Right Hand of the Pirate Queen

27. OASIS DESECRATED

Milo sat on the edge of the bed, hands clasped between his knees. Sure, he could sit there and blame Lucianna for not being forthcoming with her past and the actual relationship her sister shared with his father, Waylon. But had he done any better? Still, he kept hidden so many of the things in his past (LOSER. USELESS. UGLY) and now they creeped to the surface (NO-LIFE. PAYPIG. WIMP), clawing their way up from the darkest prison in his mind. His heart pounded so hard he could almost see it there, beating inside his chest. What a wretched cage to be trapped in.

Riosae had visited him, informed him Faith would tend to Lucianna. Her life wasn't in danger, which elicited a sigh of relief from him, but Riosae repeated herself: "I cannot continue with your training. The two of you must come to an understanding. Until then, I am suspending all lessons. You are free to stay here for now, unless you'd prefer to return to your ship." But he shook his head. He had pointed to her arms, dressed with fresh bandages. "Ah, yes. Her power was quite potent. But I wasn't exposed for very long. A few days' rest and I'll recover. Wish I could say the same for you two." She clasped a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye. "May the gods be with you." She left him alone after that.

The fairies brought him food and water, doing their best to cheer him up with jokes and idle chatter, but he couldn't rouse himself. The darkness in his soul bubbled and gurgled, a terrible monster rising from within. And the monster looked an awful lot like him.

At one point, he fell asleep, or at least had drifted off, because a knock came at his door that jolted him awake. He wiped the drool from the corners of his mouth and rose from the bed. "Come in."

The door creaked open, and through the opening appeared Rivra. Her nostrils flared as she inhaled of the room. She covered her mouth with one of her gargantuan hands.

"When's the last time you showered?"

"I'm...not sure. I haven't really moved since...you know..."

Rivra crossed her arms. "Mind explaining what happened?"

Milo recounted everything. He didn't hide a single detail, especially not concerning his own outburst. It all felt so far away, so long ago, even though it had only been a few hours at most.

"Hmmm. I can't say I'm thrilled. But I can't say I'm angry at you, either."

"R-really? Even though I caused her to do that?"

Rivra shook her head and sat on the floor in front of Milo. Even though she sat cross-legged, her head still towered above his.

"Albany and Tereine are newer to the crew. They weren't around when Waylon betrayed us. Faith, Luci, and I...we all have pent-up emotions. And we've each handled it differently. Not saying anyone's better than the other. I don't think any of us have handled it particularly well. But Luci, especially...when you think about it, she was unstoppable. Even between Faith and me, we couldn't stop her in a fight. Lucianna's power, the Hands of God, makes it so she can direct her power in any way she likes. Weapons? She can make them. Super strength? Yup. And when she had her gems, she could wield that power as skillfully as any master." She shook her head, a ghost of a smile on her lips. "Of course, she's never been much for nuance or strategy. She usually left those details to me and Faith. But she used to listen a lot more. Before everything happened."

"Before my father took all of your gems."

Rivra nodded. "I've said it before, but Lucianna became much more hot-headed after. But who wouldn't? Sure, I lost my eyes, and that has affected my deeply, but I don't need my eyes to fight. In fact, I've strengthened all my other senses. To the point I can tell you were...training around lava? What did Mistress put you through?"