The Navigator, page 9
"Yeah. . ."
"Barrister of the Magical Forest." Tarquin turned to Hugo. He snickered. "What a fool. Maybe not him but those Jan-Jus. They used to be the most feared savages in the Northern Ocean. Ruthless cannibals. Now they worship the ground that deranged egghead walks on. I don't think he's even a real lawyer, just some Coterie imposter."
Quill was still eying Petal, wondering if she was going to flip out.
"Have you seen the Kowaka Adon!" Petal was livid.
"Hmmm. No. Don't think so." Tarquin let out a nonchalant beer burp. "What is that, Yong?"
Petal nodded.
"No. I don't let any Hesperian vessels dock here, learned that from my father. Too risky. Let them port, and the next thing you know they'll try and claim Tinian as a new province. No offense to you, Quill. I've found Hesperians, especially those from Kudu, to be the nicest people - so polite and civilized. But you can never trust the P.R.K.'s government. . .bunch of fascists."
Petal's heart sank.
"Maybe you should ask my cunt sister, Antigony." Tarquin burst out laughing. "She still deals with Hesperians, always thinking she can out fox the foxes."
"Is she here?"
"No, she lives on the southern side of Tinian, past the wire. We're no longer on speaking terms. I'll ask around about your ship. What's it again?"
"The Kowaka Adon." Quill smiled.
"Of course. Well." Tarquin stood up with a drunken stagger. "You two look deathly tired. . .and smell like fish, to be honest. Hugo, show them to a guest room where they can get some rest - and a hot shower. I'll meet you for breakfast tomorrow, say ten o'clock?" He knelt down next to Petal. "And I'll be sure to look into your Kowada-da-don."
Petal grit her teeth. She'd never so deeply despised anyone.
"Thank you so, so much, really." Quill dragged Petal away before she could say anything. "Thank you."
They followed Hugo down the hallway.
Hugo showed Quill and Petal to their guest room. Quill didn't even bother to turn the lights on. She leapt onto the bed and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
- 19 -
"Mmmm."
Quill curled up on the giant bed. The morning sun pierced through the curtains, making her eyelids glow. She threw the down blanket over her face and tucked herself into a fetal position. The pillows were soft; her head sank into them. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked around the room.
It looked like a Khai Shen hotel room. It had a king-sized bed and a polished, maple desk. Quill could hear a faucet running in the bathroom. When she looked over at the door, she noticed that someone had hung up clothes for her and Petal to wear. Two matching dresses.
Quill sat up. She could hear the crash of the ocean outside.
"This is so perfect. . ."
She lay back down, and stretched out her muscles, wondering if she was dreaming.
After a few moments of relaxation, Quill got up and nudged open the bathroom door, eager to get a shower.
Petal was standing on the other side, huddled over the sink.
"What are you doing?"
Petal was tightly wrapped up in a towel, scrubbing her old, raggedy clothes under the faucet with a bar of hand soap.
"Washing my clothes."
"Those clothes are rags. They're disgusting. Throw them out." Quill yawned. "They left us new clothes. They're hanging on the door."
"I'm not wearing that. Those are ridiculous."
Quill peered back at the red and black dresses.
"I think they're pretty, and Tarquin gave them to us." She turned the shower knob. Hot water gushed out from four jets. "It'd be rude not to wear them."
"I don't care." Petal rung out her shirt and put it back on. It was now stained with soap and badly wrinkled.
"Just wear the dress." Quill's nose twitched. "That looks terrible."
Petal walked away. "Don't tell me what to do. I don't want a mother."
Quill ignored Petal's cattiness and stepped inside the shower.
The warm water felt heavenly.
***
"Here they are, just a tad late." Tarquin smiled as Quill and Petal walked into the dining room.
Quill was wearing her new dress. It looked light and airy. Her hair was finally clean and bounced with her step.
"Thank you so much for the clothes." She spun around to show off her outfit and then walked up to the prince.
He took her hand into his.
"You look to die for." He kissed the back of her wrist. "Well please, help yourself to some breakfast."
On the dining room table was a buffet spread of scrambled eggs, sausages, smoked fish, pancakes, and cereal.
Quill's mouth watered. She hadn't eaten a single crumb in two and a half days. She began to pile food onto a china plate.
Petal didn't bother with a plate. Instead, she hovered over the buffet like a chipmunk taking little bites of every thing that caught her eye.
"Oh my God." Quill stopped at a bowl of dry cereal. "Peanut butter buttons? I haven't had these since I was seven."
"Hehe, yes." Tarquin walked up behind her. "We still trade with Hesperia. And I have a sweet tooth."
Quill sat down and began to stuff her face, drooling.
Petal continued to nibble.
"How can you afford all these things?" Petal's eyes darted around the dining room.
"Well . . . this island used to have a weather station and an airbase before the Flood. Back then, it was high up in the mountains. The air force kept all kinds of advanced technology here. After the Flood, my great-great-grandfather took control of Tinian; made himself King. He horded all of the old tech. I've built this palace by selling it off, piecemeal."
Quill wiped egg dribble off her lips. "So you're the Prince of Tinian?"
"Crown Prince Tarquin."
A maid came into the room and began to take away the empty dishes, filling the air with the clanking of silverware.
"Where's the king?" Quill grabbed a drink.
"Oh, well my father was king, but he passed away."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Why aren't you king, then?" Petal inquired.
"I should be. It's supposed to be by primogeniture. You see, Antigony is my older sister. She demanded she be made Queen after my father died. But it's supposed to be the oldest male heir. . .so we bickered for years. We don't have subjects or anyone who could pick sides or mediate, so in the end we divided the island in half. I have the north, she has the south. Since we don't rule the whole island we kept our old titles. I'm the Prince of Tinian and she's the Princess."
"That's what the fence is for?" Quill raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. Lately we have really not been getting along. Someday she'll come to her senses. I mean, we're still brother and sister. How about you, Quill? Have any sibling rivalries?"
"I'm an only child."
"I have a sister," Petal mumbled.
Tarquin turned to her. "Yes, yes. . .sorry about last night; had a lot of liquor in me. Quill said you were looking for her - the Kowada Don?"
"Yes!"
"Hugo told me our patrol boats spotted a Hesperian warship two days ago. It made a brief stop on the southern side of Tinian. Antigony's harbor is hidden from view, and she's anal about my men crossing the border - so I can't say for certain it was your ship, but a Hesperian ship did stop there."
"Can we ask Antigony about it?"
"Sure. I'll send word you want to pay her a visit. You'll have to wait until you get a formal invitation. Give it a day or so."
"Thank you so much," Quill beamed. "You've been so generous. I really don't know how we can repay you."
"Sure. Just. . .if you do get an invitation. . .be careful."
- 20 -
Quill and Petal spent the rest of the afternoon wandering Tarquin's palace. The prince had disappeared after breakfast, hiding somewhere deep inside of his decadent labyrinth.
Quill searched for him for nearly an hour but eventually gave up. She spent the rest of her time watching the dozen or so maids and groundskeepers scurry around like worker ants, up and down the mansion, vacuuming the floors, mowing the lawn, and touching up the wall paint. All of the activity made Quill feel lazy. She was still exhausted from her two-day ordeal. She spent a little while roaming the greenhouse, snatching an orange from one of the trees, before walking back to her room to take a late afternoon nap.
Petal lost Quill among the citrus groves. Ever impatient, she stomped around the palace, searching for Tarquin to ask if he'd heard from Antigony. After pestering the staff, who refused to say a word, she saw Tarquin sitting outside on the rear patio.
Tarquin was lolling on a lawn chair next to a kidney-shaped swimming pool. The outer edges of the pool were lined with tiki torches.
Four pretty women were gathered around him, stuffed into red and yellow, shelled-shaped, bikinis. He was rubbing suntan oil onto them, one by one, while they passed around an intricate glass bong.
The air around them stank of soma.
Petal debated approaching Tarquin but his eyes looked red and glassy.
Tarquin giggled along with the women and then seemed to sense that someone was watching him. As he turned to see who it was, he knocked over a beer bottle with his arm. The half full bottle rolled into the pool. Amber liquid flowed out, clouding the pristine water.
Tarquin started cursing.
"Have to get Hector to drain the damn thing all over again. Where is he? I'm not fishing that out. It probably broke when it hit bottom. You seen him, Piper?"
Tarquin half-yawned the words to one of the women - a blond. He leaned over and kissed her back and then put his hand across his forehead, squinting to try and see who was watching him.
Petal ducked back into the palace, disgusted.
***
Quill stared into the bathroom mirror, pressing her lips together to fully apply her lipstick. She was made up from head-to-toe, still wearing the dress Tarquin's attendants had left for her.
Petal walked into the bathroom and studied Quill's reflection. She looked strange to her, all dolled up and feminine.
"You." Petal scratched her filthy red hair. Grains of sand and flakes of dander rained down onto her shoulders. "You look nice."
"Thank you."
"Why are you-?"
"Tarquin wanted to have a drink with me tonight. Come along if you'd like."
"No thanks." Petal watched Quill comb her lashes. "Are you going to sleep with him then?"
"What?" Quill glared at Petal's reflection. "No. Why would you say that?"
"I dunno. You seem to like him. I've never slept with someone."
"I would hope not. I just want to look nice for myself. I've been disgusting, covered in sweat and sea crust for days. I couldn't wait to look human. But why would you think that? All I've been is polite. He's clothed us, fed us, and tried to find your ship. We could have died without him."
Petal shrugged and walked out of the bathroom.
"You should clean yourself up too, you know?" Quill called to her. "Get a shower. You left filth all over our covers."
"I like being dirty. It toughens me."
Quill turned around, still scowling. "And where are you going?"
"To see Hugo. A guard told me he's come back from Antigony's side of the island."
"Oh. Well, good luck."
After Petal left, Quill studied herself in the mirror one last time, finally satisfied with her appearance. She looked out the window and watched the sun set over the wave tops. She then walked out into the palace, searching for Tarquin.
After winding her way across a long, gold-trimmed hall, Quill heard the strum of a guitar coming from a side room. She walked inside and saw Tarquin sitting on an oak stool. He had a worn, acoustic guitar across his chest and was trying to tune it. In front of him was a long couch and several fluffy chairs. A group of women were seated on the furniture, drinking wine while watching him play.
♪♪ Oh baby, when you sail across the sea,
Just to spend one more night with me,
I try and think of what I could say,
To stop you from sailing back - away ♪♪
Tarquin noticed that his company was fixated on the doorway. He pivoted on his stool and put his guitar down, blushing.
"Quill. Sorry, lost track of time."
Quill took a step inside, trying to keep her smile. "I'm early this time. You never introduced me to. . ."
"Yeah. . . My staff. Yes. Well here they are. This is Piper, Anshara, Saal, and Tira." He pointed to each of the women who gave Quill demure waves and smiles.
"Your staff."
"Yes." Tarquin motioned to the blond, blue-eyed girl. She looked like a model, with very fair skin and a tiny forehead. "Piper's a marine biologist. She came out here to study some type of squid that glows in the dark. They live out on the reefs a few miles off the coast. Really neat the way they glow underwater."
"I ate one." Quill sat down in an empty chair.
"Really? Uh. . .yeah, well. . .Tira is a botanist. She grafted most of the fruit trees in the citrus groves - I'm sure you've seen them. . ."
The redhead gave a Quill a nod.
"Pleased to meet all of you," Quill said curtly.
"What do you do, Quill?" Piper casually finished a beer.
"I'm a navigator."
"That's cool." Tira yawned. "Can you get me another drink, Tarquin, baby?"
"Sure." Tarquin stood up from his stool. He balanced the guitar against the coffee table and took Tira's glass.
"Me too, please." Piper pointed to her empty.
"Of course. Quill, would you care to join me?"
Quill followed Tarquin over to the kitchen. She heard whispered gossip as she exited.
Tarquin scrambled around his wetbar, dicing limes and lemons, while lining up fruit juices to mix island drinks.
"You don't have a bartender? Someone to do that for you?"
Tarquin buried his head in the freezer. "Nah. I'm the best bartender on Tinian. Maybe on the whole Northern Ocean."
Quill smiled, amused, and then walked over to an open window; a large stucco arch that overlooked the beach. She watched the waves break outside. The evening wind blew into the room; warm and comforting.
"You have such a skilled. . .harem."
Tarquin looked up from his pour. He cracked open a beer and walked it over to Quill.
"Harem? Hehe. Yeah. Maybe. They aren't lying though, they're impressive girls. Anshara is a nautical engineer. She graduated from Nhan Zhe Academy."
"Nhan Zhe?"
Quill snatched the beer from Tarquin and guzzled it.
"Yup." Tarquin took her empty. "She and Piper are from Kudu - like you. Have a lot of girls come here from the Continent. They stay for a while - kick back for a year or two - and then they go home. They always wind up going back. Who can blame them?"
Tarquin chucked the bottle out of the window.
It crashed onto the beach with a muffled thud.
"It's a wasteland out there." He chuckled. "Not here, obviously, but everyone around us is stuck in the Bronze Age until you get down to Sol. But I guess that's how you tell sea people from Hesperians. Sea people know what's on land, but their hearts are out here. We can't go 'back.' We need the emptiness of the sea. It's the only place we feel at home.'
Quill went to get another drink. "Have you been to Hesperia?"
"No. I'm a king here. Well, a prince - but who's counting? Go there and I'm another rich peon. And the P.R.K. could pull something at customs, seize my assets, prevent me from ever coming back to Tinian. Besides, what's there for me anyway? I have all the sun, soma, and good company here that I could ever ask for."
"It's wonderful here, and you've been amazing to me and Petal."
"I'm paying it forward. Hopefully, it'll ward off whatever evil Antigony has been scheming. What about you, Quill? What's your story? Where's your ship? What are you doing out here?"
Quill sucked on her new beer. "I lived on the Raft after I left land. Spent a year looking for a ship. The one that hired me turned on me after I got the job done." She paused. "Still not sure why. Greedy assholes."
"Must have been fools to part with a pretty girl like you." Tarquin grinned. "How about the wild child, Petal? She's interesting. A Jan-Ju I'm guessing?"
