Aquila used departure records to confirm that only one ship was leaving for the Sea Serpent kingdom the next day. Augustus and Faustus had to be on that ship or risk getting left behind without being caught by Nero and Drusus. Ultimately, we decided Augustus and Faustus would slip onto the ship that evening.
At some point during our talk, Ani left the room, disinterested. As he knew how to teleport, I didn't bother stopping him. He returned during a discussion of how to best disguise Augustus' features around lunchtime, suddenly appearing at my feet and bathing himself with a smug look.
That afternoon, Faustus played with Ani as we chatted amicably until it was time for him to leave. Evening came surprisingly soon, Augustus knocking stiffly on our door.
Since Augustus was there for him, Faustus was the one to open the door.
"Time to go," Augustus said, motioning behind him.
Faustus moved to pick up Ani, who saw his grabby hands and darted away as if they were playing some kind of game. He tried again, and Ani dodged again, sprinting to hide between my lower back and the wall. I leaned forward, removing his cover, then snatched him up before he could run away again. He squirmed in my hands as I lifted him to stare him in the face. Catching my eye, he stopped, ears and tail drooping.
"I need you to go with Faustus for now." His ears and tail drooped further, but it seemed like he got the message. He meowed sadly.
Unfooled by his suspiciously complacent attitude, I sternly continued "And no teleporting back until Faustus or Augustus say so." Ani avoided my eyes, and I knew I'd hit the mark. "I'm serious, Ani," I told the stubborn cat.
He seemed to register my words, and Faustus took him out of my arms without resistance. "That's the first time you've called me by name."
He'd noticed? "I'm sorry?" I questioned, pretending it hadn't been intentional.
Fondly, he said, "You can just call me Faust. I meant to tell you earlier…."
"And you can call me August," Augustus piped in, standing awkwardly by the door.
"See you tomorrow, Hayden," Faust said, flipping up his hood.
Augustus gave a jaunty little wave. "See ya."
"See you tomorrow, Faust, August."
Faust turned to give me a little wave with his free hand, August giving me a small, closed-lip smile. They were off, and I was left alone with my guard.
Although I could have practiced my drawing skills again, my boredom won out, and I went to sleep quickly after they left.
I woke early the next morning, jittery and feeling like I was being sent off to prison. The heavy footsteps of Nero and Drusus, led by the guard from last night, echoed down the tunnel, and I met them outside the door.
Gruffly, Nero said, "Good, you're dressed. Let's go," and spun around on his heel.
Drusus made conversation as we walked, asking, "I didn't see your little guard."
"He left yesterday after confirming I was in good hands."
Nero stepped closer, his breath ghosting against my cheek as he spoke. "Good hands, indeed." His breath nearly made me gag again, but I refused to give the psychopaths another inch.
I schooled my face to appear unconcerned and gave a deliberate evaluating look towards their clothes, which were higher in quality than even Aquila's. "And well-lined pockets, I imagine."
They paused, looking at me with surprise as if a merchant's son couldn't have been smart enough to pick up their obvious hints. In reality, they stood out like a sore thumb. They weren't subtle.
Nero burst out laughing, a sharp, grating sound. He slung his arm around my neck, scales irritating the scratch marks from the same movement yesterday. The torchlight on the walls cast eerie, deep shadows over his face. His eyes settled back on my earrings. "That's right. We're paid very well, aren't we, Drusus?" His brother mirrored Nero's greedy grin, both giving off the impression that they weren't referring solely to money.
"If you want in, let us know. You'll have a lot more opportunities once you become a chimera. If you become one of us, that is. If not, I'm sure we'll have fun anyway."
"Sounds profitable."
Nero slung his arm off my shoulder, claws raking against my neck. "Oh, it is."
I felt warm blood trickle down from my neck to my back, the freshly opened scratches stinging.
Once we were out of the cave, the probably-serial-killers set a grueling pace for the shipyard. The sun hadn't risen yet, and the two moons had almost entirely waned, leaving the forest in low light. It was enough light for them, however, and they crept through the forest without issues as I stumbled after them. Occasionally they would 'warn' me about tripping hazards, only to send me into worse ones, laughing as I struggled. I fell a few times, catching myself on my hands and knees. By the time we reached the forest's edge, countless tiny cuts had covered my limbs, and I wondered if I would ever stay injury-free in this world.
We went around the city to the shipyard, the brothers uncaring of who saw. Their attitude gave the impression that if someone did notice or tried to talk to them, they might just kill that person on the spot. Luckily, no one did. They casually paid off the guards standing on the road at the shipyard with a familiarity that indicated both sides did this frequently. It was difficult not to let my disgust show on my face at the actions, and I'm not sure I succeeded.
The brothers prodded me towards a large but shabby ship that looked like it would sink any second. Feeling anyone would say the same, I let disgust show on my face and asked, "Won't this sink?"
Drusus slapped me behind my shoulder blades, causing me to stumble. Both brothers laughed at me. They were having the time of their life with me today. "What a spoiled young master! This is what the rest of us have to work with."
"It sucks."
Drusus leered over me. "You should be more grateful. It's part of your journey to more power than you can imagine." His eyes raked over my body. "Especially you."
A gross-looking middle-aged man with beady little eyes met us at the top of the gangplank, two tough-looking seamen standing behind him. He rubbed his empty hands together, already polishing gold. "This is the last one?"
Drusus gave me a vicious shove to force me on the ship, nearly knocking me off the gangplank. "Yup. Once he's packed away, you can proceed as normal."
"Good, good." The beady-eyed man raised a hand, and the two silent seamen behind him grabbed me roughly. I instinctively struggled in their hold.
"Don't worry, young master; they'll take you safely from here." Nero attempted to soothe me. It didn't make me feel any better, but I did stop struggling. Nothing mattered except getting home. No matter what happened here, it wouldn't even matter once I was home. Those thoughts repeated in my mind as they dragged me through the stale and rotten air of the lower deck.