Somber Lucent

Chapter One: Fish and Cabins

The cool summer sea kisses my face, like a loving mother kissing a child's, as I draw in the fishing net. I pull and I pull as my boat rocks back and forth, my weight combined with the weight of the fish I have caught not doing it any favors. I finish clearing the net and sit down in the boat ready to row back to town. I grab one of the rows, my light blue arms feeling the full weight of them more now than ever. The other row lays just out of reach. I stand up, my thighs aching like daggers stabbing me continuously. I power through the pain and grab them both and start rowing back. After what felt like hours, reach back to Caran. My home.

As the boat reaches the shore, I grab the rope that hangs tied to the front of the boat. I get ready to jump off and pull the boat in. "Winum!" I hear my name get called as I hear someone run towards me. Looking to the side I see the origin of the call and the footsteps. With his short blond hair, a tall bronze-skinned human male jumps almost as he approaches me with a sack in hand.

"Hamon, help me pull the boat in," I shout as I jump out of the boat, reeling it in.

"Many catch?" He askes as his strong build finally stops gratuitously.

"See for yourself, I stopped counting after fifteen" I pull the rest of the boat to the shore and tied it to our pole.

I grab the sack from Hamon and we start counting the fish. After only half the boat has been emptied the sack has been filled with fifty-three.

"By the emperor! This must be at least 10 dragons worth of salmon. We might not need to ever go fish again." Hamon says grinning, obviously happy about my catch.

"Not to burst your bubble but remember that the boss will take one dragon of every three. So don't get your hopes up."

"I guess you're right" He groaned as we finished the boat. Now with two full sacks of salmon, our count was seventy-eight of them. We start heading to our shared home. Every salesperson for the market gets a tent, or if you have great sales a small cabin. We have one of those cabins, the smallest but still better than the tent we had to survive in for years.

"Do you think we can ever go on our adventure?" Hamon says looking to the sky.

"I hope so, I'm sick of this bloody fishing and having to fish week after week"

"Me too" Hamon stops suddenly. "Luna and Freya always look beautiful, don't they."

They do my friend I think. Grinning I nod and continue onward towards our cabin.

My arms still aching from the hours of rowing and pulling we finally reach the cabin. Hamon swings the door open and walks in. He places his sack next to the other we caught the day before and took the one I had and places it next to his. We enter the house and I stretch.

"Hamon! What be the time!?" I ask, my head being half dizzy after being in the scorching sun and the cold water putting it to confusion.

"Are you blind? Can't you tell it's nightfall?" His voice calling out of the bathroom.

"You're right. I guess the weather is getting me in the head. You've had dinner?"

"Yes," He said plainly as he enters the room with a book in hand. "The rest of the chicken is there. You enjoy I'm going to sleep." He points to a half-cut chicken that he had bought from our neighbor, William. I wish him good night and go towards the chicken. I find it's a bit cold so I use an old trick that my old man taught me.

"Eldur" I whisper. As the words escape my lips a small flame appears in my palm. I take my hand and hover it just over the chicken. The flame staying in the palm as I turn it over and start cooking the chicken. After a few minutes, the chicken is done.