The Beginning

She really couldn't have explained how she had gotten herself in the situation she was in. One second she was under the awning of an herb shop, trying to catch some shade and the next two large men were grabbing her by the arms. They began to drag her and she screamed out, kicking her legs to avoid taking a step further with the men. The men were bigger than her and she was no match for their strength. Shock replaced with fear as they continued down the road. People looked in her direction as she yelled but no one seemed fazed, no one was helping her.

The men turned into an alleyway between the shops and pushed the girl roughly into the wall. One of the men put his hand over her mouth to keep her silent.

"Boss says we don't got to be back until sunset. Think we can take our prize for a ride before giving her in?"

"I'll stand watch," the second man said and walked towards the entrance of the alleyway.

Tears sprung to the girls' eyes as panic began to set in. She used all the strength she had to push against the hold the man had on her and did not stop thrashing. She was going to give up, her energy quickly depleted after suns of little food. Just as she was ready to stop fighting, she heard a thump. Suddenly, the man who had a tight hold on her let go and began to back away, scared. The girl looked over to find a tall woman standing over the man that was at the entrance of the alleyway. The man was unconscious, the blood gushing from his head.

The other man had backed into a wall, trapped in the alley. The woman approached the man and when she was within range of him, he swung. She dodged the punch with ease and kicked his knee. As the man crumpled to the ground, the woman took out a dagger and hit him in the head with the hilt of it, rendering him unconscious like his friend.

"You, girl," the woman said after turning, "What's your name?"

"Ava," the girl said without thinking. She cursed herself for being so stupid and giving up a name without hesitation.

"Ava, what are you doing on this side of town alone?"

"I was looking for a place to stay for the night," Ava confessed.

"You're not from here."

It wasn't a question but Ava shook her head to confirm the woman's statement.

"Figures," the woman sighed and began walking out of the alleyway, "if you want a safe place to stay you can follow me."

Ava hesitated. She looked at the two unconscious men and to the woman who had just saved her. Based on the short interaction they had, Ava deduced that she wasn't safe out here alone and would be better off with the person who had just saved her. She followed behind the woman, whose long legs made it difficult for Ava to keep pace.

"Who were those men?" Ava asked the woman who seemed to have answers.

"They're called gars. They take women off the streets and sell them," the woman explained in a flat tone and watched as Ava's face registered the shock of the situation.

"I was being taken to be sold?"

"Aye, this district is known for being a hub for abductions. You need to know what you are getting yourself into before you travel somewhere new."

"Apparently so," Ava muttered to herself and followed the woman.

They walked in silence for a while, passing the streets as the shops around them began to close. She saw some people dressed in military uniform lighting torches on the side of the road, providing light for the coming darkness of night. Children that had been out on the street began to collect their toys and head inside to eat dinner. It was getting dark and Ava was getting tired, no food or shelter for the last few suns had her exhausted.

"Who are you, by the way, and where are we going?" Ava broke the silence. She realized she had been blindly following the woman without even knowing who she was or her name. Ava felt, as she usually did, that being direct was the best option.

"It doesn't matter who I am and I'm taking you to an inn where you'll be safe," the woman replied.

"It matters," Ava pressed. "What is your name?"

"You sure do run your mouth a lot for someone who is depending on the kindness of a stranger to make sure she stays alive," the woman answered.

Ava opened her mouth to protest but couldn't come up with a smart retort. The woman was correct in a way, her mouth had gotten her into trouble on her travels here but she managed to make it out of that alive. Still, she decided to reel in the questions. Ava would have to be at peace with not knowing.

Finally, they arrived at a small inn on the side of town that was closest to the docks. She could see the ocean and the ships littered all around the water. The woman had entered into the restaurant already but Ava stood outside admiring the setting sun for a moment. This had been her goal since she left home, make it to the ocean and book the first passage off of Elox. She took a deep breath of relief. Her voyage was far from over but she had made it through the first part.

Walking in, she spotted the woman speaking to the innkeeper, a short woman with grey littering her black hair. Ava was beckoned over and she obeyed.

"This is Ava. She'll need a place to stay. Let her stay as long as she needs and get her a change of clothes. I'll come to settle the tab next time we are in town," the woman said to the innkeeper.

Ava was delighted at the prospect of a place to stay and a change of clothes, she desperately needed both. At any other point in her life, she would have protested the offer of help but right now she needed to push her stubbornness aside and take advantage of the situation she found herself in. The woman turned away from them and began to walk away.

"Wait!" Ava called out, "You're leaving?"

"Aye," the woman said, "Marcy will take care of you. Any questions you have I'm sure she'll answer them. Do me a favor and stop walking around unknown places alone. At least get a weapon."

With that, she left. Ava could tell the woman was not fond of her but she could have at least stayed around a bit longer. Marcy was looking over at Ava like she was a delicate vase and while she was delicate right now, she did not appreciate it. Still, Ava offered her a warm smile which Marcy returned.

"Here, come take a seat at the bar and we'll get you something to eat," She said and led Ava to a chair.

Marcy disappeared for a few minutes then returned with a plate of hot food. Ava didn't think mouthwatering could be taken literally but now she understood. The sight of food made her stomach lurch. There was fresh meat, some healthy-looking greens and what looked like a yam. It was a full plate and Ava gave her thanks before practically inhaling the meal. She hadn't had that much food at once in at least a cycle.

"Thank you," Ava managed to say in between bites.

Marcy laughed at that and shuffled around behind the bar, filling a mug for Ava. Marcy set it down in front of Ava and she grabbed it.

"Is this ale?" Ava asked looking inside the mug.

"No, you do not appear to be old enough to be drinking ale. That is water," Marcy explained.

"I am sixteen."

"Would you like ale then?"

"No," Ava said and Marcy broke out into laughter again, the other patrons there looked in their direction.

Ava's cheeks heated up at the attention and at being laughed at. She knew it wasn't malicious but she wasn't meaning to be funny, she just opened her mouth too much. At least according to the majority of her family. There was rarely a time when Ava was not in trouble, not that she cared much.

"Very well then," Marcy said, "Where are you coming from, young lady?"

"Northern Elox," Ava replied.

"Ah, not being specific. Looks like you are not as helpless as Xyra made you out to be."

"Xyra? Was that the lady?"

"She didn't tell you?" Marcy chuckled, "She can be a bit of a closed book sometimes."

"I gathered as much," Ava admitted, "Who is she?"

"A pirate," Marcy said as she cleared the plates from in front of Ava.

"A pirate?" Ava repeated with a raise of her eyebrow. Marcy had to be teasing her.

"Yes, Xyra is the first mate on a pirate ship. You look shocked."

"Never heard of a woman pirate before."

"Then you have not been paying attention because she belongs to a whole ship of them," Marcy elaborated.

"Guess I haven't," Ava said, quieter than before. Marcy didn't know just how right she was.

"You can stay as long as you need but I must ask, where are you headed? You've traveled far, are you going to stay in town?" Marcy asked, making conversation as she tidied up behind the bar.

"Not sure, I'm heading to anywhere that is not Elox," Ava confessed.

"Trying to get off the continent then?" Marcy asked and Ava nodded. Marcy bit at her lip in thought before she began to speak again, "Xyra told me not to pass any information along but if you are to sail off Elox you need to do it safely. The pirate ship Xyra's on, they also function as a shelter of sorts. If you are in need of passage and have nowhere to go they'll provide a room on the ship for you."

Ava took in all the information. There was a possible way out for her but it would be aboard a pirate ship. One of the pirates had just saved her from being abducted though so she would probably feel safer there than anywhere else. Her hand reached down to grasp at her sack of coins. They were pirates, surely the price for crossing would be a considerable amount of her leftover money.

"How much do they charge for passage to The Twins?" Ava asked.

"They do not charge anything," Marcy smiled sweetly at Ava. It was off that Ava did not know of the ship as most women across all of Baethos had heard of it, longing for it to come to their shores.

"Somehow that just seems a little too perfect," Ava said, "Like the perfect plot to lure people in and sell them to the underground market."

Marcy laughed, Ava was a funny one. Lively for someone who had been out on the road for what looked like multiple cycles.

"I am being quite serious," Ava said but her smile betrayed her.

"I know," Marcy acknowledged, "I do not argue that it seems like a scheme to kidnap young girls but it is not. After you rest tomorrow, if you are interested in finding their ship, I can help you."

Ava thanked her. She would sleep on it and see how she felt in the morning. This whole trip, from her leaving home to arriving at this town, she had followed her gut feeling. Every morning she would wake up, tune in as she called it, and make a decision. In the morning, she would know. She stood up from her chair and Marcy handed her a key.

"Your room will be the first one once you get up the stairs. Breakfast is served until the last hour of the morning," Marcy said and wished her a goodnigh

Ava once again said thank you for the food and made her way up to the room. Tomorrow was a new sun.

Second and Final Author's Note: This book has 90k words as of right. The next update of around 20k will be coming in early May. Additionally, something to note before you continue that the ages in Baethos are not like ages on earth. Since years are 500 days long, a 13-year-old would be nearing 18. 4 lengths is more like 5 and 1/2 and so on. The formula is 500*age/365