บท 17: The Misty Isle
Leaving the ruins took but a single day's preparations. Bane was still impatient to be off, He was handling the logistics with brisk efficiency. Amara was content to stay out of his way, lost in her own thoughts. She disliked leaving matters here unsettled, but the Skull beckoned her onward too. There were no easy answers to be found.
Her steps were heavy as she descended the stony beach to Rhys's longboat. The rogue sat high in the prow, dour and silent as the rocking craft carried him out toward the waiting Black Dragon anchored offshore. But Amara sensed his brooding gaze following her until the boat rounded the rocky spur and vanished from sight. Something felt unfinished between them, but time would tell what pattern fate wove.
Amara stood thoughtful on the strand until Hiwana came to slip a small hand into hers. "He will heal in body and spirit," the girl spoke up. "And we will meet again once your quest is done."
Amara squeezed her hand gratefully. "Ever the optimist, bright heart." She studied the girl's serene features. "I wish you could continue with us. But the Jade isles will need your kindly wisdom, especially now."
Hiwana ducked her head modestly. "My place is here with my people, though I will miss your fire." Impish humour lit her eyes. "Do try not to let that rogue admire slip fully off his lead."
Amara had to laugh. "Never fear. His grumbling helps ground me." She shouldered her pack, smiling. "Keep each other honest until I return."
They walked back slowly to the sea cliff where Bane awaited by the moored ships' boats. Amara paused to embrace Hiwana one last time.
"Fair seas to you, sister of my heart," the girl whispered. Then she released Amara with a playful shove. "Now off with you, before that old snake gets restless!"
Still laughing, Amara descended the cliff path to the waiting boat. Bane's eyes crinkled as he gave her a hand aboard, also in apparent good spirits. As the oars dipped and they pulled away, Amara twisted around for a final wave. Hiwana and several villagers stood outlined against the sky, silhouetted in farewell. Amara brandished her staff high, swallowing sudden emotion. Another chapter was closing, but her story lived on.
Bane's sleek warship surged past the headlands, sails cracking full. The isles began fading to blue smudges astern as they gained open sea. Standing at the prow while gulls cried overhead, Amara smelled distance on the wind. At her side Bane too seemed eager, his mysterious patience worn thin. Their journey end drew welcome near.
Yet doubts still lingered below her anticipation. Bane and Rhys's antipathy, the demoness's dire warning...niggling details that caught in her thoughts like slivers. Was she a fool, following blindly where the Hallow Skull beckoned? Or was Bane truly the misunderstood protector he seemed? Dark waters ran deep, obscuring truth. She could only steer faithfully on and pray their course was just.
The cry of "Sails ho!" from the masthead stirred Amara from restless reverie. A sleek vessel had emerged from a cove on the last isle astern and was angling to pursue them, oars rising and falling swiftly. Amara's breath caught as she made out the distinctive black and crimson patterned sails. Rhys!
Bane materialized at her shoulder, observing the distant ship. "So the cur cannot resist shadowing our trail, as ever." His tone hardened. "Shall we discourage this harassment?"
Amara stayed him with a raised hand. "He follows from stubborn pride, not malice. Allow him to maintain some dignity." She gave Bane a pointed look. "Leave be, unless true cause arises."
Bane's jaw tightened, but he inclined his head. "As my lady wills. But if real threat comes, I will act."
The sight of Rhys' pursuing ship sparked irritation in Bane. "I grow weary of that rogue's interference." Stepping away from Amara, he withdrew the obsidian skull he took from Lilosis from his cloak.
"Hmm?" Amara watched warily as violet light began pulsing in its sockets.
Bane closed his eyes, channelling power into the artefact. The air hummed with gathering energy. Suddenly, ghostly forms began to manifest around the ship - skeletal sailors, some with black skin wreathed in shroud-like rags. Amara gasped as the undead crew took shape. They all had burning red eye sockets.
With a satisfied smile, Bane lowered the skull. "That's better. Now we need not rely on mere mortal strength." He gestured to the undead sailors. "Man the oars! Give chase at full speed." Expressionless, the phantom crew shuffled to obey his commands.
Amara shuddered, unsettled by this casual necromancy. But Bane seemed unconcerned. "Worry not, my dear. They are bound to my will." His smile turned cold. "And incapable of treason."
"Oh… ok." Amara guided her vision to the rear and watched the Black Dragon shrink smaller behind them. What was Rhys thinking, to trail half-crippled into unknown peril? Did he distrust Bane enough to act so rashly? Amara sighed, saddened. There seemed no balm for the wounds festering between those two strong wills. She only prayed their clash did not end in tragedy. For now, she could but focus on her own path ahead.
The Misty Isles haunted the horizon for several days, their peaks appearing and vanishing in the roiling mists that gave them their name. The undead muttered nervously when fog swallowed the sea for hours, but Bane seemed to guide them unerringly. Always the haze thinned just as sails were about to be lowered. Their master knew secrets of navigating these ghostly waters. Last she sail these waters, Amara was attacked by a devilish Kraken. So far, no beast had shown its presence.
Soon, the mist receded fully, revealing an iron grey archipelago clinging to sheer headlands and cliffs. Foam frothed white around the jagged shores. Everything seemed shrouded in perpetual gloom. This was an inhospitable realm, but Amara sensed they were close.
Bane confirmed her hunch, joining her at the prow. "The Skull's ancient resting place lies within this fell range. Can you feel its throb upon the aether, drawing us onward?"
Amara tested the air with her inner senses. Bane was right, just at the edge of perception pulsed the darkly beckoning aura she had come to know. Its power caressed her mind seductively, hinting at forgotten secrets soon to be unveiled. She nodded eagerly.
"We are near. But what perils yet guard it?" She studied the stark cliffs. There seemed no safe landing in these battering waves for leagues upon leagues.
"A hidden cove nestled into the sheer western cliffs," Bane revealed. "Lilosis knew the way. Soon the Skull's mysteries will be ours to explore fully."
Amara suppressed a shiver at his fervent tone. His hunger for the artefact had grown stark of late, casting his intentions in ambiguous light. But they had prevailed over so much. She must retain faith their cause was just.
Gripping her moonstone staff, she faced the looming cliffs. Somewhere ahead lay light and truth, if they proved worthy to grasp it. She whispered a prayer the gods grant them clarity of sight and spirit for the final trial. They must be found ready at journey's end.
The western cliffs drew slowly nearer through veils of mist and sea spray. Half-blinded, they crept along the sheer rock face, sails barely unfurled. The undead helmsman squinted desperately into the gloom until Bane grasped his shoulder.
"Let me guide us true." At the touch of Bane's hands, the undead man's eyes took on a vacant glaze. Steadily he turned the prow unerringly along the cliffs, as if in thrall. Amara glanced at Bane in surprise, but he said only, "The way ahead is revealed for a brief span."
Without warning the cliff face opened into a narrow chasm, just wide enough for a ship to pass between towering rock walls. They entered cautiously into roiling shadow. Sheet spray drenched the decks, rendering the world a blur. Amara clung to the rail, blinking against the stinging salt.
Boom!
A deafening crack resounded overhead. The undead shouted in panic as colossal boulders tumbled from above, plunging into the sea beside them. The ship pitched dangerously but stayed its course through the bombardment. After agonizing minutes they pulled clear under a ledge into a small hidden cove. The ship's bell clanged wildly in the silence as they gasped in relief. Amara shared a shaken smile with Bane. They had passed the portal and survived.
The bay's dark waters calmed as oars lowered to steady them. But Amara's nerves yet thrummed with reaction. She took deep breaths, calming her throbbing heart. They were so close now. The Skull's aura pressed palpably here, rich with promise and temptation.
Amara was about to address the crew when a lookout's cry rang out. "It's the Black Dragon, emerging through the rocks!" Amara spun to look. Sure enough, Rhys's caravel glided into the cove in their wake, sails ragged but intact. She shook her head in disbelief. Even this fell strait had not dissuaded his pursuit.
Bane moved to Amara's side, clearly angry. "Now the dog pries where he is not wanted! Shall we finally discourage this harassment?" His hands tightened into pale fists.
Amara clutched Bane's wrist. "We cannot turn back now! What is done is done." She watched the Black Dragon slowly drop anchor, oars backing to maintain distance. "Let it play out as fate wills."
Bane's eyes smouldered, but he gave a terse nod. "You sway me from wrath, as ever. But that rogue will regret sticking his neck where it is unwanted." He turned away, muttering under his breath.
Amara felt a chill, wondering what new scheme Bane plotted. But there was no time to press him. The Skull's siren call drowned all else. They had reached journey's end at last.
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