Page 13 of Escaping Pirates
“Well, I can’t,” Blossom said with a pout. “She called me an ox and a moron.”
“I didn’t.” I shook my head from side to side.
“And now she’s lying!”
“It’s the brig for you,” Harsh said, gripping my upper arm and pulling me away. “I don’t have time for thisnonsense. I have a little task I need to tend to with this ship.”
Goosebumps popped up all over my arms, not only from the cold in the brig where I was tied up, but from the screams originating from the other ship as Harsh’s crew attacked them. This was hislittle task? Murder? Closing my eyes only sharpened the scenes my mind conjured up, fabricating stories about the backstory of each sailor who would go to his watery grave soon, and humming did little to distract from the noises above the brig.
Steady drips splattered the damp, slippery floor, and I heard the squeaking of rats as they scurried from barrel to barrel to hide from the lantern’s glow. The pungent reek of rotting fish hid the typical smell of cheap alcohol that hovered around the crew, but it wasn’t any improvement. My raw wrists were tied together and aloft once more, and nothing could distract me from the pain. Sores had grown on my hands and arms, and the rough fibers of the rope cut into my skin every time I moved.
How long had I been here? They had never left me this long before, but then again, I had never received this punishment right before a battle at sea. If only I had a way,anyway, to rest my body. There wasn’t a muscle I had that wasn’t aching somehow. Fatigue and malnutrition had worn away my rebellion just as easily as these ropes had scratched away at my skin until droplets of blood dribbled down my arms. My vision blurred from how light-headed I had become, and any time I came close to passing out, myweight would pull against the ropes until the pain brought me back to consciousness.
As the sun began to sink, the sounds of battle gradually diminished or else my hearing was going the same way as my vision. Above the relentless slapping of the waves, I heard a sharp squeal of “Oooh, Daddy! I want—” and blocked out the rest. If I never had to hear Sugar’s or Blossom’s voice again, I would die a happy woman. I pressed my forehead against the metal bars and tried counting to distract myself from the pain in my arms and the aching in my feet.
“No, I refuse!” The thundering shouts of an unfamiliar male voice echoed down to me. “Get off me!”
Even though my heart ached for whichever new victim Captain Harsh had selected to single out, an overwhelming numbness had dulled my empathy levels. Would I ever feel anything besides fatigue, hunger, and pain?
The door to the brig slammed open with such force that it bounced back off the wall.
A young man in his early- to mid-twenties, fighting tooth and nail to escape, was escorted to the brig by four burly pirates. I stared. Captain Harsh didn’t often takeprisoners. I hadn’t seen any others, nor had Blossom or Sugar ever mentioned any. This man was dressed in the same type of sailor’s clothing that my father’s crew had worn and was very handsome, with blond hair, a strong jaw, and broad shoulders. I intended to offer a small, consolatory smile and lift my fingers by wave of greeting, but he didn’t look my way, and the ropes scratching at my wrists prevented me adjusting my hand’s position, anyway. I likely lacked the energy to do anything beyond exist, second by second.
When was the last time I’d eaten anything? One day? Two? My head spun and my thoughts grew fuzzy. How Ilonged to simply sleep uninterrupted or have a meal that consisted of something other than hardtack and the occasional strip of dried fish.
The cell door next to mine clanged shut, and the prisoner clutched at the bars. “You can’t do this!”
“Think about the offer,” Gavvet growled at the new prisoner. “The captain isn’t a patient man, and he’s generous to grant you the opportunity to live at all.”
The pirates trooped out, leaving me alone with the newcomer, who aimed a ferocious kick at the bars on his cell, then slammed the heel of his hand repeatedly against the ship’s hull. With a wordless shout of fury, he slumped down to the moldy floor and drew several ragged breaths.
Was he crying? I couldn’t tell in the dim light, and the raucous cheers from the pirates overhead drowned out any noise the man might’ve made.
Given that our cells shared bars and I was tied up less than two feet from his cell, I couldn’t give him much privacy to grieve for his crewmates, but did my best to remain quiet so I wouldn’t disturb him, clenching my jaws tight to prevent any groan escaping my lips. When he finally looked up, he caught my eye and looked slightly taken aback, as though he hadn’t realized he wasn’t alone.
“Welcome to theKraken’s Revenge,” I croaked with a sardonic smile.
He shifted his weight and stood, coming to wrap his fingers around our cells’ shared bars. “They tie you up while you’re in the cell?” he asked softly. His eyes were red and puffy, and his voice sounded choked.
“Not every time. This is because I accidentally insulted Blossom.” Then, upon seeing his slightly confused expression, I added, “The captain’s older daughter. She’s the skinny one. She took offense to something I said.” Mymouth was nearly too dry to talk, so my voice came out raspy and weak.
The stranger’s face darkened. “Blossom, is it? So we’re both in here because of her.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Don’t tell me she wants to use you for a scullery maid, too. You’d look odd in a skirt and apron.” The first real smile since coming aboard cracked my chapped lips, then I winced as my arms shifted slightly and the ropes dug into my raw wrists again.
“What’s wrong?” Concern flickered in the man’s eyes. I nearly didn’t recognize it; it had been too long since anyone showed any kindness toward me.
I flicked my eyes toward my bound wrists. “I’ve been holding my arms in the same position for more than an hour, and my wrists have seen better days. I’ll have biceps of steel by the time I get to walk the plank.” How I found the energy to joke, I’d never know. For all I knew, this man could be an enemy pirate being held for questioning. Being clean-cut and handsome wasn’t enough to make one trustworthy.
“Here,” the man offered, and he reached through the bars, holding under my elbows to support their weight. “You rest your arms.”
Relief, blessed relief, drained out of my upper arms as I relaxed my elbows into the man’s hands. He held my arms up for me so that there wasn’t any tension on the rope and it didn’t cut into my wrists. Tears of gratitude sprang to my eyes. “Thank you,” I whispered, pressing my forehead against the bar between us. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Here tied up in this cell, or here on this ship? I was on a merchant vessel departing Haven Harbor when we were attacked, probably a month ago? I don’t think two monthsyet.” The bar left a vertical imprint on my forehead as I rolled my head to look at him. My days of servitude were blending together, with only my fingernail growth to help determine the length of my captivity. “They burned my ship. My crew…” My throat choked up at the memory rushing back in detail, complete with Enid’s horrified face gazing up at me as she clung to that crate lid. “the crew were all thrown overboard. I tried to save them, but…”
The stale air shifted between us as the man let out a groan. “They just did the same with my crewmates.”
