Sebastian Darke: Prince of Pirates

by Philip Caveney

  Trencherman glared at him. 'This news seems to please you, little man.'

  'Er . . . no, not at all,' Cornelius assured him. 'I was, er . . . just thinking about . . . a joke I heard yesterday.'

  Trencherman sniffed. 'Whatever,' he said. 'I feel I am owed some token of revenge before I depart. And it would please me to see this so-called captain and his filthy crew hanging from the yardarms. After all, they came at me in an utterly unprovoked attack, obviously looking for plunder.'

  'Unprovoked, my backside!' yelled the Kid. 'What about the four times you've attacked my ship? I suppose that doesn't count for anything.'

  'You're a dirty little pirate,' retorted Trencherman. 'It's my right to attack you any time I see fit.'

  'Oh yeah? Well, maybe I just wanted to show you how it feels. I lost three good men in your last attack. Blasted to bits by your cannons. And plunder didn't even come into it, mate. There's nothing on your poxy ship that I want. Just my revenge.'

  'You see how he speaks to me?' roared Trencherman. 'Let's see how cocky he is with a noose around his neck!'

  'You won't hang him while I still stand here,' Sebastian assured him. 'These men may be pirates but they deserve a proper trial before they are punished. It's not for the likes of you to dispense the law.'

  Now Trencherman's eyes blazed with anger. 'You are impertinent, sir. I am a sea captain out of Ramalat, and on the high seas we are the law. What say you, Captain Swift? Is it not my right to give retribution where I see fit?'

  Jenna smiled coldly. 'My apologies, Captain, but I agree with my friend, Mr Darke. It's not for us to be judge, jury and executioner. We'll keep these pirates under lock and key until we return to Ramalat, and only then will they be exposed to the full measure of the law.'

  Trencherman scowled, but though he seemed determined to keep a rein on his temper, he could not control the malignance that glittered in his eyes. 'Very well, Captain Swift, since you have the advantage of a seaworthy vessel, I must bow to your decision. But . . . please allow me to take the pirates back to Ramalat with me, so that their punishment will be all the more prompt.'

  Jenna shook her head. 'I don't think so. Something tells me that the moment you're out of our sight, these poor devils will be dancing a merry jig at the end of a rope.'

  Trencherman gave her an oily smile. 'And if I were to give you my word that they will remain unharmed until we reach shore?'

  Jenna smiled grimly back at him. 'Forgive me, Captain Trencherman, but I have had occasion to note earlier occasions when your word has appeared to stand for very little. You tried every dirty trick in the book to get control of the Sea Witch when my father could do nothing to help himself, and I shall never forget that. So I shall take custody of the pirates, and if I were you, I'd hasten back to Ramalat before your ship takes on too much water.'

  At this there were cheers from Jenna's crew, who clearly disliked Trencherman as much as she did.

  Trencherman bunched his hands into fists but somehow managed to keep his temper, even when he saw that the Kid was pulling faces at him. He seemed to remember something else and he gestured at Leonora. 'I have no time to stand here arguing with you. I must be on my way. But this good lady has chartered my ship for a certain destination. I wonder if you would be willing to take her as a passenger?'

  Cornelius gave a long whoop of incredulity at this. 'You are joking, I hope! Take her? I'd as soon accept a large barrel of Golmiran pit vipers. No, Leonora, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to go all the way back to Ramalat. Such a shame!'

  Leonora spoke for the first time, staring at Sebastian as she did so. 'Sebastian,' she said, 'you're surely not going to let them make me do that, are you?'

  'Er . . . no,' he said. 'I mean, yes! That is, I'm afraid I don't . . . really have much choice . . . do I?'

  'Of course you have a choice! Just tell them, Sebastian; tell them you refuse to leave me out there on that dangerous ship. Tell them you insist that I come with you.'

  Sebastian stared at her, and it was as though her beautiful tawny eyes were getting bigger and bigger as he stared into them. He knew what he ought to say, but somehow he couldn't make his mouth and tongue shape the necessary words. 'C-C-Cornelius!' he gasped. 'Surely it would be all right . . . if . . . if we took her with us?'

  Cornelius stared up at him in amazement. 'Don't be ridiculous!' he snapped. 'Of course she can't come with us. She's the enemy.'

  'Yes, but . . . I'd be responsible for her. I mean, I could keep her locked up in my cabin so she couldn't get out. I mean, she's not really so bad, is she?'

  Cornelius gave a long disgusted sigh. He beckoned to Sebastian with one stubby index finger. 'Lean down here a moment,' he said. 'I want to explain something.'

  Sebastian lowered his head. 'What is it?' he asked his friend.

  'Take that hat off a minute,' said Cornelius.

  Sebastian obeyed him without thinking. 'Why?' he asked; and felt a powerful thud against the top of his head as something hard and heavy came down on top of it. Then the deck started wheeling and soaring around him like a child's carnival ride, and he saw a sea of astonished faces staring at him. He tried to take a step towards Leonora, but his legs buckled, unable to support the weight of his body. He felt himself falling.

  Then, as he hit the deck, it seemed to turn soft and vaporous and he fell right through it, into a deep and total blackness beyond.

  He was lying on his back on a soft blanket of heather in the depths of the forest of Geltane. It was late afternoon, and long fingers of sunlight were breaking through the canopy of the treetops overhead to illuminate patches of verdant undergrowth around him. Unseen birds were singing, a sweet, restful sound that seemed supernaturally loud in the half-light; and he was aware that somebody was beside him, stroking his head with a gentle hand.

  He opened his eyes to find that it was Leonora who was tending to him. She was smiling down at him, studying him with those big eyes, and he saw nothing but adoration in them. He smiled back at her, basking in the warmth of her affection, and for the first time in ages he felt a sense of contentment settle over him. When he was with her, all his anxieties seemed to just melt away.

  But then her smile suddenly faltered. Her mouth straightened into a tight little line of disapproval, accompanied by a frown of annoyance. He stared up at her in dismay, wondering what was the matter. Had he done something to upset her? He wanted to sit up, ask her what was wrong, but he couldn't seem to move, and when he tried to speak, his mouth simply would not obey him.

  Now Leonora's lips parted, as though she was snarling; and as Sebastian gazed up in mute terror, her mouth fell open and her teeth seemed to elongate into two jagged fringes of glistening ivory, pushing the lips back, making the jaws distend wider, wider than any human jaws were ever meant to go. And a sound came from the open mouth: a deep, guttural roar that seemed to fill Sebastian's head. He struggled to command his limbs, realizing that he had to get away from there as quickly as possible. But then the open mouth was lunging down at his face, jaws wide to tear at him—

  Sebastian woke with a yell of terror and jerked bolt upright from the bed, colliding with somebody who was leaning over him. Still locked in the dream, he panicked and tried to push the figure aside so he could scramble to safety. It was only after a brief struggle that he realized that this was not Leonora. It was Jenna, looking down at him indignantly, a wet cloth clutched in one hand.

  'Well, that's a fine thank you, I must say!' she said.

  He stared at her helplessly. 'I'm sorry,' he gasped. 'I thought you were a . . .'

  'A what?' she prompted him.

  'A big . . . cat . . .' He was suddenly aware of a splitting pain in his skull and he fell back onto his pillow with a groan.

  Jenna smiled and held the cold cloth against the bump on his head, making him wince. 'Well, I've been accused of looking like some strange things in my time,' she said, 'but never a cat.'

  'No, not you . . . I was talking about—' A sudden jolt
of memory hit him. 'Leonora!' he gasped. 'Where is she?'

  'Gone,' she assured him. She put an arm under his shoulder and raised him into a sitting position. He found himself looking through some leaded windows at the stern of the ship. Sure enough, there was the Marauder limping away into the distance. Somewhat closer, he could see the mauled remains of the Black Hand, the ship listing very low in the water and surrounded by a horde of sailors in rowing boats.

  'The pirate ship's sinking,' Jenna told him. 'We're getting off as much of the cargo as possible before she goes down.'

  'But what about the Marauder? That could sink too before it reaches Ramalat.'

  'Oh, I doubt that. Trencherman will have to keep his crew at the pumps the whole time, but he should make it back all right.'

  Sebastian looked at Jenna. 'You're sure?' he whispered.

  'As sure as I can be.' She smiled, as if amused by the serious expression on his face. 'And what would you do if I said I wasn't sure? Would you swim after them? Are you that much in love with her?'

  He gazed at her blankly for a moment. 'Of course not,' he said, as though he had never heard such a ridiculous notion in his entire life. But his voice didn't sound convincing even to his own ears. He glanced around quickly, the motion sending fresh spasms of pain through his head. 'Where am I exactly?' he asked.

  'In my cabin. It was quicker than carrying you down to your own.' Jenna eased him back onto the pillow and pressed the cool cloth against his head. 'I can't say I blame you,' she said.

  'What?'

  'Leonora. She is extraordinarily beautiful.'

  Sebastian shrugged. 'What's that got to do with anything? She's enchanted me. It wouldn't matter if she had a face like a Berundian wine merchant, I'd still feel the same way about her. I can't help myself.'

  'You think so?' Jenna looked doubtful. 'I imagine the way she looks has plenty to do with it.' She sighed. 'Must be nice to have that effect on a man.'

  Sebastian studied Jenna for a moment. She had taken off her hat and her magnificent auburn curls were tumbled around her shoulders, glowing copper-red in the sunlight from the window. Not that he was interested, of course. 'You're the . . . best-looking sea captain I've ever seen,' he muttered.

  She laughed aloud at that. 'That's not difficult! Most of them have beards and eye-patches!'

  'Er . . . yes, but I didn't mean—' Another jolt of pain lanced through his head and he gave up trying to explain himself.

  'What happened to me?' he asked her. 'I remember being up on deck after the fight and Cornelius said he wanted to tell me something . . .' His eyes widened in realization and he tried to sit up yet again. 'He hit me!' he cried. 'That sneaky little Golmiran whacked me over the head with something!'

  'The hilt of his sword,' said Jenna, pushing Sebastian firmly back down. 'And he had to do it – you were trying to get us to take the witch aboard.'

  'For the last time, she is not . . . a . . .'

  'You try to defend her, but that is because you are in love with her.'

  'I'm not,' he assured her. 'I'm enchanted. There's a big difference.'

  'I wish I knew the secret of such an enchantment.'

  This struck Sebastian as a very odd thing to say, and he was just about to remark upon it when the door of the cabin opened and Cornelius stepped into the room, closely followed by the Kid.

  CHAPTER 19

  THE KID SPEAKS

  Cornelius strolled over to the bed, an amused expression on his baby face. He was carrying Sebastian's tricorn hat.

  'So you're awake at last!' he observed.

  'Yes, no thanks to you!' snapped Sebastian. 'You nearly split my skull open with that sword hilt!'

  'Sorry about that, lad, but I had to move quickly. The way Leonora had you dancing to her tune, you'd have ended up fighting me to try and get your own way. So a little tap on the noggin seemed in order. At least I didn't damage your new hat.' Cornelius threw the tricorn onto the end of the bed, then pulled himself up to perch beside it. The Kid found a chair and sat down moodily.

  'You could have just spoken to me about it,' growled Sebastian. 'Like any civilized person.'

  'I really don't think you'd have been in the mood to listen. Don't take it so personally. Besides, I did you a favour.'

  'You did?'

  'Yes. Typically, you've missed all the hard work. We've been salvaging what we can from the Black Hand. It won't be long now before she sinks.' He threw a commiserating look towards the Kid. 'No treasure, I'm afraid; all they had was food and general provisions. It seems the ship stopped off at Lemora two days ago and left all the booty with contacts on the island. The Marauder was to be their first victim since leaving there.'

  'Would have been too,' said the Kid, who was slumped in his seat, hands in his pockets, 'if you lot hadn't come along when you did. And like I said, it wasn't about plunder with Trencherman. It was personal.'

  Sebastian studied the Kid thoughtfully. 'What's he doing in here?' he asked. 'Shouldn't he be locked up?'

  Cornelius shrugged. 'Well . . . after careful consideration I would like to ask, Captain Swift, for your permission to allow the boy to remain on deck rather than be kept down in the cells with what's left of his crew.'

  Jenna frowned. 'Do you think that's a good idea?' she murmured.

  'We'll see. I've warned him that at the first sign of disobedience, he'll be thrown down there with the rest of them. Call me old-fashioned, but somehow I can't bring myself to lock up a boy of fourteen summers . . . not unless it becomes absolutely necessary.'

  Sebastian studied the Kid for a moment and tried to ignore the throbbing pain in his head. 'Well, what do you say?' he asked. 'Will it be necessary?'

  The Kid shrugged his shoulders beneath his too-large jacket. 'Course not. You think I want to spend time with that lot? They hate me. There's no telling what they'd do if they got their hands on me, specially now the Black Hand is lost.' This remark was puzzling to say the very least.

  'But . . . you're their captain,' observed Jenna. 'Why would they hate you?'

  'Oh . . . because they never really wanted me to be captain in the first place. See, after my dad disappeared there was two men laying claim to the Black Hand: the first mate, Bones, and the bosun, a man called Sully. But pirate law says the captain's eldest son has rights to the ship. Well, I was his only son, wasn't I? Twelve summers old when I started and as green as grass, but it fell to me.' As he talked, the Kid's little face was a picture of misery beneath the brim of his three-cornered hat.

  'Then why accept the position?' asked Cornelius. 'If you didn't enjoy it, surely you could have declined the offer.'

  'Yeah, but I found out that Bones and Sully were planning to sell the ship to a rich buyer in Ramalat. Take a wild guess as to who that might have been.'

  There was a brief silence while they considered this. Then Jenna said, 'Captain Trencherman.'

  'Got it in one! My dad would have gone mad if he'd come home and found a creep like him in charge of his ship. It's his pride and joy. And Dad always said he wanted me to take over the family business when he was gone . . . It's just that neither of us expected it would be quite so soon.'

  Sebastian and Jenna exchanged glances. They both knew what that felt like and could easily sympathize.

  'But you made the best of things, I suppose,' said Cornelius.

  'Tried to,' said the Kid. 'The rest of the crew tolerated me, but Bones and Sully was always looking for ways to get rid of me. They was forever trying to get the other men to mutiny. In the end I had the two of them thrown off the ship at Lemora. That made life a bit easier, but the crew kept criticizing me if I didn't get them plenty of plunder, so I had to attack anything that moved.'