Page 49 of Enchanted By a Pirate
"Are you okay, Ani?"
"Yes, don't worry. What are you going to do with them when they regain consciousness?"
His jaw clenched. "I'll take care of them, believe me."
"What does that mean? What are you pirates doing?"
His eyes blazed. "Don't you know the stories they tell about us?"
She held his gaze resolutely. "I've heard them and now I want to hear your version."
A subtle smile crossed his lips. "I raid…"
"No, the whole truth."
He chuckled. "Very well, madam. You wouldn't have it any other way. You used to be so… convinced that my crew and I weren't the bad guys."
Don't get distracted, don't get distracted. How much she would like to ask him about how they had met and what they had experienced together, but there was enough time for that later. Now, she wanted an answer to the much more pressing question of how the pirates earned their… living.
"You've forgotten everything, including the sirens?"
"The sirens?" The legend of Odysseus popped into her mind. What other fantasy characters were there in this country?
"Aye. They live in the sea and bewitch sailors, luring them to their deaths. Some of them are worse than others."
"What does that mean?"
"Some enjoy leading ships astray for years, others deliberately lure them onto dangerous rocks and cliffs and thus to their deaths."
That sounded dangerous.
"What do you have to do with that?"
"We pirates can resist the call of the sirens. We know the routes that sailors must sail where nothing happens."
"But if they are fixed routes…"
"They change depending on the current and the mood of the sea. We hear the waves whispering as well as the sirens, so we know where the magical creatures are located. Only with our help can merchant ships travel safely from one port to another, and we charge a price for this safe passage."
"Like the Mafia?"
"What is the Mafia?"
Anna made a dismissive hand gesture. "So, you demand tolls from the traders, so to speak?"
"Aye. Some people recognize what we do and are happy to pay. Others want to avoid it and accuse us of wrongdoings, thus damaging our reputation instead of paying us. In such cases, of course, we take action." He shrugged. "Even a pirate has to survive."
That wasn't as bad as she had feared. "And what do you do with those who refuse to pay?"
"It depends on what is necessary. Some simply need to be threatened a little and they give in. Others have their goods confiscated or the crew is abandoned on a deserted island."
That didn't sound as frightening as she'd feared. "Why is your reputation so bad even though you carry out such an important task?"
"We're rewarded handsomely for the crossing and have amassed enormous treasures as a result, which is a thorn in many people's sides." Chris rubbed the back of his neck. "The sirens stay far out. They can neither be heard nor seen from shore. Some people claim we simply made it up, that we exist to extort money from the traders. As a result, some sail without our escort, never to be seen again — of course, those people could confirm the existence of the sirens. In such instances, people say we attacked them and destroyed their ships."
"I see. And… will we hear the sirens too? Heading east, I mean?"
"Aye, I think so. We will be en route for a day or two, depending on how the giants in the east blow the wind. But don't worry, a pirate has never fallen for the call of a siren."
