"Captain Bloodaxe! I'll show the villain a thing or two!" Exclaimed Captain Cod.
Lee glared round at them. "Stay back! You're no match for a ghost." She advanced on Captain Bloodaxe.
Captain Bloodaxe sneered. "I'll carve your gizzard, green monster." The evil spirit raised his cutlass which glowed with a pale light in the moonlight.
The night-hag launched herself at the pirate ghost. But unlike other certain other members of Steel's spook agency, Captain Bloodaxe had been a skilled swordsman. Fast as Lee was, almost too fast for Karl's eye to see, he was able to swipe with the cutlass and score a long cut across the hag's bare arm. Karl gave a cry and would have started forwards if Cintia had not restrained him.
But the second time the pirate struck with his curved blade, Lee dodged and knocked the cutlass to the ground.
"This is not over…" hissed Bloodaxe. Both he and his cutlass faded from view.
Cintia released Karl and he hurried forward. "Mum, your arm…" Her cut on her arm was seeping a deep, grey ichor.
She smiled weakly, put her other arm around him and planted a kiss on his forehead with her cold lips.
"It will mend, my love."
Cintia looked at the cut, interested. "So your heart does beat? I mean, you are bleeding."
"It takes the supernatural to do these things to me," said Lee with a wry smile. "Or it takes unnatural things to affect an unnatural creature."
"Of course. Who knows what spook powers can really do…" Cintia pondered.
Karl kept his arms tight around his mother's waist and she stroked his hair. Her ichor stank like her normal body odour, only stronger.
"You've been sadly hurt, lass," said Captain Cod, hobbling over. "And you heard the villain. He'll be back. We better have a plan."
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00O00
Lee, Karl and Cintia sat around the Captain's conference table the next morning. Lee had dispensed with her disguise now, and her wounded arm was bandaged up. The morning sunlight streaming through the porthole shone off her green nose and cheeks as she smiled nervously around. The ships mates were all gazing at her in wonder.
"This brave gal has already sent the murderous phantom packing, but he'll be back. We all know the tales of Cap'n Bloodaxe!" said Captain Cod.
"A brave gal, and fine looking too, if green in the cheeks," said a guy with a scrubby brown beard. "Are ye married?"
"I – I…" stammered Lee, flicking a strand of her long red hair away from her face.
"Don't you know anything about night-hags?" said Cintia, wrinkling her freckled nose at him. "In Ostinia everyone has them so wrong that they have to live in hiding."
"Sad, but true," said Karl. "Even my Royal Father had them completely wrong."
Lee was looking at the table top, clearly uncomfortable.
"Yerse… that's Ostinia for you," said the crewman. "I understand the Ostinians are sending these murdering spooks about all willy-nilly. They don't care who gets in their way."
"Not Ostinians, but the horrible buggers in charge," snapped Cintia.
"Focus now!" Said Captain Cod, thumping the table.
Lee held up her long green hands. "Yes… please… let's not quarrel, hey? Captain Bloodaxe has returned, and I learned from the mermaids that the Sea Dragon has also risen again. The two must be connected."
There were murmurs from around the table at the mention of the Sea Dragon.
"I have seeped a number of pebbles in my own ichor," said Lee, holding up a little bag. "These may give us an edge."
"Oh, cool!" exclaimed Cintia.
"And please understand this," said Lee, turning her gaze on each of them in turn. "When either monster comes to the surface, you must let me fight them alone."
"Are ye saying we're afraid?" said the crewman with the scrubby beard.
"Don' be deaf and dumb, Shrimp," said Captain Cod. "We've no chance against spooks. Or dragons. Ye should trust this young lady, she clearly knows her stuff."
"T – Thank you, Captain, that's very kind of you to say," stammered Lee.
"And you know you need no disguise here. My ship is not Ostinia."
The night-hag laid her clammy green hand on his grizzled one. She gave him that very emotional look that she normally reserved for Karl. The one where she drew her brows together and her blue eyes glistened with tears. Karl wasn't sure what he thought of someone else getting it. And her voice quivered with emotion when she spoke. "Karl and I have been in hiding so long because of Steel… I guess I forgot how wonderful and caring the ordinary mortals are."
"Don't get carried away, this particular world is not made of fuzzy felts," snapped Cintia. "It's not like you could walk down the street in broad daylight in any country."
"Hush, don't spoil the moment," said Karl.
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00O00
It was night again and the Moon shone high in the sky, a ghostly galleon tossed on a sea of clouds, casting silvery light onto the sea around them. Lee stood on the deck with Twiggy the broom, her slick, green skin glistening in the moonlight. Her injured arm was still bandaged, but she had a pouch at her belt that she could reach into with her other hand.
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"I would expect the sea dragon to surface any time now," she said as she scanned the horizon with her keen eyes. Karl knew she could see at night better than any of them.
"I wish you didn't have to do these dangerous things," he said, putting his arms around her big, cold body.
She knelt and cupped his face in her clammy hands. Her blue eyes were wide and unblinking. "It's the way of things, Karl. I defend all of you on board. I can, so that makes it my responsibility, hey?"
Karl sniffed. Of course she would feel that way. "Wish I could actually help."
She gazed at him steadily. "You have helped already, Karl. Look what we have," she held up the broach Mel had presented to Karl. "An anti-dragon charm. Mel gave this to you because she can see you are charming and perfect. And it may be our best chance."
"Yeah, the giantess liked your beauty as well," said Cintia who was standing nearby. "Although she gave me nothing at all, so the fact that you are charming, and a boy all contributed."
There was a churning and bubbling in the water. The form of a huge serpent reared from the water, covered with iridescent blue and silver scales. A great wormy thing – but it had a pair of stubby legs and talons.
"So, the infamous Sea Dragon," said Cintia.
Lee straddled Twiggy, looking very solemn. She blew Karl a kiss and took off into the air.
There was a shimmering in the air above the Sea Dragon and Captain Bloodaxe appeared on its back, behind the crest on its scaly head.
"Tear the ship apart. Plunder and despoil. Kill them all," he hissed.
Lee chucked a pebble seeped in her ichor at the dragon. It gave a weird, drawn out hissing sound and reared, turning to the night-hag and opening wide its maw ringed with spiky teeth.
"You cannot win, unholy vermin," sneered Captain Bloodaxe.
Lee lifted the anti-dragon charm above her head as her long red hair streamed behind her. It glinted in the moonlight. Then she flung it into the Sea Dragon's gaping maw where it stuck.
At once, the beast roared and hissed and went rigid, collapsing back into the waves. The water churned and bubbled, and the ghostly forms of the mermaids rose to the surface, seizing the immobilised dragon and dragging it down.
The ghost of Captain Bloodaxe floundered in the water. "I have been shipwrecked before. I'll be back."
But then a ghostly blue light surrounded the pirate and spectral hands clutched at him.
"I think you will not be back, evil-doer. Your drowned victims want a piece of you after all this time," said Leevana grimly. "It's pretty much just the same as with the Sea Dragon, hey?"
Shouting in protest, Captain Bloodaxe was dragged underneath the waves.
The deck erupted in cheers.
"Yes!" Said Cintia, punching the air. "That's more than the goody-goody Baldar in the story could do. It takes a monster to destroy a monster."
"Monster? What do you mean, monster?" demanded Karl.
"Oh, don't complain, you're lucky to have a Mum like that. One who's a cool monster. My mum boring."
Leevana alighted on the deck and they all surrounded and congratulated her. Karl found he could not push through the knot of crewmen eager to offer their thanks first. The crewmen found Leevana too big and heavy to lift onto their shoulders, but they linked arms with her instead and led her to the mess hall where they all celebrated into the night. Karl and Cintia sat on either side of Leevana. In the middle of a crowd of mortals with no disguise, she looked at her most strange and larger-than-life. The light of the oil lamp shone off her green nose and cheeks and glinted off her red hair.
"I'm in charge of the kids, and they can't have anything strong," she declared.
"Aww…" said Cintia, wrinkling her freckled nose in semi-disgust.
"Of course not, lass. But ye'll drink a toast with us, won't ye?" said Captain Cod.
The night-hag's grey lips twitched to form a smile. She accepted a king sized tankard of something… was it rum? The crewmen only had mugs, but they were not of the giant kind.
Captain Cod raised a mug. "I toast to the day when all brave night-hags, like the lovely Leevana here, will find acceptance in our world."
Lee grinned, and when the crewmen raised their mugs and sipped from them, she downed the entire tankard in one go to scattered applause.
Captain Cod raised his woolly eyebrows "This rum is wicked strong. Are ye feeling alright?"
"Hm… maybe my little greenie finger is tingling a bit?" said Lee, winking at him. Cintia laughed out loud. Leevana brushed her long red hair away from her face. "I feel strongly about the toast, so I have to really drink to it. No half-hearted effort, hey?
However, after downing several tankards, Lee did show some signs of intoxication. Her green cheeks shone, as if with perspiration, and her speech was slurring. She started talking loudly about herself: "What's immortality worth?" she demanded, gazing blearily around. "Eternity gets so lonely … it made me wanna cry. So I lived with two night-hag sisters – but they don't need company like I do, so they couldn't quite help… not their fault."
The crew awwwwed. Karl hoped she wasn't going to say anything she would regret.
The hag waved the tankard in the air. "My sweet little Karl came and saved me from my loneliness. By being my son." She put her clammy green arm around him and leaned close. Her breath stank of the liquor.
Karl felt his face flushing. "Great, Mum."
She sniffed. Her eyes were wide and staring as she gazed into his. "You chose me, Karl. To be your mother. You stole my heart the minute you put your skinny little arms around me and squeezed so tight." Cintia smirked.
"Good on yer, Karl," said Captain Cod, and there were scattered cheers and they toasted Karl.
Leevana downed another tankard in one go. "I fly through the air… live forever… can fight ghouls and dragons … and be heroine of the hour…" she slurred, "but my dream was to be a housewife. Have a husband and kids… like the mortal ladies in the market place."
"That was your dream? Really?" said Cintia.
The night-hag glared at her. "I wanted to love and be loved. Is that weird, hey? Of course, Karl is with me now, and you won't leave me, will you Karl?"
"You're not keen for him to move out?" said Cintia smirking.
Karl blushed. "Of course I don't want to leave you, Mum."
She planted a kiss on his forehead, her face feeling really cold and oily against his. "You were always Mummy's good boy."
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00O00
When they neared the shore early the next morning, Leevana did unfortunately have to get back into her disguise, ready for when they arrived in the Rosewood Kingdom. She delayed a little while, wanting to hug Captain Cod goodbye, and each of his crewmen in turn. "It's been a greater pleasure being on your wonderful ship than I can ever say," she said, her voice quivering with emotion again.
"Good luck to ye all," said Captain Cod as the three of them tramped down the wooden ramp and onto the cobbled harbour. The gulls were clamouring and the little fishing boats were already about. The sun was barely up and there was a mist over the sea.
The ascertained that Karl's Grandmother, the Duchess of Rosewood, was in the main harbour city and would be attending a traditional Ostinian style ballet that night. Leevana was able to get a box for the three of them at the last minute by paying in gold.
Karl had butterflies in his stomach in a big way when they sat down. He gave a little start at the sight of his grandmother in a box at the far end of the theatre. It was hard to tell in the dim lighting, but she looked much smaller and older than he remembered. To be expected really, it had been ten years. "What if she doesn't remember me?" he whispered to Leevana.
"How could she ever forget you?" the night-hag murmured back, the lips of her mannequin mask moving uncomfortably.
"Yeah, she's not got dementia or anything, has she?" said Cintia.
All too soon it was the interval. Lee took Karl by the hand and rose to her feet. "It's time, my son. The two of you must be reunited. She led Karl around the purple carpeted passageway leading to the other box. The Duchess' box. The doors to this box were ornately carved with gilded handles.
"Now, Karl, you must see her first," said Lee.
"I – I can't."
"What d'you mean? What've we come all the way from Ostinia for?" demanded Cintia.
"Alright, Cintia…"
Leevana pulled off her mask with an unpleasant squelching sound, so that Karl could see her face. To see her green face again at this time made him feel safe and reassured. "Whatever happens, you'll always be my little Prince. They kissed and pressed their noses lightly together.
So this was it. After ten years, he would be reunited with his last royal relative. Karl pushed open the door and stepped over the threshold…