Tales of the Caravan

by J. Avarez

  "Are you okay, Daisy?" Asked Sarah.

  Daisy looked out the window, her green eyes focused on the dome barrier that surrounded Port Royal. The metal wall was all she knew, it haunted her, and made her feel as if she was destined to never know what existed beyond it. Her eyes found Sarah's gaze, her heart suddenly thumping with courage.

  "I wanted to join your caravan."

  Sarah looked startled. She had always known Daisy to be the shyest of her sisters. It was quite shocking to hear she wanted to do something as dangerous as join a caravan.

  “I see,” said Sarah. “Well, can you fight?”

  “Not physically, no,” replied Daisy, her head lowered slightly. “Mother Merla wanted to teach me, but I couldn’t take her training. I don’t have a Secreto either…but, I'm a decent shot and an awesome cook!” She turned toward Sarah with renewed hope. “I’ve made meals for the Royals and they’re the pickiest eaters ever. I promise, if you take me along I’ll carry my fair share.”

  “Alright,” said Sarah. “You’d have to ask Merla if it’s okay.”

  “Mother Merla thinks its fine,” the lounge owner stood by the open door. “You never told me you wanted to travel the seas.”

  “I thought you would tell me I’m a fool.” Replied Daisy, her face suddenly went red.

  Merla approached Daisy and held her close, her gaze softened as she looked into her daughter’s eyes.

  “You are a fool,” said Merla. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t believe in you, sweet pea. Now, won’t you run downstairs and see if your sisters are just as foolish as you.”

  Daisy lunged off the bed to kiss Merla on the cheek and happily rushed out of the room.

  Sarah stood up and crossed her arms, giving Mother Merla a playful smirk. “It’s the captain’s right to appoint people to her ship, you know?”

  “Holly and Poppy are amazing shooters,” she replied. “And trust me, the three of them can sing their asses off. You’ll need some entertainment when you embark on your first caravan trip, ten months at sea gets boring quick, believe me.”

  “I’m surprised you’d let them go,” said Sarah, taking her pistol from the bed and strapping it to her hip. “I don’t remember you giving me the same trust when I left.”

  “I did,” Merla's smirk faded, her eyes focused on Sarah's surprised face. “Maybe I didn’t show it, but I was trying to protect you. Daisy’s unburdened, and ignorant of betrayal. Those things were true about you once. Then you left for the seas against my wishes, and what happened? You can’t tell me that bullet in your chest doesn’t haunt you. You can’t tell me you don’t regret stepping on that ship.”

  Sarah still remembered how it felt to leave Port Ruby all those years ago. She remembered the breeze hitting her face, the sense of joy that flooded her veins as she watched Port Ruby fade in the horizon. You're finally free. Those were the words Jayden told her as they sailed off. He gave her the dream of being a captain, which was something she wouldn't ever take back.

  “I don’t regret anything,” replied Sarah. “I loved Jayden, and yes, he paid me back by shooting me into the Red Sea. I thought I would die in those waters, but Tyserra’s mercy washed me ashore. If the gods didn’t doubt me, then why should I?” She watched Merla pat down her pockets for a cigarette, not knowing she had one tucked behind her ear. Sarah reached for the cigarette and passed it to Merla, the lounge owner lit it with her finger and gave Sarah a nod. “My mistakes are part of who I am, Merla. I rather die and have you say that I lost, than to live and say that I never fought.”

  Merla smiled and took the cigarette out of her mouth, blowing a swirly puff of smoke into the air. “Maybe some of me has rubbed off on you, kiddo.”

  Merla took Sarah downstairs where she met with Charlotte. The two of them wasted no time to meet with Julius at Arkon, a prison facility atop the highest hill in Town Square. The grey tower stood with black bars over its windows, and bricks that had long since cracked with age. Inside the tower, Sarah and Charlotte followed Julius and his guards down a dim hallway that led to Blackbeard's cell.

  “We wanted to thank you, Chancellor.” Said Sarah. “This really means a lot to us.”

  “Yeah,” said Charlotte, walking beside her captain. “We appreciate you keeping us in the loop.”

  “But of course,” said Julius, with his usual bright tone. “Who better to join me then the ladies who brought Blackbeard to justice?”

  The three of them continued to walk down the hallway in silence, hearing only their steps echo down the long corridor. They eventually came to a sturdy steel door, engraved with the eight sabers of the empire symbol. Julius’ guards opened the door and they continued onto the top of an arched staircase. Waiting by the rail was Greymore, who stared at Blackbeard in his cell at the bottom of the staircase. He turned to face Julius, but his eyes found Sarah first.

  “That’s far enough.” said Greymore, extending a hand toward Sarah.

  “What’s the problem?” Asked Julius, looking outraged.

  “The emperor only wants us interrogate Blackbeard,” replied Greymore, with a smug smirk. “Your little agents will have to watch from here.”

  “Little agents?” Charlotte repeated angrily.

  “We’re the ones who caught Blackbeard.” Sarah retorted.

  “And you did so against darkonian law,” said Greymore calmly. “Might I remind you, only licensed caravan captains are allowed to apprehend criminals of the empire.”

  “What does that have to do with them joining the interrogation?” Asked Julius.

  “I told you once before,” Greymore gazed toward the Chancellor with dull eyes. “Women have no part in the businesses of men, if you can even call them women. A band of misfits is more appropriate. Jayden deceived us with his piracy and managed to escape, how do we know this girl didn't assist him? She has a promiscuous ex-lover in her ranks. Not to mention a lesbian with no regard for herself. Your body is a temple, dear, you would do well to cover those hideous markings on your arm in the company of Royals.” his eyes traveled from the leopard print tattoos on Charlotte’s arm and found her offended face. She opened her mouth to argue, but Greymore swiftly cut her off. “We appreciate your unlawful service, but you ladies will have to observe from up here. Again, I'll remind you that you've already broken Imperial law. Another step out of line and I'll have you both sharing a cell. Come, Julius, let's get this over with.”

  “This is bullshit,” Sarah hissed into Charlotte’s ear, as the men walked away. “We should warp down there anyway.”

  “No. We’d just risk your approval if we did that,” Charlotte walked forward and leaned her body against the rail. Her amber eyes followed Julius and Greymore as they approached the bars of Blackbeard's cell. “Let’s just watch. I’m curious what Blackbeard has to say.”

  Sarah reluctantly took a spot beside Charlotte. She held the rail and leaned forward, her emerald eyes found Blackbeard's tired face. The Captain's gargantuan body was even more glaring in his small cell. Though the cell could easily accommodate several men, it only barely contained Blackbeard, who was forced to sit on the floor.

  “Chancellor!” Said Blackbeard, with his booming voice. “You seem well rested. It must be a relief to have your little rose back safely.”

  “It is a relief,” Julius’ kind eyes hardened upon the captain's face. “It would please me a bit more to know why you did it. I’ve done nothing, but try and end the war between us. I don't understand, why would you target my daughter?”

  “I was attempting to save us,” replied Blackbeard. “I needed your daughter for her Secreto, it was nothing personal against you. Perhaps I may have lost my temper with her, but a pirate is a slave to his ship. The respect of my crew is all that I have. Your daughter conspired with that Dragoon who infiltrated my Black Cloud, I couldn’t have that.”

  “You mean Calow?” Asked Julius, surprised that Calow’s presence was left out of his report.

  “Ay
e, the same.” Blackbeard grinned, clearly amused at the Chancellor’s stunned face.

  “Well, turns out he was more than just a Dragoon,” said Greymore, looking equally amused. “We’ve gotten a Magi to analyze the blood of those captured from your ship, Captain Calow is the Lost Prince.”

  Everyone, other than Greymore and Blackbeard, widened their eyes at the news of Calow’s Royal lineage. Sarah had heard stories of Calow, his reputation as a fire breathing captain with a short fuse was known throughout the Red Sea. She couldn't believe that such a rebel was actually the emperor’s son.

  “Now, that is funny.” Blackbeard's laugh was loud and hearty. “My brother always wanted to take something precious from the emperor, he’ll have a laugh when he learns I squandered the chance to kill his son.”

  “Your brother is Davy Jones, is he not?” Asked Greymore.

  Sarah leaned forward against the rail a bit more. Davy Jones, the Caravan King, was a living legend across the Nine Seas. He held the record for the most caravan missions completed, and was one of the rare three to possess an awakened Secreto.

  “Aye,” replied Blackbeard. “David and I have been thieving the Nine Seas since we latched off our mother’s tit.”

  “He's an enemy of the emperor, now. We could be persuaded to have you avoid the guillotine,” Greymore again gave Blackbeard a smug smirk, it was something Sarah wanted to slap off his face. “We can give you your life back, Blackbeard. All we ask is that you tell us where Jones is hiding.”

  “You’re fresh out of luck then,” replied Blackbeard, leaning his back against the wall. “I would rather die than betray my blood. David’s whereabouts should be the last of your concerns. You should be doing what you can to keep your Greys in line, I've heard they've been a bit rebellious as of late.”

  “Imposters posing as my men,” Greymore scoffed. “A scheme from your Queen, I'm sure. It would please her to no end if she were to cast doubt among those who stand against her.”

  “Perhaps,” said Blackbeard simply, his green eyes narrowed upon Greymore’s face. “Or maybe you're the one that's scheming, Greymore. I wonder if that's the reason you haven't been dealing with this curse. It's interesting that the map to return the treasure was found on a Grey. Maybe Ms. Dreamstead is indeed telling the truth, and someone else released this curse.”

  “I’ve never touched the blue moon,” Greymore calmly retorted. “And rest assured, we're doing all we can to minimize the damage it's causing. We've already alerted the citizens about it. We won't have anyone else falling victim to the curse.”

  “And tell me, Greymore,” said Blackbeard, edging his tired face forward. “Did you tell the common islands that as well?”

  Greymore briefly hesitated, his eyes darted as he thought of what to say.

  “The emperor forbids it.” He replied coldly.

  Sarah felt her chest burn beneath her skin. The emperor. She never thought she could hate a man so much. To disregard innocent people in the common islands wasn't just cruel, it was evil.

  “What?” Julius snapped his head toward Greymore. “Why would you listen to him and not tell the other islands?”

  “Because, like the emperor, Greymore doesn't care for them,” replied Blackbeard, as he watched Greymore chew on his own tongue. “He ranks the poor just beneath his hatred for women, it’s a shame really. Save for Julius here, all of you Royals have taken the emperor’s stance. You do yourself an injustice. All of you mighty men could do nothing against me and my crew, but Sarah Dreamstead…she succeeded where all of you had failed. I should have known when she recruited Ms. Black they would eventually challenge me. It’s curious…that those two would join together.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Asked Julius.

  Blackbeard began to answer, but was silenced by a shower of blue light. Greymore pressed a button near Blackbeard’s cell and released a surge of Magi lightning. Sarah felt a strange sense of pity as she watched the captain yell in agony. She had heard of such accounts from men who served sentences at Arkon. Horrible tales of men being electrocuted in their sleep, till they gave guards the information they wanted.

  The lightning brought Blackbeard to the floor, lightning still traveling up and down his back. The captain twitched and drooled from his open mouth, paralyzed and unable to move or speak.

  “That’s enough,” Greymore barked. “This was a waste of time. He isn’t going to tell us anything we want to know, and the medics tell us he’s immune to truth’s tonic. Let’s leave this trash to rot, Julius, tomorrow he'll face the guillotine.”

  Greymore turned away from Blackbeard's cell and walked toward the arched staircase.

  “Wait,” said Julius, stopping Greymore with a hand against his chest. “Perhaps we should let Ms. Dreamstead speak with him. He may open up to her more.”

  “Sarah Dreamstead is forbidden to talk with him,” said Greymore, pushing Julius’ hand away. “The emperor suspects the two have colluded in the past. I'm warning you. This is a direct order from him, Julius, they aren’t to exchange a word to each other.”

  Chapter 17 Fair is Dead

  Uncomfortable. It was the only word Mia could use to describe it. She sat at the edge of the curved wall that surrounded Port Ruby. Being afraid of heights did not make such a meeting any more comfortable. She looked between her knees and saw ships about two hundred feet below, sailing in and out of the entrance to the island.

  Calow was beside her, his red eyes focused miles away toward the dark tower that was Arkon Prison. The military compound was the only place suitable to contain Blackbeard’s inhuman strength. Mia wondered in that moment of silence, if Calow thought the same thing she did…that Blackbeard had somehow influenced their world to change.

  "I’m sure this is a lot for you to take in." Said Mia, her legs rocking slightly over the edge of the wall.

  His red eyes found her hazel ones, a sigh brought a few embers out of his nostrils.

  "I was fine just being a captain to my caravan," he replied. "We would laugh at the emperor often, and call him a coward for ruling the seas from the safety of the mainland. Those memories are bitter now. I hate that I’m his son."

  She understood Calow's feeling, she'd have to be oblivious not to. Royals aside, the emperor was hated by nearly everyone. His policies were an extension of his beliefs, which only served to garnish hate amongst the common people. Perhaps he deserved it from them, but he shouldn't deserve hate from his son.

  "You can't say things like that, Calow," Mia saw his hand pressed against the floor, his middle finger missing from the medics having to cut it off. She reached down and put her hand over his. The Royal did her best to look hopeful. "He sent a fleet of ships to bring you back to him. They say he even smiled for the first time in his life. You have to give him a chance. He's your father, like it or not."

  Her smile brought the Dragoon to mirror it back, but a loud horn pulled his gaze away. Mia turned her head and saw a fleet of a thousand vessels sailing toward the island. Her eyes widened and her breath was shaky. She had never seen so many ships in one place before.

  "Tyserra's tits, that's a lot of ships." Calow rose to his feet and walked toward the curved edge of the wall.

  Mia got up carefully, not wanting to slip and slide from the wall down toward the cold sea. She stood by his side and felt her heart weigh down a bit. Seeing the ships for herself made it all painfully real for her. The emperor lived his life away from the eyes of the world, she had no reason to believe he would want anything different for his only son.

  "I guess I won't end up with a dragon after all." She tried to smirk, but her sadness wouldn't allow it.

  Calow gently took Mia by her chin and pulled her toward him. His face was intense, the sun shining bright upon his almond colored skin.

  "You can come with me." He said softly.

  "With...you?" Said Mia, hesitating. "No, Calow, I couldn't...my father is here. I couldn't leave him."

 
"Your father's a grown man," said Calow. "I'm sure he'll be fine without you."

  "You don't understand," she replied. "Everything that happened is still fresh to him. There's no way I could leave and let him wonder about me. I'm sorry. I want to go, really I do, but I need to stay here."

  "I almost died trying to save you," his eyebrows clenched further with every word. "Half of my Sky Dancers died trying to save you."

  Mia's mouth dropped a bit, and her eyes widened. She thought it cruel for him to bring up something so hurtful.

  "And I'm eternally grateful for it," said Mia. Her eyes darted about, she had almost thought to slap him. “I’ve read every name of all the Imperials and Sky Dancers that died, I've even convinced my father to send diamonds out to their families. It haunts me that anyone had to die to save me, but don't you dare do that. Don't guilt me for being a captive on Blackbeard's ship. I owe you my life, not my heart. My father needs me here. He was worried sick about me. In fact, if he hadn't broken the law and hired those women to save me, we'd both be dead."