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Blog Post 69: The Adventure Shop: Part 36

5/13/25

Aster looked around as they traveled slowly in the middle of the sea. Corissa had managed to slow Brawn’s decline, but his friend looked like he was almost skin and bones compared to the behemoth of a warrior he once was. His magic was slow coming back to him, and it seemed  Jubair was much the same as he paced. 

Corissa spoke to Kamali as they observed Brawn. Kamali made the occasional note from a large notebook and pencil that Corissa had provided. 

The others seemed agitated. Pacing, sparring. Anything to move and feel less trapped. If only they could move faster to shore. If the wind would only assist them. Normally, Aster would have conjured a storm to pull them the rest of the way, but at this rate, his power would be that of a shallow breath.

He saw Corissa quirk her head toward him and move to the center of the boat behind the sails. “Winds! Hear me! Lend us your aid! From the east, bring forth your power! From the west, carry us forward! From the north, your direction! To the south, bring us haste! Come and blow! Bring us home and to hope!” Corissa shouted as she moved her arms in a fashion that seemed circular, but had no consistent pattern.

Breathing in deep, she leaned forward and breathed against the sails. A mighty wind rushed the vessel forward as they all–except Ainia due to her four balanced legs–were thrown off their footing. 

“Sorry! I forgot when I call on the winds, they kind of like to show off. It is the only time they all hang out, and they like to one-up each other,” Corissa laughed. “But in our case, I would say it is a wind-win situation.” She looked at everyone before bursting out laughing.“Get it? Haha, I’m too funny.” She wiped a tear from her eye.

After righting themselves from the fall, everyone looked amused more at the fact she made herself laugh than the pun. It was hard to believe that she could be a danger to them after watching her for a few days. She seemed easily distracted, oblivious in some cases, and would randomly lose all focus and stare into nothing. 

Caridad poked Corissa with her thumb, and said with a serious face, “I’m blown away by how funny that was.” They both burst out laughing, and Aster wondered if this would occur throughout the entire ride back to port.

“I think this game is air-resistable!” Borg chuffed a hearty laugh as Aster pinched the bridge of his nose. So this would be the entertainment. He watched his comrades turn from antsy to calm, as their minds tried to look for the next pun. Some smiling and others scowled, trying to come up with something before the next person.

The battle had begun as the others began to make every conceivable pun about wind and air that could be used, only stopping to note when a pun had been used.

“She said she was clever,” Jubair said next to him as they watched Corissa in the middle, smiling at the group she had gathered, as they sped forward, hopefully to save Brawn.

“What do you mean? I am not sure she isn’t addlebrained.”

“Then you have not been paying attention. She is playful and silly, I will give you that, but look how she engaged the others. She took their minds off of their worries again. This game of hers is no accident. Corissa saw all of us struggling with not being able to do anything on this ship. And she helped. She hides a very observant and clever being beneath the playful and somewhat addled,” Juair used his word, giving him a pointed look, “persona.” 

“What are you saying?” Aster observed him.

“What I am implying is that though she seems genuine and friendly, there is more to her that we do not see. Much like her home, a depth she is not showing. I would say do not allow yourself to think she is merely a fool.”

“You do not trust her?”

“I would say my trust runs very thin these days. Even now she is watching us.”

Aster looked and Corissa seemed to be observing them. 

She smiled. You are smart not to trust me yet, my dear acquaintances. Not many see all aspects of who I am. Any one being is a multitude–a universe within themselves. Often we only see what they choose to portray. So even to you, grumpy one, and you, stern-no-fun-at-all, I say I do not trust you because I know beneath the surface lies more than what the personas you are showing me.

Aster looked at Jubair and then back to Corissa before he thought, hoping he could ask his question this way. Do you hear all our thoughts?

Not all. Just when I want to. Technically, it is frowned upon in my culture to intrude, but I don’t believe in following all the rules. Now I will leave you and your thoughts because I have a new game to occupy your friends and to still their anxious thoughts.

She turned from them and got into one of her bags before showing the others her new game.

“Who do you think is grumpy, and who is stern-no-fun-at-all?” Jubair asked with a laugh. 

“I don’t think either one is flattering. Have I been that grumpy?”

“If you are, that makes me no-fun-at-all. And that is a crime for a Dijinn.” Jubair laughed.

Aster shook his head, somehow she managed to distract them as well from their thoughts. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Corissa looked out at the sleeping forms. They came along at the perfect time–saving her. Any later and she would have been arrested and taken. All because someone didn’t read the terms and conditions of the contract. It wasn’t her fault that magic chose to take away the cartilage, making the former merfolk look like a blobfish. The person wanted to change their fate! Of course magic would take something just as valuable for the exchange. 

Corissa felt around her neck, the feel of the chain still haunting her. It was all a ploy. They wanted her so they sent her someone stupid enough to sign away their life, and she was the fool who saw the trick too late. Her stomach rolled as she looked at her things. She packed everything she owned with the magical bags that held more treasures than what appeared on the outside. 

Everything she owned. To try to start over. Maybe in another part of the ocean. Or on land? She could survive on land for a little while. It wasn’t her favorite, but it was better than being a tool used by a corrupt kingdom. A kingdom she used to believe in. She shook her head, wiping the heartache from her mind and heart. It would not be good to dwell on what she couldn’t change. 

Corissa was a nomad now. No home, kingdom, friends, or family. She would help save the creatures in her care and move on. Hide until she could find somewhere she could go that would be safe.

Moving to the shell, she checked the energy of magic flowing within it, and the Gemini’s energy flowing out. Her magic was helping keep the energy from leaving to a leak instead of a roar, but if they did not find his counterpart, there wasn’t much more she could do.

Hold on. Keep fighting for you and your other half. Do not give up now. We are so close, she told the unconscious man.

Thank you. She heard in response. Corissa conversed when she could with him. A part of her hoped it kept his spirit and mind alert. Somehow… she could save him. 

For his life. And to remind her of who she was, not what the rumors made her out to be.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Aster. We are closing in on the port.” He heard Corissa say over him. He was less than thrilled about being woken up when it seemed like he was just able to fall asleep. Between watching Corissa and restoring his magic, his body was worn.

He stood and looked to see in the distance the location where they originally came from so many weeks ago–before so much had changed.

“I need all the information you can give me on his other half. If I can pull the image in my mind, I can try to link them again to make a magical trail to her. It is risky because it pulls from their energy–which is already compromised–but it is the best way to try to find them before he passes.”

Aster nodded and began to explain all there was to know about Psyche. At least all he knew. Anyone else who knew her was on the other ship or with her. 

“I am working on it now. Get a carriage when we pull in, and I will tell you the trail I see.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Brawn?” Psyche felt a pull. A pull she had not felt since her pain began. It didn’t make sense. If he was already fading, there was nothing that could be done if they were separated. The pain eased for a moment as her mind became more clear. 

“We need to find them. He is here. I know he is here now,” Psyche said as Xaxol held her. Xaxol, Carnelian, Marianna, and Killian looked around. 

“Where do we go?”

“We need to go toward the pier. I can see it. Like a glowing purple trail. He’s here! He is still alive!” Psyche called out as she pointed to the purple trail she saw.

They followed her direction. She pointed every few moments to correct their route. 

“He’s here! He’s here!” She pointed to a ship. Her mind became fuzzy–muscles became weak. Psyche felt her head start to roll to the side as consciousness faded.

Let yourself fall. I will do what I can to save you both. Your brother is here. He loves you dearly. Sleep now, Gemini.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Corissa put the other half asleep before forming the same protective shell around her. Kamali’s book said the transfer of life and power back to the other twin was not easy. 

“I will need you and Jubair to help me,” she told Aster. The three new people watched her cautiously as she stood before the two protective shells that held their comrades. 

I can do this, she reminded herself.

“Aster, I need you to hold Brawn’s energy. Don’t let anymore flow to the woman.”

“Psyche,” they all corrected her.

“Psyche,” she repeated for their benefit. Aster stood where he was told and waited for her signal.

“Jubair. I need you to sort through Psyche. What is Brawn’s and what is her power. Anything that you find is hers alone, keep it guarded and safe.”

“And what about you?” Jubair asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

“I will be the conduit the power is sorted through. It has to be consistent. Too much and it will destroy all three of us. Not enough and their powers and lifeforce may become mixed. For this to occur correctly, it has to be an even, calm flow.”

She looked at her curious, new student, and someone she would not consider a little closer to being a friend. “Kamali, you will talk me through each step. We will talk it out. I need you to keep your voice even. What you say will guide the process as if you were saying a spell.”

Corissa looked around before breathing deeply in and out. “Let’s get started.”

Kamali began to read as Corissa reached out to their energies. Their lifeforce. The powers. Brawn and Psyche.

Brawn’s was like a vibrant shade of red. Dangerous and powerful. A warning and promise. Psyche’s was a light blue. Curious. Soft, flexible, and ever growing. 

“I see them. Focus on who you are holding. Keep it steady. Kamali, keep reading,” she ordered before she dove back into her mind and the world she could see through her magic.

Breathing consistently, she braced for the pain that sorting of this type could bring. 

It began as an ache in her fingertips, slowly through her arms as her muscles began to twitch. Her stomach rolled, and her mind began to feel as if the pressure was building. 

She could feel their consciousness in her mind, her spirit. They were there with her. Now she needed to get them to the right home.

Where am I? She heard them ask and blocked their thoughts. If Corissa let them into her thoughts, they could take control of her and they all would be lost.

She heard Kamali’s voice and focused on what she was saying. It was time. Aster and Jubair held onto the parts of the beings that had not left them–now it was her job to finish getting them back to where they belonged.

Her body began to shake, but she held on. She could do this. She was told she was a villain. Her magic was faulty. It was good for nothing, but cheap, vain tricks. It wasn’t true. She helped people. Her magic was powerful. Corissa was more than the stories they told about her. She could save lives.

The sorting began. On one hand, she focused on the red, and on the other, the blue. Each going on a different, calm route. She had to stay calm. Stay consistent. “Arrggghhh!” She heard a cry, before realizing it was her own.

“We have to stop!” She heard Pertinax say. The others called for it, but Aster and Jubair held on. They could not stop now. Her muscles spasmed, the pressure too much in her mind. Feeling like her skull would start to crack at any moment. 

Corissa pushed on. 

A surge of power ripped through her left arm as Jubair slipped briefly. She screamed in pain before pushing it back to him. Aster and Jubair were still weak. They had given too much for their people. It was up to her to finish this. 

Corissa sent a surge of her magic to them. Her energy sparking a renewed hold on the life forces they both held. Her left arm felt like it was wet and dripping. 

It was time. She could see the last bit. They were so close. Go home and be well. Go home and be well, she thought again and again. 

One last breath, one last push. One more moment. Corissa felt the power, the life force, their energy, slowly leave her form. 

The red and the light blue where they were supposed to be. It was done. She did it. They did it.

Corissa felt herself rock forward, trying to catch herself on one of the shells with her hand, only to hit her head. A warm liquid seeped through her dress and cloak on her left arm. Her eyes felt fuzzy and clouded. Magic always had a price. Changing fates, the tides, and the natural order always came at a deep cost. 

And today she stood in front of death and changed it to give them back life. It would cost her, but better her life here than in chains. It was a good life. Even if there was more to learn and explore. 

It was a good life.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“She saved them,” Aster said, drained where he stood. Brawn began to have his tan and muscles change, as if he had never lost them.  Psyche looked at rest for the first time since they saw her writhing in pain at the docks.

Aster turned to check on Jubair and Corissa. Jubair’s look of horror caught his attention. He looked to where Corissa lay with her forearm, shredded, lying in blood. Large bruises on her face and shoulders. Her eyes held red tears. 

Kamali dropped to the ground. “No. No. We saved them. You saved them! We have to celebrate. You can’t give up now.” She held the Cecaelia in her arms. Making Corissa’s form look small in her hands. 

“We have to help her. She is still breathing,” she shouted. 

“Move,” Marinna called out to the others who gathered around her. Aster watched. Unable to fix what had been done. Caridad pushed her way through and knelt beside the other two women next to Corissa.

“We can do this together. Not one, but all.” Marina looked up Kamali, who she’d not yet met. “You are a healer, too, aren’t you?”

“Corissa has been teaching me. She said Cyclops can make wonderful healers because of our energy and size. I don’t know a lot though.” 

“Follow us and you will do fine,” Caridad said.

“What can you do?” Jubair asked. 

“I am a blood descendent of Angel warriors. Our blood is true.” She looked at Pertinax and he nodded. Not many knew her secret. To share it with this many meant her giving up part of her safety.

Caridad sliced through her arm and before blood began to seep out, she spread it over Corissa’s wounds. “Now, you heal her while I perform my next step,” she said.

Kamali and Marinna worked on healing while Caridad used her ability to seal the blood to Corissa. Light flowed over the wounds. 

Slowly, the bruising faded. Her arm began to scar with nasty stripes of where the flesh had torn. Aster watched as the three–Brawn, Psyche, and Corissa slowly gained their consciousness back.

“Are they alive?” Corissa asked. 

“Yes, they are fine now.”

“Good,” she replied groggily. Brawn tested his legs before lunging to hug his sister who seemed more unbalanced. 

Turning to Jubair, Aster saw his face look slightly green. “I did that. I lost my grip. My magic wasn’t enough. I hurt her.”

“It wasn’t on purpose. We both have extended ourselves beyond our normal reach. I almost slipped before she sent her magic to aid me.”

“She sent it to me too. Renewed energy.” Jubair shook his head. “I am the reason she has those scars.” He looked at her arm. “Who knows what other damage there might be?”

“Between Caridad and Marinna alone, they will have healed her well. She will be fine.”

Jubair shook his head before we both heard her voice. You both pushed past your limits. Thank you for helping me.  She looked into Jubair’s eyes. You did your best. Already beyond what you have been giving, you still stayed strong. You have nothing to apologize for. I am thankful I did not have to do this alone.

Aster wondered at what she meant when we heard a clearing of a throat behind them. 

“Thank you for reviving my property. If you could kindly turn it over, we will be leaving.” Aster turned to see Mercreatures with too little clothing on for his liking. One that had on more ornate-looking jewelry spoke up while he was surrounded by others holding various weapons. 

“What is yours that we should hand over? I do not see an object here that could be revived or owned,” Pertinax growled out standing in front of Corissa and the others.

“This sea witch belongs to the kingdom of Sinvicks for her crimes against its people. She is a criminal who will work on her debt with her life.”

They all turned to her as she looked down. 

“Is it true?” Kamali asked softly, seeming heartbroken her hero could be someone else. 

“I–not in that–yes. It is true.” Corissa kept her voice soft and her head hung low. All spark of life and joviality Aster had seen in her was crushed in a single moment. 

“I am sorry to say, but in the treaty of Heart and Soul, it was noted that any sea kingdom does not have authority to press their laws onto any creature on land. Your laws do not apply, and she is not yours to take,” Jubair stated, walking over to their leader.

“She is on a ship. That is on the sea. She is mine to take back.” The little man grimaced.

Technically, he could be considered handsome if he did not have the presence of a weasel.

“The ship is docked at land. You have no claim. She is in a state of limbo. She is neither on land nor sea.”

“Then we shall take this to trial on your land. I will have what is mine.” He stormed away before seeming to remember something. “I will find a judge to challenge your clever thinking. You are just like her. Criminals, all of you.” He stormed off again, down the gangplank before tripping and almost landing back in the sea.

Everyone turned to Corissa, who sat still, barely breathing, as if she was trying to hide. 

“You should let them take me. If you want to cross the ocean to save your other friends, you will need safe passage, and you do not want to anger the kingdom of Sinvicks. They will sink your ship,” she said defeated.

Pertinax knelt beside her. “Is what they are saying true?”

“Who cares if it is? I am a criminal and everyone on my crew, and you still journeyed with us,” Jubair said, which seemed to surprise Xaxol and Killian, who both had one eyebrow raised as they stared at Aster. Aster realized he would have a long story to go over with them later.

“It is true. I am a criminal, but not in the way they make it sound. They wanted my power. They have been falsifying claims against me that I have been able to prove wrong until recently. A merman wanted his tail to look stronger and more defined. Longer. More muscle structure. I don’t know. Some mermaids like that, I guess? So he came to me. I explained using magic to twist the fate of a being is something to be cautious of. It can have bad side effects.” She motioned to her arm and that is when they all noticed. 

Her left arm could not move beyond her elbow. Her fingers lay in the same pattern as when she fell to the deck. 

“If you use magic to cheat the laws of nature and fate, you are taking on far more than just an exchange of energy. You are asking for a price to be paid.” Aster nodded, knowing all of this from his own use of magic.

“I did not realize until it was too late that the merman did not read the contract before signing about the ill effects that this could have on him. Nor did I realize he was sent by the prince. It was a ploy to destroy me. To get me under his thumb and in his power before the battle for the next heir begins. He and his sister are rivals. She is a much better ruler already than he will ever be. But to have me means some would join his side. They like the idea of a wish-giver at their disposal.” Jubair huffed in annoyance and a shared understanding. 

“I did not realize the ploy before I had already destroyed myself, and they sent the poor fool who was too stupid to realize he was nothing but a pawn.”

“What happened?” Kamali asked softly.

“He got his tail. It was beautiful–really–but he lost all the cartilage in his face and looks like a blobfish now.” The others exchange glances before bursting out laughing. It was funny to be certain, but probably not the reaction Corissa needed at the moment. 

“They finally had someone complain about my ill-use of magic and said that my contract would not hold up in their courts. The king does not care for his daughter, and the queen has been ill and out of the kingdom’s affairs. The prince was able to get a motion that I would pay my debt with my life. My life belongs to the kingdom of Sinvicks. I was running away the day I found you. You made my escape that much swifter.” 

He nodded. It made sense now that she sought passage so readily to land. “Did you even care about healing Brawn?”

“Yes, I want to help where I can. I felt a faint life sign pulling us to this shore. That was not a lie. And I do want to adventure. I want to be free, but you cannot help me. If you do, you will never be able to save your friends.”

Aster weighed in his mind their options. Dahlia was across the ocean with the others whose fate they did not know. They should have been heading back out to rush to save them.

But could they leave Corissa? Would Dahlia have wanted them to leave her to a scheme concocted by corrupt officials? He knew the answer. She promoted growth, learning, and curiosity. Integrity with grace for those who failed. She would not leave someone to a fate like Corissa’s. And if they two met, the two might be friends for the way they viewed the world. 

Aster sighed, hating to be pulled yet again away from where his heart called out to be.

“We will not leave you to a corrupt court. And when we cross the sea, we will be fine.”

“How?” Corissa asked.

Pertinax smiled. “Because we have the most powerful sea witch on our side.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dahlia watched as Laz was led away again. Every other day he was led away and returned seeming more energetic, clean, and less hungry than the rest of them.

She hated to believe it, but she wondered what he was doing with them. What was he telling their captors? 

Dahlia hoped the others were alive, but they couldn’t count on their rescue. She had to start to make a plan. She could do it. She always figured out a way to make one of her inventions work. It was all about the way you looked at the problem. Laz may have turned on them, but she would not let doubt stop her any longer. 

Even with no magic, and her life force hanging on by a thread around her neck, she knew that it was who she was and not what she could do that gave her power.