The Keel groaned quietly as Tayla rolled her chair down the long hallway in silence. Lights flickered above as the hiss of the vents gently sighed. Perhaps the Keel was just a lump of metal, but in these moments it seemed to share in its people's pain.

  The approaching ship wouldn’t arrive for another half an hour, which gave Tayla just enough time to make a quick stop before she had to send her brother off.

  There was the issue of who to send as escorts for Alnur. Tayla had sent word to summon her uncle Cyrus and Lillian, there were few people she trusted more than them. Considering Alnur would be thrown to the wolves in the capital, he would need all the help he could get.

  Fel wasn’t back from the House of Whispers yet, apparently they were having trouble with the crowd outside.

  It was an odd feeling being alone.

  How did the other races deal with the boredom and isolation? Tayla kept having to catch herself from trying to open the link to Alnur. She wanted to tell him a joke or quip she thought of, or ask his opinion on something, or just complain about the chair she was in. There wasn’t anything in particular she wanted to talk about, she simply wanted to share the boring moments together with someone.

  It took a moment to realize she was crying. She grumbled as she wiped her puffy eyes again. She went to take a corner a bit too quickly and came crashing into something.

  The something grunted in pain. “What in the name of-”. Hopping on one foot clutching his now bruised shin was Thoren. “My lady, what did my shin ever do to deserve such cruel treatment?” He said.

  “Well for starters, it was in my way.” Tayla said, glad to have someone to talk to and distract her from the stress of everything else threatening to crush her into dust.

  The pair laughed at the situation. Thoren shook off the pain quickly, his tone shifting to a serious one. “My lady, I’m-.”

  Tayla let out a frustrated sigh. “Please, if I hear one more person apologize for what happened to Alnur and how much of a tragedy it is, I will lose it! I just can’t handle the constant reminders of his condition, I already feel powerless and useless and everyone is already speaking like he’s dead and trying to comfort me! All the while I feel like I’m the only one trying to hold on to hope that he’ll be okay and pull through. So please, don’t!” Tayla said as she tried to catch her breath. The outburst had been sudden, and stupid.

  Thoren looked taken aback. “I was going to say, I’m glad you’re okay.” He looked a bit sheepish, unsure of how to act after such a display of emotion.

  “Oh. uh, Thanks.” Tayla felt her face go flush, her ears red and hot.

  “I mean, I was going to follow that up with- well, you know.”

  “Right, yeah. Can, can we just pretend I didn’t just say all that? Is that an option?”

  Thoren nodded to himself. “So, where are you headed? Back to the medical wing I take it?”

  Tayla reached for the Tranquility, but it was lethargic and muddled; between her exhaustion and the medications she was on she couldn’t seem to grasp it. “Yes, I’m off to see the Huntmaster. My Aunt and Uncle were killed in the fight with the elder and-”

  “WHAT! Why are you so calm about the death of your family!?” Thoren said.

  “What? Oh, no no. My Aunt and Uncle were a pair of ravens- and you are looking at me like I’m crazy. It’s a long story, I’ll tell you later okay?”

  Thoren simply nodded, he seemed to be getting used to the odd nature of events on the Coast. “Well, I should be going. I have to meet with the rest of the delegates to discuss today’s events.”

  “Heh. I can only imagine the wonderful things they’ll have to say.”

  “Don’t worry.” Thoren said as he gave a wink. “I’ll put a good word in for you.” With a slight wave, the man continued down the hall on his way.

  It took a moment for Tayla to realize she was staring at him as he walked away. A nearby vent hissed as it blew a blast of hot air in her face.

  “Come on. I was just making sure he was heading the right way.” She muttered. The vent huffed in response.

  A few minutes later Tayla came to the room where the Huntmaster was being treated. She knocked and waited a moment. After a few seconds she came to realize that the Hunt Master probably couldn’t hear the knocking, on account of the no eyes or ears thing. She opened the door a crack, peering into the room. Kneeling on the floor was the Huntmaster, they were motionless, aside from the writhing and wriggling of the worms that made up its body. Laying beside them were the two sea dogs, they raised their heads at the sight of Tayla, tails wagging at her sight. The Huntmaster seemed to twitch as the dogs stood. Tayla rolled into the room, the sea dogs walking up to greet her; they had the habit of rubbing their faces across her own, it had taken her awhile to get used to their fangs.

  The Huntmaster was moving its head back and forth, reaching a ‘hand’ around in front of it. Tayla rolled close enough to grab the hand, squeezing it a few times. The other hand of the Huntmaster reached up to lay on her own. The worms that made up the fingers were hardened slightly, not quite as hard as the spears they could form, but not soft either. The Hunt master was tapping in patterned bursts, but if it was a form of communication, Tayla couldn’t understand.

  “I'm sorry, I don’t know what you’re saying.” Tayla said, trying to raise her voice in the hopes that it would do something.

  The mass of worms seemed agitated, shaking violently. They kept squeezing her hand in short bursts.

  Tayla had a sudden hunch of what they were trying to get across. She raised her voice. “Alnur? Are you asking about Alnur?!”

  The worms froze for a moment before exploding in activity. The ‘head’ bobbing back and forth limply.

  “It doesn’t look well, we have to send him to the capital for surgery! I- I don’t know if he’ll make it.” Once again the tears came unbidden. A few drops hit the worms along the Huntmasters arms. Suddenly the Hunt Master moved in for a hug, stopping just shy, perhaps realizing that without its clothing it was a bit more unpleasant to embrace.

  Tayla couldn’t take it any longer, she lurched forward from her chair, into the waiting arms of her loved one. She let the pent up pain and sorrow out, sobbing and heaving. The multitude of worms slithered around her, momentarily losing its human shape a bit as each one sought to embrace her and comfort her, to let her know she was loved.

  Eventually she broke away from the hug, wiping her tear streaked cheeks on her sleeves. She finally noticed what the Huntmaster had been facing before Tayla had entered. There, laying on the floor were the remains of a pair of ravens, one white, one black. Both were broken and still. She put a hand on the Huntmaster’s shoulder, resting her head against it. “I’m sorry, if you hadn’t thrown yourself into the way to save me…”

  The ‘head’ shook violently. They held her hand firmly, trying to soothe her. The pair of sea dogs approached, looking towards the remains of the ravens. The Huntmaster pointed to the bodies, and with that signal the sea dogs made their way over. They seemed to hesitate; one nuzzled the black raven's body gently.

  The beasts then set about devouring the remains. Tayla cried out in surprise, trying to scream and rush to stop them, but the Huntmaster squeezed her hand, reaching up to try and turn her gaze away from the unsettling sight. She stopped fighting, but still watched, she would not turn away from her Uncle and Aunt’s final moments. The Sea dogs finished; they hung their tails and heads low, letting out slight whines as they laid back down at the Huntmasters side.

  Then came the convulsions. The sea dogs cried in discomfort as their bodies were wracked with seizures. Tayla broke free, launching herself to the ground while she ignored the pain from her leg. She held the dogs in her arms, frantically trying to see what was wrong.

  Just as soon as the seizures had started, they stopped. The sea dogs growing still once more, they opened their eyes and looked at Tayla, their eyes brimmed with something unnatural. One of them struggled for a moment, working their jaw slowly. It grunted and barked, then, without warning, it spoke. “He-ello, Tay-la, my- dearie.”

  Tayla held her hands over her mouth. “Auntie?” The Sea dog seemed to smile, nodding its head as its skin began to turn a dark shade of blue. Tayla hugged her around the neck. “I thought I lost you. I thought you died because of me!”

  “It isn’t that simple, we did die, we just have a way around it. With a willing host that is.” The other dog said, its skin now a pale white, staring at Tayla with its now red eyes.

  Breaking away from her Aunt, Tayla looked perplexed. “Are the sea dogs okay? Does it hurt?”

  “They are gone I’m afraid, it is painful for a moment, but they offered to host us willingly, and we must thank them for their sacrifice. We can discuss this later my dear, you must be with your brother! We will be here when things settle down.” Said the Black dog.

  The white dog rubbed against Tayla’s face. “Agreed, we will be fine, it will take time to get used to the change in bodies. We are just glad you are okay, we would happily do the same thing if it meant protecting our beloved niece and nephew.”

  Tayal went to crawl back into the chair, she was surprised when the Huntmaster helped her into the seat.

  “You’re right, we have much to discuss later. For now, I have to go get some rest-”

  There was a knock at the door as a guard peeked into the room. “My lady, it appears the Court’s ship is beginning its docking procedure.”

  Taking a deep breath, Tayla readied herself.

  It was time to say goodbye to her brother.

  A group of two dozen gathered around the heavy hatch door as they waited in silence. There were a handful of guards, a few diplomats, the medical staff, and of course, Alnur. He was strapped to a gurney with various devices attached to the underside to monitor his vitals.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Tayla couldn’t help but stare at the bloodstone growths that protruded from his body. Where his eyes had been were just a pair of curved stones that ended in sharpened points.

  I did this to him. She thought as she felt her chest tighten.

  The screen beside the hatch came to life as lines of letters spooled across its faded surface.

  CAUTION SHIP ID#0290 3948 2913 7485 HAS ENTERED CONTROL ZONE

  ID#0290 3948 2913 7485 REQUESTING DOCKING PERMISSIONS

  IFF TRANSPONDER = GREEN

  TESTING DOCKING SYSTEMS

  -TEST ARM.LT = FALSE

  -TEST ARM.RT = FALSE

  -TEST SEAL INTEGRITY = TRUE

  -TEST PWR.CPL = FALSE

  -TEST PRESSURE.VALVE = TRUE

  WARNING, CRITICAL DOCKING SYSTEMS SHOW FAILURE

  DO YOU WISH TO ABORT DOCKING SEQUENCE?

  Y/N?

  Tayla stared at the words as she tried to make sense of them. She rested a hand on the console as she leaned in to get a closer look. Her hand slipped as she ran her fingers over the embedded buttons. The screen spat back its response to her mistake.

  ENGAGING FINAL DOCKING SEQUENCE

  Tayla pulled back her hand, that sounded good. Without warning there was a violent grinding of something coming from beyond the wall. Bright light appeared from the circular doors' small viewport. Tayla couldn’t see what the source was from her chair, so she tried to lift herself on one foot to get a better view, leaning up against the door. Through the small glass viewport she could see a small cylindrical chamber some ten feet long, the other end was open to the outside world. The purple structure that acted as the Keel’s outer shell had been pulled back. In the distance was a bright ball of light that was growing larger by the second, Tayla realized with a shock that it was heading directly towards her, and showed no signs of slowing down. She leapt at her chair and kicked off the wall with her good foot, trying to get distance from the outer wall.

  She braced herself for the impact. But there was nothing. The sunlight disappeared from the viewport, and a slight thud could be heard from the otherside of the wall. Looking around confused, Tayla threw back her chair once more as she bounced on one foot towards the window. The sight of the outside world was gone once again, the corridor was now dimly lit, a new door having appeared at the other end.

  Before she had a chance to pull back, the doors opened, both the one she was leaning against and the one at the other end of the short connecting corridor. She landed awkwardly on her stomach, the wind being knocked out of her. She looked up to see a woman walking into the short corridor wearing a tight military uniform of the imperial navy. Tayla blew the hair from her face as she wheezed a greeting. “Welcome to the Black Coast oh honored cousin.”

  Well, that could have gone better.

  The pilot was a short, handsome Trest woman, she carried a look on her face that made it clear she was not one for pleasantries. Tayla had never met a Trest woman before in person, their skin was softer than the males of their race like Graum, though it still had the appearance of stone. Her skin gave off a slight glow from the boiling blood that raced through her veins.

  “You might wanna watch your step kid.” The pilot said in a gruff tone as she reached down to help Tayla.

  Tayla nodded. “Greetings, I am Tayla Ebontide, lady of shadows and acting ruler of the Black Coast.” She said, offering an awkward bow from her chair.

  The pilot's eyes bulged slightly, she dropped to one knee with a crash, bowing her head. When she spoke it carried a thick accent of the north. “My lady, I am truly sorry for my behavior. I am with the Celestial navy’s seventy-fifth branch. Fin Dross at your service Ma’am.”

  Tayla noticed a gaggle of medical staff pouring out of the ship, no doubt eager to get to their patient. “There’s no time to waste, please, my brother is right here.”

  Fin stood up, clasping her hands behind her back at attention. “My lady, I have been tasked with escorting your king to the capital. We have enough room for two attendants as well to accompany him.”

  The medical staff made their way to Alnur as they discussed his current condition with the Twin’s own doctors.

  Tayla turned back to Fin. “We were surprised you arrived so quickly, we only just sent the call for aid.”

  “Well, we were leaving Greywater isle when we got the call to change course, thankfully it wasn’t much of a detour.”

  “So this is a prison transport?” Tayla said, raising an eyebrow.

  “Generally we use the skiff here for personnel rotations, though the gods must be watching over your king. Of all the rotations, it happens while we’re transferring medical staff.” Fin said as they gave a slight chuckle.

  “Indeed.”

  They had long since passed the point of this being a matter of luck.

  Tayla gave a silent prayer to the All Mother, hoping that this was her work and not something more sinister.

  Looking over, Tayla could make out the large silhouette of Fel as they made their way down the hall, Cyrus and Lillian at their side.

  Tayla excused herself as she wheeled over to meet them. “I’m glad you’re here. They have mentioned that we can send two attendants to watch over Alnur.” She looked to Fel.

  Fel crossed their arms. “I would gladly go if I could.”

  “Fel, this is Alnur we’re talking about. He’ll be alone in the capital, he needs you by his side.”

  A dark look crossed Fel’s face as they seemed to grow in height, towering over Tayla. “If it were up to me, I would go. My hands are tied.”

  Tayla had never felt afraid of Fel before, she knew they were enigmatic, but this was their brother they were talking about. “We both have our duties to the nation!”

  “If I could go, I would do so.” Their tone made it clear that this wasn’t up for discussion.

  “Unbelievable.” Tayla turned to Cyrus and Lillian. “At least I can count on both of you to go and watch over him.”

  “We can’t.” Cyrus said as he cast his eyes down.

  “What? What do you mean you can’t? Have you all gone mad?” Tayla shouted.

  Lillian turned to hide her face.

  Tayla slumped into her chair. “I don’t believe this. Our king, our loved one, is on the brink of death and none of you will stand by his side?”

  Fel opened their mouth to speak but Tayla continued. “Don’t! I don’t wanna hear whatever excuse you have. Unlike you I still have a responsibility to uphold. Now get the fuck out of my sight. All of you.” She hissed the words through clenched teeth, her fingernails digging into the arms of the chair as she stared daggers at those she thought she could trust.

  Lillian whispered. “Please, at least let me say goodbye.”

  Fighting the lump in her throat, Tayla waved a hand dismissively. She turned away as she moved her chair to the assembled guards. They stood at attention as she arrived, but for some reason she couldn’t find the strength to speak. Desperately she fumbled for the Tranquility, but all she found was a slumbering rock in her mind.

  Out of instinct, she reached for the link. All she felt was a strange hollowness, a vast cavern of static that twitched and convulsed. The odd whisper or shadow of an emotion echoing from the expanse.

  As she went to cut the link, she felt something strange. Like something was watching her from the depths of the eldritch connection. She severed the link as her breath caught in her chest.

  “I’ll go.” The words were a much needed distraction, and even as Tayla turned to see who spoke she found herself struggling to remember what had frightened her so.

  Limping down the hall was a tall first born, her long black hair still matted from her own blood. “Night take me, Zo?” Tayla said.

  Zo was dressed in her military dress uniform, she chose to wear a cap, though there were some bandages peeking out from under the hat. She was trailed by her frail brother Dolm who was trying to stop his sister without much success. She stopped before Tayla and snapped a salute. Smashing her dead hand into her chest.

  “I heard you were looking for escorts for the king, I wanted to come and request the opportunity to join.” Zo said.

  Dolm had his head in his hands. “Please, my lady, talk some reason into my sister. She isn’t fit for this!”

  Tayla sighed. “Zo, I’m inclined to agree with your brother. You just had surgery on your head.”

  A look of anger flashed on Zo’s face as she looked down at Tayla’s leg. “I know, they used precious stem material to repair my skull. Meanwhile you’re hobbling around on a broken leg. The doctors used every ancient tool they have in the Keel to put me back together, I feel fine. I want to go and watch over my king, he… he saved my life when the elder attacked, he lost his eyes trying to protect me. I need to repay that debt to him. Please, my lady.”

  Even Dolm seemed hesitant to argue with his sister’s reasoning. Which was telling indeed. Tayla looked at Zo and said. “Don’t kill yourself trying to repay a debt that you know Alnur isn’t keeping score of. He helped you because he cares about everyone, not because he expected anything in return.”

  “All the more reason I want to help him in his time of need, for everything he has done for our people.” Zo’s face softened a bit. “Is that a no then?”

  Tapping her finger on the chair's armrest, Tayla tried to weigh the option.

  “You can go.”

  A misting of water appeared in the corners of Zo’s eyes. Gone just as quickly as they had arrived. “I swear to the All Mother that no harm will come to him.” She snapped another salute and hurried to Alnur’s side. Dolm moved to follow, catching Tayla’s eye for a moment. There was a bitterness to them that she could respect. If the roles were reversed and she was in his shoes, she would probably feel the same.

  Now she just needed another volunteer.

  “Well. I should get going.” Tayla turned to see Bynard peeling himself off of the nearby wall where she hadn’t noticed him. “I can’t wait to see the capital, finally a place of refined culture that better suits a man of my character.” He said as he walked over to Tayla.

  “Wait, you’re volunteering to go?” Tayla laughed as she leaned back in her chair. “You wanna be around Z-” Bynard moved faster than she could fathom. His hand came to rest on her mouth as he tried to shush her.

  Fast as he was, Fel was faster still. They had appeared out of thin air, their hand wrapped around Bynard’s wrist as they towered over the man. It seemed like despite the little spat that Tayla and Fel were having, they were still keeping an eye out for anyone dumb enough to cause her harm.

  Bynard relaxed his body. “My bad.”

  Fel huffed as they released their iron grip, they stood behind Tayla, looming above.

  “Bynard’s a good choice.” They said.

  Tayla put aside her anger as she glanced up. “No offence, but he’s… well, he isn’t my first choice.”

  “Tay, just because you say ‘no offence’ doesn’t mean it hurts any less.” Bynard said with mock pain.

  Fel continued. “He is one of our best scouts, and he has trained in the unseen ways. It would also help for Alnur to have another familiar face to keep him company.” Fel had a point, Bynard was a good soldier despite his foolish nature, Tayla was just worried about how well he would do in the heart of the Celestial Court.

  Damnation. They had a point.

  “Fine.” Tayla said.

  Bynard grinned as he wiped a rune off of his jacket. The image of his usual uniform melted to the ground like oil, revealing his dress uniform underneath. On his back was a weapons case from the good armory.

  “I see you already had this all planned out. I’m supposed to be the lady of shadows, but here I am having those I trust most sneak around behind my back hm?”

  Tayla was reaching in her pockets for something. “Well I better write a letter of introduction for you, and maybe advise them to make ready a suitable jail cell for a man of your ‘character’.” The two broke into laughter as they hugged each other. While embracing Tayla muttered. “Watch over my brother, as soon as he feels better I’m sure he’ll challenge someone to a duel over one thing or another.”

  As they pulled back, Bynard said. “Well I’ll make sure he doesn’t end up back in a hospital bed after he recovers.”

  It was time.

  Wheeling over to Alnur, Lillian was at his side sobbing gently. Tayla grabbed her brother’s hand as she whispered. “You have to come back, I can’t do this on my own.” She paused for a moment, making sure the Court doctors were out of ear shot. “Remember our duty. May tomorrow bring the fourth bell.”

  The doctors began moving the gurney away, Zo and Bynard flanking it on either side as they entered the hatch. Cyrus walked over to usher Lillian away. He stopped, trying to speak, but with a shake of his head he walked off into the dark corridors.

  As the hatch closed, the assembled group began to make their way back to their duties. There was still the send off to prepare for. Tayla sat in her chair, staring at the steel door as she tried to muster the strength to move.

  She felt the shake of the Keel as the skiff broke away, the low rumbling as its engines burst to life and carried it away at a blistering speed.

  Fel tried to speak, but even they seemed at a loss for words as they left.

  Tayla sat there, truly alone for the first time in her life.

  Somewhere in the distance there was the beating of an ancient drum, with every second Alnur grew further the beat grew louder and louder.

  Soon, Tayla would finally hear it.