The Hard Road: A Time to Reflect

The king and his men
stole the queen from her bed
and bound her in her Bones.
The seas be ours
and by the powers
where we will we’ll roam.

Yo, ho, haul together,
hoist the colors high.
Heave ho, thieves and beggars,
never shall we die.

lyrics from Hoist the Colours, composed by Hans Zimmerman from the Pirates of The Caribbean 3 : At World’s End Soundtrack

The night Lyssa spent in the cabin was the worse night of her entire life. Or at least it felt that way to her. She felt every single wave that the ship rolled over, and the constant rocking and swaying made eating anything impossible. She pushed herself out of the bed and dressed quietly so she didn’t disturb Shani. Lyssa left her boots off as she exited the cabin and with cat-like steps made her way to the deck. Maybe some fresh air will help. Inhaling deeply she moved herself back to her spot near the bowsprit. Moments later a loud retching noise broke the silence as the small hin emptied her already empty stomach. Least it’s not on the deck.

Shaking slightly from the effort and the chill in the air, Lyssa lowered herself to the deck, wrapping her arms around her legs. You still better be alive, Andar. Clouds had moved in, the smell of rain mixed with the sea air. Lyssa sighed heavily looking down at her bare feet. Two tears ran down her cheeks as thoughts of Andar ran through her mind. Why is this happening? She laid down on the deck, curling up with her back to the rest of the ship.

Up in the Crow’s Nest came a soft humming. Ari sat with his back against the mast, trying to uncork a bottle of rum. One of the sailors below deck accidentally left it hanging about. No harm in it, I guess he assured himself. He took a small bit of cloth, placing it over the cork. He bit into the cloth and cork and sharply jerked back, successfully uncorking the bottle. Thanks to the cloth, the cork didn’t pop very loud. He sat the cork and cloth aside, leaned back, and enjoyed the drink.

Except for the waves of the sea and the wind, the ship was completely dark and quiet. Ari sighed softly as a series of thoughts waved through his head. He wasn’t able to think over these things since the happenings in Roid, and the alcohol really didn’t help. His glance raised to the clouds above, noting that rain will be coming soon. He closed his eyes, taking another gulp from the bottle. Ari winced a bit as he felt another tug in his mind.

“Drinking yourself into a stupor. When are you going to realize that doesn’t affect you brother? Your body is immune to poisons.”A familiar voice rang out clearly in Ari’s head.

Ari face palmed himself with a sigh, setting the bottle to his side. Not now he thought to himself.

When will you also realize I will do as I damn well please when it comes to your mind? You are weak against me. A point I have proven already in Shilmista.”

“An’ since were you informed of what I can do? I can control myself well enough,” Ari muttered, a tone of annoyance tracing his words.

Listen closely my dear little brother. Do you hear that noise? The voice spoke with amusement behind each word. It would seem your little girlfriend doesn’t have her sea legs, poor thing.

He blinked, peering over to the edge. Ari pushed himself onto his feet, drink in hand. He looked over the side down to the lone figure at the edge of the boat. He squinted his eyes. “Lyssa?” he called out softly, hoping to not wake everyone else up.

Lyssa was too preoccupied with her current dealings and didn’t hear him call him over the sounds of her stomach trying to turn itself inside out.

She’ll be okay. I’m certain of that. Just seasick is all. The voice said in a mocking tone. Stupid girl, really. I still don’t see what you see in her. Tell me, baby brother, is she good in bed? Ari raised his glance for a moment, offering an angered growl in response. The voice in Ari’s mind disappeared as quickly as it showed up. He lowered his gaze once more to the lone figure, then grabbed onto a single line of rope, sliding down to the deck below. His feet gracefully landed upon the deck as he let go.

Lyssa didn’t make a single movement. She wanted to be left alone. Her back was facing Ari as he approached, she knew he was there. Ari was never far from Lyssa’s side, there was a bond they shared that no one really understood. She waited and hoped he’d go away.

Ari sighed softly, sitting down beside her. “Hey, Lys,” he called to her again, “What’re ya doin’ up here this early?” There was still no response, other than the random shiver. He leaned over to Lyssa. “C’mon, now. We’ll find him.”

“Just… go away.” She responded finally.

Ari rubbed his eyes, mumbling. “What, out here in th’ cold, dark, an’ the rain?” Once again there was no response from the tiny hin. He reached over, nudging her shoulder softly.

“Go away.” Her voice had a sound of finality to it.

His shoulders sunk as he sighed once more, falling quiet himself. He leaned back against the wall of the ship, sipping from the bottle. He wasn’t intending to leave Lyssa outside, even if she kept telling him to. Soft sobs shook her tiny body, until eventually she fell into a restless sleep. Eventually, he leaned over to the small halfling again, checking to see if she was asleep. After no response, he climbed the rope to the Crow’s Nest, sat the empty bottle inside, then dropped down to Lyssa again. He lifted up her up with ease and carried her to her and Shani’s room.

The room was lavish looking. Thick white drapes curtained off the sleeping area. A heavy wrought iron table with a glass top sat to the right, its feet were bolted into the floor. The chairs, wrought iron as well, were upholstered with a rich red velveteen fabric. The beds were lush. Having down feather mattresses, the sheets were a crisp, clean white. It was apparent that someone had slept in the empty bed, the deep maroon blanket was rumpled and tossed about haphazardly on the bed. In the other bed slept Shani, the blankets pulled up to her nose. Ari laid Lyssa down in her bed, pulling the covers over her. She didn’t make a sound or move; stress had taken its toll on her as well. This was probably the first time in a while she had been in a deep sleep.

 

Hunters – The Hawk’s Scream Pt 3

Maxwell finished serving up his dinner and placed everything on the table, then made sure that Zachary had his food as well. The cat waited patiently, after all, it was a lot of hard work to get a good meal ready for him. He needed everything just right. Zachary, that is, not Max. After seeing to Zachary’s needs, Max sat down at the table and began eating. He didn’t have the radio on, nor the television. Eating with him was always quiet and peaceful, one of the few things he felt he needed without distraction.

He thought about the past few nights and the seeming whirlwind of events that landed him in Regina. He had applied for a position in the Biology Department that would see him dealing with birds of prey, especially those brought in that needed tending too. Max wouldn’t be teaching classes just yet, although the Dean did say the looked over his references and found his historical knowledge of Native history was impressive. Perhaps in the next semester they would want him to assist in the history department as well. He shrugged internally and kept eating. The move would be a good one. No need to get worked up over it all now.

He finished his meal and washed up his dishes. Zachary meowed and trotted into the livingroom to sit on the window sill and watch the world outside of the apartment. Too bad the sun was going down, no sun spots to lounge in. Max took down a few books and set them at his desk, research for the devices he had began to build. He also had a few papers to to sign and hand in to the University. By the time he was finished it was 9 o’clock in the evening. He rose from his desk and went over to Zachary, scratching him behind the ears. Zachary pushed his head up, meowing at the attention, then hopped off the window sill and followed Max as he walked to the basement.

Boxes filled the basement of the house. A workshop was beginning to take shape, even if the contents of the boxes remained where they were. Mostly books, some extra clothes and a few tools. He sat down at a workbench and organized a few papers as he produced his equipment. The papers had drawings, schematics for an odd device. His hobbies had helped him, interests as a child, and those continued on now into adulthood. He had grown quite used to fixing small components of electronic equipment, and had even managed to modify a few things in his day. But this was being built from scratch.

The device looked like a high tech aspirator. It had three small speaks on it, and what appeared to be USB ports. It fit around the nose and mouth of the wearer comfortably, at least. Or so it would appear. The straps and bindings were a soft leather, a strange contrast from the very modern day tech that had been used to create the device. You couldn’t even tell that it contained the parts of an old iPod. Max’s idea was sound, to take the cries of hawks, falcons and eagles, recorded into mp3 format and loaded onto the storage compartment of the device. A second device, which would wrap around his left wrist, would hold the play list, as it were. A quick tap on the play list would load up the next track and play it. As the sound would come through the speaker system, it would become highly altered, increasing the intensity of the sound to the point where it could damage.

This was the first step that Max would use to investigate the disappearance of his daughter. He was more than convinced that she was still alive, and that the multinational biogenetic company Mandrake Biogenetic was behind her disappearance. But in order to convince others of this, he needed evidence. And he needed to do it in a covert manner. The amplification rig was the only high tech piece he had. The rest of his armour was very much a throw back to his ancestry. Combining solid body armour and old markings from his family’s stories, he managed to create something that looked very similar to what Dakota warriors would wear when on the hunt.

As he finished at his workbench, he smiled. The device would need to be tested, but at least this step was complete.

Hawk’s Scream would rise and take flight very soon.