Cover artwork by @clya_lyren
Story written by “Jungle”

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The sun’s conquest had nearly come to an end, its day old empire a thing of the past. Even as it was saying its goodbyes, the red sun tinged the blue skies with orange and magenta streaks of vibrance. Across the sea,  that towering pillar of red smoke was still standing, but lo’ and behold: another tower had joined it, much nearer, not too far south from the docks where I was lying in wait. While I couldn’t see Empyria from there, I could imagine the uproar that Lady Lazira’s defiance would cause.

In fact, I’d planned on it. The way I saw it, after ol’ Nesden saw that smoke signal from the south, he’d probably leap at the chance to go and lay siege to Athedia. Realistically, Nesden would leap at the opportunity to go and siege anything after being cooped up as Steward for however many years. Gideon would have too, if he had still been amongst the living. With Empyria and Dalmar attacking from two fronts, Athedia’s only hope would be aid from Valikorlia.

Unfortunately, this in and of itself was a remote possibility. To start with, Valikorlia’s navy was inferior to Empyria’s and crossing the sea was the most direct route. If the sea was blocked, the Valikorlian Knights would need to travel by land, but that would mean traveling through the neighboring territory of Lehryn, risking ambush and a possible counterattack. At best, Kendo could send a small band of warriors to Athedia’s aid by flying them over land or sea, but this wouldn’t be enough to tip the scales.

With Valikorlia pinned down, a surprise offensive against Athedia seemed… well, not so surprising, I guess. It was a logical move, or at least, it was if you didn’t realize that there would be no second front coming from the south. That was another thing I had counted on – a lack of communication.

Why was that? Self-preservation. An army without a proven leader is an army that will lose. Gideon had named no heir to the Stewardship despite the reality that he had squired an untold number of bastards. Between that and the fact that his closest associates were as unscrupulous as he was, it was clear that it would take some time for that power vacuum to shake out. Whoever scraped and clawed their way to the top after Gideon’s passing would have to be a complete fool to advertise Dalmar’s weakness at a time like this… and no fool would survive that trial.

My train of thought was interrupted by a sudden flash of lightning over the sea. The spurious thunderheads that had followed me to Athedia had already caught up to me here, along the beaches that spun a sandy path to Empyria. The sea slapped at the rotting wooden dock I stood upon with strong, black waves as the storm choked almost all of the light from the sky. The impatient growl of thunder reverberated somewhere out over the sea. Another flash of lightning followed. Soon, a flood tide of fog blanketed the coast in a mysterious and overwhelming haze.

I thought I heard the sound of canvas rippling in the wind. Just as I was about to dismiss it as an eager thought, a dark shape loomed up out of the fog. As it grew larger, I began to discern some of the details; a sizeable vessel with a black flag flying above pluming scarlet sails.

It was the Misty Marionette. I’d still recognize that ship anywhere, even after all of the years that have flown past. She was one of the few pirate ships that still dared to sail the Medial Sea, all owing to the quick hands and feet of its crew and the prowess of its legendary captain. Speaking of whom, the next thing I noticed was what looked to be a little dinghy deploying into the waves and making its way towards me. I thought I counted three heads aboard – two rowers and a third who just sat and watched. Beyond that, the mist was too thick to tell much.

Before too long, that little rowboat made its way up to the rickety dock that I stood upon. A long plank of wood clattered against the dock to serve as a bridge. Two of the Misty Marionette’s crew members greeted me with smiles as wide as an alligator’s grin. One of them, a sandy-haired vagabond in a skimpy bikini, blew me a kiss. I crinkled my nose a little bit.

“Good afternoon, ladies.” I offered the two rowers a little wave and a polite nod. The red-haired lass with the rippling biceps snickered at her crewmate and punched her shoulder, which was met in kind with another punch back.

“Hail, Stormrider.” Before I could ask where their third passenger had disappeared to, I was interrupted by a familiar, mischievous voice to my left. Thankfully I caught myself before I looked – I had already fallen for this trick once, back when I was still wet behind the ears.

“Well met, Mistwalker.” I responded without moving. The fog seemed to swirl about me, damp and cold. Here and there, I caught traces of my elusive host, but I knew better than to trust my eyes or ears right now.

“I see you are no longer so easy to sneak up on, Mr. Harbinger.” Her voice was coming from all around me. The mist had gotten so thick that one could practically drown in it. Despite that, I closed my eyes and concentrated, waiting. She had gotten better at this little game over the years, but then again, so had I.

There. Two steps forward, one step right. Her presence was like a blazing torch amidst the darkness of a deep catacomb. The spark of life, as I like to call it. Unmistakable and irreplicable. It moved towards my right.

“It would appear so.” My hand shot out instinctively. My index finger and thumb pinched tightly onto a fine fabric. Suddenly the mist dispersed as the owner of that mysterious voice was suddenly apprehended by her coat sleeve.

There she was. The Captain of the Misty Marionette. I regarded the petite woman that stood before me and it took a moment for me to recognize her. I remembered her eyes first – pale green like a peridot. The short, dark bobs that used to cling angrily to the sides of her head had become long, well-kept braids pulled neatly behind her head. The black leather jacket she used to wear had finally been replaced with something a little more formal looking – a fine indigo long coat, thick and robust, probably a fine wool blend. I had to admire some of the gold embroidery running along the part and down the sleeves – all nautical in nature, depicting various myths and legends passed down in the wild lands beyond the bounds of the Emerald Ring.

She caught my eyes lingering on one in particular – a boy riding a dragon, and she chuckled. I went ahead and extended my hand. As she reached out and gripped it with her dainty black fingers, I thought I saw her start to smile. Maybe just a hint of one, at least.

“It is good to see you again, Captain Maura. Shall we depart and conclude our business, then?” I gestured towards the little dinghy parked at the end of the dock.

“Then let us discuss the matter of our payment and we can set sail.” Maura stood before me. I tilted my head to the side a little, shooting her what I hope was perceived as a quizzical look.

“No longer in it for the good will then?” I chided, then gestured at a sparkling gold bangle dangling from her wrist. That hint of a smile I noted before had vanished.

“Surely you and your crew have been quite successful in your own ‘business ventures’… what need of you for more trinkets?” I followed up. In hindsight, I should have seen this coming. My trip aboard the Marionette was a gift with strings attached.

“The time for joking is over, Mr. Harbinger. You want something from me. I want something from you.” She folded her arms across her chest and cocked her hip to the side. I couldn’t help but sigh, not at her, but at myself for not recognizing this eventuality.  I clicked my tongue.

“What’ll it be then?” I asked, feigning a smile.

“I want your word that the no storm will ever touch this vessel.” She squinted at me. What was she looking at, I wondered? Maybe trying to study my face to see if I was about to tell a lie? She wasn’t letting up, either.

“Hah… surely you jest, Captain.” I shook my head and for a few painful seconds, my hollow, forced laughter was the only thing anyone could hear over the lapping of the waves.

“You are joking, right?” I asked again. Stormrider. Of all the stupid stories I’d inspired, it was the one the most rooted in truth that always caused me the most trouble. As I started to think through an explanation, my train of thought was interrupted by a surprisingly loud guffaw from the miniature pirate standing before me.

“But of course, Mr. Harbinger. Or did you forget that I met you when you were still a wet behind-the-ears sea pup washed up ashore? Tch! Sacrilege, I say.” She pulled her hands behind her back and turned away from me, walking towards the plank to board the ship.

“I do have a request, though.” She stopped and turned to face me once again.

“If it is within my power, I will return a favor for a favor. Go ahead.” I swept my cloak to the side and offered her a mock curtsy. Maura snorted in response.

“We left the ballets behind us in Dalmar, Mr. Harbinger, or perhaps you managed to hit your head on the way here?” She rolled her eyes.

“Captain, please. I have pressing business to attend to.” I pleaded with her.

“Alright, alright. Don’t get your knickers all twisted up. Here it is.” She cleared her throat quickly before continuing, “You see, me and the gals here, we have grown weary of living under the shadow of that disgusting witch. I know you know of whom I speak. Every season, her abominations grow bolder and more numerous. We have already doubled the watch around Sonata Island. With my power, I can keep us hidden, but it is only a matter of time until one of those chimera stumble upon our hideaway.” As she explained her position, I couldn’t help but agree – it was only a matter of time until the Captain and her crew clashed with the Beryl Witch.

“Why not just… move? Surely you can just take your ship and sail off to some other, uninhabited island to enjoy yourselves?” I tried to negotiate with her a little bit. The Beryl Witch was not someone I would trifle with willingly. Not unless I had a really good reason to. Which I did. Just once though, when I was much younger and stupider.

“Ah, Mr. Harbinger, you say you are in a hurry and yet you continue to tell us jokes… alas, I’m afraid that your punchlines are a little bit… lacking.” She shook her head, taking a long, exasperated breath before continuing. For a moment, she reminded me of a wilting flower before snapping back to her normal posture.

“First it would be Sonata Island, then it would be Lanta. If she takes Lanta, even you will not be able to keep her in check.” As she spoke, she gesticulated as if she was annotating a map of Lanta and the nearby Blue Mountains.  

For the first time, I really chewed on what she was asking me for. Déjà vu washed over me like a wave of nausea as I recalled some of the horrors I’d faced there, beyond the Wall of Sleep. I took a deep breath. Sitting and dreading it would not change the fact that I could not accomplish my plan without making this… concession to the Captain. One thing at a time, I supposed.

“I agree.” I felt the my throat tighten as I spoke the words, spitting them out with a thick layer of gravel. With that, she tilted her chin up a little bit to look me in the eye and shot me a smug grin.

“I thought you might, Mr. Harbinger. Now then, let us depart. You have another ship to catch, as I recall…” Her voice trailed off in a sing-song charade of laughter that seemed to bounce all around me. As I contemplated asking her if that made for a good party trick, I remembered that I wasn’t much for parties to begin with and kept silent instead.

Soon I found myself boarding the little dinghy. The two crewmates stared at me the entire way. The red-haired lady tossed me a sly wink. I really wasn’t sure what to make of it. Did they find me attractive? Or perhaps this was some kind of joke to them? I offered her a polite smile and pondered it no more. There were more important things to consider.

Such as… what am I going to do once I board the flagship vessel of the Empyrian Navy, the Maeden Hammer, and come face to face with Nesden the Dread Pirate himself? Well, kill him, of course, but exactly how was still up for debate. After all, I had to make this look like an accident. There could be no signs of foul play. It wouldn’t be as easy as it was with Gideon, but what’s life without a few challenges to test your mettle against?

Soon I found myself climbing aboard the famed Misty Marionette. Many of crew stood and gawked at me from the forecastle deck. I’m not sure if any of them would recognize my face now, so many years after our chance meeting on Sonata Island. That said, I doubted any of them had forgotten what happened on the day of our chance encounter. I certainly haven’t.

“Mr. Harbinger… you’re sure about this, yes?” The Captain looked back over her shoulder at me and I offered her a resolute nod back.

“Have no fear, Captain. I’ve survived exploits far more suicidal than these.” I couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“Ah, but Mr. Harbinger, you only think that because you have never stood before Nesden the Blue.” She called out as she walked away.

Hah. We’ll see who has the last laugh.