ALWAYS, ABIDE WITH ME

Chapter 11: Pirates!

The arrows flew in thick and fast embedding themselves into the timber with dull thwacks.

"Pirates?!" Murali's eyes were hard.

"There were three or four ships; could be pirates," Arawinda sounded worried.

"Good marksmen, aren't they?"  Lan JingYi said sarcastically.

"Unless... these arrows weren't meant to kill!" said Mewan thoughtfully.

Very soon the dhony was surrounded by three mid-sized ships and they found themselves targeted by several archers with bows at the ready.

Using a hollowed out conch*, an armed man from the nearest ship bellowed, "All stop! Dhony, identify yourself and state your purpose!"

Unacustomed to anything but deferential treatment, the younger Lans' hands gripped the hilts of their swords and their expressions tightened.

"Boys!" Wei Ying's rebuke was soft but effective.

As the Lankans watched, the Lans drew themselves up and addressing the one who had called, stated: "We are members of the Gusu Lan Clan from Sina, visiting the Aquatic Realm of Lanka, at the invitation of Prince Chengse de Yanjing."

"Prince Chengse?"

"Yes, indeed", Arawinda corroborated.

"And who is this?" He pointed to Wei Ying, who was lounging unconcerned at the railings. "He looks.... We are authorised to apprehend suspects anywhere in these, the territorial waters of the Pandyan Kingdom!"

"So you are not pirates!" Lan JingYi blurted.

"Pirates?" the soldier's eyebrows rose at this audacity.

"Ahem!" Everyone's attention went to Wei Ying, who now walked up to the prow. "I want to speak to your Leader."

"You address me!"  A mere flick of a glance and the man couldn't unseal his lips.

"Mmmnbbnnn!"

"Pirates! Sorcerers! Magic! Help!" The soldiers nearest the dhony fell back in alarm.

"A'Yuan, release him."

"Nobody disrespects my Baba!"

Wei Ying smiled at his suddenly fierce cub, his eyes crinkling with love.

" Aish, A'Yuan, they just doing their job!"

"They used magical force on us! Attack!"

A flurry of arrows zipped off the taut bows, only to be repulsed by an unseen barrier.

"I challenge you to get even a crow's feather onto this deck!" Lan JingYi's stentorian tone from the crow's nest surprised Wei Ying.

"You too, A'Yi? Come down, it's all right, no one wants to harm us."

Wei Ying then turned to a stocky unarmed man, clad simply in travelling robes.

"Greetings, Leader!" Wei Ying gave him the palm over fist salute. Though surprised, the unarmed man came to attention and placed his right fist across his chest and bent his head forward.

"The Pandian Navy!" Murali's voice was confident.

"Yes, young man."

"Sir, forgive my guests, they mistook you for pirates!"

"No harm done," said the Leader placidly, but his eyes went to Lan JingYi atop the crow's nest. "But who is to say that you are not pirates?!"

"Sire," said Arawinda, speaking in chaste Tamil, "These are Chosen Ones from the realm of Sina, to the north east of your vast Bharata,* and these," he pointed to Murali and Mewan; "are Chosen Ones from Lanka."