It took the Lady two months to get to Perfi. During that time, all of the pirates began to teach Bella how to sail a ship like the Lady. Geoffrey showed her the sails and ropes while Maddock taught her how to chart stars and steer. The whole crew taught her how to lead with a firm, yet kind hand. There were no more mutinies under her and Maddock's command. She became very close to the pirate, his mentoring taking a more fatherly approach then the rest.
During those two months, she aged several years, growing many times faster than she had before. Our real Lady of the Sea, Maddock joked often.
Berkeley had been demoted to cabin boy for the remainder of the trip and the plan was to ditch him at Perfi as he would have ditched them. However, another use for him came when Maddock discovered a letter addressed to Captain Kell at the bottom of a stack of papers. He called Bella into his cabin to tell her about it.
"It says that he had a buyer." Captain Maddock explained, 'Someone up in Perfi who wanted these emeralds real badly."
Bella frowned as she read the letter, "Sounds almost like a trap to me. They say to come alone and unarmed."
The Captain nodded, "Aye, so we'll just have to send someone we can spare."
They dropped Berkeley off on Perfi at daybreak and he returned at noon requesting Maddock.
"They say it they won't pay unless the Captain's there." The former Quartermaster explained, "They'd be happy to take the gems for free though."
Maddock snarled at Berkeley's insolence, "I'll come." He turned and whispered something into Geoffrey's, the new First Mate, ear before he followed Berkeley down the gangplank.
"What did he say?" Bella questioned.
Geoffrey reached for a pistol and strapped it on his belt, "He said that I'm to follow him and report back if anything goes wrong." Then he went down to.
Bella spent the next hour and a half admiring the view of the city of Perfi. After so many months at sea, she had grown weary of the endless blue, but here, here there were domes made of gold and houses built of marble. One building towered above the rest.
"That's the jail tower," One of the pirates explained to her while he sharpened his sword, "We took our flag down so they don't know we're pirates, but if they find out that's where we'll go before we swing."
"Swing?" Bella asked, not familiar with the term.
"Hang."
At that moment, Geoffrey came rushing back, panting from exertion.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Bella questioned frantically, barely giving Geoffrey time to answer.
"It was a trap, but not the kind we thought it was. Turns out Berkeley's still part of the royal navy, he was going to turn us in after all."
Bella was shocked, but she had no time to be angry, instead they had to move the ship and hide it before the royal navy came after them.
As pirates dashed to and fro to get everything ready to sail, Bella kept talking to Geoffrey.
"What happened to Maddock?"
"He was caught, I couldn't do anything..." Geoffrey replied, ashamed.
Bella looked up and around her before her eyes landed on the jail tower, "Is that where they took him?"
"Yes, that's where they take all of their prisoners. You're not thinking about going after him, are you?"
Bella nodded determinedly, "I am."
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The Lady of the Sea ~ Complete - Will be Edited Soon!
Aventura"She had tried to escape by sea before, but twice she had been caught." Thirteen year old Bella lives in a world ruled by the sea. She desperately wants to follow her beloved father's footsteps into the Royal Navy, but they will not take her. Sh...
