บท 13: White Hollow
Once Satin got up enough courage to look out the small porthole in the galley, she was treated with a horrible sight.
White Hollow wasn't too far off the mainland, but it was like stepping into a whole other world. A cold, heartless world. From her small view, she saw a crammed city, full of building after dilapidated building. Each wall was pressed so tightly together there was almost no room for a breath of air nor of light to reach down from the towering high rise. Alleyways twisted and wound through the city like narrow snakes. It was a wonderer Chanty's huge ship at fit anywhere till Satin realized the boat was still rocking. They sat upon a dark ocean that cupped the island in its palm. Satin could just see the waves cresting the sides of the city walls. With each lap, the water sank teeth into the old stone, pulling it back into the deeps from when's it came.
Satin heard the unmistakable ticking sound she had grown accustomed to hearing in the last few hours. She turned to find Chanty in the doorway.
Her friend's long unicorn-like tail flicked with anticipation, and her eyes looked darker than Satin remembered as if this petrifying place bought her great joy. When nothing was said, Satin choose to ignore her. She picked up her tea mug and took a sip. Satin saw Azuki bristle at the horrible flavor, but the cat didn't move otherwise. She kept her eyes on Chanty.
The sickly bitterness coated the side of Satin's mouth as she drank it down. There was no sweetness at all, only the sting of sour that made your mouth turn inside out. The only absolute joy Satin could feel was the warmth slide down her throat with each gulp. Chanty watched, amused as her center friend struggled to get the rest down.
Once Satin set down the mug, she felt her stomach growl. Again she could see the heartstrings around the room. There were much less than had been in Chanty's captain's room. All of the strings steamed from the tea kettle, a few collected along the few mugs hanging, but all of them rewound into Chanty's still ticking heart.
"If you are done being an idiot, come on." Chanty finally spoke. "You are hungry."
Satin grimaced but scooped Azuki into her arms. Then stepped over to her friend.
"I will not be eating a heart, do you understand," Satin said firmly. She felt Azuki our in agreement.
"Of course." The way Chanty said the words made the heart on the back of Satin's neck stand on end.
Chanty headed down the hall knocking on the wooden walls as she went. Tart meet her at the end doorway and yowled around her legs. He was barely able to intertwine his pudge body between them. Chanty almost tripped and finally grabbed him by the scruff.
"Wee, up we go!" Tart laughed as Chanty pitched him onto her shoulder. Azuki fluffed a bit and curled herself around Satin's arms. Her big eyes fixed on Tart as he wiggled his large butt into place along Chanty's neck, hardly be able to fit at all.
Then up the stairs onto the deck. As Chanty flicked a switch to get the ramp to come down. It was louder than Satin had thought, did most heartless not need to sleep? All sorts of creatures bustled along with the alleyways. Humans, Elves, Kirins, and a whole host of strange familiars pressed past each other on the streets. Satin didn't hear any heartbeats and may have not heartstrings at all, at least none that Satin had noticed. She stood frozen a few seconds in the space of the crushed entrance. Chanty rolled her eyes, grabbed Satin's hand, and tugged her into the street. None paid Satin any mind, but many of the smaller weaker looking, heartless scampered and crawled out of Chanty's way. The kirin seemed pleased.
Satin's ears pricked up as they pressed deeper into the heart of the dark walled city.
Ba-Bump.
A heartbeat.
Satin stopped, and Chanty jerked back, still holding her hand. Chanty chuckled, seeing as horror crawled over Satin's face, and another deep growl came from her stomach.
"It's okay. I hear it too. Come on. Everyone can hear it." Chanty tugged again, getting the centaur moving.
By now, no light could get in. Lamps light their way with blue flames. The number of lamps grew, and finally, the thinning passageways open into around the market.
It wasn't like any regular market. Of course, this one was littered with tables full of skulls, bones, and most of all, heartstrings. There were boxes of heartstrings, heartstring tea bags, and others that still were even spun up to look like cotton candy. A delicately gruesome treat. Past the heartstrings was a large stage, there an auctioneer sat, his sharp teeth proudly showing.
"Auction starts twenty minutes, folks! Get ready. We got a hell of a sale!" He accounted, making the crowd cheer.
Satin wished her legs would move away, run, as far and as fast as he could run, but her hooves were slowly carrying her closer to the heartstring tea.
Chanty smiled wide, showing her teeth.
"It's okay, buy and eat some of the heartstrings, just keep in mind the memories arn't always good ones, most of them are pretty silly, or stupid." Satin was informed as she came up to the stall of a giant Naga.
The woman hissed a greeting as a small parakeet perched on her shoulder. Its feather pattern was that of a skull and crossbones. Both were clearly heartless.
"Um, I. I would like some tea. And, a box of um strings." Satin said the words so softly she hardly heard them herself.
The Naga chuckled and looked over Chanty, who picked up several boxes and grabbed a half-pound of the heartstring tea.
"Just add it to mine, Stoney." She told the Naga. "And make her a sweet cup of tea. It's her first time."
Stone laughed a hiss, and Satin blushed, looking off with a sheepish thank you.
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