by J. Avarez
"I should have knocked Drake in his face." Said Sarah, with her fists clenched by her hips.
"What use would that have done?" Asked Merla, blowing a puff of smoke into the air. "Believe me, girl, the emperor would have found a way to stop you regardless."
Sarah stepped back inside Merla's office, a small room, but efficient for the many private dealings she would have under the empire’s nose. To her left she could see a portrait of Davy Jones riding a water dragon. His Secreto gave him control of the dragons, an ability which compelled the emperor to hunt him so desperately. Sarah wondered often what Jones was like, but Merla hadn't made it a habit to talk of him much.
Sarah bit her nail and drank some of the merwater from it. She sat on a chair to the side of Merla's desk and watched her sift through papers. The lounge owner was hard at work, going through protocols to find a loophole in Sarah's termination. To keep herself occupied, Sarah pulled two crystal glasses filled with water toward her.
"I just don't understand it," said Sarah, swiping her hand back and forth. The potion allowed her to toss the water out of one cup and into another. "We caught Blackbeard like they wanted, so what's the issue?"
"The issue is you, darling," replied Merla. "Some men can't believe that a woman can be the hero."
"Is that how Jones treated you?" Asked Sarah, her hand slowed and brought the water to stop in front of her face.
"Clever girl," Merla looked up from her papers, and smiled at Sarah's rippled face through the water. "Trying to get me to spill some nugget about my captain, aren't you? Well, David wasn't like that. I can't say I could pinpoint that man, though. One day he hated pirates and the next he admired them. You’d think having Blackbeard for a brother would have taught him not to deal with them, but their Queen changed David as we knew him. Jones treated me well, darling, but he still abandoned his caravan all the same."
"Did he tell you why?" Sarah's voice was hopeful, as she dropped the water into her cup. It wasn't every day that Merla spoke of her captain.
"The world is bigger than you know," said Merla, in a deep Jones impression. The lounge owner scoffed and put her papers back into her drawer. "That's all he said before flying off with his dragons. Talk about a disappointing end, you'd think he'd leave a girl some diamonds at least."
A light knock pulled their eyes toward the door. Daisy peeked her head inside, and gently bit her bottom lip.
"Don't tell me, your sisters brought boys into my bar again." Said Merla, as she reached under her desk for a bottle of wine.
"No, I mean yes, but they already left," Daisy looked nervously over her shoulder and back toward Merla. "Someone's here to see you."
Merla noticed the anxiety on Daisy's face. Perhaps Drake has come for me too, she thought.
"Fine," replied Merla, simply. "Bring him in."
"Alright," Daisy's eyes softened upon Merla's face. "Just promise not to burn anything, okay?"
She hastily exited the room, and a man in green silk robes stepped into Merla's office. To her surprise, it wasn't Drake, but Greymore that stood in front of her desk.
"Those girls are always getting things wrong," said Merla, she shook her head and lifted her glass to her lips. "I ordered catfish for the party, but all they bring me is a pussy."
"You're uncouth as always, Merla," replied Greymore, his face however wore a very sly smile. "I'm not surprised. It must have been a shame to see Drake terminate your prodigy from becoming captain. I'm sure Julius' arrest was similarly painful for you."
Sarah thrusted her hand without thinking, and shot the water out from her crystal glass. The jet of water hit Greymore with a loud smack, and pushed the judge back against the door. The judge wiped the water from his face and looked up, his furious eyes found Sarah's glare.
"Watch your mouth," said Sarah, coldly. "You don't have your Greys to protect you right now."
Greymore's eyes strangely eased up, as he wiped his face with a handkerchief.
"I swear, Merla," said Greymore. "If I didn't know you weren't fertile, I'd have thought this girl was yours."
"The kid has got more balls than your emperor, that's for certain," replied Merla. "And the emperor has two more balls than you. I can't believe you did nothing for Julius. I bet you were relieved to see him hauled off like that."
"That's where you'd be wrong," said Greymore, looking a bit offended. "Julius was my friend."
"Was?" Asked Sarah, hoping the judge made a mistake.
"The emperor isn't pleased with his decision," said Greymore. "He means to send him to the guillotine, and make an example of him to the other Chancellors."
The guillotine, two words that struck fear into anyone outside of the mainland. Sarah imagined Julius being taken in chains, his purple eyes weary and his body shackled beneath a massive black blade. Her conscious wouldn't let such a thing happen, not while she had something to say about it.
"The Chancellor was helping me," Sarah blurted out, jumping out of her seat. "I should..."
Merla quickly reached out and snatched Sarah's wrist. "Shut your mouth, girl! You don't know what you're saying."
Greymore looked at Sarah curiously. She knew he must've been thinking the same thing. Crazy girl, she's in over her head. A few years ago, fear would have controlled her, but her pain served as a shield against it.
"I should have to face the guillotine," said Sarah, with her back straight. "Not him."
Greymore gave her a brief look of admiration, his hand then slyly reached inside his green vest.
"I'm not looking to have anyone see the guillotine," said Greymore, pulling out a scroll he had tucked away. "Do I want Julius out of the way, yes I do, but that doesn't mean I'd let my desires blind me. What good would it be to become Chancellor, if the Red Sea is reduced to nothing but a pile of rocks?" The judge opened the scroll over Merla's desk and revealed a map of the Red Sea. His finger swept across the islands and whirlpools that were drawn over the map, many of the islands had an X written over them. "Our sea has eighty-four islands scattered over her waters. We've now got reports from the caravans that've returned, the curse has swept over many of the islands already."
"How many are we talking about?" Asked Merla.
"Seventy," replied Greymore. "Maybe more."
Merla looked down at the desk, her eyes softened as they darted over the map. "Unaqlus have mercy."
Sarah's eyes also darted over the map, looking more frustrated than frightened. Seventy islands? She couldn't believe how fast the curse had spread. She thought of all the stone faces the empire would try to cover up. Infants, fathers, sons, and daughters. If they were commoners, then the empire would be care less about saving them.
The Royals in the mainland were protected from the magic of the world. Sarah knew help from them was unlikely. Drake may have taken her map, but he wouldn't lift a finger to save them now.
"I need my dragun and map brought back to me," said Sarah, her green eyes locked with Greymore's. "My caravan can end this, we're the only ones who can. One of our own is immune to the curse, no other caravan can claim the same."
She knew she had oversold what happened to Charlotte. In truth, she still had no idea how she came back from being turned to stone. Greymore glared at her, trying to find any sign of a lie upon her face. To her relief, his eyes softened, as he snatched the scroll from Merla's desk.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Dreamstead,” said Greymore. “But you won’t ever be leading a caravan again.”
Before she could argue back, Sarah heard a loud bang. An object zipped by her face and clipped off a few strands of her black hair. A jagged metal rod had flew from behind her and punctured Greymore in the chest. The rod lit up slowly with blue light. The judge only had time to look over Sarah’s shoulder, his eyes focused on a tall figure sitting on the rail of the balcony. A surge of electricity went through Greymore and sent him unconscious to the floor.
Merla and Sarah both stepped back, using their forea
rms to shield their faces from the bolts of lightning that danced around the room. The electric bolts subsided and Merla approached Greymore to pull the rod from his chest.
“I never did like hearing him talk.” Said a voice.
Sarah and Merla looked toward the balcony and saw an incredibly tall man, sitting on the balcony rail as if it were a small chair. Sarah watched the dark figure lean forward, until the lights in Merla’s office revealed his face.
Her chest swelled at the sight of his silver eyes. “Jayden?”
The name came out with such a fragile tone, it was almost embarrassing. Sarah had hoped the foolish girl in her dreams, who had fallen in love with a captain, had died when Jayden shot her. As she stared into his silver eyes, she knew her feelings had somehow survived. His presence still made her feel something, not butterflies, but something more tragic. Her heart didn’t flutter to see his gorgeous chiseled face, instead it sank into nothing and left her chest numb. Her shaky fingers moved for the grip of her pistol, she prayed he’d give her a reason to use it.
“I’m not here to fight,” said Jayden, his eyes turned toward Merla, who had a palm of fire ready to throw. “I came to make a deal.”
“What kind of a deal?” Asked Sarah, her green eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“You captured Blackbeard, but I bet you’re regretting it now,” replied Jayden. “The Imperial Fleet won’t save us from the curse. We need Blackbeard to lead us to the temple. He's the only one who can end the curse for good.”
“Maybe you didn’t hear me,” Sarah’s voice got harsher as her fingers wrapped around the grip of her pistol. “But I’m the one that’s going to end the curse.”
“And how do you intend to do it?” Asked Jayden, the corner of his mouth curved upward. “The map is the only way, and you’re nowhere close to solving it. Blackbeard knows the Magi who wrote it, he’ll be able to read it without a problem. Put your pride to the side, Sarah. I know you want to prove the emperor wrong, but this isn’t about you, this is about all of us.”
“Shut up.” Said Sarah, her fingers wrapped around the grip of her pistol so tightly, the potions beneath her nails had begun to leak.
“I understand, you’re angry about what I did,” Jayden’s smirk then stretched into a smile. “But we can kill each other after we stop the curse.”
“Shut up!” Sarah shouted. She raised her pistol and shot a bullet toward his chest.
A part of her wanted to see his face. She wanted to savor the pain that he had given her that night, but the gods wouldn't grant her such justice. Jayden had fired a bullet too. His silver eyes shined brightly, as his Secreto gave him the reflex to shoot Sarah's bullet away. The two bullets collided and flew off in opposite directions, one shattered through Merla's wine bottle, and the other tore a hole into the face of Davy Jones’ portrait.
Sarah fell back into her seat, and slammed her smoking pistol onto Merla’s desk. She hadn’t enough anger to shoot the man she loved again, even if he did try to kill her. She hated her feelings for him. She knew it better to throw them away, but she remembered the good times they shared, and the cut he gave across his face to gain her trust…
“How can I work with you?” She asked, her green eyes staring blankly over Merla’s carpet floor. “I don’t even know you anymore. You try to kill me one night, and the next you carve your face to get me to trust you,” she looked up at Jayden, who looked as if he had already been staring at her. “You told me you loved me, was that even true, or is everything you say just bullshit?”
Jayden said nothing, he merely scoffed and strapped his weapons near his hip. Merla knelt between them and held Sarah by the face.
“Look, I don’t like working with the devil either,” said Merla, giving Jayden a brief side look. “But we need to do something fast. He's the best I've ever trained, girl. You should take his help. If you end the curse, you might gain enough favor to repeal Drake’s decision.”
Sarah remembered what mattered to her most. She wanted to sail off Port Ruby with her own caravan, and gaze at her Jolly Roger waving in the wind. She looked over Merla’s shoulder and gazed at Jayden again. If it was the only way to become a captain, then she’d gladly take her chances with the devil.
“How do we even do it then?” Asked Sarah. “Drake’s probably got everything locked up somewhere in the mainland by now.”
“He hasn’t left the island, yet,” replied Jayden. “He has everything locked away in Arkon, your dragun too.”
“How are you so certain?” Asked Merla.
“Because I saw it all for myself.” Said a wispy voice.
Everyone watched the black cat walk through a wall and step slowly into the room.
“Mira?” Said Sarah, her eyes widened as she sat up straight.
She hadn’t seen the oracle in years, not since that horrible night. Mira, however, was one of the more entertaining things she remembered about being on Jayden’s ship. She would remember countless nights she spent in Jayden’s cabin, hearing Mira tell her rumors about the captains across the Nine Seas.
“It’s good to see you again, Sarah,” said Mira, the black cat gave her a warm smile. “I hope you know I had nothing to do with your fallout. I so very much wanted my little Jayden to make a wife of you.”
“That’s not happening, Mira.” Said Jayden.
“Oh, what a shame. I can’t bear a sad ending,” the black cat stepped over Greymore’s unconscious body, and approached Merla’s door. “Very well, let’s get moving. Drake will be having a meeting with that tiny judge, Blusef. If you want to catch him off guard, now’s your chance to do it,” the oracle turned her head toward Sarah, with her yellow eyes glowing like fire. “Don’t worry, love. My Secreto will get you past those pesky guards.”
Chapter 19 A Royal Pain
In one of Merla's many guest rooms, Mia and Cookie sat together upon a red canopy bed. The room was gorgeous, much like Mia's, but it only served to remind the Royal of how much she missed her home. Not everything was as grim as their past few days, however. The two ladies partook in the only entertainment they had, and watched as Charlotte tried to warp herself into the next room to no avail.
"Damn it!" Charlotte shouted, punching the wall after she warped and slammed her forehead. "I don't get why it has to be so hard."
"I told you it's difficult, kid," said Gizmo, he sat by the open window, drawing a picture of Cookie with an exaggeration of her ample bosoms. "Awakening Secretos isn't easy, you should be glad that guy was able to give you a taste of it."
"He's right, Charlotte," Said Cookie, the tall beauty then threw her arm around Mia's shoulder. "Don't be upset. I'm sure it'll happen for all of us one day, right Mia?"
Gizmo looked up and saw Mia's blank expression, the Royal only offered Cookie a sigh for a response.
"Looks like goldie's still hurt about her old man." Said Gizmo.
"Of course I am, you perverted doll-thing," Mia snapped back.
"Don't call him that," said Cookie defensively. "Gizmo's a gentleman."
Mia sucked her teeth as her hazel eyes flashed brightly. With a flick of her hand, a small stream of red mist flew from her palm and toward Gizmo. The red cloud of glitter swooped down and snatched up Gizmo's drawing.
"Hey!" Shouted Gizmo, watching the cloud as it flew off and dropped the drawing on Cookie's lap.
“Gizmo!" Cookie gasped and rose from her seat. Her blue eyes flashed as she snatched the oracle and threw him across the room. "You little creep."
Her strength sent Gizmo through the wall and into the next room. Glad someone could make it past a wall, thought Charlotte bitterly. Her amber eyes found Mia's saddened face and softened a bit. Though Charlotte didn't care for Royals very much, she disliked the tyranny of the emperor more.
"I can only imagine how angry you must be," said Charlotte. "Your father's a good guy, he didn't deserve to get locked up like that."
"I just feel like my whole life is coming a
part," said Mia, grabbing a fist full of her own blond hair. "First Jayden, then Calow, and now my father. I feel like the gods are taking all the men in my life away."
"Wait," Cookie turned from the hole in the wall and faced Mia. "You were with Jayden?"
"For two years," replied Mia. "I mean, he spent most of the year at sea, like all caravans do. In the summer he'd come back to me, though. My heart jumped every time I saw his Jolly Roger sail toward the boardwalk. Those silver eyes...I feel like a fool for trusting him."
"I don't know," said Charlotte. "He can't be all bad."
"What," said Cookie incredulously. "How can you even say that? Think of Charlie, my brave future husband, Jayden's the reason he's in the hospital right now!"