The Key: Book 2 The Rose Tree Chronicles

Chapter Four: The Proposition

The two pirates who had taken Rein captive returned to the cabin with the captain just as the jar containing Rein began to tumble off the desk. Immediately the captain dove for the jar and caught it just moments before it shattered on the floor.

"What did ya do?" the captain scolded as he brought himself back to his feet.

"We left the jar on the desk so it wouldn't roll like that, Cap'n," the first pirate said. "She musta did that herself."

The second pirate observed Rein closely. "She don't look so good."

"You fools!" the captain exclaimed as he removed the lid. "She's suffocating 'cause ya put the lid on the jar!" He poured the limp pixie into his hand and set the jar on his desk. "Return to yer posts, ya bottle-heads."

"Aye, Cap'n," they both replied shamefully.

The captain laid Rein on his desk and waited for her to regain her strength. "Can ya hear me, Little Pixie?" he asked.

Rein's head buzzed in sync with her fuzzy vision. She glanced around in search for the owner of the voice speaking to her. "Please," Rein managed to say between breaths. "Don't..."

"I ain't gonna hurt ya," the captain assured as he took his seat behind his desk. Now she could see who spoke to her, though he appeared as a large, red and brown blur. "I just wanna talk to ya. But if ya need yer rest, I completely understand."

"What will happen... if I sleep?" Rein asked as her vision only depleted further.

"Absolutely nothing. Again, I wanna talk to ya."

"I don't want... to sleep..." and then the world went black.

                                                              ξ

Rein awoke to find herself most comfortable on a velvet handkerchief placed inside an ornate ebony cigar case. She slowly sat up inside and took a moment to gather where she was, how she got there, and why she was there. Then, she quietly peered through the keyhole to see what was happening outside, but was unable to conclude anything besides the fact that she was still on the captain's desk. She poked her head out of the keyhole and glanced around some more.

The cabin was elegant for a pirate captain. The entire ship appeared to be made of redwood—a great material for ship-building on Xyntriav. It also released a faint scent of forest that mixed beautifully with that of saltwater. It seemed the captain was well-read as he had two bookcases filled to the brim with books. Due to the windows being stained glass and draped with cotton, mahogany curtains, as well as the quality furniture and abundance of treasures which decorated the cabin, Rein could tell that the captain had refined taste. Then judging by the pieces that represented his many rumored adventures, Rein came to the accurate conclusion that she was trapped on the Blood Omen: the ship of the infamous Captain Tzatara. It was said that he had never been defeated and that he had found at least two Xyntriav World Wonders, making him the most respected and feared pirate in the world.

Rein was about to attempt to squeeze through the keyhole of the box in which she was encased when she heard the cabin doors open to a conversation between the captain and one of his crew. She quickly ducked back inside and listened closely.

"Ya don't understand, Cap'n," said the voice of the crew member. "We must do something before someone on Arcor finds out about The Pelican."

"They won't find out," replied the captain. "Unless a sea rat from our boat blabs when we return."

"And what about the supplies? What's Arcor gonna do?"

"When The Pelican doesn't make berth, they'll send for another cargo ship."

Rein saw the captain sit in his chair and the voice of whom Rein assumed to be the first mate was now closer on the other side of the desk.

"But there still won't be any supplies for a while. It takes weeks for another shipment to be ready. We have the supplies Arcor needs."

"Arcor will survive. They'll just go without much rum for a while. It wouldn't be any different if The Pelican was lost in a storm in the middle of its voyage."

"Chaos will erupt, Cap'n."

"And we won't be there to witness it." The captain grinned.

"But what about our mates on the island?"

"Since when did ya bear such a kind heart, Yacomé?" the captain asked.

"I'm just worried about our port, Cap'n. When we dock again, will there be an Arcor left? And if so, will our mates welcome us back?"

"Of course there will be an Arcor left! And they'll welcome us because they won't know that we commandeered their supplies."

"Ya know what I mean, Cap'n."

"Well ya shouldn't worry so much. Since we have a lot more cargo on this boat, we won't be docking anywhere for some time. So any problem Arcor may have will be taken care of by the time we dock again. Now I can continue to search for... what I've been searching for, without having to stop for supplies."

Rein caught the captain's fleeting glance at the cigar case with his piercing green eyes.

"We won't be docking for... how long?" Yacomé asked.

"I reckon we won't be docking for, at least, another three months perhaps," the captain answered. "At most six months. Yer enough of a seadog to be able to handle such a voyage, I hope?"

"Aye, Cap'n."

"Good. Now get back to yer post. And tell the crew that I don't want to be disturbed for the next hour or so."

"Aye, Cap'n."

Rein heard the footsteps of the first mate leave and the cabin doors close. Then the captain took out his ring of keys, so Rein moved away from the keyhole and sunk low into the handkerchief. The captain unlocked the box and opened it a crack, just enough to see if Rein was awake.

"Are ya gonna try to scurry off?" the captain asked her. "Or can I open this all the way?"

Rein didn't answer, but only sank further into the handkerchief. Her mind raced with potential escape routes, but it was difficult to determine the effectiveness of her plans in what felt like such a short period of time.

"Are ya gonna stay put?" the captain asked again.

Rein nodded, so the captain opened the box.

"Now stay in the box. I'm just gonna ask ya some questions and I want honest answers. Can ya do that for me?"

Even though she had an idea as to the type of questions the captain wished to ask her, Rein nodded again. She sat up a little and looked around outside the box to verify possible escape routes again.

"Good," said the captain. "So how did ya get on me boat? Stay in the box..."

Rein sank back into the handkerchief. Was she caught? Did he figure out what she was doing?

"Relax, Little Pixie. I ain't gonna hurt ya," the captain reassured. "What's yer name, for starters?"

Rein hesitated but answered quietly with a cracked voice, "Rein Bow. Two words."

"Hello, Rein," the captain said. "I'm Captain Tzatara. Now, how did ya get on me boat?"

"I stowed away on The Pelican by hopping into a crate of grapefruit," Rein answered. "Then your crew carried me on."

"I see," said Captain Tzatara. "My men tell me your wings were torn off some time ago."

"By Emperor Mentir over three hundred years ago," Rein answered.

"You've lived over three hundred years without wings?"

"Yes, sir. I've been living off the burdania flower."

"Ah, I see." Captain Tzatara stroked his raggedy red-brown beard in thought. "So ya hid yerself on The Pelican, eh? Did ya know where to it was headed?"

"Yes, sir."

"You want to go to Arcor?"

Rein nodded.

"Ya do know that Arcor isn't necessarily a vacation spot, right?"

Rein nodded again.

"And that's where ya were headed?"

Rein nodded once more.

"Well speak to me, Little Pixie!" the captain laughed.

"My friend is there," Rein said finally.

"Ah. Might I know yer friend?"

"No, she doesn't live there. It's a long story, sir."

"I see. Yer not dressed very well to be going to Arcor, ya know. It be winter there."

Rein looked at what she was wearing: a crimson tube-top and a tight skirt of blackflower petals, which ended a little above her knees revealing diamond markings on her right calf and strange etchings on her left thigh. Under the tube-top, she wore a long-sleeved fishnet shirt. A gold chain was wrapped around her hip as a belt and a holder for her dagger and rope. Finally, she wore black slippers and fingerless gloves.

"I realize that," Rein answered. "But the journey was last-minute and I had no time to change."

"Well fortunately for you," Captain Tzatara said as he rose from his seat, "I happen to have a collection of sprite outfits stashed away for ya to rummage through and pick out what ya fancy."

Rein watched Captain Tzatara walk across the cabin and open the dark purple cushion of his window-seat. He brought out a tiny jewelry box with geometric designs skillfully carved into the black wood.

"What do you want in return?" Rein asked.

Captain Tzatara shrugged as he brought the box back to his desk. "Nothing, it's not like I have need for them."

Rein leaned out of the cigar case to get a closer look at the box the captain had set in front of her. Then she looked back at him. "Am I allowed out, Captain?"

Captain Tzatara nodded. "Just don't scurry off."

Rein climbed out of the cigar case and approached the box. Inside was just about everything, from pants to cloaks, to shoes and accessories.

"What all am I allowed to take?" Rein asked.

"Whatever ye can carry, my dear," the captain laughed. "Again, I don't need them."

"There must be a catch."

"The catch will come with a different offering I plan to give ya later, my dear. But right now, just enjoy yerself. This is my way of showing that ya can trust me."

Rein wondered how he got his hands on this jewelry box full of sprite and pixie clothes, but she shook all possible answers out of her mind and tried to do what Captain Tzatara said: enjoy the gift. She searched through the lot and picked whatever struck her as her. She pulled out a black velvet coat and held it up to the light. It resembled a pirate's coat, but she loved how soft and warm it felt inside when she put it on.

"Suits ye," Captain Tzatara complimented.

Rein continued to dig through the box until she was distracted by something shimmering under a pink skirt. She grabbed it by the hilt and held it in front of her. It was a sword complete with its sheath.

"It's a beauty ain't it?" Captain Tzatara commented. "I wish there be one my size. Know how to use one?"

"Somewhat."

Rein shrugged and set the sword aside to continue searching through the clothing. She brought out a pair of black leather boots with squirrel fur inside. They fit her well enough. Then came the dark purple, long-sleeved wool shirt with gold floral designs embroidered by pixies themselves. Rein pulled it over the shirts she currently wore.

"Ya do know that you can get yer wings back, right?" Captain Tzatara finally asked.

Rein glanced at the captain, guessing where this statement was going to lead. She knew that the end of the upcoming conversation would not be pleasant.

"Yes, I found out a hundred twenty-three years ago." She continued to search through the box. "Apparently only the Mystery Miracle Worker can do it. No one can find her though, hence her name."

"She's very well-hidden indeed," Captain Tzatara acknowledged as he stood up.

Rein pulled a pair of crimson, cotton leggings from the box and watched as the captain approached his bookshelf. He removed a leather-bound book, rather small in size.

"She told me that she wanted to find a place no one could find in a million years," he continued as he returned to his desk. "Seems to me that she's quite succeeded in that, for the most part."

Rein watched as Captain Tzatara opened the cover of the book and she caught a passing glimpse of what appeared to be a loose first page.

"You know her?" Rein asked as she slipped the leggings on underneath her skirt. They were a little long for her, but they would suffice.

"We were lovers once," the captain said after he sat back down at his desk.

"So, you know where she lives?"

"Aye. Every detail."

Rein found herself predicting almost each step of this entire conversation while she put the boots back on. "This is where the catch comes in isn't it?"

"Yer absolutely right, my dear," Captain Tzatara said. "I want something in return if I'm going to tell ya where she be."

Rein shrugged on the black coat. "Well, luckily for me, someone on Arcor knows where she lives, so I can just ask that person."

"Chances are they only vaguely know where she lives. But there be more important details you'll need in order to find her exact whereabouts."

Rein narrowed her eyes at the captain. "What do you mean?"

"For instance, she lives inside a cave that be located inside another cave. What be the chances of this Arcorian knowing that much and more?"

Rein was skeptical, but Captain Tzatara was most likely correct. It couldn't be easy to find the Mystery Miracle Worker, or else everyone would have found her by now. It was possible that the Arcorian merchant may have an idea as to where the Mystery Miracle Worker was located, but unless he had paid her a visit, he likely knew little details. While if the captain had known her personally at one point in time, he would have all the information Rein needed.

"What exactly do you want for the extra details?" Rein asked. "I don't have much to offer."

"Ah, but ye have plenty to offer. Yer a pixie!"

Rein could feel her blood pressure rise, even though this was precisely how she had expected this conversation to go. "It's very unfortunate how strong my weakness is."

"Aye," said the captain. "I can understand that sentiment."

"I can't tell you anything, Captain. I've sworn an oath."

"Ya don't even know what I'm gonna ask yet."

Rein swallowed her panic. "So tell me."

Rein bit her hand and refused to look at Captain Tzatara as he explained what he wanted to know. She wasn't surprised.

"Ya see, Rein Bow, I've been searching several years now for the key to the Cataras Springs."