The Blue Kingdom

Tina was following Macha across the peer like a lapdog. “The fish will eat your nanas. If you give me money, I can buy you more. I know a place.” The little girl had stuck on him since the struggle with the stick and while Lim was explaining everything about the great disaster unfolding upon them, she waited impatiently, sitting on boxes of merchandise.

“I have no money for you, little beggar. I have work to do,” Masha squeezed Charles’s ring tightly. A safe-conduct token, in case his men gave him any trouble. In his mind, he kept repeating Lim’s instructions. Now she was way to one of Charles’ ships hidden inside a barrel along with books, charts and boxes she explicitly ordered to be taken off the catamaran.

“I’m no beggar. I have a house and a Ma and a Da,” replied the girl, upset. “If you give me a Gupta, I will bring you new nanas.”

“A Gupta? You are not a beggar, you are a thief!”

“I will tell my Da you call me a thief. Why do you walk so fast? I cannot go that far.”

Macha turned out of a sudden and kneeled, facing her at eye level. “Here, open your hand. I give you a Gupta if you promise to leave me alone.”

“This is a shell.” She said, turning excitement into disappointment.

“That’s a shell that’s worth a Gupta. Currency of the Blue Kingdom.”

“I’m not stupid. This is a shell. I will tell my Da and he will beat you to death. His job is to beat liars like you.”

“Aye, tell him. Tell him my name is Em, cap’n of the Ballerina. He can look for me later.” Macha ran, leaving the little girl stomping on the wooden floor. He didn’t leave the docks when a hand grabbed him by the shoulder. He tried to get away, but a man as young as him but twice his size was clenching tightly. “Let me go!” Macha said, struggling to get free.

The young fella pulled his wrist and lifted the shirt sleeve. “What did you steal?”

“Nothing!” Macha said while looking for the blue handkerchief that he finally found half hidden hanging from the belt.

“Then, why are you running?” Macha raised the ring and the Blue fighter released him immediately. “Hey Apo. Apo!”

A round-complexioned man with a friendly face turned toward them, adjusting a blue scarf he wore on the neck. He took a quick look at the ring and tapped his companion’s shoulder. “What’s Charles’ Sou’Eas name?”

“He said the answer to that it’s none of your business,” answered Macha.

“That’s about right. Come, Em may need our help.” Macha followed the man named Apo, dodging the crowd that gathered in a colorful street, full of shops of all kinds. “I heard whispers that your girl has been detained. I suppose Em is on his way to the Governor’s house. How many fingers do you have?”

“Ten,” answered Macha, surprised that the Ujan fighters used the same lingo as in the slums of Tampra.

“Don’t let the city guards see this. But if you find red squids, make sure they do. They won’t be intimidated by the other ten.” Apo handed him discreetly a small folding knife and Macha quickly hid it. His fingers played inside the pocket, the pearls he had taken from Em’s desk danced with the handle. Lim had told him to leave the bag of sea jewels in full view at the Ballerina’s desk, so if the pouch was missing on their return, they knew someone had entered. Macha did as she wanted, but he took a few, just in case he needed to bribe anyone. “I’m not sure these kraken men will be intimidated by a little toothpick.” Apo chuckled silently.

“Can we speed up a bit?” Macha asked, driven by impatience. “No offense, but you walk a little bit too slow.”

“No one runs on this island. Is the law. It makes the lazy soldier’s job easier.”

“What if your house is on fire?”

Apo chuckled again. “You must be Em’s new mate. I heard a couple of words about you.”

“I hope both are nice.”

When they reached the market, Apo pulled him to the side along a narrow street. Macha couldn’t stop looking around every corner, expecting to find one of those mercenaries Lim had warned him about. How a brotherhood created to protect the weak and most needy victims of a long, decimating war ended up as a petty gang that did exactly the opposite was out of his understanding.

In front of a big bridge over the water canal, they turned right. Em was rushing down towards them. His face, completely engulfed with rage. Apo stood firm and scratched his nose, waiting for the captain in silence. Macha stood next to him, frozen by fear. Waiting for a slap, or worse.

“Mr. Em. I have a word from Mrs. Lim.”

The old captain sighed and bent forward, facing him at level, exactly as Macha did with the little girl of the docks. “You talked, didn’t you? To the men in that tavern. You talked about Lim and didn’t tell me.”

Macha downed his face, unable to answer.

“I knew it.” Em clenched his teeth and closed his eyes, as if the silence stabbed him as a knife would. “You and your big mouth. You could have told me, but no.”

“Mr. Em. Miss Lim...” The captain straightened, facing a sky that bathed them with a soft, annoying shower.

“What is it?” Em said softly. “Don’t bring me more bad news, kid. Don’t.”

“Miss Lim is The Bella with Rob and everything that matters. She needs your help to do something called ‘migration’.”

Em received the news rubbing his face and pinching his nose tightly. “Nay, nay! Damn it! Follow me to the docks. I will pay your wages for all these months and Apo will hide you in a safe place until all this is over. Consider your duties on my ship done.”

Although Macha had considered being fired a possibility, his captain’s words felt as if the rain falling over him was made of pure ice. He thought it would make him feel sad, but all he was feeling was anger. He turned in the other direction, north.

“Where are you going?” shouted Em from behind. “It’s dangerous there. Come with me, it’s an order!”

“I don’t work for you anymore. I’ll go wherever I want.” He had to do something. Anything he could to fix that mess, no matter the cost.

Em didn’t follow, but Apo did. Macha stopped at the entrance of the square, standing behind a stall, well hidden from prying eyes. Apo took his time to reach him. “What are you doing, Macha? There are squids here. If they capture you, they will torture you for information.”

“They don’t know what I look like.” Macha said, moving behind a bunch of old barrels, far from the Blue fighter’s reach.

“You don’t know that. Come on. Don’t make me drag you to The Bella.”

“Aye. A big man dragging a screaming young fella won’t pick the soldier’s attention. Good idea.”

“I’ll knock you out then. If anyone asks, I’ll say you are drunk.” Macha dodged the incoming grip and crawled under the stall, taking the opportunity to dirt his clothes and face. Observing Apo’s feet moving to the other side, he tied an old rag over his eyes in a way he learned, able to see from the gaps but that one one would notice. He then rolled to the side and ended up in plain view. ‘The cat and the mouse’ was a game he successfully played many times. “If I have trouble, I’ll scream for help.” Macha said, grabbing the broken handle of a broom he spotted previously. Apo mumbled a curse and turned towards the jail, heeding at a couple of men lingering at the other side of the square.

The two thugs, young fellas leaning over the canal’s stone railing, followed Apo’s footsteps with interest and Macha found the perfect opportunity to sneak closer, sitting on an old bucket at the contiguous stall. Then, trying to be inconspicuous, he raised a hand as any beggar would do and listened carefully.

“Aye, you better go away, Blue idiot. Or we will kill you!” said one of them, a man dressed in an old black military jacket. Apo, who was now moving away from the jail’s door, answered the tread with a fist over the palm, staring up front, not looking either at the thugs or at him.

“Do you think the Blue idiots are helping the target?” asked the other man who, unlike his mate, could well pass for a simple sailor if it was not for the fact he was showing the red tattoo with pride.

“Definitely. Hoy, the lawyer is out.” From the prison gate, two nervous soldiers emerged, muskets at the ready, followed by a tall, thin man dressed in a cheap Nor’Western suit. The suited man covered his head with a suitcase and rushed for cover, reaching for the safety of the kraken’s stall. Macha wished to have a cover as well, as the rain was soaking him and the soft breeze was strangely freezing for such a tropical place.

“What’s that?” said the lawyer, pointing to the shivering Macha.

“It’s just a beggar.”

“Why is he begging behind a stall? You! get out of here, ‘sniffer’.”

“Maybe because he’s blind? Relax, mate.”

The lawyer wiped his face with a napkin and shook his body in a naïve attempt to dry himself. “How is it possible that Riko has two idiots like you as assistants? And hide that tattoo Teo, for the Mighty’s sake!”

‘Why? The others are showing,” said the kraken brother, pulling down the sleeve.

“The… others… job…” muttered the lawyer. “Is… to… intimidate. Yours is to wait for your boss without raising eyebrows. Is that so difficult to understand?”

“Don’t talk to us like we are kids.”

“I just put my speech at the required intellectual level. I need to go. The Riko won’t take long.”

“What an idiot.” Teo said, pulling his sleeve up again as soon as the lawyer was far enough.

The kraken with the jacket got up and approached Macha while stretching his back. “Get out of here, filth.”

“Hoy. The Riko… ” Said Teo, rushing to stand firm.

The man they were talking about was as tall as Em, but with wider shoulders. He wore bulky combat boots over baggy uniform pants that he managed to keep up, even with the suspenders dangling, in a similar way Em used to fashion around the Ballerina.

Riko dragged his feet, unconcerned about the rain, while his assistant kicked Macha in the side. “Didn’t you hear me, filth? Get out.”

Macha trembled, but out of the cold, not fear. Riko’s clanking boots settled in front of him. “Give me your jacket.” Said the kraken boss.

“Sir?”

“Give me your jacket.” Repeated him.

“Sir. Mine is too small for you. It won’t fit you.”

Riko kneeled and put the jacket over Macha. The boy touched it like a blind person would do and whispered with gratitude.

“Kid,” Riko said in a soft-spoken tone. “Tell your masters, whoever they are, the Kraken is leaving today minding their business, as far as no one interferes, understood?” Macha left his face as a carved rock, as any ‘whisperer’ would do. The bald man pulled up the suspenders and stepped away. “Juls, put back that knife in and leave the kid alone. He needs whispers for bread. Now let’s go. What did I miss?”

Jules wiped his boot on Macha’s leg and followed Riko’s steps. Although they moved further, Macha could still hear them clearly. “There were people sniffing around here, one man-”

“Anything about the girl?”

“Our dock’s mole confirmed she goes by Ivy. There are some rumors that she’s a freak... oh, ah,” Jules raised his hands with an expression just as terrified as Teo’s. “My… my deepest apologies, Sir. I meant to say, special.”

Riko rubbed his side and turned his body towards the jail house. Something that relieved his two subordinates. “She beat up Ficus and his boys easily for a girl that size. Could she be one of your kind, Sir?”

Riko seemed absent, thoughts and gaze strolling through the boulders of the prison walls.

“Sir. About the people sniffing around. There were Blues, one is still over there, and-”

“That’s expected. Let him be,” Riko said, turning his attention back to his men.

“And there was a man who knocked down Peeta and Saween in the alley. He matches the description of the catamaran’s cap’n.”

“And may I know why you didn’t apprehend him?”

“Old Jack, sir!” Teo said. “He stopped us. He said we don’t mess with tigers. What a fool! We could have taken him down easily!”

Riko scowled. “What did you say?”

“I’m sure we could have taken him-”

“No, no,” cut Riko. “What did old Jack say? Tell me his exact words.”

Teo took a moment to answer. “He said, stay still and quiet. We don’t mess with tigers.”

“Nay, mate!” Jules hastened to correct. “I remember perfectly, he said: ‘Stay still and quiet. That man is the Tiger and we won’t mess with him.”

Riko’s eyes narrowed. “The report said the Ballerina’s captain was a Bandanii wonder. Are his upgrades two metal arms?”

“Ian didn’t confirm, but that’s what the whispers around say about him. I suppose that’s what our informant in Tampra meant with ‘a ship of rarities you cannot miss’.”

Riko showed a subtle smirk, an expression for the ones that have remembered a dear but sad memory. “The poison ivy… of course,” he whispered.

“Sir?”

“Let’s go! We need to find Jack before he spreads the word. The Crybaby cannot hear about this or we will have trouble.”

The conversion faded with the distance. Macha waited, and when it was safe to move, met Apo, who was leaning on a corner. The Blue fighter cut a piece of apple and talked while chewing it. “I’m gonna kill you.”

“Do it after I talk to Em. I have something important to tell him.”

Apo dropped the apple core and put his arm around Macha, patting his shoulder affectionately. “All right. But after that, I will kill you.”