Chapter Fifteen
James held his jacket closed as he walked down the far side of the mountain. It was still snowing lightly and the newly fallen snow was being crunched under his feet. He didn’t know the way to the sea but he knew he had to get off the mountain before he froze or was caught by one of the boar guards.
He sneezed and sniffled a little from the cold air, but smiled as he saw the bottom of the mountain, with welcoming green grass. It was still a good hour’s walk, but hope was at the bottom and that kept him going. He heard a muffled sound that grew clearer as it got closer. He stopped and looked around, but he couldn’t make out where it was coming from. He shrugged it off and continued down the mountain side.
The voices were very close now and sounded very familiar. Who could it be, he asked himself. He looked up as a white horse with a long horn flew just above the trees. There was a girl on the horse’s back, but James couldn’t make out who she was. Following them, was a man fairy with shimmering green wings. As they flew further away, he realized who the girl was on the horses’ back; it was Katie!
“Katie! Katie, come back!” He desperately yelled. It was too late; he sadly watched as Katie, the horse, and the fairy, flew over the tree tops and to the other side of the mountain. James sighed.
“Now what am I supposed to do?” He yelled to no one in particular. But to his surprise, he got an answer from behind him.
“Go the way you were going, to the sea. You will find help there, and soon enough, Katie will join you, as well.” The voice said, giggling a little. James turned around, expecting to see some sort of creature but saw no one. He looked around a little but realized after reviewing the creatures he had met since he arrived in Atheness, that he really wasn’t surprised to find the tree he was standing next to, appeared to be smiling. He walked closer to the tree and smiled back.
“I suppose you are the one that gave me this advice.” He said to the tree. The tree shifted a little and then suddenly, turned into a green woman. Her hair was as yellow as straw and on her arms and legs, she wore thick metal armor. Her small top and skirt was a deep teal. She smiled again at James and he noticed she held a long blade in each hand.
“Oh, I thought you were a tree.”
“I am a tree, or a flower or the grass you walk on. I can be anything in nature I want to be. I am a Wood Nymph, or a Changeling, that some might call me. Katie is off to get the last item, the lava from the castle of Dinesh, the Valley of Fire. Don’t worry yourself; you will see her again, very soon. I would advise that you to continue to the sea. The Prince will need your help, too…” She paused for a few seconds as if thinking of something. “Oh, you will need these, when you go along. The Sirens are very dangerous and they only prey on the male race. That is why Prince Varek is in so much danger and Chait too.” She said, handing James two small cotton balls.
“This is never ending, isn’t it? I assume the cotton balls are for my ears, and who is Chait, I haven’t heard that name yet?” James said, putting the cotton balls in his pack.
“Yes, you must not hear the Sirens sing. The results could be deadly, as it is for Prince Varek and Chait. Chait is Katie’s cat. Well, more like her companion through this journey.”
“Where did he come from? We never had a cat before, and why does he matter to be saved, anyway.” James asked with annoyance.
The wood nymph laughed a little. “He isn’t any ordinary cat, James. He can talk, speaks his mind that one does. Anyway, you must get going or you will miss your ship at sea. When you get to the town, go straight to the dock. You will find a ship preparing for a voyage. You must get on that ship, no matter what they say; find a way. This is the only advice I can give you. Good luck, James.” She smiled and turned back into the same smiling tree he saw but a few minutes before.
“This place is crazy.” James said to himself. He started thinking of a cat that talks, a flying horse, a male fairy, and a Prince that were all traveling with his wife. What an amazing place this was.
He finally made it down the mountain and continued on a dirt road. He stopped at a sign that said, ‘Sea Side Village, 3 miles’. “That’s not too far; I can make that in no time at all.” He said aloud, as if he had company. With new hope ahead, he continued down the road, passing beautiful flower fields on either side of him. A small cart pulled by an old mare, pulled up beside him. The cart was filled with many different fruits and vegetables. A young man drove the cart. He was dirty from a day’s work, a beard started to shadow his unshaven face, and match his dark brown hair. He wore an oversized white shirt that laced in the front, and pair of brown trousers that were held up by suspenders. At least James thought they were brown, for the dirt that covered them made it hard to make out the original color.
“Going to town, are ya?” The man asked James suddenly.
“Yes, I am. If you don’t mind, may I have a ride?”
“Not a problem at all. Are you from out of town?” He asked with what sounded to James, like an Irish lilt.
“Yeah, you can say that. I don’t really belong anywhere around here.” James said, climbing up and sitting next to the young man.
“Well, we don’t get many visitors, but we welcome them greatly. You must join me for a drink in the pub, once I drop them off at the market.” He said, gesturing to his fruits and vegetables in the back. Then he gave a command and the mare started forward again, pulling the cart behind him.
“I’m Jessup, by the way. What’s your name?” He said, offering his hand.
James took it in his and gave a sturdy shake. “My name is James.”
“Well, it is nice to meet you, James. We’ll be in the village in no time.”
Jessup talked all about the small town of Sea Side, about the people, the pub, his business, and his wife and small boy. James never once got in a word, so he just politely nodded when Jessup told him more of the town’s history, of the pirates that would come and go. This greatly interested James, since he would have to get on a ship and wondered if it was a pirate ship he had to get on.
The Sea Side village seemed very busy this early morning. People hurried all around with their morning business. Jessup parked his cart by a small store that had a faded sign that read ‘Freshest Food in all of Atheness’. Jessup took his mare around the back to one of the stables to rest and feed, while he did his business with the shop keeper. He offered James a place to stay which James politely refused, and asked where the ships ported, instead. Jessup looked at him skeptically, but then directed him the right way. James walked past people in the market, asking him to take a look at their goods for sale. He smiled but never stopped to look. He finally found the port and just as the wood nymph had said, a very large ship was preparing for a journey at sea. He saw men, and to his surprise a few women, get on the ship, carrying their bags for traveling. He figured if they let women on, then it would be no problem to have one more man join the crew. He looked up and saw that there was no pirate flag and felt relieved.
“Excuse me, sir. Who do I speak to about joining the crew?” He said to a very large man that was about to board the ship. The man stopped and looked down at James and laughed. Then he shook his head and continued on the ship.
“Miss, I would like to join the crew; who do I talk to? I must get on this ship!” James said to a young lady that was dressed almost like a pirate, with a sword at her side. She looked James up and down and came closer to him. She smiled and put her hand on his cheek.
“You’re a cute young man, but we need no land lovers on our boat. I don’t think you’re man enough to join our crew!” She said, turning to walk away.
“Wait! I can do it, I am not a lover of land…I’m a lover of…of the sea. Right…the sea. Please, my lady, I need to get on this ship. I have traveled very far to get here and I’m not going to hear, no. So one more time! Let me on this ship!” James said, now yelling. She pulled her sword out of her hilt and ran toward James. He blocked it with the Cane.
“Alright then, you will have to see Captain Lenard. He will be on deck, but this doesn’t mean you will be joining us.” She said, giving him a small smile as she pushed back her dark hair and got on board. James followed her to the main deck, where he saw a large man sleeping in a wooden chair. His hat nearly covered his face. James could see that he had a thick beard and a large belly that was covered by a large blue coat. Gold buttons lined the inside of the coat, in a stunning design from top to bottom, all with gold trim. This must be the captain, thought James.
“Captain, this man says he wants to see you.” The young woman said and then walked away.
“What is your business, young man?” Said the Captain as he scratched his stomach and then sat up adjusting his hat in place.
“I’ve come to join your crew.” James said standing up strait and tall.
“My crew, you say? And what qualities can a man like you bring to my crew?”
“Any qualities you want, Captain. I am quick to learn new skills and I have some skills with the sword. Please Captain, give me a chance. You will not regret it.”
The Captain looked him over and thought for a second.
“All right, I’ll give you a chance. You know, this won’t be easy and you will have to work really hard. One slip up and you will be thrown overboard. We don’t want anyone to stop our task at hand! Welcome aboard!”
“Thank you, Captain you won’t regret this.”
“See that I don’t.” The Captain slapped him on the back and walked into nearby room.
Within an hour, the ship was ready to go. The crew set the main sail and fore sail. One of the crew men yelled out and the ship started to move out to sea. James looked out over the quarterdeck and out to the water below.
“Hey if you are going to join us, you’re going to work! Now grab a mop and help the cabin boys swab the poop deck!” The same large man that had laughed at James earlier that day said, as he threw a mop at him. James reluctantly took it and walked across the ship to the poop deck.
Katie stood very still, as she thought of the best way to put the very hot lava into the tube without hurting herself. She stood on a small rock Island with lava and fire all around her. Chadwick stood by her side with Simona not far behind him. She had to do this herself, without anyone’s help. She placed the hood of her cloak around her, after she remembered what Queen Adrianna said about it protecting her from any element. She looked around and found a stick on the ground; she picked it up and then knelt down at the edge of her small island, dipping the stick into the lava. It caught fire instantly. She quickly and carefully let the lava drip off into the tube before the entire stick was consumed with fire. When she was satisfied that she had gotten got enough lava, she dropped the stick into the lava and watched it sink and disappear. She carefully closed the lid of the tube, and was a little surprised that the outside of the tube felt cool. She placed the tube in her backpack with the others and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She then smiled at Chadwick and Simona, as she walked back towards them.
“We did it; we finished the tasks and have gotten all the items.” Katie said, climbing on Simona’s back.
“Our task now is rescuing Varek and Chait. We must hurry now, there isn’t much time. We’re going to need a plan.” Katie said, as Simona stretched out her wings and jumped up into the air, with Chadwick following them.
“Alright, we need a distraction of some sort. The Sirens can fly too, so we need to keep them out of the sky long enough to get Varek and Chait and get out of there.” Katie said, feeling a little nervous and bit heroic at the same time. Was she really going to go against a mythical beast like in the old movies and books? Didn’t most of them die trying something so foolish? She loved Chait and was becoming very fond of Varek, even though he was very arrogant. He was the Prince and someday, King of Atheness, she needed to save him to save their whole world. She was proud of the fact that she felt more confident and that she could pull this off and be a hero; there aren’t many women hero’s in history. She would never go down in history, because no one knew of this world and that was ok with her. She didn’t need the honor of people to know she was great, she was feeling that on her own.
They had to fly back over the ice mountain, unseen by the ice palace guards. When they passed the first time, they tried to hit her and Simona with their bows and arrows. Luckily, Simona was really getting the hang of her flying and was able to dodge all the arrows. This time, Simona stayed with the trees to blend in so no one would be able to see them. Chadwick then put a small spell over them that kept them unseen for a few minutes which was enough time to get past the boar guards. As soon as they were safely past the castle, they all relaxed and started to work on a plan to get Varek and Chait back.
James found it very difficult to mop the poop deck when the ship kept swaying back and forth. When he mopped one area, the ship would rock to the left, and sea water would splash onto the deck and he would have to start all over again. If he wasn’t being watched so carefully by the crew, he would have stopped hours ago.
He felt as if he was there as a joke to the rest of the crew. No one helped him as the Captain said they would. How was he going to find Katie in the middle of the sea, anyway? He looked out at the sea as the waves crashed against the ship, and this time, a wave of water landed right on top of him. Laugher could be heard on the deck as he took off his shirt and wrung it out.
“Oh, come over here, lad, we were just having a bit of fun with ye,” the large man from earlier that morning, said to James. He took off his bandanna and exposed a bald, tattooed, head; his face was unshaven for at least two days now and a nice black beard was forming. “I think you have done enough work for now. Let me show you to your quarters and get you dried off and put in proper attire. Ye stand out like a cat in a pack of dogs and we don’t need you to stand out on this mission.”
“What mission is that, may I ask?” James asked as he was led into the crew’s quarters.
“You can’t know that until we are sure you can be trusted. Who says you aren’t a spy for Queen Zendra or some other evil force.” The large man said throwing some clothes at James. James caught them and put on a shirt with long full sleeves and a V cut in the front that was able to be laced up with the leather string. Then he took off his wet jeans and put on the chalk-colored trousers. The man then handed him a pair of brown bucket topped boots and James took them, reluctantly. He put them on and was surprised at how well they fit and how comfortable they were. The man smiled and put a tri-cornered hat on top of James’ head. “There now, you’ll at least blend in, as long as you don’t talk when we’re in the company of the rest of the crew, and you’ll fit right it.”
James walked over to a small mirror and looked himself over. He felt like he was in a pirate costume. Despite it all, the clothes were quite comfortable with lots of room to move. James put his bag on a small bed that was in the middle of two others on the wall. He knew it was going to be hard to sleep on something so small. It made his back hurt just thinking about it. He shifted in his clothes, they were comfortable but they were so loose they were going to take some getting used to. He then put his belt back around his waist and attached his sword. He wasn’t going anywhere without this sword as long as he was in this world.
“Stand your ground men!” said a man from outside of the room. James and Aaron looked at each other and then they both ran out of the room and onto the deck to see what the commotion was all about.
The same flying horse that James saw Katie on earlier that day was hovering over the ship with Katie on its back. The same male fairy hovered next to the horse, which James now could see was not just a flying horse, but a unicorn, as well. He couldn’t help notice how beautiful Katie looked, with her hair blowing in the wind. She wore a flattering red dress with a brown cape, a sword at her side and arrows with a bow across her back. He shook himself to reality when he saw members of his new crew readying their bows. He ran in front of their aim.
“Wait! Hold your weapons!” James said in desperation. He waited so long to see his wife again; he wasn’t going to see it end so soon.
“By what rights do you have us do this, boy? Do you not know the mission we are on and who we seek to destroy? Stand aside!” The Captain said, holding his sword ready.
“No, I don’t know your mission! No one will tell me! Now, you don’t understand; they aren’t bad at all. The woman on the horse, she’s my wife.” James said, trying to take hold of the Captains sword.
“Is that right? Stand down, men; this is James’ wife. She better have an explanation for this inconvenience she has caused us. Let her land on the main deck.” The Captain lowered his sword and the crew did the same, as Princess Simona landed on the main deck with Katie on her back and Chadwick next to them. Katie dismounted and ran to James, as he caught her in mid-flight and held her close, never wanting to let go. He looked deep into her emerald eyes; the eyes he had dreamed about.
“I thought I would never see you again.” James said, putting his hands on either side of her face. She swooned, and smiled back at him.
“I knew I would see you again, I just didn’t know how long that would be.” Katie said, putting her arms around him again and squeezing him tight. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispered in his ear.
“Oh, how rude of me,” Katie said suddenly. “I would like you to meet my friends. James; this is Princess Simona and my friend and bodyguard, Chadwick.” She said as Simona and Chadwick bowed.
“How can this be the Princess? She is back at the castle, getting ready for her coronation,” the Captain spat.
“Queen Zendra, she did this to her and to Prince Varek. She now sits on their throne, and unless you help us, she will be crowned Queen of all Atheness in less than four days!” Chadwick said, stepping forward.
“Oh, James, you have the three items, don’t you? Queen Adrianna said you did.” Katie said, suddenly concerned. James just grinned at her.
“Great! Now if your men and women want to help us, we need to save the Prince and my friend, Chait, from the Sirens; they have them held captive under their spell.”
“The Sirens, I forgot! The wood nymph told me about them. She gave me cotton balls for my ears, though I don’t think they will do me much good.” James said, putting his arm around Katie’s waist.
“No, I think not. Simona, Chadwick and I have a plan, though. I hate to say it, but all the men need to stay in their quarters during this rescue. We may even have to lock you in there. The women on the crew may stay and help, and we will need your best archers, as well. The Sirens are very dangerous and prey only on men. The women will not be affected by their song.” Katie said, looking around at the disappointed men of the crew. James looked adoringly at his wife; he was so impressed by the leadership she had taken. She had never been so outgoing in the past. The crew discussed the matter for some time and the men, including the captain, reluctantly agreed to the plan at hand. The Captain and James both took cotton balls as an extra precaution; for they would be in the gun port, readying the weapons for the women and for themselves, if they had a chance from the small port hole to shoot from.
As they sailed near the cove, the men were locked in their cabins. The Captain and James went down to the gun port and began readying the guns with powder for the women, after they put cotton in their ears. James looked out the small port hole as he loaded the last gun to see a small island coming into view. The island of the Sirens, the first battle of this adventure he and Katie would share. He was ready.