Chapter 5

 

 

Crimson Bone the pirate was lounging in a deck chair on the beach enjoying the lingering warmth of the fading day. The sun was setting, half its flaming disc below the distant ocean horizon and lighting up the sea in a brilliant golden glow. The beach lay in a small bay and out on the water lay his ship, the Jolly Jester. Most of his crew were on the beach too, enjoying a game of volleyball.

 

They were relaxing after recently helping a Princess Johanna regain her kingdom after it had been invaded by a King Loman. Happily Johanna’s father, mother and brother had been saved too and Loman’s head was at this very moment decorating a spike on their castle gate.

 

But the Kingdom of the Chill Moon had been a cold place, so Crimson Bone had sailed south to the much warmer Kingdom of the Red Moon. They had been here for a couple of days, enjoying the sunshine whilst deciding where to sail to next.

 

Crimson was thinking off sailing west across the sea to the Kingdom of the Bleak Moon. He’d heard that there was an evil king reigning over it and if they could make contact with someone keen to overthrow him, the Jolly Jester’s uniqueness could prove useful.

 

He was about to get the crew to pack up for the day and return to the ship. Bloat Belly, his excellent cook on board would be near to serving dinner and he didn’t like the crew to be late. Crimson would break open a keg of rum for the crew to enjoy, a special treat as there was no drinking on board once they were out at sea again.

 

He stood up, opening his mouth to call the crew to the row boats, when a very surprising thing happened. There was a low rocky cliff edging the beach behind him and a hidden door in it suddenly began to creak open. He watched in fascination as it swung open and out of it stumbled a girl of about fourteen, encrusted with dry mud, as were the two dwarves who followed her.

 

The dwarves turned around immediately and began to push the door closed again. But it was suddenly flung open as something crashed into it on the other side. The dwarves were sent flying into the air and the girl scrambled after them, a look of terror on her face.

 

Then two growling and rather angry Copper-Bellied Dragons came rushing out. They came at the dwarves, jaws open to kill. But then the air was filled with the sound of arrows, fired by some of his crew atop the cliff. The dragons were quickly slain and Crimson Bone casually sauntered over to the trio, curious as to who they were.

 

* * *

 

Giselle knew pirates when she saw them. She had heard enough tales about them to know that only a certain type of person had tattoos, wore earrings and carried daggers and scimitars. She hadn’t seen them when she had come through the door, too busy trying to escape the dragons that now lay dead before her. But the beach was crowded with them, interrupted it appeared from a game of volleyball of all things!

 

She felt her heart sinking, wondering what could be worse… murdered by Henbane or sold into slavery by pirates. One of them, a tall, good looking man with inky black skin, green eyes and wearing brilliant crimson clothing approached them.

 

‘Evening,’ he said pleasantly, quite unlike a pirate Giselle thought. ‘Spot of bother, have we?’

 

‘You could say that,’ Stone-Fist said as he got to his feet, equally worried about the pirates presence. But then he suddenly looked hard at the tall pirate. ‘Don’t I know you?’

 

The pirate narrowed his piercing green eyes at Stone-Fist.

 

‘By a pirate’s sea-bones, it’s Stone-Fist isn’t it?’ he asked.

 

‘Crimson Bone!’ Stone-Fist said in obvious delight and Giselle couldn’t help but wonder how they knew each other.

 

‘We’re saved!’ Iron-Ear said in wonder. ‘It is Crimson Bone!’

 

‘Troll’s breath! There’s no-one I’m happier to see, you old scoundrel!’ Stone-Fist said. ‘Thanks for ridding us of these dragons. You’ve saved our necks!’

 

‘Happy to oblige,’ Crimson Bone said and then offered a hand to Giselle to help her up. ‘Let me guess, you’ve found another princess in distress.

 

Stone-Fist nodded.

 

‘Crimson Bone, may I present Princess Giselle of the Kingdom of the Red Moon.’

 

Giselle’s allowed herself to be helped to her feet by the pirate and was even more surprised when he bowed low before her.

 

‘A pleasure to meet you, princess!’ he said flatteringly.

 

‘You… know each other?’ she asked curiously.

 

‘Indeed we do, princess,’ Iron-Ear answered. ‘Crimson helped us a few years ago with another princess we’d rescued.’

 

‘A trifle assistance,’ Crimson Bone replied dismissively. ‘I merely supplied the ship.’

 

‘I see you still have the Jolly Jester,’ Stone-Fist said. ‘Isn’t it about time you traded in that creaking old tub? She almost sank in that sudden storm that caught us.’

 

Crimson Bone smiled slyly.

 

‘Oh, she’s gone through a bit of an improvement since then,’ he replied mysteriously.

 

Stone-Fist squinted at the ship a bit dubiously.

 

‘Doesn’t look like it to me.’

 

‘Well, come aboard and we’ll swap tales. I dare say you’re in need of rescue again,’ Crimson said, giving Giselle a wink.

 

Giselle smiled, happy to have found a new friend. But she wondered just what kind of pirates Crimson Bone and his crew were supposed to be.

 

* * *

 

Henbane bent over the crystal ball, shadows thickening in the air as if they shared her fury. The image within the ball showed a group of sailors, pirates by the look of them, getting into row boats. A ship lay anchored off the beach and then the image faded as the last of her dragons finally died. Her hands gripped the ball tightly as though she would crush it.

 

She couldn’t believe the luck Giselle was having in escaping her. First the secret passage, then the dwarves and now these pirates who would no doubt sell her into slavery.

 

‘Curse them!’ she hissed darkly. ‘I’ll have to find them quick if I’m not to loose her entirely.’

 

She turned away from the desk and strode to a broom stick leaning against a wall. It was long one with a thick head of tightly bound straw. As she lifted it up the straw head began to spark with a magical blue light. She then waved a hand at a pair of tall windows and they opened onto a high balcony.

 

Stepping out onto it, she straddled the broomstick and kicked her heals together. She rose into the air and with a whoosh of crackling magic, flew away into the darkening night to the west.

 

* * *

 

As soon as Giselle and the dwarves were on board, the pirate crew leapt into the rigging and began to unfurl sails and get the ship underway. Crimson Bone took the trio down below deck to his large cabin. A bed lay in one corner and a large dinner table in the middle. He opened a door off the room and through it was a smaller room where a tub of steaming hot water sat.

 

‘I was going to have a bath before dinner, but I think you need it more, princess,’ he said. ‘You do smell a treat I’m sad to say.’

 

‘Thanks very much!’ Giselle said stiffly, not really needing a reminder of how bad she smelt. But then she smiled at the pirate. ‘I really appreciate it.’

 

‘It’s a pleasure, princess,’ he said. ‘I’ll have Sharkbait, my first-mate put some fresh clothes in the room for you. As for you two, come up on deck. I’ve got tubs of water you can wash with. Cold, but clean.’

 

* * *

 

Stone-Fist and Iron-Ear washed themselves gratefully in the cold water. They had stripped down to the long johns that dwarves like to wear, though rarely take off. Some pirate clothing had been found for them and they were soon changed. They wandered over to the side of the ship with Crimson Bone and watched the darkening sea glide past, the day almost gone.

 

‘So, lads!’ Crimson said. ‘What’s the game we’re playing today.’

 

‘Well, as you guessed, we have another princess in our care,’ Stone-Fist explained, ‘She has a wicked stepmother after her.’

 

‘Just a wicked stepmother?’ Crimson queried with an arched eyebrow. ‘Those dragons didn’t look like they came from just a stepmother.’

 

‘Yeah, well this one’s witch and a powerful one at that,’ Iron-Ear said.

 

‘Then you had better tell me what we’re up against,’ Crimson said in a serious tone.

 

Stone-Fist quickly told the pirate all that had happened since Giselle had fallen into their airshaft and into their hands.

 

‘Mmm…’ Crimson murmured thoughtfully at the end. ‘This sounds a bit more dangerous than the last time I helped you.’

 

Iron-Ear nodded.

 

‘That time we just had to escape a greedy stepmother after the princess’ wealth,’ he said. ‘This one’s a bit different.’

 

‘We’ll, she’ll have to be very good to catch us,’ Crimson grinned slyly.

 

Stone-Fist eyed him with a questioning frown.

 

‘Just what is so different about the Jolly Jester?’

 

 Crimson Bone grinned.

 

‘Let’s talk about it over dinner,’ he replied. ‘You haven’t met my new cook…Bloat Belly.’

 

‘Bloat Belly!’ Iron-Ear laughed. ‘That doesn’t  sound encouraging.’

 

‘Oh, I think you’ll have plenty of encouragement,’ the pirate smiled knowingly.

 

* * *

 

And he was of course proved quite correct by the delicious meal that was served in his cabin. Bloat Belly was huge man with an enormous belly, a ready smile and laugh. He was also a very fine cook and Giselle and the dwarves found themselves enjoying fresh fish cooked in a delicious spicy sauce, steamed green vegetables, roast potatoes. There was also fresh crusty bread and butter and for sweets a cherry pie and whipped cream.

 

Sharkbait joined them for dinner, as did Bloat Belly after he’d seen to serving the rest of the crew in the ship’s mess. He had also made sure the crew on duty were fed too as no-one missed out on the excellent food served aboard the Jolly Jester.

 

They talked as they ate and Giselle, who was looking fresh and pretty after her long awaited bath, learnt more about the time Crimson Bone helped Stone-Fist with another princess. She couldn’t believe her good luck at being rescued by not only the dwarves, but the pirate captain as well. Though it was hard to think of Crimson Bone as a pirate as he was very courteous and well spoken.

 

‘You don’t seem very much like pirates,’ she said as coffee and tea was served by Bloat Belly.

 

The big bellied pirate laughed.

 

‘Well, we’re kind of pirates,’ he said.

 

‘You can’t be kind of pirates,’ Stone-Fist said. ‘Either you’re pirates or your not. Come on Crimson, tell us what’s happened to you since we last met. I knew you were into a bit of smuggling back then, but your crew didn’t look nearly as threatening as they do now.’

 

‘Well, there’s a reason for that,’ the pirate answered and he told them how just over a year ago they’d come across a dying wizard on a sinking ship that had been attacked by an evil king. The wizard had put an enchantment on the Jolly Jester allowing Crimson to call up a wind to propel her along. Since then they’d avenged the wizard and had also recently helped another princess regain her invaded kingdom.

 

‘Sharkbait here was rescued from the ship… the only survivor,’ Crimson finished up with.

 

‘You were?’ Giselle asked the youth sitting next her who was only a year or two older than herself.

 

‘That’s how I got my name,’ he said with a grin. ‘If Crimson hadn’t come along, I would have been a meal for a shark.’

 

‘So just how fast is the ship now?’ Stone-Fist asked.

 

‘Oh, she’s fast,’ Crimson replied. ‘We can even outsail the sleek pirates ships of the Kingdom of the Blood Moon. Nothing can catch us.’

 

‘That might not be useful with Henbane,’ Iron-Ear said. ‘She’ll probably come after us on her broomstick.’

 

‘She’ll find it hard to find us on the open sea,’ Crimson said, but then tapped his chin thoughtfully. ‘Still, we had better prepare for the worst. Where were you headed before you found me, Stone-Fist?’

 

‘Mother Bluebell said Henbane will never give up looking for her,’ Stone-Fist replied. ‘She suggested we find a wizard of the Dark Order and claim his protection. If you could drop us off at a large town we could start making enquiries.’

 

Crimson Bone’s green eyes narrowed in thought for a few moments.

 

‘Actually, I might just know of a wizard that might help,’ he replied. ‘His name’s Nem-Nemon and he lives in a castle on a small, rocky island. He’s a wizard of the Dark Order, very powerful and quite keen on dangerous quests and adventures.’

 

‘How far away is he?’ Iron-Ear asked.

 

‘Oh, if I put a good wind in the Jolly Jester’s sails we could be there in a few days,’ Crimson replied.