Emily's Saga

by Travis Bughi

  There were just shy of two dozen of them, and not a single one was awake.

  The empty silence of the streets behind Emily was drowned out by the quiet snores and heavy breathing of men in an alcohol-induced stupor. Abe cringed at the sight of it all; Adelpha buried her face into an open palm.

  “Are you sure you want to go through with this, Emily?” she asked.

  “What?” Emily balked. “Of course I’m sure.”

  Even she noted the hesitation in her voice, but Adelpha sighed and said nothing about it. They cautiously stepped over the first incapacitated body and into The Kraken’s Eye.

  “You know,” Abe whispered, “for a bunch of thieving scum, they sure don’t seem too worried about getting robbed.”

  As he said this, Abe was eying one particularly large emerald clutched by a short necklace on a nearby pirate. The pirate was sitting back in a chair, arms and head draped back with a wide-open mouth that exposed yellow, cracked teeth. His scraggly beard was lifted up, exposing the precious gem to the world without a single care given to its safekeeping.

  “Someone could just. . .” Abe trailed off and reached out to touch the green rock.

  Emily opened her mouth to scold her brother, but just as Abe’s fingers grazed the emerald’s surface, the pirate’s eyes snapped open, his head flipped up, and he grabbed Abe’s hand by the wrist before he could yank it back. Faster than a gunslinger, the pirate had a hand on his dagger and a flare of anger in his eyes.

  “I ain’t that drunk, boy,” the pirate said through clenched teeth. “Try that again, and I’ll be keeping this hand.”

  Abe’s voice had gone so dry he hadn’t even gasped in fright. He stared at the pirate wide-eyed and gape-mouthed and gave only a tiny nod in reply. The pirate glared at him one more time before letting his hand go, and Abe withdrew it hastily. Then the pirate’s eyes sunk back into his skull, his head fell back, and his snores rose into the air a moment later. He’d fallen back asleep so quickly that, for a moment, Emily thought the entire thing was a ploy.

  “Satisfied?” Adelpha asked.

  Abe caught her eye and then looked away, embarrassed. Emily couldn’t help but remember Nicholas making a similar mistake not too long ago. That time had been worse, though. On that occasion, he’d angered an ogre.

  Just then, a distinctly female voice sounded from behind the bar.

  “Adelpha?”

  All three turned to see Margret rising out from the cellar behind the bar. She was carrying an armful of washcloths and looked stunned beyond belief to see two amazons and a gunslinger in her tavern.

  “Adelpha, what are you doing here?” Margret asked again. “Are the others coming? Are you making two trips this year? Oh my word, but this place is filthy! Why didn’t you tell me? Oh, I have so much work to do—”

  “Margret, Margret.” Adelpha stopped the panicking innkeeper. “It’s okay; I’m alone. The others didn’t come with me.”

  Margret let loose an exhausted sigh of relief. She shambled forward and kicked the cellar door closed behind her before dumping the armful of cloth on the bar. Still looking like she’d just barely dodged the greatest blunder of her life, she pulled away the first pirate mug and began to clean it.

  “Oh angels, Adelpha.” Margret shook her head. “You gave me quite a scare there.”

  “It’s really okay, Margret.” Adelpha chuckled. “We know you rent this place to pirates when we’re not in town.”

  “I know that, but still. I like to tidy up a bit before you ladies arrive. I can’t imagine if they all were to see the place this way. You alone is bad enough, being the princess and all.”

  “Queen now,” Adelpha corrected.

  “Queen?” Margret gasped. “But what happened to Stefani? I can’t imagine she stepped down for you, that wouldn’t be like her. Oh no, don’t tell me. She’s dead, isn’t she? At least tell me she died well, please.”

  “Murdered,” Adelpha replied, shaking her head. “In her bed, of all places, by one of our own. I’ll admit my aunt and I never got along, but she didn’t deserve that kind of ending.”

  “A traitor?” Margret gasped. “That’s madness! Amazons don’t turn on one another. Who could have done such a thing?”

  “That’s the worst part.” Adelpha sighed. “It was my own sister, Heliena. She acted alone. She killed Chara, as well, and also tried to come after Emily and me.”

  Adelpha nodded to Emily, and Emily nodded back, meeting Margret’s stunned expression.

  “Oh, angels have mercy.” Margret practically fainted on the spot. “Heliena did that? She was always so quiet.”

  “I didn’t want to believe it myself, either,” Adelpha replied. “None of us did.”

  A heavy silence hung in the air for a moment as Adelpha’s words sunk in. Margret stared at the mug-covered bar, wide eyed, shaking her head in fading disbelief. After an uncomfortable length of time, she looked up at Adelpha.

  “Well, aren’t you just the bearer of bad news?” she said. “Now I wish you had told me the rest of the amazons were here. I would have rather dealt with that than this. Did your sister at least pay for her crimes?”

  “No, she has not.” Adelpha’s head hung low by this point. “That’s why Emily and I are here. We tracked her back to Lucifan where she was meeting up with her husband. Yes, she got married, as well—as if murder wasn’t enough. But to get to the point, she got away.”

  “That savage.” Margret, in a very amazon-like gesture, slammed a fist onto the bar. “A stony heart like that would rival a gargoyle’s. Well, follow her to the end of the world if you have to. Make sure she gets what she deserves.”

  “Emily here is going to do just that,” Adelpha replied proudly. “She’s going to get on the first pirate ship to Juatwa that will take her.”

  Margret’s eyes jumped a bit at the destination.

  “Juatwa?” she said, blinking a bit. “That’s no short distance. End of the world, indeed. You’ll be lucky to find a pirate ship sailing that far. However, if you’re looking to get out of here in a hurry, then you’re in luck.”

  “Really?” Emily asked, her eyes lighting up.

  “Oy!” a clean-shaven pirate called out from a nearby table he was using as a bed. “Keep it down, eh?”

  “Sorry,” Emily said to the pirate, then turned her attention back to Margret. “But really? I’m in luck, Margret?”

  “Oh, yes,” she responded. “I’m assuming you’ve heard the news about Lucifan, the angels, and now the vampire? Well, after word spread that the angels were gone, Lucifan got a huge influx of shady types, including pirates and vikings—I even saw an orc come through here, I swear! Crazy as that may sound, it’s true. With ogres enforcing the law instead of knights, bribery became as easy as any business transaction. But now that that’s over, these rogues are all looking for a one-way trip out of this law-abiding land.”

  “You’ve got an interesting way of addressing your customers,” Adelpha noted with a raised eyebrow.

  “Oh, they like it. Trust me.” Margret rolled her eyes. “They think it’s a compliment to be called gutter-crawling thieves.”

  Margret gave a pirate on her bar a rough push to send him toppling, and Emily winced as the pirate groaned, bounced off a stool, and came to a rest on the wooden floor before falling back to sleep.

  “So, anyway, the man you’re looking for is in that corner.” Margret pointed. “He’s the captain, and he just hired on a whole new crew. Signed them on, bought them drinks, and sang songs through all hours of the night.”

  As Margret said this, Emily approached the man she’d indicated. He was lying in a corner, propped up by each wall. He was clearly wealthier than the rest of the pirates in the room, as evidenced by his ring-covered fingers and the elaborate hat covering his head. Neither young nor slim, he snored intermittently and did not stir as Emily approached. When she was within arm’s reach of him, he farted, and Emily resisted the urge to turn away. Swallowing her revulsion, she reached out
a careful hand and pulled the hat up. The first things to be revealed were a short mustache and a beard braided into a single strand with a small jewel at its base. As she continued to lift the hat, she gasped to find a face she recognized. It was Captain Mosley, the very man who had bought behemoth meat from her father back in Lucifan all those months ago.

  Captain Mosley stirred awake as the early morning light washed over his face. He squirmed and squinted before rubbing his eyes with dirty, ring-heavy hands and pulling apart his lids. When he finally did look out into the world, his eyes flew open in total surprise and he gasped.

  “It’s you!” he cried out. “My word, it’s you! You’re finally here!”

  Chapter 27

  “I’ve waited forever and an age for you, my love,” he said as he tried to stand.

  Emily jumped back and stammered in reply. Captain Mosley struggled to stand, wobbled slightly as he did so, and gained a comfortable stance only by placing a hand on the nearby wall. Emily took another step back as Captain Mosley straightened his hat and looked up, a dastardly smile on his face.

  But then Emily realized he wasn’t looking at her. His eyes darted right by her and settled on the annoyed expression of Adelpha.

  “I swear to the angels that I’ve never seen a more beautiful woman in all my life,” Captain Mosley said, stumbling forward. “You’ve turned my heart into a leviathan, pretty; cast me into the ocean, and I’ll boil the sea for you.”

  Emily had to jump again, this time to get out of the Captain’s way. Mosley was on a direct path to Adelpha, minus a few uncoordinated and crooked steps.

  “Like a colossus to Lucifan, I was made for you—”

  “I’m taken,” Adelpha replied.

  She cut him off so swiftly and abruptly that both Captain Mosley’s continuous flow of words and his footsteps came to an equally sudden end. Her voice—plain, simple, but firm—left the love-stricken man stammering for a moment, but then he stood up straight and placed a hand on the hilt of his single-shot pistol.

  “Taken?” he scoffed. “What man dares lay claim to you? I’d wrestle a kraken for you, love. Not even a siren’s song could keep me from you. Point me towards the man, and I’ll—”

  “I’m right here,” Abe said.

  Abe lifted one crossed arm into the air, as if to make clear who had spoken. He touched with light fingers the tip of his gunslinger hat and subtly tilted his other arm back, exposing the glistening handle of one six-shooter. The morning light danced across the metal, drawing Captain Mosley’s eyes. The pirate, with his mouth still hanging open on the syllable of his last spoken word, took in the sight of a confident gunslinger before continuing with his sentence.

  “—congratulate him,” he finished, “on having such fine taste in women. It’s always nice to meet a gentleman with such outstanding interests as mine. You’re a lucky lad, my good fellow. Damn lucky!”

  The awkward silence that followed was abated when Adelpha decided she’d had enough interaction with pirates for one lifetime. She turned to Emily and took ahold of Abe’s arm.

  “We’ll be outside if you need us,” Adelpha said. “Just . . . scream or something.”

  She mumbled the last part and pulled the only slightly hesitant Abe back out of the tavern. As the door closed behind them, Captain Mosley took the time to notice Emily’s presence. He even summoned the manners to acknowledge her verbally.

  “So,” he said, putting his hands together. “I take it that’s your friend? Lovely girl, I must say. I’d marry her in a heartbeat. You know, I once had a wife, strong like that one. She was a big lass, able to carry me in one arm and a barrel of rum in the other. Had to divorce her when the rum ran out though—”

  “On account of the rum being gone?” Emily finished.

  He stuttered after being cut off mid-sentence for the second time that morning. He seemed annoyed at these intrusions, but what Emily had said interested him.

  “Ah, yes, actually. How did you?” Captain Mosley paused as a pang of remembrance shot through his skull. “Oy, I remember you! You’re that skinny farmer’s daughter. Yes, yes, I remember now. Bought some behemoth meat off your father, didn’t I?”

  “You did,” Emily said. “And now I’m here on my own business. To get to the point, I’m seeking passage to Juatwa, and I’m willing to work on your ship during the voyage as payment.”

  The Captain’s face softened as he listened to her words and then balked at her request. His jaw fell open, as if in utter disbelief. Emily watched him silently, unsure how to interpret his reaction.

  “You are, are you?” Captain Mosley replied, his voice betraying a slight hint of excitement. “Well, I can’t take you all the way to Juatwa, but if you’re willing to work, then I can take you halfway, to Savara. This is assuming you’d be ready to leave today.”

  “I am,” Emily confirmed. “In fact, I’d prefer it. If you’re leaving today, I’ll take the offer.”

  “Haha!” Captain Mosley shouted into the air, no longer able to contain himself. “By the very wind in my sails, but this is a fortunate day! A new crew and a second woman aboard! I knew my luck would return! I dare say, uh, um, what was your name again?”

  “Emily. Stout.”

  “Emily Stout, yes. Well I dare say, Emily, but our meeting has the taste of fate! This is a sign, I tell you, a sign!”

  “Oy!” a nearby pirate yelled. “Keep it down, eh?”

  “Ah, shut up, ya’ filthy beast,” Captain Mosley replied and kicked the pirate. “Get up, men! It’s time to set sail!”

  * * *

  Outside the tavern, Emily finished her goodbyes with Adelpha and Abe. It was just as difficult as she’d expected, but not as difficult as it could have been. Adelpha made it easier by leaving first and doing Emily a favor by dragging Abe with her. In the end, it was shorter than she had hoped but had the redeeming quality of being less painful.

  “Good luck out there,” Adelpha had said, “and don’t forget you’ve got family back home.”

  “Not a chance.” Emily had given a half smile.

  “Anything that you want me to tell Mother and Father?” Abe had asked.

  “Thank you, and I love you.”

  “I’ll let them know.” Abe had nodded.

  With a final hug and wave, Abe and Adelpha had turned to leave Emily with the pirates and the journey she’d always dreamed of making.

  Emily waited outside. In the absence of her brother and her best friend, a feeling of loneliness swept over her. It was a strange feeling for her, so rarely experienced, and for the first time she began to feel just how painful her chosen path would be. The way she was going, she would be alone for quite some time, and the full weight of that decision was seeping into her. However, she did not turn from it. It was her choice to do this, so she would embrace it with the responsibility bred into her. She would do her name proud.

  The pirates began to exit the tavern soon after. They came out in groups—sometimes alone, but usually in pairs or threes. The other woman Mosley had referred to exited with a group of four men at once, and she was every bit a pirate as the others with ragged clothes and crooked speech. She was older, too, closer to Mariam’s age. For some reason, this did not comfort Emily.

  The Captain appeared last and extravagantly, having cleaned up slightly by dousing his head in some water, and led the group towards the docks. Captain Mosley took a particular interest in Emily and pulled her aside to begin explaining the things she’d missed the night before.

  “I’m one lucky pirate, I’ll tell you that much!” Mosley bragged. “Me and the first mate just got to Lucifan the other day, and we needed a whole new crew. So what luck did I have but to come the day that everybody wants to get out of this here land-loving city! Haha! Oy, you’ll be wondering where my first mate is, eh? He’s with The Greedy Barnacle at the docks. Oh! That’s me ship’s name, that is. The Greedy Barnacle, you like it? It’ll grow on you, trust me. Anyway, my first mate is there! Good fellow, he is. Immortal,
trustworthy, smart, and did I mention immortal? I know, I know, crazy isn’t it? But he is—made a deal with a jinni while in Savara. So long as there’s water below him, he can’t die. Frail as a newborn baby on land though, ha! I employed him not too long ago, last time I was in Lucifan, actually, when I met you. I’m telling you, Emily, fate! That’s what it is! Anyway, we’ll take to the ocean as soon as we can. Things’re already stocked for the journey. We made sure of it. You haven’t been on a ship before, have you? I didn’t think so. These lads here, though, they’re pirates, girl, real pirates. Practically born at sea, they’ll have my vessel breaking the waves in no time. Am I right, lads?”

  The pirates around him grinned and grunted their agreement. Emily saw the eagerness on their faces and secretly envied it. These men showed no fear of their destination or worry for what the future held. They exuded confidence, or perhaps just lack of concern, in their decision to join up with Captain Mosley, and Emily couldn’t help but feel her own nervous feelings made lighter by it. However, being a total stranger and one of only two females in a group of men, she still couldn’t shake her apprehension.

  But whatever difference her gender held to the pirates, it seemed to be overshadowed by their eagerness to reach the ship. The previous night’s celebration was a thing of the past, a past no more important than a leaf on the wind. Emily expected at least a few cringes at the bright morning sun, but instead it was met with a dozen yellow- and black-toothed smiles.

  Emily definitely envied their eagerness.

  When the nearly two dozen men reached the docks, Captain Mosley pointed with a proud finger to his vessel. The Greedy Barnacle was out in the bay already, anchored along with many other ships and drifting back and forth with the waves. It was approximately similar in size to Katsu’s ship, complete with two white sails.