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The Blacke Letter; Part 5 |
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Dawn light crested the planet that we headed toward, making everything half-hued in bright shades of magenta and scarlet like a sea of blood.
The planet Relur was tiny and didn’t have much of a port, but it had good living quarters, hotels and transportation for tourists on the sun drenched paradise of a planet. Relur was only perhaps two hundred miles in circumference, and had little land mass. Any of the homes and hotels and resorts were under the water, along with theme parks and all sorts of tourist attractions. What little land there was, was used for docks for ships for cargo and for tourist transport. Most of the people living here were quite wealthy.
It was midmorning now and we were close to port. I called in for space to dock when we were a few miles away and remained at the steers point, waiting to be close enough to see the dock number 72 that we would be going to.
“Jerek!” I called down to him as he emerged from the galley, rubbing his eyes wearily and yawning. “Go armed and let that captain out and let her know that she’s getting her ship back when we hit port. We’ll need to be out of here sharpish, ya know!”
“Right away!” he told me and seemed suddenly wide awake as he grabbed the nearest weapon to paw. It was a long staff that could collapse into itself, with a wicked, small, curved axe blade at the end. It had been leaning against the door of the Captain’s cabin, unnoticed until now. I watched him walk away, looking at the blade rather than Jerek. I made a mental note to keep that one.
Jerek came back up the stairs, and Streek seemed quite docile at the moment, being led at spear point. Just as they reached the middle of the deck, Vervain surprised the old Sirin by suddenly twisting away from him to face him and snatch away the weapon. With the spear haft, she dealt Jerek a stunning blow between the ears, laying him flat out on the deck and rubbing his sore head.
Streek stood and looked at me, victorious and smug. The crimson sun rising behind her seemed to make her hatred radiate out to bathe the whole deck in deep blood red. Her normally neat and slicked back hair was no longer tidy as before and besides being a bit angry, she was quite the sight with the scarlet orb burning behind her.
Without moving, I told Shinara who was behind me through the side of my mouth “Would ye mind takin’ this into dock seventy-two when we get there?”
She gave a dissatisfied snort, but moodily took the tiller, and I stepped behind her quickly, keeping to her shadow so that Vervain could not see me. Shinara had now stepped to the edge of the steers point, where Vevain could see her. I had remembered Shinara saying that she held a grudge against Streek, so the Markien recognizing her did not surprise me.
“Shinara! You’re with this little thief?! You’ll pay for ever having set foot on my ship as well, you blind, winged rat!” Vervain yelled up at Shinara. The bat only smiled maliciously and triumphantly, knowing that I had already snuck down the stairs to the deck without notice. Streek continued to yell insults at Shinara, trying to provoke her into coming down to fight her, but Shinara was very good at keeping her temper. Vervain dared not come up to face Shinara, for she knew that the bat would be ready for her as soon as she saw that she was coming after her. Besides, Shinara had the gift of flight. Not only would that save her from Vervain attacking her and not the other way around, that would prove invaluable to me on my ship.
With the skills of the thief that I was, I had already slunk down the stairs, and now made my way, slowly, subtly, along the railing of the deck farthest away from the raging Markien. When I’d made it behind her, I hurried over to Jerek silently, where he still sat, nursing his throbbing skull.
When Streek realized that I no longer stood on the steers point, she stopped mid-insult, and turned around, frantically looking for me. I stood next to Jerek, helping him to bandage his bleeding head. I glanced up at her while still tying off the bandage, then I began walking slowly away, keeping my eyes on Vervain as I led her away from the kindly old Sirin.
She might not have been restrained any longer, but she was still going to scream at me everything that she had to say. “I demand that you relinquish the command of this ship, return my blade, and get off my ship, or I’ll use this Khran instead! Just one minute with you! You’ll be dead if you don’t turn it over to me!”
I waited for a pause in the ensuing tirade of insults, threats and challenges that she screamed, before telling her “Speak what you will, but do it civilly!” I yelled it at her and she fell silent.
When she next spoke, she did as I had bidden of her, but still spoke in a loud tone that suggested that screaming was the only way to get the point across to me. I did listen politely though.
“I want to be released, and either returned to me my ship, or have one go at you!” Her voice rose in a drastic crescendo and I rolled my eyes but decided to treat her as any other that might be a part of my crew.
“Negotiable,” I declared monotonously. “but which would you rather have?”
“I know it’s foolish…” she said with a sigh; the first sign of emotion other than hate or anger that I’d seen from her yet. “but I’d much rather have a fight to the death with you! You deserve it!”
I shrugged. “I may, but you’re a fool!” I spat. “You’ll get your ship back at port! Unless you’d rather fight me. Choose a fight, and I’ll burn this rubble heap right at dock after thrashing your stupid hide! Choose wisely, because only one will let you live!”
The shamed Markien only became more enraged at my words. “You think you can beat me?! I’ll take that fight, you coward! Burn my ship! See if I care! If I beat you, it’ll be all the more worth it!”
I nodded sagely and narrowed my eyes. “Alright then, but only because no one calls me a coward and gets away with it!”
I unsheathed her own cutlass and saw her eyes flash angrily as she thought I may use it. She made ready to strike with the Khran. Then, I turned, and handed the cutlass to Streek, hilt first, holding the blade’s end delicately. Vervain looked at me for a second, then stepped forward. I still held the blade with the hilt up for her to take, standing on tip-paw so that she need not lean over to take it. Just as she reached for it, a sudden, frightening type of rage bled into her eyes; Streek shoved the cutlass forward in the instant that she clasped the hilt, ramming the point that I held into my palm and slicing down in the same movement. I immediately recoiled in retreat and Streek took her chance as I went down on all fours to take another piece of my already torn ear. With just the flat of her blade, she sent me sliding across the deck on my back and toward the recovering Sirin. Jerek stood me back up on two paws, keeping his mouth close to my bleeding ear and staining his snout so that he could whisper to me “Chase! Yer a pirate now! Pirates don’t fight fair! Give ‘er what for an’ don’t ‘old back! And while we’re on the subject, take this!”
As he shoved me forward to meet the oncoming captain who now wielded two weapons, there was a tiny knife, small but lethal, pressed into my bleeding forepaw. My limp, now in three paws, got me another slash to the shoulder and I nearly lost my tail to the Khran. Vervain had slashed my left shoulder, rendering my previously only good side useless. Now most of the swings and slashes were directed at my left side because Vervain knew that the other forepaw would be no threat by the way that I obviously tried to keep weight off of the bleeding pad. The right side was no longer a threat now that it wasn’t being used because of the injury from the cutlass point. In all actuality though, that right side was as strong as ever.
I kept the right paw held uselessly at my side to throw her off as I backed and retreated from the onslaught, remaining steady in the direction that I backed. Then, my still good right footpaw came into contact with the upward ramp behind me. I stopped backing away and began ducking down under the rain of slashes that Vervain delivered. She was panting and heaving now with swinging crazily like that, but she thought she had me beat.
With one final cut that was delivered to the flat top of my nose, I sank to all fours and Streek readied herself for the killing blow, flinging the Khran away in favor of the cutlass. She raised the blade high, taking aim.
Just as the blade went down, I launched myself off the ramp with my good footpaw in a pounce over the blade, taking Vervain with such force with a fist to the face that she fell flat and far. Streek was up before I could get to her though.
With one more leap at the end of my run, I cleared her height and landed behind her. Just before she could turn, I lashed around with the knife, taking her down with a slice through the back of her knees. She dropped to a crouch, and I spun once more to catch her high on the cheek with the knife. As she turned her face away with the path of the knife, I pounced at the exposed throat, my teeth sinking into the jugular as she fell onto her back with me crouched on her chest.
Thanks to Tyrsse, I knew that move and I also knew not to let go, no matter what struck me. Strangely enough though, Streek did not berate me with her cutlass. In fact, Vervain lay there, seemingly in very little pain at all as she remained perfectly still beneath me.
Streek Vervain was not dead, yet there was the awful taste of a lot of blood in my mouth. I could feel the strong pulse in the thick blood vessel against my tongue and teeth and lips, but when it started to dwindle away, becoming slower and weaker, I gingerly released the unconscious captain and stepped carefully away.
There was silence for a moment as I stood, looking at the older Markien. Then Jerek was yelling. “What the heck was that, Chase?!” I stared at him. “What did yeh do?!” Jerek was overreacting.
“Relax! She’s not dead!” I yelled at him, silencing his outburst.
“Yeah…but…” he stammered.
I hesitated on a logical answer for him. “Asphyxiation. Cut off air supply - lack of air knocked her out.” I said with a shrug.
“Wrong!” Jerek started again. “When someone’s bein’ throttled, they don’t jus’ lay still like that!”
I stamped my only good footpaw. “Look! She’s down and harmless and that’s all that matters!” I looked at both Shinara and Jerek, waiting for anymore protests. When nothing more was said, I glanced over my shoulder at the port of Relur. Now in a bad mood, I told them “We’ve hit port. If ye’ve changed yer minds, then git yourselves off here and find a way home from here!”
Old Jerek shrugged, but didn’t depart. Shinara said nothing, but didn’t move either. They were still going to come with me.
Jerek walked away, sighing and rubbing his head, and I walked in the opposite direction. I pushed a crate that was near the railing over more, and then sat down against the side of the crate, sitting parallel to the railing. Jerek approached me a few moments later, and I looked away from him. After a while, he finally ventured to speak a few words to me.
“Chase? A’hm sorry I was all yellin’ like that, mate. ‘Twas a good thing, letting ‘er live like that. Ye’ll make a fine captain for yore new crew.” he waited a moment for me to speak, but then walked away so that I did not have to. Shinara was the only one left standing near me.
Without knowledge of her watching me, I contemplatively licked blood from my teeth and the wounds that I could reach. The bleeding slit atop my nose stung as I held my paw over it trying to get it to stop bleeding. For the necessity of two paws, I set the knife on the crate behind me and continued with both paws to wipe away blood.
Shinara made a quiet whistling sound to perhaps remind herself where everything was now that she was no longer in the shadows and it attracted my attention. I looked up at her, slightly behind me, expectantly.
She didn’t say anything, so I looked away and resumed pawing at my snout. There was the quiet sound of metal scraping on wood, and I didn’t bother to look for what it was.
Surely Shinara had something to say to me. She of all creatures would know better than most anyone else about what I had just done.
“Good move,” she told me, as if saying so were now an obligation. “for a cat.” she sat on the crate behind me then and we both smirked at the truth of her statement. “Just remember not to tell anyone. It is your secret after all.” she reminded me in an odd, sly tone of voice. I didn’t say anything, having finally stopped the top of my nose from bleeding. I leaned back, resting my head on top of the crate, and cracking my neck. Shinara moved to sit in a more comfortable position on top of the box, and for a second, her wing passed across my face, dragging uncomfortably across my exposed throat. I blinked up at her, but she had not noticed, so I shut my eyes and relaxed, planning on taking a nap.
What I failed to notice, was Streek. Not that there was any need to; she shouldn’t be able to recover too quickly after what I’d done. Once again though, I had underestimated Streek Vervain.
The Markien captain was currently using every bit of skill and stealth to sneak up behind me, unheard. She stalked on all fours, so as to be quieter and to keep out of Shinara’s although limited view. She had already retrieved her Khran from where it had been thrown during the battle, and now made her way painstakingly slowly across the deck against the railing. She was sneaking toward the opposite side of the crate that I slept against, and the problem now was getting past Shinara, who face outward toward the rest of the ship. Streek would have to go right against the crate’s front, practically under Shinara’s nose.
Holding the Khran in one hand, she went to crawl around the corner of the crate that would bring her to the front of it, and then the handle of the Khran knocked against the corner. Streek froze. She could not tell if I had been alerted because she could not see me yet, but she looked slowly up to her hated winged rival above her, who’s ears were perked with obvious interest and suspicion.
With the smoothest of motions and the slyest of smiles, Vervain kept her eyes riveted on Shinaras’ and brought her index finger to her lips in a signal to be quiet. Shinara’s eyes narrowed in question and perhaps in objection, but she made no move to stop Vervain as she continued her slow advance.
Finally, the captain was able to stand, right beside me. Had I been aware of the goings-on, I would have killed Shinara for keeping quiet before dealing with Streek. Vervain slowly, carefully, raised the Khran above her head, and found herself eyelevel with Shinara who still sat on the box.
The bat was fighting her own battle currently; it was brief and only lasted a matter of seconds. Did she dare raise a hand to stop Vervain’s blade and invoke her wrath? Or would she sit there quietly while a satin cloaked figure stole across the opposite side of the deck? Fighting with her instincts and emotions, Shinara stayed still, nervous, quick, calculating eyes darting from the invader to the murderer.
Streek Vervain was seconds away from letting the Khran’s blade sink into my exposed throat, Shinara was nearly mad with anxiety, there was some cloaked person on the ship, and faithful Jerek was no where to be found.
Then, several things happened, all at once; the hooded figure’s claws clicked upon the deck, I heard the sound, and my eyes snapped open, just as Streek swung with as much force as she could muster and also at the same time that Shinara reached up, grabbing the blade with one bare hand.
Upon opening my eyes and seeing the blade stop, just inches from my face, I scrabbled upright, groping futilely for the little knife that I had left on the box. Not finding the knife, I dodged out of the corner formed by the railing and crate, just as Shinara’s strength gave out and the blade slipped past her.
Vervain was quick though; instead of letting the blade slam into the deck, she brought it back over to the side to follow my dodge. Luckily, I had bee on all fours, and the blade sped over my head, clipping what few hairs had been there between my ears. That was not the reason that I had come out of that unscathed though; while Shinara sucked her bleeding hand, the robed intruder had taken Vervain by surprise.
Shinara and I both watched as both creatures, one armed and the other not, tussled savagely on the deck, locked in a duel of claws and teeth, cunning and wit. The hooded person got the worst of it, but Streek was not in very good condition after her first battle. They tussled for only seconds more, a sound not passing either of the combatants’ lips. Streek did well, but she hadn’t a chance from the start; the battle drew to an almost instant close.
Only after I was certain that Streek was down did I approach the new arrival to congratulate them instead of Shinara.
“Ye saved me life on that one! I’m gonna have to shake yer paw fer that, mate!”
The shadow beneath the hood seemed to move in what I hoped was a smile and the person took my paw in a handshake.
I was surprised at the paw that held mine, but did not show it. The paw was a big blacke lions paw, but was covered instead of with only fur, with fine blacke feathers as well as fur. The small feathers did not look wholly attached to the paw, but now that I glimpsed the few long feathers of a bird tail protruding from underneath the blue robe at the floor, I was convinced that the creature was partially Flurid, like Freea. Even with feathers, I could tell that the creature was not entirely Flurid; those feathers were attached to an Ibaras paw.
“Wot’s yore name, and what were ye lookin’ fer on me ship in the first place?” I remained smiling my toothy childish grin so as not to make her think I was angry.
Both of the creature’s paws went up to grip the edges of the satin hood and pulled it down to the shoulders. Where I expected to see a face, I saw instead a lightweight silk mask, drawn tight to the creatures’ face. I could not determine the creatures’ gender or species still because of the mask, but I would not ask about it or what it hid. A mask is used to hide something, and if it is worn, it commands no questions. Long shimmering blacke hair like Tyrsse’s flowed down to her shoulders, and I found myself thinking of her even now. The large feet that I could see from under the robe were not bird, but lion, and the mask did not protrude from the face it would if it hid a Flurid beak. So this creature was mostly Ibaras, but had feathers too. I was not sure about wings, but I was fairly certain that there were none. Then it spoke to me in a sickly sweet, cheery, female voice that also reminded me of Tyrsse.
“My name is Lapis. I was going to ask the shady looking bat where the captain was, then I saw that you were in trouble. I see now that you are the captain, and would like to ask about a job aboard your ship. What qualifications are required?”
I smiled disarmingly, to perhaps counter her seductive-sweet, cheery but quiet tone. “I’d say savin’ me life is about as good an application as any I’ll ever get. Welcome aboard, Lapis! What do you do?”
Replacing the hood back over her head as if she were cold, Lapis told me “Well, I’m hoping you aren’t the…how do I put this?… Merchant type.” her voice sounded pleading, but also somewhat forced, as if to prove or to convince me that she knew the question were necessary - as if she were impersonating someone and in order to hide it, she was asking a question that the impersonated person would surely ask, but it was also a typical question.
I gave her a wry smile and knew that in order to answer, I must seem the same way. I knew exactly what she was asking and what she was talking about, but I must play the same game for the same reasons that she played it; answer as if I were who I pretended to be, but also know what was necessary to pass myself off as what I hoped to.
“Not the merchant type? Why, whatever else would I be?” I asked innocently, playing the necessary game well.
I began walking nonchalantly away to get her to talk and follow. I could be as cruel as Vervain with my words, and now, Lapis strove to find an answer, to keep herself in the game.
“Any sort of blacke market traders maybe, or even pirates? That sort of type. I mean, I’m not looking to be, er, well, if you’re pirating, then I don’t -”
I decided to draw the game to a swift close now that she had said all that was needed. “You don’t? Well, then. We’ve no use for you aboard this ship…”
Ending that that way was quite harsh, but it got what I wanted and also what Lapis wanted. Lapis’s lightheartedness died at my words. “No! Captain! I’m a fighter, and I’d like a job aboard this ship!” she stomped her paw to finalize it.
I turned and grinned wolfishly. “Auch! Do ye now? Tha’s more like it! And the name’s Chase!”
The relief that could only be shown by finishing the necessary game was plain in her sigh. I led her back toward the galley, making small talk. “So, Lapis, how many seasons ye got on ya?”
“Oh, well, there’s nearly two score years tucked away under this cloak. Been a mercenary fighter for a few, but no one needs mercenaries lately, so here I am. So, we’re looters on this ship?”
I nodded, thinking over her words. Two score? Surely Lapis lied about her age. She sounded much younger and from whatever I could glimpse of physical features I’d say she was only half that number.
We walked past the brooding Shinara and down the stairs. Here, Jerek was sleeping, on one of the benches at a table. He heard us talking and looked up sleepily at me with a questioning expression.
“Meet Lapis, Jerek. She’s going to help us and she’s quite useful in any skirmishes we might get into.”
Old Jerek stood politely to shake Lapis’s paw. “’Ullo, Miss! Mah name’s Jerek an’ A’hm the first mate of Chase’s crew! Actually, only other member of the crew, ascusin’ you. We’re just gettin’ started.” Jerek smiled happily and Lapis wasn’t as keen to speak with him as the Old Sirin had at first hoped.
“Really? Well, this is quite the fine ship you’re running, you two.”
Jerek sat rigid and I saw it. He didn’t think telling her that this ship was stolen was a good idea. But why shouldn’t I tell? She was already alright with my being a captain of a looting crew.
“Actually, the ship ain’t ours. The military garbed captain up there that you gave quite the lickin‘; this is her ship. We was just usin’ it to get her to Relur. She’ll be getting it back in a little while though because we’ll be getting a better one from this port. It’ll be easy though; less witnesses, almost no security cuz a that low crime rate, not like back at the Planet Port, so no one much is even gonna notice or do anything ‘bout it. In fact, we’d best be pickin’ one out here, sharpish now.”
“Have a good one in mind?” Lapis asked.
“Matter of fact, I do, matey. Jus’ gotta find it. That’s why Ah came here; that ship’s docked here.”
Old Jerek rubbed his hands together eagerly. “Good, Chase! Wot’s ‘er name then, eh?”
I walked up the stairs, calling back over my shoulder to him.
“Jerek, I told ye the name before. There’s a ship docked here that I’ll stop at nothing to get, an’ ‘er name’s The Silencer!”
The port of Relur was a crowded one today, it being the only option for a tourist crowded planet. This would make it only slightly harder to steal a ship.
Lapis obeyed her first order of tying Streek Vervain to the mainmast pole of her own ship as I decked myself out in all of the confiscated weaponry from Vervain. We would leave the captain there until someone paid attention to her pleas for help - that is, if she weren’t too proud to risk humiliation from any help that she received by yelling.
Now, I led Jerek, Lapis, and a reluctant Shinara through the crowd of people. Shinara had wanted to either remain to taunt or kill the captain, but she also did not want to be left in an unfamiliar port on a strange planet, so she followed. She followed, knowing that she would get another chance at her rival; she knew Streek better than I, so it would make sense for Shinara to know if she would ever meet Streek again or not.
The three crewmen followed me as best they could, but they kept losing sight of me. In this new port, where security was not a common sight, I was in my glory and had momentarily forgotten about looking for the Silencer. My group followed doggedly though, unaware that I had forgotten. They were having quite the challenge in trying to do so, though.
They were following my ducking and weaving, and generally elusive seeming movements through and around and between groups of people and other individuals. I snatched whatever I could from those I passed, whether it be garnet, gold, jewelry or clothing. It was so much simpler here where the people were unsuspecting and packed into tight bunches where everyone was jostled and bumped by those standing next to them; no one would even notice, and even if someone did, there wasn’t any security here running rampant trying to search out a single thief. At one point, I had to come back and join my group when one of them was accused of stealing.
One fat, wealthily dressed Priffin was shouting indignantly at Jerek while munching away at a carrot.
“I know you stole it, you pickpocket! You bumped right into me, and then I saw my wallet was missing! Who else could it have been but you?”
I came up behind the portly Priffin, listened for what he was missing, rummaged through a pawful of stolen goods, and stepped into view of my party as they tried to convince the accuser otherwise. Jerek sighed in relief when he saw me; if anyone could straighten this out, it was me. I nodded and winked at Jerek and he said to the Priffin “If you’ll excuse mah interruptin‘, A’hd like to assure you that I did no stealin’ of your wallet. An’ mah Cap’n kin vouch fer meh!”
The Priffin turned his heavily whiskered nose up at the Sirin, and told him haughtily “Well! Where might your Captain be? And even if you didn’t take the wallet, how would vouching for you get it back to me?” then took another bite of his carrot.
Jerek smiled cheekily and the angry victim was about to launch into another tirade of accusations when I did just as Jerek said.
I quickly stepped forward and tugged lightly on the sleeve of the Priffin’s suit. He turned abruptly, moodily, making his long ears fall into his face, and jumped at the sight of the heavily armed kit, with knives and pistols aplenty in a sash at her waist and over her shoulder. “Excuse me, Sir,” I said innocently. “but I think you lost your wallet.”
He was about to shout at me as if everyone should already know that his precious wallet had been missing for the last few minutes. Before he could though, I pointed to something.
“My wallet!” the Priffin hurried to pick it up, only a few feet from him. “little Markien, please, let me repay you for helping me like that!” I shook my head though as he opened his wallet.
“That’s quite alright, sir. I don’t need any reward, but I think you do owe one of my friends here an apology.”
He looked oddly at me and my not wanting any sort of reward. “Oh!, Yes, well…Ahem! Excuse me, sir, my deepest apologies; it was my mistake.” he told Jerek, his kind statement suddenly making him visible in a different light.
“Tha’s alright, sir. Ah’ll be biddin’ ye a good day now.”
I told my group “Alright, let’s go, an’ stick with me this time.”
The Priffin smiled cheerily now as we departed, and finished off the carrot he was eating, but nearly choked on it as he heard Jerek tell me “No problem, Captain!”
 Wolf of Winds · Wed Oct 18, 2006 @ 02:02am · 0 Comments |
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