The Wrath Of the Forgotten (23 page)

He moved past the mess hall and saw a single lantern lit within. Nori poked his head in and noticed a stout sailor moving about the kitchen. Rather than bother the busy cook, Nori scampered up the stairs and stepped out under the starry heavens.

A pair of sailors stood at the helm while a third sailor sat atop the crow’s nest. As soon as Nori stepped out into the open, one of the sailors whispered out to him.

“Can’t sleep, big man?” The sailor asked.

Nori pointed toward the ship’s bow. “Do you mind if I play some music over there? I won’t be loud. I just need to clear my head.”

The sailors waved him on and went back to talking to one another. Nori crept over to the front of the ship and settled down against a rail so he faced the river. A soft harmony surrounded him. The ship passed through the water and created a constant rhythm. A gust blew around the vessel. In the distance, the grass swayed as the wind passed through it. Nori took out his lute and cleared his mind.

At first, like every other time he played, Nori allowed his fingers to simply strum. Delicate notes interweaved with the natural symphony around him. Every crescendo led to a heart chilling dip. As the individual notes blended together to form a heart-lifting harmony, Nori’s trepidation faltered. He breathed deeply as he went into a song his grandfather once sang to him. Even though Nori didn’t actually say the words, he heard his grandfather’s voice echo within him. A peculiar sensation started in the tip of his stomach. It grew up through his chest and filled his head with a discrete kind of lightness. While the feeling caught him off guard at first, he reveled in absence of his nightmare. He finished the song and then savored the delicious silence that followed it.

“You’re extremely loyal, you’re strong, and you play the lute?” Luxi asked. “Careful, my Onistan friend. A lady is liable to snatch you up.”

Luxi walked up from behind him, a kind of swagger in her step. She carried a bottle of something, but it looked to be only half full. She didn’t stand over him, but rested beside him against the rail. Her eyes turned to the view of the river bending around the bow of the ship.

Nori stared at her, but then she cocked an eye at him.

“Well?” Luxi asked. “What are you waiting for? Play.”

A sudden tickle climbed up Nori’s throat. He laughed a moment later. Luxi brought the bottle up to her lips. Before she took a drink, she licked the edges of the rim and then tipped the bottle back momentarily. A crimson liquid rushed out of the bottle and disappeared beyond the captain’s lips.

Nori placed his fingers on the neck of the lute. His fingers struck the right strings, and he went into an old Onistan love ballad. Its soft and airy nature cascaded around them. Once more, Nori’s troubled mind waned and made room for comfort. When he finished the song, Luxi passed him the bottle.

“My turn,” Luxi said. “Take a drink.”

As soon as Nori grabbed the bottle from her, Luxi pulled out a small flute from a side bag. She held the little instrument with great care. Her nimble fingers slowly traced over the holes, and she brought it up to her lips.

A hypnotic note hung in the air, and soon, more notes followed it. Luxi’s song sounded dreamy, as if it were a lullaby.

Nori brought the bottle to his lips and reared back his head. The edge of the bottle still looked a little shiny from where the captain had licked it. For a brief moment, Nori wondered if he should do the same. His cheeks grew hot.

Soon, his belly did as well. The liquid was definitely alcoholic. It had a cinnamon taste at first, but then a minty bite seconds after it struck his tongue. His throat and stomach awoke with such fervor. Nori’s eyes bulged for a moment.

Luxi continued to play, but delight danced in her eyes. She finished her song and took the bottle back from him.

“So what’s the matter with you?” Luxi asked. “Can’t sleep or something?”

Nori winced. The light between them was quite poor, aside from the brilliance of the moon. Could she see his unease? “I just had a nightmare. I thought coming out here might clear my head and maybe make me drowsy.”

Luxi leaned back and gazed at the moon. “I love it out here. Whenever I’m feeling pissed off, sad, or sexually frustrated, I come out here and savor the night. So, what was your nightmare about?”

Nori followed her line of sight. Amidst the vast blackness of the night’s sky, a small white sphere hung effortlessly. It looked like a great celestial yin-yang symbol. His skin lurched with unnatural life. Every organ within him pulsated with some kind of weird energy. Whenever he peeked over at her, he felt his pulse jump. His lips felt excessively dry, so he licked them in hopes of easing their discomfort.

“I had a dream about home,” Nori said. “Only, it wasn’t the way I left it. Onista was utterly destroyed.”

Luxi said “You’re homesick then? When did you last see your beloved mountains?”

Nori sighed. “Five years.”

“Why haven’t you gone back since then?” Luxi asked.

“You already know I’m a Qu-Tar.” He let his fingers strum against his lute once. The discordant clash of notes danced on the air and soared away from the ship. “I was conscripted into Imperial service, and I only recently finished my training with them.”

Luxi peered over at him. “That sounds as wonderful as a horse kick to the crotch. How long did the training last?”

Nori chuckled. “Five years. The people in my cohort were trained extensively. After all, guarding royalty isn’t lightly given to the unprepared.”

Luxi took another swig of the drink and then passed it to Nori. When he hesitated, she jingled it in front of him. “Drink. If you’re having issues sleeping, then this will help.”

Nori took another swig from the bottle. This time, the fire in the back of his throat felt more intense. He coughed as he passed it back to her.

“It has a kick, huh?” Luxi said. “I love the stuff.”

“So you know a little about me, but what about you?” Nori asked. “Where are you from?”

For a long moment, Luxi just sat there in the dark. She batted her eyes and studied him with an eerie sense of wonder. Chills crawled up the back of Nori’s thighs, but he refused to show that it affected him.

“I’m from the town of Gohoda.” Luxi licked the bottle’s rim and took another swig. “Have you ever heard about it?”

“Not really,” Nori replied. “I’ve heard it mentioned in hushed conversations, as if it’s a place to be feared.”

Luxi barked out with amusement. “I swear to Saito, your naivety is refreshing. Yes, Gohoda is a place to be feared, for those with small minds and meek hearts. It’s called the City of Pirates. Granted, I’m not a pirate, but my family is filled with them.”

Nori reached over and snatched the bottle from her hands. Luxi’s eyes went wide as she watched Nori take another sip from the bottle. She only spoke when he placed the bottle back in her hands. A grin covered her face.

Nori grimaced as the inferno continued to burn in his insides. He spoke with pained words. “So what made you different than your family?”

“I suppose the answer to that would be my father,” Luxi said. “He wasn’t a pirate, he just fell in love with one. So tell me this, if you miss your home so much, why don’t you go back?”

Nor stared into the water for a moment. A pair of answers echoed within his mind. One had greater weight and truth than the other.

“For one, it’s my duty and an honor to dedicate my life to the Imperial Family,” Nori said.

“Honor shmonor.” Luxi drank more. She coughed a little as she brought it away from her lips. “What’s the point of life if you have to sacrifice your own happiness for others?”

“Being a Qu-Tar is a great responsibility, and it provides great meaning to my life,” Nori said.

Luxi chuckled. “Would you have chosen to follow this path willingly? You were conscripted, right?”

He opened his mouth to speak, but the words melted into mush as soon as they prepared to leave his tongue. “No, I don’t suppose I would have chosen to be a Qu-Tar.”

“So what would you have chosen to do?” Luxi asked. “Just hypothetically speaking?”

A deep rumbling chuckle arose in him, and he let it out. “I suppose I would have followed in my mother’s footsteps and served in the city militia. I loved my homeland. There are such beauties hidden up in the mountains.”

“Don’t I know it,” Luxi said. “Gohoda is surrounded by mountains too, even though it has a vast bay leading into the river. I used to go hiking through the peaks near the city as a child. I can appreciate the splendor that they possess. So, are you planning on going back should you make it to retirement?”

Nori replied, “Yeah. That’ll be in twenty years though. At least I’ll be able to earn enough to have a great later part of my life.”

Luxi went to take another sip from the bottle, but she noticed only one swig remained. She offered it to Nori, but he declined. Luxi leaned her head back, drank the last of the alcohol, and then tossed the bottle into the river.

“So what’s the real reason you’re staying put?” Luxi said. “I’m really great at reading people. You’d be surprised how easy I can point out perverts in a crowd. I know there’s something else that’s binding you to your position. Is it one of the girls?”

Nori waved his hand at her. “I don’t really know them that well. They’re nice, even Rayko…at times. I suppose it’s a matter of pride of heritage. Onistans always endure, and they never give up. For some reason, my destiny led me here. Great Saito says ‘Do not grieve for the path you find yourself on. Celebrate the journey and open yourself up to the mysteries that you will find.’ Had I not become a Qu-Tar, then I wouldn’t be off rushing to save the empire at the moment.”

Luxi winced. “Save the empire, huh? I suppose this thing you and your little harem are trying to prevent is pretty bad huh?”

Nori chuckled. “They’re not my harem. They tolerate me like a stray dog they’re forced to keep with them. And to answer your question, yeah. It’s pretty bad. I don’t know the details like the girls do. I just break people apart and serve as a meat shield. They do all the thinking and the planning.”

“You say that, but I can tell you’re a thinker yourself.” Luxi placed her flute back in her bag. “You’re not just some big dumb brute.”

She started to get up, but Nori held out his hand. “Wait, I have one more question.”

Luxi placed her hands on her hips. She smirked at him. “Go on, ask.”

“How did you know that Flara was the real client?”

Luxi leaned up against the rail beside Nori and gazed at the moon once more. “You walked in front of the girls. I noticed you positioned yourself in front of Flara, rather than the loud obnoxious one. When Rayko started spouting all of that nonsense, I noticed that Flara sank behind the other one…”

Nori interrupted her by saying “Apisa. Her name is Apisa.”

Luxi tilted her head and let out a very slight huff. “Apisa. I also noticed that although Rayko had the adornments of a noble lady, she didn’t carry herself with the specific poise and grace that those with enormous responsibility tend to move with. Rayko seemed a bit too carefree to be a princess, much less one who has an urgent mission pressing in on her mind. Flara, on the other hand, did display those qualities. Apisa was clearly not the client either.”

Nori placed the lute in the case and closed the lid. “Why is that?”

“Her stance, the way she was dressed, and the way she also stood a little too close to Flara tipped me off.” Luxi rested her hand on her sword hilt. “I may not like stuck up bitches like Rayko, but she and Apisa did show great loyalty and dedication to their friend. I’m impressed by the whole lot of you.”

Nori stood up and placed the lute case on his shoulder. “I’m the one who’s impressed. You were able to tell all that by just looking at us?”

A sudden distance created itself in Luxi’s eyes. She gave a little grin, and Nori suspected it wasn’t for him. “My father always told me to take note of every little detail. He was a smuggler too. He always told me, the little details could save your life. He was a good man.”

Nori winced. “You know what? I just realized. You remind me of my mother.”

Luxi giggled, but it sounded nervous. “Um …thank you? I don’t know if that’s a good thing.”

Nori’s lips curled upward. “It’s a good thing. My mother is a strong woman who doesn’t take crap from anyone. I hope to be half the person she is one day.”

“If what you’re saying is true, then you’re mother is the most amazing person in all of Korrine.” Luxi walked past Nori. As she passed him, she grazed her fingers against the skin of his shoulder. “I hope your dreams are more pleasant this time around.”

Nori watched her go below deck. A great fire still burned in his belly. Nori wasn’t certain it had been created entirely by the booze either. As he moved toward the stairs leading below deck, his legs felt like noodles. A flurry of thoughts hit him at once, one being most peculiar.

Apisa reminds me of mother too. I love my mother. She’s so incredible.

As soon as he thought that, he stopped. His head felt slightly dizzy. He dismissed it, and started moving again.