Chapter 33: And Then There Were Four
"How do we refuel the ship?" Lazula asked.
"I have no idea," Sam confessed. "Madam Verda never told me how this thing actually works. I know now that the ship responds to my mental commands, but I don’t know what kind of power source it has."
"Maybe there’s a guidebook somewhere?" Gabrielle suggested.
"Maybe. Let’s spread out and check everywhere on the ship," added Calista.
"Yeah, maybe one of the utility rooms below deck or something," Sam agreed.
Calista created orbs of light to float around each of them for illumination as they spread out and searched the vessel. They searched every nook and cranny, but came up empty handed. Then they felt the ship drop a little and wobble, so they all ran back to the bridge deck.
"Did we just almost fall out of the sky?" Gabbie asked, a little worry audible in her voice.
"Whatever power this thing runs on, the wings must be fueled by it too," Sam said as he noticed the wings were beginning to flap more slowly.
"Look at this," Lazula said, pointing to one of the levers on the control panel. It had two carvings - dragon wings at the top and sails at the bottom. "This lever must switch between flying and sailing."
Sam willed the ship to descend and touched down onto the surface of the water, and then pulled the lever down. The wings reached up, one wrapping around the taller rear mast with the crow’s nest, the other grabbing onto the short front mast. Then both wings separated from the sides of the ship, wrapping themselves completely around each mast.
A moment later, the wings began shimmering and shapeshifting into deep green cloth and ropes, sprawling out like spiderwebs, forming a series of square and triangular sails.
"Cool," Sam said with a grin. Then the beeping stopped, and the crystal orb lost all light, dimming to a solid black color.
"So no more flying or dragon head blasts until we figure out how to refuel it," Calista said as she looked over the control panel.
"I guess that means no more attacking the Paragon Navy, at least for now," Sam said after a long sigh. "If any survivors saw the direction we flew, they’d probably follow us with reinforcements. That might be the perfect way to draw the Navy away from the fleeing ships heading to Aedyria."
"So you’re thinking we should head farther away from Aedryia instead of closer to it like the other pirates?" asked Lazula.
Sam nodded. "We’ll let the Navy focus on us so our friends can get away safely. Granted, that will also give a greater opening for Grimrar and Lucifer to regroup as well, but maybe they’ll be less likely to come after us in force if the Navy is pursuing us too."
"So, where should we head?" Gabrielle inquired.
Sam turned to Lazula. "Zules, you probably know more about the Unseelie Blue than any of us. Where would the best place be to see if anyone knows how to refuel this ship? Verda mentioned it was from some lost city called Voloxia, so maybe a historian or something?
Lazula thought about it for a minute, then waved for them to follow her into the lounge below deck, where they had left their bags. Calista had the light orbs she had conjured earlier float around them. Lazula grabbed the map from one of the bags and laid it out on the bar counter.
"Nexus City is probably a good place to start," she said as she pointed to an island northwest of their current location. "It’s a huge port hub and they have a university there, so that’s gonna be our best shot at finding someone who knows about the history of Voloxia."
"That looks kinda far away. How long will it take us to get there?" Calista asked.
"It will take us at least three weeks, depending on the wind," Lazula replied. "So we’ll definitely need to stop somewhere closer first to stock up on supplies, and maybe get some furniture. Right now, all we have are blankets to sleep on. There is an island called Braska about four days north of here, so we should head there first, see what supplies we can get, and then set sail for Nexus City."
Sam looked closer at the map, and then tapped a finger on it. "Why does Braska have a snowflake painted over it?"
"It’s a warning to dress warmly because it’s always Winter there," Lazula revealed. "There are caves under the island where the drow mine cryocite, a magic crystal that stays freezing cold for years. Good for preserving food and shit. Huge export for the people there, but it also creates magical anomalies that keep it Winter year-round."
"What’s a drow?" Calista asked.
"Some people call them dark elves," Lazula explained. "But they prefer the term drow. They are sort of like a cousin race to us elves. Body structure and pointed ears are identical, but their skin ranges from blue to purple, and they only have two hair colors - either white or black."
"Oh, okay," Calista replied.
"Hopefully they’re welcoming people?" Sam inquired.
Lazula nodded. "Even to us pirates. As long as we don’t cause problems there and we participate in their local economy, we’ll be fine. And since we’ll definitely be buying supplies and maybe some furniture, they’ll love us."
"I didn’t bring any gold with me," Gabrielle confessed.
Lazula waved away her worries. "Not a problem. I’ve been stealing gold and jewels from Grimrar’s vault for weeks, just in case we needed to flee. He never even knew it was me."
"She’s a sneaky little bitch!" Sam said jokingly. They all laughed.
"So, where is everyone sleeping tonight?" Gabrielle asked.
"We’re gonna throw down whatever blankets we have on the floor in the big room with the private bathroom. Eventually we’re gonna put a huge bed in there, one big enough for all four of us," Sam revealed.
Gabrielle raised her eyebrows. "All four of us? You just decided on your own that I’m part of your harem now?
Sam grinned and nodded. "Yep, pretty much. Why? Do you have a problem with it?" His grin grew wider as Gabrielle began blushing profusely.
"I... I just... I was just caught off guard by the assumption..." she said slowly.
Sam stepped forward and placed a hand gently on the side of her face, tilting her head so they could look into each others’ eyes. "It’s true, I have decided that you belong to me. But only because I can see in your eyes that, deep down, you want this. And it’s okay to want this. It’s okay to want to be dominated - and cared for - by another. You are mine, and I am yours. It’s the same with Zules and Callie."
They held the stare for a long moment, Gabrielle’s eyes searching Sam’s for final confirmation. Then he pressed his lips against hers, much to the delight of the other girls, who cheered for them.