Chapter Twenty

 

When All is Lost, Blame the Lizard

 

Alive. All of Percy’s crew survived the storm, except Sara.

The pirate’s battered ship drifted lethargic on the open seas for hours. The ship and the crew were entirely at the mercy of the sea. Their sails had been ripped to shreds by the howling winds and were now nothing more than sticky, gooey duct tape and tattered material. The rudder had not withstood the raging waves; it had broken off into tiny pieces soon after the storm began. The crew was helpless.

After the storm had subsided, the crew did a frantic search for Sara, only to come up empty-handed.

“I’m sure I saw her in the company of two dolphins.”

“Ye be daft, the sea monster be eatin’ the lil lady as she ate me, crew. She be in Davy Jones locker now me hearty’s, we best be a figerrin’ out how to find a way to land.”

“I see some land over there,” Cedric bellowed from the crow’s nest as he pointed towards an outcropping of trees on the horizon.

“Avast ye scurvy varmint of a landlubber, if ye be a pirate, and ye be a pirate now, lest ways ye could talk like one. That would be land ho. Arrgh; at least ye could get that part of the sayin’ right.”

Cedric mumbled, “Whatever.” under his breath.

“Would that be a bit of insubordination, Mr. Lizard?”

“No, I am sorry, what I said was. However, you want me to talk like is okay by me. LAND HO.”

“That be the way to say it, land ho? LAND HO? We be saved me hearties. Now, we best be a figgerin’ how to get this mighty ship to shore. Did the oars survive the storm?” Judging from the look on the ogre’s face, which is not a simple task considering an ogre’s face always looks frightening, Percy could tell the answer was no. The oars had not survived the storm.

The crew had begun to gnaw on each other’s nerves. They were all upset about losing Sara, for different reasons of course, and they had been drifting on the ocean with no sight of land. They all looked out over the water to see when they could see the land Cedric had sighted.

Cedric was excited, now that they had sighted land, he could finally rid himself of his ridiculous companions. It would have been easier if the young girl had cooperated and survived the storm. When one’s mind is set on kidnapping for capital gain, it is always better to have a victim.

“I see it too. I see land, I mean, land ho,” shouted Chase, he was very excited to get off the water finally and back onto safe, dry land.

“Aye, that there be Tenebrae up yonder, an’ that port ahead be Abercrome. Other than Tenebrae City, there be no eviler city in the land. We will not be a landin’ there. There be a small beach to the west. We can land there in secluded safety.”

“But Percy, why not land in the harbor?” asked Bill the Ogre.

“Who be the captain and who be the cook?”

“Who has been your friend for years, Percy?”

“Avast we can’t do that, ye sees the whole city be full of cutthroats, despots, miscreants, and bankers. The latter of which would rather string this ol’ pirate up, than have eye to eye sit down meetin’ with him,” whispered Percy.

“Oh, I get it. You owe them money, don’t you?”

“Aye, twas they that did finance this once grand ship. If they be seeing what’s become of her, they would be a-wantin' their money returned.”

“Why don’t you repay the bankers with some of the money poor Sara paid you?”

“Don’t be daft Bill. I be a pirate, not a regular citizen type. Pirates pillage and plunder, not repay debts to landlubbing bankers. Hard to starboard, First-Mate,” bellowed Percy.

“Ok Captain, Aye, Aye, just one slight question, which way is starboard?”

“Avast ye scallywag, starboard be to the west from where we stand.”

“Ok, to the west it’ll be Cap. Oh, Cap, I’ve turned the wheel, but we aren’t moving.”

Percy rolled his eyes, “That be because we lost our rudder, ye landlubber.” Percy ripped up a board on the deck of the ship, leaned over the back of the ship, and put the board in as the rudder.

“Hey, we’re moving now Captain. To the west it’ll be, Cap,” shouted Chase.

“Arrrggghhh I be surrounded by nothing but landlubbing scurvy dogs. Mr. First-Mate that’ll be Aye Aye Sir.”

“Ok. Aye Aye Sir, does that make you feel better?”

“Avast ye scurvy dog, jus’ set the ship ashore. Don’t be givin’ this ol’ sea-goin' cap trouble.”

“I see the beach,” shouted Cedric.

“Avast ye lizard, as I told ye, that’ll be beach ho. Get it right. Ah never ye mind, all make ready to go ashore.”

“Captain,” Bill tapped on Percy’s shoulder. “We should make a swift exit.” He pointed towards the sea monster headed straight for the ship.

“Abandon ship. And be making it fast.”

Chase, Cedric, Bill, and Percy scrambled off the deck of the ship into a waiting dinghy as the sea monster’s tentacles pulled what was left of the ship underwater. Fluffy the sea monster finally had his true love in tow, followed by two very colorful dolphins.

Once on the beach, the crew lay down on the sand, relieved to be safe. Chase bent down and kissed the earth and then spent several minutes spitting sand out of his mouth.

Percy looked over at Bill, “Shiver me timbers, looks as if we be needin’ to repay a few bankers and getting us a new grand ship while we be at it.” He slapped Bill on the back. “Ye two scurvy dogs stay put, ye hide as best ye can and don’ let the locals get a hold of ye.” Turning to Bill, he said, “Ye be ready Master Cook? Les go see some bankers.”

“I am as ready as I can be. Are you sure I won’t scare your banker friends, me being an ogre and all?”

“Avast, matey, ogres be no problem in Abercrome. Ye won’ be a scarin’ nobody. Tis, the bankers we be worrin’ ‘bout, they may be scarin’ ye.” He and Bill turned and walked towards Abercrome.

Cedric waited for just the right moment until Bill and Percy had disappeared up the trail before he made his escape. Chase sat down on a large log and wondered where the lizard was running off to but decided he didn’t care. He was glad to be rid of him. He had never trusted Cedric, and with the lizard leaving when he did, it proved him right. Chase himself felt no more need to contact his superiors. They wanted Sara alive. They would be disappointed to find out she had died and Chase had never liked giving bad news to his employers.

Chase had become fond of Sara. While sitting on the beach, staring at the ocean, he decided to carry out her mission. Tempted to head towards Doldunt Prison immediately, he decided it best to wait and tell Percy when he returned.

He turned his back to the sea and stared down the path taken by Percy.

“Ahoy Matey,” the sound came from behind him. He turned and saw the grandest ship he had ever seen floating in the water. Standing on the deck was Pirate Percy, Bill the Ogre, and several new crew members. Chase smiled. Those new crew members would make it a lot easier to tell the pirate he wanted to leave.

       

 

Bill the Ogre was standing next to Percy, and he was smiling. Ogres never smile. This could be bad news. The ogre shouted, “Ahoy First-Mate, bet you had given up on us returning. We almost didn’t make it. An angry banker is someone to reckon with.”

“Arrghhh will ye tell him our news ye landlubbing ogre. Dern bankers, they be worse than pirates. Avast them scurvy bankers be chargin’ me triple the goin’ rates for me new ship. On tops of making me repay for the ship, we did lose. Shiver me timbers an blow me down. A pirate can’t make a dishonest day livin’ anymore. Tis a sorry state we be a-livin' in.”

“Okay Percy, now don’t rush me. I’m getting there….”

“I see you have a new crew,” interrupted Chase, “that will make what I have to say easier….”

Ogre Bill interrupted him, “I was first. I said I had news before you did. You have to wait your turn.”

“That’s okay Bill. I can wait to tell my decision. Please go first.”

“Well, see, seems as we, Percy and myself, came to an important decision on the trail to see the bankers. This involves you and Cedric. Where is Cedric, by the way?”

“Looks like the lizard turned yellow and high-tailed it out of here, with his tail between his legs.”

“Well it is his loss, we will have to go without him, I never trusted him anyway.”

“News, ogre, you said you had news. Will you get on with it? Don’t forget I have news too, and I want to get it over with as soon as possible.”

“News? Oh yes, our news, Chase, I will get right to the point. We have unanimously decided to complete Sara’s quest and rescue her mother from Doldunt Prison. There, I’ve said it, are you in or out Chase?”

“What?”

“I said we are going to spring Sara’s mother out of Doldunt Prison. Isn’t that a great idea? It will be kind of a memorial to the child, are you in or out?”

A quick smile crept on to Chase as he answered, “That is the very least we can do. I am in, of course.”

“Great, I just knew we could count on you. Your turn Chase, what was it you wanted to tell us?” asked Bill.

“Never mind, I must have already forgotten.”

Cedric had stopped in the high grass just beyond the beach. He could not stand his lizard disguise any longer. An elegant ship pulled into the deserted beach harbor as he was changing from Cedric the Lizard back into Cedric the Newt. To his surprise, Percy and Bill were piloting the ship and they were conversing with Chase, something about bankers, how boring. Cedric tuned them out as he continued to change. “Was that Sara’s name?” he thought as he listened closer to the conversation. “So, they plan on breaking Sara’s mother out of prison? That information might make me rich. Of course, I do need to convince the princesses about the untimely death of their niece. If all goes well, I might be able to retire after this.” Armed with the information about the plot to break Sara’s mother out of prison and the article he had stolen from her backpack, Cedric headed south towards his future new-found wealth. If newts could smile, surely he would be smiling.