Cairo - 9 Cairo

I don’t remember falling asleep the previous night, but I woke up with a face full of candlewax and bags under my beaten eyes. Luckily, I was the first to wake, so I had some time to clean myself.

I headed upstairs, greeted by Mooks patiently waiting outside my room. “Hiya Cairo!” He welcomed me.

I paused, listening to the sweet sound of his tongue pacing back and forth under the tavern heat. “Morning.”

“There’s a girl in your room!” He barked at me, which in turn helped me become more awake. “Would you like me to drag her out?”

“No. That won’t be necessary. Let her be.”

t”Okie Dokie.” Mooks rushed past me and bolted down the stairs.

tNow I was left with an unwashed body, a face that looked like it had been beaten three times over, and a room I didn’t have the right to open. If there was one thing my mother always said, it was to ‘never wake a woman from her sleep.’ I think she only told me that because of the ruckus I always caused in the morning. Either way, I wasn’t going to test her theory just yet, so I headed outside the Tavern to a nearby creek in the woods where I could properly wash myself.

tMooks was already there, as that was his usual place to bathe anyway. The sun reflected off the water so nicely that he looked like a random iceberg peeking up from the water. A very deadly iceberg, one that had a pair of deathly red eyes and a row of vicious white teeth.

tThe creek was small, running down a hillside that led to one of the town’s bridges. Vast patches of green and brown covered most of our view, and the leaves above us whistled along with the everchanging wind. I saw a moose in the distance, making me realize it was an animal not to be mettled with. However, Mooks howled at it, and it ran away without a second thought.

tI was about to begin to untie my cloak and get ready for the sweet feel of stream water when I saw a figure slowly making its way through a narrow pathway in the distance. I squinted my eyes, seeing it to be Leonidas.

tLeonidas? I thought to myself again. What would he be doing at this early of an hour, and this deep in the woods. To be fair, we weren’t that deep inside, but who wanders through the forest in fancy clothes at sunrise. I could tell he was holding something in his left hand, a bag perhaps? My vision failed me the further away he got, but I was sure it was him.

tMooks noticed it too, bringing his attention towards me as he saw Leonidas disappear beyond the trees. “I wouldn’t trust him if I were you.”

tI gave Mooks a dry look, “I barely even trust you.” I said as I continued unbuttoning the tight combat robes around my body. “You think I’ll trust some freak I just met?”

tMooks growled at me, “Whatever, just keep your eye on him. I don’t like him.”

tI dipped my foot in the water, feeling that nice cold sensation of nature’s tears running up and down my ankle. “That’s probably the first time I’ve heard you say you don’t like someone.”

t”It means you should stop acting so careless all the time.” Mooks hushed at me.

tI made a bowl with both my hands joined together, letting the fresh water from the stream fill it immensely. I then splashed it across my weathered face, returning the state of it back to normal. “Whether you like him or not..” I opened my eyes, brushing my wet hands through my black and white hair. “I only have one more spot for a scar on my arms. And Leonidas won’t be the one to take it.”

…

tAfter Mooks and I took a proper bath, we headed back to the tavern to prepare for the road ahead.

tApparently, everyone had already eaten and packed any belongings they needed for the road. Kalvin welcomed me in, all while preparing the closing sign for their temporary absence from the bar.

tI completely forgot this was a place for business. No, this was a Guild. A Guild I didn’t know the name of.

tI glanced over at the sign, seeing it read the following:

“Dear fellow customers,

I, along with the rest of my crew, are very sorry to inform you about our leave of absence. We will be gone from the premice and any or so inquiries will have to wait till we return. In the meantime, please wait patiently for our arrival back. Thank you.”

Mooks jumped atop the sign, smelling the freshly placed ink like a bucket of honey. “How long do you suspect this journey will take?” He asked, calmly.

Kalvin stroked the rough hairs on his chin for a moment, talking with his hands more than his mouth. “If we successfully cross the Black Sea, and find the Jewel before anyone else does… Prolly about a week or four. Besides, the longer we’re gone the more the wine ages!” He chuckled loudly.

Cartuja pounded his fist in the air as if he was holding a torch in a deep cave, “Hooray fo’ mo’ wine!”

I took this time to observe my surroundings carefully. I noticed Leonidas hiding his eyes below his gracefully long blonde hair. Almost as if he was trying to hide them.

Now that I think about it. I don’t think I ever saw his eyes. I was sure they were blue, but the longer I looked the more my memory failed me.

“Cairo.”

How could I not remember the color of his eyes? I knew Kalvin’s were green like the fields of grass outside my old home with my mother.

“Cairo.”

Paris’s were red, just like Mooks’s but slightly less scary. Rina’s were… Wait, where was Rina? She was the only one I couldn’t see.

“Cairo!” Kalvin yelled for the final time, snapping me out of my thought process. “The hell is wrong with you! You ain’t gotta be nice but at least show you’re paying attention kid…” Kalvin snared, crossing his arms.

“Sorry,” I said, realizing how stupid I looked.

“Anyway,” Kalvin started. “We leave in a couple hours. Pack any things you and Mooks might have and ready up.”

“Where might Rina be?”

Kalvin gave me a puzzled look, “In the kitchen… Why are you so suddenly interested? Hmm?” His voice sounded as if he was a father protecting his daughter, but the smirk on his face dismissed that thought immediately.

“Hungry… That’s all.” I lied. Lying never felt good, but lies always told the most sincere truths.

I made my way towards the kitchen in the back, greeted by countless fires, pots and pans, and shelves stocked up with all sorts of food. I was definitely taken back by all the food, considering how deserted this place gets at times.

As I entered deeper, I noticed Rina sliding a few eggs and veggies off a pan onto a perfectly clean plate. The eggs still had that sizzle and pop from the oil that remained on the plate, making them just that much more delicious.

“Here,” She said, her voice as stale as the look on her face.

I grabbed the plate gently, “Thank you, Rina.” The second my words burst through my lips, she dipped her head down, avoiding any further interaction with me.

Normally, I wouldn’t question something as silly as this. However, I wasn’t used to her face being so dull. Dull like my own.

Did I do something wrong? I thought again. Did she find something in my room she wasn’t supposed to? No, she couldn’t have. The only burdens I carried were inside me, and of course, that tiny piece of paper my mother left me all those years ago.

I ignored it for now, heading back to the bar table and enjoying my meal in peace.

…

By the time we arrived at port Bonemount, the sun was already beginning to set in the horizon, and any ships that were planning to leave needed to act quickly before the port closed for the night.

Dozens of old, broken, and weathered ships filled the countless docks from left to right. Some had missing sails, some didn’t even have a wheel to turn, and some looked as if they were just brought out straight from Davy Jones’ locker.

Smelly, dried seaweed was scattered throughout the dock like pinecones in a forest. Drunk sailors passed us more often than not, giving us an evil eye saying ‘Folk like ye ain’t welcom hee’.’

Kalvin however, didn’t care in the slightest. He flung his hands in the air as if he was about to perform the most brilliant dance ever created, but all he did was stuff his face into that salty sea smell before him. “Ahh! The waters at last!”

Carrying our luggage in a small wooden cart, Leonidas led us to his ship on the other side of the docks. Rina kept her distance away from me, and Mooks jumped atop my shoulders due to his fear of the deep blue sea. It was possibly his only fear, aside from the grumbles his stomach made when he was hungry.

Leonidas stopped the wagon, bowing towards us as he stepped aside to reveal his ship.

Now when I say this ship was big, I mean it was big. Bigger than the tavern I’d been sleeping in for the past six months. Bigger than the royal gates at the king’s palace. Bigger than any ship I had ever seen – and I’ve traveled across the waters more times than I can count.

Brilliant white sails sprung open like clouds reaching for the heavens. Golden-white wood and perfectly polished aluminum bordered the main deck of the luminous ship before us. Small squares of opened windows and locked-away cannons were concealed throughout what seemed like the first and second floors of the interior. The bow of the ship had an amazing wooden sculpture of a mermaid crafted to perfection, looking as if she was giving grace to whomever she was looking at. The stern carried the name of the ship, giving its followers what they desired, ‘La Pionera.’ A gorgeous name for a gorgeous ship.

There was a single raft attached to the lower part of the ship, hanging by what seemed like a pretty loose rope. It seemed odd for a ship this size to have only one raft — usually — there would be two or even three. Why even attach a raft so close to the water? It seemed suspicious, so I kept that thought hidden inside my head.

The lower compartments of the ship had plenty of empty rooms that we could use, so I managed to grab a room with Mooks beside me. I got the bed, and he got the floor. The way we always shared rooms together.

Shortly after, Leonidas let go of the dock and we set sail for our next destination — The town of Torchmire.