Fire Prince

  **

  The death of Admiral Moro had put Pria in an uncomfortable position of power. As his executive officer she was automatically promoted to Captain of the Bitter Chain upon his passing. The absence of the Brothers invoked an ancient law where the responsibilities they traditionally held as Fleet Admirals fell to the acting captain of the flagship. In one terrible day Pria found herself in charge of the entire Pelagic Naval fleet.

  The guilt was consuming; she occupied herself with work. No one else thought Pria was responsible for the death of Moro, or the loss of the gods. But she did. The repairs to the Bitter Chain had been long finished, but she didn’t dare sail far from the portal site.

  Her gods had been gone for two months. Hope that they would return was fading. The admiralty discussed behind closed doors the need to restructure the Navy in the event the Brothers were truly lost. Politically savvy admirals had already begun posturing for power and influence.

  Pria did what she could to maintain order but the climate in the fleet was tense, factions were forming. Then, sixty-two days after it had shut, the portal reopened.

  It was the Plane of Rage as before. A single dead Fiend fell through the portal, not the horde they were expecting. The defenses at the portal site had been fully reconstructed. The forces of Pelagos were ready this time, yet no enemies crossed through. The portal to Rage closed. The portal to Fake’s Canvas opened.

  Trapped amongst strangers Fake and Andin had spent hour after hour together. Andin explaining the world the way he saw it, Fake showing Andin the worlds he could create. Their friendship grew rampantly. By the time the portal reopened they were all but inseparable.

  Qin crossed through first. He recognized his home and oversaw the immediate evacuation of the men stranded on the other side. None of the starved mortals could move on their own, their delicate bodies were carefully loaded onto stretchers.

  Pria arrived at the portal. She approached Qin and saluted, “My lord, thank the heavens you’re back.” Waves of relief washed over Pria.

  Qin didn’t understand why she was greeting him, “Lady Pria, where is Admiral Moro?”

  Pria looked down at her feet in shame, “He’s dead milord, killed in the chaos of the portal collapse and the Rage Fiend attack.”

  “Rage Fiends? Here in Pelagos? How?” asked Qin.

  Lady Pria informed Qin of all that had taken place in the past months. Qin’s immediate concern was the evacuation of his men, only after they were safe would he deal with his wayward admirals. Lin remained on the other side lest the portal shut close again unexpectedly.

  The last stretcher crossed through the doorway. Pria’s eyes wetted as she saw the thin lifeless marine pass her. “Lives were lost on both sides,” said Qin heavily. Fake and Andin followed the last stretcher out, then Lin. “Lady Pria, see to it these two have accommodations, they will be staying in Pelagos for some time it seems,” said Qin.

  Fake was overwhelmed with the commotion at the portal site. He had just spent the last month watching in horror as the stranded marines and magi starved into beings of no substance. He was frightened. Andin saw his friend’s distress; he pointed Fake towards a secluded beach opposite the portal site. “Will you send a runner to us before sundown? We’ll be on that beach,” said Andin to Pria.

  “You will be escorted there by a security detail,” said Pria sharply.

  “I don’t think so,” said Andin.

  “This entire island is property of the Pelagic Navy Beldurian, you cannot-”

  Qin interrupted Pria; “They may go unescorted Lady Pria.” Pria accepted her orders with grace and dropped the issue.

  Andin ran to catch Fake. He reached his friend, “You okay?” he asked.

  Fake looked at Andin and asked, “They’ll be okay now right?”

  Andin nodded, “Yes, they will be well taken care of now. The doctors of Pelagos are some of the best.”

  “If the portal hadn’t reopened all of those men would have died,” said Fake.

  “That’s a part of mortality Fake, men can die,” replied Andin.

  “I know,” sighed the illusionist. The pair reached the thin strip of white sand. “It looks like my Canvas,” said Fake, seeing the ocean for the first time.

  “I made it here quicker than I thought,” said Andin who had never seen the endless waters either.

  “To Pelagos?” asked Fake.

  “Yes.”

  “You were trying to come here before?”

  “Yes, there is something I need to do here.”

  “What is it?”

  Andin smiled, “Maybe you can help.”