Voyage of the Owl Read online

  Carl looked at Lily dubiously, but immediately called to Otto, to help haul Fox back up the rope ladder on board the Owl.

  Otto’s inscrutable eyes took in the scene – Fox unconscious and deathly pale, Ethan clutching a black iron-banded chest, Saxon and Roana shaking and exhausted. And overlooking the mayhem, the witch with her black cat sitting faithfully at her feet. With her pretty face, long curly hair and big brown eyes, she looked angelic. But Otto knew better. She was the cause of disaster. And only Otto could stop her.

  The Owl was racing with the wind into the darkness, with Carl at the helm. Down below, Lily’s hands hovered over the dirk buried in Fox’s back. The blood bubbled up around the hilt. Fox groaned and shuddered, lying on his stomach on his bunk. Lily’s mind was full of confusion and frustration.

  So much blood. So many injuries. She was weary of tending to people’s pain. Why wasn’t life more simple? Why wasn’t life pain-free? She couldn’t do this any more.

  Fox moaned and shifted. Mia the monkey squirmed and wriggled in anxiety, lamenting softly to herself.

  Aisha butted her head against Lily’s thigh and licked her gently, her forehead furrowed with concern and her ears pricked.

  ‘Lily?’ asked Roana in apprehension. ‘Are you all right?’

  Lily’s fingers cupped the pearl she wore around her neck. The cool smoothness of the pearl soothed her mind and made it clearer. The pearl had been given to her by a Merrow maid, after the Merrow had rescued her from the Octomon.

  Lily had been near death and Saxon had taken her to Mereworth to be healed by Saira the Wise. Saira had saved her life. What would Saira do now?

  The cool pearl under her fingers and the memory of Saira’s calm patience helped her regain her composure. She must try to save Fox as Saira had saved her. Lily took a deep breath and began.

  First she dribbled some poppy tincture down Fox’s throat, to dull the pain she was about to inflict upon him.

  Then she methodically readied everything she would need – bandages, swabs, boiled water and dressings – and laid them all out neatly where she could easily reach them. In the galley Lily washed her hands carefully, using lots of soap.

  Most patients died from infection, rather than the actual battle wound, so it was important to do everything she could to minimise the risk of infection. Fortunately Fox was wearing his black silk shirt, which the smugglers wore for this very purpose, as the silk did not fragment and enter the wound as readily as cotton.

  When all was ready, Saxon, Roana and Ethan used all their combined strength to hold down Fox. His breathing was shallow and patchy, his back rising and falling under their arms. Lily took a deep breath, her stomach churning. Roana looked away hurriedly, remembering when she had helped Saira perform a similar operation on Lily herself.

  Lily grasped the hilt of the dirk, sticky with blood, and swiftly pulled it free. It came much more easily and cleanly than she had expected, sucking out with a gurgle of blood.

  Fox roared like a wounded bull, twisting and sitting upright in shock. Ethan, Saxon and Roana were thrown to the floor with the force of it and Lily jumped back in surprise, clutching the dripping, bloody dagger. She carefully placed the dirk onto a cloth on the desk. The four of them calmed Fox with a large slug of rotgut and helped him to lie flat again.

  Lily then staunched the flow of blood with clean swabs, washing it thoroughly with rosemary water. The two lips of the wound were carefully and neatly sewn back together with silken thread, while Fox moaned and groaned. Lily smeared the stitches with honey, then carefully bandaged around Fox’s chest and back, until the wound was completely protected.

  When all was finished, Lily sat down on the floor, her knees and hands trembling with pent-up tension.

  ‘Well done,’ Saxon grinned, patting Lily on the shoulder. ‘I don’t think Saira herself could have done much better.’

  ‘Thanks.’ Lily smiled weakly back.

  ‘Mama would be very proud of you,’ Ethan said seriously. ‘That was a difficult job, and you handled it beautifully.’

  Lily’s eyes filled with tears at the thought of her mother, imprisoned in Tira. How Lily wished that Marnie was here now to take over the responsibility of healing Fox.

  ‘Come on, everyone,’ Roana laughed, excitedly. ‘Have you all forgotten the Moon Pearl?’

  Saxon checked up on deck to see how the crew were faring. Carl, Otto and Jack were sailing the Owl at racing speed. The Owl was skimming away like a bird in flight and there was no sign of the Sea Dragon.

  Back down in the saloon, the four children sat around the table to examine the black chest they had retrieved from the Sea Dragon.

  The chest was heavy, banded with iron and padlocked. Saxon and Ethan wrestled with one of Otto’s chisels to break the padlock. Roana, Lily and Aisha crowded around, their hearts in their mouths. Only Charcoal sat apart, her tail curled around her black body as she watched inscrutably.

  Had they succeeded in rescuing the Moon Pearl and the Star Diamonds of the sacred Sun Sword of Tiregian?

  It took an hour of struggling and experimenting to shatter the latch but finally, with reverent awe, Saxon lifted back the timber lid. Everyone breathed in as one.

  There, nestled in the black chest, were dozens of bars of gleaming gold, each stamped with the symbol of the sun. The chest was packed tightly with glinting ingots, so that there was hardly a crack of air between them.

  Saxon levered out one bar, then another and another. Soon the chest was completely empty. There was nothing there but a luminous mountain of gold ingots.

  Everyone let out a deep sigh of disappointment.

  ‘Remember the Sun Gem,’ said Ethan reassuringly. ‘There must be a secret compartment in the lid or the base.’

  Everyone took turns to prod and poke and pull and push the timber panels of the chest. They started gently, but with increasing frustration and impatience. Eventually, after several hours, the chest was reduced to a pile of mangled timber and bent iron bands.

  Saxon threw his hammer across the cabin in aggravation. It fell to the floor with a loud clang. Charcoal twitched her tail and flicked her ears in annoyance. Aisha whined.

  ‘It’s not here,’ moaned Ethan in disbelief. ‘It must still be on board the Sea Dragon.’

  ‘What do we do?’ asked Roana in despair, anxiously twisting her mother’s amethyst locket between her fingers.

  ‘I am going to check on Fox,’ replied Lily. ‘Then we might as well make breakfast. It’s nearly dawn. Perhaps we could take it in turns to get some sleep. Everyone is exhausted and we can’t think straight.’

  Lily stood up wearily and went to Fox’s cabin, her pack of medical supplies under one arm. The others listlessly started preparing a meal.

  In Ainsley, Sniffer had been knocking on doors. Some doors had been slammed in his face. At others the occupants were taciturn and unhelpful. No-one seemed to remember seeing four children, a large dog and a kitten at the blessing of the fleet ceremony. No-one seemed to know anything.

  Sniffer, however, was extremely patient and thick-skinned. Finally, he knocked on the door of a derelict shack. No-one answered. Sniffer knocked again. Eventually he heard a slow shuffle of feet, and the peeling, splintery door creaked open. An old fisherman stood there, bleary-eyed, his clothes filthy.

  ‘Yes?’ barked the fisherman, wafting a stench of stale tobacco, rotgut and dried herring towards Sniffer’s delicate nose. Sniffer appraised the old man. He looked as though he had been partaking heavily of the powerful rotgut, even though it was still early in the morning.

  ‘I require some information,’ Sniffer said quietly.

  ‘Don’t know nothin’,’ the fisherman barked, starting to close the door in Sniffer’s face.

  Sniffer pulled a small pouch out of his pocket and trickled the contents out onto his palm, tinkling like a silver waterfall. The old man turned back and stared hungrily at the pile of silver coins, his mouth salivating in anticipation.

  ‘What ex
actly do ya need?’ the old man asked, after a slight pause. ‘Mebbe I can help.’

  Sniffer jingled the coins enticingly in his palm.

  ‘Four criminals – children, three boys and a girl, accompanied by a large red dog and a black kitten,’ outlined Sniffer, watching the old man with eagle eyes. A flicker of recognition illuminated the old man’s face as Sniffer continued. ‘The girl has long, curly blonde hair. They were last seen at the blessing of the fleet over two weeks ago. They escaped by boat and there has been no trace of them since.’

  Sniffer jingled the coins again. The old man paused thoughtfully. Sniffer started picking the coins up and putting them away in the pouch.

  ‘Wait,’ the old man gabbled. ‘I remember now – four kids and a dog.’

  Sniffer jingled the remaining coins noisily.

  ‘They might’ve gone with Fox, a big red-haired captain,’ the old man cried. ‘Fox has a ship called the Owl, a black ship, which makes its fortunes slipping quietly in and away, if you take my meaning. Fox was here before the blessing, but hasn’t been seen since. I heard his cook, Stumpy, swearing and carrying on down at the inn ’cause he was left behind after a brawl.’

  Sniffer asked a few more questions. Satisfied with the answers, he contemptuously tossed the silver coins in the dust, where the old man scrabbled to retrieve them. Smiling quietly to himself, Sniffer set off for the port to make some enquiries about Fox and the Owl.

  The ship could not stay at sea forever. It must return to shore soon enough, and when it did, there would be a little welcoming party ready for them.

  Otto came down into the saloon of the Owl, wearing only a pair of breeches and a black kerchief on his head. His eyes widened as he saw the pile of gold ingots spilled across the table. It was more gold than he had ever seen in his life. He licked his lips greedily.

  Aisha growled, baring her white fangs. Ethan half-heartedly quietened her.

  ‘What’s this then?’ Otto smiled ingratiatingly. ‘Is this the treasure you were after from the Sea Dragon?’

  ‘No,’ snarled Ethan. ‘It’s Fox’s payment for helping us.’

  Just then there was a shout of alarm from up above. The children raced up the narrow steps onto the deck.

  The crescent moon was still high in the sky, a pale glimmer overhead, which would not set until afternoon. The sun was just a brilliant bulge on the eastern horizon, lighting the sky with a soft rose-pink blush. It would be another beautiful day.

  Ethan scanned the horizon quickly. To the north-west was a dark smudge. Land.

  Then he saw what Jack had spied. Speeding behind them from the south-east was a ship. A large ship with crimson pennants. The Sea Dragon.

  Its huge golden sails were filled with powerful wind. While heavier and less manoeuvrable than the Owl, the Sea Dragon had much greater sail capacity. In these winds, it was faster and gaining on them steadily.

  ‘We need to head for the islands,’ Carl ordered, having taken on Fox’s responsibility as captain. ‘We might have a greater chance of eluding them there. There might be coves we can hide in. The wind will be flukier there and the Owl will have a better chance than out here on the open sea.’

  ‘But that’s the Nine Isles!’ exclaimed Jack. ‘That’s Sedah territory!’

  ‘It’s our only chance,’ retorted Carl authoritatively.

  The whole crew ran to do his bidding. Only Otto moved slowly, smiling to himself. A plan had suddenly formed in his mind. A plan that would solve all his problems.

  Otto ducked into Fox’s cabin, where the red-haired captain lay sleeping deeply on his stomach in his bunk.

  On Fox’s desk was a long, wickedly sharp dirk. Otto picked it up and caressed the blade lovingly. Fox had confiscated it from him after he had tried to throw Lily to the Barramon. But Fox was in no position to stop him now.

  The dirk twitching in his hand, Otto paused over Fox’s vulnerable back. It would be very easy to finish him off now. It would be a fitting revenge for taking the witch’s side. But Fox was asleep and there would be no pleasure in killing him unawares. Otto wanted Fox to realise who had the upper hand.

  Reluctantly, Otto slipped the dirk into his boot. He saluted mockingly at the sleeping Fox.

  ‘Thanks for nothing, Foxy boy,’ chortled Otto. ‘You will be meeting my dirk again very soon.’

  Mia jumped up and down angrily on Fox’s pillow, pulling at her master’s red ponytail, trying to wake him. Otto left hurriedly.

  On the way through the saloon he picked up several gold ingots and stuffed them into the pockets of his breeches. He crept back onto the deck and sauntered to the helm where Carl steered, peering anxiously over his shoulder to check on the progress of the Sedah ship.

  ‘Gaining on us, are they?’ asked Otto.

  ‘Steadily,’ replied Carl. ‘If we can just make the Nine Isles …’

  ‘Oh, I have a better plan,’ smirked Otto, pulling out one of the gold ingots and rubbing it possessively. ‘A little diversion might help us, and make us very rich!’

  ‘What are you talking about?’ demanded Carl in confusion.

  ‘We put the brats and Fox and all their menagerie in the rowboat and set them adrift,’ Otto crowed. ‘I’m sure the Sedah would be very interested in a certain group of children, especially that curly-haired witch. The Sea Dragon will stop to investigate, giving us time to escape with the gold! We can retire as rich as princes of Sedah!’ Otto slipped the gold ingot into Carl’s hand with a knowing wink.

  ‘You can’t do that, you murdering pirate,’ Carl argued, dropping the gold bar in disgust. ‘The Sedah will kill them!’

  ‘Oh yes, I can,’ replied Otto, pulling his wicked dirk from its sheath and pressing it into Carl’s throat. ‘Be very careful who you call a pirate, Carl. You are either with me, or you are in the rowboat. What will it be, Carl?’

  Carl swallowed and nodded. Otto laughed joyously. Then he yelled a loud, whooping cry.

  Saxon, Lily, Roana and Ethan ran at his call. They all stopped suddenly when they saw the shirtless Otto holding the dirk to Carl’s throat. Ethan automatically drew his bow and nocked an arrow in one fluid movement.

  ‘You shoot, he dies,’ Otto barked. ‘Put the bow down.’

  Ethan slumped and obediently dropped his bow onto the deck.

  Aisha growled, her hackles raised and the fur standing up all along her back.

  ‘Hold the dog,’ Otto ordered. ‘If the dog so much as whimpers, Carl dies.’

  ‘Now, all of you, you are going for a little ride in the rowboat,’ Otto smirked again. ‘Go down and get Fox and that dratted monkey. He’s going with you.’

  ‘No!’ exclaimed Lily. ‘If we move Fox, the bleeding will start again. He will die. You must leave him alone.’

  ‘So?’ shrugged Otto. ‘You are all going to die anyway when the Sedah pick you up. Go and get him. I want Fox to see the stern of his precious Owl sailing off without him.’

  Lily pulled herself up to her full height. She pointed her finger at Otto, closed her eyes and started to mutter and murmur under her breath.

  ‘Stop it,’ barked Otto, pressing the dirk closer into Carl’s neck. A bead of blood welled up.

  ‘I just put a curse on you,’ announced Lily calmly. ‘If you move Fox or touch him, you will come up in horrible suppurating boils and die a long agonising death from the Black Pox.’

  Otto’s eyes widened in fear.

  ‘I don’t believe you,’ he spluttered.

  ‘But I am a witch,’ Lily replied smoothly, staring at Otto boldly. ‘Besides, while you have been chatting the Sea Dragon is nearly upon us.’

  Everyone turned to the stern to see the Sea Dragon steadily bearing down upon them. Otto calculated the time required to haul the unconscious Fox up on deck, and decided against it, regardless of the witch’s curse.

  ‘Get in the rowboat,’ barked Otto. ‘Take your wretched dog and that evil cat. Leave all your weapons on the deck. And please give my regards to the captain of the Sea Dr
agon, won’t you?’

  There seemed nothing else to do. Lily scooped up Charcoal and climbed down the rope ladder into the rowboat. Roana followed cautiously. Saxon dropped his daggers; Ethan dropped his quiver and knife.

  Something hard knocked gently against his thigh. Ethan reached into his pocket and his hands closed upon a small hard object. Not a weapon. But a musical instrument.

  It was the perfectly formed coral pipe that the Merrow maid had given him. The Merrow girl had indicated that if ever they needed help he just needed to play on the pipe and the Merrow would come. The Moon Goddess knew they certainly needed help now.

  Ethan lifted the coral pipe to his mouth and urgently started to play. A strong lilting melody rang over the ship.

  ‘Can it, piper,’ barked Otto. ‘There will be plenty of time for playing where you are going. Get that dog off this ship now.’

  Together Ethan and Saxon tried to heave and haul a very reluctant Aisha down into the rowboat. Jack stood by, feeling sick with anxiety, but there was nothing he could do to save the children.

  ‘Hurry up,’ barked Otto impatiently, waving his dirk threateningly. ‘The Sea Dragon is nearly in firing range.’

  At last Aisha was safely in the bottom of the boat. Ethan resumed playing his pipe faster and louder.

  Otto let Carl go and ran to the stern. He gloated down on the four children and the animals in the small rowboat. He picked up the mooring rope in one hand and the sharp dirk in the other. The dragon on his arms shimmered with sweat.

  ‘Ta ta,’ he called mockingly. ‘Play all you like, piper boy. Nothing will save you now.’

  Otto stood up with a theatrical flourish, ready to sever the mooring rope.

  A loud explosion, followed by a high-pitched whining sound, gave him a moment’s warning. He looked up towards the Sea Dragon, just in time to see a huge black cannon ball flying towards him. Otto dropped his dirk with a yelp and threw his body to the side.

  The children saw a glimpse of the broad dragon on his back twisting, its muscles rippling as if ready to fly. But the dragon could not really fly or save Otto now. The cannon ball flew over the stern, taking Otto with it.