KingSweet

Shade's Success

            I had to be wrong.  It was someone else… or I was hallucinating.  Yet I could feel her hands on my face.  I reached up.  I could touch them.  They pulled away when I didn’t answer the question.

            I jumped to my feet, stumbling slightly as I whirled to face her.  She was a vision in violet, with jangling golden bangles around her wrists and hoops through her ears.  Eyes of molten amber sparkled through her glittering gold face mask… all exactly as before.

            “Bliss?”

            She beamed at me and nodded, laughing softly as she watched me weave my way through the clutter of furniture to meet her. 

            “Long time, no see.”

            I laughed, feeling the weight of the past months melt away as I threw my arms around her.  She was ok.  Briamy was ok.  She had re-joined the game, and would be free to join my crew.  I could make her co-first mate with Obsidarian, or even replace him.  He would be annoyed, but would understand.  She was my best friend; and I was never losing her again.

            “How?” I finally said, pulling away.  “How are you here?”

            “It’s the Conclave Saldré, we don’t exactly have a choice.”

            “You know that’s not what I’m talking about.  Tell me everything.”

            There was a muffled bang from the main room, followed by the roar of the guys entering the Conclave as the music started. Bliss looked toward the door that separated us from the stage, motioning for me to follow her.

            “They’re here.  Vidan will want us to line up in a moment, might as well do it now.”

            “Screw Vidan,” I retorted.  “We can go last, or skip the whole thing.  It’ll be fun, running around the city while everyone else drinks themselves into oblivion.”

            Bliss rolled her eyes and shook her head, leaving me to get a place near the front of the line.

            “I knew she’d make you happy,” a low voice said.

            Vidan stepped up from behind me to stand shoulder to shoulder with me… or shoulder to triceps, seeing as the mole wasn’t a tall man.

            “You haven’t been properly happy in ages,” he continued.  “I thought she’d be just the thing to fix the problem, put a little spark back in those eyes before hitting the stage tonight.  You’ve been drab since Briamy died; all work, ordering your crew about while you worried about what other pirates thought of you… Word in the street was that you lost your fire powers.  You even forgot to be mean to me when you showed up; didn’t call me a single name.”

            “You knew,” I snarled softly.  “You knew Briamy was alive this whole time and never told me?  I should rip your throat out.  It’s not like you use it for anything useful.  And my fire?   I’m not out in that Conclave yet Vidan.  I take this mask off and the Griffon will need a new owl-eyed dwarf to hide in the Compound.”

            I reached for the strings of my mask, but Vidan waved his hand first.  I stopped the motion, letting my arms drift back down to my sides under Vidan’s magic.

            “That girl is a gift,” Vidan said, anger beginning to seep through his cool.  “If you weren’t so hard-headed you would see that.  It’s a different girl wearing that mask, one eager to play her part.  Do us all a favor and remember to play yours.”