Chapters (71)
Having eaten, bathed and changed into a fresh kimono, Jack felt revived and was ready to face the challenges ahead. Between them, they’d agreed a plan to bide their time and observe the Wind Demons in their lair. They would study the pirates’ defences for weaknesses, use stealth to acquire weapons and provisions for the necessary sea voyage, and keep an eye out for a suitable boat to steal. Having travelled to Pirate Island in the dark of night, they also needed to discover their approximate location in the Seto Sea. Only then could they hope to make a realistic escape from the isolated isle.
The door opened. ‘Follow me, gaijin,’ ordered the guard gruffly.
Leaving his friends in the room, Jack was led on to the balcony. With the sun setting behind the citadel, the crater below had fallen into shadow. Torches were lit along the walkways, their flames looking like burning lava against the cliff walls. But it was the lagoon itself that bizarrely gave off the greatest light. The waters sparkled luminescent blue, swirling in dotted fans of light as if an entire galaxy of stars had dropped into the sea. The vision was truly magical and for a moment Jack could only stare in wonder.
‘Sea fireflies,’ said a voice from behind.
Jack turned to see a girl with short black hair, almond eyes and thin delicate lips. She wore a silk Chinese blouse of jade green, with a matching skirt embroidered with silver clouds.
‘That’s what Tatsumaki told me.’
Jack did a double take. ‘Is that you, Cheng?’
The girl nodded, then bowed. ‘Li Ling is my real name.’
‘We thought … you were dead …’ he said, flustered. ‘And a boy!’
Li Ling smiled apologetically. ‘I’m sorry to have deceived you, but I couldn’t risk telling anyone. Tatsumaki, though, saw straight through my disguise.’
‘But why pretend in the first place?’ asked Jack, getting over his initial shock.
‘I got the idea from Hua Mulan,’ Li Ling explained. When she saw that Jack had no idea whom she was talking about, she continued, ‘Mulan was eighteen when she joined the army disguised as a man. She fought for the Emperor for over ten years to become the greatest female warrior in China. We still sing of her exploits in the Ballad of Mulan. I wanted to be just like her – but as a pirate. And the Wind Demons would never have let me join their crew if they knew I was a girl.’
‘How wrong you were,’ said Tatsumaki, appearing from behind a billowing curtain. The Pirate Queen was robed in an ankle-length dress of red silk brocade, a golden Chinese dragon shimmering from the lower hem to the tip of her mandarin collar. ‘Now you know that girls make the greatest pirates of all.’
