Lir, thoughtfully, rubbed his chin. “We have not welcomed visitors aside from you for many weeks.” He paused. “But, there may be someone who knows more than I.” Moving away from the pier, they walked down the sandy beach. Xoey wanted to kick off the boots to feel the sand squish between her toes. Then again, she liked her toes very much. The weather would chop them off.
They walked for many miles. Xoey’s stomach growled in protest. In response, Nadine handed each of them pieces of dried meat. Nadine rubbed her red nose. Despite the coats, their faces were still exposed to the harsh wind. They walked through fields of gold, hills of red flowers, and down to a small cottage. The brick chimney smoked, indicating someone was home. She hoped that there was a stew cooking on the fire. Lir knocked twice. She could see a wooden ring, the same wood of Ferr’s pipe and Isena’s cane, wrapped around his thumb. Xoey thought to ask about it, but the door opened. A plain man with plain features stood behind the door. He looked to Lir for an explanation. Lir grinned. “This is Xoey, Nadine, Mal, and Decyl. We’d like to gaze into your wisdom, dear friend.”
The man behind the door turned away. “Mara, we have visitors.”
A woman with dark hair and dark eyes peered around the corner. “Oh you poor dears.” She gestured for the children to come inside. “Let’s get you warm and filled with dinner.” Xoey practically ran inside. At this point, Decyl considered himself a child and followed.
Lir shook hands. “Always good to see you, Guire.”
Mara set the table and poured a meat based stew into bowls. She handed each of them a hot bowl and stale bread to soak. They said their thanks with stuffed mouths and appreciative nods.
Guire sat down at the end of the table. “What brings you here, Lir?”
Lir thanked Mara for the bowl. “We have not received visitors for some time, but it seems there was a rumor that the Tinkertons passed through. Could they have come through unseen?”
Guire stared at the door for a while. He shrugged. “What makes you think we’ve seen anything?”
“I mean no offense,” the Elder said. “That was quite the pause.” Lir gestured to Nadine and Mal. “These are the children of the Tinkertons. A bit too young to be orphans, yes?”
Mara set her spoon down. “They stayed here for a short while.”
Guire responded. “Mara…”
Mara looked to her husband. “I will not allow them to continue down their path unaware of what happened to their parents.”
Suddenly, Nadine pushed her bowl aside. Mal set his spoon down. “Where are our parents?”
Xoey watched the scene as she drank the broth from the bowl.
Guire dipped the bread into the stew. “They were escorted here by Gesler. Roe is being forced to man the machine designed to entrap the Djinn.”
“Where are they now?”
Mara patted Nadine on the arm. “They left early this morning. I overheard Gesler. He said that they were to perform at the circus, but first, they’d have to capture the Djinn to the south.”
“The air Djinn,” Lir whispered.
Mal hit his fist on the table. “Well, we have to chase them!”
Nadine looked sick. “I have to go outside.” She excused herself and stepped out the door.
Xoey leaned in and whispered to Mal. “Maybe we should check where they slept.”
He inquired and Mara led them down the hall and to the first room on the right. It was simple and cozy. A small bed rested at the end of the room. The floor creaked as they entered. Mara left them to their own devices. “If your father needed to leave behind a message, where would he leave it?”
Mal chewed on his lower lip in thought. “The best place would be the least likely.” He avoided the bed and the small dresser. “She said they left at dawn.” He closed the curtains that let in the last bit of light. The room darkened significantly. Mal removed the blanket from the bed. He covered the draft under the door. Xoey inhaled loudly at the sight of words scribbled on the wall.
“N & M. We’re safe. Do not go to Upper City’s circus. Trap.”
Nadine stood under the large tree that gently swayed under the night’s sky. The sun had set somewhere below the horizon. Her father used to tell her tales that the eastern dome would meet his love in the great below. They’d stay together for hours, and every morning he’d light up the sky with the radiance of his bliss. She placed her back against the tree and watched the smoke wisps float above the chimney and fade away into the darkness.
From behind her, she could hear whispering. She froze.
There in the darkness, Nadine sat very still. After her eyes adjusted, she could see men in black slowly creeping up to the house. A voice, loud and imposing, said from behind her, “Bring me the girl.”
She knew they were after Xoey. Nadine retied her brown hair at the nape of her neck and pinned it into a bun. She pulled the hood down and fastened it tightly around her head, casting shadows along her face. “Hey!” she shouted in her best impression of Xoey. “Ya want me, ya gotta catch me!” Nadine ran, leading the Shinobi away from the house.
Nadine’s chest tightened as she ran in the bitter cold. The wind tugged and pulled at her clothes. It was a long way back to the guards. She knew she wasn’t going to make it. She turned to see the Shinobi were right on her tail. A man, different than the rest, was behind them. He had a warrior’s build. Dressed in thick pants, high boots, and a red sash, his tattooed chest was bare. What caught her attention was his thick blue hair. “Xoey! Stop!” he called out, his voice pleading in desperation. She stopped.
Chapter Eight
Nix
He sat in the darkest corner of the Saloon. Men hushed their tones and kept their biddings to a minimum. They resented feeling as though they were being chaperoned. Across from him was Taire. He grinned at Nix as if he were simply passing time. “Would you care for some entertainment?”
Nix glared. “My pilot is injured. Does this seem to be the sort of time for song and dance?”
The crowd was leaning closer now. Taire smiled a bleak smile. “My apologies, Nix.” He stood up from the table. “I must prepare my crew for departure on the morrow. Until then, good night, sir.”
Taire spun away from Nix and that was his fatal mistake. The next thing he knew, he felt a harsh sensation through his chest. It hurt to breathe. The room spun in an eerie silence, and everything faded to darkness.
Taire woke up in unfamiliar surroundings. The damp air tickled his nose and lungs. He pulled himself up from the sorry excuse they called a bed. It was soiled, filled with holes, and was likely home to a dozen critters or more.. His head pounded, his bones ached, and his clothes were filthy. The small room harbored a table with a lantern and bars on the window and door. He stood near the door and could see another set of bars. A man stood in the shadows behind them.
“New here, I see,” the man said.
“Where is here?”
“Somewhere beneath Upper City.”
Taire struggled to remember how he ended up behind bars. “What is your name?”
“Bran. Yours?”
“Bran? Xoey’s father?”
There was a long pause. “Aye.”
“Xoey thinks you died.”
Out of the shadows stepped Bran. His movements were slow and disassociated. “I might as well have.” He gestured to the jail around them. “Is she alright?”
Taire wished he had answers. He explained what happened in Desert Town.
Bran sighed wearily. “I’d give anything to see her again.”
A voice from down the darkened corridor to their right replied. “Oh, and you will.” Nix stepped into the soft light. He pressed his hand flat against his buttoned chest. “That I promise.” He turned his attention to Taire. “I do enjoy a confession, especially one of you admitting to aiding and abetting the enemy.”
Taire scoffed
. “She’s just a child.”
Nix ran a finger down his mustache. “A child? She’s a pirate. Her neck is itching for the noose, or as Bran calls it, the hempen jig.”
Bran slammed his hands along the bars. “You will not touch my daughter!”
A slow methodical smile grew on Nix’s face. “Your daughter? Take him away.” Bran fought four guards who desired to take him down. He spat, cursed, and threw punches. He was outnumbered and knocked out for ease of removal. Nix tapped Taire’s hand. “Do not worry. I will not hurt him…much.”
Taire was left in the darkness with no one to talk to. He wasn’t in the mood to keep occupied with song and dance. Even if he was, they’d seized his instruments. The door at the end of the hall opened and footsteps resounded through the small prison. He swallowed hard, uncertain as to what to expect. The guards, dressed in black and gold, ushered a blue-haired woman into Bran’s old cell. She spun around and hit the rails. The guards taunted her bravery, as they called it, turned on heel, and left.
Taire looked through the bars at the woman who was now investigating the interior of the cell. “No point,” he said.
“Your words aren’t useful from over there, stranger. Better stick to your own cell.”
He chuckled. “Fair point. Name is Taire.”
She focused her blue eyes upon him. “Amorina.”
He had heard stories of this warrior. He thought that she would be bigger or scarier. She watched him judge her weight and said, “Like I said, better stick to your own cell.”
Taire held up his hands. “Apologies. Legends tend to be fisherman’s tales.”
Amorina scoffed. “Far from a legend.”
“Where is your brother?”
The warrior shrugged. “Somewhere out there looking for the pirate girl.”
Taire ruffled his hair. “You mean Xoey.”
Her pale eyes glittered. “Aye. Have you seen her?”
The bard nodded. “Last I saw her she was heading out of Desert Town. Since then, no clue where the girl is or if she’s alive, though I imagine if Nix had succeeded, he’d be gloating.
Chapter Nine
Xoey peered at the words Roe had written. “It’s a trap?” She looked at the down sodden Mal. She knew he didn’t need a hug, judging by his clenched fists. In fact, she recognized the anger. He sought to be the savior of his parents, but they gave him a warning. “Hey!” a voice shouted from outside. “Ya want me, ya gotta catch me!”
Xoey peered out the window to see Nadine running away. The Shinobi were chasing her. She swore under her breath. “Come on!”
Xoey and Mal, despite the questionable glances of their hosts, ran outside in time to see a small boat paddling toward the large sailed ship in the distance. Mal heaved forward toward the coast. “Nadine!”
He rubbed his head and felt sick to his stomach. Xoey looked disappointed. She recognized the make of the ship to be Zaren’s. It was puzzling to her. She moved in next to Mal. “I’ll command the ship to get your sister back.”
“But?”
“But, you need to find your parents. Ramos will come with me and Decyl will go with you.”
Mal scratched his sandy hair. “Promise me you’ll rescue her.”
Xoey burned with purpose. “I promise.”
Lir guided Ramos and Xoey back to the pier. They walked in silence as the ship loomed under the smiling moon. Lir tugged on Xoey’s sleeve. “Don’t let the crew walk all over you. This is your destiny.”
Xoey smiled slightly. She moved up the gangplank, and even in the darkness, she could feel dozens of eyes sizing her up and judging her small frame. Ramos stood beside her, on her right side, even if he was just as imposing. The gas lanterns glowed, giving the size and shapes of the men who stood along the main deck. “Who is the boatswain?”
A man with a sock for a cap stood forward. He had long hair, a short scraggly beard, and tattered clothes. She gestured for Ramos to follow. “That be me, Cap’n.”
“She ready to sail?” Ships were always girls.
He nodded. “Aye, Cap’n.”
“Shipmaster.”
A thin man slurping out of a wood mug raised his hand. “Ready as ever, Cap’n.”
“First mate.”
A thick browed man with an imposing build stepped forward. “That be me, Cap’n.”
Xoey gestured to Ramos. “Teach him what you know.” She adjusted her hat. “Unmoor ship. Steer astern of ship ahead.” Xoey pointed at the ship sailing softly on the calm seas.
The first mate looked to the crew. “You heard the Cap’n. Look lively, men!”
Men scrambled in an orderly fashion along the decks. Ramos watched in awe as men clambered up the shrouds, nets fashioned for easy access to the sails. Xoey weaved through and under the crew, making her way to the forecastle deck. They cast off the lines, sails set to the moving wind, and on they went.
Blue eyes stared down at Nadine. “Well, Xoey. Tell the crew what to do.” He patted her on the shoulder. The responsibility would have been a blessing for Xoey. Nadine, however, was not accustomed to the sailing techniques. She swallowed a rather large unpleasant lump. A lump so large it scratched her throat.
Hoarsely, Nadine said, “I’m not Xoey.”
Zaren bent at the waist to take a good look at her. Nadine removed her hat. Long brown hair spilled to her shoulders, and clearly she was not the pirate he thought she was.
“Sail ho!” shouted across the deck, alerting of another ship.
The bare-chested man removed his eyes from Nadine and turned to see the ship sailing behind them. He pulled out a shiny spyglass from his pocket. Through the swirls of color, he could see the white haired pirate standing on the forecastle deck looking straight at him through her spyglass. He could feel the weight of his crew waiting commands. “Stand easy,” he said, putting the crew in relaxed mode.
“Sail ho!”
In the darkness, a light tinkered in the distance. He could see the white sails of a second ship in the horizon ahead.
He gestured to Nadine. “Get below deck.”
Xoey peered at Zaren through the glass. He turned his attention to the bow of his ship. She squinted to see the marvelous sight of a three mast ship. Fire shot out from the ship ahead of Zaren’s aiming directly for the mast. She heard him yell, “Drop down!” Heavy splinters, wood, and scrap metal bombarded the ship.
“Steady on!” Xoey cried out. She dashed down to the deck and yelled to anyone that would hear her. “Tell the gunners to man the cannons. Move them to starboard.”
A man with a crooked nose and a crooked smile nodded. “Aye, Cap’n.” He quickly moved below deck.
Ramos stood near the center mast, uncertain of what to do. Xoey grabbed his arm. “Keep near the portside.” She pointed to the left side. “Stay away from starboard.” She gestured to his right. “The rear is called the stern, and the front is called the bow. I doubt the third ship is here to say hello.”
“Drop down!” Everyone on deck dropped to the floor. The ship rocked at the impact of chains attached to metal. It twisted around the main mast. Splinters of wood and debris splattered across the deck. “Damage report!” Zaren shouted out despite the heavy ringing in his ears. If there was a response, he couldn’t hear it.
The third ship moved fast. If the enemy destroyed the main mast, they were sitting dead in the water. Zaren, with an open palm, hit the side of his head, hoping for his ears to regain their function. He could see Xoey’s ship moving in order to attempt to flank the target. She signaled at him, hoping for a damage report. He signaled that his mast was intact.
She yelled, “Why should I not sink ya where you stand, eh?”
The cannons peeked out from the ship’s belly, aiming directly at his prized possession. “Big mistake, kiddo. I’m not here to kill you. I sent the Shinobi after you to bring you home.”
He could see her pale face scoff. “Usually when you try to shoot somebody, they don’t like you much after that.”
“You had to learn what you were capable of. Can we talk about this later?” He gestured to the large warship. “I doubt it will wait for our discussion to be over.”
Her ship dropped the sails to gain momentum. He knew her tactic. He’d taught her. She’d come to a quick stop by pulling up the sails and then fire. Fortunately, she was not after him.
The large ship in the distance emitted a mechanical groan. The large belly seemed to shift internally; the buzzing, cranking and whirring echoed across the still waters. They watched the ship lift up out of the ocean, and the water dripped with intensity down the hull.
It was one thing to battle on the water. Xoey knew the tactics well. It was another to shift the advantage out of her favor. She could feel the weight of her crew rest upon her shoulders. A large hand touched her shoulder. The thick browed man snarled through his jagged teeth. “Better start shouting orders, Cap’n.” He could see the sense of loss sweep across her face. He shoved her forward. “Ain’t good for nothing.”
She turned back to the first mate. He pushed her in a corner. If she gave in to his actions, she’d lose command of the ship. If she challenged him, she would have to stand her ground with the enemy in the air. With a sidestep, she quickly grabbed the sword of a sailor beside her. Before the crew could react to the initial element of surprise, she pointed the tip at her first mate.
“Never challenge the Cap’n in time of war.” That riveted the attention of the entire crew. “You know what to do, so do it. Get this ship up in the air. The cannons remain starboard and you’ll fire when I say so.” The sky lit up in red. “Drop down!” Fire rained down upon her ship. She could hear the screams of men engulfed in flames with the only option being to jump overboard. Xoey pushed herself up. “Damage report!”
Adventures of Captain Xdey Page 9
