The Unblessed Child

Chapter Seventeen - Secrets

When Aardriyah made it to the top deck, it was packed with broken and battered passengers readying themselves for a long journey north. She found Rachida with the help of Kit, whose nose led her to the small fire blessed woman aboard the bow. The ships were edging ever closer to a shanty dock of half collapsed and sun ridden timber, it wasn't much but it would have to do.

"The Dead Bay - what a welcoming sight!" Rachida chimed in sarcastically. Looking across the bay and land that stood before them, Aardriyah felt an eerie sensation as if the corpses that were still trapped here, were jealously watching the living, wishing they had the essence of life still within their grasps. The Dead Bay had been given the name after the fall of the Marconian Empire. No one dared break the volcanic ash covered lands, fearing it might upset the gods to disturb the dead. Ever since it stood as a long stretch of ominous black land, nothing growing about it and no life within it.

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but you think they could dock us in a nicer area? Why not, Rainbow Bay or Happy, Alive and Definitely-Not-Covered-In-Tonnes-of-Volcanic-Ash-Bay?" Rachida tried to joke, but it didn't seem to hit Aardriyah's ears at all; as she continued to look out, silent at the forlorn at the bay.

"What's wrong with you? Didn't get paid?"

Aardriyah finally gave her attention to the overly chatty woman beside her,

"I did." She said. Although reluctantly as she had tried to hand back the three gold naughts and four silver crosses the princess had given her, but she refused to accept them - stating it was her duty to ensure her employees were paid accordingly. Considering the risk and hurt that Aardriyah had suffered during her employ, she had definitely earned it. Aardriyah tried to point out that the hurt and risk were brought on from her simply existing, not from the job itself but the princess wouldn't speak any further on the matter.

"I just feel sad knowing how many people were buried alive under the ash. Knowing how beautiful those buildings were and how happy they all seemed." Aardriyah continued.

Rachida looked up at Aardriyah's raised eyebrows, her sullen face conveying truth behind the words she spoke.

"It was just a dream, Riyah. It's not like you actually knew those people or have any idea what the Marconian Empire was like. Maybe they were all horrible kitten killers or puppy punchers." She tried to reason.

Aardriyah appreciated Rachida's innate ability to always have a response to anything anyone ever expressed, it must have taken years of practice, but she managed without a struggle. Aardriyah had years of practice of saying the wrong thing, being punished for it and in turn, sometimes felt that silence was the best thing she could offer the world. She envied Rachida's quick wit and sharp tongue, and how little she seemed to censor herself. Perhaps being a blessed gave you the luxury of not facing retribution for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.

"Anyway, who cares! You are going to see some amazing sights that you definitely can't dream of, I promise you that!" She pinched Aardriyah's arm, unhappy at the lack of attention she was paying her.

"You've been here before?"

Rachida rolled her eyes, letting out an audibly exaggerated sigh and said,

"Of course! I've travelled to almost every state on the New Continent, every empire and every colony or island. I'm hoping to tick them all off before I'm twenty. One of the many perks of this job I suppose."

To think that Rachida had almost visited all of the New Realm, made Aardriyah jealous. The most she had seen was one or two other islands of Veros that were much poorer and full of even more spiteful people than the main island. In fact, this was the furthest she had ever been from her little blue front door on the white dome house she called home. Part of it excited her, thrilled her and filled her of hopes for what she was to uncover in the coming days, weeks and months. But another part of this realisation hit her like a tonne of marble bricks, realising that she was on a journey that had no definable end, no idea of when she would return home or how she would get there. She'd had to be self-sufficient to an extent on Veros, navigate herself around rocky terrain and even rockier relationships, but she'd always had the comfort of knowing Pateras, Old Man Teme and Sonas were close by if she ever needed to run away and find comfort in their warm words and arms. Now, she'd have to brave the world alone, without any guidance, any support and any protection.