Chapter 2: Journey to Elegy

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.