As Captain Morin predicted, the temperature plunged that night, from cold to unbearable. Ice formed along the rigging, with small shards snapping off and shattering on the deck above. The deck itself groaned under the onslaught, each crack echoing through the hull. Sleep wasn’t happening, so I turned to Nora and filled her in on the day’s progress.

  “Congratulations,” Nora said with a smirk, still hanging out in her hammock. “You’re now finally in charge of triplets.”

  “Triplets? Is there another prince aboard?!”

  “No, no. The Order of Gold. We’ve all fallen in line, but more as your children than anything else.”

  “I’m too young to be a mother! How can someone be a mom when they want their mom?”

  Oh, that one slipped out faster than I could reel it back.

  “I think that happens more often than you think,” she replied, sticking out a foot to slow her rocking. “Though I should probably note, you handled your conversation with Oliver pretty well.”

  “Just followed your advice, that’s all.”

  “I didn’t have the chance to give you any advice.”

  “It was all over your face,” I explained. “I knew what you wanted to say about communication, but I wasn’t ready to hear it. Then I forced myself into that exact situation anyway. Which means, obviously, the success is your fault.”

  “Rae, have you considered that I may not have had any advice to give at all, and that my faces were just my way of saying ‘ew, gross’?”

  “No. Impossible.” I jabbed a finger at her. “Your faces are layered and loaded with meaning. Don’t try to downplay the power of those eyebrows.”

  Nora arched one in demonstration.

  “See? That one is saying… ‘For real? Did she figure out that I purposely let them talk it out back in the Dark Mage Tower while distracting Relias so he couldn’t prevent it? What if she realizes I secretly approve? How awkward it would be if she says it aloud!’”

  Nora sat bolt upright, her face turning white. “Stop that this instant!”

  I blinked. “Okay.”

  “And my approval will never, ever be official,” she muttered, settling back down. “Too snarky.”

  “Him or you?”

  “Him, obviously!”

  “Don’t worry. He won’t replace you.”

  “Nobody can,” she declared in fierce agreement and warning.

  ***

  The first striking thing I noticed about Atramentis wasn’t the bone-chilling cold. It was the odd gaps of silence. Docks should rumble, and sailors should shout and swear. Instead, only a slightly shrieky wind filled the area with noise, whistling lowly through rows of cargo and warehouses stacked in even piles.

  The dockhands, hybrids outnumbering humans at about 10 to 1, shuffled along the pier in perfect rows, their thick sleeves darkened by black dust. They worked in mechanical precision: lift, stack, step aside, and stop. A supervisor of some sort would make their way over every once in a while, barking short, simple commands.

  Underneath it all, a faint vibration tickled the soles of my boots from the moment I stepped onto the dock. It was low and steady, almost like a heartbeat from the ground itself. Every few seconds, it pulsed again, rattling through the planks of the pier. The dockhands didn’t even flinch, as if they’d long since tuned it out.

  A questioning glance to Captain Morin returned a suspicious answer.

  “Places like this wear you down,” he explained. “The chill, the dull, the vibration. No point in wasting any precious energy to do anything more than what you need to.”

  “So it’s always been like this?” I asked.

  He nodded, then frowned. “Everyone’s a little more frozen today than last time.” His gaze flicked toward the looming southern mountains. “And the tremors feel heavier. Dragons must be walking closer again.”

  Why would a dragon walk if it could fly?

  Why would its walk be so uniform?

  I leaned in to whisper to Nora. “Whatever we’re feeling, I doubt it’s dragonborn.”

  “Heh, okay, but if it is a dragon, you have to try shouting nonsense at it,” she said with a smile. “None of your regular nonsense, either. Make it dramatic, like you’re calling down avalanches with your throat.”

  Once again, I looked at the range of mountains spiraling upwards. “Can you imagine the collateral damage if that were possible? No thanks,” I said flatly.

  Oliver staggered and bumped into me.

  “Careful,” I murmured.

  I felt him press harder into me, noting how his heavy wool cloak shrouded his features.

  “Gotta get your land legs back, I see.” I put an arm around his shoulder, only to feel it compress too much beneath my hand. “Wait, what—”

  His hood rose slowly, and he turned to me, revealing his blurry, transparent face.

  Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

  Oh shit.

  I shuffled him off toward a building with a storefront. “Uh. Right. You’re thirsty! Let’s go get a drink over there!”

  Instead of entering, however, I steered us around to the side, where barrels were stocked in the snow.

  “What do I do?” I hissed once we were partially hidden.

  “Weaker… Sanctum… far.”

  “Far? Your sanctum’s too far away? Is that why you’re struggling to fight off whatever keeps demons out?”

  His cloak bobbed, then slumped into the snow as he melted and swirled into the serpentine mark on my sword.

  “Rest.”

  I walked back out from the alley alone, rejoining Nora, Relias, and Captain Morin.

  “Um. He had to, uh—”

  “Make room for that drink?” Nora suggested.

  “Something like that,” I agreed quickly. “He knows where to meet us. Let’s go inside.”

  The bar, if it could even be called that, was practically empty. The barkeep glanced at Morin.

  “Drinks,” Morin ordered.

  With a grave face, the barkeep poured one for each of us. Once he finished, he stared at Morin as if he were waiting for something.

  “One more. We’re waiting for someone.”

  The barkeep poured a drink for Oliver, then again glanced at Morin.

  “You know the deal. Go on.”

  The barkeep just turned and vanished into the back.

  “At least I didn’t bring the whole crew this time,” Morin called after him.

  “Your men cause him trouble or something?” I asked.

  Morin shook his head, his brows knitted over the strange exchange. “We drink for free, and maybe he ain’t happy about it anymore?”

  “Maybe.”

  He shivered, then continued. “I don’t have climbing supplies. But I’ve got the twins on it. Then we’ll round up everyone willing to listen in the square.”

  I glanced at Relias and Nora, who both ignored the drinks set out for them. “Did either of you mention climbing?”

  They shook their heads, and I turned back to Morin.

  “You’re going to meet with the dragons, I’m sure,” Morin explained. “Every hero’s tall tale has that part of the plot. Can’t hardly decide if you’ll be recruiting them or slaying them, though. Fifty-fifty odds.”

  I winced. “Guess it depends on how negotiations go,” I mumbled.

  We sat in silence, long enough for my worries to crawl out of hiding and dance through my thoughts. The Order made no move to drink whatever passed as beer in this place, so Morin eventually shrugged and helped himself to our glasses, except for Oliver’s.

  “Where is he?” Morin eventually asked.

  “He probably changed his mind and headed off to the square,” I answered promptly. “He’s a capricious sort of fellow. Never know what he’s going to do next.”

  Morin gave me a side eye.

  I sighed and pulled out a second lie. “It was a pretense to let him surveil the area.”

  Captain Morin nodded approvingly.

  Mattias and Florian eventually showed up with more gear than I thought humanly possible to carry. Relias, however, seemed to be fully recovered. He glanced at the mountain of bags, then stuck his staff into the middle of them. With a gesture, everything vanished.

  I stared. All his marks had faded, and his hair, despite the weather, actually shone. “How did you—”

  “This land is… my home,” he said, his melancholy expression not matching the words. “It has been reshaped over time, but in this space, I am much stronger. I believe you will find that you are, as well.”

  With a thought, I lit up my aura—brilliant white now, its edges shimmering like an aurora. Fearing what effect it might have on my shadowy stowaway, I quickly suppressed it. “I see…”

  “We called for everyone to meet us in the square,” Florian announced. “Supervisors approved, so the mine’s being shut down for your speech. I thought they’d need an hour or so to meet us, but they said they’ll be ready in just a few minutes.”

  Mattias frowned. “No one argued or asked why they should do what we say. Strangest response.”

  I stood up, noting that the wave of nausea about public speaking had become more of a small splash. “Let’s get ready.”

  ***

  The square itself wasn’t that big, but it did have a raised platform, on which sat a pristine translocation circle.

  “Why didn’t we just use that?!” Nora said, pointing it out in exasperation. “There wasn’t a need to take a boat at all!”

  “Ship,” Morin and I both corrected absently.

  Morin gave me an approving nod, then continued. “It doesn’t work.”

  Nora glared at him suspiciously, her staff leveled towards him.

  “I didn’t do anything to it! It never worked in the first place!”

  "Hmm..." was all she said before she stormed over to it to inspect.

  Relias sighed as Nora walked away. “Sparkles made sure of it.”

  “Sparkles?” Morin asked.

  “To protect this place from demons,” Relias added. “I was thoroughly chastised for my attempt to come home.” He looked up. “Perhaps it simply was not the right time to try, then. But I am more certain than ever that now it is necessary.”

  “I’ll add it to the list of things to negotiate on,” I confirmed.

  Relias nodded. “I think speaking from its height would be most inspiring.”

  Something about it felt ominous. Perhaps it was the sheen in the runes.

  “I don’t have to actually stand inside it, right? I don’t want something strange to happen.”

  Call me superstitious, but I don’t think I need to draw the attention of any more chaos.

  He laughed softly. “No, aside would be enough.”

  I did turn on my aura briefly to get the attention of the masses. Except there wasn’t much mass to speak of. While there were undoubtedly people here, their dull-eyed silence was quite unnerving. Masses of people tend to pulse and jostle; those gathered here were more of the stoic type.

  “I come before you as Captain Lightbringer returned!”

  The slow nods were even more crushing than any jeers could have ever been.

  “Citizens of Atramentis, danger rears its head! As Captain of the Holy Order of Gold, I ask you to listen, for the safety of all!”

  Another round of nonchalant nods. No panic, no murmurs. Just the bare minimum acknowledgment, like they’d been programmed to nod and nothing else. A few on the periphery, however, looked quite concerned.

  I turned to glance at my companions, all of them equally shocked. Morin’s expression was the worst, with growing horror creeping as if he were weighing his own actions on this outcome.

  But… It couldn’t possibly be this easy, right?

  I straightened up. “Ignore all previous orders! Prepare to set sail with Captain Morin and his crew!”

  The crowd looked at the Captain.

  “To the docks!” he boomed, pointing dramatically. “We leave as soon as we are ready!”

  Several of them started off.

  “Don’t forget to bring your stuff,” Nora called, pointing at some abandoned bags.

  One of the men on the edge of the square, well-dressed and sharp-eyed, shouted, “Remember to grab anything you left in your homes, too!”

  “Dismissed!” the woman next to him added crisply.

  Relias watched the crowd slither off in different directions, wide-eyed. “It’s as if they have no will of their own… only waiting for the next command.”

  “It’s the Eberorite, isn’t it...?” Nora gasped, covering her mouth.

  The two who had sent the rest packing moved closer.

  “Let’s go,” the woman urged, pointing to the docks. “I want to leave before I’m cursed, too!”

  “Is anyone still in the mine?” I asked.

  “None still alive,” the man answered.

  “A cave in?!”

  “No. Stopped having the urge to live,” he answered with a shiver. “The curse eventually stops your breathing.”

  “And you guys just kept mining?!”

  “What else could we do?” the man asked plaintively. “Most aren’t here by choice. Fish or mine. Only those tasks lead to survival... for a time.”

  “But that changes now!” the woman added. “We can go back to Turri. I’d rather fight demons than lose my mind!”

  The man nodded. “Or dine with them. Even that’s better than—” His eyes flicked toward Relias, and his face paled. “Forgive me, Father!”

  Relias cleared his throat. “You were afflicted by a malady of the spirit, not of your own making. No words spoken under such torment weigh upon your soul.”

  “I’ll make sure no trace of that blasted ore gets on any of the ships.” Captain Morin jumped down from the platform.

  I glanced at the translocation circle. “You’re certain it’s Sparkles blocking the flow?” I asked Relias.

  He nodded resolutely.

  I stared at Captain Morin. “Set sail with the others.”

  “I can’t—”

  I stood tall, my aura flaring. “Get everyone else out of here now.”

  “But what about you—”

  “That’s an order, Captain!”

  https://thelastraeofhope.miraheze.org/wiki/Main_Page

  Also, feel free to join my