Heart of the Kraken (Tales from Darjee)

by Exley, A. W.

  "You're all the way out here, with no defences, collecting pretty shells?" Reis frowned, his right hand resting on his sword hilt.

  "We are unarmed because we are peaceable men. We never expected to be attacked." Wyman stood a little taller but still looked like a stout building block. "We intend to summarise our findings in a journal when we return to Darjee. It will be of great interest to the academic community."

  Reis tapped a fingernail against his teeth while he stared at his opposite. The rap rap audible over the soft groans of injured men.

  Fenton sympathised with the fallen captain. No one liked to be pinned by Reis, one of the most vicious pirates roaming the oceans. Certainly not a man with a secret, and Wyman had the look of someone with one trying to gnaw its way out of his gut. His story didn't make sense. Whoever heard of men spending months at sea just to collect a few bits of coral, a couple of dead fish and shells?

  The man swallowed and stared at his feet for a long moment before answering. "The Lady Alise closed our university and directed us to find curiosities to amuse her. She thought it a better use of her scholars."

  Fenton swallowed a snort. The Lady Alise, the hand that ruled the Darjee Empire for over a hundred years, was known for her childlike fits and needs. Only she would send an unarmed vessel full of bookworms out to treacherous oceans to find her a pretty bauble.

  Reis gave a lazy smile; the one that encouraged a confidence that he could then sharpen and use to eviscerate you. "Ah. I understand now. My sympathies Captain Wyman, you were tasked with a difficult mission by an uncompromising mistress. Were you successful at all?"

  Wyman shrugged. "We found some underwater flowers of rare beauty and tiny krill that glow in a rainbow of colours. They will make fabulous lights in Lady Alise's throne room."

  A soft chuckle left Reis' chest. "Fit amusements for a child, indeed. We can only hope she is placated."

  "We can continue on our way, then?" A bead of sweat rolled down the side of the man's face. A slight tremor shook the corner of his mouth and he pursed his lips to still the movement.

  "Not quite yet. I would like to see these curiosities. Perhaps my men and I might learn something. Lead on, Captain Wyman." He took off his hat and waved it at the opening below.

  The fool, Fenton thought as he dropped in line behind his captain. The smallest sliver of curiosity crept into his soul as he wondered what they would find in the hold. What was Wyman trying to hide from the pirates? No glowing krill or flower was worth the wrath of Reis.

  Reis, Fenton and two others followed Wyman below. Boots rang out on the metal steps as they dropped into the darkness. A luminescent green strip at waist height illuminated their way. The men scanned and assessed everything, looking for items of value to carry back to the Razor's Edge. Beneath the deck, the hold was partitioned in two, the large aft area housed their engines and coal supply. In the forward section, a dozen men shared cramped space for six months, their hammocks hung three high in four neat rows. Small port holes in metal frames gave natural light and when opened, let fresh air circulate.

  Wooden lockers anchored to the floor contained personal belongings. The captain flipped open a locker and pointed to Yusuf. The pirate knelt down and pulled out the contents. He found only four changes of clothing, three books, a worn portrait of a smiling woman with a chubby child and a carved wooden duck.

  "We are men of science, not commerce," Wyman said. He winced as Yusuf dumped the items back into the locker but palmed the duck into his pocket. "We only brought items of sentimental value, not financial."

  Reis grunted and kicked the lid shut with one boot. His gaze scanned the room and alighted on the door behind Wyman. "Let's look behind there."

  The slight tremble in the man's hands became a visible shake as he slid the door to one side on its track. Beyond lay their storage room. Electric lights in metal cages hung from the ceiling and cast their glow downward. Shelves with netting fronts, lined the walls. Bottles, boxes and vials were crammed on the shelves. The floor was bare, except against one wall sat a large metal crate. Seven feet long, three feet wide and three feet high. A padlock held the lid closed.

  Reis zoomed in on the unusual sight. "What's in there?"

  "It is a temperature controlled coffin." Another swallow sent his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. "It contains a crew member who died on the journey. We are taking him home for his widow. The metal stops the body from smelling."

  "Taking him home?" The captain looked around at his men. Yusuf and Dinger laughed on cue. Fenton held his silence. "A strange practice. Why did you not consign him to the sea?"

  The other captain spread his hands, words not coming to his lips. Or perhaps more correctly, no lie sprang to his paralysed mind.

  "Open it," Reis said.

  "I really don't think we should disturb the deceased—"

  A pistol materialised and pressed itself to Wyman's nose. From a cross eyed gaze, he followed the barrel to the hand and along an arm to an unhappy Captain Reis.

  "Open the coffin or I open your skull," Reis said.

  Wyman's hands trembled as he shoved them into his pockets, one withdrew an iron key and shaking fingers held it aloft. The pistol waved toward the strange crate. Wyman unlocked the padlock and it dropped with a clang. Yusuf and Dinger stood at either end and lifted the heavy lid. A soft gasp came from within and all the men stood back, expecting a corpse to arise.

  Pale fingers wrapped around the edge and the body sat upright. Water streamed from long black hair and plastered it around head, shoulders and chest. Wide eyes of azure blue glanced at each man while lungs drew deep breaths of warm, stuffy air.

  Reis arched a black eyebrow and gestured with his pistol. "It seems your dead man has turned into a rather alive woman or is it something else?"

  Fenton moved closer and stared in the crate. Why would they trap a woman in water and what did Reis mean by her being something else? Dark water swirled in the metal container and the woman's naked skin glinted through the half-light. A splash at the foot end and flashes of green caught his attention.

  "What the—" he took a step back and glanced at the captain.

  Wyman let out a deep sigh of defeat as the pirates surrounded the crate. The woman tried to shy away but had nowhere to go. She pressed her torso into the wall side of her cage and held her hands up before her face as though expecting a downward blow. Beneath the water, hues of green swirled from the scales encasing the lower half of her body. She had no legs or feet but a tapered shape that ended in two wide separated fins.

  "You captured a mermaid and you weren't going to share that little titbit of information with your guests? Shame on you." Reis dropped his pistol back into its holster. "Did Lady Alise send you out here to find her one?"

  "Yes." The man's shoulders slumped. With his secret exposed, there was no point in further denials. "There have been rumours for decades and occasional sightings. Many years ago, a desiccated corpse sold for an enormous amount of gold, although many think it simply a fine example of taxidermy fakery. It took us five months of scouring the outer reaches to find and trap it."

  Fenton frowned as his gaze remained fixed on the exotic woman. "It? You speak of her as though she were another specimen when she is obviously a woman." His hands curled at his side. To see another imprisoned roused him from his ennui. To hold a creature of the ocean in such a small container must be a torture to her. Not to mention what she must endure when they dropped the lid and locked her inside.

  "I can see her boobies," Dinger said and sniggered. Yusuf elbowed him and the smaller pirate fell silent.

  The mermaid turned her head to the wall, as though trying to shut out the men. It could have just been the light, but her skin seemed tinged a pale blue or unhealthy grey. Her lips more purple than red.

  "It, is a fish. My men and I have researched it extensively. You can just see the gills in its neck." Wyman moved forward to pull aside a lock of ebony hair and reveal three delicate lines on her neck
. "We only hope the Lady Alise lets us further examine its corpse when—" he swallowed his words and dropped the hair in his hand.

  "When?" Reis swung his head to face Wyman.

  "Well, obviously once it has served its purpose, it will be killed." Wyman really was the most incompetent liar.

  "And what purpose would that be?" Reis' voice lowered in tone. Now they revealed the truth, one far more interesting than a hidden mermaid. What exactly did Lady Alise want with a mermaid?

  "She's going to eat her heart," Fenton said. He had heard the rumours, you didn't spend a lifetime at sea without hearing every marine-related story that abounded. He was simply better at remembering than most of the crew who had been hit one too many times in the head with a plank. "Consume the heart of a mermaid and you know the secrets of all men."

  The mermaid covered her face with her hands and her shoulders shook as the men discussed her death.

  Reis let out a grunt. "A handy thing for a ruler to be able to peer into the souls of all her subjects and know whatever they try to conceal. I bet she wants this mermaid real bad." His eyes narrowed as he focused on Wyman. "How much?"

  The daffodil handkerchief reappeared and Wyman wiped away the sweat on his brow. "The Lady Alise promised us 10,000 gold coins and the creature's weight in Sunshine."

  A low whistle came from Yusuf and Fenton knew why. The gold itself was a fortune but throw in Sunshine? The drug commanded a high price on the street from people wanting to escape their dour lives. Sunshine painted everything in shades of yellow and effused a body with warmth and happy hormones. You could die in the snow while your brain thought you basked in a summer's day. The creature's weight in the toxic drug doubled the offered purse. The Razor's Edge crew had captured a very valuable fish in their net.

  Reis pointed a finger at the short and rotund pirate. "Dinger, go back to the Edge and activate our sling. We're going to liberate Captain Wyman from his onerous task. We're taking the creature and I will personally ensure she is delivered to the fair Lady Alise."

  Wyman clenched his teeth as his features hardened and found his balls. He reached out and grabbed Reis' arm. "No! You cannot take it. We have spent months in our pursuit. The reward is our only pay for the separation from our families and the loss of our jobs."

  The captain drew his pistol and fired. The shot reverberated in the enclosed space. Even the hardened pirates winched as the noise of the blast rang out. The mermaid disappeared beneath the water of her prison and became a shimmer of colour.

  Wyman staggered back against the wall, clutching his right shoulder. Blood oozed between his fingers as he slumped to the floor. His mouth opened and closed but no words came out. Feet stomped outside and two more crew burst into the room.

  "I should kill you for touching me, but you are a fellow captain." Reis turned at the newcomers. "Maynard," he addressed one. "Wyman has injured himself. Send one of his men down to tend his wound. Fenton and Yusuf, open the deck access." He pointed up at the crack in the ceiling and the pirates jumped to work to find the mechanism to open the hatch.

  Reis slammed the crate lid and reattached the padlock. Then he dropped the key into his pocket and left the room, whistling a popular tune to himself.

  Up on deck, the boom arm swung over from the Razor's Edge and dropped a chain into the hold of the Endeavour. The Endeavour crew stood to one side, sour looks on their faces as they lost their payday. A few pirates kept their pistols trained on the injured men, just in case any decided to follow their captain's example of foolhardy bravery.

  Voices shouted instructions, chain rattled and then pulled taunt. Soon a hand wave told the men all was secured and over on the Edge they activated the winch. The metal crate rose up into the air, swung over the ocean and was then lowered into the dark embrace of the pirate ship's hold.

  The pirates' prey would now be cut loose with her damaged propellers and left to drift on the ocean. If they thought ahead, they would have spare sail so as least they could limp back to Darjee. If not, they would have to wait until a passing Regulator airship spotted them and gave assistance. Either way, it wasn't Reis' problem. Like a bloated lion, he took the best bits and would walk away from the picked over carcass without a second thought. He only looked forward, to how he would spend his gold.

  Reis held out the key to Fenton. "Since you do such an excellent job caring for the kraken, let us add another creature to your menagerie. You can keep Lady Alise's dinner healthy until we deliver her."

  Fenton stared at the key for a moment and then shoved it in his pocket. A lead weight settled in his gut at being made prison guard of the exotic creature, at least the kraken swam free until summoned. He grabbed a rope and swung back over to the Razor's Edge. Once he hit the deck, he headed for the stairs down to the pirate hold. The metal box now had a new home and sat to one side of the cramped space. No one had even bothered to lash it in place. If they hit a rough ocean, it would be tossed about like a match stick. Overhead, the cargo hatch was slid shut and locked to make the ship ready to get underway.

  The gossip flew around the crew faster than a flame over kerosene. Mermaid, they whispered. Bound for the Darjee Empire. A mythical creature, like the kraken. He ran his hands along the cool metal, but not a sound came from within. Was the creature dead? He dealt to the padlock and then prised the lid open.

  The dark surface of the water broke and the feminine creature sat up. Black hair clung to her scalp and draped over her breasts. She leaned her arms over the edge and took several deep breaths as though she had been starved of oxygen while contained. She lifted her eyes to his and he gazed into pools of deep azure. He sucked in a breath, he could drown in such depths, the hue of the deepest part of the ocean.

  With long fingers, she pulled a tangle of wet hair from her face and pushed it back behind her ears. She peered around the darkened hold, different to her former location. Her gaze flicked back to him and she cocked her head to one side.

  "Do you have a name?" he asked, it seemed like the best opening line.

  Water still dripped from the creature, but he swore he saw a single tear run down her cheek.

  Chapter Three

  Ailin had no idea how long the men kept her imprisoned. Time divided into hours and minutes was a landwalker concept. Deep in the ocean, they followed a different mistress, the primal tug of the tides governed by the pale caress of the moon. Had she lain trapped for one waxing of the moon, or several?

  All she knew was that trapped in the darkness she had an eternity to revaluate one little decision that sealed her fate. Having played it through her mind over and over, she decided she would do it exactly the same again to save a child. She just wished it never happened in the first place. If she could draw the moon backward across the sky, she would warn the children away. Scare them back to the coral reef before events unfolded.

  As an unmated female amongst her kind, it was her task to supervise the young. The vessel floating above them was a curiosity. It was rare for landwalkers to venture so far into the ocean, weeks from their cities and brightly lit shorelines. The young among them dared each other to venture close. Their game was to touch the hard bottom and flee back to their playmates. Several children played in the shadow of the ship. None saw the men on-board watching the flash of scales through the clear water. Until the net fell over the side.

  Ailin watched them at play and their game seemed harmless. The ship didn't appear to pose any threat, it lazed in the sun like a basking whale warming its hide. She should have known better. Should have listened to the elders and their stories of ruthless and cruel landwalkers. Once, her life had touched that of men and death ensued.

  The fabric spun and fanned out through the water as weights carried it beneath the waves into their domain. She never intended to go near the net, she knew what it was a trap of men. She called out her warning to the others who all swam to deeper water. All but one. The smallest had no sense of caution and soon became entangled trying to catch the spinning lur
es tied to the mesh. Ailin did her duty, she saved the little one. She cut her fingers tearing at the net to free the child but too late, she noticed her fin was caught by gossamer threads that held as strong as metal.

  "Go," she cried to the child who dashed into the dark embrace of the deep ocean. The net jerked upward and tore her body from the water. Blood ran over her hands as she tried to untangle herself, clawing at the mesh caught around her tail. Hot air washed over her and she gasped. Her lungs burned in the long seconds it took for her gills to close and her body to switch to another way of breathing.

  She dropped to a hard surface and landed awkward with her hands caught in the net. She tried to cry out but her body was still adapting to breathing like a landwalker and she didn't have the extra oxygen to spare. Tiny needles pricked at her tail from splinters as she was hauled over the wooden deck. Men surrounded her, the only relief was their shadows stopped the harsh sunlight from burning her sensitive skin. They loomed over her and cheered, a harsh guttural sound after the gentle murmur of the ocean. Their cold flat eyes and sharp teeth reminded her of ocean predators. One drew forth a large knife and slashed at the net pulled tight around her tail.

  She bit back a sob as the blade skimmed too close and sliced through a line of scales. The men chattered amongst themselves. One appeared to be their elder. Remembering her stories, she labelled him the captain. She remembered other tales from long ago and waited for what they would do to her.

  "Take it below," the captain said.

  No, she shook her head. His words froze her flesh until fear made her teeth chatter when two men grabbed at her body. One slid his hands under her arms and the other snatched at her tail. They carried her below deck and threw her in the steel box full of stale sea water.

  "Night night," said one man.

  The other rubbed his hands together and then the lid dropped over her, sealing her in.