The Fires of Summer (first draft)

Most of Haley's day is spent in the captain's quarters with Axel doing very little. He rests off his hangover intermittently in Axel's arms, then checks his wounds when he's awake. Much like Axel, his have also healed well, his Archangel body made to be able to survive even the worst of injuries. The arrow wound that had been giving him trouble is nothing more than a scar now, and the others mere scratches. The only thing that can truly harm an Archangel or even an angel is a weapon fashioned for them.

Back in the aether, there were sometimes wars, primarily between them and the underworld. Weapons were fashioned to use against celestials and were plunged into the chests of many angels and even gods, though the latter always had a better chance of surviving. Similar weapons were made for the demons and devils of the underworld, ever-advancing to become as deadly as possible. Of course, that was mostly Michael's field - Haley typically dealt with the aftermath of conflict, not the 'during' part.

When Haley emerges later in the day, feeling a bit better, he sees that Pistrix is still sailing with them, his dark ship like a great beast on the water. He decides against having a cup of rum and instead gets back to cleaning and taking note of all the damages they need to repair. They probably won't have the chance until they reach Pirate Island unless they stumble across one of the inhabited islands, but there's no time to waste there - Corvus could be launching his attack any day now.

He sails through the night while everyone else sleeps and so does Pistrix. Neither captain speaks to the other, simply enjoying the silence and the company. Haley's always loved sailing alongside his fellow pirates. Sometimes he would even get the chance to do so with his lord fathers, whose ships are grand and whose crews are full. There's always a warmth in the air when that happens.

Haley can't help but long for his dads. Knowing they're not too far away now makes him restless. He's never been the biggest fan of contact, yet there's little he can think of that would be nicer than one of them holding him tight. He figures they'll have already heard the news about his... former crew, and Ellamia, and wonders what they'll say. When he thinks about it, he doesn't want them to say anything at all. Nobody can make it better, after all.

Looking over at Pistrix's ship, Haley sees that there's quite the night life going on there, about half a crew's worth of men. There are moon elves with glowing markings and mau-ryxt and owlfolk. He sees a dragonborn that reminds him of Grey, with spiky scales and a chiselled face. He spots a raven elf wearing the symbol of the Raven Queen on a black necklace. He notes the presence of two wood elves that look related. There's even an elusive wolffolk aboard. Haley very rarely sees them at sea, probably because they prefer the sheltered Wolf's Woods to the vast openness of the water. He admires Pistrix's planning - it's smart to have a night crew to keep things going, or to at least keep watch, especially when the Sanguises have been known to ambush ships under the cover of darkness.

The thought makes Haley turn around and observe the water around them, half-expecting to see some great warship coming their way, but there's only the soft lap of waves out there.

In the morning, Haley still doesn't feel tired. He lets Kallisto take the wheel then heads to the side of the ship as Pistrix waves him over.

"I'm going to go after that merchant ship," Pistrix calls, pointing to a ship far to his starboard side. "But it's been a pleasure sailing with you. I'll see you back at Pirate Island!"

"See you then, Pistrix, go get 'em!" Haley yells back, waving to him as his ship starts to swerve away. The merchants won't stand a chance.

Haley goes to check on Axel next. When he enters the room, Axel is lying down with his eye open, fresh bandages adorning his face. He sits up when he sees the pirate and smiles, pulling the covers from his lower body. He's only in underwear, with bandages still wrapping his stomach. That scar that circles his heart so deeply sits dark on his body. Haley approaches him, sitting at his bedside and lowering a curious hand to the mark. It's a great dent in his body that disappears under the off-white of the wrap on his stomach, then re-emerges on his leg, branches grasping his thigh and his knee and his calf, then splitting to each toe. Haley traces it down and then up, feeling the way it spreads itself over his skin, all the way to his fingertips then to his sculpted throat and his jaw. Gently he follows it with his thumb to where it disappears under his hair.

That's when he hears Axel's light breaths and feels the way his brow is lifted in satisfaction, his pretty lashes fluttering against his cheek. Haley watches the way the man's lips part each time he inhales. "How did you get it?"

Axel reaches out to cup Haley's jaw. The hand he lifts has his wedding ring upon it, and for the first time Haley notices that his ring finger is completely white. "When I was seven years old, there was an explosion in the room I was raised in. Whispers say that when they rushed to the room, it was empty apart from a great rift tearing through the walls leading to a starry void. I tore through the fabric of existence and in return it tore through me."

"But why?" Haley leans in, brushing loose strands of Axel's hair behind his ears.

"I don't know," the changeling admits quietly, opening his eye and gazing upon Haley with a shine in his eye. "I don't remember what happened. Next thing I know is that I woke up on the streets of Gore, and from there I was all on my own."

Sympathetically, Haley frowns, trailing his hand down to lay on Axel's jaw the same way it's done to him. Axel nudges his face against the hand, leaning gratefully into the touch like he's been starved of it. Haley moves closer, drawing in a deep breath, until suddenly the ship lurches like it's been hit. Right away he bolts upright, tearing himself away from the changeling, who follows quickly, donning his clothes.

Haley doesn't wait for him, darting outside. There doesn't seem to be anything out there, but the crew is panicked, their cutlasses drawn. He creeps across the deck, looking side to side. The ship is already a little damaged: the last thing they need is another attack. Nobody is speaking a word, frozen in place.

A tentacle emerges from the water and slams down onto the ship, reaching for someone to grab a hold of. Everyone scatters away from it, all except Rabia who bravely brings her cutlass down on the appendage, slicing off a portion of it and spilling blood over the freshly-cleaned deck. The tentacle is the colour of water on top, then dappled light blue on the bottom, like the colour of the sky filtered through the sea.

It can't be, Haley rushes to the side, peering into the water. Sure enough, there's a huge creature waiting there, staring right back up at him with an eye black as night, sprinkled with white like stars. A huge scar slices across the side of its round head, and immediately Haley knows what he's facing up to.

The Kraken.

He remembers his last run in with the beast. He'd claimed a number of its regenerative tentacles, all now laying dormant on his deck, and it arose for one final showdown. He'd stared it in the eye as he sliced its head, hoping to put an end to the creature's attacks once and for all, but the wound had barely gone beyond the surface. The water was turned red as it submerged, then it swam off in a hurry. As far as Haley had been concerned, that was the last he'd seen of the one and only Kraken.

Yet here he is, face to face with it as it turns and another tentacle shoots up towards him. He lunges backwards but it wraps around his stomach and starts pulling him down. Thinking fast, he slams his blade down on it, hacking at the tentacle until it comes loose. He uses what's left of the appendage to jump towards the edge of the ship, but his fingers miss, and he squeezes his eyes shut.

A hand grabs his tight. He breathes, opening his eyes like he's seeing for the first time, staring up at his saviour. Axel barely spends any effort pulling him up. An Archangel's body is lighter than a mortal's, the goo within them holding barely any volume at all, but to lift him all alone in his state...

Haley doesn't have any time to thank him. Tentacles latch onto the ship on all sides, pulling it. The rails splinter under the weight. One reaches for the main mast. Haley rushes towards it, slicing down again and again until it loosens its grip, the mast surviving just barely. The ship creaks in complaint, the sea coming closer and closer to enveloping it.

Haley runs to hack at another appendage. It flails as the cutlass slices, grabbing the pirate and throwing him in the air. For a moment he panics, imagining how much it's going to hurt to hit the deck, but then he remembers he doesn't have to. He summons his wings and swoops, cutting the tentacle into pieces. Blood splatters all over his dirty clothes.

Beneath them the Kraken roars. It's lost multiple pieces of its limbs now, but already they're growing back. You've gotten better at this, huh?

Haley then notices that the severed pieces are also growing. He doesn't remember that part. They start to sprout into small creatures, mouths forming where they'd been severed, tentacle feet holding them up. One launches itself at Axel, who cuts into it with his dagger. It seems to die immediately, no longer able to regenerate.

Haley lands beside him, trying to watch both the Kraken and its mini-Krakens. "Your blade, I think it stops them from growing."

"Right," Axel cuts into another little creature, sending it sprawling across the floor as it dies.

Not caring to watch more of that, Haley does his best to quell the endless regeneration of the tentacles trying to grab at them now. The creature is relentless, taking now to damaging the ship rather than them, the second best thing.

Haley takes a deep breath. He knows what has to be done, but as he approaches the side of the ship, staring at the underside of the creature, he's not sure if he can do it. His chest gets tighter and tighter and his stomach lurches, and there's nothing he wants more than for this to all come to a swift end. He takes a deep breath, then another, staring. His feet won't move no matter how much he wants them to.

A tentacle hits him hard in the back and it's no longer his choice. He plummets into the water, holding his breath though he doesn't need to. It's warm but the movement of the Kraken is making waves and currents that jostle him about, only fuelling that feeling in his stomach that keeps him put. His mind is torn between wanting to drag himself out of the water and just diving in and getting the job done. The burning ship is fresh in his mind, but as he looks up he sees the bottom of the ship, touched by no flames but being viciously pummelled by tentacles.

The attack brings his mind back to him. It's them or the Kraken. He swims forth, ignoring the deep blue expanse stretching out in all directions, how far it reaches beneath him. The Kraken's head is beneath the ship so it can reach its tentacles up and over the ship. The Archangel of death does not often find himself at sea, and even then his form had transcended the push and pull of the sea, so now he struggles to propel himself forward, fighting the water for control.

A tentacle, wounded, slides down into the water, where it starts to reform. Haley takes it as an opportunity, grabbing it and bringing his body forwards, shooting towards the head of the beast. One black eye turns to cling to him and the reforming tentacle lunges forward. Using his blade in the water is impossible, so he summons his wings and deflects the appendage, sending it crashing into the head of the beast. The Kraken roars like thunder, so loud it hurts Haley's ears, but he doesn't stop. His wings are heavy but he uses them like flippers, beating the six of them against the water. He wills forth as much strength as he can manage beneath the water's pressure and slices a tentacle that heads towards him, only partially severing it, but it's enough. He kicks his feet against it, then aims his cutlass for the creature's eye. The beast is too big to dodge, and the blade sinks in.

The Kraken shrieks, liquid seeping out of its eye, painting the water red and black. Haley feels sick just watching it, but the attack seems to have gotten a message across. Turns out that is not a good thing for Haley. The Kraken withdraws its great tentacles, turning them all on the pirate. He's sure he'll be swallowed alive as they grab him, pulling him in closer and closer to an opening beak. His wings desperately try to escape their confines but the appendage is squeezing him tight.

As he's inches away from entering the beak, the thing chipped and damaged from years upon years of ruthless hunting, the tentacles around him come loose. He looks to see them severed, the pieces floating up to the surface, and the great werewolf form of Kallisto swimming beside him. Haley reaches for him. The werewolf hugs him tight to his chest and they watch for a moment as the Kraken roars one last time, then takes its damaged tentacles, some seeming not to be reforming at all, and darts into the deep blue.

Kallisto swims to the surface. Haley gasps in the fresh air on the surface though he doesn't need to, thankful for the way it rushes into him like an embrace, saying 'you're safe'. Kallisto climbs up the side of the ship and sets him down, then transforms back into a human, his hand on Haley's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Peachy," Haley looks to the dead creatures all over the deck, then to the splintered wood and the broken rails. We can't keep sailing like this. "Is everyone else okay?"

Kallisto doesn't answer, looking away. Immediately Haley's stomach drops and he forgets all about the weight of the water on his body or the panic he'd felt beneath the waves. It's replaced now with a sick feeling unlike any other, swirling inside of him viciously, making him light-headed.

There's a small crowd around someone. Axel stands to the side looking mildly disappointed, but Haley doesn't stop to ask him what's going on, instead joining the few people crouched down. One of the guards lies slumped against the steps to the wheel. His midsection is covered in blood and when Haley looks down he sees that there's a gaping wound there, bandages ripped open to reveal it, as though a healing injury had been reopened ten times worse.

It's as if nobody knows what to say as they watch the man take ragged breaths. Haley comes to his side. He doesn't know exactly what to say either, but he's used to speaking to the dying. "I'm so sorry."

The guard looks to Haley. The man has green eyes that are full of tears, his face youthful with peach fuzz on his chin. When he speaks his voice is strained. "I don't want to die."

"I'm scared," Max's voice echoes in his mind like a ghost brushing against his body. Haley has no reason to care for this stranger, yet he can't find it in his heart to steel himself. He takes the man's hand gently in his own. "Death isn't the end of you. Just think of it as a change of scenery."

"I can't leave behind my mom and dad," he sobs, squeezing Haley's hand. He looks so pale.

"You'll meet again, I promise," Haley sees Keaberos searching through his bag desperately, but they both know that there's nothing they can do.

"How do you know? Please don't lie to me," his eyes begin to flutter shut.

Haley spreads his wings, enveloping the man in them as he dies. "I know."

The guard gives him one final long stare. Then, he ceases to cry, and ceases to breathe. He stills and his hand slides out of Haley's, the shine in his green eyes becoming dull. Haley doesn't have access to the aether now, or his old job, so there's no way to see off his spirit. He hopes whatever god Apollyon had been speaking about is there, watching over him.

The man must have heard the commotion and came to help. A wound like that surely must have been made by an attack from the Kraken. Haley curses the thing, hopes that it suffers a terrible fate for taking a son away from his mother and father so far from home. He curses the Sanguises for putting such a young man out onto the dangerous seas, for putting all of these guards out here. He feels blood drip onto his wings, still hot.

A hand presses to Haley's shoulder. He turns to see Axel, looking down at him and the guard, now with sympathy written across his face where there had once been distaste. Haley doesn't want to let go of the body, but he does, sliding his wings carefully from beneath it and withdrawing them. At least the man had died knowing he'd been seen off by an agent of death, whose promises were fact.

"We should find out his name and send a letter to his family," Axel suggests.

"You didn't seem to care all that much a moment ago," Haley frowns, staring at the wound.

Axel says nothing as he helps Haley to his feet, then backs away to help Keaberos with the injured.

Kallisto joins him next, taking the body and sighing. "Overboard?"

"We need to go to an island to fix up the ship. We should bury him," Haley doesn't feel like giving the Kraken a reward for its attack. Most animals he has some sympathy for, but the Kraken is a callous thing, and it most certainly has a vendetta.

"Alright," Kallisto nods. He carries the man down to the crew's quarters, probably to keep him in the lowest part of the ship until they arrive somewhere. The thought makes Haley feel unwell.

Haley follows him some moments later into the crew's quarters, where he sees guards awake, some coming from the storage looking solemn.

"Will he bring him to us?" one of the men in the hammocks asks.

"No, but I gave a kiss of respect for each of you," another young man says as he climbs back into his.

"Thank you," the other man nods.

Haley waits a moment to ensure their conversation is over, then clears his throat. "I'd like to write a letter to his family. What was his name?"

"Aithan Floros. He was one of our finest members," the young man answers, but not him nor anyone else elaborates. Haley figures they must be upset.

"Thank you. I'm sorry to disturb you," Haley bows respectfully before hurrying back out.

He goes to the captain's quarters and finds some paper. With magic he summons his old ink pot and quill. The quill is like an extension of his hand, fitting so perfectly between his fingers. He writes the kindest words he can manage without having known the man, then seals the letter with magic and goes out to the deck. He lifts the letter to the air, and his trusty friend Baguette swoops down to take it. The bird lands on Haley's arm and presses its face to his cheek.

"Where have you been?" he asks the bird, managing the smallest of smiles for him. Baguette caws softly in response, as though he can sense the heaviness in he air, then he takes off, joining a flock of ravens overhead that begins to move in the direction of land.

Haley stands over the spot where the man had been. There's blood on the deck that needs mopping up, but he can't bring himself to do anything yet. He stays there for a while, even after the ship starts to move again and everyone else starts to proceed as normal. The ship creaks as it moves, Kallisto sailing.

Eventually he manages to tear himself away. Axel is cleaning up, so he decides to help with that, finding another mop on the ship and getting work. He stays close to Axel, who looks conflicted, his brow furrowed. Eventually he overcomes it, turning to Haley. "I did care. I have two sons and a daughter, and they're very far from home. If anything were to happen..."

Haley frowns. "You don't speak about your children often."

Axel averts his gaze, taking a deep breath. "Their names are Heron, Phoenix, and Raven. I lost them when I lost my wife, when they were just children. The Sanguises have had them for ten years, and they could do anything to them."

Any anger that Haley had at Axel's initial reaction fades to nothing. "Oh, Ax. I'm so sorry. Is... is there any way I can help to get them back?"

"After Corvus is gone," Axel answers, "we'll go for them. I miss them more than anything."

Haley watches Axel's face, the way that his usual smirk is completely gone. He puts his mop down for a minute to take the changeling into a warm embrace. Haley only realises it when arms wrap around him in return, but he's been needing a hug too. "We'll get them back."

"I know," Axel buries his face into the side of Haley's neck. "Thank you."

Time goes by slowly. Haley's mind is plagued with everything that happened. He can't get the man out of his mind. He'd been so young. If Haley had a son like that, how would it feel to lose him? How would it feel to have sent him off never to see him again? Would he ever forgive himself? There's no way he was old enough to have a lot of experience under his belt. Why would the Sanguises send someone so young out to do deadly work? Wouldn't the norm be to have them in a city or close to the palace?

He decides that if he had a son, it would break him. It would be the one and only thing that could.

Haley finishes cleaning the deck, then Keaberos grabs his arm and takes him aside. "I was wondering if I could give you a checkup. Make sure that your body has adjusted to the changes, and that none of your wounds are infected."

"Yeah, that'd be fine," Haley agrees. Keaberos takes him through to the captain's quarters and sits him down.

Haley shows him all of his injuries. Keaberos stares with intrigue. "I knew Archangels had extraordinary healing capabilities, but I wasn't so sure if the Archangel of death would."

"I'm guessing Axel's talked your ear off about it all before," Haley smiles.

"He has, but I also know someone with much more intimate knowledge," Keaberos tests his reflexes, then casts a small spell that appears as three flames in the air before him. The autumn elf furrows his brows and frowns, repeating the spell again and again. "There's something going on with your life force. There's only meant to be one flame."

"Well... I'm bonded to Axel, so maybe that's why?" he suggests, trying not to stare at the flames.

"Even then, there should only be two," Keaberos reaches out to grab the third flame and holds it in his palm before extending it towards Haley. He closes his eyes but he feels its warmth as it moves over his arms and then to his torso. "Maybe the Kraken had some sort of parasite?"

"That would suck," Haley laughs, though admittedly he doesn't feel much like laughing. He feels as the flame moves down, then stops about his stomach, where it suddenly starts to feel hotter.

"Oh," Keaberos extinguishes the flame, and finally Haley opens his eyes. "There's another life there, Haley. Not a parasite."

"Then..." he stares at himself. He knows what it means. This has happened before, many years ago while he was a young adult to the mortals. Haley remembers a similar examination that his fathers had insisted upon when he was ill for seemingly no reason. It'd yielded similar results, but the outcome... "This won't end well."

"Will you tell Axel?" Keaberos asks, nowhere near as surprised as he should be.

"No. I don't think it'll go very far. I'm the Archangel of death, after all," Haley sighs. He's not sure how his day can get any worse. This is the last thing he needs to find out, especially when there's such a dangerous journey ahead.

"I suppose so," Keaberos nods. "Although... there is something up with Axel that transcends mortality, Haley."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Keaberos closes his case, frown still on his face. "I don't think anything goes quite as expected with Axel."

"I don't know, Keaberos," Haley shuffles where he sits. "Well, who's that person you said you know anyway?"

"Ah," Keaberos drags the chair from the desk over to sit. "I'm in contact with Raphael. Your brother."

"Raphael? How?" Haley blinks. Raphael was one of his kinder siblings, and he had frequent contact with him due to the many injuries he'd acquire being trained by Michael.

"Back home I have a garden - it's my pride and joy. I met Raphael looking at them one day, and we traded some flowers. From there we became friends," Keaberos explains, his frown turning to a fond smile.

Haley remembers Raphael taking care of the flowers where the Archangels would meet. They always looked full and beautiful. "And he tells you about the Archangels?"

"Sometimes, when I ask," Keaberos answers warmly. "I had a feeling you were the Archangel of death, in all honesty. It just seemed to add up, and you resembled them perfectly. Of course, that makes a lot more sense now."

"Did everyone knows I was the Archangel of death?" Haley asks. He remembers the conversation he overheard, how suspicious people had been of him.

"Everyone except Axel. He can be very oblivious at times," Keaberos says, his hands clasped together in front of him as though Haley is a patient and him the doctor.

"I guess it was pretty obvious," Haley averts his eyes. It's embarrassing to think that his well-kept secret wasn't actually that well-kept after all. He must have gotten worse at hiding it after those seven years under the sea. "I shouldn't keep you any longer, you've probably got things to do."

"Oh, it's quite alright Haley," Keaberos gets up and puts his chair back where it came from. "I'll check up with how things are going soon, if you're okay with that."

"That's okay," Haley agrees, then he's left alone.

He doesn't know what to do with himself. He paces back and forth for a bit, trying to get his thoughts straight. The last time this had happened was with Grey. Haley hadn't known his body could harbour life, but those doctors had said otherwise. It hadn't gone as expected, though. Being the Archangel of death, nothing could survive for very long within him even without his completely ethereal body. Grey had met the news and his distress with relief, offering up no comfort. Their relationship hadn't lasted much longer after that - Grey was a better friend than he was a lover.

Now, though... what if what Keaberos said is true? What if Axel is something different, and it's to live? Haley isn't quite sure how he's going to manage that atop the impending chaos of a plot to kill the King.

Unable to stand his thinking, Haley goes outside and picks up the wheel from Ophelia.

His muscles finally relax as he sails. The gentle sea breeze eases his mind a little. The thoughts don't completely leave him, but he feels a lot more comfortable dealing with them while he's at the wheel. His main goal is to find them an island now to repair the ship. The last thing they need is to come across another Sanguis ship or a sea monster after all the damage done to it - they'd all meet a watery death without a doubt.

Haley takes a deep breath and pushes everything to the back of his mind. If he's correct, there are islands about halfway to Pirate Island, which they must be by now. He trusts his instinct and steers the ship to the side, hoping to set them on the course towards some land to repair the ship.