The Wicked House of Caroline

Seeing her two youngest children run through the black volcanic sands of the West Islands’ largest island reminded her of her innocent childhood. The Magistrate’s Palace where Sybil was born and grew up wasn’t too far away, on a hillside that overlooked the sea. Or at least, the new building that was built over it was.

When she was a child, a monsoon hit the island badly. They were unprepared and it gave her father’s political opponents both on the main island and on the satellite islands an excuse to oust him from power. At the same time, the monsoon had caused flooding and disease spread through the island.

Her mother had gone to do aide work and caught the waterborne disease that eventually took her life. Her father, weakened from the stress of the disaster and the blow from the loss of his political position, had a stroke. When he found out her mother had passed one her way back to the capital, he couldn’t take it and followed.

Sybil stayed with her nanny for two weeks in a ramshackle shack by the seashore, where it was littered with debris from the flooding. Food was scarce and clean water was scarcer. Her nanny’s family was large and it was a struggle for them to feed another mouth. She wasn’t so young that she didn’t understand what was going on.

She was a burden to the family. Her nanny was no longer being paid and was taking care of her because she cared about Sybil, even if it was a strain on her family resources. The nanny’s in-laws complained, but she refused to kick Sybil out.

For that, Sybil was grateful and sent money and food to her nanny until the day she died. Despite the woman’s efforts, Sybil had still lost a great deal of weight during that time. Malnourished, in stained clothes, and scavenging the shore for resources, no one could tell that Sybil of Blythehaus was the daughter of the former magistrate and a heroic debutante once named the most beautiful woman in the West Islands.

Her father was an only child and her mother’s only remaining sibling was estranged from the family. Both sets of grandparents were dead, so Sybil had no blood relations to rely on. At least, that was what she thought.

Word spread fast on the island and a dark ship had anchored off the shore. Rough looking men and women were searching for the child of the former magistrate. This terrified her nanny. Why would such people be looking for a little girl? Her nanny had instructed her relatives who knew who Sybil was not to reveal her whereabouts.

She even had Sybil stay indoors in order to avoid being seen.

But the people on the dark ship posted a reward for information where the girl was. If the information was deemed true and they found her, they’d be rewarded at least half a year’s worth of coins.

After a devastating monsoon, flood and plague, people were clamoring for any resources they could get. Protecting a parentless child who was already a strain on family resources wasn’t a priority at all. As soon as the reward was posted, Sybil was outed by one of her nanny’s relatives.

By the time her nanny found out and rushed back, a half dozen people had arrived outside their shanty home. While their clothes were decent, they had swords at their sides, and looked as if they’d seen the world. ‘Rough-looking’ was a bit of an understatement.

Neighbors who had rushed out to watch were almost frightened back into their homes, but her nanny’s relatives were eager to shove Sybil into the arms of these strangers.

After everything that had happened to her in her short life, Sybil had been resigned to her fate. The only thing she could do was try to make sure the reward money went into the hands of her nanny. She had stood in front of the shack and looked up at the newcomers.

Before she could open her mouth, a tall woman had stepped forward, almost melting from within the circle of people around her. Her clothes were a rich red and she wore a wide brim hat and sturdy, salt and sand dusted leather boots. There was a long scar across her left cheek. Beneath her dark bangs, Sybil could see sharp hazel eyes.

For a moment, the child had squinted. Hazel eyes were rare. Aside from her and her mother, she hadn’t seen anyone else on the island with those eyes.

The woman had bent down in front of Sybil, examined her without a word, and then raised her hand to remove her wide-brimmed hat.

“You are Sarah’s daughter,” the woman’s low, gruff voice had said. She sounded strangely gentle, but also more as if she were reminding Sybil of her identity than questioning her. Sybil had silently nodded her head. She still remembered everything that happened that day.

The woman had looked up and swept her eyes across the bystanders, including her nanny, who had appeared confused.

Why would Sybil be identified as ‘Sarah’s daughter’ and not the Magistrate’s?

It was because the woman who had arrived was Sarah of Blythehaus’ younger sister, who was estranged from the family. She had come to pick up her niece.

Sybil’s nanny received the reward offered more as thanks for taking care of Sybil while her aunt rushed to return to the island after she heard the news. From then on, Sybil was under the guardianship of her aunt, and her aunt spared no expense in giving Sybil the best education she could.

That was saying quite a bit considering her aunt’s occupation.

She took a deep breath. “Wrath, don’t pick up animals from the water. What if they are venomous?”

“This is a starfish,” Wrath said, holding up a peach-colored creature in her little hand.

“Mommy, it’s fine,” Thad replied over his shoulder as he followed his little sister. “All she’s been picking up are shells, starfish, and hermit crabs.”

Wrath nodded obediently. “And this octopus with the pretty purple spots.”

Thad paused and stared at her with wide, horrified eyes. Sybil rose from her seat and walked across to check her daughter’s wooden bucket. Sure enough, there was a small octopus with purple spots climbing over the various shells and starfish.

“That will kill you,” she said in a droll voice.

Wrath froze and then looked down at her bucket. “I’ve made a grave mistake.”

Sybil used a piece of broken mussel shell to pick up the octopus and fling it into the ocean.

“A bit reckless. What if it swims back?” a voice said behind her.

“Then I’ll catch it and throw it further,” Sybil replied. She turned around and faced a gray-haired old woman in neat pants tucked into sea-worn leather boots with a wide-brim hat. Sybil stood up straight and bowed her head towards the woman she’d been waiting for. “Auntie, I’m back.”

The old woman was still tall and her posture upright. A cane with a jewel-eyed octopus casting was at her side. She lifted her chin as she gave her adult niece a small nod. “Did you finally leave him?”

“I didn’t leave him, Auntie.”

“Then why isn’t he here?” the old woman asked.

Sybil took a deep breath. She stood up straight and held out her arm, tugging up her shirt sleeve. The old woman’s eyes landed on the dark mark on her arm. Though her face didn’t show it, Sybil could sense her surprise and displeasure.

“Something happened on Kadmus,” Sybil replied.

“I see.” The old woman narrowed her eyes. “Then he’s dead.”

“He’s not dead.” Sybil gave her aunt a deadpan look. “We were exiled to the four winds. Robert was sent east and I was sent west with the children.”

“You have four children,” her aunt said in a sharp voice. Her eyes flickered around the beach. Though there were a few people a good distance away fishing or fixing their boats and netting, the only people with Sybil were Thad and Wrath. “Where are Deo and Beks?”

Sybil swallowed hard with regret. “They are adults so-”

“Then we’ll go pick them up,” the woman said with a dismissive wave of her hand, as if doing so was such an easy task. “Where are they?”

“Deo was sent to the frigid north-”

“Then he’s on his own.”

“Auntie.”

“The fleet can’t sail in snow, Sybil,” her aunt told her.

“I know. I am sure he will go east to find his father,” Sybil said. “Beks was exiled to the Forbidden Valley.”

Her aunt’s face instantly filled with anger. “Beks has been fostered since she was three years old and has no martial or survival training. What happened that she was exiled to a place that would surely kill her?”

Sybil wasn’t sure where to start, so she stated the reason. “She broke her engagement with the Fourth Prince, no...King Luther, and we were then accused of conspiring King Laurence’s kidnapping.”

The old woman’s head drew back as her lips pulled into a frown. “King Laurence should be recovering well by now. Why hasn’t he returned?”

“We don’t know if he’s fully recovered yet. And even if he was, how can he return without a plan?” Sybil asked. “King Luther is being controlled by his father and has the new oracle backing him. If the new oracle backs him, then the Temple isn’t far behind.”

Her aunt sneered. “The Temple wouldn’t back a country so easily. They must have benefits.”

“Whatever they are, they sent six paladins to try to assassinate me and the children.”

“They dare!?” A loud rumble came from the shore as a wave crashed around them. Thad and Wrath looked up, surprised as the water came crashing down. They didn’t move from where they stood, as the water avoided them.

“I have no doubt that paladins were also sent to assassinate Robert, Deo, and Beks.”

The old woman scoffed. “I don’t care about that man, but Deo and Beks...especially Beks.” She fell into a contemplative silence. “They dare touch my blood; I will make sure the seas run red with theirs.”

“Auntie, Beks plans to return to Kadmus and remove the false king and his people. She wants to avoid harming civilians.”

“The Kadmus navy isn’t civilians.”

“Auntie, can you at least wait until we find Beks?” Sybil almost pleaded, though part of her wished to do the same. However, once Laurence retook his position and Beks assisted him, it would reflect badly on her if her relations had attacked the kingdom as revenge.

Her aunt’s sharp eyes bore into her. “Do you know if Beks is alive?”

She didn’t, but Sybil refused to entertain any thought that Beks wouldn’t be. “The daughter with dawn in her hair won’t die so easily.” Her voice was hoarse as she said it, but her aunt nodded.

“Then do we search for her?”

“She will come find us.”

“Find you?” Her aunt raised a brow. “How?”

“Beks has always been a meticulous child, and pragmatic. She will analyze her choices and will make a plan.”

Even as a child born in Sagittate, where children naturally advanced faster than children on the continent due to the long-term effects of the bihar-rich environment on its people, Beks was abnormally quick to learn. Her verbal and motor skills were finessed faster than her brother’s when she was his age, and all she needed to do was glance at a text to be able to recite it.

It was why Sybil and her husband were so horrified the day Lord Anders and the entourage from Kadmium arrived to take Beks. As parents, they refused to let their three-year-old daughter leave them, even if it was to be fostered by a queen they supported.

However, Beks had overheard the conversation and seemed to understand that if she didn’t go, a fight would ensue. Sybil didn’t know if her daughter understood how serious the conflict would be, but Beks was adamant to leave. Three years old and she understood her political position and how to shield her family’s duchy.

Sybil and Robert had always seen it as their failure as parents, but it had happened so quickly. Before they came to their senses, Beks was on a carriage bound for Kadmium and waving good-bye from the window, as if excited to set off on a new adventure.

Across from her, Sybil’s aunt thought for a moment. “She will go find her brother and father first, then come to find you.” For a moment, Sybil was surprised her aunt could guess.

“How do you know?”

“Beks knows you are from the West Islands. Even if she doesn’t know the full details of your...background,” her aunt said with a slight smirk. “She knows that the sea is where you’d feel most at home and would survive best. You and the children would also be safest at sea. Deo’s field experience was in the Northern Pass and her father is a reckless madman who can’t be killed no matter-”

“He is not a roach, Auntie.”

“You think he’s not a roach....” She heard her aunt mutter under her breath. “Regardless of what I think of him, I know he will not be killed so easily. Beks will find them and then come to search for you. Considering that you all have exile markings, then she will come by ship to avoid Kadmus. As long as she is on the sea, Maritime Legacy will find her.”

Sybil let out a low breath of relief and nodded. “Thank you, Auntie.”

The old woman gave her a small wave of her hand. She looked past her, at the children. “What are your plans while waiting for the reunion?”

“I want to find instructors for Thad and Wrath,” Sybil said. “Thad has wind biha and Wrath has a spirit core.”

Her aunt narrowed her eyes and lifted a hand to rub her chin. “It’s not a problem to find them suitable instructors. Many people owe me favors.” Her eyes drifted to her niece. “But do they know what I do?”

Sybil hesitated. “I told them we were going to visit some relatives.”

“Sybil,” her aunt began in a firm, disapproving voice. “I never lied to you about what I am. Nor did I keep it from you. There is nothing shameful about what I do.”

Sybil’s eyes crinkled a bit. Her aunt’s occupation was technically illegal, but she didn’t say it out loud. “Then, you won’t help us?”

“Only if you tell them the truth,” her aunt said. She shook her head. “I will not lie to blood.”

It was something she’d always respected about her aunt. Even if the truth were harsh, she would try to explain it in the clearest, gentlest way.

Sybil nodded and held her aunt’s eyes as she called for her two youngest children. “Thad! Wrath, come here! I want you to meet someone!”

Thad grasped his younger sister’s free hand in one hand and carried her bucket of kidnapped sea creatures in the other. They trudged back up the shore, their wet feet burying into the dark sand with each step.

As they approached, they cast curious gazes at the old woman standing in front of their mother. The two seemed to notice the resemblance: their heights, builds, the way they carried themselves.

Wrath’s hazel eyes lit up. “Are you family?” she asked as she hurried over to stand in front of her mother and looked at the older woman who had the same eyes as her.

A gentle expression filled the old woman’s face as she pushed down against her leviathan cane and knelt down.

“I am family,” she said in a warm voice. It was the same tone that she’d addressed Sybil with when she came to pick her up.

Wrath looked excited and turned to her mother, as if asking for an explanation. Her mother placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Wrath, Thad, this is my mother’s younger sister, my Auntie-”

“The pirate!?” Thad couldn’t seem to control his voice as he blurted it out. His mother snapped her head back and looked at him with large eyes filled with surprise. Her heart shot to her throat. When did her son know that her aunt was a pirate?

Her auntie tossed her head back and let out a laugh as her eyes filled with mirth. “Great nephew, I am not only a pirate,” she said as she reached forward and placed her scarred, wrinkled hand on his head. “I am the pirate queen.”

Sybil could feel the excitement in the air rise as her two children scooted closer to the old woman. She stared at her son. “Thad, how do you know that my aunt is a pirate?”

“Someone had to teach you to be a pirate,” Thad replied as if it were obvious.

Sybil nearly choked. She told her children she was a sailor, but never divulged that she was a pirate. Did he guess when she yelled at the paladins? She almost shook her head at the thought. How would Thad guess? How would he even know what Maritime Legacy was?

As large as the fleet was, it was based in the West Islands and never went as far north as Sagittate.

“Great Aunt,” Wrath said as she tugged her small, chubby hands from Thad and reached for the old woman’s hand. “Daddy says that you are the fiercest pirate to ever grace the southern seas.”

Robert! Sybil nearly yelled her husband’s name out loud. It was his fault! When did he tell their children about her past?

The old woman smirked. “Well, it seems that man did something right for once.”

“Auntie....” Sybil raised her hand and rubbed her forehead.

“I wouldn’t say that I’m the fiercest pirate ever.” Her aunt answered the children instead, though with some modesty. “Perhaps a legendary figure, but one never knows who will rise above me.”

Wrath’s eyes sparkled. “Do you think I can be a pirate?”

“Anyone can be a pirate,” her aunt replied. The old woman pushed herself up and smirked. “But not everyone can be a Maritime Legacy pirate.”

Her children were looking at her aunt with awe filled eyes while she contemplated how to explain herself to them.

Wrath clenched her hands with excitement. “I can be a pirate....” she whispered.

Sybil sighed and lowered her hands. “We are going with Auntie so you can have access to education.”

“On how to be a pirate?” Wrath asked.

“No.”

“Your mother tells me that you have a spirit core,” the old woman said as she placed her hand on the top of Wrath’s head and then moved to touch the top of Thad’s. “And that you have wind biha. Is that correct?” The two children nodded. “Then, you needn’t worry about instruction. I will find you the best masters available to teach you, as I had them teach your mother to become the strongest water biha-user in the seas.”

Two shining pairs of eyes looked towards Sybil with awe and respect.

“Thank you, Great Aunt!” Thad said, bowing his head before Wrath mirrored her brother and shouted her thanks.

The old woman chuckled, her pleased smile never leaving her face. “You can call me Great Aunt, but on the ship, you can also call me Captain,” she said. “Let me formally introduce myself, children. I am the Captain and Commander of the largest pirate fleet in the southern seas, Maritime Legacy, and am known as the Kraken of the West.” She lifted her free hand and used it to grasp her hat and bring it to her chest. She gave the two children a small bow of greeting. “Rebecca of Lyone.”

╔═════════════════ ∘◦ ♔ ◦∘ ═════════════════╗

Robert sneezed and narrowed his eyes. That was the third time in a row. What was going on? He wasn’t catching a cold, was he?

“Your Grace, they say if you sneeze when all is well, someone is speaking of you.” Mr. Fremont said with a chuckle.

“All good things, I hope,” Robert replied as he scratched his nose.

The driver who’d escorted him all the way from Kadmium had remained at his side despite the difficulties of travel, insisting that he follow, as if he returned, he could be in danger.

Robert, of course, would not let a loyal man return to his death. He was confident enough to bring the aging man with him across the desert. They were cautious, of course. Death was easy to come by in a number of methods if one wasn’t careful in the Shadow Desert.

They only traveled at night and Robert was careful in selecting shelters. From his travels, he had extensive knowledge of what they could eat and drink. It didn’t take them long to find a caravan route.

He had expected there to be more people, but apparently the route to the Giant’s Ridge had been overtaken by one of the warring states and they refused to let the usual caravans through, as the caravans traded with whoever was willing.

Robert had frowned when he heard this.

Knowing his son, Deo would try to get to the High Desert to meet him as soon as possible, which meant he’d pick the most efficient way that didn’t involve coming near the Kadmus border. The most efficient way was over the Giant’s Ridge.

Since it had been taken over for months, it was unlikely that Deo had been able to pass through before it was closed.

His son was stuck.

“I’m sure he’s fine.” Robert brushed it off, full of confidence for his eldest son. It was his eldest daughter that constantly worried him.

All Robert could do was engross himself in surviving in the desert and finding a place to wait for his children to find him. Whether it was Deo or Beks who came first, he wasn’t sure, but as long as he stayed in place, they would eventually find him.

Settling in one of the caravan towns while he waited was the best option. It would be a good place to start looking, whereas waiting in some random cave in the desert might as well have been hiding. Thus, Robert used what few gold plats his precious daughter had slipped him to buy a modest adobe house in the far corner of a village under the shade of a jagged mountain, at the crux of where the High Desert sank to meet the more extreme Shadow Desert.

However, Robert didn’t choose to settle there for the convenience of shade and caravans. He needed to make money to support himself and Mr. Fremont, the old driver. He was a nobleman, a statesman. He wasn’t a businessman. Sybil took charge of the family business so he didn’t have to.

He could lead an army, but what army was there to lead?

He couldn’t farm and wasn’t an experienced hunter. Even if he were, where in the barren landscape could he farm or hunt?

There were a few inns and restaurants that needed cleaners and cooks, but Robert didn’t know how to do either. The elderly owner of one of the inns wanted to hire him to check people in because ‘he has a good face’, but the old woman’s husband and son disagreed.

It seemed that he had to resort to how he earned money the last time he passed through on his youthful travels.

“Your Grace, are you going back to the stadium?”

“Yes, I have a shift today,” Robert said with a bright smile. He couldn’t cook or clean, but he could play the part of a guard.

A large stadium was built just through the pass into the High Desert and many people who worked there lived in the village. Their neighbor recommended Robert for the job when he saw that Robert was a fit man, even at his age.

The stadium had various tournaments, races, and as a result, oversaw a lot of gambling. Gambling often caused trouble, so guards were hired to keep the order. When the owner met Robert, they had just lost two guards the night before in a scuffle and threw the job at him.

One could get the duke out of the duchy, but they couldn’t stifle the confidence to rule. Order was imposed within the first two weeks, after Robert spent it observing the situation and making notes. He had approached the frazzled owner after a particularly chaotic argument in the gambling den after the loss of a favored gladiator to an underdog.

The owner didn’t care what Robert did, as long as he was able to get the chaos of the gambling den under control. And Robert did.

He had assigned his peers to locations and shifts that best suited them. He’d outlined patrols, highlighted particularly troublesome spots, and talked to floor managers around the stadium to see what they needed. If his peers didn’t follow his directions, Robert beat it into them.

How could a few local ruffians go against a seasoned warrior?

Robert was now the head of security at the stadium and it paid well. He’d have more than enough to rent a boat and a crew to take them to the West Islands when the time came. After all, Deo and Beks would likely have a difficult time earning money if they were searching for him.

“Shall I prepare your dinner, Your Grace.”

“Thank you, Mr. Fremont.”

Robert walked out of his small house and lifted the hood of the rough canvas cloak over his head to keep the sun off. They walked out and at this time of the day, the village was cast in a welcomed shade of the cliffs.

It would’ve been nice if we had someone with shadow biha. If that were the case, they could be shaded all the time.

“Good morning, Mr. Robert!”

“Good morning!” He threw the old man who lived next door to him a bright smile. “How’s your leg today, Mr. Kreshka?”

“Not bad, not bad.” The old man laughed. “Azeem told me you stopped a near riot last night.”

“Ah, he’s exaggerating. I’d hardly call a disagreement with the booker a riot,” Robert replied good naturedly. “Don’t overwork yourself today!”

“Mr. Robert! Heading to work?”

“Yes, have a good day!”

“Mr. Robert, I’ll send some dried cactus fruit to your house later!”

“Thank you, Uncle Fremont and I will enjoy it!”

He couldn’t make it two steps without being pleasantly greeted. People liked those who brought order and peace, after all. Many of the villagers worked at the stadium and it had been much more peaceful lately because of him.

Of course, so much attention didn’t mean it was all wanted.

“Mr. Robert! What are you doing for dinner today?” A thin old woman almost rushed out of her house when he passed. Robert resisted the urge to flee from the demanding old woman.

“Uncle and I are having dinner, of course,” Robert replied with a smile.

“You should come by my house. My daughter is cooking tonight!” There was a devious light in the old woman’s eyes and Robert hastily put some distance between them. His smile vanished and he frowned a bit.

“Old Madam, I will not be dining at the house of others, especially with unmarried individuals.” Even if he didn’t know that she had five daughters and was trying to marry them out to outstanding individuals and wealthy passing merchants, he knew what the old woman was trying to do. “It would be an insult to my wife.”

It wasn’t the first time she heard he had a wife. In fact, the entire village knew that a ‘natural disaster’ had split his family apart. However, his wife and children weren’t there, so the old woman saw him as a prospective son-in-law. Despite his age, he was good looking and was able to get a well-paying job almost immediately. He had the respect of the villagers and they were certain his uncle was actually a servant.

A man like him should’ve been happy to take on a lover.

But Robert refused. He’d made a covenant with his beloved Sybil. If he wronged her, even if she were not there, he would end himself before she could.

“My daughter is the most beautiful in the village and cooks the best, too!

“Does she cook seafood?” Robert asked with a raised brow and a sneer. The old woman faltered. Where would they get seafood in the desert? “My wife cooks the best seafood.” He couldn’t help but brag. Sybil would make him a delicious chowder when it was cold and he’d learned to make it so he could give it to her, too.

“But your wife isn’t here! It’s been weeks; I’m starting to think you’re not married at all.”

Robert wanted to scoff. “Even if it has been a lifetime, I will only be with my Sybil!”

“My daughter is much younger! You can’t compare!”

Robert let out a laugh and began walking away, no longer wanting to deal with her. “Compare? Old Madam, my Sybil is a beauty who steals the breath of men at a glance!”

“Bah!”

He thought of his wife and was almost disappointed that he couldn’t show off how breathtaking she was to the villagers, but at the very least, they’d see Deo and Beks eventually. Deo was acceptable, but Beks was beautiful.

“You will have the misfortune of never being honored with a look at my Sybil, but let me assure you, when my son and daughter come, you will understand that their mother is a goddess amongst mortals!”

╔═════════════════ ∘◦ ♔ ◦∘ ═════════════════╗

Her clothes were covered with dust, she was tired, and her hair had been tied and re-tied back so much, it was a tangled nest that she’d have to spend a good deal of time detangling later. Beks acknowledged that she did not look like how she did in the palace when she was engrossed in her decoding.

To make things worse, her eyes were dry and it was becoming difficult to read. Beks shut them and pinched the bridge of her nose. She felt she’d made significant strides in her translating as far as defining words, but she couldn’t figure out the grammar. She could make educated guesses, but she wasn’t confident that they would be translated well enough.

High Berup had a different grammar system than Classic Esuser, which maintained a similar grammar system to modern Esuser, but modern Esuser had a different grammar system from Jasper to begin with. Lucian had broken down the basics of Classic Esuser grammar for her, but translation wasn’t consistent.

Something was missing.

Perhaps she’d been staring at the words for so long that she was overlooking something. It was possible, and the twins and Jonas had warned her about how fatigue dulled her mind.

I need to listen to them and rest for a few days. I can return to my work with a fresh mind. She took a deep breath and began to pile up the various notes she’d taken into stacks for completed translations, notes, and words she wasn’t sure of. She pushed herself up and stretched her arms over her head.

She winced as she heard her body cracking. No wonder the twins were worried about her. Beks walked towards the exit and found a light pearl in a woven lantern-like cage waiting for her at the exit. It was already dark out, but she could see Snowflake waiting for her. Beks picked up the lantern and sighed.

She looked up and squinted. “No moon tonight....” she muttered as she walked across the gravel. There was no word for it in Jasper, so the term for a moonless night in Sagittater popped into her head and she spoke it out loud. “Derdusae.”

Broken up by syllables, its literal translation was ‘night when the moon dark it is’. Sagittater had a different grammar system from Jasper as well.

Beks took two steps and stopped. The thoughtful look on her face melted away as her eyes widened. She hadn’t tried to apply Sagittater grammatical rules to High Berup. The regions were too far apart, so it didn’t cross her mind that High Berup could’ve influenced Sagittater in any way.

She placed the light pearl lantern down and rushed back into the office. She bent down on the cushioned mat Lucian made for her to sit on as she reached for and laid out several dried leaves covered with writing.

Tenses and verbs were always at the end of a sentence, which didn’t match up with Jasper or Esuser. Langshe’s writing style didn’t match up either.

“To stores, five of, copper quality poor was sold....” Beks shuffled through some dried strips to another sentence written with High Berup on top and Classic Esuser beneath it. “To stores, three of, copper new will be replaced....that’s the tense! That’s the word order! It’s the same as Sagittater!”

Her energetic shouting echoed in the office and she clutched her notes against her. Suddenly, the jumbled mess of words began to reorder themselves, and made far more sense than the broken lists of words she’d made that didn’t convey the full meaning.

She was about to grab a tablet and shove it into the niche to continue trying her theory, but stopped herself as she held the tablet over the opening. Her hand squeezed the stone.

If she put it in, she’d never get any rest. She already missed an obvious possibility with comparing High Berup to Sagittate in her sleep-deprived haze. She’d try to translate until she collapsed, if Laz and Lucian didn’t find her first and dragged her back.

Beks took a deep breath and lowered her arm. “It’ll be here tomorrow,” she told herself. “Do you hear that, Beks? It. Will. Be. Here. Tomorrow.”

Placing the tablet in her hand back onto its pile on the floor was almost as painful as when she’d stabbed herself with the exile marking needles. She took another deep breath and exhaled slowly before forcibly backing herself away, mentally chanting ‘tomorrow’. If the twins had seen her, they would’ve noticed her legs shaking.

The mind was strong, but the body was weak.

When she stepped outside and the cool evening air hit her face after being in the stuffy office the entire day, she let out a low breath and allowed herself to relax. Snowflake flickered his tongue at her and Beks climbed on to his back.

“Let’s go look for the twins. I want to tell them about this.” Snowflake didn’t know what ‘this’ was, but he still carried Beks along, up the familiar path to the topmost ruins where they resided. Rather than go to the rotunda, she had Snowflake take her to the kitchen.

“Lucian! Where’s Laz? I figured something out....” Her voice trailed off as she looked around and slid off the serpent’s back. The light pearls in the sconces outside the kitchen were lit, but there was no one seated on the dining table outside. Beks climbed up the stairs and looked inside.

While it still smelled of food, the kitchen was empty. Her brows furrowed and she continued around the building and then walked inside. The light pearls were lit along the halls, but there wasn’t anyone there.

Sometimes, Gerard and Jonas were exploring the island, so there were evenings when she didn’t see them, but usually, the twins were easy to find.

Furrowing her brows, she walked back out. Snowflake was in the open courtyard before the upper ruins and Beks walked down the steps towards him.

“Snowflake, do you know where they are?” The serpent flickered his tongue and Beks climbed on his back. “Take me there!”

They followed the path down two one of the lower levels, where there was a massive open space just before the entry gate. There were a few fallen stone buildings and toppled columns, but they were around the central plaza. The water fixtures were also on either side, leaving the central space open.

The dead branches and rubble that had been there when she re-discovered the space had been cleared. Beks had never been down to that tier at night, and for a moment, she was taken aback by what she saw.

There were numerous stone sconces on the various building walls and at the top of the standing pillars, there were cage-like cylinders that were glowing. Light pearls must’ve been inside and now that Lucian was there, he’d activated the long dormant crystals. Pathways were illuminated and right down the main street was Lucian surrounded by a few light pearls in woven cages like lanterns, while he tugged on plant strips.

A large, round woven basket was in front of him and he coiled the strip over the top and pulled it through the side. It looked like any other basket he’d woven to collect fruit from the forest, but it was almost as large as they were.

In fact, she was sure she could fit inside.

“Beks, are you going to sleep now? Did you want to eat something before you washed up?” Lucian pulled the plant fiber several times to make sure it was taunt before coiling it over the top edge of the basket once more. “There is some fruit in the kitchen. Do you want me to slice some for you?”

Snowflake stopped beside Lucian and Beks slid off. “No, I came out and didn’t see anyone... What are you doing?” She looked past him and at his project.

“Finishing this basket. I need to secure the top edge so it doesn’t unravel,” Lycian replied.

Beks furrowed her brows as she circled the large basket. The woven leaves had been cut into strips and some of them were still green. She reached out and placed a hand on the top of the basket. It reached to her stomach and the top edge had been wrapped with strips of vines.

She walked around the basket. It was round and about two and half of her paces in diameter. She leaned forward and looked inside. A rope ladder made of woven vines hung over the edge to help her climb in and out.

“What do you think?” Lucian asked behind her.

She pressed her hands against the side and pushed it. “Quite sturdy. Did you make it?”

“I had Gerard help,” he replied as he leaned back against the basket. “I didn’t want to make it too large, but it’s more than enough to carry two people.”

Beks turned her head towards him and squinted. “This was made to carry people?”

The corners of his lips curled up and he gave her a helpless smile. “Something this big? What did you think it would carry?” She looked back at the basket. Perhaps it was made not to carry something, but to contain supplies? Before she could answer, Lucian chuckled. “Beks, wasn’t it your idea to have one of the rokhs carry you across the sea in a basket to get back to the mainland?”

For a moment, she didn’t know what to say. She’d thought that option wasn’t feasible. After all, despite her opinions on it, no one had mentioned it to her. “Yes, but....” She trailed off and looked back at the basket. It was sturdy. Far sturdier and more secure than all the other baskets Lucian had woven.

“Why don’t you climb in?” Before she could answer, arms swept her up and lifted her over the side of the basket. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders to steady herself as Lucian moved her.

As she landed on the woven basket floor she couldn’t help but press down on it. “It seems solid.” She could make out the thick vines crisscrossing like support beams. She raised her head to look at Lucian. “But will it hold if it’s raised into the air? Right now, the ground is right beneath it.”

She saw the sparkle in his eyes. “Shall you test it out?”

Beks’ eyes narrowed a bit and looked to the walls of the human sized basket around her. Part of her wanted to test it, of course. If it worked, then not only could she return to the mainland and look for her family, but the journey would be faster.

At the very least flying to the shore wouldn’t take long at all.

She took a deep breath and released it. Of course, a basket to carry her was only part of the equation. The most important part were the rokhs. Her attempts to show them had no results and since she had absorbed herself in decoding High Berup, she’d hardly seen the giant birds.

She had no time to train them, and more importantly, she didn’t know how. Rokhs were sacred beasts with a strong consciousness, but that didn’t mean that they would understand everything she said. It most definitely didn’t mean that they’d consent to being part of her plans.

“How do we test if this will carry my weight?” Beks asked. Perhaps Lucian had another way to go about it that didn’t involve the rokhs. “Is it safe to do so?”

The smile on Lucian’s face grew wider. “I think it’s pretty safe,” he said. He raised a hand and from the corner of her eye, she saw a ball of familiar light coming from a light pearl. She turned around, her eyes locking on to a slight source floating in the darkness. Her eyes widened as the light illuminated another basket suspended in the air.

From inside the basket, Gerard was holding a light pearl tied with strips of vines to give it a handle while beside him, a cheeky Laz smiled and waved his stump.

Beks took a step back. The light grew brighter and she could make out thick, woven ropes fixed on to the basket identical to the one she was in. The ropes rose into the air and were tied on to the clawed, scaly legs of a massive bird hovering above the ground.

Her heart shot to her throat as her wide eyes settled on Thunder the Rokh, gently moving back and forth as he flapped his wings. She could feel her heart slamming against her chest as excitement shot through her, making her unable to stand still. “It works?”

“I’d say it works,” Lucian said. He looked up towards the basket. “Laz! Is it safe?”

To answer his question, his older twin jumped up and down on the basket. While it swayed a little, it didn’t seem to bother Thunder, nor did the basket fall apart. “It’s quite safe. The quality isn’t bad, little brother! Good job!”

“What can I say? I’m skilled with my hands,” Lucian replied with a casual shrug.

Beks leaned forward and looked around. She placed her feet on the rope ladder and began to pull herself out. “I want to try! How far can we go? How high?”

Lucian turned around and raised his arms to help her out. “We can’t go too high. The air is not suitable and it gets colder the higher you go. As for distance, it isn’t dependent on the basket, but on the rokh.”

Beks clung on to him as he carried her over the edge of the basket. “Can this take me all the way to the High Desert?” If it could, she could find her father in no time.

Lucian took a deep breath as he placed her back on the ground. “In theory, yes, but we do have something to consider that will limit the distance you can travel.”

Beks tilted her head to the side and furrowed her brows. Her lips pulled into a line as she felt a rush of unexpected disappointment. “What’s the problem?”

“The larger the sacred beast, the more bihar they require. The rokhs will likely refuse to stray too far from the island,” Lucian replied. “In addition, the sighting of a massive bird flying over the land will alert unwanted people.”

She frowned. “But they wouldn’t know it’s me being carried.”

“But they can follow the rokh until you land,” Lucian told her. “As of right now, the baskets can only carry two people and some supplies. You will have to land eventually. We can’t guarantee your safety, or Thunder’s, when you’re further away.”

He had a point. Sacred beast sightings were rare to begin with. Seeing a rokh attracts attention, and even if she weren’t being carried in a basket, a rokh could attract unsavory individuals who wanted to capture or even hurt them.

“What if we flew out at night?”

“Then the rokh would need a place to hide during the day, but they can’t spend the day hiding. That’s when they hunt,” Lucian said. “Their eyesight isn’t very good in the dark, either. We must take into consideration the nature and limitations of the rokhs.”

Beks looked back towards Thunder. She drew her lips inward and bit them. Thunder had a family on the island and though she felt some urgency to find her family, Thunder may refuse. She didn’t know how they managed to get the rokh to carry the basket, which was already a miracle. “I understand....”

Lucian stepped away from her as Laz tossed down a rope from the basket. Lucian grabbed on to it and dragged it towards a piece of a toppled stone pillar. Using his feet to push the rope down and tuck it against the base of the stone, he circled the pillar and secured the rope. “All right! I’ve got a hold!”

“Thunder! Down slow! Like we practiced!” Laz shouted as he looked up above him.

Thunder flapped his wings and began to make a small circle above them. Beks watched the illuminated feathery belly of Thunder go in a small circle, coming lower and lower to the ground, and allowing for the basket to come down steadily.

When it reached the ground, Thunder’s flapping grew shorter and he landed several paces away with the ropes to the basket trailing from his feet.

“Thunder, good job!” Beks rushed over to pet him and shower him with praise.

“You spent days weaving this basket and I risked my life testing it after working with the rokhs, yet the one who gets praise first is the bird?” Laz said with a raised brow.

“Battalion Commander, we couldn’t have flown without Thunder,” Gerard replied.

Beks patted Thunder’s neck, softly praising him for working hard and being smart. A slight thud was heard and she looked over her shoulder. Snowflake’s tail rose and slapped the ground, twitching with irritation.

My baby is jealous.... Beks held back a laugh. “Snowflake is very smart, too!”

“Yes, all of them are so smart,” Laz said in a dull voice. “It isn’t as if our efforts are all that important.”

Beks rolled her eyes and looked back at him after stroking Snowflake’s head. “I appreciate your hard work, of course. I didn’t know you were working on this.”

“Who else would work on it?” Laz asked as he grabbed onto the side of the basket with his good hand and jumped over with ease. “No one else has shadow biha.”

“Shadow biha....” She stood up straight and looked back at Thunder. “Rokhs have a shadow biha affinity!”

Lucian chuckled. “Didn’t you do that test with one of the chicks?”

She shot him a glare. “There have been many things happening at once and I've been busy.”

“It took some time to get the rokhs comfortable with carrying a basket and then with the basket weighted down,” Laz told her.

Beks shook her head. “When did you work on this?”

The twins looked at her with some surprise. Lucian sighed. “Beks, are you forgetting how long you spend in the office and library trying to decode High Berup? Laz, I, and the other two have been as productive, you know.”

Laz smirked. “Did you think we just sat around all day, cooking and gathering supplies?”

She didn’t want to admit that was what she thought they spent most of their time on. “I didn’t know you were weaving and training the rokhs....” Beks said, her face heating up. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“We didn’t want you to get your hopes up if our attempts failed. In addition, all your focus is on those tablets and translation,” Laz replied. “If this worked, then we’d tell you, but we wouldn’t interrupt you.”

Beks raised her hands to her head and rubbed it. “Do you have any idea how amazing this is?”

“It isn’t as if it was impossible. There are legends with rokhs and some iconographic engravings around the ruins,” Lucian told her. “I’ve also read about rokhs carrying things short distances in books at the Great Temple. I just didn’t know what equipment and training it entailed.”

Beks furrowed her brows once more. “Where did you see the iconographic engravings?”

“There are several ruin sites on the island,” Lucian told her. “Gerard and Jonas’ primary jobs have been to map out the island.”

“Their cartography skills are novice, at best, but it’s what we have and we need to utilize them,” Laz told her.

“My lady, we haven’t taken detailed records of all the ruins, but we have a map. Yesterday, Tempest took Jonas and I on a flight around the island to confirm our surveys,” Gerard told her proudly. “With more time, we will have a detailed map.”

Beks looked at him, surprised. “Tempest can carry a basket, too?”

“She’s using the first version of the basket Lucian wove. It’s a bit smaller than these two,” Laz told her as he put his handless arm on the top of a basket. “But it was what we used when we did some tests flying around the island and beyond.”

She snapped her head back. “You’ve taken the baskets beyond the island? As in, over the water?”

“Yes, we’re trying to find a good elevation to fly at,” Lucian replied. “Too high and it’s too cold, two low and the waves might hit the basket and cause the rokh to lose their balance. At the same time, we don’t want to be so high as if the basket breaks, the fall will be fatal.”

Beks opened her mouth and Laz lifted his stump. “Not fatal and not enough to cause significant injury.” She closed her mouth, satisfied.

“There are still many things we are working on and until we, and the rokhs, are confident, don’t think about leaving the island,” Lucian said with a serious expression. He looked back towards his brother. “When will Jonas return from his test?”

“Tomorrow night,” Laz said.

Beks looked from one man to the other. “Where did Jonas go to test?”

Laz glanced over and met her eyes. “The mainland,” he said. “As long as he returns by tomorrow night, he’ll have made a successful trip over the sea.”

Her breath caught in her throat as another wave of excitement swept over her. Then, she thought about his words. Her lips tugged down as her eyes narrowed. “What if Jonas doesn’t return by tomorrow night?” She was almost hesitant to ask.

The twins exchanged glances. “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Lucian said.

Laz nodded. “Don’t worry. Jonas can swim.”