Chapter 17

When captain Cerewan returned to Vinoli, he was in a foul mood. The last few days had truly been some of the worst the captain had experienced in a long time; starting by the day when he had woken up only to discover that the passengers had disappeared from the ship, taking the cabin boy with them. As if that had not been enough, the scoundrels had practically emptied out the ship's supplies. It was evident to the captain that Luke had told the passengers what had happened to those who had traveled aboard captain Cerewan's ship before. Of all the ungrateful traitors in the world!
All day, the captain's mind had been filled with murderous thoughts, concerning what he would do to the squirrel, if he ever had him in his grasp.

Even worse, was the fact that the crew had grown discontent. Many of them had not been paid for quite some time and so, they had counted on this latest catch to be their meal-ticket. Now, however, with the catch gone, they had grown sullen and could often be found gathered in groups, whispering to each other.
For the first time in his life, Cerewan felt the fear of a mutiny take hold on him. In order to prevent this, he ordered the crew to gather on deck.

"Men, listen..." He began, but for once, the crew paid no heed to their commander's words.

"What about our money?!" One of them shouted. "When will we get it?!"

The speaker then began stomping his wooden leg, while shouting:

"We want our money!" "We want our money!"

The call spread like a wildfire and soon, every member of the crew was stomping and shouting the same phrase, over and over. Then, someone shouted the words that the tiger had feared the most:

"Hey! Why don't we chose a new captain?"

"Good idea!" Agreed another crew-member. "Someone who doesn't try to cheat honest, hardworking sailors!"

"Let's get him!" A third sailor shouted.

Captain Cerewan, fearing in that moment for his life, pulled out his gun and fired a warning-shot in the air. The noise caused the crew to stop dead in its tracks.

"The first one of you who puts a foot on these steps", growled the captain. "Will be filled with lead."

"You can't shoot us all!" Shouted the sailor, who had first suggested that they should have a new captain. "Come on, boys! Let's get him!"

With a defiant look in his eyes and a knife in his paw, he put his right foot on the step. The next second, a bullet from the captain's gun had pierced his heart.

The crew stared at the corpse of their comrade, too stunned to do anything; never before had one of their own been killed in this way. Some of them looked at the captain with fear in their eyes.
Cerewan saw that fear and found it pleasing.
However, he realized that there was a chance that said fear could turn back into rage at the drop of a hat and the dead man had not been wrong; he would run out of bullets eventually and besides, there was a risk that one of them would rush him while he was reloading the gun. No, he had to win the crew back on his side and he had to do it now.

"Why take out your anger at me?" He asked in a harsh voice. "Its not I who have deprived you of your - our - prize, but your treacherous shipmate, Luke. He is the one responsible for this unfortunate business. Now, I ask you: Shall we let him get away with that?!"

"Nay!" The crew shouted angrily.

"Listen", Cerewan continued. "Neither Luke nor any of the others are experienced sailors and all they have is one life-boat. After we've replenished our stores, we'll go after them, they can't have gotten far. Now, are you with me? Am I still your Captain?"
"Aye!"
The tiger allowed himself to relax, mentally congratulating himself on his deft handling of the situation. As he stepped down on deck, the satisfied smile on Cerewan's face vanished, as suddenly as it had appeared.

"But first, we shall hold a funeral service for our fallen shipmate. I did not wish his death, but it was him or me."

The crew nodded in understanding, though some of them regarded their captain with wary eyes.
Having commended the dead sailor to the waves and replenished their stores, the ship set sail and the crew, now placated, worked hard; eager to catch up with the lifeboat. Soon, the sound of old sea-shanties filled the air.
Then, the storm came upon them...

When it was over, two sailors had been swallowed up by the ocean. Cerewan gave the order to repair any damages. As he stood on deck, he suddenly noticed something floating in the water. Curious, he called for a nearby sailor.

"Yes, Cap'n?"

"See that thing in the water? Fetch a boat hook and retrieve it."

The command was carried out and soon, the Captain and some of the crew were gathered around the object, which turned out to be a waterskin.
"How did this end up here?" One sea-dog wondered.

"It looks mighty familiar to me". mused another. He bent down to study it closer; as he did, an oath escaped his lips.

"What is it?" The others sailors wondered.

"Look at this, it has our ship's mark on it. Its one of ours."

Under his striped fur, Cerewan went pale. This could only mean one thing; namely, that Luke and the three others had perished in the storm. After all, what hope could they possibly have had of survival? Four people, none of them experienced sailors, left to the mercy of the elements. For all he knew, none of them were even able to swim. This fact started to dawn on the crew as well and once again, they faced their captain with murder in their eyes.

*******

In the end, captain Cerewan had managed to avert a mutiny once more, though it had cost him dearly. Not only had he been forced to pay the crew out of his savings, but they had also managed to squeeze an extra day's shore-leave from him. With all that in mind, it was understandable that the tiger was not in the sunniest of moods, when the ship returned to Vinoli. Once back home, Cerewan went straight to his favorite watering-hole, ordered a rum and sat at the bar, pouring his sorrows into the sympathetic ear of the armadillo behind the bar.

On the bar stool next to Cerewan sat a young vole, who seemed more interest in the book he was reading then the drink in front of him. Occasionally, he would turn a page, showing no sign of paying attention to the captain's alcohol-induced ramblings. Eventually, the vole paid and left, leaving his drink almost completely untouched. Seizing the opportunity, Cerewan grabbed the drink and swept it.

Much later, Cerewan left the inn on unsteady legs. He was heading back to the ship when, suddenly, the drinks he had consumed were filled with an intense desire to evacuate the system. Holding one paw over his mouth, the tiger stumbled into a nearby alley. Soon, the combined stench of vomit and urine filled the air.
As he stood there, shaking of the last few drops, Cerewan caught the sound of footsteps coming up behind him. In his state, he did not have time to react, before his vision was completely obscured by a sack. Then, someone hit him on the back of his head and he collapsed.

When Cerewan woke up he found himself tied to a chair in a dimly lit room. Grunting, he tried to break the ropes, but it was all in vain; whoever had tied these knots was as good as any sailor the Captain had ever met.
The door opened and a one-eyed fox, dressed entirely in black, entered the room.

"My apologies for the rough treatment, Captain", the fox said, "but it was necessary to get you here without any objections on your part."

"Who the hell are you?" Cerewan growled. The smug look on the fox's face annoyed him immensely and the dull headache he suffered from did not make things any better. "What do you want?"

"There's no need for you to know who I am", said the fox. "All I will tell you that I have the ear of a most exalted person. As for what I want? Well, Captain, I want you to answer some questions. Oh, I should point out that no-one saw you enter this room and no-one will see you leave it alive, unless you cooperate."

In Cerewan's brain, anger and shame fought for dominance, but found themselves tied. The tiger could not believe that he had allowed himself to be overpowered in a rare moment of weakness and was now at the mercy of this smug vulpine. Who were to blame for all this? To the Captain, the answer was obvious. Unfortunately, they were beyond his revenge.

"Very well" he said, resignedly. "I'll answer your question, what is it?"

"Your ship is a cargo-ship and yet, you have from time to time allowed passengers aboard, have you not?"

"I have, but to my knowledge that's not illegal. Unless there's some new law that I'm not aware of?"
"Don't worry, there isn't one. The reason we're having our little chat is because one of my spies overheard you at the bar. During your ramblings, you happened to mention three passengers, all of whom apparently drowned. Who were they?"

"Two girls and a boy. The older girl paid the agreed fare."

"What species were they?"

"The boy was a cat and the younger girl a lynx. They were siblings."

"What about the older girl?"

Cerewan shrugged.

"Its strange but I can't remember. When I looked at her I saw a tiger, but everyone aboard seemed convinced that she was a member of their own race."

"Didn't you find this a tad strange?"

"Of course I did!" Cerewan snapped. "She wore a cloak all the time. I suspected that it was a magic garment which shielded her true appearance. I never asked her about it though, my passengers are entitled to their privacy."

"How commendable of you", the fox said and smiled. "So, these three; how did they drown?"

"It all happened so suddenly", the captain lied, figuring that it was best not to let the fox know that passengers hadn't even been on the ship at the time. "The storm was upon us in an instant. They were swept away by the waves, along with my cabin-boy. We searched for them, but to no avail. The ocean, the merciless ocean took them immediately."
Having said that, the tiger lowered his head in a show of sorrow.

"You seem to have taken their deaths quite hard", the fox said, his voice completely devoid of sympathy. "However, I'd think that someone in your profession would have been used to see people drown on occasion."

"True, but its always sad to see young lives get snuffed out. Besides, as the Captain I felt a responsibility for all of them."
The fox nodded.

"Well, Captain Cerewan, I'm going to leave you for a moment and consult with my employer. I apologize for not loosening your bonds, but one can never be to careful. Ta-ta!"

With a mocking wave the fox left the room, leaving Cerewan alone with his thoughts, wondering what he had gotten himself into.

*****

Knowing that the Queen was resting up for her meeting with her ministers in an hour, Lorenzo made his way to the royal suite. Upon approaching the door which led there, he could hear a moaning sound coming from the other side. 

Sounds like she's not alone, the fox thought. Well, it can't be helped.

He knocked and an irritated voice answered:

"Yes?"

"Its Lorenzo, my Queen."

"I can hear that. I thought I told you that I didn't want to be disturbed?"

"A thousand apologies, but I bring important news that cannot wait."

"Very well, wait outside for a minute."

Doing as he was told, Lorenzo leaned against the wall with his arms folded over his chest. He did not remain in this position for too long, before the queen's voice called out to him again:

"You may enter."

Opening the door, Lorenzo stepped into the antechamber of the queen's apartment. He was immediately met with the sight of his sovereign, reclining in a chair with a bored look on his face. Standing next to her was a female poodle, wearing only her underwear. The moment Lorenzo entered, she lowered her eyes demurely and covered her breasts.

"Well, Lorenzo, I'm all ears", Argath said as she took a grape from the silver-bowl which sat on the table next to her and popped it in her mouth. "What are these important news."

Lorenzo bowed.

"If Your Majesty don't mind, its something I'd like to discuss in private." Approaching the queen's chair, he leaned in closer and whispered in her ears.

"It concerns your half-sister."

The dragon's eyes grew wide and she turned to the poodle.

"Leave us."

As soon as they were alone, Lorenzo divulged to the Queen all of which he had learned from Cerewan. Argath listened without comment, resting her chin on her hand. When Lorenzo had finished, she rose from the chair and began pacing around the room.

"This Cerewan, are you certain he speaks the truth?"

"I see no reason why he should lie, he knows well that his life is in my hands."

Argath nodded, satisfied with this answer.

"No-one must know about this", she said. "Least of all Jeraddin and Nasari."

"Agreed, you can still control the general, as long as his wife is your hostage, but if she finds out that her children have perished.."

..."She'll have nothing to loose", Argath agreed.

"What do you want me to do with your guest? Shall I silence him? It would be easily done."

"No, I'm feeling merciful. Release him and give him a token sum as a sign of our good will, then tell him that unless he wants his lifespan drastically shortened, he is not to mention this to anyone who lives in my realm. Now, you may leave.

Lorenzo bowed.

"As you command, my Queen. I take my leave now, to execute your command."

He was just about to exit the room, when Argath called his name.

"Oh, Lorenzo?"

"Yes, my queen?" He said, stopping in the doorway.

"Tell the girl to come back inside. I still have some time left and besides, my ministers won't die if they have to wait for a bit."

Lorenzo found the poodle-girl seated on the floor in the corridor, knees pulled up to her ears.

"Go back inside", the fox said.

The poodle raised her head and looked at Lorenzo with pleading eyes, but seeing no sign of compassion on the fox's features, she sighed resignedly and walked back inside. As he began his walk back to the dungeon, Lorenzo ran into none other than Kashmir. 

"Where are you headed to in such a hurry?" He asked.

"I must see the queen, immediately", Kashmir said and Lorenzo noticed that there were tears in his eyes.

"No can do, she gave strict orders not to be disturbed."

"But I bring sad news", Kashmir protested. "Its her brother, my master, he...he is dead."