Chapter Fourteen
For the rest of our journey, we were treated completely differently than we’d been during my first few run throughs aboard the ship. Captain Black-eye and his men dipped their heads respectfully whenever I passed, and everyone stepped out of my way as I moved about the vessel.
“Red Hands,” was murmured reverently wherever I went, and the awe in the eyes of the crew was blatant.
Caelia stayed in bed the majority of the time, but whenever she would grace the upper decks with her presence, she often had to hug the rails the entire time.
Eva kept pretty close to the dark-skinned beauty whenever she rose from the captain’s massive four-poster bed, and my wife often had a comforting arm wrapped around my lover’s waist.
I trained with the dual panabas every morning for hours until my arms refused to make any more movements, and I tried to remember every motion the pirates had made with the incredibly deadly blades. The wooden grips were worn smooth, and they felt reassuring in my fists. The length of the steel elongated my reach by a couple of feet, and with two of them combined, I became a whirlwind of death.
I could only imagine how deadly I’d be while using the fleetness ability of my griffon feather boots at the same time.
With the loot we’d gathered from the three pirate vessels, we no longer needed to stop to restock in the Restless Island, and the captain said it would cut a week from our trip. I spent my days getting to know the crew, and I continuously impressed them all with my knowledge of sailing. Black-eye asked me multiple times during the voyage if it had truly been my first time on a ship, and it seemed no matter how many times I confirmed what I’d already said, the man still couldn’t comprehend my words.
Days stretched into weeks, with the nights full of drinking and laughter. Captain North ran a tight ship, but he never begrudged his men the opportunity to celebrate. I usually ate and drank with them late into the night, and by the time we were on the final leg of our voyage, I considered them all good friends.
A month and two days after leaving Mistvale Keep, Krin let out two shrill and loud whistles from the crow’s nest, and I immediately turned my eyes to the east. One whistle was north, two east, and so on.
I squinted into the rising sun, and for a moment all I could see was the light’s reflection off the waves, but then I noticed the hazy brown-green line on the far horizon.
“Land, ho!” Black-eye shouted from the prow.
Cheers erupted around the ship, and everyone moved about with increased enthusiasm. Ropes were hauled, sails angled, and the deck tilted as we veered toward the landmass.
I rushed below deck to alert my women to our arrival at the Zaborial Isles, and I found the two lying in bed giggling.
“Am I interrupting?” I teased with a shit-eating grin stretched across my face.
“Never!” Eva assured me, and she beckoned for me to join them. “We were just talking about our growing family.”
Both women exchanged a smile as they laid a hand upon their bellies, and my eyebrows shot into my hairline as a shockwave of realization ran up my spine.
“Both of you?” My tongue darted out to moisten my suddenly dry lips.
“My flow is seven or eight weeks late,” Eva informed me with a bright smile. “I should have gotten it right as we left Bastianville, but I didn’t want to say anything because I haven’t gotten any morning sickness. I’m quite sure I am with child now.”
“And I’m just a week late, but… I’ve been hurling day and night,” Caelia said. “It is still too early to know for sure, but I just have a feeling that my womb carries your child.”
“This is amazing!” I cackled with joy.
I was going to have four babies soon, and I couldn’t be happier. One day, my children would run this world, with my women standing proudly behind them.
“Oh! I have a surprise for you, too,” I said as my grin somehow grew even wider.
“Oh?” Caelia straightened against the pillows, and her chocolate eyes filled with curiosity. “Something to keep me from throwing up every time I get out of this bed?”
“Basically,” I laughed. “We’ve arrived at our destination.”
“What!” Both women gasped and exchanged an excited look before they rushed from the bed into my arms.
We danced around the captain’s quarters for a moment before we rushed out of the cabin and up the stairs to the upper deck. The three of us were at the prow beside Black-eye shortly after, and we all watched in silence as the line of green-brown solidified into the shape of an island.
It looked like a veritable paradise from this distance, but curls of smoke rising into the clear blue sky indicated the civilization living there. A large mountain occupied the majority of the landmass, and trees covered the slopes. As we drew even closer, I noticed the shiny white hue of the sandy beaches, and the call of birds echoed through the air.
“It’s beautiful!” Caelia breathed, and her eyes were wide as she took in the paradise before us. “I’ve never seen anything like it!”
“We’re not in Sorreyal anymore,” Eva pointed out with a sideways smile.
“I’m not sure if you’re familiar with the Isles,” the captain said in a hesitant tone. “But I’d be glad to share my knowledge with you before we disembark. The Priests and the people they rule can be… sensitive, to say the least.”
I made a new save point and arched an eyebrow questioningly. “Do go on.”
Captain North spent the rest of the time it took us to reach shore explaining the ways of the residents of the islands, but then I reset back to my save point, and I got to watch the Zaborial Isles grow larger in my vision all over again.
We anchored within eyesight of the docks nestled beneath a small village full of little huts. Smoke bloomed from holes in the roofs, and the ground around the structures was nothing more than hard-packed dirt. Flowers and fruit trees created a colorful backdrop, and rainbow-hued birds swooped past our sails before returning to their trees. The trees themselves were massive, some resembling palm and coconut trees, while others looked like mangroves.
It was like something out of a National Geographic magazine.
“We’ll ferry you across,” Black-eye said. “If you want to explore.”
“Is this the main town on the island?” Eva asked. “I was expecting something a little more civilized.”
“The city is on the other side,” the captain explained. “It would take us the rest of the day to maneuver the ship around with no wind, but the majority of the residents live in the grass huts like that. Only the priests and their servants live in Nanau.”
“What about merchants and the like?” Caelia questioned. “Will we be able to get lodging anywhere?”
“Oh, sure.” Black-eye nodded. “Everything you need can be found in Nanau and then some, but not all of it is legal trade. The priests stay occupied with their studies and can’t be bothered to police their people, so crime runs rampant.”
I thought this over as I gazed at the small village, but then I considered our horses down in the storage hold. They’d already started to nicker and whinny out loud complaints the last several days, no matter how many sugar cubes and carrots were offered to appease them.
“I need to get my horses to land as soon as possible,” I informed the captain. “We should carry on to the city.”
“The dock there can accommodate The Quest,” Black-eye agreed. “I’ll alert the men.”
The captain strode away toward the navigator and the helmsman, which left me and my two women at the rail gazing at the small, barbaric village. A few people peeked their heads from the huts to stare back at us, and they had long green hair and a bluish tint to their skin.
Were they the natives of the islands?
“Look, Bash, I just noticed you can see more islands in the distance,” Eva said as she lifted her arm and pointed toward the southeast. Purple lumps dotted the horizon, and fog clung to their edges, which obscured the shapes from view, but I knew my wife was right. “I want to explore them all!”
“I’m sure we’ll have time while I pore over the library,” I said. “Who knows how long we’ll be here.”
“Oh, I’m sure you know everything that’s going to happen already,” Eva teased. “You just like keeping things as surprises.”
“What’s life without some surprises?” I countered, and I tweaked her nose affectionately.
“I’m sorry you don’t get to be surprised,” Caelia said with a sympathetic smile.
“Do you not remember how shocked I was when you first entered my bedchamber?” I laughed. “Fuck, Caelia, you surprise me all the time.”
The shopkeeper flashed me a wide toothy smile, but then her eyes trailed back to the island, and the three of us stood staring across the pale-blue waves to the white sands of the shoreline.
The city slid into view a few hours later, and the white walls were blindingly bright in the mid-morning sunlight. The structures were built in complex-looking squares stacked at haphazard angles, and they rose up the side of the mountain. At the very top was a massive, glass-roofed, dome-shaped building with colorful stained-glass windows, but I couldn’t make out much more details from our distance.
The docks were humongous, and they stretched far enough out into the waves to allow even the bigger ships to harbor along the wooden planks. The crew grunted as they lowered the massive anchor once more, and then they flung ropes to pillars on the edge of the port.
A ramp was lowered from the starboard side, and several deckhands brought the horses from the hold and into the light of day. The poor beasts were exhausted from the trip, but there was no other way to get Goliath to come along with me. I’d find a stable for them before the day was done, and make sure they were exercised gently for the next few days.
Eva, Caelia, and I marched down the planks to the dock, and Captain North waited for us on the pier.
“Before you get an inn for the remainder of your trip,” he said. “The crew and I would like to show you our appreciation one last time.”
“Will you not stick around for my return voyage?” I asked with a frown.
“We won’t stay docked for long, but then we’ll make some rounds about the isles,” the captain explained. “I’ll purchase some Zaborian goods to resell back in Sorreyal, and we’ll make a tidy profit, but we get too restless to stay ashore for very long. Nanau isn’t like Mistvale Keep, I’ll tell you that much. We’ll return to the island before you’re ready to head back to Sorreyal.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I clapped the man on the shoulder and flashed him a friendly smile. “Now, I could really use a drink. Where’s the closest tavern?”
Captain North chuckled, and then he gave me directions to a place called the Crowded Duck where he and his crew had drunk before. It was close enough to shore to avoid the priests, but far enough away from the docks that the women didn’t smell like fish, according to Black-eye.
“We’ll be up there after we finish talking to the dockmaster,” the captain promised.
Then my women and I were off on our first adventure in the Zaborial Isles.
As soon as we left the docks we were in the midst of the city, but it was unlike any other place I’d been to before. The white buildings created shadows on the sandy streets, but it was a welcome relief from the heat of the tropical sun. The people wandering the streets all had long green hair and blue-tinted skin, and they wore long white robes draped over their lithe frames. I didn’t see one overweight person the entire time we walked along the road, but no one met my gaze as I peered around.
We found the tavern right where the captain had said it would be, and a yellow duck was painted onto a large shell as a sign. My women and I exchanged an excited look, and then we dipped inside the doorless entryway.
The floor of the tavern was the same hard-packed earth as the rest of the city, but the temperature dropped by several degrees as soon as we entered the dimly-lit space. Holes in the clay-like walls let in beams of sunlight, but it did little to illuminate the interior. I blinked to adjust my vision, and then I glanced around at my surroundings. Round tables filled a common room, and a tall skinny woman wearing a gray robe cinched with an apron wiped off the surfaces. Along one wall ran a curved bar that looked like it had been built into the building itself, and gnarled driftwood barstools were tucked beneath the edge.
“Wuzin zi?” the woman asked with a friendly smile.
I made a new save point as I realized the Zaborians spoke a different language, and excitement bloomed in my gut.
“We’re from Sorreyal,” I explained as I flashed her an apologetic smile. “I don’t know the language here, I’m sorry.”
“Oh, of course!” The woman had a melodic accent that reminded me of rippling water. “I should have realized.”
“You speak our tongue wonderfully.” Eva’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
“Well, we are the only tavern the sailors from your lands ever seem to use,” the green-haired woman laughed, and the sound was like a waterfall. “I’m Zuana. My father and I run the Crowded Duck.”
“Lovely to meet you,” I said, and I flourished into a bow before I introduced myself and the two beauties by my sides.
Zuana inclined her head to each of us as she heard our names, and then she gestured to one of the many empty tables. “Sit wherever you wish. You’ve come during a lull.”
“Business doing alright?” I asked as we situated ourselves near a window.
“Oh, yes, once the sun goes down,” Zuana explained. “The city comes to life!”
I couldn’t wait to see that, and I flashed Eva and Caelia an excited smile.
A moment later, Zuana laid mugs of a fermented fruit beverage in front of us with a wide smile stretching her lips, and her ocean-blue eyes twinkled.
“It’s called zuzu,” she informed me before I could ask. “Made from the fruit of the zut tree.”
The smell was sharp and tangy, and the liquid bubbled like it was carbonated, but I knew that was likely caused by the reaction of the yeast to the sugars in the fruit. The bubbles stung my nostrils as I sipped delicately, but then the heady rush made my eyes blur.
“Fuck, that’s strong,” I complimented.
The zuzu drink was closer to everclear than wine, and I decided I wanted to learn how to make it before we returned to our homeland. Maybe we could make it in Bastianville, and then we could sell it for a tidy profit since I bet not many people in Sorreyal had the recipe for this exotic beverage.
“How do you suppose we occupy ourselves on our first day here?” Caelia asked, and I could tell what she had in mind by the way her tongue flicked out to lick her juicy lips.
“I take it you’re feeling better?” I chuckled.
“Much.” Caelia nodded.
“If this is your first time to Nanau, I highly recommend the baths.” Zuana placed a plate of nuts and dried fruit in front of us as well as a pitcher of water and some empty cups.
My two women had abstained from the strong alcoholic beverage, and I knew it was because of their possible pregnancies, so I was grateful for the appearance of the water pitcher.
“Where is that?” I asked, but I couldn’t resist sniffing the Zaborian woman to see if she smelled like fish. Only the smell of flowers and salt reached my nose, but Eva winked at me when she caught me inhaling our waitress’ scent.
“I can show you the way before the dinner rush,” the green-haired woman offered with bright eyes. “Nanau can be a bit of a maze if you’re unfamiliar with it.”
“I’d like that.” I grinned. “We’ll finish our drinks and such first.”
Zuana dipped her head and disappeared through a curtain behind the bar, and the three of us finished enjoying our small snack. I thoroughly enjoyed the heady feeling brought on by the zuzu, and I imagined it would knock the wind out of anyone, even Jax.
When we were ready to go to the baths, Zuana wrapped a knitted shawl around her head and shoulders before she called out a farewell through the curtain. I assumed she was speaking to her father, who probably ran the kitchens while his daughter manned the counter and tables. Then we darted out into the sunbaked streets once more, but we had to move briskly to keep up with the long-legged Zaborian woman.
The four of us weaved in and out of the streets as we turned a couple of corners and walked up a set of stairs, but I kept careful track of our movements through the city so I could find our way back to the tavern later to meet Black-eye and the crew for drinks.
Then we arrived at a long, squat building, and the sound of running water greeted my ears as we approached. The clay walls were damp to the touch, and my jaw dropped as we stepped inside.
Long rectangular pools were fed by a waterfall at one end of the space, and ferns grew along the edge of the water. Torches burned in alcoves along the walls, and benches ran the length of the room. It was like a sultan’s bath, and I itched to let the cool water wash away the stiffness in my muscles.
Plus, getting my women naked as soon as possible remained a priority.
“You are lucky, Bash of Sorreyal,” Zuana said. “They are usually busy during the heat of the day, but it is market day, so I’m sure most are still working.”
“I don’t mind being the only ones here,” I said, but then I flashed the green-haired woman a wide smile. “You’re welcome to stay…?”
“My apologies.” Zuana’s face burned, and her ocean-blue eyes would not meet mine. “I must return to the Crowded Duck. Thank you for the kind offer.”
“I understand.” I shrugged, and Eva chuckled while Caelia’s lips twitched into a smile.
“Be careful as you return to the tavern,” Zuana warned. “There are rumors of a god on our shores, and there is no telling their intentions.”
The rumors were likely about me, so I merely smirked and thanked her for the warning.
After the green-haired woman left, the three of us hurriedly stripped off our travel-stained clothes and rushed for the cool water. I cannonballed into the center, which sent a massive splash over my two women, and they were drenched when I returned to the surface.
“Come in!” I urged as I waved my hands over my head.
The two women giggled as they delicately lowered themselves into the pool, but the water came up to their nipples, so their breasts seemed to float on the top. We splashed and chased each other around until we were out of breath, and then Eva murmured something about taking a short nap.
My wife stretched out on one of the long chairs provided for just this purpose, which left me and Caelia alone in the water, and I flashed the shopkeeper a devilish grin as I pulled her into my arms.
“I missed you,” I murmured as I nibbled on her ear, and goosebumps erupted along her neck.
“Oh, Bash,” Caelia gasped as she threw her arms around my neck. “I have been craving your touch, too.”
Our lips met hungrily, and our tongues danced with practiced ease over the familiar textures of each other’s mouths. I was hard instantly, and Caelia’s smile turned teasing as her fingers sought out my firm length.
I groaned as her digits wrapped around my shaft, and then the not-so-timid shopkeeper lifted her leg to rub the head of my cock against the smooth skin of her crevice.
“I want you, Bash,” she breathed, and her eyelashes fluttered over her dark eyes. “Here. Now. Give it to me?”
“Fuck, yes,” I hissed as needles of pleasure shot up my spine, and I reached around to grip her ass cheeks firmly. The movement caused her entrance to crack open, and heat radiated out of her womb to kiss the head of my cock.
The combination of the slightly cooler water and her hot pussy was incredible, and I savored it for a moment while I rocked my hips back and forth. Caelia whimpered in my arms and bit her bottom lip as her eyes flicked to the sleeping Evangeline.
“If we wake her up, we’ll just invite her to join us,” I assured her. “Don’t be afraid to make some noise.”
As I said this, I reached between her legs to graze my pointer finger against her clit, and she twitched in my arms. The dark-skinned goddess tossed her head back, and her long curls dipped into the water as her lips parted in a silent moan.
The orgasm was slow to build, but it became stronger and stronger with each passing second until it hit a crescendo, and Caelia dug her nails into the meat of my shoulders.
“Fuck!” she moaned, and I cradled the back of her neck to bring her lips to mine once more.
I slid my cock inside her tunnel at the same time I slid my tongue past the barrier of her juicy lips, and I swallowed the moans emerging from her throat like it was the only thing that could sustain me.
Caelia wrapped her legs around my waist, and she leaned back to push her crotch against mine. We ground our hips together for a long moment, and then I took her ass cheeks in my hands again. I lifted her in the pool and slammed her back down onto my length with hard thrusts, but the buoyancy of the water slowed our movements slightly. The liquid splashed across her chest and slapped between our legs, and waves rippled away from our combined bodies.
“Caels, oh, goddess, you’re so fucking sexy” I murmured encouragement as I built up the pace.
“You’re my god!” Caelia gasped, and her breasts slapped into the water as I lowered her onto my shaft over and over again. “My one, true god!”
I devoured her throat, her shoulders, her jawline, anywhere I could reach with mouth and tongue, and I could feel the intensity of our lovemaking beginning to build to an unbearable peak. My blood was like fire in my veins, and my heart hammered against my chest.
“Give me your seed,” Caelia begged. “Please, please, fill my womb!”
With her words ringing in my ears, I growled fiercely and released my torrential spray of sperm deep inside her womb.
Caelia clung to me, and her eyes were half-closed as her jaw hung slack. We stayed standing like that for a long moment, but then I felt her wiggle her hips, and my cock twitched back to life.
“You’ll be the death of me yet,” I chuckled as I thrust slowly in and out of her cum-slick entrance.
“Good thing you’re immortal,” Caelia teased. “I’m far from done with you!”
I made love to her over and over again until Eva woke up, and my wife instantly jumped into the water to join us as soon as she realized what we were doing. I made sure both women were weak in the knees and pruney by the time we emerged from the water, but there were still no other occupants at the public pools.
When we’d exhausted ourselves completely, we made our way back to the Crowded Duck, but by this time, the sun was creeping toward the western horizon on the far side of the island. Captain North and his men were in the tavern when we arrived, and they all cheered at our arrival with mugs hoisted in the air.
“Did you find something fun to do?” Black-eye asked.
“Sure did.” My eyes flicked to my women as a smile tugged on my lips, and the captain nearly spat out his drink. “Where’s Zuana? I’m thirsty.”
Right on cue, the green-haired woman swept through the curtain carrying a tray full of drinks, and she distributed them as she moved about the room before she stood before me with a friendly smile on her face.
“Bash of Sorreyal,” she said. “Would you like more zuzu? Or would you prefer the piss water your land calls beer?”
“Zuzu is fine,” I chuckled.
“You’re drinking the hard stuff, huh, Red Hands?” Black-eye cackled, and I could tell he’d already been pulling heavily from his mug long before our return to the tavern.
“It’s efficient.” I grinned. “Do you not like it?”
“Aye, when I don’t plan on waking up the next day.” Captain North shook his head. “I’ve yet to master the Zaborian way of walking off a hangover.”
“The people here are certainly different from those in Sorreyal,” Caelia observed in a quiet voice, and the captain bobbed his head in agreement.
“Red Hands, Red Hands,” the crew began to chant as they stomped their feet and tapped empty mugs against tables.
A moment later, Zuana pressed a cup of zuzu into my hands, and I lifted it to the men, who burst into screams of drunken approval.
“Speech!” Jags growled out the request from the corner of his mouth, but he winked when I looked his way. Cries of agreement with the first mate’s words rang through the air, accompanied by more stomps and clapping hands.
“Alright, alright,” I laughed as I held up my hands in surrender, and I cleared my throat. The crew of The Quest straightened, and they stared my direction with rapt fascination written all over their faces. “You are sailors, the lot of you, but I also count you as my friends. Spending the voyage with you was some of the most fun I’ve had in a long time, and I couldn’t have asked for a better crew to get me here fast. Three cheers to the bane of pirates across the entire Eastern Ocean! To the crew of The Quest!”
We drank and toasted each other for the rest of the night, and then Zuana gave us directions to an inn. I offered to put up the entire crew in rooms in the city, but the captain refused.
“We’re more comfortable with water swaying our hammocks,” he explained.
The Ocean’s Song was a building much like any of the rest, but the seashells hanging from the wooden sign clattered against each other like windchimes. Inside, richly woven rugs decorated whatever space was left by the brightly-colored cushions and pillows.
An elderly woman rose from a cushion in the corner, and she wrapped her white shawl tightly around her shoulders as she crossed the room to us.
“Looking for rooms?” she asked in an ancient, heavily-accented voice.
“Just one,” I said. “The biggest and best you have.”
“Five zorans,” she replied as she outstretched her hand.
Fortunately, I’d managed to acquire some of the currency of the Zaborial Isles from the pirate ships, so I handed over the silver coins to the old woman. Then she led us to a stairway tucked into the opposing corner of the common room.
The room she led us to was fit for a sultan, with silky gray-blue sheets atop the mattress of the low platform bed, and a cool breeze tugged on the sheer curtains. Carpets covered the floor in this space as well, and a pile of the cushion-pillow-things sat in a corner. A doorway to the right led to a bathroom complete with a tub built into the clay walls.
“It’s perfect,” Eva sighed, and she flung herself onto the bed.
“I agree.” Caelia hurried to join her, and the two girls beckoned to me as they wiggled beneath the sheets. “All we need now is our Bash.”
The three of us snuggled into a comfortable position, and I squeezed my women tightly in my arms until they squealed with delight. Then I kissed them both deeply before I settled into the pillows to fall asleep, but it was far past sunrise when I opened my eyes again.
I made a new save point as I glanced around at the lavish bed chamber.
The room was warm from the mid-morning sunlight streaming in through the glassless windows, and I longed for the cool breeze of the night before. I peeled my sweaty skin from the silk sheets, and I climbed from the bed. Then I took a quick bath with mostly cool water, changed into fresh clothes, and raked my fingers through my hair.
By the time I returned to the sleeping space, both of my women were sitting up in bed and rubbing their sleepy eyes.
“I’ll go order us some breakfast while you two work on waking up,” I suggested.
“Something delicious, please!” Eva requested.
“Caelia?” I asked.
“I’m sure you’ll find something amazing for us,” the shopkeeper replied with a wave of her hand.
“True,” I chuckled, but then I darted down the stairs to the common room in search of the elderly woman who’d shown us to our rooms.
In her place was an old man, but he quickly rose when I entered the room the same as she had.
“Are you the Archduke of Sorreyal?” the old man asked in a voice cracked with age.
“I am.” I nodded.
“This came for you this morning,” he explained as he pulled a roll of paper from the folds of his robe.
I accepted it with a frown, but the paper was sealed with a turquoise-colored wax. I broke the seal and unrolled the parchment, and my eyes scanned over the words scrawled in a curly, ornate hand.
To His Grace, Sir Sebastian, Archduke of Bastianville, the God of Time
High Priest Zeydon requests your presence at the Grand Occulta Athenaeum at once.
That was all that was written, but I read it three times before my eyes returned to the old man’s face.
“Who gave you this?” I asked.
“A courier, sir,” the man replied in accented Sorreyal.
“Oh.” My frown deepened.
I’d traveled across the Eastern Ocean in search of the Grand Occulta Athenaeum, but I hadn’t expected a political invitation as soon as I arrived.
It would be a good idea to question this High Priest Zeydon character, but I didn’t like the commanding tone of the letter. I’d show this priest dude who was the most powerful in all the lands, and then he’d show me a little more respect.
The God of Time surpassed the High Priest, after all.