Avast Me Hearties

[Caira Ayryn]

It was in the shadows, yes, the darkest corners of the room where Caira saw the man sitting at the corner seat, the dim light tricked her eyes as they sparkled over for a closer look. The knight took another sip lining her lip with a layer of frothy white; her eyes caught on her reflection just fast enough for her to sweep her tongue over the cool layer and smile embarrassedly at herself.

“Excuse me miss,” the bartender was exchanging the dirty cloth for a clean one as Caira asked, “Is that... Gary over there? With the hat?” she made an indication of who she meant by the subtle articulation of her eyes.

“Hm? What business do you have with him?” Caira paused, growing nervous but it was a simple question.

“I just uh, have a question to ask him.”

“Well, if I were you, I’d find someone else to ask, lady,” the bartender sauntered off, having been called for another round of ale by Jeremy.

It’s now or never, her violet eyes looked down as she stood, silently contemplating the dynamics of the approach. Thud, thud. Had those been her footsteps, or was that her heart? Another sweep of the room, the man with the large sword was on his way out, while there was another man sitting to Gary’s right, lying to the very woman he was trying to seduce. The soft flicker of his heart gave it away, and the woman was eating up his lies. Caira could’ve scowled, could have gone over and changed the course of their night, but that was not her fight.

Finally she had traversed the room, Gary’s table was small and he was perched in the eagle’s nest. Still, the darkness had clumped together so she could barely see his form, she extended her senses as her thighs brushed the edge of the wooden table. Wait a minute, there’s no heartbeat- There was a click next to her head.

Caira froze while the clouds of shadow disappeared from underneath the hat. The darkness had taken a very human-like shape, and even was so tangible, it held the hat in place above them. Now, the hat clattered to the empty seat and Caira’s eyes could only turn to their blurred edges as she felt the cold press of an iron barrel on her temple. Eyes and heads from all around the bar turned, each wondering if there would be gore splattering on the floor.

“Who are you? And what do you want with Gary?” Caira gulped as the gruff voice sizzled against her ears. Heart pounding, blood rushing. A second and she could be dead. No.

“A few questions. Nothing more, nothing less.” she played it cool, meanwhile her insides were wrenching with panic.

“You’re not an assassin? Dressed in all black, your hair lookin’ real nice, while your clothes are ripped just enough to reveal the sleekness of your skin? Assassins know that appearance is a big part in the game you know, hunting and well, catching their prey using the subtlest movements of their bodies for bait.” Uh, did he just call her, a knight of Camelot, a whore?

“You sound informed sir, however I promise you that is not why I am here for. Also, regarding my clothes, I simply have not had the time to fix them, I just got back from a very important mission.” her tone was neutral, she sensed something was off, and special, about Gary. He could control shadows, and he had known she was onto him the second she had entered the bar, confirmed, perhaps, by his fine ears, which had overheard her question to the bartender.

“I read your lips,” he said as though reading her stream of thought, “Now what could you possibly what with Gary? I warn you pretty little lady, this gun is cocked, one in the chamber, five others ready to fire after. I see you’re a Prime, and you appear to be speaking some form of truth, but that’s not good enough. Tell me, or I’ll fire.”

“You play a dangerous game, Gary, what do you have to be so paranoid about?” she felt his hand clench, “If you lower the gun, I’ll look into your eyes and tell you with honor, but I will not tell someone holding me hostage while he hides behind the cold steel of a gun.”

His head tilted, she had been direct, and he seemed to like it. “Kay little lady, take a seat. But know, I don’t need my pistol to end your life. Dying must not be comfortable, I reckon, even for a Prime. Each time seems like an unforgettable experience.”

He was hardcore, threats in every line of every word he spoke, right down to the demeaning words identifying her appearance. She took a seat, meanwhile, a man with sable hair and a large sword was gripping the edge of a chair, nearly breaking it as he watched the surreal confrontation between that girl, and the middle-aged man adorned with gray hair and a scar over his right eye.

“Thanks, now, down to business I take it,” she placed her half-full milk in front of her and used her violet eyes to hold Gary in place. As for his attire, it was rather nice, he had a long brown coat and a faded collared shirt, one he had not changed recently, which she could tell from both the dirt sticking to the accumulated oil and filth. “Hello then, I know you’re Gary, clever trick with that hat, you seem a little jumpy,” she observed, “But I won’t let it bother me, sometimes I have that effect on people.”

“You’ve been through a lot of pain here, I can see it in your eyes, Miss Ayryn. Introductions aren’t necessary, I know your name, and you know mine.” This exchange, so far, was unpleasant.

“Alright then, what do you know about an astronomer being here in this verse?” Gary immediately stood up, the squeal of his bar stool echoed throughout the room, catching everyone’s attention much faster than the soft cock of his bullet had at their initial meeting.

“Out.” he commanded in his darkest tone yet.

“But I-” he was her only lead. She doubted if there would be another one. She needed him.

“OUT!” he shouted, enraged and willing to make a scene.

“No.” She declared, each had stood up, their shoulders squared to each other as though ready to duel to the death. Caira partly waited for the shiny gleam of his pistol to come out in an instant to deliver it, but it never did come. He slipped her a note that no eyes, not even her own, could have seen... Other than Zack Fair’s.

In her hand, she felt the heaviness of the importance in the note. Smoldering on her back, she felt the layers of eyes boring down on her. And as she looked at him, he offered a wink. One she was meant to trust. Inside, Caira felt her anger soar. He could fly out the back door if he wanted to! He could escape in a puff of smoke and never return to this ole German bar. But she was supposed to trust him, because he slipped her a note she couldn’t yet read? It could’ve said ‘Screw you, hot stuff!’ or be completely empty.

The bar had lulled to a silence where no one dared to breathe, even Gary was intrigued by the standoff, the girl had more guts than he’d given her credit for. What struck him most was the genuine truth of most of her words. Now, she was holding her ground. He liked this girl. But she had to go, far away from the prying eyes of spies, and that boy dressed in black with the massive sword strapped to his back, “Out, I’ve been comin’ to this place here for ten years, I won’t be harangued by the likes of you, missy.” Gary declared, though not entirely meaning it, “Scram. Or I’ll have to shoot ya.”

Hopefully she hadn’t been blinking when he winked at her, because she sold this next part better than an infomercial. “Tch, Damn you! I can’t even grab a drink in this freakin’ bar without your sorry ass kicking me out?” coins splattered the table -albeit neatly for the blonde bartender- and Caira stormed off, a well-declared huff in every step, as well as sealed by a convincing slam of the wooden door.

The crisp night air brushed her nose immediately. It was dark. So dark. Street lamps had not been placed on the corners of either of the surrounding streets, but she took nearly no time at all to unravel the crumpled paper. Her steps halted, eyes strained, and scrawled in some messy writing was, “Meet me at the pier in one hour.”

Well no need for mystery then, she scoffed and put the note away. The pier and the shoreline were in the opposite direction. Turning around, she spun into the man with sable hair, black down to his boots, just like her, and a human-sized sword against his back. Caira was so caught up, she let the shock show on her face, making one of the most comical expressions Zack had ever seen. Immediately, he laughed, and with it, her worries washed away.

“Ha-ha, I didn’t mean to startle ya,” he said after catching his breath, on his lips, still a golden smile, and a look of concern in his eyes, “I just followed you out to ask what that was all about?”

Caira’s face suddenly became very stoic. She couldn’t very well tell him about the meeting in an hour, and she couldn’t tell him about the star piece, the guild had nearly forbidden it. Out with the truth then Caira, or are you going to lie to this poor boy’s face? Instead of saying the classic, ever-confounding ‘nothing’ she decided to go with,“I uh, can’t tell you.”

“What? Aww come on, don’t make me go and ask that guy. If he threw you out of the bar, imagine what he’d do to a guy like me!” his hands moved up in a gesture as he directed the attention onto himself.

Her eyes fell to the ground while she felt the soft curve of a grin on her face, “Yes, I’d be digging your grave if I let you back in there with the likes of him,” she agreed, “But I still can’t tell you, you could be working with the enemy.”

“Whoa, whoa, that sounds like some pretty deep stuff you’re in,” Zack said, he couldn’t think of much else to say that wouldn’t be considered rudely prying, so he just kind of stood there expectantly, waiting for her confidence.

Her eyebrows raised, “Well?” she asked, “I’m sure you’ve got better things to do than ask me about my missions.”

She had started to walk. “Sorry uh, miss, I really don’t.” He had an innocent smile, while his thoughts contemplated what implications the single word ‘mission’ had added to the purpose of her encounter with the man with the hat.

To her disbelief, her feet had stopped and she was looking back at him. The silence of the night hung in the air, while the buildings towered around them taller than trees, secluding them to the single passage of his disappearing up the street or following her down. Cobblestones below their feet added a certain taste to the setting. Caira looked up at him, he was tall, strong, and handsome, and she detected honest curiosity in him. But did she really want to get him involved? There were worse things than death in the Omniverse, and she had witnessed them first hand.

Zack looked down at her, the street was dark, but for all the darkness, the glossy blackness of her hair seemed to absorb it and contrast the silver hue of her face so he could see the slight adjustments her brows made as each thought came and went in her mind. She was tall, strong, and beautiful, and she had many secrets behind those violet eyes. He wanted to know her. Even if it was just her name. He wanted to know what type of person, what type of mission, creates such a spin out at a bar like that. Scratch that, it was not longer a desire. He needed to know. Earnest determination rippled beyond the depths of his expression. The ball was in her court, but to help convince her, without directly pressuring her, was the kindly introduction of, “My name’s Zack.”

The knight blinked as she looked at the man, he was persistent, but she sensed he would be willing to leave her alone, if that was what she truly wanted. But now the question thrilled her mind, was it what she wanted? And did she want to do this alone? By the looks of it, now, she may not have to. But, by telling him, she would endanger his life. “You could die, or worse, Zack. I don’t want any blood on my hands.”

“Sounds to me like you could die, working alone like this, that man held a pistol to your head, what would you have done if he had pulled the trigger?” What was that, concern in the black-haired man’s voice? Though, had it been the other way around, she was sure she would’ve felt the same.

“I’m willing,” she merely said, partly hoping he would go, the other half, hoping he’d stay.

“Now, what cause would have a woman like you so devoted, she’d die for it? Especially when you can’t say what?” Zack prompted.

She was silent for a moment. It drew out into the night, until she broke herself out of it, realizing what he was doing, she merely said, “I have to go.”

Ouch. Zack winced in the cover of darkness, and everything had gone so well up to this moment! He felt his jaw hang limp, and a frown form as she turned away, there was nothing he could do to change her mind. Nothing, she was already walking away. Except then, he heard the last of her sentence, “Come with me if you like. But right now, I have to go, or I won’t make it in time.”

Oh, so it was like that. Zack tapped his chest to see if his heart was still beating. She actually had somewhere to be, this didn’t count as rejection, right? He felt the excitement bubble up in him as he matched her swift pace down the slope of the city streets, as he caught up with her, he asked, “So what’s your name?”

The girl frowned almost immediately, in the violet shades of her eyes he saw an under layer of pain, “I can’t tell you that either. I’m known as Ayryn in most parts... So I guess you can call me that. Names are powerful things and can be used against you if you encounter the wrong person.”

He wondered what she meant by that, and was about to ask where they were going, but she extended the piece of paper to him, not ceasing her stride. “From Gary.”

Zack read it and nodded. “So that was just a show then?”

“Oh no, I’m sure he would’ve had no problem pulling the trigger at the beginning, but I think I appealed to his nature at the end. He’s a dangerous man, that’s for sure. Martha told me he can’t get drunk, so why does he spend his whole day at a bar? Seems counter-productive to me,” the girl mused innocently.

Zack felt the surge of his own irony bubble up in me, he had to laugh, not cruelly, but it was as though she was saying ‘seems counter-productive’ aimed right at him. “Well, I don’t know who Martha is, but for some people, it’s their idea of a vacation.”

The knight looked over at him with a very calm expression, “Martha owns a delightful flower shop on the other side of town. Does that mean you're on vacation? Also, you have some soot on your right cheek.”

Did she just say flowers? Soot? On my cheek? The heat rose in him, the soot on his cheek hid the red color that stained his skin. “Oh ah,” he took his glove and wiped it off, “There, is it gone?” he turned to her, on his face still lit with an embarrassed smile.

She nodded, wondering how someone could lie over that. His heart had started racing, indicating a lie, but he’d asked a question. Humans were strange but that was something she would always ponder, while he answered, still a tad nervously, “Yeah, I came here for a little rest and relaxation but it never lasts very long.”

“I’m sorry,” her chin dipped into something that resembled a pout, and offered, “You can still turn back you know.”

“You kidding? I’m here for the long haul, can’t even tell me your name? You’ve got me hooked.” he said as they passed by a fishing shop with, you guessed it, a huge hook for a sign. Ayryn forgot her troubles the second she saw it, and Zack made a hooked gesture with his finger.

“This encounter’s important, he’s my only lead,” she said after the silly moment passed, and seriousness fell between the lines of darkness. “If I don’t get some answers, I’ll be letting down a lot of good people. As well as endangering the entire Omniverse.”


“Sounds like a heavy burden,” Zack remarked thoughtfully, but really he thought the name Ayryn was too dark for this girl, who had smiled at his goofy pun. “What’s it all about, anyway? What answers can this guy tell you that you can’t hear anywhere else?”

“Gary!” Caira gasped as her foot clunked against the wood of the pier, and he held a gun, this time, at Zack.

“Move and I fire, miss.” he warned, fear thrilled her eyes while Gary looked down the barrel of his revolver.

“Don’t do this, Gary, this is Zack, he’s-”

“A spy, sent here probably to kill you. Takes a Prime to kill a Prime.” Gary was so certain. It didn't help that Gary associated the color black with death.

“Wait Gary, he won’t kill me, if anything, you will,” Caira stepped in front of Zack before he realized she was putting her body before the bullet and the gunslinger hesitated. A test.

Gary didn't fire.

“He’s no spy.” she declared, her words harder than the well-forged steel of his pistol. It was hard to argue with that, if he was a spy, she would’ve died for him and for nothing.

Gary tilted his head, “You’re blind, little lady. But so be it.”

It was safely caged in his holster, facing toward the ground, Zack could’ve ran at him and socked him in the face. He’d been stuck on the sidelines, looking at the back of this girl’s head, was that how he wanted to die? Her to die?

“On the contrary, my eyes see the truth.” Caira stepped closer, which made it seem like she was chancing it.

“Do they now?” he challenged. “Well, you’ve got a few minutes with me, try not to waste them. You understand why I had you come down here, don’t you?”

“More reasons than one,” she stated, quick on the uptake, “The first reason, is that you had no intention of being overheard, nor did you want anyone to know this encounter took place.”

Gary nodded, “The second?”

“You’re going to take me on a boat, your boat, to meet the astronomer.”

Gary’s lips grew into a broadened smile, “I like you, girl. But you think I’m going to take you to meet him on a whim, you’re mistaken.”

“What do I have to do?” she asked, and he noted that she had no weapons in her hands. Meanwhile, the paranoid man had many accessible from his immediate reach.

Zack remained silent, after-all, what could he say when he could barely catch what was going on? What was this all about, this girl was willing to die to meet an astronomer? Everything seemed a little too far-fetched. Meanwhile, this Gary character didn’t seem to want to take any chances on the wrong sort of people.

“Not you, dear, him.” the man’s eyes fell on Zack, “Your judgement should be enough to tell me if you are worth my time. If he proves me wrong, you get a free boat ride. En-route to the man you think you want to meet. If he proves you wrong, you will get no more information out of me, you will have let me down, and I might even kill this man who stands before me. Oh, worry not, he’s a Prime too, can’t ya tell?”

“It doesn’t involve him-” she protested.

“Oh, but it does,” Gary replied sardonically.

“But-” she whimpered.

"I need to know if you're the type of girl to be easily fooled by an attractive man's smile, where his intentions could be darker than his heart." Gary's tone was final.


“I’ll do it.” Zack stepped past her, ready and wielding the courage to face anything, especially after seeing the display of loyalty and compassion she had for a near-stranger.

“You could die,” Caira stated, hoping he would back down, but Zack turned and placed a hand on her shoulder, looking certain, “I’ll be fine. After all, I don’t have any ulterior motives, right?”

He smiled as the weight of his hand vanished as soon as it had come. The prime strolled up the rest of the boardwalk, leaving the shore behind and going closer out into the middle of the rippling sea. Gary looked at him, as though Zack were a skimpy piece of meat, “It means nothing to me that you have accepted this challenge, boy. It merely means you’re a spy or assassin devoted to his cause. The girl is more important to me, I won’t hesitate to shoot you down when you fail. You know nothing. And when I kill you, you’ll at least have the sense to know you chose the wrong person to kill.”

Zack didn’t like Gary. He wasn’t very pleasant, always held up a gun when he was scared, and there was little room for fun. “Kill her? I’m not a spy!” he spoke exasperatedly. What reason would he have to do that? but he was reminded of the shadows around her name [i]”I can’t tell you.[i]” she’d said. Tch. These sure were dark waters he was now swimming in. But she had warned him. And now he was in front of this scary, crazy man, with a loaded gun in his holster. Worse yet, he didn’t know what this mysterious challenge would even be.

The ex-SOLDIER stood tall against the harsh brush of wind, carrying a chill that drove into his bones as he waited. “Ah-ah, stay back girlie, I don’t want to, but I’ll shoot you too.” Behind him, Caira had edged closer, her intentions it seemed to Gary, were to aid Zack. “You ready, sonny?”

Zack’s eyes narrowed and his teeth grated together as the swarm of black encompassed him. Shadows spewed out from around Gary like that of an oncoming storm. It was night, and there was a little sliver of a moon high in the sky, just enough to reveal to Caira of the horrors to come. She shrieked, “No!” as she saw what lay below the shadows, the terror they carried, but was helpless. Again at gunpoint, she did not move.

Each prime remained standing, though Zack appeared to be eaten alive by the darkness. At first, he felt nothing, but then, all at once, emotions and senses clashed together so he could not tell them apart. Fear, terror, rage, destruction, pain. It all burned within him, everything negative, everything that could possibly be evil and wrong, all his regrets swelled to the sizes of mountains and felt like they were stabbing at his skin from the inside. All the unfinished memories played out in his mind, ending with tragedy and devastation.

The ex-SOLDIER could no longer feel his physical body, nor could he tell when he fell to his knees. He heard the faint sound of the girl’s voice yelling, “Stop it, you’re killing him!”