Sky Pirates

by Liesel Schwarz

  Elle looked around for something to defend herself with. At her feet was a fallen branch. It was too thick to lift but one of the smaller branches had snapped half off. The bark of the branch was wet and the spongy bark turned her hands black, but she managed to wrench the stick free.

  Balancing the stick in her grip, knees slightly bent, she found her balance. She lifted the branch up, ready to strike. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do.

  “Come on, then!” she spoke into the mist. “Let’s have you.”

  Something moved, and from the swirl, a giant two-headed hound emerged. It was blacker than the blackest darkness, save for the two sets of enormous yellow eyes that glowed from the blackness and the long, bone-yellowed fangs protruding from its two terrible jaws. It was a creature straight from the deepest recesses of the Shadow. And it had come for her.

  “Who are you?” Elle said.

  The creature just licked its lips with a red tongue and stared at her.

  “What do you want from me? I command you to speak,” she said with more confidence than she felt.

  I have come for you, the creature said into her mind.

  “Why?”

  I have been sent for you.

  Elle felt her hackles rise. “Who sent you?”

  I am thrall to the Summoner. He has been asked to do this by the Shadow Master. The hound shifted its heads slightly and Elle could just make out the glint of a black metal collar around its neck.

  “I am sorry, but I am not coming with you,” she said. “This Shadow Master of yours has no right to command me.”

  There is no choice in the matter. It is my fate to hunt you until my task is done.

  “There is always a choice.”

  The hound shook its heads. It sank down onto its haunches, hackles raised, ready to pounce.

  Elle raised her stick up, ready to defend herself just as the hound leaped at her. She turned and flung herself sideways, just managing to avoid its snapping jaws. She brought the stick down as hard as she could. The wood cracked against one of its skulls with a satisfying thwack.

  The beast landed on the ground behind her with a heavy thump. He shook his two heads as he turned around in order to launch another attack.

  Elle did not hesitate. She dropped the stick and flung herself in the opposite direction. She ran faster than she ever thought she could, her feet skidding in the wet leaves and mud. Branches dragged at her legs and bulging tree roots threatened to trip her, but she kept going.

  The hound let out a strangled yowl of frustration and set off after her. She could hear the rustling thumps its paws made as it bounded through the underbrush.

  It was much faster than she was and she could hear the rasp of its breath as it gained ground behind her.

  She steeled herself and swerved off to the right, hoping that the hound would be slowed down by the sudden change in direction, but in her heart she knew it would be only a matter of seconds before its jaws sank into her.

  Elle rounded a tree, an errant branch hit her squarely in the chest. She gasped in pain but grabbed hold of the branch in order to keep her footing, for the ground was slippery with damp leaves.

  At that moment, the hound leaped out of the underbrush.

  Elle dragged the branch back and let go, just at the hound launched himself into another leap. The branch recoiled and hit the hound squarely in both of its faces. It let out a yelp of surprise before crashing to the ground, momentarily stunned.

  Elle did not wait about to see what might happen next. She closed her eyes and slipped into the barrier. It took her a few precious seconds as she frantically sought the portal she had been dragged through. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her breath came in quick little gasps. There was no time to cover her tracks. Any second now the beast would step into the barrier and if it saw which way she went, her escape would be doomed, as it would follow her into the Light, for sure.

  With a small sob of relief, Elle slipped through the breach just as a pair of jaws appeared behind her in the golden light of the barrier. She spilled back into her sleeping body where it sat at the navigation station. Quickly she spoke the words she had been taught in order to seal up the rent. She counted the moments this took in fast, exasperated breaths.

  Far in the distance, she could hear the fading sound of frustrated howls as the hound searched for her. She could feel it sniffing, probing the barrier for evidence of her escape until the last of the gap closed.

  Elle closed her eyes and recited the spell that would permanently seal up gaps in the barrier. The spell along with the iron that bound the ship meant that she would not be able to access the shadow realm again from this point in the realm of Light, which was no bad thing—not with that monster waiting for her.

  Here, high up in the air, surrounded by iron, there were fewer places to access the barrier. They were constantly moving and so, with a little luck, the creature would struggle to keep up with her.

  When the portal was sealed, Elle collapsed onto the floor and gasped for air. She was not used to running so fast and the weeks of being confined in a small cabin had left her feeling weak and unfit.

  She rubbed her eyes. That escape had been far too close for comfort. She pulled herself into her pilot’s chair and looked about to see, with no small measure of relief, that she was alone. At best, Dashwood would punish her for falling asleep at her post—whether such sleep was her fault or not. At worst, he would throw her in the brig for deserting.

  “I brought coffee,” Atticus Crow said from behind her.

  Elle nearly leaped out of her chair in fright as she swiveled round to look at him.

  He regarded her with amusement. “I know how long and boring these night shifts can be and as I found myself unable to sleep, I thought I’d come and have a look at the stars.” He set the mug down next to her.

  “Th—Thank you, Mr. Crow. I’m sorry, you startled me.”

  He smiled at her. “This old ship can be quite spooky at night. More than one crew member has reported seeing something strange during the quiet shifts. Happens on all ex-slavers.”

  “I suppose you are right,” Elle said, taking a sip from her mug. The coffee was strong and sweet. Exactly what she needed. “Thank you for the coffee,” she said.

  Crow just nodded and sat down in the empty seat next to her. “Think nothing of it. Next time, it’s your turn,” he said with a lopsided smile.

  “It’s a deal,” she said.

  Crow frowned. “Say, you look like you’ve been in the wars.” He pointed at her. “Does the captain know you got all bashed up at Jerry’s?”

  Elle looked down at herself. The skin on her chest, just visible from the V in her shirt, was bright red and covered in fine scratches from where the branch had struck her. And if the stinging sensations in her cheek and neck were anything to go by, she had scratches there too. It seemed like injuries sustained in the other Realm carried across even when body and spirit were separated. “Oh, it’s nothing,” she said as she wiped at her cheek.

  “Might want to ask Doc to have a look. A little cut like that can get quite nasty if it becomes infected. I think I saw him in the infirmary on my way back from the mess. I could watch the bridge, if you want.”

  “Would you mind?” Elle said. Of all the crew, Atticus Crow had been the nicest to her and she felt a sudden surge of affection for him.

  “You run along now. I’ll hold the fort,” he said.

  “Thank you,” she said. “I’ll only be a moment.”

  Elle did not go to the infirmary. Instead she ran to her cabin where she dabbed Vaseline camphor ice on to the scratches from a tin she kept in her holdall. She sucked in a breath as the ointment stung her skin. She was furious with Jack. How dare he drag her into such danger? And had Marsh been there all along? Why had he not shown himself? Was he really that determined to have nothing to do with her ever again?

  These thoughts were simply too overwhelming. She had to get back to the bridge before Atticu
s or any of the others started to suspect something was up. She didn’t want to think about the fact that perhaps her husband really did not want to see her ever again.

  “One thing at a time,” she said, finding it hard to breathe. She put away the ointment, did up her shirt and headed out the door, her skin still stinging from the camphor. For now, she would heed the advice of old Jack. The Shadow realm was off limits for the foreseeable future. She would stow away her thoughts about Marsh for later. Later when she was alone, she would allow herself to think on the matter.

  CHAPTER 14

  The next morning, as soon as her shift ended, Elle strode into Dashwood’s quarters. Her back ached and her eyes were red from the long night at the helm, but she had spent the quiet hours of her shift deep in thought. Being chased by a two-headed monster from the underworld tended to give a girl cause to stop and consider. And consider she had. In fact, she was a woman on a mission this morning.

  She had decided to heed Jack’s advice. She needed her protector back even if it meant that they could not be together as man and wife.

  Now all she had to do was get the captain on board, in a manner of speaking.

  “Mrs. Marsh. To what do I owe the pleasure of this morning’s visit?” Dashwood half rose from behind his desk and regarded her warily. Clearly the whiskey debacle and their little trip to the netherworld was not quite behind them yet.

  “Treasure,” she said, getting straight to the point. She was tired and in no mood for witty banter.

  Dashwood’s eyebrows rose. “I seem to recall the last time we spoke you were quite adamant that you knew nothing about any treasure.”

  “That was then, this is now.” She dropped the last remaining volume of Dr. Bell’s journals down on to Dashwood’s desk.

  “And what have we here?” he said.

  Elle flicked open the pages to the place where she had found Gertrude’s reference to the apsara.

  “The mystical city of Angkor Wat. It’s in the middle of impenetrable jungle. If it is there at all.”

  Dashwood peered at the page. “I’m listening.”

  “Dr. Bell wrote that she found this reference in an ancient Khmer scroll.” She tapped the finely drawn illustration with her index finger. “See, it’s a pictogram that describes the route to the city. It is said to be covered in gold, and floating on a lake”

  “Sounds promising.” Dashwood stared at the row of pictures. “What does that one mean?” He pointed at one of the pictures, which looked very much like a giant multiheaded snake.

  “I don’t know, but I’m sure we’ll find out when we get there.”

  Dashwood sat back in his seat and watched Elle. “Why come to me with this now?”

  Elle crossed her arms and met his gaze. “Following recent events, I have come to change my mind.”

  “Really? And which events would those be?”

  Elle sighed. “Well, San Francisco gave me cause to believe that I could trust you in a fight,” she said.

  Dashwood sat back in his chair. “Funny, San Francisco gave me exactly the opposite impression of you.”

  “I saved your life and you know it,” she said.

  “Only to nearly drown me in that place,” he said.

  “Oh come on, Captain. You were in no danger of drowning. One can breathe in the barrier as easily as one can breathe here in your cabin. It was just your own fear that prevented you from doing so.”

  Dashwood blanched. “And you did not think it necessary to tell me this at the time?”

  Elle shrugged. She didn’t really have an answer for that.

  “And while we’re on the subject, what exactly was that stunt? What kind of a Shadow creature are you?”

  “I am as human as you are, Captain,” Elle said.

  “I don’t believe you,” Dashwood said.

  “Well, I am. You can choose to believe me or not.”

  “You, my dear Mrs. Marsh”—Dashwood pointed at her—“are hiding something, and I need to know what it is.”

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t say,” she mumbled and stared at her boots.

  “Oh, so now you’re suddenly all coy.” Dashwood sat forward in his chair. “That means I have stumbled on the truth. So I would caution you to think very carefully about your next answer, for it may determine whether I let you stay here or whether I put you out to the sky through one of the hatches.”

  Elle stared at him in horror. “You wouldn’t make me walk the plank, would you? That would be … it would be ungentlemanly.”

  Dashwood tutted and shook his head. “As I have told you before, I am no gentleman. But I am a businessman. And you, madam, are bad for my business. So either you tell me what this is all about or I will have no option but to get rid of you.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

  Elle stared at him. Despite her best efforts, she could not help the first glimmer of moisture that welled up in her eyes. Her gamble had failed. If she kept silent, Dashwood would set her off the ship and she’d be dead; either dropped from midair or left at a port where, being away from the protection of the ship, that demon dog would get her; if she told him the truth, he would sell her to the warlocks, and she would be dead anyway.

  Dashwood’s expression softened. “Look, if I’m going to agree to go searching for treasure in snake-infested jungles, I need to know who—or what—I am taking along with me. Is that so unreasonable?”

  “I suppose not.” Elle took a deep breath. “I—I possess the ability to slip into the gap sometimes. It’s a trick. An illusion, if you will,” she said.

  Dashwood shook his head. “It all adds up now. Married to a warlock. The fact that you cast no shadow. The poker game. The whole business in London where my ship crashed.”

  “As I said, there was nothing to be afraid of. You were perfectly safe.”

  Dashwood sighed. “I hate all that Shadow realm stuff. Nothing but trouble ever comes out of messing with the Shadow. Apart from a few trinkets which I buy from a trusted source, I tend to steer clear of such things.”

  “And a wise philosophy to live by, that is.”

  “That still does not answer my question.”

  “The gift I have … It—It’s is something I have no control over. It’s a family quirk that goes back generations. But it’s perfectly harmless—nothing you should concern yourself with … sir,” she added for good measure.

  Dashwood stared at her for a few long moments without saying anything. Then he sighed and ran his hand over his jaw. “Fine. Whatever. As I see it, you are a passably good pilot and against all odds, my crew have grown to like you. Decent pilots are hard to find so, Shadow gift or not, you may still be worth more as part of my crew than not.”

  “Do you mean it?” she said, almost too relieved to believe his answer.

  He waved a dismissive hand. “As long as you give me your word that it’s just a small trick and not a serious source of power.”

  “Yes, sir,” Elle said, mentally crossing her fingers behind her back.

  “And please don’t tell anyone else. My crew are a superstitious lot and them knowing that we have someone of the Shadow on board will cause all kinds of problems. Then it’ll be out the door with you. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Crystal clear, sir,” she said.

  “Very well. You are dismissed.”

  “So we are going to find the treasure?” she said hopefully.

  Dashwood narrowed his eyes. “Give me one reason why I should I risk my ship and my crew on an endeavor that may or may not yield a profit?”

  “Those factors never seemed to bother you before.”

  Dashwood gave her a look. “Touché,” he said.

  Elle took a step closer. “Captain, I need to find the city. You are in the market for making some cash. I would have thought that those two things would be enough for us to make a bargain.”

  Dashwood’s eyes narrowed. “I am a pirate. I love gold and money as much as the next man, but I have already lost more than one ship be
cause of your schemes, so you will forgive me if I’m a little wary.”

  Elle lifted her chin. “And I have lost a ship to yours. I think that makes us even, Captain.”

  Dashwood suppressed a smile. “Oh, I don’t think we have even begun to get even, Mrs. Marsh. I had to abandon my first ship in midair. Do you even know how hard it is to keep a crew motivated when it’s your fault that the very thing that unites them has gone up in flames?” He had grown a little red around the ears as he spoke.

  “As I’ve said before, I am very sorry that happened.”

  “As sorry as I am about your friend?” he said.

  Elle sighed. He could make a good argument when he wanted to, this captain. “Very well, I will let it go if you will.”

  “Agreed,” he said.

  “So, on to the business of Angkor. By my estimation, we could make our way to Bangkok and then onwards—”

  Dashwood held up his hand. “For the love of all that is good and beautiful in this world, will you just stop talking, woman? I should have put you in a life balloon and sent you on your way the moment I had taken your ship.”

  “Then why didn’t you?” she said.

  “Because, jettisoning a woman on her own across the desert with a wounded companion is so … so dishonorable that even I cannot not justify the act,” he said. “You, madam, are nothing but trouble. You sow chaos wherever you go.” He threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.

  “Are you in or are you out, Captain?” Elle crossed her arms and lifted her chin to meet his gaze. “Because I am going to find the lost city of Angkor Wat whether it be with or without you.”

  “Actually, I’m not,” Dashwood said. “We’ve been through the journals and you were right, there is no treasure in any of them. So apart from a few squiggles on the page you just showed me, I have no proof that the city exists. I have even less evidence to show that even if we find it—and that’s a big if—that there will be treasure.” He pressed his lips together. “And I know you are not seeking this place because you are looking for gold which probably means there isn’t any and if you want to go there, then there is probably a whole lot of trouble waiting there. I will not let you use me or this ship for your own private agenda. So no, count me out, thank you very much.”