Uzi limped through Mandalo's winding streets; borrowed cane tapping against bright cobblestones. Every corner was a new explosion of color: white walls washed in sunlight; doors painted sapphire and emerald; orange roofs glowing like fresh coals. Laundry fluttered overhead like prayer flags; gulls screamed over the harbor; someone's radio drifted a jaunty guitar tune down a side street.
He couldn't stop staring. How had he spent eternity judging worlds and never once seen a place this alive?
A narrow alley caught his eye; shadows pooled deep between two buildings; a handful of rough types lounging against the walls; cigarettes glowing. At the very back, half-hidden under a sagging awning, was a plain wooden door lit by a single weak bulb.
Curiosity tugged harder than caution. Uzi angled the cane and shuffled closer.
A mountain of a man unfolded from the doorway; easily seven feet tall; shoulders wide enough to block the sun. Arms like bridge cables; no name tag; no expression. He looked down at Uzi the way a cliff looks down at a pebble.
"What's this place?" Uzi asked; tilting his head toward the door.
The giant's voice rumbled out, deep enough to rattle ribs. "Stairs. Way down to the boss."
Uzi blinked. "The boss of what?"
The man just stared; silent; immovable.
Before Uzi could push the question, his gaze snagged on a public clock bolted to the alley wall. The hands read ten minutes to dawn.
Ten minutes.
Guntic had said the boat leaves at first light.
Panic flashed hot. "Shit-"
He spun; cane clacking hard against stone as he bolted back the way he came. His half-healed foot screamed; the scar across his torso pulled with every stride; but he ran anyway. Cane stabbing the ground for balance; lungs burning; orange roofs blurring overhead.
He tore around corners; past startled vendors opening stalls; past cats and laundry lines and the smell of fresh bread. The harbor bell began to toll; one low note that meant the tide was turning
.
Uzi gritted his teeth and pushed faster; pain be damned.
He had a boat to catch.
Uzi raced down the road; his cane clacking wildly against the cobblestones; breath coming in sharp bursts. The harbor loomed ahead; masts swaying like fingers against the pink dawn sky; the smell of salt and fish guts thick in the air. He skidded onto the docks; boots slipping on dew-slick wood; and spotted the boat tied at the end pier.
No more than fifty feet long; weathered hull painted faded blue; sails furled tight. Guntic sat in a rocking chair near the helm; pipe clenched in his teeth; giving Uzi a glare that could curdle milk.
Uzi stumbled to a stop; gasping. "Sorry... got held up..."
Guntic grunted; rocked once; didn't stand. "Boats don't wait for stragglers. Hop on before I change my mind."
Uzi tossed the cane aboard first; then vaulted the rail; landing with a thud that jarred his half-healed foot. He straightened; opened his mouth to explain the alley detour to Guntic; when a creak echoed from the cabin door.
An older woman stepped out; tall as a mast herself; around six foot three; skinny and lean like wind-whipped reed. Thick glasses perched on her nose; hiding her eyes behind tinted lenses; hair pulled back in a severe bun streaked with gray.
"I'm Garnet," she said; voice crisp and no-nonsense; extending a hand like a challenge.
Uzi shook it; her grip firm enough to crunch bones. "Uzi. Who-"
Guntic rose from his chair; blew Garnet a kiss with a wink. "She's my wife! And that old friend we're rescuing? Her childhood pal. She's known Rowan longer than me; figured she'd tag along to keep us in line."
Garnet rolled her eyes behind the glasses; but a faint smile tugged her lips. "Someone has to."
Uzi nodded; greeted them both properly. "Good to meet you; Garnet. Thanks for letting me help; Guntic."
The boat lurched as Guntic cast off the lines; engine rumbling low beneath the deck. Uzi claimed a spot on the side bench; legs dangling over the rail; eyes fixed on the ocean rolling out endless and blue. Waves slapped the hull; spray misting his face. This was his first time on a boat; at least as far back as he could remember; the sway was both thrilling and queasy.
Garnet caught Guntic's eye; signaled with a jerk of her head toward the cabin. "A minute?"
Guntic sighed; but followed her inside; door clicking shut behind them.
Uzi didn't pry; didn't care what whispers they traded. He trusted them both. The teardrop brand on his arm stayed quiet; the horizon called louder.
The boat cut through the waves; Mandalo shrinking to a colorful smudge on the hill.
The cabin door creaked open again; Guntic stepped out first; his cane tapping lightly on the deck as he made his way toward Uzi. He eased himself down onto the bench beside the boy; rocking chair forgotten; pipe smoke curling lazy in the sea breeze. Garnet followed close; her tall frame casting a long shadow; hands tucked in her pockets.
Guntic cleared his throat; voice low but steady. "Look kid; are you really a good person? We see that mark on your arm. I didn't recognize it; but Garnet did. The people who work for that evil group; they wear that teardrop; and yours says 6 on it; meaning you're sixth in command."
Uzi's heart stuttered; he shot to his feet; the boat's sway nearly toppling him. Garnet's hand flashed out; a slim blade appeared from her sleeve; a point leveled at his chest. Her thick glasses hid her eyes; but her mouth was a hard line.
Uzi froze; words jamming in his throat. He didn't know what to say; how to explain without sounding insane.
"I'm not with them," he blurted; voice cracking. "I hate those people; and I want them dead."
The words spilled faster; a ramble born of panic; his hands gesturing wildly. "They did this to me; forced it on. I'm not one of them; I swear. They took everything; twisted it; and now I'm stuck here trying to fix what they broke. You have to believe me; I-"
He cut off; breath heaving. Put on the spot like this; blade glinting inches from his heart; he had no choice. The truth tumbled out; raw and unfiltered.
"I was... a god," he said; the word tasted strange on his tongue. "In the Otherworld; judging souls; letting people in. Then Rathra showed up; him and his crew. They beat me; pulled my soul out; shoved it into this body; marked me with that teardrop; and tossed me down here like garbage. The 6? It's a countdown; or a rank; or something to control me. I don't know exactly; but it's not loyalty. It's a curse."
Silence stretched; broken only by the slap of waves.
Garnet lowered the blade slowly; then burst out laughing; a sharp, disbelieving bark that echoed over the water. She clutched her side; glasses slipping down her nose. "A god? Oh; that's rich. Kid; you've got some imagination."
Guntic didn't laugh. He just looked down at his boots; rubbing his thumb over the cane's handle; face etched with disappointment. "Lying won't help you here; son. We've seen enough bullshit in our time to spot it a mile off."
Uzi's cheeks burned; the truth hanging rejected in the air. The ocean rolled on; indifferent.
Uzi stuttered; words tripping over each other like stones in a stream. He didn't know he was flustered; cheeks hot; pulse racing under the teardrop mark. This was new; a tightness in his chest he'd never felt before. It was just a guy he'd met two weeks ago; and a woman he'd only shaken hands with today. Why was he so nervous?
His mind spun. Couldn't he beat them in a fight? The thought flashed dark; then he cussed himself out in his head; disappointed at the ugliness of it. No; that wasn't him.
Then the idea hit.
"I... I can prove it," he said; voice steadier now. "Back up."
Guntic and Garnet exchanged a glance; then stepped cautiously away; Garnet's blade still out; tip steady in her grip. The deck creaked under their boots; waves lapping soft against the hull.
Uzi got into position; knees bent slightly; he was almost healed at this point; the scar a faint itch instead of fire. He focused; drawing deep from that trickle inside; the well that used to be an ocean.
A ball of light formed in each hand; soft and golden; blooming like dawn over water. The air around them hummed gently; the glow spreading warmth that chased the sea chill. It felt comfortable; pleasant; like stepping into sunlight after rain.
"Holy magic," Garnet exclaimed; shocked; her dagger dipping as her eyes widened behind the thick glasses.
Guntic was stunned; the pipe froze halfway to his mouth. "Wait; that's holy magic? I didn't know what it was. He'd used it before; why did I never question it?"
"Wait; Guntic; you knew about this?" Garnet demanded; her voice sharp as her blade; eyes narrowing behind the thick glasses.
Guntic shifted uncomfortably; pipe still hovering; his defense stumbling out. "I didn't know what it was; I figured it wasn't an important question. The kid was hurt; I patted him up; end of story."
Uzi interjected; the balls of light fading from his hands as he straightened; frustration bubbling up. "How do you think I healed so fast? I had a cut through me from my shoulder to my hip; and it almost fully healed in three weeks!"
Guntic didn't know what to say; his mouth opened; closed; then opened again. "I... I figured the nurse used something expensive on you; and that's why the bill was so high."
Garnet's head snapped toward him; her blade vanishing back into her sleeve as she yelled; "YOU WHAT? You had an injury like that?" She rounded on Guntic; hands on hips. "And Guntic; healthcare's expensive regardless; it was just basic treatment; probably!"
"How was I supposed to know?" Guntic started; throwing up his hands; cane clattering against the deck. "I've not been in the hospital for over 30 years!"
The boat rocked gently; the argument hanging in the salt air; Uzi caught between them; the holy magic's warmth still lingering on his palms.