The Rookie Pirates (Parts 1-6)

24. The Secret Back Entrance

Tommy slowly placed a damp cigarette between his lips and attempted to light the end with his silver lighter. No matter how many times he flicked his thumb against the flint wheel, the cigarette refused to light.

Sighing in defeat, he discarded his box of wet cigarettes and instead shrugged off his grey blazer and started to strain the water from it.

His looked around him, taking in his new surroundings. He had found himself inside the torch lit corridor of the temple after working out where the secret back entrance was. However, the entrance required himself and Baden to swim upstream.

Tommy had worked out that a small river seemed to pass under the temple, and so the two managed to find a secret entrance that connected them from the river to the temple.

Baden laughed next to him as he too strained the water out from his bright orange jacket. "How did you know there would be a second entrance?"

"Most of the ancient gods have secret back entrances to their temples." Tommy flung his damp jacket over his shoulder and grabbed a lit torch from the wall. "It was only a matter of finding it."

He started walking down the stone brick corridor, Baden following him.

"Why do you need me?"

"The high priest didn't see you on the deck of the Leo earlier today, and I have the slightest suspicion that his cursed soul won't work against your cursed soul. Your power may come in handy elsewhere as well, I might have you shift into the form of their Harvest God.

"Who would have thought I would be a god in the making?" Baden flexed his muscles through his black shirt.

"You have no idea what it means to be a god," Tommy sighed in acknowledgement as he muttered to himself and shook his head at his friend's behaviour.

"You can turn into anyone, even the dead, am I correct?" Tommy inquired.

"Yep." Baden nodded, and in a cloud of smoke, he turned into a dead looking corpse, the flesh tearing away from his bones and maggots coming out from one of his eye sockets, making him look like a zombie.

"Brains," Baden joked and lifted his arms up in a trance.

"Now's not the time to fool around!" Tommy shouted sharply and whacked him across the back of the head.

"Sorry." Baden rubbed his head with a cheeky smirk. "Why'd you ask?"

"Can you turn into a wooden puppet?"

"Yes, but with one slight problem." In a cloud of smoke, he turned into a wooden puppet under his black shirt and seconds later, he crumpled to the ground like a heap of bones. "I cannot move in this form without a puppet master."

A scheming look appeared across Tommy's face like he was about to dominate the world with his newly formed plan. Before Baden knew what was happening, water started to accumulate around him, Tommy flicked his hand up, and Baden stood up like a marionette doll.

Baden looked over himself in surprise, as he was able to move his wooden body without fear of falling apart, and slowly looked up at Tommy, ever so confused.

"How..."

Tommy clamped his hand over Baden's mouth, silencing him. He had heard voices from around the corner of the corridor and saw shadows flickering in the distance. The two of them froze where they stood.

When the shadows didn't move, the two pirates decided to creep a little closer and listen in on the people that were talking. Tommy blew out his torch, making the pair more hidden within the shadows of the dark corridor and listened intently, recognising one of the voices.