Flash Fiction #548 -- Buffy the Pirate/4

 

She arrived at the outskirts of Bay Village just before dawn the next day and quietly climbed the hill up to her mother's home. A light shined in the window, and it almost made her cry.

Serena was not surprised to find her mother up and cleaning. It was almost dawn, after all. The older woman gave a quick smile when Serena opened the door and stepped in, but it faded when she looked behind her daughter.

"Where is she?"

"Buffy joined the pirates."

A moment of silence...

"Well, that can't be good. Close the door. I'll get breakfast."

Serena shoved the door closed and heard an odd thump as something hit it.

"Ow!"

"Buffy!"

Serena tore the door open again, and the cat stumbled in, looking as drenched and muddy as her mistress. Serena used a little magic to clean and dry the cat and then caught her in a tight hug that got her wet and muddy again.

"I don't have much time," Buffy said, finally slipping out of her hold. The mud helped.  

"You aren't working with the pirates?" Mom asked with a tilt of her head.

"They think so -- no, don't hug me again! Did you really think I'd joined them?"

"You didn't tell me otherwise," Serena said. "And you abandoned me."

"I had to move fast for fear they would sail away," she said. "Besides, if I had told you my plan to join the pirates, you would have wanted to do the same. You can't pretend with me!"

Serena had started to shake her head, but she stopped. Buffy was right. They would have argued, too, and it would have been embarrassing and dangerous.

"I don't have much time," Buffy said with a look out the window. "I don't want Vane to guess where I've been, so I need to get back fast. They are going to raid the village. It was my idea -- I just had to make sure I got here first so you could be ready. You knew, didn't you, Serena?"

"I heard them talking. I think you know more?"

"They want supplies. I think they are heading south."

"Vane doesn't want to be a pirate anymore," Serena added.

"Good. If he survives this, maybe he'll be smarter."

Mom put food down on the table and sat with us, Buffy on the table by her plate. Serena wanted to gobble everything down, but she waited.

"You don't have much time," Buffy warned. "They were preparing to sail when I went out to scout. I can't stay --"

And with that, she started gobbling her food --

"Slow down," Mom ordered. "Don't worry. I can get you back faster."

"Oh, good." She did slow down and looked from Serena to Mom. "Their food is awful. It is odd because they had some good food, but they sold it all at Novco, and not for much money. Then he gave all the money to the crew and kept none for himself. I don't understand."

"I might," Mom said and looked bothered. She leaned back, her breakfast almost untouched. "And it presents us with a problem. Novco suffered a devastating crop failure, and then the city was raided by robber bands from the north. I didn't realize how serious things were until after I sent you two. I've been worried sick, but you both did well."

"Captain Vane is providing food," Serena said, startled by the idea.

"He doesn't seem such a bad guy," Buffy admitted.
"But he does need to be stopped," Mom said. "A shame I don't have my supplies, or I might have just put them to sleep while we got the officials."

"He has your shipment hidden, I think in his quarters," Serena said. "That doesn't help."

"In his room? I suspect I know where it is," Buffy admitted as she finished her breakfast. "I saw him closing up a secret cupboard. I can get to it -- but I wouldn't be able to carry much out."

"I need to get in with you," Serena said.

"Besides it being too dangerous," Buffy said as she dropped onto the floor and looked up. "It is also impossible. They would see you."

"Perhaps not," Mom said. "Wait, Buffy. I need to give you both something that will help you get back faster. And something more for Serena. I don't have to tell you this is dangerous, right?"

"No, mom," we chorused.

She looked at Buffy and laughed but didn't correct her. Instead, she hurried into her workroom. We could hear her moving things around. Buffy began to pace, looking worried -- but before I could say anything, mom came out with two cups.

"Buffy, take a couple laps of this," she said, setting the cup on the floor. "Then you finish it, Serena. It will take about fifteen minutes to kick in. Long enough for you to take the second potion. This one works with a magic word. You will put your palms together and say 'disappear'. And you will."

Serena returned the cup she'd finished and took the other, drinking it down as fast as possible. It wasn't that either tasted foul, only that she didn't want her mother to change her mind.

"Anything you wear or carry will disappear, too," Mom said. "And if you need to reappear, you put your palms together and say 'appear'. You can only do the sequence three times, and the spell will wear off an hour after the first disappearance. We don't dare test it here. Just be careful, both of you. If you can get to my supplies, find the Antis Flower petals and the Sleep Ferns. They're both from the fae, so they should have fancy writing on the boxes. Now go. Be careful flying. You'll be at least twice as fast for about 20 miles. That should get you close. I'll get the others ready here."

The two left and soon took to the sky -- and soon afterward, they really flew.