Summer Jams 4: Viclya - Part I

“There are so many things to do in Viclya and you all choose to lay there, like seals basking in the sun.”  Tori reached the crescent shaped beach past the tents and saw her visiting cousin looming over the row of towels beneath sunshades.  Andy had an unimpressed look on his face as he looked at the over half dozen children, and one cat, laying in a row, appearing listless and bored.

Maeve, Ava, Riri, Marco and Mateo, Fiona, and Robert were laying on their towels either on their backs or on their tummies, some wearing hats, some not, and still in their swimwear, as if they’d dragged themselves on to shore to do the very thing Andy described them as.

“Uncle Andy, Ma let you come?” Maeve asked, eyes closed with a sunhat on. She didn’t open her eyes to address her uncle.

Tori watched Andy’s lips pull into a frown.  “What do you mean ‘let me come’?  I put in a formal request for time off and it was approved.  Tori always invites me to come when I have time, so I did.”

“And you’re going swimming?  You can do that any time.  You have your own ship,” Maeve replied with a small snort.

“I don’t go swimming every day simply because I captain my own ship,” Andy said with a roll of his eyes.  “There have been some improvements to Viclya since I last came, so your cousins are taking me around to look.”

“Don’t let us hold you back, Cousin Andy,” Marco said, unmoved from his towel.

“Yes, since you just arrived, you still have plenty to do,” Mateo added.

Tori raised a brow and approached the children.  “Are you all saying that you’re bored here?” As the person running the show, it was kind of insulting, as well as worrisome.  Bored guests were the last thing she wanted when she was overseeing a tourist destination.  It was one thing to be relaxed and rest, but another to feel as if the place were dull.

In addition, it was midmorning.  Were the children so bored that they gave up before the day began?

“I wouldn’t say it’s boring....” Maeve trailed off.  She seemed to choose her next words carefully.  “It’s only that we’ve done everything. Sometimes twice.”

“Played at the arcade, tried all the new snacks and drinks released this season; every day we’ve been going to Rois to eat different food.”  Marco counted off their activities on his hand.

“The boating festival was last week and we already went through the craft market on the east shore twice.  Our nannies took us hiking, we’ve camped on the beach, in the hills, on the small islands.”  Mateo yawned.  “We even laid around in the water hammocks all of yesterday and had our chilled drinks brought to us.”

Tori crinkled her eyes.  Has this life spoiled the children?  She didn’t get drinks brought to her when she was floating around in water.  At the very least, she’d make her way to the food and have Piers feed it to her, but she wouldn’t ask a server to wade into the shallows to refill her beverage.

That could be an option for a top tier vacation package though.  She shook her head and pushed that thought out of her head as she turned her attention back to the visiting children.  “Have you tried the pools at Reina?”

“Yes, but it’s filled with old people,” Fiona said with a pout.  “They get mad at us if we’re too loud.”

“Why didn’t you use the private owner’s villa?” Tori asked.  There were very few people who had access to that and she made sure that the children’s new crystal fobs could give them access so they could be unruly without bothering paying guests.

“It only has one pool right now and the waterslide isn’t working,” Fiona answered.  “The waterfall showers are still being installed and the hot pool doesn’t have water.”

“We can float around on the beach. We don’t need a pool for that,” Marco told her.

“You all have really done everything?” Tori raised a brow.

“Sometimes twice!” Fiona said.

“Mom was right,” Ava said with an exaggerated sigh.  “Decadence without drive is unfulfilling.”

Tori pursed her lips.  She narrowed her eyes and thought for a moment.  Finally, she shrugged.  “Well, we only have so much to offer.  I suppose it makes sense that if you were spending months here, you would run out of things to do.”  She turned around and faced her brother, who was standing on the wooden walkway a few paces away, and called back to Andy.  “Andy, I just remembered I have some things to do for the delta council.  You and Kasey continue without me.”

Andy didn’t seem to think anything of it.  He gave her a nod.  “Don’t work too hard.”

She snorted.  “If I don’t work hard, how can I expect my people to?”  She passed Kasen, who gave her a curious look.

“I thought you finished reviewing the work that piled up yesterday,” he said with some amusement.

“I missed some things,” Tori replied with a dismissive wave.  “I’ll meet you for lunch at Rois when I’m done reviewing one more project.”

Kasen gave her a nod and she headed back to her tent in the encampment.  She wasn’t scheduled to move out until the manor was built on her island.  Since she was going to be in Horizon for school most of the year, she didn’t see a reason to take up a permanent structure as a temporary residence, especially when such structures could house residents working in town and paying guests.

While it appeared strange that she, the Countess of Cosora, was living in a tent when it was not absolutely necessary to do so, she didn’t mind and it was convenient.

Her friends hadn’t moved out of their tents, either.  Henrik still commuted from his tent when he was in Viclya. Ilyana and the others also kept their tents.  There were apartments in town available for them, but they refused.  Constantine said it would not do for them, who technically were not residents of the delta, to reside in an apartment while she remained in her tent.

The citizens of the delta also praised her for putting residents, workers, and guests first over her own comfort.  She didn’t want to tell them that her laziness was also a factor.  She didn’t want to have to move everything multiple times.

She marched to her tent with a sort of single-minded focus.  Since the children were bored, she could use them to test a Lions Gate Duel project.  She’d been working on it since she before she left, during her off time, and in between formal meetings with the delta’s council, she’d received encouragement for it and a few members wanted to assist.

The enthusiastic villagers even prepared some of the necessary props and locations.  Tori thought it would be good to use the Duel project as a team building event.

God knows she hated doing them when she worked in the corporate world, but she knew there was value in them.

The four imperial knights guarding her tent entrance remained motionless as she swept aside her tent flap.

Tori went straight to her desk to begin digging out the box of props and notes.  As she sat around, rummaging through, the flap to the back room opened.

“You have returned?”

“Why are you not sleeping in your own tent?” Tori didn’t look up as she pulled out an empty red wine bottle and put it on her desk.

Piers tilted his head to the side, his dark hair tousled and sticking every which way.  He looked at her with curiosity.  “Your bed is more comfortable.”

“You have the same bed, Piers,” she replied as she unrolled a sheet of parchment and ran her eyes over it.

“Is that a map?”

“It’s a prop I created for a local project.  It’s an interactive activity.  The children appear bored, so I thought I’d test it with them.”

“Do the children know?”

“No, of course they don’t know.  It’s not as fun,” Tori replied.  She rolled the parchment back up, into a narrow tube, and put it on the table. She then took out a white candle from the drawer and lit it on fire with her carnelian.

“What are you doing?” Piers walked closer to the desk and knelt down beside it.

“I need to use the wax to seal the parchment so it doesn’t unravel inside the bottle.  If it unravels inside the bottle, it’ll be difficult to get out,” Tori told him.

“Why are you putting it in the bottle?”

“So, it won’t get wet.”  Her answer seemed to confuse Piers further.  “I’m going to throw the bottle with the map and clues into the water, then use the aquamarine layered at the bottom to lead the bottle to shore so that the kids will find it.”

“Has your crystal ability returned?”

“Not to the level it was at my peak, but it can control some water and earth close to me,” Tori said.

“Will it not be obvious that you are nearby controlling this?” Piers asked.

“I’m going to pretend to take a nap on a water hammock,” Tori said.  “Don’t worry about it.”

Piers narrowed his eyes.  “You believe the children will know to open it?”

“Piers, don’t underestimate them,”  Tori said before blowing across the melted wax to seal the parchment.  She reached into her drawer and took out a gold chain with a small gold compass-looking pendant.  A clear crystal was embedded inside.

“Have you tested this before?”

“Of course not. That’s why I’m doing this now.  That reminds me, they’ll need adult supervision to make sure they’re going in the right direction....”  Tori patted the pockets of her dress to get her comcry.  “Call Ilyana Agafonova.”

Tori could’ve sworn that Ilyana was clutching her comcry when she called, as Ilyana answered at once.  “Tori?”

“I’m going to do the Pirates Cove project.  Can you contact the necessary parties?” Tori asked.  She heard Ilyana let out an excited gasp.

“Are we going to do it!?”

“No, your brother and the rest of the children are,” Tori said.  “Notify the coast guard to watch, but do not interact with the project vessel.  Contact Christy at the information center.  She and her son will help direct the children to the grove where the vessel is tied and make sure it is ready.”

“Okay, I’ll do that!”  Ilyana said.  “Are the children going alone?”

“They are, but I will notify their nannies and have them watched.  All of them can swim and Maeve and Ava are better sailors than most, even at their age,” Tori said.  “Just in case, I’ll have Andy follow.”

“All right, I hope they like it.”

“They’ll likely set out at noon, after lunch, so when we have lunch, pretend that you don’t know anything about it or notice any suspicious activity on their part,” Tori told her in a firm voice.

“I won’t!  Have some faith in me, Tori.”

Perhaps Ilyana didn’t have faith in herself, as in order to avoid appearing as an accomplice to the project, Ilyana had called her brother to tell him she had to do something for Lions Gate and couldn’t come to lunch.  Tori had run a hand down her face.

It only took her an hour to get all the working parts into play.  With the bottle carrying the note firmly corked and in her hand, she returned to the beach.  The lethargic children hadn’t moved.  Even Alexander remained curled in a loaf in the shade of an umbrella above Fiona’s head.

Tori waded out with her water hammock; the bottle hidden in the woven cloth.  Piers came with her and they steered themselves to the farthest buoys that marked where a large net about an arm’s length under the water was that was used to deter any large sea animals.

At midmorning, most people gravitated towards the plaza and the Promenade, as well as went out to Rois and Reina.  It was a weekday, so there were less people in general, and during this time, many local children had their summer activities.  There weren’t many people on the beach.

In fact, the row of children ‘basking like seals’ were the most prominent group. Several paces behind them, on a wooden deck, their nannies and guards were seated at a table, both watching and having coffee. Tori had already notified them for the project.

Now, she just had to lure them into the water.  She had someone else do that.

From where she and Piers were floating, she saw a local boy approach the row of children.  Tori couldn’t hear what he said, but he pointed out towards the water and the children seemed to agree on something.  Maeve and the twins sorted out some of the water hammocks tethered to the shore, while Robert adjusted a thin blanket over his sleeping little sister’s body.

The boy who’d come to use a water hammock thanked them and rushed back to shore, giving them a small wooden bucket, shovels, and molds of building sandcastles.  It seemed to attract the attention of Ava and Riri and within a few minutes, Maeve and the twins were in the water and Ava and Riri were building a sand fortress.

Ava ran back and forth to the water to get more seawater to wet the sand.  Tori narrowed her eyes and released the bottle.

Piers noticed.  “Is the boy an accomplice?”

“That’s Liam, one of our school’s top students, and yes,” Tori said.  She stuck her hand with her bracelet in the water and focused on manipulating water to steer the bottle towards Ava.

“Are you sure you have enough energy?” Piers asked.

“I’m sure.  I wrote some charms on myself so I have plenty stored,” she replied without looking over.  Piers held her water hammock next to his as she concentrated.

The red wine bottle floated closer and closer to Ava.  She didn’t seem to notice until it hit her bucket.  She frowned and pushed it away.

Tori frowned as well.  “Does she think it’s trash?”

“It is obviously an empty wine bottle.”

Tori ignored him and kept moving the bottle towards Ava until the little girl finally plucked it out of the gentle waves.  She raised it up, appearing as if she was going to hurl it back into the ocean, when Riri stopped her.

Thank, God.  Riri is the smart one.  Tori let out a small breath of relief as she watched the two children fumble over the bottle.  They lifted it up, seemed to notice the parchment within, and then excitedly rushed back to shore, forgetting all about their sand fortress.  Tori narrowed her eyes.  “Got ‘em.”

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

“Is this...is this acceptable?”  The boy’s tentative voice was laced with uncertainty as he looked around at the other children in an effort to read their thoughts on the subject.

“We’re not doing anything wrong.”  Marco shrugged and glanced around the small circle.

Robi furrowed his brows, hesitation written all over his face.  “Auntie Tori was very clear about staying within the town proper and on the west shore.  If we want to cross to the east or leave town, even if it’s along the beach, we need to bring our nannies and guards.”

Mateo let out an exasperated sigh.  “Why do we need to bring so many people?  We’re just going to go down along the shoreline.”

Robi didn’t look convinced.  “It’s one thing to go to the shoreline, but not all the way to the edge of the bay.”

“It’s not the edge of the bay,” Ava said with confidence.  “We’re just going to follow the shore to find it.”

“We don’t even know if ‘it’ really exists!” Robi almost choked out.  He drew his head back and shook it.  “No.  We’re not going.”

Fiona looked at her brother and then to the others and nodded.  Daddy always told her that her brother would always try to make decisions to keep her safe, just like he did, so if Robi said no, then there was a good reason.

No matter how appealing her cousins’ plans were, she would ‘follow her gut’, like Auntie Tori said.

“I stay with my brother,” Fiona said, scooting along her towel to glue herself next to Robi.  Her brother seemed satisfied with her actions.

“Fifi, you should come with us!” Ava looked disappointed, but Fiona shook her head.

“No, Daddy said to stay with Robi.  If Robi doesn’t go, I won’t go.”  She paused and thought for a moment.  “And Auntie Tori said I have to be watched by Nanny Rey the whole time.”

She looked up towards the deck, where the nannies were seated. Nanny Rey was on a chair around a circular table along with four other nannies, chatting, but at the same time, keeping a close eye on their charges.

Ava and the others lowered their voices and moved closer into the circle.

Maeve frowned and flipped the paper in front of them.  “There are instructions here.  We just need to follow them and we’ll be all right.”

“You’re just going to follow instructions on a random map that you found, floating in the ocean?’ Robi said, carefully speaking his mind.

Ava tilted her head to the side.  “Why not?  Look at it.  You said yourself that the ink is still dark and the paper crisp, so it couldn’t have been in the bottle for long.”

“If it hasn’t been found and we’re the first to open the bottle, then no one else has followed the instructions,” Mateo told them.  “We just need to find the cove it’s talking about with the boat and follow ‘where the crystal takes us’.”

Robi was unconvinced.  “We’re obviously not the ones who were supposed to find this...this thing.”

“Treasure map,” several children chorused at once. They immediately winced and threw worried glances back at their nannies.  When the women and the guards with them didn’t seem to react to their outburst, they continued on.

“Look, it’s written strangely and there is a skull.  It’s likely that it was written by a pirate,” Ava told them.

This time, even Fiona looked at her strangely.  “There aren’t any pirates in my auntie’s delta.”

“We don’t know that!” Marco exclaimed.  “This bottle and the map might’ve come in from outside the bay.”

“If it’s from pirates, then the treasure is stolen goods,” Maeve said. “As children of a march, it is our duty to retrieve the stolen goods.”

“We don’t know where it came from,” Robi replied in a deadpan voice.

“Then we’ll keep it!” Ava insisted.

“Even if there isn’t a lot, aren’t you curious?” Marco asked, looking around.  “This could be the adventure of the summer!”

“Or the adventure of a lifetime!” Ava pushed.

Robi narrowed his eyes.  “That’s what you said last time when you dragged us to see that cave and it was filled with bats.”

Riri scrunched his face, as if haunted by the memory.  “I should also stay here.  If my sister finds out I left without Nanny Luisa, she won’t let me come visit again.”

Fiona nodded her head enthusiastically in agreement.

Maeve, the oldest of the group present, tilted her head back and let out a tired groan.  “You three are making this out to be much more complicated than it is.  We’re not leaving the delta.  We’re just going along the shore!  If we can’t find the boat, then we’ll turn back.  The worst that can happen is we’re disappointed.  But what if we do find the boat?  Do you know what that means?”

“Treasure!” Ava insisted, slapping the towel she was seating on as if to emphasize importance.

Robi looked at their cousin with disbelief.  “Why do you want to look for treasure?  You’re an O’Tuagh.  The marches are rich.”

“Oh, Cousin.”  Ava let out a small shake of her head.  “This isn’t only about the money.  It is about adventure!  The excitement of discovery!”

“And danger,” Mateo said.

Marco nodded.  “Life is a little more interesting when there is some danger.”

Fiona stared at her cousins.  “That’s stupid.”

Mateo gasped and looked at her with horror. “Fifi, where did you learn that word?  That’s a bad word,” he chided with the seriousness of an adult.

“You called Cousin Marco stupid before.  I heard you.” Fiona threw the blame back on him and Mateo drew his lips inward and bit them, avoiding the accusing looks of everyone else.

Robi let out a heavy breath.  “Maeve, Ava, don’t you think there is something strange about this ‘treasure map’?”

They looked down at the worn piece of cloth-like paper that they’d found washed up on shore, in a corked wine bottle.  Robi thought it was strange how a bottle had managed to make it to shore without being smashed, but Ava and Maeve insisted that sometimes the currents just brought things to shore without much damage, like pieces of shipwrecks.

That didn’t make sense to Fiona, but she wasn’t the one who lived right next to the ocean.

“The paper is still good, and who knows how long the bottle has been floating.  We don’t know where it came from.  How can we?  The ocean is massive,” Maeve argued.  The twins and her cousin nodded.

Robi appeared unconvinced.  “I just think it’s a bit suspicious.  We were looking for something to do and then all of a sudden, this treasure map appeared in front of us.”  He narrowed his eyes and glared at the worn paper in the center of their circle. “It just feels suspicious.  As if we were set up.”

“That’s not suspicious, Robi.  That’s fate!  Fate!” Mateo told him.  He lifted his fist to the sky.  “It’s the will of the gods for us to receive such a clue!”

Robi stared at the twins for a moment.  “Fifi’s right, that is stupid.”

Mateo groaned and Maeve shook her head.  “You don’t have to come with us, but you can’t tell anyone that we’re going,” Maeve told him with resigned acceptance.  “If someone stops us, I’ll know it’s your fault.”

“You wouldn’t have proof it’s my fault,” Robi said with a roll of his eyes.  “And if you’re caught, it’s your own fault.  I’m not the one making you do questionable life choices.”

“Your sense of adventure is disappointing for a Guevera,” Marco replied.  “You should be ready to go out there and live with risks.”

“I’m already missing part of my leg.  You want me to lose the other one, too?” Robi snapped.  He stood up.  “Forget it, I’m not going.  I won’t tell anyone, but if you’re lost and everyone starts to question your whereabouts, I’ll tell them about the circumstances leading up to your deaths.”

“How morbid!” Maeve scowled.  “Don’t curse us just because you’re scared.”

“I am scared.  Terrified,” Robi replied in a dull, unimpressed voice.  “Come on, Fifi.  Let’s go.  Let’s ask Nanny Rey to take us to Rois.  The tapioca ball fruit drinks will be nice during the peak hot weather of the day.”

Fiona shot up with excitement on her face.  “I want the milk tea one with the jellies!”  It was her new favorite drink in the entire world.  Daddy had brought them to Rois to try different snacks from ‘friendly countries’ and they were happy to find that many restaurants were also serving desserts.

Fiona had been fascinated with the little tapioca balls floating in fruit and tea drinks, and insisted to getting one, despite Robi’s disgust, citing that they looked like frog eggs.  However, after the first cup, her brother had been addicted and Fiona had asked to go every day to get a small cup to taste the different flavors offered.

Milk tea was her favorite, but she was limited to only a small cup every other day.

She grasped her brother’s hand and he helped her back to the deck with Alexander following them.

“I’m going to go with them,” Riri said, preparing to stand up.  “If my sister finds out I went out on my own, I’ll be in big trouble.  I’m not going to risk it.”

“Riri, you can’t go!  You’re my sidekick!” Ava gasped, horrified.  At this Riri looked torn.  It was obvious he wanted to go, but at the same time, he was cautious.

“Ava, don’t pressure him,” Robi said, sounding like the voice of reason.  “He doesn’t have to go if he doesn’t want to.”

“Of course, he wants to.  Look at his face!” Marco said, waving his hand towards Riri.  “But Lady Ilyana will be upset.”

“She’s really nice.  I’m sure she won’t be too mad,” Mateo added.  Riri began to look swayed.

Robi shook his head.  “You can do what you want.  We’re going to Rois.”

Fiona nodded her head, grasped her brother’s hand, and continued up.  “Do you think they’ll be able to get away from the nannies?” she asked as her brother and her reached the low wall  that doubled as a bench and began to climb over.

“Who knows,” Robi replied.  “But if they’re caught, I don’t think it’s worth it.”  Fiona nodded and looked back at her cousins left behind.

“I hope they won’t get in trouble.”

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

They were in trouble.

They were five children, trapped in some unknown area of the delta, with no adults, and their comcrys had been left in their tents.  Whose dumb idea was it to go on an adventure without their comcry?

Ava looked around the group and then turned red.

It was her idea.  She knew that if they brought their comcry, then their nannies would call them.  Each comcry also had a tracker on it specifically for when they came to Viclya in case they got lost or kidnapped.  All their nannies had to do was go to Cousin Tori and they’d be found in no time.

So, Ava had the brilliant idea of leaving their comcry back in their tents.  Now she regretted it deeply.

Everything had been going so well.

When she found the treasure map in the bottle, along with the compass necklace tied to it in a rough sack, she ran to show her cousins.  Aside from Robi and Fifi, who were too scared to go, the rest of them made the unanimous decision to find the hoarded treasure mentioned on the map.

They had discussed the plan and followed the clues written on the back of the map.

They needed a boat, and the boat was hidden in a grotto on ‘the side where the sun sets’.  Riri correctly said it was somewhere on the west shore, where they already were.  They just needed to find the location on the west shore.  It wasn’t an endless expanse, but it was large enough that it would take at least a day for them to walk through.

Liam, the boy who needed help using a water hammock, was a local, so they asked if he knew where the ‘heart seen by a bird’ was.  Liam seemed to think for a moment after saying he hadn’t heard of anything called that, but he did point out that from the top of Deer Hill, which overlooked the bay, there was a heart-shaped inlet on the west.

It made sense.  Of course, the shape could be seen from Deer Hill; it was high enough - like what a bird could see in flight.  The group was excited and couldn’t wait to go in that direction, but they had to eat lunch first.

It took all her strength not to show how excited and eager to leave she was as they gathered at Sapphire-by-the-Sea for lunch with her cousins and Prince Piers.  Ava had wrinkled her nosed and quietly complained to Riri that Cousin Tori could play with them more if Prince Piers was not there, taking up her time.

She thought that Prince Piers had heard her, but she pretended she didn’t say anything.

As soon as lunch was over, they couldn’t help themselves and said they were returning to the beach.

“So soon?  I thought you were bored,” Cousin Tori had said with an exasperated look. “Are you sure you don’t want to try something else?  I can go with you to see what we can do.”

“No, no!” Maeve had replied.  “We’re fine, Cousin.  We know you’re busy with the delta and the prince.  We don’t want to bother you!”

Cousin Kasen had raised a brow.  “Weren’t you the ones bothering Tori yesterday about going night fishing?”

“That was yesterday.  This is today!” Marco had said.

“Don’t get caught up in the past,” Mateo had added with determination.  “Always look towards the future.”

Then they ran out of the restaurant, leaving Robi and Fifi behind.  Ava had watched them carefully before they left.  Fifi wouldn’t say anything, she was too busy eating.  Robi looked like he would tell on them at any moment, but instead, he talked to his father about charms.

It didn’t look like the two Gueveras would out their plans, so Ava focused on the clues.  It didn’t take them long to find a wooden boat tied to tree to some jagged rocks in a grotto hidden by the dropping branches and leaves of the trees that edged the inlet.

Maeve and Ava, even at their young ages, were experienced sailors and didn’t hesitate to get on the boat.  They could easily get from Moss Hill’s dock to the Naval Island past King’s Harbor.  In fact, that was a test in their family of sailors.  In addition, Marco and Mateo also had basic sailing lessons and were proficient.

Paddling out and on to the bay and then setting sail was as easy as breathing.  If this wasn’t a secret mission, Ava would’ve bragged to her mother.  Marco and Mateo also seemed comfortable in the water.

It had only been Riri who sat on the bow, torn between the excitement of being on a boat going on a thrilling adventure, and not telling his sister.  The further they got from shore, the more he seemed to relax.

They used the small compass tied to the bottle to help guide them.  According to the directions, the compass acted like a normal compass, only it pointed to a sister crystal hidden with the treasure.  All they had to do was go where it pointed, which is exactly what they did.

They crossed the entire bay in two hours on their small dingy and had found themselves on the east shore, near the east watch tower.  The east shore had numerous rocky coves and they bobbed along the shore until the crystal pointed directly on to the land.

The twins paddled them ashore, but the ground was rocky with little sand or flat spaces to pull the boat up.  Instead, they got as close to the rocks as possible and then Maeve got out to tie it to the rocks and hold it steady to let everyone climb out.

Ava was the one holding the crystal compass and she expertly climbed over the barnacle lined rocks to get to a cave.

It wasn’t very large, but it did look to have three tunnels created by the waves and some blow holes that let in sunlight to keep the cave illuminated.  At this point, the crystal compass didn’t give them as much detail as they’d like, so they had no choice but to try each tunnel.

Maeve insisted they all go in together as a group, as if they split up and there was an accident, it would be more difficult to get help.

The first tunnel was narrow and it led to a dead end.

The center tunnel was longer, but it began to curve upwards, leading up to another blow hole.

The last tunnel led them to a cave lined with old wine barrels.

Ava wanted to scream that they were rich when Mateo clamped his hand over his mouth and turned his head towards the entrance.  Ava looked up, confused, and noticed that Maeve had also turned to look towards the entrance.

She grabbed Riri and Marco’s arms and pulled them towards the side of the cave, behind some protruding rocks.  Mateo dragged Ava back with them.  The rocks weren’t tall and their heads would be exposed if they stood, so they crouched down and pressed themselves against the shadowed corner.

It was then that Ava heard the footsteps crunching over the coarse sand and broken shells that lined the cave floor.  The shuffling of bodies was heard against the cave walls.

She tensed up and leaned back against her cousin.

“I told you there were wine barrels in here,” a man’s voice said from the entrance.

“What are they doing here?”

“How would I know?  Maybe someone was trying to smuggle them outside of Horizon,” the first man said.

Ava’s eyes crinkled.  There were two men.

“Did you open them yet?”

Two men and a woman.

“No, I couldn’t open them last time.  I didn’t have the tools, and there are crystals on the lids.”

Ava’s eyes darted to the barrels.  She could see a few of them pushed back against the cave walls.  The barrels she could see still had their lids on.  They hadn’t had a chance to try to open them or see what was inside.

Her eyes narrowed.  Now that she thought about it, they didn’t bring any tools to open the barrels, either!  Even without those strangers, how would they get the barrels open?  She tilted her head back and almost wanted to groan.

“What is on the lid?  There’s a crystal here.”
 Ava’s brows shot up and she looked towards Maeve, who was frowning and gripping the dagger she carried with her.   There didn’t sound like too many people, but they knew nothing else about their opponent, so it was best to observe first.

The sound of footsteps spreading through the cave sounded.  “There’s a crystal on this one, too...and this one...”

“There are crystals on all of them.”

“It’s likely a decoration.  The Cosora Delta is known for their crystal use,” the woman said.  “Try to pry the lid off.”

“Wait, don’t-”

Ava heard creaking and a heavy thump.  As soon as the thump sounded, a flash of white light was cast against the dim cave walls, and behind the rocks, someone yelled.

“What is that!”

“I can’t see!”

A man’s frustrated voice groaned.  “I said don’t!  The last time I tried to smash the lids in, the crystals flashed a bright light.  I thought I was going to go blind.”

“Blind?  You mean I’m not going to be able to see again?” Someone cried out, as if in pain.  There was a period of silence before a smack was heard.

“You idiot!  If I was blind, how could I lead you all here?” the first man’s voice snapped. “It wasn’t permanent.  Don’t hit the barrels hard.  If you do, the crystals flash.” His voice hesitated. “And I don’t know what else they can do….”

“Then how do we open them?” the second man complained.

“Let’s get them out of here first.”

“Right now?  The town is busy with people and there are patrol ships!  If we go out now, we’ll be spotted straight away!”

“I didn’t say now!” The first man sounded frustrated and for a moment, Ava could understand why.  His team wasn’t exactly very good at whatever it was they were doing.

She frowned.  What were they doing?  The barrels weren’t theirs....

“We’ll come by later tonight.  For now, unload the goods from the boat.”

“How much do you think we made today?”

The first man snorted and sounded irritated.  “Not much.  There are a lot of wealthy guests here, but almost all of them use a crystal card or wrist crystal registered to them.  Even the locals use those.”

“Can’t we use the crystal cards like the ones we get in Horizon?” the woman asked.

“I tried.  It won’t process a payment unless the person its registered to is holding it.  I heard the information desk telling visitors it was property technology to CrysTech.”

“Proprietary,” the second man said.

“What?”

“You mean proprietary, as in ownership.”

There was a moment of silence and then another smack.  “Just go and unload what we have.”

“There were a few people with coin purses.  Even the children use crystals to pay now.  It almost makes the risk of pickpocketing not worth it....”  The woman’s voice faded as the crunching of their footsteps disappeared into the tunnel.

As soon as it was quiet, Maeve crouched down and Mateo removed his hand from Ava’s mouth.

“There are three of them, but we don’t know if there are any more people outside.  It looks like they’re going to hide stolen goods here and then leave,” Maeve said.  “We should hide until they leave.”

Ava and the others nodded.  “Right, then when they leave, we can take their things and go back.” Her cousins crinkled their eyes and stared at her.  She drew her head back.  “What?”

“You want to steal their stolen goods?” Mateo whispered.

“They stole them first.  It’s fair game, isn’t it?” Ava asked.

Riri frowned.  “We should tell the Countess what we found.”

“Were you going to tell her if we found the pirate treasure?” Ava asked.  Riri seemed to hesitate.

“We’d have to notify her first,” Mateo answered in a quiet voice.  “But knowing Tori, she’d give us a share for our efforts.”

Marco nodded.  “Provided we didn’t hurt ourselves....”

Maeve nodded despite Ava’s disappointment that she wouldn’t get to keep the goods.  “And that’s exactly what we’ll do with the stolen goods, but for now, just stay quiet and don’t move.”

She seemed to want to say more, but the footsteps were returning.  Ava shut her eyes, as if doing so would allow her to blend into the rocks completely.  She could feel her heart racing as the two men and one woman discussed a change in their procurement plans.

From what she gathered; they were petty thieves from Horizon.  The Cosora Delta was considered a ‘closed’ territory and only a few people with proper authorization, workers, and residents that had proper travel paperwork were allowed in and out.  However, it opened during weekends and the summer to welcome tourists from the surrounding area.

At those times, anyone could enter the county.

As there was a heavy and relatively steady stream of wealthy guests visiting, guests that weren’t always the same, Ava couldn't fault the thieves for thinking that robbing the guests would be very fruitful.  Just looking at where the guests were staying, what they bought, what they wore and ate, it was clear they had money to spend.

However, Cousin Tori emphasized using crystal cards and, released that summer, crystal wrist bands that were loaded with money and registered to a particular owner.  Ava glanced down at the dark green leather band on her wrist and the button-sized crystal carefully mounted and connected to the leather band by metal.

It was pre-loaded with money, according to her cousins, and all she had to do to pay for things was press the crystal against the crystal on a point of sales machine.   Her parents gave her a strict budget, so she had been careful not to use it all up at once.

Maeve also had a wrist band, as did the rest of them, but Aiden and Ezvan continued to use their crystal cards.  Aiden said it looked more mature and the metal cards had their names engraved on them.

Locals also tended to use cards and bands to pay for things in Viclya.  Ava heard it took time to get used to and the older people were hesitant to change, but it had become the preferred way as crystal could be deactivated if lost and could only be used by a particular person, so if someone stole her wrist band, her money was safe and she could just go and get another one.

Outside of Cosora, only the very wealthy used crystal tokens and fobs to pay for things and even then, only in large urban areas.  No one would expect some newly built town in a swamp to use an even more advanced system.  Money could be loaded to the crystal payment methods before a guest entered the delta.

Thus, pickpockets like the thieves likely didn’t know until they came and now, there was an awkward disadvantage.  Even if they stole the crystal pieces, they couldn’t use them.  They were worthless rocks.

No wonder they’re so grumpy.... Ava wrinkled her nose in distaste.  However, if those people were going around, stealing the coins from little kids, they deserved to have wasted their time.

“...if that’s the case, then forget going for money pouches or cards.  Aim for jewelry.  Those nobles and aristocrats can’t go three steps without wearing something expensive.”

Ava furrowed her brows once more and looked down at her hands.  She was a noble and she wasn’t wearing any expensive jewelry.  Her nanny was worried she’d lose jewelry when she was playing in the water, so her earrings and necklace were locked away.

“It’s difficult to get into the lodge, but what about those tents?”

“There are knights and guards all over the place.  The area where the refugees live have a lot of locals sitting around.  If they don’t recognize you, they’ll call you out.  I tried going through the tents by the beach and was asked to show my resort crystal,” the first man said in a bitter voice.  “The guards and some attendants wouldn’t let me enter the gated area without one.”

Someone clicked their tongue in irritation.  “We’ll just have to get it directly from people.  There is always some sort of dance or party happening at that plaza.  With all those people, the loud noise, and distractions, we can slip in.”

“We can’t take too long.  Just in and out.  We can do a hit multiple times, but you have to space them.  Jonjon, you stay by the information desk.  If someone notices they’re missing something, they’ll likely report it to the information desk. If two people report they’re missing jewelry, give us a signal and we’ll come back.”

“Understood.”

“Martha, you focus on any groups of drunks that look promising.  I’ll join the dancers.”

The second man seemed to let out a small hiss.  “You sure you have the face for that, Gary?”

“What are you talking about?”

“If you ask someone to dance to rob them, do you think they’ll agree?”

“What are you trying to say?”  The first man sounded more irritated than before.

“Jonjon has a point,” the woman said with some hesitation.  “You need to get close to your dance partner if you want to rob them.  I don’t think people would agree to dance with you.”

“Are you saying I’m ugly?” the man snapped.

“No-”

“Kind of.”

Behind the rocks, the children exchanged looks with each other.  Ava found herself embarrassed for them.  If that were her group, she’d give up thievery all together.  One of those was bound to get caught and bring them all down with them.

A few curse words were heard and one of the barrels was hit.  It slid back and shook, but wasn’t knocked over.

“You’re jealous because that girl you liked said she liked me more!”

“It was because you have more money!  It has nothing to do with your face!”

“Then you admit I’m better looking!”

“Will you two stop it!  You’re going to knock over the barrels-”

A crash was heard and Ava jumped in her seat.  She looked towards her cousins, who were all frozen in place.

Ava curled her legs and arms up and leaned to the side when one of the barrels closest to them was pushed aside and tumbled over.  The scuffle that had caused it to fall didn’t stop.  The sound of sand and gravel being kicked up, as well as the grunts and curses of men filled the cave.

Above them, the woman called out to the men to stop and calm down, but the two men were still wrestling with each other.

“Gary, watch out!  You’re going to trip over the -”

Another crash was heard and Ava snapped her head towards the barrels.  Her eyes went wide as a pair of brown eyes looked at her, equally stunned.  Ava’s jaw dropped.

The larger man who was about to punch the thinner one froze and followed the thinner man’s gaze.  His own face filled with shock as he saw the five children crouched behind the rocks.

No! I haven’t taken their money yet!  Ava paled as her mind screamed in protest.  She was going to buy that imported chocolate in Rois.

The man on the ground opened his mouth and stuttered.  “Chi...chi...children!”