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Chapter One: A familiar situation

My body ached all over, the ship was all a blur, I remembered shouting, figures storming the decks, then the cold embrace of the sea. All I knew was that I was not dead. No visions this time, just the dull ache all over my body and the warm comfort of the sun. My ears throbbed with the sound of waves breaking over sand, my mouth tasted of blood and sea water. I faded in and out of consciousness, dragging myself up to my feet, only to take two steps and collapse again, over and over, until I was just crawling along the sand.

I woke to find myself not on the beach, but in the shade of a tent, I had no idea how far I had dragged myself, but I had given out eventually. The aching had subsided, I could smell something being cooked nearby, the fire crackling softly. With a groan I sat up, clutching my head, my vision blurry.

"Easy now Kin, don't move to quickly, you'll make yourself sick" A voice said softly. I felt sick to the stomach already. Whoever was in the tent with me was clearly a Vermian like myself, and from the smell of things and tone of voice, it was a female.

"Where am I"? I asked with a groan. My stomach felt as if it was twisting about itself. I could feel bile stinging the back of my throat.

"Ashwood Cape, now hold still, you've a bad gash on your jaw." The voice replied. As I felt a damp cloth pressed against my face, washing away the dried blood and sand that still stubbornly clung to my scales. I was not familiar with the name, surely I could not have drifted to far though.

"Where's that"? I asked. Wincing at her touch, a dull stinging pain shooting through my jaw and cheek.

"Mirodel highlands." She said. At once the sick feeling in my gut disappeared as did the pain in my jaw and leg. Mirodel, I could be anywhere along its eastern coast. I panicked. Fear stinging at my mind, as I lost myself in thought. The plan had been to simply paddle back down the coast. I had not looked at the map much, a few quick peeks, but even though I could read, it was still gibberish to me. Nether Bastille nor Master Virgil had taught me much on the subject. How far was I from the Claw Keep exactly? With a pained grimace I forced myself up, pain shooting through my leg. I bared my teeth and fought through it.

"I have to get back..." I doubled over, my stomach churning, bile and vomit flushing out of my jaws. I swayed, feeling dizzy, aching, I had to get back. I took a single step forward and everything went black.

A beam of sunlight flickered across my face. With a groan I rolled onto my side, I still felt sick. My jaw ached, and I felt stiff all over. Opening my eyes and blinking a few times to clear the sleep. I found the features of the tent I lay in becoming sharper. It was less like a tent more like a hutch, wicker walls, woven tightly, the outside probably layered with canvas or furs. The inside layered thinly with baked clay. I knew instantly, I had seen similar hutches back in Aldoran. Gods, had I been captured by pirates? Slavers? I panicked again, rolling onto my gut and forcing myself up steadily this time. My leg was bandaged and in a splint, I was naked, I felt dehydrated, hungry, and just sore all over. I should be used to it by now with how often it seemed to happen.

There was a buzzing in my ears, chatter and traffic outside, voices and familiar noises all joining the constant sound of the sea. I looked around the hutch I was in, spotting dried herbs, a censor, hammocks, a rack with tribal looking clothes hung on it, a small central fire pit, with a pot atop it, from which a pleasant and penetrating aroma wafted. There was another scent to, something so familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. With a wince I hobbled my way to the entrance, took a deep breath and stuck my head out into the sunlight.

I had been expecting pirates, slavers, or bandit's maybe. What I saw surprised me. Vermian. Dozens of them, a whole village. Then it hit me, Ashwood Cape. I had read about it in one of Master Virgil's books, it was a sovereign colony. Not part of Mayoran, not under rule of the Naga. I stared in disbelief, looking left and right with a slack, and aching jaw. Then my gaze turned skyward, and my jaw slackened further as my gaze went up, and up. The Cliffside was enormous, as was the mountain that sat atop it. It just kept going and going, till it disappeared in fog and clouds. Strong crisp greens broke against faded Stoney blacks, there were mountains everywhere.

"Baka! Zet uzei rei 'z unaku!" Someone barked loudly. My ears swivelled about, locating who was calling out. I still did not know much Burakian, but I did understand a word or two, 'Uzei' was Burakian for 'blue' and 'Rei' meant one. I turned, spotting a coppery looking fellow pointing at me, and another, ivory coloured Vermian jogging in my direction. I pulled my head back into the Hutch, and waited for the ivory coloured one to slip inside.

Before I could get a single word out, she took my jaw gingerly in her hands and began inspecting me.

"Tsk, Kin, you should be resting, you're injuries will not heal otherwise." She said. I recognized her voice as the one from before, and my guess was her name was Baka. I blinked a few times, wincing as she touched my jaw.

"Please, I can't stay here, I need to go." I protested. She was having none of it, and gave me a very stern gaze as she began to unwrap the bandages on my jaw and neck.

"You may go when you heal. Now lay down." I wanted to protest but I did not. I hobbled back over to the raised bedroll of furs and straw and laid out on my side. I watched as she moved to pluck some of her dried herbs, crushing them in her hands, scraping the dust into a mortar filled with some sort of thick sticky looking material.

"I thought you'd be more stubborn. Outsiders often are." She said. Kneeling next to me, taking a palm full of the mixture and rub it into my neck. I grit my teeth, wincing in pain, it stung, but I said nothing. I let her work, coating one side of my neck in the stuff, before wrapping it up in a leaf bandage then moving to my lower jaw. I couldn't help by lick some of the stuff off my scales, it did not taste too bad, it was rather sweet in fact, but had a bitter after taste.

"My injuries. Are they bad? '' I asked. Watching her work, taking in her features. She was pretty ordinary, ivory white hide, pale skin, pinkish red eyes, slender figure. Clad in a mix of what looked like salvaged brigadier clothing, and tribal gowns made of leather and fish scale. Various necklaces and other jewellery made of bone, feathers, bright flowers.

"Mild lacerations to your leg, broken bone, fractured jaw, deep cuts on the neck. I've treated worse." She said plainly. Clearly she was a healer of some sort so I was not about to argue with her. Hearing that I had a broken leg, and fractured jaw did make me rather concerned though.

"How long until I'm healed"? I asked after another pause. Baka did not respond, instead focusing on my injuries. So I laid there, letting my mind wander. I thought of how odd it was that I found myself almost drowned yet again. All my training, what I've been through, the Shade, the long trek across land, all of that. Yet still, I did not know how to fucking swim. Silently as I laid there, I vowed to myself, I was going to learn how to swim before I ever set foot on an island or boat again.

"There. If you rest you shall heal quickly, understood"? Baka said. Steeping away to wash her hands in a wide wooden bowl. With a groan, I sat up and gingerly touched the bandaging on my neck.

"Where are my belongings? Tell me they we not lost to the sea..." I asked. I watched her shake her head, and point upward, my gaze following to a small span of netting that hung from the canopy of the hutch.

"Our fishermen saved what they could, but you had little on you." She replied. Turning to me with a smile. Before I could even ask about Tahl's gift.

"You're Mantle is safe, kin, I thought it was of great worth to you, so I made sure it was treated as such." she continued. Her words put me at ease, a long breath escaping me as I relaxed. I would not know what to do if I ever lost it. With a stiff groan I let my head dip down as I hung my arms over my knees.

"So, shall I continue to call you Uzei rei, or do you have a name, kin"? Baka said with a pleasant smile. Standing there before me, sponge and bowl of water in hand. I looked back up at her for a moment, thinking quietly to myself. Before I returned her smile as best I could with my aching jaw.

"Kaiber, Kaiber Clement." I said. Baka gave me an interesting look as I dipped my head down again, as the sponge hit the back of my ears and head, the water was warm, it felt good, and I smelt the subtle twang of soap.

"So, you are a made one then." She stated. I nodded.

"We shall have to give you a proper name then." She added. It made me think, my name, it was all I had left of who I was. A little boy at the mercy of cruelty and carelessness. Human. It was all that was left of my previous life, my past, a past I made adamant to learn from, but never repeat. To never be victim to ever again.

But was I ready to give up my name?