Rodrick

In the morning, we decided to search and question the town one last time before moving on. We all stayed together, and this time there was no worry of being ignored; I doubted that anyone could have ignored Noah and her swords if they tried. Despite the hope that came with that, however, we still found no sign of Lily.

“It was never very likely that we’d find her here,” Mi’ta tried as he walked along the docks, asking the occasional sailor about Lily.

“Then why did we bother looking?” Tyler asked bitterly.

“Well, we couldn’t just skip over the country because of the odds,” Alec pointed out with a smile. “Don’t worry, we’ll find her, no matter how long it takes. We’ve never failed to return anything that’s gone missing.”

“Good to know,” Tyler said with a sigh.

I glanced at him, not very surprised but a little disappointed by his rudeness. A hand caught my shoulder before I could chide him, and I turned to find one of the sailors, glaring at us.

“What are you kids doing here?” he asked, his big hand curled tight around my arm. He surveyed our group with irritated and distrusting eyes. “You’re in the way.”

Tyler turned, his gaze zeroing in on the man’s hand, his eyes narrowing in anger.

“Please excuse our intrusion,” Alec said, pleasant as ever. “We’re just looking for someone-”

“I know,” the man said gruffly. By now the other sailors on the dock had noticed the conflict and stopped their work, watching with interest. “These two came looking for your little girl yesterday, too.” He indicated Mi’ta and I with a slight shake of my shoulder that sent tremors through my entire body. “No one’s seen her, your girl isn’t here.”

Tyler started forward, and Noah caught his arm just above his elbow, holding him back.

“No one knows where any of you are from,” the man continued. I tried to pry myself free from his grip before he could crush my shoulder. “We don’t trust you around here.”

“Than we’ll leave,” Mi’ta said carefully.

“As soon as you get your goddamn hands off my sister,” Tyler snapped, pulling fruitlessly against Noah’s hold.

She groaned.

The man shrugged. “Fine,” he said, and pushed me aside roughly.

I stumbled, my knees bumping into a crate that had been placed too close to the edge of the dock. I fell forward, using my hands to brace myself against the crate. Unfortunately, the crate was empty, and not heavy enough to prevent both of us from falling a foot or so into the warm water.

“Jai!” Tyler cried. All I had time for was an alarmed yelp before I was submerged.

‘S**t s**t s**t.'

I had never been the strongest swimmer. Dad had taught me to swim when I was young, but the only pool we’d ever had was a wading pool, and the beach was two hours away, so I’d never had many opportunities to go swimming. Even so, I managed to keep my head above the water, kicking my legs furiously to keep myself afloat, my shoulder aching.

There was shouting on the dock, but I couldn’t bring myself to pay much attention, too concerned with not drowning. The water was distracting me, as well; the current seemed to be curling around me lazily, keeping me from sinking too deep. I wasn’t sure if it was the water itself or some kind of animal, and I didn’t want to stick around to find out. I tried to pull myself back up onto the dock, but couldn’t get the strength to drag my entire body, soaked clothes and all, out of the water. There were support beams I could have climbed up, but they were covered in barnacles that would have cut me to pieces.

Before I could steel myself for the swim to shore, a hand caught the back of my shirt and hauled me up out of the water like a fish. I was seated on the dock, and a pair of arms were tight around my neck before I realized what had happened.

“Jai! Are you okay?” Tyler asked, clinging to me.

I hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah…” I mumbled, panting for breath.

“Come on, boy, let her breathe,” a voice said, and Tyler was tugged away. I looked up and found the man named Rodrick standing before me, a gentle smile on his face. The other sailors had scattered, either returning to work or leaving the dock entirely.

“Rodrick,” I said with a sigh, and smiled weakly. “Thank you.”

“I’m sorry about them,” Rodrick said, indicating the sailors. “No one around here trusts very easily.”

“We noticed,” Noah muttered, untying her cloak and draping it around my shivering frame.

Rodrick smiled grimly, then glanced to the darkening sky. “Come and stay in my home tonight,” he offered.

“Thank you, but we shouldn’t,” Alec said, kneeling beside me to check for injuries. As soon as I’d caught my breath, Tyler was at my side, holding my hand. “We have to be going, we still haven’t found their sister.”

“You can’t travel with her in that state,” Rodrick protested incredulously. “She’s soaked, she’s in no state to search for anything.”

“I’m fine,” I said, and was ignored.

“He’s right, Alec,” Mi’ta said. “She’s exhausted and soaked. If she travels, she’ll get sick.”

“We don’t need confirmation from a medical expert,” Noah snapped, glaring at Alec. “Sheesh, the way you take care of things, it’s a wonder you’re still alive.”

“Since when am I exhausted?” I asked, though I was fully aware of the lack of sleep I’d had the night before. Having walked around all day two days in a row probably didn’t help my case, either.

“We’ll leave tomorrow, then,” Alec said, smiling softly. He looked to Rodrick. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

“Don’t think a thing of it,” Rodrick said dismissively. He suddenly scooped me up off the ground, making me yelp in surprise. “It won’t be safe for you in the inn when the town doesn’t trust you.” He left the dock, ignoring my uncomfortable squirming.

Tyler and the Hunters followed. “Are you sure it’s all right?” my brother asked while trying not to smile, amused by my embarrassment. “No one trusts us, so won’t you get in trouble if you help us?”

Rodrick gave a wide grin. “In trouble with who?” he replied. “I’ve got enough respect around here, no one will question me for helping a bunch of kids. No matter how weird they may look.”

“We aren’t kids,” I protested weakly, fidgeting in his hold. Unsurprisingly, I was ignored.

Rodrick’s house was near the edge of the town, separated from the beach by a row of large rocks. Behind the house, the ground began to slope upward, forming a cliff that over-looked the beach. The house itself was fairly small but pleasant and well-kept. A short, slender woman was in the front yard, taking clean laundry from a clothes line and folding it into a basket at her feet. She glanced up when she noticed us approaching, and raised an eyebrow. “Made some friends, did you?” she calmly asked Rodrick.

“I do every day, don’t I?” The sailor placed me carefully on my feet and went to kiss the woman, who I had to assume was his wife. “This is Eleta,” he introduced, a large arm around her slim shoulders. “Eleta, these are Jai, Mi’ta, and… I’m afraid I didn’t get the rest of their names.”

Eleta rolled her eyes at him, the smallest of smiles creeping onto her face. “So, what are your names, then?” she asked.

“I’m Alec,” the Hunter said. “This is Noah, and Jai’s brother, Tyler. Rodrick was kind enough to offer us a place to stay for the night while Jai recovers.”

“Recovers?” Eleta looked at me and seemed to notice my soaked state for the first time. “Oh dear. Well, come inside, and we’ll fix you up.” She led the way into the house, which was small and sparse, but very neat. There was one large window in the living room, letting in light from the setting sun.

Eleta ushered me into a chair. “Wait here,” she said as she felt my forehead for a fever. “Rodrick will get you some dry clothes, and I’ll get the guest room ready.” With that, our hosts disappeared through two different doors.

“Why is everybody making such a big deal?” I asked, frowning as I shrugged out of Noah’s cloak. “It’s not like I can’t swim or something.”

“That’s not really the point,” Mi’ta said, kneeling beside me. He pushed up the sleeve of my shirt, revealing a reddish mark on my shoulder. “It’s going to form a bruise. Does it hurt?”

I hesitated, then shook my head. “Not really,” I lied, wincing as he pressed the mark lightly with his fingers.

“Uh huh.” Holding my arm in one hand, he passed his fingers slowly over the forming bruise. My shoulder began to tingle, making me shudder, before the feeling passed and the prints were gone, along with the ache.

“Thanks…” I said, amazed by the use of magic. I rubbed my shoulder gently, and even the slightest sting was gone.

Mi’ta simply smiled and straightened, fixing my sleeve as Rodrick returned, holding folded clothes in his arms.

“All we’ve got that would fit you are clothes my son left behind,” he said apologetically. “You can change in there.” He indicated the room he’d come from.

I nodded and stood. “Thank you,” I said with a faint smile, accepting the clothes and shutting myself into the room, which turned out to be a bedroom. I changed clothes and in spite of myself I couldn’t help feeling glad to be dry, though the white shirt and brown trousers I’d been given were much too big.

Eleta prepared some kind of seafood dish for dinner, and though I didn’t particularly like fish, it was surprisingly good. She asked a lot of questions about where we were from and why we were visiting Tene.

“We’re looking for our sister,” I said, following Alec’s lead and carefully avoiding the questions about our origins.

“Oh dear,” Eleta murmured, her eyes soft. “Well, what does she look like? Perhaps I’ve seen her.”

Without much hope, I described Lily. Unsurprisingly, Eleta hadn’t seen her, though she promised to keep an eye out.

Noah and I were put into the guest room that night. It was very plain, a bed and a bookshelf serving as the only pieces of furniture.

I sat on the bed late into the night, unable to sleep. An empty window frame gave me an excellent view of the ocean, the moon and stars reflected on the dark water. There was no glass between me and the warm breeze, but I couldn’t appreciate the comfort.

Noah was on the floor at her own insistence, leaning against the wall as she slept, arms crossed over her chest. Her swords were on the floor beside her, the handles rested on her knee for easy access.

I was tired, but I couldn’t sleep. I hadn’t slept for the past two nights, and it seemed tonight would be no different.

The gentle creak of a floorboard in the hall was my only warning before the door opened a crack. Tyler peeked in, and seeing I was awake he crept further into the room.

“Careful,” I whispered, glancing to Noah. She was starting to remind me of a guard dog, waiting to pounce on whoever threatened those she chose to protect.

Tyler cautiously stepped around her and came to sit on the bed with me. “Why are you awake?” he asked in a hushed voice.

“Couldn’t sleep. What about you?”

He started to answer, falling silent when Noah stirred. We watched as she settled into a deep sleep, and was still. We remained silent for a moment, then glanced to each other.

“Let’s go for a walk,” I whispered.

Quiet and careful, we slipped out through the window and headed for the beach. The sand was soft and loose, making it hard to walk, but we managed to avoid falling.

“I’ve never snuck out before,” Tyler commented as we walked by the water, his hands stuffed deep in his pockets.

“Yes you have.” I paused to roll the legs of my pants up to my knees to avoid getting them wet. “Remember when you were six, and those kids wouldn’t let you in their fort, so we snuck out one night and wrecked it?”

Tyler slowly grinned. “I remember. And they never suspected me because I wasn’t allowed inside.” His smile faded. “When Dad and Mom found out, I thought they’d be mad. But Dad smiled for the first time since…” He fell silent, then looked at me. “Do you think we’ll find Lily?”

I frowned at the sudden change of topic. The seriousness in Tyler’s eyes was disturbing, and I looked to the ocean. “Of course I do.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Don’t you?”

The waves crashed against the shore, withdrawing into the sea to prepare another attack as Tyler considered his reply. “I hope we do,” he said finally, uncertain. “But I don’t know, Jai. How long will we have to wander from world to world with people we don’t know? It could take us the rest of our lives. What if we get hurt, or sick, or separated? Who knows how many worlds there are? We could die without ever finding Lily.” He silenced himself when his voice started to waver and rubbed his eyes roughly on the back of his hand. His shoulders trembled as he tried to resist crying.

I watched him quietly, then slowly reached out and petted his hair. He leaned into the touch, so I pulled him into a hug, holding him close. He was stiff, gradually relaxing against me, and it wasn’t long before his face was buried in my chest, his hands gripping my shirt over my shoulder blades.

“I’m scared, too,” I told him quietly. “I know it’s dangerous and stupid. But we will find Lily, no matter how long it takes.” I paused, considering. “And we’ll get some kind of weapon.”

“A weapon?” Tyler pulled back a little and looked up at me, his face wet from crying. “We don’t know how to use any weapons.”

“We’ll have to learn,” I replied. “We can’t keep relying on those Hunters to protect us. We have to learn to fight for ourselves.”

Tyler slowly nodded and wiped a hand over his pretty face. “You’re right.” He sighed and looked toward the moon. “We should go back, before someone notices we’re gone.”

We headed back toward the house, picking our way across the sand. Tyler gripped my hand in his, a hold so tight my fingers ached, but I didn’t really mind.

“You know,” he said suddenly, looking at me with an affectionate smile. “You’re going to be an amazing mother someday.”

I gave a short laugh. “Thanks, but I’ve done enough mothering to last me a lifetime. Especially considering I haven’t had any kids.”

“You’ll be great, if you have any,” he corrected himself.

“Don’t hold your breath.”

 

We decided to leave early in the morning. We thanked Eleta and Rodrick again as we bade them farewell, and they promised to keep looking out for Lily.

We went North away from Tene, walking along the beach beside the rising cliff. No one spoke until the fishing boats were mere specks on the horizon.

“Where are we going now?” I asked eventually. My clothes had dried during the night, and I was glad to have them back, even though my jeans and button-down shirt stuck out noticeably among the tunics and trousers of Shalved.

“To the next world,” Alec told me. “We have to get away from the town, so no one sees.”

“Really?” Tyler asked, an eyebrow raised. “We appeared in the middle of their market.”

Alec smiled weakly. “That was an accident. The Seeker brings us to any spot in a world that has the most magic, if we aren’t going somewhere specific. Normally it’s supposed to bring us as close to the spot as possible, but where no people are. Taking on two more people so suddenly must have thrown it off.”

“Speaking of all that,” Noah spoke up. “Have you spoken to Traveler?”

“Of course,” Alec said simply. “I spoke to him in the inn.”

Tyler seemed to argue with himself, before curiosity won over tact. “Who’s Traveler?”

Mi’ta chuckled lightly, and Noah gave a sideways smirk.

“Traveler is our leader,” Alec explained. “The first Hunter. He started the Base and invented most of the technology we use. I had to ask for his consent to bring the two of you along.”

“Since we’re still here, I’m guessing he consented?” I asked.

“You guess correctly,” Mi’ta said cheerfully.

“So what world are we going to?” Tyler asked.

“Well, let’s see.” Alec stopped walking and tapped at the keys on the Seeker. “Next is Corenth. We may have better luck there, it’s full of criminals.”

“…And how does that mean good luck for us?” I wondered warily. A world full of criminals wasn’t really where I hoped to find Lily.

“Damaen’s drawn to crime,” Noah said. “So Corenth is likely to be a good place to find him.”

“Oh.” Tyler said. “Good.”

Alec smiled softly. “To Corenth, then,” he said, and pushed the red button.