The night sky was lightened with the full moon, its light was covering the Phoenix deck where Myga, the three dwarves, Ubba, Vigo and Wungrim, were sitting in a circle, chatting about their journey, unveiling their worries and sharing their thoughts of the Vultures, with a lamp at the center of their circle. Hibe was there as well, along with Brymhel and an old man from their crew who was taking care of the ship's wheel.
"They're scared still." Said the man.
"Weren't you? When you first sailed with cap'n?" asked him Brymhel, she was smoking her pipe.
"I wasn't. He saved my life after all." He replied, smiling. "How I wish I could live longer, how I wish she was heaven and he was god." He added, while gently stroking the wheel. "She will keep on sailing these waters and he will keep on… well living."
"Now Pops, you still have many years to live ahead of you." Hibe said before kissing the old man's head. "Don't rush into the depth of oceans yet."
He smiled once again, and nodded his head in agreement although his heart differed.
"That still doesn't change the fact that they are worried." He insisted.
"I'll go ease their minds and yours. If I can." Hibe declared.
"You're a wizard my child. Nothing you'll ever tell them will ease their minds. Brymhel should go." He advised them.
The female dwarf looked at them, her pipe in her mouth, she shook her head in disagreement. "I am not going to. No. It's not because I am a dwarf that I am friends with all my kin. That's not right. You want to be nice, go be nice. Don't get me involved."
"I'll pay you." Said Hibe. "What do you say? I'll give you the quarter of my next gain."
"Two quarters." She bargained.
"Just one, I owe Trixter one as well. I can't go any higher than a quarter." Explained Hibe.
Brymhel puffed her smoke, held the pipe with her teeth and looked at Hibe, trying to make up her mind.
"Alright." She agreed, still biting into her pipe. She stood up and pointed at Hibe as if to remind her of her debt.
When she approached the giant and his fellow dwarves they fell silent.
"Mind if I join you?" She asked.
They looked at each other, every one of them expecting the other to answer.
"I suppose that's a no." Brymhel added, stepping back.
"By all means make yourself at home." Wungrim finally said ironically. He then gave a nudge to Ubba to move aside and make space for the female dwarf.
Brymhel chuckled, and sat between the dwarves.
"To what do we owe the honor of your presence?" Inquired Myga, who wasn't comfortable yet.
"Easy giant, I am not THE Brymhel. I'm just trying to be friendly." She replied. "Frankly… it was the old man and the witch's idea. They noticed how uncomfortable you all looked." She leaned her head backwards to show them who she was referring to.
They all exchanged concerned glares but none of them made a single comment.
"I know you have many questions. I don't know if this will make you feel less uneasy, but even I who was born in this ship have many. I know you are concerned about the cap'n's true nature, and you are right to question it, but I can assure you, he is a great… person. I have never met someone, in sea or land who is as considerate and strong as him. You have nothing to fear, in fact you should feel lucky that your destiny led you to him." Brymhel said. "There are many things you ignore of that war that's ravaging your… our motherland and many more of who Zion is and his goal."
"One thing is certain, he murdered many of our people and that we shall never forget nor forgive." Answered Myga. "My kin is decaying one after the other."
"Not to offend you giant but isn't that what your kin was promised by Brymhel? Giants were fated to disappear in the future. Dwarves as well. We all know that our faith is death, it's the path we all must take to meet our allfather. And I am no Oracle, but I can tell that this war is nothing but Brymhel's way of bringing us back to what we once were." She protested calmly.
"I am sorry to differ but the holy writings did mention to us how we all were to pass to the other side. Giants were to slumber after a long winter and pass peacefully, whilst us dwarves were to turn to stone and dirt of old age." Objected Vigo who learned history from his grandfather.
"Well, you see that's what I meant when I said you ignore many things of the war and of Zion…" Brymhel replied. "I am not the one who should explain all of this to you, because I, myself know little of it. The cap'n is planning on telling you all you need to know on the morrow."
They all fell silent for a while, when finally Wungrin asked "How many are you? The crew that is."
"Near a hundred. You have met the cap'n. Trixter and Tolk, they're cousins. Hibe is the cap'n right hand. Hood the doctor and he also likes to think of himself as the musician. The old man in the wheel is Mosen, we all call him Pops, he is the oldest person on this ship, after the cap'n of course. Then there's Azgar and Izzem, you would say they're spokesmen of the men on this ship. Mah and Qynoh, envoy of the dwarves. Yuba and Hibe are those of the wizards. And last but not least is the Phoenix. Not everyone is on board now. They're all waiting for us on the other side." She declared tapping gently on the wooden deck.
"What's the story behind this ship? Never before have we seen a living ship let alone a ship that sets herself on fire. What's the deal with her?" Asked Myga.
"Oh yes, that was very scary!" Asserted Ubba.
"According to the cap'n, it was him and a friend of his who built her. Very long ago, when wizards weren't yet born. He said we only need to know that she can feel and hear everything around her. That we should treat her as one of us and not just a vessel we sail on. What happened to you on the shore wasn't the first time it happens. She doesn't like newcomers, she never lets someone she doesn't know board without the cap'n being around." She said.
"We did hear the wizard we met before, umm it was Trixter I suppose, that it happened on Tadmil. What were you doing there? Isn't it a land of mercenaries? Isn't there where Zion established his forces?" Inquired Wungrim suspiciously.
Brymhel bit her lip, eying every one of them, holding her reply to herself, unsure of what she is supposed to say and not say.
"Alright, you have to promise me not to tell the cap'n I have told you." She finally said, waiting for them to answer.
"We promise." Replied Wungrim, with the approving and continuous nodding of his companions.
"Zion was never behind this war. He is as much of a target as all of you. Someone had set him up. Put the blame on him because he knows too much." She confessed.
"Bullshit!" Protested Vigo.
"Yeah that's complete nonsense! Are you allied with that necromancer?!" Added Wungrim.
"We were on the battlefield! We heard his armies yell his name whenever they cut our friends' or blew their insides." Myga joined their objections and Brymhel felt overwhelmed by their anger and stubbornness. Whenever she tried to put a word they would glut it down with their rising shouting.
"Lower your voices!! You will wake the captain!! Hells be damned!! You'll wake the entire ship!" She yelled back. "It was never my task to tell you. Cap'n wont like it." She whispered to herself.
"I think she is speaking the truth." Said Ubba who was silent whilst his friends argued. They turned to him with pained and vengeful eyes.
"What do you mean? Are you insane?" Asked him Vigo.
"I mean… couldn't it be a possibility? Seeing how insane things already are, nothing should surprise us anymore. Conspiracies like these have built and destroyed kingdoms before us. What if this Zion is truly innocent? We will be condemning the wrong person." He explained.
The dwarves and Myga looked at their friend with disbelief.
"When did you become so… wise?" Asked Wungrim.
Ubba shrugged his shoulders and raised his hands to dismiss the question he didn't have the answer to. Wungrim chuckled.
"Forgive us Brymhel. We are still not over our losses and our grief is deep. We were blinded by our emotions. What Ubba said, is completely indisputable and we should have realized that." Myga said with guilt and shame picking inside his throat. "I am glad one of us still has his wits in hands"
"I understand. But now I understand why Cap'n wanted to be the one to enlighten you about the situation. I have never been good at talking to people." The female dwarf bit her lip once again.
"And we shan't ask any more questions 'til he wakes up. Forgive us." Apologized Myga.
The skies lightened a bit, with the reddish warmth of a new day. Some clouds scattered here and there like soft wool.
"There is nothing to forgive brothers. I understand your anger. I may not have lived in our land, and I may not have been in the midst of it all, but my heart ached for you and your blood…" The female dwarf paused for a moment. Looked at her kin and her lips pulled down in grief. "To tell you the truth, I have thought of leaving the crew, to join you in your war and fight for us… until I knew the truth… hard to believe…"
"The truth is not always convincing." Interrupted a voice behind them. None of them have noticed the advancing silhouette behind them. "Yet to conceal it under a plausible lie is nothing but a sweet poison."
"Cap'n!" Brymhel stood up briskly. "Forgive me! I shouldn't have…"
Her kin, including Myga, startled by Erving Goldeneye's sudden manifestation stood up as well.
"You said it yourself child. There's nothing to forgive." His long curls fell on the left side of his face, slightly covering his golden eye. He scratched his light beard and smiled at her. "Go now, rest. It is dawn. Take Pops with you, if you'd be so kind."
The embarrassment in Brymhel's face showed in her eyes and the lip she keeps biting whenever she felt uneasy. She nodded to her captain and left.
"Do not chastise her we beg of you! King of seas! We pressured her into telling us!" Begged him Wungrim.
"Yes! We pushed her and insisted to know! Do not punish her! Please…" Added Myga.
"Perhaps I should scold you in her stead." He replied firmly before he chuckled abruptly. The Brymhelians were confused.
"Were you listening all this time? Or did we wake you up?" Asked Ubba who seemed to be the only one to not take Erving's words seriously. Vigo gave him a nudge to the side.
"I was. And no, I was already awake. I overheard everything, you could say that is a skill I have." He winked at Ubba.
"You're not a man but you're not a wizard either… what are you?" Ubba inquired once more and once again Vigo hit him. "What? Don't you have questions?" He snapped at Vigo.
"It's fine Vigo, there's no harm in asking. Except when you're not ready for the answer." His voice filled them all with a strange peace and inner serenity. "I am not man nor am I a wizard. I am not a dwarf, obviously nor giant. To cut it short, I am not anything you know, or at least I can assume that. Usually, I skip this introduction to the people I just happen to meet, but I suppose this time, it is crucial and important for you to know who I am. For it is linked to all of this chaos."
They listened to him like children over promising knight tales. Focused like archers and swayed like newborns over a lullaby.
"Erving is the name my mother gave me, Erving Memirad. Goldeneye is nothing but a nickname and you can tell why." He chuckled again, leaning his elbows on the wooden edge of the ship. Staring vaguely into the endless wavy waters. "I am a Veer, one of many. I come from a world where all you know of are demons. It wasn't the case long ago. Before dwarves and giant awoke, what now you call man and wizards were once one race, the Vaalkai. They were strong and kind hearted, and they lived in peace until the greed and anger of the Veer stroke them…"
"Why is that? Did they harm you in any way?" Asked Myga.
"Oh no…" Erving replied with a sad tone. "No… it wasn't an act of vengeance. Well, maybe it was, but their target wasn't the Vaalkai, it was aimed at the Deity. Our world was the first to exist, and like many civilizations, we had rules and laws to follow. It was the job of the priests and messengers to hold onto those rules and keep us in the right path. They have failed and our world fell into corruption and utter destruction… we brought that upon us by disobeying simple laws." He turned back, leaning still on the wooden edge. "When we snapped out of our blindness of hearts and desires, nothing was all we found. We killed our lands, and each other for power. And when no one was there to fix things, we finally turned to the Deity that we forsake. We asked and prayed for redemption and we got nothing. We deserve it. Some of us, accepted it as a punishment… whilst others looked for salvation on their own. Until, Vaalkai came. The Deity had made a new world for them and to make our punishment worse, we were able to sense it and see it through the land we shared. The sun was born and yet we couldn't feel its warmth. Fruits were bitter, water was worse. When we learned that we can move from our world to the other, we trespassed to enjoy it, still… nothing. Our priests forbid us to do so, when some of my kin disappeared… your world did not want us here, our time here is limited. If we stay longer than what our bodies can take, we vanish into nothingness…"
"So when Maruth stands guard in front of your cabin, you don't really sleep. Do you?" Ubba asked.
"Would you keep your mouth shut for goodness sake?" Scolded him Vigo.
"What? Why? Is it rude? Do you think he would be offended by simple questions like these? Would you?" He asked again, confused and unaware why his brother disapproved of his inquiries.
Erving let out a lighthearted laughter and shook his head. He pulled his hair backwards before resuming his storytelling.
"Children, although you don't speak your mind like your brother Ubba, I can still hear them. I won't mind you asking. I am sure you will have many more when you hear what comes next. Ubba was right. I have told Maruth about my nature when I met her and knew about her and her journey as well. Maruth is not a member of my crew, she is a guest like you. You see, she was never sent by her brother to help you, in fact her brother doesn't know about her whereabouts now, they haven't talked for months. He is currently in the kingdom of Leidir, looking for a magical jewel to prevent the one he thinks is his father from getting it. Haruth and Maruth are Zion's own children, and just like you, they also thought that their father was evil and mad. Both of them ran away to look for that stone. And that is how I got to meet Maruth... None of them knew that the person they thought was their father was one of the strongest Veers, I myself, know of."
The Brymhelians stared at him in awe, overwhelmed by the greatness of the unfolded truths they all ignored hours ago.
Ubba hesitated at first to ask another question, when Goldeneye winked at him again.
"Who… who is he?" Wungrim asked this time.
"Veers can shapeshift. And Marid, an old acquaintance of mine, was and is the one behind all of this mischief. In our world, and before the birth of yours, Marid was born to a religious priest of power and his religious companion, his life was one of the many boring ones -if I may call it that way. And to tell you the truth, he was always a vile and a cunning Veer. When the trespassing started, his father was one of the priests to forbid it. Marid took his time, learned from the mistakes of those who travelled here before him and when he was ready, he came here bringing with him a hatred that could keep the hells themselves burning forever. His sole purpose was to soil the peace and the harmony of this world. If someone is worthy of your vengeful desires, it is Marid..." Goldeneye paused for a moment, with a disturbed look on his eyes, as if something or someone interrupted his storytelling. He looked behind him briskly as if to catch whoever was eavesdropping. No one was to be seen.
"Is there something wrong Captain?" Asked him one of the dwarves.
"No… nothing." He said before carrying on his speech. "I was saying… Zion was an unlucky wizard who discovered things he shouldn't have and now all of this mess was shot and is sticking to his back like a leech. And by some miracle or perhaps it was fate, I was in Tadmil for supplies, cheap market. One of my men was caught by "Zion's" soldiers for theft. We planned on breaking him free from jail when Hibe saw Zion in there. She didn't know who he was. To her, he was another prisoner in there. Until he uttered my name to her. My full and real name. That only my crew and my kin know. He begged her to take him to me, that it was a matter of "doom or salvation"..." Goldeneye paused once more and sighed. "I am more than thankful for having her in my crew, and I believe that she made the most significant move in our lives by bringing him to me. I always wonder what could have happened if we didn't save Zion from those cells. More than enough losses we have witnessed and it could have gotten worse if she didn't trust her intuitions… we owe all the changes we're about to make to her… and him…" He turned once again, to look at the empty deck with a compassionate smile and winked.
The rising sun spread over the waters and the skies with its light.
"You kept talking about stones. What are those? And how are they different from the ones wizards use? Because they are, aren't they?" Demanded Ubba, cautious and expecting his brother's strike. Vigo stood still.
"Well, I suppose Maruth is more fit to talk to you about the stones. I only know about who made them and their presumed powers but nothing more. But what I can tell you is that the stones although very dangerous if they fall in the wrong hands, but there's a bigger threat that awaits us all." And for the very first time, Goldeneye seemed saddened.