I stumbled as the ship suddenly lurched in the crashing waves. It was an odd time for it to do so, as only yesterday the sea had been so calm, hardly making the ship rock. Hopefully no storms would cross our path. My mind raced with the possibilities. I knew that the City of the Dead had to be the location Blackbeard was seeking, but what was it? Why was it in such a remote location? There was one thing I knew, it would be a long and dangerous journey.
Adonis would know. I had to find him. The previous day Blackbeard had given me permission to hear the details of the voyage, but I had barely seen Adonis and my mind had been too focused on Sapphire. Now the time was right and I was ready for some answers.
I quietly pulled open the door, trying to be as discreet as possible. No one could know about the map that held such valuable information, proof of Blackbeard's plans. I also doubted anyone who stumbled across me would be too impressed to see me sneaking around the ship, especially considering most of them probably had never seen me before and could mistake me for a stowaway.
Slowly, the door creaked open and I poked my head out, turning it back and forth to scan the hallway. The area appeared to be empty so I bolted away from the room and let the door click shut behind me. I then casually walked up the stairs and emerged on the deck. As my feet planted themselves, the ship lurched again and I struggled to keep my balance.
The deck was a flurry of activity, unlike the previous day. There were pirates everywhere; some cleaning the deck, some talking to the man who was at the helm, some were pulling ropes, and a few appeared to be unloading some crates.
I glanced around for Adonis, but didn't see him anywhere. I crossed the ship and descended the flight of stairs that led straight to the crew's quarters, praying Adonis would be there resting from his concussion.
When the room came into view, every hammock was abandoned but one. Sure enough it was Adonis. His eyes were closed, but I wasn't sure if he was sleeping or not.
I approached his hammock. "Adonis," I whispered. He didn't move and I figured he was sleeping.
I looked at his face and he looked so peaceful. He looked so much younger without the worry lines etched on his face or the scowl that often found its way there. The plain white t-shirt and sweat pants he wore made him look like a regular teenage boy from Illinois. The thought brought a smile to my face, taking a small portion of the ache for home that I had been feeling.
There was no way I could wake him up without feeling guilty for interrupting his peace and quiet. Besides, I was the one who had given him the concussion he was trying to heal from. My eyes darted to the hammock beside his and I plopped down on it resting my aching muscles, swinging back and forth. Back and forth.
Slowly my eyes began to close from exhaustion of my fitful night of sleep and before I knew it I was asleep.
"Emerald?" A voice quietly asked and I jumped. I looked groggily at whoever had decided to wake me up and saw it was Adonis. He was sitting up in his hammock and looked as if he had just woken up too. He had a smile on his face and he burst out laughing when I jumped.
"Shut up! I didn't wake you up okay? Have you ever woken up to someone staring at you and saying your name?"
"You're cute when you sleep," Was all he said. I rolled my eyes and then slowly got to my feet.
"Adonis, I know you just woke up and all, but I have a few questions for you. Yesterday Blackbeard said you could tell me where we were going and all the details about it," I said jumping right to business. I had details to discover.
He nodded and winced as if the movement hurt his head. He slowly lowered himself until he was lying down again and I walked over to his hammock so I could see him when he spoke. "I figured you would come soon. Walter informed me that my father assigned me the task of telling you all the details of our voyage. So what do you all want to know?"
I shook my head at him. "Isn't it obvious? Everything! Do you really think I would be here waiting for you, rather than exploring the ship, if I didn't want to know everything?"
He nodded. "Of course you do, doesn't surprise me. Alright so as you know my father is very sick and dying. Well I wouldn't say he's sick, more like his age has finally caught up to him: his immortality is beginning to fade. The first time he achieved immortality, he was about thirty years old. He met a sea witch who had magical powers and she granted him three wishes. His first wish was immortality, so that he could live forever. His second was to have magical powers, so he could be more powerful than any other man. His third was for this ship, so that it could appear smaller than it truly was, and as long as he was alive his ship would be with him." He took a deep breath and I took that time to interrupt him.
"So Blackbeard was given three wishes? Like a genie? Sorry, but that sounds really cliché."
Adonis waved his hand. "Yes, it definitely is, but I'm just recounting the story like it was told to me. Like I said a sea witch. I've run into a few of them and believe me when I say they are not people you want to encounter. My father is one of the only men who would dare cross paths with one, let alone make a deal with one. Anyways as I was saying, he somehow convinced the sea witch to give him what he wanted and then became immortal. Ever since then he's been sailing the seas, not aging and using his powers to control others.
"Last month, he began to grow very tired. He constantly needed to lie down and sleep. If he wasn't sleeping he was using his powers to control the ship and crew. That drained him even more. When it got to the point when he was bedridden, he called me to his quarters. There, he told me about his suspicions: his immortality had somehow disappeared and he was dying. It didn't make sense so I asked him how his immortality could be fading. He told me there was a prophecy the witch had told him about. She had warned him of the dangers of his greediness, but he didn't listen. After being okay for over three hundred years he had forgotten the prophecy.
"After three hundred years of perfect health and then suddenly needing to rest constantly, he remembered the witches warning. He wouldn't tell me what it was, only that someday there would be someone who would come with equal powers as him, and they would be the one to save his life or end it for good."
I dropped my head into my hands. "He thinks that's me, doesn't he? I didn't tell him about my power to speak to the mermaids, but I think he knows."
"Not much escapes Blackbeard. That's the reason you're still alive and why he's treating you so good. In all my time on The Queen Anne's Revenge, you're the first prisoner he's ever kept alive. He doesn't like strangers on his vessel. The only way we add to our crew is when he chooses. He likes to be in control." Adonis's face fell ever so slightly. "I'm afraid he's going to have to look for quite a few more. We lost fifteen men to the mermaid attack yesterday, plus for his plans to succeed we're going to need a lot more men."
"That's terrible. I'm sorry," I replied quietly, unsure of how to respond. I never was good at responding to people when they lost a loved one.
"It's okay. Thank you though. Anyways, after figuring out that someone could have the potential to save him, I asked him how the prophecy mattered. It wasn't like he could venture across the seven seas looking for them. He said it didn't. He was going to look for a new way to achieve immortality. He was going to ignore the person of the prophecy.
"A few days later, he called me back to his quarters and told me he had discovered a way to become immortal again. This time, it wouldn't just be him though, the whole crew could become immortal if they desired."
"Wait, you mean we're sailing to a place that can grant us all immortality?" I interrupted.
"Depends on what you believe. I sure do believe that a place like that could exist after all I've seen aboard this ship, but you may not believe it so much. You haven't been here long and haven't seen much."
I nodded right away without hesitation. "I've seen enough, and I don't have a doubt in my mind that a place like that could and does exist."
Adonis's eyes instantly brightened, and he smiled happily as if it was the best news that could possibly have found him. "That's good, I'm glad. The sooner you believe, the easier it becomes. This place is something that is pretty hard to believe in. It's in a remote location, which has not been yet discovered by man." My mind instantly flashed to the map and my hand dropped to my pocket to make sure it was still there. "The reason no one has discovered it is because it is heavily guarded, and it's underwater. It is buried by miles of sea, and the only ones who can enter are people who have power over the waters or those who are with those people.
"As you probably guessed, Blackbeard has powers to control the seas. He has the power to breathe underwater, as well as give others the power. If my guesses are correct, I'm assuming you will also have the same power.
"That's beside the point though. The place is heavily guarded by the merpeople, because it's their source of immortality as well. Each mermaid and merman must complete a ritual there to become immortal. It's their sacred ground, and Blackbeard intends to get through to it."
I nodded, processing all the information. "Does this place have a name by any chance?" This was my moment to figure out if the map was correct, and if I could see if the information it held was also correct. Everything added up, as it was in the middle of the ocean in a remote location that would be rarely sailed through.
"Yes, the merpeople and my father all refer to it as the City of the Dead."
I felt a cold prickle pierce my heart and slowly spread throughout my veins. "Why in the world would anyone name a place with such power after that? A place that gives you immortality."
"I'm not really sure, to be honest, and neither is my father. From what we can both guess, the place gets its magic from those who died there. We believe eons ago there was more magical folk who are the ancestors of those who have magical powers today, such as the sea witches, the father of the mermaids, and of course you. When they all came to the end of their lives, they created a city where those who sought out the same powers they had would be able to find it. Unfortunately, we have no idea what could be down there. We're not even sure of the exact location or the details of how guarded it could be."
"Okay, that sounds interesting, but why doesn't Blackbeard just use his ship to move it to the spot he wants to go? Didn't he do that to get to Illinois?"
"Yes, but that was travelling over land. Travelling over seas is much more difficult for him, nearly impossible. He also doesn't know the exact location and right now we do. If we teleport to a new location we won't know where we stand on the map."
"So that means we all have to face the race of creatures we can't resist?"
"Yes, but Blackbeard has already thought ahead. We're going to stuff seaweed in our ears to block out their singing. It's easier to resist their temptation when you can't hear them sing. Their voices are what lead most sailors to their death. It takes care of one problem, but we still have to fight them and they are very good fighters."
"This is sounding better by the minute," I mumbled. I already knew that I would take part in the journey down to the City of the Dead. The sea witch's prophecy was talking about me, and if it was my duty to stop or save Blackbeard. There was no way Blackbeard would leave me behind. I wasn't sure how I felt about being immortal, but I also wanted to see the city with my own eyes.
"I have another question," Adonis nodded. "How did I get this power? As far as I knew my parents had nothing to do with the sea and all this crazy magic stuff, but Sapphire was a mermaid and I can talk to mermaids."
"I was wondering the same thing. I'm guessing that your mother is an exiled mermaid, or your father an exiled merman. That does happen sometimes. The mermaids have strict laws, and I'm guessing that one of your parents broke one of them. When that happens to a merperson, they lose their tail and they are stripped of their immortality in the exact same location they received it: the City of the Dead. The merpeople are unwilling to kill their kind, so they let them go and live their lives as regular mortals."
"My mother is not a mermaid," I shot at him. "I think she would have told me if she was."
"Don't get all defensive, okay?" He closed his eyes and massaged his forehead as if I was causing him stress. "Exiled mermaids are very secretive about their pasts. There is one pirate on this ship who used to be a merman, and I just figured out last year that he had been one. I had lived with him for my entire life and only figured it out last year. Merpeople also tend to believe that if what they were is unknown, their children will not become what they were."
"Okay, makes sense, but then are you saying one of my grandparents was also an exiled mermaid or merman?"
"Not necessarily. Sometimes, the merpeople will come and take away an ordinary human and turn them into a mermaid. If they see the potential and the human is in the water, they see it as fair game to take the human. When the human disappears, it is assumed to be a drowning. However, I'm guessing that one set of your grandparents or great-grandparents were both a mermaid and merman. There they fell in love and had either your mom or dad and they were born into that life. Then after who knows how long of being a mermaid or man, they broke one of their rules and were exiled. When you and your sister were born, your parent's dominant mer-blood was passed down to you."
I shook my head, trying to process it all. "Thanks for the science lesson there, but what about my brother?"
Adonis shrugged. "Mer-blood is sometimes recessive in males. I'm not sure why, but it happens."
"Great, so I got the good genes in the family."
He laughed and then winced again. I instantly felt bad for keeping him so long. "I guess I should probably go now and let you sleep again. Thanks for telling me everything."
"No problem, it was nice seeing you again."
I began to walk towards the stairs, but quickly came back. "Adonis, do you guys by any chance have showers or a change of clothes for me? I'm feeling really disgusting right now."
"Oh yeah," He instantly looked ashamed for not thinking of that earlier. "I'm so sorry, I forgot all about it." I was glad the tough version of Adonis had disappeared. I liked the kinder version of him much better.
"That's okay, don't worry about it."
"I'll ring a bell that Walter gave me and make him get you all the stuff you'll need. My father always keeps everything a woman could need in one of the rooms downstairs. He always knew one day a woman would come on board, whether for him or the crew and he wanted to be prepared. There should be some clothes that fit you there. As for the shower, we have to improvise. We have buckets that are big enough to sit in and you just scrub yourself with a brush. We boil the water and then have buckets sitting aside. I'll get Walter to get someone to fetch it for you. The room with all your supplies may have shampoo or conditioner, but I highly doubt we have soap or deodorant. Those are luxuries to the rest of us. Blackbeard does know how to treat a woman though, so you might get lucky."
"Thank you so much. You have no idea how badly I want to get changed." I smiled, daydreaming of what it would be like to have a clean pair of clothes on.
"I believe there is a bedroom attached to your supply room. If you would like to take that, then feel free. There's also a bathroom attached, where there's enough room to hang your clothes that are drying after you clean them and for the bucket. If you want to wash the clothes you're wearing, we usually draw out a bucket or two of clean water from the water we bathe in before it's used. Then after or before you wash up, you just scrub your clothes in the water. I think that should be about everything." He paused and then quickly added, "You'll hear the lunch bell in a few hours if I'm correct about the time from judging the light. Just go to the mess hall and you'll find some food sitting out. You can take that wherever you need to."
"Thank you, Adonis. I really appreciate it."
He smiled. "No problem. I'll ring for Walter." He slowly got to his feet and stumbled for a second before quickly regaining his balance. He walked over to the closest wall and rang a bell so loudly that I had to cover my ears. He quickly walked back and lowered himself into his hammock. "Tomorrow, I'll start teaching you how to do everything so you can help out on the ship. We'll also pick you out a sword and pistol tomorrow and start training. If you're going to be aboard a pirate ship, you'll need to know how to fight."
I frowned a little. "Why do I need to know how to sword fight? I don't mind learning at all, in fact I've always wanted to, but why do I need to know that skill?"
"We've been attacked many times by other pirate ships and mermaids. If you plan on going into the City of the Dead with us, you're going to have to know how to use a sword. The mermen will especially target you." I groaned.
"Man and I thought I would have it easy."
Adonis suddenly turned very serious, "Emerald, if there is one thing you should know it's that life on a pirate ship is never easy."