Chapter 1 The Teacher

Sara finished the last counter clockwise circle and the grove appeared. She walked into it without fear. The protective spells she had no problems with; having known what to expect. It was the day after ten years and the twenty year old wanted to show that the chest was safe.

"State your name and purpose here," Sara heard.

"Sara Turner to retrieve the chest."

Athena appeared and saw her old student now quite older. It was a surprise to be sure; seeing how the last time the witch saw her student was ten years ago.

"My God. Sara; it can t be you."

"It is."

"I heard what you did; ridding the world of the East Indian Trading Company," Athena said. "I'm impressed."

"Than you did not hear the full story."

The two where in Athena s home; full of the witch s belongings she had gathered over the years. Sara sat down in the chair she had all those years ago. She told the story of what had happened all those years ago.

"Lord Dunbar ran me through. As I did him." Sara lifted her shirt to show the witch. Athena leaned in to get a closer look and saw it was indeed a real scar. Athena sat back down at the table and tended to the same drink Sara remembered her teacher having everyday.

"You should be dead," Athena finally said.

"Jack used the water he had from the Fountain of Youth to heal the wounds." Sara had since lowered her shirt. "My only scars of that fight are the one on my face and the one through my body. I...."

Athena held up a hand, silencing her former pupil. She took a drink of whatever was in her cup and Sara kept silent. She waited patiently; having done this many times before during her lessons. She mouth a spell and the chest appeared at her feet.

"It's what I came for," Sara said. "Parents have been getting worried about it."

"Then take it. The grove will always be here for your use."

Sara nodded before she stood and picked up the chest. Once out of the grove, Sara completed three clockwise circles and made her way back home to the mansion. Sara had respect for the witch; even now that she had learned Calypso taught Athena the same spells that the witch taught Sara. Night hid Sara as she moved through the streets of Port Royal. In the chest, Sara felt her father s heart beat and she hoped that it would not give her away. The back streets and alleys provided the pirate the coverage she needed; but one watched her movements. Ben knew Sara would take this route back home. He had grown to love Sara; ever since their reunion. True, Ben had been nasty to her; but he felt like he could learn from her.

I'll talk to her tomorrow, Ben thought.

He let Sara fall out of sight and returned home.

Sara placed the chest on the dinning table and produced the key. She still held it after all these years; the Keeper of the Key. She unlocked and opened the chest. Her parents looked in and saw the heart still safe. Billy stood a step or two behind; but caught a glimpse of it.

"I said it was hidden," Sara said to her mother. "And I promised I d keep it safe," she told her father.

"I thought it was in the cave," Billy said.

"When Dunbar captured you, I had to make sure he didn't get it," Sara said.

She closed and relocked the chest. The tests life had given Sara proved that she could handle anything. The family sat down to dinner fir the first time in years. Jimmy was now ten and was in a heated discussion about how to properly board a ship with Billy. Sara was speaking with the Chinese ambassador, in fluent Chinese, about the trade between China and England. And the couple was merely talking of the past few years since they last spoke. After dinner, Sara saw the ambassador to the guest chamber as the rest of her family went about their own thing and the dinner was taken care of. Once in her own chamber, Sara changed into her night clothes and crawled into bed. She and Billy, in his own chamber, were tired from a rushed sailing to arrive.

Boy, it feels good to be in a stationary bed for once, Sara thought before she fell asleep.

0o

Sara had just buttoned the last button; leaving her dark blue shirt top open when one of the two butlers told her she had a visitor. Quickly putting her boots on, Sara rushed down to see Ben in the foyer. She jumped the last few steps as Ben turned to face her.

"Ben, what brings you here?"

"To speak with you."

Sara looked around and nodded; leading the way out to the gardens. The two walked slowly through the gardens silently. Sara waited for Ben to speak; since it was he was the one who wanted to talk.

"How's young Johnathan," she asked.

"He died. That s kinda the reason I wanted to talk with you. I want off this rock. I want to learn; and only you can teach me," Ben said.

"Teach you what? How to be a pirate? One cannot teach one how to be a pirate in the normal sense."

"Sara, please."

Sara quickly took the water from the bird bath and splashed Ben with it. He had a surprised look when he looked back at the pirate.

"I'm more than a pirate, Ben. Don't tempt me."

"A witch?"

"I'm a pirate first; by blood. Now, what makes you think you're pirate material?"

Ben went silent; thinking of the answer. He could not think of one. Sara knew Ben did, or could, not have an answer and smiled a knowing smile.

"I can talk to Jack about letting you on; we could use another hand on ship. Though I can't promise anything."

"Can you teach me what...."

"I don't know."

"He asked you to teach him," Athena said, trying to make sure she heard right.

"Yes. I don t know if it s even possible. Is it?"

"I taught you because you aided my escape and you have the power in your very veins. What has Ben done to aid you?"

Sara thought back and knew her childhood rival did nothing to aid her. Except to help her sword skills develop in the occasional fight. He was the one who gave her the scar on her right arm.

"Nothing that I can think of. It was so long ago."

Athena began to look about her home, looking for what she needed. Sara sat and watched. She may be old enough to take on her own apprentice; but Sara was still too young in her own training to do so.

"Well, come and help me, child," Athena said.

Surprised a little, Sara got up and cleared the table as Athena put the things she gathered up on it. Sara looked and saw a mere bowl, a few potion vials, a knife, and Athena s spell book. Athena grabbed the same arm that bore the scar Ben gave her in one hand and held the knife in the other. In one quick motion, the witch slit her apprentice s wrist. Several drops of blood dripped into the bowl as Sara tried to get her arm back. Once Athena saw she had enough blood in the bowl, one could not see the bottom, she allowed Sara to take her arm back. Sara searched for something to bind up her wound as Athena continued what she was doing. The young pirate witch watched the older witch. Minutes past by and Sara waited for some sort of result. Athena spoke the spell and the red blood turned a purplish color.

"There. He has the potential; but you will have to decide for yourself whether to teach him or not," Athena said.

"I feel like I m not done with my own training. How can I teach when I m not done being trained."

Athena looked around before she went to her bookshelf. There she took out an identical book to the one on the table. She walked back over and handed it over to Sara.

"This I made in case I did take an apprentice and they completed their training. It's yours; you earned it, Sara."

Sara took the book and studied the cover. Detailed Chinese art covered the hardcover front, back, and cover.

"Thank you, Athena."