by Jamie Hawke
“’Or’ would be the defining word there,” Teddy said. “The bastard sold out to the Pirate King just this year. The Pirate King swept in and separated many who used to consider themselves friends. The year, as strange a question as that is, would be 1717.”
Frank racked his brain trying to remember the exact details and years of the history he’d been taught, but couldn’t quite place it all. He knew there was a point where Hornigold had accepted a pardon and then gone on to become a pirate hunter, including hunting various pirates who had sailed with him. But where did that leave Teddy? As far as he could remember, there was no Teddy or Theodore under Hornigold. Or, he recalled, Edward… Had there been an Edward? Regardless, whatever the situation with Teddy and that man, it seemed that maybe the existence of the Pirate King had thrown off the whole situation with the pardons and pirate hunting.
Instead, it was one large pirate group against a small resistance. Strange, that these men and women would be fighting an institution that would see pirates stay around longer, considering what that meant for their fate.
17
Upon returning to the base, Teddy informed the others of what had happened. The mood shifted from one of celebration and rallying for a fight, to caution and watching the waters in case more enemy ships returned.
As far as Frank knew, they hadn’t been spotted so there’d be no reason for worry, but even he couldn’t deny the way his throat kept drying out or his hands would sweat when he looked out at that same water that had felt so freeing when he’d woken earlier that morning. He’d gotten about his business, training the others with the new weapons as best he could, but after some time felt they were doing well enough on their own. Not perfect, but it wasn’t like he was a trained marksman either.
Keisha convinced him that the best way to distract himself from his worry over the coming fight was to practice his sword fighting, so the two paired up and set to sparring. When he lost for the third time in a row, he saw that this was much more than simply distracting him. He needed the practice! One aspect of his fighting had improved significantly though, and that was his sword stance and ability to recover when nearly losing balance. As he hadn’t yet upgraded the balance option in his compass, he had to assume this was through practice and growing more accustomed to this place, more confident.
However, seeing how it helped made him definitely want to put some points toward balance when he leveled up. That thought brought up a conundrum, though, and one he was very used to dealing with from his video game days—in lower levels, he only had so many skill points and therefore had to distribute them strategically. He knew the pirates needed better weapons to fight the war, so he’d divert more points there, for now, but he also knew that the categories such as shield and the others could save his life. Living through this was certainly high on his to-do list. Also, aim, balance, stamina, and strength would all help him in fighting, which would also help him live, and help defeat the enemy.
What he needed was a sort of simulation room, one with skeletons that would continuously pop up for him to grind against and level up. Then again, if he actually saw skeletons rise up, he’d probably shit himself and run away screaming, so maybe he could figure out a strategic allocation of skill points instead. And maybe that wouldn’t work anyway—he still wasn’t exactly sure how this all worked.
“You’re limp,” Keisha said, knocking his sword aside. “I’ve seen you do better than this.”
He frowned, not liking her word choice. “Should I be stiff? When fighting, anyway.”
“To a degree. But if every time you block you don’t have anything behind it, your sword will go flying into the sea.”
“Point taken.”
This time when she struck, he tried to put more stiffness into the block, more heart, but she feinted and came around with a thwack on his ass.
“But also know when you’ve been had,” she said with a grin.
“I can’t tell if you’re trying to teach me, or flirt with me.” He’d meant the comment to distract her, but when she shrugged, grinning, it ended up backfiring so that he remembered their kiss from the night before. Then she lunged, stopping short of his neck.
“They got in your mind, didn’t they?” she asked, relaxing. “The enemy.”
“I didn’t think so at the time, but… I don’t know. Maybe it wasn’t even that, but… I’m starting to wonder what sort of weapons they might have that we aren’t even aware of.”
“Ah, like if we have these,” she nodded to the rifles, “they might have worse. But why not use them yet, if that were the case?”
“I know. And it’s entirely possible the Pirate King never got to that stage, or didn’t know what to do with the equipment once he did.”
“I’m glad you know what to do with your equipment.”
This time she was grinning and blushing at the overt flirtation.
“That was pretty bad,” Frank said with a laugh. “Sorry, but I have to call you out on that one. Also… not fair.”
“Not fair?”
“You’ve seen me at work with, er, my equipment, but—”
“Are you about to say you want to watch me fuck somebody?” She arched an eyebrow, but the hint of a smile showed she knew that wasn’t true.
“I don’t know what I’m saying,” he admitted. “But it sure as hell isn’t that.”
“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t.” She took up the stance again, ready to spar. “Doesn’t mean I’d fuck you either, though.”
He frowned. “That’s not all I care about… as much as maybe my actions speak differently.”
“That so?”
“But… the kiss?”
She winked and lunged forward, thrusting and then coming in for a slash as he blocked. When he blocked the second strike, she stepped back and nodded, impressed. “Getting better.”
“The kiss or…?”
Again she laughed, but this time it was more off-guard. “We’d need more practice for me to know that.”
He lowered his sword, taking that as an invitation and stepping toward her. She lunged, stepping around behind him and bringing her sword up as if to slice his throat open, then lingered, holding it there.
“Not yet?” he asked, glancing down at the sword.
“Kiss steel,” she replied.
Not sure if she was joking, he turned to try and kiss her. She, however, performed a takedown so that he thudded onto his back.
“More practice,” she said, but extended her hand to help him back up.
He reached but hesitated. “I’m not sure I trust you.”
“Oh, come on.” She reached again, this time with a look that dared him to defy her. When he took the hand she offered, she pulled him up with more strength than he had expected, and then kept pulling so that he was an inch away from her.
“Trust me,” she said, and then leaned in, pressing her lips to his and allowing a brief moment of tongues meeting, before pulling back with a conflicted smile.
“Who’s winning?” Esmerelda asked, and they turned to see her approaching with Ox.
“Always her,” Frank said, blushing. He knew they were all totally okay with this situation, the instigators of it, really, but his upbringing had so ingrained in him the idea that it wasn’t okay to fool around that he felt guilty now.
“We’ve agreed that we shouldn’t be waiting,” Esmerelda said. “We have the weapons, we hit them once and made them scared. Time to move now, while the torch is lit.”
“The fighters could use more time to practice with the new weapons,” Frank argued. “I’m not sure we should rush into anything.”
“And if we don’t, we wait until they narrow down our location,” Ox countered.
“It’s all been discussed already,” Esmerelda interjected. “The decision remains. We plan to take another fort, this time on the way to their city. From there, we’ll be able to regroup and, having tested out the weapons, make a move on the Pirate King once and for all.”
; “Hold the fuck up,” Frank said, unable to believe they wanted to make such a move already. “And if we run out of ammo? If everyone misses their damn targets?”
“Then we go back to what we’re used to,” she replied. “We’re pirates. We improvise, we find a way. Lose a sword? Use a fucking candelabra if it gets the job done.”
“But—”
“This isn’t a discussion,” she said, but at least her eyes revealed she didn’t enjoy taking a hard stance against him. “I want you to fight at my side, but regardless, we’re moving out. Are you with us?”
He blinked, caught off guard. “In what world would I not be at your side? Of course!”
“Good. Keisha, keep doing whatever it is you’re doing to get him ready. If you think that helps.”
She grinned at this and spun to head back to the caves.
“We were sparring,” Keisha shouted after her. “Really, I swear!”
“Sure you were,” Esmerelda said, turning and calling over her shoulder. “Sparring with your tongues probably isn’t the best way to prepare for the Pirate King, but what do I know?”
Ox turned back and laughed with his deep laugh that echoed across the jungle, but Keisha rolled her eyes and turned back to Frank as she said, “For good luck.” She pulled him in for a deep, passionate kiss, and then released him. “And because, fuck them.”
“Yeah, fuck them,” he said in a daze, and then realized her sword was up, coming at him again, and so he blocked.
“Good. Better.” She stepped back and prepared again, and so they went on, sparring until others passed by and told them it was time. “Keep it up like that, and you’ll do great.”
“More good luck?” he asked with a tilt of his head.
“Tell you what,” she replied. “We make it back from this alive, I’ll be giving you more luck than you can handle.”
He gulped at that, feeling a pressure in his pants at the thought, and spent the rest of the time it took to reach the ships wondering what she really meant, along with fantasizing over what he hoped she meant.
When they boarded, Esmerelda stood at the top of the gangplank in high boots over her pants, straps holding her bodice and various weapons, complete with long, flowing coat and a hat straight from the movies.
“Ready to see these bad boys at work?” she asked, tapping one of the two futuristic pistols at her waist.
“Just don’t kill yourself,” he grumbled, really not liking the idea of charging off like this.
“You don’t think I can handle a gun?” Her eyes darted down to his crotch and she nodded to the door that led below deck. “There won’t be much time to find out, but…”
Teddy passed then, clearing his throat. “Focus, sister. Fight first, fuck later.”
“Who’s he to tell me?” She glared after him.
“The captain,” Keisha pointed out.
“Good point.” Esmerelda glanced her way, shrugged, and motioned for Frank and Keisha to follow her while Ox went about corralling the other pirates to prepare the ship. “Being sister to the captain can sometimes cause me to forget the rules.”
She stopped at the railing, leaning against it and letting the setting sun warm her face for a moment. Highlighted like that, Frank found her even more gorgeous, the bright blue of her eyes more striking. Milly and Mary stood to her left, eyes roaming across the sea. Keisha was watching Esmerelda, seemingly weighing her and trying to decide what she really thought of the woman. That was something Frank hadn’t much considered—what had the relationship between these women been before he came along? Milly and Mary were already close with Esmerelda, possibly involved beneath the sheets, but Keisha had seemed more of a servant woman before the death of Captain Steele.
This clearly wasn’t the time to bring it up, but if he got a moment alone with her later, he decided he’d like to find out more.
“Three sheets to the wind, that one,” Milly said, frowning as one of the men missed his cue and was nearly taken overboard by the jib.
“Aren’t they all?” Mary asked. “Sailing into battle like this, fucking makes you think…”
“Wait.” Frank glanced around, frowning. “You’re saying they’re drunk?”
“Maybe not all drunk,” Keisha interjected. “But enough of them to make you worry.”
“And you all?”
Esmerelda looked at him, bit her lip and nodded. “Helps with the courage.”
“Fuck.” Frank ran a hand through his hair, wishing he had a cool pirate hat to keep the sun from his eyes. “Military where I come from discourage drinking before charging into battle with rifles.”
“A practice we’d be smart to replicate,” Keisha said, earning her uneasy looks from Milly and Mary, who then turned to Esmerelda, whose cheeks were red.
“I agree,” Frank said, not caring if that was apparently the unpopular attitude at the moment. “These weapons are too dangerous to take such risks on.”
Esmerelda’s frown deepened for a moment, then she leaned back and laughed. The ship was moving now, their wake spreading out like a wedding train behind them, and she looked first at Frank, and then Keisha. “A conversation for when this is over, savvy?”
“Meaning…?”
“Meaning, I’m too drunk at the moment to give this conversation the proper attention it deserves, but think you’re both right. I need to try first, then need to talk to the troops.”
“Getting that lot to back off of the drink?” Mary laughed, shaking her head. “That would be a miracle.”
“Well, the world isn’t what we thought it was,” Milly said, giving Frank a nod. “Our miracle boy here… who knows what he’s capable of.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” Esmerelda said. “We’ve come a long way in a very short amount of time. All of us. Frank here arrived a scared pup, now look at him.”
All the women turned to Frank. He frowned, not sure he liked the attention, but when he glanced down at himself, even he had to admit this wasn’t the same young college brat who’d arrived only a few days before. Somehow he’d gone from pirate prisoner to demon slayer, arming a small army and sailing off to challenge their most notorious enemy.
Add to that the fact that his understanding of interactions with women had greatly expanded. He stood tall, meeting each of these women’s gazes.
“All joking and talk of drink and worries aside,” he said. “I’m seriously honored to be here, fighting at your side.”
Keisha tried not to smile, while Milly blew a raspberry.
“Corny,” Mary said with a grin.
“I mean it,” he persisted. “And everything else… you know what I mean… it’s more than I’d ever expected.”
“The same can be said from us,” Esmerelda said. She turned to Keisha, then the other two women, and added, “For all of us, right? This is a team that can’t be broken. We’re bonded, regardless of how involved we’ve been in certain ways,” she glanced at Mary and then back to Keisha. “When we’re out there fighting, we stand shoulder to shoulder. Nobody fucks with us without our team taking them down.”
“Hell yeah,” Frank said.
She grinned at him, and said, “You do realize though, that it’s not all fun and games, right?”
He laughed. “The charging into battle and almost dying is fun and games to you?”
“Of course. It’s all part of the pirate life.”
“So… what are you referring to?”
“Giving you a taste for what it really means to sail into battle.” She pointed up, and as he looked she added, “Ever been in a crow’s nest?”
Part of him said that should be fun and games, too, but the rest of him screamed out that it was too high, too wet. He’d never make it.
“Come on, pirate boy,” she said, leading the way and calling out to the man up there that they were coming up.
“Are you sure about this?” Frank asked. “I mean, you need me alive, and—”
“I was just giving you a hard time,” she interrupte
d. “Relax, have fun with it!”
And then she was climbing. He steeled his nerves and went up after her, gripping the slick ropes, moving baby steps, one at a time. The other three ladies cheered him on, while a couple of pirates sounded like they were placing bets on whether he’d fall or not. He’d show them, he told himself as he pushed on.
The boat rocked and his fingers slipped, but he wrapped his arm around the ropes and didn’t lose his position. Halfway up, he made the mistake of looking down, where Ox and Teddy were now watching too, and the latter shouted out, “You jump, I’m coming after you to the pits of hell!”
“I wouldn’t dare,” Frank shouted back, not sure if the man was joking.
The next few feet were challenging, but soon Frank started to ignore the burning in his arms. It felt like a routine, another rung in the rope ladder, another step. And then he was there, the man who had been on watch leering at him as he started his climb down. Frank couldn’t believe he’d made it, and when he stepped into the crow’s nest he felt like a champion.
He stood in the crow’s nest, the wind slapping his hair about, the boat pulling him from one side to the next as it rocked, but it was one of the most amazing experiences of his life. He threw out his arms but then hesitated, not wanting them to think he was corny, and stopped from shouting out what he’d considered saying because of the association of king of the world with pirate king, so instead simply let out a loud, “Woo-hoo!”
“Fucking amazing, isn’t it?” Esmerelda asked, climbing in next to him.
“I can’t imagine any scarier and yet amazing place in the world to be,” he replied.
“Exactly.” She grinned, even blushing lightly as she pulled up next to him, clinging to him as there wasn’t much room up there.
“Why are you blushing?” he asked over the roar of the wind.
“It’s nothing, really. Maybe the drink.”
“What?”
She bit her lip again, then leaned in and shouted into his ear, though the wind made it come out as a whisper, “This is turning me on like crazy.”
“What doesn’t turn you on?” he asked with a laugh.