5. Mateshaven

Pi did not say it out loud, but he was glad that Mateshaven actually defended itself honorably. He didn’t like traps or uncertainty. He liked a good fight—his ship against the obvious enemy—which he could win. Also because said fights usually ended quickly. The enemy would quickly realize they stood no chance against Adventure Galley.

There was no senseless fighting. No more buildings needed to be destroyed, or animals killed, than necessary. And still Pi could conquer the next enemy territory for Casbrita and increase his legendary status.

The enemy was far better prepared this time. It even moved to meet him before he reached Mateshaven.

His Adventure Galley still drifted past Madaska, more than a day away from Mateshaven, when five ships already created a blockade on the horizon. Five strong ships, for this was a rich and powerful territory. Not because of their skill or discipline, though, Pi did well to remind everyone he spoke to. No, merely because the Soul of Darus was found here and had given them unfair advantages.

“Five ships,” Pi mumbled. “That’s nothing, aye.”

“Can we handle that?” Widagai asked. His wooden leg tiptoed on Pi’s broad shoulders.

“As long as we believe we can handle that, we can. Prepare the cannons—”

“Already started, aye!” said Thorngold with a mischievous grin.

The crew hastened to reach every corner of the ship. The entire ship seemed to tremble with excitement in anticipation of battle.

They were halfway their journey back to Casbrita. Back home, his lovely home, where his sweet wife and children waited for him.

They’d conquered half their list, but Pi knew it would only get tougher and tougher. They were too far away from Caribean now for safety, but also too far from Casbrita to get reinforcements. And then the Council of Kame, Pi worried. How will we ever conquer that?

He pushed the thoughts away; he presently had a wall of five ships to climb.

“We must make sure they can’t attack us all at once.”

“How?” Thorngold kicked and dragged massive cannonballs towards the other crew members as if they weighed nothing. They, on the other hand, sometimes needed three apes just to catch them and put them in a cannon.

“A fine question.” Pi ducked underneath a rotating sail. A while later the entire ship turned and Pi steadied himself against two barrels.

The ships were close enough now to recognize flags. Yes, these came from Mateshaven, and were prepared for war.

Pi studied the ocean in every direction. There was always a solution. His ship barely had a scratch on it, that’s how legendary his skill in sea battle was.

But he didn’t see the solution.

The enemies created a circle. A crescent moon that left Pi no other choice than to sail into its heart. If they could lock him in, they could destroy the entire ship with ease, hitting him from all sides. Pi could maybe sink one or two—before he sunk himself.

“Captain, captain, captain,” Widagai said. “We’re almost stuck.”

“I know!” he yelled.

His eyes gazed; his mind searched; nothing. They should’ve taken a different route, through the narrow street between Madaska and Origina. But he feared that would lock them in too.

Thorngold stomped and grabbed his cannon. “It be a simple calculation. Five ships against one. Madness!”

Pi agreed. They should’ve turned around when they first noticed the five ships. But a captain who fled at the sight of danger wasn’t exactly an inspiration to his crew.

Yes, he was a demigod. A faint descendant of Gulvi. His father had been one of the original Seafarers who saved the world when it almost destroyed itself through greed for Floria.

He was, however, no superhero. He didn’t even know what his magical power was. He considered himself a simple captain who wanted to do good and remove evil.

Now there was nothing more to do than fight.

“Whoever wants to leave, can go now,” he spoke softly. He pointed at two lifeboats that hung just below the railing, dangling against the outer hull of Adventure Galley.

Silence reigned.

“Are ya mad?” escaped Thorngold loud mouth. “I mean, erm, are you perhaps not entirely—”

“We fight,” said an ape. “Better to die fighting alongside Pi, than life with shame.”

“Pi!” the apes yelled. “Pi! Pi! Pi!”

Soon the entire crew chanted his name. Believing you can win, Pi thought with a smile, is the first step to winning.

Then he saw the obvious solution. Inspired by what he’d seen Thorngold do, on accident, some time ago.

As the enemy ships opened fire, he suddenly turned his ship to sail straight at the nearest of the five. It seemed as if he wanted to ram the ship.

A possible tactic, for the Adventure Gally was larger and stronger. But it would also destroy Pi’s ship to such an extent that the battle ended right there. Like an elephant who might be able to crush a tiger with his massive paws, but hurts his paw in the process.

The enemy temporarily froze in surprise, then reacted swiftly. They turned with him. Once Pi had rammed the first ship, they could immediately shoot him to bits and pieces. That front-most ship was less excited about this prospect and still tried to turn away.

At the last moment, Pi gave a hand sign to his entire crew. All at once, with perfect timing, they shifted the sails, adjust the oars, and kicked against the rudder.

The ship nudged ever so slightly to the right. Instead of a full collision, it dealt only a glancing blow to the ship, floating alongside it. Anything that stuck out too far—oars, planks, ropes, decorations—was scraped off the hull and landed in the sea.

They were intertwined, like two friendly ships holding hands, unable to let go of each other.

His entire crew jumped on top of the other ship. Only Pi and Widagai remained.

His well-trained men had no trouble dispatching of the enemy. Three were kicked overboard, the helmsman received a sword through the belly, and the others surrendered.

Now they had two ships against four.

The enemy ships had quickly surrounded Pi again. Nobody remained on his ship to fire the cannons, and Widagai—at his own admission—was more than useless in a sword fight.

Everything depended on the next step. If they won a third ship, it would be three against three. Equal odds, fair playing sea. Not if Pi was involved though—then it was victory assured.

Thorngold lit all the cannons on the other ship. Most cannonballs landed safely in the water. All his love for cannons did not make it easier to aim at a moving target far away, standing on a bobbling ship.

Widagai left Pi’s shoulder for another reconnaissance flight. He found the one ship, of the four, with the least crew and signaled it to Pi.

The captain waited a few seconds, to gather courage and strength, then turned the Adventure Galley in its direction.

Five large swings of the wheel put the ship precisely in line with the enemy. The deck slanted until all the barrels toppled over and rolled into the sea.

It was a fine plan. But even fine plans go wrong.

For every cannonball they fired, ten were received. They’d accidentally given the enemy a better idea: they could ram their ship too—and they were fine with losing one of their four ships by doing so.

Pi turned and turned, but he was losing his first mast, then his second mast, then the bow, and eventually the water freely flowed into the lower decks of his ship.

The smallest Mateshaven ship, which he had planned to take over just now, raced to the side and rammed into the place just below Pi. The crew jumped into the water as it happened.

Pi’s ship broke in two. Slowly, defiantly, but broken all the same.

The Adventure Galley was no more.

Thorngold screamed and fired a thundering hail of bullets. It turned one enemy ship into more holes than wood. The type of ship that had the habit of sinking very rapidly.

It was one against two now.

Pi clung onto any part of his ship he could find, as the dark water approached.

“Jump! Jump for us!” his crew yelled.

Pi flexed his muscles as he elegantly climbed the final upright mast.

A new rain of cannonballs came for them. As they hit, Pi jumped from the highest point, spread his red cloth like wings, and started a glide.

He landed next to a grinning Thorngold. Until he, joined by his beloved cannon, was blown off the ship.

“No!” Widagai yelled. He was too late, too far away, still among the clouds. Thorngold fell backward into that cursed ocean.

Something else, however, came out of the ocean.

A black paw, neatly combed and washed, held onto him and threw him back on deck. It took a while before Widagai realized why the paw looked familiar.

“Karlos! Karlos!”

He wanted to fly away, but Pi held his wooden paw.

Pi’s other hand held a piece of parchment: a search warrant. For none other than Pi himself.

The enemy had promised 100,000 Soliduri to whoever defeated the monster Pi. A compliment, yes, but also a confirmation that they couldn’t finish this mission alone.

“Ask for help,” he asked, out of breath. “Fly back to Caribean. Ask the colonies for help. Ask fishing boats. Ask the tropical islands. Ask whomever wants to help us.”

“But …”

The wreckage of the Adventure Galley was used a shield. The massive wooden vehicle blocked line of sight and made it hard to sail through the area. The enemy struggled to see or reach them for the time being.

Pi fled as quickly as he could, now captain of a stolen ship—much smaller and weaker.

Widagai sighed, as Karlos was hoisted onto deck.

“I’ll find help,” said he. “Where might I find you in a week’s time?”

“Hopefully passed the Lovelily,” Pi said, still panting. “Go! Go!”

Pi watched his parrot ga. Then he looked at the state of this new ship, which barely fit his entire crew, even as they lost a few members during the fight. And that weird catlike creature that helped them, with eyes that didn’t lok natural.

This, he thought, is not going according to plan.

Even the best plans could change. Experience had taught him that lesson through the many bruises on his body, and the five ships he lost to the sea before the Adventure Galley.

Now that they had an enemy ship … with the enemy flag, logo, weapons, everything … they’d never see them coming.