Chapter 2: Journey to Elegy

Island Approach



"The horizon tells thar be land!!" calls down Skeev from the crows nest with the spyglass up to his eye. The overzealous exclamation, which is overtly influenced by the pirate crews’ vernacular, shows that the goblin seems to be taking well to becoming a pirate. Perhaps he is even slightly too enthusiastic at times.

The rest of the pirates on the other hand are not nearly as enthusiastic about entering the waters around Elegy. They are apprehensive and whisper tales to each other of sea dragons, the kraken, and an undersea kingdom of a giant. They also are cautious about running into the ghoul crew of the Revenge, the legendary pirate ship commanded by Donatello "The Black" Matrongle. The undead pirates are said to have taken control of Ha’ali Cove.

The circus troupe however pays little attention to the pirates’ nervous mummers. The circus members are instead anxious to reunite with their ship, and hope to put the ordeal in Sind behind them, even if with the loss of their original ring leader Master Ganesh. They desire to reestablish the circus and gain some work on the sister Ierendi island of Safari, which is known for its tourism—that is as soon as they think any agents of the Rajahadraja sent abroad have given up searching for the troupe.

Jin himself is not so convinced it will be so easy to reestablish the circus. He reminds Admiral and Tasya, who are both at the moment conferring with him on the main deck, that all he knows is that his grandfather Ganesh had arranged for the Order of The Shadow to deliver the ship to a Makai port village, called Maulia on the eastern side of the island.

"My guess is that my grandfather has friends in the Makai village and that he didn’t think it safe to send the ship to Elegy’s main port of Mahipa, where the Ierendi government has a keep and garrison and possible political connections with Sind," explains Jin in discussion with Tasya and Admiral.

Admiral, during the journey, managed to salvage a few of the soggy maps he rescued from the slaver ship, one of which fortunately is of Elegy Island.

Admiral is lounging against the ship’s railing, studying the map. "According to the map, Maulia’s on the other side of the island. Looks to me like it should be safer and quicker to skirt around the north side, rather than trying to circle around the south, but it’s your ship we’re trying to recover, so the decision’s yours just as much as it is mine. We’ll pass by Mahipa if we go north." He taps the map with one of his claws and adds, "Either way, I reckon we steer clear of the little picture of the octopus, aye?"

Jin carefully considers Admiral's words and focusses on the locations the Whisker captain points out, particularly the tap on the 'octopus.'

Tasya, who knows Jin's mannerisms well, can tell he is feeling overwhelmed with this responsibility that has been recently and unexpectedly thrust on him. She sees the burden of keeping his troupe safe and making best choices for their well-being boring down on his shoulders. She knows he has been trying to hide this vulnerability from the troupe...from Admiral...from her even...and maintain the appearance of strength. But Tasya recognizes subtle signs that only she could, such as his tight jaw and his occasional fidgeting with the chain on his belt. She knows his nights have been troubled and sleepless.

Jin doesn't immediately reply to Admiral, instead he involuntarily lets a sigh escape. Jin's eyes meet Tasya's. They silently plea for help against against his own will.

Tasya places a supportive hand on Jin's shoulder and points to a place south of the island on the map. "Which way avoids the most reefs and shallows? And...this says Graveyards. Is that a graveyard of ships?"

Tasya feels Jin relax a bit under her supportive hand.

Upon Tasya's inquiry, Admiral dives into his memory. He has learned a bit about this island through stories and alleged accounts while growing up with pirates.

Admiral explains about the Makai graveyard and then points out these other features of interest to Tasya and Jin. "The reefs don't look like much of an obstacle no matter which way we choose. My main concern with going south is this place here, just above Nyx’s Post, where the sandbars meet this rocky-looking section. We could get stuck there if we’re not careful—or, worse still, damage the ship."

Tasya nods. "Agreed. Let's not run aground while we're staying alert to other pirates, sea monsters, and all the other types who are after us."

"If you both think sailing north around the island is best, then let's make haste." Jin's tone sounds relieved that Tasya and Admiral took on the task of devising a plan of action.

Admiral rolls up the map and tucks it into his coat, happy to have reached a decision. "North it is!" He dashes off to tell the crew and get the ship moving toward the giant sea grass beds north of Mahipa.

"Do we have an estimation of how long this route is going to take before we reach our destination at port?" Tasya asks.

Admiral scratches his ear thoughtfully, considering Tasya’s question. "Four, five hours, maybe, if the winds are favourable. Seven, at most."

Tasya nods and moves below decks to find a place to rest a while during their journey.

Below Deck...
Mischa stands in the door of the circus members' quarters. Tasya happens to be taking a moment alone, reflecting. Currently the rest of the troupe is either above deck or in the galley. (Apparently during this journey Caspian has been cooking for the troupe as well as the pirates and consequently making friends with the pirates by showcasing his cooking skills. The pirate crew has been more than happy to have some taste and diversity restored to their meals since the disappearance of their former cook Dharzal.)

Mischa gets Tasya's attention, "You are alone Tas. Good. I must yet unlock what you mother had me hide away in your mind. I feel it is important to do this before we engage in Elegy. Whatever gets revealed I believe Lady Oceana can help you understand...if we do ever find her."

Above Deck...
It is not long before the Whisker sails over a meadow of giant seagrass many miles vast. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say the ship sails through the meadow, as much of the vegitation is so massively tall that it grows beyond the water surface. It gives the appearance that the large ship somehow sails through a shallow bog even though in fact the waters are still hundreds of feet deep.

Admiral hears some hubbub on deck and turns to notice the crew and some circus members stirring due to a spotting over the port starboard rail. Some (circus members) look on in amazement. Others (the pirates) look on with apprehension. Admiral looks and sees that a hippocampus swims among the giant seagrass.

Tasya sighs. "There's more? When it is going to be over? I want to perform again..in the circus..for an appreciative audience this time." She shakes her head. "Is that such a difficult thing to ask? I want to live my life as my own. All these secrets are ruining that for me."

Admiral scrambles up the rigging and takes a look through his spyglass to get a better view of the creature.

Below Deck...Mischa solemnly replies, "There is more Tasya. But I can only unlock your mind to it...to what your mother wanted to be kept safe with you...I wish otherwise, but I cannot help you with understanding it any further than that." She pauses and looks at Tasya for a moment before asking, "Would you like me to open your mind now?"

Just as Mischa poses the question Tasya starts to hear voices in her mind. They are initially sparse but quickly intensify and overlap into a near frenzy of layered minds. The voices express thoughts such as:

"Only coral we weave and shape. Our embrace welcomes your metal's grace."
"Beneath waves, we breathe and sigh. Harmony sought, our plea: metal ally."
"Give us the metals that dance in you hand, for secrets of ships sailing to land."
"Seafaring tales, echoes in the deep. Allies found, promises to keep."
...and many, many more, progressively getting harder to follow and distinguish between.

There is no one present in the troupe's quarters beside Tasya and Mischa, yet the voices feel near, like they surround. Mischa seems to be experiencing the flood of voices too.

Above Deck...
From his vantage point in the crow's nest, Admiral notices there's more than the one hippocampus. Many dart between thick patches of sea grass. There could be 25 skirting around and under the ship or many more. With the spyglass Admiral spots that many of the hippocampi are mounted by riders. Admiral thinks these riders must be the Kna. It appears even that some kna swim without mounts. All the kna stay below the surface of the water.
Just as Admiral makes the realization that the Whisker is being surrounded by kna, voices begin to fill his mind.

Admiral jumps down onto the deck and bounds over to the starboard railing to peer over the side of the ship, fascinated. He recalls the stories about the Knaeel helping pirates find prey, but he doesn’t think the circus troupe would be very happy with him if he diverted course to hunt down a merchant ship right now. Still, it doesn’t hurt to cultivate a friendly relationship.

He runs off to the galley and returns a moment later with a random assortment of metal cooking utensils. Caspian had growled at him and Dharzal would not be happy about it when he found out either, but it was better to lose a few pots and pans than insult a whole army of fish people. He throws a heavy iron saucepan and a handful of tarnished forks overboard.

"A gift! A gesture of friendship!" he declares loudly, as he does so, uncertain if the Kna will be able to hear him all the way under the water. They seem to be communicating telepathically so he also concentrates on thinking the words as hard as he can for good measure.

Skeev, near Admiral, watches the saucepan and tarnished forks fly overboard. Puzzled, he turns to Sherwood who also witnesses Admiral's action.

"What's he doing?" asks the goblin (in ear shot of Admiral).

"I reckon the cap'n be investing in our fortune while we sail these waters, savvy?" replies the old pirate.

Tasya doesn't answer Mischa. Instead, she moves toward the voices to see what was happening above

Tasya makes it to the main deck just in time to see a hippocampus breach the water surface with a fish-like humanoid riding it. Everyone on deck sees the spectacle. The pair makes a quick arc in the air that ends with a graceful dive back into the water. During the leap the rider's large round iridescent eyes make direct contact with Admiral and the creature speaks telepathically to the rakasta captain in a direct single voice louder than the many other kna voices:

"Trade you make, metals for gold. Call us again, for secrets told. Greater gifts you bring, longer songs we sing, of treasures by sea, in waters of Elegy."

After the dive back into the water the many other voices quickly subside into a murmur that soon fades off to silence in Tasya's and Admiral's mind. It seems the kna have departed.

Admiral leans over the railing to peer down into the water below, watching the kna and their mounts vanish into the dense sea grass with wide eyes. Once they’re gone, he turns around and notices Tasya has just arrived on the main deck. "Tasya! Did you see the hippocampuses? One of them came right up out of the water!"

Tasya slips up next to Admiral.

"Yes. I saw that. Amazing! How many of them were there? I heard so many voices. What did they want?"

"They wanted to trade, I think," says Admiral. "Metals for secrets. They mentioned some sort of treasure…" He trails off, eyes gleaming with excitement and avarice as he allows himself to get briefly carried away with thoughts of gold and adventure. He shakes his head and continues, somewhat reluctantly, "…Of course, we have to get the lot of you to Maulia before we can go chasing whispers of treasure."

"I should very much like to make it to Maulia and finally reunite with the circus ship after this nightmare," Tasya looks over at Jin who glances over the rail with the animal tamer, Rosalyra, who excitedly points toward the place where the quick arc of the hippocampus and its rider occured--Admiral can hear the animal tamer exclaim "how majestically beautiful".

After watching Jin and Rosalyra interact for a moment, Tasya continues, "I am thankful to have encountered you Admiral. The Rajadhiraja's guards were just about to meet Mischa and me at the end of that sewer pipe. Who knows what might have happened had you not been passing through the gorge just at the right time. I never imagined I would be aligned with a pirate. But I suppose we have more in common that not."

"Aye, well, it’s been a strange week for all of us," responds Admiral, amused.

As the Whisker leaves the vast beds of giant sea grass behind her and travels down the east coat of Elegy, Admiral climbs back up to the crow’s nest to keep an eye out for trouble, enjoying the warmth of the sunshine and the gentle sea breeze that ruffles through his fur.