Chapter 7: The Governor's Plan

Chapter 7: The Governor's Plan

Chapter 7

Wanting to find out what was going on, Kai ran through the dirt paths of Whiteshore at full speed.

Several familiar voices were arguing in the village square. The slow authoritative tone of Elder Ruan, the mayor of Whiteshore, imposed itself over the restKai suspected it was a skill. Republic law stated each town had to be led by a mayor, but the communities on the islands have always been ruled by an elder. Even if the official title had changed, the way people called her had not.

Reaching the square, a wall of people stopped his rush. It seemed every person in the village had gathered and was overflowing in the surrounding streets.

A strange unfamiliar voice stood out among the murmurs of the crowd, a nasal tone he didnt recognize, but the accent rang a bell in his head. It was similar to his fathers but more pronounced.

Kai squeezed between the crowd making use of his small size, until he found his parents near the front, not far from Elder Ruan.

The old lady was known for being strict, but she always had a kind word when you needed it most. There were rumors she was well over a hundred, but she didnt look a day over sixty. Now her lined face was a mask of ice as if she wanted to rip the soul out of the trio she was facing.

You have two weeks to prepare, this is a direct decree signed by the governor at the behest of the local council. The speaker was a man with dark thin oily hair and the owner of the nasal voice.The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ñøv€lß1n.

He wore a black and white uniform with a silver crest depicting a soaring hawk on his chestthe symbol of the Merian Republic. His two companions had the same crest, but their black uniform spoke utility with fewer trimmings and a baton at their side.

The man continued as if reading a rehearsed script. Refusing to comply is a penal offense, this is all for the greater good of our community. Youll all be given new accommodations and be appropriately compensated.

He seemed busy trying to avoid Elder Ruans gaze, but wherever he looked he didnt find anything but furious glares.

It didnt take long before a man in his twenties stepped forward, yelling and pointing his index finger at him, You cant do this! This is our land, my family has lived here since my great great grandfather. Go back to the hole you came from, you Republican dog! He yelled.

A series of insults followed, chanted by the whole crowd, swearing at the Republic and the three emissaries. From children to elders, they all joined the chorus.

The next thing he knew an excruciating scream split the chaos. Kai only saw movement in the corner of his eye and wasnt sure what had happened at first.

The young man who first stepped forward was screaming on his knees holding the hand he had used for pointing, or what remained of it. His right hand had been ripped apart. After his wrist, there was only a broken white bone showing amidst a fountain of blood and twisted flesh.

The crowd suddenly turned silent. Kai stared blankly at the scene. One moment everything was fine, the next there was blood everywhere.

A wet sound attracted his attention. The only other sound apart from the screaming man.

Kais mind didnt process immediately what he was looking at. Then he noticed some ivory fragments. Laying on the ground was the missing hand or what remained of it. A mangled mess of flesh, blood and bone would have been more accurate.

Raising his gaze, Kai saw the culprit. The man had been standing behind the speaker with oily hair a few moments earlier. A scar ran from his left cheekbone to the corner of his mouth. But it wasnt that or his hulking build that made him stick out, it was his expression.

There was no anger, bloodlust or guilt. After having maimed another human being, he looked almost bored. He ignored the screaming man and the flesh mess at his feet. He instead stared at his own blood-soaked hand with annoyance, like that was the most important matter.

Did he actually do that barehanded!? Kais view of what was possible in both violence and physical might was being rewritten by the moment.

Assaulting an officer of the Republic is a serious crime, Ill let you go with a warning this time. He said with a deep sneer, taking out a cloth to wipe the blood off his hand.

Thank you for your zealousness, enforcer Gregor. The speaker said, looking at the spectacle with mild disgust, before turning to the crowd. This matter is not up for debate. You should be thankful the governor was so generous to give you two weeks to prepare to be transferred. This land has been claimed by the Merian Republic for the future development of this Archipelago.

If you refuse to comply there will be much more unpleasant consequences. Ill leave the details to the mayor. The man concluded by shoving a pack of documents to Elder Ruan and hurriedly walking away.

The crowd didnt part, the shock and fear had left way to anger. They seemed ready to throw themselves at the trio.

Let them pass. Elder Ruan said.

No one moved.

Comm'n. You heard me.

People reluctantly parted, throwing murderous looks at the three people and spitting where they passed.

Cowards. Enforcer Gregor said with a smirk. The man with oily hair glared at his companion, while the other enforcer readied his hand on the baton at his waist.

Stop! Elder Ruan didnt shout, but her voice resounded through the whole village, carrying an almost physical weight.

Everyone froze, the three emissaries included, even if for a moment. Kai felt like he was nailed to the ground, he had to stay put no matter what.

That was all the leeway they could afford. The row of enforcers stood menacingly as a reminder of the violence the Republic could unleash if they didnt comply.

They were about to abandon their homes and most of their possessions and there was nothing to be done. They were powerless.

The three groups leaving Yatol were led to the beach, the tide was highlikely the reason why they had been given two weeks to prepare. Two large ships were waiting in deeper waters, while a squad of six smaller vessels ferried people back and forth.

To deputy Marlyn's great annoyance and his satisfaction, it was well into the afternoon when they were finally ready to set sail.

Kais family boarded the bigger ship heading to Yanlun. He had learned a couple things about navigation from the sailors, but the small rafts they used to fish had little in common with this three-masted ship. Its white sails proudly displayed the blue soaring hawk of the Republic.

They really like putting that on everything.

To their great fortune deputy Marlyn came with his group. They were piled one on top of the other and told to stay put and not annoy the crew. Yanlun wasnt too far from Yatol, if they were lucky, they would get there in a day and a half.

Kai had seen a map of the Baquaire Archipelago in Elder Ruans house, but he wasnt sure how accurate it was. Alana promised him they would do a tour of Yatol when he was older, that was one more thing the Republic had taken from him.

He had truly thought he lucked out in this life, but no matter how hard you want to believe something, it doesnt make it true. His home was being destroyed and he couldnt do anything about it.

He tried hitting the floorboard of the ship, but it didnt make him feel better, his hand just hurt like hell.

With almost a hundred passengers plus the sailors, there wasnt space to move or anything to do except stare at the endless blue expanse.

As they left the shallows, Kai saw many big dark shadows moving under the surface, but they stayed clear of the ship to his great disappointment.

Even the weather seemed to spite him, while his life fell to pieces the sun shone brightly overhead and the sea was calm. Now he would have preferred storm and thunder. The quietude of it all was unbearable.

He knew all too well that life wasnt fair, but then why did it still sting all the same every time fate decided to punch him in the face?

He wanted to scream and throw the tantrum of the century, but even now his dumb brain couldnt help but think of the consequences. Best case scenario, someone would beat him up till he shut up. Worst case, his parents got caught in the middle and things escalated.

Stupid brain!

He was about to try punching the ship one more time when his friends came to sit beside him. The twins tried to crack a joke, but he wasnt in the mood. He knew he should say something to make them feel better, but he couldnt find the will to think about it.

Vel sat beside him in silence and hugged him. Im gonna miss you, he mumbled.

Kai was stunned for a moment. It didnt take long for Ana to join in, she still had big red puffy eyes from all the crying. This was going to be the last time they saw each other in a long while. But what should he say? That everything was going to be fine? He didnt know that.

The twins played it cool for a few more moments, before joining the group hug. Nothing more needed to be said.

I did luck out, only not for long enough.

They had already said their goodbyes in Whiteshore, now they sat in silence staring at the ocean. He was going to miss them, but at least they would have each other. They all fell asleep in a small pile fighting for the two blankets they shared.

Opening his eyes, the next day his body protested the rough floorboard and he wasnt the only one. The villagers were getting crankier, only kept in line by the presence of the enforcers.

Judging by the few snippets he understood from the sailors' weird jargon, they were going to reach their destination before dusk today.

The waves were calm as was the norm in the Shallow Sea, another beautiful day to travel if you disregard everything else. Luckily for him, he had four grumpy children to take care of. Three more than enough to keep him busy.

An irritating duty any other time turned into a welcomed challenge to keep his mind off depressing thoughts.

Somehow the day passed both too fast and too slow. Kai had the awareness to understand this was the bleak end to an important part of his second life. Who knew what the next step would bring, but he wasnt too optimistic.

They reached their destination a little after dusk. They should be more than close enough to see Yanlun, but the clouds shrouded the moons with darkness. A string of lights in the distance was the only visible sign of their new home, Greenside.

Kai was at least glad he would get the chance to stretch his legs.

Everybody listen! Deputy Marlyn is going to make an announcement and she wont repeat it. An enforcer yelled, making more than one person jolt from their sleep and complain out loud.

Waiting a few seconds for people to quiet down, Marlyn stepped forward. We have reached our first stop, Greenside. Since the hour is late, youll be spending the night on the ship and be led to your new accommodations in the morning.

Fuck my life!