The Battles of Haven

[Hyzenthlay]

Skye stood at the bow of the ship. A tear rolled down her cheek as she took in a deep breath. Her homesickness was becoming unbearable. To make matters worse they had been out longer than expected. Much longer. Her eyes closed tightly forcing another cheek down her face. It hit the deck of the ship with a soft pat.

"Oh, Skye..." A girl was standing behind her, she placed her hand on Skyes shoulder and sighed. "Are you feeling any better?"

Skye turned to the girl. She took a sharp intake of breath as another tear rolled to the tip of her nose.

"It's this ship, it's this..." Skye hung her head as her tears cut her sentence short. "I can bear any more Erin. I just can't."

Erin looked at the floor, too. Her face turning to a frown as she herself felt her throat snag on words.

"I know. This is your first trip and these things take time. Soon you'll be as savvy as me." Erin beamed proudly, Skye gave a faint smile in return. "Here." Erin handed Skye a handkerchief and pulled up her chin to look in her eyes. "You're my sister. I love you. That doesn't mean you can run around being upset leaving your duties to me. I bet those aren't even real tears..." She winked as Skye gave a short chuckle.

"I..." Again Skyes words were cut short. Only this time not by her tears; the ship shuddered and a deafening cracking noise held in the air. Erin turned to the nest and yelled to a started crew member there. Skye saw the fear in her eyes. A fear that shocked Skye to her core.

"What's going on?" Erins voice was clearly trembling even through the shout.

"Pirates to port side, ma'am. Their mages are opening fire." The lookout just called these words as a fireball struck his chest. He was thrown from the mast and hit the deck with a sickening thud.

"Mages!? Skye, get to the lifeboats. Head east, there's a port town there." Erins eyes flashed as she raised her sword.

"But..." Skye made to protest but Erin pointed behind her.

"GO!"

Skye nodded and headed back towards where the lifeboats were held. Another jolt and Skye lost her footing. She fell onto her front hard. She heard yelling from all around her. The ship sirens sounded and Skye got to her feet. She tried her best to make good ground. This proved difficult; the ship was being pounded so regularly now that it almost sounded like a drum beat. Skyes ears rang with disapproval.

She rounded the corner beside the kitchens at full speed. What she saw before her made her stop dead. Her mouth fell open and the severity of the situation finally gripped her. The port side of the captains cabin was decimated. The rubble had fallen in on the room. She felt herself drawn to it. She had to see if the captain was okay. She drew close in, pushing wreckage to the side as she went. Finally she reached the doorway. The door itself was hanging from one hinge. She pushed it to the side slowly, peering inside. She couldn't see a body inside. No groaning could be heard. Relief set in. She closed her eyes and pinched at the bridge of her nose.

Voices were chattering from behind her. Men were about to turn the corner she had just came from. Without hesitation she jumped behind a pile of wreckage. She settled in a spot where a small opening allowed her to see out. Two men entered the room. One was small and stumpy with a beard and balding hair. He was peering around the room with a pitiless expression. His face bore a scar from nose to lip. The other man was tall and thin with blonde hair. He looked as though the very prospect of thinking confused him.

"Where's the captain, Francis?" Spoke the second man kneeling down to examine something on the floor.

"I don' know Willie. He said 'e'd be 'ere and 'e will. Just be patient." Replied the first.

"But he said he'd wait for us. Maybe he's forgotten about us?" Said the first, thickly. He was now peering down the lens of a fine, gold spyglass.

"Now, Willie. That's not a very nice thing to say. Would I do that to you fine gents?" A third man entered the room making Skye gasp.

"No, captain!" Skye muttered under her breath. The men stopped talking and looked to the spot where she was hidden.

Skye held her hands to her mouth cursing the need to breathe. She sat completely still. Her muscles ached with tension. She could have sworn that the captain had looked right at her. Then, just when she thought she was caught he looked away. The man with the beard started to speak again.

"In our defence, cap'n, it would'n' be the firs' time."

"Follow me, gentlemen. I have your cargo securely stored downstairs. My first mate gave quite a struggle whilst defending it, I believe." Captain Lialli stood to the side allowing the other two to leave first. Willie still admiring his find.

Again Skye could have sworn the captain looked right at her. Then he left the room in pursuit of the others. Skye felt an overwhelming urge to cry out. Erin had been captured. She was the captains first mate. The captains treachery and her sisters capture hit her with pain so intense she felt helpless. The only thing left to do was to save Erin. She had to do this. Maybe she would find out why the captain was doing this, or maybe that he was only pretending and everything was okay.

She slowly emerged from her hiding place. Stopping dead occasionally as a piece of wood or a nail dislodged and hit the floor. She skulked slowly out of the opening that had once been the rooms left wall. Clinging the the leftovers of the woodwork she peered around the corner. It was clear. She quickly made her way to the kitchens. Inside here was untouched. It held no evidence of the devastation that had hit the rest of the ship. She made her way through avoiding knocking anything over. The ship seemed to be slowing down. Skye could no longer hear the engines. At last she reached the door that overlooked the cargo deck. Looking through the small, round window, she caught a glimpse of her fellow crew men and women. They seemed to be mercilessly slain. Most were unarmed and lay face down. A small group of men walked past the door and round towards the captains cabin. The area was clear. She headed towards the engine room. Skye assumed, due to the engines shutting down, that the captain had gone that way. Her suspicions seemed confirmed by the ships security force. Their bodies were scattered around the entrance. She made her way inside and to the storage area. Voices came from beyond and open door. It seemed that they were trying to get information from somebody.

"Now looky here girly. We need that code or our boss will get mad. He's not nice when he's mad." The dull, droning voice of Willie was very apparent even from beyond the door.

Skye peered inside and her heart sank. All the officers of the ship were kneeling before Willie. Erin was with them. Her face was badly bruised and she was bleeding at the mouth. Still her face looked defiant. She looked up at Willie and spat blood onto his cheek. Skye saw her mouth move though she didn't hear what was said. She made her way slowing inside and behind some crates so that she could hear better.

"Now, now girly. I don't want to have to hurt you again." Willie raised his fist to strike but his hand was held back by Lialli.

"This is getting you nowhere Willie. Let me talk to her, theres a good chap."

"See 'ere Lialli, this is our business. I think I'll be the one t' say 'ow we do an' don' do things." Skye now saw Francis at the back in a dark corner. He had a pipe sat smoking lazily between his teeth.

"And she is my first mate. I know she won't just give up information on demand. She's trained too well." Lialli was now stood facing Francis, his voice baring signs of annoyance.

Willie pulled back his arm and hit Erin across the face. She cried out as a fresh cut opened on her eyebrow. Spluttering she spat blood on the oaken floor. She bared her teeth and pulled on the bonds that tied her to the ship.

"I'll have no hand in this!" Captain Lialli made for the door but Francis' cold, emotionless voice stopped him dead.

"I don' think the boss will like tha'"

Lialli turned, his eyes narrowing. When he spoke again his voice shook slightly.

"If I stay I want to do the interrogating. I know how to get the information from her... Without beating her senseless."

Francis nodded in agreement and Willie stood back. The captain walked over to Erin and knelt beside her. He moved his head to her ear and whispered something. Erin cried out, more loudly than before. Shook her head, tears filling her eyes.

"You wouldn't!" She cried. The tears had now met the blood at her lips creating a puddle above her chin.

"Oh, but I would. If you force me to." The captain the clicked his fingers.

Skye felt two pairs of hands grip her from behind. She was dragged from her hiding place. Two men pulled her out into the open centre of the room. Lialli smiled at her casually, a cruel smile. Skye had never seen him like this.

"You see!" The captain stabbed at Skyes chest with a long, thin finger. "Now, give me the code Erin!"

Erins head bowed in defeat. She coughed and blood sprayed in a mist onto the floor. Skye heard her panting, trying to fight tears back.

"The... The code is 1-0-2-9-0." Erin kept her face hung, she didn't even glance at Skye.

"There, you see. You didn't need to use violence to get information. Not when the threat of it works so much better. Now, let them go. There's no need to keep them any longer." Lialli looked to Francis.

"Now, now, Lialli. I'll be the one to decide what we 'need'." Two new figures had entered the room. One was tall, handsome and very well spoken. His fantastic silvery hair swayed entrancingly as he spoke.

"L-lord Ramirez. I had no idea you would be boarding, sir. You must see they are no threat, my lord. Surely we can let them go. What harm can they do now?" Lialli now had definite fear in his voice. His tone had changed completely. He now seemed more submissive.

"I couldn't possibly. These people are pirates. As you know, I have stern policies on such things. The islands have entrusted me with the task of ridding the world of piracy. That is trust I can ill-afford to throw away, especially now." Ramirez smiled and put his hand to his hip.

"Piracy? This is an outrage. What you are doing, right now, this is piracy!"

Lialli took a step forward. The man behind Ramirez now made himself known. He was a towering figure of a man. Heavily built and clad in black armour he was clearly a formidable warrior. Even his face was covered by a black mask. It had two rectangular eye holes and small, round holes at the mouth. It gave him a terrible, fearsome look. In his hands was the biggest sword Skye had ever seen. Ramirez held out his hand to warn him off.

"Lialli, I do not take orders from dogs. You will obey or be punished. Loche, dispose of the prisoners. As for the young girl. I want her sent from the ship, alive and unharmed." After these words Ramirez turned to exit the room.

"As you wish." Loches voice rasped with every word. It seemed a tremendous effort, causing intense pain for him to speak. He raised his sword slightly.

"Oh no you don't!" Lialli had raised his sword and lunged towards Ramirez. His blow was cut short by the huge form of Loche.

Lialli raised his arm to make a strike. in just a split second he was pierced through the gut upon the huge longsword of Loche. Gasping for air, he took once last breath and slumped to the floor. Loche then turned his sights on the captives. Instinctively Skye jumped in the way. The handle of a sword collided with her head knocking her unconscious.

Skye awoke on the dock of a town. She was surrounded by people all of whom seemed to be looking into the sky. Her head erupted with pain as she rose to a sitting position. She turned and looked in the direction the crowd were. She felt sickness was over her. The once mighty merchant vessel, the Falcon, was sinking below the clouds in the distance engulfed in flames. It took with it Skyes only way home. Was she the only survivor? Skye felt tears burn at the corners of her eyes. Her sister was... Gone.

[Musicmuse]

"You'd think after a hundred years she'd learn be on time," Kaleel Muriir muttered to his wife Celedonna. "After all, it's not like we haven't made the pilgrimage before."

Celedonna smiled gently as she continued to tie the drawstrings on a velvet satchel. She knew her daughter Valeria was probably off wreaking havoc on some unsuspecting citizen, but it wasn't because Valeria was an evil girl -- it was simply her nature to be mischievous. "She'll be here before we leave, Kaleel," was the soothing response she gave to her worried husband. She patted the satchel gingerly and handed it to her husband. "Make sure this is not banged around during our journey. It's a present for Senator Frenze."

Kaleel nodded and took the package carefully from his wife. 'I'll have the crew put it in a safe place then." He exited the room toward the family's private hanger toward their airship, the Dahlia, to see to it that this token of good will made it to Reesa in one piece.

Celedonna proceeded to tidy up her kitchen as she hummed softly to herself. She was looking forward to seeing her Senator Frenze again. He had long been a close family friend and had even helped get Valeria out of legal trouble on a few trips to Reesa before. No matter where they went Valeria seemed to have a knack for breaking the rules. She was no longer a child, but still far from being a responsible adult. But she was only 109, so these sort of things were still expected. Celedonna herself had been a rebellious little thing in her younger days too, so it was easy for her to relate to Valeria. Kaleel, however, had never been a troublemaker. Celedonna laughed to herself to even think of him defying anyone, so in that way it was harder for him to understand why his daughter was such a spitfire.

The front door creaked open and without looking up Celedonna knew Valeria had just arrived home. "We'll be leaving in just a bit," she called out. "Please change into your robes -- I've already had your things put aboard the Dahlia, so no need to worry about that."

Valeria wandered into the kitchen area. The sunlight was beaming through the thatched wooden windows and the simple silk curtains blew lazily in the warm breeze. "Why do I have to go?" she asked her mother impatiently.

"Because if we leave you here we'll have to clean up the mess you make while we're gone," Kaleel answered as he strolled back into the house. "Now please get your things ready."

"Mom did it already," Valeria answered in an annoyed tone.

"She's just going to change into her robes now," Celedonna said with a gently urging look toward her daughter. Valeria sighed heavily and made her way to her bedroom. There was no use in arguing with her mother, since she was one of the few people who would stand up for Valeria's independent nature.

***

The Dahlia rose silently into the air and soared off into the cloud-patched sky. It's royal blue paint glimmered in the sunlight, and the small craft's engines growled softly as it was propelled northeast toward the Dro-Tal Isles. The cabin was small but not cramped, and the Muriir Clan sat comfortably inside as Valeria's parents discussed their excitement about the pilgrimage.

Valeria peered out of the window, uninterested in her family's conversation. To her the monasteries of Reesa were boring and far too strict. She would much rather be exploring the ruins of Raagi or roaming through the more forgotten parts of the Balthian forest... but the pilgrimage was customary and it was no use trying to get out of going. Valeria watched the ocean glimmer beneath the ship and blocked out the sound of her father's droning voice.

Perhaps this time something exciting would happen at the monasteries of Reesa.

***

The afternoon of Reesan formalities had dragged by, and now that night had fallen, Valeria found that sleeping was impossible. Her parents had gone to bed hours ago, but she had spent the entire night wriggling around in her bed trying to find a comfortable position. Valeria exhaled loudly and propped herself up in her bed.

The Inn they were staying at in Reesa was quiet and peaceful, and it made Valeria feel even more restless. She crept into the sitting quarters of the family's spacious room and plopped down into a large overstuffed chair. Her schoolbooks had been re-packed by her parents after she had deliberately hid them under her bed back home, and they sat underutilized on the far table, the gentle moonlight sprawling over the thick covers and even thicker spines.

"I guess there's nothing better to do," Valeria muttered unhappily as she thumbed through a few pages in her 'Spellbound' textbook.

There were hints and tips on performing all sorts of basic spells, but Valeria found that she only really cared to learn spells that intrigued her. She had excelled in the healing arts, but found herself still struggling to keep up in her enchantments. She read over the page on enchanting simple objects and then focused her attention to a candlestick and book of matches nearby. She closed her eyes and went over the instructions again in her mind. When her eyes opened, they were focused and narrow. She stared at the matchbook and tried to will it to rise into the air. A minute passed and nothing happened, but Valeria was determined to light this candle. She focused even harder and could actually feel the blood coursing through her body from the intensity.

But still no response. Valeria swore under her breath, snatched up the matchbook, and tossed it across the room. It sailed through the air and skid across the ground, sliding underneath the family safe on the opposite side of the room.

Valeria unclenched her fists, not even realizing she had gripped them together so tightly in the first place, and rose to retrieve the matches. She was sure that her finicky parents would somehow notice even a misplaced matchbook. She knelt down and swiped her hand quickly underneath the safe, grabbed the matches, and sat back to let her anger settle.

Valeria studied the safe for a moment, then noticed that something was missing. Usually the safe had a golden aura surrounding it - her father's magical seal that kept anyone from breaking in - but tonight the seal had been overlooked, and naturally Valeria's curiosity was just too great to overcome. She had cracked dozens of safes before, and without Kaleel's seal this one was hardly a challenge.

The door creaked open moments later, and sitting inside was a single item: a velvet satchel. Valeria reached into the safe and cautiously pulled the satchel out from it's place of safety. She untied the drawstrings and opened the little bag to satiate her curiosity. Inside, nestled against the velvet lining was a very strange circular coin. It had a grooved edge and etchings that looked like some ancient language. Set in the middle was a beautiful sapphire that was driven right into the heart of the coin. The moonlight seemed attracted to the sapphire, and as she held the coin in her hand it seemed to grow warm in her grip. She wasn't sure why this coin was important, but obviously to be put into the family safe it must have some purpose.

Her father let out a snort in his sleep and Valeria snapped back to reality and replaced the coin in the satchel, putting the satchel back into the safe. She stood up, placed the matchbook back onto the table next to the still unlit candlestick and headed back to bed. Her mind was inquizative, but Valeria found that now her eyes were starting to grow heavy and figured she could probably get to sleep. She'd worry about the coin in the morning.