Chronicles of the Dragon Pirate (39 page)

I felt a stab of fear as the captain glanced at me then back at the darkness. “The name is known to me, but again, what of it? Doubtless she’s gathering supplies and has no knowledge of our existence...if she’s even docked at Freedom Bay at all.”

“Oh, she is there,” Arabella said. “She saw the sinking of the Dutch Flyte, avoided the galleon responsible, and followed you here. Right now she has a dragon-ghost keeping watch atop the great hill behind me.”

An uneasy muttering swept the crew as Master Le’Vass called out, “So if she knows where we are, why has she not attacked?”

“Because her life has become complicated,” Arabella answered. “She and I have had dealings before, so when we spoke earlier today she opened up some of her heart to me. Draco Dominus has declared her to be a pirate, so she will get no more support from them.”

“It’s probably true, sir,” I said quietly to the captain.

He gave me a speculative look as Arabella continued. “This means she has no interest in attacking pirates for them anymore, but you have something...or should I say, someone, she wants. So, she asked me to come to you, to see if a deal could be struck mutually beneficial to both sides.”

“Tomas is Dragon-sworn to me,” Captain Hawkins growled, “and will not be traded away like a bale of goods.” His voice became mocking. “Go tell the good captain we strike no bargains with Draco Dominus, regardless of whether they’ve fallen out of favor or not.”

Shouts of approval came from the crew at his words, but all quieted as Arabella’s voice rang out in a mocking laugh. “Oh how brave you are, Harry Hawkins...and how foolish. Were this any other captain, you would have the right of it; he would not risk his ship and his crew over one Dragon, no matter how much potential he showed. But this is Captain Cholula we speak of. She will follow you to the ends of the earth and beyond to get her heart’s desire...and she wants the boy standing beside you more than she has ever wanted any other thing, at least according to her mercenary, Karl.”

Jeremiah walked in front of me and crossed his arms. I felt a large presence behind me, and glanced back to see Redbeard had done the same. Then the Mulatto stepped beside Jeremiah and crossed his arms as well, his voice ringing out into the darkness, “There’s your answer, Punch-house strumpet.”

Her response was considerably cooler than it had been. “Is that your answer, Captain Hawkins?”

“My crew speaks more eloquently in action than I ever could in words,” Captain Hawkins replied. “Tell Cholula I wish no enmity between us, but as long as I am captain, Tomas remains with me.”

“I shall let her know. I will also give you some advice, for the sake of olde times. Cholula fears if she swings her ship around the island and attacks from the sea, she will lose the lad when your crew scatters like rats. But once she discovers the grey-stone roads she will attack you from both directions, so you must keep a watch on them as well.”

“There is nothing keeping us here,” Captain Hawkins called out. “I can have the Blackjack Davy loaded and on our way to Tortuga before Cholula ever lifts anchor.”

“Harry,” Arabella’s voice called out in exasperation, “she will know the moment you do, and be after you just as fast.”

“We can outrun her.”

“I am sure you can, but...have you ever watched a turtle go after a fish trapped in a pond? The fish is faster but the turtle is patient, and sooner or later the fish gets distracted by something else while the turtle sneaks up and takes a bite. After that, it is only a matter of time before the turtle devours the fish. You have five Artifact cannons of short to perhaps moderate range, with untrained gun crews, and I promise you she has long range cannons made of bronze as well as far more Artifact guns, and crews experienced in their use. And let us not forget her Dragons. She has a half-dozen that I know of, all veteran warriors. How many do you have, perchance? Now, her crew is fanatical...”

“Enough,” Captain Hawkins growled. “I have heard such nay-saying before, yet here I stand.”

“For a little while, perhaps. Harry, let me speak with her and perhaps I can persuade the turtle to withhold her bite for a time, for the sake of her crew. Keep watch over the grey-roads until I return.”

Mr. Smith suddenly called out in his deep rumble, “You said a favor for a favor...what do you want?”

“One of the Shadowmen I seek is now known as ‘Black Pox Bill’, although Harry once knew him under a different name: ‘Sweet William’.” Arabella’s voice grew as bone-chilling as the wind off a grave. “He is my price. Kill any of the renegade Shadowmen you wish but save me Black Pox Bill. Give me your word you will do this, and I will use my wiles to get Cholula to see reason...at least for a time.”

“First,” the captain called out, “I have no intention of hunting down Shadowmen for you, renegades or not. Second...why do you care so much about Sweet William?”

“To the first, Shadowmen love gold for its beauty and this nest has been collecting it for some time now.” At the mention of the word gold, a speculative murmur swept the crew as Arabella’s voice went on. “As to the second...I had a life once, a life the man known as Sweet William took away from me. That is why I hunt Shadowmen now: to gain revenge.”

“If William comes to call, you’re welcome to him,” Captain Hawkins replied. “But we’ll be careening barnacles off the hull of the Davy before that happens.”

“Black Pox Bill may surprise you,” Arabella’s voice said cryptically out of the darkness, “and if he does...ask him about the day he found you, washed up on the beach. You had a life once, yourself, Harry Hawkins.”

“What do you mean by that? Speak plain.” Only silence answered the captain.

“She is already on one of the grey-stone roads,” Jade’s voice said from beside me, as the crew and villagers began talking in uneasy voices and Jeremiah turned towards us while the Mulatto went back to his men. “There is something strange about her, but with Tomas’s strength within me I cannot see her as clearly as I could if I had none.”

“Well don’t shed it,” Captain Hawkins said. “I don’t need to know any more about her than I do right now. But we do need to take her advice and begin having the dragon-ghosts run patrols, not only down the roads but along the coasts as well.” He glanced up at the top of the enormous hill, glowing reddish in the darkness. “I wonder... who is the watcher ?”

“Her name is Red-dog,” Star’s voice answered. “Me and Tiger had nothing to do, so we flew to the top of the hill to see what was there. Red-dog remembered us and we renewed the peace between us, and then I asked her what she was doing there. She said she’d been assigned to keep watch.” There were several groans and Star’s voice became contrite. “I didn’t realize she was watching us, or I would’ve said something to Tomas.”

“At least you’re telling me now,” I said, reminding myself again they reasoned like children much of the time.

“I can chase her away if you wish,” Jade’s voice said.

“Wait,” Mr. Smith said before the captain could speak. “We know they’re watching us, but they don’t know we know. However, if Jade chases their dragon-ghost away...”

“Then the dance is over and the piper comes for his pay,” Captain Hawkins said. “Leave her where she is for now, but run the patrols discreetly so she doesn’t get suspicious.” He looked at me. “Can any of your girls follow the Shadowhunter?”

“I can,” a very young girl’s voice said. “I used up all the strength Tomas gave me, so I’ll be able to see her clearly. I can follow her to see where she goes, and when I get back I’ll give Big Sister everything, so she can see the Shadowhunter too.”

“Which one are you?” Mr. Smith asked.

“I’m Grey-mouse.”

“Grey-mouse,” I said, “I want you to be extra careful when you follow her, and if you see any of the Dark Sisters you fly back to Jade as fast as you can.” She said she would and I added, “Once you get back, I’ll begin working with you more so we can get you as big as Star or Tiger soon.”

“Yippee!”

“She’s on her way,” Star said after a moment.

Guilt rose up within me as I stared out into the darkness. “Why do I feel like I just sent a child to do something dangerous?”

“Such is the nature of command,” Captain Hawkins remarked. “Those who would give orders must live with the consequences...and speaking of such, we must prepare if the turtle decides to bite after all. Tomas, find Pepper and return to the ship. Jeremiah, you’ve a good hand at working wood, so I want you to work with Journeyman Edward in getting cutlasses ready...”

The captain continued giving orders as I turned and walked towards the Davy, past groups of crewmen and villagers all seeming to talk at once, until I reached the shoreline where Pepper was standing alone. The restless sea was lapping at the dugout canoe, now turned right-side up, with Jade’s large air-golem half in the water and half out, as if she was a real mermaid herself. “I thought it prudent to keep the air-golem away from the villagers as much as possible. The crew is used to dragon-ghosts but Haven is not, and I fear this Shadowhunter has unnerved them.”

“She quite unnerved me,” Pepper replied.

“Me too,” I admitted, helping Pepper into the canoe then getting in myself. Jade pulled us across the water to the ship, Pepper and I climbing out then up the boarding net as the mermaid pulled the canoe back to shore. We reached the deck rail and I scrambled over it before helping Pepper, the two of us holding hands as we looked around. “Where is everyone?”

“Down below,” Hob’s thin, reedy voice answered. The main deck was faintly lit from the bobbing Will-o-the-wisps far above us, making shadows seem to move on the deck, empty save for ourselves and Hob, who sat on a water barrel some distance away. “When the spirits above us began dancing, I offered to take the watch until they’re done, and strange as it seems, the men accepted.”

Glancing up at the top of the mainmast I could understand their feelings as Pepper suddenly gasped. “Hob, what are you doing with my teacup?”

I looked back down. Hob rose up from where he’d been sitting on the barrel and I realized he was holding Pepper’s delicate, chipped cup with the Chinese tea scene on it in his spindly grey hand. He held it up. “This?” He dropped it.

Then caught it again at once. “Hob, please none of your tricks,” Pepper pleaded, her voice sounding close to tears as she took a step forward. “Give it back.”

Hob gave her a wicked grin. “Oh, you’ll get it back...one way or another. Follow me.” The goblin leaped off the barrel and raced for the stairs leading up. We raced after him, curving around the closed main hatch and mainmast as we reached the gap between the captain’s cabin and Sally’s, and pelted up the stairs after him.

We reached the captain’s deck and stopped. Hob was standing on the tiller, his thin arm holding the teacup outstretched over the deck. I called out, “Hob, don’t do it. That cup means a lot to Pepper, and letting it smash would be cruel.”

“Crueler than you could imagine,” Hob replied. “So you’d best catch it before it hits the deck.”

“He can’t,” Pepper wailed. “Tomas could never run fast enough to save my mother’s cup, even if he dove for it. There won’t be enough time!”

“Ah, the question of time,” Hob said, getting a sly look on his face. “Tomas, what if you had enough time to catch the cup before it smashed... what then?”

I looked at the goblin in exasperation. “Bloody bones, what’re you talking about?”

“Just this: time cannot be stopped, but if you can unharness yourself from its yoke then you can move faster or slower within it. Long-Mu understands this, and she’s manipulated time so everyone aboard the Davy ages at a much slower rate, not out of kindness for them but for reasons of her own. Her son does not understand this, but with the white ring he can still do the opposite and release himself from time’s yoke and move at a faster rate... but only at need. Time is energy: to slow it builds up energy while racing through it takes energy away.” I gave Hob a look of utter bewilderment and he chuckled. “My apologies. Tomas, the ring will let you make everything go slow while you move at your normal speed, but it’s going to take strength from you, and the longer you do this the more strength you’ll use. Also, you will really, and I mean really, want to make time go slow while you move normally or it won’t happen. Did that make sense?”

“Sort of,” I replied. “But what if I can’t do it?”

Hob’s smile became a terrible grin filled with sharp teeth. “I will know you’re not Long-Mu’s son. And if that’s the case...then you and I are going to take a little trip down to the bilge, where no one can find you, and we are going to find out who you really are. No one can get into your head like a goblin can.” The knot of fear rose up inside me again as Hob’s teeth began to glitter like silver knives. “You children aboard my ship have no idea what I truly am. You call me a goblin, a name born of men’s fear...but the truth is far, far, worse.” He jiggled the cup in his hand. “Are you ready? It’s time.” Hob opened his hand and the cup began to fall.

I took off with a strangled cry. The distance wasn’t that far yet I knew I couldn’t make it, the cup beginning to tumble end over end as it began to move like the air had turned so thick it was floating down through it. But the air was just as thick for me as I struggled to reach the teacup gently floating down. I had to reach it before it smashed, pushing against the invisible barrier like a man swimming through mud, screaming in frustration as I slammed against the barrier with all my might, pushing harder, pushing harder, pushing...

Suddenly I stumbled, my speed normal as the cup continued its slow descent less than a foot from the grey-wood deck. Without thinking I dove forward with my arms outstretched, sliding across the deck as the cup dropped...

Into my palms, time a pocket around me as I curled my body while I continued sliding...

Time returned to normal and my back hit the stern deck rail, the cup bobbling in my hands a moment before it became still. Pepper slid to a stop and dropped to her knees beside me. “Kyrie eleyson, I’ve never seen anyone move so fast! Are you well?”

I nodded, gently handing the cup back to her as I gasped for air. “My insides are a little cold, like they get when Jade takes strength, but not nearly as bad. Anyway, I wasn’t moving fast at all; everything else slowed down.”