Treasure
Chapter Eleven: Dead in the Water
Chapter Fourteen: A Promise Kept
Chapter Fifteen: Secrets & Fantasies
The Lost Gods
Megan DerrNine gods ruled the world, until the ultimate betrayal resulted in their destruction. Now, the world is dying and only by restoring the Lost Gods can it be saved.
Nine hundred years ago, the Dragons of the Three Storms, gods of chaos, tried to destroy their land of Kundou. Only by rising up and slaying the Dragons and stealing their power was Kundou saved. Now, that power resides in the royal family and grants them the right to rule.
But that power comes at a terrible price, and Prince Nankyokukai is determined that he will be the last to pay it—even if it means surrendering his chance with the man he has waited for his entire life.
Treasure, the Lost Gods 1
By Megan Derr
Published by Less Than Three Press
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission of the publisher, except for the purpose of reviews.
Edited by Samantha M. Derr
Cover designed by London Burden
This book is a work of fiction and as such all characters and situations are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual people, places, or events is coincidental.
Second Edition January 2012
Copyright © 2012 by Megan Derr
Printed in the United States of America
ISBN 9781620041390
"This is my hiding spot!" Kinni hissed in outrage, furious that some street rat had found his little corner in the old warehouse. He'd searched ages for a place no one would think to look. "This is my spot," he repeated. "Go find your own."
"So-sorry," the figure said, slowly standing up. He pressed his hands to his face to wipe away tears, but managed to do little more than smudge them into the dust that already covered his face. There was always dust in the old warehouses in the harbor. The sunlight that filtered through the cracks in the old wood walls was just enough to see by.
He'd thought the intruder was a girl at first, what with the crying and the shoulder-length violet hair. But he could sort of tell it was a boy. Crying. Kinni shook his head and motioned impatiently. "Sit down. If you run now, the guards will see you, and I don't want to get caught. Took all day to get away from the storming smith."
"S-smith?" the boy asked, still sniffling, but he obediently sat back down, curling his legs up as he set his back against a towering packing crate.
"Silversmith," Kinni said shortly, not interested in discussing the bastard he'd finally run away from. He belonged on the sea like his dad, not slaving away in some stupid shop full of dumb trinkets. "I ran away." He slid down to sit down next to the strange crying boy. "Why are you crying?" he demanded. "Boys don't cry. My dad said so."
In reply, the boy only hunched his shoulders and sniffled, obviously trying to stop crying. "They tried to hurt me again for 'acting up' in lessons."
Lessons. Violet hair. Some noble brat. Kinni grimaced, but slid his pack off his shoulders. Mama had always said to be nice, and the boy was crying, so he could try. "I have some food, if you want to share. Just don't eat all of it."
"Me too," the boy said quietly, and he suddenly scrambled over to a shadowy corner, pulling out a satchel that seemed way too big for his tiny body—he was smaller than Kinni, but then the shop women always said Kinni was big for his age—and opened it up, pulling out half a dozen clumsily wrapped bundles. "Took it from the kitchen when the cooks weren't looking," he said with another soft sniffle.
Kinni stared: Little oranges that were actually called something else but he couldn't remember what; flat bread that smelled like cinnamon; two little meat pies; and hunks of cheese. It made his feeble takings seem that much more pathetic. Grimacing, he pulled out what he had: A few small apples, some hard bread, and a few pickled eggs he'd managed to snatch right before he'd fled while the storming smith was starting in early with the cheap wine. Storms, it was only lunch time.
"Apples!" the boy said eagerly. "Those are my favorite."
"Trade you for an orange," Kinni said, holding out one of his green apples. Immediately the boy nodded, taking the apple and giving Kinni an orange. "My name is Kinni. What's yours?"
The boy stared at him, silent for a long time. "Koori," he said at last.
Kinni grunted and began peeling the little orange, ripping the skin away and tearing the slices apart, popping one in his mouth, and grinning around it. "This is good."
"Mmmhmm," Koori agreed, taking another bit of his apple, holding it with both hands as if worried it would get away from him.
"So why are you here?" Kinni asked when his orange was gone, more interested in getting another one than in knowing why Koori had run away.
Koori paused in the middle of taking a bite, and Kinni almost groaned when he realized he'd made Koori start crying again. The apple fell into the dirt as Koori curled up, sobbing quietly into his arm.
"Hey! Storms take it! What's wrong? Stop crying—boys don't cry, come on. What's wrong?" Kinni struggled to get Koori to stop, utterly confused. This was worse than even the way the other kids picked on him for his white hair and skin and refused to play with him. He knew how to deal with mean people. Crying people just left him confused.
He reached out to touch Koori's shoulder, yelping when he abruptly turned and embraced Kinni tightly, clinging tighter than a starfish to a ship. Desperately Kinni tried to think of some way to get the crying boy off of him. Shoving wasn't working. He settled for what he'd seen some of the men around the shops do when their women started crying and patted Koori's back and shoulders. "Dragons, it's all right. What has you acting like this?"
"I-I-I-don't-don't," Koori sniffled loudly then started coughing before he regained control of his voice. "I don't want to g-go h-home."
Kinni rolled his eyes. "Then don't. S'why I ran away. I'm going to be a sailor like my dad."
Koori's sobbing eased a bit, and slowly he sat up. "A-a sailor?" he repeated, voice full of the same longing Kinni felt every day.
"Yeah," Kinni said proudly. "My dad taught me all about sailing, so I know any ship will be glad to take me." He hoped. He didn't want to go back to that storming trinket shop, and now that he'd run away, if a ship didn't take him he was in for a lot worse than making trinkets all day.
"I can't do anything," Koori said with a sniffle. He wiped the tears from his cheeks, smudging the grimy dust further, then fumbled in his satchel again. "I don't know where to go, and all I have is this," he said in a low tone, pulling something out of his bag and handing it to Kinni. "Mama said it was special."
Kinni knew silver when he saw it, even in the dingy light filtering into the tiny corner. It was a dagger, decorative rather than actually useful, and he could see there were stones set into it—possibly saphir or esmeralda, though it was hard to tell. The sheath was silver as well, set with more stones. He handed it back. "You could sell that for a lot of money."
"Maybe," Koori said with a frown. He set the dagger in his lap and retrieved his apple, meticulously wiping it off before he resumed eating. "So why are you going to be a sailor?"
"My dad was a sailor. A captain. I'm going to be captain of the best ship in the world and bring home the ultimate treasure just like he did."
Koori looked at him with wide eyes. "What's the ultimate treasure?"
"Ah—I don't know yet. Dad never said; he just always smiled at mom like they were keeping a secret." Kinni frowned at the memory, refusing to be sad that his parents were dead. He was tired of being sad. He was strong, just like dad. "I'll find it anyway though, just wait and see."
"I wish I could," Koori said, smiling sadly. "I should probably go home, though, even if I don't want to. I don't know how to be a sailor, and if I stay away they'll hurt my sister instead of me."
Kinni glowered. "Hurt your sister? Who will?"
"The t-tutors," Koori said, beginning to sniffle again. "They always h-hurt me when I do or say something wrong. M-ma-mama says it's 'growing up' when I tell her." He wiped his cheek again.
Kinni patted his shoulder again, really hoping Koori wouldn't cling all over him again. "It's cause you cry," he said knowingly. "The storming smith I worked for picked on me a lot after my parents died, and I was sad. Then I just started laughing at him, and he got so mad eventually he stopped punishing me all the time. When they try to hurt you, just laugh instead of cry. Then they'll stop and maybe leave your sister alone too."
"R-really?" Koori asked, blinking those wide, wide eyes up at him.
Something about him made Kinni want to hug him, which was just girly and weird. "Really," he said.
Koori nodded obediently. "I still wish I could be a sailor."
"Why can't you?"
"B-because of my s-sister," Koori said, beginning to cry again. "And no-no-no one likes me…" He looked miserably at Kinni, then down at his own hands which were fisted in the fabric of his grungy robes.
"Aw, that's not true. I'm sure there are people that like you." He reached out to pat Koori's shoulder again, letting out what sounded like a squeak when Koori abruptly leeched onto him, crying quietly against him.
Storms take it. Kinni patted his back, really wishing he could figure out how to make Koori stop crying and going all starfish. "What about your parents?" Instead of calming, Koori only cried harder. Wrong thing to say. Kinni struggled to think of what to do. "Well—I like you. Even if you cry a lot."
"Y-you just met me," Koori said plaintively. "You can't like me already."
Kinni frowned. "Yes, I can. The only people I don't like are mean people, and you cry too much to be mean."
"M'kay," Koori mumbled against his shirt then slowly he sat up. "I like you, too." He smiled.
Kinni stared, but his thoughts were broken up as outside the harbor bells began to ring. "The ports are closing soon," he said. "If I'm going to try and get on a ship before they find me for running away from my apprenticeship, I have to go now."
