It turned out that they wouldn't be staying in the town for very long. The next morning, before the sun had even finished rising, the pirates woke the two of them.
Much to the displeasure of Sir Gentleman Mr. Waters.
"Make me sit in a ship cell for weeks, then move me to a dusty inn without a decent bed, and now you have the gall to wake me up before the sun! You pirates have no decency. Are we even going to be allowed a proper breakfast for once, or are you just going to shunt us to another disreputable place to wait even longer?"
He would have continued, but the guard who had sat at the door spun around, his sword drawn and pointed at Mr. Waters' throat.
"We are pirates. We aren't MEANT to be 'decent'. And if you ever want to see your home and family again, and sleep in your own bed, or have whatever foods you desire, YOU WILL SILENCE YOUR INSIPID YAMMERING."
A profound silence fell on the room, Mr. Waters' mouth hanging open in shock. Ace felt like applauding.
Once he was certain that he had gotten his point across, the pirate sheathed his sword and nodded at the others. They moved forward, nudging the two prisoners out of the room and back down the outside stairs.
A wagon hooked to a team of black horses stood waiting in the narrow street. The captain was sitting in the seat, holding the reins as he waited for them. He glanced at Mr. Waters' sullen, but silent, face and then at the lead guard. The pirate shrugged at him and he smirked before facing forward again.
They all climbed onto the wagon and they had barely sat down before the captain clicked to the horses and they set off. They rode in silence two miles out of town before they stopped. The captain reined the horses in and turned around.
"Alright. This is where the two of you get off. If you keep following this road east, you'll come to Enderston. Your people have been notified that they can find you there. Have a safe trip."
Ace eyed the man. They certainly had this whole kidnapping and ransom thing figured out. He hopped down to the ground and stretched. Mr. Waters was clearly aghast at the impudence of them, leaving him stranded in the middle of nowhere, on foot. But one glance at the lead guard and he kept his mouth shut.
At least until the wagon had faded into the distance back towards the port town.
"Do they expect me to walk?" he asked. "A man of my importance, walking! On a backwoods dirt road no less!"
Ace rolled his eyes and set off towards Enderston. It took the other man a moment before he realized he was being left behind and he hurried to catch up.
"The minute I get back, we'll see about those impudent pirates. I'll have the whole navy after them! They'll rue the day they ever crossed my path!"
Ace walked faster, hoping to lose the man, silently wishing the one pirate were still there to put Mr. Waters in his place.
For hating the idea of walking though, the man could certainly hold a good pace. Especially since he was raging the entire time.
It was with great relief that he viewed the silhouette of Enderston several hours later. Mr. Waters had finally fallen quiet in an effort to keep breathing, and as they topped a hill, they finally saw the town in the late afternoon light. Even better than that, he saw a hay cart not far ahead, turning onto the main road.
He set off even faster, hearing a surprised huff from Mr. Waters. He waved to the man on the back of the cart, who waved back and turned his head to speak to the driver. The cart stopped and waited.
"Am I ever glad to see you fellows," Ace panted as he caught up. "Here we are, walking all day to reach Enderston. Don't suppose you fellows would be willing to give us a lift the last part of the way?"
