Seize the Booty! (Erotica Arcanus)
Page 6
"So what is it then?" Calico Jack said.
"Mary," she said, cocking an eyebrow threateningly at the rest of us, in case we were planning on making a joke.
"Then please step forward, Mary Read," the captain said. He waited for her to come in front of him, and he folded his hands behind his back as he looked her in the eyes, "Your deception is unprecedented on any ship I've ever served on, but it ultimately proved to be quite useful. For bravery under duress and self-sacrifice, I am promoting you to Sail Master. Henceforth, you will be in charge of navigating this ship."
Read opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. It was clear she was grappling to keep from smiling. "Thank you, Captain," she finally managed.
"Thank you, Miss Read," he said. He looked at Fat Matt and said, "Call forth Miss Bonny."
Ann Bonny stepped out of line and walked up to stand beside Read. Calico Jack stood before her and said, "Few in the history of piracy have demonstrated such aptitude with all of the weapons at their disposal, nor such a willingness to use them. For the rest of our journeys, you will be this ship's Master Gunner, responsible not only for ensuring the safety of our crew, but also for blasting the living hell out of any who dare approach us."
Miss Bonny nodded and said, "I look forward to it, Captain."
"I am certain you do," he said. He turned to face the crew and screwed up his face in a look of concern. "Due to recent events, we have been left with several vacancies. Sadly, our ship's Quartermaster did not survive the attacks. As you know, it is the Quartermaster's responsibility to protect the interests of each member of the crew and act as the arbiter of fairness. I can think of no other person better qualified to do so than Mister Fat. What say you, Mister Fat?"
Fat Matt clicked his heels together and puffed out his chest, "I say I'd be glad to do it, captain."
"Excellent." They looked at one another knowingly for a moment before the captain said, "But then who will act as First Mate?" He walked past the crew one by one, looking them up and down, "Who will I trust to be my second-in-command? A man with the courage and spirit to lead my own crew, which I hold so dear. A man willing to risk anything to protect this ship. Where will I ever find such a man?"
Calico Jack scanned the crewmembers faces until finally his eyes fell on me and he said, "Ah, there he is."
He smiled at me, silver-lined teeth flashing as he summoned me to come and stand by his side. "Will you, Gerard Fawkes, accept the responsibilities I entrust in you as First Mate of the Ace of Spades? Will you learn to act as a captain should and remain vigilant to defend her honor and increase her bounty?"
My legs felt numb as I walked and I found that I had no voice with which to speak. My words came out in a muttered jumble, until I was finally able to nod and say, "Yes, captain, of course."
"Good!" he said briskly, "Everyone is dismissed, then." His shoulders settled as if he had let go of a great weight and he said, "Now, get us off this bloody island and set a course."
"Set a course for where, exactly, sir?" I said.
He shrugged and said, "Somewhere with wine, women and song, I suppose. And riches. Lots and lots of riches."
"Understood, captain." I looked at Read and said, "Sail Master, make ready to depart."
"Aye, sir," she said. She looked at the crew and shouted, "Get to work, you lazy dogs! Man your stations, let's go, look sharp!"
Ann Bonny walked past the captain and said, "If you two will excuse me, I have to go play with some rather heavy balls and get them ready to shoot if the occasion arises."
We both watched her go down the stairs and I said, "So, what is my first lesson in being a true captain then? Always treat the crew as you'd expect to be treated? Plunder only the corrupt and show mercy to those who ask for it?"
Calico Jack cocked an eyebrow at me and said, "That all sounds right. Let's start with that."
"You haven't any actual lessons for me, do you?" I said.
"I make it up as I go along, mostly," he said. "It has gotten us this far."
I turned and looked out at the sea in all of its wild, untamed glory. Who knew what treasures and adventures awaited?
Calico Jack leaned close to me and said, "He'll be proud of you when he sees the man you've become, lad. Quite proud indeed."
I was about to ask him who as he turned to walk back up to his quarters when I realized he'd meant my father. That's if he were alive, I decided. Holed up in some unknown port, drinking his fill, waiting for word of his son. Perhaps the best way to bring him that word was to become famous enough that my face would soon appear beside a man such as Calico Jack's. "That's my boy," I pictured my father saying as he proudly displayed the wanted scroll to everyone in the tavern.
Gerard Fawkes, First Mate of the Ace of Spades. Apprentice to Captain Calico Jack. Adventurer. Romancer of ladies. Plunderer of treasures. They would say all those things about me, but most of all, when they spoke of me they would say the word pirate.
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Copyright 2014 Erotica Arcanus Publications
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. No reference to any real person, living or dead, should be inferred.