The Kingfisher

XXXIII : Salo

The schooner swayed peacefully beside Deasan's packed docks. Merchants rushed past the anchored ships, their hands full of goods they'd rather sell late than never. The clouds had fled the gloomy sky, intimidated by the moon's stark glower. Under the dim shine of the moonlight, the buzz of traffic drilling into his ears, Salo sat against a large crate and brooded.

Before she left, Iona had rolled her eyes at his exposed figure and instructed him to scramble back into the captain's cabin. She was right to be concerned; the ball was hours away, after all, and getting caught moments before they carried out their mission would have been frustrating.

Yet Salo had gotten enough of hiding. Who would look at the gloomy boy sitting behind a crate? Whose life could have been this dull on such a jolly night? The music lingered in the air, carried by the air blowing from the brightly shining palace in the distance. It was a memory, a dream, something that barely felt real to Salo as he watched the workers transport bags with frantic grimaces contorting their faces.

The doors to the cabins of the ship swung open. Nora squatted beside him, staring at the rippling waves weakly nudging the hull of the schooner. Her black hair was neat for once, brushed to a tight bun behind her head. She looked young, younger than her usual frown implied. They were all youthful, for good or ill. Nobody would spare their life for it. 

"Do you think he's coming?" she whispered, throwing a quick glance behind her shoulder. The Resistance didn't know — nor did they need to, either — and Ailyn had been kept out of it, too. It wasn't as if they didn't trust her, but the princess tended to make quick decisions that shoved their fate onto a whole different road. Tonight fitted no impulsivities.

Salo puckered his lips, examining the spy's face closely. "He might," he replied, but his tone contained a questioning curl. He probably would not. Despite his promises, Arden couldn't travel such great distance at the same time they did. He knew, Salo knew. Nora being left out of this knowledge was probably for the best.

The girl grimaced as her gaze dropped to her hands. "Don't lie."

"Do you think he would want us to dwell on his absence?"

She barked a bitter laugh. "So we're referring to him as if he's dead already?"

Salo slightly twisted his head to glance at her. A deep wrinkle haunted her forehead, refusing to ease despite the girl's best efforts. He could be, he almost told her. There could be silence on his end forever, for all they knew, but at such a crucial moment they couldn't afford the panic his possibly eternal absence would spawn.

Before he could even consider opening his mouth, Nora abruptly stood back up. She could see the doubt in his features, the sliver of muted sadness in his eyes. It couldn't have been more clear; even if Arden had been found dead in some ditch, even if he simply stole the artifact and fled the continent, she didn't want to be informed.

It felt as if days slipped by in the swaying boat. After most of the vendors had built their stalls in the city's center, the port was left idle, with only the splashing of water and the woosh of the wind occupying the boy's ears. He could live in the stillness of the moment, grow in it, die in it. If the martyrdom he faced in the past weeks had taught him anything, it was that a simple life was everything anyone could ask for. He would like to stay in that boat forever, watching the waves gain momentum and crash sadly against it. Yet his concern for his mother and mostly his pride quickly chased that thought away.

Iona didn't particularly trust Salo after he lost their money, and since Nora stuck close to him for the company of another human being that wouldn't bombard her with questions, that distrust extended to her, as well. The only trustworthy part of this team seemed to be Ailyn, yet if she showed her mug in public for even a split second they would be doomed to failure. And thus, they were all stuck here, plagued by the beautiful irony of not being able to control the future they chose.