A Pirate Tale

Chapter Two

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to @GrantKap who dared to question why my story only had one chapter. It now has two! If you'd care to check out his story HaydenThaw: Kingdom Lost, it's quite a gripping read!

Bill thought back to the first time he'd seen her, through flames and smoke amid the cries and screams of injured and dying men. She'd moved with a purpose and a fury, cutting down any who got in her way as she took the ship he'd signed onto in a last ditch effort to escape his lot in life. He'd been determined not to die by the flames or the sword and so knowing the ship was lost he'd jumped into the water, feeling that drowning would be the more peaceful way to go.

An hour or so later and on the verge of passing out in the frigid water he clung to a piece of wreckage, having discovered that voluntarily letting go of life was not as easy as he had surmised. The will to live was strong but Brett knew he couldn't hold on much longer. Half delirious he listened to cheers and raucous shanties coming from the pirate ship in the near distance. 'Hard to port boys, we have a floater!' He heard the words through a haze, heard a splash in the water close by, lost his hold on the plank and went under, swallowing salt water.

Down, down he went, his chest burning as water filled his lungs. Then fingers curled into his hair and yanked violently, ripped part of it from his head as his body surged up through the water and broke the surface. He choked and sputtered, water streaming down his face and burning his eyes so that he could hardly see the colorful creature treading water beside him, her hand still clenched in his hair. He saw the gleam of a wicked looking hook seconds before it whistled over his head and swung back to be caught in one lithe hand. With a swift motion she strung him up by his jacket and then he was in the air, swinging precariously as the crew winched him up onto the deck.

He collapsed in a sodden pool, unable to get his breath, coughing up water from deep in his lungs. One of the pirates planted a vicious kick in his stomach but he was beyond rising or caring. A cheer went up as the Captain reboarded, water pooling at her feet as she took a theatrical bow and then came to stand beside him. "Look at me boy!" she commanded and her voice held such authority that he had no choice but to obey, rising painfully to his knees and raising his head to meet her eyes.

"We lost a few good men today at the hands of your comrades, men who need to be replaced. I have shown you mercy as you foundered in the water on the verge of drowning. Now you have a choice to make. You can join my crew and live an easy life of grog and song, riches and women in every port. Or we can throw you back in the sea and you can watch as our ship sails into the distance. What say you?"

He'd never really been loyal to the Ingian navy to begin with, so the choice was not hard to make. Besides, the ship must make port at some point and then he could run away, go to the authorities and tell them what he knew. "I will join you." he answered, the words rasping from his raw throat.

"Splendid!" She shouted. "Find the man some dry clothes that aren't emblazoned with the Ingian shield. Get him on his feet and send him to my cabin when he no longer looks like an Ingian dog. Set sail for Hooked Nose Bay, we'll lie low and make repairs."

A short time later he stood in the Captain's cabin, watching warily as she sat with her feet propped on the table, cleaning blood off two wicked looking curved blades. "Name, age and rank." she said in a flat, business-like tone.