Searching For Andromeda - Chapter 108 Escape

Samuel listened to Miko tell the children stories, answer their little questions, and give them occasional pats in the head. Miko, who was looking like a frail girl that obeyed the pirate captain, gave the warmth of a mother at that time. Although it wasn’t the same as a real mother considering how she was too close to Samuel’s agefor the children, Miko was the closest a real mother could ever be.

“So, Miko we’re under the sea? Does this mean we’re swimming with fishes?”

“Yes,” Miko answered. “This underwater galleon is powered by magic and engineering.”

“Engine-earring?” The children repeated.

“Yes, engineering. This ship is powered by the captain’s water magic that is enclosing the whole ship to have it able to move in the waters freelyand then, engineering. This ship is also maneuvered to be able to sink deep in the ocean as well as sail above it.”

“That’s amazing”

It was, indeed. Even in a technologically-advanced civilization, there hasn’t been a galleon that had swum underwater. Of course, submarines existed. But they aren’t quite the same as the ones Samuel was boarding. The structural design, the way it was powered, and even how it was presentedwas different. Samuel had seen this in sailpunk movies. Fantasy movies, and any other form of art, depicted these things so extravagantly that Samuel had no choice but to turn his eyes away from their meaningless, fictional existence.

But here he was now, in a ship that was deemed fictional on Earth. But this was real.

Miko fed the children and made sure they were given a towel to wipe themselves with.

“I hope I can give you all a bath, but the captain won’t allow me to even do this.”

“So you’re doing this in secret?” Samuel asked.

Miko nodded. “Of course. Jaxon isn’t the type to give food to children. He sees them as goods, after all”

Samuel frowned. “You aren’t defending him now. You’re making me confused.”

Miko’s gaze didn’t waver, as if she was expecting Samuel to say those words say that sooner or later. She gave him a smile, and then wiped the crumbs on the corner of one of the children’s lips.

“You see, Samuel it’s not that I’m defending Jax. But I know he’s got a reason why he’s doing this. I believe there’s still hope.” Miko exclaimed. “He’s doing this for a reason.”

“How do you know?”

“I just do,” Miko answered. “I know Jaxon better than anyone else.”

Samuel didn’t have a say to this.

“That pirate captain, he’s doing something terrible to these children. He’s selling them. I don’t see any other reason that would come well out of it.” Samuel exclaimed. “These children are labeled as ‘goods’ and not people. How in the world am I able to take your words seriously, Miko?”

Miko only gave Samuel yet another smile; but this time, visible sadness in her eyes had marked over Samuel.

“There is a lot more to him than what he’s showing,” Miko exclaimed. “Now I have to go and tend to other matters. Children, go back to your cells. You too, Samuel.”

**

Miko, after locking the cells, looked back one more time to check if no one was out. When she was satisfied with what she had seen, she headed to the darkness of the passageways. Every light footstep created a creaking echo against the planks. Miko couldn’t think less about the children whose warmth was lingering in her arms.

Children, who were similar to the ones she and Jaxon left at the slave merchant’s den.

The memory of how they escaped the merchant in Patriarg was still fresh in her mind. Every rasped breath as she and Jaxon ran, the blood that was spilled in the soot-covered floors, and the children begging to be saved.

All of it came back to her at once.

**

Miko slept, and in her arms was a child named Aiden, who was younger than any of the ones in the cage. He barely turned five, and could barely speak. He was sold by his uncle just a few days ago because of his weak disposition, and so he was bought with a considerably low price.

“If he doesn’t get any better, guess we’ll have no choice but to feed him to the wolves.”

Aiden wasn’t a bright child, so he didn’t understand where he was at first. But then Miko, along with the other older children such as Jaxon, Ulysses, and Popo, told him about his situation. It was cruel to explain to a child that he was now a slave, but it was all they could do.

Aiden cried every single day, and it became a persistence for the slave merchant Fernando.

“If you can’t make that kid shut up tomorrow, I’ll feed another kid along with that brat!”

This was Fernando’s conditioningand it made the children, Miko and Jaxon among them, behave. Miko caressed Aiden’s hair as she has awoken. Aiden’s body was hot again. He was already frail as it is, but he was always sick. Miko wrapped Aiden into their rags to ease his shivering body.

Fernando, after all, never gave medicine.

Miko’s memories were fuzzy the moment she had arrived in Fernando’s wing. She doesn’t remember any parent, nor any memory of how she ended up as a slave. And other children were like this too. Their earliest memories were already as a slave. Any contact with the outside world came from the chatters of the people coming by in Fernando’s lair.

For years, it continued like that. But not tonight.

Miko lifted Aiden in her arms as Jaxon, Ulysses, and Popo woke the other children. Popo was a girl that was a bit older than Jaxon, and Ulysses was a teenage boy that everyone considered to be their big brother. Popo and Ulysses are the ones who were the eldest and the ones who knew Fernando’s lair better. For years, they have been planning something.

“Tonight will be the night we will escape.”

The night was deep, and no one at this point of time was asleepespecially the slave merchant, whose sleep patterns were observed by Popo and Ulysses.

“Jaxon, did you wake all the children?” Ulysses asked.

There were still children on the other cells, but they would be woken AFTER Ulysses does his job.

Jaxon nodded. “Yes. We’re all ready.”

Ulysses met Popo’s gaze, and then as they exchanged glances, Ulysses slid his hand to his jagged pockets, where he drew a wire in the shape of a key.

For years of observing the patterns of the key Fernando was using, and gnawing on metal Ulysses was able to imitate Fernando’s key. Ulysses soundlessly walked towards the cell door, and then, slipping his hand through the gap, he was able to insert his makeshift key to the cell door’s aperture.

Click.

Miko felt her heart speeding up as the cell door opened.

“Y-you did it, Uly” Popo murmured. “W-we’re free.”

Ulysses shook his head. “Not too soon.”

Ulysses went on ahead, opening the cell door tentatively. They shouldn’t make a creaking sound, or else it would resonate across the walls and wake Fernando. They must do their best to stealthily escape.

Miko got out after Popo, and then Jaxon followed along with the other children who noiselessly ambled their way out. Miko’s heartbeat was loud as it could be, and it was ringing in her ears. She still couldn’t believe they were making their escape now. Minutes from now, they would be free. They would be able to slip away from that merchant’s grasp.

Or so she thought.

Jaxon helped Ulysses guide the other children out of their cell using the makeshift key. Soon they were already swarming the thoroughfare, and their chatters were already starting to make a sound.

“Shh,” Popo whispered. “He might hear us”

“Who might hear you?”

Everyone turned to that familiar voice. And as if time froze, all of the children, including Ulysses who had just inserted the key to the fifth cell’s aperture, stopped.

“I said WHO might hear YOU?”

**

Jaxon knows that the ship will, at any time, corrode due to the fire and would make way for the water outside to enter IF he would disable the protection water spell enveloping the entire outside of the ship. The pirate captain, who had just reequipped himself and had packed all the things he will need to start over, came out of his quarters to head to the control roomwhich was past the cell area.

Jaxon took another routethe ladder above his quarters, to head to the upper deck to avoid the flaming dungeon conqueror below. He sauntered across the passageways and compartments. His crew welcomed him, and asked him what was wrongbut he doesn’t care about these mongrels. They would need to stay here to buy him some time.

Passing by his crew, Jaxon went to another hatch as he climbed down yet another compartment. And as he arrived at the barrel-filled cabin, he opened the doors, revealing a couple of children-filled cells. Those cells were still filled with the ‘goods’. And as Jaxon passed by the cells, his eye met that of Samuel Albrecht, the dungeon conqueror’s companion.

Jaxon made his way to another door as he opened the door to yet another compartment. The organization made the galleon so complicated for others and easier for him to avoid unneeded meddling. This ship’s secret controls were only known by its captainand Jaxon was relievedbecause of that, he can make his strategic escape.

“What are you doing?”

It was Samuel, who could see him as he was on the end cell nearer to the controls.

Jaxon, who prided ego over anything else, decided to answer his question with truth.

“I’m making this ship sink,” Jaxon exclaimed. “What about you?”

The children heard this, making them wail and burst to sheer panic. Samuel’s brows furrowed as an alarm resounded across the vast, tinging the place red hue. Jaxon sighed. “I got so many goods, but I think I still can search for other ones. Right now I have to make a strategic escape and plan once again.”

Samuel was confused. Plan? Escape? Why is the pirate captain doing this? What had happened?

“As for the vessel I can always watch from a distance and then retrieve it in the ocean well, after I see the charred body of the conqueror who’s now burning this ship float back ashore.”

“Ephraim Ephraim is here?!” Samuel exclaimed.

Jaxon gave no response, and then he clicked several buttons and pulled multiple levels in a certain compartment as magical hexes appeared.

“Now this ship has no water barrier protecting it,” Jaxon exclaims. “Pray you won’t drown, Samuel Albrecht.”

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