Tales of the Caravan Read online

  "The rain looks good on you." Said the gunner.

  Sarah snapped her head toward him. She hadn't noticed how close the gunner had approached her. The gunners were easy enough to identity. Nearly all of them wore green leather outfits, with long white capes. This one stunk of dark brew, and his leather jacket squeaked as he leaned against a wooden pillar. With a dark and bruised hand, he brushed the front of his hair back. He then bit his lip, as his brown eyes focused on her green ones.

  "I should leave without a jacket more often then." Said Sarah, rolling her eyes.

  She didn't come to flirt, and she especially wasn't interested in gunners. They were licensed bounty hunters for the empire, and one of the reasons she was stuck on this island in the first place. The gunner near her appeared to be a rookie, with no commemorative medals pinned to his outfit.

  "Don't be like that gorgeous," he persisted. His eyes were glued on her toned stomach, her tank top left a bare sliver of her tan skin exposed. "I have diamonds if you want, how's fifty silver sound?"

  He reached to touch her navel and felt a sharp pain in his wrist. Sarah had sensed his movement and grabbed him. Her long, black ponytail whipped and sprayed water onto the wall behind her. His panicked face looked down at her fierce glare. She must be in a caravan, he thought, how else could a woman be this strong?

  "I wouldn't kiss your little friend if it spat out diamonds." She said.

  "My apologies," his face went red from the pain. "I thought you were a lover from the island."

  Lovers were people who sold their bodies in exchange for diamonds. The assumption was understandable, but unwanted. Sarah tightened her grip a bit more, and watched the gunner as he struggled to move. Clink! She followed the sound, and found the other gunner had approached.

  "Listen Miss, no hard feelings," said the bounty hunter, he pressed a hand over his green leather jacket and bowed his head. His finger pointed toward a glittering diamond on their table. "There's a gold diamond for you, alright? Drinks are on us tonight."

  "Does your ship have a medic?" She asked, her eyes were low and just above a squint.

  "Yeah?" His face scrunched and edged back.

  "Good."

  A loud snap caused the man to flinch. His partner yelped and held onto his broken wrist with a trembling hand. The drunks nearby laughed and threw peanuts against the gunner's backs. Sarah turned away from them and tilted her head toward the door.

  "Get out."

  The man left with his sobbing partner, and mumbled some ill words as the door slammed behind them. The drunks clapped and cheered. It was no secret. The commoners on Crescent Island disliked anyone affiliated with the empire. Sarah took the gold diamond and kissed it, the sharp mint taste and tingle on her tongue proved it was authentic. Though faking empire currency was punishable by death, it didn't stop the black market from trying.

  "You're a tough little lady, aren't you?" Asked a rough voice. Sarah looked over at the octagon table, one of the gamblers nodded toward an empty chair. "Go on, we got room for one more."

  She smirked and pocketed the gold diamond. The gambler passed her a frosty beer as she took a seat. His gold teeth gleamed from the ceiling lamp above them.

  "Jamie Williker is the name," said the gambler. "I own this fine establishment. Although we’ve got a ‘no woman policy’ from the emperor, I’ll throw you an exception. You got spunk, kid. What do they call you?"

  He set several red-back cards onto the table and passed the others around. Jamie was to her left, a man in a blue overcoat was to her right, and in front of her was a shaggy haired man, with a rather pointy nose.

  "My name’s Sarah Dreamstead," she took a sip of her beer and faced Jaime. "So, what are you boys playing?"

  "Jack's Knife," said the shaggy haired man, he smiled and showed his white teeth didn’t need gold to gleam. "If the lady wants to leave now, she can."

  Sarah sniffed and swooped up her ten cards from the table, Jaime evened out the remaining twelve cards at the center.

  "That one there is Mylo," said Jaime, spreading the cards in his hands like a fan. He looked over and nodded at the man dressed in blue. "That quiet one over there doesn't speak, so don't ask."

  Sarah could feel Mylo's dark, beady eyes staring at her. She looked up and saw a smirk curve on the side of his face.

  "So, what caravan are you in?" Asked Mylo. "An ordinary commoner doesn’t show up a gunner like that. It ain't the Moon Dragons, I know that much. They don't let any girls into their ranks."

  "I'm not in a caravan anymore," said Sarah. "I'm trying to get enough diamonds to start a new one."

  "You?" Mylo's laughter caused him to fall back onto his chair. "A woman starting a caravan?"

  "That's bold of you, Miss." Said Jaime, looking impressed.

  "Aww cut the shit, Jaime," Mylo’s smile was wide as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "Give it to her straight. A caravan with a woman at the helm? Good luck finding any men willing to join you."

  "That won't be a problem," Sarah retorted, calmly. "I'm not looking for men to join. Can't trust someone who thinks with the wrong head."

  She successfully wiped off his smug look. Jaime laughed, as Mylo chewed his tongue and gazed back at his cards. The man in the blue looked over toward Sarah. She turned to face him, but he had already buried his face behind his cards.

  "Alright you two, let's start," said Jaime. "Dealer's left goes first."

  Mylo reached his hand out, and took one of the cards in the center. Jack's Knife was all about completing a stack of four cards. Red Hearts, Black Spades, Black Clubs and Red Rubies. A stack required a card from each suit, and no more than two cards in a stack could be played per round. Mylo stacked two kings, a ten, and a six. Each player was allowed three zones to make a stack, she knew he would try to finish his stack of kings quickly.

  "Your move lockjaw." Said Mylo, toward the man in blue.

  The silent man took a card from the pile and placed his cards down. An ace, a two, and a five. Three cards, Sarah thought to herself, he must have a bad hand. A player could play up to four cards in any given round, playing three was a sign the man had no stacks to make. The man nodded toward Sarah, she promptly looked down and placed her cards. Two queens, a seven, and a three.

  She breathed evenly. Sarah didn't want to show them any concern. She had no Jack's in her hand, a card crucial to the game. Four Jacks were in the center pile, she simply had to draw one on her next turn.

  "Dealer bets." said Jaime, he picked a small pile of silver diamonds and pushed them forward. "Fifty silver ones."

  Her face tensed up as she stared at her cards. She only had one queen in her hand, and a seven to make a play. She held back the urge to sigh, the cards she needed could be in the pile, or in someone's hand. I need this, she thought to herself. She counted twenty-five gold diamonds to match Jamie's bet, Mylo and the man in blue did the same.

  Jamie made his play. Two nines, a four, and an eight. He passed to Mylo. A king, two tens and a five. The man in blue went next, he swiftly put down a five and ended his turn. Jaime shook his head, while Mylo snorted. Is he bluffing? Sarah thought, failing to read the expression on the silent man’s face. She went on and finished her turn. A queen and a seven. Jaime then sucked his teeth and placed his hand face down.

  "I'm throwing in the towel, boys," he turned to Sarah and bowed his head. "And lady."

  Their game caught the attention of the drunks, whom all watched eagerly over their mugs of rum.

  "How many diamonds you got, captain?" Asked Mylo.

  "Seventy-five gold ones." Replied Sarah.

  "Well then, let's see if you're lucky tonight." Mylo dropped a pouch near the wagered diamonds.

  The pouch was enchanted, as most were, to show how many diamonds were inside. Mylo’s pouch had 75G etched onto it, as if it were written in white light. It was a high bet, but there was no going back. Sarah pushed the rest of her diamonds forward. She kept her face calm
and ignored the tightness in her chest. To her surprise, the man in blue matched their bet. Mylo looked at the man, with both shock and amusement.

  "You must be a Royal," said Mylo. "No way you'd put out diamonds for a shitty stack like that."

  The man in blue said nothing, he merely extended his pale hand toward Mylo for him to proceed. Mylo scoffed and made his play. He moved his hand toward the king pile, but was cut off. The man in blue placed a Jack on top of the kings and blocked the stack. Mylo fumed through his nose, his eyes darted back and forth as he thought of what to do. He then finished his move and placed a ten to finish his other stack.

  "Stack of tens," said Jaime. "Not bad."

  "What you got, blue?" Mylo sneered.

  The man placed down another five and ended his turn. Sarah was next. She took a card from the pile and felt her heart jump, it was the queen! She reached toward her queen stack and heard a loud slam. Mylo knocked his beer over to throw down his Jack, he then looked toward Sarah and gave her a smug grin.

  "Down goes the queen!" He shouted.

  His laughter made her sick to her stomach. All of those diamonds…gone. It would take her years to earn them back again. The man in blue then rose from his chair, and left just one card in his hand. He reached over to Sarah's pile and revealed another Jack.

  "Long live the queen," he told her in a deep voice. He slipped his Jack underneath Mylo's and flicked it off her pile. "Jack Knife!"

  Sarah was so excited she had forgotten how to breathe. Her shaky hands dropped everything, but the queen, and slammed it down.

  "Stack of queens!" Jamie shouted, with his gold smile stretched wide. "That's a win for the young lady."

  He slid the large pile of gold and silver diamonds toward Sarah. Her heart felt as though it would bash through her chest. Two hundred gold diamonds were enough for a dragun! She could finally buy one and sail off the island. Mylo glared at her and slammed his fist down, with his brows clenched between his eyes.

  "What the hell are you two doing?" Mylo demanded, his eyes darted between her and the man in blue. "Was this a set up?"

  "I don't even know him." Sarah retorted.

  "Cut the shit," Mylo took the pistol from his side and aimed it toward her face. "Slide me back my diamonds, now!"

  "How about you kiss my ass?" Sarah's face was calm, but she could feel her chest getting tighter. "Maybe I'll give you a diamond back."

  Mylo’s gun let out a fiery roar. The sound of the pistol departed, and was replaced with whispers from the drunks. All of them gawked and pointed toward the gamblers table. The bullet stood suspended in the air, with a blue hue around it. Sarah stared at the ball of lead with widened eyes. Her gaze turned toward Jamie, who glared intensely at the bullet. His blue eyes glowed brightly through his gold bangs.

  Jamie closed his eyes and the bullet fell onto the table. Mylo gawked at the bullet for a moment, till he felt a crushing blow behind him. One of drunks had snuck toward his back, and shattered a bottle over his head. Mylo's forehead hit the edge of the table before he crumpled to the floor. The drunk looked at Sarah, and gave her a smile with hardly any teeth.

  "I'll happily accept that diamond, Miss." Said the drunk, as he bowed his pale, bald head.

  Sarah laughed and tossed him a gold diamond. The man then turned to the other drunks with his fists in the air, all of them cheered and clanked their mugs together. I can't believe it worked, Sarah thought. She turned to thank the man in blue, but he had disappeared through the commotion. Her eyes shifted toward Jaime, he gave her a wink and tilted his head toward the door. The two of them exited the pub and left the drunks to celebrate.

  To Sarah's relief, the storm had quietly passed. She looked up at the night sky. The moon had the faintest hint of blue, and was half buried over a massive purple cloud. Jaime walked by and led her to a quiet spot, an alleyway between the pub and the townhouse next-door.

  "Ha! You did well in there, Dreamy." Said Jaime.

  His gnarled hand reached into the pocket of his black overcoat. He pulled out a cigar and stuck it in his mouth. Sarah reached into her pocket and tossed him a small grey pouch, inside contained a hundred silver diamonds.

  "We got him good," she replied, cheerfully. "And thanks, for blocking that bullet for me."

  "What's the point of a Secreto if you don't use it?" Said Jaime, as he lit his cigar.

  A Secreto was something Sarah had always wanted to possess. Not having one was considered unacceptable in some of the more successful caravans, something Sarah knew all too well. She hid her pain with a smirk and reached for another grey pouch, this one contained fifty gold diamonds.

  "Here," Sarah tossed the pouch over to Jaime. "This is for your friend, and tell him I said thanks. I need the rest to buy my dragun, but tell him I'll send another hundred diamonds over when I can."

  Jaime blew a stream of smoke into air, he then tossed the pouch back to Sarah. "Sorry, Dreamy," he said. "That guy ain't one of mines. Guess he really was a Royal then."

  "What?" Sarah scrunched her face and edged her head back. "He wasn't with you, why didn't you tell me?"

  "We needed a fourth," replied Jamie, simply. "Plus, I thought he was part of your plan," the pub owner laughed at the look of confusion on Sarah's face and patted her shoulder. "Cheer up, kid. You should be happy. Looks like you got an angel looking out for you."

  Jamie went on his way and left her alone. She could still hear his raspy cough echo from the other end of the alleyway. After a moment alone, Sarah stepped onto the street and walked toward the southern bay. Crescent Island was named for the shape of it, a crescent moon. The southern tip was her favorite place to be, it was also the closest she could be to her true home.

  She reached the tip of the island and stared out toward the sea. She could hear the whales breaching in the distance, and the thrashing of waves pressed against the cliff below. Her hand reached down and felt the bulge in her pockets. The edges of the diamonds massaged the center of her palm.

  It wasn't a dream. Tomorrow she'd finally get off the island and travel the world.

  "Hey there." Said a voice.

  Sarah turned away from the sea and saw the man in blue. His height was something she hadn’t noticed clearly back at the pub. She stood at five and a half feet, but the man was a whole foot taller than her. His hands were behind his back, and he seemed to sway a bit. He looked to be nervous of her.

  "You finally showed up," said Sarah, reaching for the grey pouch in her pocket. "I need the rest to get off the island, but I promise I'll pay you back."

  "That's why I'm here," said the man. "I want to ask if I can join your caravan."

  "Heh. Look, I appreciate you helping me out," replied Sarah. "And don't get me wrong, I don't have any grudge against men or anything. I just need to make this caravan my way, and that means keeping it…banana free."

  The man in blue giggled, his deep voice changed into a feminine one. "I'm not a man."

  She took her top hat and overcoat off, revealing a red laced shirt and black shorts underneath. The woman transformed in front of Sarah's eyes. The color of her pupils changed from brown to blue. Her crusty, hairy skin became bare and smooth, and freckles had started to spread over her arms and face. Her long legs and hips were quite curvy for her height, and her flat chest grew into her ample bosom.

  Her hair was the last transformation left. The black stubble on her chin fell completely off, her short black hair became apple red, and tied into a long braid that reached the back of her knees. The young woman was quite beautiful in the end, though it appeared her height was not the work of any kind of magic.

  "My names Jasmine Daystone," said the young woman, her hands still laced behind her back. "But everyone on the island calls me Cookie."

  "Was that your Secreto?" Asked Sarah in awe.

  "No, not that," Cookie shook her head and replied. "I bought an apple from a Magi. He told me it would change me into a man for a few hours. They
don't usually let women into pubs, you see. I thought it was my best shot at the gamblers table."

  Sarah had dealt with the Magi before. They were a secretive group of sorcerers that traveled the world practicing illegal magic. She wanted to ask how she found one of them on the island, but a more pressing question was on her mind.

  "So, you...why did you let me win?"

  "I want to leave the island too," Cookie shrugged. "You said you wanted to start a caravan, and I figured you were my best chance. I've never been off this island, I’m not even allowed to leave my room much. All I’ve ever wanted is to travel the world and see what's out there. If you’re starting a caravan, I can help you. I'm pretty strong with my Secreto, just look!"