Lintang and the Pirate Queen

by Tamara Moss

  Lintang took her own sack and followed her. What she’d first thought was clumpy grass was actually squat, sturdy trees with hard leaves.

  ‘Hey,’ Bayani whispered. Lintang glanced at him. He gave her a small smile. ‘We’re in Vierz.’

  She stared at the earth beneath her feet. She was standing in another country. The dirt was beige rather than brown, and soft like flour. The faint, sour smell of foreign plants mingled with briny water. Her breath would have to cross an ocean before it touched her island home.

  If only all these wondrous things didn’t mean she was banished from the Winda.

  ‘I wish we didn’t have to leave Pelita behind,’ Bayani said, checking over his shoulder.

  Lintang continued in Captain Shafira’s wake. ‘She’ll be all right. She’s in the safest place in the world.’

  ‘What makes you say that?’

  ‘Keelee – the lightning bird – protects the ship. Pelita will be fine.’

  Bayani smiled again, but this time it was a sly, knowing one.

  ‘What?’ Lintang said.

  ‘You named the lightning bird?’

  She pursed her lips. ‘Its yellow crest reminded me of the warrior –’

  ‘Who wore a strip of yellow cloth around his head, yes, I remember the legend of Keelee.’

  And, despite how upset she was with him, Lintang was suddenly grateful that she would not be alone in this far-off country.

  Captain Shafira slowed at a narrow river that rushed down the slope towards the ocean. She untied a clinking pouch from her waist and withdrew a clear gem that gleamed in the sun.

  ‘What’s that?’ Lintang said.

  ‘Just a quartz.’ Captain Shafira threw it towards the bushes growing near the river, picked up a flat piece of bark and sat on a nearby rock with the empty sack on her lap. ‘Now we wait.’

  Lintang sat beside her. ‘What for?’

  ‘Shh.’

  Bayani settled down on Captain Shafira’s other side, and the three of them lazed in the sun, listening to the burble of the river and the unfamiliar calls of the birds around them.

  Lintang didn’t know what they were doing, but if they were here all day, it was fine by her. Anything to prolong Captain Shafira’s departure. Besides, it was warm in the sun when the breeze wasn’t blowing.

  They waited.

  And waited.

  She wriggled, the rock hard and pokey beneath her. Captain Shafira placed a hand on her knee and mouthed at her to keep still. They waited some more.

  She was almost happy, despite everything. She was with her two favourite people in the world. She thought about that as she sat there. Then she thought about how she had let Captain Shafira down. And how Bayani had let her down. There were so many secrets between them all. Stowaways and death and mythies and Zaiben. Why couldn’t they just be honest with each other? For Bayani to have kept that important, world-changing secret …

  The image of Pelita bursting apart replayed in her mind. There were so many questions left unanswered. What had happened to the pixie body? Where had the pixie come from in the first place? Would the girl survive?

  Lintang would never find out. She would go home and never see the girl or any of the Winda’s crew again. Everyone in Desa would know that she’d failed. She hadn’t even managed to complete a single journey without being kicked off. Worse, none of them would be surprised. They’d shrug and say, That’s Lintang for you. Troublemaker. Storyteller. What did she expect?

  And she wouldn’t be able to answer them.

  She pulled Xiang’s coat tighter around her, any trace of happiness gone. The sun rose higher. The waves at the shoreline crept inland with the tide. A large bird circled in the sky as if it were waiting for them to die.

  They may as well be dying. Who sat still for this long, anyway? What was the point of –

  Captain Shafira stiffened. Lintang glanced at the quartz by the bushes and smothered a gasp.

  A fat, ugly toad hopped towards the gem.

  Captain Shafira moved soundlessly to her feet. Lintang and Bayani watched as she slunk forward with the prowess of a predator.

  The creature’s blue tongue darted out and gulped down the gem, and at the same time Captain Shafira tossed her flat piece of bark onto its back.

  The creature became still as stone. Captain Shafira crunched over and slipped it into the sack.

  ‘What was that?’ Lintang said.

  ‘A lidao,’ Bayani said. ‘It’s in The Mythie Guidebook.’

  ‘What does it do?’

  ‘Eats gems.’

  ‘And …?’

  Bayani shrugged. ‘That’s it.’

  ‘But that’s a person,’ Lintang said as it finally sank in. ‘That’s … that’s a real person.’

  ‘Scary, isn’t it?’ Bayani said.

  She’d been overwhelmed by everything that had happened yesterday – the lies, the betrayal, Pelita’s violent transformation. She hadn’t really thought about what it meant until now.

  Nyasamdra. The malam rasha. The sea serpent. The Caletromian mermaids.

  They had been people.

  ‘By the Gods,’ she whispered. ‘How could you have known all this time and not said anything?’

  ‘I should’ve,’ Bayani muttered. ‘I should’ve told everyone in the village. I should’ve screamed it from the temple rooftop. I should’ve been brave, and I definitely should’ve told you.’

  ‘Yes, you should’ve.’

  ‘Will you forgive me?’

  ‘That depends. Are you going to tell me what your other secret is?’

  He didn’t answer.

  She pursed her lips. When was he going to trust her to share his burdens? Even if she couldn’t help, she could at least listen.

  ‘Come on, you two.’ Captain Shafira slung the sack over her shoulder and started for the slope. ‘We have a hard climb ahead of us.’

  Lintang followed her through the shrubs. ‘Why do we need a lidao?’

  ‘So you can repeat what happened on the ship. Show the governors your wound and explain that you’re an Islander. They should supply you with Curall. When they hand you a vial, Bayani can spray the lidao and wait to prove his story.’

  ‘Oh,’ said Lintang, but she couldn’t say anything else because the hill was steep and she was already feeling out of breath. The whoosh of the waves became a distant sound.

  Her feet slid in her too-big boots. Unseen animals rustled in the bushes.

  Briefly, she wondered what mythie she would become if she really were infected. A mermaid, maybe? Not a Caletromian one; one from Desa, playful and carefree. Could people choose the mythie they became? How did the illness decide who turned into what?

  After several turns of the timepiece, they came across a well-worn path that led up the cliffs. The huge stone walls of Zaiben loomed before them, their tops hidden by cloud. The shrubs disappeared, and they scrambled over small stones instead.

  ‘Is this the only way to Zaiben?’ Bayani said, puffing.

  ‘No, but it’s the worst way.’ Captain Shafira pulled a flask from her belt and offered them each a drink of water. ‘Which is good for us. The other entrances are usually bustling. The less people we see on this trip, the better.’

  When they reached the top of the windy cliff, she pulled her hood up to hide her face and jewelled braids. The ground dropped away to crashing waves on one side and a ravine on the other. The entire strip of ground they walked along was only as wide as ten adults lying end to end.

  A scattering of people sat on the ground, catching their breath from the climb. All of them were Vierzan. Lintang wanted to flop on the rocky ground and join them, but Captain Shafira kept walking.

  There was a tunnel attaching their side to Zaiben. People gathered around the entrance in a line. A man and a woman in aqua coats checked each person before they were allowed to go through. They must’ve been the Gate Guardians Elder Wulan had spoken about.

  The woman had a stack of metal sheets taller
than her waist and was using a crystal stick to carve into one as if it were as soft as warm tree gum. Five armed guards in grey uniforms blocked the entrance, only stepping aside when the aqua-coated people approved each visitor.

  When Lintang got a proper look at the entrance, she pulled up short. It wasn’t just made of stone.

  It was the gaping, skeletal jaw of a dragon.

  Into Zaiben

  ‘That’s horrible!’

  ‘Shh,’ Captain Shafira said.

  ‘But –’

  ‘I know. The interior of the tunnel is an entire dragon skeleton. All three bridges to Zaiben look like this.’

  That’s right – Elder Wulan had told them about the bridges being made out of dragon skeletons. At the time Lintang had loved the idea. Now, just like everything else, it made her ill.

  They drew level with the crowd, and for the first time she noticed people passing flat crystals to the Gate Guardians.

  ‘What are those?’

  ‘Identity tags. Every citizen of the United Regions has a special crystal with their name and birthplace engraved on it. You can’t get into Zaiben without one.’

  Lintang stared at her pointedly.

  Captain Shafira’s lips twitched. ‘You think I’m not prepared?’ She pulled out her clinking pouch and held it open for Lintang and Bayani to see. Between a handful of gemstones were dozens of identity tags of all different colours – green and purple and brown and black and everything in between.

  Lintang reached for a brilliant pink one, but Captain Shafira stopped her. ‘Not all of these are safe to use – some might give me away. Here, take this one. Bayani, you can have this one, and these gems. They’ll be enough to buy you passage into the city, and food if you need it.’

  Lintang thumbed the swirling shades of purple on her fake identity tag. A name was etched onto the flat surface.

  Ginger

  of

  Watney

  Who was Ginger, and what was she doing now? Was it easy to replace stolen identity tags? Would Ginger have gotten into trouble for losing it?

  Lintang wanted to ask all these questions, but Captain Shafira was already putting away her pouch and handing Bayani the sack with the lidao.

  She was leaving them.

  A small cry escaped Lintang’s lips. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye, to watch Captain Shafira walk away forever. Being in the captain’s presence was safe, and wonderful, and Lintang would give anything to keep her here.

  ‘Oi!’ One of the armed guards in a grey uniform marched up to them. He eyed Captain Shafira’s hooded face. ‘You’re not leaving, are you?’

  Captain Shafira remained silent.

  ‘Children aren’t allowed to enter Zaiben by themselves. New rules.’

  ‘I wasn’t aware,’ Captain Shafira said carefully.

  The guard bristled. ‘People keep sneaking their kids in to stay with relatives, and we’re overpopulated as it is.’

  ‘How dreadful,’ Captain Shafira said.

  ‘I know. Just because we’re the greatest city in the world doesn’t mean people can saunter in and make themselves at home.’ He sounded as if he’d had this rant a few times.

  ‘Absolutely,’ Captain Shafira said, keeping her head low so her face remained hidden. ‘And of course I was going in with the children. In fact –’ she handed him a blood-red gemstone from her pouch ‘– we’re in a bit of a hurry. If you wouldn’t mind helping us along …’

  ‘Right you are,’ the guard said, pocketing the stone. ‘This way.’

  Captain Shafira sighed quietly as they followed him, and said under her breath, ‘Plan B, then.’

  They reached the aqua-coated Gate Guardians. The guard announced loudly to those waiting in the line that there was important business, delays weren’t acceptable, these good people needed access to the bridge immediately …

  Then, in an effort to be helpful, he grabbed Captain Shafira’s pouch and pulled out a black tag. Lintang and Bayani gasped. It was lucky he hadn’t looked too closely inside the pouch – he would’ve known immediately something was amiss with all those identity tags – but if he’d plucked out an incriminating one they’d be in trouble, anyway.

  Lintang held her breath as the male Gate Guardian examined it, and the female wrote down the name on her metal sheet. Captain Shafira remained still. The Gate Guardians exchanged glances, and the male tried to peer under Captain Shafira’s hood without being too obvious.

  If they were caught, would Captain Shafira fight or run? And what should Lintang and Bayani do?

  But after another heartbeat the Gate Guardian passed the tag back. ‘Purpose of visit?’ he said, sounding as though he’d asked the question to at least a hundred other people today.

  Lintang released her breath in a whoosh. The man in the grey uniform winked at them and strode back to his spot before the gate.

  ‘Leisure,’ Captain Shafira said.

  The female Gate Guardian carved her answer into the metal sheet before taking note of Lintang and Bayani’s tags, too.

  ‘How long are you staying?’ the man said.

  ‘Just for today.’

  ‘We are not accepting new citizens into Zaiben,’ the man droned. ‘You may not stay longer than your expected time, and you may not leave your children here. Do you understand?’

  ‘Yes.’

  The man held out his hand. ‘Entry into Zaiben for one adult and two children is one apatite or equal thereof.’

  Captain Shafira dug into her pouch and handed over a pale blue gem. The man dropped it into a crate behind him, which was already filled with sparkling crystals, then waved impatiently for the next person in line.

  Lintang sagged, but she didn’t have time to be relieved. Captain Shafira bumped her through the dragon’s jaw to get her moving and thanked the grey-uniformed man on their way.

  ‘Don’t speak yet,’ Captain Shafira said in a low voice. ‘Sound travels through here.’

  It was true – their footsteps bounced off the walls, joining the beat of others further down the tunnel. The long skeleton of the dragon was embedded in the stone, illuminated by strange crystals that were blazing white, each with a single crack through the middle.

  ‘What are those?’ Lintang said, pointing at them.

  ‘Didn’t I just tell you not to speak?’

  ‘Yes, but –’

  ‘They’re merry lights,’ Captain Shafira said with a defeated sigh. ‘Made from merrimite crystal. When you crack one, it stays lit for twelve years. Now can you stay quiet?’

  Lintang nodded.

  The tunnel went on for much longer than it had appeared on the outside, but maybe that was because she didn’t feel comfortable walking beneath the spine of a dragon. Even when the body tapered into a tail it went on and on.

  One of the grey-uniformed guards from the front – not their friendly helper – hurried past them at a half-jog. He almost knocked Lintang over in his haste to get through the tunnel.

  ‘Ow!’ she cried, rubbing her injured arm, but he didn’t turn to say sorry. She glared after him. ‘That was rude.’

  ‘That’s vigil for you,’ Captain Shafira said. ‘They uphold the law, so they think they can do what they want. And, if you noticed, they’ll do anything for gems.’

  Lintang’s arm finally stopped throbbing as natural light appeared in the distance. She quickened her pace to get there faster. Cool air brushed her face.

  She stepped out of the tunnel, and stared.

  Nothing from her life in Desa could have prepared her for this. The world had become lined with stone grey, and was bustling with colourfully clothed people. Noise and smoky air and a combination of sounds hit her all at once. It looked as though it had just rained. Drizzle still misted around them.

  There was an open space right at the mouth of the tunnel, similar to the market square at home, but at the same time nothing like it. People, so many people, hurried across the space. Some looked as if they might’ve come from places the Winda’
s crew had been born, others were Vierzan. Those with skin as pale as Avalon’s had hair that was flame-red or straw-yellow or anything in between.

  Everyone’s clothes were wonderful. Dresses and cloaks and pants and robes, with frills and bows, and all made of material Lintang had never seen before. It stank of smoke, but the people around them were perfumed like flowers, so floral bursts interrupted the stench.

  Instead of trees, great metal poles with twisted branches dotted the roads. Their ‘fruit’ were actually merry lights illuminating the gloom. High above them, lines crisscrossed like webs between buildings, where hanging lanterns glowed red, blue and green.

  ‘Oh,’ Lintang said, breathless.

  ‘Parliament House isn’t far,’ Captain Shafira said. She didn’t look out of place with her cloak. Many people wore cloaks and coats with hoods, and carried umbrellas made of peculiar stretchy fabric.

  ‘Are you coming with us?’ Bayani said.

  Captain Shafira started forward. ‘I might as well take you to the building, now I’m here.’

  Lintang sent a silent prayer of thanks to the Gods. Just a little longer with her captain, that’s all she wanted.

  The three of them walked through the puddly square and down the street. Beyond, buildings made of brick and stone rose into the clouds, some wider than the entire centre of Desa. Smoke belched out of fat pipes in the roofs. Steel doors sat in grand archways and large hourglasses hung from the walls.

  The paths were cobbled with small stones, and on them rolled steel landcrafts, like the wooden toys in the schoolroom at home, with smoke streaming behind. A nearby man wound a crank at the front to start the engine.

  The drizzle got heavier and colourful umbrellas erupted around them. There was so much to see, yet as they walked all Lintang wanted to do was look at Captain Shafira. The captain moved through the crowd with her hood up, like a shadow of sea-green in the rainbows.

  Lintang pulled the hood of her own coat up as they walked across roads and down alleyways and past buildings with heavy iron spikes for fences. When they reached another market square, Parliament House was easy to spot. It stood in slick white against the grey, with pillars and merry lights and rows of windows, and a beautiful arched entrance. Three sculptures stood at the front – Mratzi with her ribbons, Patiki with her basket, Niti with his hands cupped.