Eclipsed

Chapter 1

 

A well-aimed kick sent a mass of blankets – and curses – tumbling toward the polished floor. Another, louder curse, as the mass hit the floor, and limbs began to attempt to tear the blanket away. “Blessed’s breath, what was that for?” said a feminine voice, finally managing to untangle herself from the mess of blankets.

“We’re almost there,” replied a young boy. He didn’t look her – he didn’t really look at anything. It was difficult when blind. Instead, his pale, ghostly eyes stared ever forward, regarding the world with a sort of boredom that had always perplexed the woman. Though, she had never stopped to think about it. His blindness had never seemed to get in his way before, and she wouldn’t start questioning it until it did.

“Yeah, that doesn’t mean we’re there. I told you to wake me when we were there. Almost isn’t there. Almost is close to being there, but, when, in fact, we aren’t there. It’s like getting my hopes up that this damn trip will be over, then it’s -”

“You stink.” He turned away, moving toward the small stool-like chair to sit down in it, while the woman stared at him. The stare slowly turned into a glare, then a pout.

“Do not.”

“You smell like that stuff the Captain likes to smoke, and that wine you spilled all over yourself.” Lavinia opened her mouth to say something, “That stain will never come out. So, yes, you ruined your favorite pair of pants.” Her mouth closed with a snap, and her lower lip jutted out slightly in a pout.

“You don’t need to be so rude about it,” Lavinia said with a huff, standing up from the ground. She was a tall woman, near six feet, with short, messy hair. Her body was lean with muscle, but as she moved through the room, she was silent. “How long do we have?” she picked up a few articles of clothing that was presumed clean, and turned back to the boy, who had not moved from his position.

He cocked his head slightly. “Less than an hour,” he responded a few seconds later.

“Excellent. Give the Captain my regards, Mercy. I doubt I’ll get to thank him for last night,” Lavinia said as she disappeared into the bathroom, the door clicking shut behind her.

Mercy, however, did not move in response to her statement. The airship they were on was taking them to Harmony, in response to a summoning from the Flyte. The message had been vague, enough to alarm even him. Though Lavinia, in all her simplicity, had not entirely grasped the underlying urgency in the message. She had argued against the haste that Mercy had insisted upon, though she had not objected to getting attention from the crew.

Lavinia and Mercy were in a sort of contract, which was why they were traveling together, and now heading toward Harmony. The message had been sent to Mercy, not Lavinia. Although small for his age and rather thin, Mercy housed the soul of an ancient, powerful spirit. It lay dormant within him, never revealing itself and its power unless Mercy was in mortal danger, which was what Lavinia was there for. He did not know what the spirits origins were, though he did receive memories from it occasionally.

“Sir!” the voice was stressed and breathless, and they certainly weren’t addressing her. Lavinia pressed her ear towards the polished wooden door, listening for the voice on the other side.  “We have a problem. Get your friend and come on deck – quickly.” Lavinia dressed quickly in the clean clothes and donned the silk cloak that she had left there, just for this sort of purpose. Even if Mercy didn’t think she was intelligent, she had been a traveller long before coming upon his half-dead body in the Wastes. Lavinia had some little tricks on how to be prepared for just about anything.

She stepped out of the bathroom just as Mercy had turned toward the door. She grinned, even if he couldn’t see it. “I’ll race ya.”