Sentria: The Age of Adventure (Book 2)

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Iron Lass

Eldwyn and I waited around at the docks until it was time to board the Emperor King. We didn't have any coin to pay for a meal and I wasn't hungry enough to eat anyway. All that I wanted to do was save Prince Lucas from those horrible pirates who had stolen him away. Snakeskin was supposed to be the worst pirate of them all and I didn't want to think about what could happen if we were too late to rescue him. As soon as she was ready to sail, we boarded the ship and stood on the deck with the fifty other members of the crew.

"Listen, pirates," said the Iron Lass. She stood with one foot on the bow of the ship and holding a curved sword as we sailed away from the Garden Coast. "I have it on good authority that the Sparrow Islands hold treasure somewhere in its sprawling cave system. I know that many have gotten lost searching them, but we're smarter and braver than any other crew that has ever sailed the treacherous seas!" She raised her sword and everyone cheered in agreement. "In a week's time, we'll have so many riches that would make even the richest lords and ladies of the lands soil themselves!"

The pirates cheered again, this time even louder with laughter mixed in, and Eldwyn and I looked at one another as if to ask what we had gotten ourselves into.

The Iron Lass took us on a tour of the ship along with the other cabin boys once she was finished with her speech and she described our duties. We were to swab the deck every morning and serve the food. She taught us the procedure of getting the gunpowder from the cabin below and even how to load it in case things "got hairy".

"We shouldn't see battle," she said. "There are bigger and more dangerous vessels sailing these seas. The Emperor King is meant to outrace ships, not stand against them. You're to do your duties without complaint."

"Thank you," I said to her. "We appreciate this opportunity."

"You have nothing to thank me for," the Iron Lass said abruptly. "This is a service, not a favor."

She led us to our cabin to let us get settled and I kept my appreciation to myself. It was cramped and the bunk beds were narrow, but I would've slept on the floor if it meant saving Lucas. Eldwyn and I shared a stare again. It seemed that we kept getting ourselves into places unknown with only hope on our side.

For the next few days we grew accustomed to the work fairly fast. We served meals in the morning and at night and we swabbed the front and the back of the boat.  It was mostly spilled ale and some bird droppings here and there. The quartermaster kept a colorful blue bird with yellow wingtips on her shoulder. I couldn't name her at first, but when I connected with the bird I learned that she was a pyranee from the southern reaches of Cairon.

Eldwyn and I worked in shifts and when we weren't swabbing or serving we were looking out for the Green Lizard. The seas were mostly empty apart from the occasional whale and groups of playful dolphins. The Iron Lass appreciated Eldwyn's ability to call the wind in the direction she needed. He'd sway his arms back and forth, commanding the wind with unimaginable ease. It impressed her and gave me hope that if we made it there in good time that she would be open to looking for our friend once the treasure was found.

On the fifth day, she came out during my shift as lookout and leaned against the railing next to me.

"Still nothing I take it," the Iron Lass said.

"Still nothing," I replied.

"You don't give up easy do you?" she asked.

"I never give up." I turned to her slowly.

"The seas are mysterious things. It's the place of great possibilities and wonder." She pointed northward. "Up there are are the Dragon Isles with the fiercest monsters you could ever dream of. They hold the greatest fortunes in all the seas. With them, you can purchase Askeran and Cairon many times over."

"Is that why you're here?" I asked. "You weren't born into this life, I can tell."

She turned her attention away from the sea and onto me. "You're more perceptive than I thought. I was a farmer's daughter from a small town in Vilquist. I might not have been a peasant, but I wasn't too far from it either. The laws of the land keep people like me in one place, making it impossible to rise to a higher station. Without a title to your name life is much harder. If you want more, you have to take it."

"So you became the Iron Lass."

"And I never looked back."

"I can respect that." I could. While I didn't agree with her way of life, I was also aware that not everyone had such an easy road...even the easy road wasn't so easy. "Can you tell me what Snakeskin is like?" 

"What do you want me to say?" She shrugged. "He's the worst pirate you'll ever come across. He's chaos itself. He'll slit your throat for fun even if it creates more problems for him. You can't estimate his movements and you can't reason with a madman. All you can do is hope that he's in a good mood. I'm fearless and even I know to fear him."

"Oh," I said.

"Yea."

"Why do you call this ship the Emperor King?" I asked.

The Iron Lass paused for a long time. She answered everything with certitude, but she took her time with this response. "My father took me to the Ark Library in northern Belderaan when I was a little girl. I loved learning and he wanted to tend to that. When I looked up the names of ships I saw a familiar theme: The Rena, the Giant Lady, the Purple Goddess, all these names for women as if they were exalted things, and yet they do not appreciate women themselves. They belittle us, they violate, and they pillage, yet they name their ships as if they're honoring some feminine ideal when all they do is tear us down in different ways. There were hardly any known piratesses' to speak of at that time. Askeran has had its destiny controlled by men in power all along. They call them kings in Sentria and in Cairon they call them emperors. I wanted everyone to know that the Iron Lass owns the Emperor King."

It was a lot to think about. She had brought up many things that I had considered. In my eyes, women were equal to men, but if there was anything that I had learned from Eldwyn, it was that my perspective wasn't the only one.

I watched as gray dolphins swam away to the horizon and said, "I promise you that once I am High King, I will make things right. I will spread my wealth and help those most in need, from Vilquist to the Western Valley."

"Oh, my dear boy," she said shaking your head. "If you only knew what power does to the hearts of men."