The Blue Kingdom

In other circumstances, the morning would be great. The tea with lemon was perfect. The views of Puyo bay were astonishing and the soft touch of her blanket was heartwarming. Still, Ivy couldn’t help but feel gloomy.

On the day of the storm, it wasn’t her foot that was injured the most, but her pride and self-esteem. To make it worse, while bedridden in Wei-le, more due sadness than fevers, none of her supposed friends offered any support, not even visited. And that included Lew.

The thought of being weak and careless tormented her, but the feeling of loneliness and realizing she had no true friends hurt more than anything else.

She took a sip of the scalding drink and sighed, trying to put Lew out of her mind. If she wanted to be treated like an adult, she realized, maybe it was time to stop daydreaming like a little girl and behave accordingly.

“Ahoy!” shouted her uncle from abeam. The rowboat was approaching with wooden planks coming off the bow. Macha, instead of helping the old man, was waving at her with both arms. His stupid smile made her turn around.

The deck of the Ballerina was a mess. A quarter of it was broken or disassembled and sawdust and tools were everywhere.

As Ivy stood, ready to help with the wood, Macha started a dance of bizarre movements that made Em let out shrieks of laughter. “Stop it! You look like a fish outside the water.” he said, encouraging Macha to dance more shamelessly.

“What are you talking about? This is how it’s done! That’s what ladies love.” Macha said, stopping his dance at the sight of Ivy over the deck.

“Don’t stop now, kid,” mocked Em. “ I’m sure Ivy will love those moves of yours.”

Ivy put on a fabricated smile without caring if it was too obvious. Macha, with all his hard work and charming attitude, had perhaps dazzled Em and Lim, but she still didn’t trust him. No: She didn’t stand him at all. Not his cheerfulness towards everything, not his witty comments that Lim strangely enjoyed so much, and definitely not his way of working, clumsily inexperienced, which still seemed to please Em much more than the efforts of others who had led a life at sea.

When the boat reached the side, the new mate handed her the first plank. “Miss Ivy, we found a treasure map!” Ivy took the wood with ease, Glad to embarrass him with the wide difference in strength between the two.

Em left a bag on the floor to take a folded papyrus out of his pocket. “You have been hell-bent on buying this! I’ll deduct it from your salary.”

“Actually, I never said I wanted to buy it. You did. After Choy and his friend convinced you.”

Em stared at the void for a minute. “All right. Then, since we haven’t talked about who was buying, I’ll assume the drinks were on you.”

Macha raised a plank with difficulty and pushed it towards the deck, hitting the ground loudly. “Wait till I get here, idiot. You’re going to mess up the floor!” Ivy signed.

“Wait... here? Didn’t catch the rest.” Macha raised another plank, waiting for her before releasing it. “Anyway, I’m fine with paying for some drinks, Cap’n. After the shooting, I think you earned it.”

Em’s proud smile made Ivy’s blood boil. She snatched the next plank and threw it on the pile. Em looked at her askance. Ivy could hear his complaint with no need for words. ‘Who’s messing up the floor now?’

Ivy felt overwhelmed again. How could she let herself be carried away by such stupid outbursts? Was she always so immature? How to fight against that rage, that frustration that devoured her constantly?

She took the rest of the planks, and this time, put them down carefully. A gesture that pleased the Captain. “Long story short, those two… weird men were selling copies of a supposed original. A map marking the wreck of a royal ship. How stupid is that?” Em said, frowning at Macha. ”Definitely nothing. But I want to test the bell’s repairs. And the kid wants to see coral. So we can give it a look.”

Ivy stared at him, swallowing her frustration. The two sailors continued their conversation as if she had suddenly banished. Or, most likely, ignoring her on purpose, to avoid seeing any reaction to that stupid idea.

“Mr. Em says I may lose the fear of water if I see what’s below.” Macha boarded, massaging his shoulder. “It’s amazing how strong you are, Miss Ivy. I couldn’t barely lift even one.”

“You need to build those little muscles, kid. Go bring this inside and tell Lim the news.”

“What news?” Signed Ivy as soon as Macha crossed the door.

“He was asking about the red tattoos, so I said they are a gang looking for Lim’s family because of some gambling debt from her father.”

Ivy rolled her eyes. “What should I say then?” Em asked. “The kid has a big mouth. Should I tell him the truth?”

Ivy shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess that’s good enough. What was the news, anyway?”

“Ah, nothing. Told him to ask around. Half didn’t understand him at all. And the rest either won’t talk about the Kraken or didn’t know what he was talking about. So, now he is reporting to Lim that the coast is clear in Puyo.”

Ivy approached her uncle, her gaze still fixed, trying to hook those eyes that kept avoiding her. “You know I don’t like him. Why do you do this to me?” She signed.

Em cleared his throat. “Well, that’s what it’s all about. You see, I think that will help you both to get along. And he needs to lose-“

Ivy sighed. Hands on her waist, head raised and eyes closed. Her posture was enough to startle the Captain, who swallowed hard and measured his next words, becoming defensive, almost as if he expected a burst of fury from her.

“I will owe you big time. Later, let me know what you want in exchange for this. I will consider it seriously.”

Em staggered her. Was that a trap? That bossy geezer was used to command, not to ask for favors. In addition, Em knew perfectly well that Ivy would use such a proposal to ask for time on land, something that she had wished for a long time and he’d constantly refused to grant.

Macha crossed the bridge door and froze to Ivy’s gaze. “How is he going to understand me down there?” she said.

Em scoured through one of his bags. “Aye, I bought you this.” He held up a blackboard the size of a paper with a little piece of chalk attached to the side.

With a fleeting movement, Ivy picked up the blackboard and stormed inside, taking Macha’s arm. “You owe me big time!”

“Aye, Aye,” Em yelled from outside. “The place is close. We’ll be there soon! I’ll prepare the bell-“ His voice trailed off as Ivy reached the galley.

Lim was stirring a stew that filled the room with a smell that made Ivy’s belly growl, same as Macha’s one that followed. Lim smiled, but not by the sounds of hunger. That smile was there prior to their entrance, which gave Ivy a clue of who was behind all that exchange of favors masterplan.

Ivy pulled the boy to the storeroom and opened the small hatch. To her accounts, it was the first time Macha saw the equipment compartment. The space on the starboard hull was filled with diving junk, as well as uncommon tools and spare parts that Em had bought up north. Some for sale, but most for the Rigg.

“I’ve never been down here,” confirmed him.

Ivy put a box in his hands and filled it with what they’d need. Meanwhile, Macha couldn’t stop looking around. “What’s this?” he said, pointing with his lips. “What is that?”

Ivy shrugged each time until, tired of his constant questioning, stopped and picked the blackboard. “I don’t know! Let’s focus on the dive.“ Macha, just like Em, constantly infuriated her, no matter what they did.

After filling the box, she ordered him to leave and changed. Ivy thought about Em’s proposal. If he was serious, it was her chance to live on land but, was Wei-le and Lew the break she wanted? To tell the truth, she felt very disappointed, and what at another time would have been a dream come true, now seemed nothing more than a nuisance.

With her dive suit on, she strode back to the deck. Suiting up didn't feel different this time. No talisman. No sea-born. Only a little girl filled with frustration and self-doubts.

“We are almost there!” shouted Em from the wheel. “I will prepare everything. You just brief the kid.” Ivy took two buns from the table and sat at the bow next to Macha. The Ballerina was gently dancing with the waves, sprinkling the air around them and creating a rainbow in front of the ship.

Ivy wrote and drew about the effects of pressure and volume underwater. Macha received her teachings with the same face of boredom he made with Em’s lessons.

“Do not worry about the repairs.” Em shouted from the inside. “The structure was not compromised, I tested it before. Still, check the data carefully, Aye?.”

Ivy erased the board with disdain, tired of feeling annoyed constantly. Macha had taken advantage of Em’s interruption to divert his attention towards a rope, and Ivy understood her uncle’s frustration in trying to teach anything to that chump.

She left him practicing a two and a half inch knot and moved to the bell. Although he would not be accompanying them this time, Rob followed his programming, inspecting every corner of the machinery to make sure everything was ready.

Macha’s footsteps creeped closer. “Then... how is it possible that no water enters the bell if there is no floor?,” Ivy considered whether to answer. Macha hadn’t shown interest before, and now she didn’t feel like it. Still, she realized that eventually she’d had to explain at least the basics of safety.

“The engine of the ship feeds a small machine that pumps pressure into the air and fills the bell constantly using hoses. The air pushes the water away.” She wrote.

“So, if the engine stops, we drown.”

“No one will drown. In case of any trouble,” Ivy stopped her writing to reach a folded long hose with a metal stem pipe on the end. “This. this will give a continuous flow you can use for breathing until I bring you to the surface.”

“All right,” Macha said, moving inside. She followed as soon as Em gave her the sign.

Since the bell rose and until Em opened the floor hatchs, Macha kept shaking his leg nervously. The metal bench creaked with the rattling. “I’m sorry,” he said, noticing Ivy’s irritation. “If the water enters, will it be like an explosion, or slowly?”

“No explosions. If something goes wrong, I’ll see it first on these gauges. If that’s the case, I will request a lift, give you the hose, and bring you up. No worries. Just enjoy the views.” Macha turned his attention to the porthole and, immersed in the sights of that unknown world, he did not turn his head until they reached the seabed. He didn’t move or talk either, and grateful that they didn’t have to converse further, Ivy spent the quick descent checking the data on the panels.

The bell landed on a sand patch, Ivy made sure of it. The weights hit the ground smoothly. Still Macha startled with the shaking.

“This is it,’’ Ivy pointed out, looking through her window. The visibility was over forty feet, and they were surrounded by coral boulders and slopes teeming with marine life. Being a shallow area, the sunlight perfectly illuminated every corner, highlighting all the colors, even the red ones. They were the best views anyone could wish for, and yet Macha wasn’t looking. On the contrary, he was staring in a way that, with the gloom of the bell, made her feel uncomfortable.

Ivy tensed, clenching her fists. She returned the gaze, narrowing her eyes. “What?” she said with her lips and defiance in her heart. Macha, who of course hadn’t heard the muted word, continued to hold the gaze for a while, until he again looked away towards the magnificent exterior, as if the moment of tension had never happened. “I know why you don’t like me,” he said. “You think I’m with you for some hidden and sinister reason, because I’m a pirate, after all.”

Ivy took her time writing a reply. “Not a pirate. You are a market thief.” Macha smirked at the blackboard.

“I was.” He said, a finger pointing up.” Though I’ve come to realize that no matter what I do and how hard I work, your opinion of me will never change. Well, here’s my secret confession: I have a secret plan. I want to be rich. That’s what I always wanted. That’s the reason I became a thief, and the reason I joined the buccaneers.”

Macha took a brief break to analyze Ivy’s reaction, who was still with a fixed gaze and a tensed body. “The gods have given me another chance, and your uncle has opened me a door to achieve my goal. I want him to teach me how to trade like he does, and I want to become rich doing so, yes. But I will do it with honest work and if you believe it or not, it’s not my problem.”

Macha turned to caress the window glass. “Now, if you don’t mind, although these views are like nothing I’ve ever seen and I will keep a dear memory from them, I’d prefer to go back. I’m actually terrified. Since the beginning, to be honest.”

Macha wasn’t scared. He looked completely calm and in control. She realized he had planned this moment. Prepared it and possibly even practiced it. The person talking to her was no gabby goof, but someone to be taken seriously. And that took her by surprise.

She asked Em to bring them back, but she didn’t follow. Ivy jumped and swam away, leaving Macha alone on the ascent. Away from him, away from everything.

Around her, endless fields of sponges, hard and soft corals, and anemones, led as far as the eye could see. The area was plagued by micro-fauna and schools of fish, with even occasional pelagic visits.

No matter how far she swam, and no matter how many things she’d entertain her eyes with, Ivy couldn’t escape her thoughts. The disappointment with Lew. Em’s proposal and now the true face of the buccaneer kept hunting her. Thoughts that repeated endlessly leaving her exhausted and stressed.

The calm of the sea, surrounded by such beauty, helped her to make some decisions, though. Lew didn’t deserve her slightest attention. At least not until he could give a reasonable explanation. That didn’t mean Ivy was not going to ask for time on land, but Wei was no longer her desired option.

The tingling in her stomach cut her thoughts abruptly. Danger. Her body tensed and her senses sharpened. She turned to see a large shark drifting towards her. With an elegant movement, the shark, large and with the stripes of the tiger type, circled around her. It wasn’t attack behavior, but curiosity. Sharks were her soul animal, and she knew them well. Still, like any predator, she had to be careful.

As Ivy predicted, the animal took a couple more turns and disappeared into the big blue, and she decided maybe it was time to go back as well.

Upon her return, the bell was already secured, and all the material was inside. Em was working the floor and strangely he didn't blame her for not coming back sooner. “I’ve told Rob to explain to the kid where to put everything,” he said.

“Did Macha tell you he is using you to learn ways to be rich?”

Em took a break from his work to light the pipe. “Of course. Nothing wrong with that. What would be strange is that he wanted to be poor all his life.”

Ivy tried to answer, searching for words worth her contempt towards the boy and his plan, but nothing that didn’t sound like childish whining came from her mind.

“He just told me,” Em continued. “He tried to come clear, but you still don’t believe it. So, I said that’s all right. You are a top professional and even if you don’t like him, that won’t be a problem on my ship.”

The word ‘professional’ punched her hard. Was she? She had been putting her personal problems ahead of her work for some time, and Em’s all-too-kind compliment was a slap in the face to remind her.

Her stomach burned, but Ivy swallowed her already hurt pride. “Aye, I will do my best to work with him. I’ll put my personal opinion aside.”

“I know you will,” Em cleared his throat. “Now, let’s talk about Wei. Lim has been telling me for a while that I really should let you stay there. That you need it. Well, I think forcing you to be here is a mistake and I want the best for you. So… how about we get you a room in Le as soon as we come back from the southern route?”

“Who will help you sail the Blue? And how about search and recovery? “

Em waved his hand. “Forget about the underwater work. We make no money from that. And I will find another route to reach the Lighthouse. For the rest, the kid will do. He is not even a tenth of you, but he will learn. And if he turns out rotten, I’ll change him for another shady, sparky lubber.”

Ivy remained quiet, staring at the wooden floor. “Take your time to think about it. All you need.” Em said.

“This ship is my home, and you are my family.” Ivy said slowly, with trembling hands. “I cannot imagine a life without you. But I need a break. Maybe for just some time. A season or two. I don’t know where, but not in Wei. Maybe in the Rigg with Marie and Ced? I don’t know.”

Em raised his lips, but his eyes showed a spark of sadness. “Well, until we reach the Rigg, we have time to plan it further. Come, let’s go inside.”

With numb legs, Em struggled to get up. Ivy rushed to offer him an arm. “How was the dive? Was it good?”

“It was wonderful. There were no chests, but the entire experience was a real treasure.”