by Sarah Noffke
“But then how will we find Shazia again?” Rudolf asked.
Liv pulled the stone King Dakota Skye had given her from her pocket. “We’ll find him, don’t worry. Now that we know who we’re looking for, we’ll find him, but this time, I want the element of surprise. Not the other way around.”
Chapter Twenty-One
The Serena didn’t move as swiftly once it was jam-packed with crew members.
“I want everyone except crew essential to operating this ship to portal out,” Liv said to Rudolf.
He nodded. “Right.” Clearing his throat, once again he used his megaphone voice, enhanced by magic. “Everyone but essential crew must portal away.”
He turned to Liv and quietly asked, “Why is that?”
“Because we need to move fast to outmaneuver the Zephyr. The first battle will just be catching Shazia’s ship. Then we have to board him, and something tells me he’s not going to go down without a fight.”
“Of course,” Rudolf replied, holding his chin high, as the Serena raced away from the fleet, gaining speed as fae disappeared. “And where are we going?”
“We’re going to get as far from Shazia as possible, then cloak the Serena and sneak back up on him.”
With a confident nod, Rudolf said, “Of course, we are.” After a moment, he leaned over her shoulder. “How are we going to find him?”
Liv sighed. “The compass. It will tell me how to find him as long as he’s on the water.”
Again Rudolf straightened, looking like a man on a mission. “I knew that. I was just testing you.”
Liv eyed him, wondering if she should encourage him to go back with the others. Most of the extra crew members had disappeared.
Rudolf turned to her with a studious expression that seemed all wrong on his usually easygoing face. “Don’t worry.”
Liv gazed at him curiously. “About Shazia? Well, he is a dangerous pirate, and we’re down to only one ship.”
He shook his head. “No, don’t worry about me. I’m going to swing in and save the day.”
Liv blew out a breath. “Look, I know you want to have an adventure and be a hero, but—”
“I don’t want to be a hero,” he interrupted. “I am one. I’m just waiting for you to see it.”
“Rudolf, we’ve been through a lot. I know you’re perfectly capable.”
“No, you don’t. You think because I never went to college and can’t read past a fifth-grade level or pronounce the word ‘pillaw’—”
“It’s pillow,” Liv said, correcting him yet again.
“Anyway, my point is that you think I’m going to hold you back. You doubt bringing me on this mission.” He held up an accusing finger and pointed it directly at Liv. “However, at some point, you’re going to be glad I’m here. I might not be the smartest dodo bird in the flock, but—”
“Dodo birds are extinct.” Liv rubbed her forehead, feeling a tension headache coming on.
“My point is that I don’t have to be really smart or gifted to help my friend defeat a known enemy.” Rudolf held out a hand. “I’m King Sweetwater, the ruler of the fae. But I’m prouder to be the friend of Liv Beaufont, Warrior of the House of Fourteen.”
Liv eyed the hand he’d offered her, wondering if he was drunk on rum. It was possible, but something told her he was quite genuine. “I don’t want you to go anywhere, Rudolf. We’re in this together, and I’m glad to have you at my back.”
She took his hand and shook it. Before she could object, he pulled her in, hugging her tightly. Liv was about to pull away when he whispered in her ear, “Can I borrow your sword? I went to the little fae’s room and lost mine.”
Liv rolled her eyes and pulled away from the king. “I’m going to tell you the same thing my mother once told me when I misplaced my favorite toy.”
“I’ll buy you another one if you just shut your mouth?” Rudolf asked.
Liv shook her head. “When you can’t have something you want, make the most of what you have.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
It took the magical energy of three fae to cloak the Serena so that she disappeared. It was strange to float over the waves, seemingly suspended in thin air. Liv shook it off and focused on the compass in her hand. They’d lost sight of the fleet and the Zephyr. She thought about Shazia, knowing she had to concentrate for the compass to work properly.
The needle on the stone swiveled several times like it was strangely filled with indecision. Just when she was about to give up on the elven technology, it pointed to the north.
“We need to change course,” Liv told Rudolf, who was holding the leg of a table he’d deconstructed for a weapon.
“Which way?” he whispered as the crew glanced over their shoulders, looking for direction as they cut through the gray waters.
“North,” she replied in a hushed voice.
“I’ve decided we’re going north!” Rudolf yelled. “My instincts tell me that’s where we’ll find that scoundrel Turbulent Wind.”
“The cloak will break when we near the Zephyr,” Liv explained.
“Why?” Rudolf asked.
“Because if he does in fact have the hourglass, which he damn well better, it will naturally bring down any disguises.”
“Oh, well, that’s sucky,” Rudolf complained.
“Well, the Hourglass of All of Time does belong to Papa Creola, and he didn’t want anyone who was cloaking himself to get close enough to steal it.”
“I bet he feels like a moron right about now,” Rudolf said with a laugh.
Liv’s phone buzzed in her pocket. Sensing who it was from, she sighed loudly as she withdrew the device. The message, as she suspected, was from Papa Creola.
Tell Rudolf to take five steps forward.
Liv showed it to the fae. He frowned but shrugged and followed the instructions, counting as he took each step. When he was in place, he turned to Liv. “Okay, now what?”
Just wait, the next message from Papa Creola stated.
Liv didn’t have to wait long. The boom swung around, hitting Rudolf in the head and sending him to the deck.
“Rudolf!” Liv yelled, rushing to check that he was okay.
He rubbed his head, then got to his feet. “You’ll have to tell Pops that whatever he wanted me to see, I missed due to an accident.”
“I think the boom swinging around was…yep, I’ll tell him,” Liv said, deciding it was best to avoid the truth right then.
“We have a sighting of the Zephyr,” the lookout said, pointing ahead.
Liv sighed, thankful that the crew was finally doing their job. No, they didn’t have a huge fleet anymore, or a ton of magical creatures to help defend their mission. However, sometimes less was more, especially in battle, when details were of utmost importance.
She peered north, seeing Turbulent Winds’ ship sailing gracefully in the distance. It was moving fast. Pulling up her binoculars, Liv studied the deck of the ship. The pirates appeared to be celebrating, many of them drinking and dancing.
“This looks like the perfect time to storm the ship,” she said, handing the binoculars to Rudolf.
He took them and peered through the lenses. After a moment, he handed them back to her. “Yes, I agree, the storm will swallow us within the hour.”
“Storm?” Liv asked, giving him a blank expression. “What storm?”
“That was what you wanted me to see, right?” Rudolf asked, pointing to the east.
She shook her head. “No, I was talking about Shazia. His ship is right there.”
Rudolf took back the binoculars. “And so it is.”
“What do you mean, storm?” Liv asked.
He handed her the binoculars. “Right there.”
She pointed the binoculars in the direction he indicated and saw what he meant. It was a dark cloud, quickly approaching, appearing like a menace on the seas, ready to send their ship to an abysmal fate.
“Okay, well, we better get a move on,” she stated. “We need a
ll sails up. Getting to the Zephyr quickly will be best.”
Rudolf nodded. “Chips Ahoy, maties! All engines ahead!”
Liv considered correcting him but decided against it. Instead, she pulled Bellator, ready for the battle that would hopefully be swift, although the storm clouds in the distance filled her with quiet dread, making her think it wouldn’t be an easy fight.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The Serena was only a hundred yards away and was making good progress when the cloaks failed. Their ship materialized, sailing rapidly in the direction of Shazia’s ship.
The pirates on the Zephyr responded right away, steering their ship to the side and pointing their broadsides at the Serena. Liv smiled, thinking this was going to be easier than she thought.
Then the pirates began sending rounds straight at the approaching enemy ship. Now that Liv was close, she could see the distinct figures of the pirates. Most of them appeared to be magicians, most likely with unregistered magic. That was not what bothered her. She could care less. What got under her skin was that they were all wearing black cloaks with hoods covering their heads, the same as her.
“Pull the ship to starboard along the Zephyr,” Liv ordered the crew.
They pulled on ropes and swung the sails around, complying with her instructions. She was now face to face at ten figures with their heads down and their hands clasped behind their backs.
“Liv…” Rudolf said in a cautious tone.
“I know,” Liv stated, clapping her hand harder than she intended on Rudolf’s arm.
“Th-th-they…” he stuttered.
“I know,” she repeated.
The pirates pushed back their hoods and stared menacingly at the ship beside them. The elves had helped her to find Shazia, but she’d had no idea exactly what she’d find. Liv never expected to look into ten identical faces, ones she never expected to battle.
“Li-Li-Liv,” Rudolf stammered again.
“I know!” she barked.
“Okay,” he said, cowering. “I was just wondering if you realized that all those pirates look exactly like you.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“All cannons, fire!” Liv yelled to the crew.
A moment later, the ship vibrated under her feet as blasts erupted from below them, sending rounds at the Zephyr. The smell of gunpowder rose from the undulating waters under them.
“So you heard me about the doppelgangers over there?” Rudolf asked, holding his table leg close to him.
“Yes,” Liv replied. “It’s obviously a trick.”
Rudolf laughed abruptly. “I knew that. I totally knew that.” He stopped as quickly as he’d started. “What do we do about it?”
She gave him an impatient glare as their ship continued to fire, giving them some cover as the pirates, who all looked like scared versions of her, scrambled. “I thought you were the captain. Any bright ideas?”
He ducked as a blast of something roared over his head. Fire, maybe? Or shrapnel? “I was thinking that I’m not ready for the captain gig yet.”
“Rudolf!” Liv yelled, seeking coverage behind the rail as the pirates got to their feet and started fighting back.
He stood, brandishing his table leg. “Pull up beside those revolting maggots! We’re going to send them to the bottom of the ocean!”
Liv smiled inwardly, enjoying the fact that Rudolf had risen to the challenge. It might not last long, but it was something.
The crew dispersed, throwing out ropes to snag the other ship, pulling it in close once they had the grappling hooks in place. The Serena lurched as it caught the other ship. Liv was about to make her move when someone who looked very different than the ten Livs on the deck of the pirate ship stepped out.
Mac “Turbulent Wind” Shazia didn’t look like any pirate she’d ever seen. First off, he wasn’t a he. Shazia was a she, and she was absolutely beautiful. Liv had expected a peg-legged, one-eyed pirate to hobble onto the deck, not a woman with long, flowing black hair, captivating green eyes, and a winning smile. She was so pretty that it kind of hurt.
When Shazia was among her men, all disguised as Liv, the pirate grabbed the rail and leaned forward. “Well, hello, Warrior Beaufont. It appears we meet again.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Again?” Liv found herself asking.
The pirate laughed loudly, her voice echoing over the waters. “Don’t you remember? I met you the first time when your mother was pregnant with you, and she tried to stop me from inheriting the wind god’s powers.”
“Yeah, I was sort of busy being a fetus. So no,” Liv replied.
“Your mother tried to stop me,” Shazia said. “She stalled me, and nearly finished me. But then she went into labor with you, and I won.”
Liv gave the pirate a repelled glare. “So you won because a pregnant woman had a baby?”
“And then victory was mine!” Shazia said, thrusting her fist into the air, making the wind shoot through the sails and the Serena lean dangerously to the side.
“I think that gave you a win by default,” Liv reasoned. “I’m not with child, though, so how about a rematch?”
Before Shazia could reply, Rudolf slapped Liv on the arm. “I might be pregnant. Do you think it’s safe to do this now?”
Liv refrained from throwing Rudolf onto the enemy ship. Instead, she simply shook her head. “It’s fine. We just have to win the battle against this mad…woman.”
“How are we going to do that?” Rudolf asked, scanning the members of the crew on the other ship. “They all look like you.”
Liv knew that was part of the strategy. Shazia didn’t fight fair. That was a pirate’s way. There was no appealing to her, and there would be no reasoning with her. Without hesitation, Liv pulled off her cloak, making her different from the ten Livs on the other ship.
To her horror, they all copied her.
She huffed and produced a red handkerchief that she tied to her neck.
Liv should have expected for the other Livs to do the exact same thing, but she was surprised when they all looked like waitresses at a strange saloon.
She shook her head, making the handkerchief disappear. Her doppelgangers did the same thing. Liv reached out and grabbed Rudolf by the shirt. “There will only be one way to determine me from the others. Do not kill me if I say these words to you. Otherwise, assault away.”
He nodded, his eyes intent upon her. “Okay, what are they?”
Liv yanked him in close, whispering into his ear so only he could hear what she said.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Liv had expected this to be a mean battle. She’d expected to go up against ruthless pirates who took cheap shots. However, what she didn’t expect was for her own team to be throwing attacks at her. She couldn’t blame them, though. To them, she looked like the enemy. The only thing she was grateful for was that she had sent most of the crew home. Otherwise, there would be a lot more people out there sending attacks at her.
On the bright side, it was easy for Liv to identify the enemies. They all had flowing blonde hair and were dressed in all black. She threw fireball after fireball at the fleeing pirates, hitting many of them in the chest and sending them soaring over the side of the ship.
Liv’s confidence had started to return after she’d taken out half the pirates. Her team was doing a great job, although she could tell it was hard for them to battle exact copies of her. In the distance, she heard Rudolf attacking a pirate.
“I’m sorry if this is really you, Liv,” he said between strikes. “You hit like a girl, and by that I mean, will you please back off a bit?”
She ignored him, noticing something dark and approaching in the distance.
Liv turned, spying Shazia behind her. The pirate had her arm in the air and a strange crazed look in her eyes. Liv spun back around. The storm that was far in the distance was rolling faster in their direction. She swung around, hoping to find the pirate, but she was gone.
Liv jumped off the bow o
f the ship, sprinting for the stairs. Shazia was nowhere to be seen. The gusts from the storm sent her hair in all directions. Of course, the pirate had sought refuge below. Without a concern, Liv headed down, following Shazia into the hull.
Water sloshed over Liv’s boots when she got to the next deck of the ship. The Zephyr had taken a lot of damage, and was slowly sinking. This deck appeared to be where the pirates slept. She was hoping she was close to the Hourglass of All of Time, but it was a hard to tell in the darkness. Liv kept getting knocked back and forth, extinguishing any light she tried to conjure.
“You seem to be in hot water here,” Plato said, materializing beside her and jumping from shelf to shelf, staying out of the water.
Liv let out a breath. “Very funny. The water is actually tepid.”
“It was a metaphor,” the lynx corrected.
“Well, save it. I’ve got a pirate to find, and a bunch of Livs who are creating havoc overhead.”
“There’s something I bet you’d never thought you’d say,” Plato stated, easily keeping up, even when the shelves were farther dispersed.
“The part about the Livs wreaking havoc?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No, that part where you said something about using the stone to find Shazia, realizing that since you’re on the ocean, it should help you locate her.”
“I didn’t say that…” Liv’s words trailed away as soon as the lynx disappeared.
“That damn tricky cat.”
She pulled the stone from her pocket, thinking intently about the pirate she needed to find. The compass didn’t hesitate like before. Instead, the needle pointed south. Liv followed it, striding to the end of the hallway. She stopped at a dead end, thinking she was out of options. Then the compass did something unexpected. The needle lifted and pointed toward the ceiling.