Sea Of Sparks And Shadows

Hey everyone! This story has the last two chapters removed. To read them, please head over to Webnovel and search for this book. By doing so, you would be supporting me while also getting to know what happened to the Amaris and the crew. Thank you for reading!

Amaris barely had time to open her mouth before the person in front of her, a short round man with greying hair, grabbed her by her upper arm and hauled her to her feet.

“hey,” she tried to pull back but to no avail. He marched out of the corridor and into the open deck dragging her behind him. “let me go!”

The few men who worked at the masts or any of the decks stopped what they were doing to watch what was about to happen.

Amaris continued trying to wrestle her arm free, her face heating at the gathering audience, but nothing she could do helped.

“what’s going on here?” a firm voice boomed and the growing whispers quickly melted into the salty wind.

Suddenly, she was thrust forward and she found herself on all fours at the center of the main deck.

She looked up at the gathering crowd as it separated to reveal a tall serious man, probably in his forties, Amaris estimated. He wore a long dark coat and held his shoulder length red hair with a band at the back of his neck. His hands were clasped behind his back as he took long purposeful steps forward. His dark green eyes widened as he saw her lying on the ground then they darted immediately to look at the man who found her.

“what is this?”

“found her in the closet, Cap’n.”

The crew stared at her some in confusion, others concern.

“i- I have a ticket.” She scrambled to her feet and pulled the slip out of her vest pocket.

She was about to hand it to the ‘captain’ when the first man snatched it out of her hand. He skimmed over it scrunching his nose.

“this is a ticket for The Crystal Siren.” He looked up at her. “it’s a passenger ship.”

“and this isn’t?” no, she felt the dread sink in. not even a day out of the mansion and she already screwed up.

The man squinted at her suspiciously for a few beats before answering. “no, this is… this is a merchant ship.”

“but the ticket said that my ship was at C16.”

“we were a O16”

“no…” she pulled at her ponytail and her gaze passed the hull of the ship to the endless blue plane that lied beyond.

The captain followed her gaze then looked back at her, inspecting her face and her grimace. “we’re too far off.”

She jumped up and out of her thoughts, his low raspy voice reminding her of the few dozen people around her. A lump was forming in her throat and she couldn’t swallow it down. Her eyes were heating and she fought against the tears that pushed to escape their confines.

“what are you doing here?”

Amaris whipped her head towards the voice and her tears seemed to disappeared, her mouth falling open as she stared at the handsome stranger that stood before her. The same stranger she met and fought with in the market just the day before.

“you?” she blinked.

He pushed his way through the crowd and into the front.

“how the hell did you get in here?”

Before Amaris could give him a piece of her mind about his attitude, the captain interrupted.

“you know her?”

He stiffened and stood straighter. “not exactly sir. We met when I went to get the tools and pieces that Mecheye ordered.”

He stared at her, almost glaring. “what is she doing here?”

“boarded the wrong ship.”

He snorted, “figures.”

She stepped forward and opened her mouth but the first man beat her to it.

“be quiet, boy, we’re having enough trouble as it is.” He then turned to the captain, “what should we do with her?”

Amaris swallowed heavily and her hand went automatically to her wrist, twirling her bracelet over and over. She did not like the sound of that.

“where are you heading?”

“Paradelia. But you can drop me off wherever you’re stopping.” She quickly added when she saw the traded glances between the crew.

“can’t we just send her in a life boat and get it over with?” the young man grumbled.

Amaris’ face paled and she was torn between wanting to beg them not to do it and wanting to strangle the guy who suggested it. She ended up just fisting her hands and clamping her mouth shut. The former option would cost her whatever self-worth she had left and the latter wouldn’t help her cause.

“i- I can pay you. For my stay.” Only after she spoke those words did she remember that the jewelry she had was in the satchel and not in her backpack. They now lay at the bottom of the grey ocean and she was completely and utterly broke.

“save your money,” the guy spat before turning to the captain. “sir, we can’t trust her. We can’t keep her on board.”

“what on earth are you-”

“that’s enough.” The older man spoke. “ash, don’t you have… merchandise to clean below deck?”

“Hawk, please. You can’t seriously be willing to leave her-”

“I said enough.” Ash fisted his hands and Amaris could see his Adam’s apple bobbing as he struggled to swallow the mounting words.

A new voice broke the rising tension. “she’s not lying.” Everyone turned to the tall man leaning on the mast. He was about a foot taller than the biggest sailor. He stalked towards her, hands in his pockets, shoulders relaxed, a small smirk on his lips, his gleaming orange eyes fixed on her. His silver hair was tied in a bun. Something gleamed as he got closer, an earring. A golden hoop hung from his ear, a brown feather tied to it.

Amaris’s eyes snapped up to the brown scar on his forehead, the drawing of a tree. The tree. The golden willow. Her eyes widened. A Manticapi. A mind weaver. She heard about them. The island east to her country where the people could weave minds. Some say the heavens blessed them with this gift that all their people had. Others say the heavens cursed the rest of the world by unleashing these powerful beasts upon them. Amaris gulped as his smirk widened. She took a futile step back. “all she was saying was true. She didn’t lie at all.”

“that doesn’t mean that she can-”

“Ash…” hawk warned and ash held his tongue once more.

The captain stared at her for a long while before he spoke again. “all in favor of keeping her on board say I.”

Amaris held her breath.

“I,” the Manticapi smiled.

“I” someone from the crowd called. And soon a chorus of ’I’s went around. Ash stared around scowling before storming below deck. “it’s settled then.” The captain announced.

“thank you so much sir. I will never forget your kindness I-”

“don’t thank me yet. If you’re going to stay on my ship, then you have to earn your keep.”

Amaris’ eyes widened. “e-earn my keep? Earn my keep how?”

The captain turned to hawk. “I count on you to find her a suitable job.”

“of course, cap’n.”

He nodded. “make sure she stays out of everybody’s way.”

“yes, sir.” With that, the Captain turned and went back to what Amaris assumed was his cabin.

She breathed a sigh of relief when the crew slowly went back to their work, losing interest in her.

“we don’t have all day, come on, kid.” She turned around to find Hawk already at the door to the corridor they emerged from earlier. Amaris scrambled to catch up and the man watched her silently before muttering under his breath. “I pray to the water spirits that we won’t regret this.”

*****

Amaris stretched her arms above her head as she climbed down yet another staircase. Every bone in her body ached. Hawk, the first mate apparently, wasn’t going easy on her. She spent the whole day scrubbing floors and wiping windows and banisters. She felt like she could sleep through a year if he let her, but her stomach growled and she was reminded why she’s heading to the lowest level.

Hawk had watched her all day long, following her every step and showing her every corridor she was not allowed to go down and every stairwell she wasn’t allowed to descend which was most every corridor and stairwell. He only left her a few minutes ago when he realized that the sun was setting and that he needed to help with dinner Preparations. She just finished cleaning the last room and went down where he told her. She’d been there earlier that day, to dust the chairs and wipe the three tables. It was a room about as big as her cousin’s bedroom which was way too large for a bedroom and way too small for a mess hall. Especially for a ship that holds a crew as big as the one she saw that morning when they voted.

She heard the loud chatter and laughter before she got to the last step.

The hall was filled to its fullest. The few chairs that were there that morning were scattered around. The rest of the men sat on the floor or on two of the tables with their plates on their laps. It was clear that order and calm weren’t common or welcomed in these tiny quarters.

The third table was at the end of the room with a stack of plates and mismatched spoons as well as a huge pot with steam coming out of it. A few metal cups and mugs were placed there too, though she couldn’t see any beverages. At least not on the table. She noticed a couple of men drinking straight from jugs and by the loud laughter and sleepy eyes that escorted both, she didn’t need to guess what it was.

Beside the table, Hawk sat on one of the few chairs and held a jug of his own. He waved her over when he saw her and stood up. He placed the jug down and uncovered the pot.

Amaris could feel the eyes watching her following her and she didn’t want to know what they were saying. She didn’t want to know what new label she gained now. the new girl? The ship rat? the-

“here.” She snapped out of her thoughts and blinked at hawk before realizing that he’s holding out a plate to her.

She took it, muttered a “thank you,” and picked up a spoon. She inspected the content of the plate; a thick broth with unidentified chunks floating in it.

“what is it?” she asked nodding at her plate.

“fish soup.” He answered taking another swig of his jug. “eat up, kid. That’s all you’re getting ’til sunrise tomorrow. No refills.”

She looked down at the floating blobs and the muddy mixture, then prayed to the heavens not to take her spirit yet and lifted the spoon to her lips. The first thing she noticed was the salt, so much salt. She fought to keep the cringe off her face. But after the initial shock to her taste buds, it wasn’t that bad. She took another spoonful.

“why wooden plates?” she asked, trying to distract herself. She swirled the soup around.

“they don’t break unless you attack ’em with an ax.” He snorted.

“a bit different from the fine china bowls, isn’t it?” Amaris turned to the new voice just as someone brushed past her; Ash. He smirked at her and lifted a plate. He turned to the pot and started filling it. “so tell me, how does this compare to your five course meals and crystal syrups?”

“I don’t know, you tell me.” She looked him in the eye and crossed one arm around her torso. “ I usually get vegetable broth and water for dinner.” She lifted an eyebrow and silently dared him to answer.

“what did I tell you about servings, boy!” hawk scowled and stood up. He snatched the ladle from his hand then carefully emptied the content of the plate back into the pot. “two ladles. Not more. Maybe less. Got it?” he pushed the now half full plate towards ash and he took it and shrugged.

“it’s not for me. Mirage came down to eat so Mecheye is at the helm, he asked me to get him something to eat.”

“I don’t care who it’s for. You know the rules, kid. No refills.”

Ash shrugged again. “trust me, I wouldn’t want a refill if you asked me to. It’s Wind’s turn to cook. If it was still Oldsalt cooking though…”

“That’s enough, boy.”

Amaris used the moment to take Ash in. he was a few inches taller than her. His short dark brown hair was messier today than when she met him in Oddelerie and his bangs fell carelessly over his forehead. He now wore a black jacket that he didn’t have on earlier and had a hand in his pocket- though she could tell that it was fisted, while the other held the plate. His broad shoulders were slightly hunched forward and though her tried to seem relaxed, bored even, it didn’t take a genius to notice his stiffness and dark gaze.

As if he noticed her assessing scan, he whipped his head towards her and narrowed his eyes.

“so tell me, princess,” he spat the word out, his smirk returning. “why were you heading to Paradelia?”

Amaris schooled her features to nonchalance and took another spoonful before answering. “not that it’s any of your business but I was going to visit an acquaintance.”

She could tell that he wasn’t happy with her response by the way his eyebrows bunched. He parted his lips to show her just how much of her business he cared about when hawk grabbed him by his shoulder “that’s it you two. Keep this up and I have a feeling you’ll burn the ship down before we get to the next port.” He nudged ash forward. “don’t you have a helmsman to feed?”

“alright alright.” He grumbled and made his way to the stairs, expertly avoiding the swaying bodies and flailing arms.

“I need to go talk to the Cap’n.” hawk turned to her. “don’t leave until I get back.”

She nodded and watched him take another swig of the jug before stumbling less gracefully out of the hall.

Amaris let out a breath then scanned the room for an open seat already knowing the futility of her search. Hawk’s seat was snatched as soon as he stood up and no one seemed like they’re leaving anytime soon. She sighed and leaned her back on the wall.

“A lady shouldn’t stay standing like this.” Amaris turned to the new voice and tensed immediately. It was the Manticapi. He stood in front of her flashing her a dazzling smile. It was only when she heard the low thump of wood on wood did she notice the chair he brought with him.

“Please,” he waved towards it. “Take a seat.”

Amaris made to step back only to find a solid wall behind her. “It’s okay thank you.” She hated how shaky her voice was but cleared her throat and gave him the best smile she could muster, hoping that the rumors about mind weavers being able to read minds were only that, rumors.

“I insist.” His smile didn’t waver and she decided to do as he says. Maybe he’ll leave her alone then.

Wrong.

His smile only widened before he spoke again. “We weren’t properly introduced earlier.” He bowed before taking her hand and kissing it lightly. “My name has been long gone but everyone here calls me Mirage.”

She held her breath and tried to pull her hand back as politely as possible. “nice to meet you. I’m Amaris.”

He stood straight again. “A name as beautiful as the maiden who possesses it.” If her heart wasn’t beating out of control at that moment, she would have rolled her eyes at the compliment. But she didn’t partly because she didn’t want to offend a Manticapi and partly because she was too busy trying to figure out why he’s talking to her in the first place.

“Thank you.” She replied instead.

“If I may ask, where were you planning to go before boarding this ship?”

“To a passenger ship,” she said. “I was going to Paradelia.”

“And why were you planning to cross the grey sea on your own? You must have had a good reason to board it before dawn too.” His tone was that of one talking about the weather or lost in a friendly conversation, but Amaris didn’t miss the concealed edge behind his words.

“I was going to visit a friend.” She tried not to sound suspicious. “She’s sick and has no one to help her so I was going to lend her my company.”

“My lady,” his voice turned as cold as the night breeze entering through the windows. “I beg you not to lie to my face.” The color drained out of Amaris’ body at his words and burning gaze. His orange eyes seemed to trap a fire and its blazes choked Amaris into silence.

“You see, I may not be able to weave flames and breezes and shadows like most men on this ship. But I am able to weave thoughts into anyone’s mind. I can make the bravest of men see their biggest fear and die of terror without so much as touching them. I can make the best of spies deafen their own ears to try to block out loud roars that don’t exist. I can convince the wisest of men that they are hens and they will walk around cackling and scratching for seeds for as long as I wish them to. So believe me when I say that I can end you with half a thought.” He leaned down to whisper his last line and Amaris shivered. “I can smell a lie before it leaves the speaker’s lips and you, my lady, lied twice tonight. Do not test my generosity for ridding this ship of a danger to my mates is something I would do with pleasure. So I ask you again, why were you going to Paradelia?”

Amaris breaths came out ragged, her eyes as wide as her aunt’s teacups. Her heart beat was so loud in her own ears that she could barely hear her next words. “I … I ran away from home. My aunt was forcing me into an arrangement I didn’t appreciate so my cousin wrote me a note for her friend in Paradelia to hide and shelter me until I can stand on my own feet again.” The words came out fast and quiet as she watched his frozen expression. “I don’t mean any harm to you or anyone on this ship. I just wanted to get as far away from my aunt as possible. I didn’t intend to board this ship and I do want to leave it as soon I can.”

She scanned his features but they revealed nothing. Her heart wouldn’t stop pounding and her eyes wouldn’t leave his face until he opened his mouth to respond.

“Mirage!” a familiar voice called from the stairs.

He straightened up and his eyes seemed to go a shade lighter.

Hawk appeared at the top of the stairs. “the Cap’n wants to talk to you.” He jabbed a thumb behind his back. “Hurry up.”

“Right away.” Mirage threw her one last look before strolling away and Amaris couldn’t for the life of her –quite literally- decipher what it meant.

What scared her the most was that she never felt the intrusion. Had he not told her, she wouldn’t have known her mind was weaved. How did she even know that he didn’t weave her mind before? Heavens know she couldn’t tell the difference. She cursed herself for not keeping a handful of acacia seeds with her. It was the only thing that prevents their abilities. But she had never met a Manticapi before so she didn’t think of them when she packed her things.

Never the less she breathed a sigh and let her shoulders slump. The mere fact that she wasn’t in his presence anymore was enough for her to thank the heavens for.

****

What do you guys think about Mirage? I wonder what he was thinking ;P

Hey everyone! This story has the last two chapters removed. To read them, please head over to Webnovel and search for this book. By doing so, you would be supporting me while also getting to know what happened to the Amaris and the crew. Thank you for reading!