Adventures of Captain Xdey (12 page)

Nadine sat in the small quarters with nothing but a candle to illuminate her writing. She was unaware of where Captain Zaren was. Nadine was uncertain as to how she felt about him; in one regard he was to be feared, and in another he was to be respected. It was a twisted roll of emotions.

A loud explosion interrupted her thoughts as Nadine found herself and the candle falling. It rolled across the floor, a small wisp of smoke trailing behind it as the room darkened. The ship leaned to the side, and she managed to hold onto the frame of the door. In the doorway stood a large figure. “Stay ‘ere, Nadine. That be th’ Capn’s orders.” And like that, he was gone.

Xoey stood on deck with a large number of her crew. “Leave none standin’!” she yelled in between the explosions. With a grin, she pointed her sword to the enemy’s deck. The swarm of men on both sides met in the middle ship, clashing their swords while a few stood in the back firing pistols. Xoey was caught in the center of it all. Her white hair shone in the light as she spun to swipe the sword low, cutting a man in the mid-section. Nadine, unable to stay below, found herself standing in the doorway. Fear liked she’d never known swept over her as she watched Xoey and Ramos stand side by side, fighting alongside Zaren’s crew.

Xoey’s technique with the sword fascinated her. She swung with such art and carried an air of grace, experience, and talent. Ramos lacked the grace and was content with his hacking of the men near him.

A wiry man with dark eyes and curly hair ran headlong toward Xoey. He swung his sword down past his shoulder and diagonally toward Xoey. She caught his sword with her own. Nadine knew she didn’t have the upper body strength to hold him back as his sword pushed down upon hers. Xoey used her heel to stomp hard upon the delicate bones of his foot. His reaction allowed her to pull away with her sword in hand. Her arching shot sliced the fabric at his mid-section. He staggered back, grateful that she’d missed. Their swords clanged as they danced on the ship’s deck.

They had very little room to move around; everyone seemed caught in their own battle. He pushed her back into a barrel, and her sword clattered to the ground. He advanced toward her. Xoey gulped as her fingers reached into the barrel. The man smiled wickedly as he lifted up his sword over his head. She gripped a handful of gun powder and threw it in his face. Blinded, the man dropped his sword to claw at his eyes. Unfortunately for him, he walked in between an ongoing duel—he didn’t make it. Xoey scooped up her sword with a heavy sigh of relief.

Xoey kept a fierce eye upon the battle. She noticed a man aiming his pistol away from the heat of the fight. Casting a quick eye, she spotted Nadine walking out of the safe zone, and she growled in frustration. “Get back!” Knowing that Nadine could not hear her Xoey ran, leaving Ramos and her crew behind. The pistol fired as Xoey yelled out from the impact. The sword clattered at her feet. She took one step forward and was stopped suddenly by a hand over her mouth. With sheer strength the man lifted her up and walked toward the long bowsprit that provided an anchor to the forestays. Xoey kicked and elbowed with all of her might. His grip was too tight to allow her teeth to chomp down on his flesh, so she wiggled and writhed as best as she could.

Her restrainer did not drop her though he did take a few good jabs to the ribs and knees. Without hesitation, he threw her overboard while still holding on to her hand, likely to hold her as a ransom. Her heart sank for she lacked the ability to swim. In fact, most pirates did—the sea will take what it wants. Isena’s voice radiated deep within. There will come a point where you will need to leap. Let go. Her captor grinned down at her, but he did not expect her to tug out of his sweaty grasp.

“Xoey!” Nadine screamed through the clattering of men.

Nothing would save her, and she would meet her father down in the depths. Xoey did not let out a scream. Instead, she closed her eyes and was met with harsh darkness.

Nadine cried out, “Xoey!”

Crystalline waters enveloped her. She reached up, holding in a puff of air, and hoped a rope would be thrown. Blood flowed and floated around her shoulder. The harsh salt water stung the wound, reminding her she was very much alive. The water darkened around her, the moon’s light no longer touching these parts. She could feel creatures touching her legs in curiosity. Something sticky wrapped around her ankle and pulled her down with speed.

She tried to paddle away, but it was too strong for her and she was running out of air. A creature with large tentacles swayed beneath her. She couldn’t fight anymore. One of the last bubbles of air escaped her lips. She remembered how big his eyes were. They were a radiating purple, shimmering like the finest jewel in the entire world. Resting on the head of the creature was a beautiful water woman—fashioned in shells. Her iridescent hue gave an unearthly glow. With every movement, electricity radiated throughout her skin, and her eyes reflected a golden shine. She breathed through gills on the side of her neck. The woman pulled Xoey close, and she smiled.

Nadine stood at the forecastle deck. The crew held off the celebratory yells for a later time. She didn’t want to believe that Xoey was dead. Ramos climbed up the shrouds. He stood on the yard of the main mast, searching for movement from beneath the surface of the water. Zaren set anchor for a short period of mourning. He forced the crews to repair the captured ship. The Shinobi quietly moved below deck for an hour of meditation to still their hearts. Nadine called up to Ramos, “Anything?”

His trained eyes scanned the water. “Nothing yet.”

Chapter Ten

Shiro Tamashii

The sea creature offered a large ornate shell. She gestured for Xoey to breathe through the shell’s canal. The outer lip of the opal colored mollusk’s former home bubbled as she inhaled life’s necessity. In the dark waters, Xoey was within the grasp of two creatures of the sea. The woman had smiled as her hands pressed hard against the bullet wound. Xoey tried not to let the air escape, but the pain of soldering skin together with heat and electricity were too intense.

Ramos pointed. “There!” He could see a number of bubbles breaching the surface.

Nadine threw a rope with a stone tied to the end, hoping it would fall near Xoey.

The woman stared at Xoey and gestured for her to grab the rope dangling a few feet from where they swam. Xoey quickly sucked in air, filling her lungs to the brim, nodded and waved to her saviors, and grabbed hold of the rope as her feet rested soundly on the rock.

Nadine called for the crew to help her bring up what was on the other end of the rope. With one strong hand, Zaren pulled the white-haired pirate out of the water. Celebratory cheers exploded at the sight of Xoey alive and well.

Ramos climbed down the nets as Nadine grabbed Xoey and hugged her tightly. “You’re alive. We didn’t give up.” She pulled Xoey’s bloodied shirt aside to check her wound. Her eyes searched Xoey’s for an answer when she saw the pink tender flesh and not a gaping hole expected from a bullet wound.

The grimy boatswain stared intently at the shell clasped in Xoey’s hand. “You met her,” he said with something like awe in his voice.

All Xoey could do was nod. Nadine looked between Xoey and the boatswain, hoping for an explanation of who they were discussing.

“Legend has it, the wife of a pirate waited for her husband’s return. She stood at the highest point along the rocky beach south of the port. Every morning, when the sun peeked across the horizon, there she was, waiting. Years passed, and when most would have just given up, there she waited. The tears she cried fell to the salty waters below. The sea sighed at her sadness. The moon mourned her loss. They could not bring back her husband’s lifeless body—he had drowned in the ocean years ago—but they could merge his soul with a strong creature who would never be overpowered again. He swam to the edge of every sea to find her, and when he did, he grabbed her down the beach and every shell she reached for merged into her skin. It wasn’t until she swam face to face with her husband that she realized what the sea had given her. The creature with tentacles and suckers as big as your face learned love. We call him Tamashii and she is known as Shiro. They are often spoken of as White Soul.”

“Shiro Tamashii.” The words were beautiful. They rolled off her tongue in a whisper. It was the perfect name for her vessel. The golden figurine poised with open arms at the forepeak would be carved to favor the beauty that was Shiro. “They saved me.”

The man nodded. “They save the pure of hearts and drown anything else.” He ruffled Xoey’s wet head. “Lucky they were near, Cap’n.”

Nadine edged over and inquired about the shell. Xoey handed it over. “I could breathe through it.”

Nadine’s fingers curled around the opening of the shell. It pulsated. Something changed. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She couldn’t shake the feeling of how powerful the object was. It writhed in her hand, and when she thought to hand it back the shell shuddered, twisted, and writhed to change its size to fit the palm of her hand. The crew did not move a muscle. She knelt down in agonizing pain as the shell bore into her skin and planted itself there.

Xoey reached down to comfort Nadine. She was puzzled by the reaction. One minute she was inches from touching her shoulder and the next, she was thrown back, barely missing colliding head first with the mast, into the stairs resting between the main deck and the quarter deck. Silence settled across the ship. White light illuminated from Nadine’s form. Xoey groaned in pain. Ramos offered her a hand. She graciously took the aid to pull herself up out of the awkward mess. Her head pounded in agony. Nadine, through the white haze, seemed to be concentrating on her right hand. She reached out and a ball of energy shot out at the horizon. Xoey stared wide-eyed at the sight. Nadine smiled and the aura dispersed. The shell remained imbedded in her palm. She looked up at Xoey. “This will help us win.” Xoey wasn’t certain of what to think about that much power, but she trusted Nadine to control it.

Zaren leaned over. “Xoey, we need to take you home.”

Nadine frowned at his words. She did not want to see Xoey leave. The pirate looked up at Zaren. “No. I made a promise and I intend on keeping it.”

Zaren bent down and placed two large hands on her shoulders. “Xoey.” His eyes searched hers. “We need you safe.”

Nadine removed the tattered parchment from her pocket. “Isena gave us this,” she remarked. “It says that we are destined to save Grittle. That can’t happen without Xoey. I know you’re trying to protect her, but if you do that, you’ll kill us all.”

Xoey pulled out of Zaren’s grasp. “Where is your sister?” They never travelled alone.

Zaren sighed. “I don’t know. She went to meet up with Nix and has yet to return.”

“So you’re leaving her behind?”

He lowered his head. The blue locks swayed forward. “You are our first priority.”

“I’m safe. You can either go home without me or stay with us and fight in our cause.”

Zaren looked up. “Xoey, you don’t understand.”

“Of course I don’t,” she said. “Because you haven’t explained to me why you’re so invested in my safety, but not in your own sister’s.”

He gestured her down the stairs. “We can discuss it in the captain’s quarters. Nadine and your friend…”

Ramos eyed the man. “Ramos.”

“Ramos can join.”

She struggled to keep up with the large man’s stride down to his quarters. As he helped himself to a drink, he motioned for her to remove the maps that rested upon the massive table. Xoey scrambled to roll up the papers and did so with great care as she knew how valuable the knowledge was. Zaren settled into a chair big enough to rest his tall and large frame comfortably. He always made her feel so very petite, even more so than her father. She carefully set the maps upon his cot. Ramos and Nadine stood behind Xoey waiting for his tale.

Zaren stared intently at Xoey. “When I was about your height, boy, I lived on land with my family.” He took a swig of the grog. “Even then, the legend of a white-haired pirate passed through generations. A tale of how she would save our sister, the land of Grittle, from an unjust overlord. A pirate born of Grittle, but raised in the land of Spearesfoot.”

Spearesfoot was a rural country, focused on the old methods of simple farming, fishing, and apparently, piracy. “This pirate would be you, Xoey. You are destined to be a hero. In turn, you turn your back on our home.”

She narrowed her gaze upon the man. “I never forget about home. You don’t think there’s a day that goes by that I don’t miss my duties? It seems to me that you’re just being selfish.”

Zaren leaned back in the chair. “Selfish? Far from it, kiddo. Everything about piracy changes because of your actions. We will no longer be favored. We will be hunted. So the question is what are you going to do about that?” His large hands were calloused from a lifetime of work, his nose slender, though her favorite feature was his blue eyes—so blue they seemed to be a life form on their own.

She scratched her nose. Her stomach gurgled. “Don’t ya dare try to place that on me. Nix started hunting pirates before I came into the picture.”

His eyebrows rose in question. “That’s what you think?” The captain removed the jacket from the back of the chair and placed it on his knee. “Listen here, Xoey. You got ambition and I like that, especially here, but you’re talking as though destinies do not cross. Nix is destined to rule for many years. This is not a battle you will win outright.” He gestured to Nadine’s hand. “Even with the help of Shiro.”

Xoey shrugged. “War ain’t won in a day, Zaren. We’ll win bits at a time. I get that you’re trying to save me from being here.”

He shook his head. “No, I’m trying to help you be a pirate. If you stay in Grittle, you will be landlocked—and not where you belong.” Zaren gestured at the wooden quarters. “Here.”

Nadine stepped forward. “That isn’t fair.” Ramos crossed his arms over his chest.

“I do not make the rules.” He smoothed out the jacket.

Xoey closed her eyes. The sea was her home. It was more of a home than Spearesfoot ever was. Isena had commented that she had arrived sooner than anticipated and that meant the stars were changing. “I am staying here in Grittle. I don’t break promises. If you want to protect me, you can stay. If not, I’ll find Amorina for you.”

Zaren pursed his lips. “That is your choice, kid. My destiny is not written for all to see. I just ask for one favor if I am to stay.”

Her head tilted to the side. “What be the catch?” There was a glimmer in Zaren’s eye that she could not yet grasp. “There be a rat on board, and I ain’t talking about the critter. The Cap’n that attacked my ship is among those men, but I can’t tell who he is as he’s dressed like the lot of them. Help me ferret him out.”

“Alright, I’ll do as ya ask, but you gotta do as I ask when we get to planning.”

Zaren slapped his knee. “Good. Now get to it.”

Ramos and Nadine stayed behind.

Nadine edged over to Zaren. “You lie.”

“Do I?” he said. “Well, what makes you think I would lie to a child?”

She shrugged. “That’s a question of the ages. Regardless, you lied to her. She is destined to rule the seas by staying here in Grittle. It is, as though, you do not wish to see her be your competition.”

Something behind his eyes stirred. Nadine continued. “She has served you long enough.”

Zaren slammed his hand on the table. “Enough!” The room tightened in intensity. Ramos regretted leaving the sword lying on the deck. It wasn’t his to begin with. He wished Decyl was around with his plethora of weapons. He’d likely outnumber the crew.

Zaren stabbed the air with his thick finger. “Do not presume, kid. It does not suit you. Everything I do here is for Xoey. Her destiny does not scare me.” He paused, allowing that thought to settle. “Yours does.”

Nadine looked back at Ramos. Zaren had pointed directly at him. Ramos narrowed his gaze at the rude gesture. It wasn’t polite to point. “What do you know of my destiny?”

Zaren turned his blue eyes upon him. “The Elders know many things. You will risk everything for Xoey. She will be your captain and you will be her second in command. It is in this weaving of destinies where complexities unfold,” he admitted almost reluctantly. “You will carve everything out of her path for Xoey to obtain her ultimate desire. Is that what you want? You wish to be her minion?”

Ramos was not amused by the word play. His father had given him the tale of his destiny. Ramos would be Xoey’s protector. He would be the moral compass to guide her in the right direction. She would never harm him and they would be friends through it all. “Your translation of destiny fails you, Zaren. It fails you greatly.”

Nadine smiled. “Perhaps another meeting of the Elders would suffice.”

“Perhaps,” Zaren said, rather quietly. “Do not say I did not warn you, however.”

When they left him alone, he stood from the chair, holding his jacket. He slid his hand into the side pocket. A cloud of smoke seeped through his fingers. A figure began to take form before him. Isena, the old wrinkled seer of Yorego, smiled. “Well done, Zaren,” she said. “They will carve out their paths, but must you place Xoey in danger in your little spy game?”

Zaren pushed aside the mug that he’d placed on the table. “I will do whatever it takes for her to succeed. She must learn what she is capable of.”

Isena shook her head, and her webbed silver hair swayed. “You could do more harm than good. She might not be ready.”

“Only one way to find out,” said Zaren.

The seer pursed her lips. “I hope you are right.” The cloud of smoke vanished.

“Me, too,” he said rather softly.

While thinking of dinner, Xoey came up with a plan. The cook was found in the small galley breaking bread into small pieces. He looked up at her. “Dinner ain’t ready yet.”