Page 32 of Potions & Pints
With one hand clutching at the rigging, Pili thrust his other hand in his pocket, pulling out a tiny object. Tan already knew what it was though, and despite everything, a small beacon of hope lit up in his heart.
The water elf held out the moonstone, pointing it toward the maelstrom that awaited them. With a deep breath, Pili’s entire body went stiff, as if channeling all his own magic, along with the magic of the stone.
Nothing happened at first — the ship rocked just as violently, the wind howled just as loudly, the sea swirled just as dangerously, and the hearts of those on board the ship still raced with the knowledge of their impending deaths.
But ever so slowly, something began to change. The fierce winds began to die down and the ship no longer threatened to capsize at any moment. Tan felt the pull against the wheel weaken little by little.
He gazed out to sea, to where the waves had threatened to swallow them whole and saw, impossibly, that their fervor was lessening, the whirlpool softening. His jaw dropped, the beacon of hope in his heart becoming brighter and brighter as the angry sea became more and more docile.
As the waves began to recede and the maelstrom made way for clear waters, Tan felt he might collapse right there and then. They had come so close to certain death and in the moment of truth he had shown that perhaps there was some goodness in him after all.
The realization was unbearably beautiful.
Rather than collapse though, he held fast to the wheel. From the corner of his eye, he allowed himself a glimpse at Vir who was gazing at him with a look Tan had never seen before. A look he couldn’t name.
The orc’s gaze finally broke into a smile and Tan tried his best to smile back. The exchange was quickly broken, however, by Pili’s voice. Without the raging sea and the howling wind, his voice rang out clear across the ship.
“Tan!” he called, his voice still sharp. “You can have this back now.”
Pili’s arm moved as if to throw something, and Tan instinctively reached out. He saw a small flash of rainbow light in the air and then the moonstone landed in his hands. He already knew what he’d find.
“It’s drained now,” the water elf added smugly and somehow the moment brought Tan’s dream back to him all over again. Images of flucia flowers falling from his hands invaded his mind as he clutched the ruined moonstone at the ship’s helm.
16
The remaining strength holding Tan upright was already waning and his resolve was finally overburdened by this memory. It was as if the insignificant weight of the moonstone in his hand was, at last, significant enough to make him buckle when added to the weight of his own sorrow, his own relief, his own sweet melancholy.
In essence, the weight of his own heart.
His knees finally gave way and the elf collapsed right there at the helm, sucking in deep sweet breaths of sea air — breaths that, just moments before, he was sure would be his last.
The sound of heavy thudding across the deck brought Tan’s eyes upwards just in time to see Vir rushing towards him. The next thing he felt was Vir’s arms wrapped around him, pulling him into a tight hug.
“Are you okay?” Vir asked, something between relief and concern in his voice. There might have been something else there, too, but Tan was too exhausted to wonder what it might be.
All he knew was that they were alive, that they had made it, and that this was the second time in twenty-four hours that Vir had asked after him. Flashes of the previous night’s conversation edged their way into Tan’s mind and the air was suddenly heavy with Vir’s question.
For a moment he wondered if Vir was thinking of the same thing and as the orc pulled away, the elf looked up into his eyes, searching for something he both hoped and feared would reveal itself there.
For now, though, all he saw was compassion and he decided that was more than enough. It was still more than he felt he deserved.
“I’m good,” Tan finally replied with a small smile, and this time it wasn’t a lie. There was finally some truth in his words, even if it was blurred with layer upon layer of uncertainty.
“Are you?” he asked tentatively and he suddenly became aware he’d never asked that of Vir before.
Maybe the orcs are right about something, he thought.I guess I am capable of thinking of someone other than myself.
Vir nodded, a wide smile breaking out across his face. “Excellent,” he said and Tan could see he really meant it.
A corner of Tan’s mind almost ventured to ask another question, even if silently, but a second later it decided it didn’t dare. Better to just enjoy the simplicity of the moment, even if it was anything but.
Vir smiled again, giving Tan one last meaningful look. In another second though, he was gone, and Tan watched on as the orc pulled Pili into a celebratory hug.
“I didn’t think we’d survive,” Tan heard Vir say, almost breathlessly.
The orc’s signature grin was still on his face but the smile that had graced Tan’s just moments before melted. In its place, a sudden shadow passed over him at the sight. It was enough to make him pick himself up off the wooden floor, eyes fixed on the pair for a moment.
As much as he wanted to stare he was also eager to look away — at the sea, at the floor, at the other orcs. He didn’t quite know what to do with his hands or his eyes. Eventually though, he found a job for them both. He glanced down at the moonstone one last time before pocketing it with a deep exhale.
