Bounty Hunter Bash Pirate Lock Arc Part Twelve

 The Blue Bell Island

Bash was looking at the books on the ship. It had been no less than three days since the water fairies attacked and she spent the last day recuperating. She knew that she had time to spare until they arrived at the next island Bluebell, so she decided to spend some time alone, she was close enough to Chashathrophogh not to be weakened but far away for her to have a moment of silence. She had a suspicion that she would rarely have a moment like this for a long time.

She looked at the books and soon found one that caught her eye. It was a book the colour of Cerpheres's hair and in gold writing it said.

The Adventures Of  Prince Captain Lockheartsmith

She plucked it from the shelf, opened it on the first page and started reading.

Prince Captain Lockheartsmith seemed to have been a true royal

born out of wedlock. Yet even though his mother's Queen Irisa his 

father's identity is not known. His stepfather King Irick Vin never

let him carry his surname so he carries his mother's maiden name.

He had the curse of magic, just like any other royal born out of 

wedlock, but he did not care much of it not did he think of it as

a curse. In fact he liked it and he started experimenting with it.

He even used to turn the prisoners into different creatures and

someone would change their appearance, to make them look better.

Which they could not disagree with. He would even experiment on 

creatures and change them in what could only describe as making 

them look more fun. Another thing one could not deny.

Looks like he loved to have fun with his magic. She thought, turning the page. She yawned as she wiped a speck of sleep from her eye. Then continued.

Yet there seemed to be another curious thing that he seemed to be 

able to do. When he spoke he could speak with two voices. One was 

purry, lyrical and filled with whimsy. The other was deeper, darker 

and more aggressive. Both were easy to  listen to and commanded 

one's attention. He could sing well with both.

I'm guessing that's a good thing.

We have spent a long time with him and still we do not know what

led him to pick a career of piracy, this had me and the rest of the crew

concerned for our future. Especially since he had shown us that, yet he

is quite whimsical,  which we like and makes it fun and interesting leading

to no dull moments, he has shown himself to be fickle too.

I fear even more for my cremates as I have the dreadful hit feeling that

if it came down to it he would ditch us all in favor of greater crew members

I also believe that he will only come for us and help us if we have the 

potential to become greater if he does. Which leads me to fear that me and

the rest of the crew are heading towards a great and terrible tragedy and

he would leave us all in a heartbeat.

"Humm…what're you looking at?" Asked Cerpheres over her shoulder, causing her to punch him in the cheek.

He smiled as he licked the corner of his lip.

"Was that necessary? Wasn't that a bit mean?"

"Maybe, but isn't sneaking up to someone when they're reading? And what were you thinking spooking a fight respondent?"

He smiled.

"Tushé!" He purred.

She scoffed in disgust.

"What are you doing here anyway?"

"To tell you that we have arrived!"

He then looked down and smiled.

"Soo…it is the journal of the crew of the Prince Captain… Do you like it?"

"Not really. Though I do find it interesting."

"Humm?"

She then put it back and they left to the deck, to be greeted by Jeff and Jax.

"Come on you two. Gurter and Kia are waiting. Along with your uncle of course."

"By the way,  Jax, are you a guy or a girl?" Bash asked.

"I'm a guy,  it's just someone's-"

"He likes to pretend to be a woman while we're-"

"On missions."

She rolled her eyes. Then Jax lit up.

"Oh alright. Speaking of which, do you think that Gurter has a chance with him?"

"I don't think so. I don't think he's the kind of person open to romance, myself included."

"In what way?"

"I'm not open to romance. In fact, we're looking for a sorcerer that cast a spell on us, forcing us to be linked. That's why he hasn't killed me, although he did try." she admitted. 

Cerpheres put his arm around her.

"And what about if that spell did break. Would you still try to kill each other?"

"Nah! I don't think so. Although I do have to ask, how did you know who we are?"

"It wasn't hard to figure it out."

"And why did you tell everyone?" She asked taking his arm off her.

He let out a slight chuckle.

"Who, me?" He asked, putting it back on her shoulder.

"Who else?" She remarked, taking it back off.

"Well I was intermarried in just what their reactions would be." He said, hooking her back in.

She groaned slightly.

I highly doubt that…chances are he wanted to see Gurter's reaction, not everybody else's. Either that or he just wanted to isolate us for himself.

"Ye readi!" 

"Sure!" 

They soon climbed back into the boat. There they rowed in silence to Bluebell. Once they arrived on the shore they climbed out of the boat. Then they looked to see a field of nothing but bluebells yet she could see trees in the distance and even they were coated with bluebells, growing out of them. Yet instead of leaves the trees had bluebell heads.

"I can see why this was called Bluebell." Jeff and Jax exclaimed.

"I wish Coran was here to see it."

"Yeah! He would have loved to see this…"

"WIll ye te be alrigh'?" 

"Yes Captain. The time of mourning him is over."

"Good to hear!"

"Although I can't believe such beauty could exist!" Gurter gasped.

"I know…" Said Chashathrophogh.

Then Bash looked as Gurter and then back at her uncle.

"So what do you think about Gurter liking you?" She asked.

"Where did this come from?"

"Curiosity."

"Well I hardly think that she's in the right state of mind."

"Oh? And why is that?" Cerpheres asked, hooking his arm around him.

"Do you want to die? Get off me!" 

He chuckled as he leaned in close.

"Not until you answer the question!" He purred.

"Who would be in the right frame of mind to even consider liking me in that way. Also I'm-"

"Not open to romance? Yeah, the girl said something about that. It's too bad! Maybe you ought to lighten up a little."

Gurter punched the man in the gut.

"What was that for?" He moaned.

"You know what that was for." She snapped, embarrassed.

"You know I-"

"Oi! Ye te we'll be goin' on withou' ye at this rate."

"Come on then!" Cerpheres sang, hooking the two in his arms and pushing them along.

They matched on until they left the shore and came to a steep set of stairs that led to a high up land. In front of the stairs was a stone sphinx. Her head tilted down an looked at them

"Answer my deer questers and you may pass if you are right."

"And what would happen if we answer wrong?" Asked Jax with a mocking chuckle.

The eyes of the sphinx lit and a light pushed out of them and Jeff pushed him out of the way and his head but the brands and fell down, dead. Jax looked at him in horror and crouched down. He looked at him with a shaky hand, reached out only for him to retract the hand. Shock silenced him as tears of sorrow and despair entered his eyes.

"Should you interrupt me you shall die. Should you get the riddle wrong you shall die. Should you run away you shall die."

Jax looked at Jeff,  still in shock but his mind was clear and silent. He knew what he wanted to do. He could not bear the thought of having to live without his brother. Their friend,  Coran that they had convinced to join them was turned into a pig and killed along with the majority of the crew,  some he liked, some he did not care for and others he tolerated. Most of the crew were dead and now he had just lost his twin. He did not care anymore,  he just wanted to get this over with.

"I have three or more sides,

I always point to the skies,

On my bottom I will sit,

Inside death of royals of sun

To the beyond is well lit

Thieves will be lost as they run

My people's deity is a great cat

And my bottom is always flat!"

"A ziggurat." Jax shouted.

At this she did not hesitate in hiring her beams of light into his chest and he fell beside his twin. Gurter opened her mouth but Bash covered it. She looked up at the sphinx. Seeing that she did nothing she let out a sigh. She looked back at her and shook her head. Gurter looked back up and nodded.

"Pyramid." Chashathrophogh said.

They looked at them and then at the sphinx. She nodded and moved and they all traced up the stairs. Yet as they continued and the clouds departed they could feel the heat of the son on their back. Yet they continued, soon they started to sweat and their muscles started to ache as they all ran. Yet they ignored the tiredness of their achy calves. Yet they still had a long way to go. The heat caused them to become even more tired and Bash and Chashathrophogh's skin started to burn. However they pushed through the pain as they climbed higher and higher. They started to pant and they felt the chill of the breeze as their heads started to feel slightly dizzy. Their eyelids threatened to drop over their eyes. Chashathrophogh and Bash took out an arrow and gripped the head, using the pain to keep them awake. Then they reached the top and collapsed on the bluebell coveted land.

"Looks like I'm no' as young as I once were!" He sighed. "All o' ye take a break 'n' grab ye bi'e!"

They all nodded and ate in silence as Bash's eyes slid to the side to be greeted by the entrance. It was rectangular with the upper half narrower than the lower half. There was a door in the center of a thick stone door frame that had no keyhole or knob. In fact it had nothing, not any sign on how to open it. In the door frame were bluebells moulded out of gold and lodged in the frame. 

She wondered how they were or how to get in but as she looked at the bluebells something told her that it had something to do with them. She could not place what, but as she looked at the stem the bluebells were attached to,  she noticed that there were no brakes and there were no identifiable patterns about their position. She then noticed that there was something odd about the heads of each bluebell. They were not normal, she could have sworn she had seen the alignment of the bluebells. Yet she could not place what. 

Then she rubbed her eyes as she continued eating. Her eyes then skid to Cerpheres's violin. Then she remembered as she turned back to the frame, they were musical notes! She hit herself for not fighting it out earlier as it was one of the only girly things she liked. 

"What was that for, girl?"

"Cerpheres could you play your violin in accordance to the notes that each bluebell is shaped as on that door frame?" She asked.

His eyes worsened as he smiled.

"Of course!"

He then finished his food as the rest of them did. He touched his chin with the violin and started playing. Then the dies opened and they walked in while he continued to play.

They then walked into a room with nothing but a stone table in. She walked up to it and noticed that there were bluebells in the shape of musical notes going all around it. At the top was the XII.

"So where's the treasure?" Kia asked.

"Cerpheres, play the musical notes coming from the right of the- no Prince Captain Lockheartsmith prefers to do things backwards,  so go to the left and play it anticlockwise."

He dashed to her and played. Moving around to see the notes as he did. Then the floor descended.

"Wha's goin' on?"

Then they were lowered to a room filled with blue and purple jewels. Cerpheres then jumped off and took a blue box and spotted a musical piece that he played, opening it.

"Bash ye a generous!"

They soon collected all the treasure and spent over three days putting it all on board.