VIOLENT TIDES (gxg - editing)

21

They reached the mainland in the morning. It appeared first as a thick black line on the horizon, and then the shape of low blue mountains appeared against the sky, and finally, seabirds flew about the Finch's sails and they were setting down anchor in one of Ellay's many coastal docks.

They were in the heart of a city that bustled with life and noise.

Gael's steps were loud on the wooden dock, masked by the sound of screeching birds and flocks of small, brightly coloured dragons that fluttered overheard. They were drawn immediately to Ainsley, walking next to the pirate, and within moments she was covered in undulating red and blue and green wings. They perched on her shoulders and her head, and she gave Gael a flustered chuckle. Gael grinned.

"Is it like this everywhere you go?"

Ainsley smiled, pushing away the intruding snout of one of the cat-sized dragonlings. It chirped obstinately and batted at her hair with leathery, paper-thin wings.

"Yes. If there are dragons nearby, they tend to like my presence." She snatched one out of the air and held it in her hands. "Want to hold him?"

"Oh—is that alright? They never come near me."

"Most dragons are skittish around people who don't understand them, but they are not unfriendly. Here."

Gael held out her hands and Ainsley transferred the fluttering creature. It was lighter than she had expected, and its shimmering blue scales were smooth and glassy under her fingertips. It seemed nervous at first, wings flapping a few times before it began to settle down, nudging at her palms with its snout. Gael stared down at the creature in wonder.

"He's beautiful."

Ainsley smiled, still bruised and ruffled but radiant with her rainbow choir of dragons.

Gael threw the dragon into the air and it flew away in a chaotic flurry of wingbeats. The rest followed, leaving Ainsley's hair messy and windswept by the flapping of their wings.

The two of them stopped on the dock, halfway between the Finch and the mainland. Their stances mirrored each other; hands tucked into pockets, looking everywhere but at each other.

"I suppose I should send a message to your father," Gael said at last.

Ainsley nodded. "Here. Let me help." She held out her hand and was quiet for a moment before one of the brightly coloured dragons settled to perch on her forearm. "Write your message and I can send it with this dragon. We'll get a response back from the same dragon before nightfall."

"Alright. Hold on, I wrote the message already a few days ago." Gael reached around in her pockets until she found the neatly rolled sheet of paper she had dictated in the quiet of her quarters. Despite the unimpressive length of the message, it had taken her hours to finish. She didn't know why. Every time she had tried to come back to the message, to put together words that would tell Ackerley they had reached the mainland and Ainsley was ready to go home, she'd find herself wanting to do something else, to distract herself for just a little bit longer.

Ainsley slipped the scroll between the dragon's talons, held it close to her face, and stared into its beady eyes. Then she tossed it into the air and it fluttered away.

"The message will be delivered within a few hours."

"That fast?"

"Well, it is a dragon."

Gael grinned.

"So, what shall we do until then?" Ainsley asked, returning her hands to her trouser pockets. "I imagine I'll be gone tomorrow morning."

Gael glanced back at the Finch, bobbing quietly in place. Only a few of the crew members had stayed on board. Everyone else was taking this chance to engage in the life of a city-dweller again, probably getting drunk in taverns and the like.

"Do you want to go the marketplace with me? I have no other pressing matters to take care of here on land."

Ainsley smiled, and Gael's heart skipped a beat. "I would like that a lot."

—
The city market bustled with life. Vibrant colours and sounds blurred together on either side of the cobblestone streets, blending into a single cacophony of shouted wares and other travellers. Gael wasn't worried about Ainsley being recognized, as her clothes were a far cry from the elaborate, tailored clothing prepared for her at the castle. She blended in perfectly with the crowd of people choking the roads.

Neither of them had anything in particular they were looking for, so the two wandered through the busy streets, taking turns pointing out different booths and blankets of wares to go examine. It was around midday when Gael shelled out a few coppers to get them flaky fruit pastries. They had found their way to a weapons stall that sold primarily firearms, but also a few cutlasses and hunting knives. Ainsley licked some powdered sugar from her thumb, then leaned in closer to examine a pistol with elaborate bronze trimmings. While she made conversation with the seller, Gael looked around the marketplace, a blanket spread out with various types of jewelry catching her attention.

"Ainsley? I'll be right back," she said. The princess glanced up, nodded, and then returned to the topic at hand, fully absorbed in discussion of the weapons. Gael left her side and approached the blanket on the other side of the street.

It was managed by a middle-aged woman adorned in various semi-precious metals and stones. The wares she sold were, at a glance, of the same quality. Sitting on the edge of the thick wool blanket, she gave Gael a welcoming smile.

"Hello. May I help you?"

Gae hesitated, realizing she didn't even know why she was here. "I'm not sure, actually," she replied honestly.

Gael crouched down to examine the wares. Necklaces, bracelets, and elaborate headpieces of hammered metal filled the wrinkles of the blanket's surface. There were plenty of stones set in jewelry that glinted in the light of the sun, but nothing that caught her eye, until she spotted a wooden ring nestled among several other shining pieces of jewelry.

"May I?" She questioned, reaching for it. The woman gave her a nod and a smile, and Gael leaned forward and picked it up with a delicate touch.

The ring was a simple affair, but beautiful, too, made of some sort of dark, cherry-red wood. It was no more than a narrow band, striated with different shades of mahogany and brown, but it was polished to perfection and covered in a smooth, diamond-hard glaze. It was heavier than Gael expected, too. She held the small object between two fingers, then turned it over and admired the other side.

She wasn't sure what prompted the words that fell from her lips next.

"I'll take it. How much?"

The woman shrugged. "Well, it is not a diamond. How does twenty silvers sound?"

Gael reached around in her pockets and found the appropriate payment. The woman wrapped the ring in paper for her and thanked her.

With the minuscule package burning in her coat pocket, Gael found Ainsley again, just as she said her goodbyes and turned from the booth.

"You're not going to purchase anything?" Gael questioned as the two continued down the street.

"No, I don't have any money with me. And my father would kill me before allowing me to use a firearm. He was upset enough when I convinced Luca to teach me swordplay."

"Well, Princess, if we had more time together I'd offer to let you try out my pistol, but I left it on the Finch."

Ainsley just shrugged, a silence falling over them. "That does sound like it would've been fun," she said at last.

It was like the realization that this was their last day together was only hitting them now. Gael wished she was happier. It would be better now that she and the crew could continue on their way without any other obligations to the noble folk. But she had enjoyed her time with Ainsley, and something told her that perhaps the princess felt the same way.

"I think there's a dragon living outside the city somewhere," Ainsley said at last, breaking the silence. "Shall we go for another ride?"

Gael's heart leapt at the suggestion. "I would love that a lot," she agreed, not hesitating a moment.

Ainsley smiled. "Well, then, let's get out of the city so we don't scare the people living here," she suggested. Gael grinned and fell into step next to her, their meandering path leading them out of the city at a leisurely pace.

—
The dragon Ainsley called to was a sizable one, though it didn't reach quite the immense measurements of the one she and Gael had met only three days ago. This one was covered in ice-white scales, and tufts of white and grey fur grew between the even row of jagged spines down its neck and back. Gael carefully maneuvered herself between two of the spikes behind Ainsley, then wrapped her arms around her waist, not thinking about it twice this time. Ainsley's hands found one of the spines and she adjusted her position slightly, then placed a hand on the creature's neck. It burst into the air with a powerful flap of its wings, and Gael clung tighter to Ainsley, feeling a nervous laugh escape her lips.

The ground grew smaller rapidly beneath them as they climbed into the sky until the air started to feel thin and moisture from the clouds wet their bare faces and hands. Ainsley pushed the dragon into a shallow dip back downwards and Gael leaned in as close as she could to talk to Ainsley despite the roaring wind.

"Do you think anyone will see us?"

"No," Ainsley shouted back, every word nearly being whipped away. "We're too high up. They'll see the dragon, but not us."

Gael leaned back, satisfied, as the dragon spread its wings, two gleaming white canvases on either side of them. The air billowed up underneath them and the trio soared until the city was a dark blot behind them. Their meandering path took them over a low rise in the ground, and on the floor of the shallow, grassy valley beyond, something was taking shape on the horizon. Gael frowned and leaned forward.

"What is that?"

hey, thanks for reading chapter 21 of violent tides! please don't forget to vote and comment <3