Sirius sent one team off to replenish the supply of garlic. The other was supposed to be gathering bananas to sell at the next port.

Sirius pointed to Amanda and then at the banana trees. “You help out here, and watch out for snakes. Don’t walk through the long grass.”

Amanda did help for a few hours. She waited at the bottom of the trees to catch the bunches the more nimble members of the crew threw down. Then when the pile was big enough she moved them to the dinghy. As the load on the dinghy’s got higher some of the men started rowing them back to the ship.

Amanda stopped for a short break and a bite to eat as some of the others had done. There was a barrel of water for them to drink from as well. She admired the diligence of the crew, even with their captain away supervising, or perhaps helping with the garlic gathering. They certainly were much faster than she was. Most of them were big blokes, capable of carrying several bunches at once. Amanda just didn’t have the arm-span, and she lacked the height and nimbleness needed for tree climbing like the more wiry members of the crew. She wasn’t a bad rock-climber but banana trees were a whole new branch. She was curious about the snakes though. And she found herself wandering inland a little more. Maybe she could find the fresh water Sirius had mentioned. She’d grabbed two of the containers they’d brought with them and carried them along with her to refill.

The grass was calf height but sparse so she didn’t think much of it to walk through that stuff slowly. The clumpier patches she avoided. It didn’t take her long to see some of the snakes. The first one was the hardest but once she’d spotted that one she suddenly realised she’d been surrounded by them the whole time. They blended in well with the speckled soil. They moved fast too. She was surprised she hadn’t noticed them earlier.

She stood still for awhile and observed. They mostly kept away if she made enough noise but when she stood still they slithered closer. When she started moving again one she hadn’t seen shot forward and latched it’s fangs into her boot. It made no hole however, for her boots were made of a thick leather, tough enough to withstand the stomp of a horse’s foot. No tiny weak little deadly snake was getting through there. She was glad her boots covered the lower half of her ankles too for the snakes seemed to keep low. Even though her ankles were also wrapped in thick cloth she trusted her boots more.

Now that she had gotten a good look at them she was certain they were the snake from her sister’s book. She tried to remember what else it had said about them. There had been a few useful notes she was sure. Habitat, identification, personality of the snake, effects of the poison, antidotes? Had there been an antidote? She was sure Lizzy would have remembered, biology was her favorite thing. Book learning had never been Amanda’s forte. She’d had fun the day they’d dissected the frogs though. She preferred to get her knowledge from experience. Unfortunately since she’d never encountered this snake in real life her memory of the book would have to do. As she thought about it she kept her eyes peeled and admired the environment around her. Bright coloured birds talked in the trees, some words she could swear were almost in her own language. She made her way further in. She thought she could hear water up ahead and smell the faint but horrifically pungent smell of the versot plant wafting on the breeze. If she could find that then she could be useful that way too. They needed it to lure the beetles. Would it work? She wasn’t sure. The beetles did have a very good sense of smell so maybe. It was an interesting idea.

Soon she came upon the source of the smell and it wasn’t the weed. Something, perhaps a monkey had died recently and something else had gotten in past the flesh. Guts had been spilled to the sky and spread across several metres of ground.

Amanda wrinkled her nose and continued on, taking note to avoid this area on the way back. She was so busy keeping an eye out for more monkey guts and snakes that she almost completely missed the real versot weed hiding beneath a tall tree not far past the marmalade monkey. Perhaps it hadn’t been just the monkey she’d been smelling then.

Careful to watch for any snakes she got her hands in near the base and harvested the large seed pods, and then the stinky flowers that grew almost half her height. The stalks were long but just thin enough to snap with a bit of force. She could have burnt her way through if she had too but she didn’t want to return with scorched stalks.

Carrying the stalks under one arm she continued onward determined to find the source of the water she could hear. As she walked her thoughts drifted and she was reminded once more of home. She wondered if her parents missed her. She was sure they did. They must have been worried. Did they have any idea where she has gone? Her dad knew the barman she’d asked for information. He’d probably deduce she’d been chasing the pegasus. Yes he would worry but she also knew that he trusted her to look after herself. He would know she was alright and he would console her mother. Besides, they still had Lizzy to keep them company.

Now her fears around her parents worries had been satiated she turned her thoughts to the pegasus still on the ship. She hadn’t pressed Sirius about it any more yet but she knew that it probably hated being cooped up. Perhaps once they got back to the ship she could talk him into letting it have a fly. She thought about what she might say to convince him all the way to the lake. She didn’t realise she had found it until she almost walked right into it. It was the change from soil to sand beneath her feet that drew her attention.

Movement nearby on the forest floor drew her eye and she watched a larger blue snake slide under a bush. That one she recognised too. Mostly harmless, wouldn’t bite and that one hadn’t been large enough to constrict a human yet. She’d have to keep an eye out for bigger ones though, these ones could get large. Lucky for her she knew them to be territorial so given she’d seen one it was unlikely she’d see another, even if it had been a juvenile.

She stopped and looked around This pool hadn’t been the source of the sound she’d heard and evidently she’d gone the wrong way for it was almost silent here. A stream flowed in from almost the direction she’d come from, only further up the hill so maybe there was a waterfall upstream that she’d walked by. The water was a pleasant turquoise blue and clear as glass near the edges. Further in it darkened quickly and she suspected that its waters ran deep. Maybe even enough to go for a good dive. She’d tried scuba diving a few years back. Their school had an active outdoor club once. One particularly enthusiastic teacher who had volunteered to take small groups on easy but adventurous trips several times a year. Technically the club was still there but Amanda had long since outgrown it. A little over a year ago, while on a trip with her father selling pegasi further north she’d met a diving instructor who’d offered her some more advanced lessons. Her father had had other jobs to do that week so Amanda had spent a week learning how to cave dive while he was off making his deals.

The dark blue unknown of the pool enticed her in. She had no equipment for a proper dive but a swim appealed all the same. Besides she hadn’t showered yet and was longing for a good wash, especially one that wasn’t a sponge bath.

She filled up the water containers first, only realising her mistake once they were both brim to the top with fresh water. Empty they’d weighed nothing but full each must have been a good 40 or 50 kg. One she could lift with both hands but two she knew she was going to struggle with, especially given she had the versot plant to carry too. Well she had time to think about it. Either she could come back for one later or she could just empty some of the water out and return with a reduced capacity. Right now though the pool was beckoning.

With a quick glance around to check she was still alone she stripped down to nothing. She even removed her boots, checking for nearby snakes as she did. They all seemed to be sticking to the cover of the grass and leaves and staying off the beach. She hesitated a moment and then removed the cloth wrapping around her legs as well. There weren’t any snakes in the water, at least not those ones, and none at all in the shallows that she could see.

She walked in slowly, savoring the feel of fresh water washing away the layer of salt that had gathered over her skin during the last day or so. She decided being at sea was like being in the desert, no matter how frequently you washed you were soon covered in sweat or salt or dirt. The water was warmer than the air, warmer than the sea by Little Rock, even though they’d gone further south, at least she thought they had. They must have because she knew the waters to the north. But she supposed it was possible they’d gone almost direct east. Still given the time they’d been travelling and with a guess at ship speed she figured to hit land she was unfamiliar with they had to have gone south in some direction or maybe ever around the west. The weather did not always follow the rules of longitude though. There were pockets she knew, affected by magic and weather elementals, so it was possible it was only warmer here because it was colder elsewhere.

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She walked in up to her waist, her mind now busy trying and failing to plot courses on a map she just didn’t know well enough. When the water hit her ribs she sprung forward and ducked underneath. She swam out over the hole and admired the unknown depths beneath her. She dove down as far as she dared without someone else supervising, but the bottom escaped her vision. It remained a dark elusive blue. So she surfaced and she floated for awhile on her back, eyes staring up at an unfamiliar sky, just as deep and unreachable as the pool beneath her. Once more she thought of the pegasus. In her mind she could almost see him fly overhead.

She swam back to the shallows when she started to worry that she just might fall asleep. There she wallowed in perfect contentment as the sun chased the shadows around the trees.

Eventually she glanced at the sky and realised exactly how far the sun had moved. Time to head back. A knot of guilt formed in her stomach as she thought of all those men hard at work while she’d been doing nothing but relaxing. She took one more dive under before starting to make her way out of the water.

She was half way out when she noticed a figure by the edge of the pool. She immediately dropped back into the pool and then covered herself with her hands, remembering a little too late how clear the water was.

Sirius spun to face the other way and said quickly, “The men said you disappeared ages ago. I came looking. We’re about to head off soon.” He paused silent for a moment then added “And I didn’t see anything, I only just arrived at the pool as you were getting out.” He sounded sincere although there was no doubt he had definitely seen something even if it had just been a glimpse. He’d been frozen standing there and Amanda hadn’t dropped into the water that fast.

“Right, well maybe you could move to the side a little, you’re standing right by my clothes.”

He glanced down at the pile. “Ah, I’ll go over here then.” He moved to the side several paces and faced away from her and her clothes.

Watching to make sure he didn’t peek Amanda made a swift exit from the pool and grabbed the garments. She spared another glance his way but he kept his eyes averted. She shook herself dry as best she could and then got dressed. Once the majority of her was covered she started to explain. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to spend so long in the pool. I came to get water, and then I found the versot weed.” She pointed.

Noticing that he still hadn’t turned around she added, “It’s alright, I’m dressed now.”

He turned around his eyes immediately finding the versot weed. She watched as his eyebrows shot up and then narrowed as he spied the two water jugs.

“How exactly were you planning on carrying both of these back by yourself?” he asked.

“I’m stronger than I look,” Amanda deadpanned as she pulled on a sock.

It took him a moment longer than it should have to meet her eyes and she realised when he finally did he was blushing. But he soon shook the colour off.

Then he studied her face. Finally deducing that she was joking he smiled.

She couldn’t help but smile in return. “Truth be told I didn’t think about it until I had them both filled,” she admitted. “Physics wasn’t my strong suit.”

He nodded. “I can carry them. You take the weed.”

As Amanda re-wrapped the cloth around her ankles Sirius walked over to the water containers and picked them both up like they were nothing.

“Are you…” she started and then stopped. She had almost asked him if he was a strongarm but then he might ask her what her powers were in return and she wasn’t ready to answer that question. She supposed she could pick something mundane and non-useful. She was struggling to think of something that couldn’t cause trouble one way or another though. Her first thought was bad psychic (which most were) but psychics, even bad ones, were relatively rare and still pretty coveted. Dreamwalker was her next thought but many dreamwalkers were good at moving objects through the dreamspace and all but the worst could deliver a message to another sleeper. What if they asked her to send a message. A sensor of some sort might work, maybe super hearing, but then they might think she knew things she couldn’t possibly have heard. So she gave up trying to think of one and kept her mouth shut.

“Am I what?”

She shook her head as she pulled on one shoe. “Never mind.”

He studied her for awhile as she picked up the versot plant and then he asked, “What was your strong suit?”

Amanda returned a questioning look.

“Before, you said physics wasn’t your strong suit. What was your strong suit?”

Amanda thought about it a moment. “Biology I guess, and computers.” She’d been good at spells too although she left that one off least it draw his attention back to magic and the question of powers. Besides, school only really covered spellcraft at a high level, not the the depths which she’d explored it and spellcraft was somewhat controversial.

He seemed like he wanted to ask something and Amanda worried that question had been aimed at trying to figure out what her powers were without asking directly. “And outdoor stuff I guess, except running, and anything that involved physical exertion without some kind of purpose,” she added with a smirk.

He gave a chuckle. “So..?”

“Horses, ropes, diving, shooting, I wasn’t too bad at shooting. Do you ever dive?” Amanda asked.

“Dive?”

She nodded back towards the pool. “That pool is awful deep, probably hides plenty of treasures.”

He gave her a puzzled look. “We have diving equipment on the ship. If another ship goes down sometimes we salvage the contents. But we’d never dive something like that hole. This isn’t some pirate story, people don’t hide treasure in places like that.”

“I think you’d be surprised,” Amanda replied, reminded of a set of ruins she’d once visited and which were supposed to contain piles of stashed gold within. Not that anyone had ever found it. “But I didn’t mean that kind of treasure. I meant the wonder of the undiscovered, you know, going somewhere just to see what’s out there.” She finished strapping her ankles and they slowly began their walk back.

Sirius thought about it for a moment as they walked. He nodded in understanding. “I think that’s why I sailed off to sea in the first place. Just to see what’s out there, and if it was better than…” he trailed off.

“Better than?”

Sirius didn’t answer.

They walked in silence for a several paces.

Amanda studied his solemn face but didn’t say anything more. Eventually he glanced over at her and noticed that she was studying him.

Their pace was slow and something about the peaceful calm of the jungle must have made him feel comfortable. Or perhaps it was the look in Amanda’s eyes that promised no judgment. Whatever it was he answered, “Better than home.”

“And was it? Amanda asked softly, not missing a beat.

“Yes,” came the quiet but firm reply.

There was something else there though. A hesitation just at the end. That was the truth but it was incomplete. Amanda wondered at it but she didn’t ask, not even with her eyes this time. For now she let it be.

“How do you know when another ship goes down?”

He gave her a sideways look. She recognised some level of surprise there as well as a measure of relief and uncertainty. Perhaps he’d expected more personal questions instead of a change of topic. The expression disappeared a moment later replaced by a more impassive look.

“Sometimes, if there’s survivors they sell the information. Other times the approximate whereabouts are known based on where a ship last disappeared and it’s the luck of who finds her. Whether or not she’s worth looking for depends on what she’s carrying.”

“So you are pirates?” Amanda wondered.

He frowned. “More like scavengers.”

She laughed at that. “I would have thought that was worse?” Amanda thought of the way folks often talked of vultures but Sirius seemed to prefer the word.

He shrugged. “Pirates murder for that which isn’t theirs. Scavengers make use of that which wasn’t otherwise being used.”

“Unless someone else finds it at the same time,” Amanda replied, knowing somewhat the nature of ship scavenging but never having observed it herself.

“Yes, well…” he paused there and she could see the frustration in his face.

“It’s alright, I get it, you don’t kill unless you have to. Defense only, no offense.”

“We haven’t always,” he replied, quieter.

Amanda glanced over at him surprised. The dislike she was sensing from him with regards to piracy and offensive violence didn’t fit with that answer. But he didn’t seem happy about it.

“The old crew, before I became captain.” He shook his head and gave a sigh. “It’s why I became captain.” He wasn’t meeting her eyes and she could sense anger but it seemed directed at himself. Some internal fight seemed to be writhing within him. She watched him struggle unsure if she should offer a life raft or what one might look like.

“But you don’t anymore,” she said more than asked, and in a measured tone.

She watched as his shoulders relaxed. “No,” was the simple reply.

They were quiet for a moment or two and then he picked up the conversation again.

“What were you going to do with the pegasus?”

Now it was Amanda’s turn to be surprised by the direction of conversation. Bringing up the pegasus gave her an open to broach the same topic, something she thought he would have avoided. She had to hand it to him, he was direct.

“Train him, sell him, to the right buyer mind you. Some people just want them as a chained pet, but they need to be flown regularly.” She emphasized that sentence and watched for any change in his facial expression. There was something there but she couldn’t quite read it. He was listening at least. That was good enough for now. “Some of the Aristocrats keep them for decoration. I don’t mind that so much as long as they exercise them and generally look after them. But there’s also the air corps a few valleys over. They use them for search and rescue, delivery, and drop offs in the dragon infested zones.”

“Dangerous work,” Sirius observed.

Amanda nodded but added, “Safer than a chopper.”

“I thought they used balloons.”

“Some do. But pegasi are easier to steer and faster to maneuver. You can’t carry as much but…” she trailed off with a shrug. “We sell quite a few to the Ivory coast. They’re basically daily transport there.”

“The cliff people.” Sirius nodded.

“You’ve been there, I didn’t think you could sail…”

He shook his head, “No, and you can’t, the ocean’s too rocky, but I’ve heard of them.” He smiled. “I always thought the name funny, bit of a phantonym.”

“A what?”

He opened his mouth to reply but just as he spoke a loud scream shattered the air.