Lintang and the Pirate Queen

by Tamara Moss

Fear crept into Lintang’s throat, stealing her voice. She nodded instead of answering.

  It was hard to believe that Bayani – quiet, kind, Bayani – was the person they were so afraid of.

  The plank of wood joining the two ships toppled into the water. The Glory drifted away. Captain Moon stood on her deck, watching them. The steam had almost cleared completely.

  Lintang drew a breath of salty air. ‘How are you feeling, Bayani?’

  ‘Amazing.’ He fixed his gaze on the ocean. ‘The siren’s almost here.’

  ‘I’m back!’ Pelita ran up the steps, brandishing Lintang’s wooden sword.

  Lintang gasped and turned to Bayani, but he only smirked at the weapon and watched the others climb up. First came Dee clutching Farah-the-clam-shell, then Mei, Quahah, Yamini, Eire …

  At last Hewan stumped up, helping Xiang, who had her arm in a splint. Captain Shafira’s breath rushed from her lungs as if she hadn’t exhaled since finding the medic’s office empty.

  ‘Sorry, Captain,’ Xiang said when she reached the top. ‘He caught my dart in midair.’

  Captain Shafira’s lips quirked. ‘You’re alive. I forgive you. Where’s Avalon?’

  ‘I’ve tied him up, but he’s still unconscious,’ Dee said, running an anxious hand over her bald head. ‘Twip’s with him, so he’s not alone.’

  Captain Shafira surveyed her crew. ‘They’re alive,’ she said under her breath. ‘All of them. That’s unexpected.’ Her attention fell to Bayani. ‘He’s showing restraint.’

  ‘Is that a good thing?’ Lintang said.

  ‘Under the spell of a Kanekonese siren, it’s supposed to be impossible. Xiang tried to stop him, and he didn’t kill her.’

  Pelita skipped between crew members, passing Lintang the wooden sword on her way. She was the only one who dared to move.

  ‘This is nice, Dee,’ Farah-the-clam-shell said. ‘We so rarely take breaks to enjoy the sun.’

  ‘Are you all right, Zazi?’ Quahah said.

  Zazi’s gaze fell to the spear point at her neck. ‘I’ve had better days.’

  ‘What are we doing out here?’ Xiang said.

  Bayani laughed. ‘Enjoying the sun.’

  The ship lurched starboard. Everyone staggered. Lintang fell hard against the railing, almost losing her grip on her sword. She stared into the water. It glowed bluish green, brighter than Nyasamdra. Something was down there. Something big, almost as big as Nyasamdra, and shaped like a long-haired human.

  ‘Here, Captain!’

  Xiang gestured to seaweedy tendrils tugging at the railing.

  Fingers. They were the siren’s fingers.

  ‘Where are the dragon talon harpoons?’ Captain Shafira said.

  Xiang smashed at the fingers with her good fist. ‘Bayani threw them overboard.’

  Everyone else scrambled to hold on as the ship continued to tilt. The Winda was almost horizontal at this stage. The wall was now a floor. Pelita scampered along it, laughing. Eire’s khwando rolled down the slope of the deck, and Eire raced to catch it before it fell in the water.

  Captain Shafira pried at the siren’s fingers. They wouldn’t budge. ‘Xiang, tell me you have your darts.’

  Xiang dug into the pouch around her neck. ‘They won’t penetrate the skin.’

  ‘It’s worth a try.’

  ‘Help me with my blowpipe – I can’t do it with one hand.’

  While Captain Shafira undid Xiang’s bun, Lintang searched for Bayani. He was crouched on the railing of the bridge, staring at the glowing water. It looked as though he was about to jump in.

  Zazi had escaped in the chaos, and was carefully sliding down the steps away from him.

  ‘Bayani!’ Lintang cried.

  Either he didn’t hear, or he was ignoring her.

  She ran along the sideways wall, squeezing past the others as they tried to climb higher. Ropes had fallen free from the masts, giving them something to hold onto.

  Mei helped Hewan, and Quahah had Pelita by the wrist to haul her up. Captain Shafira didn’t stop Lintang – she was too busy helping Xiang. Eire hacked at the glowing fingers with the axe of her khwando.

  Lintang had almost reached the point directly below the bridge when someone yanked her back.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Yamini said. ‘Leave him alone. He’ll kill us all!’

  ‘He’s my best friend,’ Lintang said.

  ‘Not right now he isn’t.’

  ‘Yes, he is!’

  ‘You think you’re some invincible hero, but you’re not. You’re way out of your depth. Let it go, or you’ll end up dead.’

  Bayani moved to throw himself at the siren.

  ‘No!’ Lintang said. ‘Bayani, don’t jump!’

  His gaze snapped to her. ‘Why? Are you going to stop me?’

  ‘Lintang, don’t –’

  ‘Yes!’ Lintang yelled.

  Yamini let out a low moan. ‘He’s going to kill you,’ she said. ‘You’re on your own.’ Then she turned and ran.

  Bayani jumped down, landing between Lintang and the other crew members. Shadows continued to flicker across his face.

  She lifted her sword and backed away. He strode forward, keeping a short distance between them.

  ‘Don’t do this,’ she said, but they were just words, useless words falling from her mouth, her brain too numb with fright to come up with anything worthwhile. How could she stop this? How could she save him?

  She gripped her sword so hard her hands ached. ‘Fight it.’ More useless words. ‘Come on, Bayani. You’re strong.’

  ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I am. Finally.’ He wrenched the wooden blade out of her hand and snapped it in half. She gasped as he tossed it overboard. The two pieces bobbed on the waves.

  ‘This isn’t some festival dance,’ he said, and she recognised the words she’d said to him in the classroom in Desa.

  He advanced. She stumbled away. She felt exposed, off-balance without anything to protect her. He had bent the cage bars with his bare hands. She wasn’t going to win this fight.

  The railing started to curve upwards. It was too steep – every time she stepped back, she slid forward again. Towards him.

  He stopped before her.

  ‘The siren wants me to kill you,’ he said quietly. ‘And I can. I broke Xiang’s arm without any trouble. I can snap your neck before you even feel my hands at your throat.’

  Lintang barely heard him over her pulse roaring in her ears. He took one last step towards her. She flinched, lifting her arms in a useless attempt to shield herself.

  He stopped.

  She waited. He didn’t move again. His fists bunched at his sides. His whole body shook.

  Slowly, she lowered her arms. ‘Are you … fighting the siren’s spell?’

  A choke fell from his lips. Sweat sheened his face from effort. The shadows across his features retreated. Still, he didn’t move.

  Lintang’s jaw fell open. ‘How are you doing that?’

  ‘Lin … tang …’ He couldn’t seem to unclench his teeth to speak. ‘I’m going to jump. Don’t … don’t come after me.’

  It was Bayani again, her Bayani. She reached for him.

  ‘Don’t!’ He wrenched from her touch, the shadows swarming once again, and in what might’ve been the last traces of willpower, he turned and threw himself into the water.

  A shriek escaped her. He was already submerged. He was sinking. No – swimming. He was swimming down towards the siren.

  She cried for help. No one noticed – Captain Shafira, Eire and Xiang were still straining to break the siren’s grip, and Yamini and the other crew had made it further up the deck.

  She stared at the bubbles between the glow. Bayani had gone.

  No.

  No.

  She leaned back against the deck, gasping.

  Nothing could stop the prophecy.

  Bayani had told her not to go after him.

  Captain Shafira had offered her a place on the Winda.

  S
he kicked off her boots and stepped onto the sideways railing. Her dream life was in her grasp, and she was going to give it up for a prophecy that couldn’t be broken. She must have been as crazy as Pelita.

  She drew a deep breath.

  And dived.

  Transformation

  The sea wrapped around her like a blanket. Bubbles rushed past her skin. The siren glowed in the water, its hair drifting around its face, hypnotic to watch. Its hands pulled at the Winda, but a tendril of its hair clung to Bayani, pinning his arms to his sides. He struggled, so at least he was alive. For now.

  The water will call for you,

  And the harvester will come.

  The chant was caught in her head like a flutterbee in a net.

  Bayani, Bayani, Bayani.

  A mess of bubbles escaped his mouth. His face was screwed up in pain.

  She kicked harder. She would break every rule in the world if it meant she could save him.

  But then a hot light burst through her chest. She jerked to a stop. Something was happening. Something bad.

  Or was it good?

  She felt full, somehow. As though she had been carrying a bucket inside her all this time, and it had only just overflowed.

  Gold caught her eye. She held up her hands. They were glowing.

  The heat in her chest increased until it was scorching. She was barely able to keep the scream at bay.

  Her head slumped back and she stared at the surface, at the sunlight and the blue sky –

  And the stars. She could see the stars.

  Shooting stars.

  They crashed into Ytzuam, through a field of unplanted seeds. The curtain between the two worlds billowed, and the impact of the shooting stars scattered seeds throughout her world.

  She thrashed, trying to contain the pain, trying to work out what she was seeing. She was having a vision, but who – or what – was showing it to her?

  She saw a man unwittingly absorb one of the star seeds, then he burst apart as a gnome sprang from him.

  Then another human killed the gnome, absorbing the star, and he became a selkie, smooth and grey as it glided through the water.

  Then another human, into a Caletromian mermaid …

  One of the Caletromian mermaids who had died in her presence. The same Caletromian mermaid whose infection she now carried.

  The scorching feeling spread into her arms and legs and no, it wasn’t an infection. It was life.

  Life.

  The mythies weren’t a sickness. They were creation. She held within her an extra star, filling her with life until it overflowed and turned her into a creature from her own stories.

  She curled into a ball as the scorch grew unbearable. She could feel the mythie inside her, coiling, ferocious, powerful.

  Monstrous.

  * * *

  THE MYTHIE GUIDEBOOK

  ENTRY #68: Lanme Vanyan

  Lanme Vanyan is a sea and sky mythie under the predator category. She is a combination of humanoid, serpentine and avian, with a snake-like tail, fangs and the wings of a talross. There has yet to be a confirmed sighting of her.

  Diet: Unknown.

  Habitat: Usually oceanic, although it is said she occasionally ventures to land.

  Frequency: Single entity.

  Behaviour: This mythie will fight any challenger. A show of strength is all it takes for Lanme Vanyan to attack.

  Eradication: Unknown.

  Did you know? According to stories collected all over the world, every legendary warrior who’s gone up against Lanme Vanyan has been ruthlessly slaughtered.

  Danger level: 6

  * * *

  Mother of Monsters

  Lanme Vanyan snarled. A glowing siren floated before her. The siren was her enemy.

  Everything was her enemy.

  Lanme was the mother of monsters, the warrior queen. This creature must be destroyed.

  Her dark hair drifted around her face. Her tail uncurled as she prepared to move. She would fight this siren to the death.

  A shadow among the glow caught her attention. A human boy floated within the siren’s tendril-like hair. He wasn’t moving. She paused, watching his body drift towards the surface.

  Save him.

  She didn’t know where the voice had come from. She hesitated, torn between the desire to obey the voice or to rip the human to shreds, but something throbbed through her – panic or something else, she didn’t know – so she streaked down. She ripped through the siren’s hair as if it were nothing but jellyfish tentacles and wrapped her arms around the boy. He was small and light in her grip. With a flick of her tail she sped to the surface, bursting out to find herself face-to-face with the underside of a capsized ship.

  Her wings unfolded, shaking water from their feathers and lifting her higher into the air. The boy shuddered and coughed in her arms. He vomited up water as she carried him over the side of the ship. A sail had fallen from its place and tangled into a sling. It was a safe place for him.

  She took great care placing the boy on the sail. He sat up, wheezing. ‘Lintang. Lintang!’

  She didn’t know that word. She left him in the sail and flew over the deck of the ship to deal with the siren.

  ‘LANME VANYAN!’

  The scream came from below. She stopped mid-flight and spun to find a scattering of humans along the sideways deck.

  ‘Where in the name of Mratzi did that thing come from? Eire, go! Mei, help her. Xiang and I will deal with the siren.’

  Lanme searched for the owner of the voice. It had sparked something in her, a recognition, a warm feeling. She knew she liked this human, the way she’d known to save the boy.

  A different human scrambled across the rigging towards her, like a spider on a web. Lanme curled her tail, preparing to attack.

  ‘Mei, wait!’ Another voice, this one harsh. The owner had a weapon with an axe and spear on either side. She hauled herself up to the rigging, a vicious smile on her face and a string of fangs around her neck. It must have been the human called Eire.

  The human Mei paused. Lanme flicked out her forked tongue. Mei smelled of fear. It would be a simple kill.

  The boy above tried to croak something to them – Wait, it’s Lintang – but his lungs were still recovering, and their human ears were weak.

  They would not stop. Nor would she.

  She lunged for Eire, but Mei leaped, snagging a loose rope. Mei soared around Lanme and the rope caught on her throat. Lanme jerked back.

  Eire pounced, raising her axe. She sailed through the air while Lanme was still trapped, and for a heartbeat it looked as if Eire might succeed where so many others had failed – she might defeat the mother of monsters.

  But then, with a shriek, an elegant black bird soared between them. Eire shouted as the bird passed in a flurry of feathers. The axe flew from Eire’s hand, missing Lanme’s head by a breath, and splintered the deck behind them.

  Lanme wrenched the rope off her neck. A bird had saved her life. Unacceptable.

  ‘Stupid creature!’ Eire cried to the bird as it flew away. ‘What are you doing?’

  Lanme snarled. Mei scrambled up the rigging, away from her. Eire did the opposite. She released a powerful cry and sprang forward. Lanme slashed at her, but Eire used a broken rope from the rigging to swing away from the attack and snatch her weapon back. She whirled and jabbed the spear side at Lanme. Lanme barely dodged it. Again and again Eire came for her, knocking away any counterattacks, using the rigging to swing and duck and block. Lanme bared her fangs and flew higher, out of reach. She had no interest in games. She would deal with the human after she’d destroyed the siren.

  She scanned the water. There was another ship nearby, this one made of steel. The blue-uniformed humans had a large crossbow out, a dragon talon harpoon in the string. With a snap, the harpoon pierced the siren’s hand. A flurry of bubbles raced to the surface as it screamed beneath the water.

  Fools. Did they think they would kill the siren with a simp
le harpoon? Lanme would sink both ships and destroy the siren. Enemies, all of them.

  The siren released the wooden ship, the movement so violent it knocked the hull. Eire and Mei clung to the rigging as the other humans slid across the deck. The ship tilted upright, slowly, slowly, until it was sitting on the water as it was meant to.

  The boy cried out. Lanme whipped around to find him toppling from the tangled sail. She sped to catch him before he hit the water again. He thudded into her arms with an oof.

  ‘It’s got Bayani!’ Mei scrambled down the rigging. ‘Captain, we need more weapons, we need –’

  ‘I’ve got it!’ Eire raised her axe.

  ‘No!’

  There was that voice again. The voice that made Lanme warm.

  The owner was a woman with hair like ropes. She stood at the railing, staring at Lanme. Her gaze was on the boy tucked safely in Lanme’s hold, but it slid to Lanme’s arm. Lanme looked down too. Her skin had a streak through it, as though she had been wounded. She bristled. Who had dared injure her?

  ‘It’s Lintang!’ The human sounded wild. Almost … frightened? ‘Hold your weapon, Eire, don’t attack, it’s Lintang!’ She ran across the deck towards Lanme. ‘I should’ve known. Lintang, I’m sorry, come here, we’ll medicate you –’

  Lanme beat her wings and lifted into the air, curling her tail in coils. The sun warmed her back as she cast a shadow across the deck and the rope-haired woman.

  The woman slowed. ‘Xiang!’

  Another human with a strapped arm put a pipe in her mouth and blew.

  Lanme jerked as something pierced her abdomen. The boy in her arms gasped. She kept a tight hold of him and swooped for her attacker.

  ‘No!’ The rope-haired woman jumped in front of Xiang and lifted her sword. ‘We were curing you. It’s going to be fine, Lintang.’

  Lanme growled at them. The boy wriggled from her arms and stumbled onto the ship. ‘What about the siren?’ he said. ‘I can’t feel its spell –’

  The rope-haired human kept her sword trained on Lanme in a defiant display of aggression. Had Lanme not already decided she liked the woman, she would have ripped her to pieces.

  ‘Captain Moon hit it with a dragon talon dipped in Curall,’ the woman said. ‘Injecting the stuff should mean it’ll work quicker.’