Secrets of a Hybrid

Rory POV

Last night was wild. I had to raise the entire floor of that stupid barn to keep over a hundred people from drowning. Their slave cuffs were chained to the ground when water started pouring into the room. Children were screaming and adults were crying when I forced the ground to meet the sky. It caused them to start cheering for the ‘Red Lady’ who kept them from drowning. So, the plan to make me a hero to the people of Desfyra was well underway.

Walking down the wooden steps of the Gabby Jaw Pub & Inn, I saw my party sitting at a booth in the corner. The pub was made out of local stones from the beach, so the inside smelt like sea salt and felt cooler than outside. The bay windows let in good light from the streets, but each table had its oil lamp for lighting. Most of the patrons in the pub were friendly with each other. So many different races occupied this town from what I could see out the window.

“Morning adventurers,” I joked as I slid on the bench next to Ema. The whole table grumbled a hello back. Ema was poking a spoon at her grain porridge with a frustrated look on her face. Her entire body seemed tense, which was the opposite of my best friend’s normal mood. “What’s up, Em?”

She looked up at me with heavy thoughts hiding behind her eyes. “We failed last night.”

Now, I am baffled. An hour after the flood of the outpost the troops from Kanna arrived and secured our captives. Under the direction of Silas, the troops found every slave alive at the outpost. We walked away alive. The slaves were saved. We had captives to question for more intel on the slave trafficking ring. “How did we fail?”

Silas groaned as he held his head tightly in his hands, staring down at his bran muffin. Braxton offered me silence, leaving my only hope for an answer to come from Ema. She was stabbing her bowl of porridge like it had wronged her in some way. This was ridiculous.

“Em, tell me,” I demanded.

“Fifty-six of the victims from N’ila died in an underground chamber when we set the main building on fire.”

“Fifty-six people died last night? Wait, how did we miss them? I checked under all the buildings only an hour before we raided the place.” I couldn’t believe that to be true since I had personally cleared the underground area of the outpost.

“The commander moved them down with terran magic just before we arrived. The sick bastard was waiting for us.” Braxton filled in the missing information. “He even sold some of them last week to a band of pirates.”

The bastard moved them right before we raided the place. He was ready to kill all of his inventory to keep us from winning. Yet, he didn’t think I could save those trapped in the barn. We may have taken a loss, but we also took a win by saving most of the slaves. “So, how many of the citizens of N’ila did we rescue last night?”

Silas answered this time. “Out of the 126 slaves you saved, 77 of them were from N’ila. The other 49 slaves were from Desfyra’s missing troops and adventurers.”

“That’s still something,” I offered. Part of me wanted to comfort Silas for the loss of his people, and the other part wanted to try and make Braxton and Ema smile again. The only thing wrong with that is the fact that I am not the funny kind of person.

Jerry Dandy, the owner of the pub, brought me a few rolls and jam to eat for breakfast. The silence continued all through breakfast. All of them were broken up by those we couldn’t save, but I was just grateful to have saved any of them. When breakfast ended, Silas went off to write another letter to the queen. Braxton went to see the Kannan troops from last night while Emera went to visit the victims we saved. I thought about going with her, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to be reminded of those who died right now.

Jerry Dandy told me of some local tourist spots to visit while my party was busy. I took him on his suggestion and went into town. The town was built on a hillside, which meant I could see the sails of the ships in port. The sun was high in the sky, but the morning was cooler. We have entered the autumn season, and I was kind of excited to see the leaves change color. “No more hot summer nights in a cave for me until next summer!” I exclaimed.

Spending hours exploring the town, I visited the lighthouse, the beach, the famous bakery, and the market. I settled on a bench just above the port in Lookout Square where people just come to watch the ships depart from the port. I wondered if the city of Mare was like this. Even though Rosewyn Sillber, my alias, was born in Mare, a human port city. Did the human city look like this or was it less diverse because it exists in the Kingdom of Solis? I suppose humans weren’t as welcoming to other races, but port towns were normally the most diverse because of all the travelers. It’s probably something I should research, so my cover isn’t blown.

The ships docked at the port were huge. They carried cargo from all over the world. There are special spices from the Serpent Isles from the west, and exotic fruit only found in the southern continent of Mermia. It would be a wonder to visit another continent. There are so many things I haven’t seen, and if I leave Gleaca, the council wouldn’t be able to hunt me. Hell, I could buy passage on one of these amazing ships. Emera and I could explore the world. My power isn’t under control though, could I risk it? If I were to go into frenzy mode in the Deadly Dunes, what could I do to avoid being arrested? I suppose Emera could figure out how to get me out of jail, but is that fair to her? I don’t think so.

Waves crashed along the ships, and I felt stuck. I keep chasing possibilities of living a life free and in the clear, but I doubt I will ever truly be free. Not as long as the Gleaca Council knows about me. I am sure Aunt Leah would be facing scrutiny from the elders in her clan. They must know one of the clan bore a child outside of the Savage Valley. Will there be a day when I don’t cause problems in Gleaca?

Silas said his research might make a difference in my future. I believe him, but how long will that take? Still, he won’t get anywhere without me being here to help do the research. It’s not like I can just take off the ring or copy it. The damn ring is fused to my finger. My blood and mana are tied to the ring in ways that I can’t comprehend. I can’t abandon Silas. Not when he’s holding my only hope of true freedom in his research.

Then, there’s Braxton and his magic lessons. It’s thanks to him that I have control of lightning. He took the time to teach me light manipulation, so I could shape my lightning. Braxton is an honest orc who commits to things wholeheartedly. In some ways, I can see why Emera would fall for someone like him. If he chooses her, he will follow her to the ends of the world. I think the choice will be Emera’s though given our situation. Emera and I are tied to these Desfyra men for the time being.

“Hmm, enough daydreaming,” I mumbled to myself. Getting up, I headed back to the inn. I am sure the others will meet me for dinner.

Later at dinner…

I walked back into the pub where Jerry Dandy greeted me and pointed out where my friends were sitting. All three of them looked in better spirits than this morning. Emera’s tail was bouncing about like she was full of energy as I slid onto the bench next to her. “Evening all,” I greeted.

“Ro!” Emera hugged me. “My day got so much better after playing with those kids from N’ila! We played tag, tree climbing, and archery. I taught most of them to hit a target! It was so fun.”

Braxton was gazing at Emera like she was enchanting him with her excitement. “I have news,” he started. “The Kannan Captain was able to discover where some of the N’ila slaves were sold. There’s a pirate ship captained by Jolly “Boom” Megee, also known as Captain Boom.”

“What would a pirate want with slaves?” Emera asked.

“What all pirates want. Free labor to aid in attaining riches or merchandise. It depends on the pirate.” Silas explained, “The Perin River that connects Desfyra to the Kannan Sea is littered with pirates. This Captain Boom is one of many who sail up the river to raid merchant ships. What town were they sold in?”

“Cyran,” Braxton answered.

“That close to Desfyra? How did the Desfyran Military miss them?” Silas became frustrated, slamming his fist on the table.

“Instead of asking, let’s just go find out. If we board a ship here, we can sail upriver to Cyran. We might learn something on the way to find this Captain Boom.” I suggested.

All three of them looked at me with surprise.

“Are we sure we want to go on a wild goose chase and risk exposing your magic more?” Braxton asked.

“With Silas’ help, I think we can do it. We have started researching my magic and its unique attributes.” I smiled.

“Can it be done, Silas?” Emera looked at it optimistically.

“I am willing to try,” Silas agreed.

It was official. We were catching the next boat to Cyran to rescue more people from N’ila. I wasn’t sure we could rescue all of them, but I am willing to try.