Flying Lessons & Other Stories(9)

My eyes flew open. The soft rocking had been caused by the waves of the sea, and the ocean’s roar had been the whisper. I sat up and saw a splash of red against blue—an unfurled sail against the sky. I was on a pirate boat!

“Now she is!” another voice hooted.

A forest of men stood before me, but beneath the raucous laughter, I heard sniffling. I looked and saw Bisi next to me, whimpering like a puppy.

“This was supposed to be a grab-and-go!” a man said. “The captain’s not going to like seeing these prisoners.”

“Indeed,” a low voice behind me said as all the men immediately quieted. “She does not.”

The captain was a woman? She strode forward, and it was then that I saw Tianyi, the captain of the Red Flag Fleet, the most feared pirate of the sea.

I could only gape. Teacher had once told me about the powerful goddess Xi Wangmu and how she was sometimes described as ferocious and terrible, having the claws and teeth of a tiger and the tail of a panther. But she was also described as being incredibly lovely and the Queen of the Heavens. I had protested at the conflicting descriptions. I had thought it impossible for one to be so beautiful and so fierce at the same time, but as I gazed at Tianyi, I suddenly understood. Her black silk hair billowed like the sails behind her, and her eyes sparkled like black coals ready to flame.

“Well, Weigu?” Tianyi said, and I saw the pirate actually whiten.

“I thought maybe that one could be ransomed,” the pirate named Weigu replied, nodding toward me. “That family had a child, right? I thought maybe this one was it.”

Tianyi gave me a quick glance and made a sound of annoyance.

“Stupid donkey! Look at her! Are those the clothes of someone from a rich family?” she said. She grabbed my hands and thrust them in the pirate’s face. “Look at these hands! These are the hands of a servant! There’s no ransom here! Idiot!”

The pirate cowered as Tianyi looked around. “And what straw bag grabbed her?” she said, nodding toward Bisi.

“Dihan took her,” one of the men said. “He thought she was pretty.”

“Did he?” Tianyi said dangerously. She drew her sword and walked to a man, placing her sword at his neck. “If you tried to spoil her, I’ll cut your head off.”

“I didn’t!” the man protested. “I promise!”

“I know,” Tianyi said with a sweet smile, putting her sword away. “That’s why I’m not going to.”

“I thought…you know how the Po Tsai pirates asked us for a woman to trade, and we owe them for that fight with the Imperial Navy when our other ships were late and…and…,” Dihan began to stammer.

Tianyi looked at Bisi—even with her nose red from crying she did look rather nice—and contemplated. For a brief moment, I saw Tianyi’s eyes flash with pity.

“Too plain,” Tianyi said, looking away. She tossed her hand. “They won’t want her.”

“Too plain?” Dihan asked. “That’s what you said last time!”

“Do you think I cannot judge a woman’s beauty?” Tianyi said, taking a step toward him. Like Weigu, Dihan cringed. “Give them enough cash to return and we’ll drop them off at the next port.” Then, throwing Dihan a cold glance, she added, “Perhaps we should have your wife help you bring them to shore.”

“Please!” I was shocked to hear my own voice. “Don’t send me back.”

Everyone looked at me in astonishment, and I could not blame them. But even though the words had spilled out of me without thought, I suddenly found that I truly meant them. What did I have to return to? Being bossed by everyone, scrubbing chamber pots, and marrying FuDing? I shuddered at the thought.

But Tianyi had already dismissed me. “This is a pirate ship, not a nursery,” she said. Then, addressing the crew, she ordered, “Bring up the rest of the loot!”

I bowed my head, surprised by the tears that filled my eyes. Bisi hissed a stream of insults at me, which, after years of practice, I easily ignored. Instead, after wiping my eyes, I found myself fascinated as the men threw the chests and packages from the sampans in such a well-practiced rhythm that it seemed to match the movement of the waves.

But not perfect. “Hey! Dumb melon!” shouted a pirate as another fumbled with a crate of tea bricks. It splashed into the water.

“Ohh!” I groaned. “And that was Iron Goddess tea!”

I had spoken aloud, thinking no one was listening to me. But Tianyi had the ears of a tiger and turned at my words. “How do you know that was Iron Goddess tea?” she demanded.

“It said so,” I answered. “On the label.”

“And this batch here,” she said, pointing to another tea brick. “Is this Iron Goddess, too?”

“No,” I said. “It says ‘Mountain Silver Needle tea.’?”

Tianyi tore open the package, broke off some leaves in her hands, and smelled the tea. She looked at me carefully, her eyes piercing. “Come with me,” she ordered.

She led me into the captain’s quarters, where I gazed around with great interest. It was a room of luxury—lavish silks draped over plush cushions, an intricately carved sandalwood bed, and red lanterns. In the entrance, two small wooden soldiers stood guard in front of a shrine that housed a goddess carved of ivory, surrounded by marigolds.