Chapter Twenty Two
Port of Arisha was a small, dilapidated city.
The streets were dust-covered and barren, but I could see what it must have been in its prime, before the outbreak of The Fever had stolen the merchants and traders that had once docked at its port.
It was a sprawling mass of twisting sand streets and towering palm trees, little houses and buildings of every color—from vibrant reds and blues to soft pastels of yellow and green—lined the pathways.
The peeling paint and eerie stillness sang a mournful cry of waving neighbors and shrill laughter that once must have sung through the heated air.
"Is it just me," Bran hesitated as he leaned in close, "or does this place give you the jitters?"
A frown pulled at his lips as he gazed out with me, the ship rocking softly upon the waves as it was steered toward a dock. The wood was half rotted, sharp splinters casting shadows across the water. Like pointed fingertips beckoning us closer.
I shook my head, eyes distant. “It feels disconsolate."
"Aye, this city was once filled with life and cheer." Antoni had approached my other side, his hands reaching for the rope that would tie the ship to the dock. “Long before that nasty illness stole its beauty. It's a goddess-damned shame what has become of it now."
“You speak as if you had seen what it once was—was the first outbreak not a century ago?"
He gave a small smile, a wistful sadness shadowing the edges of his expression. “My grandmother was born here, she used to tell many stories of the place she had grown up loving.”
"May her soul rest in the Kingdom of the Goddess," I murmured, my voice laced with apology. But Antoni merely laughed as he tossed Bran another rope with instructions to tie it into one of the knots they had taught him.
"I offered your companion a place on my ship should he ever wish to leave behind the Capital." Antoni's voice was low, mirth dancing across his tongue. “Should you ever find yourself wishing for a life other than the one you have, the offer is also extended."
I leaned against the siding, my mouth curving into a sly smirk. "I thought not everyone was suited to a life at sea?"
"Aye, but you little feral thing," the nickname was said mockingly, a hint of humor in it, "you would do well on the sea.
You may have taken some concoction to rid yourself of the bruises, but I know the pain does not heal till the light kisses your skin.
You have worked through it and done it gracefully.
" He threw a glance over his shoulder to where Taven was steering the ship.
"And it was rather nice to see that one have his arse handed to him. "
He wasn't wrong, I had taken a potion to fade the bruises that marred my skin, but the pain still resided beneath the surface. Still I had been helping work the ship just as everyone else had. Rena would heal me first thing after a restful sleep on land, but until then my body would continue it’s aching.
"Will your crew be staying in town?" They had begun to grow on me after my fight with Taven. I only wished I hadn't needed to get pummeled by a man twice my size for them to warm to our group.
Antoni shook his head. "We have business to attend to in Calmier, before we sail the southern tip of Tavari to meet you on the eastern coast." He hesitated, weighing his next words. “Be careful in the desert, for you do not wish to encounter the creatures that roam there."
Before I could ask him exactly what creatures he was speaking of, Kairen was pulling his attention away to discuss the finer details of where they would be meeting to pick us up for our journey north.
I ignored the uneasy feeling that slithered through my subconscious as I moved to help Rena stand. What exactly were we getting ourselves into?
The inn we were staying at was just as dilapidated as the rest of the little seaside town, peeling blue wallpaper and cracked wooden flooring greeted us as we entered.
Rena leaned heavily against me as we waited near the entrance for Kairen to secure us rooms for the night.
Roan and Bran were discussing strategy for how they would go about gathering information when the town was practically barren, and I took the moment to observe.
The little inn didn't have a dining hall as most would, so we would have to go out for food, but it did have a small seating area for tea and mingling.
Only an older man sat at one of the little tables, his tanned skin wrinkled and his black hair peppered with grey.
My gaze lingered upon him and I felt a chill as he glanced up and caught my eyes, his own dark and twinkling with expectation.
My attention was pulled from him as Kairen approached, three keys held up in his hand. He passed one to me as he said, "A room for you and Rena." Then he glanced at the other two men with a brow raised and held up one of the keys. "Who wants their own room?"
Roan was first to snatch the key, before Bran could even comprehend the question and his groan was that of a child. “How are you so Goddess-damned quick, it isn't fair!"
"Time and tide wait for no man," Roan teased, his arms stretching overhead. “Now if you'll all excuse me, I'm going to go take a nap in my room before we head out to the taverns for food."
His steps were swaggering as he took the inn stairs two at a time and I had to stifle a laugh as Bran's mouth hung open. "I swear we left Captain Delmar back in Amori City because who in the Nine Hells is that?"
Kairen patted his shoulder comfortingly, his own mischievous grin tilting the corners of his lips. "It's the sea, it brings out the best and the worst of him."
"Emphasis on the worst," Rena murmured, her face still bone-weary, but finally a small bit of color was beginning to return.
"Let's get you upstairs," I grumbled, wrapping an arm around the woman's waist.
The hot desert sun was setting when Rena and I finally emerged from our room, revitalized from an afternoon nap and warm baths.
I prodded gently at the once tender parts of my body as we walked down the stairs, pleased to find no pain remained after Rena's careful ministrations.
The golden healing light had soothed away any of the bruises that hid beneath my skin, as well as a cracked rib that had left me breathless for the last stretch of the seafaring.
Rena had scolded me when her healing magic had settled upon that injury, chastising me for waiting to speak of it.
Adjusting the white cloth that was wrapped around my head like the cowl of a cloak, my hands smoothed down the airy white long sleeve shirt and matching loose pants.
Kairen had delivered the clothing, a nearly identical set for Rena in cerulean blue.
When his cousin had grumbled about the long sleeves, he had merely rolled his eyes claiming it would keep the sun from scorching her to a crisp when we began our journey.
The town was still quiet when we stepped into the desert twilight, though few people now milled about.
Fishermen with nets hung over their shoulders and grim-faced mothers with a toddler or two running between their legs.
Wherever I looked it was solemn expressions and bone-weary exhaustion, my heart squeezing at the sight.
"There." Rena murmured softly, pointing out an old shop near the end of the street, its sign crooked and partially concealed with sand. I assumed it had meant to say Fable & Ink, but with the sand it read more like ble & Ink. “Bit shabby, isn't it?"
I shrugged, linking arms with Rena to pull her along. “Old and shabby might be just what we need for this.”
Kairen had assigned us to see if we could root out any local myths on The Fever while he and Roan went to secure us passage through the desert. Bran's job—the lucky prick—was to find us a decent place to eat for the night.
A little bell rang through the shop as we entered.
The outside may have been shabby, but the inside was a book lover's paradise.
The smell of fresh ink and old parchment immediately invaded my senses as I took it all in.
Gleaming wooden shelves, clearly well loved and cared for, stood sturdy and proud, near bursting with the books they housed.
Everywhere I looked there were great stacks of tomes artfully placed, and dancing across the ceiling was a painting that made the entire thing mimic an open desert sky.
"Well they do say to never judge a book by its cover, 'suppose the owner took that to heart, huh?" Rena's voice was as awed as I felt and a small, shocked laugh slipped past my lips as I moved further into the shop.
"Old or new, the pages within the cover still hold marvelous stories," said an old voice, deep and filled with amusement. A man emerged from a little doorway towards the back of the shop, the same man I had seen sitting in the Inn’s tea room. Not a traveller then, but a local?
His dark eyes were sharp as he took us in, his back hunched with age. “What brings you to my little shop then? Perhaps an adventure filled with romance, or something with suspense written into every page? Whatever you are looking for, I can find it upon my shelves."
Rena and I exchanged a look, our brows raising.
"Actually we were looking for something a bit more historical, maybe myths from the area?"
The old man hummed thoughtfully, waving a hand as he led us towards the back.
"This wall here is all of the local material I have.
Was there a specific myth you were looking to investigate?
" His eyes were piercing, as if he already knew the answer before he had even asked the question.
My skin prickled with awareness, but I couldn't glean any underlying malice within him.
So I answered truthfully, my tone hesitant. “We were actually curious about The Fever, as we heard this city had the first documented case."