Chapter 4: An end and a beginning
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It only took one short moment. A moment that Arlyiss barely even registered had happened. A quick movement forward and her hand had grasped the hilt of his knife. Then, her arm immediately brought the knife upward, slashing at Mordechai’s throat. The only thought that crossed her mind in that moment was to make the pain end. 

 

Mordechai’s hands clutched at his bleeding gashed throat. His eyes bulged and choking, sputtering sound came from him, droplets of blood spewing from his mouth and throat onto Arlyiss. Then, anger flashed through his eyes. He raised his fist.

 

The knife plunged into his stomach. Once. Twice. Again and again. 

 

Arlyiss’s hand was shaking unsteadily. Her body moving on it’s own. The knife repeatedly slashing, puncturing and rending flesh from bone. Tears streamed down her face. The pent up venom of years of abuse spilling out unbidden and unhindered. 

 

“Do you like it? You want it harder, huh? You know you love it. Bastard.” The expressions that he had used against her streamed from her tongue unconsciously. “You bastard.”

 

Her muscles began to ache and burn. But, she couldn’t stop.  The blade rose and fell. It chipped and dulled. It collided with his ribs, arms, and bones. He had stopped breathing. He had lost consciousness. He was likely dead. And, yet, she couldn’t stop. Not yet. It wasn’t over yet. 

 

Eventually, the force of the knife took its toll on her. Arlyiss collapsed onto Mordechai’s broken body. An almost unrecognizable corpse now. Ironically enough, she hadn’t marred his face. The gash across his throat was the closest she got.

 

At least, he’ll still look pretty” Arlyiss thought. Her body heaved and sobbed with laughter.

 

In spite of her exhaustion, she stood up and took a couple of hesitant trembling steps away from him. Her stomach heaved as soon as she moved and soon the contents were spewed across her floor. The stench of blood and bile mixed together into a heady mixture and she collapsed against the walls. 

 

Her chest heaved up and down, struggling for breath. Yet, the only thing that she could manage was short gasps that came faster and faster. 

 

Oh gods. Oh gods. I just killed someone.” Her face paled and her blood rushed through her body. “Gods forgive me.” 

 

“Ezra. Oh gods, Ezra will find out. I’m dead. I’m so dead.” Arlyiss frantically glanced at the front door of her shack. It didn’t move. There wasn’t a sound. Only the sound of her staggered breathing filled the air. 

 

I have to leave before he finds me.”  

 

Arlyiss stood up, staggered and crawled toward her window. 

 

I have to run.”

***

 

That same morning started off piss poor, as usual, for Argent. The glaring sun shining through the portholes along with the cacophonous sound of trade at the docks mixed poorly with the excess of alcohol in his stomach.  It hurt him to see. It hurt him to listen. So, he turned his back to the sun, closed his eyes and did his best to stop listening. However, the hard earned peace and precious moment of sleep was not to last long. The heavy step of his first mate sounded as a creaking gong descending on the steps into the ship’s hold. 

 

“Gah, by the gods, Salem. It’s early still. A few more moments wouldn’t hurt anything.” Argent expressed vehemently through the cloth of his hammock. Although, despite his protests, he placed his feet firmly on the deck and spun about to face the man. “What cruel deity decided that the morning should be so early? It wasn’t your god was it? If it was please tell them to fuck off. They’ve ruined the entire day for me.”

 

Salem crossed his arms across his barrel chest in a mockery of sterness. “It wasn’t my god. But, I am grateful to the sun. Otherwise, you would have slept through the entire day.”

 

“Well, the crew can function without me, wasting one day wouldn’t hurt anything.” Argent replied hastily before returning to the comfort of his hammock. 

 

Salem took several large strides over toward the resting captain and turned the hammock inside out. Argent sprawled out and fell to the deck with a resounding thud. 

 

“Come on. We have to start gathering supplies for the girl that you agreed to transport.”

“Ah, right. The girl.” A tired and aged expression flashed across Argent’s features as he glanced out the porthole toward the ocean. “Do you think that I’m getting too old for our kind of life?”

 

Salem crossed his arms and stared down at the bereft captain. A sigh escaped his lips and his posture deflated. “We work hard throughout the year and harder than most. We live shorter lives than most as well. The sea is a cruel and harsh mistress. It has called many brave souls to her grave. The young, inexperienced, foolish, and even the old, wise, and learned men are all the same in her eyes. It only takes one bad storm, any number of lurking dangers, or one hidden reef to send us all to a watery end. I’d reckon that we age quicker than most as well.” 

 

“The sea is a dangerous place, I know. It is my home, my unending adventure. I’ve spent most of my life on the waves, tasting the salt breeze...“ Argent gazed out of the portcullis into the open sea. “I’m just… so tired, Salem”

 

Salem stepped forward and placed a single hand on Argent’s shoulder. “You’ve made a difference. And, those that we lost were not your fault. You’re a good man, Argent.”

 

The captain looked into his first mates eyes for a moment. The man that he trusted more than any other. Then, he moved the mate’s hand from his shoulder.  “There were many choices that I could have made in the past. And, any one of those choices could have saved another. There were too many missed chances.” 

 

Argent walked over to the port hole  and leaned out toward the bustling dock, letting his words hang and merge with the lulling waves, and took a deep breath of the ocean air. “I’ll never forget the ones that we lost. Any of them.”

 

“Nor should you. Nor shall I.”

 

“Do you think that we are doing the right thing? The girl, I mean?” 

 

Salem raised an eyebrow, it was unusual for the captain to be so hesitant and unsure. “Well, from all that you told me about her and her situation, it seems that she could use our help. Apart from that, she has already paid more than her fair share of gold. We need the money.”

 

“Aye, we could always use more coins. But, I wonder if it will be more trouble for us than it is worth.” Argent replied thoughtfully. “She is a bit different from our typical work.”

 

“Yes, but you had admitted yourself that it isn’t likely that her problems would follow her onto the open seas.” Salem said while stroking his beard. “As long as we can leave the harbor, quickly and safely, it should pose little threat to us.”

 

“Maybe. I don’t know.” Argent placed his hand on his eyes, rubbing the sleep away. “But, I don’t know for certain about the people that got involved with her. Or, how far spread their influence reaches. We also don’t know if they have allies. Or, how long their arm reaches. I don’t like all of that uncertainty. I don’t want to put the crew at any unnecessary risk”

 

“So, what are you going to do?” Salem questioned, his voice gaining an edge of cold steel to it. “Are you going to abandon her?”

 

Argent stood straight and turned toward Salem, their eyes deadlocked together.

 

“You wanted a chance to save a life.” Salem continued, stepping his way. “You wanted a chance to redeem yourself of our past failures.”

 

 “And, we will.” Argent stepped around him and headed toward the deck and spoke quietly under his breath. “But, no matter the cost to my soul, you will always come first. All others be damned.”

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