Chapter 1
Dylan
“I got it," I said to my best friend, as I walked out of the temple.
He nodded and joined me in my run. Our pursuers were furious. I could understand that. I had stolen a scroll from ancient times, one that they had kept in their temple for years. But, hey, I managed to steal it right in front of them. What could I do if I was too strong? And too cunning? It wasn't my fault!
We continued to run like hell to the harbour. The crew knew what they had to do. The sails were set, we could leave as soon as Morgan and I reached the bridge. I began to pick up the pace, our pursuers still on our heels. They must have really cared about that piece of paper. But I needed it more than they did. I'd waited my whole life for this, I wasn't going to let some little savant stand in the way of my dreams.
I arrived on the bridge out of breath, but full of adrenaline. I loved feeling that mix. It made me feel all powerful, like I could accomplish anything. Morgan arrived soon after and went straight to his post. It was time for me to go fill mine as well.
“Are we ready to go?" I asked my second in command, who was holding the rudder.
“Ready and waiting, Captain," the tall woman with the long blond hair answered me.
“Fine, then let's go.”
My men lifted the ink, and the boat slipped into the currents. I could see our friends, who had just reached the harbour, watching us leave in disbelief. I could see their expressions. At last I could rejoice in my find. I had succeeded in the first part of my plan. And soon we would be the most famous pirates in the Pacific Bay.
*
Naia
All my life, I've done nothing but hide. Okay, it's not ideal, but it was the best solution, and believe me, I thought about it a lot. If people knew who I was, I would already be dead. But I really wanted to live, and I hoped that one day, I wouldn't have to hide from idiots who wanted me dead. So I did what I always did when the threat was felt, I ran. As far away as I could get. Because he was back and he was looking for me. But I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of finding me, no. I wasn't going to.
I found myself on the port. I had always been drawn to the sea, to its iodine smell, to the sound of the waves that soothed me. I looked around for a way to escape from this city. It was then that I saw a huge boat. It was perfect. It was as if my prayers had been heard. I walked towards it with a sure and direct step, my heart soothed by the possibility.
The boat was beautiful. On the bow was a splendid wooden sculpture of an angel. As if it was protected against bad omens. The sails were set and shining in the sun. Then I saw it. The pirate flag. But that didn't change my mind. I was not afraid of pirates. On the contrary, I pulled myself up on deck and hid behind a barrel, without any of them seeing me. Well, now all I had to do was wait for the ship to leave port.
After waiting about fifteen minutes, I felt the boat move. Finally we were off. I was glad to put some distance between the land and myself. I had always preferred the sea to the land. Now all I had to do was face a bunch of pirates and not get killed. Maybe I could apply the rule of the parley. Well, I must admit that I had never met a pirate. They couldn't all be bad, could they?
Anyway, I had plenty of time to deal with them if things ever went wrong. But I preferred to be optimistic. I might as well not kill my saviors now, especially since I didn't know how to maneuver a boat. However, I couldn't stay hidden forever. So I decided to come out of hiding.
My timing, which had been perfect up to that point, failed me. As I straightened up and took a step forward, I bumped into someone. I was so surprised that I fell backwards on my buttocks. A little cry of pain escaped me. I tried to get up, but I was not quick enough. When I looked up, I saw that a sword was stuck under my nose.
Chapter 2
Dylan
How I ended up on my backside, no idea. All I knew was that a young woman had bumped into me. Who she was and what she was doing on my boat? I didn't know. But I sure as hell wish I did.
So yes, my method was not the best, but it was effective. That's why, once I got up, I put my sword under her nose.
“Who are you?" I asked in a loud voice.
Then she raised her head. I was struck by her beauty. She had a porcelain face, speckled with freckles. Her blue-green eyes reminded me of the ocean. It went beautifully with her long jet hair.
“Naia, nice to meet you and you, Mr. Pirate? May I ask who you are?”
“I am the captain of this ship.”
“And you don't have a name?”
Seeing that I did not answer her, she continued.
“Well, all right. I'll call you Mr. Captain, then.”
“Very funny," I replied.
“You're the one who didn't want to tell me your name. Is it a secret?”
“No, you were the one who came to my boat, uninvited.”
The tone rose very quickly. God, this woman could be annoying. I didn't even know her and she was acting like she belonged on this ship. MY ship. But who did she think she was?
“That's enough," said my second, Ondine. “Captain, she's already on board, we're not going to throw her overboard," she whispered to me once she had pulled me away from the young woman.
“That would be a very good idea," I replied, raising my voice so that the newcomer could hear me.
To my astonishment, she only let out a little giggle. As if she didn't care about the situation. As if she didn't think I could do it. Oh she was going to see what I was made of.
“Captain," said Ondine. “She could be useful to us. Since we lost Ray, we're missing a man, or a woman. She would be a good match. And this way, we could go faster with our plan.”
She glanced at the scroll I still held in my hands. Damn it, my second was right. In fact, she was pretty much right all the time. That was why I'd chosen her for this job.
“Well, as long as you teach her. I don't have time to play babysitter, do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Captain," she replied.
Too bad, the idea of throwing away the newcomer was itching. But it was only a postponement, I told myself.
Chapter 3
Naia
Well, I had reacted rather stupidly, I admit it. But this guy, he was getting on my nerves. All I had to do was see his handsome face to get a vision. And what a vision, I beg you. The horror!
I had seen myself on that same boat, years later, passionately kissing that young dark-haired man with turquoise eyes. As if I were madly in love with him. And it got worse. I was pregnant. And I bet it was his, the way we were exchanging saliva.
Ew, it made me want to vomit. How could I fall in love with a guy like that in a few years? Okay, he was handsome, very handsome. But for one thing, he was a pirate. Two, he was a terrible person. And three, I didn't define myself by a man. No, on the contrary. I'd learned that lesson years before and I wasn't about to forget it. Men only brought problems. There was absolutely no way he and I were going to be in a relationship.
Fortunately, her second was kind, although she did offer to throw me overboard. But I didn't blame her. I would have done the same in her place.
She was tall, with long blonde hair and eyes as grey as a storm. While she held the rudder, she explained my new role. They were short a man and I was to take his place. As long as I could avoid Mister Captain, I was more than happy.
Ondine, who had told me her first name, showed me everything I needed to know about a ship. The essential places, the daily tasks that the men and women were doing in front of us so that the ship would sail to its destination. She explained everything to me, which was a lot. However, although I asked her several times, she never mentioned the final destination. She just told me that I was not concerned. As if I wasn't a member of the crew from now on!
Then the sun went down. It was absolutely beautiful to watch the sunset from a ship. The colors were brilliant and everything was reflected on the water. It was breathtaking. And I was disappointed when the moment ended.
Ondine came to get me. It was time to eat. So we went down into the holds to the refectory. It was just a small corner with tables and benches. A young man was placing plates everywhere.
“Naia, this is Morgan, our chef and best friend of our captain," Ondine introduced me.
“Nice to meet you," I said, although I'd like to understand how someone can be friends with the captain.
“Likewise," the dark-skinned young man replied with a smile.
He seemed nicer than his best friend. That made me feel better. I was afraid that all men were like their captain.
“Morgan is a real cordon bleu, we all love his cooking, you'll see," said the young woman.
“To tell you the truth, I'm starving," I replied.
“One wonders why," said a voice behind me.
Speak of the devil! Couldn't get enough of me or what? Unbelievable! I was fine this afternoon, without him, talking sails and ropes with Ondine, and here he was joining us. But I guess even a fool had to eat.
“Captain," I said, trying to be civil even though his presence alone irritated me.
“The new one," he answered.
“Captain, her name is Naia," Morgan told him.
“Oh, he knows it very well,” I told him. “He asked me explicitly that afternoon on the bridge. Unless he has the brains of a goldfish, he must remember it.”
“Aahah, I like you Naia, it's official," laughed the dark skinned young man.
Good, because I was starting to like him too. Apparently, I only had problems with pretentious people, i.e. Mr. Captain here.
“Well, I'm going to go check on the salmon, I'll be back in a few minutes. Try not to kill each other while I'm gone, I wouldn't want to miss it!”
“Don't worry, Morgan, I'll keep them on a leash," said Ondine.
He let out a laugh and went into another room, well if you could call it a room. There weren't even any doors. It looked more like a cubbyhole with kitchen equipment. It was tiny!
The silence fell. And it was very heavy and uncomfortable. But I couldn't help but look at the young man. To understand how my vision could come true. So I studied him carefully. I watched how he stood, the clothes they wore, his facial expressions, to understand him.
“Well, since you're not going to kill each other, I'll go help the cook," said Ondine after a moment.
“No, Ond..." began the captain.
But her second went away as if she hadn't heard him. I imagined that she had had enough of the tension between us. But even though she left, nothing changed. The atmosphere was still as bad as ever. I decided to sit down at a table and wait for the meal. The captain followed me a few moments later.
“Where are you from?" he asked.
“Somewhere in the south, in a town by the sea, but I don't remember much about it," I said honestly. “What about you?”
“I grew up on the water too, and became a pirate at a very young age.”
“What made you decide to become a pirate?”
“My father was. And then I learned that you can only count on yourself, that people always have a way of disappointing you when you least expect it. At least with my men, women included, I don't have to fear this feeling.”
“But with me, yes," I complemented him, understanding his implication.
“At the same time, you showed up out of nowhere, on my boat. I don't think it was a coincidence. I don't know you, and therefore don't trust you," he said fervently.
“It is the same for me," I replied.
“But you have invaded my house," contra the young man.
Silence fell again. He was right. This was his ship, his home. He must have worked very hard to get here. I had to admit it.
“One point for you," I conceded.
“Are we keeping score now?”
“Always.”
We were interrupted by Morgan and Ondine, bringing dinner. Good, I was hungry, and not really in the mood to continue the conversation. I heard footsteps behind me. The crew was coming to join us for dinner. The tables filled up as we went along and the meal could begin. And God, it was good. I had never tasted such a good salmon, accompanied by a delicious herb potato. Morgan had a gift. There was at least one thing that would be good on this boat: food.
Chapter 4
Naia
“Well, I managed to convince Dylan that you'd sleep with me, in my cabin. He wanted you to sleep in the cargo hold with the rest of the crew. But believe me, it's very uncomfortable down there, especially for someone who's not used to it. And since only me and the captain have a cabin, we'll be living together," said Ondine.
“Dylan? Is that the captain's name?”
“Yeah. He's in a bad mood today, but he'll get over it. He doesn't like it when things happen that he can't control. And you, it seems, are not easily controlled. Which is a good thing.”
“Thank you," I said. “And thank you for offering me to live in your cabin, I appreciate it.”
“Women have to stick together, right?”
“Absolutely,” I said with a smile.
It was the first smile since I had left the port, I noticed. I thought it was a pity, and a tad sad. Then she opened the door and we entered her cabin. It wasn't very big, but it was big enough for two and for the time we were going to spend in it, which was very little. It had a double bed, a wardrobe, a screen, a water basin and an improvised toilet with a sand tray. It was more than I had expected.
“Well, I hope you're a heavy sleeper because between the night crew, the waves and the creaking boat, there will be some noise.”
“It's not a problem. I've slept in worse places than this," I revealed.
“Oh. Luckily, we're about the same size, so I can lend you some clothes. But you'll have to wash them, okay? And you'll have to do cabin duty, too. Mine and the one opposite, the captain's.”
“Yes. I thank you again for everything you've done. So doing a few chores to help you, that's not a problem.”
“Perfect! I'll let you wash up first, then it's off to bed, we've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow," she said as she pulled out a shirt and a pair of trousers that would serve as my pyjamas for the night.
In the end, life as a pirate didn't seem so bad. Not if I was accompanied by people like Morgan and Ondine.
Chapter 5
Dylan
I woke up with a headache. I hadn't slept well last night, especially knowing that a stranger was sleeping just a few feet away from me. Okay, she was being watched over by my second in command, one of the arguments she'd given me yesterday when she'd talked about letting the new girl sleep in her cabin. But apparently, everything had gone well. I had found them both, alive, at breakfast. Then, later, on deck when Ondine explained her role for the day. It took her a while, because Naia had never tied a knot in her life. And since she didn't tie them tight enough, she had to start over each time. Ah, I could see from here what this little miss was thinking. "Ah, I didn't think the pirate life was so hard." And yes, who would have thought it!
But at least I was finally alone to unfold the scroll. I could have done it last night, in the solitude of my cabin, but I was exhausted. A map appeared before me. It was no ordinary map. It led to the heart of the ocean, to a treasure that had been hidden for centuries, that no one had found. To a treasure that contained the power of the sea. And I wanted it! I had my reasons, all right. One day, perhaps, you will discover them.
The map showed a triangle. The path leading to the Bermuda triangle. It was a well-known legend among pirates. It was supposed to be filled with monsters, like Charybdis and Scylla. But these were just rumors and nothing could stop me from reaching my goal. Neither sea monsters nor a pretty girl who came from nowhere. Oh yes, sorry, she said she was born in the South. Anyway, it didn't matter. I had to concentrate on the map. It was my life's purpose, and I must not lose sight of it.
Suddenly the picture changed. It suddenly pointed to an island, not far from here. It was as if the scroll wanted to take me there first. Why did it want to take me there? I didn't know. Probably to find out more about our final destination. Or to find an item that would be of use to us later. But I was going to follow that magical map. It didn't matter where it took me. The quest could begin!
“Pass to starboard, towards the island of the swans,” I say to my second.
She turned to the right, putting on a cloak for the island. I gave my orders to my crew to double their efforts to get there faster. The adventure was just beginning!
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