The Last Shade II: Of Mice and Men

Chapter 2

At night, Kiel didn't dare to sleep, not because he was afraid the pirates would make a move on him, but because he did not want to see what his dreams might bring him, memories manifested into a pseudo reality he might not be able to extract himself from. Sitting back against the bed board, Kiel listened to the ship's little clatters and murmurs, like some great beast, making him less alone. Propping "Of Seas and Skies" on his raised knees, Kiel turned to where he had left off, as the dim light of the portable lamp beside him cast a warm glow over his focused figure.

Around five in the morning, Kiel estimated almost accurately, the door cracked open and someone crept in, freezing when they saw Kiel thumbing over a page in his book.

"You're awake," Bean chuckled awkwardly, "Did you even sleep?"

"Maybe about three to four hours," Kiel replied without looking up.

Bean crossed over to the closet in three large strides, packing his arms full of clothing and shutting the door with a foot.

"I'll take my leave then," he said, whisking out the door which clicked shut as the man fled to Halfdan's room.

Unbothered by the momentary intrusion, Kiel adjusted his position to a more comfortable one, rubbing the page between his thumb and index finger.

———~~<~>~~———

For the next three days, Kiel's rare appearances failed to make the other three passengers aboard forget his presence. If anything, the glimpses of him they could count on one hand only served as painful reminders that not only were they returning empty-handed, but also that they had an unrivalled treasure they had to snag carefully.

Due to Kiel's lack of demands and elusive nature, the sky pirates have started relaxing their guard and becoming bold enough to formulate a plan. Osrios, coming into view via Halfdan's telescope, was about to be announced by him when a hand landing on his shoulder almost made him lose it overboard.

"Seems like we're almost there," Kiel said casually, somehow having materialised ondeck without anyone noticing.

Halfdan, remembering what he was about to do, shouted, "Land ahoy!"

Bean's head promptly popped out of the hatch, face radiating excitement.

"Finally! I'm so sick of eating beans all day!"

Osrios grew larger on the horizon, and Kiel watched on the side as the pirates busied about preparing for landing. As the tops of trees and a patchwork of buildings came into view, Bean unchained the anchor, preparing to cast it overboard at a quieter part of the island. As his muscles strained, the holes in his coat at his elbow widened, nearly splitting larger at the seams. Pudgin and Halfdan were dressed in a similar shabby fashion, the worst Kiel had seen in the last few days.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Kiel finally brought himself to ask, walking up to Halfdan.

He pulled at his lapels, one taller than the other, successfully tearing the fabric slightly.

"Osrios is a seedy place where you can find all sorts of people. It's to prevent us from getting mugged."

Pudgin, an undersized stained shirt straining round his extensive belly, rubbed his unkempt beard between his fingers, joining Halfdan by the railing.

"It was an island used to exile people in the past, and even used as a prison at some point." Pudgin's beady eyes scanned Kiel's figure critically. "Your Honor, I'm afraid it's not a place for someone of your calibre."

"You can just call me "Kiel"," Kiel said, plucking his crown off his head and sliding it onto his wrist, "the age of the two Rulers is old history."

The crown automatically shrunk, adhering tightly to Kiel's right wrist. Shaking out a small square of fabric he had brought along, one of Bean's older cloaks unraveled, the long fabric swathing Kiel's figure down to his ankles, the hood he pulled up easily obscuring his face from view.