Tales of the Caravan

by J. Avarez

  "She must really be tough then," said Cookie. "Blackbeard's the strongest pirate in the world. I've heard he even eats the hearts of the men he kills."

  "Gross." Sarah stuck her tongue out and poured herself a cup of wine.

  "That may be," said Gizmo. "But we should find this girl as soon we make port," he turned away from Sarah, and looked outside of her den. From the open door, he could see the main deck was empty and silent. Nothing but the sound of waves and seagulls traveled throughout the ship. "And maybe pledge some cooks, some musicians, have this ship look like a real caravan."

  He was right. Jayden's caravan had cooks, shipwrights, and entertainment for the fighters on board. She would be a poor captain to not provide the same.

  "Fair enough," said Sarah. "We'll look for recruits when we make port."

  "And one more thing," said Gizmo. "I think it's time you show us what you took from that Grey. If it's personal I understand, but trust me, you shouldn't keep anything from your caravan. That's the first rule of the Nine Seas."

  Her hand moved toward her pocket, and felt the parchment stuffed within. She didn't want to involve them. They were still strangers to her, and her revenge against Jayden was her own grief to bear. Gizmo did have a point though...a captain should always involve her crew.

  "It wasn't anything useful," said Sarah, she took out the parchment and flattened it over her desk. "The Greys are usually given a drop off, a place to collect their bounty after they've done the deed. I thought I could use it to track Jayden and confront him, but look, it's just a bunch of imp scratches on the page."

  On the parchment were letters crookedly written in swirling black ink. Gizmo placed a hand over the enchanted ink. Though it swirled and looked to be wet, the ink was still dry to the touch. The magical writings were very familiar to the teddy bear.

  "This is Magi stuff. Those bastards…they always hide things in riddles," said Gizmo. He looked at the parchment and read its scratchy text out loud.

  Safest with one

  Doomed with many

  Given to the selfish, never to be shared.

  I can't exist if no one cares.

  What am I?

  "I wonder," Cookie edged her freckled face closer, her eyes narrowed till finally she gasped. "A cute guy! Heh, I wouldn't ever want to share him."

  "Cookie!" Sarah covered her face, and stared at her through the gaps between her fingers. "Please, you're taking it too literally."

  "Sorry," she hung her head and twiddled her thumbs. "I was just trying to help."

  "I know," said Sarah, as she took another sip of wine and grabbed the riddle. "Let's just deal with this at the port, agreed?"

  Cookie and Gizmo both nodded for their captain. They decided it best to prepare for their arrival at Port Ruby. While Cookie left to pack food, Sarah made her way to the front of the ship, and found Kyla staring at her. The dragun let out a soft cry, its green eyes flashed brightly.

  "Cor-Ray." Said Sarah.

  The dragun dipped its head beneath the water, and picked up speed. The ship was being dragged on her back, but it looked to be gliding quickly across the sea. It wasn't long before Sarah could see their destination. The grey dome, which looked like a half grey moon on the horizon. She knew it to be the outer wall that guarded Port Ruby.

  "Oh, I'm so excited!" Cookie exclaimed. She and Gizmo stepped up to the bow of the ship, and stood beside Sarah. "I feel like I'm dreaming. I can't believe I'm finally going to see another island."

  "Yeah," Sarah took a deep breath of sea scented air. A smile stretched across her face...she felt it too. "This is the day they'll write about, the day a woman became a captain."

  "That's right kid," said Gizmo, his paw patted the side of her knee. "This day is yours. Nothing can't stop us n…”

  A massive bump knocked everyone into the front rail of the ship. Two large steel pillars had risen from the water, each standing about forty feet apart. Kyla rose her dazed blue head out of the water. The dragun had swam into one of the pillars with great impact. Sarah was the first to rise from the moist wood floor, her eyes darted between the two pillars.

  "What was that?" Asked Cookie, she stood on her knees and straightened the top of her dress.

  "Those are markers." replied Gizmo, he shook water from his paws and stood straight. "They're beacons that lead ships into the port."

  "I forget that she can't really see," said Sarah. With her right hand, she reached out and massaged Kyla's slippery neck. "It's to the right, Kyla. Feel the pillars, girl, and take your time. It’s okay."

  Kyla let out small cry and stretched her head out. She felt the pillar to the left, and stretched to feel the one to the right. The dragun swam briskly between the two markers and continued forward. New pairs of pillars would rise once Kyla had gotten close enough to them, creating a path toward the dome.

  They looked ahead and saw a cave-like entrance into the grey dome. Kyla continued to swim through and soon they were surrounded in darkness. The pillars continued to rise in front of them. These new markers had bright blue lights attached, which illuminated the path forward. A bright light at the end of the tunnel grew until it became a bright flash.

  The dragun swam out the tunnel and they found themselves outside again. Cookie shook Sarah's shoulders, her blue eyes were wide and darting about. They were near the docks of Port Ruby, underneath the dome ceiling hundreds of feet above them. Sarah hadn't been on the island in two years, so much of it had changed.

  The island was away from the grey dome that surrounded it, and enjoyed the full kiss of the sun. Kyla swam out of the shade of the dome and onto the sunlit water toward the docks. The docks were filled with caravan ships, and were far busier than the docks at Crescent Island. Kyla sensed the warm water and docked perfectly by the boardwalk.

  Sarah was the first to step off the ship and onto the wooden floor. Her eyes found a large white sign by the boardwalk, the blue letters read Welcome to One Blue. Port Ruby was separated into two areas, One Blue and Town Square. One Blue contained dozens of smaller islands connected by short bridges. Town Square was the massive island at the center of Port Ruby, and the home of the Caravan Chancellor.

  There were no roads in One Blue, only canals that cut through the islands and allowed smaller boats to sail through. The islands were filled with homes painted of all colors. Red, green, yellow and pink. The roofs of the buildings were all made of red tiles, and looked like the scales of a red snake. It gave Port Ruby a vibrant look, which earned it the nickname Rainbow Island.

  Sarah was delighted to be on a different island, but she remembered the Chancellor would end deliberations in the afternoon. She looked at her gold pocket watch, and saw that it was almost noon.

  "Damn," she looked up and found Cookie perusing through one of the shops. "Hey, Cookie! Come on, we have to go."

  Sarah quickly found a small boat to take them into Town Square. The man sailing was friendly enough, he sang them a song as he sailed through the canals of One Blue. Cookie held Gizmo near her chest and pointed at several buildings. The oracle happily told them the history of Port Ruby, and how it was just a bunch of palm trees back when he was captain. It wasn't long till the boat reached the massive island at the center of Port Ruby.

  Town Square had become more industrialized than Sarah remembered. The rise of machinery in Darkonia had finally reached its port islands. The massive factories had large funnels, often three or four, which pumped plumes of black smoke into the air. The townhouses were still as colorful as those in One Blue, though they looked much more lavish. The main island was full of motorcars that traveled through the cobblestone streets, it was just a taste of the life that existed in Darkonia.

  "This place is amazing," said Cookie in awe, as they stepped onto the island. "Look at all the metal buildings! I never thought the other islands would be this different."

  "I'm surprised too," Sarah's eyes followed a black motorcar that had just driven past the
m. "Those motorcars were just prototypes before. I can't believe how much things changed in two years."

  "Well save that shock for later, kid." said Gizmo, he jumped off Cookie’s shoulder and pointed at a large building in the distance. "That's the town hall up ahead. We should head there before the Chancellor leaves."

  Hehehehehe. The laughter shifted Sarah's eyes toward the sky. Hehehehehe. The laughter echoed above her, but she couldn't find the source. All she could see were the edges of the red tiled rooftops. She spun around at the sound of a small thud. An imp had dropped down behind Cookie and pulled her red hair.

  "Ow! What the hell?" Cookie spun around and stepped back in shock.

  The imp left her stunned by its grotesque appearance. It was short, with green skin, and a large hooked nose. It wore tattered brown clothes and smelled quite strongly of vinegar. The imp showed Cookie a crooked smile and laughed. Another imp landed on her chest, and snatched the pendant from her neck.

  "My pendant!" She shouted. Cookie chased after it, but was forced to stop. The imp had begun to climb up a green townhouse. "Bring it back, you creep!"

  Sarah bit into her middle nail and drank the black liquid inside. She felt the power of the potion, golem's juice, running through her veins. Her hand closed into a fist and she threw a left punch in front of her. The wall of the townhouse rumbled and formed into a stoned fist. The imp was punched just before it could grab onto the roof, the attack sent it into the red townhouse across the street.

  There was a loud smack, and the imp fell along with a few red bricks. The other imp ran to take the dropped pendant, but felt a blow across its face. With glowing blue eyes, Cookie ran toward the imp and kicked it through a street lamp. A few locals ran away from the black metal pole, which fell across the street and crashed into a parked motorcar.

  "What in the hell is going on here?" shouted a voice.

  An Imperial captain arrived with several of his cadets. The men looked highly formidable, with medals on their white outfits gleaming in the sunlight. The cadets pointed their rifles at Gizmo, who had just stumbled away from the imps.

  "Woah! What's going on fellas? You can put those away," said Gizmo, with his paws up in the air. "I ain't do nothin!"

  "Explain yourself then, oracle," said the Imperial captain. "What happened here, and where's your captain?"

  "I'm his captain." said Sarah, defiantly.

  "I don't have time for games, young lady." The captain failed to even look in her direction.

  "It's not a game," said Cookie, angrily. She picked up her necklace and pointed at the unconscious imps. "Those little creeps tried to take my pendant, and my captain stopped them."

  The captain turned his eyes toward Sarah and then up at the buildings. He surveyed the damage more closely. The stone fist protruding out of the green townhouse, the cracked wall from the townhouse across, and the broken streetlamp blocking the street. The man's anger seemed to slowly grow as he turned his eyes back toward Sarah.

  "You did all of this?" Asked the captain.

  "Sir." Said a cadet softly. Sarah didn't hear the cadet, and neither did his captain.

  She sneered at the man and shouted. "I couldn't let them get away."

  "Sir." Said the cadet again.

  The captain ignored the cadet and approached Sarah. His eyebrows were clenched, and his face went red with rage. "You should have asked for assistance. This is Imperial territory. You can't just go causing a rampage in the streets!"

  "Sir!" The cadet shouted.

  "What is it?!" The captain barked back.

  The cadet trembled and pointed over his captain’s shoulder. "Up there, sir. There's something over the wall."

  Sarah turned her head with the captain, both of their eyes went wide. Up in the air was a giant, black, war balloon, slowly flying over the dome wall. Underneath the balloon was a massive pirate ship, with black cannons mounted along its sides.

  "What in the hell is that?" The captain whispered.

  Sarah saw the symbol of a jolly roger painted on the side of the balloon. She had seen the symbol before, a blazing skull with crossbones underneath. The flying pirate ship continued to float slowly toward Port Ruby. One of the cannons fired as the ship approached, and demolished a townhouse in a fiery explosion.

  She knew who had arrived to cause trouble in Port Ruby, her teeth and fists clenched at the sight of his presence. "Blackbeard."

  Chapter 6 The Lost Prince

  "They said no, didn't they?" Asked Mr. Black.

  Charlotte walked into her mother's townhouse, and found her father sitting at a desk in his workshop. His shaggy auburn hair was messier than usual. He combed it back to get a better look at his daughter. Her eyes lowered as she fumed through her nose. Her father chuckled and tossed her a bottle of rum.

  "Don't feel bad," his eyes went back to the book in front of him. "They’ve never let a woman become captain."

  Charlotte took a seat across from her father, her eyes darted over all the opened books he had laid across the desk. "I thought my fight with Blackbeard would've earned me some respect."

  "It wasn't a fight," said Mr. Black, he looked at her over his moon glasses. "You punched him and zipped off the way you always do. Don't look at me like that! I'm not saying you're not tough. I'm just saying, let's keep things in perspective. Maybe they said no because of...well you know, your preferences."

  She had told him a few months ago. The truth had traveled throughout Port Ruby, but his passiveness still annoyed her.

  "You can say I like girls," she shook her head and took a swig of rum. "You don't have to be weird about it. Besides, even if I laid with the Chancellor I'd have gotten the same result."

  "Sorry, it's just...I'm still getting used to it that's all," he gave her a kind smile and placed his hand over hers. "The Royals hate what they don’t understand. I would die if you had to suffer for being who you are, but you're right. I don't know what's going on with those pricks in Darkonia. The emperor just feels men are better suited for the seas, I suppose."

  "It's just bullshit. I'm better than most of those dumbasses they let become captain," she took another sip and passed the bottle back. "Some of them are even committing piracy in secret, you know it's true."

  "I do," Mr. Black nodded, and poured himself a glass of rum. "To be honest, I don't trust most captains out there, but this isn't about them. You're an agitator, Charlotte. You want to change how this world sees you, and I love you for that. The problem is you don't work well with others."

  As much as she hated to admit it, she knew her father had spoken the truth. She was never one to be in a group, her trust just wasn't there. She wasn't opposed to others because she wanted to be, she just never saw the good in anyone. Trust had slowly became something she had little of, but wanted so desperately. Other than her father, everyone had wanted something from her throughout her life. Her wits. Her diamonds. Her Secreto.

  They wanted everything but her friendship. No one had ever asked her for that...and perhaps no one ever would.

  "What are you doing here anyway?" She asked, desperate to forget the Chancellor's rejection.

  "Research," said Mr. Black, tapping his hands against the books as if they were drums. "The cadets came knocking earlier today. They passed everyone on the island one of these."

  He handed her a flyer pinned underneath one of the books. Missing Prince was written over the silhouette of a man, with a question mark over his face. However, it was the words underneath the picture that made her eyes widen, Reward 10,000G.

  "Ten thousand gold diamonds?" She let out a breathless chuckle. "That's crazy. I didn't even know the emperor was married."

  "Me neither," Mr. Black coughed after drinking a gulp of rum too quickly. "Damn that's strong…anyway, they have word he's on one of the islands in the Red Sea. They found the nurse that took him as a child, she confessed under truth's tonic. They all thought the boy died at birth, seems like it was all a bi
g conspiracy."

  "And you think you're going to find him?" Her eyes were low, and her lips curved toward the side of her face.

  "The nurse has demagia," replied Mr. Black. "You know how harmful that illness can be to the brain. She doesn't remember who she handed the baby off to, all she knows is that he was brought to the Red Sea. The prince can be anyone!"

  "Maybe it's you," Said Charlotte, playfully. "You were always too lazy to clean up after yourself. Sounds like a spoiled prince to me."

  "Yeah, I'm useless without your mother," he turned and smiled at a portrait of Mrs. Black by the front door. "She would've been proud of you for trying, you know? I don't want you to get discouraged. If you really want to be in a caravan, you should try getting others to pledge with you."