Pirate's Tail

Chapter One

Ace Lynx made his way to the edge of the salvage barge in his barnacle-encrusted wooden flippers and looked out over the shimmering blue water that stretched before him. The sun was slowly approaching the horizon. The seventeen-year-old reached up and fastened his leather goggles around his short-cropped brown hair and his dark blue eyes. He saw a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye and saw his boss crash into the water below him.

"What you waiting on, kid?" shouted the stout, muscular man as his head broke the surface of the water. Ace could see Captain Harris' green eyes twinkling, jokingly behind his goggles and shaggy blond hair.

Ace flexed his muscular body and leapt from the side of the barge, plummeting into the Sea of Menquin. He popped his head above the water, took a few deep breaths, and kicked himself below the surface.

Below him were the scattered remains of a sloop the Captain and he had been recovering for the past week. The ship had sunken during the Great War, and it was their job to retrieve what they could from the wrecked vessels. This vessel had fallen apart during the battle, and its remains were strung along the ocean floor. Ace spotted a couple of small crates and a cannon that they hadn't retrieved yet. He saw Captain Harris swim below him and grab the small crates.

"We're just about through," Captain Harris said, when the pair returned to the surface. "Why don't I get a bag and you attach it to that cannon? You're doing good, kid," the Captain said as he ran his hand over Ace's short hair, sending a spray of mist into the air.

Ace hadn't been working with Captain Harris for long. He'd grown up as an orphan and had been adopted by Captain Harris and his wife Charlie only months ago. Since his adoption Ace had helped Captain Harris with his salvage business. Captain Harris, with Ace's help, would scour the seas looking for the lost vessels of the war, then they would bring up what they could from the wrecked ships. Captain Harris would then sell what goods were of value back to the Menquin government.

Captain Harris took off his wooden flippers and made his way up the rope ladder to the deck of the salvage barge. He disappeared to the other side of the ship for a moment before returning with a pile of dark fabric in his hand.

"Get to work, kid," he said with a grin as he tossed the bags to Ace.

Ace caught the bags and turned his attention back to the sea. The standard plan for raising cannons off the sunken warships was that Ace would dive down and attach the lift bags to one of the cannons. A hose would then be thrown to Ace, which he would place under the salvage bags. Captain Harris would pump air from the surface through the hose, into the salvage bag attached to the cannon. The salvage bag would slowly fill with air, and the cannon would be lifted to the surface.

Ace dove down to the wreck, clenching his jaws as he dove, equalizing the pressure building in his ears. He'd been on this wreck all week and was ready for a change of scenery. That was one benefit to salvaging these war wrecks; no two shipwrecks were the same.

He swam to the sole remaining gun and began to attach the lift bag to the cannon. It was only a small gun, and he knew it would only take one of the lift bags to raise the cannon to the surface. Just as he was tying the first lines of the bag around the gun, he spotted a shimmer of movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head and spotted a large hammerhead shark swimming near him. Fear didn't enter his mind as he watched the shark slide past him. Ace had no problems with sharks or any marine life. He admired the shark as it glided gracefully through the water as he went down to attach the lines. By the time the first lines were attached, the big fish was a bit too close for even Ace's comfort. He attempted to shoo the shark away with his hands, and the large creature gave a jerk and backed up a bit. Ace finished attaching the lines of the bag to the gun and returned to the surface.