The Evion

Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8 

Charlie woke up with a splitting headache. A few splinters poked him mercilessly in the side, and from what he could tell, he was upside down. He shuffled himself about feeling tangled in a net of ropes wrapped all around him. A moment later, everything came back to him. He remembered the detonation from the gunpowder and the rather aggressive meeting with the hull of the ship. He tried to rub his head were a lump had formed but couldn’t get his hands close enough to his face. They were still tangled in the mess of ropes. Thankfully, he could reach his backpack which was also caught in the net beside him. Carefully, he reached towards the pack and began to inch the zipper open.

            The night was dark, and he could barely see what he was doing, but finding a knife amongst bubblegum packages and socks should be easy enough without his eyes. After a few moments of rummaging around, he caught hold of the knife and carefully withdrew it. With caution, Charlie drew the knife back and forth across the ropes and slowly began to sever his binds. The ropes were thick, but since they were dry, it wasn’t difficult to sever them, just tedious. In a few minutes, Charlie had successfully freed himself and his backpack, and after ascending up the ropes, Charlie peered tentatively across the deck. It was hard to see much detail, but he could see enough to know that there was no one up and walking around. The bow of the ship was still heavily damaged, and though there were no fires, there was still a gaping hole where the bow deck use to be. Charlie crept by and peered over the side. He could see down below deck and could just make out the many outlines of pirates sleeping in their hammocks beneath. One pirate was sleeping half out of his hammock, his arms draped over the sides. The sleeping quarters beneath were small and packed, and Charlie knew he should avoid the area at all costs. Any sudden movements and the whole crew would wake up and then start pouring up the two stair wells making straight for him.

            “No.” Charlie though. “One stair well.” Charlie realized the other one was clearly blown to smithereens. Then he got an idea. It was risky; he had never done it before, but if he was lucky, he just might be able to pull it off. But first, he would have to go see his sister.

***

“Well, methinks our plight is mayhaps a bit varied from what was anticipated.” Sir Gillian said from the corner of the cell.

            “A bit?” Jesse asked. “This is as bad as it could possibly get! We’re locked up, the princess hasn’t been rescued, and my brother is missing, perhaps for good. Do you have any idea what my parents will do to me when they find out I lost my brother? I tried to do it a few years ago when he was being annoying, and believe me, when mom found out, it was not a pretty sight.”

            “Princess?” Came a gruff voice from beyond the dark. “What happened to Desarrea?”

            Sir Gillian sat up straight and peered into the shadows beyond. Jesse started at the sound of the voice behind her and quickly scampered back to the bars on the other side of the cell.

            “Captain Kallisus? Is that you?” Sir Gillian asked.

            “Well, just Kallisus now, but aye, it’s me.” Came the voice. Wet cloth was heard shuffling across the deck from the adjacent cell, and in a few moments, the haggard and grisly face of the other man took shape in the darkness.

            “What in the name of glory are you doing down here with us?” Sir Gillian asked.

            “Well not much. I’m locked up too you see. Not much I can do. I suppose I could ask for a book, but it would probably get wet down here. Also, it’s not very bright in this cell, so I don’t think reading would work very well.”