Chapter 1
Two years earlier…
The puddle of blood beside me was spreading outwards from where I sat on the cold, hard ground.
Numb to the sounds of shuffling feet and screaming around me, I watched the crimson creep towards me, little by little, until it soaked into the fabric of my pants.
I stared into the glossed-over eyes of my Keeper, knowing what I should feel—what was natural to feel—when someone you’d grown up beside was cut down by a murderer in a city on fire—but I didn’t feel that.
I felt relief—relief, guilt, disgust at myself—and then… nothing.
From my earliest memory, I recalled the feeling of needing to run as far away as possible, but that simply wasn’t an option while chained to a Keeper amongst a village of people who idolized me.
So, her death—my Keeper Evri’s death—though unfortunate, was a convenient opportunity for me to make my escape.
If only I could get my body to stop shaking and get to my feet to take advantage of it.
I ran my palm over her eyes, closing her lids.
I didn’t hate Evri, but she, and the entirety of my village, had always felt…
off. Though I grew up with her, it was as if she was a stranger.
She felt like a ghost of someone so familiar, but always too far out of reach, and because I couldn’t stop reaching for that ghost, I could never connect to her.
I’d been dreaming of my escape from my village for most of my life.
It wasn’t until I started my pilgrimage a year ago that opportunities began to present themselves.
Still, Evri was always one step ahead of me, her eyes always watching my every move.
She kept me isolated on the road or locked in rooms. I learned to fear both myself and others, and I might have believed her about the ill intentions of everyone around me, but there was something inside of me screaming that Evri and her teachings were wrong.
I didn’t loath Evri—nor even my people—despite everything they’d done to me—but I refused to be their Saintess. I would live my life the way I wanted to.
The muted sound in my ears cleared all at once and the reality I had disassociated from came into full focus.
Evri was only one of several dead in the streets of Tempestas.
Flames engulfed the buildings all around me, and the smoke became unbearable to breathe.
I forced myself to my feet and buried my face in the crook of my elbow.
It was almost impossible to see, but beyond the fire and death, I could smell the faint salty scent of the ocean.
Tempestas was a huge port city, and a boat was my best chance at escaping whatever was happening.
Dodging fallen wooden beams and weaving through crowds of panicked civilians, I rushed towards the water.
The attack on the city had come out of nowhere, and I hadn’t seen a single city guard respond to defend the people.
With Evri gone—for the first time in my life—no one was telling me where I should go.
No one was protecting me. I only had myself.
My foot snagged on a smoldering board of wood and I tumbled to the ground, catching myself with my hands just in time to stop my head from slamming against the cobblestone.
A shooting pain lanced up my left wrist and I gritted my teeth.
Of course. Of course that would happen. It was fine.
I was fine. Wrists could be mended. I propped myself up with my other arm and continued to run, cradling my aching wrist against my chest.
The smoke was finally clearing, enough to see more than a few paces ahead of myself. The dock was nearby and I could see several boats loading civilians for evacuation. Almost there.
A blade held out in front of me stopped me in my tracks. “Where are you going, pretty thing?”
Blood stained the man before me, his nearly black eyes gleaming wickedly with violence.
Based on his clothing and weapons—could he be a pirate?
Had the attackers on the city been pirates, too?
Evri had warned me they were common in Tempestas.
It was why she’d wanted to pass through the city as quickly as possible, but I’d begged for the chance to rest at an inn.
I reached for the dagger strapped to my thigh before he moved the blade to my throat and I froze.
“That’s not happening, dear.” He motioned for me to turn, and I obliged. “You’ll be coming with me. Looking like that, you’ll catch a fair bit of gold. My buyers love the strange ones. Why don’t we get your hands tied so you don’t do something stupid like try to stab me again?”
I had only a breath to decide if I was going to take my chances at running.
“Ugh! What th-” A strangled groan erupted behind me.
I turned on instinct and found the man who’d threatened me collapsed on the ground, a blade piercing through his back, and standing above him, the wielder, an Elven male with a shock of vibrant red hair.
His eyes, a brown so light and flooded with gold they looked like tiny orbs of sunlight, narrowed in on me.
From the black, billowing pants to the barely-there shirt, to the excessive amount of gold and ruby jewelry, he looked every bit the pirate as my fallen adversary had been.
He—at least—didn’t seem inclined to murder or capture me—yet.
“Follow me,” the stranger spoke, removing his blade from the back of the man beneath him. As if sensing my hesitation, he added, “or die, or worse. The choice is yours, but that filth was right. You’ll fetch quite a sum. You aren’t safe here.”
“Slavery is outlawed.”
He barked a laugh. “First time in Tempestas? Follow. Now.”
My legs, riddled with fear, followed him of their own accord.
The male was a skilled swordsman. Two more men approached us before we reached the docks, and he’d cut them down with a single flourish of his blade.
He was quick, too. I could tell he was slowing his pace to match mine.
He could’ve made it to the docks in half the time if he wanted to.
A fact that had me internally questioning why a pirate was helping the innocent in the first place.
We finally stopped running in front of the dock to a large ship, and he pointed to the rope ladder. “Climb up…or die. You seem to respond better to ultimatums.”
“Why are you doing this?” I questioned between labored breaths. I was still standing by willpower and adrenaline alone. My body was well past its limits. “You’re a pirate, aren’t you? Like those men who attacked the city.”
“I am not like those men. Now—questions later. Make your choice.”
My wrist ached at the thought of grabbing onto the rope and lifting my body weight. “I- my wrist- I can’t.”
He looked behind him before shouting upwards. “MAKATZA!”
A half-Orc woman—by the looks of her barely-there tusks and smaller-than-normal frame—poked her head over the side of the ship. “Yes, Captain?”
“Carry this up!”
The pirate he’d called Makatza jumped down from the ship in an instant, landing perfectly on her feet.
Before I could scream, the male’s hands were on my waist, hoisting me up onto the shoulder of the female.
Apparently, I was the ‘this’. At least she carried me surprisingly gently, which I was grateful for.
But I still found myself digging my nails into her light- green skin, and hanging onto her like a cat being dangled above water.
I clung to her the entire way up the ladder until she set me down on the deck and I felt solid wood beneath my feet.
The following shouts of commands as the Captain boarded were unfamiliar to me.
The crew swiftly undocked and maneuvered us out of the port before I could process everything or understand what was happening.
I stared out over the water at the burning city of Tempestas and felt myself slip into that familiar feeling of numbness once more.
Evri had died. I was free. Tempestas was on fire. I’d been saved? By pirates? I was on a ship full of pirates in the middle of the ocean. I was free.
Did anything else matter?
The sun was setting by the time I received the alert that the Captain wanted to see me in the cabin.
I’d been staring out at the water for half of the day, undisturbed.
The crew had kept a wide berth of me—from what I’d noticed.
I wasn’t sure if it was fear or empathy that kept them away, but I was grateful either way.
I’d needed time to process. In a few brief hours, the trajectory of my entire life had changed.
But it was time to face my mess.
I stepped into the cabin and recognized the Captain, his boots kicked up onto the desk in front of him, and Makatza sitting backwards on a chair by his side, twirling a knife between her fingers.
There was another Elven male with them who I’d not yet seen.
Unlike his companions, he was standing straight and tall against the back wall, his face stoic—not bothering to turn to me as I entered.
His dark eyes were unfocused, but I got the feeling he was watching every single point in the room at once.
The Captain was the first to speak. “Quite the shit show that was, huh? Nonetheless, welcome aboard the Phoenix Heart.” He waved his hand at me expectantly.
“Uhm…it’s Nairu,” I said reflexively. Shit. A fake name would’ve been better.
“Nairu! Lovely!” He exclaimed, throwing his hands up behind his head. “I am Lorian, Captain of this ship. At my side is my first mate, Makatza, and that brooding tower of silence over there is my humble knight, Kaelias.”
My mind was reeling. Lorian was certainly eccentric. “Could you explain exactly what happened back there now?”
“Not much to explain. You got yourself caught in the middle of a raid on Tempestas, led by one of the larger slave trade vessels in the realm,” he spoke as though this was common knowledge.
“Lord Tieran turns a blind eye to it because he’s a piece of human refuse who only cares about how fat his pockets are.
His willful disregard is why Tempestas gets attacked every so often, and why the guards are slow to respond.
It is also why we often appear to fuck up the day for them. ”
“And you rescue people?”
“How do you think I collected most of my crew?”
I wasn’t sure how to say what was on my mind without offending them. “But you are… pirates?”
Makatza spoke up, “we are a bit like- hm, how would a Human say it? Noble thieves. Steal from the rich, help the poor.” Her beaming smile showed off her tusks.
“There is plenty of fighting and bloodshed, if that is what you’re looking for.
I enjoy that part. The rich are protective of their shiny baubles. So funny to watch.”
Lorian cleared his throat. “If you intend to stay with us, you’re welcome to an empty hammock below deck, but you will need to afford your keep.
Otherwise, we can drop you off at the next closest port city.
We’re headed back north.” Lorian’s eyes skimmed over my body in judgment.
“Are you good at anything? You don’t look particularly strong.
There is the issue of your wrist, as well. ”
His harsh scrutiny made me blush, but I was pleasantly surprised that he kept silent about my unusual features. If my white hair and red eyes gave him question, he didn’t bother mentioning it. “I can make poultices, treat minor injuries and sicknesses. I can stitch too.”
“Perfect!” Lorian stood up in one quick motion. “Kaelias will treat your wrist, but frankly, he is shit at playing doctor, so it would be fantastic if you could take over his duties after he shows you the ropes. Then he can get back to doing… knight stuff.”
Kaelias hadn’t said a word the entire time, but his eyes found their way to me. He offered only a slight nod.
“He won’t speak to you,” Lorian said.
“What?”
“Don’t take it personally. It’s not just you. It’s anyone.” He gave Kaelias a thumbs up, which he gave no reaction to. “He’ll explain in his own time. Don’t ask. It’s complicated.”
I blinked a few times. “…Right.”
Suddenly, I no longer felt like the odd one out in a group of so-called ‘noble thieves’, led by a somewhat crazy Captain, a bloodthirsty yet somehow endearing half-Orc, and a silent knight, why would it matter if there is a Human woman who looked a bit different?
As much of a jumbled mess as my mind was from the day’s events, I felt strangely welcomed by these people.
Besides, I didn’t care where I went so long as I was free, and nothing was more free than sailing the seas.
Yes, this—this would work.