The Hunter and The Slave

A E L A N O R A

Portia, the pirate girl, is the one looking for me? Where is Vatic? Where is that dreadful panther of his? Is he still alive? There are a lot of questions hovering in my mind right now but I don't have time for them. I have to plan my next move. She being the one to look for me here isn't part of the original plan but I mustn't fret. I take great pride in my problem-solving skills. After all, it's been years and I still have everyone playing their cards without them knowing. There may be little mishaps along the way like my current situation but they all go back in place eventually. Father hasn't completely given up on me as it turns out.

          "Aela!" An ugly screech echoes in the pit. "This is Portia! Say something if you hear me."

          I stay silent.

          "Aela! Vatic is keeping Dalakethnon at bay." The panic in her voice spikes. "He needs our help!"

          My blood seems to evaporate out of my veins. Vatic is dealing with the beast alone? That's not supposed to happen… yet. "I'm here, Portia!" I call out, wincing at the idea of seeking help from her. "I'm in the pit."

          After a minute or two, I see a figure peeking into the pit from above. Portia. If I'm not mistaken, this dark pit is around two stories deep and ten to twelve feet in diameter. How would we be able to get me out of this place? I've been looking around this dump to see if there's anything I can use to get myself out but all I can find are decaying flesh, drying-up bloods, and fragile bones. She's supposed to be smart, right? I can just only trust that she'll come up with something to get me out of here. I'll just have to keep my peevishness to myself.

          "There you are!" She asks, trying to assess my situation. "How did you get there?"

          I felt bored, got into the Cathedral, and jumped inside the pit. "I don't know, Portia. Please, help me." I sound a little too needy but that's alright.

          "Just stay put. I think I found something to pull you out of there!"

          That's right. Put your brain to good use. "Thank the Gods for sending you, Portia!"

          I'm waiting patiently inside the pit when I feel something touches my head. I didn't sense anything just a second ago so what could this be? I look up and see a thick vine dangling from above. Is this supposed to be the thing that will pull me out here? Is that pirate girl gone mad? Portia pops her head out and waves her hand, gesturing for me to grab a hold of the vine and climb up. She gestures that she tied the other end of the vine around her body, confirming that it is a secure way to free myself. But, I have great doubts.

          "Are you sure about this, Portia?" I ask, holding the other end of the vine to check it out.

          "Yes, I'm sure." A bright smile on her face is undeniable. "Grab onto it and climb up. I'll pull you up as well so you'll be out of there in no time."

          "Pull me out? Are you really that strong enough?"

          "I may not look it but I am strong, Aela. Strong enough to pull you out, at least."

          "Fine. Just be careful."

          I can feel the fibers in my limbs stretch like they never did before as I try my best to climb up. The thick vines constrict across my abdomen as the pirate girl pulls me up. She's not bluffing when she says she's strong enough to pull me out. The knot I did to these vines is getting tighter with her every pull and the breakfast I had earlier threatens to come out. Luckily enough, I was able to finally get out of the dark pit before I vomited everything. Due to the condition we're in, I don't mind the foreign dirt, bruises, and some other stuff I don't dare to name covering the entirety of our bodies.

          "Thanks, Portia. I owe you one." I say, stretching my limbs as they've gone slightly numb.

          "Don't mention it. Are you alright?" She pats my back.

          "Where do you say where Vatic is? We must go and help him. Now."

          "No."

          "I thought you sa–"

          "I know what I said, Aela."

          "Then why?"

          There's a certain sharpness in her tone that I'm just hearing now. Is she finally revealing her true self? If so, this is another thing that isn't part of my plan. I know she hides her true self but what happened with her that she's slipping up now? I can't afford to become her enemy right now. Not now that I'm not in my best condition. I must play with her game and whatever it is she's aiming for, I must play along. I bet she's contemplating if we'll help Vatic or find the treasure she's so adamant about finding. That or there's another reason.

          "Vatic said that he'll handle Dalakethnon alone." The sadness in her face suddenly pops up. "I think we should let him."

          She's acting all too well. "Are you being serious?" I say, sounding alarmed. If she wants to act in some kind of play, I'll act better. "Have you seen that beast? He will not stand a chance!"

          "Have you seen the beast?" She mirrors the panic in my tone. She plays well. I'll give her that.

          "We made a promise that the three of us will deal with Dalakethnon. Four if we'll count the panther."

          "I know but Vatic was adamant about dealing with the monster himself. He must've felt that he couldn't let us face danger in the last minute."

          "That does sound like Vatic but we must help him." I lie. We definitely should not. If she played her cards right, Vatic already knows he's the curse.

          "Please, Aela. We mustn't. I already told him"

          Excellent. "You told him?" Pretending to be shocked, I cover my smirk with my palms. "We're not even sure yet." She's not but I am.

          "I'm sorry. A lot's happening back there. I couldn't help myself."

          "That's fine, I guess. What should we do then?"

          "I say we find the treasure."

          "You haven't found it yet?" I ask but of course, she hasn't yet. There are no treasures here. That's what the creatures of the land told me. I see her shake her head. "Let's find the treasures then. You need them to free your people, right?"

          "Thank you."

* * *

P O R T I A

Aela, the hunter girl, still makes me put my guard high up. It's like walking on minefields when she's around. The situation is more challenging when I'm alone with her. She doesn't trust me even after I've proven that I can be useful for them. I was grateful when Vatic was nice enough to offer his assistance with my quest for the treasure. She did offer her help as well but I can't shake off the feeling that she has some ulterior motive of some kind. I can always tell if someone's telling a lie. She is a liar. Or at least, she's lying about something.

          "I don't see any treasures here. Where should we look for next?" Aela asks, rummaging inside a random door somewhere in this dungeon.

          "Maybe we should head to the next room. If I only had a map of this place, the task of finding those treasures will be easier." I say.

          Being with the pirates all my life enabled me to gain access to the maps our cartographers make. Our Map Room back in the ship was brimming with maps from the places we've been in and more detailed ones with those places we're more frequent. This island and the town of Hiraya are one of the places we're always at because of its placement in the seas. The island has become the center of commerce between the pirates' business since it's situated not too far and not too close to other neighboring cultures.

          With how detailed all the maps we had for this place, there are none telling us about this underground dungeon. Does Dalakethnon somehow keep this place concealed for years until now? It doesn't make sense if the treasures aren't here. I've searched everywhere else on this island and this is the only area I haven't checked. The treasures should be here. If not, there should be someplace else our cartographers failed to graph aside from this one. I contemplated for a while but I can't think of any other place similar to this dungeon. But, I can be wrong. The more I stay on the island, the more I think I know little of it.

          "Tell me, Aela."

          "Hmm."

          "How did you get to the conclusion that Vatic is the curse?"

          I see her pause from trying to open a closet door. "I told you I wasn't sure. It's more like a hunch." She lies.

          Earlier today, before we head out to the different spots on the island to search for the curse, Aela gestured at me to let Vatic leave first. I found it a little odd but I gave in. Then, she told me this weird finding of hers that Vatic has something to do with the curse. I didn't believe her at first because from what I gathered, The Nymph's Curse is hereditary. With that information, I assume that the curse is some kind of token that can be inherited or something. Like a coin, chalice, necklace, or even broach. Not an actual human being. I haven't heard such a tale. But, Aela seems to be truthful when she told me that so I hang on to that information.

          "You know what?" I can't keep playing this game of hers.

          "What?" One of her eyebrows rises. Is she challenging me?

          No. I must calm down. Once Vatic actually handled Dalakethnon, I could finally leave this place. I can finally disassociate myself from these people. "Uh, never mind. I think we should move to the next room." She nods in agreement.

          "Let me tell you something, Portia." Aela says before we can even leave the room. Her tone is as stale as it can be. Did she finally crack? Will she finally reveal herself to me?

          I turn around to face her and ask, "What is it, Aela?" 

          "I wasn't truthful to you." Her mouth quivers. She's finally giving in. Tell it, Aela.

          "About what?" I ask as we hear distant laughs, cries, and screams which we assume are from the beast.

          I watch her as she trembles. It's as if she wants to blurt out a secret but she's physically unable to do it. Her gazes wander around these dark corridors. Is it still part of her game? What is she on about? Suddenly, a single tear escapes from the corner of her right eye. I don't have any choice but to console her, and hug her. If this is how she wants to do it, then so be it. I won't let her get the best of me out here. Not until I get the treasure I solely deserve. I know they swore to let me have all the treasures for myself but it won't hurt if I'll still be a little cautious around them.

          "I've read something about Dalakethnon that I've been keeping from you and Vatic." She wipes off her face that's now flooding with tears.

          "What is it?" The tone of my voice rises like my throat is being pinched.

          "It may have something to do with those elusive treasures as well."

          "Aela, please tell what it is. Tell. Me. Now."

          According to her, the beast has done something to conceal the treasure so it can't be seen by mortal eyes unless he gets killed. Even then, the only one who will be granted access to the treasures will be the one who will be able to defeat him. If I'm getting her story straight, once Vatic handles Dalakethnon like he said he would, he'll be the only one who will be able to take advantage of the treasure. That can't be true, can it? But, I can't afford to play it safe. I must do something myself. I must get back to Vatic.

          "Where are you going?" Aela chases after me.

          "I will kill him!"