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Chapter 36: Trial of the Seahorse
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The Black Hellblade Chapter 37: Fire and Water
Scindo slammed his lance to the dirt, and a geyser of sparkling water shot up in front of him. For a second, wind billowed in every direction as the vortex of white fire collided against the geyser until, finally, the two both dissipated. Scindo grinned for only a second before he raised the shaft of his lance horizontally by his chest, blocking the swing of Ronan's sword. Then, the two took off in a flurry of footwork that stomped the bushy grass beneath them flat. Scindo thrusted both blunt edges of his lance at Ronan, twirling his staff left and right. Ronan positioned himself sideways in a fencing stance he'd learned from Maritza at The Temple of the Butterfly. He kept his swordhand outright to hold Scindo at bay, and Ronan hacked away each of Scindo's attacks. Scindo taunted Ronan and said, "That Mark of the Butterfly keeps you moving quickly, huh?"Smoke from Ronan's markings plumed in Scindo's face, and Ronan's pace quickened. The sound of wood thudding against metal rang t
The Black Hellblade Chapter 38: A Temple Built on Honor
In the wake of Ronan and Scindo's clash, the soft wind blew calmly on the grassy hills. Day had begun to break, but as the group traveled on towards The Temple of the Seahorse, they could still hear the festive cheers and praise ringing out from within the stone walls. Ike nudged Clove and gave her a soft smile. "And I thought the Butterflies knew how to throw a good party," he said. The morning sun that was the same color of rust on an ancient blade had begun to edge over the night's dark clouds, and the lighting made the smirk Clove returned to Ike exceptionally beautiful. She grabbed his hand, knowing that the two of them together would give each other the strength to tackle whatever awaited them ahead. Maritza had made a timid attempt for Ronan's hand too, though she didn't quite make it in time. Ronan took a sip of the rum Scindo had handed him, and Maritza's hand fell flat by her thigh, making her feel all the more lonely and isolated. The one thing that set her apa
The Black Hellblade Chapter 39: The End of an Old Life
Morning had come but the celebrations didn't end. After Ronan and his friends had received more seafood than they could possibly eat, the four were led outside by Ilia. She took them down a path coated in seashells as rough as cobblestone, and down towards the beaches at the end of the cliffside. Ike and Clove were wobbling from the rum, and clinging onto each and laughing. Ronan and Maritza hadn't had as much to drink, and when bottles were passed to them, they mostly only held onto them for show. The two felt something toxic surging in the air, and knew they would need their wits about them. But, in a silent agreement, they both also knew that after all their treacherous traveling, they were in much need of rest.Besides, once Illia had gotten the Seahorses riled up on the topic of Black Blade revenge, she had shut the discussion down just as fast as she'd brought it up."Today," she said over and over again, "is a day to forget all our troubles and enjoy ourselves. Without s
The Black Hellblade Chapter 40: The Black Sand
Water pooled in the sand by Ronan's feet as he held the Hellblade outward. The bright pink sun glimmered on the clear ocean, making the sludge creeping onto shore appear all the murkier and more disgusting. Ronan expected his sword to pulse in his hand, and for his veins to go black, but nothing happened. He stood for a moment confused and with his sword drawn. A brief breeze nipped at him between his legs, reminding him of his nakedness. Scindo and Illia broke out into a fit of laughter."Easy there, Black Serpent!" Scindo called out. "Observe that black sand a bit closer, won't you?"Illia wiped a tear from her amber eye and said, "I think he's been a little too busy observing The Black Butterfly."Ronan had jumped from the spring while he and Maritza were enjoying each other's close quarters company, and he was very much displaying his passion for Maritza outright. Maritza blushed and slid deeper into the water, hiding everything but her eyes, ears, and curly blonde hair. S
The Black Hellblade Chapter 41: Taming the Water
Illia thumped the blunt end of her steel lance to the smooth floor of the floating stone. Her Seahorse magic kept the stone floating like a raft on the seawater, and it teetered violently as the waves slapped each edge. Above her, a wicked storm raged. Lightning flashed and thunder cracked. "If you can't control the water," Illia shouted as harsh waves whipped against the floating stone platform, drenching her boots in water, "then the water will kill you." A bolt of lightning struck the water far in the distance, and the thunder that followed it was louder than the pelting rain, and enough to make Ronan stand straight and focused. In the three months that they'd been training at the Temple of the Seahorse, he and Ike had really excelled. The two of them planted their feet and held their hands outwards. From the hole in Ike's buccaneering breeches and on Ronan's forearm, their Mark of the Seahorses billowed smoke, and Ronan and Ike calmed the waves heading towards the stone platf
The Black Hellblade Chapter 42: Submerged
The clear sea water was pitch black from the night's raging storm, and he could only briefly see whenever lightning struck.Then, several little yellow glowing seahorses swam past Ronan. They glittered and glowed near a crimson coral reef, and there Ronan saw Maritza, tangled in thick vines of kelp. He swam further below and towards the seahorses, who all started squeaking and trying to pull the kelp away from Martiza. A flash of lightning and a whip of thunder frightened the tiny seahorses away, and Ronan was left once more in the dark. He stuck his hand out and felt Martiza's arm, then tugged and yanked and pulled. He was running out of air, and he felt his lungs start to ache. Finally, he tore Maritza free. The tips of long kelp leaves itched at Ronan's chest and legs as he pulled Maritza to him. In the darkness of the seafloor, he could see nothing, but he knew Maritza to be unconscious. Her body was limp in his arms, and he choked as his heart raced. He couldn't hold hi
The Black Hellblade Chapter 43: Dark as the Seafloor
In the following weeks, Maritza wasn't the same. The blank, absent expression never left her face, and along with looking pale, she had lost fifteen pounds. Ronan had tried talking to her but it was to no avail, and he'd given her plenty of space to process her near-death experience, though he couldn't hide his concern any longer. Maritza was in her usual spot in their bedroom, sitting in front of the vanity mirror shaped like an opened seashell, staring at her own white face. The plate of grilled fish and green beans that Ronan had left beside her for dinner the previous night was still right where he had set it down, untouched, and beginning to stink from remaining out all night. Ronan's nose scrunched and he removed the plate, set it aside, and tripped on an empty rum bottle at the feet of Maritza's chair. He never saw her eat, and the only movements he ever did witness were when she poured a stiff drink and occasionally sipped at it. Ronan's heart sank, and he couldn't remember
The Black Hellblade Chapter 44: Silver Rum and Silver Tongues
Scindo rubbed his chin, entertained by Clove's playful question."Well," Scindo said, "I suppose the last good gulp of water I had was earlier this afternoon, to hydrate after a morning of loading a ship with crates of tea to be shipped out East."Clove smiled and raised a brow. "Tea?" she asked, in a charming yet prying sort of manner."Yes," Scindo grinned. "Tea, though I far prefer rum."Clove nodded and swiftly replied, "Ah yes, your rum! I've had quite a few bottles of the stuff you brew myself, and I must say, it's quite good. And I'm sure a natural seafaring man such as yourself has tried many different rums, and has quite the advanced palette, has he not?""Flattery, my dear Ms. Clove, will get you everywhere. I've had my share of fine rums, from as dark as a puddle of mud to as gold as the sands on our beach."He set his hands on his hips and laughed. "All have gotten me a good bit drunk. Now aren't you supposed to convince me to buy that jar of water?""I'm glad you'
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