The Key: Book 2 The Rose Tree Chronicles

Chapter Six: The Oath

Rein jumped back with a yelp and kept low in the trinket box. She couldn't bring herself to look Captain Tzatara in the eye as he gazed down at her with an expression on his face which she couldn't read.

"There ya are, Little Pixie."

Rein had no way to reply. She thought about begging for mercy, but quickly ruled that out as pointless. Without a word, the captain held out his large, musty hand for Rein to climb onto it. She hesitated and looked back and forth from the captain to his filthy hand. Finally, she reminded herself that it might be wise to cooperate.

"Now, ya know I have to punish ya for that," Captain Tzatara said as he carried Rein back to his desk.

Rein hated the way his tone implied that he didn't want to punish her. He played as though he was the nice guy, and it was all she could do not to scream how she wasn't the simpleton he thought her to be.

"But how honest ya are about what ya learned from the map will determine how merciful yer punishment will be," Captain Tzatara continued. He let Rein off his hand and onto his desk.

Rein glanced at the leather-bound book on the floor with the map sticking out beneath the cover. She had failed to hide her tracks well enough. She silently kicked herself and then addressed the captain. "You won't believe me if I tell you the truth."

"Well let's see," said the captain as he got comfortable in his chair. "Try me."

Rein dropped her arms at her side in defeat. "I only know four languages fluently, Captain: Noelle, Northern Elvish, Atlikan, and Roshirian. I know only a little of other languages and I am hardly literate in any. I swear I only managed to learn that the language is Dovish and that it's a map of Roznova. Truly, that's all I know."

The captain thought for a moment. "Very well, I'll be merciful." He grabbed the same jar that Rein was trapped in before and placed it in front of her. "Get in the jar."

Rein took a tentative step back. "This is merciful?"

"Would ya like to know the other punishment I had in mind?"

Rein hesitated. "No."

"I thought so. Get in the jar."

"You're not going to put the lid on it, are you?"

"I swear I will not."

Rein swallowed her panic as she entered the jar. Then Captain Tzatara lifted it off the desk and Rein slid to the bottom.

"Don't put the lid on!" Rein pleaded.

"I swore I wouldn't," said the captain. He set the jar upright between the cigar case and a globe so that she wouldn't be able to knock it over. Then he stood from his seat and left the cabin without another word.

Once Captain Tzatara had left, Rein gazed up through the opening of the jar with the knowledge that she could climb out if she really wanted. It would be difficult, but she had managed to reach the lid last time she was trapped inside this very container. Though, what would be the point? There was no way for her to leave the ship and she would eventually be found if she tried to hide.

Rein was fully aware that this was a tease. If she had wings, she'd easily be able to fly out of the jar, perhaps perch atop a mast, and wait to leave until they sailed by any speck of land. Indeed, the captain was clever. He knew this would be the perfect persuasion to force Rein to ponder the necessity of wings, which would push her to tell him what he wanted to know. He probably had no other punishment in mind; this would have been it whether she had told him the truth or not.

Rein sat against the side of the jar and searched her mind for solutions yet again. She tapped her head against the glass thinking, fighting, striving, and desperately reaching. At long last, an idea dawned on her and she had to tell the captain immediately.