The Rightful Queen - 32 The Ruby Noir

The tiger roared out its cackles, catching the others’s attention. The satisfaction she gained from the Prince’s pale white face amused her. From her sharp vision, she could make out that he was close to fainting. She hadn’t been this entertained since Scrooge fell off the top of their ship’s mast and landed in the waters. His dark expression had earned a spot in her favorite memories.

Deelah felt a pair of eyes burning a spot of her fur. She didn’t need to check who it was to know. Before the person could say anything, she raised her paw and saluted at the group. Then, she dashed off into the trees, hunting for her own food.

“You okay there, Nyt?” Maia walked up behind him and patted his back, “You must have gone in shock.”

Tylen didn’t answer her nor did he glance her way. His mind was busy processing the sight he just beheld. He had heard of Celios and the magic of its lands. He read theories of how it came to be. Specific powers had dominated each section of the island.

Citizens that originated from the center usually had elemental magic. The island’s essence of magic was strongest there. The outskirts of the island developed magical weapon users. They didn’t have natural abilities since the essence was faded at their parts.

Shapeshifters usually sprouted in forests and places with nearby inland waters. In rare cases, if a baby was born in the middle of the night, it could develop abilities to become a shadow magic user. Some preferred this type of power and would opt to give birth in caves, hoping it would help.

All of these he read and more. Yet, none of them prepared him for the reality of it.

“Do you need to lie down? You can move one of the sleeping bags closer to the fire” the redhead continued when he still stayed silent.

“II’m good” the Prince finally stuttered. He cleared his throat, “I am merely amazed. I had never thought I’d witness magic in this lifetime, especially not today.”

“Make sure to say that again when Deelah comes back” Maia chuckled. She gestured him towards the sleeping bags. They laid them out just as Raz sparked a fire with two flat stones she carried in her pocket.

Cleon pierced sticks into the chopped rabbits. Once the flames spreaded and grew taller, he jabbed the ends of the sticks in between the rocks Raz laid out in a circle around the fire. The four of them sat on the ground and watched over the cooking meat.

“Will this be the first time you sleep outdoors, Nyt?” Maia asked, breaking the silence. She had her legs crossed and her feet tucked under her thighs.

“Not really,” Tylen answered beside her. His sapphire eyes watched the fire dance, “I’ve joined Hayden in an exploration once with other knights. We had to camp on the way because the road was blocked. It was raining too.”

“Well, you don’t need to worry about rains here” Cleon spoke from his other side. He had his legs bent and his feet apart, hugging his knees, “I heard there is hardly any rain in this kingdom. It could only happen 1-2 times a year.”

“Don’t say anymore, Cleon, or you might jinx it” Raz kept her eyes on the meat, especially the ones near the blue-haired pirate. She knew he hardly paid them any attention. When she thought it was okay, she’d hold on to the bottom of the stick and turn the meat over.

By the time Deelah came back, they’d already finished eating. Raz sat on a huge rock under a tree nearby the sleeping bags. She took the first watch before anyone could protest. The tiger licked her lips happily, satisfied with her meal. She headed over to an empty spot near the fire and walked around in a circle. She shuffled her paws on the ground, then laid down. Her tail stopped swinging. She yawned once and tucked her head over her front legs.

The sergeant played with a dagger, tossing it up and catching. Sometimes she’d look at the ground and target a fallen leaf. Only a few creatures accompanied her with their noise. She shifted her gaze towards the redhead, worry written all over her face. Thankfully, she hadn’t dreamed of a nightmare while on the boat.

She hoped for the same to continue despite being in this kingdom.

===

The next morning, the tiger jumped into the pond at the first sign of daylight. Her large frame rippled the water into waves that splash on the surface around it. Unfortunately, the nearest sleeper to the pond hadn’t been spared.

“Ah!” Cleon woke up with a jolt. He shivered from the cold water. It was barely dawn. The frosty night air still lingered around the area. Since they were surrounded by nature, the temperature hardly rose up.

“Deelah!” He screamed, standing up. The tiger didn’t seem to hear him and continued to float with its back on the pond. He marched to the edge and yelled, “Don’t ignore me! I know you can hear!”

The tiger still didn’t show any sign of listening to him. The blue-haired pirate groaned. He walked around the pond to stand near her head. He took a deep breath, “I”

Whatever Cleon had to say vanished along with the wave of water that flooded him. Maia sat up on her sleeping bag and laughed. The tiger looked at her, grinning ear to ear. At least, the closest to a grin that tigers could do. Deelah felt encouraged by her amusement and splashed more water at the blue-haired pirate.

Cleon raised up his arms to shield himself.

“Oi!” He protested. He merely received a roar from the tiger in return.

“I think she said that you stink,” Maia chuckled. More roars came out of Deelah, confirming her words.

“You are all bullies. All of you.”

The tiger had her fun and climbed out of the water. She stood next to the blue-haired pirate. Cleon widened his eyes. A sense of dread clouded over his head. He stepped away but it was too late. Deelah shook her body, drying out her fur. Droplets rained on Cleon’s back. He let out another groan.

“Ugh, Deelah!” He shouted, close to crying.

The tiger snickered and morphed back into a human, completely dry, including her clothes. Deelah slipped off a wristlet and tossed it to Cleon, “Here. Go dry yourself.”

The band of the wristlet was made of gold. Embossed on it was a calculated design made of ancient symbols. An oval dark wine gemstone had been welded on one side. To a mere human eye, it seemed like an ordinary luxury ornament. To a trained one, it would only take one glance to know it was far more remarkable.

“Oh, you have one too” the blue-haired pirate remarked.

He slipped the wristlet on and rubbed the gemstone with his finger. Under his touch, a golden glow appeared within. The light turned the stone into a vibrant red shade. A gust of hot air swirled around Cleon’s feet. It shot up from the ground and circulated around his body, drying his clothes, his hair and his skin.

Cleon sighed with satisfaction. He took off the wristlet once he was done.

“Yeah, I snatched it from Alec” the Pirate Queen shrugged. She placed her feet apart and planted them firmly on the ground. Then, she stretched the sides over her torso, an arm reaching overhead.

“Don’t you have one?” Raz asked from under the tree. Each group leader had one. It was an essential item for missions. Deelah, however, didn’t belong to a group. Only she and Scrooge went for solo job orders.

The Pirate Queen shrugged, “I did. I lost it. That’s all that happened.”

Tylen stared at the gold wristband curiously, “What is it?”

He had stood up and folded his sleeping bag during the commotion. He moved closer to the blue-haired pirate, his eyes trained on the wristlet.

“It’s a Ruby Noir” Cleon held it up for the Prince to inspect, “The dark hue of the gemstone is because of its enchantment. Like the people in Celios, some minerals contain their own magic. This is one of them. Even without this band, it can actually produce hot wind. The band only controls the direction of it. It has been used in other magical weapons. All of them change the direction of the wind, depending on how it’s made.”

“That’s that’s amazing” Tylen stammered. First, he met a shapeshifter. Now, a magical item appeared. What did everyday life look like in Celios? His hands on his sides, opened and closed. He didn’t seem to know what to do about them.

The blue-haired grinned widely, “Do you want to try it?”

The Prince snapped his eyes away from the gemstone. The look of disbelief on his face was evident. The object clearly wasn’t made through science. Not any human could use it. How could it work for him?

“But but I’m not Celian.”

Cleon snorted, “You don’t say?”

“Look” he continued, clearing his throat, “You don’t have to be Celian to use this gemstone. Everyone has magic within themselves. According to the legends, Teralyn and Aurae were also once magical kingdoms. I never really believed it to be true until I used this wristlet. Other magical items might need more power from the user to control it but this is not one of them.”

He took Tylen’s hand with the palm facing up and placed the wristlet on it.

“Why not give it a shot? What could you possibly lose?”