Quintspinner - A Pirate's Quest

Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

A foul musky rot.

William’s semiconscious brain attempted to sort the two scents out. A soft sniffing sound and a quick brush of fur against his chin startled William into full wakefulness. Darkness engulfed him, his surroundings unfamiliar and threatening. He tried to remember where he was. Not on his own sleeping mat, tucked under his warm woolen bedding, that was for sure. How did I get here? He lay still for a few seconds, the sour taste of vomit still strong in his mouth. For a moment, his own blue eyes fluttered open but he could see only dim outlines in the lantern lit darkness.

Lanterns! At once all of his senses screamed high alert.

Many more strong odors filled his nostrils. Pitch. Rot. Animal dung. Shit and sweat. He closed his eyes to mere slits and took stock of his predicament. He was lying on his side, rough plank flooring beneath him, his wrists and ankles bound. My knee is aching like a sonofabitch. What–

A low rumble of voices cut his thought off short. The odor of unwashed flesh grew stronger with the approach of another lantern. He mentally separated it out from another, less prevalent stench, but one which seemed to lie in an invisible ribbon at floor level. Old rotted meat. Kerosene. Something fermenting.

He could hear the soft swoosh of his own blood in his ears again and nausea returned. His shoulders had begun to ache fiercely as well, though he could not feel his wrists or his hands.

How long have I been lying here, and where is here?

He could feel in his cheek, really, more than he could hear the vibration of the creaking floor planks that he was lying upon. Was that the faint calling of gulls? He couldn’t be sure. Am I near the shoreline then? Am I in a waterfront shop somewhere? He thought of the smell of rotting meat. A butcher shop? Or is it rotting fish? Definitely near the wharf then. As he slowly recalled his thoughts, panic and confusion rose again.

Johnny! Is Da’ dead too? They would have fought to the death to save one another. He struggled to hold back tears. And Mum –she’ll be worried out of her mind! All three of us gone; Da’ and Johnny aren’t ever comin’ back!

William had to get home, back to her. What will happen to her and Abbey? And Lucas. William couldn’t remember a single day in his life without his beloved dog.

The lantern light was moving closer. William fought to keep his breathing slow and even. The lantern hovered close, just above his face. A booted foot thudded him forcefully in his mid thigh. William did not move.

“Get this one loose and movin’ about, ‘afore he shits himself, too,” a gravelly voice commanded.

“Yessir!”

More voices. Younger than the gravelly one, William guessed. He strained his memory to recognize any of them as belonging to any of the merchants that his father had done business with. He could not place a single one.

William felt hands grab him and haul him to his feet. At least he thought he was standing on them. His feet were really too numb to tell. With eyes wide open now, he saw the glint of metal in the lantern light, as a dagger blade flashed in front of his face. With one quick slash from his captor, his wrists were cut free, and with a second, his feet.

“What’s yer name, lad?” the gravelly voice asked. William tried to speak but his tongue felt furry and thick.

“Answer me now, piss-pants,” Gravelly Voice commanded, “or I’ll flog it outta’ ya’!”

William was suddenly aware of a cool wetness in the crotch of his trousers. The pungent smell of urine rose above the cornucopia of so many other strange smells. For a moment his fear was squelched by a stab of hot shame in the realization that he had indeed pissed himself.