No surprise there. That’s how it worked with Travelers. I was getting a better picture of Ibara. Remudi was a Traveler. I couldn’t help but think that if he had a hand in the kind of disinformation policy that Siry was talking about, it might have something to do with the future of Ibara. The turning point. I felt I was on the right track. Not close, but at least on the right track.
“We just want the truth,” Siry said. “You saw the Jakill clearing in the jungle. You saw the things we have. None of that came from any village on the island. Over the years things have washed up on shore. What wasn’t confiscated and destroyed by the security force has been secretly passed around and hidden. It may all be junk, but it means a lot more to us. Each piece is a clue to what exists beyond the shores of this island. We want to know what it is.”
“You might not like it,” I cautioned.
“Maybe. We want the chance to find out for ourselves.”
I nodded in understanding.
“I’ve been honest with you. It’s your turn. What do you really want here?”
It was a critical moment. Siry didn’t trust me, but he’d opened up. It made me think there was hope for an alliance.
“I think you’re right,” I began. “The tribunal is keeping secrets. Your father was keeping secrets. I want to know what they are.”
“Why?” he pressed. “Why do you care?”
“I know you didn’t agree with your father or anything he stood for. I do. He was a Traveler, which means there’s more going on here than even the tribunal realizes.”
That made Siry perk up. He liked the idea that there might be secrets being kept from the tribunal.
I continued, “I know you don’t care about being a Traveler, but I think that what you want, what the Jakills want, is exactly what I want. We may have different reasons, but we’re on the same side. We both want the truth. Let me help you find it.”
Siry stared deep into my eyes, as if he were trying to read my mind and gauge whether or not I could be trusted. He was a passionate guy. That was good. He was also a thief and a brawler who hated authority. Not so good. But I agreed with his philosophy. People should be in charge of their own destinies. And he was loyal. He cared about his friends and wanted what was right for them. Maybe he had the makings of a Traveler after all.
“All right,” he finally said. “But I meant what I said. If you betray us, I’ll kill you.”
I had been cautious with Siry till then, but I was tired of playing games. I got right into his face and said, “Whether you believe it or not, you are way over your head. I’ve asked for your help, but pretty soon you’re going to need me as much as I need you. Don’t threaten me, Siry.”
Siry blinked. I called his bluff. He was a lot of things, but he wasn’t a killer.
“You want to help us?” he asked. “You really want to help us?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Then come with me.”
He took off running down the beach. I hoped this wasn’t going to be a long trip. The adrenaline from the fight had worn off and I was feeling kind of worked. I wanted a nap, not a tour. But this was Siry’s show. If he was going to show me something important, I had to go along. He led me along the shore of the cove, ducking into the dense jungle near the outer limits of Rayne. He seemed to pick a random spot to enter the jungle, but I soon realized we were on a small path. Back in Stony Brook I knew every twist, turn, rock, path, tree, and ditch in the woods behind my house. It was the same for Siry. He knew exactly where he was going. We shot along the narrow, twisting path for several minutes. The foliage was thick, making the jungle seem darker than it was. The path rose gradually and soon became so steep I thought about using my hands to scramble up. We were climbing, high. It was tough going. I knew we were coming to the end of our trip when the path became lighter again. Siry climbed on to a rock outcropping at the edge of the jungle and turned back to me. I could see the excitement in his eyes.
“We’re not just a bunch of angry kids,” he declared. “We mean what we say, and we’re going to do something about it.”
He motioned for me to take a look. I climbed up next to him to find we were on a rock ledge, high above the shore. We were facing the ocean that bordered the large protected bay. Looking out, I saw nothing but green sea. Down below was a curious sight. This wasn’t a sandy beach. It was a rocky, rugged coastline. Jutting out from the shore were five long, wooden piers. Tied up to either side of each pier was a sailing ship. Ten in all. Each was identical. They looked to me like old-fashioned pirate ships, complete with double wooden masts.
I’m guessing they were about a hundred feet long, with a structure at the stern. They were identical, except for their colors. Each was painted a different bright, tropical color. There were vibrant greens, brilliant blues, and a few deep corals. It was an awesome sight. The ships gleamed in the sun. Their brilliant colors made them look more like amusement park rides than practical ships. I’d seen old-fashioned sailing ships at the Mystic Seaport back home, but I’d never seen so many in one place. It was a small fleet. “They look new,” I observed.
“They are,” Siry answered. “They’ve only been out for short test sails.”
“Is this the fishing fleet?” I asked.
“No,” Siry answered. “They’re way bigger than any fishing boat. Officially, the tribunal says they’re to replace the older fishing boats, but people who’ve been aboard say they aren’t outfitted for fishing.”
“What do you think they’re for?” I asked.
Siry looked down at the colorful fleet. He thought for a moment, then said, “I don’t know. I don’t care. When I look at these ships I only think of one thing.”
“What’s that?”
Siry looked at me with dead seriousness and said, “Escape.” “What?”
“Many of the Jakills have been on ships since they could walk. They know how to sail. They’ll have no trouble handling one of those.”
“Whoa, wait,” I said. “You’re not thinking of-“
“Yeah, we are,” Siry said. “We’re going to steal one of those ships and leave the island.”
“What about the security force? Aren’t they guarding the ships?”
“They’re more worried about Flighters coming from the sea. They won’t expect a threat from Rayne. That’s part of the problem, Pendragon. The people here have given up. No, worse, it’s like the spirit of adventure has been bred out of them. They go along, living on the beach, catching their fish, picking fruit, and singing songs. There’s no life here. No excitement. It’s a dead culture. The Jakills are going to change that.”
“No offense but I’ve seen you guys fight,” I said vehemently. “If the security force jumps in, you’ll never set foot on one of those ships, let alone sail it away.”
Siry stepped in front of me, folded his arms, and smiled. “I agree. It was the one thing that kept us from going forward with our plans. I think we’ve solved that.”
He gave me a wide, Cheshire cat grin. It didn’t take long to understand what he was thinking.
“You’re kidding, right?” I said quickly.
“You said you wanted to help us.”
“Yeah but, we’re talking about piracy!”
“There was one thing my father said that stuck with me, Pendragon. He said that Ibara was getting close to a turning point. He said the future of our home depended on how that turning point went. I think he was right, and I think the Jakills are that turning point. We want to get out from under this controlling society and explore Ibara. We want to make this a better place. You said you wanted to help? Get us onto one of those ships. I think that’s what my father would have wanted you to do.”
I stepped past Siry and looked down on the brightly colored sailing fleet. This territory was an enigma. It seemed the people who lived on this island were being sheltered from the bigger world beyond. But why? What was out there? Did the tribunal know? Were they protecting their people? Or keeping them prisoner? There was a big fat truth lying out there, somewhere across the ocean. I had no doubt that what ever it was, it had something to do with the overall destiny of Ibara, which meant it had to do with Saint Dane. I needed to know what was out there, not for the same reasons as Siry and the Jakills, but for the sake of the whole territory.
How could I do that? I could go to the tribunal and try to learn from them. But in spite of my loose connection to Remudi, I was an outsider. If the tribunal totally controlled the lives of everyone in Rayne, what chance did I have of getting them to be truthful with me? Unfortunately, the answer was clear. There was zero chance of that. It was looking as though my best hope of learning the truth about Ibara was in joining up with a renegade band of
