A Motley Sisterhood of Pirates!  BOOK TWO  (Part Thirteen: Blog Sixty-Eight)

By Dan Watt and Taylor Norris, co-authors of the Rita Walker series

Amelie scowls as she is lowered down the side of the ship and into the sea.  The water is clear under the waves and she can see to the keel of the Nagua.  There is normally a large space between the stern and the rudder of the ship.  And sure enough, the Dixopus has made that it’s home.  She wonders if it is male or female but has no idea how to find out.  Well, I can only hold my breath so long, she thinks angrily.  She swims to the rudder and pokes the Dixopus.

Tentacles move away from the body so two giant eyes stare out from a long, oblong head at her.  The tip of one of the Dixopus’s tentacles taps her on the chest.

Amelie nods her head and swims back to the rope.  She yanks on the rope twice and feels herself being pulled up.  When her head breaks surface she gulps in air.  “I have to go back down,” she shouts up to Captain Olanis, “She-him-it won’t—” she starts to say when a tentacle wraps around her leg.  She kicks the tentacle off her leg.

“Pull her all the way up,” she hears Captain Olanis says with a chuckle.

Once she’s over the gunwale of the Poop Deck, Amelie bends over with her hands on her thighs and focuses on catching her breath before saying, “I’ll have to go back.”  When no one replies she stares up.  Captain Olanis, “Wheel Turner” and “Storm Caller” are looking beyond her.

With an amused stare Captain Olanis looks down at her.  “Now you can breathe while explaining to the Dixopus what you want.”

“Quelle!  What!”  Amelie exclaims as she stands and jerks her head around.

“Where were you!” she shouts out at the dixopus.  “Nous avons cinq soeurs!  Five sisters!” she says spreading the fingers of her left hand at the dixopus.

In reply the dixopus rears back, its head turning dark blue.  In one tentacle it raises a rusty sword, and in another a wooden sword.  It points its wooden sword at Amelie.

“Non,” she says wearily.  She slips on her shirt and other clothes, and points at the Freya.  “Domicile,” she says buckling in and sheathing her weapons.   “Home,” she repeats in case the dixopus doesn’t understand the better language.  Without waiting she starts to walk cautiously across the boarding ladder between the two ships.  An added weight to the ladder nearly sends her over the side.  Snarling she glances back.  The dixopus is behind her, standing on all ten of its tentacles.

Dan Watt is the author of the epic dark fantasy fiction book BARD

Taylor Norris, RMT, as First Mate ‘One Eye’ Olanis:  taynorris@gmail.com (Kitchener-Waterloo)

With thanks to Joanne Gosling (Navigator ‘Storm Caller’ Master Jo Anne): Joanne is an Interior Decorator who specializes in closets: Jgosling@calclosets.com Calclosetsjoanne or Joannegosling22@gmail.com

Leah Weir (Helmswoman ‘Wheel Turner’ Synthia): model and cover editor;

Andraya Watt as Assistant-Master-at-Arms, Amelie

With Thanks To:

Fire & Steel for the Medieval Rapier:  http://fireandsteel.ca/

Alex Watt for background pictures

Daiana Duca for background pictures

Krissy Karmaschek for background pictures

Tags: Pirates, Science Fiction, Story Telling, Story Time