Circle Sea 1: The Pirate Maze

Epilogue

It was a dark, stormy night and the little boat bobbed precariously through the open ocean as it approached the rocky edge of the island. One of the three men on board had to leap ashore through crashing waves so he could tie their little craft up against a tiny mooring.

He slipped and stumbled but somehow managed to pull himself upright and make the boat fast.

The three men held on to each other as they climbed the wet steps which were cut into the rocks. They were drenched by the rain and blown by the wind but soon managed to reach the top where a man in a dark suit was waiting for them.

'I wasn't expecting anyone tonight,' barked Flint through the howling wind. 'I saw you coming in from the house and came down to meet you. The noise woke my daughter up!'

'Hi there, Jess,' the smaller of the three men shouted out as he waved at the tiny figure who was staring back at him through a misted window. She had pressed her nose to the glass and they could see her looking out at them from the tall round house.

'What is she now, three?' asked one of the others in a gruff voice.

'Four,' said Flint impatiently. 'She gets excited when you lot come ashore so I'll never get her back to sleep now.'

He looked at them carefully as they stood in the rain. They looked weary and bedraggled as if they had come a long way.

'Is this it then,' he asked. 'I thought there would be more...'

The medium sized stranger pulled his hood down from his head. He had large sideburns and a woollen hat.

'Just the three of us,' he said as he glanced back out to sea. 'There won't be any more...'

'Why are you here?' Flint asked. 'Will there be more coming soon?'

'I don't think so,' said the man with the woollen hat thoughtfully. 'There's been a change of plan.'

The tall man with the moustache was looking towards the village which was just visible through the night.

'It's dark up there,' he muttered to himself.

'People are keeping inside and have been boarding up their windows,' Flint replied. 'They're frightened of the storm - and the war.'

He looked back at the man with the hat.

'Why are you here tonight?' he asked suspiciously. 'What are you up to?'

'Just a message to deliver...' the man replied.

'Go on, then,' Flint said officiously.

'Oh, it's not for you... It's more... personal...' The man replied in a distant tone. 'You just watch our boat and we'll be out of your hair soon.'

'Love to Jess,' said the shorter man in a friendly way as the three of them strode off into the village, leaving Jedediah Flint watching them as the rain continued to fall

They soon passed the Inn where the tall man stopped and looked up at the sign which swung in the wind.

'I'll just look in here,' he called out to the others. 'I need to check in on my folks. It's been a while.'

The man with the hat nodded and patted him on the arm in an encouraging way.

'Take your time, big man' he said over the noise of the storm. 'You might want to stay a while. Perhaps it's time to think about going home?'

'Maybe,' the tall man replied with a nod. 'I actually miss the old place... When you've finished up on the road, do come back. I'm sure they'll have a room spare...'

'Thanks,' the other man replied before turning and pressing on through the night.

The remaining two men soon arrived at the bakery where they hammered on the old wooden door. They could see lights coming on inside and a baby began to cry. There was a loud clunk as the bolt was drawn back and the door opened.

'What do you want?' asked a tired and somewhat grumpy voice.

'It's just us, Sam,' the man with the hat replied in a conciliatory manor. 'We need to talk.'

'Not in the house,' Samuel Jones replied as he stepped out onto the street, pulling the door shut behind him. 'What do you want?'

'I've got a message from Jack,' the man replied.

'What is it?'

'It's not for you, it's for... her...'

'Why're you both'rin me then?' the baker demanded.

'It's all over,' the man said definitely. 'The King has gone!'

'Gone? You mean the Governor killed him?'

'No,' insisted the visitor. 'It was Jack. He had a plan, and... I don't think either of them will be coming back...'

Samuel Jones looked questioningly into the other man's eyes.

'This right, Cross?' he asked.

'Yes, sir,' said the smaller man who was looking wet and miserable. 'They just disappeared. Don't know what happened, but the fleet's breaking up, Sam, and... ev'ryone's goin' home.'

'Good,' said the baker definitely.

The man with the hat nodded.

'You won't get any argument from me there,' he said as he held Samuel's eye. 'I'm not shedding a tear that it's all over. 'Bout time, if you ask me.'

'What about Jack Cavendish?' the baker asked slowly.

'He's not comin' back,' Cross said sharply. 'Didn't you hear!'

Samuel nodded.

'I heard,' he said sadly. 'What are you going to tell her?'

'I don't know,' the man in the hat replied slowly. 'I can't tell her the truth - and I'm not even sure what the truth is... It would be kindest to say that he's dead, I think. No point in giving her false hope...'

The baker nodded again.

'I think he died at sea,' he said after a while. 'And you owe her.'

'We all owe her,' the man replied. 'If it wasn't for Jack...'

'She's got a son now, you know,' Samuel said suddenly. 'Three weeks old...'

The man with the hat looked at him sadly.

'I didn't know...' he said quietly.

They stood for a moment in the rain.

'We'd better go,' the man said as he pulled his hood back over his head. 'I just thought you should know... since he was your friend...'

Samuel Jones watched as the two pirates turned and headed up along the path. The rain continued to fall and the wind howled. Within minutes the visitors had disappeared around a corner and were gone.

He sighed and opened the door.

'Matilda,' he called quietly to his wife. 'I've go some news...'

He closed the door behind him as the thunder continued to rumble.