not feel sick anymore for a few hours,” she said.

Omari stared up at Zarya graciously. “Th—thank you.”

“Ease off the ropes, Aidan!”
the captain’s
muffled voice yelled, and Kaijin looked at the ceiling.

“Did you guys hear that?” he asked his friends.

Zarya cringed. “Indeed.”

“Soddin ’ells! Aidan
is
up there!” Nester
said.

Jarial scratched the side of his face. “Well,
aside from Clarice, Aidan is the strongest person on this ship. Perhaps the
captain requested to have him assist the crew with some of the tasks.”

I hope you’re right, Master,
Kaijin
thought.

Zarya sighed. “There is nothing more we can do.
There is no sense in getting ourselves worked up over something that is out of
our hands. Let us return to our quarters and wait out this storm.”

The group agreed and slowly dispersed back to
their quarters.

Kaijin closed his curtain and plopped back down in
his blankets. He grimaced when he felt that they were wet. Standing up, he
noticed his entire quarters was soaked. Kaijin got up, went to his window and
peered out at the rough seas. Raindrops stung his face. The ship rocked as
gigantic waves crashed into its side. A huge wave suddenly surged through the
window, drenching his face and clothes in cold saltwater. He shivered and
pulled back from the window.

“Ugh!” Kaijin said, wiping the saltwater from his
face and eyes. Miele screeched in his mind.
“I’m okay,”
he responded to
her.
“But I’m really worried about Aidan and the rest of the crew. This
storm seems to be getting worse!”

Miele screeched again, then flew toward the window.
Her wings flapped faster, and she hovered there for a moment, then flew out of
the way of another incoming splash of water from another crashing wave.

Kaijin watched her, then blinked.
“Are you thinking
of flying out there in that mess? No, it’s much too dangerous!”
He paused
and realized he hadn’t heard the captain’s or the crew’s voices in several
minutes. He felt his heart pound, fear of the worst overtaking him again.
What
if something has happened to them?
He looked at Miele.
“All right. Just
a peek, and come right back, understand?”

After another reassuring screech, Miele flew back
to the window. She made sure there was not another incoming swell before flying
out. As soon as she disappeared, Kaijin immediately concentrated on her
location. He became one with her, and saw through her eyes.

* * *

Miele flew to the closed doorway of the captain’s
quarters and perched there with her wings folded about her body to shield the
sideways-falling, heavily pounding rain. She had an ideal view of most of the
activity on the ship. The sky was an eerie greyish-black, and the clouds
rolled. Lightning streaked across the sky, and a single bolt struck the sea,
not far from the ship. A near-deafening crack of thunder sounded afterward.

The crew members, who had secured themselves with
ropes tied around their waists, scrambled about the slippery deck to and from
their various stations. The captain braced himself against one of the sailors,
his arm shielding his face from the rain and wind.

Aidan was bailing water, using large wooden tubs
and barrels that must have been brought up from belowdeck. Aidan effortlessly
hefted the water-filled containers, which normally took three or four men to
carry, in one arm each and dumped the contents over the side of the ship. Rain
pelted his face, but he appeared unfazed.

“Gods! What is Aidan doing?”
Kaijin said in
Miele’s mind.

A swell crashed over the side of the ship,
drenching everyone, including Miele. She dropped from the doorway and landed on
the slippery floor.

Kaijin gasped.
“Miele! Come back!”

Shivering, Miele crawled about the floor, trying
to take off again, but she was too drenched and exhausted.

A bolt of lightning suddenly flashed and struck
the crow’s nest, splitting it in two and setting it ablaze. Sailors rushed to
put the fire out but slipped and fell on the moving, slippery deck. The flaming
wooden pillar creaked, groaned, and finally fell over. It crashed into the main
deck. Waves greedily rushed into the ship’s newly damaged area and doused the
flames.

“We can’t take much more of this!” the captain
yelled over the commotion.

More and more water began to rise around Miele as
she crawled toward one of the railings.

“Are we ... sinking?”
Kaijin asked her.

“Rogue wave, Captain!” a sailor yelled, pointing
starboard.

“Hells ...
Brace!
Everyone brace!”

As Miele pulled herself up to the edge of the
ship’s side, she spotted a great wall of water moving closer to the ship,
bigger than any wave she or Kaijin had ever seen.

“Hurry, Miele! Return to me!”

Miele quickly shook excess water from her wings
and glided back down to Kaijin’s window. When she was but a breath’s distance
away from her master, they both blacked out.

* * *

Aidan dove off the
sinking ship and plunged into the cold ocean. He swam to the surface and squinted
into the stinging rain. The noise of the raging storm drowned out the panicked
cries of the passengers and crew. He held his breath and braced for an incoming
swell that engulfed him. He swam to the surface again.

“Kaijin!” he called, but
there was no answer.

The storm mysteriously
passed and the rains died down to a steady fall. The damaged ship had sunk, leaving
only debris and stray pieces of splintered wood floating along the waves in its
wake. The fear of being completely alone and helpless overcame Aidan’s mind.

No, how could this
happen? Why did it happen?

Aidan swam throughout
the area, searching for survivors. He took a deep breath, submerged, and looked
around, but his vision was blurry underwater. He surfaced and exhaled. He
extended his wings, and floated.

Thick fog began rolling
in, concealing whatever lay beyond. The cloudy skies were orange from the
rising sun.

Something sharp grazed
the bottoms of his feet, and Aidan shuddered. He looked into the depths, but
saw nothing. Large bubbles rose all around him, and the sharp sensation on his
feet returned. Suddenly, Aidan was lifted out of the water and found himself
atop a frilled head of a gigantic creature—a Dragon. The Dragon tilted its head
back, and Aidan tumbled down the scaly finned length of the creature’s neck and
landed on its back. The creature craned its neck to look around at him. The
setting moon peeked through the dense clouds, casting dim light over the ribbed
and fluted crests that swept back from the Dragon’s scaly cheeks and glowing,
pupilless green eyes which flashed with electricity. The Dragon’s beaked snout
lifted slightly as it flicked its long pointed tongue.

“I thought I smelled a Koraseru
nearby, and here you appear to be,” the Dragon rumbled in Draconic, his voice guttural.

Aidan blinked and
stared, open-mouthed.
He called me a Koraseru, just like the Mistress,
Kyniythyria,
did.

“Well? What say you,
half-blood?” The Dragon added in Common, “Or do you not understand Draconic?”

“I understand, Great
One,” Aidan responded in Draconic. “Forgive me. My name is Aidan. Your presence
startled me.”

“Yes, well ...” The
Dragon sniffed the air, then stared out at the floating debris. “I was out
hunting when I caught your scent. I’d not smelled a Koraseru in so long, and I
needed to sate my curiosity as to whether what I smelled was real or mere
illusion. That, and debris from a destroyed ship sank over my hunting grounds
and scared all the fish away.”

Aidan swallowed. “I was
on that ship, Great One. I was travelling with friends when a storm hit and destroyed
it. I could not find any survivors. I ... I fear I am the only one left.”

“Well, fortunately, we
are not far from land. I will take you to shore and return here to search for
the rest of your friends and crew.”

“Thank you, Great One!”

The Dragon swam toward
the foggy horizon. “My name is Jovi’vezzyvex. You’re kin, and a Koraseru. No
need to use the fancy titles around me. Now, then. Hold on tight and hold your
breath. We will reach the shore in no time at all.”

Aidan did so and closed
his eyes, and he felt the waves rush over his skin as Jovi’vezzyvex submerged
and zipped through the waters toward a destination unknown to Aidan.