Page 45 of Captive of the Pirate King
A quavering voice emerges from the cabin. “But—the Pirate King does not extend that mercy to women.”
My breath catches. “No,” I whisper. “Oh, Locke… no…”
“Hush, Nick,” he snaps. Then louder, he says, “No women are allowed on the Pirate King’s ships. But if you come quietly, we’ll see that you’re given a boat and some supplies. You won’t be harmed.”
“That’s a death sentence,” I hiss.
Locke whirls, eyes blazing. “Nick. Quiet.”
“Shut yer trap, Nick,” echoes Gorm from the shadows of the corridor.
Locke eases down the lever of the gun and tucks it into his belt. “I’m coming in,” he says. “Don’t shoot me, or it’ll be the worse for you.”
Soft sobs are his only answer. Stepping over Cauley’s body, Locke moves into the doorway.
I can’t breathe. If they shoot him, I—
I won’t—I can’t—Locke can’t die. He can’t. It’s just—it’s impossible.
Locke stands in the doorway, palms up, and I see the muscle along his jaw flex as he stares into the room. When he speaks, his voice is gruff but not cruel. “Come on out. I’ll take you to the Captain.”
He holds out his hands, beckoning. Even grimy and one-eyed, with his hair covered, he cuts an impressively handsome figure. Not that the woman in the room is in any state to admire him—wait, it’s not one woman, but two. Two women are emerging from the room. The older one hands her pistol to Locke—it’s a single-barrel, empty now—while the younger woman clings timidly to the first woman’s arm. I suspect they’re mother and daughter.
They are both dressed in all the layers of wealth—petticoats and corsets and overskirts and ruffles. Their hair is exquisitely coiffed, and their lace-rimmed necklines show off the copious swells of their breasts.
Gorm whistles appreciatively, and the women shrink like startled fawns.
“You won’t be harmed,” says Locke. “The Pirate King’s law prevents any of us from laying a finger on you.”
“But you’re going to put us out to sea, alone,” says the woman who held the gun.
Without answering, Locke guides them toward the ladder, while Gorm follows.
I stay behind for a moment, kneeling beside Cauley, former first mate of theWending Willow, turned murderous pirate.
He was kind to me. He kept my secret.
Does he have a family somewhere, waiting for him? Better that they never know how he ended his life—how he killed innocent sailors and died at the hands of a terrified woman.
I place one hand along his brow and press it there for a moment. I barely believe in the gods, so I have no prayers to offer, except a wish that his spirit may find peace.
“Thank you,” I whisper. Then I rise, leaving him alone in the hallway. When the crew of theArdenthas finished here, Cauley will go down with theLady Marcella.
When I reach the deck again, the two women are standing before Captain Neelan, encircled by leering pirates.
“And who might you be, pretty birds?” asks Neelan, tipping up the older woman’s chin with the muzzle of his pistol.
“I’m the captain’s wife.” Her voice shakes. “And this is my daughter.”
“Ah, the captain’s wife.” Captain Neelan taps his pistol against his lips as if he’s thinking. “Hmm, captain, captain—Oh, right, the captain! That captain?” And he points to a headless corpse lying on the deck a short distance away.
Both women scream, cupping their hands over their mouths. The older one darts forward and is dragged back by a grinning Tir, while the younger woman crumples to the deck, overcome.
“Your man should have run up a white flag,” says Neelan carelessly. “Well, my dears, let’s send you on your way as quick as may be. We’ve got loot to transport before we scuttle the lovelyLady Marcella.”
I’m racking my brain, trying to think of a way to save the women. The memory of Cook holding my family ring flashes into my mind. Cook asked me if I was valuable for ransom. Of course, he still thinks I’m a boy, so that was likely the only reason he mentioned it. If the promise of a ransom could save a woman’s life aboard the Pirate King’s ships, I’d have heard about it. Hell, I might have tried it myself, despite my aversion to returning home.
But these women are clearly wealthy. Maybe the Captain will make an exception. I have to try, because the pirates are already preparing a skiff to be lowered over the side.
