Lintang and the Pirate Queen

by Tamara Moss

  * * *

  THE MYTHIE GUIDEBOOK

  INFORMATION PAGE: REPRODUCTION

  Despite falling under different classifications, all mythies reproduce by laying an egg in a host body. Eyewitness accounts describe various species of mythies ‘bursting’ from humans without warning. No information has been collected as to how mythies lay their eggs, or why the host has no knowledge of the egg’s existence until it’s too late.

  Mythies are born fully grown. There have been no sightings of mythical creatures at any stage of life except mature. Studies show that mythies do not age, and do not possess reproductive organs.

  Scientists theorise that mythies send out invisible spores that can be absorbed by humans. Some go as far as to say that these spores are sent out during the death of a mythie, as it has been found that many hunters, both amateurs and professionals, become hosts to various species of mythies. Other experts disagree, as these hunters are rarely the host of the same mythical creature as the ones they kill.

  No plausible explanation has yet been given for this phenomenon.

  * * *

  Life on the Winda

  That evening, Dee and Farah-the-clam-shell taught Lintang some creative cooking tips with rations from Desa and freshly caught seafood. They made hot soup, burbleberry tarts, smoked salmon with cream cheese and olive-stuffed pastries. It was messy work, and Lintang’s sarong ended up dusted with flour and splattered with broth, but it was worth it. If cooking at home were as fun as cooking with Dee and her clam shell mother, Lintang might’ve enjoyed it more.

  When it was time to serve up, Dee hollered, ‘YAMINI!’ and the ragged teenager walked in. She was bony and angular – her clothes seemed to hang off her. Her short hair hung over her face to hide her high cheekbones and pointed chin. She took the plate for the captain without a word.

  ‘Can I help?’ Lintang said. She really wanted to make friends.

  But Yamini curled her lip and looked at Lintang as if she were a slop bucket. ‘I don’t need help from anyone, especially you.’

  She stalked out with the plate. Lintang frowned after her.

  ‘Yamini’s the cabin girl,’ Dee said. ‘She serves the food by herself.’

  ‘She doesn’t have to be rude about it.’

  Dee loaded a new round of plates. ‘Ah, but see, it’s punishment.’

  ‘The crew used to share the chores before,’ Farah-the-clam-shell said. ‘Scrubbing floors, cleaning slop buckets, washing dishes. Now she has to do it all herself.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘She let the captain down.’

  ‘Really?’ Lintang ladled soup into bowls. ‘What did she do?’

  ‘It’s not up to me to say.’

  ‘Nor me,’ Farah-the-clam-shell said.

  Lintang had been planning on taking a plate down to Bayani while everyone was eating, but now she stared at the spread of food and imagined what would happen if someone caught her. What if she were sentenced to be cabin girl, too? What if she had to empty slop buckets all day, and scrub floors, and clean up after dinner? If she wanted to do chores, she would’ve stayed at home.

  She put the extra plate away while Dee’s back was turned. There were plenty of rations in the cargo hold. Bayani would be fine on his own, just for a little longer, until she figured out the best way to visit him without anyone getting suspicious.

  Dinner was a noisy affair. The dining room was called the ‘mess’, which was a good name for it. The crew had loosened up since Lintang’s duel against Xiang. They regaled Lintang with tales of the famous creatures they had fought – a kraken, a giant jellyfish, a carnivorous eel. In return, she told the story of Pero’s last battle against Lanme Vanyan. Afterwards, Xiang said Lintang was the best storyteller she’d ever heard. Lintang hoped her grandfather’s star, blazing high in the sky, agreed. Unlike Mother, he had never been ashamed of her stories.

  When the plates were licked clean, they sang songs beneath the swaying lantern light. Zazi the helmsperson played a funny instrument that was like the bellows from the galley, only it made all kinds of sounds when she squeezed it. Mei the rigger played a stringed instrument with a bow, and little Quahah blew into a wooden pipe.

  Afterwards, Eire called for Yamini to set up rouls. Flat wooden boards were assembled as an upright track, with cranks to make it move. While Yamini turned the cranks, the players would have to throw darts or daggers at pictures painted on the moving boards. The smaller the picture the player hit, the more points she got.

  It was a fun game that caused a lot of fights, especially when Eire lost to Xiang. Lintang tried once with a dagger, but on her first throw she almost hit Eire, who immediately banned her from playing again. Lintang resolved to practise when no one else was around.

  She went to bed buzzing and hardly expected to sleep, but in the blink of an eye the dawn bell was ringing and Captain Shafira was knocking at her door to give her a proper tour of the ship.

  The captain taught her nautical language as they walked – port and starboard and rigging and helm – then showed her the big map across her cabin wall, pointing out where they were and where they were going, and where she expected Nyasamdra would appear.

  Lintang had seen world maps before, but they weren’t detailed and colourful like this one. The parchment was strong and the ink was vibrant. Bayani would’ve loved it.

  ‘Why are the countries drawn in different colours?’ she said, tracing her finger over the green outline of the Twin Islands. Almost every other country was red except two – a small island and a big southern country – which were blue.

  ‘How closely did you listen to lessons at school?’ Captain Shafira said.

  Lintang chewed the inside of her cheek. ‘I may have been daydreaming every now and then.’

  ‘Good. That means you haven’t been brainwashed yet.’ Captain Shafira smiled wryly and pointed at the red countries. ‘These are the ones under the control of the Vierzans. All these countries together are called the United Regions.’

  ‘Yes, I know about the United Regions,’ Lintang said, staring at the many red markings.

  ‘Here’s Vierz,’ Captain Shafira said, pointing to a big country west of the Twin Islands. ‘The governors who run the United Regions want the whole world under their rule.’

  One of the coastal cities was highlighted in deeper red. Zaiben – the capital. The place Bayani had been desperate to go.

  ‘I thought being part of the United Regions was a good thing.’

  ‘And who told you that?’

  ‘Elder Wulan.’

  ‘Is Elder Wulan an Islander?’

  ‘No, she’s …’ Lintang trailed off.

  ‘She’s from Vierz,’ Captain Shafira said. ‘Whenever Vierzans visit the Twin Islands, they bring building materials, supplies to help with mythies, medics and teachers. They tell you everything you want to hear, so that your village ends up wanting to join the UR. And then, when every other village on the Twin Islands agrees too, before you know it, this green outline turns red, just like everywhere else.’ She tapped the ocean next to the Twin Islands. ‘The only thing keeping you safe at the moment is the sea guardian. Vierzans can’t come in and out easily with her protecting your waters.’

  Lintang stared at her. ‘Are you saying Elder Wulan is bad?’

  She couldn’t imagine Elder Wulan, dear old Elder Wulan, who helped Mother with the chores and taught Lintang how to write, as some kind of enemy.

  ‘No,’ Captain Shafira said. ‘She just believes you should live like Vierzans, which is ridiculous. There’s nothing wrong with how you live now.’ She tapped the two blue-outlined countries. ‘Caletrom and Allay are the only truly independent places left in the world. They don’t have anything to do with the United Regions.’

  ‘Allay,’ Lintang said. ‘Where you’re from.’

  She hadn’t heard much about it. Elder Wulan barely touched on it in her geography lessons. Some merchants even called it the forbidden island, because it had been closed
to trade ever since the Kaneko Brown war. No one had been allowed to go in or out of Allay for almost twenty years.

  Captain Shafira looked at the blue island for a long time. ‘Yes,’ she said at last. ‘My home.’ Then she turned away to talk of other things. Their conversation about Allay was over, and neither of them brought it up again.

  Avalon

  Over the next few days, Mei the rigger took Lintang climbing across the ropes, which turned out to be scarier than it looked.

  Despite her fearlessness, Mei was the gentlest person on board. There was kindness in her eyes, and her round cheeks gave her a youthful, innocent appearance. She was quiet, too, and let Lintang work out things on her own. Once, Lintang heard her singing in a different language, but when Lintang asked about her home country Mei simply smiled, her dark hair whipping across her face, and climbed higher.

  On the third day of exploring the rigging, she showed Lintang the upper basket – an enclosed platform near the top of the main mast – and Lintang used a collapsible brass telescope to scan the ever-blue horizon. It was exhilarating being so far up as the ship rose and fell with the swell. Lintang stayed long after Mei had climbed down. She looked back with the telescope, her breath catching when all she saw was water. She was truly far from home now.

  Maybe Captain Shafira would let her visit another country. Vierz was straight ahead, and when Bayani gave himself up, they’d have to drop him off in Zaiben.

  She strained to remember what Elder Wulan had said about the capital city. Half of it had been destroyed by a dragon during the first years of the mythie infestation. Hundreds of people had been killed. The Vierzans had found a way to create clouds that constantly hung over the city, hiding them from other attacks. A deep ravine surrounded the place, so people could only enter and exit through three bridges. Gate Guardians checked everyone who came in or out. They had landcrafts on the streets, buildings rising high into the clouds and water running through pipes without a river.

  Lintang’s entire body tingled at the thought of being able to see it for herself. She imagined taking that first step onto the soil of another country. It would be the best feeling in the world.

  She was so wrapped up in the idea that at first she didn’t notice the bird land on the basket railing. It warbled at her, breaking her daydream.

  ‘Hello,’ she said. ‘You’re a friendly one, aren’t you?’

  It wasn’t a talross. It had black feathers, a long neck and a yellow crest. It cocked its head this way and that, examining her.

  She glanced around, but there was no sign of its friends.

  ‘Are you alone?’

  It hopped closer.

  She laughed. ‘I don’t have any food, sorry.’

  She reached out tentatively, wondering whether it would let her stroke it, and smiled when her fingers brushed its silky feathers. It warbled again, this time drowsily.

  ‘Bayani would love you,’ she said. ‘He likes animals. He names them and everything.’

  Guilt washed through her. She’d been meaning to check on him. Really. It was just that she’d been so busy with lessons and games and climbing, and besides, the crew seemed to be everywhere – she could never pick when it was safe to sneak downstairs.

  She swallowed hard and studied the bird’s yellow crest. ‘Well. Since he’s not here, I’ll call you Keelee.’

  Smoke belched from the pipe at the bow of the ship. Dee must’ve started dinner. Lintang lifted her face to sniff the air. ‘We’re so lucky, Keelee,’ she said, pushing thoughts of Bayani aside. ‘This is the best place in the world.’

  The bird cocked its head again, chirruped, then stretched its wings and flapped away. Lintang watched it disappear into the blue before returning her gaze to the snapping sails of the ship.

  A flash of colour caught her attention. Someone was on the deck, with pale skin and dark clothing.

  It was a man.

  He walked to the bridge and opened a hatch behind the helm. Lintang stiffened. How had he gotten on board?

  She scrambled down the rigging, heart thumping. She hadn’t been to the bridge before, since she wasn’t allowed near the helm, but this was an emergency.

  Her foot had barely touched the first step when a voice rang out.

  ‘What do you think you’re doing?’

  Lintang whirled around as Yamini the cabin girl stalked across the deck.

  ‘There’s a stranger on board,’ Lintang said urgently. ‘A man. You have to get the captain.’

  Yamini’s expression changed from alarm to amusement. She gave Lintang the once-over and said, ‘There aren’t any ships around for a hundred measures. No way can there be a stranger on board.’

  ‘I saw him!’

  ‘You must’ve been imagining things.’ Yamini eyed Lintang’s foot, which was still on the first step to the bridge. ‘Or maybe you’re coming up with an excuse for being somewhere you’re not supposed to be.’

  Lintang groaned and kept climbing. ‘Just fetch the captain.’

  ‘You’ll get into trouble.’

  Lintang ignored her. When she reached the bridge she ducked behind the helm, which had been fastened securely to keep the ship on course, and lifted the hatch. A staircase led to the next level. A single lantern lit a room with an extra tiller. The man was nowhere to be seen.

  Why was he here? Had he snuck aboard to kill the pirate queen? Was it possible there were two stowaways on this ship?

  A quick search led to the discovery of another hatch behind the tiller. With a fierce tug she swung it open to reveal a second set of steps. Light glowed warmly on her face. The sound of coarse scraping echoed up. What was he doing?

  The angle wasn’t right for her to see anything. If she wanted to catch him, she was going to have to go down.

  She had to do it. She had to protect her captain.

  After a breath to steady her nerves, she descended the staircase, leaving the hatch open above her. The scraping continued. A wonderful foresty smell lingered over the euco oil. She reached the bottom and peeked inside.

  The stranger was at a carpentry work station, sanding a piece of timber with rough bark. She stopped with a gasp.

  He must’ve been a mythie. His skin was as white as the sand on Desa’s bay. His dark hair made his complexion look sickly. A furry silver animal like a squirrel with long ears sat on his shoulder, reminding her of Pelita watching over Bayani.

  The man stopped sanding, and she realised too late that her gasp had been heard. He dropped the rough bark. The silver animal chittered angrily, darting from one of his shoulders to the other.

  He wasn’t as old as she’d first thought. In fact, he looked Yamini’s age, maybe fourteen or fifteen. And if he was working, he probably wasn’t a stowaway.

  ‘Who are you?’ she said.

  He stared at her, unmoving. The silver animal continued to scold her in its own twittery language.

  Lintang gazed around the room. A variety of carpentry tools hung from the walls, but there were also weapons in brackets – all sorts of weapons. They gleamed in the light of the lanterns.

  More frightening was the giant cage against the wall.

  ‘Are you a crew member?’ Lintang said, daring a step closer. ‘How come I’ve never seen you before?’

  The boy picked up the rough bark, but didn’t continue sanding.

  Lintang edged forward. ‘I’m Lintang of Desa, village on … oh, never mind. I’m Lintang.’

  Still no answer.

  She caught sight of a hammock in the corner, with an empty plate from lunch and a wooden chest like in all the other cabins.

  ‘Is this your room?’

  At last, he muttered, ‘It’s Xiang’s storage room.’

  Lintang looked at the weapons on the wall again. ‘But you sleep here?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And you work here?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And you spend all your time here?’

  A shrug.

  ‘Then it�
�s kind of your room too, isn’t it?’

  The silver animal finally stopped chittering and started grooming itself. The boy resumed his sanding.

  She watched him for some time before saying, ‘Why are you in here all alone?’

  ‘I don’t like people,’ was the gruff reply.

  ‘What people?’

  ‘Everyone.’

  ‘Even your parents?’ No answer. ‘Even your brothers and sisters? Even your friends?’ Lintang frowned at his silence and said, ‘Even Captain Shafira?’

  At that he looked up.

  Lintang nodded, satisfied. ‘So,’ she said, continuing towards him, ‘how come you’re allowed on board if you’re a boy?’

  He hesitated, but before he could answer, another voice said, ‘Avalon dresses like boy, but she is girl.’

  Lintang turned to find Eire at the foot of the stairs. Yamini stood behind her.

  ‘See?’ Yamini said. ‘I told you she was snooping.’

  ‘Leave, cabin girl,’ Eire said.

  Yamini raised her eyebrows at Lintang before swaggering back upstairs.

  ‘I was trying to help,’ Lintang said, glaring after her. ‘I thought someone had snuck on board. The rules don’t technically say anything about the hatch on the bridge, and I thought –’

  ‘Thought what?’ Eire crinkled her nose. ‘You take on trespasser alone?’

  Lintang faltered. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. She didn’t even have her wooden sword.

  Eire bared her teeth in a cruel smile. ‘I tell captain this.’

  ‘But I didn’t do anything wrong!’

  ‘Leave her alone, Eire,’ Avalon said, setting down his rough bark.

  Eire’s eyebrows shot up. ‘You are not to order first mate, cupaal.’

  The muscle in Avalon’s jaw twitched. His pale face had turned a strange reddish colour. ‘Don’t call me that.’

  ‘You are ordering me again, cupaal?’

  ‘What?’ Lintang said. ‘What are you saying?’

  ‘I am saying truth,’ Eire said. ‘Avalon pretends she is boy. I remind her she is not.’