Changing Tides

by Alex Standish

  “Aye, Captain.”

  For the next three hours, Devon and the others watched helplessly as the treasure was taken from the chamber, first by Blackburn’s remaining seven men, then by the dozen others brought from the ship. Little by little, all the chests disappeared, taking several trips before the task was completed.

  Blackburn approached them, brushing an imaginary speckle of dirt from his clothes. “Captain, it has been a pleasure. Mr. Campbell, I’m certain you will be exhilarated to know you will be coming with me. As I stated before, we have some unfinished business to see to. I don’t take kindly to being made a fool. As for the others… kill them,” he ordered his men.

  “No,” Brett shouted, blocking Blackburn’s way as he made to leave.

  Blackburn raised an eyebrow quizzically. “Something to say, Mr. Campbell?”

  “Don’t kill them,” Brett pleaded softly. “I’ll do anything you want, but please… don’t kill them.”

  “Anything, Mr. Campbell?” Blackburn grinned.

  “Yes,” Brett said.

  “Are you certain? Anything?” Blackburn leered, his gaze running up and down Brett’s body lasciviously.

  Devon saw Brett’s eyes widen as he realized exactly what Blackburn was asking for. “Don’t do it, Brett,” he shouted desperately.

  Brett looked at him, regarding Devon sadly. “I’m sorry, Devon. I can’t let you die.” Then to Blackburn, he said, “Anything.”

  Blackburn stared suspiciously at the two of them, and Devon saw the sudden understanding shine in the man’s eyes. “Ah. I see. Well, well, well! I confess I’m surprised, Captain Hall. But then, Mr. Campbell is a very handsome man.” He sighed dramatically. “Oh, very well. I’m feeling benevolent today. Mr. Donovan, please tie the prisoners securely.”

  Devon fought furiously as his wrists were tied behind his back and then his ankles as well. He was thrown on the ground, his shoulder hitting the wall painfully. The others were soon sitting beside him, all bound hand and foot and leaning against the rock wall.

  “There,” Blackburn said. “I did what you asked, Mr. Campbell. And to show you I’m a reasonable man, I’ll even allow you to say goodbye,” he told Brett, gesturing for him to go to Devon.

  Devon watched Brett approach hesitantly and then kneel before him. “Devon?” Brett whispered softly. Devon turned his head to the side, unable to face him. “Devon, please?” When Devon still didn’t acknowledge him, Brett sighed dejectedly. “Fine. I know you are upset, but I had to do it. Would you have let me die?” He wrapped his arms around Devon and hugged him tightly. “I love you,” he breathed into Devon’s ear.

  Brett moved back and looked at the others. “I hope we meet again someday.”

  “Count on it, Brett,” Cody said fiercely, voice wavering.

  “Take care of him for me?” Brett whispered.

  Elijah nodded. “We will. Take care of yourself. We will come looking for you.”

  “Enough,” Blackburn ordered. “Take him to the ship.”

  Devon watched as two men grabbed Brett and dragged him away from the chamber. As they reached the passageway, Brett turned and their eyes met. Devon wanted to say something, to tell Brett he was sorry for the way he had acted as Brett was saying goodbye, that everything was going to be fine, but nothing came out. Brett smiled at him sadly, then disappeared from sight as the men took him away.

  Devon tensed as Blackburn drew near, staring down at them. “You did not really think it would be that easy, did you?” the man said with a smirk.

  “Meaning you are going to kill us after all?” Elijah said.

  “Oh no. I may be a pirate, but I do keep my promises. And I did promise Mr. Campbell I would not kill you. Of course, there are other ways of making you disappear. I can always give nature a hand.”

  Elijah frowned. “What?”

  “I’m certain it will be relatively easy to blow up that passageway after my men and I go through it. Even if you do manage to free yourselves from the ropes, you will be trapped in this chamber forever and die. I’ll have kept my promise, as I’ll not be the one killing you. I’ll eventually tell Mr. Campbell. It would not be very sporting of me if I kept such knowledge hidden from him. But of course, I’ll have my fun with him first.” He smirked. “How does it feel, Hall? To know I have everything you wanted? The treasure and… more.” Blackburn laughed evilly. “Well, time to go. Die well, gentlemen. Farewell,” he said with another mock bow.

  When they were finally alone, Elijah banged his head against the wall with a groan. “I hate that miscreant.”

  The roar from an explosion echoed throughout the chamber, a deep rumbling growl that nearly deafened them. The ceiling in the passageway collapsed, dirt and rocks raining down on the three of them and blocking the way out.

  “I don’t want to die,” Cody said brokenly when the dust finally settled.

  “And you are not going to,” Elijah said. “Can you turn around?”

  “I think so,” he said with a sniff. “Why?”

  “There is a knife hidden in my right boot. If you take it out, we can use it to cut the ropes.”

  “We need to find a way of getting out of this cave,” Devon said as he fought with the ropes binding him.

  “We will. At least now we will be free,” Elijah said. “We still have a fighting chance.”

  Devon narrowed his eyes dangerously. “And we will get out of here,” he said fiercely. “Blackburn has not seen the last of me yet. However long it takes… I will find him.”

  BRETT SAT down on the bed, looking around Blackburn’s cabin. He had been brought to the man’s quarters as soon as he had arrived at the ship, his hands tied in front of him so he wouldn’t try to escape again. He had been left alone, the door locked after the two men had shoved him inside.

  He stared out the windows, realizing it was probably midafternoon. He was hungry; he had eaten something in the morning before going on their treasure hunt but hadn’t anticipated spending so much time away from camp.

  The door opened, and Blackburn entered, a wide smile grazing his face. “Mr. Campbell, I believe it’s time you kept your part of our deal. I need something to bank the fire inside; finding a fortune always does that to me.”

  “You mean, stealing.” Brett scowled.

  “Details, Mr. Campbell. Well?” When Brett hesitated, Blackburn glared. “We haven’t set sail yet. I can always send my men back to kill your friends.”

  “No! No, I’ll do it,” Brett said, swallowing hard.

  He lay back on the bed and closed his eyes as Blackburn covered him with his body, his hands beginning to paw at him. Brett bit back a groan as the man nipped at his throat, Blackburn’s bigger body grinding against his in an obscene parody of love.

  Brett tried to keep his mind away from what was happening, but all he could think of was Devon. He remembered their intense yet loving kisses, the way Devon always managed to set Brett’s body on fire with a mere touch. Something rebelled inside of him, and Brett suddenly knew he couldn’t go through with it; he couldn’t betray Devon that way.

  He shoved Blackburn away as hard as his bound hands would allow, his body bucking at the same time, trying to dislodge the weight pinning him down. When Blackburn became more forceful in his rough caresses, Brett moved a leg between Blackburn’s and kneed him furiously in the groin.

  Blackburn cried out, his hands moving to cover his loins, and Brett took the opportunity to push him away. The pirate fell to the floor, whimpering softly, his gasping breaths loud in the otherwise silent cabin.

  Minutes passed until Blackburn finally sighed and sat up slowly. “I see you are not a man of your word, Mr. Campbell,” he said, glaring at Brett through watery eyes. “That is—” A knock on the door prevented him from finishing. “Yes?” he called out as he rose from the floor.

  The door opened, and one of the men Brett had seen at the cave walked in. “Captain, we are ready to depart.”

  “Very well, Mr. Donovan. Set a course for Port
Royal,” Blackburn ordered. “Now leave us.”

  “Aye, aye, Captain.”

  Once they were alone again, Blackburn stared down at Brett. “As I was saying, it is not very gentlemanlike to go back on your word.” He smirked. “Then again, neither one of us is truly a gentleman, are we? So I guess I can tell you the truth now.”

  Brett frowned. “What truth?”

  “Your friends are dead, Mr. Campbell. Or will be, eventually.”

  “W-what?” Brett stammered. “B-but you said—”

  “I said I would not kill them, and I did not,” Blackburn said. “I merely blew up the passageway’s entrance, trapping them inside the chamber. It will take them an agonizingly long time to die.”

  Brett felt his blood turn cold. He looked at the man chuckling before him, and a furious rage took over his whole being. Rising from the bed in one swift move, he pushed Blackburn away from him, reached for a chair with his bound hands, and hit the man with it until Blackburn was cowering on the floor, shouting desperately for help.

  Brett’s mind didn’t register the door opening or the four men trying to get him away from Blackburn; all he could see was the man who had fooled him, the man responsible for his friends’ excruciating demise. He kept swinging the broken chair, over and over again, until finally someone hit him from behind and he plunged into blessed oblivion.

  DEVON DUMPED another load of rock away from the blocked tunnel and wiped his dirt-covered brow. “How long have we been doing this?”

  “It feels like forever,” Cody said tiredly.

  They kept digging away at the dirt and rock, their ragged breathing filling the chamber. They had been clearing the passage for hours, painstakingly removing rock after rock, in an effort to escape their entrapment.

  Devon was pulling away another large boulder when he heard a muffled scraping sound. “What the—everyone keep silent,” he ordered. “I heard something on the other side.”

  They stopped working and stood frozen as they all tried to hear any sounds from the other side of the blocked entrance. The scraping was clearer now, along with the sound of several voices.

  “Hello?” Devon shouted. “Can anyone hear me?”

  “Captain Hall?” a familiar voice penetrated the rock and dirt. “Captain, is everyone all right?” the distant voice called out again.

  “John, yes! Can you get us out of here?” Devon asked.

  “We are trying. Me and the boys are all here. We will get through to you soon. We still have more rock to move. You better keep going on that end as well.”

  “We will. Hurry up.”

  Devon nodded to the others, and they set their minds and bodies to it, digging feverishly through the blockage. Soon the sound of rocks falling echoed in the chamber as the top of the entrance suddenly became clear. A pair of hands appeared and pushed more dirt away.

  Devon grinned as John slithered through the opening, sliding down on his stomach until he reached the bottom. “Captain,” he panted with a grin.

  “John. Well done, man. How did you know we were here?”

  “Mark was searching for food on this side of the island when he spotted Captain Blackburn’s ship. He came for the rest of us. When we got to the cove, we saw a group of men heading toward the mountains and followed them. We saw them enter the cave but decided to wait before doing anything. We almost attacked when we saw them leaving with the treasure and then Brett, but we didn’t know what had happened to you. After Captain Blackburn left, we came inside and heard the explosion. We figured you had to be here.”

  “Good work. Let us get out of here.”

  One by one they left the chamber and joined the rest of the crew in the passage, then followed the markings on the walls to find the exit. Once outside, Devon took a long, deep breath, relieved to be out in the sun again. They were free. Now all that was left was to hunt Blackburn down…. And kill him.

  DEVON STOOD on the beach for a very long time, watching the Skull sail into the horizon until it was only a small dot on the ocean.

  It hurt him to think of Brett in that man’s hands, suffering whatever torture Blackburn chose to inflict, while they were stranded on the island with no way off. They were ready to signal any ship sailing their way, but until then, they would have to be patient and make the best of a hopeless situation.

  “We will find him, Devon,” Cody assured him as the boy walked up to him.

  “Eventually, yes,” Devon said softly. “But what shape will he be in? It could be weeks before a ship comes our way. By then Blackburn could have killed him, for all I know.”

  “He won’t.” Cody gazed at the ocean, and for some reason Devon found himself holding his breath, waiting for the boy to speak. “Brett’s… special. There’s just something about him, you can’t help but notice. No matter what life threw at him, he never stopped fighting. And he will also fight Blackburn tooth and nail.”

  Devon closed his eyes on the slowly setting sun. “That’s what I’m afraid of, Cody. That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  Devon felt Cody touch his shoulder and looked at him. “Don’t ask me to tell you how I know this,” Cody said quietly, expression solemn. “But I do believe you’ll get us off of this island, and we will find Brett. Alive.”

  In the face of such honest faith, Devon felt some tension leave his shoulders. Maybe the boy was right and they would find a way out of this predicament. And more importantly, bring Brett back into their fold, safe and whole.

  BRETT WOKE up with a splitting headache. Opening his eyes, he realized he had been taken to the ship’s hold, his hands still tied but with a new addition—he was bound to a pillar by the waist. He squinted at the darkness around him, seeing the treasure resting securely on the other side of the hold, strong ropes keeping the chests together and preventing them from slipping as the vessel swayed gently.

  Hearing footsteps on the stairs, he waited until the man drew near to raise his head. He felt a profound sense of fulfillment as he noticed Blackburn was limping slightly and saw the bruises covering the man’s face. It wouldn’t bring Devon and the others back, but at least he had allowed himself a small amount of revenge.

  “I see you are awake,” Blackburn said.

  “How observant of you,” Brett said sarcastically.

  “You know, I could take what I want, force myself on you. But that would be far too easy. I want you to submit to me, to surrender willingly.” Blackburn shrugged. “So I decided to tame the beast, so to speak. From now on, and until I say otherwise, you will remain in the hold. No walking around, no going up for fresh air and sunlight. You will have no food brought to you, and only enough water to keep you alive. You will be allowed to bathe and relieve yourself only once a day. Unless you wish to starve to death, I sincerely hope you change your mind about our deal, Mr. Campbell. It takes a very long time for a man to die this way. Although it would be ironic for you to perish thus. After all, your… Hall is suffering the same fate as we speak.”

  Brett growled, trying to kick at him, but Blackburn moved out of the way. “Now, now, temper, temper. I believe I shall leave you alone to ponder the error of your ways, Mr. Campbell. Have a pleasant day.”

  Brett leaned back against the pillar, looking up helplessly at the wooden ceiling. The numbness he had felt at the island when he had believed Devon dead was returning tenfold. It physically hurt to think of Devon’s suffering, and a dark side of Brett was content he would be experiencing something similar. It brought them closer somehow.

  IT TOOK two weeks for a ship to sail close enough to the island to see their smoke signal. Luckily, it was a British cruiser, obviously patrolling the islands in search of pirates.

  Devon waited by the beach as a long boat slowly approached, then went over to meet the officer and the six seamen coming ashore.

  “Gentlemen, am I happy to see you,” he said as he shook the officer’s hand eagerly.

  “Sir, I am Lieutenant Durst. What has happened? Why are you here?”

  �
�Devon Tanner. I was captain of a small ship carrying supplies from good ol’ England when we were attacked by pirates. They took all our valuables, the cargo, and sunk our vessel. They left us on this island to perish, sir! Those… those scoundrels,” he said in mock outrage.

  “Did you happen to hear the pirate’s name, sir?” Durst asked, his expression a sympathetic one.

  “I believe the name I heard was Captain Hall.”

  “Oh my. Sir, you are most fortunate to be alive. You were attacked by one of the most ruthless pirates in the Caribbean Sea.”

  Devon raised an eyebrow at those words. “Is that so?” he said. “Then I’m truly fortunate. Twice over, now that you have come for us.”

  “Is any of your crew here?”

  “Yes, Lieutenant. We set up camp not far from here. It has been two weeks. We needed somewhere safe to live.”

  “Of course. Show me to your camp, then. My men and I will help you bring everyone aboard.”

  “Thank you, Lieutenant. Please, follow me.”

  Devon lead the men to their improvised camp, grinning wolfishly as his men suddenly jumped from cover and attacked the British, not giving them enough time to fight back. Soon they had them disarmed and securely tied.

  “What is the meaning of this?” Durst asked as he glared up at Devon.

  “Well, Lieutenant, it’s like this. You have before you one of the most ruthless pirates in the Caribbean Sea,” Devon said with a chuckle.

  The man gasped in understanding. “Captain Hall.”

  “In the flesh,” Devon said, bowing with a flourish. “And I’m in dire need of a ship, which is why I’m going to take over yours.”

  “You rascal,” Durst spat, his face red. “You can’t do this!”

  “I’m afraid I can,” Devon said. “Don’t worry. You and your crew will be coming with us. I promise we will take you to the nearest port we can find and let you go unharmed. If I was as ruthless as you think I am, I would just leave you all here to rot. Now, you will join the rest of your crew as soon as the vessel is under our control.”