Phoenix Rising

by Bryony Pearce

  She didn’t bother asking what had happened to her; instead she coolly assessed the dining-room-come-hospital and then looked at her arm, plastered to the elbow.

  “Who did this?” She lifted her plastered fist.

  “Uma is our doctor.” The captain leaned forward. “How are you feeling?”

  “Fine.” Ayla tossed her head. No weakness showed in her posture or expression.

  “You’ve just woken up, you must be feeling awful.” Toby picked up the drink he had promised to make her sip. “Here. Uma said you needed this.”

  Ayla licked cracked lips, her tongue unconsciously tracing her scar, but Toby could see her mind racing. She was obviously thirsty, but to drink would mean either putting down the bag and blanket, or allowing Toby to hold the cup to her lips.

  He waited patiently for her to work out what to do. In the end Ayla pressed the blanket to her with the cast, shifted the pack so that the back strap hung over her elbow and took the water with her good hand. She gulped the first cup and held it out for more. Toby took it to the sink for a refill. As he left he saw the captain shuffle along the bench, taking his place.

  Hurriedly Toby filled the cup and sped back.

  “It’s mine,” Ayla was saying. She was clutching the bag once more. “I risked my life to save it from the fire. I earned it.”

  “I’m only asking to see the map,” the captain cajoled. “I won’t take it from you. I just want to know if it is what Toby suggests.”

  Ayla glowered at Toby. “It belongs to the Banshee,” she growled.

  Toby put the water down on the bench and she looked at it longingly, but let it stay. “We all found the map,” Toby muttered. “And you wouldn’t have got there at all without the Phoenix.”

  “The rescue mission depended on me,” Ayla shot back. “You said so. Without me, you wouldn’t have been in the castle. The Phoenix would have run.”

  Toby avoided his father’s eyes, but a hand pressed his knee and he was forced to look up.

  “If you had run, you would have done the right thing, Toby. That’s what I ordered you to do.” He turned to Ayla. “It can’t do any harm to let me see the map, can it?”

  “Nell would kill me.” Ayla shivered involuntarily.

  The captain inhaled sharply. “I know Nell – she would do no such thing.”

  “Maybe you knew her once.” Ayla regarded him steadily. “I know Nell now.”

  “You knew Nell?” Toby stared. “When?”

  “Before the Phoenix.” Barnaby patted his shoulder. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is this map. What if you keep hold of it, while I take a look? I might at least be able to verify its authenticity.”

  Ayla remained stony-faced and Toby leaned close. “You know, without Polly you’d still be buried in that dungeon. She saved your life. And I was the one who sent Polly after you.”

  “Are you saying that I owe you?”

  “We owe each other.” Toby tried to touch her hand, but she pulled away. “After all that’s happened, can’t we trust one another?”

  Ayla glared. Her eyes were like flint, but as Toby’s begged for her trust, they started to soften.

  “Strangely, Toby, I do trust you,” she said eventually. “I don’t trust your captain.” She sighed. “But if he can confirm that this map is really what we think it is, it’ll be a more valuable prize for Nell.”

  She flipped the pack on to her knees and struggled awkwardly with the zip. “I keep hold of it at all times,” she warned.

  “Of course.” The captain nodded.

  “Let me help.” Toby leaned forward and she tensed, but allowed him to open the bag. However, as soon as he reached inside, she batted him away and pulled the rolled-up papers free herself.

  The top three were damp and the ink had run, rendering them unreadable.

  “Damn it. They would have been useful.” Toby threw them to one side. The two beneath showed planned trade routes between St George and Cadiz, including seasonal changes and notes on cargo. The captain’s eyes lit up. “Now these are useful.” He went to take them, but Ayla tightened her grip.

  “No, you don’t. I told you, these belong to the Banshee.”

  The captain dropped his hand. “What about this socalled Volcano Island map?”

  Ayla and Toby held their breath as she unfurled the innermost map. Only a slight dampness at the edges showed what they had risked by swimming back to the Phoenix.

  The captain looked at it in silence.

  “What do you think?” Toby said, eventually.

  “I don’t recognize any of the land masses.” The captain rubbed his beard. “Dee should be looking at this.” He glanced at the unconscious body of his second in command and sighed deeply. “You say this means ‘volcano island’?” He pointed at the script running along the top of the map and Toby nodded.

  “What about all this text around the pictures?”

  “I don’t know. Hiko only translated the title.”

  The captain nodded. “It’s an oriental script – Korean or Japanese maybe, I’m not sure. Arnav will know.” The captain raised his voice. “Get over here, old man. Look at this map and tell me what it says.”

  Arnav weaved his way through the tables and sat beside Toby. He stared at the map for a long moment then pushed his false teeth in and out with a clacking sound. “What makes you think I can read this?” he said eventually.

  “It’s Japanese, isn’t it?” Ayla said, narrowing her eyes.

  “’Tain’t no Japanese. Looks like it, but ain’t.”

  “Korean?” The captain leaned closer.

  “Nope.”

  “Then what is it?” The captain frowned.

  “Don’t know.” Arnav shrugged. “Never seen it before.”

  The captain glowered at him. “Thought you’d seen everything, old man.”

  “Seen most things,” Arnav nodded sagely. “Ain’t seen that.” He stood. “My turn to be stitched up, if you don’t mind.” He ambled off.

  “And where’s Hiko?” the captain asked.

  “I left him in the boiler room with Polly.” Toby rubbed his eyes. “I hope he’s asleep.”

  The captain hummed. “Then we’ll leave him for now.” He traced one finger along a broken line of numbers that followed a swirl along one side of the map and Ayla twitched as if to pull the page away. “What are these? They don’t look like coordinates.”

  “No idea.” Toby shook his head and Ayla shrugged.

  “Maybe a code of some kind, I need time to look at it with Polly.” The captain leaned as if to take the map and Ayla pushed backwards, almost falling from the table in her retreat.

  “Ayla!” Toby jumped to catch her as she teetered on the edge.

  The captain held his hands up and Ayla shoved the map back inside the pack.

  “There, you’ve seen it,” she snapped. “Well, what do you think? Is it real?”

  “I don’t know.” The captain shook his head. “It’s strange enough to make me wonder. Look, you aren’t going back to the Banshee just yet. Why not leave it with me till you go? I’ll speak with Hiko and look at the numbers, then return it to you when you’re ready to go.”

  “Sure you will,” she sneered.

  “Hey!” Toby sat up straighter. “If the captain says he’ll return it, then he will.”

  “Right. And he’s never been known to lie.”

  “The captain isn’t a liar,” Toby said fiercely. “And neither am I.”

  “Really? So those coordinates you tried to give us for the solar panels, they were correct?”

  “That was different. You attacked us and kidnapped Hiko.”

  “And you’ve never just taken what you wanted? You’re pirates, same as us.” Ayla’s eyes flashed and she swung her legs over the table as if to get to her feet.

  “Ayla.” The captain’s voice was low, soothing. “We can just take the map from you. There are almost forty surviving pirates on the Phoenix and only one of you. I’m allowing you to keep
control of the map out of respect. But I don’t have to.”

  “Now you show your colours.” Ayla jumped to the ground, holding the blanket with her cast, like a toga. She swung the pack on to her back and swept up her sword.

  As soon as she raised her sword, Theo and Marcus rushed to their feet.

  “Stop!” Toby yelled. “This is madness, Ayla. What did Nell send you for? She wants the location of the solar panels. Well, if you stick a sword through the captain, you’ll never get it.” Ayla swung her sword from Toby to Theo and Marcus, trying to keep them all at bay.

  “The map wasn’t your mission.” Toby spread his hands.

  “That’s right.” The captain spoke soothingly. “What will Nell say if you go back with a map no one can translate, instead of the coordinates she wants? Just put the sword down and we’ll talk.”

  “Talk about me giving you the map, you mean,” Ayla spat.

  “All we want is to look at it. We could even redraw it, have a copy each – what do you think?”

  “What do I get in return?” Ayla swayed. “The real location of the solar panels?”

  “Sorry – no. The Phoenix needs those panels. That map might be something or nothing, but the solar panels are real. We’re not giving up the Phoenix’s future for some magic beans.”

  Beside them, Toby narrowed his eyes. “Those solar panels – there should be enough for both ships, shouldn’t there?”

  “In theory.” The captain rubbed his beard. “There was a whole shipment went down, so the old man said. But what we don’t use, we’ll sell. Solar panels that never got smashed in the riots, ready to work – we’ll make a fortune.”

  “What if we share them with the Banshee?” Toby asked. “We lead the Banshee to the panels and split the salvage. In return, Ayla lets us copy the map.”

  The captain hesitated, considering.

  “You could copy the map and then lead us nowhere.” Ayla was trying to edge towards the door, but the pirates of the Phoenix had formed a loose circle around them. “I keep the map until we have the panels and then send you a copy.”

  “How do we know you’ll copy it accurately?” The captain shook his head. “How do we know Nell won’t run off with both the panels and the map? That doesn’t work for me.”

  “Well, your way doesn’t work for me,” she spat.

  “You’re bargaining with a bluff hand.” The captain shrugged and turned his back on her. “At the moment, the map is a curiosity and nothing more. We don’t even know what language it’s written in.” Ayla’s cheeks reddened. “Right now, you’re being offered a share in the solar panels your captain wants in return for a copy of a map that she knows nothing about and which might go nowhere. Think about it.”

  He gestured to his crew. “Let her past.” He turned to Ayla once more. “Your clothes are in the sleeping quarters by Toby’s bunk. Do you need help dressing yourself? I can send Nisha.”

  Nisha looked up and nodded.

  “I can dress myself.” Ayla backed out of the door.

  “Do let us know what you decide.” The captain bowed mockingly, and Ayla glared, embarrassed.

  “You need antibiotics.” Uma tossed a bottle towards her. Ayla didn’t move, allowing them to fall at her feet. Finally she bent and, still holding her sword, picked them up. Then she turned and ran.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  “Now what?” Toby sagged.

  “We wait for her decision.” The captain sat back down. “She’s an intelligent girl. She’ll make the right choice.”

  “And if she doesn’t?” Toby worried at his ragged shirt. “I don’t want her hurt.”

  Uma snorted. “Careful, Toby. Remember – the crew of the Phoenix has to come first.”

  “I know.” Toby hung his head, but his heart ached.

  “I see.” The captain’s eyes met Uma’s. “The Banshee will have fixed their steering by now, so if Nell’s second is here and Nell has plans for me, the Banshee won’t be far. I assume they’re waiting in a safe anchorage nearby. Perhaps we can negotiate with Nell for the return of her daughter.”

  Toby looked up. “What if there’s another solution? What if we were to offer Ayla a berth on the Phoenix?” He started to speak quickly. “If she’s one of our own crew she has no reason to keep the map from us.”

  “She’s Nell’s daughter.” The captain shook his head. “And she doesn’t strike me as disloyal.”

  “But the Banshee is awful. She’d be happier on the Phoenix,” Toby pressed. “It’s worth making the offer.”

  “That’d be three new pirates you’ve brought on board. We should ask the rest of the crew.” The captain raised his voice. “All in favour of offering the Banshee’s second in command a place on the Phoenix?”

  “Aye.” Those who had escaped the dungeons in Tarifa were first to speak.

  Nisha looked at Rahul, then rose to her feet. “Without her, Rahul would be hanging from those ramparts. Aye.” Her words drew a few more “ayes”.

  “The girl can fight.” Peel nodded his agreement and shoved his brother.

  “She’s from the Banshee. Can she really be trusted?” Marcus twisted from his place next to Dee, but kept one hand on her as if to be reassured, at all times, that she still breathed. “This could have been her aim all the time. Become one of us, get our secrets and then return to the Banshee. I say ‘no’.”

  Theo agreed with Marcus.

  “Uma?” The captain turned to his doctor.

  “She’s brave and if she survives that infection, she’ll be strong. She can fight. She can think. I believe she’d be an asset. But you’d need to watch your back all the time, waiting for treachery. I don’t know if it would be worth it.”

  “Would the girl want to go from second in command on the Banshee to being babysat on the Phoenix?” Oats was groggy from morphine and the arm that now ended in a wrist was bandaged tightly to his chest. “If I were her, I’d say no.”

  Uma sighed. “I know you want her to stay, Toby, but—”

  “Can’t we let her decide?” Toby appealed to his father.

  The captain exhaled, his breath shivering through his beard. “A show of hands – all in favour of making the offer?”

  “Ayla?” Toby crept into the sleeping quarters. The space was dim, lit only by two lamps and the moonlight that glimmered through the portholes. He edged forwards with his eyes on the floor, feeling his way with his hands and feet.

  “You can look.” Ayla rolled her eyes as she straightened the leather of her Banshee uniform. She seemed older and more distant.

  Abruptly nervous, Toby said, “Can we talk?”

  “Is it about the map?” She sounded tired.

  “Not exactly.” Toby sat and waited for her.

  With a sigh Ayla sank down next to him. Her sword was back on her thigh and it pressed against his leg, between them.

  “I like you being here,” Toby muttered, staring at his twitching hands.

  When Ayla said nothing, he looked up. Her brows were raised and surprise etched her face. “I suppose without me you wouldn’t have your captain back,” she said eventually.

  “It’s not just that.” Toby swallowed. “We worked well together.”

  Ayla shrugged. “It made a change to work with someone who didn’t want to steal my command but, Toby, this wasn’t some grand adventure. We almost died.” She lifted her injured arm and let it droop. “It wasn’t fun.”

  “I didn’t mean that it was.” Toby rubbed his hands over his bald head. “I just meant that we made a good team.”

  Ayla shook her head. “We’re pirates – we obey our captain or die. Teamwork isn’t important.”

  “Maybe on the Banshee.” Toby dropped his hands. “On the Phoenix we’re a family.”

  Ayla dismissed his words with an irritable wave, but Toby caught the flush that coloured her throat. He allowed his leg to fall closer to hers.

  “Wouldn’t you like to be on a ship where you don’t have to be on your guard against your own
crew?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Ayla snapped. But she fiddled with her sword.

  “Do you have to be tough all the time?” Toby almost touched her, but let his fingers fall at the last second.

  “I am tough, Toby. It’s who I am. If you want some kind of simpering damsel in distress, you’re looking in the wrong direction.”

  Toby lifted his hand on to his thigh, slipping his fingers close enough to brush the outside of hers. She blew her hair from her face and ignored his touch.

  The lamplight glimmered in Ayla’s green eyes and before he could think any further Toby lunged and pressed his lips against hers.

  For a second Ayla froze, then she softened and her hand found his shoulder. She let the kiss go on, their breath mingling. Then, gently, she pushed him away. “What are you doing?” she whispered.

  Toby moved back to her side, but instead of lowering his arm, he kept it around her shoulder. He expected her to shove him off, but she didn’t. Instead her head came to rest on his collarbone. Her hair tickled his chin and Toby held himself still, terrified of disturbing her.

  Finally he had to speak. “Do you want to go back to the Banshee?”

  Ayla said nothing. Had she fallen asleep?

  “Ayla?” Toby shook her gently.

  “I heard you,” she murmured. “It isn’t like I have a choice.”

  Toby raised his chin from her head. “You do. You could join the Phoenix. You’re welcome on board.”

  This time Ayla did shove him back. “Says who?”

  “We had a vote. We want to offer you a berth,” Toby persisted. “The captain agrees.”

  “He just wants the map,” she sneered.

  “No.” Toby caught at her hand and she pulled away. “Well, that’s part of it.” She raised her head again. “But he’s seen you fight, and you’re brave and clever and strong – you’d be an asset to the Phoenix.”

  “You’d expect me to give you the Banshee’s secrets,” Ayla retorted.

  “The captain would never ask that.” Toby shook his head. “We just want you to be part of our crew. Think about it,” he pleaded. “You’d be happy on the Phoenix. And there’s no future on the Banshee – without solar energy she’ll be dead from lack of fuel soon enough.”