Chapter 3: Sinbad, the cabin boy
Maeve wheeled her arms and kicked against imaginary resistance. She felt sickened by the sensation of endless falling. She knew she was under the grip of some powerful spell. But who was the mysterious spell-caster? And why was she the chosen target? Suddenly her feet punched into the ground! Good solid ground! She tripped up and tumbled over and over along a slope that was moist and covered in dead leaves. She couldn't stop! The impact sent her careening like a wooden barrel across the deck of a tossing ship. She cannoned violently into someone who sat huddled under the shadow of the trees.
"Hey, watch it! What do you think you're doing?!", yelled the voice in a frenzied whisper.
The collision left Maeve and the shadowy stranger on the ground in a tangled heap of arms and legs. The sorceress gave an angry roar and tried to bounce up to her feet. But she couldn't move. She was pinned under the weight of her assailant and could hardly raise her head. She growled and kicked out fiercely. Her boot made swinging contact with the assailant's head and he moaned out in pain.
"Get off me, you big lummox!", she hollered, arching her shoulders up and straining to twist and pull herself out. She rained fierce blows with her fists. Her assailant struggled up in silent haste and pushed down Maeve as she tried to stand up right behind him. She got the wind knocked out of her as she plopped down on her rump and the next second, she felt a blunt blade pressed against her throat. The assailant cautioned her in a harsh whisper. "Just shut up, or you'll get us both killed!" Maeve panted hard from the struggle. But for the first time she realized that she could indeed identify the voice that addressed her. It was Sinbad! She blinked hard, feeling extremely puzzled. What was he doing? The knife disappeared and in its place a rough hand clamped tight across her mouth. She squirmed but her hands were already secured behind her back! The assailant pushed her head backwards and studied her face in the moonlight. He himself remained in shadows.
"Why you're just a little girl!", he spat aghast. "You're lucky I didn't hit you back!. How'd you get on the island?"
Maeve rolled her eyes and mumbled under his hand. If this was a game,she was getting tired of it, real fast!. She relaxed her guard and morosely wondered why Sinbad couldn't recognize her. She gave a half-hearted tug at her bonds and gave up. "Okay, I'm gonna remove my hand..", continued Sinbad, in an annoyingly discreet tone. "-But if you scream, I swear I'll gag you!"
Sinbad withdrew his hand and Maeve looked up. She saw Sinbad's silhouette -the crown of wavy brown hair that characterized his head. But for some reason it didn't quite look the same. Meanwhile ,the moon decided to leave the clouds to make a solo appearance. So for once the forest was flooded with moonbeams and Maeve stared dumbfounded as Sinbad's face came clearly into view. She was completely flabbergasted!. The same brown hair, blue eyes, red bandana and costume to match. But Sinbad looked as young as fifteen!
"What kind of trickery is this?!",gasped Maeve, in fright. "Sinbad!"
"Shhh! Hey,not so loud!",scolded the boy-sailor at once. He leaned back in surprise, taking a moment or two to digest the fact that the strange girl actually knew his name. "Hey, you know me!", he exclaimed with a spontaneous grin. "That's flattering.. in a weird way but I don't remember you." Sinbad plopped down next to her and cut the bonds that secured her wrists. He sighed to himself. "Great! I pray for a girlfriend all those days in the high seas and I bump into one, right in the middle of trouble! Now that's what I call bad timing-"
"Girlfriend?!",sneered Maeve, scornfully. "In your dreams!" Then another thought hit her. "Wait a second!" She nervously ran her hands over her cheeks. Her skin felt a little oily and her fingers traced a few freckles on her nose. Her hair seemed to have grown thicker and longer right down to her waist! "Oh no!", she moaned angrily. "I've changed as well!"
"You are a weird one", laughed Sinbad. "Okay now I wasn't kidding before. You've gotta shut up,okay? We are here on important business! No intruder breaks into Capn. Ghalib's camp during Sinbad's watch!"
Suddenly they heard a hawk chwirping and out from the darkness, Dermott flew confidently to Maeve's arm.
"And you are getting weirder by the minute!", snorted Sinbad, grudgingly impressed by the magnificent bird. "Is he yours?"
"Yes!", replied Maeve, kissing Dermott affectionately on his feathery head. "He's mine" She closed her eyes, momentarily content that her brother was right beside her to share in her maddening troubles!
Maeve carefully observed her surroundings. The same ridge-line, the same haunting trees and dead leaves on the ground. She was still in that accursed forest! The only glaring difference was, she and Sinbad seemed to have grown younger!
Dawn was slowly creeping up on them. The first streams of daylight began tingeing the horizon. But the forest was still very much immersed in darkness. The cave view seemed to have improved. Maeve could make out the entrance. Still, there was not a soul in sight. She studied Sinbad. He mentioned Captain Ghalib and his stakeout here. They were supposed to have a camp somewhere about this forest as well. So, she had actually travelled back in time to the first instance when Sinbad had arrived at the island to hunt down Nazaar the pirate! She frowned hard, recalling her lessons on time travel. She knew about inter-dimensional travel. But time-travel! She was a little rusty on that subject. Sure, she'd been through portals before. The valley of the Colossus, her own portal in the Isle of Dawn! They were all conjured beautifully to keep trespassers out! But this was a time portal! An entirely different creation of magic! And she somehow had to find a way to get back! She rose up in a thoughtful trance. She must first find the exact spot from which she appeared. She could walk down the ridge, tracing her footsteps-
Sinbad reached up with a yelp and pulled her down by the wrist.
"Hey, didn't I make myself clear?", he reprimanded."If the rest of the crew knew about you, they wouldn't hesitate to barter you off to the next passing galley ship! I'm trying to save both our hides here! Now, sit down!"
Maeve closed her eyes in exasperation. She wriggled her wrist free from Sinbad's hold. "Will. you. please. STOP. touching. me!?..!", she hissed, fiercely.
Sinbad's eyes softened and he looked beseechingly at her. "Look, my watch ends with the dawn and after that, you can go wherever you want, okay? Just don't get me into trouble!"
"Fine!", answered the sorceress in irritation. She dropped down on her knees next to Sinbad and watched the mouth of the cave. Then a thought struck her. She turned to Sinbad, with a patiently-chiding tone that begged the exercise of reason,
"Aren't you the least bit curious how I, a complete stranger am able to call you by your name? How I know so many things about you? Your brother Doubar? Your home in Baghdad? How did I know so much? Where did I come from when I barged into you the way I did-"
Sinbad gazed at her warily."Yes, you said my name right and Doubar is indeed the name of my beloved older brother. But!" His eyes narrowed in mischief. He winked at her much to her chagrin."You also babbled that I was a Captain, piloting my "own" ship - the..the..umm.. Nomad? You said that I was extremely wealthy from helping the Caliph of Baghdad and Basra-"
"Allright", cut in Maeve, coldly. "Maybe all those facts wouldn't be relevant to you since you are still a boy!"
"Facts!", guffawed Sinbad, scornfully shaking his head. "Just listen to yourself! You are a loony with an attitude, you know that?"
"My name is Maeve and I -"
"Shh! LOOK!"
Sinbad put out a hand to silence Maeve and bobbed his head in feverish expectation. The wall of the cave had begun to shimmer! A mighty, bear of a man - very much answering to Sinbad's earlier description- stepped out in grand theatricality. Grinding his booted feet to the ground, Ghalib smirked complacently to himself and surveyed the edge of the ridge-line. His eyes locked onto Sinbad's who stood up straight and gave a proud salute. Sinbad's expression conveyed that he had stayed alert at his post and could be trusted with further, far-challenging duties. Ghalib slowly nodded, pleased with his cabin boy's implicit obedience.
Meanwhile, Maeve scampered down for fear of being seen. It now struck her that she was indeed very much an intruder in this timeline and the less people knew about her the better!
Once Captain Ghalib disappeared from view, Sinbad shuffled out from his post and prepared to leave for camp. "The Captain had looked pleased! He must have defeated Nazaar!", he exulted, happily. Sinbad looked around but Maeve was nowhere to be seen. He took one look in the direction of the Captain's footsteps. His duties lay there and the camp would be agog with the news of Captain Ghalib's latest triumph!. Still, he longed to talk to that red-haired girl one last time. So with a sigh, he walked down the opposite direction in search of Maeve. He found her, on her hands and knees, furiously patting the mounds of dead leaves upon every rise of land.
"What are you doing?", he queried, skeptically.
"I'm trying to find the entrance to the time portal!"
"Wha- time portal?!" Sinbad doubled over in laughter.
"Look, if you don't want to help me, then get out of my way.", ticked off Maeve,rudely.
"Fine! I just wanted to say that I was headed back to camp." Sinbad saw the frustration on Maeve's face and felt a bit ashamed. True this girl had a lot of spunk and an amazing hawk for a friend which made her a unique person to know. He wished he could have gotten to know her better. Her brown eyes were actually quite pretty along with that flaming mane of red hair. She might actually look very beautiful if she smiled.
"Goodbye Maeve", he said with genuine sadness. Maeve looked up and caught those blue eyes staring at her. Sinbad started to turn away when she caught his arm and whirled him around. "Look, you've got to help me find the portal, Sinbad. I've got to get back.", she pressed, emphatically. "If.. if only I could make you understand! Captain Ghalib is not all he seems. Don't trust him! He's gonna help Nazaar in the end!"
"Come on,Maeve-", smiled Sinbad, shaking his head at her words. "You've got a wild imagination! But you know.." He drew nearer to her. "those words you said about me becoming a Captain and having my own ship. I thought that was very sweet,Maeve. It's been my dream. I haven't told a soul about it" Sinbad hesitated and smiled again. He held out his arm for a handshake. "It was nice running into you like this. I've been out at sea since twelve and it gets a little lonely sometimes."
Maeve slipped her hand into his. She desperately wished Sinbad would take her claims seriously and help her find the portal. But alas, he wasn't believing a word she was saying.
"I..I'm just sorry I have to leave like this-"-blurted Sinbad. He nodded vigorously and then summoning his courage, he suddenly pulled her forward and his lips locked onto hers in an awkward kiss. Maeve pulled back shocked and kicked him hard in the stomach. Sinbad doubled over, this time in pain. He winced in anguish but there also appeared an expansive grin on his face.
"Hey, it was worth it!", he assured in a hoarse whisper. Then gently nursing his side, he managed one parting wink and stuttered off in the direction of his camp.
Maeve angrily glared after him.