The Maiden in the Mirror

by Scott Hamerton

  "Absolutely."

  Luff and Leech took a deep breath and shrugged before heading off to the sails. Olbus stood on Minerva's right-hand side, awaiting her command.

  "Let my uncle know that we're ready, boatswain."

  "Skyraker, able and ready!" Olbus shouted to Captain Black, who waited aboard the Phoenix.

  Minerva exhaled unevenly, blowing the queasy feeling out of her stomach. A conflict raged in her mind, debating if the source of the feeling emanated from within her, or from having her hands on the wheel.

  "All hands!" Olbus ordered. "Ready kites! Riggers! Take us up!"

  Stark white sails pulled up in the frigid mountain air, and the Skyraker creaked and groaned. A few unseen shafts of wood snapped like eerie firecrackers.

  "On your mark," Olbus offered, radiating an aura of calm.

  Minerva raised one arm into the air, fiercely clamping down on the sky spoke of the wheel with her other hand. The will of the ship filled her mind, and although her hair was free from its prison in preparation, the sensation felt different. She felt valiant and proud, and her heart brimmed with a sense of purpose. Then she lowered her arm with a snap, and clenched the wheel as the Skyraker popped and fell with a lurch before catching itself on its injured masts. A cloud of apprehension choked the small crew as the wounded bird took wing.

  The journey from the mountain to Rahama Matha was a nervous flight at the best of times, as every gust of wind drew creaks and cracks from the hull, and gasps and groans from the crew. They arrived in the coops of the city amid significant fanfare from the locals. Most of whom were amazed that the ship even remained airborne.

  Olbus dismissed the crew once the Skyraker rested securely on stilts, and Minerva watched them leave with sadness, wondering how many would return to sail with her. It would be a long time before the Skyraker could fly again. Olbus came to stand at her side once the deck was clear.

  "I will ready the ship for winter berth," he said. "In the spring, we can discuss my ongoing employment."

  Minerva panicked internally. Even if he came back in the spring, she didn't know what she would do without him all winter. She suspected that he would remain at her side, as her boatswain or otherwise, but she needed a concrete reason for him to stay; a more permanent agreement to assuage her fears.

  "In truth," she said, "there is a different vacancy that I believe you can fill. If the burden is not too great, and you are not opposed to the idea, you could stand in the place of my father?"

  Olbus' lip quivered and his eyes watered. Then without warning he flexed his whole body rigid and straight, drew his hand to his brow with a snap, and saluted. Beyond any doubt, it was the most powerful gesture she had ever seen.

  "It would be my honor, Captain."

  Captain. It sounded so much better than just sailor.

  Chapter 93

  Rahama Matha

  Four months passed in the time needed to repair the Skyraker, and the cost grew every day, as more damage revealed itself throughout the ship. Many times, Minerva heard the remark that building a new ship would have been wiser. Minerva never could have afforded it, if not for the kindness of her uncle. He covered every expense, including the living costs of any crew that swore on their mark to return to the ship when it was ready to fly again.

  During her stay in Rahama Matha, Minerva learned that the clergy of monks that lived there chose such a remote location as a way of retreating from the oppression of their faith. When the first flying ships discovered it, the monks welcomed their guests, and offered them food and shelter in exchange for the goods they needed to survive the harsh winters. In time, it grew into a thriving city of trade frequented by pirates and captains from around the world.

  Minerva also discovered that harsh was an understatement when it came to the weather. She reliably awoke with snow in her room, and often found herself tunneling through a minor avalanche to reach the apartments of her friends.

  To pass the time, she practiced singing, and the monks invited her to join their small choir. In the evenings, she congregated with her friends, listening to their stories and sharing her own. Sometimes she went to speak to Lintumen, and he would teach her about magic and history and many other things, as he had done in the past, but the truth had wounded their relationship, leaving a scar that only time could heal.

  Her favorite time, however, was late at night, when she gathered with her uncle around a fire, and he told her stories of her mother and father from a time before she knew them. A long history of daring exploits and wild adventures revealed more than she ever knew about them, and she loved every moment of it.

  As for Captain Glass, she granted him total freedom, on the condition that he was to travel far away and never return. He was both grateful and sad, as she expected, for it was both freedom and a punishment. His deeds would haunt his every step for the remainder of his life.

  When spring finally arrived, and the shipwrights cleared the Skyraker to fly the snowy passes, the desire to be up in the clouds left Minerva twitching with anxiety. She put forth her crew call by posting a note in the taverns most frequented by Luff and Leech, and more than four hundred sailors arrived to join her crew.

  Pirates love stories, after all.

  Chapter 94

  Stormraker

  "You ready to see her?" Captain Black asked.

  Minerva felt more than ready. She wanted to sing and dance, but she maintained her composure. Lord Arach would have been proud.

  The coop of Rahama Matha resided in a sheltered canyon alongside the city, with a narrow serpentine trail that descended into it. Minerva last went to see Lintumen more than a month ago, so the completed repairs remained a mystery to her. Luff and Leech covered her eyes as they rounded the final bend, guiding her down the last of the stone steps and into the coop. When they pulled back their hands, pure joy overwhelmed her heart, and she wiped at tears that froze to her cheeks in the mountain air.

  The Skyraker shone vibrant and strong as it floated in the air. Navy-blue paint replaced the former coat, and now matched Nezzen's hat, with long white stripes like lightning that led off from the figurehead. Across the whole of the hull, tiny flecks of molten gold accented the knots and curves, and they glinted in the sunlight. The spirit of the Skyraker showed its pride that day, ready to receive its new captain with exuberance.

  Big Jim spoke to Minerva first. "Ye should break the curse," he said.

  "How?"

  "Well, she's got a new skin, an' a new captain. She's practically a new ship. Give 'er a new name."

  Minerva remembered Nezzen's explanation of the Skyraker's curse. How it would tolerate no captain to fly it for long. Perhaps a new name could solidify their friendship, so she considered the events that brought her to Rahama Matha. The battles with Cloudscorch and the twin ships. Her time with Thimbler in Riggersport and Lord Arach in Reshampur. As she wandered within her mind, she came at last to a single moment that defined it all.

  "Stormraker," Minerva declared, and nodded approvingly to herself, thinking only of Nezzen and the way he died.

  Big Jim grimaced and shook his head. "Ye should not use part 'o the same name. That's bad luck."

  Minerva turned to look at her ship, thinking long and hard about its history. In her mind, her ship was a sturdy, battle-hardened veteran of a difficult lifestyle. She saw a stoic warrior, both able and willing.

  "I think it requires great strength of character for a lady to keep her last name in a relationship," she said.

  Jim raised an eyebrow at her. "Aye," he admitted. "That's it, then. Captain Minnie of the Stormraker."

  Some of the men began to celebrate, but Minerva interrupted them. "Maybe not Captain Minnie," she said.

  "What name will ye use?"

  "My mother always taught me to reuse as much scrap as possible. Since I need a name, and I gave her a new one, why don't I take the remainder of her old one?"

  "What about yer father's name?" Jim asked, seemingly offended.

>   Minerva shook her head. "I doubt I could live up to it, and I think it would just confuse people."

  "Yer mother, then?"

  "There's already a Captain Black, remember?"

  Jim sighed and slouched where he stood. "Sky, then?"

  "Aye," she smiled, "Captain Minerva Sky."

  Jim returned her smile and patted her on the back. As they climbed the gangplank, he pointed to one of the golden flecks in the hull. "Nezzen's gold, that is. The old crew scooped it, but I threatened 'em with a cleaver when I found out, so they gave it to me."

  Minerva reached out and touched one of the glimmering specks. Even in the frigid air, it felt warm.

  When the new crew stood upon the deck, Captain Black was already waiting. He addressed Minerva with a professional handshake, and a curt nod, concealing any familiarity between them.

  "Captain," he said. "I have endured significant loss to repair this vessel and house your crew. If you wish to resume command of this ship, then you will operate as a private agent of my consortium. If, at any point, you repay this debt in full, then you are welcome to claim it as your own."

  "Okay," Minerva said, feeling as if he was being comical, but his stern expression quickly proved otherwise.

  "I also expect you to understand that as my agent I will tax your earnings accordingly, and if I see fit, I may replace you as captain whenever it suits my whims. Under no uncertain terms, this is my ship, not yours."

  Minerva swallowed hard, but accepted his conditions. There were rules to being a pirate, family or not.

  Chapter 95

  Reparations

  "I demand to see the captain of this vessel!"

  Minerva stood in front of the uniformed man that called her out. Olbus bound the man's arms behind his back, forcing him to his knees. He wore a striking outfit of white with black trim.

  "This is a vessel of the White Fleet! Release us at once, or face the ire of the empire!" he shouted.

  "Commodore Barracks, is it?" Minerva asked, surveying the infuriated man.

  "How dare you question my rank? Go get your captain, boy!" The commodore snarled at her and made as if he was going to spit, but restrained himself.

  Olbus pushed the commodore down flat against the deck. "This is Captain Sky," he said.

  The commodore's face blanched. "This boy is your captain?" he begged.

  Minerva smiled, wide and sinister. "You're not in the empire, Commodore, and I'm a girl." The commodore fell silent as Minerva turned away. "Set him aground with his crew, and plunder the hold."

  Commodore Barracks twitched in fury. "Black did this! Where is he? Black!" The tall man protested vehemently as Olbus dragged him away.

  "Will this do, Sparks?" Minerva asked, as an older man with sooty black hair and burned skin descended from the Stormraker to join her aboard the new vessel.

  "She's a little bright on the belly, but she'll do. We can paint her black with ash in no time." Then he offered Minerva a wicked grin. "Are ye just givin' her to me?"

  "I am. As a free agent of the consortium, it is my gift to you."

  Sparks nodded and shook her hand, recognizing Captain Black as the ultimate source of the gift.

  Minerva took Lintumen to the hold of the Stormraker to tally the worth of the haul, leaving them alone together for quite some time.

  "Now what, Captain?" Lintumen asked, as he shuffled about, writing notes in a very large ledger.

  "What do you mean?"

  "I mean, now that you're a captain, and have recently doubled the size of your fleet, what are your plans for the future."

  Minerva opened a trunk and discovered a cache of shirts inside. She took one out, assessing the size of it on her own body. "I'm going to repay some debts to the people that got me where I am," she said, as she folded the shirt and placed it in a pile, along with several others for Jim to take to his niece.

  "How do you plan to do that?"

  "I am first flying to Riggersport, to visit a number of people that I dearly miss, and then I will fly to Reshampur, offering free transport to any friends that wish to leave Riggersport. After that, I will resume a life of piracy."

  "Seeking payment to accommodate the repairs of the Stormraker?"

  "Exactly. I owe my uncle a significant sum. By the way, split my shares into the shares for the crew. I have received enough nice things, lately. I will repay my debt with future earnings."

  Lintumen nodded and put a note in his ledger as she set some shoes on the pile of shirts.

  "I don't imagine that your uncle had anything to do with why the ship we just captured was so far from the empire, would he?"

  Minerva shot a victorious smile at Lintumen. "None whatsoever."

  Chapter 96

  Homecoming Queen

  A tiny bell rang as the door to Thimbler's shop closed behind Minerva. In response to its call, Thimbler appeared from behind the curtain, wearing a beautiful pink gown over his standard linen work clothes. His sewing technique had markedly improved.

  "Can I help you, miss?"

  Minerva kept her hat turned low to cover her face, and pretended to look at some of his wares. "I believe you can. I require the services of a tailor named Thimbler."

  "I am him," he said, and his face brightened, enjoying his unexpected fame. "However, I'm sorry to inform you, madam, but I am very busy. If you are willing to wait, then I will schedule your work for a later date."

  "What if all I want is a hug?"

  As she spoke, Minerva lifted her chin, giving Thimbler a clearer look at her smiling face.

  The tall, very proper, and always collected man, shouted in elation and threw his arms forward to embrace her as he ran around the counter. He hugged her hard and long, commenting on how much she had grown. He said she looked like an elegant lady.

  Minerva invited Thimbler to dine on her ship, which he accepted in amazement, mostly at the fact that it was her ship. She also invited him to bring a date, if he had one. She was pleased to see that Jack came too, as did Lockjaw, who now lived in Riggersport, having successfully found a carpenter to apprentice him.

  The three guests ate in the captain's cabin with Olbus and Minerva. After the meal, Minerva confessed her true motives.

  "I want you all to leave Riggersport," she said.

  "And go where?" Lockjaw asked.

  "Reshampur. It's not too far away. You would have no shortage of work, and I'm heading that way. I plan to take any of Roker's girls with me who are willing to work for a living."

  Thimbler and Jack accepted, and Lockjaw promised to depart once he completed his apprenticeship, but warned her that it might take several years.

  "How can we repay you?" Thimbler asked.

  That exact question is what Minerva had hoped to hear, all evening long.

  "I remember you once said that if I ever found any fine clothes that I was willing to part with, that I should consider selling them to you." Minerva moved towards the large white wardrobe with its face of interwoven gears. "I think I may have found something that interests you."

  The vault-like case swung open when Minerva pulled on the handles of the ruby heart, and she gestured with the theatrics of a master of ceremonies. The grand show that she revealed always awed Minerva, and her friends were no exception.

  Inside the case, a line of the most incredible garments she could ever imagine hung on a rotating rack. One was a gown so dark that when she gazed overlong at it, she saw a silent, speckled sky of stars. There was another whose deep blue fabric flowed like waterfalls from the shoulders of its wearer, and another that glimmered more than even the most polished gold. There were dresses of sky and clouds and mountains, and one as reflective as a mirror.

  It was as if someone had taken pure imagination and woven it into something that she could wear.

  Minerva's current favorite was a black gown, like velvet. Its sleeves and halter formed a powerful storm across the chest and shoulders that unleashed white bolts of lightning to strike the feet of the wea
rer each time they took a step. On the right floor, with the right footwear, it made her footfalls sound like thunder.

  What amazed her the most, however, was how the case contained far more than its size could possibly allow. Whenever she slid a gown from one side to the other, the stack on both sides appeared to neither grow nor shrink, and each time she searched the contents she discovered another potential favorite.

  Below the dresses, several hundred drawers folded out, revealing an equally impossible number of shoes. Although the footwear lacked the magical properties of the gowns, that didn't diminish the beauty and wonder of their form and quality.

  Thimbler leaned on Minerva for support. "I would giddily pay you all my wealth for only one of these, and I fear it wouldn't be enough."

  Minerva held his hand and laughed. "Then I will sell you five for the same price."

  Thimbler gripped his heart with his spare hand.

  "And the shoes to match, if you like," she teased.

  Chapter 97

  A Pirate's Lady

  Thimbler, Minerva soon learned, possessed far greater wealth than he ever revealed. For decades, he had been saving his profits for that one moment when someone brought him a true treasure. As time went by, and his savings grew, he maintained his frugal ways, knowing not what else to do. He hid it all within the floor of his shop, until it became full. Then he hid it in the walls and the ceiling, and eventually, anywhere else that he could possibly find to store it. What he paid Minerva for five gowns was more than the worth of her entire ship, and certainly enough to repay Captain Black, with plenty to spare.

  When they arrived in Reshampur, Minerva furnished the Stormraker in total comfort. She purchased wool mattresses and silk covers for every bed and hammock, and supplied every sailor with full uniforms in varying colors of their choice, tailored to their size. Then she stocked the galley to the standard of a royal fleet, although she didn't expect any of the sailors to use the utensils.