Chapter 26: Visitors

A/N: Hey, everyone! I haven’t dropped off the face of the earth, I promise. Well, maybe I have as far as this thing has been going. I got an ACTUAL job a few months back, and they’re finally pushing me towards a full-time schedule. I’ve had this little beauty of a chapter sitting and waiting for weeks, needing the in between chapters to come out, but I hadn’t found the time to finalize stuff for it to come out (until today, obviously).
I hope to catch up with everyone’s stories during my breaks (when they give them to me), so please, please don’t think I’ve forgotten about your stories, either! I’ve been so exhausted lately that I didn’t want that to carry over into my mood when commenting (and responding to comments).
Also, I’m experiencing something that rarely happens to me: I DON’T KNOW WHERE TO GO FROM HERE. I mean, I have a few ideas (distant ones, unfortunately), of course, but I don’t have the chapter buffer I’m used to having. I’d really love some input, etc, if you have ideas of what you’d like to see happen.
Anyway, sorry for the long note here, ON WITH THE STORY!

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     My heart pounds in my chest. I don’t suppose it’s in fear, but the fact is, I’m out of practice. I’ve been so focused on how to get back to winning Yadira’s affection that I stopped any kind of combat training. Oh, sure, that little fight with Rohan tells me I can more than hold my own, but I wouldn’t call that a fair fight.
    I glance in Rohan’s direction. He has one of the shotguns pointed down to the beach, and I have a very strange deja vu. He’s like our sniper again. I can only hope he’s as good a shot as he used to be.
    Two of the men swimming to shore wear hats, another in sunglasses of all things, making it easier for them to be able to see in the bright sun. One man wears a wide-brimmed fedora. He appears to be the leader.
     As far as these men will know, Vik is our leader. I’m on point to his right, and Asa is to his left. Three against three–unless they have backup hidden on the boat. And of course we have our own backup on the top of the cliff.
    Fuck. They’re wary. They must’ve seen our fires. We step forward to just inside the trees.

    “Halt!” Vik calls out, and the other three men raise their weapons. Vik has his shotgun trained on the man in the middle who’s held up his hand to tell his men to stop. Good thing for them too. They were about to step right on a trap. “State your name and purpose here,” Vik commands.
    “I am Corin of the Skeeves,” the man in the middle says, and my mouth drops in shock.

   Vik immediately puts out his hand to stop me from running forward to greet my old best mate, lowering his weapon to the side. My heart breaks with the thought that Corin’s now the enemy.
    I can barely see his eyes as Corin watches us warily. He can’t see us well where we stand in the shadows, if he can see us at all. “And just who might you be?”
    Vik pauses. He doesn’t want to answer his question. “You have no business here, Corin of the Skeeves. Leave our island at once!”

    I blanch at this. There he is! My best mate! And I have to pretend I’m not here. I figured Reck would send a scout or two, but I didn’t expect him to send the last remaining original Skeeve he had.
    Vik puts his finger over his mouth, looking at me, conveying I should remain silent. I understand why, but it’s killing me. If Corin should recognize me, even the sound of my voice, he’ll easily figure out Vik, Zuri, and Amina are here as well.
     Corin cocks his head, listening with his incredible hearing. “First show yourself, and then we’ll decide whether or not we have business here.”
     Fuck. He thinks he’s recognized the voice.
     Asa starts frantically pointing to himself and pantomiming himself walking into view. Vik gives him a curt nod, not liking the idea but realizing it’s our best chance. He hands Asa his shotgun since it’s a more threatening weapon than the metal-tipped spear Asa had.

     Asa steps out and sounds downright terrifying when he mimics Vik’s tone and accent, “Now you see me. You have no business here. Be gone.”
     I can sense Rohan’s unease, and I offer up a quick prayer he’s still the crack-shot he once was. Asa was dragged into this by coincidence. I’ll hate myself if he dies thanks to us.
     Corin smirks. “Who’s with you, boy?”

     A gunshot sounds, and sand at Corin’s feet pushes away, letting everyone know it was merely a warning from Rohan above.
     Asa smiles meanly back at him. “Let’s just say it’s none of your damn business.” He pauses. “And I’d advise you to lower your weapons or my buddy from the sky might not be so generous next time.”
     Corin raises his hands and directs his men to do the same. I don’t recognize the other two. “Fair enough.” He clears his throat. “I’m looking for two men, a woman, and a little girl. Yours is the first sign of civilization we’ve found.”
     “Haven’t seen ’em. They must be somewhere else.” Fuck. He answered too fast. Corin is going to know that was almost rehearsed.
     Corin pretends to relax. “Well, damn. But after a year, it is nice to meet someone new. We’re in need of fresh water and a place to dock our boat for some much-needed repair.”
     “We have no dock, as you can probably see, but I’ll wager you can find a decent dock in the old city. As for water, you can look there as well.”
     Shit. Bad move. The other two men raise their weapons. Ever since eop, it’s been very bad form to deny someone water.

     “You’ll deny your fellow man something so simple as water?”
     I put my head in my hands as I hear Asa reply, “The gods have not deemed you worthy to drink from our well.” Oh great, let’s just bring the gods into this as well.
     One of the other men gets incredibly angry with this. “You son of a bitch. How dare you claim to know the will of the gods!” He aims his shotgun…
     … and gets promptly shot in the thigh. He screams and drops to the ground, holding his leg. Asa also ducks as the other man fires a shot which lands in the sand behind his head. That man gets shot in the chest, dead before he hits the sand.
     I freeze, and Vik snatches my rifle from me before pointing it at my best mate. Corin has also raised his, pointing it into the foliage where Asa disappeared.
     This has to end. “Corin, stop!” I yell and run out from the cover, completely unarmed.

     He sees me and stumbles, his jaw slack. “Orion, you asshole.”
     His conspirator at his feet yells, “Kill him!”
     I hear a voice above me. “I wouldn’t do that, Corin. Not unless you think you’re faster than Hoots.”
     He ignores both of them, instead still speaking to me. “How could you do that to me?” He steps forward and promptly triggers the trap, sending him flying through the air in a net before being slung right into the tree trunk that I had used to prepare it. He’s knocked out cold.
    “You bastards!” his cohort screams, and Vik shoots him in the chest before he can fire his weapon.

    The man Vik shot doesn’t die, even if he’s close to death. Vik missed his heart. The man passed out from pain and blood loss. He’s on a cot in the cellar, being watched over by Rohan and tended to by Sama.

     As for me, I’m sitting in a chair opposite my best mate. He’s slumped over, still out, and tied up. I’m waiting for him to wake up. It doesn’t take him long.

     He moans and tries to raise his head. Quickly, he discovers he’s bound.
     “Stay calm, old man,” I tell him.
     “Fuck,” he moans. “Orion?”
     “The very same.”
     “Water. Please.”
     “Sure,” I tell him. Then I get up, grab the cup of water I brought with me, and hold it to his lips. I do my best to keep it from spilling yet hold it at an angle where the water will come out. He greedily swallows it. “Better?” I put the cup on the box next to me.
     He nods, and I sit down again. Then he spits in my face.
     After my shock wears off, I start laughing. “Good to see ya too.”
     “What the fuck were you thinking?”
     “Well, ye asked for water–” I wipe my face on my shirt.
     “You know what I mean!” He winces from yelling.
     “Ye-ah, probably wanna hold off on the yellin’. Ye knocked yer noggin pretty well out there.” I stand up to double check that the lock has the safety on. It does.
     “What about Lars? And Odin?”

     I smirk. “Lars and Odin? Ya sure ye don’ wanna know ’bout Thor as well? Or maybe Freya?” I laugh.
     “Bollocks, you’re still an ass.” He struggles against his bindings for a moment. “They’re brothers.”
     “Ah. Sorry to hear that. The one who tried to shoot our mate is dead. The other is in the next room, fightin’ for his life.”
     He lets this information sink in. “What the fuck happened with you, mate? One minute you’re beside me and the next, you’ve run off with that siren and her child. I didn’t even know you’d fancied her.”
    “I don’t. Too easy.” I grin, and we both laugh.
    “Then what?”
     I sigh and turn my chair around. It’s time to do my job. “First tell me what yer doin’ runnin’ ’round like yer master’s dog?”

     “I’m following orders.” Then he makes a pathetic attempt at my accent. “Don’ ye KEN what that means?”
     I roll my eyes. “Aye, I do. But why are ye followin’ orders from that monster?”
     “That ‘monster’ was our mate!”
     “‘Til he lost his bloomin’ mind.”
     He calms down, looking down, and I know he agrees with me. “What choice did I have?” Since I don’t answer, he continues, “What CHOICE did I have since you left with nary as much as a ‘by your leave.’ Not even a goodbye! Nothing! A bloody NOTE could’ve been better than nothing, but you didn’t even do that! I even checked fucking tree trunks!”

     “I couldna. Ye know that. Vik and Zuri were runnin’ for their lives.”
     “Well, once they decided to steal his daughter, they were. Zuri at least had nothing to fear.”
     “Amina’s na his.” Fuck Vik telling me to reveal nothing. This is still my best mate I’m speaking to. “Now tell me she had nothin’ to fear once he’d’ve found out about that?”

     That brings him up short. “Not his? Then that means… fuck. Vik.” I let that sink in some. Then he asks for more water.
     “Ya gonna spit in ma face again?”
     “No. Even if I should.”
     I chuckle as I stand then help him drink. He’s starting to perk up some.
     “What I don’t understand,” he says, “is why YOU left. At this point, you’d probably be a fucking general for fuck’s sake.”
     “General to a madman or living compass to a couple an’ child runnin’ for their lives. Which would YOU decide?” I put the cup back down and have a seat in the chair again.
     “You and your bloody morals.”

     I smirk, thinking of Yadira. “Not… quite.”
     He gets quiet, and I let him think, wondering what he’s going to say next. Finally, he speaks again. “I hate him, Orion. He’s declared himself King of the Skeeves and erstwhile Supreme Ruler of the Planet, claiming it’s the will of the gods.”

     “So not MUCH of an ego then, eh?”
     He rolls his eyes at my sarcasm. “Not a shot was fired when we showed up at the Trag’s camp. They surrendered immediately, and one of the terms, as I later found it out to be, was to have the high priestess pronounce his right to rule.” He spits on the floor. “It’s a godsdamned absolute monarchy for fuck’s sake, like we’re back in the bloody dark ages.”
    I ponder for a moment. Dark ages. “Well, what else did ya think history would think of this time we’re in?”

    “I couldn’t give a fuck. The point is, I hate him. I went on this little ‘find the princess’ mission to find YOU. Reck can rot in hell.” He looks me in the eyes. “Untie me, Orion.”
    “I canna do that, even if I want to. Thing is, ye pointed a gun at a member of my new family, an’ Vik doesna trust ye.”
    “Oh, so VIK is your big kahuna around here?”
    I chuckle, wondering how he’d react to the knowledge that our leader is a woman. “Na. He’s just sleeping wiv her.” I laugh at his expression.
    “Zuri?”
    I stand up, not correcting him. “I’ll tell them what ye told me, an’ hopefully, they’ll believe ya.”

    As I walk to the door, he gets my attention again, scooting his chair to face me. “Orion.” I turn to see what else he has to say. His lower lip trembles. “I’ve missed you.”