Rexpennae
Chapter 8
The pirates sailed over the misty deep for days, and for those days Krethos lay alone in the corner of the brig, refusing food, but not drink. Water slid across the floor of the brig with the rocking of the ship upon the swells, and the food was less than edible, but it was food, and they ate it anyway.
The pirates, it seemed, reserved their debauchery for the port, and remained quite sober and alert on the ship, but even this did not prevent them from dragging prisoners from the brig at all hours of the day or night, and beating, forcing them to work, or worse.
On a particularly calm evening, the breeze blew in the sails, and the prisoners could see the stars past the ropes and canvas through the hatch to deck, Esmerelda took some of the food given to them as their meal for the day to Krethos.
"Eat, my dear, you shall not die upon this voyage."
Krethos opened his eyes and looked into the pale, concerned face looking into his, "I, do not wish to eat, there is no reason for me to continue." He answered.
Esmerelda's green eyes flashed with a deep, but brief, anger, "How dare you!" she cried out in a whisper, "You, the Keyschnect, give up! Hope is not lost, Meir, Freidarae, and many others, they still believe in you, they still believe that you will save them."
"And you, what do you believe?" Krethos asked, in a low whisper.
"Look at Meir, he thinks you'll find a way out of this for us…"
"I didn't ask what Meir thinks," Krethos cut across, "I asked you what you think."
Esmerelda leaned back against the wall, and was quiet for a moment, "I… I have believed in you since the moment I laid eyes upon you, near dead at the bottom of the mountain." She said finally, " And I have loved you nearly as long."
Krethos was taken by surprise, he laid back down speechless, and Esmerelda stood, leaving the food and walked to her pallet on the other side of the brig. Krethos sat up and began eating, slowly, as the sound of heavy footfalls could be first heard on the stairs to below decks.
Three men entered the brig, looked around for a moment, and hauled Esmerelda to her feet and pulled her out of the brig. She went willingly, but it was no surprise to the other prisoners, seeing the difference in size between the smaller Esmerelda, and the massive pirate fighters.
Krethos stood for the first time all day, and went to the gate, watching as Esmerelda was hauled up the stairs to an unknown fate. He returned to his seat and finished his meal, his mind racing, puzzling, over a way for escape. There was no sound from the upper deck for well over two hours before Esmerelda was returned to the brig, nobody bothered to ask her what had happened, they did not really want to know, but after the guards left, Esmerelda produced a key to the brig.
"Be glad, it was not an easy thing to procure." She said of it.
"We'll use it in the morning, just at dawn." Krethos said to his companions, "Rest easy, for on the morrow we'll find hard."
They did just that, and rose at Krethos' bidding early the next morning. Krethos pushed the key into the lock and turned the prize, the gate slowly swung open at Krethos' direction, and the party of four crept from the prison and to the top deck.
The morning was cool and calm, the wind had died and several pirates slept on deck. Krethos slipped across the deck and started to untie a longboat, the others came to help, and they slowly lowered it into the water. Meir stepped first into the boat, and Freidarae followed, Krethos held out his hand for Esmerelda to take and swing below to the waiting longboat, but as she took his hand an arrow head appeared in her neck. She dropped to the deck and behind her was the pirate captain.
"Escaping? And what gived you the idea you'd be able to do that?" the captain called out as he knocked another arrow.
Krethos looked down at the choking body of Esmerelda, and back up in time to see the captain release his arrow, Krethos dropped to the deck as the arrow flew over him. He stood back up, and cut the long boat loose before taking up the sword of the sleeping pirate beside him.
Krethos moved across the deck like an arrow, swing hard at the captain, who pulled his sword out just in time to block it.
"Revenge does not seem to suit you, it blinds you." Said the captain as he threw Krethos off.
Krethos came again, and again, and every time he was parried and thrown off, he did not notice an archer on the rail, firing at his escaping party. Only after hearing Freidarae cry out in pain did he finally see the situation. He was alone on a deck of fast waking pirates, and his friends were leaving into the mist.
He took a step back, and ran for the rail, he sliced the bowstring and fingers of the archer, severing them all, as he ran, and dove from the ship. Krethos swam hard under intense fire, and he reached the longboat, only to find that Freidarae had perished.
They pushed her body into the sea and raised a sail they found in the bottom of the boat, the pirates did not persue, but nevertheless, Meir and Krethos were alone, on a sea they knew not, sailing to where they could only imagine, and still entertaining a sliver of hope under their mantle of grief.
The pirates, it seemed, reserved their debauchery for the port, and remained quite sober and alert on the ship, but even this did not prevent them from dragging prisoners from the brig at all hours of the day or night, and beating, forcing them to work, or worse.
On a particularly calm evening, the breeze blew in the sails, and the prisoners could see the stars past the ropes and canvas through the hatch to deck, Esmerelda took some of the food given to them as their meal for the day to Krethos.
"Eat, my dear, you shall not die upon this voyage."
Krethos opened his eyes and looked into the pale, concerned face looking into his, "I, do not wish to eat, there is no reason for me to continue." He answered.
Esmerelda's green eyes flashed with a deep, but brief, anger, "How dare you!" she cried out in a whisper, "You, the Keyschnect, give up! Hope is not lost, Meir, Freidarae, and many others, they still believe in you, they still believe that you will save them."
"And you, what do you believe?" Krethos asked, in a low whisper.
"Look at Meir, he thinks you'll find a way out of this for us…"
"I didn't ask what Meir thinks," Krethos cut across, "I asked you what you think."
Esmerelda leaned back against the wall, and was quiet for a moment, "I… I have believed in you since the moment I laid eyes upon you, near dead at the bottom of the mountain." She said finally, " And I have loved you nearly as long."
Krethos was taken by surprise, he laid back down speechless, and Esmerelda stood, leaving the food and walked to her pallet on the other side of the brig. Krethos sat up and began eating, slowly, as the sound of heavy footfalls could be first heard on the stairs to below decks.
Three men entered the brig, looked around for a moment, and hauled Esmerelda to her feet and pulled her out of the brig. She went willingly, but it was no surprise to the other prisoners, seeing the difference in size between the smaller Esmerelda, and the massive pirate fighters.
Krethos stood for the first time all day, and went to the gate, watching as Esmerelda was hauled up the stairs to an unknown fate. He returned to his seat and finished his meal, his mind racing, puzzling, over a way for escape. There was no sound from the upper deck for well over two hours before Esmerelda was returned to the brig, nobody bothered to ask her what had happened, they did not really want to know, but after the guards left, Esmerelda produced a key to the brig.
"Be glad, it was not an easy thing to procure." She said of it.
"We'll use it in the morning, just at dawn." Krethos said to his companions, "Rest easy, for on the morrow we'll find hard."
They did just that, and rose at Krethos' bidding early the next morning. Krethos pushed the key into the lock and turned the prize, the gate slowly swung open at Krethos' direction, and the party of four crept from the prison and to the top deck.
The morning was cool and calm, the wind had died and several pirates slept on deck. Krethos slipped across the deck and started to untie a longboat, the others came to help, and they slowly lowered it into the water. Meir stepped first into the boat, and Freidarae followed, Krethos held out his hand for Esmerelda to take and swing below to the waiting longboat, but as she took his hand an arrow head appeared in her neck. She dropped to the deck and behind her was the pirate captain.
"Escaping? And what gived you the idea you'd be able to do that?" the captain called out as he knocked another arrow.
Krethos looked down at the choking body of Esmerelda, and back up in time to see the captain release his arrow, Krethos dropped to the deck as the arrow flew over him. He stood back up, and cut the long boat loose before taking up the sword of the sleeping pirate beside him.
Krethos moved across the deck like an arrow, swing hard at the captain, who pulled his sword out just in time to block it.
"Revenge does not seem to suit you, it blinds you." Said the captain as he threw Krethos off.
Krethos came again, and again, and every time he was parried and thrown off, he did not notice an archer on the rail, firing at his escaping party. Only after hearing Freidarae cry out in pain did he finally see the situation. He was alone on a deck of fast waking pirates, and his friends were leaving into the mist.
He took a step back, and ran for the rail, he sliced the bowstring and fingers of the archer, severing them all, as he ran, and dove from the ship. Krethos swam hard under intense fire, and he reached the longboat, only to find that Freidarae had perished.
They pushed her body into the sea and raised a sail they found in the bottom of the boat, the pirates did not persue, but nevertheless, Meir and Krethos were alone, on a sea they knew not, sailing to where they could only imagine, and still entertaining a sliver of hope under their mantle of grief.
Copyright © 2008-2009 Robert W. A. Nance
All rights reserved
3 comments:
I really like the story, although I'm sad both the ladies died :). One writing tip: maybe you could vary some of the sentence lengths. If you add some very short sentences I think it would spice it up. Otherwise great!
Natalie
Awwww. Lady dead. Mikey sad. Seriously, it was a good instalment.
-Mike
Thank you so much for the link, I'll be putting up one to your blog on my blog ASAP. And my project this weekend -after planning my tea party ^_^- will be to read your stories. I'm really excited.
xo
Helen
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