Zara didn't relax until the fort came into view. Even then, she still did not let her guard down. The pirates were in disarray, yes, but that didn't mean the self-proclaimed pirate king wouldn't take matters into his own hands.
She had had several hours to think about him during their journey back through the jungle. His powers were still unknown, but after recent events, she had gained an inkling. It wasn't proven, but merely the vaguest form of an idea.
Guessing an enemy's powers was extremely difficult. The powers they possessed could be very basic, like simple elemental abilities, or they could be as strange and complex as her own. There was an endlessly growing list of identified powers, and it was impossible to determine what someone might end up with.
In addition, powers changed after obtaining a new heart layer. She was at the same level as the pirate king. That being said, their powers could have done very different things if he had been to different seas. She couldn't gauge his potential powers based on her own and could only guess the overall concept behind it.
While the actions in the tunnels may have ruined her plans, she had also gained something. The pirate king hadn't expected her to have infiltrated so quickly, so he had unintentionally shown one of his powers to her.
Teleportation.
That seemed like a vague, overly broad idea. Teleportation powers weren't unheard of. She had met people with powers to create portals between locations. However, this man's powers were different. There had been no portal or hint of mist being used. Instead, the man had simply appeared and taken the place of the other pirate.
What other powers were in his possession? Well, that would be answered soon enough. Teleportation was a dangerous power set, and yet, he had given away the secret. Now, she would be able to prepare for its eventual use. There was no way of knowing the full extent of his powers, but just this tidbit was enough for the time being.
Zara knew she was going to need it. Even if the pirate king hadn't proven much, he had proven that he could sense her powers. Her powers were far subtler on enemies, and it should have been nearly impossible for him to recognize her powers in effect. If that was the case, then she had to be even more wary of him.
The other possibility was not one that she was very fond of. It was that the pirate king already knew about her abilities. It was certainly possible. Many of the upper ranks of the military knew her abilities. There would have been no way to keep them secret in the long term. However, that meant someone else could obtain them. She didn't fancy the idea of this man doing that, but she could never be too sure.
With all of this in mind, she entered the fort. It wouldn't feel the same with what she now knew, but that was fine. She immediately spotted Vizim, Derrin, and Red. They were easy to make out despite the long distance between them.
"What do you want us to do?" Silas asked, and she turned away from the approaching trio.
"I want all of you to rest."
"But the pirates…"
Zara shook her head. Silas was a strong fighter and a good leader. However, he was over-eager way too often, and she had to force him in line. None of her soldiers was in any condition to fight. Had they been attacked, Zara knew she would have been the one doing the brunt of the fighting. After so many days of being captured, Zara knew that they needed to rest for the night. Pushing them into combat would only hinder their goals.
"No. You are in no fighting shape, Silas. You and the men move into your own bunks together. We can go over the details of everything tomorrow. For now, rest."
He looked like he would continue arguing, but Zara turned away. She wasn't interested in his complaints. What she wanted to do was find Red. Her eyes narrowed as she scanned the crowd. Vizim had reached the remaining sailors, and they were reuniting. That gave her a little smile. He had needed that.
Silas gave the order, and the soldiers disappeared into the camp. They would need to rest and prepare for what was to come. The rest of the rescued survivors…Zara was unsure. None of them would be useful in the upcoming fight. They were also not truly safe in the fort anymore, not with the pirate king's unknown powers at least.
"It went well?"
She turned and found Derrin, "Yes. It went about as well as expected…what happened here? Do you know?"
Derrin nodded, "We aren't sure about the bomb in the caverns, but Red and Vizim had an extra manual explosive made. It was tricky business, but we got it in the end. It's likely that we damaged their ship in the process as well."
"Where's Red? I don't see him around here."
He turned back to the crowd and sighed, "About that…"
Her eyes narrowed, "What happened?"
"We got separated after the explosion, and well. Red ended up fine…it's just he ended up killing a pirate, and that he isn't taking it well."
Zara ran a hand through her hair. Well, all things considered, the outcome could have been worse. He was alive at least, and so was Derrin. But this was exactly the situation she wanted to avoid. Red was too young and inexperienced to be dealing with killing for the first time. He would be fine given time; that was simply the nature of the world they lived in. However, now was not the time to deal with that.
"I should have been there," Derrin tightened his fists and didn't face her, "I promised to protect him, and twice now I failed despite my blood oath."
She grunted, "I certainly hope you didn't tell him that."
Derrin had told her a little about what occurred on the Gearborn ship. She knew enough to know the situation between the two. That being said, Derrin's honorable nature could end up doing more harm in Red's current state than good.
He took a step forward, "I feel as if I should beg for his forgiveness…"
"Don't you dare. I highly doubt that telling him that you failed will make him feel better." Zara grabbed him on the shoulder, "I haven't known him for long, but I can tell you one thing, that will only make the situation worse."
Derrin looked at her uncertainly. She sighed. Damn Montrelans. This sort of honorable nature was their main trait, it was said. She knew that to be a load of crap for the most part. Derrin, however, embodied that trait even when it was a problem. In this situation, it was nothing but a problem.
"Give him some space and try to let him come to terms with it himself. If he isn't doing any better, I'll talk to him."
"Shouldn't I?"
"No. He is not a Montrelan, Derrin. He's not going to take your honorable way of doing things as seriously. Let me deal with it if he ends up needing it. He's a strong kid, so he might just sleep it off."
"That seems unlikely."
"Yeah, but it has happened before. Just see how he is in the morning. With my soldiers back, things are going to get a lot busier around here. I need you to focus on the fight. I'll handle this if need be."
Derrin nodded, "If you insist."