Bloodline of a Tempest

Chapter 7

The transaction went surprisingly smoothly, considering they were in one of the most notorious parts of their world. 

Turin Glaciers, on the farthest south of Atria, was a place the pirates, smugglers and all the wrongdoers called home. The sea, too rough for the traders, was a safe harbor for the pirates and the caves were a shelter for the smugglers even since before the last war.

And now they were on their territory.  

Lorn and the man he found seemed to go way back. They greeted each other with that sort of mistrust that implied some familiarity.

As soon as Lorn and Nema had stepped on the beach, the strangest chiming  suddenly sounded, something one could easily confuse with the raging sea that seemed almost violent in this part of the coast. There was no one in sight, except for that one ship that was anchored so far away that it was impossible to read the mark on the sail. 

Nema's eyes were pointed at the horizon - her heart clenched in anticipation.

This wasn't Lorn's first time here. They were walking down the beach for a while until the bell-like sounds alarmed their hosts. That's when Lorn drew his short sword and waited. If Nema wasn't staring at that exact spot she would have missed the moment when a tall, bearded man appeared before them, seemingly from the thin air.

Nema gasped.

All the portals in Atria were closed for many years now. Those between the words were locked when the last war was at its bloodiest, as one of the last, desperate measure mages did to save what could still be saved. After a while even those old portals that every town and every village had at some public place were prohibited. To open a portal, under king Castor's laws, was punishable by death. So, now, seeing a man step out of nothing was enough of a reason to gasp.

Lorn didn't seem surprised.

'What do we have here?' The man with light hair and beady eyes said, walking around them with his hands on his back.  He had an impressive leather chest piece, similar to the one king's guard had and he carried daggers in both hands.

Nema noticed that Lorn never lowered his sword. 'Why don't you offer me a drink, Grin,' Lorn said, his eyes careful, 'and we can talk business.'

The man he called Grin nodded.

'Roell!' He called somewhere above their heads and suddenly the air in front of Nema's eyes shimmered and a completely different image appeared before them.

Instead of deserted beach with a cave in the end now there were tens of little huts scattered around the beach and instead of raging sea Nema suddenly saw at least a dozen ships with large black sail waiting a bit further on the calm waters.

'I can't imagine how much this had to cost,' Lorn said, obviously impressed.

Grin suddenly flashed such a wicked smile it was clear how he had earned his name. 'There are strange birds flying over these skies,' he said, 'sometimes they leave one of their colorful feathers behind.' He pointed at a man they held inside a cage on a cliff. 

Nema was staring at him with disbelief. How cruel you had to be to keep a living being inside a cage?

Lorn finally showed some interest. 'Trading with enemies is one thing this but,' he pointed at the men they kept imprisoned, 'doing this to one of your own people is...'

Grin waved his hand, flashing that creepy smile at Lorn. 'Maybe it is the old age, but my eyes can't seem to see that moral higher ground you're standing on, old friend.'

Lorn said nothing more. 

Grin led them to one of the shabby huts while Lorn kept glaring at his back like it was a bull's eye. Nema was following them, her eyes scanning the ships in the harbor. 

All these years not once she took into account the possibility that once she reached Turin Glaciers he would not be here.

'So, you say she is a healer,' Grin glanced at Nema's face, staring into her eyes until she felt uncomfortable. She still had her dagger hidden in her boot in case this whole affair turns south. She made sure to look at each of the ships in the harbor twice but there wasn't even one with a sign of a silver trident on his sail. He had a fleet of thousands of ships. It was almost impossible to imagine there wouldn't be even one waiting when she arrived.

'I'll give you thirty for her,' Grin said and started rummaging trough a cupboard filled with crystal bowls.

'Thirty dragon-hearts?' Lorn frowned.

Grin turned around, surprised. 'Don't be ridiculous. I'll give you thirty silver coins for her and only because we're old friends.'

'You tried to kill me twice, Grin.' Lorn grunted.

'Oh, water under the bridge.' Grin was already counting silver coins in front of Lorn and when he took the money two men shook hands.

Nema was staring at her old boots. So, she was worth only thirty coins and only because Lorn lied she was a healer.

'It's nothing personal,' the fire-feeder told her on his way out. Nema didn't respond. 

Thirty silver coins. That money wasn't enough to buy you even a woolen scarf.

When Grin returned Nema had her speech ready. 'Listen, Grin,' she flashed one of her most convincing smiles, 'how about you and me have a little agreement?'

Grin smiled at her, untying her hands. 'Don't worry, doll, we won't kill you. You give us a bit of your blood and you're free to go.'

Nema knew enough about the world to know how those 'just a bit of blood' stories ended.

'I've got something better for you,' she said. 'If you take me to this one pirate you all know you'll get much more than thirty coins.'

Grin froze. 'Fire and thunder, just tell me where did they found you.' He started glancing through his window every few moments. 'Now I'll have another angry pirate on my back because his daughter couldn't resist some fiery charms.'

Nema grinned. This was exactly what she expected from this journey. 'Now, take me to Silverstorm and he'll give you as much silver as you can carry.'

Grin stopped. There was something between confusion and disbelief on his face. 'Did you say Silverstorm?'

Nema nodded. 'Yes, he is my father.' She wanted to say this line for so many years she felt almost felt giddy.

Grin laughed, returning to his cupboard. 'Why are all the prettiest always crazy?' He sighed taking out something that looked like a crystal dagger. Nema shivered, taking a step back. She had no intention to let this lunatic spill her blood.

'Didn't you hear what I just said?' She said, trying to make her voice sound more commanding, but she was shaking on the inside. 'Take me to Silverstorm and there will be no trouble. He is already searching for me all over the place.'

Grin sighed. 'Listen, doll,' he said, carrying with him the transparent blade and a bowl made of blue stone, 'I don't know where those fire-feeders found you but those stories won't work in this part of the land.'

Nema folded her arms on her chest. 'My father won't be pleased with the way you treated me.'

Grin was losing patience. 'You come here, telling me you're the lost daughter of Silverstorm - a mythical pirate who hasn't walked this land for three hundred years and expect me to buy it. Come, sit down,' he pointed at the chair, 'and don't say another word.'

Nema kept moving back. Her mind was spinning. What did he mean her father was a mythical person? 

'I'm not a healer!' She suddenly cried, realizing Grin wasn't interested in her shattered illusions. 'I'm not a healer. I don't have magical blood.' She kept pulling back until she hit the wall.

Grin nodded. 'I guessed. But that's fine, I'll put some Orion dust in it and it will look magic enough. They won't see the difference until I'm long gone.'

Nema yanked the door open and started running. 'Help!' She cried. 'Somebody help me!'

She crashed into a man who grabbed her by the hands. She kept kicking and screaming but to no avail. When she saw Grin patiently walking in her direction with that damned bowl and knife Nema knew she was in trouble.

'Just hold her,' Grin instructed the man, 'we'll do this here.'

Even she kept kicking and biting with everything she had the man who held her arms managed to keep her immobile until Grin tore her sleeve. Nema pushed away from the ground and managed to kick him right in the face. When he got up he was spitting blood. But instead of anger what she saw on his face was pure shock. He was staring at her skin under the torn sleeve like into the very fires of damnation.

'Let the girl go!' A raspy voice sounded behind them.

Nema's heart leaped to life when she saw Demian advancing towards them with a drawn sword. 'Let her go or I'll burn everything down.' When he lifted his left hand there was a flaming sphere burning on his palm. Nema knew why he was pale with pain, his left arm hurt even when he breathed.

Demian threw the flame on the ground and suddenly there was a wall of fire that was dividing them from the men that were emerging from the huts. They were all armed and Nema had a bad feeling how this might end.

'Don't let her go!' Grin said to the man who held her. 'She has a sign of -'

Nema gasped, seeing one of Demian's daggers embedded in Grin's neck. When he fell down the man who was holding her loosened his grip. 'You won't get away with this!' He said to Demian pointing at the group of thugs on the other side.

'Hurry!' Demian called Nema, watching the wall of fire smugglers were trying to put out with sand. Nema ran to him and he pushed her behind him when the wall fell and the men from the other side came at him. He was fighting with his right arm, keeping his left relaxed by his side. Looking from a side he seemed like a gentleman in a duel of honor,  giving the enemy a fair chance but Nema knew that the enemy had all the chances in this world to finish them off if they attacked him from the left flank. She kept her dagger firmly in her hand but Nema was paralyzed with fear.

When one of the men with a long sword took a swing at them, all Nema saw was a flash of a blade right in front of her face and the screeching sound of steel colliding with steel.

Lorn was standing before her.

'I've changed my mind,' the fire-feeder told her simply, moving Nema out of his way to stand next to Demian.