In Search of Answers

Just below, having run aground, Mira could spot larger chunks of a large ship. It appeared to be the ship’s aft. The remaining two-thirds were missing. But judging from the sheer size of the aft, the entire vessel was possibly the size of a galleon. The railings were carved with swirls in art nouveau and the wood had a distinct, ocher brown color to it. The green sails were torn and shredded by wind. And the aft itself looked intact enough to board, safely wedged between rocky cliffs.

“A ship! That might be it!” she said, her ears twitching in delight.

She bit her lip with wide eyes and hurriedly descended the sandy hills to walk around the spiky rocks, Rhys close behind. They rounded the corner and could look straight into the interior. The ship must have broken in half, then been carried here. The rest of it might have sunk to the ocean floor. Mira felt lucky that they found anything to begin with. From here they could see holes in the hull, large and almost spherical.

“Cannonballs.” Said Rhys, walking over. “So this ship really was engaged in a fight.”

“It seems like it. And the outcome is clear...” She muttered and walked inside the wreck.

Mira saw algae hanging from the torn floors, broken crates and barrels. The interior was full of holes and she found the remains of cannons, some cannonballs and stuffed linen bags. Tatters hung everywhere, remnants of hammocks. Straight ahead was an open doorway with stairs leading up. Mira took in the size of the ship and stepped forward.

“But It makes me wonder…” she muttered, emptying a bag and finding moldy bread rolling out of it. “Am I really the only one who’s washed ashore here?”

Rhys followed inside and peered into some of the crates, quickly joined by Mira. They found a broken compass, a few shipwright’s tools and broken bottles. Nothing intact or of interest here. Mira jutted out her lower lip. Of course, it couldn’t have been that easy.

“This was a big ship, so I doubt it. But they might not have ended up here. It’s a long shore.” Rhys said and followed Mira up the steps.

“I guess you’re right.” She said and brought a hand to her elven ears and ran her other hand across the sodden, salt-logged wood.

“You said elves are uncommon here. I think if more of my kin had washed up, people would talk about it.”

I don’t even remember this place… Is this even the ship I was on? She thought.

She hadn’t thought much about it. But now that she was in this place, where supposedly everything started, the weight of her amnesia was really beginning to catch up to her. Her ears drooped and her eyes narrowed.

I don’t even remember the faces of my family… I’ve got no recollection of anything.


They rounded a corner and climbed another flight of stairs. There was a profound emptiness she felt in her mind, and nothing she did was filling it. Her pointed ears drooped and then she felt a touch on her shoulder and turned her head to look at Rhys.

“Hey. Are you alright?” he asked.

“Oh. It’s nothing. I’ve just… Well…” she glanced to the side and drew her hand across the handrail.

“I just… Haven’t really thought about my lost memories this much. I should feel something being here. But… It’s all quiet. Nothing here sparks anything for me…” She said.

The ship creaked around them, wind whistling through the cannonball holes.

“Well… Here’s hoping our little excursion is helpful for that. If anything, we might find out where this ship came from and where it was headed.” Rhys said and rubbed her shoulder.

This simple gesture brought a small smile to her face and she nodded. His presence was comforting, even when her memories eluded her. They reached the end of the stairs and a doorway opened to the right. From here Mira saw a simple desk, a broken chair, a few cabinets and crates. She walked in and looked around, Rhys following closely behind.

“This should be the captain’s quarter.” He said with a smile and walked in.

Mira’s ears perked up. Maybe they could find something in here after all? She walked up to the cabinet and tried to open it. But she would only try. She pulled and rattled it, but it didn’t budge.

“Mrgh… It’s stuck. Rhys, can you help?” she asked.

“On it.” Rhys came over and pulled on the handle.

With a hefty yank, the cabinet came open. Empty. Nothing inside.

“It was worth a try.” Mira said deflated and moved to one of the crates.

She opened one and found only a few broken bottles and one that was intact. She uncorked it, took a sniff and wrinkled her nose. Alcohol. She put it right where it was before. She was here for answers, not for salvage.

Rhys walked to the main desk and checked in the drawers. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing-

“Paydirt.” He said and pulled out a book.

Mira’s attention snapped to him. A potential hint! She hurried to his side as he opened it.

“Ah… I’ve got excited too early. We’ve got another problem on our hands.” Rhys said and sighed.

He showed the book to Mira. The pages were blotched with ink stains. A good chunk of the text was unreadable. And not only that.

“I can’t read it. I think it’s Elven Script?” he asked and held the book towards her.

“Maybe you can read it?”

“Mhh… I can give it a try, yes.”

 She took the book from him and sat on the table. The pages were blotted with black ink, but she could read the words that weren’t covered.

“Hmm… Yes I can read that. Just uhm… Give me a moment.” She said and drew her finger under the readable text.

“I can’t read the time or date. Hmm. Set sail from… I can’t read the location… Multiple ships… Bound for south.” She said.

“So it was a whole fleet, bound for south. So… this province.” Rhys said, then sat next to her and looked into the book, as if he could read it.

“Okay and… It says something about a siege… They were under attack, maybe?” she said.

 With narrowed eyes she wet a finger, then flipped the page. All black with ink. She flipped another, then another. Then readable text again.

“Ah, an update. A routine check, they secured the cargo a week after setting sail.”

“Does it say anything about what the cargo is?”

“Give me a moment…” she said and flipped another few pages.

“…It says something about an egg… Refugees and they were bringing both to…”

She narrowed her eyebrows, flipping more pages. The lack of actual long, readable text was driving her mad. Then her fingers stopped at one word.

“…Laotaan?” she asked and looked up at Rhys.

“Hmm…” Rhys said and crossed his arms, then brought a hand up to massage his temples. He looked at the book, as if trying to make sense of it.

“Okay… So this ship is one of many. They had refugees on board and were fleeing from an attack… But also had an egg as cargo? Why an egg? What kind of egg?” he asked.

“I don’t know but…” Mira said and looked up and out of the doorway behind them.

“Whatever it was, it’s not here… Or not transported with this ship.” she said.

She looked at the book once again and then closed it, stashing it away in her bag. It was a lot of information to take in and she had plenty of questions still. But she had gained some answers. Maybe she was a refugee? Or meant to guard the cargo? Either could be the case.

But what were we fleeing from? A siege, yes. But what we besieged by? Does it have to do with the cargo? What kind of egg are we talking about? And if so… Where is it now? She thought.

“If I had to guess, this ship was attacked by the Red Feathers. That means, whatever cargo was on this ship, is either at the bottom of the ocean…” Rhys said and his features darkened. He paused. And then continued. “Or in Hullbreak.”

“Hullbreak?” Mira asked. Rhys’ mouth turned into a flat line and he exhaled.

“It’s a… city, roughly two days of travel by carriage. A lot of pirate crews use it as a safe harbor. It’s… Not quite a stronghold of pirates, but a shady place where all sorts of sailors meet. It’s not a nice place to be.”

“Does the shoreline reach all the way there?” Mira asked, straightening up.

“It does, yes.” Rhys said and raised his brows.

“Wouldn’t it be possible that survivors made it there?”

“It wouldn’t be great… But it’s not impossible.” Rhys said while rubbing his chin. Knowingly or not, he had lit a spark in her. This was great news to her!

“Then that’s a lead!” Mira said and hopped off the table.

Rhys’s brows furrowed with concern right away.

“Mira, I don’t think you get it. Hullbreak is not a good place to be.”

“But it’s a lead, isn’t it?”

“It might be, yes, but I really have to ask you to reconsider…” Rhys said firmly.

Mira turned to face him fully and opened her mouth to speak. But no words came out. Her shoulders slumped and she looked out through the broken hull, towards the sea.

“This shipwreck didn’t show me anything about my past self… Whatever this city is, it’s my only clue. My only lead.” She said quietly but insistent.

“I know that. But Hullbreak is a dangerous place for outsiders. Pirate crews and privateers fight on open streets and people get caught in the crossfire. It’s not worth it.”

Mira locked her eyes with him, her brows furrowing. Then she slumped her shoulders, lowered her head and exhaled out, deflated.

“That is easy for you to say…” Mira muttered and brushed some of her lavender hair aside and narrowed her eyes.

She knew almost nothing. Her name, magic, and other fragments. But nothing about the world or her past. Rhys knew this world. He knew better than an amnesiac fumbling in the dark. And yet, she could not agree with him. This felt like an opportunity she couldn’t allow to pass up on. A moment of silence ensued. The waves whipped against the shipwreck’s hull and the seagulls cried above. Rhys looked her in the eyes and pocketed his hands.

“At least sleep a night over it. The sun is setting soon.” He said.

“Mhm…” Mira muttered.

She watched the setting sun outside. Hesitantly at first, she left the ship with him in silence. They wandered back to the road they came from. She felt conflicted. His words and warning were warring with her want for answers. She felt so unbelievably close to finding out more about herself and where she came from. Now being told that she shouldn’t seek this place out was nothing short of demoralizing to her.

Maybe he’s right… I should sleep a night over it. Tomorrow I can gather more information. She thought and followed him.

The calm evening breeze accompanied them on their trek back and they soon arrived back on the wooden bridge that crossed the chasm. Mira’s eyes were on the horizon, aimed towards the setting sun. The entire world was bathed in its evening glow and Mira couldn’t help herself but smile. The view, at least for now, made some of her worries melt away.

It was the overall picture of it; how the waves rolled against the beach, how the palms waved with the wind and how the seagulls sailed in the sky above. It was a picture of such serenity and calm, that at least for the moment, she forgot her conflicting feelings.

“It’s beautiful…” she said with a soft smile.

“It is, yes. If you stick around town, you’ll get to see it more often.” Rhys said with a smile and watched the setting sun with her.

“I’m sure gramps wouldn’t say a word if you stayed another night.” Rhys said and walked onto the bridge with her.

“Are you sure? I don’t have a lot of money left. Maybe… I should have haggled with Velvet a bit more?” she rubbed her cheek and let her eyes settle on Rhys at her side.

“If you want to, you could help us out tomorrow. We’re running another delivery.” Rhys offered with a smile and Mira nodded.

“Yes of course! I can do that.” She chimed in. “You helped me, I help you. I think that’s f-“ she was interrupted.

Her ears perked up as she picked up a chittering from below.

“Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Rhys said, his eyes wide and looking down.

Mira recalled it. She heard that chittering before, when they first passed the bridge. Now it was louder. More insistent, more intense.

“It sounds l-“ she could not finish her sentence.

A board cracked open, shot up into the air. A thick purple stinger jutted through the wood. Rhys’ eyes widened and Mira gasped.

“Mira, watch out!” he called out.

Mira stumbled forward, her foot catching beneath the floorboards again in her panic.

“Rhys, what is that?!” she called out.

Another board broke. Another. The chittering grew louder, a growl added to it. Rhys rushed towards Mira, held out his hand for her to grab.

“I’ve got you!” he called, his fingers touching hers.

Mira’s eyes widened and she took his hand. Then the board behind her shattered. The one before her. Then underneath her. Time slowed to a crawl. Their fingers had touched briefly. Now they were apart. The distance between them grew. Rhys rushed to bridge the distance but it was too late. With a scream Mira plunged into the dark below.

“Mira!!!”