Voyage of the Owl (7 page)

Master Drummond smiled at her.

‘Your other horses are all well too and happily guzzling on my very best oats,’ he laughed. ‘Now go.’

‘May the Moonmother bless you,’ smiled Lily in relief. ‘Please look after them for us. We will be back for them soon.’

‘Don’t you worry, little miss,’ assured Master Drummond. ‘Your horses will be fat and feisty when you return, ready for more adventures. Now you look after yourselves and make sure you do indeed return.’

Ethan grinned. ‘We will, sire, don’t you worry. And thank you again for your help. We really do appreciate it.’

Master Drummond looked down at Roana, standing on the beach. He bowed low from the waist.

‘And you, little master,’ he said softly. ‘May the Sun Lord keep you safe on your journey and return you to us very soon.’

Roana blushed and nodded gravely. Fox glanced at Roana curiously, his keen eyes assessing her swiftly.

Lily and Ethan gave Nutmeg one last caress, then threw their packs into the boat. Ethan encouraged Aisha to scramble into the bow. Fox leapt aboard,
followed by Lily and Roana. Saxon and Ethan shoved the boat hard, to propel it out past the surf.

Master Drummond waved farewell, then turned and galloped off up the beach, sand flying up from Nutmeg’s hooves. The boys had just leapt into the boat and grasped hold of the oars when a shout from the shore caught their attention yet again. It was Master Drummond.

‘Wait,’ he called softly. ‘We have something for you.’

From the shadows a stout figure struggled up the beach. When it came nearer they could see it was the fishwife from Ainsley. She held something in her hands.

‘I found your kitten,’ she called proudly. ‘She were nearly speared by that Sniffer. But I tipped a tray of my best octopus over his head. Terrible waste of good food! But it stopped him. I followed as fast as I could.’

Lily tumbled out of the boat to snatch little Charcoal into her arms. She gave the fishwife a huge, sodden hug.

‘Thank you. Thank you,’ Lily cried, kissing Charcoal on the nose.

‘We saw you clobber old Sniffer over the head with octopus,’ Ethan laughed. ‘It was one of the
funniest things I’ve ever seen. I didn’t know you were doing it to save Lily’s kitten!’

‘’Twas my pleasure,’ the fishwife answered gravely. ‘I’d rather die than let a bunch of Sedah bullies get the better of a band of Tiregian rebels, even if they are children. Especially when one is, well, you know …’

She glanced at Roana, then dropped her eyes shyly, bobbing a deep curtsey.

Ethan and Saxon rowed strongly. The dark shadow on the water grew in size, until they could see the shape of the boat. On either side of the bow were painted two large round eyes, which glimmered eerily in the moonlight as if watching their arrival.

‘The
Owl
,’ announced Fox proudly, as the rowboat pulled alongside.

At the stern was a rope ladder so they could clamber up easily. Fox led the way aboard the
Owl
, after firmly tying the rowboat to the stern. Aisha was hauled up by Lily and Ethan.

The
Owl
was a two-masted schooner, about twenty-five metres long. It was fast and man
oeuvrable, and could be handled by a small crew, making it an ideal smuggling boat. The
Owl
could outrun most ships on the ocean. It could slip into small hidden coves, collect its booty and slip away without being seen.

Fox led the way down some steep stairs into a narrow passageway. To the left was a door to a small cabin, while to the right were two berths, one above the other. The passageway led forward to the main saloon cabin, with low head room. Here Fox lit a couple of lanterns, which cast a flickering orange glow in the small space.

‘Take a seat, me laddies and lassie,’ welcomed Fox, gesturing to the polished oak table and benches. ‘Let us discuss your business proposal.’

In the warm lantern light they could see their host clearly for the first time. He was a tall man with bright red hair, swept back into a ponytail like a fox’s brush. He had a closely cropped red beard and a gold hoop earring in his left ear. His face was tanned from the sun and deeply wrinkled around his pale blue eyes.

Fox wore black breeches and a thin black silk shirt, similar to the ones they had borrowed at Goldcoin Cove. Saira had said these silk shirts were
worn by the smugglers as camouflage, and also to help protect against arrow wounds.

His hands were strong and capable, with thickly calloused palms. He wore a sheathed cutlass at his waist, a dirk in an ornately carved scabbard in his belt and a dagger in his boot. Despite his jokes and poetry, he was a formidable character.

The most unusual thing about Fox was a small creature sitting on his shoulder, cuddling into his neck. It was this that had given Fox his misshapen silhouette on the beach. The creature was small and brown, with a wrinkled, wise face and two bright, inquisitive eyes peering at them. The children all stared at the creature in amazement.

‘This is Mia,’ laughed Fox, noticing their gaze. ‘Mia is my monkey, and the love of my life, after the
Owl
, that is. Careful, she bites, and she hates strangers.’

The four children sat around the table, eyes agog, with Aisha staring anxiously at the strange creature. Haltingly, Saxon told the story of the
Sea Dragon
, the ship that should be sailing tomorrow for Sedah and the Nine Isles. He was not sure how much to tell Fox, and how much to withhold.

‘There is something on board that ship, which belongs to my friend Roan … Rowan,’ Saxon
explained. ‘And we need to get it back. We were told you might be able to help us.’

‘Something on board that ship?’ asked Fox disbelievingly. ‘And you want me to get it back for you? I am a smuggler, not a pirate. It would be madness to attack a fully armed Sedah warship, laden with the stolen treasures of Tiregian. We would be blown to smithereens. Have you seen the cannon on that ship?’

Saxon nodded hopelessly.

‘What about taking it by surprise?’ asked Ethan. ‘At night? In the middle of the ocean? They would never see us coming.’

‘We have gold,’ added Roana. ‘Gold to pay for your trouble now, and for the boat we lost.’

Fox hesitated at the mention of gold. Mia the monkey patted him gently on the head.

‘As you said, the
Sea Dragon
is laden with treasure,’ Lily said, pressing the advantage. ‘There would be plenty for you and your men.’

‘Plus it would be a patriotic duty to stop those thieving Sedah invaders from stealing our Tiregian treasure,’ pronounced Roana passionately.

‘Why should I care about patriotic duty?’ swore Fox angrily. ‘What did King Radnor ever do for me? Fox and
Owl
and Mia just look after themselves.’

Mia chattered angrily at the children who had dared upset her beloved master.

‘As the fisherfolk of Mereworth say, the boat is much safer in the harbour but you do not catch any fish there,’ Saxon added quietly.

Fox laughed, slapping his thigh.

‘Right you are, lad. It would be a great adventure to get the better of those Sedah scoundrels, and my coffers are looking woefully empty at the moment,’ he said. ‘Okay, here’s the deal. Fifty gold crescents to cover my time, and the boat. That’s just to get you on board the
Sea Dragon
. If you get what you’re looking for, we get any extra treasure we can find. Deal?’

Roana went pale feeling the coin pouch tucked into her waist. She knew they did not possess fifty gold crescents.

‘Ten crescents,’ said Saxon quickly, before anyone else could reply.

Fox rolled his eyes.

‘You get the treasure, remember?’ Saxon added enticingly.

‘Your father’s son!’ Fox replied, chuckling. ‘Thirty crescents.’

‘Fifteen,’ snapped Saxon.

Fox looked around at the four anxious, tired
faces leaning towards him. Mia chattered excitedly in his ear, as if counselling him.

‘Twenty crescents, but you kids are on galley duty,’ Fox replied, in a softer tone. ‘Stumpy, my cook, had an unfortunate brawl in the inn last night and will need to sleep it off for a few days.’

Saxon looked at everyone seated around the table. Ethan nodded. The girls nodded too.

‘It’s a deal!’ said Saxon.

Fox spat in his hand.

‘Shake hands – smuggler’s honour!’ Fox ordered.

Everyone spat in their palms and then shook hands all round. Mia crept down Fox’s arm and shook hands solemnly with everyone too. Fox leant over and pulled out a ceramic bottle from the locker beside him. He pulled the cork out with his teeth.

‘Let’s drink to a successful business partnership,’ Fox cried.

Fox poured out a huge slug of brown liquid into a rather battered tin mug. He downed the whole mug in one gulp. Lily could smell the strong fumes of the liquor from across the table. Fox poured another long slug and passed it around the children.

Each one took a tiny sip. The smell felt like it was singeing the hair out of their noses. The liquor
burnt their tongues and throats. It tasted terrible. Roana coughed and spluttered. Lily gagged.

‘Oh, what a bunch of sooks,’ complained Fox. ‘We’ll make sailors out of you yet.’

He grabbed the brimming mug and knocked it back, smacking his lips in satisfaction.

‘You’re right,’ Fox concurred. ‘It is rotgut, and will probably be the death of me. That is, if a Sedah cutlass doesn’t get me first!’

No-one could answer. Their voices still didn’t work after the sip of rotgut.

‘Now I have a riddle for you all,’ Fox added mysteriously. ‘I wonder if you can solve it. Not many people seem to.’

Fox looked around at the four children, with a challenging grin.

‘There is a farmer travelling to market with a fox, a delicious plump goose and a sack brimming with corn,’ he went on. ‘The farmer comes to a wide rushing river, where there is a tiny canoe moored. He can only take one thing across at a time. If he leaves the fox with the goose, the fox will gobble the goose, but if he leaves the goose with the corn, the goose will eat all the corn. How does he cross the river with everything intact?’

The children stared at each other mystified. Their
brains were too tired to work, and the riddle seemed impossible.

‘I told you it’s hard,’ chuckled Fox. ‘You think on it, and see if you can give me an answer by the end of our voyage. Okay, enough pleasantry. Hand over the twenty crescents, then I will show you to your sleeping quarters.’

Roana fumbled under the table into the money pouch slung at her waist. She counted out twenty gold crescents. The pouch was woefully thin now with only a couple of coins left.

‘Here you are, Master Fox,’ Roana croaked. ‘Twenty crescents.’

‘Not Master, just plain old Fox,’ replied Fox, sweeping the coins off the table and into his pocket. ‘Follow me. The crew will be back on board soon. We’ll set sail on the ebbing tide in about half an hour.’

Fox led the way forward, past the narrow galley and a couple of canvas hammocks. Mia rode on his shoulder, waving cheekily at the following children.

‘There are few luxuries on this boat,’ he said over his other shoulder. ‘You can sleep in the sail hold. Everyone takes turn in the galley and with the chores. And you, missy, had better stay out of sight until we are a long way off shore.’ He raised an eyebrow at Lily. ‘The crew don’t hold with females
on board, except for Mia, of course. They reckon it brings bad luck.’

Lily nodded and Fox turned back to open a small door, which led into a black cave. The lantern showed a pile of neatly folded canvas sails on the floor. There were a couple of round portholes, which were the centre of the owl eyes painted on the bow. Up above was a partly opened hatch leading to the deck. Mia swung up through the hatch and peered out into the darkness above.

‘It’s a fine night, so leave the hatch open to give you some air,’ suggested Fox. ‘If you need to pee, it’s straight over the side – easier for the laddies than the lass!’

Fox laughed uproariously. The children smiled uncertainly. It was hard to know how to take their host.

‘Good night, sleep well,’ Fox grinned. ‘By morning we’ll be far from shore.’

Fox withdrew, taking the lantern with him. Mia waved cheekily at them from Fox’s shoulder and blew them a kiss.

Aisha whined, her tail low and her ears drooping. She was not sure that she liked Mia at all. Glad that the strange little creature was gone, Aisha sniffed around and found a sail to her liking. She turned
around three times, then settled down to sleep, black-tipped nose to black-tipped tail.

The others followed her example, suddenly feeling exhausted from the day’s adventures. Soon everyone was asleep.

In the middle of the night Ethan woke. He felt hot and cramped in the sail hold. He stood up and explored the hatch opening with his fingers. He pushed gently, opening it wider. Pulling himself up with his arms, he hauled himself out onto the deck.

It was a beautiful night. Stars blazed in the sky in a way Ethan had never seen before on land. He stretched and breathed deeply, relishing the fresh, clean air and the breeze ruffling his hair. The schooner was sailing. Taut with wind, the pale sails pulled the
Owl
skimming across the sea. The boat skipped and danced under his feet like a live creature. It was easy to believe the
Owl
really was flying, swooping, chasing her prey.

Ethan lay down on his back on the hard deck and stared up at the vast star-filled sky above. A blazing white fire streaked across the sky. A lucky shooting star! Ethan closed his eyes and made a wish. He wished with every fibre in his body. He wished until his bones ached and his clenched fingernails dug into his palms.

Then he climbed back down to the sail hold and went back to sleep.

Lily was woken by a spluttering sound. Aisha jumped up and climbed over everybody to investigate. It was still pitch black but Aisha nudging open the door let in a strong smoky smell, and the louder sound of sizzling.

Everyone yawned and stretched, then scrambled out of their sail nests. Lily remembered Fox’s warning about females on ships, so stayed put, but the others pushed their way out.

The galley was small and stuffy, and hot from the fire burning in the stove. A couple of lanterns swung from the low oak ceiling beams.

A stocky man with well-muscled arms was hunched over the iron range, wielding a small frypan that spluttered with melting butter. He opened a small door in the range and stoked the glowing coals. The man had scruffy grey hair, sticking up in tufts underneath a black kerchief. He was dressed all in black, like Fox, with a face twisted by a ferocious scowl, and wore a large gold earring.

‘Otto, say hello to our paying guests,’ murmured Fox, who was drinking something from an enamel mug at the table, with Mia cuddled into his neck.

‘Bleeding landlubbers,’ Otto muttered under his breath.

‘I trust you will be polite to them,’ Fox continued. ‘By the way, what are your names? Not that I expect you to give me your real ones.’

‘I am Saxon of Kenley, as you know,’ answered Saxon. ‘This is Ethan, and Rowan and Aisha and, er …’

‘Oh yes, the fair maiden,’ Fox remembered, gently stroking Mia’s fur. ‘Tell her it’s all right to come out. We are a long way from Tiregian now.’

Lily came out from the sail hold, holding Charcoal in her arms.

‘And this is Lily, and Charcoal the kitten,’ finished Saxon.

Otto scowled even more ferociously, if that were possible. He lifted the hot frypan threateningly as if wielding a weapon. Fox lightly touched his cutlass.

‘Well, Otto, although they are paying customers, they’re here to help,’ Fox smiled. ‘Perhaps Rowan can take over cooking the bacon and eggs, Ethan can carve the bread and Lily might like to make a fresh pot of coffee – the kettle’s boiled.’