Chronicles of the Dragon Pirate

by David Talon

  Andre began shuddering like a sailor ready to spew a bellyful of wine, and I rubbed my palms on my trousers before holding out my left hand close to Andre’s face.

  I snatched my hand back as a black vine thick as two fingers came out of Andre’s mouth. Its surface shone with a wet blackness, and all along it were tendrils like white worms, writhing like they were alive. Master Khan’s voice was sharp. “It will not hurt you,” he said, his wrinkled hand pointing at the thing as Andre struggled to breathe. Seeing the young Buccan’s distress I reached back out and grasped the vine at its end.

  It was slimy to the touch, and for a moment I feared I couldn’t hold onto it. But then the white tendrils wrapped themselves around my fingers. I jerked on it in revulsion and more of the vine came out, the Buccan holding onto Andre’s limbs staring at it in horror. “Easy,” Pepper said from my right side, Redbeard keeping his distance behind her. I noticed everyone else had begun to edge away. “Pull gently, and once it’s out and dead I’ll help you peel the tendrils off.” I nodded, not trusting myself to speak as the white tendrils lashed my entire hand to the vine. Pepper leaned in to whisper in my ear. “You’re the bravest man aboard the Davy for doing this.”

  Looking into Pepper’s deep blue eyes, I decided I wasn’t going to do anything to change her opinion and settled down, pulling more of the vine out as I eased myself off the table. Master Khan gestured for Luc to take both of Andre’s hands then for Samuel to trade places. “Just below the vine’s head are two long tendrils, yes? When you see them, hold the vine there with a firm grip and cut off the head.”

  Giving Master Khan a hesitant nod, Samuel took his place next to Andre’s head, Samuel’s left hand free while his right held a cleaver. The metal glinted in the harsh light of the dragon-globe overhead. I took a step back as more of the vine came out, its writhing tendrils all along its surface dripping fluid, and I realized the thing was going to be closer to six feet than four as Andre gagged while his body began to jerk.

  I stepped back again as another foot of vine came out of Andre’s mouth, along with two thick tendrils. They were as long as my hand and lashing madly. “Grasp it, grasp it,” Master Khan called out to Samuel, who began to reach for the vine.

  Suddenly the two tendrils pushed against Andre’s face and Samuel hesitated while the head came out of Andre’s mouth. It resembled a flower with white petals ending in hooked, cruel-looking barbs, and red, threadlike tendrils no longer than my forefinger in the center of its face. The head reared back like a serpent and hissed as the petals came together. Samuel snatched his hand away and the petals reopened, striking towards Lucky Luc, whose arm was close.

  I yanked the vine back. The head of the Black Strangler smacked the edge of the table then the deck as the Buccan let go of Andre and scrambled to get out of the way, Andre rolling onto his belly to spew everything remaining inside it over the edge of the table. At once the vine slithered towards my feet. I yanked it away again as if I held a poisonous snake I couldn’t release, Redbeard grabbing Pepper and hauling her back as everyone began shouting. A dozen different people yelled for me to do a dozen different things as I danced away from the striking head and wrenched it back again. Its head hit the grey-wood planks and slithered towards me once more.

  Then the captain’s voice cut through the chaos. “Tomas, turn and crack it like a whip.”

  I obeyed without thought, turning towards his voice as I snapped the vine like it was a leather whip. Captain Hawkins held a white sword in both hands and as the head came at him he pivoted and slashed upwards. The head flew off and slid towards the galley, where the Admiral and Terence with the manacles on his ankles stood watching. It slid to a halt near their feet, hissing one last time as the barbed petals opened and closed, slower and slower as it died.

  I was gasping like I’d just run a race as the black vine went limp in my hand, though the white tendrils held on in a virtual death-grip. Captain Hawkins looked at me and I gasped, “Thank you, sir.”

  He gave me a sardonic smile. “I was going to have you bring us something to eat, but the men on the morning watch informed me you were otherwise occupied.” He saw me staring at the sword and held it out. The blade looked like old bone, so slender and delicate looking it seemed a single blow would shatter it into pieces. Carved into the yellow-white blade were red glyphs of some unknown language, not Chinese symbols like the ones on the coin Belle-M’ere had given me but totally strange, running up and down its length. The hilt looked more normal, with its two-handed grip bound in black, worn leather, and an Artifact blade-guard carved to look like flower petals, curving upwards to catch an enemy’s blade. “The ghost who haunts my ship owned this blade,” he said, his gaze holding mine, “and now it belongs to me. Am I clear?” I nodded to show I understood and he pointed with the tip of the sword at the vine stuck to my hand. “Get that off your hand then bring me food for two in my cabin.”

  He sheathed the sword with a click into lacquered black wood as Master Khan said, “Honorable captain, if you could spare him I could use his skills to help me begin making the mixture.”

  “I thought you still lacked an herb or two.”

  “This morning the goblin reminded me of a chest I left in his safekeeping fifteen years ago, and had quite forgotten about, yes? Along with a gift I have for Pepper, I found a small box containing a dozen pieces of dried fruit from the goblin-heart tree. The age of the other herbs does not matter, but the fresher the Black Strangler the more potent the mixture.”

  From the spot where Redbeard had pulled Pepper away Sally said from beside them, “Sally bring you food. Want talk with woman from,” and she carefully pronounced, “Venice.”

  “As you will,” Captain Hawkins replied, and Sally headed towards the galley with her rolling gait, the golden braid swinging behind her as the captain turned towards Master Khan. “Send Tomas back to me when you’re finished, unless you need him for something else.” Master Khan agreed and the captain left.

  Pepper’s red-haired braid swung in the same manner as Sally’s as she strode back over to me, the crowd breaking up as Curly called out, “Hoy, Pepper, stroke the Prince-o-the-pirate’s vine and see if it comes back to life.”

  “Let me cut the plant from his hand first,” she shot back, the men laughing and throwing cat-calls at Curly as Pepper touched my shoulder. “Come back to the table where the light’s better.”

  We walked together to the stout wooden table. Andre was off the table now, kneeling on the deck in a shadowed area beside the wall separating the crew’s hold from the main one, and all the Buccan seemed to be kneeling with him. Samuel was moving his doctor tools from the deck where he’d evidently laid them back onto the table, and he gestured for me to join him. “Bring that vine over here and I’ll have it off in a thrice.”

  “There’s no need,” I replied. “Pepper’s going to take care of it.”

  Samuel glared at me. “Are you saying I’m not competent to remove it? I’ll have you know I’ve been a skilled surgeon longer than you’ve been alive.”

  “I meant no disrespect,” I said quickly, taken aback. “It’s just that Pepper said she’d take it off...”

  “Samuel will do a better job than I will,” Pepper said, patting my shoulder as she turned towards the galley where Sally was ladling out two bowls of porridge. “I need to translate for Sally anyway, if she truly wants to understand the courtesan.”

  “But they both speak English,” I said, Pepper giving me an exasperated look before she walked away, her braid swinging in time to the sway of her hips. I turned back to Samuel and Master Khan, who’d joined us. “Why do my wits seem to scatter to the four winds when she’s around?”

  Samuel chuckled as Master Khan smiled. “This is something you must learn to live with, yes? Come, let the honorable doctor remove the vine.”

  Samuel had me lay face up on the table so he could work on the hand easier, and in truth I was soon glad he
was the one removing it and no one else. The white tendrils had oozed some sort of clear sap, which had hardened and was now stuck to my skin, so Samuel used a pair of tongs to lift each tendril and cut it away with a small Artifact knife from the hardened sap, which remained on my skin.

  Midway through I caught the stink of rotten leather and turned my head as Andre came up on my right side, the other Buccan forming a semi-circle around him. Andre put a painfully thin hand on my shoulder. “My friends want me to eat something, but first I wanted to thank you for pulling that creature out of me.”

  “Any of us would’ve done it,” Lucky Luc said, “but Master Khan asked him first.”

  I had serious doubts about that but held my tongue, saying instead, “Should you be on your feet? Jade, is he alright?”

  “There is some slight bleeding inside,” Jade’s voice answered from beside me. “Would you like me to heal it?”

  “No,” Andre said before I could speak. “A Buccan is either tougher than adversity or dead,” he said, the other Buccan around him agreeing in English and the rest in French as a short man with a beard like a black thicket translated. I heard several comments in French about Jade being a daemon, and Andre turned his head. “She is not a daemon at all and neither is Tomas. The natives of Big Bluff have a Dragon of their own, and I spent time with him discussing the nature of dragon-ghosts.” He gave Lucky Luc a direct look. “You must learn to understand them before you condemn them.”

  From the expression on his face Lucky Luc seemed to be struggling with the idea, answering Andre in French despite his previous speech. “Then you must teach us what you know...although I doubt you’ll ever change our minds.”

  “You might be surprised. But if naught else, I’ll make you change your mind about me.” He held out his hand and Lucky Luc clasped it with his own, as the rest of the Buccan moved so the two were blocked from view by the rest of the crew. “I’m going to show you how much I’ve changed: I promise there will be no one else, you’ll see.”

  “Yes, we will,” Lucky Luc responded. I was embarrassed to hear such speech from two men, but I kept my face impassive as he looked down at me, returning to English as he spoke. “You were very brave today,” Lucky Luc’s face becoming calculating. “I’ve heard talk that your foster-mother was Huguenot.”

  “I’m Dragon-sworn to the captain,” I answered quickly. “Anyway, I’m betrothed to Pepper, and I would never share her with anyone, as I’ve heard the Buccan do.”

  Andre asked, “Ze redheaded girl who dresses as a boy?” I nodded and his face became thoughtful. “This Pepper...do you love her?”

  I had no idea where to even begin answering his question. “I’m... working on it,” I finally said. Andre gave me a skeptical look so I added, “Maybe I don’t love her yet but I like her a lot, and I scarcely know her.”

  “Their betrothal is complicated, yes?” Master Khan said from behind me. “But from what I have observed about Tomas, he is not suited for the Buccan life as you are.”

  Lucky Luc smiled as he released Andre’s hand. “Not many are. Still,” his gaze taking me in, “I am not as ill-disposed towards you as I was. Come,” and he led the Buccan towards the galley.

  After they’d left I looked up at the other two. “I suppose that’s something.”

  Samuel seemed to be in better spirits than before as he chuckled. “Take your blessings where you find them.” He peeled the rest of the tendrils from my hand, and as I flexed my fingers, asked, “How does your hand feel?”

  “Sticky,” I replied as I pried two of my fingers apart where they’d been stuck at the knuckle.

  “Saltwater is the answer, yes?” Master Khan motioned towards the ship’s bow. “There is a ladder made of rope on the side nearest the village; climb down it and wash your hand in the sea.”

  As I sat up I gave him a skeptical look. “Won’t the water be too deep?”

  “The ship’s got a shallow draft,” Samuel answered, “so the captain anchors it close to the shore, especially since Jade can push us off if we get stuck, now that she’s got your strength. You’ll have no problem standing, although you may want to remove your shirt first.”

  I took off my fancy shirt and gave it to Master Khan when he held his hand out. “You will find me the moment you are done, so we can begin making Pepper’s mixture, yes?”

  “I’ll return straightaway,” I answered, and moved through the crew’s living area towards the hatch. At once I realized I should’ve followed the open passage-like space around the square posts and small wooden dividing walls I hadn’t noticed before, but stubbornness took hold and I made myself keep going. There were eyes upon me as I moved deeper in, and the Mulatto’s men stared at me with dark looks as I passed beside them while the Mulatto himself gave me a knowing smile.

  Passing them I came to the area Master Le’Vass’s Frenchmen occupied, with the quartermaster sitting on a wooden chair among them. My resolution faltered when I realized I’d have to pass among them, and I turned to move back towards the open passage. But Master Le’Vass beckoned for me forward. “You have naught to fear, Tomas. Pass through.” I touched my forehead with two fingers in a gesture of respect, which he acknowledged with an elegant nod, but I noted, from the corner of my eye, the intense look he gave me as I went by, as did most of the other Frenchmen.

  But the tall Frenchman Claude gave me a smile and a respectful nod, both of which I returned as I passed through them into the area the Africans held, near the stairs leading up. They were friendly to a man, bidding me welcome as several catcalled me good-naturedly about Pepper bringing my vine back to life on our betrothal night. Not knowing how to respond I gave them a sheepish grin and they laughed as Ezekiel gestured to a wooden crate next to the one he sat upon. “Can you sit, or does de captain got you running?”

  “It’s Master Khan,” I answered, wishing I could sit. “I need to get this vine sap off my hand then help him help Pepper.”

  That sobered their mood, Ezekiel giving me a shrewd look. “I tell you true, I not be grabbing dat thing for a fistful of Reales.” The others added their agreement as he said, “You keep de weather eye out when you alone, hey?”

  Jade’s voice made most of them jump. “He is rarely alone, but I appreciate the sentiment.”

  I gave them a wry smile and a shrug. “I’d sit for a time if I could,” I said, Ezekiel making me promise I’d do just that sometime soon before letting me move on. I reached the stairs and started up.

  I lifted the hatch easily and closed it behind me as I stepped out onto the deck, the warm rain still coming down in great sheets. I walked at an angle towards the starboard side, where two crewmen were helping a pregnant African woman onto the deck while another African woman and a native one waited. Several African men stood beside them. They wore woven clothes of some native fiber, dyed in bright blues and reds, the men in loose fitting trousers while the women wore shirts and skirts. They also wore wide brimmed woven hats, which looked silly to my eyes but seemed to help keep off the rain. The women remained silent but the men bantered back and forth with the two crewmen in a friendly way...but I noticed each of the men wore a long knife at his side.

  Once the pregnant woman was standing on the deck another African man came up behind her, and the entire group walked together towards the crew’s hold. I gave them a wide berth and sloshed over to where the two men stood. Both were dressed in trousers and no shirt, though both carried a cutlass and a long knife at their hip. “Hoy, Tomas,” the shorter one, a stocky man with a beard like a thicket and black hair, called out. “Have you come to relieve us?” I shook my head and explained what had happened, ending with needing to wash my hand in the sea. When I finished he shook his head. “If that don’t beat all. The bloody sodomites put on a mummer’s show in the hold and we’re walking the deck like a pair of drowned rats. Life bloody well ain’t fair!”

  The tall one, only a few years older than I was and cle
an shaven with a lean frame, only snorted. “The life of a free sailor is one long fair, filled with mummer shows now that yon Tomas is safely among us. You’ll see more than your fair share, I promise you.”

  The shorter one looked up at him with a sour expression. “Just so I ain’t dancing the hempen jig at the end o’ the day.”

  “Ah, go on with you, worrying about being hung.” The tall man grinned. “We’re far more likely to be hacked to death or blown apart into tiny pieces.”

  “Oh, you’re a bloody comfort.” The shorter man hooked a thumb towards the side of the ship. “Go soak your hand in the sea, lad; it’s only waist deep.”

  “That shallow?” I said.

  The taller man answered. “The captain beached the Davy so the natives would have an easier time getting aboard, since he knows Jade will push us off when we need to leave, thanks to you.” Suddenly, he stuck out a wet hand. “Thomas Tew, at your service.”

  I shook it with a firm grip as the shorter man said, “And I’m Black-leg Bart.”

  “He’s been called that ever since the quartermaster on our old ship told him to ‘show a leg’, since we were in port and had women aboard sharing our hammocks, and he exposed the nastiest limb the man had ever seen. He yelled, ‘Bart, get those black legs of yours moving’, and he’s been called that ever since.”

  “They ain’t black no more after this downpour,” Bart grumbled. “I swear Master Walters saw the rain coming and stuck me out here deliberately, the blind drunk pisspot.”

  “It has improved your smell,” Thomas said cheerfully. “Come, let’s walk the ship. The watch will go faster, I promise you.”