Luna and Finn sat in the tavern doing their best to blend in. Around them, all manner of pirates sauntered about, spending their ill-gotten gold on the various pleasures that The Kraken's Rest offered - and in Blacktide Cove, there wasn't much you couldn't buy. They were here for a story, one that had been promised to them through a series of cryptic messages left at ports along their way.
"Maybe it'll be a new pirate story," Finn said teasingly. Luna shot him a look - reading about Pirate Adventures was one thing, but being in a Pirate Adventure was something else, something she wasn't super interested in. Just then, Jesse, the barmaid brought over a tankard of ale, saying "From the gentleman" and gesturing towards the front of the tavern where a hooded man was sitting alone at a table. Finn picked up the heavy glass and pulled off the slip of paper that had been stuck beneath it. On it was hastily written "High street, midnight." Finn and Luna looked back at the man, but he was gone.
It was just before midnight when Luna and Finn climbed to the High Street. The street overlooked the harbor, providing a quiet refuge for the well-to-do that called Blacktide home. Their wealth was still ill-gotten, but their means less unsavory in polite society.
"Psst," the dark hooded man called to them from an alley. Luna and Finn approached him cautiously. Lowering his hood, Luna got a glimpse of him in the dim moonlight. He was older, weather-worn, with grey hair and beard tightly cropped. Under his cloak, he wore Drift Ranger riding crops.
"Have you heard of The Map of the Hidden Tides?" the man asked when Finn and Luna were close at hand. Luna shook her head no. "Back when we'd first tamed the Storm Terns and learned to fly them, men were sent out to each corner of the sea to map the tides and the islands. What they learned was collected into an ancient map. This has been a prized artifact for the Drift Rangers now for more than a century. The map details the currents of the tide and air - our ability to stay one-step-ahead of our targets depends on the secrecy of those currents."
"Last week, while the map was being moved, it was stolen from one of our boats, The Wind's Shadow!" "Stolen!" Luna gasped a little too loudly. "Yes, by the notorious thief Black Claw," the Drift Ranger added. "I've tracked him to this port, and now I require your help catching him." "How can we help?" Luna asked, enamored by the idea of taking part in the investigation. "There is someone here with a story to tell, a story of a daring heist. Do what you do, find the story, and then alert me. I'll do the rest." Finn frowned at the proposition. "What's in it for us?" he asked. "You mean beyond the story?" the Drift Ranger asked, then flashed 8 gold pieces. "Half now, half later," he said, pocketing 4 of them and handing the other 4 out for Finn to take. Reluctantly, Finn took them. The Drift Ranger pulled his hood back up over his face and turned back into the alley. "What should we call you?" Luna called after him, "Call me Tombs" the man called back before disappearing into the darkness.
The next evening, after spending the day aboard The Driftwood preparing for their investigation, Finn and Luna returned to The Kraken's Rest. The tavern was even more crowded than the night before, filled with pirates celebrating their latest hauls. "The regular?" Jesse the barmaid asked them as they walked in. Pulling a gold piece from his pocket, Finn dropped it in Jesse's hand. "Your finest Rum," he said, and then making sure to speak softly enough that the whole room could hear, "We're looking for a story about a raid on The Wind's Shadow, there's glory and a bit more in it for anyone with something true to say."
Luna and Finn had been seated only minutes before a stout pirate with a patch over his right eye and a large black feather in his cap sauntered up to them. "Name's Left Eye," he announced, taking a seat at their table. "I hear you're looking for stories about some mischief on that Drift Ranger boat - I was there..." Finn looked curious. "Tell us more," he urged. Left Eye seemed to waver a bit, and Finn placed a gold piece on the table. Left Eye reached for it, but Finn pulled it back, smiling.
"Aye," Left Eye said, starting in on his story. "Twas a moonless night with a storm like I never seen before blowing through, but old Left Eye ain't afraid of no storm, so I took a wee boat and I came right up beside that lumbering junk. Only problem was I was too late - you see, I got all the way into the captain's cabin, and there I was ready to take my reward, but when I open the chest, it's empty! Anyway, I didn't leave entirely empty-handed." Left Eye presented the feather on his hat. Luna looked at it closely - it was a deep amber brown, so dark it was almost black, unlike the usual white feathers of the Drift Rangers' birds. "Took a feather off one of them Storm Terns, I did," Left Eye said with a laugh, "and not just any tern neither - this one was darker than the others, almost black in the moonlight. Must've belonged to someone important, eh?" He winked at Luna, then snatched the gold piece from Finn and left the table.
The next pirate to approach was scrawny, his eyes seemed too big for his head, and his fingers too long for his hands. "They call me Rats," he said. "I was there - saw the whole thing, I did." Rats' right eye twitched with a tick as he talked. "I stowed away, I did, and that day all this commotion - this big shot shows up, they call him Marshall. Well, Marshall gets to moving that big old chest from the captain's cabin down to the hold, and bringing another one up, like he knows something's up. I wait, I did, and then I hear squawking and a commotion, and then they're yelling 'thief!' they are, so I stayed hidden, I did, and when I did come out, both of those chests were empty, they were." Finishing his story, Rats took his coin, biting it between his yellowed teeth, and scurried off.
A truly foul odor preceded the next pirate, a giant of a man who threatened to crush the chair he sat in. "Fish Guts," he said, leaning close to Luna and Finn and offering his hand. Luna nearly gagged but shook his hand quickly. "I was aboard that night, moonless - perfect for some skullduggery. Came in on the anchor line. Wouldn't think a big man like me could do it, but there's many who thought I couldn't do something who had another thing coming to them. Now I know these types, leave a perfect juicy chest up in the captain's cabin - that's for suckers looking to get pinched. I found the real treasure down in the hold, but you see someone else already busted the lock off the chest. Sloppy work too, looks like they cut themselves up real good on it. I'd bet you anything it was that good-for-nothing Billy Bones, seems like his kind of play." His story seemingly done, Fish Guts downed the bottle of Rum that Jesse had left on their table. Smiling, he said, "Keep the coin, give it to Billy, that scoundrel."
The night air was cool as they made their way back to The Driftwood. As they climbed to the deck, Luna looked to Finn. "I guess it's Billy Bones who stole the map then?" she said. Finn seemed to turn this thought around in his head for a moment, and then his expression changed suddenly - he raised a hand, signaling for Luna to freeze. Finn looked around nervously, like something was missing. All of a sudden, they heard the voice of Tombs, the Drift Ranger they'd met in the alley. He was coming up from their hold. "I hear congratulations on some fine Pirate Tales are in order," he said matter-of-factly. He gave a piercing whistle, then turned to face Finn. "Of course, while you looked for Pirate Tales, I looked through your ship, and look at what I found." Tombs held up a leather-bound scroll, unrolling a corner of it. It looked like an ancient map. "What!" Luna was in shock. She looked to Finn, not believing what she was seeing.
Just then, two large white birds descended on The Driftwood, landing on their deck. Two Drift Rangers with their grey dusters and wide brimmed hats, jumped from their saddles. "Take this one," the Tombs said, pointing at Finn. "Yes sir, Marshall," one of the Drift Rangers said, grabbing Finn and dragging him to one of the large dusty white Storm Terns that now shifted uneasily on the deck. Tombs handed the map to the other Drift Ranger, who brought it back to his mount. "Luna, you have to believe I didn't do this," Finn called as he was marched away. Luna turned to Tombs. "It couldn't have been him," she pleaded, but Tombs just laughed. "What do you really know of your Librarian?" he asked Luna. "Have you ever seen him obsessed with a story - obsessed beyond all reason, willing to do anything for it?" Luna was silent, the words caught in her throat as she watched the Storm Tern take to the sky with Finn aboard, his hands tied.
The deck fell silent as the birds disappeared into the darkness. Tombs gave another whistle, and a third Storm Tern, this one dark amber brown so dark it almost appeared black in the moonlight, landed gracefully on the deck. Unlike the pristine white birds of the other Drift Rangers, this tern's feathers seemed to absorb the moonlight, giving it an almost shadowy appearance. It was larger than the others too, its amber eyes glinting with an intelligence that made Luna uneasy. Tombs moved toward it, reaching for the reins with a hesitancy that caught Luna's attention. As if...
"Does it still hurt?" Luna asked Tombs on a hunch. "Huh?" Before he could mount his bird, Tombs turned and stared at Luna, pausing for a second. "Does what still hurt?" he asked. "Your hand," she said, "from where you cut it opening the chest." "How did you - I mean why do you think that..." Tombs' eyes grew angry. "Well, it would be a pity if such a young and inexperienced sailor fell off her boat and drowned," Tombs said just before charging at Luna. Luna was quick on her feet, sure-footed, and The Driftwood was her home. She jumped out of the way of the charge, finding herself face-to-face with the dark amber tern. Its feathers seemed to ripple in the moonlight as it shifted its weight, and Luna could see why Tombs had chosen this particular bird - it was as shadowy and mysterious as he was. Not knowing what to do, she grabbed the saddle on the bird, swinging herself on and kicked, yelling "UP! UP!" The bird took off into the air.
The wind rushed past Luna's face as they climbed higher. It was clear in an instant that the Tern was trying to throw Luna. She held on for dear life, and as she did, she felt something long and cylindrical bump against her leg in a saddle pocket. She risked falling to pull at it, and out came the old map. It was wrapped carefully in a grey leather that seemed to glimmer in the moonlight. The second she touched it, Luna knew she was holding the real map. Just then, she let her concentration break, and she fell.
Luna hit the water hard, her body giving an instinctive kick towards the surface before falling limp. Just then, big hands grabbed her and lifted her out of the water. As Luna opened her eyes, she could smell a horrible smell pressed right up to her. "Fish Guts?" she asked, already knowing the answer. They were in a rowboat moving towards The Driftwood. Tombs took one look at the size of the man who had rescued Luna and decided his best option was to run. He whistled for his Storm Tern and took to the sky before the pirate and Luna could return.
The next morning, Luna scanned the cloudless sky for the shapes she knew she'd spot. There in the distance, she saw them coming her way - two dusty white Storm Terns, one carrying two riders. With Finn returned safely on deck, she'd be handing over the actual map. The thought of it made her tense; she gripped the grey leather case a bit tighter. The Tern with two people landed while the other circled above. Finn was pushed from the bird, and Luna handed up the real map, and just like that, the bird was in the air.
Below Deck, in the familiar comfort of The Driftwood's library, Luna showed Finn what she'd been working on the night before. There on the table was a mostly complete transcription of the map. One island she'd left out, near the edge - a small crescent shape that had been labeled Moon's Embrace. Soon, she thought, soon it would be time to tell that story - her story.