The Ponanian boy led Eddie to a warm room where a small fire was burning in the fireplace. There were maps all folded neatly on the desk in the room, a hammock bed in the corner, and other random things useful for ship travel in the room.
"Sit," the boy said, pointing Eddie to chair.
Eddie sat down calmly, brushing his hair away from his face. "You're very organized," he complimented and the boy seemed to be pleased before regaining his annoyed look.
"It's my first time traveling and delivering alone. I've just turned twenty, and now it's all going to be taken away," he snapped, sitting across from Eddie.
Eddie felt guilty, but he was confused at the same time. "The day of adulthood in Pona is eighteen, I thought. It's the same as Tenebris."
The boy shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I was learning," he mumbled, pulling at his long sleeved jacket anxiously. "What's your name?"
"Eddie. Yours?"
"Mike." Mike looked at Eddie suspiciously. "You're not like Lucantians I've met."
"Meaning?"
"You're not as stuck up or selfish. Or, you don't seem like it. Now, are you going to tell me why you're not for me turning this ship around and sending yourself and the Tenebrians back to Divisus?" he asked, leaning back in his seat.
It was Eddie's turn to be uncomfortable. He didn't want to reveal the plans that his mother and Klais had spoken about, especially if Mike might be helping with it.
"What were you delivering to Luceat?" Eddie asked instead, his gaze showing Mike that he wouldn't speak until his question was answered.
Mike shook his head. "I'm not sure. They just told me to deliver packages and get our pay."
His tone offered truth, so Eddie didn't even try to accuse him of lying.
Eddie sighed. "I was trying to escape."
Mike raised an eyebrow but didn't respond, pressuring Eddie to continue.
"I'm the son of two council members and I overheard something that I wasn't supposed to. I couldn't just stay behind knowing that something bad was going to happen, so I ran. Didn't get far, since two Tenebrians caught me."
Mike nodded slowly. "Why didn't they kill you? I doubt you offered any information or even your status," he stated, surprising Eddie.
No one knew about Lucantian status besides those who lived on Divisus.
"One of the Tenebrians told them not to hurt me. I'm not sure why," Eddie said flatly, showing no emotion or sense of care. "What will your king do with them?"
"Eddie, it's not just them," Mike said, looking concerned and a little scared. "I was supposed to bring back resources, not a Lucantian and four Tenebrians. None of us are safe."
"You will be," Eddie argued. "You're Ponanian."
Mike inhaled sharply and nodded. "I guess I am."
Eddie narrowed his eyes at that. He leaned across the desk and tried to grab Mike's arm, but he pulled it away, glaring at Eddie.
"You're from Divisus," Eddie stated, watching as Mike's eyes widened before he tried to regain his composure.
"What? No, how could I be? I'm from Pona!" He spoke too quickly and frantically.
"You're one of us. That's why you couldn't work until later," Eddie said, not letting up. "That's why you're afraid. You have a mark. What are you? Lucantian or Tenebrian?"
Mike stood up, towering over Eddie. "I'm Ponanian. You're lucky I don't lock you up for comparing me to your kind," he snapped, but Eddie didn't cower.
"So you're Lucantian?" he asked, knowing that only a Lucantian who hated being a Lucantian would offer an angry reaction like that.
Mike sighed. "I was. I was taken to Pona when I was really young. They took me in, but I have to keep my tattoo hidden. They don't want trouble, but Luceat seems to only give them trouble. I don't want you to get hurt, but you're potentially worse off than the Tenebrians. They at least can relate to us."
"How so?"
"All Luceat does is use their power to control us. It's dangerous and makes enemies," Mike said, walking over to the fire and putting a kettle over it. "We're both oppressed by Luceat. I thought I'd be the only Lucantian to want to leave."
"You're not. Mike, I need your help. Please," Eddie said, sounding slightly desperate. "I can't go back. I don't want to go back."
"I can't help you, Eddie. I don't know what to do, either." Mike shook his head. "I doubt they'll want to take another Lucantian in. Maybe Tenebrians since they know how to hunt and take care of themselves."
Eddie looked really upset, but he knew Mike was right. He also had to worry about Ben and Bill, since they were on their way to Pona as they spoke.
"Can I go see the Tenebrians?" Eddie asked. "I need to talk to one of them."
"I'll bring him up here. Which one is it?" Mike asked, standing and walking toward the door.
"His name is Richie. He's got dark hair and is skinnier than the other one with dark hair," Eddie informed Mike, knowing that he needed to tell Richie about what he had overheard.
It was the only way that the Ponanians would help them stay away from Divisus and maybe take them in.
•••
"I knew we should've killed that little bitch!" Henry yelled, slamming his hand on the metal bars that were keeping him in a cell. "Are you fucking happy, hunter?! Now we're going to be brought to their king who'll just send us to Luceat where we'll be killed!"
"Oh, fuck off Henry!" Bev snapped. "It's not his fault that you want to murder every single person that breathes too loudly around you!"
"We wouldn't be having this problem if he was dead!"
"We'd still have been captured, fucker!"
"Yeah, but the Ponanian wouldn't have a fucking Lucantian influencing him! Everyone is working for Luceat!" Henry shouted, so mad that he could've probably killed Bev if they weren't a cell apart.
"Eddie doesn't want us dead," Richie said quietly, earning a snarky laugh from Patrick.
"Just because you think you can get in his pants that means he doesn't want us dead? Shut up, Richie, you don't know a damn thing," Patrick said, scoffing and laughing.
"If he wanted us dead he would've had us go straight back to Luceat!"
"No, it means his plan is going to be worse later!"
They were all cut off by the sound of the door to the cell room they were stuck in opening. The Ponanian boy walked down, looking around the room. He caught Richie's eye and walked toward his cell, opening it.
"Come on, we need to talk," he said, so Richie followed, nervously looking back at Stan and Bev as he walked up the stairs.
