Pirate's Tail

Chapter Twenty-three

The exhaustion of going thirty-six hours without a wink of sleep caught up to Ace as Israna propelled them back to the Farobian Islands. Within minutes of their departure, the adrenaline wore off, and soon all the pirates lay snoring on the makeshift raft.

They were awoken as the raft bumped into something hard. They all woke with a start, only to find the raft bobbing against the side of the Grudge. They had made it back to the Farobian Islands. It was still night, but the horizon was starting to glow as the sun approached. The pirates disembarked their raft, exchanged thanks and goodwill, and went up the built-in ladder of the ship to recharge from the events of the previous days.

As the pirates left, Ace could feel Israna's exhaustion and fatigue. She relayed her feelings and her desires to rest and eat.

Ace was curious about her rest. He'd never seen her rest, nor thought about it, and he couldn't imagine a mermaid curling up on a beach somewhere. "Where do you rest?" he wondered aloud, moving over to the edge of the raft nearest her.

Israna sent an image of a cave into his mind. He couldn't make out the details of the cave via their mental link, but it was enough to answer his question. He felt her mind reach out to his in an invitation to join her there.

Ace smiled. He looked around at the darkness of the village. "I'd be honored."

She turned around and pointed to her back. Ace slid off the raft and onto her back. She took them through the strait and out around the island. They swam past the beach, the fishing posts, and approached the Poot-ra cliffs Ace had been rescued at. Ace hadn't returned to these cliffs since Israna rescued him here, and to swim toward them again, even in gentle water, made him nervous.

As they drew closer, Ace could make out the catamaran and see the strange currents surrounding it. Israna took a deep breath, and Ace followed her lead. She dove down slowly toward the bottom of the ocean. Ace kept his eyes closed and felt a pressure grow in his ears, which he quickly equalized by moving his jaw. She continued downward, then leveled out. He had his eyes closed, but Ace could feel his feet dragging along the sand on the seafloor. They were headed toward the cliffs. Ace felt her body angle upward, and soon his head surfaced again.

Ace opened his eyes and whipped the water from them. He looked around at the inside of Israna's home. He could feel her beaming as he saw this part of her life. The cave was large and spacious. She swam onto a ledge, and Ace dismounted. He stood on the ledge, the water hitting him about mid-calf, and looked around the mermaid's cave.

There, on the ledge in the water next to him, was a large pile of seaweed contained in a fishing net. Ace was uncertain of its purpose and he shot a quizzical look at Israna, but she offered no answers. She looked impatient.

She reached out to him with her mind, and Ace was overwhelmed by her impatience. He could tell it was caused by lack of food, and he could sense her desire to eat.

"Go then, Ran. I'll be right here when you return," he urged.

She nodded, and her golden head disappeared underneath the water.

The excitement of being in Israna's home allowed him to put his fatigue temporarily aside and explore. Her cave was dark, and the only light provided was by a few well-placed lily lights. He noticed there was a few old lanterns perched on top of ledges around the cave, but none were lit.

Ace discovered that the water-covered ledge went all the way around the inside of the cave, save for the opening in the middle. There was a dry cliff on one of the walls about Ace's height. It was stepped on one side and sloped on the other. Seeing nothing aside from the pile of seaweed on the watery ledge, Ace decided to climb up the small rock outcropping.