The next morning started as a pleasant one for Arlyiss. The meeting had lasted longer than she expected and she had to answer more questions than she was comfortable to provide Argent. However, the conversation went vastly in her favor, and despite several setbacks, she would be sailing for Isunset in a matter of days. They needed, at least, one week to resupply and to close any remaining business that they may have open. Then, they would set sail toward her dream.

 

The arrangement felt surreal to Arlyiss. It had been so long since she first imagined leaving the small island. It had been years since she first started to hide and scrounge every coin piece that she could afford. Her collection was found a few times over the years. She even had to break into it on occasion to cover unexpected costs and debts. Then, finally, she had enough. At long last, she was going to leave her small backwater town. The indulgence had been paid to leave her personal purgatory. 

 

However, there wasn’t a lot for Arlyiss to accomplish in the week’s time before her voyage. She had been ready to leave as soon as the opportunity presented itself. She had been careful to avoid any entanglements ever since she had saved enough coin for her fare. Even most of her valued possessions could be carried on her person, with the exception of one small bag. As a result, the week was primarily to afford Captain Argent time for necessary preparations. Even though, it was longer than she wanted to wait. 

 

“Too much can happen in a week.” Arlyiss thought to herself, staring at the cracked ceiling of her dilapidated bedroom. An early morning groan escaped her lips as she swung her feet to the cold dirt floor. 

 

Aryliss wandered over to her window and looked out across the shoreline. The sunrise was beautiful, a canvas painted with hues of radiant flame, and the wind was sweet with the scent of the open ocean. The horizon seemingly stretching across an endless blue expanse as far as she could see. The world could seem so big from her window, so filled with adventure, romance and the promise of a better life. An opportune life waiting for her on the other side of the water.

 

Then, Arlyiss saw them. A pair of wicked figures stumbling across the beach in her direction. It took a moment, as the sun glared viciously against the silhouettes, but she recognized them with a dreadful realization. A yawning pit turned in  the depths  of her stomach as they got closer. 

 

Mordecai and Ezra were closing in on her.

 

The pair were brutish sailors at one point. Their years of hard labor at the mast and galley had left them with a particularly nasty  disposition. However, now they were merely drunkard thugs and enforcerers in the employ of the scourge of the high seas, Threyloss.

 

A surge of panic ripped through Arlyiss’s chest, her thoughts briefly flashed to a pair of worn and aged daggers that she had hidden in her mattress. But, the thought was quickly dismissed.

 

 If she attempted anything violent against them, she would quickly be overpowered and severely beaten. She may even be killed. If she merely submitted, they tended to only leave a few cuts and bruises. On the other hand, she was overdue on her payment, an unfortunate necessity to facilitate her escape. They weren’t likely to leave her with a light warning.

 

Arlyiss quietly counted her blessings that she had already given the payment to Captain Argent in advance. The debt collectors would turn everything upside down, search every nook and cranny, if they thought she was holding out on them.

 

Yet, now she had nothing of value. There was nothing for them to steal. There was nothing to be broken. There was nothing left to be taken away from her. She was nothing and had nothing of value. 

 

Mordecai and Ezra made it to her door faster than Arlyiss had anticipated. A droplet of cold sweat slowly trickled down her forehead, as she forced her will on her trembling hands to remain calm. The door creaked heavily open with a sense of dread and anticipation. Their boots firmly planting themselves on the floor in front of her.

 

“You’re late. Again.” Ezra informed her with an icy cold edge to his tone. 

 

“He’s sober, that can’t be a good sign.” Arlyiss thought to herself.  It was rare to hear Ezra speak without the slur of his grog and spirits. He was a mean drunk, but even worse without his vices. 

 

“What can I say Ezra?” Arlyiss ventured with trepidation in her voice, “business has not been very good lately.”

 

“It had ought to be good enough. We've seen plenty come to you.” Ezra crossed his arms and shifted his weight forward. “In fact, we heard that you’ve been rather popular lately.”

 

Ezra had bulging muscles that protruded haphazardly from his arms. He was not quite short, but definitely not tall. And, an unwashed toothy grin, that was always closer to a scowl, smothered his features.

 

Ezra was a perfect thug that was nearly always in a drunken stupor and could hardly muster a solid thought. The perfect debt collector that didn’t have the capability to scheme against their employer. The perfect enforcer that would carry out their task thoughtlessly and without remorse.

 

“I’ve never been very popular, especially compared to the other workers.” Arlyiss spoke softly and ashamedly, as if she were speaking of a little known secret. Her eyes drifted and bored into the ground beneath her feet.

 

Mordecai stepped forward with a chuckle and a rough shove, which sent Arlyiss sprawling onto the ground. “Come off it, you know that the boss has us keep a close eye on you. We've heard rumors are going around that you’ve got light fingers.”

 

Mordecai wasn't much different than Ezra. He seemed to have a higher mental capacity to reason, but in a contest between mule-brained musclebound jackasses, it wasn't much of a compliment. It only made him more angry and disgruntled.

 

“Rumors, that’s all. I don’t have any money to give you.” Arlyiss chokingly stuttered.

 

Ezra stepped forward and leaned menacingly over Arlyiss.

“We don’t like being cheated.”

 

“You’ve been calling in favors, scrounging every last piece of coin that you could find. We hear you even moved some of the bosses money lately.” Mordecai scowled and lashed out with a vicious kick to her face. “You made us look like a pair of incompetent fools.”

Arlyiss instinctively caught the blow with her arms, a sharp cry escaping her lips. 

 

“Go easy on it's face, Mordecai.” Ezra chided and lightly pushed him a step back. “If it doesn’t have any coin. We’ll have to it earn it back other ways. An' Threyloss always liked it's face.”

 

Mordecai let out a disgruntled noise as Ezra continued.

“Now, Threyloss has been given us a hard time because of you. Gave us a good thrashing, cut our pay, an' told us to collect his due.”

 

“Ezra, I don’t have any money. But, maybe, he’s been on you because of your smell” Arlyiss retorted and immediately regretted it as she blocked another swift kick.

 

“We haven’t had any of our drink because of you. And, I don’t see why we should be cheated out of our hard earned ale by a thieving whore.” 

 

“I don’t have anything here. You can look for yourself, if you want, but I don’t have a single copper-” Aryliss choked on her words as her stomach was met with a disproving kick.

 

“We know that you don’t have anything here, slut.” Ezra spat down on her. “You traded it off to some unknown scurvy sea rat. We’ve seen that much. We just need to know who exactly they are and where they are so we can go collect it.”

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking-” She coughed as another brutal kick pushed into her gut.

 

Aryliss crawled to the corner, clutching her stomach. A feeble attempt to distance herself from the two men. "What's the matter, did you lose him in the bottom of your mugs? Can't figure it out for yourselves?"

 

There wasn't a point in playing them for fools anymore. They already knew. Yet oddly, she didn't feel the usual well of terror pouring into her heart. It almost felt calm, as if it didn't matter anymore. As if, no matter what happened now, she had already won. 

 

Arlyiss had already payed the Captain. They had lost him in the darkness of the late night. One way or another, they weren't getting their money back. And, it didn't matter what happened to her. 

 

“I’ll get her singing like a canary.” Mordecai grinned sadistically while loosening his belt. The weight of a small knife already pulling his loose pants down. “I have a heavy load that she can help me take care of anyway.”

 

Ezra shook his head, disgust clearly evident on his face as he started out of the room. “I’ll never understand what you see in that thing. But, I’ll leave you to it. I’ll be outside when you’re done.” 

 

Arlyiss looked up and out the window. It wasn’t the first time that this had happened, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. It helped to be indifferent. It helped to be distant from everything. It helped to simply pretend and slip away into a different time, and just let it happen.

  It was such a beautiful and sunny day outside. Despite everything, she couldn’t help but feel relieved.  If she could weather this storm, it wouldn’t be long before it cleared.  The end was in sight for her, she closed her eyes and imagined what the future she had set into motion would bring.