Art:AADM/Second round/Pernicious Plunder
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Contents
The Short
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A battered frigate limped around the rocky headland, sails in tatters, sides gaping with holes, and every pirate on her yearning for a swig of rum. | 
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DeathMatch! (Bulwer-Lyttony) | ||
The Entry
DeathMatch!
Chapter 1: The Graceful Star
A battered frigate limped around the rocky headland, sails in tatters, sides gaping with holes, and every pirate on her yearning for a swig of rum. But as it were, rum would not be found within the Hull of this ship, not with Captain Silver at the helm. Captain Thomas Silverstone was known as "Silver" to his crew and had been a teetotaler for a number of years. His ship, The Graceful Star, was usually stocked with only a few bottles of beer for quenching the thirst of a tired crew when the water ran out. The captain had never had two pence to rub together as a child and stowed away at an early age on sailing vessel in order to make his fortune. His mind was ingrained with the stench of a ship filled with rum drunk pirates, of urine, sweat and vomit, and the sounds of outlandish guttural laughter. He recalled his own foolishness and the foolishness of those under the influence of strong drink. Now, as captain, he took his charge seriously. He held a letter of Marque from the King himself, providing for him and his crew a measure of income in their role as privateers for the crown. Their voyages were always of a serious nature for the security of the Kingdom, (or so he would tell himself) and he could not trust himself or his men to not have their wits at their sharpest or be at any less then their full capacities. There was plenty of time for rum or whatever they wanted at whatever port they may reach.
This time it was different. This time even Silver was longing for some rum. He sighed deeply.
He stood at the bow of his ship, gazing to the land they neared, but the far off look on his face suggested it wasn't the land he was staring at. He twitched and shuddered. Only a few hundred feet remained between him and the dock at the Cag of Port Royal but at the sluggish but steady pace the battered ship was moving, he knew it would take some time. He would have time to check the treasure once more, to make sure it wasn't a dream. He turned from the Forecastle deck and ducked beneath the sail, walking back behind the mizzenmast to the wooden door that led to his cabin. He pulled a wooden box from the drawer behind his chair, beneath the sets of oceans charts and, with the key from a string around his neck, he unlocked the box, revealing the glow of an enormous sapphire.
A voice from behind him said, "It wasn't a dream, It was real."
His first mate was standing there holding a cat. She had been watching him do this same validation over and over again, ever since the treasure had come aboard.
He turned to look at her, and like every moment he saw her, he was again transfixed by her. Piponia Elizabeth Helena-Waldon was born of some noble landowner and lived in the country until an illness consumed her parents and older brother when she was seven years old. She remained in the care of a brutal uncle, but kept her eyes on the sea with a secret desire to sail away. By twelve years old, "Pippy" had left her home and kept herself alive at the docks by helping sailors clean their fish and preparing their vessels for sail. She would talk for hours with the men, learning all there was to know about navigation and the stars. Now, she was one of the most accomplished navigators on the ocean and could find herself anywhere and know exactly where she was. Silver knew she was a fantastic addition to his crew. He also knew she was breathtakingly beautiful and he was in love with her to the point of breathlessness. He just could never find a way to tell her.
Neither one of them spoke as they stared at the sapphire. This should have been a moment of joy, of riches for both of them, for the entire crew, but the memories of the previous day were clouding the thoughts of the future. He put his arm on her shoulder, as he shuddered again.
Chapter 2: The Sapphire
They had been out to sea for several weeks and carried a cargo of a good deal of linens, rope, and medical supplies, pirated from a large Spanish merchant ship that was unlucky enough to have sailed in their path. None of the treasures they had aboard were of any coveted value, but the sail had been good enough and the men were ready to head home. The cargo, less the 10% promised to the King, would make for a decent split between the small group, and provide enough for a good meal and supplies to continue their journey. They set sail to Port Royal of the Jamaican islands to restock as it was the safest place for the British in all of the area.
The cursed ship first appeared on the horizon at dawn. It wasn’t flying the colors of a pirate, nor did it appear to be Spanish. It was odd that its sails were black and torn and it looked ominous on the horizon. Captain Silver steered in its direction to get a better look and it seemed to turn and sail away. The captain was curious. He called for the release of the mainsail rigging, allowing the ship to gain speed as the sails took full use of the wind that was suddenly strong. No matter the speed his comparatively smaller and sleeker ship gained, the dark ship would move forward at a slightly faster rate. The chase continued for the better part of the day, until suddenly, as the ship might have been just out of sight in less then a moment, it stopped.
The captain's curiosity grew. He approached the ship very cautiously, with all guns loaded and ready. It wasn’t until he was in sight of her main deck, that he knew something was strangely wrong, something beyond what his mind had dared to consider. The ship was unmanned.
"Perhaps they are hiding", he thought to himself, struggling with an inability to just sail away. "Perhaps they have a great cargo and fear for their lives", he said to bolster his confidence.
The crew had looked apprehensive as they boarded the boat, strong able bodied men with gleaming swords held high, but with faces like those of toddlers in the dark, timid and nervous and wishing their "Mums" were around. The examined the ship.
Dennison was the first to notice the skeletons.
"They are all... dead... all of 'em!" said Dennison, in an unusually energized voice.
Charles Dennison was thin and pale, and had a murky way of existing. He was older then Silver, but only by a few years, though the worn lines in his face suggested otherwise. He had been part of every crew that Silver had been a part of, and felt like family to Silver, in spite of his morose appearance. Before he met Pippy, he was almost sure to have considered Dennison his most trusted crewmate. Now in striking contrast to her radiance, he always seemed to have a shadow about him, perhaps hiding a secret.
Why had they not seen the skeletons from the other ship? Why had they not noticed them when they boarded? Now, Silver could see that they were everywhere. It was as if the ship itself had died, but strangely only recently. It was not so much the number of bones that bothered him, as it was the awful way that they were placed. There were skeletons manning the riggings with bony fingers clasping tattered ropes. A skeleton was draped on a cannon, as if taking a short nap after just loading it. Another was propped upon the helm as the wind swayed him back and forth, as if it were guiding the ship somewhere in the after life. Checking the hold found more of the same. Bilge pumps were manned by fleshless, lifeless pirates in tattered clothing. The bunks of what would be the crew held formless figures with tired boney looks.
The captain was frightened. No, to say he was frightened would not adequately describe the terror that gurgled in his soul like a burning pot of stew on the verge of boiling over. He concentrated on keeping his breath at a steady pace, because he could think of nothing else to do. Inhale.. Exhale... Inhale.. Exhale.. He could hear his own heart beating as loud as thunder.
"Captain.. Up Here!" a voice broke the silence. It was Dennison again. How could he function like that? How was he able to speak? Silver forced his legs to guide his feet to the location from where the voice sounded. Up the stairs.. Around the corner... Inhale... Exhale... He saw Dennison in what might have been the captain's quarters.
"You are never going to believe what I have found, oh, my lucky captain Silver", spurted Dennison, his dark mouth twisted upward in an evil grin.
Silver glanced at what he held in his hand. It was a wooden box. Dennison opened it in the direction of the captain to reveal the most exquisite and largest sapphire that anyone had ever seen. Silver gasped. The Jewel was radiant, almost glowing. Its multifaceted surface danced with the moonlight that was just faintly appearing, as the sun set its course for the day. It was entrancing. He could barely take his eyes away.
Dennison slapped the box shut. "Let's go, let's leave this ship. Let's get to port and sell this and find our fortunes!!" he cried in sort of a victorious yell.
Suddenly a loud scream from the Graceful Star sliced the air. Silver, broken from his trance, turned in the direction of his ship, and trounced onto the wooden planks between the vessels. Pippy had stayed on the Star, partly because of the captain's urging and partly because the ship itself had given her an eerie feeling. Now she was all alone and her screams meant something was amiss.
Captain Silver called to her, "Pip?!!!"
There was an uneasy silence, and then she emerged from the hold with a grin, cuddling a small creature in her arms. A cat?
"Sorry to scare ye cap, just... I saw something creeping towards me. I guess it was the moonlight playing a trick on me eyes, but I could have sworn it was a skeleton. I looked again, and silly me! It was only a little kitty... a harmless little kitty." she spoke, trying to convince her own thumping heart.
The captain tried to regain some function of control. He reverted to what he knew and barked orders to his mates to return to the ship, to set it assail again, to leave that. other ship... whatever it was, behind... and not look back. Dennison, he ordered to put the wooden box in his quarters and lock it tight. He breathed a sigh. Pippy, still clutching the cat walked up beside him.
"What's wrong? Did I upset you?", she asked. Her face turned in a worried scowl.
How could he explain to her what he saw, because it didn't make any sense to him? He looked at her, at her dark green eyes and thick wavy hair that hung down her back, and he tried to explain the images of what he had just seen, of the ship and the death it contained. He told her about the sapphire. She stood aghast.
Suddenly, they were interupted by the shrieks of some of the crew. "Captain! It's... it's... coming!"
Silver abruptly turned away from pip and saw the object of their frightened yells. The dark ship, the one they had robbed of the treasure, the one that had nothing but death within it, was now turning about and following them.
"Full sails, mates! All hands to the deck!" The captain yelled with what was left of his breath.
The crew went into action and the Graceful Star moved along the currents that were now becoming increasingly rough and choppy. The sky was darkening as the sun had retreated, but it was as if the moon and stars were hiding out of fear as well. Then rain began, not a quiet drizzle but an unearthly pounding as the sky split open and water horrendously pounded the deck of the Graceful Star. Silver, at the helm tried desperately to steer the ship out of the swells that threatened to overturn the boat.
The other ship was gaining on them.
A bolt of lightning shot threw the clouds like the piercing of shining blade into the heart of the Star, cutting the mast of her topsail in half and slowing down their pace. The sails were whipping in the wind and unraveling with its force. The captain strained to see beyond the bowsprit and the evening closed in on them, chilling their hearts and darkening their outlooks. He heard a loud roar that he thought was thunder until a crash resounded somewhere on the side of the ship.
It was gunfire. It was a cannon ball.
He turned to see the puff of smoke that billowed from the starboard side whole in the dead ship and to watch a flame ignite and indicate another one was headed his way. He spun the wheel to portside, kicking out the back end of the ship and moving them out of the way of the projectiles. His heart stopped beating as his fears were realized. He glanced to Pippy, her features white with terror, her dark hair slapping her face as her arms clutched that cat.
"I love you", he thought. "I've never told you... but I do... and I can't let you die". Captain Silver vowed to do everything he could, he WOULD protect her.
He breathed in deeply.
"Fire the cannons!" he screamed, his voice sounding barely above a whisper in the deafening roar of the storm that had appeared. Those that could hear him responded, and the shots ricocheted across, striking the dead ship with force. Then again, they fired... and again... The dark ship returned fire with equal intensity, but the captained maintained his post and maneuvered his ship away from most of what the dark ship sent toward it. The battle lasted for hours and then suddenly, the rain stopped and so did the cannons.
There was an eerie silence. The men aboard the Graceful Star looked bewildered.
The dark ship simply turned and sailed away, disengaging from battle.
Nothing. There were no sounds, except the rocking of the boat, and the creaking of the wood of the ship that they stood upon, and the sound of Captain Silver's heart pounding in his ears.
"We're.... ok..." He said. "We... we are OK!" He took a deep breath. The cat mewed.
Chapter 3: I Love You
As the Graceful Star labored into the harbor and was finally tied off at the dock, it was certainly a site, but not the worst that had been seen at this port.
"It's not as bad as it looks", Pippy said as she spied the damage on the Star from the comfort of the dock. A bird flew overhead. "We can fix her up. We didn't lose much of our cargo." she said, as she petted the cat. He mewed and wandered down the dock. Pippy watched him walk away. Silver looked up at the bird. The sky was as clear as it had ever been. He thought that was strange.
"You sell the goods and buy supplies. I'm going to go into town, see what I can fetch for that sapphire; I know the crew is anxious. I'll be back as soon as I can." Silver said. He grabbed the sapphire from it box and put it in his pocket.
She was staring at him with a look that was at once concern and adoration. He smiled. She said nothing. She continued to stare. "She has something to say to me," he thought.
"Tom... ", she began. He had never heard her call him Tom. Only his mother had ever called him Tom.
"I just want you to know... You were amazing and you saved our lives. You were calm and in control... and ... I ... just wanted you to KN-know." She stuttered.
"Uh huh..." he whispered. Words were stuck in his throat. He couldn’t look away.
"And... well... it's just that... I love you, that I love you... and that's what I wanted to tell you." she said nervously yet sincerely. "Whatever happens today, whatever happens from here on... you will know that right now, at this moment, that's how I feel." She looked at him waiting for a response, but getting none, she turned and walked back towards the ship.
He said nothing. Why couldn't he speak? He wanted to say it, too. "I love you too", he wanted to say, but he just kept silent. There was something about the way she said it that kept him from responding. "... Whatever happens..." It was portentous. What could happen? We went to hell and back and survived with a gem that would bring riches for the crew, for them. She should be happy. HE should be happy. Why didn’t he feel happy?
He took a deep breath. Dennison, who stood nearby, sneered.
Chapter 4: Port Royal
Port Royal was a rowdy port, seething with all sorts of sea faring folk and riff raff. The marketplace contained everything from exotic spices from far off India to magical treasures from Peru. This was an island the devil visited when he wanted a holiday. The main part of town contained more than fifty taverns or punch houses, nearly one for every permanent family on the island. It was a concern among sailors that the residents of this island were always sick which puzzled them until they tested the strength of their drink, and wondered why they weren’t all dead.
The island was governed by a weasel of a man named Modyfold, who was under strict instructions to reduce illegal trade on the island and report all treasure to the King, in order to recoup the 10% that was supposed to belong to the crown. It was common knowledge that for 5%, Modyfold would look the other way, and save a sailor the possible criminal charges if they took anything more then their Marque allowed them to. Silver knew he had to see Modyfold with something of this caliber. It was not that he wanted to, but it was his only option.
Silver decided to first visit a tavern.
Now, the captain was a teetotaler which is one who steers away from hard drink. He had done this by choice but only for the last few years since he had received a Letter of Marque from the king, but also because he had found himself doing increasingly devilish things when he drank. It worried him a little, but his craving right now surpassed his concerns. He entered the closest inn and ordered a drink. The serving wench, a buxom lady with a toothless smile, handed him a glass of a thick brown liquid as he tossed her a coin.
"I shouldn't..." he thought. "I should just go sell the gem. ". His heart hadn't started beating right since the night before. It wouldn't hurt. He convinced himself that he was justified after what he had been through.
"Just one drink..." he said aloud as he tipped the glass to his lips and felt the brown liquid fill his mouth and pour down his throat, warming him and numbing him at the same time. He gulped down the island rum in one swallow and finally took a deep breath. Oh, that familiar burning... to let one know that one is really alive.
"Just one more..." The wench barely looked at him. She took his coin, and filled his glass to the top.
He could smell the aroma of the tasty sugary liquid. He drank it down again, savoring its thick taste, enjoying its burn in his stomach. There was time for another and perhaps another.
Some time had passed when he looked passed the empty glasses, around the smoky room. Scalawags from all over the globe filled this room, playing cards and drinking, but something disturbed him in the corner of the room. He thought he saw something unearthly, moving in the shadows. A bony figure? He spied the movement again. What was that?
The loud voices of the room seemed silent, as Captain Silver's mind focused on whatever it was he saw. It was... THAT CAT! That cat from the ship, had followed him here? Why was there a cat in the inn?
He stood up to see if that's what it was, but found that his feet were suddenly too heavy for his body and that his eyes were not able to focus. He tried to take a step, but the table crashed next to him and the floor jumped up to meet him. At eye level, he could see the cat, walking between the legs of those in the room. They didn’t even notice.
"That cat..." Silver was panting now, and trying hard to catch a full breath. His mind was cloudy. What was he doing? He couldn’t' remember. Why was the cat here?
The cat purred and rubbed against his shoulder as he lay on the ground. He strained to catch it but it darted to the door. Silver picked himself up and made his way in that same direction.
Why was the cat here?
He was angry now. His mind was fuddled. Nothing made any sense. That dark ship didn’t make any sense. The gem didn't make any sense. Certainly, this cat didn't make any sense. Maybe he overdid it on the rum. He really wasn't a drinker. Why did he drink? Why was the cat here?
His mind was filled with images of the girl, but they were muddy. She was warning him of something... "Whatever happens..." He couldn't remember what. Perhaps she had sent the cat. She sent the cat to watch him.
He stood up and wiped his face. The cat was a few feet ahead.
"OKYAY KYITTY... aym follorwin ye..." Silver stammered. Why did his voice sound do strange? How much had he drank?
The cat moved ahead. Silver staggered and swayed, but kept up.
The cat mewed and stopped, as Silver stumbled. He stayed a few feet ahead. Then Silver got to his feet and caught up. Where was he going? Why was he following a cat?
He stumbled again. We're they going uphill? He got to his feet.
He was almost at the top of the hill when he noticed the skeletons.
Chapter 5: Waiting
Pippy sat nervously on the railing, at the port side of the ship. Construction was underway to repair the Graceful Star and she was usually a fine carpenter, but nothing seem to fit right today. She gazed towards the town.
"Why isn't he back yet?", she wondered. It had been hours. She pounded a plank into the side.
Dennison peered over the railing. "He took the gem... He's gonna keep it all for himself", Dennison accused.
"He wouldn't do that!" Pippy was incredulous. "He's a good man... and a good captain. He loves me... us..."
But did he? Pippy thought how she had poured her heart to him, had shared her feelings and he had just stared at her. Maybe he was running. Maybe she had scared him away.
Just then, she heard a thump a slight mewing sound. The cat!
"See there!" She told Dennison, "The Cat came back! Silver should be here any minute!"
