The master spy or Puss in the boot adventures

The shadow cat, Part 17

Just as I was silently praying that my bluff about the ninja Shadow-cat would not be called, the parrot in the cage spoke up again. But this time, instead of just mimicking Blackbeard's favorite phrase, it uttered something entirely unexpected.

"Mary...forgive me..." squawked the parrot. "I never meant to leave you and the kittens..."

Blackbeard whirled around, his eyes wide with shock. "What did you say, you blasted bird? What do you know of Mary?"

The parrot fluffed its colorful feathers and fixed the pirate with a beady stare. "Mary...your wife. In Portsmouth. With your three little ones. Before the rum...before the sea called you away..."

I watched in amazement as all the color drained from Blackbeard's face. The ruthless pirate suddenly looked vulnerable, haunted by a past he had long tried to bury.

"Impossible!" he growled, but there was a tremor in his voice. "How can this creature know of my...my former life?"

The parrot let out a harsh laugh, sounding almost human in its bitterness. "I was there, Edward Teach. In the cottage by the sea. Listening and watching as you sang shanties to little Jack, Pearl, and Tabitha. Before you abandoned them for a pirate's glory."

Blackbeard seemed to deflate before my very eyes, sinking heavily into a chair. He reached for the wine with a shaking hand. "I...I thought I left that life behind," he muttered. "Buried it deep as any treasure."

Sensing an opportunity, I leaned forward. "It's never too late, Captain," I said quietly. "To make amends. To be the cat...the father...you once were."

Blackbeard's eyes met mine, and for a moment I saw past the fierce legend to the conflicted soul beneath. "You don't understand," he said hoarsely. "The things I've done...the blood on my paws..."

"I may understand more than you think," I replied. "We all have pasts we regret. Sins we wish we could wash away. But fate has brought us together for a reason. Perhaps this is your chance for redemption."

The pirate was silent for a long moment, his gaze distant. Then, slowly, he nodded. "Aye. Perhaps you're right, cat. Perhaps it's time old Blackbeard remembered who Edward Teach once was. A cat of honor. A loving husband and father."

He stood abruptly and began pacing, his tail lashing. "But the mission...the Duke...I've given my word to the Cardinal."

"Then let us complete it together," I said, standing as well. "Not for the Cardinal's schemes, but for the sake of justice. And when it's done...sail for Portsmouth. Find your Mary and your kittens. Make things right."

"Do you see what you've done?" the captain bellowed, tears streaming down his face like rivers of anguish. "Now I'm forced to drown my heartache in wine..."With a fierce grip, the captain seized his sword and stormed toward the door."And don't even think about escaping... The parrot will betray you without hesitation...""Pray that Shadowcat is here when I return. Otherwise, you'll be soaring overboard into the abyss..."The captain thundered out, slamming the door with a deafening crash. Silence wrapped the cabin in a tense shroud, but it was soon shattered as the parrot erupted into a frenzy once more. Would it dare to divulge another of Blackbeard's buried secrets?

...

The parrot ruffled its feathers and fixed me with a beady eye. "Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!" it squawked.

I sighed, slumping against the cabin wall. What had I gotten myself into? I'd spun a tale of a nonexistent ninja partner, and now Blackbeard expected her to materialize. My mind raced, trying to concoct a plan to escape this predicament.

Suddenly, the parrot's voice changed, becoming a near-perfect imitation of Blackbeard's gruff tones. "The map... the map to the buried treasure..."

My ears perked up. Was this bird about to reveal something important?