Pirate's Tail

Chapter Twelve

There was no sign of Captain Harris the next day or the day after that. While waiting, Ace spent the next two days touring the island and the ships. The island was larger than he initially anticipated. Ce-ra led him all over it, naming everything. Ace couldn't remember all of the names, but the one he could remember was the name of the cliff he'd scaled. It was named Poot-ra.

"Why is the catamaran near the cliffs? It nearly saved my life. Is it always there?"

She nodded. "That boat is the boat of destiny. It shares the same name as the cliff. If you're brave enough to risk the waters, the boat can tell you much. It tells the future, the past, and of what can be. What it tells you depends on the person. It reads your heart and shows you what it deems appropriate. My father put it there with his magic, years ago."

"I was swept under the catamaran. I saw my life flash before me, then it showed me the future before..."

"Before what? What did you see?" Ce-ra asked urgently.

"It was nothing. Just a vision of Menquin rebuilt," Ace explained, telling only half the truth. He still felt foolish to bring up the mermaid encounter, even to Ce-ra. He still wasn't entirely certain it had actually happened.

Ce-ra nodded. She then picked a shell on the beach and began to yell and jump up and down. "Ch-ata, Am-ae, far wa-pa-nee qi Ace ba-sa ce Farobi!" She kissed the shell and threw it off the cliff into the water below.

Ace shot her a confused look.

"I was giving thanks to the mermaids of the sea, who have brought you back to me. They're to be thanked for all the good that falls on the Farobi. They hear our speaking to them."

Ce-ra continued showing Ace the island. Ace learned that the pirates had their own small village made of small huts on either side of the small inlet of the lake that dumped into the Oraonic Ocean. The lake was fed by an underwater fresh water spring and supplied the Farobi with their drinking water. On the far side of the island, there were no beaches. There was a mangrove swamp that spread along the coastline. Their roots provided shelter and safety for much life around the island. Ce-ra showed Ace the swamp and Ace saw the creatures living in the water under the trees scatter as they approached them. It made him feel a bit like a monster, stomping around in the creatures' lives and having them flee, yet it was nice to be among the dark mangroves. It reminded Ace of the forest in Menquin he'd played in growing up. It was still tough to believe that the forest had been destroyed.

The rowboat moved erratically across the lake as Ace tried to help Commodore Gates row the rowboat out to his fleet. Ace, although he'd fallen asleep under the one on the Visp, had no experience rowing a boat, and it took some time to get used to. After accidently rowing in circles for a few minutes, Commodore Gates taught him how to row and steer properly and Ace implemented what he was taught.

There were five ships anchored in the lake. The ships were not as stunning as the F.S.M. Visp, but a few were just as large. The ships were in good condition, aside from the chipping and the lack of paint. The pirates had tried to compensate and paint the sides of the vessels with tribal paint, and it only gave the ships the appearance that a child had written on them.

The rowboat pulled up to one of the ships and Commodore Gates tied the dinghy to the ship. Ace and the Commodore heaved themselves up a rope ladder to the deck of the ship. Ace noticed that the ship was lightly armed and made of a strange material. The entire ship seemed to glisten.

"It's made of heavy straw and rope. It was the Jayorian vessel, Heg kaw, that, upon entering our service, was renamed, Grass. It's easier to talk about if it has a name you can pronounce," Commodore Gates explained. "The Jayorians make their ships out of rope and straw, then cover them in wax, waterproofing them. The only part of the ship that's timber are its masts. It might look a bit strange, but because of its construction, Jayorian ships are the fastest in our fleet."