Chapter Fifteen

To be perfectly honest, when I had made the decision to stay aboard the Encantador , I had done so in the hopes of finding freedom. However, as it was, I had had very little of it to speak of, for in all the time I had been at sea, I was made to stay in the captain's quarters. The resident of which continued to assure me that soon I would be permitted to walk about as I pleased soon enough, yet I was restless. A feeling that proved to be quite troublesome when inflicted upon one such as myself.

I paced the floor of the room, wringing my hands while I did so, and while I had been told to remain quiet, I purposefully made my footfalls heavy and determined. After all, if I was heard, there would be no reason to keep me hidden any longer. To my own frustration, though, it would seem that no one was able to hear me, and so I could only throw myself upon the bed and sigh in defeat.

"What will he have me do now?" I wondered aloud as I lay there. "Surely he cannot expect for me to stay here in this way..." I knew I was being rather unfair to Mr. Viento, for though I was still kept up in his room, he had been more of a gentleman than any other I had ever met. Not only had he given me his bed, but he had also been courteous enough to sleep in another room altogether. Even so, I was not in the mind to accept such things alone. "How long will he keep me then?"

There was no answer, of course. Not that I had expected one. I merely spoke because I could, and if it kept my wits about me for a little while longer, it was all the better. I only wished I could bide my time in some way, for living in the cabin as I had for so long, there was no way for me to know or even guess at the time of day. My only indication was when the man would bring me my meals- which I found to be surprisingly satisfying- and even then he seemed to come and go with no rhyme nor reason to it.

During the long hours which I was left alone, however, I had searched the place from top to bottom in the hopes to find a way in which to entertain myself, and yet I found nothing. Well, I suppose that was not entirely true being as he had many interesting things, yet those things which I did find were only good for looking at.

The first thing I had found was the captain's log. I had been excited at first, yet after opening it, I was disappointed that it was written in a language I could not understand. What made me still made me curious was how it was written in not one but two distinct languages, and though I knew very little of either of them, I still reasoned they were Spanish and French. The former of which did not surprise me being as Mr. Viento was once a Spaniard- though I suppose he could never truly be anything but- yet I had no way of knowing why he would think to write the latter alongside it.

Aside from this, there was little else that caught my immediate attention. A few maps, a crew register, and a forgotten plate were all I had found, and after having returned the plate to the man to whom it belonged, I was left with even less.

Having grown tired of laying as I was, I lifted myself up from the bed and stared at the door. I had never tried to open it though I had often thought to. However, as it was, I was beginning to think it was my only option. One that I was more than ready to take by that time. To my surprise, it had been left unlocked, and once I had opened it, I poked my head out into the empty hallway. It was almost silent save for the lapping of the sea against the hull, and while I did not know for certain, I reasoned that it must have been rather late at night for the ship to be so still.

"There must be someone about," I wondered aloud in a soft whisper. I crept out from the room, closing the door gently behind me, and once I was sure that no one had heard me, I began to make my way towards the steps that would allow me to reach the upper decks. "I wonder who has the watch..."

It was then that I heard a heavy sigh, and though I feared I had been discovered, I soon realized that I had gone unseen. It was only when I peered into the galley that I found who it was, and to see him was nothing less than an unusual sight.

Mr. Viento was sitting at a table with not one but three large maps laid out before him. I saw no reason for him to do such a thing, yet I was not willing to ask him while he pooled over them with such concentration. Even knowing so little about the man as I did, I still found him to be a strange sight with his brow so troubled with thought out his mouth pulled into a frown. His head was bare as well with his bandanna abandoned at his elbow. A sight which made the man seem all the more peculiar to me.

"May I ask what you are doing, Mr. Viento?" The man did not seem to be startled by my sudden appearance. He merely glanced up from his work, and no sooner had he seen me then he smiled as if he was genuinely pleased to have me there. "I hope I am not inconveniencing you by having left your room like this."

"Not at all, princesa," he assured me. "And, please, just call me Kai. I'm not really worthy of such formalities. Wouldn't you agree?"

"The reasoning behind you saying so makes me think of you as a gentleman all the more." My words made the man laugh, yet I must admit I did not take kindly to have my compliment be taken so lightly. "Do you think of me an amusement then?"

"Anything but," he replied. "It's just I have never been thought to be a gentleman before... although I suppose a true 'gentleman' would thank you for saying so instead of laughing at such a fine lady." I did my best to act as if his charm fell on a dull heart. However, I could not hide the smile that graced my lips nor the warmth that had spread over my cheeks to hear such a thing said to likes of a woman such as I. "I'm sorry I was unable to free you before now. We've been rather busy these past couple of days, and the girls haven't gotten much sleep since we left the harbor."

"Are you charing our next destination yet?" I pressed, not having been given an answer to my first question. "Or is it that you are merely planning for an attack on yet another ship?"

"Not until we find calmer waters," he assured me. "Your brother will not wait long in coming after you, and we've already lost five good men on that strike. I'm not about to lose any more if I can help it." I nodded in understanding, yet there was one thing left for me to ask. However, before I could even part my lips to speak, he continued on. "It wasn't my idea to make that raid on your brother's home. I was only there to offer support once the situation got under control."

"What do you mean a raid? This is the first I have heard of such a thing happening... Explain yourself."

"Don't worry, love," he replied with a wave of his hand. "The Admiral is alive and well... though I don't know if I can say the same for the Vice Admiral. Denny said he got a blade to the side, and there's not much to do about a cut like that."

"But why attack my brother in such a way?" I demanded. "Surely there is a reason why you would do so this suddenly." After all, while I knew Richard was an enemy to him, there seemed to be no thought taken in what was done. "Did you really think you could accomplish anything by waging war against the most experienced fleet in the Caribbean."

"It was not my work," he explained. "Your brother has much more to fear than just I. We pirates are a rather unsavory bunch, after all. Can't be helped that we'd be at odds with the likes of someone like Rick."

"You speak as though you are rather familiar with him," I said as I came to sit across from him. "How is that you know him? Aside from your acts of piracy, that is. Please tell me."

I then rested my hand upon his arm, and though my actions were innocent enough, the grin which made its way across his weathered features did little to encourage me to do so for very long. "Well, now, I'm afraid that's a rather long story for me to be telling at this time of night. Of course, if you're still feeling a bit restless..."

"I'm afraid I would like to see the deck," I insisted as I came to stand. "I have not seen the sky in two days time, and I do miss it so..."

"Of course, love," the man agreed. "Denny has the watch, but he shouldn't give you any trouble. Just tell 'im you've with me, and he shouldn't ask any questions." Then, with another thought, he began to chuckle. "Not that he could, of course."

The air was fresh and clean as it drifted over the deck, and while I had not meant to do, I could not help but sigh with pleasure to feel the breeze brush gently against my skin. It was a relief, really, to be out and about in a place to open and free, and I felt even more alive after having been caged as I was for so long. Even the sky itself seemed more endless than before when above the ocean.

"¿Quién eres?" I blinked in surprise as I turned to face the young man who had come to stand behind me. He looked very much like the other whom I had just parted ways with, yet upon studying him further, I realized his skin was a shade or so darker and his hair was curly. It was then that I also understood he was the negro I had chased after two nights before. The very one that had led me to the ship. "No recuerdo Kai diciendo que trajo otra mujer a bordo..."

"You must be Denny then," I mused. He hesitated at first, no doubt curious as to how I knew his name, yet soon enough, he agreed that he was. "The captain said I could walk about," I explained, speaking slowly that he might understand me. "I would hope that I will be no trouble in doing so?"

"I... que es..." He cleared his throat and, with a deep breath, began again. "If the cap'in says so, you can," he assured me. "Jus' watch for Miss Claire... she'll not like it."

"And who is this Miss Claire?" I asked. "Is she of any relation to Kai? Rather, the captain?"

"The quartermaster," he replied. Having said what little he could in English, the young man then became quiet as he shuffled his feet. However, it was not long before he tried to speak once more, yet though he tried to explain as best he could, it was all lost upon my own ears. "She... she not like takin' on perros callejeros."

"Forgive me, but I do not know what it is you are saying," I apologized weakly. "Could you try and put it another way?" Denny only shook his head as he held his hands up in defeat. When he did, however, there was a most peculiar sound that came upon us. To my ears, it sounded as if it may be a bird, yet as he were so far from shore- not to mention the lateness of the hour- I could not quite convince myself that it could be true. That was until it had lighted upon his shoulder. "And who might this handsome fellow be?"

"Popper." I blinked, not having seen the young man's lips so much as tremble, yet he only nodded towards the bird. "Popper says hello," it says. "Lovely girl. Very lovely girl."

"And who was it that taught him such a clever trick?" I laughed. "I never knew there were birds that could speak..." And what fine one he was at that. He had beautiful black feathers that shone even in the soft, pale light of the moon, and just beneath his eyes were two bold stripes of yellow. A fact he seemed to know well enough without me saying so. "You really are quite handsome," I continued, lighting a hand upon his back, "and so very charming as well."

It was then that I saw the shoulder of the man's sleeve, and while his small companion was perturbed to have my attention stolen from him so suddenly, I could not help but take a firm hold of the fabric there. "Lovely lady wants a look," the bird cooed. "A look see."

Denny went to pull away, clearly not wanting to draw any fuss from me, yet once he did so, there was the sound of another tear. "Oh dear, that will be no good," I mused as my fingers ran over the broken stitches. "You will be left without an arm soon if we do not must this straight away." The young man balked, his face stricken with horror, and though I did understand him immediately, it did not take long for me to correct myself. "I meant to say sleeve," I assured him with a gentle smile. "If you could please fetch me a needle and some thread, I would be glad to mend it for you."

He nodded slowly as he drew away from me, and it was then that the bird upon his shoulder began to cry out cheerfully. However, before I could hear what was being said, both had gone below desk with the sound of Denny's hurried steps echoing in the stairwell. I laughed, certain that he would wake all those that were sleeping, and it was then that I had a thought. Though the young men and his captain had seemed to welcome me so warmly upon the ship, there would be no telling of what all the others might think of me...

And had the other's warning have been any indication, Miss Claire would no doubt prove to be the most difficult matter of all.

--

Author's Note: Just wanted to make note of why Denny's minah bird is called "Popper" here instead of "Kuu." Although I prefer the latter of the two, in Sunshine Islands, Denny's bird is named Popper, and unlike Kuu, who only mimics his emotions, Popper actually talks.