We cleared the camp and piled the demon pirates into a stack before throwing them all onto the boat. Most of them were unconscious and the ones who weren't, Marley shut them up with a glare. Surprisingly she hadn't killed the pirates, only beating them into a state which I could barely call life.
"Are you sure you can drive this Rain?" Lara asked me as I unfurled the sails of the ship.
"I think so," I replied. "Help me lift up the anchor." She didn't need my help and pulled the chain up herself. It was awkward but with her and Marley's help we managed to get the ship out of the channel and into the river proper. With this we wouldn't have to walk and had an easy way to transport the pirates. That and we could also sell the ship for money, although I think I was the only one with that idea.
The sun was fully in the sky now and the morning rays shined down upon us. The pirates were all tied in a heap on the deck. Marley stood close to them, while Lara moved across the ship as I told her. Ordinarily I wouldn't be able to control a ship of this size but with Lara's magic we managed to keep it in the centre of the river. We changed the ship's flag to a white one. It wouldn't be funny if another ship attacked us thinking we were pirates.
I was glad to be moving again. At the rate we were travelling we'd be in Reese within a few hours. Everything was fine and although the tied up pirates occasionally jeered at us, they couldn't do much… or at least I thought so. It happened quickly while Lara's back was turned. Even as I saw it, from my position on the bridge there was nothing I could do. The pirate captain who had been silent since we captured him suddenly lunged forwards. A knife shot out from his sleeve. He had somehow undid his bindings and in front of him was Marley. The knife slipped through her stomach like it was nothing.
"Marley!" I screamed and jumped towards him. It was too late. He pulled the knife out with a vicious smile and she collapsed to her knees. Fresh blood dripped from the steel, splashing onto the deck staining it red.
Lara turned around to see the pirate captain lunge at her next. Normally she would have reacted perfectly but as the four armed man charged towards her, her eyes fell to Marley and the growing red stain on her clothes. Her eyes widened in shock. The captain's knife cut past Lara's cheek just as she managed to compose herself.
"Bastard!" her yell surprised me and the captain flew away from her careening across the deck and crashing into bridge. The knife slipped from his hand as he fell unconscious.
I reached Marley's side. She was in shock. Staring at the blood on her hands, the same blood that was coming from her stomach. Her lips twitched into a smile struggling through the pain.
"Marley heal yourself!" I tried to snap her out of it. My words seemed to work as she nodded and a glow permeated her skin. I breathed relieved as the wound began to close. It was presumptuous however. In a stiff jerk her head shook releasing a silent scream. She hit the deck convulsing. I gripped her body and stopped her from moving as much as I could. A minute passed as I struggled. Black ominous lines threaded beneath her skin curling across her body following her veins. Poison. My heart thudded in realisation.
"Lara?" I looked up to see her keeled over on the deck. Her breath raspy and struggling to compose herself.
"I'm… okay," she was definitely not okay.
"Stay where you are," I picked up Marley's body and took her to Lara where I guided them both into the captain's quarters on the ship. It was dirty and filled with bits of coin and loot. I knocked it all aside as I made room to lie them down. Marley's skin was pale, her body twisting as bouts of pain sprang through her. Lara was better but the symptoms were beginning to show as black faded lines sprouted from the cut in her cheek. Without my apothecary kit there was nothing I could try.
I ran outside and to where the Captain was unconscious. My hands gripped his shirt tightly and shook him. He didn't respond and I slapped his face. Again nothing happened. Although alive Lara's blow had knocked him out cold. I tied him back up and moved onto one of the other pirates who were awake.
"You," I shoved my knife towards him and tore off his gag. It was the pirate with feathers for hair. "What poison did he use?" He hesitated. "If you don't start talking I'll make sure you never do."
"I-I don't know. The Captain uses a lot of things."
"Do any of you know?" I pointed the question at all of them. None of them replied. Some just looked at me blankly, others with a victorious contempt. I picked up the feather haired one and dragged him away, throwing him against the railing. "Do you want to live?"
He nodded. I carved a random magic circuit into his skin.
"This is a bomb. You don't do what I tell you and it goes boom, understand?" Again he nodded and I continued. "I need you to steer this ship and take it as fast as you can to Reese. Can you do to that?"
"I-I can," he looked at me fearfully.
I cut his bindings, "Then do it and if you so much as look in the direction of your so called friends I hope your happy with their faces because it's the last ones you'll ever see."
"I get it! Just don't blow me up."
"Then go," I pointed for him to leave and he immediately began to move around the ship doing anything he could to make it move faster. Of course the circuit wouldn't explode. I was just bluffing but from the way he looked at me he was dumb enough to believe it.
I ran through the ship looking for anything like an antidote but there was nothing. When we cleared the cove there wasn't anything I had seen either. It was entirely possible that this was a poison I had never heard of. The vegetation in the Demon territory was different to what I knew. All I could do was hope to reach Reese and help as soon as possible. I cursed myself for thinking dying was the worst possible outcome. This was much worse. If Lara and Marley died…. I shook the thought away and forcefully helped to make the ship move faster.
Hours passed as I continued to check up on their condition. Lara was still conscious but barely functioning. Whenever I entered the room she'd smile to me encouragingly, sometimes she tried to speak before I quickly told her to stop. Marley on the other hand wasn't doing well. Although she had managed to heal the stab wound it only made the poison spread quicker. I was afraid that if it had been someone with a weaker constitution they'd already be dead. In fact it might have been a miracle from the Goddess that she was still alive at all. The pirate's ship didn't have much in the way of reagents, though those which I did find I did my best to ease their pain and prolong their lives.
Finally as the sun reached midday Reese came into view. It was around the same size as Tona and even busier as I could see the streams of people walking on the outer streets. The ship began to slow down as signals from the port flashed our way.
I turned to the feather haired demon angrily, "Don't you dare slow down."
"But we'll crash at this rate," he said panicked.
"Does it look like I care," I narrowed my eyes like daggers. "The faster you get us inside the better." If we went through the proper procedures it could take hours and that was time I couldn't risk losing.
He nodded and the ship regained its speed. The demons at the port began to signal harder calling us to stop. Instead however we came in at full speed crashing against the wooden docks, the ship shaking as they tore into each other. I was barely able to hold on as the ship came to a halt forcefully connected to the dock.
Armed demons immediately ran towards the ship as I kicked down the gangway. They stormed up and pointed their spears at me.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" A stubborn faced man with horns similar to Ronalt's yelled at me.
"I have two girls on board who are poisoned!" I shouted back. "I don't care what happens to me later but right now they need help."
His eyes moved past me to the where the pirates were tied up and the feather haired demon cowered behind the wheel. "By the Goddess, it's Redrick's pirate crew."
"Now's not the time for that," I glared at them.
A spear pointed towards my neck, mere inches away, "There's always time."
I frowned, "I was on a trading vessel yesterday and it was attacked. My companions and I went overboard, we managed to get the upper hand on the pirates. They were poisoned. I'm an apothecary, please the supplies I need are on the trading vessel."
The horned demon's eyes gazed into mine trying to discern the truth. He grunted, "Search the ship! As for you, lead me to your companions."
I did as I was told and showed them into the captain's cabin. Lara had her eyes closed now and Marley was no longer even twitching. "Do you believe me now?"
He gestured to two demons behind him, "Help him with what he needs but do not lose sight of him."
"Yes sir!" they saluted.
I bowed my head, "Thank you."
"Hurry, they don't look like they have long," he turned away to deal with the pirates. Despite his stubborn expression, it looked like he was an understanding guy. That or maybe my desperation broke into him.
I guided the demons to carry Lara and Marley as we disembarked the ship. On the docks clearly in sight was the trading ship we had used before. I thanked the Goddess they hadn't left and ran towards it. By now a crowd had gathered and we pushed through. A hand grabbed onto me.
"Rain!" it was Ronalt. His stern eyes glossed me over. "You're alive. Good."
I grabbed on to him, "Where's the carriage!?"
"It's on the dock, why?" he finally saw Lara and Marley being carried. His eyes widened in disbelief. "Go ahead Rain, I'll bring them to you."
I ran to the dock and waiting unassumingly was the carriage. Pina was curled up beside it protectively and cocked her head up as I approached. At first she was happy to see me but seeing my behaviour she quickly backed away from the door giving me space. I threw open the carriage and as quickly as I could began to set up my equipment, digging through the cupboards and storage for all the things I could possibly need. Ronalt arrived soon after and laid Marley and Lara into their beds. The two guards were surprised to see the inside of the carriage but said nothing. The first thing I did was bolster their strength with the premade potions I had. Lara was able to swallow the liquid however Marley had more trouble. In the end I had to do it mouth to mouth. The girl could yell at me all she wanted later.
Next I sampled their blood and inspected their wounds. It had already been hours and almost nothing of the poison remained. I cursed myself. At this point in time it was incredibly difficult to find an antidote. I focused on my teachings, their symptoms, the pattern of the lines, what reagents were safe, what I could use now, methods to do anything that could help them even a little. In my desperation I commanded the guards to interrogate the pirates for anything they knew. My eyes glaring down told them they couldn't refuse and one ran off immediately. Ronalt went to find Ardent and alone I worked away.
Ardent came and cast magic to stabilise them. From the corner of my eye I could see Taylor watch concerned. And finally as another half hour passed… I could only smack my head against the wall swearing. There was nothing. I couldn't find out what the poison was and treating them without that knowledge was too risky. At worse I could kill them instantly instead. The guard who eventually came back had nothing as the pirates remained tight lipped. I truly didn't know what else to do.
I collapsed into the chair beside their beds. Ardent and Ronalt were already there causing the room to be quite cramped.
"How are they?" I asked weakly already knowing the answer. "Will they survive?"
Ronalt answered, "Lara will. Her constitution has always been incredible, the poison was strong but in a day she'll be back to normal." His expression softened as he stared at Marley. Her body was wrapped in a thin light as Ardent did his best to slow down the poison. "Without a cure… it's surprising she lasted this long."
My fingernails dug into my skin till they drew blood. Seeps of the liquid stained my pants as I clenched my fists tightly. "This is my fault. I should have just avoided them. Fighting the pirates… it was a stupid risk and now we're all paying for it."
"Rain…," Ronalt looked at me empathetically. "It was a choice you made but not yours alone."
"But I could have stopped it. I-I…." I was too full of myself. After everything that happened I knew I'd be able to overcome it. Even now while my heart shook there was still a way out. "I need some air."
They said nothing as I left the carriage defeated. The guard tried to stop me as I wondered away but his partner stopped him with a shake of his head. Silently I trudged away to the edge of the port. Between the buildings no one could see me, an alley dirty and filled with leftover filth. The smell burnt into my lungs telling me I was still alive.
"Hey," Taylor called out to me. "What are you doing here?" She was leaning against the nearby wall. I hadn't noticed her at all, though with her ability that wasn't too strange. She pinched her nose, "By the Goddess this place smells. It's worse than the slums."
"Taylor please go away," my words were soft. She didn't need to see what I was about to do to myself.
"No," her reply was blunt.
"Please," I insisted stronger.
"No," she refused to budge. "I get the feeling if I leave something bad will happen. Rain, what happened was bad but you can't hold it against yourself."
I looked her in the eyes, "The thing is Taylor, I can and I will." The knife I stole from the pirates found its way to my hands. "Turn around."
"Rain-," her eyes widened in a mix of panic and fear. It was too late to do anything. Even as fast as she was, she couldn't stop me, not now. The knife dug into my skull plunged in by my own hand. It was an odd experience. My arm didn't even hesitate as soon as I made the decision, like I was used to it, that I knew it was coming and had accepted it whole heartedly. My vision blackened to nothing before I even hit the ground.
"Rain stop!" Taylor's eyes widened in a mix of panic and fear. My body clenched frozen not sure what was going on. The knife was still in my hand. I could have sworn I just stabbed myself. Yet here I was again looking at Taylor moments before doing the deed. She was looking at me desperately with her hand outstretched, "Calm down…. I might not be the best person to talk to but please give me the knife."
I looked down at it confused. Did I hallucinate it? The death had been so sudden I barely felt the pain.
"Rain?" Taylor was pleading me with her eyes.
I stabbed myself again and as my arm arced towards my head she jumped towards me. It was too late for her to do anything and once more the sensation of death took me over. My vision darkened and I fell limp into Taylor's arms.
"Rain?" Taylor was pleading me with her eyes… again. A spike of fear went through me and I dropped the knife. That time I was sure. I killed myself. There was no doubting it so why was I still here?
There was a blur of movement and suddenly Taylor was beside me with the knife in her hands held far away. Beads of sweat were visible on her unblemished skin. Her eyes staring directly at me wavering and scared.
"You- were you going to kill yourself?" she asked hesitantly.
I went silent. The truth was I had and the problem now was I didn't think I could.
"You were weren't you!?" Taylor yelled at me angrily. "I've seen that look before. People desperate enough to die…. How could you do that Rain? Don't just give up!"
I held up me hand to calm her, "No it wasn't like that. I-," for whatever reason I decided not to lie, "Fine yes, I was considering it."
A pain stung through my cheek cracking my head aside. Taylor's hand hovered in front of my face as I reeled back. "You jerk! Bastard! Scum! Idiot! Don't you ever do that!"
Her fervent behaviour shocked me and I could only stare at her wryly, "Umm Taylor it's okay."
"Promise you won't ever do it!" she held me by the scruff of my shirt. There was a fierce determination I had never seen before.
For a moment we stared at each other, I smiled internally and spoke, "I promise I'll never give up."
"Good," she dropped me and sighed. "You really scared me."
"Sorry," I laughed awkwardly. "Didn't know you cared so much about me."
"Is that a problem?" she looked at me hurt. My heart thumped. Her earnest expression caught me off guard. She wasn't joking around.
"Of course not," I replied forcing myself to calm. "I just need to think right now."
"Go ahead but I'm keeping the knife," she stepped back but continued to glare at me.
I took a deep breath only to immediately choke. "Let me think somewhere else." I coughed and left the alley. Taylor followed closely.
Once in the fresh air I took another breath and focused. The words of the figure in the white room recalled in my head. She had said something about a way to set a point to return to when I died. At the time I didn't think much of it because she was being tight lipped but now I understood. It was possible the act of killing myself was the exact thing I needed to do. The problem was I had now driven myself into a corner without escape. Marley was dying and I felt even if something else killed me I'd just wind back in that alley. There was no backing out. At most I only had a few hours and that was because of Ardent. I needed to be more forceful and I knew where to start.