Overboard! Page 17

  With another growl Jenkins shut the eyeglass sharply shut and made his way back into his cabin, the pirates forming a tight conga behind him.

  “Blaterous Curmongering sons of Plagenary!” He shouted as all assembled around the map again.

  “General loud and obnoxious swearing.” said Mister Lex as the captain continued.

  “So what do these symbols mean?”

  He tapped the map sharply with his finger. There was no doubt that it was writing of some sort, but Jenkins had failed to find anyone at all who could translate it.

  “No idea.” said the largest pirate, and several heads nodded in agreement to this assessment. “Never seen the like.”

  “Obrumpenting with ideas aren’t you, my fine lads?” Sneered Jenkins. Not a single man at the table failed to register that Jenkins tone was veering towards the dangerous end of the scale as all eyes turned to Mister Lex.

  “Bursting, breaking or overblown with.” he said. The captain spent several minutes cursing the cryptic map left by Capability Jones. The man was a nightmare! Not only did he have the attention span of a gnat, but the things he did seem to get right were so obscure as to be almost completely useless. His experiments in alchemy for example were legendary. The society of alchemists at Hard Knocks had spent many a happy hour attempting to make sense of his formulae for various obscure concoctions. Well the ones that were left anyway. Most of the alchemists that had attempted to interpret the mixtures were just craters in the ground now. Eventually it was discovered by one of the more brilliant students that the guild had on board that it appeared that what they were looking at were in fact various attempts to recreate a different flavour of grog. Given that grog wasn’t really meant to have a flavour in the first place the recipes were at best misguided, but because of the casual approach Jones had made to their creation, most were just downright dangerous.

  “Where’s that note from The Scarlet Daisy again?” asked a small man in the corner. Jenkins reached inside a drawer in his desk and threw the note at him. The man gazed at the note for a few moments, his lips moving as he read the words. Jenkins began to tap on the table in impatience.

  “You may have the map, but we have the key.” he said finally and Jenkins rolled his eyes.

  “There is no key. It’s a reef. Just a reef. For the sacred wench’s sake! She wants the map for herself. She doesn’t have it. She is just lying to tempt us to follow her terms.”

  “Maybe she means the key to what these little squiggly symbols mean.” said the small man quietly. Silence fell around the cabin. The small man however seemed lost in thought and so was not aware of the effect his ongoing conversation with himself was having on the captain.

  “Sometimes they call the explaining box bit on a map as a key you see, captain.” Jenkins stopped right in front of him. “Doesn’t mean a key as what fits a lock you see.” To his imminent eternal shame, he even failed to stifle a giggle. “That would be silly, that would.” He glanced up to see Jenkins stood in front of him, his face a curious mixture of rage and grin.

  “Silly am I?” he spat and the small man visibly shrunk.

  “No of course not captain!” he spluttered. “It wasn’t your fault we sailed all this way for nothing.” he fawned. “Not at all. Easy mistake to make is that. Not your fault at all that this journey has been a complete waste of time.” Jenkins looked as if steam was about to come out of his ears if they had been visible beneath his captain’s hat. “Maybe I should have mentioned the key earlier. I am thinking that perhaps Mister Neep knows something about the key too. Stands to reason, does that. No other explanation for it, is there? He was about as much use as a dumb parrot when he was aboard this ship. He must know what the symbols on the map mean. Only explanation.” finished the pirate as Jenkins grabbed him and lifting him with one hand carried him by his throat with one hand. The rest of the crew watched on in fear as without any further ado the captain threw the pirate over the side of the ship.

  There was a gap of a second and then a loud splash.

  “Raise anchor!” commanded the captain. We sail to Nine Wells. If we make full sail, we should be there in nine days or so! All hands to the sails! We shall find The Scarlet Daisy and retrieve our somewhat deceiving Mister Neep from her.”

  The ship was a sudden mass of activity as the anchor was raised and the sails unfurled. By nightfall they were nearly twenty miles north.

  “Tomorrow will be a full moon.” said Jenkins as the ship sped through the approaching darkness. “Make sure the grog is stowed, Mister Lex, and the ships biscuits kept under lock and key.”

  “Aye captain.” said Mister Lex. “Right away, Captain.”

  Chapter 13

  ~ Nine Wells ~

  Neep’s first sight of the city of Nine Wells took his breath away. He stood as if glued to the bow of the ship as slowly the city grew on the horizon. At first it appeared like a small smudge in the distance but slowly it grew in length and height as the ship approached. It was dusk as the docks came into sight. Neep stared at the tall orange coloured stone walls and battlements, huge cannons jutting out to sea from arched gun emplacements at regular intervals along the wall. The city itself was entered through a huge arched entrance, guardhouses of brick running at regular intervals up the curved approach from the docks. Beyond the city walls where gulls floated dreamily in an indigo sky he saw other larger buildings ornately carved rising above the wall, tall pillared designs concealing walkways and windows within. Beyond that even taller buildings, a large domed structure fading into the haze but gleaming like a flame, the roof covered in copper and blazing in the evening sun.

  Neep thought that he sounds from the city were unbelievable. Bells tolled for no apparent reason, ringing across the city, animals bleated and growled, but the main source of the bedlam of noise was that of the people. Neep had never seen so many ships or people in his life. It made the docks at either Hard Knocks or Logan’s Rock seem minute in comparison. Neep thought that just the dock itself must have run for miles, wide jetties and moorings running in every direction. On the dock side wide roads ran outside the walls in both directions, disappearing into the haze. They all led to the city gates however, through which every person who wanted to enter the city had to pass.

  Neep was almost hanging over the railings surveying the busy docks as he saw a small ship detach itself from the quay and make for where The Magpie sat waiting for docking instructions. He also noticed that rather curiously Daisy vanished into her cabin as the small boat drew alongside. She noticed a large pot bellied pirate lean over the rail and address the ship. Neep had been talking to him the other night and knew he was called Drew. He seemed a reasonably nice enough person and he and Neep had exchanged several pleasantries about the weather since.

  “How long are you wanting a mooring?” shouted a tall thin man from the rowing boat below.

  “One week.” said Drew, pausing. “Two at the most.” The man in the boat noted this down in a small ledger he was carrying.

  “First jetty hard aport.” waved the man in the direction of a quay behind him. “Name of ship and captain!” shouted the man. Neep thought it sounded more like a command rather than a question.

  “Name of ship is on the side.” said Drew testily. “But it’s The Magpie for them that are hard of letters so to speak.” The man in the boat sneered up at him.

  “Captain?” he demanded.

  “Captain Drew from Hard Knocks.” he said and the man noted this down too. Neep thought that it was odd that Daisy was keeping such a low profile.

  “Twenty gold a day Captain Drew. Plus, five per cent cut for the beak of course.”

  “Twenty gold?” roared Drew. “But that’s downright r... -” Neep heard muffled instructions from the general direction of Daisy’s cabin and a sudden extremely false smile suddenly beamed on his face.

  “...reasonable.” concluded Drew, and with that business out of the way the crew made themselves busy positioning the ship and then tying on to t
he quay. Neep watched in fascination as this was done, huge ropes tethering The Magpie onto the quay. After an hour or so a gangplank was dropped and the tall thin man from the rowing boat made his way on board. Drew produced a small bag of coins and the man made more entries in his ledger and then left.

  “That was all very easily done.” said Neep to Drew. The captain and mister Bones were still in her cabin, obviously waiting for the man to be definitely gone from the jetty before they came back out.

  “Aye.” said Drew, holding a piece of paper that may or may not have been a receipt. “Robbing bastards.” he finished and spat on the desk. “Twenty a day and one for The Beak.” he spat again.

  “Who’s The Beak?” asked Neep. Drew gave a half smile.

  “Oh he’s the biggest swindling bastard you’d ever be likely to meet.” he said. “Not that you’re likely to meet him of course, and be glad you don’t.”

  “Is he the ruler of Nine Wells?” said Neep and Drew nodded. “Odd name. Has he got a funny nose or something?” drew laughed.

  “Not that I’d risk myself by mentioning it to him lad.” he smiled. “They call him the beak because he likes to have his cut of anything that happens financially in Nine Wells. He likes to dip his beak in as it were.”

  “Ah I see.” said Neep as Daisy and Mister Bones emerged from the cabin.

  “Well done Drew.” said the captain. “We shall sleep on the ship this evening before heading to the Drowned Duck in the morning. I am a little confused as to where Jenkins has got to. I would have thought we would have spotted him coming after us by now. I expected to have to fight him off in fact. Still. It gives us a little time.”

  “He may have gone to find his way through The Devil’s Reef.” said Mister Bones in his deep voice. “Which is a concern. We do not want to be looking for that map at the bottom of the sea.”

  “Indeed.” said Daisy. “I am sure he will be with us shortly. He is mad for sure, but not stupid. He will be here soon. In the meantime, gentlemen I suggest we get some rest. It is going to be a busy day tomorrow. Drew mount guards on the quay and ship. Double them up and rotate every four hours.

  “Captain.” acknowledged Drew as he left.

  Shortly afterwards Neep found himself swaying in his hammock. Tossing and turning although not completely impossible was actually dangerous and so he swayed in the dark, unable to sleep. In the darkness he could still hear the sounds of the city even though he was below deck. It sounded tantalisingly close, and yet somehow also so far away.

  “Exotic.” he mumbled to himself as in the early hours he eventually fell asleep.

  ***

  High on the rooftops of the city of Nine Wells, framed by the light of a full moon a tall figure stands in the darkness watching the docks. He is a figure of the night, dressed completely from head to foot in what appears to be black leather. From a wide belt with a darkly enamelled buckle hangs what looks like a long length of rope and two darkly painted pistols. On his right flank sits a long scabbard, the handle of a sword jutting from the top of it, again painted in dark colours. On his hat sits a small black hat, the chin strap hanging down over his finely chiselled chin. His face is obscured by a black mask, but two blazing blue eyes gaze out from it eagerly, drinking in the sights of the city far below him.

  He is alone on the rooftops, and that is the way he prefers it. He watches the city, feeling its beating heart almost. He has noted the arrival of one particular ship and pays it careful attention for any sign of movement, of which there is none. Yet it is heavily guarded and sits light in the water, so has no great cargo if any at all.

  This makes him curious.

  Still. He has seen enough for tonight. There is always tomorrow. There is always another tomorrow. He smiles and reaching to his side he unfastens the rope from his belt, revealing a small intricate three pronged trident hook at the end of it. With a flourish he throws the rope into the night and launches himself from the building into thin air. Down he plummets, and now anyone daring to look up, and in Nine Wells few do for they are more concerned with Earthly pursuits, yet if they did they would see the rope swing away and then the figure swings on the suddenly taut line and reach the rooftop above him. He flicks the rope again and it falls free of its purchase and he dashes along a thin ledge. The rope snaps again and up he climbs, hundreds of feet above the streets below where nobody can see or suspect he is there. A thin black cloak flows behind him as he moves. It may also be leather but he is so high above the city now that it would be impossible to tell. Yet up he climbs, a dark figure lit only by moonlight and soon he has vanished into the night.

  Chapter 14

  ~ The Drowned Duck ~

  Neep stood on the pier that led to the quay of the city of Nine Wells as Daisy and Bones made their way down the gangplank of the ship, giving final orders before they left. The city seemed to grab his attention, the crowds about the docks revealing just the first tantalising glimpses of the city itself. Beyond them the high stone city walls that ran in all directions obscured the inner city itself, but the level of noise from that direction was almost overpowering. Neep felt a tingle of anticipation run up his spine, and returned his attention to the Magpie. He noticed that Daisy was dressed very much in disguise, as was Bones. The captain wore a head to foot cloak to disguise her, as did Bones, although for Bones it was very much normal dress. Neep smiled. Tt was very unusual for Daisy to ensure that her chest was covered up, which Neep thought gave some indication that perhaps their arrival was meant to be secret. Neep held a suspicion that this was probably to do with the mention of the mysterious person known as, “The Beak”. Eager now to enter the city, despite having no idea where they were actually heading for, Neep turned to the quay to find that beside him were three pirates that he had seen during his time about the ship, though they had never passed the time of day as such.

  “Are we ready?” asked Daisy as she approached Neep and the three pirates. Neep nodded enthusiastically, though he could not quite understand why he was being asked along, though he was glad that he had been asked to do so. The city held a fascination for him, for he had heard tales of how sophisticated and busy cities were in general, and Nine Wells in particular. He had also heard rumours too of just how expensive they were, usually in the purchasing and procurement of alcoholic drinks.

  “Mister Bucket, Mister Coil and Mister Doornail” said Daisy to the three pirates gathered around Neep. “Keep close. Remember we may be observed.” Neep looked at the three pirates suspiciously. Given that they were apparently attempting to wear a mantle of secrecy he thought it odd that all three of them were wearing identical red shirts. Nevertheless, he put it to the back of his mind as the three tall, well-muscled men arranged themselves in to more or less a triangular formation around Neep, Daisy and Bones.

  “Umf.” acknowledged Neep, feeling more than a little claustrophobic as off they went, walking along the pier and heading for the city gates. At first Neep felt unsteady on his feet, having been at sea for a good few days now, but as they reached the stone edge of the quay, leaving the wooden piers behind them he felt steadier already. They carefully pushed their way through the sailors working on the dockside, their wide nets being pulled from one place to the next, carts moving slowly through the crowds along the quayside as the six of them moved almost apologetically towards the city, eager not to offend any of Nine Wells residents in their passing.

  They continued to head towards the city gates, taking a sharp turn to the right before beginning to rise up the road as it headed through a huge stone arched entrance. Beyond this the city lay in wait for them. The gates framed by the stone archway were open of course, huge thronged masses of people making their way both in and out of the city. As Neep was jostled forward towards the entrance he noticed many guards to each side of the gate watching both those who sought to enter the city, and those who were leaving. Neep noticed that they watched everyone eagerly, their blood red uniforms making them stand out from the crowd that they wer
e obviously surveying keenly for a reason apparent only to them. Neep noticed out of the corner of his eye Daisy pulling the robe that covered her almost entirely even more tighter about her, and tipped the hat she was wearing a little lower to cover her face. As they were funnelled through the gate and entered the city without incident Neep sighed deeply in relief

  Despite the jostling of the crowds Neep could not help but be entranced by just how many people were bustling about the roads as far into the city that he could currently see. His height gave him an advantage of course, but the streets seemed so full of people it was difficult to move in any direction at all without having to push or be pushed by somebody. It was at this point that Neep realised just why Mister Bucket, Mister Coil and Mister Doornail had been brought along. Neep was head shoulders taller than any of the three men but they were stocky, muscled and cut through the crowds like a knife through butter.

  “We need to reach the market square to get to The Drowned Duck!” shouted Daisy over the crowds and Mister Bucket turned his head towards her and nodded once before moving off to the north at a surprisingly brisk pace. Neep just about managed to keep up, Mister Bucket leading the way with Mister Coil and Mister Doornail on each side. Daisy strode alongside him, Bones behind. Neep noticed that Daisy looked visibly more relaxed, her hat beneath the cloak not now tipped as far forward as it had been at the gate, the cloak resting upon her shoulders. Nevertheless, she continued to scan the crowds as they moved forwards, though Neep was not sure exactly what for.