Chapter 24: The Pirate City





That night, Roger found me and stayed by my side. He seemed to fully understand what happened and knew that I risked my life saving him. However, the silent war between the cat and the Skull intensified because of the incident. The Skull believed that everything that happened was completely Roger's fault. He said that Roger shouldn't sneak into someone's room at night and just stay in his little place on the ship. But the cat ignored him and licked its paws like he just stepped on something filthy.



And that night, too, he told me about the Pirate City and why the Obsidian needed to go back to that place. The Pirate City was where they were from when they got me from the pirates who kidnapped me. He said that he received good news while we were in the Forsaken Land – that what he had been looking for was probably in the Pirate City.



"The Pirate City? I've never heard of that in the mainland," I said, amused.



"It's the safest place for the pirates, and the most dangerous, too. Whenever we run out of supplies during our sail, we stop over in that place and trade something for what we need," he said.



"Just like in the mainland – whenever we travel to other places, we can get assistance from the ruling families of each land." However, unlike the Pirate City, it didn't seem to be that dangerous in the mainland.



He became silent for a while, and again, I was lost wondering about the things he was probably thinking at the moment. Maybe, I shouldn't talk about the mainland very often. I blinked when he suddenly looked at me in my eyes and I knew at that instant that I was just caught staring at him.



"Primrose, you must know that the Pirate City is a dangerous place for someone like you. It would be better if you just stay inside the Obsidian," he said in a serious tone.



I didn't know how dangerous the Pirate City would be for me but I could already feel the gravity of the situation. I was also curious about what a city in the middle of the ocean would be like. I nodded and promised that I would listen to what he had said. But he sighed and looked at me intensely again, and I knew that the conversation about the Pirate City was not over yet.



"There's another thing that I have to tell you," he started.



I braced myself for what he was about to say. The intensity of his grey eyes staring intently at me was tugging on my chest. My heart began to beat faster and I knew only his words would make me feel that way.



"When we were in the Forsaken Land, a pirate who came home from the Pirate City told me that what I had been looking for is actually in that place. He said that I could see her in the Pirate City."



At that moment, I forgot how to breathe – I forgot that my heart needed to beat. I suddenly felt suffocated and my lungs were desperate for air. In just a few seconds, things seemed to slow down and in silence, I heard clearly the loud shattering of my heart. I wondered if he could hear it, too.



"Oh, the woman you've been talking about," I said after letting out a deep breathe. I said I would listen to him, but right now I wished I didn't hear a thing. I said I would stay with him wherever he would go, but every step he took towards her was leaving my heart in sorrow. I said I would be brave in this pirate world, but a pirate city was enough to sink me deep into the sea. I loved him – but why was it so painful to stay in love with him?



He studied my face for a moment and answered, "The Mermaid."



I knew I should be laughing the moment I heard the word he used for that woman. However, even that kind of humor would never reach my heart at the moment. I tried to curve my lips but it only turned out into a fake smile.



"Seriously? A mermaid? You've been looking for a mermaid all this time? Can't you get any more ridiculous?"



I waited for him to let out a short laugh and tell me that he was just kidding around about the mermaid thing. But he didn't. He remained serious and that was enough to erase the fake smile on my face.



"Well, I believe in sea monsters. Maybe, mermaids do exist."



I could already feel my heart tightened inside my chest. What am I supposed to feel upon learning that the woman I've been jealous about all this time was a mermaid? Things were apparently getting more unbelievable.



"It's not what you're thinking. There's no tail, or gills, or breathing under the sea. You'll understand once we reached the Pirate City."



Suddenly, I lost interest in seeing the Pirate City. It sounded exciting before even though he said it was dangerous for me. But right at the moment, it appeared lame and dark and I silently wished that we didn't have to go there.



"We'll have a long day tomorrow taking the other route so we don't have to pass the Borgian Island again. You have to sleep and rest now for your wounds to heal fast."



How could he expect me to sleep after hearing what I had heard? Maybe I would spend the rest of the night overthinking silently in my cabin. It would be a long night for me putting salt on my wounded heart. I smiled faintly at him and leaned on the railing. This time, I didn't fake it. This smile was real, though it was a sad one.



"I would like to stay a little bit longer here. Don't worry; I'll go to my cabin as soon as I feel cold," I said, which I translated as, 'I would like to be alone. Don't worry; I'll go to my cabin to continue being in solitary'.



"If that's what would make you feel better," he said. I wished I could tell him that nothing in this world would make me feel better right now. "Don't jump in the ocean, I don't want to dive again in cold water," he added before leaving.



Somehow, the idea of him saving me if ever I fall again into the sea was warming. But it wasn't enough to heal completely a sick heart. It was aching at the moment and I wished I could just rip my chest open, tear it out and throw it away if it meant throwing away the pain. But I couldn't. I could just stand here and endure it hoping that this cold night would numb it. But I knew that the wound was so deep and even though I would put a bandage on it right now, I was sure that it would be cut open again in the coming days. Trying to heal it would be useless, I just had to learn and get used to it.



The strong wind blew colder and I knew I had to go back inside my cabin. He said we would have a long day when my long night already started. I would probably spend hours thinking what the Pirate City looked like; or who this mermaid was. Was she really a mermaid? Was she more beautiful than me; smarter than me; or even better than me? Why did the Skull have to cross the whole ocean just to find her? I didn't really want to see her, but somehow, I wanted to know her. I wanted to understand why the Skull chose her. I wanted to know why Threy Weston would leave his comfortable life in the West Land and follow her.



I was already near the door of my cabin when I saw Captain Drakon walking on the aisle. He gave me a kind smile when he saw me which I returned and waited for him to approach my direction. He was carrying something that was covered in black cloth and I was wondering what that could be.



"It's a cold evening, Captain Drakon," I greeted when he finally stood in front of me.



"Indeed, it is. There's no warmer route to the Pirate City," he said.



I silently nodded and was about to continue to my door when he spoke again. "Imara seemed to be really fond of you so she wanted me to give you this." He gave me the thing he was holding. I untangled the ribbon and I could almost feel my face lighted up when I saw a brown-covered yellow notebook and a pen. This set was definitely a treasure for me in the middle of the sea.



"Oh! I don't know how to thank her enough. She's the loveliest!"



I knew I just said that nothing in this world would make me feel better right at the moment. But this small thing was promising to help me in my loneliness. It was almost saying that it would help me keep sane.



"She always wanted to have a daughter; someone who could stay with her. She understands the choices we made but it doesn't mean that I'm not aware of the sadness in her eyes whenever we leave. We all had sacrificed, and I'm sure that she had the greatest one."



I could almost feel the sadness in his voice when he talked about Imara. I knew that they chose to be pirates to help their people. Being a pirate was like being a hero in the Forsaken Land. They thought highly of them and they believed that these pirates would save them. But they were also just humans. They also had their stories. They had their families they chose to leave just to save them.



"I know that she'll always wait for you to come home. And maybe, the time will come when no one needs to be a pirate. No one needs to kill and sacrifice. I am still hopeful for that time," I said.



He nodded and I knew by the crease on his forehead that he doubted the idea but then, he somehow wanted to believe in it. He wished for it to be true. I immediately got inside my cabin when we parted and opened the blank pages of the notebook. This is where I would write all my pain. This is where I would draw the door for a temporary escape. And yes, it was still a long sleepless night.



I was able to finally close my eyes sometime at dawn and refused to have breakfast in the morning. And despite the feeling of the waves rocking my bed, I was able to sleep through the day. When I woke up, it was almost evening and I decided to have my early dinner and also my first meal of the day. Erasmus helped me on getting my food and even joined me so I didn't have to eat alone. All the pirates seemed to be busy with their posts. They were trying to arrive faster at the Pirate City.



When night came, my feet almost carried me to the deck of the Obsidian. My heart obviously knew that I would find the Skull in there. It definitely missed his presence, the sound of his voice, the coldness of his grey eyes – I missed him. But I stopped it. I was able to stop it and turned the knob of my door and locked myself inside. I had already burned myself yesterday and my wounds weren't healed yet to burn myself again. I should stop getting near the fire for now. No matter how cold it was, I must stop getting near him.



I was writing again almost the whole night. I remembered the Pirate Song they were singing when we left the Forsaken Land and I found myself writing some lines. I wished I could hear this song again. No matter how sad it was, I wished to listen to it once more. I couldn't remember when my body surrendered to the cold night for when I finally woke up, I could hear the loud sound of engines, the crashing of the waves against the body of the ship, and people outside my cabin. I sat up on my bed and put the notebook on the table. Maybe, it would be better for me to breathe some air. I was also curious about whatever was happening outside.



Louder voices and engines welcomed me when I opened the door. I padded towards the main deck and when I was finally out in the open, I halted. I held my breath at what I saw. There was a huge and grand ship in the middle of the sea, probably triple the size of the Obsidian or even larger that, and it was surrounded by numbers of well-armed pirate ships that seemed to be connected with each other through rope ladders. The Pirate City was floating in the middle of the ocean, indestructible by the waves, unbeatable by the strong winds. It was almost impossible for me to believe that a place like this could exist amidst the sea. But it was there, and people in those ships seemed to be living normally like their city was just located on some firm land. But it wasn't. And right at that moment, I felt the curiosity for the Pirate City built up inside me.