“The lengths we would go

  for family can often lead

  to the unforgivable, and

  sear the conscience beyond

  all repair.”

  - Jaglar O’klar,

  Quinlan philosopher

  Chapter 5: Island Paradise

  Maria learned much from Sheba during their training. Chiefly, techniques regarding swordsmanship; however, there was a more unique set of skills she was more interested in learning. One that Sheba, or more accurately, the memory collective created by an ancient mage, said she was not ready to learn. The rejection only made Maria want to learn it more. After all, who would not want to learn the secrets of magic?

  Magic was a mysterious thing to her, as it was to most people in the galaxy. Some could use it, but only in a very minimal sense. Most of the time it was considered a joke, used by cheap musical magicians and desperate, ill-informed believers. The fact that the blades allowed its wielder to harness true power was a tempting prospect. Especially when considering the revenge that burned in her soul.

  When the lessons were finished, Maria was sent back to reality. She was not sure if she was sent to a pocket reality, or only her mind traveled there. Regardless, she knew how to go back if she needed to. And she would be back. Training was far from over.

  Back in the armory, she quickly discovered that only her mind had went back to see Sheba. What was strange, however, was that her shoulder had been bleeding from the cut, and had to run down her arm in the real world. A valuable fact to remember on future ventures there.

  Finding a magnetic back strap, she put her blades on her back, grabbed a forearm shield modification and H.I.C., and made her way towards the door. She was not sure how much time had transpired, so it was a good idea to head to the bridge. More likely than not, she was late for her shift.

  Pressing the access panel, the door flung open up to reveal the Blight standing directly outside. Startled, Maria stepped back, losing her balance and tripping over a small raise in the floor. The Blight stared down at her, his intimidating form overshadowing her. Frightened, she sat on the floor, not sure what to do. The Blight reached out to give her a hand. Feeling clumsy and embarrassed, she took his hand and raised herself up.

  The Blight looked to her bleeding shoulder. Then, the blades on her back. In silent anticipation, she waited for some type of response. Surprisingly, he gave one, but certainly not one she would have expected.

  “Be careful what you wish for.”

  The warning was not audible, but communicated through sign speak, or, “the silent tongue“ as it was called in olden days. The only reason Maria understood the Blight’s message was because of her grandmother. She spoke to the family through such means.

  “You communicate through sign speak…“ Maria replied, stating the obvious.

  “Landing zone five, quadrant two,” the Blight replied before walking away.

  Maria understood he was referring to her flying the ship to that landing zone on Rosarie. Intrigued, she could not help but inquire as to why he communicated in such a way. Without even thinking, she bluntly blurted out her question.

  “Were you cursed by magic?”

  The Blight stopped. Pausing briefly, he continued to the elevator, ignoring her question. She watched him as he walked away, before a voice below spoke out to her, startling her once again.

  “Much ready to fly?! Like, so excited to be your copilot!“

  “Naf,“ she replied looking down at him, “you startled me.“

  “Come,” he said, motioning her to follow, “take other elevator.”

  “Where is he going?” She asked, referring to the Blight as she followed along.

  “Much rest.”

  “So I assume we’re on auto pilot right now?“

  “No, much hope for the best, I’m afraid,” Naf replied sarcastically. Maria rolled her eyes.

  Yes, much of course. Can step away for while, but not long.”

  Naf led her to an elevator hidden in the back of the room, which led up to the bridge. As they began there ascent, their conversation resumed.

  “So… What’s your master’s name?“

  “Master,” in Naf responded nonchalantly.

  “No, it is not,“ Maria retorted, aggravated.

  “Ha! Of course not, much silly, Maria from Aratoor.”

  Arriving on the deck of the bridge, Maria looked around the room for the first time. Sitting in front of the cockpit window was the pilot and copilot chair. In a row along the walls were H.I.C.s for the weapon systems, as well as other control modules. Sitting in the corner of the room were Zenny and Penny, next to a broken droid. They were trying, without much success, to fix it.

  “Maria!” Penny squealed in excitement. “You made it!”

  “You’re very… peppy. What are you all doing up here?” Maria asked, approaching them.

  “Naf was fixing up this droid for us. He invited us to come up to help him,” Zenny explained.

  “Was it Krieger’s?” Maria asked, apprehensive of the idea.

  “Not when through with it. Krieger so abuse it. Like, call it ‘Stutter’ and hit it,” Naf clarified.

  “Well… so long as you know what you’re doing,” Maria replied, doubting it would be much of a problem.

  “Oh, he does! He is very smart. Soon, I’ll have my very own droid! I’ve never owned a droid before!“ Penny excitedly said.

  Maria was glad Naf had given the girls something to be happy about. Naf was swooning at the praise. Zenny crossed her arms.

  “Don’t you mean OUR droid?”

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  “Yes…” Penny replied begrudgingly. “But he’ll be more loyal to me because I’m nicer.”

  “In your dreams,” Zenny snickered.

  “Just wait,” Penny retorted. “Once your meanness leaks out, it’ll be all over for you.”

  Maria rolled her eyes. It was time to start piloting, and exit this conversation. Penny and Zenny could be at it for hours, arguing over the most pointless things. She was happy to see them bickering again, however. It was a sign that they had not let all their joy get siphoned away.

  *

  “Pain.”

  That’s all Krieger could think about. It coursed through his body like a railcar from the underworld. The back of his head had swelled in an all too familiar fashion. His skull pounded. It was the pain of defeat. The pain of failure.

  As he sat in his cell, surrounded by the scum he had picked up in Vatlaanda, the son he had failed came to mind. What would become of him, he could not say. Not because he did not know, but because he could not bear the thought. He had failed him again. This time, fatally.

  In the cell opposite his sat Marianne, her knees pressed into her chest, and her head stooped between them. He could faintly hear her gentle sobbing. Love had led her to do terrible things, and yet it was all for nothing. He pitied her. He would have pitied himself, had his conscience not damned him over and over again.

  To his surprise, Krieger had a visitor. The Blight stood outside his cell, seemingly wanting to talk. Curious, Krieger raised himself up to converse with his foe. Additionally, he was surprised to find the Blight to be as tall as himself. His mind must have been too muddied to focus on that detail earlier.

  “What do you want?” he asked, his voice gruff and steep.

  Using holographic text, the Blight responded.

  “The location of all the people you’ve enslaved.”

  “What? Too good to talk to me man to man?” Krieger replied, mockingly.

  The Blight stood there silently, unaffected by the remark. Patiently, he waited for an answer. Krieger sighed, and sat back down on the floor, looking defeated.

  “I… can’t give you that.”

  “They’ll kill your son if you don’t,” the Blight warned.

  “How do you even… it doesn’t matter,” Krieger remarked, wondering how the Blight knew. “If I give you the location, they’ll kill him in retaliation.”

  “If you don’t deliver more slaves, they will anyway,” the Blight countered.

  Krieger pondered on the Blight’s reasoning. Perhaps giving up the location would be a small step to redemption. However, there was still a minuscule chance for his boy to survive if his loyalty remained intact.

  “I can’t. If he continues to help them, then maybe he can earn his freedom, despite my blunderin’. If I don’t give him up, there’s still a chance.”

  The Blight took a moment to respond, seemingly pondering the situation himself. Again, he surprised Krieger. He came back with a counter offer hard to refuse.

  “Give me his location, and I’ll save your son.”

  Krieger drooped.

  “I wish I could, Blight. Really, I do. But I don’t even know where they have him. Without that, there’s no chance for you at all to save ‘im, is there?”

  “Try me.”

  “I wish I could,” Krieger chuckled.

  The Blight walked away, seeing he was getting nowhere. Krieger sighed, looking down at the floor. A single tear ran down the old man’s face.

  “I really wish I could,” he sobbed.

  *

  Rosari was a beautiful island, and apparently, well populated. Surrounded by crystal clear waters and unique rock formations, it looked like a picture from the travel agency. Miriam palms, all with beautiful, burgundy leaves, swayed by an island breeze covered the island. On the beach they were approaching from above, children played freely. As the comm light began to beep on the control deck, Maria was brought back to reality.

  “You two quit your bickering. We’re here,” Maria called back to Zenny and Penny, who were trying to decide if they wanted to give the droid formerly called Stutter a new paint job.

  “Much answer,” Naf said, running to the communication panel.

  “Code?” the woman on the other side of the transmission asked.

  “Much zero zero foxtrot alpha,” Naf replied.

  “Affirmative. You are clear for landing.”

  Typing in the coordinates on the navigational H.I.C., Maria was directed to landing zone five in quadrant two. Naf ran over to the copilot’s chair to look out the cockpit window. Zenny and Penny walked up to do the same, leaving their new droid behind.

  “It’s beautiful,” Zenny remarked.

  “Much welcome to new home. Much safe. So okay,” Naf said reassuredly, making an “ok” with his little metal fingers.

  “I wonder if the trees have cocoa bark. Cocoa Bark is my favorite,” Penny said, a puzzled look arising on her face.

  “I think we might have more important things to worry about right now, Penny,” Zenny remarked condescendingly.

  Maria sighed as their bickering continued. She too had her own curiosities about Rosari. Chiefly, what they were up to here. Based on what she saw on the landing zone, they had a strong military presence here. Maria hoped that her trust in the Blight had not been misplaced. She was not looking to join some radical military group.

  As they began to land The Skullbreaker, an older man with an entourage of guards approached the landing pad. They were outfitted with modern weaponry, including high energy halberds and spears. All the guards wore green armor and had their helmets on, save one standing next to the older man. Given they looked a great deal alike, Maria assumed they were somehow related.

  The older man, who was most likely in his fifties, wore simple clothing, with a single sword on his hip and a H.I.C. on his forearm. The armor of the guards was the same color as many of the trees, save it was mixed with the other colors to make it a camouflage design.

  “Who is that, Naf?” Maria asked.

  “Much head to lower deck to meet him. Come.”

  “Can you give me a straight answer just once?” Maria replied, aggravated.

  “Answer straight. Much not to your liking, however,” Naf sharply retorted.

  “Touché.”

  Meeting the Blight and her fellow villagers below deck, they all exited The Skullbreaker. The old man seemed excited to greet them, while the guards maintained a stoic disposition. The Blight, Maria, Naf, Zenny and Penny led the villagers onto the pad. The old man walked forward, greeting the Blight first.

  “You did it again, my friend,” he said, grabbing the Blight by his broad shoulders. Then he directed his focus to the villagers.

  “Greetings! I am Matai Lima, chief and head council member here on Rosari and its subsidiary islands. Welcome to our humble home. We are honored to have you here. I know the circumstances which led you here were not pleasant, but my hope is to provide you everything you need to move on with your lives. Now, May I ask, is there a leader or group of leaders among you?”

  Overseer Dixon had been killed in the attack. Without him or his lieutenants, no one was in line to succeed him. No clear leader remained. That was, until Penny spoke up.

  “Here she is,” Penny said, pushing Maria forward. Stunned, Maria angrily looked back at her. Penny smiled deviously.

  “I see,” the Matai replied, seeming unsure of what was occurring. “May I ask your name?”

  “I’m Maria, but-”

  “Welcome, Maria. It’s an honor to have you and your people here with us. Although I oversee the island, I wish to respect your leadership fully. If it is agreeable to you, I would like to invite you to sit on the council.”

  “I...um…”

  “She would be honored,” Penny said, stepping forward to extend her hand towards the Matai.

  “I’m Pennyta. Overseer Maria’s chief spokesperson. However, you can call me Penny if you’d like.”

  Maria, still stunned by all the power plays happening at this juncture, unsuredly agreed to Penny’s words. She was unsure of what else she could do. She did not yet know these people, and it was important to show a united front.

  “Yes… this is correct,” Maria complied.

  “Excellent. It’s an honor to meet you both. Now, my son, Losefa, will escort you to your apartments. I think you will find them to your liking,” Lima motioned, directing his comment towards the guard without his helmet on.

  “Maria, if I may, I’d like to discuss some details regarding your stay before you retire to your new housing,” Lima continued.

  “Of course,” she replied.

  As Losefa led the villagers to their new residences in the inner city on a hover-bus, Maria, Zenny, and Penny stayed behind to talk with the Matai. The Blight and Naf had seemingly disappeared. Where to, no one knew.

  “Matai, if I may ask-” Maria began.

  “Anything you wish to know, I’ll try to answer,” Lima responded kindly.

  “Who was behind the attack? I was led to believe it wasn’t Krieger.”

  “Oh,” the Matai said, surprised. “He didn’t tell you?”

  “Tell me what?” She responded, assuming the “he” in question was the Blight.

  “It is a group called, ‘the Triumvirate.’”