Sentria: The Age of Adventure (Book 2)

Chapter Twenty-Two: A Charmed Life

It had all felt like a dream—a bad one. I woke up in a daze holding my head and trying to listen to what Eldwyn was telling me, but none of it was coming through. I closed my eyes and shook my head and made myself focus.

"Where is Prince Lucas?" I asked him again.

"They took him, knight," he said helping me up. "Pirates did. There were a dozen of them and they all swarmed us. They took Prince Lucas to their ship."

At that moment I noticed that Eldwyn was injured. He had a bruised lip, an eye that was swelling, and his arm was bandaged where he had been shot by an arrow. I then realized we were in some small and shabby bedroom. I looked at the window and saw the starry night sky above the dark sea. 

"...It's night?"

"Yes, you've been out for a spell. The tavern owner gave us one of his spare rooms upstairs...well, he says that we still have to pay for it somehow. The pirates took our gold and our personal belongings."

"No, no, no," I kept repeating. "We have to find him, we have to find Prince Lucas." I tried to walk to the door, but I ended up limping to it instead.

Eldwyn grabbed my arm. "You need to rest. We both need to, we are too injured."

"No," I said and opened the door. "We must, Eldwyn. This is all my fault." Behind the door stood a short dark-skinned man with round cheeks, smiling in a way that was unnerving.

"That was a mighty beating ya took," he said, holding onto the straps of his black suspenders. He had grease spots all over his white shirt and he smelled worse than the sea creatures outside. "Wasn't right what they did, and I feel bad for ya. I'd been a pirate in my younger days and done some foul deeds, and I take pity on ya."

"Out of my way," I said to him. "I will pay you back for your generosity, but I must find my friend."

"That's not a good idea." He shook his head. "There're no more ships leaving this harbor tonight, lad. It's too late. You best wait 'til morn before you go chasing after him. They were Caironian pirates, the most fearsome of all. They took their ship, the Green Lizard south back toward their lands to the south I figure."

I grunted and slammed the door. "I can't believe this!" I grabbed my heads as if to keep it from exploding. "I lost him, after all of this I lost him. I keep failing, Eldwyn. That's all I've done this whole time. This wasn't a knight's quest, it was a fool's errand."

"That's not true," said Eldwyn, limping over to me. "The war isn't over yet."

"I am not ready, I've just been playing hero. I've lost so much along the way. I am not worthy."

"Don't ever say that," said Eldwyn strongly. "Prince Lucas is still out there and it's our job to save him. We'll heal up, drink the vital elixir, and then find a ship in the morning and bring him back."

I had never seen Eldwyn so forward and it was precisely what I needed. I silently agreed with a subtle nod of my head and I iced his lip and eye. We slept in separate beds, but I appreciated his company during this tumultuous time. I didn't know where I'd be without him.

In the morning, we went to the docks immediately after waking. I wasn't hungry for breakfast, only for Lucas' returned. We approached the various fishermen who had come to port and asked them if they'd help us on our mission, but none of them wanted to get involved no matter how many riches I offered them. They were all too fearful of Snakeskin, the pirate captain of the ship. It was a different way of life at sea and my power held little sway.

Eldwyn tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to a woman overseeing a black fully rigged ship. Black hair poured out of her brown hat. She wore a shredded bright red scarf, a belted white blouse, dark yellow trousers, and big brown boots. and she pointed as she directed the crewmen as they scrubbed it down and replaced the broken planks.  

"What about her?" asked Eldwyn. "She has a ship."

"Eldwyn, that's a pirate," I told him. "We're trying to save Lucas from them, not join their ranks."

"You have to open your mind if you want to get things done," said Eldwyn walking over to her.

"Eldwyn..." I said and followed behind.

"Excuse me," said Eldwyn to the piratess' back. "We would like to travel with your crew in search of our friend Lucas. He was taken by pirates."

She turned around and looked at both of us with sparkling green eyes and said, "And what do I get out of it?"

I stepped forward and said, "We don't have any coin at the moment...they were stolen along with our personal belongings, and though I might not look the part, I am High Prince Darren of Sentria and I can offer you riches beyond your wildest imagination once I return to my castle. Of that, you have my word."

"You must be joking," she said.

"It's true," said Eldwyn, "he's the High Prince."

"Oh, I believe that, but you can't just expect to come aboard without proving your worth. Everyone on this ship has a role to play and if you can't pay right here and now, then I can't make need of you. I can tell by looking at you that you've lived a charmed life, and the relic here has never even killed a bug. The answer is no."

My eyes narrowed on her as I tried to understand her motivations.

"Are you not a pirate?" I asked. "Do you not live and die for gold?"

"I'm sure I'm nothing that you expected," she said with a quick laugh. "As a piratess, I have to be smarter and more cunning than everyone else. It's not solely about plundering and riches. You probably think that just because two women sit at the Lorian throne that it makes it easier for women like me to survive in this world. Let me inform you, it's not. They are just like any other royal and that means next to nothing for those that have to fight to stay afloat in this world. Pirates are more than greedy, hairy men hunting for loot. I'm sure that's how your friend got stolen away. This is the only way of life for many without the means and the mind for other work. Your coin and privilege can't give you everything in this life and having unprepared children aboard could get my crew killed. Now go off and be happy that they didn't take you with them."

"Please," I said before she could fully turn away from us. "We can make ourselves useful. He's aboard the Green Lizard sailing south and no other ship will have us. We'll do any job you ask of us. Anything."

"I can control the winds," said Eldwyn. "I am a wind relic and they listen to me."

She looked at us judiciously. One of her eyes was covered by her curly hair that rippled like waves. "Two of my shipmates were eaten by Clodius the Dragon and we are in need of people who can swab the deck, clean the cabins, and assist the cannon crews with gun powder when we're in battle. You, relic boy, can wind our sails when the wind doesn't abide. Do you think you can do that?"

"Yes, we can," I replied quickly.

"Know this," she said with a raised finger. "We happen to be sailing south, but we are not going out of our way to search for your friend. If we happen upon the Green Lizard, we'll provide you with a boat, but the King Emperor is meant for speed, not for battle. It's not my fight. It's yours."

"We understand, thank you," Eldwyn said.

"We leave in an hour." She turned back to her ship. "If you're not here, we leave without you."

"Yes," I said with an exasperated smile. "Thank you, miss."

"They call me the Iron Lass," she said. "Welcome aboard."