Chronicles of the Dragon Pirate (19 page)

My wits were scattered like mice again. “None of this makes sense. Why would Smoke would want to leave me?”

“Because I showed her the vision Eldest showed me. I can’t speak mind to mind like the dragon-ghosts do, but I can give them my memories, and the visions placed in my mind. Smoke and Jade both saw what I saw, and they agree with me: Eldest’s interpretation of the vision is not the only one.”

“Pepper,” I said carefully, for if she was as mad as her words seemed to imply, I didn’t want to get her upset, “what vision are you speaking of?”

She reached out a hand to touch my cheek. “My vision of you. I saw you on the deck of the Dutch ship as you were this morning, wearing the same wild grin you had in Eldest’s vision. The rest of the vision is hazy, although it did show the Dark Sister’s marking me again, and hunting me down until they found me. It also showed me merged with a dragon-ghost, both of us one flesh and one spirit, which Eldest took to mean I would be merged with her. But Jade’s been around longer than any other dragon-ghost, and she thinks I’ll already be merged permanently with one of her younger sisters before that happens.”

Suddenly it was all clear to me. “You want to permanently merge with Smoke,” I said leaning forward. “Pepper, this is madness! You’ll be condemning yourself to only a few more years of life for what, the ability to light fires with your fingers?” A thought struck me...and suddenly I felt ashamed. “That isn’t it at all, is it? You want to keep the Dark Sisters from claiming you first, and you feel merging with Smoke’s the only way to keep that from happening.” She nodded with a sad expression on her face, and I took the hand caressing my cheek with both my own. “But what if the vision is wrong, or takes place years from now or...”

Pepper took her free hand and placed her forefinger over my lips to quiet them. “If I could place it in your mind like I did for Smoke, you’d understand. Once the Dark Sisters have marked me, the sands of the hourglass begin spilling out and I don’t know how long I’ll have. Smoke said you’d try and argue me out of it.”

Pepper took her finger away and I grumbled, “I’m not doing very well.”

She smiled. “It warms my heart you’re trying. Did Sally kiss you?” My wits scattered like mice again as she gave me a knowing look. “From the way you’re blushing, I’ll take it your answer is yes.” I let go of her hand, and in turn she put a hand on each of my thighs as she leaned forward. “Don’t worry: Sally knows you belong to me now.”

“That’s going to go hard with the crew,” Jeremiah’s voice said from the doorway. Pepper and I both turned our heads to look at him. He stood in the now open doorway with a white shirt in one hand, which he tossed at me as he continued. “At the beginning of every voyage we sign a set of Articles; the laws of the ship so to speak, and they clearly state that Pepper shall have no carnal knowledge of any member of the crew.” He gave her a sardonic smile. “The humans of the crew, anyway.”

“The captain and I have already discussed it,” Pepper said as she took the shirt from my hands and held it up. “Good; this is exactly the one I wanted you to have.” She stood up with a graceful motion, beckoning for me to join her. “Stand up and put it on.”

As I got to my feet she held it out for my inspection. It was fancier than any shirt I’d ever owned in my life, with long sleeves and a ruffle in the front...along with a faded bloodstain on one side, neatly stitched. I motioned towards the spot. “It would seem this shirt’s last wearer was unluckier than most.”

“That’s the nature of life,” Jeremiah said cryptically. “We make our own luck and enjoy every day, for the morrow may bring our death.” He grinned at me then, adding, “Put it on: I want to see how it looks.”

I took it from Pepper and slipped it on. The shirt was made for a larger man, and hung a little loose on my frame, but otherwise it seemed a good fit. As I buttoned the whalebone discs underneath the ruffle and tucked it into my white trousers, Pepper rummaged around the cabin until she found a blue sash the color of the captain’s coat. She looped it a couple times around my waist and tied it off in the back. “There,” she said as she stepped back, “now you look like a proper pirate.”

I couldn’t help but give them both a wry smile. “I don’t feel much like a pirate.”

“Give it time,” Jeremiah said, his face growing serious as he looked at Pepper. “Will you give me a moment to speak with Tomas?”

Pepper gave him a direct look. “I know what you wish to say, so let me say it for you. Tomas,” Pepper turning her gaze upon me, “Pepper is daft, but the crew is fond of her. So play along until she becomes obsessive about something else and forgets about you, while keeping any carnal knowledge of her away from the crew.” She folded her arms as she turned to Jeremiah. “Did I leave anything out?”

Jeremiah folded his arms in response. “No, you pretty much summed up what I was about to say. The cross-currents among the crew are bad enough right now without adding the storm that’s going to erupt when the crew learns of your intentions.”

“The captain’s got a plan,” Pepper shot back.

“I’ll be interested to hear it,” Jeremiah said skeptically, before motioning towards the doorway. “If you want a last view of your old life, the Davy’s getting ready to sail.”

I made myself square my shoulders as I pushed down the knot of fear creeping into my belly and followed Jeremiah out the door, Pepper at my heels as we stepped out onto the main deck. The sky above us was darkening as the sun dipped below the horizon off our starboard side, narrow clouds like sunset’s banners heralding the end of the day. Some of the crew were on deck, either in the rigging or talking in groups among themselves. The baldheaded pirate with the gold tooth looked at me and whistled. “Look, it’s the Prince-o-the-Pirates!”

The others laughed as Pepper shot back, “You better be careful, Curly, for Jade’s his ghost now.”

Curly gaped at us as the others laughed again, one saying, “Best watch yerself or Jade’ll have fire comin out yer arse every time you fart.”

Jeremiah led us up the broad, wooden stairs built into the stern and up onto the aft deck. The ship was beginning to move under sail, with Master Walters bellowing orders at the crew while Captain Hawkins spoke quietly to Mr. Smith and Master Khan. Mr. Smith noticed us and beckoned for us to join them, his deep voice rumbling, “Tomas, your ladies are working well together.”

I looked up towards the sails. The mermaid air-golems were pushing the ship forward, the nets in their hands spread out along the canvas. Glancing back down, my gaze met the eyes of the man at the tiller, a gaunt African with a shoulder once badly broken and left to heal crooked. He nodded to me and I nodded back as Jeremiah said, “Tomas, meet Ezekiel. He knows these waters better than we knew St. Augustine.”

Ezekiel gave us a grin filled with broken teeth as we walked past the carved tiller. Behind us, Master Walters called out, “We’ve got the wind, captain. Where away?”

Captain Hawkins was standing next to the stern deck rail as he turned towards the tiller. “Zeke, we need an island where we can trade some of this cloth for provisions and fresh water. The Shadowmen took every bit the Dutch tub had.”

“Not to mention every person on board, alive or dead,” Jeremiah said as we stopped beside Mr. Smith. “It was like being on a ghost ship.”

“Different kind of provisions,” Pepper said. “They’ll smoke the dead bodies like jerked meat and eat them once the live ones are gone.”

In the silence that followed her words, Ezekiel began pushing the tiller towards the southeast until the ship’s bow was pointing in the direction he wanted. “Got de perfect spot, captain: we go back to Haven again. We’ll be there two hours, now we got de wind.”

“Good,” Captain Hawkins replied as he glanced at me. “Pepper, what have you told our young Dragon of his new situation?”

“That Jade is his as Smoke’s mine, and why she agreed to it.”

“I don’t like it, sir,” I blurted out before I could stop myself from speaking. The cold knot of fear in my belly tightened as his eyes narrowed, but remembering the lessons Alfonzo had taught me, I forced myself to meet his gaze. “I understand why it needs to be this way, but I was taught to always speak the truth.”

To my surprise he gave me a firm nod. “The truth is what I want from you at all times, even if it means you get punished for speaking it. Are we clear?” I gave him a hesitant nod and he went on. “There’s going to be a lot of things you’re not going to like from here on, beginning with the choice you’re about to make.” The knot of fear tightened further as he looked me over for a long moment, as if coming to a decision himself. “Jeremiah told you about the Articles?”

“Yes sir,” I answered. “Pepper’s off-limits to the crew.”

“You’re not going to be a member of the crew.” Captain Hawkins looked past me. “Pepper, are you truly serious about merging with the dragon-ghost Smoke?” Pepper and Smoke answered yes in unison behind me, and Captain Hawkins folded his arms. “Then this is your choice. You, Tomas Rios, will swear an oath to become my apprentice. You will serve me faithfully, no matter what I ask...or I will chain you in the ship’s brig and sell you to Captain Black, who’s always looking for Dragons, willing or not.”

Before I could begin to gather my scattered wits, Pepper pulled me back and stood in front of me. “Sir, this isn’t fair to him; there’s got to be another way.”

Jeremiah, in turn, pulled her away. “Not if you want the crew to even consider accepting this,” he said as he looked at me. “It’ll mean your fortunes will be tied to the captain’s, and you’ll never be accepted by the crew as one of them. You’ll always be an outsider.”

“Dragons always are, yes?” Master Khan said. “Honorable Tomas, if you become the captain’s apprentice I will teach you what I know...although Jade herself may prove to be the better teacher, yes?”

“And I’ll see you’re taught how to fight,” Mr. Smith said. “Outsider or not, everyone aboard appreciates what you can do for us, so what say you?”

The captain continued looking at me with dark eyes as something Gran-Pere had once said came back to me: ‘Even if you’re forced to make a bad bargain, make the best bad bargain you can’. “Captain Hawkins, I’ll agree to be your apprentice on one condition: I won’t give up my honor.”

His eyes narrowed. “Meaning what?”

I took a deep breath. “Meaning I won’t hurt the innocent. I’ll fight your enemies,” I said quickly, “and I won’t balk at whatever you ask me. But I won’t rape or torture, nor kill the defenseless out of hand. I was taught about holding onto my honor by a man named Alfonzo. He wasn’t the best man in the world, but neither am I, and I won’t lose my honor, not...totally.”

“What if I tell you to crawl into the bilge and clean it out,” the captain growled. “Will you balk then?”

“When the flux passed through St. Augustine, I was cleaning shitte off men’s legs and arses; cleaning the bilge would probably be pleasant in comparison.”

The others laughed and even the captain’s dark look vanished as the ghost of a smile played at his lips. “I imagine it would.” But the smile faded as he went on. “Should I require someone tortured, I have but to speak the word and much of the crew would ask to do the deed. But should I require such a deed to be done, you will not defy me. You’ll keep still or I’ll have you flogged... are we clear?”

I realized I could push the captain but so far, answering, “Clear, sir.”

Captain Hawkins pointed down at the deck in front of him. “Drop to one knee and fold your hands together like a priest at prayer.” I did as he asked with my fingers and palms together as I held them up, and he placed his hands to either side of them. “Pepper, is Jade close to hand?”

“I am here,” Jade’s voice answered from a spot to the side of us. “If you wish to make this a Dragon’s Oath, it will be binding on both sides.”

“Let it be so,” he replied, and a moment later I gasped as Jade’s claws painlessly pierced my right side. Captain Hawkins gave me a hard smile. “I will assume Jade’s now attached herself to us both.”

“I have,” she answered. “Will you both swear to honor the bond between you, to teach and be taught, to serve and be served, to have honor kept and honor restored, and to defend until no defense is possible until death breaks the bond or I release you both?”

I took a deep breath. “I swear it.”

“Interesting oath,” Captain Hawkins said, raising his eyebrows. “I also swear.”

“As do I,” Jade said, “my oath separate from yours. Tomas Rios, by the true name I keep hidden from the ears of mortals I bind myself to thee for the rest of thy life or until I remember thee no more. I do so swear.”

Everyone looked around at each other with startled looks, the captain letting go of my hands as he spoke to the spot where Jade’s voice came from. “Since when did dragon-ghosts swear oaths like mortal men?”

“I have my reasons,” she replied in her cultured voice, “none of which I plan to discuss, so pray do not trouble your thoughts...”

From beyond the Dutch Flyte now far behind us I saw a flash of red light. A moment later a great boom sound rolled past us, and everyone turned toward the stern as a fiery light in the sky streaked towards us. I heard cries of alarm behind me as Master Walters shouted, “Captain, they’ve broken the truce. They’re shooting at us!”

“Stay calm,” Captain Hawkins yelled. “That shell’s not meant for us.”

“And if it is,” Jeremiah asked, “what then?”

Mr. Smith answered. “Then we haven’t a chance in the world.”

The fiery streak in the sky exploded into nine smaller balls of flame arcing down, their destination clear as another boom rolled over us. A moment later they reached the Dutch Flyte and exploded. We covered our eyes as a final roar rolled over us, everyone looking back out to sea a moment later as the light faded.

Much of the Dutch Flyte was gone. What remained burned with hot flames as the Queen Anne’s Regret began to sink into the sea, Pepper and I instinctively clinging to each other as Jeremiah cried out, “Why did they do that?”

Of all of us, Captain Hawkins seemed the least concerned. “Captain Thorne wished to get rid of the evidence,” he said as the bow of the ship lifted into the air with the figurehead of the queen holding her hands in supplication to the sky.