Chapter 7
DRAYA
As a Talassi Warrior, I spent plenty of time in meetings with my Commander and the rest of my comrades.
We had a central meeting room and training area within the Queen’s manor, and we manned smaller gatehouses surrounding the perimeter of the Talassian Capital.
Outside the Capital, we maintained several outposts scattered throughout the seven seas, allowing us to communicate with and work alongside other pods of Talassi.
Our section of the manor was as beautiful and intricate as the rest of the estate, the floors and walls adorned with shells and sea stones that sparkled under the rays of sunlight trickling through the reef above us.
My team gathered around a table made of driftwood, and prepared for Commander Adri to brief us on all happenings within the Talassi world.
Just as the meeting was about to start, he ushered in the Queen and she took her usual place at the head of the table. Her expression was dull, her normally bright green eyes sullen as she looked up from the table.
“Welcome, Your Highness,” my Commander said. “Please, begin.
“Thank you, Commander,” she replied. “First and foremost I’d like to thank you all for being here, your hard work and effort towards keeping our people safe is not lost on me.”
We all bowed our heads in acknowledgement.
“I regret to inform you all that the fleets barreling through our waters continue to grow larger and more disruptive. There’s a certain convoy of ships that are powered by coal, and their large propellers pose a risk to any Talassi or sea creature that has the misfortune of being in their path.”
“Steam ships,” another Talassi named Maki piped up.
He was, in the loosest definition of the word, a friend, but he mostly irritated me.
Though he was an extremely smart and useful warrior, he possessed more social skills than I did and always seemed to be at ease when speaking with others, a skill I had never been able to master.
He was a spy, often shifting into his human form for days on end to infiltrate their cities, gathering information about trade routes, fleets, and ship designs. He was the reason I was familiar with Whitethorn Bay, as he had directly extracted intel from Lord Emerson himself.
“Emerson is in the process of transitioning his entire fleet to steam ships, as they are faster and can carry more than sailboats,” Maki continued.
“Wonderful,” I muttered, trying to stop my thoughts from drifting to his daughter, who still haunted me.
“I assume there is no way of stopping this?” The Queen asked, shaking her head.
“From what I’ve gathered, no,” Maki answered.
“I pushed for meetings with Lord Emerson and his associates, but was turned away. They weren’t aware that I was Talassi, but I don’t believe that would have helped our cause.
If they speak of us at all, it’s derogatory, and I don’t believe they have any interest in reinstating any type of peace treaty. ”
“That’s unfortunate,” the Queen said. “Do you have any new information regarding my son?”
The room was quiet for a moment before Commander Adri spoke again.
“No, Your Highness. Inaki’s whereabouts are still unknown. We are unsure if he is…” he trailed off.
“I understand,” the Queen said, her voice somber. “But until we have his body in our hands, I refuse to believe he’s dead. I can feel it in my soul. I know he’s out there.”
“We are doing everything we can to find him,” Commander Adri assured, though the tension in the room seemed to thicken.
My thoughts wandered for the rest of the evening, drifting time and time again to the strange girl I found floating far too many meters under the sea.
The Queen and Commander Adri had never asked about her after my initial report, seemingly forgetting about her existence.
Unbeknownst to them, she’d been my secret fascination for the last two years or so.
I’d visited the island a few times when the currents brought me nearby.
Never once did I set foot on its shores, but I had gone so far as to spend the night in the water on more than one occasion, hoping for a glimpse of the woman.
At first, I told myself it was just to make sure she was alive, though I spotted her almost every time.
She roamed the beach late at night, barefoot under the glow of the moon, and I’d stay in the water and watch her for hours.
My chest tightened as I thought of her all alone in that desolate place, and although I had no real reason to care about her, I felt a pang of guilt for just dumping her there.
She was an Emerson, which meant I could never trust her, but she seemed so lost and lonely.
I knew what that felt like, in a way. I wasn’t necessarily lonely, but I spent a lot of time by myself, and sometimes the solitude was heavy.
It wasn’t something I’d admit out loud, but I had enjoyed the few hours we spent together.
Her small, warm body clinging to mine made me feel important, and I’d yet to find anything to replicate that feeling.
Not to mention the curious magic she clearly possessed, yet somehow had no idea it pulsed inside her. I had yet to figure that part out, as well.
As I swam back to my cottage and prepared a fresh slice of tuna for a meal, I decided I was due to go check on her.
I didn’t care for her, not really. But it had been months since I last profiled the island, and it was for our own safety.
There was still a possibility that she lied about everything.
Maybe she was never the sad, lonely girl lost at sea, but rather a ruthless villain or a spy.
For all I knew, she could have been raising an army at the Akala Asylum, working for her father under the guise of her hysteria accusation.
Of course, I doubted that, but I couldn’t rule anything out. Instead, I’d focus on the task at hand, and maybe this time I’d venture close enough to speak with her. At the very least, she might know something valuable.