Tales of the Caravan

by J. Avarez

  Mia's eyes glazed a bit. She recalled the crying families she had met earlier. Wives and husbands, mothers and fathers, all of them gathered to retrieve the bodies of the men Blackbeard ruthlessly killed. Calow's face softened to see the pain in Mia's face. The Dragoon walked away from the curved wall and toward the edge that faced Port Ruby.

  "It's funny," he said. "The fair maiden wasn't saved by a prince or a dragon, was she?" He turned his head with a smile, and winked at her. "Take care of yourself, Mia."

  The Dragoon stepped off the ledge and Mia hastily approached the edge of the wall. She prayed to the gods that he hadn't jumped to his death. To her relief, Calow landed safely on the main deck of one of the Imperial ships. It was amazing that he survived such a drop, easily two hundred feet or more. Then again, he was also the son of the emperor, a man with a Secreto said to make him immortal.

  The young Royal's awe was only amplified by the amount of ships emerging from the entrance gates of the wall. The fleet had begun to enter into the city and sail for the docks at One Blue. Mia sat at the edge again, this time to be alone in her thoughts.

  She felt foolish to have pushed Calow away for so many years. The chance she denied him, she had given to Jayden, someone so undeserving of her heart it was almost laughable. She held her knees and felt her tears fall onto her knuckles. She grabbed the sleeve of her new white dress and wiped her face. How could I have been so stupid?

  "Aww, you shouldn't be crying, it's a beautiful day!" Mia gazed to her right, and saw a tall young woman in black uniform. Her long braid of red hair ended below her knees, it was a feature Mia clearly recognized.

  "You're...you're one of the ladies who saved me, aren't you?"

  "Yup! My name's Jasmine, but you can call me Cookie," She sat beside Mia, her freckled face as jolly as ever. Cookie combed Mia's blond hair with her fingers and looked delighted. “I love your hair, it's so pretty. You know, growing up my clients would say 'Mia Rose is the most beautiful girl in the Red Sea', boy they weren't kidding, huh?"

  She turned to Gizmo who was seated on her left shoulder. The oracle smiled at Mia and nodded his head.

  "The most beautiful rose I've ever seen," said Gizmo, he put a paw to his chest and gave Mia a courteous bow. "My name's Gizmo, my lady. I'm blessed to meet you, and I'm also without wife. I just wanted to throw that out there."

  "Gizmo!” Cookie snapped her head toward the oracle. “Be a little considerate, she just broke up with her boyfriend.”

  “He's not my boyfriend,” said Mia. Her hazel eyes followed the ship carrying Calow toward One Blue. “He's the emperor’s son. I don't think I could ever be good enough for him.”

  “That's surprising coming from you,” said Gizmo. “I've heard of you while those merchants were trading me from place to place. A wealthy Royal with the world at her feet, I didn't take you as the humble type.”

  “Me neither,” Mia replied, softly. “I suppose it took me becoming someone's prisoner to see what true value is. Diamonds by the barrel didn't save me, my blood as a Royal didn't save me either,” She turned to Cookie and gave her a smile. “It was you. A group of strong women saved me, while I was up there hoping for some brave prince to whisk me away. I feel so foolish not standing up for Charlotte before. When they doubted her just for being a woman, what did I do? Nothing, nothing at all.”

  “Oh, but that's ancient news,” said Gizmo. “Water under the dragun, as they say. You've seen what true power is now. These fine women are on their way to becoming the best caravan to sail the seas. If you really want to make a difference, you ought to think about joining them.”

  Join a caravan? Mia would’ve burst out laughing, had she not been so struck with sadness. She had spent her whole life labeling caravans as nothing but licensed pirates. However, the ruthlessness of the emperor was so apparent to her as of late.

  The disdain that men had for them was ridiculously apparent. Would joining a female caravan be so bad, especially with a leader determined to break the rules that kept them down? Sarah was brave to come rescue her, Mia couldn’t deny that, but she remembered what she read on the atlas. How can she be good with a father like that?

  “And do you trust your leader?” Asked Mia.

  “Of course I do,” said Cookie. “Sarah's amazing, you saw her go! She and Charlotte planned that whole attack in a few hours, I still can't believe how well it worked.”

  “I don’t doubt that she's capable,” said Mia. “But there's other things about her that concern me.”

  “Spill it then, toots!” Said Gizmo. “Sounds like you know more than you’re letting on.”

  Out of respect, Mia chose to keep Sarah’s lineage to herself, that’d be something the two would discuss privately. Instead she turned toward the other concern she had about Sarah, her connection to the blue moon.

  “I had a conversation with Blackbeard and his men,” replied Mia. “They say she was the one who released the blue moon. You saw the mark on her arm, you can’t deny it. How can you follow someone who'd start such a horrible curse?”

  “Sarah isn't like that,” replied Cookie. “I was a lover before I came here. Anyone else would have looked at me as trash, you too I'd bet,” Mia avoided her gaze and looked down toward her knees. “It's fine, I can see how you would think there was nothing more to me. Even though my father forced me to do it, Sarah never hesitated. She saw the light in my heart and never shamed me about my past. I can just sense something about her, I can't explain it, but somehow I just trust her. I don't care what that bearded jerk had to say. If Sarah said she didn't do it, I believe her.”

  Mia thought of them at the edge of Blackbeard’s ship, how calm she felt staring into Sarah’s eyes. I can just sense something about her. Indeed there was something there, Mia felt it too. Had she not read her records, she would have sworn Sarah had a Secreto to win over people.

  “I hope you're right.” said Mia, softly.

  “Speaking of hope,” Gizmo hopped off Cookie’s shoulder, and handed Mia a folded piece of parchment. “The kiddo got this off a Grey imposter, apparently it's some sort of map. I'm hoping you might be able to crack the riddle, they say a Royal’s brain weighs more than a commoner’s.”

  Mia opened the parchment and read the words, her eyes widened as she recognized the riddle.

  “I've seen this before,” said Mia. She hastily laid out the parchment between them, and began to read the riddle softly. Cookie and Gizmo eagerly hovered their heads over the parchment, excited to finally see the map reveal itself. Safest with one…Doomed with many...what am I? Mia then smiled confidently and gave her answer. “A secret.”

  The parchment remained as it was. There were no glowing lights. No hidden text revealed. What’s going on? Mia thought to herself. Why didn’t it work?

  “A secret,” said Gizmo, his paws crossed over his furry chest. “Was that the best you could come up with?”

  “You don’t understand,” replied Mia, her eyes still scanning the parchment. “This exact riddle was on Blackbeard’s ship. That answer should have worked.”

  The development was strange indeed, but none of them had any way to explain it. The best reply surprisingly came from Cookie, who reasoned that perhaps two of the Magi created the same riddle with different answers. After a few more moments attempting to solve the riddle, Mia accompanied Cookie back toward One Blue. They descended the wall by taking a Magi-lift, an enchanted stone with blue glyphs, which rose and descended upon command.

  Kyla waited at the bottom of the Magi-lift. The blue dragun happily let out a melodic cry, as she watched Cookie descend toward her. Mia approached the dragun with caution. She was taught as a child to be wary of them, as they had an innate hatred toward Royals. Kyla gazed over at Mia. The dragun’s green eyes glowed brightly, as the Royal approached the ship on her back. When the blue beast lowered its long neck toward them, Mia stumbled backward. Cookie however held Kyla’s head and kissed her slippery nose.

 
“Aww, don’t be scared,” said Cookie. “Kyla’s a sweetheart, just look at that squishy face.”

  Cookie changed her voice drastically and begun speaking to Kyla as though she were talking to a toddler. Mia nervously approached Cookie’s side and reached to pet Kyla, the dragun happily licked the back of Mia’s hand. The Royal smiled widely and let out a breath of relief…perhaps a caravan life wouldn’t be so bad.

  “You see?” Said Cookie, looking quite cheerful. “And dragun’s are supposed to hate Royals, there must be something real special about you, Mia.”

  “I wouldn’t get too excited,” said Gizmo, climbing back onto Cookie’s shoulder. “Kyla’s blind, ain’t she?”

  “Gizmo, you jerk!” Cookie angrily tossed the teddy bear and watched him bounce across the main deck.

  After an unenthused apology from the oracle, Kyla sailed the ladies back toward One Blue. As soon as they stepped onto the boardwalk, their ears were ringing from the conversations of merchants and customers alike. The news of Calow’s lineage had spread like wildfire over the island. Some were excited to hear the emperor had a son, and others were fearful of what such a development would mean for the world.

  “Father!” Mia shouted.

  The Royal saw Julius walk through the crowds of people gathered by the boardwalk. Sarah and Charlotte were by his side, looking quite discouraged.

  “How are you feeling today, sweetie?” Asked Julius, pulling Mia into his arms.

  “Much better,” replied Mia, happily. “I heard you went to see Blackbeard at Arkon.”

  “Yeah, but it didn't really go well, did it?” Charlotte had her arms crossed, her amber eyes laid bored upon the Chancellor’s face.

  “Greymore,” Julius explained. “He was frustrated after Blackbeard taunted him, now I worry for Sarah. Don't get me wrong, ladies,” he turned and smiled toward Sarah and her crew. “I truly am grateful for what you've done for Mia, but the Royals will do everything they can to stop Sarah from becoming a captain. They’ll even take your glory for defeating Blackbeard if they must.”

  “You can't let them, father,” said Mia, giving him an urgent look. “She deserves to lead a caravan.”

  His heart skipped a beat. He had always known his daughter to dislike caravans. The Chancellor felt both proud and happy to see his daughter defending a potential captain.

  “Calm yourself, sweetie,” replied Julius. “Sarah has already won my vote.”

  The Chancellor winked at Sarah, but his gaze was pulled toward the opposite end of the boardwalk. The crowd of customers hastily moved aside for Captain Drake, who marched down the boardwalk with his men. Drake had about fifty Imperial soldiers at his side, four of which were carrying two massive white chests behind him. Sarah felt her body go numb. The feeling of seeing Drake again was hard to place. It had been years since they’d seen each other, but the hate she had for him had not faded an inch. Sarah felt her fingers edge toward her pistol, but stopped herself…she knew full well how deadly the consequence would be.

  “What is he doing here?” Charlotte aimed a nasty sneer toward the white armored captain.

  “He's here to deliver your diamonds, by the looks of it,” said Julius, in a low voice. “The miserable brute could at least pretend to be cheerful about it.”

  “Julius Rose," said Drake, his face as dull as stone. "And Sarah Dreamstead. Look how much you've grown. What's wrong child? You look like you've seen a ghost."

  What's wrong? Sarah wanted to shoot him just for having the nerve. It took everything to hold her emotions back. For years she thought of nothing but the day Bonny lost her life. But vengeance was sadly out of the question. Drake was an Imperial and not a pirate, which unfortunately made them allies.

  "Captain Drake," replied Julius, trying to ease the tension after noticing Sarah's white knuckles. "I'm glad to see the Battle of Skulls has left you unscathed.”

  “Is that what they're calling it?” Drake chuckled, as several of his men began to stand in formation behind him. “Well, it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. I've lost many years hunting for that bearded traitor, I'd be damned if I allowed him to take my life too.”

  “You should be thanking my captain for that.” Said Cookie, with an air of sass.

  “Your captain?” Drake repeated sarcastically. He then threw a hand sign toward his men. “No, you filthy lover. I believe she'll be the one thanking me.”

  A soldier stationed by the edge of the adjacent rooftop, aimed his thunder rifle and fired into the Chancellor’s back. A metal bolt shot into Julius’ flesh and released a surge of lightning. With a loud bang, Julius grunted and fell on his face. A few soldiers approached the Chancellor and chained his hands.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Mia demanded. “Get your hands off my father!”

  Mia approached Julius and was stopped by a pair of soldiers, with their rifles aimed toward her chest. Kyla roared and let out a stream of water that pumped out of her mouth. The large jet of water knocked the soldiers off their feet, and washed them off the boardwalk. Drake then nodded toward the men standing by the two white chests. The soldiers opened them and took a massive crossbow from each. Both crossbows fired two bolts across the boardwalk and shot into the dragun’s chest.

  “Kyla!” Sarah shouted, watching her dragun’s head slam onto the boardwalk.

  She raised her hand to bite into her nail, but two soldiers moved on her with pistols toward her head. Soon they were completely surrounded. Soldiers on the rooftops, and soldiers on the ground. There was no way out…

  “Coward,” said Mia, disgusted that the Imperials would do such a thing. She turned her glare toward Drake, her face red with rage. “You're nothing but a coward!”

  “Silence yourself!” Drake barked. “Your father is going to Arkon. Perhaps spending a few nights in a cold cell will teach him not to share Imperial intelligence with a commoner.”

  “The emperor wanted Blackbeard captured,” said Sarah. Her voice was calm, despite having two pistols pressed against her neck. “What does it matter if the Chancellor aided us to do it?”

  “I wouldn't expect you to know how the laws of men work,” replied Drake. “Aiding a commoner, a woman no less, goes against everything our emperor stands for.”

  Cookie and Charlotte also had rifles aimed toward them. Charlotte had thought to use her Secreto to warp them away, but they were just far too many soldiers surrounding them. Mia’s terror had only worsened. She watched helplessly, as two soldiers forcefully threw her father into the back of a motorcar.

  “Stop,” Mia screamed, she approached Drake and grabbed him his white coat. “Let him go, Drake. This isn't right and you know it.”

  Drake looked down at Mia and scoffed. The height he gained, from the mysterious curse against men, was enough for him to tower her by about four feet. The captain raised his hand and swung it down across Mia’s face. The Royal was forced backward, and fell hard onto the dark oak boards.

  “Take everything you think is right, little rose, and bury it,” said Drake coldly. “Fair is dead,” he turned his eyes toward Sarah, and pressed his pistol a bit further against her chest. “As for you, I'm afraid the emperor won't be paying you a diamond for Blackbeard’s capture. Your payment is me not detaining you along with the Chancellor. Now, please consider your application terminated, Ms. Dreamstead. Your map and your dragun are now the property of the Imperial Fleet.”

  Chapter 18 A Deal with the Devil

  The summer was nearly over, and the winds of fall had already begun to blow. Sarah stood at the edge of Mother Merla's balcony, her eyes fixed toward the dark horizon. Her sleeved, black leather armor kept her warm in such a chilled breeze. The cold failed to keep citizens indoors, however, the excitement on the island was too tantalizing to ignore. It was to be a grand night of celebration at the Maiden's Lounge, for the newly discovered Prince Calow. Downstairs, Merla's adopted daughters were hard at work, the Oasis had to be perfectly prepared for the ni
ght's festivities.

  Port Ruby needed such a distraction. The citizens were particularly concerned, with the truth of the blue moon finally revealed. Everyone on the island had taken to wear large straw hats to block the moon from their line of vision. A drastic, yet necessary fashion change. The stories had already come in from caravan ships that made port. Whole islands had already been wiped out, and its inhabitants all turned to stone statues.

  The returning caravans reminded Sarah of another sad reality. In two short weeks the caravan year would begin. Hundreds of captains would lead their crews out into the Nine Seas, and bring back goods for the next summer. Her heart swelled badly knowing that she would not become a captain, but she wasn't at all surprised that Drake found a way to intervene.