Pirate Queen

by H. N. Klett

  Hailey shifted and felt the shackles on her wrists pinch. Oddly the rattle of the chains brought back a memory she had forgotten. On one of their trade runs, her father was carrying a load of cattle in the hold of his ship. Hailey was fascinated with them. She had never been up close with cattle before. They never put up a fuss and went wherever they were led. She remembered how complacent those cows were, how calm.

  Sitting there reflecting on it in the dark, Hailey found herself wondering if they knew they were being shipped to their slaughter. Until now, she’d never stopped to wonder if they cared.

  They had been shackled to a pole just like she was.

  The days went by slowly, only punctuated by the brief visits and leering looks of Gibby. He only came to feed her once a day, so it was easy to track the time, though difficult to keep up her energy.

  On the tenth day, something seemed different about Gibby. He raised the light level a bit more than usual and he was much more conversational and more careless. He left the door open at the top of the stairs. As he placed the tray on the floor by Hailey, she could smell the tart smell of cheap wine on him.

  “I get ta go off duty soon. For a few ‘ole days! Want ta celebrate wit me?”

  He crashed to the floor and pulled out a small flagon of wine, showing it to her. She looked around the room. Though it looked brighter, the room suddenly felt colder.

  He took a swig and offered it to her, and she shook her head.

  “Right. Too good ta ‘ave a drink wit a common man, are ya?”

  The words came out more mumbled and marked with more of a heavier accent than usual.

  “Fine time ta take some leave. Yer think the cap’n would at least give me a good night ta be off. Fog so thick up ther yer can’ hardly see yer hand in front o’ yer face.”

  The cold bite of a chill sunk onto the back of Hailey’s neck as she remembered what the book had told her. She looked up the stairs, eyes wide.

  “The mists?” she murmured.

  He looked at her and started laughing. “Yer afraid o’ the fog, love? Scared the mean nasty pirates goin’ ta get yer? Well, don’ worry, love. They ain’t real.” He leaned back and propped himself up on one arm. “I been on these seas since I was a lad and I can tell yer now, ther’ ain’t no such thing.” He leaned forward and patted her knee.

  Hailey looked up the stairs again, and this time she noticed that the mists he spoke of had started to slowly descend the stairs. She turned back to him and noticed that he had slid a little closer to her. Too close.

  “Yer know, we ‘ave a couple o’ days ta get ta know each other…”

  He reached over and stroked the side of her cheek. Something inside of her screamed out. She wasn’t sure if it was the voice of her mother or herself way down inside, but she knew one thing: she had to fight.

  “No!” She jerked her head away and kicked out with her feet, kicking him firmly on his soft round belly and sending him backwards. There was a commotion upstairs. The sound of hurried feet on the decks above. Gibby paid it no mind as his face darkened and he howled obscenities at Hailey while cradling his belly. Hailey stood up.

  She was malnourished and weak, but she wasn’t going to go down without a fight. She was worth fighting for. She felt a volcano swell up in her. Its cauldron full of rage about her life, her situation, and her mother’s death. She hated those who had put her there, who took her mother away from her, and now her father. A scream escaped her as she lunged at the charging oaf.

  Her hands were bound too close to the pole for her to be able to punch him, but her legs were free. She caught him again with her heel, this time in his chest. Gibby let out a whoosh of air and began to go down, grabbing her ankle as he fell. They both crashed to the ground and he began to climb closer to her, using her leg like a rope on the rigging. She screamed again, trying to push him off of her, but her strength was beginning to fail. He was close to her face now and she could smell the sweat and sour wine on his breath as he shouted at her to be still.

  He punched her in the head and her vision swam. He tried to push his whole weight on her to pin her down, but she kept fighting, trying to twist away. She had just enough room to be able to land some blows with her fist on his head and neck, but the chains slowed her punches and they bounced off of him. She bit him hard on the cheek, hard enough to draw blood. The man cried out and hopped off of her. Gibby stood over her, screaming more obscenities at her while holding his bloody cheek.

  She looked up at him defiantly, and spit at him. Hailey tried to catch her breath and steel herself for another attack. She was tiring quickly, but she had enough in her for one more round. Gibby waited too long and Hailey quickly sent a shoeless foot to his crotch, doubling him over.

  He lay on the ground cursing at her and spitting. She wouldn’t be so lucky next time. Hailey watched as Gibby slowly pulled himself from the deck and produced a dagger.

  Hailey’s eyes went wide and stayed transfixed on the blade.

  “Cap’n says we ‘ave to ta yer to the Queen. ‘e didn’ say in one piece.”

  He was only a few paces away. Hailey steeled herself for the attack, but it never came. He simply stopped mid-stride and stood there staring at her. Then from his chest, a bloom of blood rose across his dingy white shirt. He looked down at it in surprise and then fell to the ground, dead.

  Behind his body stood two figures with bright glowing eyes. The tallest one held a black blade, wet with the blood of her assailant. Its large captain’s hat rested like a crown on its nest of hair, and the still face of the skull stared at her. In the figure’s other hand she could see the book, her book, its bright red eyes beckoning to her with the same glow as the pirate’s eyes.

  At its side stood another figure, though not as tall and well developed as the giant captain. It pointed at her and said to the ghost captain.

  “The Navigator.”

  The pirate captain nodded and turned to the other figure and spoke.

  “Bring her. Sink the ship.”

  It sheathed its blade and turned and disappeared up the stairs. The other figure advanced on Hailey. She was too tired to fight. She didn’t know if it was the blow to her head or the lack of food, or the whole ordeal, but she felt woozy and knew she couldn’t get up. The mists had fully engulfed the room. The ghost pirate advanced on her, red eyes blazing through the mists. She lost consciousness just before the figure touched her.

  Chapter 13

  Hailey awoke, gasping and flailing her arms. She bolted upright in the bed, looking around frantically. “Help!” she cried.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa, relax! It’s just a side effect of the gas.”

  Her head seemed fuzzy and the room was too bright, but his voice was deep and oddly soothing.

  “Where are the pirates?” She looked about the room frantically, expecting to see the glowing eyes staring at her. Instead there was only a single figure sitting beside her. She stopped and focused on him. It was the young man from the village. The one with the odd eyes.

  Hailey sat there in stunned silence for a moment, then looked down at herself and let out a gasp. Her dress was gone; instead, she was wearing someone else’s long shirt.

  She looked at him wildly. “Where are my clothes?”

  “Hold on!” He put his hands out in front of him, open palmed and waving. “You were a mess when we found you.”

  He got up from the stool and headed to the back of the cabin by the windows. Looking at them, she noticed that they were obscured by mists.

  “So you’re in the habit of stealing clothes as well as kidnapping people?” Hailey pulled the covers up to her chin and balled up her hands, eyes tracking the boy as he paced.

  He looked over her and chuckled. She sat there and eyed him back.

  “No, not regularly, we just think that those we kidnap shouldn’t smell.” He smirked at her and she blushed. She didn’t have a comeback for that. Her head was still cloudy.

  He resumed his pacing and looked out the windo
w as if waiting for something. Hailey thought to break the awkward silence that had grown in the cabin.

  “I thought you were skeletons or ghosts or something. You look pretty real to me.”

  “Well, I am real enough. What you saw, those skull faces, were the masks. We call them rebreathers. They let us see through the mists, breathe, and communicate with each other. The mists we generate have a cocktail in it that makes you sleepy and stupid. The masks protect us from the effects and helps to scare everyone who isn’t wearing one. It makes raids easier.”

  He poured a glass of water from the crystal pitcher on the captain’s table and brought it, a large apple, and a large hunk of bread to her. He paced back across the room from her, thankfully keeping his back to her as she devoured the food.

  “So where are we?” She pulled off the covers and moved towards the edge of the bed. Her wrists were still sore from being in manacles so long, and she was bruised and battered but thankfully alive. She sat herself on the end of the bed, careful to be sure the shirt did not ride up and reveal too much.

  “You’re on our ship, the Dark Star. The captain had us put you in his quarters until you woke up.”

  She looked about the cabin. It was larger than her father’s, but its layout was nearly the same. This cabin seemed warmer to her, much more lived in. She tried to put a finger on why she thought that, but it eluded her.

  She tried to get up but found her legs unstable. The boy was at her side instantly and caught her. His speed made her gasp in surprise.

  “Whoa there. Try not to move too fast. The stuff in the gas is still in your system. It should wear off soon, but try not to move too fast until then.”

  He held her for a long moment. Suddenly it struck Hailey that she was in a cabin alone with a handsome young man. Her face quickly went hot and she looked away from his arresting pale brown eyes.

  From across the cabin the door burst open and light footsteps closed on them.

  “Hadyn!” a female voice cried. “I leave for just a couple of minutes and you’re already putting the moves on her?”

  The young man, Hadyn, turned and gave the speaker an embarrassed look.

  “Hey now, Kyra, it’s not what it looks like.” Hadyn released Hailey, who retreated back to the bed.

  The dark-skinned girl advanced on them. Her red hair was long and curly and held back in a red bandana. Her deck shorts and striped shirt looked as if they were a hundred years old. From her thick belt hung two long knives, one on each side. She was shorter than Hadyn, but not by much.

  “Oh, really?” She smiled at Hailey, then looked back to him and placed her hands on her hips.

  “Yeah, she was just trying to get up and she lost her balance.” He stepped back from Hailey and scratched the back of his head.

  Kyra noticed Hailey was trying to pull down the shirt more to cover up. The shirt went down to her thighs, and Kyra knew she didn’t have anything else underneath since she was the one that had bathed and dressed her earlier.

  “Well, why don’t you be a gentleman and see if you can find her some pants before she catches a cold,” Kyra said to him, cocking her head.

  There was an awkward pause, then Hadyn looked at Kyra.

  “I was just about to go do that.” His answer seemed to be more sarcastic than informative. He looked back at Hailey. “I’ll be right back.” With that, he left the cabin.

  Kyra stood there smiling at Hailey, one hand on her hip.

  “Don’t mind lover boy over there. He’s a pretty one, but sometimes not too bright. He’s harmless for the most part.”

  Hailey looked embarrassed and tried to hide her blush. She thought him attractive, something she had never really experienced before.

  Kyra slowly closed the distance and sat down beside her on the bed, careful to adjust the long blades on her belt.

  Not wanting to be rude, Hailey tried to introduce herself, but Kyra beat her to it.

  “Hailey Heartstone, right?” Kyra said, pointing at her and smiling. Hailey couldn’t help but be surprised.

  “My name is Kyra, Kyra Faber. Pleased to meet you!” Kyra leaned towards her. “So you are the famous Navigator everyone’s been talking about.”

  “How do you know?”

  “We’ve been watching you for a while.” Kyra’s grin was almost mischievous. “Once we figured out who you were and that you had the book, we tried to reach you.”

  “Hadyn.”

  Kyra nodded her head.

  “Why didn’t you go with him?” Kyra looked at her, cocking her head.

  “Well, I don’t know. I guess I was kinda scared by the whole thing.” Hailey shrugged.

  “Understandable. Hadyn is cute, but he isn’t the best conversationalist.” Kyra chuckled to herself.

  The door reopened and Hadyn came striding in, a pair of long shorts in his hand. “Here you go.” He tossed Hailey the pants and she eagerly began to slip them on.

  Kyra shot Hadyn a look that told him that he should look the other way. Hadyn shrugged and turned around, looking out the windows at the back of the cabin.

  Hailey stood up slowly, holding on to Kyra’s shoulder. She could stand, but just barely. Her leg strength had only slightly returned to her, and she felt off balance and weak. Her stomach growled in protest and demanded it be filled.

  Standing there, she noted something odd. They told her she was on a ship, but she didn’t feel the customary sway a ship had, even when anchored. She wondered if this was a side effect of the gas as she worked on putting on the shorts.

  Hadyn spoke to them over his shoulder.

  “Captain said to show her around the ship and get her something to eat. He’ll meet with her back here later.” He must have heard her stomach’s loud roar.

  “Great!” Kyra grabbed Hailey’s arm and pulled her past Hadyn. “Let’s go get you something to eat! I’ll show you around on the way.”

  Hailey couldn’t help but notice that on her right hand she had a woven ring with the skull. Its red eyes seemed to glint at her as the wearer pulled her along. Her legs were not completely steady yet and she stumbled to keep up.

  “Hey, wait a minute!” he exclaimed, but by the time he could lodge his protest, they were already out the cabin door.

  Once outside the cabin, Hailey froze in her tracks. It wasn’t the crew that disturbed her; they looked normal enough. It wasn’t the dark sails or the thick mists that looked almost as if the ship was sailing on them. It was the fact that over the rails, just above the mists, she could see that they were several hundred feet up in the air. The air felt cool as it brushed her cheeks and it stung her lungs slightly with the chill of it. The air seemed almost thinner, light and without the tart salt smell, as she was used to. It was unbelievably refreshing.

  She went to the side rail and looked at the whole of the ocean that stretched out before her. Dawn had just broken, just like when she was standing watch on her father’s mast a few weeks prior. This time the view was much more commanding. On the port horizon, a long land mass poked out of the blue waters.

  Kyra joined her and noted the shocked expression on Hailey’s face. Kyra smiled.

  “Hadyn didn’t tell you we were in the air?”

  Hailey’s face was pale. Quietly, slowly, the words rolled out of her mouth.

  “He said we were on a ship.”

  Kyra chuckled, embraced her new friend’s shoulders, and looked her in the eyes. “It’s a ship of the air, actually. Look up.” Kyra extended one long finger, pointing up, and both of them raised their gazes. Past the black rigging and sail of the ship, they could see a pair of long, dark balloons they were tethered to.

  “What magic is this?” Hailey wondered out loud.

  “No magic, dear. Just science. Leftovers handed down from the days of the original Pirate Queen. Most of the crew are descendants of her original shipmates. I’ll tell you about it later. Come on, I’ll show you around.”

  They passed several deckhands, most of whom looked like ske
letons in clothes, but upon closer inspection they were nothing more than automatons similar to the ones she had seen in the colonial mansion. They had the same dead eyes.

  Each automaton diligently worked on one of the tasks keeping the ship going. It made sense to Hailey, if it wasn’t slightly ironic to her. Hailey noted that there weren’t many humans about on the ship so it would make sense to have the automatons take up the slack. In a way, they really were a skeleton crew. Hailey snickered at the idea.

  The figures ignored Hailey and Kyra as they passed and focused only on their work. Hailey made sure to give them a wide berth. Their eyes still unnerved her.

  Reaching the bow of the ship, Kyra leaned over the rail and pointed out two vents on each side. Thick volumes of mist poured out from each side and obscured them from view below.

  “From below we just look like a cloud.” Kyra grinned at her. They both stood up straight. “Pretty neat, huh?”

  “Yeah.” Hailey looked back over the deck of the ship. Everything looked relatively normal, with the exception of the dark wooden hull and the black sails. On each side of the stern, she could see something sticking up. She pointed at them and asked, “What’s that?”

  “Fins. Like a fish. They help us to steer when we are in the air. Come on, I’ll show you!”

  The ship wasn’t quite as long as the Arrow, nor was it as towering as the Vigilant, but everything she saw about her said that this was a very capable and maneuverable warship, albeit a bit dated.

  Over the rear side rail, they took a closer look at two long planks that ran out from either side, the ends capped with long kite-like shapes. While looking down at them, Hailey could see the occasional breaks of blue snaking through the carpet of mists they rode.