Carta Fantastica
Here is the “first chapter” of my most recent short story, Carta Fantastica. My favorite thing about it is that - it has cats! If you want the entire story, subscribe to the mailing list!
Carta Fantastica
To my most Excellent Lord William Burley,
My crew has recently arrived into port. It is to you that I write this letter, as I can trust none of my fellows, the captains of the Capricorn Merchant Company, those fiends who conspired together and had my last ship, the Red Mermaid, burned down over these rogues bearing false witness of it carrying plague; a rotten chest of black humors and pox-infected rats, all of them!
My most merry and good-hearted friend, as I trust only you to relate to Her Most Uncanny and Beloved Majesty of this Blessed Realm my adventurous undertakings and the work I do for Herself, my latest mission has just ended, and with the greatest of success. I carry a thing that needs the greatest protection from thieves! Mine ears have heard dark things! That enemies wish to rob me of something precious! I know that you can help me with protection. Last night it was told to me that rogues had crawled aboard the Star Treader while I was away at an inn, looking for something peculiar. The crew was away, save for one, my trusty companion Archibald, who informed me that they did not take anything of value onboard as they seemed to be looking for a certain something in particular. I well know what it is they desire and who sent them. It would not be the first time I have discovered such scheming. Archibald once espied Lord Frost employing the services of the witch of Moonlit Barrow to put a curse on me! Intercede for me, please, to Herself* to have my fellows of the company protected, me and my crew and my goods, I beg of you. May a thousand and one good dreams come your way, for I am much obliged for your support at court of my explorations of shores known and unknown; of journeys not yet in our wake as there are more dangers unknown that must be conquered, described and explained in great detail for Her Majesty’s records and continued patronage, and also for your bestiary.
To my accomplishments I place great store by my own wit and bravery; and also of my crew of brave and valiant men, and the sharp mind of my intrepid Archibald, whom no explorer should do without, one of the grandest gifts I have received in my travails through the Land of Winter and he spoke most well of you over the matter of the commissioning of Her Majesty’s moonstone sceptre, made with the great moonstone gifted to me from the Winter King many months past, for my intrepid odyssey through his land, defeating the king’s enemies and slaying various monsters.
To give you a small account of my most recent voyage, once again we sailed the Sapphire Sea and went even further than we did before to meet with the Lord of the Sea of Darkness who dwells in the East. I made a wager with him and gambled with him and to win one of his fairy daughters for my bride. I, being of the finest blood of old, of the progenitors of the Mushki, was desirous of such an excellent wife and knew with the blessing of the gods that I had been chosen for this very thing! We chose the youngest as Archibald had judged that she was the fairest. Hers was hair thick, dark and subtle in its colours; in her strands shone the muted, changeable colours of the sea illuminated by lightening in a night storm, her wings multi-faceted and delicate as stained glass. I have sent her by escort to the castle gifted to me by our Good Queen Mab. It was when we were away from home one day that a different stripe of luck struck the Star Treader that we came to the greatest gift!
Taken from the Lord of the Deep himself, that great kraken of the Sapphire Sea, he roused himself from the depths and appeared before us. I kept my godly charm close to my bosom, clasped in hand, with prayer on lip and we prayed for Old Proteus to have mercy upon us and our voyage and he did indeed hear our cries and gave us great mercy by straightening out the sea and rousing the beast out of his watery and luxurious caves to go off hunting while we hid under the mighty shadow of the hand of Proteus. Archibald dove in first to acquire the rare and marvelous star pearls the kraken hides as carefully as a dragon hides his golden hoard. Others of my crew who are skilled at diving followed Archibald and up and down they all went, grabbing as many pearls as could be snatched and filling their bags with them. It was then that an ominous thunder-crack sounded over the sea as a warning that the kraken was on his return and I urged the men to stop diving for I surmised we’d collected enough pearls and urged them back into the ship! Too late did we take our leave, one of our men was swallowed alive by the kraken. A regrettable sacrifice. It thrashed and swelled up the waves something fierce, trying to take down my ship! We escaped by the luck of Old Proteus and now I have sent these exquisite star pearls on as a great gift to Herself. A handful of them are worth one palace! Do you not marvel at the lustre? How they shimmer gently in the sun with pale and varied colors, and gleam in the moonlight like diamonds that twinkle with the color of the stars? I write to you, most excellent friend, as I fear my rivals will once again try to destroy my good reputation amongst my peers in the company and at court and will try to destroy all that I have built!
Most Truly,
Captain Sadko
PS I have tried mightily to cast about for further explorations from my usual investors and have suddenly come upon some trouble getting support. May I never lose the patronage of Her Majesty, she who brings good dreams! If you please, lend a word on my good name in these matters! I would remind you of our friendship and that I need your help against my enemies, whom I feel are mounting some new mischief against me.
