The Wrath Of the Forgotten (28 page)

“I know this isn’t the same kind of thing,” Apisa said. “I didn’t lose my entire people, but I understand what it feels like to lose someone you love. My parents died when I was very young. I took it kind of hard.”

Nori shifted on the bed so he leaned more on his side. Spikes of anguish shot up his nerves. At least now, Nori was better angled to see Apisa. “What happened?”

Apisa continued to caress Nori’s body. “A pretty nasty disease hit the Buka area when I was a little girl. Not everyone got sick, but those who did usually died. My mama contracted it first. She tried to quarantine herself so she wouldn’t infect anyone else.” Apisa’s green eyes went out of focus for a moment. “My papa didn’t care what she said. He went into that room and took care of her anyway. He eventually got it too.”

Nori tried to sit up again, but Apisa placed a hand on his chest and kept him down.

“I’m so sorry,” Nori said.

Apisa sighed. “My granny used to tell me ‘Death is a natural part of life. As natural as the planting and harvesting seasons.’ At the time, I didn’t care about any of that. I just wanted to hold my mama again, or sit on my papa’s lap. Like I said, I know it’s not the same thing, but I get how you feel.”

A small sniff came from the doorway. Rayko stood there, her eyes appearing quite wet. She held a hand to the spot below the nape of her neck. “I came to check on you. I’m glad you’re alive.”

Nori winced. “Really? That’s comforting to hear.”

Rayko moved into the room and sat on the other side of Nori. Her body shuddered for a moment. “My little sister’s name was Senna. She was only a year younger than I, but we were very close with one another. Rather than study magic, she chose to better understand the intricacies of economics and of trading. Senna pursued a career as a merchandise specialist aboard a wealthy merchant baron’s private vessel.”

Apisa reached over and placed a hand on Rayko’s shoulder. Judging from the mournful glimmer in Apisa’s eyes, she probably knew the truth about Senna.

Rayko wiped a few tears from her eyes. “Senna’s ship came under attack by a group of Onistan Pirates. Those terrible bastards slowly murdered all of the crew and then ransomed off the merchant baron to his family. That’s how we found out about Senna. My poor little sister suffered until the very end at the hands of those brutish men. I know it’s not your fault, and I know I’ve apologized before, but it doesn’t matter. I’m so sorry for treating you so badly. And I’m so sorry about your mother and your people.”

Nori struggled to lift his hand up towards her, and Rayko clasped it with both hands.

Nori said, “I forgive you. I’m sorry about your sister.”

Rayko sobbed a little. “Let’s just forget there was any conflict between us, yes?”

“I would very much like that,” Nori said.

Amidst the vast, hallow chasm in Nori’s chest, a small degree of warmth appeared and grew gradually.

A small meek voice broke spoke up. “Do you mind if I join you?” Flara stepped into the room and sat on the end of the bed. A small grin appeared on her face. “I’m glad you’re alive. I was really scared for you.”

Nori tried for a third time to sit up. This time, Rayko and Apisa helped him up.

He asked, “So… that winged bastard is working for the Celestial Ones?”

Even saying that phrase, ‘Celestial Ones,’ sent cruel vibrations throughout his body. Images of his dream and the resounding scream of his mother hounded him in the back of his mind.

Flara’s eyes fell downcast. “I think so. The scrolls vaguely describe a group of people called the scarred ones. I think that winged man belongs to that population.”

“That fellow didn’t look too scarred to me,” Apisa said. “He looked sick and underfed.”

“The lore references it to being more of a spiritual or magical scarring,” Flara said. “It’s incredibly vague, but I think the scarred ones used to be Celestial Ones.”

Rayko positioned herself on the bed so she could face everyone. “That fellow wasn’t exactly easy to deal with, and there was only one of him. Are we to expect some kind of army of diseased, gaunt flyers to befall us?”

“I don’t know,” Flara said. “I would only assume that these Celestial Ones would be worse than that. After all, the amount of preparation and research that the Abbot sanctioned suggests something more nefarious than just energy swords and wings.”

Nori winced as the pain in his body increased in vibrancy for but a moment. “Didn’t he say something about you all stealing something from his masters? What did he mean by that?”

Rayko simply shrugged. “I haven’t a clue. We didn’t use anything special that we didn’t use against the Tsuchigumos or the Kappas. And you got your new weapon after we got back to Jadai.”

Nori let out a small sigh. Something quite elusive whispered on the edge of his consciousness. The nagging tugging kept pulling at his insides. Slowly, the tugging got stronger until finally, a preverbal pop occurred in his mind.

“Where does your magic come from?” Nori asked.

Apisa chuckled as she lightly pat him on the shoulder. “You should know that by now. It comes from our tattoos.”

“Yeah,” Nori said. “I get that. I mean where does it come from originally? It seems kind of strange to think we’ve always had it. Was there ever a point when we didn’t have it?”

Rayko and Apisa both regarded Flara. A blank expression covered Flara’s face as she gazed into nothingness.

“By the saving grace of Saito!” Flara said. “Nori’s right! We didn’t always have magic. In all the excitement, I completely forgot about the event that’s going to occur in Jadai in conjunction with the Millennium Celebration.”

“An event?” Rayko asked. “What are you talking about? I didn’t know there was an event going on at the same time.”

Flara leaned forward. Her eyes went wide. “The magical university in Jadai is celebrating its thousandth year of existence. I never stopped to consider the implications of it all, but we only got our magic a thousand years ago.”

“So does that mean…?” Apisa started.

The words died on her tongue.

“I think so,” Flara said. “Our enemy is much more terrible than we could have ever possibly imagined.”

A small chuckle escaped Nori, and the girls turned to look at him.

“D-do you find something amusing?” Rayko asked. “Seriously?”

“It has nothing to do with our enemy, but I’ve noticed something.” Nori’s smile grew a little more. “Flara, you’re not stuttering or averting your eyes like you normally do.”

Flara blinked suddenly, but then she grinned as well. “I guess it’s because I’m used to being around you now.” Her glee faded. “So, back to the matter at hand. How are we going to deal with the enemy?”

“Well, how did we do it a thousand years ago?” Apisa asked. “That sounds like a great place to start as any. My granny always used to say ‘Tradition lays the foundation for innovation.’ We just need to figure out what they did.”

Rayko stood up from the bed. “I’ll be back in a bit. I’m sure you’re hungry after being asleep for so long. Let me go gather something up for you.”

Apisa got up as well. “I’ll go with you. If Nori’s anything like my big brother, then he’s going to need a lot of meat.”

Flara also rose from the bed. “I’ll go let Captain Alfana know you’re up. She was worried about you too.”

Apisa grimaced for a moment, but she said nothing.

“Just rest up. We’ll be back soon,” Flara said.

Nori eased himself back down on the bed and let out a sigh. The images of his dream flashed before him. The urge to weep again nearly overpowered him. The more Nori thought about crying, the less appealing it actually was. Onistans endured no matter what, which included the genocide of his people.

Had the Onistans really been vanquished by an army of Oni?

Nori smirked. At least it had required an army of Oni to vanquish the proud, strong warrior race. The Celestial Ones must have feared the Onistans so much that they made sure the giant people were destroyed. His pride faltered as one great realization came upon him: Nori was alone.

Well, maybe not alone. Three wonderful people, or maybe four, regarded him as a friend. At least he still had that. Thank Saito for that.

HIS BODY STILL
felt weak, but at least he could walk. Nori took his time as he moved out onto the deck. The brilliant sunset sent dazzling oranges drifting across the sky. A cool breeze blew down between the massive mountain peaks that lined the river and kissed his face. Nori took a deep breath, and then studied the mountains around him.

While he loved being around such wondrous natural titans, just seeing them sent bitter vibrations through his bones. Despite the amazing colors, the world appeared a little dimmer than it had days before. Who was he kidding? The world had lost much of its luster ever since he first had that accursed dream.

One of the sailors noticed him and waved at him.

“Hey! I owe you a drink the next time we’re in port somewhere,” The sailor said.

A moment later, a female voice called from above him. “Hey! Are you sure you’re up for moving about? You had better not keel over on me, you big beautiful bastard.”

Luxi leaned against the rail of an elevated platform of the ship. A pair of staircases led up to where she stood. Raoi stood behind and gripped the helm.

Luxi gestured to the stairs. “Do you think you can hobble your broken ass up here?”

Nori tried to move at his normal pace, but various places on his body groaned in protest. He slowed his movements and took his time moving up the staircase. All the while, he gripped the rail for support. Luxi watched him closely like a hawk observing a field mouse. She made no move to help him.

When Nori finally made it to the top of the platform, Luxi glided over to the helm and placed a steady hand on it. “Let Nori take the wheel. You go get some rest.”

Raoi nodded, and allowed Nori to take his place. Without saying another word, the sailor skipped down the stairs and disappeared from view.

Nori’s stomach tingled as he gripped the helm. It gently moved from side to side if he allowed it to move on its own. He kept it in place, and it required little strength to maintain. Luxi positioned herself right in front of him and leaned against the rail.

“Am I doing this right?” Nori asked.

Luxi peeked over her shoulder at the river. “I don’t see anything you can bump into. Just try and follow the course of the river and you should be fine. Don’t worry; I’m not leaving you up here alone. If it gets bad, I’ll take over.”

Nori nodded and kept his hands in place. Every now and then, he turned a little to the left or right. The ship responded with ease. “This isn’t too bad. It’s actually kind of fun.”

Luxi crossed her arms over her chest. “Yeah it is. You look good behind that wheel. Maybe you should consider joining my crew.”

“I have a job,” Nori said. “One I can’t readily abandon.”

“Because of your duty and honor?” Luxi asked, a playful bounce in her words.

Nori replied, “That, and I also want to protect Apisa, Rayko, and Flara. They’re… they’re my friends. Since I have nothing else now, protecting them is of the utmost importance.”

Some of the lightness faded from Luxi’s face. She lowered her gaze. Her vocal tone became more somber. “So they’re your friends, huh?”

Something greasy crawled in Nori’s chest. It tickled him and made him squirm slightly. “You’re one of my friends too, I think. I mean, if you want to be, that is.”

She smirked. “I think I’d love to be your friend. You know, you were quite impressive with handling that guy. He would have killed me had you not jumped in. Thank you for that.” Her lips pouted slightly. “And I’m sorry about your mother. And about your people.”

Nori stared up at the mountains again. His mother’s screaming echoed in his ears. “I’ll make that bastard pay if it’s the last thing I ever do!”

Suddenly, Rayko’s voice called out. “I think I heard him up here.”

Rayko moved up the stairs, followed by Apisa and Flara.

“Well, how do you like that?” Apisa asked. She placed her hands on her hips. “They promoted you to boat driver.”

“Helmsman,” Luxi said. “The correct term is helmsman. I offered him the job, but he’s determined to remain your porter.”

Flara giggled. “That’s good to know. Nori has more than proven his value as a guardian and as a friend. It’s actually good that we have you both here. We needed to ask you a question about the pirates. Do you think we might encounter them soon?”

Luxi turned around and gazed down the river. “I can almost guarantee it. Nori already knows this about me, but you don’t.” She paused for a moment. “I was born in Gohoda.”

Apisa gasped. “Does that mean you used to be a pirate?”

Luxi grinned over at her. “No, I’m not a pirate, nor was I ever one. I think my mother would have liked for me to follow that path though.” She stared off into the distance and gripped the rail with a tight grasp.

Nori followed her line of sight, but he didn’t see anything else on the river.

A long moment lingered between them before Luxi said, “So I’d like to know the truth. Nori alluded to something awful coming. I’d like to know what it is.”