From Ashes and Dust (Book One)

Chapter 5.1

Death's grip was ice, like diving into the coldest waters. Rebirth was fiery, burning. As if Hell's flames devoured one's flesh from the bone. The two combined together was an indescribable sensation that Vatra both feared and had grown accustomed to.

Watching the device in Spyro's hand flicker with the acknowledgement of Enyalius' presence, someone who had caused her death many times over, Vatra felt chills on her arms. Sweat dotted her forehead. She couldn't help but remember a few of their past encounters and shuddered.

"Is it hot in here?" Vatra whispered harshly to Hisato. "And kind of cold?" She gripped her Katherian silk to her chest.

Dark eyes dragged from Spyro to meet her face, though hidden behind her mask. "When was the last time you saw Enyalius?" Hisato questioned.

"I thought he died on Earth," Vatra said with a disappointing shake of her head. "I should have known he would have left."

"The universe is too big now to know how many of us actually left Earth in time," Hisato commented. "He's one of the few that I know of."

Vatra's interest was piqued, distracted from the racing heart in her chest. "Who else have you heard of? And why haven't you mentioned these things before?"

"It doesn't matter." Hisato shook his head and acknowledged Spyro's approach. "Your shadow's found us, and now we have to break the news without causing mayhem in Belltower."

Spyro walked over to them, holding out the device with a slow side-to-side motion of his hand. "I do believe you two must have seen me. Was the point to let me wander around and meet these pirates on my own?" He almost sounded irritated.

"I just needed to talk to Hisato for a moment, catch up on a few things," Vatra said. "Did you buy any food?"

A small bob of his head signaled his reply. "They will load our supplies in the Agkistrodon. Should I be worried about this discussion you two are having without me?"

"Don't worry, Spy, it's not gossip." Vatra bit her lip.

It's like ripping off a band-aid.

"Actually, we should probably talk somewhere more quiet," she added after some hesitation.

"With me?" Spyro's head cocked to the side. "I hope I have not done anything wrong."

Hisato chuckled. "Hardly, you've been here for like three minutes. It's more of a conversation to-" he paused and looked to Vatra, "set some guidelines."

"Guidelines?" Spyro repeated.

"Just... follow me," Hisato said. He grabbed both of them by a wrist and dragged them out into the crowd.

Swallowed by the sea of patrons, the three of them bumped and pushed their way until they made it over to a stairwell on the far side. There was only a momentary relief from the crowd.

Metal, wide steps with a gap large enough for a child to fit through carried up into the darkness of the level above. Lit by the faint glow of a light along the steps, they thumped along with careful placement of their boots. One wrong move and it would easily mean a twisted ankle.

The floor above was empty of people. Quiet, save for a shuffle of some unknown rodent that scurried away from their appearance. Storage containers and boxes lined the walls, pushed back into the shadows. The air smelled stale. Any spices and cooking meat from below apparently couldn't penetrate the second floor.

Vatra walked over to the thin railing and leaned over, glancing to the bustle they'd left behind. "Safety's not your priority, huh?" She tested the stability of the railing, earning a creak from her movements.

"Of course it is," Hisato said. "That's why I brought you two up here for this talk."

"Which I still do not understand," Spyro added. He tapped the device in his hand impatiently. "I am sure the pirates have wandered out of the hanger by now, and we do not know what they look like."

Both Hisato and Vatra turned to one another. The former's expression surely matched Vatra's own grimace.

"I do not fully understand emotions," Spyro started, "but I can sense an increase in Vatra's blood pressure. You both are uneasy."

"These pirates, Spy, they're not the same crew we worked with before. They have a new captain. Hisato said it's Enyalius."

Vatra didn't need an implant to know the very name sprung an increase in Spyro's blood pressure. Nor did she need to see his face. The tightening of his glove around the device until it sparked gave enough indication of how he felt.

"Spyro, I need you to stay calm," Hisato said. "Belltower has a lot of good people in it and-"

Holding up a hand, Vatra cut Hisato off. "Spy, let's talk to them first. They don't know who we are. We can meet with them, and call this job off."

"How do you know this?" Spyro questioned, his tone roughened. "How do you know it is not a trap? He is not respectable, and has killed you in less honorable ways."

"That's true," Vatra admitted. "But they could have shot us down back on Doatis. Enyalius doesn't play the long game, he never has. This would have been too much work for him when he could have killed us right then and there. And destroyed our ship, too."

Spyro relaxed his grip on the device and seemed to regret the damage he'd done to it. "You doubted me to contain my rage?"

"The last time we saw Enyalius didn't exactly leave me with high expectations. You lost control of your anger and summoned a bunch of angry war spirits. The timing also wasn't all that great... 1692 in Massachusetts. I have to say, I found it ironic that they threw me in a lake for that one. And, they never thought it was you that summoned those spirits," Vatra mused. She laughed and shook off the memory, recounting how awful it actually had been.

"I still do not know what he was doing there," Spyro said.

"Following the amusement, probably," Vatra muttered.

Hisato cleared his throat and clapped his hands together. "While I'm glad we've agreed you won't be summoning any of those war spirits now... what are you two going to do? Talking about Enyalius and seeing him in person are separate things. I can stay with Spyro while you meet with him."

Sharply nodding her head, Vatra tucked her thumbs into the front pockets of her jumpsuit. "That's a good idea. It's not like I haven't gone on adventures without you before, Spy-"

"Which I do not recall always turning out so good for you," Spyro interrupted.

"How about you summon me up some crew mates, and it'll be just like the old days? I'll have a little backup if I need, and it won't look so suspicious with just me," Vatra said.

"And what if you need more than just a few spirits?" Hisato asked. He folded his arms and looked between the both of them with a raised brow.

Vatra tapped her watch. "I'll leave the comms on. Hungarian's the safe word."

"How, exactly, would you work the word 'Hungarian' into a sentence with these guys?" Hisato dead-panned.

"I'm crafty." Vatra shrugged. "Trust me. If I'm in enough trouble I actually need either of you to come to my rescue, I'll be screaming a lot more than just the word 'Hungarian'.  Besides, what's the worst they'll do... kill me?"