FireSweet

Sing to me softly

“He couldn’t,” I whispered under my breath, focusing for what seemed like the hundredth time in an attempt to charm my dagger.  “He says never trust a pirate yet insists that he could never betray me.  Because that makes sense, right.”

                I curled my hands into fists, willing magic to come to me.  After a moment or two I opened them, my palms near the dagger I had laid on the forest floor. 

                Nothing happened.

                I snarled in frustration, fire now springing to my hands long enough for me to incinerate the grass in a ten foot radius.  Naturally, my dagger managed to remain unscathed, the fire magic avoiding the object.  I tried to bring the fire from the outburst back to me, but I could not feel the soothing sensation of its heat within my veins.  I could not focus without my thoughts drifting to my captain.  And with every thought of him my fire fled deeper into my soul. 

                Fortunately he was not here to see this complete failure, having left soon after his random declaration to attend his business with his first mates.  Nonetheless, I hated that I could not accomplish this seemingly simple task.  His words continued to echo within my ears, the sight of him fighting though my flames lit up my mind’s eye. 

                I gave up on my task, slipping my dagger into my sash before I set off toward Vinyé’s camp.  I would go looking for the blood diamond, and while I did not believe it would be with Vinyé, it did not hurt to check. 

                I passed a few rogues while in the common, careful not to meet the leering looks they gave me.  I did not doubt that Dikamir had told them who was responsible for making their pathetic living conditions even worse.  Fortunately, this particular group did not attack me while I went about my business, though I could hear their growls from over ten feet away.  They looked to be headed toward Captain Storm’s camp.  For a moment I considered returning to the rogue camp, but I thought the better of it.  They would probably be vigilant for a while, with Dikamir fully paranoid.

                I circled around the compound, all senses on alert in case other rogues were wandering the forest near Vinyé’s camp.  I slunk along the back wall of the compound, straining my ears for any sign of human life. 

“Sing to me softly, dream nights away,

Whisper of days yet to come.”

                The notes were sweet and soft, yet had chilled me to my core and caused the hair on my body to stand on end.  I could barely hear the words, yet I knew the singer was female.  I heard the haunting melody again, moving toward the source of the sound, all other motives forgotten.  As I reached the back door of the compound the song shifted to behind me, through the door that led to the lounge.  I moved my hand slowly, turning the ring in the center clockwise before pressing in the top left corner of the door. 

                The door swung inward, the hinges soundless in their motion.  The pure notes flooded my ears once more, the lines repeating what I had heard before fading to a wordless shift of musical power.  I walked into the lounge, surprised to see the eyesore of a room completely devoid of people.  I paused for a moment, waiting for the song to begin again.  All was silent.

                I stood in the middle of the lounge, my breath held as I waited for something.  A movement, a whisper, but there was nothing but the beating of my own heart.  Even Vidan was nowhere to be found.  I spun around quickly, paranoid that the man would be immediately behind me.  I came face to face with empty air, and couldn’t help but laugh at my foolishness.  Why would Vidan be here when the Conclave wasn’t running?  He was a pirate like any other man right?  What made him so special?  I had no reason to fear him.