A Pirate for the Dead Goddess (Legends of Rahasia Book 2)

Chapter Eight

                  

We miss the window to make it to Lune, our ship drifting amongst the choppy waters. The invisible barrier's descended. The Kona can go no farther, a fat duck sitting on the water.

            Then, as the moon fades from the sky, a darkness descends. From the heavens above, the moonlight flickers out, like extinguishing a candle flame.

            "That's not natural." Farzaneh's green eyes glow softly as the dark rushes towards us, like shadowy smoke, choking the life from us all. "Light doesn't just disappear."

            I hold out my hand. On the far horizon, I can make out the glass city of Lune, the spires fading as the moonlight just fades from view. "It does here." I swing around. Ali's drinking from a flask, a dog ready to bite. "Ali, have the crew prepare for a hard night."

            Ali, still muttering curses, takes another long swig from her flask. She wears a thin dagger through her mess of coiled hair, tied up in a knot above her head. She takes this dagger out now, brandishing it as she snaps at the fearful crew. "You all! Listen up. Light all lanterns. If you're of weak mental fortitude, tie yourself to the masts. Else, you'll throw yourselves overboard in minutes. If you don't, I'll carve you!"

            I stomp down from the wheel. Jun and Xander are tying down the sails, setting anchor and restraining everything that'd otherwise slide overboard. "I know it's convenient to the plot that we didn't make it in time to Lune," Jun mumbles in Xander's ear. I can't hear Xander's reply, but Jun just frowns. "Yes, well I never liked the fourth wall anyways. Might as well break it." Then, an exasperated sigh. "Well, it's not my fault you're afraid of the dark."

            "Hurry up! Tie all goods, supplies, and sickly crew members down!" I howl, turning to see that Fari is stock-still. Staring out at the darkness rolling in blackening clouds from the horizon. Lune's glowing beacon has all but vanished in the hazy, unnatural twilight.

            I walk closer to Fari when the majority of the ship's secured. She hugs her arms around herself. Her green eyes glow softly. "Breathe," she whispers. She turns to me, and an immediate sense of calm washes over.

            Her magic.

            She's using her magic to keep the crew calm.

            "Get out of my head, Farzaneh." My voice is a warning, my dice and her eyes the only things offering light this side of the ship. The majority of night-lamps are gathered to the side, near the sleeping hammocks. "You don't know what the waters of Lune will do to you. You think our magic can protect us. It can't. In fact, we're the weakest ones out here. Our magic makes us dangerous."

            The corner of her lip twitches upwards into a smile. "We're always in danger, Lucky." The fuzziness fades from my mind. The rest of my crew's still rapt though. The ones who've tied themselves to the mast sway softly to an invisible rhythm. "Tell me what happens in Lune."

            The darkness completes itself, surrounding us all. The water stills, all at once. It's like the Kona's floating in the darkness. Where not even the stars shine. Where the dark's so thick that light is gone. The darkness is so pervasive, it's almost easy to forget. To forget how to breathe. To forget that light, aside from the lamps, my dice, and Fari's eyes... to forget that light ever graced our world at all. "The longest night you've ever known. Lasting until the moon next rises. In it, the darkness becomes like a mirror." I scrape my fingers, crooked and not healed correctly, against my forehead. "A mirror for everything that's wrong in your mind."

            The glow of her green eyes flicker. We breathe together. And when I'm certain she won't drown in the darkness, I get to my feet again.

            "Everyone, huddle together in the center of the ship. Form a circle, back-to-back." The crew that's still mobile get to their feet. Around twenty that can walk. We stagger together. Jun and Xander huddle by Fari's side. Only Ali sits by me, because she knows it'll irk me.

            "Are we going to cuddle for the long night?" I can't see her face very well, but I'm sure Ali's smirking, her stick-straight hair slipping from her dagger knots. Oh, how I itch to curse her again.

            I inhale. Exhale. Just like I told Farzaneh. "Easier to monitor if one of us goes insane. Damage control if someone stands up, tries to peer overboard."

            The crew shuffles then into an awkward silence. Bodies pressed together, but a circle still forms around me. I can smell their sweat. Fear.

            "Jun, tell us a story." Farzaneh's voice, soft and pleading, a calming power rumbling through it.

            It doesn't take much magic for Jun to begin. Anything's better than that oppressive, pitch-dark silence. "What do you want to hear, Ms. Witch?"

            Farzaneh pauses, closing those glass-green eyes of hers, like the glass in a bottle of liquor. Familiar. "Tell me about your pasts, before Lucky."

            "If you want a history of the ship before Captain Dice here took over, I'll have to speak. Only ones left from the original crew are me and Xander after all, but Xander doesn't talk. Rest of 'em are dead. Or cursed. Or both. They all tried to mutiny against Luck, and you know what they say. Rebel against Luck, and you're fu—."

I clear my throat extra loudly.

Ali switches gears. "Anyway, I'll talk plenty for the both of us." Ali guffaws, puffing out her chest, all proud. "Old Captain Fish-Scales, actually his name was Fisher, but we called him all sorts before. Me and Xan, we were what? He was 18 and just branded. Me? I was 19. I told you earlier." She waves her hand airily. "Xander joined the crew because he was begging for his life. Needed a quick escape from the Idriolan army for making love to a general's pretty wife. And old Captain Fisher, well, he picked me up. I was his favorite courtesan when he traveled to Rahasia. We were lovers. Only made sense he'd take me."

            Ali stops then, swallows hard. She stares into the distance, eyes gone wide. Still.

            She shakes her head repeatedly, her whole body tensing up. Then, as though her entire body's burning, she screams her throat raw. She runs with a jerky gait, running towards the Kona's railing. She aims to throw herself over.

            To end the nightmarish shadows that she sees.

            I run forwards with Farzaneh, both of us pulling Ali back to the center, where the rest of the sane crew hold her down. Others are on their sides, sobbing quietly, rocking back and forth.

            "Hold them down." I growl, waving my hands as though to beat the mind-consuming shadows back with crooked fists alone. "I'm not losing any crew to Lune."

            So...

            The long night's begun.

***

Ali: This is not my finest moment.

Lucky: Gods' teeth, stop breaking the fourth wall, crew!

Farzaneh: You just did it now too.

Xander: *unintelligible*

Jun: Well, yes it would help awfully if the readers voted and commented. Well, it looks like they have some strange magical devices they're using to read this. (looks again) From what I can tell, it is... an eye fawn. Or perhaps an apple? No, maybe it is the my-crow-soft system... Or that other little metallic demon one. The ant-Roy.

Ali: Why are people naming their aunts Roy?

Me: Are you discussing iPhones right now?

Lucky: Commenting? People are COMMENTING on me? Those damnable gossips, how dare they!

Farzaneh: Don't make me use my magic again!