Jeff the Accountant Escapes the Wretched Burning Depths of Hades

This Is Going To Be Interesting

The visitors' things were brought aboard The Revenge, but where they'd stay was still being decided.

"You can't give them your room, Edward" Izzy complained. "The captain's quarters are for the captain."

"We wouldn't want to impose..." Doug said.

"Shoulda thought about that before you came aboard" Izzy muttered under his breath.

"Izzy!" Blackbeard wouldn't have it. His guests would be treated with courtesy.

"They can bunk with me" Jim said. "I'll lay out my bedroll in the sitting nook." They looked at Frenchie to see if that caused him any irritation. But Frenchie was busily examining the amulet. He believed he could feel it buzzing with power.

So Doug went with Jim to get his and Mary's things settled. Jim found Scar and told her that Blackbeard wanted the crew on deck. He had news to share. Mary was escorted to Jim's room, where she stayed to help Doug with the settling in.

Looking around at the expectant faces, Blackbeard started with "Stede is alive."

He waited for their reactions.

"What? How?" This was from Izzy, who had heard, along with Jim, some of the townsfolk in Port Royal having a laugh over Stede's demise. For someone who was alive, there were some pretty clear details of his death being told. Lucius and Frenchie, as well, had heard of that regrettable fact from other townspeople.

"Blackbeard..." Lucius started to speak.

"Listen up. Listen up. He faked his death!" Ed's face was lit up in delight. He looked around at his crew. "That amazing man fooled the whole town. Mary and Doug told me all about it." He could see that it was starting to sink in. The crew were starting to get the picture.

"If you haven't figured it out, Mary is 'The Widow Bonnett' " Blackbeard smiled and shook his head. "It hurts a lot less to say those words today than it did when I first read that flyer. You remember, right, Lucius?"

"Paintings by the widow Bonnett. I remember, Ed.

"Good lad! Good lad!"

The day that Lucius had told the others that Blackbeard planned to go to Mary's exhibit, he could never have guessed that it would lead to Blackbeard inviting the artist, and Doug - how did Doug fit into this? - to sail with him, on what used to be Stede's ship.

"It's true! Stede made it back to Barbados. Turns out he killed another English officer the night we were supposed to escape." Izzy's incredulous face expressed what just about everyone one was thinking. "That's right, Iz. Two. Two English officers dead at his hands!"

"I reckon he wanted to keep me out of it. He went home to get help from people he could trust." Blackbeard spoke those words; "people he could trust" with dark emphasis. He continued "Now, to the wider world, Stede Bonnett is dead. Problem solved."

The crew were still confused. Where was Stede, then? Was he trying to find Blackbeard? Does he have another ship? Why had Blackbeard brought Stede's wife, and Doug, whoever Doug was, onboard the ship? With all that out-of-place-on-a-ship-at-sea stuff?

"Mary and Doug opened their home to me. Doug is Mary's new husband, by the way. They made me feel welcome in their home, and told
me the whole story."

"So now, we," he indicated himself and the crew "are going to take a break from pirating. Mary is a painter. ...guess I didn't need to tell you that, I already talked about the flyer...anyway, just a break. Giving Mary and Doug a new source of inspiration is the least I can do for them. They took me into their home, not knowing who I was, other than..." his face grew almost reverent "Stede's Ed". "Really, really like the sound of that" Blackbeard thought to himself.

Though Lucius wondered if Mary and Doug knew that "Stede's Ed" was also the infamous Blackbeard, he remained quiet.

"Any questions?" No one spoke up, so he continued.

"I hope it goes without saying that they are to be treated with respect and courtesy. Whoever fails in this", there was a long pause. "Will answer to me, personally."Edward's demeanor was hardening as he continued to scan the faces of his audience.

Seeing this side of Blackbeard actually loosened them all up a bit. The new, improved Blackbeard was best taken in small doses for most of them.

"And I want you all to listen to me, very carefully." the better known Blackbeard said. "If, once this is over - this search, this adventure - if Stede comes to harm because of anything any one of you has leaked, something any one of you has let slip, maybe when you've had too much to drink, or you think you've got a story that will top the one you heard as you're sittin' around with some mates, trying to one-up one another, if Stede is put in harm's way because of your loose tongue, I will hunt you down. If that happens, death at my hands will be the least of your worries."

Mary gasped and reached for Doug. The two of them had made their way topside just in time to hear Blackbeard's threat.

"No." thought Lucius. "These two do not know who they've consented to go on their little sightseeing excursion with. This is going to be interesting."