"Your ship," Geni whimpered. "It's gonna reek of blood, you know." She looked sadly at him. "Can you imagine having to clean all that red? It doesn't even smell good."
He was stunned. She liked that. The more startled he was, the less he could point out her true traits. His eyes, however, were lowered, pondering something. What was it? Ah, if only she were a silverAssurer then his mind would more or less be open to her.
He grinned soon after. "You are rather something, no?"
She smirked. "So that means you're gonna protect me from your captain?"
His smile faded. Mists! She nearly jumped from the sudden change.
"Miss Sunday, yes?"
She nodded.
"You are invited, yes, to the ship—as a slave or a helper. However, if for any reason my captain deems you... problematic... then you, Sunday, are due to simply die."
"Ah," she pursed her lips. "The usual, then."
There will be days, many days, when you will call out to him. Cry to him. In your dreams, even in your waking world... and yet, he will be made deaf to your words—Author unknown.
Merrin felt the black ocean of sheets flow toward him like a tide, dragged by a single woman. A dark-haired one. Shae of the Black Eyes, his new captor. Except she did not bind with chains…but words.
Now, he stood in this vast space, four walls stretching high into the dark heavens (Ceiling). Those were black, too, as was common in Nightfell, the whole of the Noctis Clan to be exact.
But unlike Valor, their froststones existed as cold water flowing through walls.
Truly fascinating stuff; one he could surely ponder on if this woman had not dragged him into yet another mess.
Walking toward him, she held onto a long, sleek black sheet. The stuff was like a curtain, draping over the ground. So big!
She edged closer, standing before him. Still taller? Or shorter? He was somewhat unsure.
Shae smiled. "So, which fabric do you like?"
"None."
"Ah." She waved, dropping the clothes. Merrin watching them as they swayed to the ground. She caught his eye. "You know, being so difficult will only make things harder for you."
"Funny." Merrin locked onto her eyes. "I thought it would be quite harder for you to achieve what it is you are trying to achieve."
She sighed, picking up the sheets, rounding next to his back, wrapping him up in them. "It's not something I want to achieve now, Ashman. It's a 'we' endeavor."
Merrin gritted his teeth. "And what is it?"
She heaved a breath next to his ears. So loud. "It's something to do with the way things are happening here."
"I see." Merrin drew in his lips. "The need to steal and give back to the people." By the lords, how condescending he sounded. But it was necessary. This woman, whoever she was, had better luck in a lonesome act than in inviting something like him. She would die before seeing the end of it.
And I will live... like always. His eyes closed. "You should stop this, Shae," he pleaded. "I don't want this."
She padded before him, leaning her head next to his, her breath warm against his face. "The thing is, Ashman," she said, "I own you."
Please...
"But don't worry, I won't own you forever. At most, your task will end on the night of the Ball." She pulled away, tapping him on the shoulder. "That will be the final act. But of course, before that, there are many, many small things."
Merrin stared at her—at that girl who hung so desperately to that pole in the ocean. He wondered whether saving her was truly the wise choice. There had been no reason to. Perhaps her fate was to die there. Even with her shifting ability or not, maybe the waters were meant to claim her—to make her a passenger sailing the sea of souls.
But I saved you. He heaved a breath. So is this me owing Death? That thought was a horror. To wonder, to know that now he owed a life, maybe several hundreds. Would they be DarkCrowns, the Black Eyes, or maybe... even BrightCrowns?
His shoulders lowered. I can't go against the tides now. He looked upon the smiling Shae. She was the water pushing against him, the wind that swept him to where she wanted. He could not stop, could not kill it, could not escape from it. He could only watch it. Watch it and hope for a safe landing.
"So?" She raised the sheets higher, another part, barely freeing them from the ground. "Do you choose this one? I can't get another one."
His silence lasted for a minute, the lamps embedded in the wall bases buzzing loudly in the quietude. Finally, he let out a loud exhale. "It's good."
It wasn't. Not really. The fabric would tear from too much movement. But what point was there to saying that? Perhaps this act was his very own defiance. She was his master, somewhat, and this—having your so-called master sewing your clothes; that was something.
He smiled within. The sense quickly vanishing as a door down the room slid up. A figure, two figures, actually, walked into the room. One he knew. No, not just that; both of them, he knew.
The first was the giant Stannis, the supposed leader of the Black Eyes and leader within the camps. The man, who was now dressed in a black robe and a purple scarf that was tied around his neck. Odd. The other, however, was different.
Merrin knew him. Black-haired, with a slightly squared face, black eyes, and tall. The man was dressed in black trousers, a white shirt, a brown vest, and a caped robe over it all. But more importantly, he carried an oud around his neck.
Merrin froze. "HOZIER?"
The man smiled, jogging forward. "Oh, so good to meet you." He grabbed him by the cheeks, pulling him close. Then—
Wait? "What are you do—"
Hozier pressed a kiss onto his face. "Ah, yes," he gasped. "That's how it should be done."
Merrin stared at him, at the man that had just... kissed? Kissed him? What was that? How was that? Why was that?
He screamed!
——
Finally, as the last air flowed out of his throat, Merrin was stunned as the wetness of another man's face lingered on his. He wanted to die. He wanted to kill them all. He could. Surely, even with Shae's powers, he could end them. Just a few shadow cuts, wind cuts, and it's done.
Should I?
A hand pressed into his shoulder—a large one. Stannis. "Apologies," he muttered. "This is the distasteful behavior of that man."
Merrin cocked his head. "He prefers men?"
"Oh." Stannis smiled. "No, he does not. This, you see, is just about the abruptness of his behavior. Do not take it to heart. Believe that he will not repeat it. He rarely likes repeating things."
Merrin spat. "I will kill him if he does it again."
"That I would understand."
Not that I actually would…But even outside that…There was a strangeness.
Hozier had said something to Shae, the girl offering the smallest, briefest smile to the words. But... they knew each other. He, a slave who once existed in the mines, was here.
When did she recruit him? During the first Run? After I had saved her? Or was it someone else?
How did he even get here?
Merrin glanced at the giant. He was their leader; who was to say he couldn't recruit someone? Yet, even with that conclusion, there still existed a nagging feeling in his mind. The closeness of it all was bizarre. Especially the words uttered by Stannis.
He does this all the time, a distasteful behavior of this man. That meant something; a piece of data that circled through his mind yet offered no immediate response. What was it?
Merrin bit down on his lips. Let's take a gamble. "You..." he called out. Hozier turning a glance at the Ashman.
"Yes?" That smile was ever-present on his face. Somehow, there was a falsehood in it. Something about a figure that wore a grin. Like Yoid.
Merrin breathed. "Was it you?"
"Was it what?" Shae was the one who said this. "What are you asking, Ashman?"
Merrin stepped back. He had the confirmation he wanted. "It was you, wasn't it?"
Stannis folded his arms. "At some point, you will have to ask a question."
Merrin licked his teeth. "It's you," he said. "You're the one who told them about the sunWitnesses. About me!"
Silence.
"I'm sure now. You didn't get recruited, now did you? You have always worked for the Black Eyes, even when you existed as a miner. You learned... and you told. You told them about me."
Their silence stretched.
"But why?" Merrin looked away. "You wouldn't be doing something like returning to that place unless there is something you really need. You wanted a caster, didn't you?" Merrin stared at Shae. "Someone who was unique in shadows. Someone to help you in your final act." The final words came out more condescending than expected. Perhaps, because the Girl had already revealed that.
Shae scoffed. "So?"
Merrin glanced at Hozier. "You made me their slave?"