A Motley Sisterhood of Pirates!  (Part Seven: Blog Forty-Two)

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

While the rest of the remaining crew pull in the nets, under the instruction of Aarini, Amelie is trying to teach Mesi and Althea how to fight with wooden swords.  In between words of encouragement and curses under her breath, she glances under the fo’c’sle at ‘Dizzying Blade’s’ room; where the Cannibal women, Melinda, now resides.

“Don’t worry about flicking your hair,” Amelie tells Althea as she attempts again to demonstrate the proper combination of footwork and arm movement when using a sword. 

“But I want her to know who the better fighter is by showing my superior confidence,” Althea replies in her determined Egyptian accent. 

“She knows I’m a better fighter, and much more beautiful,” Mesi says in her soft Pilipino accent, flicking her own hair back.

Amelie bunches up her shoulders and is about go snarl at the two girls when she hears Aarini shout out, “Pakad! Hold!”  Amelie instantly draws out her two tiny throwing knives, that she keeps secreted in her bandana, as she spins around towards Aarini.

Stuck within the interlocking ropes of the net, are two Dolphin Tails, seemingly stuck together.  “Qu’est-ce que c’est?” Amelie says to herself.

“Get the First Mate,” Aarini tells one of the girls, who was pulling in the rope.  The gaped mouthed girl stares for a moment longer, before rushing off to wake up ‘One Eye’.

“Alive?” Amelie asks as she slides the knives back into her bandana, and draws her Ninjato out.

The tails of the two Dolphin Tails slap, and with a loud cry they try to separate within the ropes.  The one underneath has breasts, and well, the one on top does not try to roll over, but slides off.

“Get them out!” she hears a groggy, First Mate Oli, shout out.  She sees “One Eye” hurry towards the captured Dolphin Tails.  “Loosen the bridles!”

As Aarini loosens the bridles Amelie steps closer.  It’s up to her to protect her shipmates.  She has seen Dolphin Tails occasionally; either their heads peaking above the sea’s surface, or their flukes slapping the water as they dive, but never this close.

The upper body of both the female and male Dolphin Tails is humanish.  Only the fluked tails and thick rubbery skin that runs from the back of their head to a blowhole near the bottom of their neck, gives them a mammalian appearance.  She peers closer; and sees thick webbing between their unusually long fingers.  She leans even closer, to get a better look at why the male has rolled onto his back.

As the nets are pulled off, both the Dolphin Tails walk rapidly on their hands, hurrying towards the rail of the port gunwale.

“Help them over!” First Mate Oli shouts as she gets under the female Dolphin Tails’ one arm.  Aarini gets under the other.  Amelie sees the female try to fight them off at first, but as ‘One Eye’ talks to her in her sing-song voice, the female lets them help her onto, and over the gunwale.  The male, with his bulging arms and back muscles, refuses any help as he pulls himself over.  A number of the girls run to the port side.  ‘One Eye’ yells for the others to go starboard as the Nagua starts to list.  

Amelie shrugs, ignoring ‘One Eye’s’ warning, and looks over the port side.  She’s the current Master-at-Arms, so she can do almost anything she wants—because whatever she does is important.  The male Dolphin Tail is slapping the water with his fists.  He points a webbed finger at the rigging.  Amelie sees ‘One Eye’ pull a section of netting to the port side.  The male Dolphin Tail makes a fist again and shakes it at the net.

“I understand,” ‘One Eye’ shouts to him before turning to the rest of the crew on the deck, and telling them, “I have no idea if he understands what I’m saying, “but we’ll have to figure out another way to catch fish.  Now everyone, knock out the fish, so they don’t suffer, and throw anything we can’t eat overboard, so it can live a long and cheery life.”

“Like we did with the amorphous Dolphin Tails?” Aarini asks, with a mischievous grin.

“Just so,” ‘One Eye’ says.  “Thank you for not killing them,” she says to Amelie.

“De rien–you’re welcome,” Amelie replies adding the English translation.  With a beaming smile she sweeps down into a low, flamboyant bow.

Amelie modeled by Andraya Watt
Throwing Knives and Ninjato by Fire and Steel
Gemstone necklace by Street Colours

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