by Jamie Hawke
After what seemed like an hour, they walked between two large rock walls into the ruins left behind by what might have been an ancient kingdom. Within them, there was another wall, but this one a quickly-erected wooden fence built around a makeshift pirate camp. Some of the little hovels inside had been made with care, but most of them were simple ropes tied between trees with a piece of canvas tossed over and staked to the ground. Pirates, some large with exposed bellies and others short, some looking entirely malnourished, greeted the return party. All shot weary eyes Frank’s way—the stranger in odd clothes—as others took Goldie to a new cell.
Ahead, in the middle of the camp, a raised house stood framed by two rows of nooses.
“There we go,” Esmeralda said, nodding toward the house. “Time to meet the Captain.”
“And those?” Frank asked with a nervous glance at the nooses.
“Not for practical purposes,” she said with a haunted smile. “They remind us of the fate we fight to avoid. Come now, we don’t want to keep him waiting.”
“Wait here,” Esmerelda said when they stopped outside a thatched hut. She disappeared inside it, leaving Frank to stare around at the pirates and their jungle surroundings. For the thousandth time since he’d arrived, he asked himself how he’d gotten to this point, and checked to confirm that his compass was still in his pocket by pressing his leg up against the wall. He stared at the hut, thinking about the woman’s “torture,” and wondering if she was going to try anything like that again. He certainly hoped so.
A crunching of feet on sand pulled his attention to a weathered man. While maybe there was a rugged handsomeness there that Frank might have been jealous of under different circumstances, the man—clearly another pirate—mostly looked intimidating. His dark eyes matched his mop of hair and thick beard, and a silk strap over his leather jerkin held two pistols in place, both double barreled flint lock. His cutlass was already in his hands.
“We don’t need trouble, Teddy,” Ox said.
“Where is she?”
“Inside, with ‘er father.”
“And this one?” Teddy said, pointing his saber at Frank.
“We picked ‘im up. Prisoner o’ th’ PK.”
“You don’t say?” Teddy seemed to like that, for he smiled and stepped away from them and toward the hut. But then he turned and spat. “You risk our men, our location, and all you bring back is a boy prisoner… Pathetic.”
The others glared after him once he’d disappeared into the hut.
“And he is?” Frank asked.
“None o’ yer damned business,” Ox replied.
Frank bit his lip, making sure not to argue with a pirate named Ox, or any pirate for that matter. But then yelling came from inside the hut and a moment later Esmerelda came stumbling out as if she’d just been struck. Teddy followed, lifted his leg, and kicked Esmerelda in the butt so that she went sprawling off the porch and into the sand, face first.
“Hey!” Frank said, stepping forward.
“You got no piece of this argument,” Teddy said, stepping down and hovering over Esmerelda.
“I do when you’re going around hitting girls,” he said. Esmerelda shot him a “shut up” glance at that, but he didn’t care, adding, “What kinda man are you?”
A deadly silence descended over them, and Frank gulped at the fire in Teddy’s eyes. Damn his grandfather’s teaching him to always stand up to a man hitting a woman. Damn his inability to hold his tongue.
“You got a tongue on you, lad.” Teddy stepped toward him, a playful smile on his lips but a serious look in his eyes. “Let’s see if you can back it up.”
“Enough!” Esmerelda said, standing and brushing herself off. “Where is Steele?”
“Went looking for you,” Teddy said, his eyes never leaving Frank. “Left me in charge.”
“Horse-shit.”
“Ask him when he gets back, but in the meantime, your little friend here needs to learn his place.” Teddy motioned to Ox to untie Frank and give him a blade, then pointed his cutlass at Frank. “Let’s see what you’re made of.”
Frank felt warmth down below and realized he must have just pissed himself—a glance down told him it wasn’t enough to show, luckily. Ox was holding out a cutlass. Frank took it, instantly off-balance with the unaccustomed weight of the blade. He glanced at a rack of swords next to the hut, spotting a saber closer to the ones he was used to, and was about to ask if he could switch when Teddy came in swinging.
Frank fell into his sword stance and shifted left, out of the blade’s trajectory, and tried to strike back, but he was too slow with the cutlass.
“A quick little birdy,” Teddy said, pulling back his blade and assessing Frank. “Stay still so I can teach you a lesson, boy.”
Teddy lunged again, but this time with a feint and then a spinning strike that nearly caught Frank across the neck. Frank pulled up his blade just in time but caught a fist across the jaw.
“Cheating!” he called on instinct, and the surrounding pirates laughed, all except Esmerelda, who was staring at him with curiosity.
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you?” Teddy struck again, this time spilling blood from Frank’s arm, though it wasn’t more than a scratch. “We’re pirates.”
The next blow was followed by a knee to Frank’s gut and a strike that sent the cutlass flying. Esmerelda side-stepped and let it plunge into the sand beside her. As Frank backed away from Teddy’s sword point, aimed right for his heart, Esmerelda pulled her sword from its scabbard and heaved the cutlass from the sand, then came at Teddy, both swords swinging. For a moment, Frank forgot how terrified he was. This was a show of skill! The two pirates were circling each other, steel flashing, the surrounding pirates cheering.
Esmerelda nearly fell for the feint that had gotten Frank, but instead, she spun and brought her elbow into Teddy’s crotch before raising both swords to block a downward strike. She twisted and kicked out his legs, then stood and pointed both blades at his throat.
“Yield?” she asked.
He gave her a contorted smile, one hand holding his crotch as he curled up in pain. “Was just teaching the boy some manners.”
“Well,” she said, glancing over at Frank and then back at Teddy. “Looks like I’ve taught you instead.”
“Looks that way,” he said with a grin. He held out a hand and she took it, pulling him to his feet. “It’s good to see you, sis.”
“Sis?” Frank blurted out. “As in sister?”
“Not that it’s any of your concern,” Teddy said, finally sheathing his sword. “But yes.”
“Anyone else laid a hand on Esmerelda like that,” Ox said with a grunt of a laugh, “they’d be losing said hand.”
“My brother ever does it again,” Esmerelda said with a glare at Teddy, “he may lose more than a hand.”
“That was a cheap shot,” Teddy replied.
“Didn’t you hear? We’re pirates.”
Teddy’s glare continued for a moment, then he laughed and wrapped an arm around his sister. “The boy has some skills in his pocket, that’s for sure.”
“Indeed.” Esmerelda looked Frank up and down considering. “You some rich lord’s son? Your swordsmanship, it isn’t the type learned by pirating. And no common boy knows those moves I saw just now.”
“The moves that got my butt kicked,” Frank said.
“Ah, my gallant hero,” Esmerelda tossed Ox back his sword and sheathed her own. “You have a lot to learn if you hope to take on the likes of my brother. But your skill can’t be denied, which means I also don’t know if I can trust you as far as I can throw a boulder.”
Ox grabbed Frank by the arm. “Where ya want ‘im?”
Esmerelda gave Frank a look, considering, then said, “My tent.”
Teddy gave her a reproachful look.
“Just for questioning.”
“Right,” Teddy said, his hand returning to his saber hilt as his eyes found Frank. “Watch yourself in there, boy. Or next tim
e I won’t be playing with you.”
Frank gulped, stumbling as Ox led him away. They worked their way past men chopping wood, others relaxing in the warm sun, and one throwing a plucked chicken into a large pot over a fire.
The tent was toward the back of the encampment, but the word ‘tent’ was a bit misleading. The canvas was supported by several large beams so that there was room for half a dozen men to stand inside, and mats with blankets laid out as beds.
Frank looked around in surprise. “I thought—”
“That Esmerelda was going t’ seduce ya, teach ya th’ pirate ways in bed?” Ox laughed. “Nay, ya won’t be getting ‘er that easy. This is where she sleeps, aye, but it’s also where I and ‘er most trusted men sleep.” He leaned in close, as if conveying a secret. “Can’t always trust a camp full o’ pirates.”
“But what that man, Teddy, what he was saying…”
“Ah, Teddy. Just having a bit o’ fun with ya, ‘s all.”
“He nearly killed me!”
Ox shrugged. “Woulda stopped at the last minute, I s’pose.”
“You suppose?”
“No point worryin’ ‘bout it now, is there?” Ox motioned to a bed in the back corner. “Take a rest. Piss and whatnot in the trees. Food’ll be ready at sunset. Otherwise, try t’ stay out o’ trouble.” He turned to go.
“You’re not tying me up?” Frank asked in surprise.
“You prefer I do?”
“No.”
“Well then, there ya go. Way it is, see, we rescued ya from th’ bad ones, so why’d ya be tryin’ t’ run? And with the poisonous snakes and spiders in these jungles, can’t see how ya’d be wantin’ to.”
“Yes, all good points.”
Frank lay down in the bed when Ox had gone, and within a minute had drifted off to sleep.
When he woke, darkness had taken the jungle and his bladder was bursting. Wondering how he was still here and how this couldn’t all just be a dream, he made his way outside of the fenced-off area to the nearest tree, where he relieved himself. He would almost be willing to give up the compass for a good shower, but he knew the reality of that. At best he could hope for a bucket of water to clean himself with.
At the moment, he needed food and drink. His stomach was rumbling and his throat was parched. But as he moved back toward camp and the direction of the flickering flames, he heard voices.
“You really hoped we could just attack the bloody Pirate King and sail off without trouble?”
“If there was a chance o’ rescuing old….” But then the voices stopped, and one of the pirates turned to see Frank standing there.
“This him?” the older pirate asked. The man looked to be in his fifties, with long gray hair that fell in waves around his long face and hooked nose. “Not much to look at, is he?”
“Depends on who’s doing the looking,” Esmerelda said with a wink, earning her a couple of laughs from around the fire. She motioned for Frank to join them. “Come, meet my father, Captain Steele.”
Frank took a hesitant step forward, earning him a laugh from Captain Steele.
“Come, boy,” Captain Steele said. “We’re not the pirates you need to worry about. We’re the good guys.” The captain must have noticed Frank’s nervous glance toward Teddy, because he laughed and said, “Well, except for that one there. He’s as nasty as they come.”
Teddy gave Frank a shrug and smiled. “Hey, if we gotta fight them, we’re going to have to think like them.”
“Agree to disagree,” Esmerelda said. “That’s the exact attitude that’ll get us killed by the Royal Navy, if we live to see the day.”
Captain Steele stood and, in three big strides, had reached Frank. “Come boy, we like new company.”
He motioned for Frank to have a seat on a log by the fire, then called over to a serving woman to bring him some soup.
“What’s your name?”
“Frank,” he replied.
“Frank then, with the weird clothes.” Captain Steele gave him an interested, perhaps knowing, nod.
The woman came over in a rush, looking every bit as piratical as the rest of them but with wavy dark hair and dark skin to match. She wore what might have once been a green dress, but it had since been cut to accommodate fighting and moving around easily, and was adorned with small blades at each hip and a pistol holster to boot. Frank guessed that she was a local woman from one of the islands, who had somehow managed to become part of this crew.
She handed Frank the soup, shared a glance and a smile with Esmerelda, then returned to whatever she was doing around the corner of one of the tents. A look at Esmerelda showed her grinning as she shrugged and then ignored him. Frank had the sense she had shared her little torture story with her friend.
The soup was a bit oily, but considering how hungry Frank was, it tasted like heaven. He slurped up every last bit of it, listening to the pirates argue about whether to fall back or press the attack. From what he gathered, this Pirate King fellow had a large following and the money to back it. They were outgunned, and there was more to it—something about a demon, or a dragon. And another pirate muttered about a whole army of demons. Frank nearly choked on his soup as he heard that, wondering if this world he’d found himself in was more than just a jump through time.
“But this Pirate King,” Frank asked, leaning over to the man beside him. “He hasn’t always been around, has he?”
The man glanced over, but it was Captain Steele who said, “Funny you should ask.”
“Why’s that?”
“The man rose up, seemingly out of nowhere. He came in with his flying beast, destroying the old way of life. There have been many rumors and legends built up around him lately, but before that day he arrived, nobody had heard of him. Strikes you as odd, too?”
“It does,” Frank admitted.
“Aye.” Captain Steele stood and went to the fire, poking it with the long stick nearby so that it crackled. “Many wonder if he, too, used magic.”
There was a horrible silence, during which everyone was staring at Frank.
“You think I used magic?” Frank asked.
“Not saying that, but I hear there’s something mighty fishy about you.” Captain Steele turned, pointing with the stick with its red end. “Anything we should be aware of, boy?”
Frank gulped, feeling the sudden urge to piss himself. “No, sir.” He stood, debating his next move, and decided to simply land on, “Gotta take a piss.”
The captain stared a moment longer, then motioned to the tree line outside the camp. None of them asked any more questions, yet, but they also didn’t start talking again until he was practically out of earshot.
He found a tree, checked around as he undid his pants then froze, hand on his dick, at the sight of a woman squatting nearby.
“The fuck ya looking at?” she said, then stood and pulled up her pants. She was dressed like a man, though that clearly wasn’t the case. Her broad shoulders and height added to the effect.
“Sorry, just surprised,” Frank said. “Didn’t expect anyone out here.”
She leered at him, waiting. “Don’t be shy on my account.”
“Really, I didn’t—”
“You watched me, now I get to watch you.”
Frank pursed his lips, really not knowing what to do here, but noticed her hand on the hilt of her blade. Fuck, the last thing he wanted to do was piss off some pirate lady who’d just as soon gut him, so he pulled it out, trying to pretend she wasn’t there, and focused on images of waterfalls and rivers.
There was a sound of laughter and he opened his eyes to see her still watching him. He looked down at his limp dick, saw that it was growing, and started to put it away.
“Come now,” she said. “Don’t be shy on my account.”
“I really don’t have to—”
“Piss. Now.”
He gulped, held it back out, and finally got a trickle to go, then the stream started.
“See, that wasn’t s
o hard,” she said with a grin, and chuckled again.
A glance down showed the joke, as he was clearly hard at this point. He shook his head, trying to angle away from her as he pushed it down to ensure it stayed under control, and she leaned with it.
“Really?” he asked.
“I didn’t think you’d actually have the balls to do it,” she replied. “Just checking to see if they’re really so big.”
“Oh, God.” He was finished now, so gave it a shake and went about stuffing it back in.
“Need help?” she asked, stepping forward, but he already had it back in now and was stumbling away. One wrong step and he fell backwards into the sand, his head barely missing a palm tree.
The large pirate lady laughed and gave him a mock-dainty wave, then walked off in the direction of camp. Frank sat there for a moment, wondering what the hell had just happened. This place was strange, to say the least.
Over the next day, he had a chance to help rebuild defenses from previous attacks, including cleaning pistols and sharpening swords. He saw that large pirate woman a few times, but always from a distance and usually grinning at him in a strange way.
Esmerelda was too busy to have time for him, but they assigned another pirate to show him the various types of swords and check his ability with the guns. He was a natural with the saber, less so with the cutlass. As for pistols, Frank had gone shooting a few times in his late teens, but using these flintlock pistols was an entirely new experience. At least they were double barreled, like the ones Teddy used, so they could get two shots in before needing to be reloaded.
At the end of the third day, he heard swords clanging and ran over to see the large woman from the pissing experience clashing swords with Esmerelda. The large woman’s hair fell in black dreadlocks, and she wore a brown pirate coat with a slit that was stained red, making him consider that maybe she’d stolen it from someone she’d slain. Apparently they were sparring, as both wore grins and had several men and women cheering each of them on.
When Esmerelda landed a solid strike at the throat, the larger woman brushed it off, annoyed.