The landscape, as well as the silence, soon became a constant for Ivy. As she spent the next three days traversing the island, she took special care to watch the sky. She knew enough about directions; therefore her main goal was to head south.

For the most part, the silence was a welcome change. The wind, as well as the sound of the distant sea, and the smell of salt, soon became familiar. Meanwhile, as she surveyed the landscape, and recalled what she had learned about the Rathorian isles, she was at the eastern edge. Therefore, making an escape from the mainland wouldn’t be too hard.

On her second day of travels, she would reach a small village near the sea. Unlike the last village, at least this one was standing, with the oceans roaring, with fishermen talking to each other quickly, and two women standing between two houses, talking to each other in a quick language.

One of the women turned to Ivy and pointed, a scowl reaching her blonde hair. She gave a cry, then summoned Ivy. “And who might you be? A pirate? A bandit?”

“Neither,” Ivy said. “Well, at least not here. I don’t support any monarchies anywhere, if that makes you feel better. And as such, as long as I don’t have to side with the pirate queen.”

“Queen Lavender rules the isles with an iron fist,” the woman said. “She and her party were responsible for toppling the old monarchy. Although she didn’t take the throne for herself. There are many who wonder why still.”

“I mean, power is a responsibility not many are ready to handle,” Ivy said. “What is she like, though?”

“If you’re a bandit, she generally doesn’t like you,” the woman said. “At least, that’s according to the rumors. We do work with her every now and again. Why?”

“She’s made herself an enemy of mine,” Ivy said. “Tried to steal my scepter.”

“She probably thinks you stole it. On her property,” The woman said, giving a wretched grin. Although she wasn’t unkind. “Where are you from, then?”

“The sixth realm,” Ivy said. “So technically, I didn’t steal my scepter from within her realm. On the contrary, I stole it out of her realm. She has no grounds.”

“Tell her that,” the woman said.

Ivy gave a loose chuckle, then she showed off her coins. “What are the chances I can find a ship to take me to the main continent before that woman finds me again?”

“Not here,” the woman said. “Most ships here are here under the confines of her rule, you see. Because after too many battles, she controls that.”

“Great,” Ivy said. “Just great. Are there any rival pirates around still?”

“The famed Valerie,” the woman said. She gave a hiss. “A small pirate ship, if you will. And hard to find. If you see a ship with a rose on its mast, that’s Valerie.”

“Alright,” Ivy said.

“She should be a day’s journey from here,” the woman said. “Now, you had best get out of here before anything else bad happens.”

Ivy left the port city, and she would continue onward. She didn’t want to be so close to the ocean. Not really. The constant hum of the sea had grown tiresome to her, although she was certain it was merely situational.

A day later, she found the southern city. A small pier, with a large rose-ship waited. Ivy walked toward it, confident in her step. She gave a polite smile to a villager, before someone in the streets whispered to her.

“Hey!” the man said. “Give me that fine staff of yours.”

Ivy unsheathed her sword, holding it in front of the scepter. She watched the man as he stepped closer, several other bandits surrounding him. Ivy gave a low growl. She would not deign to respond, but she shot off a black cloud at the man.

The black cloud met his chest, seeping into his leather armor. The man grunted, stumbling back as if stunned. He held a hand to his chest. Another one of his party members came after Ivy, but she would not satisfy them with a fight. Not yet. Instead, she pulled herself into a narrow street in the village, using it to her advantage as she shot the rest of the party. The bandits made to come toward her still, but none could match her.

A man whistled shrilly, then gestured with his hand. “Retreat! Retreat! Report the defiance to Queen Lavender.”

“Is she here?” Ivy asked.

“She will be soon,” The man said. “Judging by what her raven said.”

Ivy swore under her breath. Hopefully, Valerie would be able to take her, and hide her. She slipped over to the ship, noting a woman to the side, wearing a cuirass and a green dress. The woman eyed Ivy suspiciously.

“And what could you possibly want?” The woman said. “My name is captain Valerie, and I would call myself a rebel. But I do not talk to just anyone.”

“I used my scepter to stun some of Lavender’s men,” Ivy said. “I stole it from a rival king so as to bring a corrupt regime to its knees, and I have traversed from realm to realm. I am looking for permanent employment on your ship. Or, I am willing to spend time working with your crew, so that I can make it to the nearby continent.”

“To escape Queen Lavender?” Valerie said, her voice lilting in a teasing way. “From the look on your face, it doesn’t seem as though all of your motives are related to the pirate queen being an enemy.”

“I promise they’re not,” Ivy said, pointing to the ship. “I don’t do that kind of thing, and I certainly don’t practice love.”

“A shame,” Valerie said.

“We tried to kill each other,” Ivy said. “Believe me, I would shift elsewhere, but I keep having to use up my energy because of her people.”

“A real shame,” Valerie said. “Nevertheless, if you come onto my ship, you will become her sworn enemy. Is that what you want?”

“Yes,” Ivy said. “Please.”

“You will board my ship, but I have a strict list of rules,” Valerie said. “Climb onto here, as we will escape. But I have a lot of questions for you, and you might not be privy to answering. But if you fail to satisfy them, I will not hesitate to let you go. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Captain,” Ivy said. She held her scepter up, so as to give her approval.

Smirking, Valerie ushered Ivy onto the ship. “Now come on. We on this ship live to distribute what the other pirates fail to. So we act like pirates. But really, we just try to do what we need to fight certain ideals. Because Queen Lavender, as she is begrudgingly called,  toppled the old government. But she and her followers failed to establish a new one, leaving all of us to deal with uncertainty unlike anything we faced under the king’s rule. I once worked under the woman, and she’s rather brash. But she only did what she did for coin, not so that she could help. And that’s where we differ.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” Ivy said. “Listen. I stole this from the king in my old world. I transitioned into this realm so as to avoid being shot. But so long as I am here, I think we should agree with one another.”

“Good,” Valerie said, giving a wry smirk. There was a sultry note in her voice, but beneath it, there was something wicked within it. “We need every man, woman, and queer to assist us with our cause.”

A hair pricked on the back of Ivy’s neck. Something told her she was on the wrong side of things. And perhaps this Valerie, although she offered safety and a job, wasn’t as innocent or noble as she made herself out to be.

“Now,” Valerie said. “You can call me Captain Val, if you would like. But I am going to need you to swear an oath to me. Promise you will turn your back on the pirate queen, and help us topple her.”

Ivy shook as she held out her scepter. “My captain, I hereby swear to follow your lead, and I hereby make an oath unto you, so as to give my life to undermining the pirate queen.”

“Very well, then,” Captain Val said. “Your oath has been accepted. I hope you’re good at keeping promises, because you won’t like it if you double cross me.”

“I mean what I say,” Ivy said, her voice soft and somehow pleading.

Somehow, it feels as though I have made the worst decision in my life. This woman–this Captain Val–somehow seems worse than Queen Lavender ever did. I’ve made many regrettable decisions in my life, but this one cuts just as deep.