by J. Avarez
"The year was good to me," said Calow. "Decided to use the diamonds to clean myself up...But look at you! You look beautiful, Mia. I was hoping that I'd get to see you here.
"Thank you," she replied, her gaze shifted toward the door. "Well, I need to be getting inside now."
She moved her hand, but Calow beat her to the door handle. She looked up at him, but not before her eyes trailed up his fitted black outfit.
"I know, you're busy," his red eyes gazed at her over a sly smirk. "I just wanted to thank you. Everyone needs a little inspiration to change their ways, and I know I was a nightmare. I was foolish...I was a drunk...I was..."
"A brute." Said Mia, her hands resting on her hips.
"A brute," he conceded and opened the door for her. His smirk faded and his eyes grew kinder. "But you changed me. I thought I'd just come and tell you that."
"Mia!" A voice shouted.
She looked into the room and saw her father. The Chancellor wore all white robes, similar to the two men seated to his left. All of them sat behind a curved black table in front of the courtroom.
"Quickly love," Julius waved his hand for her to enter. "We have a heap of applicants to get through."
"I'll let you go," said Calow, he edged his face closer to hers. "Maybe we can have dinner while I'm here?"
"It'll never work between us, Calow," said Mia, with a smile. "I’m a fair lady, and you're a dragon. Every bed tale has taught me to stay away from you."
Calow chuckled and stepped back. "Well...if you're prince turns out to be a frog, I'll be waiting."
Mia shook her head and stepped inside the grand courtroom alone. She walked the aisle that separated the two sections of wooden bench rows. Usually the locals would be seated to watch pirates face trial, but today the court was empty. Caravan proceedings were far less consequential, and therefore less exciting to watch.
Mia took a seat next to her father, and he passed her a black leather book. The book contained profiles of the captains they'd review for the day. She flicked through quickly to get a feel of their workload. A few names popped out at her. Charlotte Black, Henry Morgan, and Sarah Dreamstead...
"Hopefully we get through this quickly," said Greymore. His beard was full, but his head was bald and folded. The judge turned to the right to address the Chancellor. "We have orders from the emperor, Julius. We need to figure out what happened to those cadets last night."
"Indeed," replied Julius, with a frown. He was by far the youngest of the judges, not including his daughter. "I knew Captain Ward, it's truly a shame. He and his men didn't deserve such an ill fate."
"What are you two talking about?" Asked Mia.
"They found a group of cadets and their captain last night," Julius turned his lavender eyes toward her, the eyes she wished to had been born with. "It's truly terrifying, my love. The men have been turned to stone."
"To stone?" Said Mia, incredulously. "How can that be, was it a pirate ambush?"
"Or the Secreto of a rogue," said Blusef. The red haired judge sat next to Greymore, his green eyes gazed at Mia past the two men. "We've been receiving reports from the Greys, my lady. It seems Blackbeard has returned to the Red Sea, and many reported seeing a blue moon last night. Such strange happenings can't all be mere coincidence."
"Blackbeard only brings death wherever he goes," said Greymore. "We should put a caravan mission for his capture. End his murderous career while we have the chance."
"Maybe one of these new captains will take up the task." said Julius, his purple eyes rolled up toward the ceiling. "In any case, let us begin. Helen!"
A small crow answered his call and swooped onto the table. Her talons clicked against the black wood, and her small hops brought her to the front of Julius. Her shining red eyes fixed up at the Chancellor, her head slightly tilted. Mia was disgusted by the few black feathers on her book, and swept it off with her hand.
"Yes, Chancellor?" Said the crow, her voice was like a smooth melody.
"Can you call the first applicant for me?" Asked Julius, kindly.
The crow nodded and flew off toward a small open window above the door. After a brief moment, the crow flew back into the court and landed near Julius' hand. The potential captain entered the room and stood before the council.
"Charlotte Black." said Julius, with a smile.
"That's my name." replied Charlotte, her voice just as tired as her eyes. "Three points for you."
Greymore scoffed and took a look at her records. "It states you've submitted your name for approval seven times. Why are we just hearing from you now?"
"Are you serious?" Asked Charlotte, her hands nested inside the pockets of her green pants.
"We both know why that is." Mia knew as well.
Women were deemed too weak to be the captain of a caravan. However, laying eyes on Charlotte made one thing clear...the young woman looked anything but weak. Her green tank top showed off a black leopard print tattoo, which stretched from her left shoulder down to the back of her hand. Her auburn hair was half shaven and matched her bright amber eyes.
"The Red Sea can be dangerous for a young woman," said Blusef. His voice was kind enough, but his words still made Charlotte roll her eyes. "Pirates have been known to take women out at sea. The tales of their fate are horrible, my lady. There's great risk to let women sail, you can't blame the emperor for being skeptical."
"There's nothing those captains can do that I can't," Charlotte dragged a finger along her nose and straightened her black glasses. "My family has been across the eight seas under the emperors' rule, trust me, there's no one more qualified to head a ship than me."
He-he-he-he-he. The devious laughter echoed from above. The ceiling shook, and dust, from the crown shaped chandelier above the Chancellor, fell like sand over his robes. Julius calmly brushed off the dust from his front. Greymore looked more furious than annoyed. The judge sucked his teeth and slammed his fist against the table.
"Damn imps!" Greymore barked. "Be sure to post a mission for them as well. The bastards have got to go. They’ve been wreaking havoc all over town."
Mia ignored Greymore's rant and took a look at her book. The information on Charlotte was impressive. She was credited for the discovery of Winter's Kiss, a sword capable of freezing victims solid. There was even a verified report of her fighting Blackbeard, perhaps the most impressive feat in her record.
"You seem like an amazing young woman," said Julius. "However, there's still basic qualifications for a caravan that you haven't met. For one, you have no crew that's pledged to serve you. Caravan captains must have a crew of at least two pledged members."
"I've heard of captains sailing with no crew." Replied Charlotte, calmly.
"Exceptions were made in those cases." Said Blusef.
"So, why not make that exception for me?" The men said nothing. Charlotte looked around at their awkward faces and found Mia staring at her. "And what about you? You think it's fair that I be judged for what I am?"
"No," replied Mia, softly. Her eyes darted toward the table, and her shoulders shrugged slightly. "But that's just how the world is."
The laughter of the imps echoed through the court once more. They scattered on the roof and caused it to tremble. The stampede from the imps cracked the ceiling, and the glass ornaments on the chandelier harmoniously clinked together. Mia looked up and watched the chandelier violently sway back and forth.
With no warning, the metal chain snapped, and the two hundred pound chandelier dived toward Mia. Charlotte's eyes glowed as she vanished in a cloud of black smoke. Mia shut her frightened eyes, and heard the clinks of glass knocking together. Her eyes slowly opened and saw a pair of green boots over her desk.
Charlotte stood on one knee with the chandelier in her hand. She looked down at Mia's frightened face and fumed through her nose. Charlotte looked away from the Chancellor's daughter, and disappeared into a cloud of smoke again. The black smoke appeared over her spot
in front of the council. Charlotte stepped out of the dark mist and dropped the chandelier next to her, which cracked the floor around it.
"You shouldn't dismiss people for what they are," said Charlotte. "I know I'll make a great captain one day...I don't need you four to prove that to me."
Charlotte walked away and left the court. Mia's heart still jumped around in her chest, and her knees shook terribly. Her eyes surveyed the floor around the chandelier. Those cracked tiles could have been my face, she thought.
"It’s alright, dear." Said Julius, his face also looked a bit shaken.
He held her trembled hand, and she felt a bit at ease. A person then entered the court, the sound of the door snapped her from her frightened state. She looked ahead and felt her heart jump again, this time from excitement. Her love had arrived, and looked just as handsome as she remembered.
His arms emerged out of his black cloak and crossed in front of him. A pair of silver eyes pierced through his long, shaggy, black hair.
“Jayden?” Said Julius. “What brings you here? We’re in the middle of delibera...”
Fear has silenced Julius. Jayden had took the pistol strapped to his hip and aimed it toward his face. Mia felt the fear creep into her as well. The silver eyes she had found so beautiful, were now glowing menacingly toward her.
“I’m here to take your daughter, Chancellor.” Said Jayden, with eyes as cold as ice.
Chapter 5 Sin for Sin
The sky was dark, and the dastardly wind drove the sea to rage against the ship. She was in Jayden's cabin, caught in the act of trying to take his precious map. Sarah dreamt of this day for more nights than she could count. She tried to wake up from it, but it seemed the gods wanted her to relive her pain.
"You thought I wouldn't find out," said Jayden. "But you were wrong, Sarah. So, tell me why you did it?"
He sat on his desk, one hand on his knee and the other around a bottle of wine.
"Because you've changed," replied Sarah. "This isn't like you. We were out here trying to make the world better, why would you want to go looking for the blue moon?"
The blue moon was one of the legendary Thousand Treasures. Of the many mysterious and treasured items in the world, the blue moon was feared the most. It was a blue pearl, the size of a melon, with the power to turn flesh into stone. They had learned of it just a week prior, on the deck of Blackbeard's ship.
"That isn't for you to know," Jayden rose from his desk and reached for his gold pistol. "I made a deal with Blackbeard and you sabotaged it. You betrayed your captain, Sarah. I don't care if we've laid together. If I don't take care of you, I'll lose respect on this ship."
Sarah didn't know Jayden to bluff, though she wished that he had been. The door of the captain's den swung open as she ran for her life. The caravan had waited by the door and was shocked to see Sarah still alive. Four of the men seized her, and pushed her against the mast.
Their drunken bodies were still husky enough to keep her pinned. One of them grabbed her breasts and was sent reeling back from her head-butt.
"Don't touch me," she shouted. "Let me go!"
The man who grabbed her, clenched his blood stained teeth and moved on her again. A gunshot traveled through the ship, and the man toppled down near Sarah's feet. She saw the wound through his chest, and a bloody bullet steaming over the wooden floor. The captain stepped out of his den, his silver eyes rested on those holding Sarah.
"You heard the woman, let her go," said Jayden. The men obeyed and backed away from her. Jayden then scanned the ship, his eyes surveyed every face onboard. "This is still my caravan, and you'll do as your captain commands. The next man to touch her, won't have their hand by sunrise...she betrayed me. It's only right that I pass the judgment, a sin for a sin," his silver eyes turned toward her, his head nodded toward the front of the ship. "Go on, let's see how far you get."
He cocked his pistol and pointed it toward her chest. Sarah backed away slowly, fearful to turn away from Jayden's pistol. She looked around almost pleadingly at the crew, but found no friends among the men she had sailed with. They all stared at her with smug grins, some even made gestures as though they intended to lay with her.
Sarah quickly ran up the stairs from the main deck and stepped onto the bow. She glanced back once more and saw Jayden's silver eyes had begun to glow. His Secreto gave him a powerful vision, the ability to see hidden things and to never miss his target. Sarah saw the flash of the gun and felt the bullet tear into her left breast. The recoil sent her back over the rail…and into the freezing sea below.
Sarah rose up from her bed and found herself in her own den. With a trembled hand, she wiped a streak of sweat over her brow. Rocky licked her face and her panicked breath started to ease. She grabbed her left breast, her thumb circled around the wound that Jayden had left her. On her desk sat Gizmo, who silently focused on her atlas.
"Bad dream?" Asked Gizmo, his gaze shifted from the book to her face.
"A bad memory." She muttered.
"You should lay off the rum then," he shook his head and returned to the book. "Good news is Port Ruby ain't that far. We'll probably be there in an hour."
The door to her den swung open, her hand instinctively reached for the pistol near her pillow. To her relief, Cookie stood at the door. The tall beauty had to duck her head just to fit through the door. Her lips stretched into a smile, and her red shoes clicked against the wooden floor as she walked in.
"Good morning," Cookie sang. She swooped around the den and gave them both a kiss. "How are you my loves? My spirit is so bright today."
"What's with the dress?" Asked Sarah. Cookie looked down at her red dress. The gown ended high above her knees, but hugged her curves comfortably. Gizmo wiped his brown diamond eye, his mind ran wild with naughty thoughts of her.
"I bought it back on Crescent Island," she spun around and then held her hips, her joyful face became concerned. "Why, does it look bad?"
"You look like a lover." Sarah gave her a bored look.
"But I'm not a lover anymore," replied Cookie. "I'm...of easy virtue. Besides, Port Ruby is known for attracting people from all over the world." She turned to a long mirror on Sarah's wall and leaned toward it. Her red dress was low cut, and showed a sliver of brown from her areolas. She lifted her dress a bit to cover her large breasts and watched her face become pink. "I may want to lay with one or two before we set sail again."
"My God," said Gizmo, in awe. His paw clenched onto his chest. "If only I could break my curse."
Cookie giggled and swooped over to kiss his forehead. "You're my little buddy aren't you? Don't worry, you're cute just the way you are."
"Yes...of course." Gizmo sounded devastated as he hung his furry head.
Sarah looked unamused by Gizmo's perverted advances. She rose from her bed and strapped her pistol to her side. The atlas was her prime concern. She sat at her desk and pulled the large book toward her.
"Did you find anything in here, Gizmo?" Asked Sarah.
"Huh...oh right," he had to force his eyes away from Cookie, who continued to survey herself in front of the mirror. "I was checking Port Ruby for any unique Secretos, and I found someone you might want to pledge to your ship."
He pointed at a photo near the top of the page. The photo was of an auburn haired woman, with black glasses over her amber colored eyes.
Sarah looked down at the page and read the name underneath the photo. "Charlotte Black."
"She's from a family with a long history in the caravan business," he gazed up toward Cookie, who had just walked over to the desk. Gizmo shook the thoughts of her out of his head and went on. "Uh…her grandfather was Captain Moody, a pirate turned caravan captain."
"Wow, she's so pretty." Cookie leaned closer to get a better look.
"Yes extremely pretty, I mean look at those eyes...and those full, soft, and dark..."
"Gizmo!" Sarah slapped him in the back of the head, the force popped ou
t his brown diamond. "Focus, please. Why else would she make a good fit for the ship?"
"Alright, alright!" Gizmo picked up his diamond from the desk, and placed it back into his eye socket. "Her Secreto lets her teleport from place to place. It’s a damn useful power to have on your side. She's even went toe to toe with Blackbeard and lived, ain't many people who could say that."
"Blackbeard?" Sarah's eyes shot up toward Gizmo, and her brow folded.
Like Jayden, Blackbeard was a name that had become synonymous with the pain of her past. He was a ruthless pirate, who enjoyed sailing the seas and killing off caravans for sport. The Nine Seas were a place to plunder and discover the treasures of the world, but Blackbeard had changed that…because of him, the Nine Seas had become a battlefield.