Fifty-Three
There are those who would hold power over you, children, and to gain this power, they have fenced in the limitless and placed you in limits, setting for you bounds and calling these bounds reality.
- The Book of the Bright Sun
MEHTA
“Are you alright?”
“Well, you see me here, right before your eyes,” Mehta said.
They were alone in a dark hull of the ship, and by now Mehta was used to the tossing of the waves.
“It’s only that… with the waves and everything, I didn’t know.”
“Well, Rendan if you’re alright, I’m alright. I’m not made of weak stuff. I’ve been underground and now over water. I should have just stayed in my room and let you go on,” she said. “I don’t know why I had to follow you.”
Then she said, “Actually, I should have just gone back to the farm. Ever since I left that farm I haven’t had a peaceful day.”
“I am truly sorry, Mehta,” Rendan said. “You are a fair and valiant girl and you don’t deserve this.”
“Shut up,” she said, not without tenderness. Then she corrected herself.
“Shut up, your Majesty.”
Rendan laughed and looked at her.
“Every day that passed before I left with Master Soren for the city, I used to look out of the window. Or while I was sweeping the porch I’d look down the road to the mountains where the Pass was. I would just wish for something to happen. I would long to be in the middle of something. That’s why I haven’t let myself be turned aside from any new adventure. Since we ran into Theone and Ohean I’ve been in the middle of something. Right in the middle of it. Years from now people will wonder what it was like to be us, to be where we are.”
She stopped.
“Rendan, I don’t think I could ever forgive myself if I knew that I had a chance to be in the thick of this, but remained at home, just some kitchen girl sweeping a floor, cooking dumplings. I used to think that I was made for other things than that. Now I know it’s true.”
“Well, I can’t imagine anyone I’d rather be with here than you,” Rendan said. “And anyone else I’d rather not see in this trouble.”
“Oh, stop.”
“No,” Rendan said. “I am serious. I have… I have met Dauman maidens, ladies with thick black hair and gowns of gold and bright green and red, rings shining from their fingers. And I saw, once, a Valencian princess with skin the color of bronze and a child’s weight of pearls hanging from her neck. But I declare, in all my life I have never—ever—and that’s a fact—known a woman like you.”
Mehta opened her mouth, and then the ship came to some sort of rough halt, but the waves were still washing about it.
“What were you going to say?” the prince asked her.
But at that moment they both heard feet pounding down the steps and looked up to see, by the smoking light of a horn lantern, the dull edge of a scimitar glowing, and the woman who had slapped Mehta took her by the wrists.
“It’s time to go, girly. Time for the both of you.”
“Com’ on Prince Bellamy,” said the one who had posed as the villager calling for his help. He hoisted Rendan off his haunches. The pirates tied up his and Mehta’s hands and led them up to the deck.
“I was just going to say,” Mehta told Rendan as they were coming up to the deck, “You’re not so bad yourself.”
And then she winked.
Above, the sky was thick creamy blue, and the sea deep, winking azure. Now Rendan saw this small ship was linked, by a thick plank bridge to a larger one that he assumed had just arrived. It was longer and thinner than a Dauman ship, and its mast was large and black with the dramatic striped orange and black head of a roaring tiger.
“Come now,” the evil girl said to Mehta, “walk it, wench, walk it. Don’t be afraid. I’ll be right behind you with this.”
She poked Mehta in the behind with the scabbarded point of her sword, and Mehta yelped from surprise while Rendan said, “Don’t hurt her.” And the little man cuffed him.
“We’re off to see the Sea Queen,” he sang. “The Sea Queen.”
The bridge was sturdy enough, but it was of rope, and it shook, and Mehta simply sucked in her breath, smelled the sea and refused to look down. She reminded herself of what she had said in the hold, that this was the place in the world she most wanted to be, even if she died today, here, out in the sea, some distance from the Dauman shore, on a pirate ship. She was stepping onto the solid deck of this new ship, and a few moments later Rendan was beside her. She was looking into the copper, blue eyed face of one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen. Dressed like a man in black boots, brown trousers a white tunic and black vest, she was immaculate, flaxen white hair hung down her shoulders, and she was glaring, not at Mehta, but at the ones who had brought them here.
“Who are these?” she snapped.
“This is the Prince Bellamy and some wench he was with,” said the girl, pronouncing, as usually, the word wench with as much of an edge as she could.
“For the last time, I am not Prince Bellamy.”
“Shut up,” the little man said.
“This is not Prince Bellamy,” the Sea Queen said. “And you are a fool.”
She looked at Rendan.
“Speak, please.”
“I am Rendan the son of Nestor King of Solahn. Bellamy is my uncle and more than that, my enemy. You took me away from raising an army against he who is making war on Solahn and the Young Kingdoms with the support of Phineas—”
“Phineas?” The Sea Queen said, an edge in her voice.
“Yes,” Rendan said. “And this is my faithful companion, the Lady Mehta. I am the only thing between my uncle and the Tiger Throne, and now your servants have taken me from what I was doing.”
“Release them,” the Sea Queen said before Rendan could continue.
The pirates looked perplexed, but at a sharp gaze from the Sea Queen they did as she said, and now Rendan and Mehta stood before her, shaking out their wrists.
“He is the heir to Solahn. Iokaste and Hektar would have our heads if we molested him. In fact, he is now King of Solahn. And Phineas is my enemy too for reasons best stated later, Perhaps Bantha and Kavana have brought us together. We have a common enemy and by helping you I may help myself.
“I see that you need a bath and fresh clothing. Food and true rest. Karmine,” she called, and a copper skinned girl dressed like a man with a sword at her side joined the Sea Queen, “see that the King and his friend are treated like honored guest. Hopefully we can speak, at dinner perhaps, about how we can help each other.”
Rendan nodded.
“But, before you go, Lady Mehta is it?”
Mehta nodded and said, “Yes, ma’am?”
“Can you tell me some of your story?”
“It is no story, really,” Mehta said. “I am really just a kitchen girl.”
“She says that too much,” Rendan said. And then he told their whole story and the Sea Queen, nodding with approval, said, “Would that I had a kitchen girl like you. Lady Mehta. On this ship you are free and you may do anything you please.”
Mehta looked behind her quickly and then said, “Anything?”
The Sea Queen nodded.
“Well, the bath would be nice,” Mehta said.
“I’ll show you to it,” Karmine told her. Mehta began following Karmine and said, “Just… a second?”
The pirate maid nodded. Mehta turned around, facing the girl who had abused her. Mehta pulled back her fist and sent her rolling across the deck. And then, looking at the short man who had mistreated Rendan, she did the same again.
Shaking her fist out, Mehta next said, “And now, Karmine, I think I’m about ready for that bath.”
“Well, look at you,” Rendan clapped his hands as Mehta came to the dinner table where the Pirate Queen sat beside Karmine. They all rose at her approach, and Mehta put a hand to her chest and said, “What’s all this?”
“Here, you are an honored guest,” the Queen said. And Rendan came and pulled the chair from behind her and gestured for Mehta to sit down.
“That’s not necess…” she began, and then let it rest, and allowed Rendan to seat her.
“This is a beautiful gown,” Mehta said, touching the white sleeves shot through with silver. “Your… Majesty?”
The Pirate Queen laughed and Karmine said, “Your Majesty, indeed.”
Mehta flushed. “I simply have no idea what to call you.”
“We usually call her Captain,” another one of the pirates said, and this was when Mehta realized that all of the pirates were women.
“Well, now Captain is something I can manage,” said Mehta, and they all laughed. She noticed the strange way Rendan was looking at her, the lingering smile, and she wanted to turn her head. She wanted to tell him stop. She wanted him to continue.
“It is from the Spiral Islands,” the Captain continued. “King Rishiard brought it to me. I thought you should have it, after all you went through.”
“My lady, I mean, Captain, I am so sorry,” Mehta said. “For my loss of temper. I… well, if you had seen how those two treated us.”
“That,” Karmine said withj a laugh, “was a well aimed punch.”
“And those,” the Captain said, “were not mine. They were simple crooks I paid off going to the coast. Low pirates. Not my corsairs.”
“Do they look like us?” Karmine said, dusting off her white sleeve, while the door opened and new corsairs in white brought in a silver domed platter, fish on a laver, hot bread, puddings, crystal decanters of wine.
“Really!” another corsair girl said, smirking. “I think we clean up better than that.”
“And, of course,” the Captain began.
“No men,” Karmine concluded.
They all nodded.
