by David Talon
“She’s amused,” Pepper said. “I don’t think they bow that way in China, but she’s giving you a slight bow in return...now she’s looking at me.” Pepper placed the cup on the packed sand and scrambled to her feet, bowing to the empty ship in a formal way, with her hands folded together as if in prayer. When she rose back up, Pepper said, “I think I pleased her. Long-Mu gave me the slight bow back, and her face looks...kind.”
Selene spoke in a very neutral tone. “If she approves of the match between you and her son, then the return gesture of respect is also traditional.” Her voice became wary. “What does the lady do now?”
“She’s turned back towards the hill with her stern expression. Captain, I’ve never seen her like this: it’s like she’s on guard against something or someone on Big Bluff. Jade’s with her and the six little ones as well, along with other wild dragon-ghosts...they’re swirling around her...their colors... so beautiful.”
“Pepper,” Captain Hawkins said sharply, “attend me.” When she didn’t answer, her attention still fixed on the bow, he said, “Tomas bring her back now.”
I took her by the shoulders and lightly shook her. “Pepper, look at me.” Her gaze remained fixed on the bow as she began mouthing words instead of speaking, so I took her by the chin and gently turned her head so she’d look at me. Pepper gave me back a vacant stare. I felt a stab of fear and, not knowing what else to do, kissed her on the mouth.
Pepper reared back. “That certainly got Smoke’s attention.” A contrite look came upon her face as she looked past me towards the captain. “Kyrie eleyson, I did it again, didn’t I?”
“Tomas, feed her some wine.” I got Pepper sitting down with her back to the sea and gave her the wooden cup which she drank from as the captain continued. “When Pepper begins looking at the spirits she sees instead of ignoring them, at times she gets lost.”
“Their world becomes more real to me than ours does,” she said, holding the wine cup with both hands.
Captain Hawkins fixed me with a stern look. “It is now your responsibility to keep her solidly in this world...are we clear?” I nodded and he took the goblet from Selene as he asked her, “You told me you know a few things about Long-Mu?”
“From Bartholomew,” Selene answered, “or rather, from his grandfather. About eighty years ago Pope Paul the third of that name raised a fleet to attack the Turks, who were expanding their empire. It was an alliance that included Venice among others, but the battle ended in our defeat. According to Bartholomew’s grandfather it would have been a rout, save for the Dragons of the Venetian navy and three Chinese warships on a trading mission. They had been attacked by Barbary corsairs several times and were in the mood for revenge. Unfortunately, the admiral in charge did not believe in using Dragons, relying on his massive cannons instead, so all the Dragons were kept in reserve. The wind deserted the alliance, stranding their big guns, while the Turks ran circles around them using Artifact weaponry and golems.”
“Not using Dragons doesn’t make any sense,” I said.
“Now, it does not,” Selene said, “but you have to understand how much things have changed. The pope was against the idea of using Dragons at all, except within approved religious orders of course, and the man in charge felt the same. So when the dragon-spirits of the Turks began setting off the powder magazines of the alliance, they did not have the means to stop the destruction.
“But Long-Mu did. Bartholomew’s grandfather...his name was Bartholomew as well, said she had almost as many Dragons on her ships as the Turks did, and when the admiral called for a retreat, he finally allowed the Dragons to defend the fleet. When he saw Long-Mu in action he realized the alliance could have won the battle if he’d used their help in the beginning, and said as much to the pope when he reported back to his Holiness. Pope Paul, in turn, granted Long-Mu a private audience. What they spoke of was said in confidence, but later that year he issued a papal bull calling for the recognition of Dragons as children of God, and allowing them the sacraments under the same conditions as everyone else.”
“Someone must’ve forgotten to tell our parish priest,” I said half-jokingly. In St. Augustine I’d been denied entrance to the church and only got communion once a year, when the priests and brothers of Draco Magistris came to renew my license.
Pepper had a serious look on her face as she put her hand on my arm. “I would’ve ended up like Victoria if it hadn’t been for my faith in God. Every time things would get to where I couldn’t go on, I’d recite the Office or one of the psalms I’d memorized, and somehow find the strength to keep enough of myself together to endure another day.”
She broke off as we saw someone coming towards us from the noisy festival still going on and turned towards him, Captain Hawkins spinning around with his back to the sea. “Jean, is aught amiss?”
“All is well, Mon captain,” he said, his eyes wine-bright as sweat glistened on his forehead. “But since you have released your prisoner from your cabin for ze night, I thought I would ask her for ze pleasure of a dance.”
Selene had also turned around as I saw the captain’s eyes narrow. “We were engaged in a discussion...”
“Surely that can wait,” he said, interrupting, the quartermaster’s mouth smiling while his eyes remained hard. “Pleasure must be taken where it is found.”
“Might I offer a suggestion,” Selene said quickly. “Dance is a pleasure that must be taught, and I suspect neither Tomas or his betrothed have had the benefit of learning the Courante or one of its variations.” She looked at me and I shook my head, as did Pepper. “Jean, the Mirror dance was popular when you were a member of the court of Anjou. Do you still remember it?”
“How could I ever forget,” Master Le’Vass answered. “Twelve-fingered Harry knows ze proper music, and ze others will pick it up.”
“Then I would suggest you pair up with Pepper while I pair with Tomas. I can teach the basic steps while you lead the dancers,” she turned towards Captain Hawkins, “if that meets with your approval?”
A wry smile touched his lips. “Put so eloquently, how could I refuse?” He got to his feet and helped Selene get to hers as Pepper and I quickly scrambled up. “Lead on, Jean, and we will follow.”
He held out his hand to Selene in the manner a nobleman would to his lady, and Selene took it with elegant grace. Master Le’Vass gave the captain a sardonic smile of his own and started towards the fires while I held out my hand to Pepper in the same manner the captain had to Selene. Pepper gave me an amused look but took it in the same elegant way, the pair of us following the others as Pepper put her lips next to my ear. “I’m sorry I let myself get distracted,” she whispered. “It hasn’t happened in a while.”
I was coming to realize I still had a lot to learn about Pepper as I whispered back, “At least I know the best way to bring you back.”
She suppressed a giggle. “Smoke pulled me away so fast I lost where I was for a moment. Tomas, I promise you lively nights after we’re betrothed.”
I gave her a suspicious look. “Meaning what?”
“Meaning you’ll...”
“Figure it out,” we said together. Pepper giggled as I shook my head, Selene glancing back at us a moment before looking forward again as we reached the edge of the festival.
Twelve-fingered Harry was speaking with the brown haired man I’d seen playing with the drummers earlier, along with an older man whose brown hair was turning grey, who held their pipes in their hands. Three African men of the village spoke among themselves over their drums, hollowed out pieces of wood brightly colored in blues and reds, but all of them stopped talking as Master Le’Vass stepped into the center near one of the largest fires and raised his arms. “Gentle men and noble ladies,” he called out, “I beg your indulgence for a moment.” Catcalls came back at him from the crew, but Master Le’Vass only laughed. “Au contraire, messirs; since all lands must have a noble class, whom ze lower order
s look up to with envy, who better than ze crew of ze Blackjack Davy and ze free people of Haven?”
A speculative mutter swept the crew as Master Le’Vass made an elegant gesture towards the crew with his hand. “Sailors all over ze New World and ze Olde have heard of us, envying our exploits but more our freedom as they toil under their master’s lash, and who does not think any one of them would not give up everything they own for ze chance to be exactly where you are now? Speaking of masters,” gesturing towards the villagers of Haven, “how many of your brothers and sisters would not do ze same? How many, sleeping in their beds this night under ze same moon we are gathered under, would not envy all of us together here as friends?”
A roar of drunken approval met his words, and after a moment Master Le’Vass raised his hands again for quiet. “So, since we are ze new nobility of ze New World, I have prepared an entertainment suitable for such noble company. Mistress Selene has been granted a night of freedom by ze captain, and she has agreed to teach ze young Dragon and our petite Pepper a version of ze Italian Courante, known as ze Mirror dance.”
A speculative murmur swept the crowd as Selene stepped forward. “The Mirror dance is designed for groups of two couples, so if anyone else cares to learn we need at least four dancers.”
Several catcalls from the crew made Selene flush, but Jeremiah was already on his feet. “Someone will have to show Tomas how it’s supposed to be done,” he called out.
“Sounds like a challenge to the Prince-o-the-pirates,” Curly catcalled.
“Not unless Tomas gained a sense of rhythm while I was away,” Jeremiah catcalled back as his eyes swept the crowd. “Maria, care to join me?”
A young woman of half-Spanish and half-African origin, with high cheek bones and dark, liquid eyes stepped out from a group of women. Unlike most of the others, she wore a green dress from Europe that left her shoulders bare. “It’s just a good thing you asked, Jeremiah,” giving him a wild grin, “or I would’ve made you suffer for it.”
Jeremiah extended his hand to her, whispering something in her ear that made her laugh as Sally walked up beside Pepper. “Sally want dance too.”
“I can be partnering her,” Redbeard said as he got to his feet. “I be dancing the Courante a time or two in me youth.”
“A dancing bear and a talking monkey,” Whistling John catcalled. Much of the crew gave him a dark look, and he blanched as Redbeard strode over with the darkest look of all. “Wait, I didn’t mean to insult Sally, I swear it!”
Redbeard grabbed Whistling John by the shoulder and hauled him to his feet. “I be thinking you should join us. Bess,” he called out, “bring your delicate self out here.” An enormous African woman twice Whistling John’s size, wearing a bright red native dress, stepped out of the crowd and smiled at him with a mouth full of rotted teeth. Whistling John looked up at Redbeard in horror, and the enormous Scotsman returned him an evil grin. “I be thinking you’ll make a handsome couple.”
Whistling John looked to the Mulatto for help, but his master’s attention was clearly focused on us as the Mulatto called out, “Captain Hawkins, you still know important people in London. Do they dance the Courante?”
“It was falling out of fashion the last time I was there,” the captain answered. “But if you can dance the Courante then you can dance whatever happens to be in style. It isn’t just a matter of having money in London: you’ve got to have the social graces too, if you want to be accepted, and that means knowing how to dance.”
Captain Hawkins and the Mulatto looked at each other in what I knew was perfect understanding as the Mulatto smiled. “Then I will learn to dance the Courante.” Getting to his feet, his eyes swept the women of Haven. “Who will dance with the Mulatto?”
“I will,” a woman’s voice answered. A moment later she was on her feet approaching the Mulatto, a tall African with a large frame but strong, not fat, with short hair and a mouth of teeth like sea-pearls, wearing a native dress of yellow. “My former master taught me the Courante, for he liked us to dance it before he danced with me a different way.” Her smile turned saucy. “I’ll dance with you all night, if you wish.”
The Mulatto’s smile turned hungry. “Does my face frighten you?”
“Does my boldness frighten you?” The Mulatto chuckled and held out his hand, the woman striding over to take it as he looked at Whistling John and head-motioned towards Bess. Whistling John grimaced and tentatively held out his hand. The woman swept over to him like a force of nature and seized his hand, pulling him along as they joined the other couples now standing near the musicians.
Then Thomas Tew stood up. “I’m always cheered to try something new,” his eyes sweeping the women before he ambled over to a black haired, fair skinned woman wearing an off-white native dress, who seemed the offspring of a European man and a native woman. She would’ve been comely save for a badly broken nose never properly set, but that didn’t seem to bother Thomas as he stopped in front of her and bowed. “Madonna of the island, would you give me the pleasure of dancing with me?”
“If you wish,” she said in a wary voice, the woman letting him take her by the hand and lead her back to us.
“You need one more couple, then,” Claude called out. He was sitting at another fire with several of the villagers, his arm around a lean woman with short black hair. Her skin was dark as the night sky without stars, and she wore a blood red native dress cut to let her freely move as Claude whispered in her ear. She grinned at him and the two of them rose together then walked over to us.
The African woman strode like I imagined Athena the Huntress of Greek legend would, and as they came close I blurted out, “You move like a panther.”
She gave me a quizzical look. “What is this panther?” I explained about the hunting cat Dancing Bear and others of the Timucua had told me of, but I’d never seen, and she grasped Claude by the arm. “Call me Panther now: I like that name.” She looked back at me. “I was a hunter in my village, better than the men, and when the slavers came the men remembered...so I was sold. But when we stopped near an island, I made one of the guards think I would spread my legs for him and he unshackled me. I took his knife, cut his throat, and escaped over the side.” She was a tall woman, of equal height with me and only slightly shorter than Claude, who she turned to with a fierce look. “I have claimed this man while your ship is docked here. Claude will teach me to shoot and give me a strong child, who I will teach to hunt and to shoot, thus keeping the circle complete.”
“I will certainly do my part,” Claude told her with a smile.
“Now that we are assembled,” Selene said, “I will teach you the steps of the dance.” She spent time teaching us the moves as Twelve-fingered Harry taught the other musicians the tune. It was a strange way to dance. I’d never been allowed to dance back in St. Augustine, but I’d watched others dance their Spanish country dances at festivals, the steps simple and the tempo fast. But the Courante involved bobbing steps done in an intricate fashion and moves everyone had to do together. We must’ve looked as foolish as I felt, judging from the catcalls we got when someone badly missed a move, but Selene gently encouraged us and we persevered on.
But then, like a group of singers out of tune with each other who suddenly blend their voices, we began to dance in harmony. The men on one side and the women on the other, up then back again, each group of two couples holding their right hands up to the other three as they moved left, and then left hands up as they moved right again, a last up and back again, and finally all in a line once more.
At the end of the first set came the mirror. Master Le’Vass had been playful with Pepper, making grotesque faces or humorous moves which Pepper had to mirror, then I had to make and Selene in turn, until Panther as the last made the final move and Claude faced the other dancers across the lines to clap twice, which signaled the next set. But now, Master Le’Vass made an elegant bow to Pepper who returned it, everyone bowing
down the line until we began the next set, all of us in time with each other as we continued.
And a strange thing began to happen. Around us the laughter and the catcalls died down as the crew and the villagers began to truly watch us, each man and woman dressed in stolen finery or simple clothes, barefoot or in boots, dancing the Courante on the hard packed sand as the warm light of the bonfires made our shadows dance along with us, the ragged nobility of the New World with no titles to our names except for one: free men and free women, all.
Finally, Master Le’Vass signaled Twelve-fingered Harry, who nodded as he continued playing, and when Master Le’Vass bowed he remained that way, Pepper doing the same and on down the line until all of the dancers were locked in a mirror bow with each other. The music swelled to a crescendo... and then ended.
Applause and good-natured catcalls erupted from the crowd around us as we straightened, smiling at each other as Master Le’Vass gallantly kissed Pepper’s hand. So of course I had to do the same for Selene, who dropped me a deep curtsey as Pepper frowned, her hands on her hips as she gave me a dark look. But she smiled again as I came to her in the bobbing steps of the Courante, Jeremiah and Maria joining us as Selene moved to speak with Master Le’Vass. Jeremiah stood beside me as if we were doing the mirror part again, flapping his arms like a chicken would, and Pepper and I began laughing as Maria flapped her arms back at him while the applause died amid laughter and talking.
But one pair of hands continued clapping. I realized it was coming from the darkness beyond the fires and grabbed Jeremiah’s arm, the laughter from the other three dying as they heard it too. Jeremiah and Maria pointed it out to Master Le’Vass as Pepper did the same to Redbeard, who stood with Sally and several others, while I sought out the captain. He was watching Selene with a dark expression, which he turned on me as I drew close. “Sir,” I quickly said, “listen. There’s someone out there.”
He cocked an ear and his expression changed. “Stay beside me,” he said curtly. I nodded as Master Le’Vass turned towards the darkness and Sally put her hands to her lips, giving out a piercing whistle. All laughter and conversation stopped.