Where Loyalties Lie

Chapter 9 - Fortune

“Beautiful,” Drake said with a grin.

“There is a… grace about her that the other ships don’t have,” Beck agreed.

The one-eyed, square-jawed, badly bruised shipwright grunted his own agreement. “Ain’t never seen another like her. Who designed her?”

Drake gave the shipwright a dangerous grin. “No one standing on this side of humanity.”

“Eh?”

“Long ago I found myself shipless and very much needing of one,” Drake said, stealing a glance at Arbiter Beck out of the corner of his eye. “Lucky for me there are things greater and more powerful than men in this world, and it just so happens I know how to find a few of them. Ever heard of the Kraken’s Maw?”

“No,” Beck said with a shake of her head that set her tail of blond hair stirring underneath her hat.

“It’s a maelstrom,” the shipwright said. “The biggest and strongest any man has ever seen.” At a glare from Beck, he cleared his throat and added, “Or woman. Opens up once every ten years or so and always right underneath a ship. Takes it down into the depths. It ain’t natural though – folk say that when it opens up you can see teeth down at the bottom of it. Some folk say it’s caused by the biggest beasty the sea has to offer: a kraken so big it can eat other krakens whole.”

Drake laughed. “Superstition for the most part, I assure you. The Kraken’s Maw is something far more dangerous. It’s the one and only gateway to the court of Rin.”

The shipwright gasped and struggled from his chair. “Are you mad? You say her name standing on dry land?” The man pulled a bronze bit out of his pocket, spat upon it, and threw it as hard as he could into the ocean. “Quick,” he urged. “An offering for her peace!”

Drake loved it when people played their parts, and right now the superstitious shipwright was playing his as well as any man could have. “Oh aye,” he cooed. “For most folk you’d be right – saying her name with your feet planted on dry land would be to invite disaster. Why, she’s been known to wipe entire islands off the charts. But me, see, I’m not most men. I’m one of her beloved. One of her chosen. The sea goddess, she smiles upon me. Said so herself when I met her.”

Drake glanced at Beck. The Arbiter looked anything but impressed.

“Pirates believing in a capricious sea goddess. How quaint.”

“You got yourself a walking, talking, living god, and you think to mock our beliefs?” Drake shook his head. “Might be you should put more stock in powers greater than yourself. There’s things in this world, Arbiter, that would find great pleasure in corrupting and destroying one of Volmar’s faithful. Might be our quaint beliefs are all that’s keeping you safe.”

Beck narrowed her eyes but didn’t reply.

“You really met her?” the shipwright said.

“Aye.”

“But nobody ever called to her court returns.”

Drake shrugged. “There’s at least one that has. Though can’t say I was all the same when I came back.”

The shipwright sagged back into his chair, a look one part astonishment to three parts awe on his face. “How?”

“Well, I found myself all sorts of stranded on an island, you see, needing of that ship I mentioned. So I built a raft, nothing but logs lashed together with coconut hair really, and I set out to summon the Maw. Made all the right offerings and said all the right words, and it opened up right beneath my little raft – just as you said, only without the teeth, I reckon. Waves taller than the tallest building man has ever built and waters rushing in every direction faster than a bird can fly, and down I went on my little raft into the depths.” Drake paused and took a deep breath. “And that there is where I died.”

“You died?” Beck said, her eyes narrowing.

Drake felt her compulsion brush against his will. “Aye,” he said with a grin. “Can’t exactly get to Rin’s court without drowning. Waters closed in over my head and filled my lungs and the light went out. Next thing I know, my eyes are opening and there’s the goddess herself, breathing air back into my lungs. Must’ve wretched up half the ocean before I found myself speaking again.”

“What was she like?” said the shipwright, leaning eagerly forwards in his chair.

Drake gazed off into the ocean and smiled. “She was ever changing. One moment her skin would be driftwood and her hair seaweed, then she might seem to clear, like she was made of water itself. Or she would appear to be part of the coral throne she sat upon.” He took a deep breath and let it out as a ragged sigh. “Only thing I can say for sure is she was beautiful no matter what form she took. Not human beauty though. Beautiful like the sea, eh.

“Turns out not many men seek her court willingly, so she was a drop curious as to why a man like myself might throw his self upon her mercy. So I told her. Said I needed a ship, one like no other. But deals aren’t lightly struck with gods now, are they? I agreed to give her something no other man could.” He paused and glanced at Beck; the woman was making a good show of feigning disinterest, but Drake could see she was listening intently. “Something no other person in this whole world of ours could give. And in return she gave me the Fortune. Fastest ship ever to call the seas its home.”

“What did you give her?” the shipwright asked right on cue.

Drake smiled out at the ocean, well aware that both the shipwright and the Arbiter were watching him, waiting for him to answer. Eventually he turned and walked away, heading towards the town. After a few moments Arbiter Beck began to follow.

“How much of that story you just told is truth?” she called.

“How do you know any of it is?”

“The best lies are half truths,” she said, struggling to keep up with Drake’s longer stride in the sand. “Makes the shit easier to swallow. Folk of my profession learn to spot them pretty quick.”

Drake nodded along. “I can honestly say, Arbiter, that there is more truth than not in that tale. I can also say that we suffer under a different set of gods out here on the sea, and you would do well to be more careful. Volmar won’t be able to save you out there in the blue, but our quaint gods might just.”

“Where are you going this time?” the Arbiter demanded as she quickened her pace to catch up with Drake.

“Why are you following me?” Drake shot back.

“Because I have to protect you.”

“And what if I’m just going for a piss again? Didn’t get a good enough look last time, eh? I know my cock is fairly impressive an’ all, but a woman of your age and passing good looks, I reckon you’ve seen better and bigger. Just how old are you, anyways? I know you Arbiters tend to live a bit longer than us mere mortals.”

“Old enough to know the difference between a man with purpose in his stride and one just wandering off for a piss. So where are you going?”

Drake stopped and grinned at the woman. “I do like it when you get all commanding.” Beck didn’t show a hint of a blush, and that just made Drake want her more. “Might be you happened to miss that ship on the horizon over there.” He pointed and the Arbiter turned to look. Drake pounced on the opportunity to walk away, but she quickly turned and caught up with him again. “Reckon I might just go wait for their arrival.”