Impatient bunch, ain't ya? Though, I can't really blame you... all things aside, I
do have a chapter for you, late as it is. So, finally...
Conscience
The entire island of Tortuga was abuzz the next morning. What was once a symbol of tyranny and injustice was now just a smoking pile of scraps. People began having a huge revel around it, dancing and singing, and one man tried to bring a pig to roast over the embers before they were all shooed away by the Navy. The jail may have been gone, but the Navy still held some power, if only through brute force.
Kat looked out on the chaos that was Tortuga from the deck of her ship, sensing the extra hint of joy in the air. Tortuga felt like a pirate port again, rather than a barely constrained rebellion held in the palm of fear. It was an exhilarating feeling.
Charles came up to her side to stare out on the town with her. “It’s odd,” he told her. “I’ve been here for two months, and I’ve seen how this place changes in the blink of an eye, but never quite like this. There’s just something different that I can’t put my finger on.”
Kat smiled. “That’s freedom, Charles. It’s Tortuga reverting back to what it once was.”
Charles chuckled, leaning over the railing. “I like it. It’s threatening, yet fun, and so much different from London.”
Kat let out a short, barking laugh. “What were you expecting, tea and crumpets?” she teased him lightly. “Not a chance, mate. There’s a new adventure with every coming wave.”
“Adventure…” Charles murmured, and Kat could see it in his eyes; dreams of riches and fantasy, a near-death experience at every turn. She knew it was the life he had always wanted, yet had always been held back from, being the only son. He saw Tortuga as his golden opportunity.
Kat swallowed her thoughts on his future for another time. “So, you know a few people in town from your time here, yes?” Charles nodded. “Good. You probably know more than I do. Go find people that would be willing to come to the meeting tonight. Take Ironhawk with you. His huge presence should intimidate anyone to come.”
Charles laughed as he looked over to the bulky man. “You got it, Kat,” he said. Kat saw him walk over to the blonde and talk to him briefly, motioning towards the town, and the two soon left the ship.
Her side shot with pain like a bolt of lightning, then suddenly was gone. She grimaced and gasped at the suddenness of it. Unfortunately enough, her coat was still in her cabin, with the rum inside the pocket. She just brushed it off and grabbed a lantern to go and pay a quick visit to Jenkins.
No others accompanied her down this time. The lantern created deep, unreal depths in the darkness. It was cool in the brig, away from the bright Caribbean sun. She came upon Jenkins shivering in the cell.
“Good morning, Captain Jenkins,” Kat said, her tone matching the cool atmosphere. “You’ll be glad to see that I have something for you.” She opened the iron door and tossed a loaf of bread to the ground. “It’s not very good, considering you burnt down the town’s best bakery. It was only a stroke of luck that its baker didn’t light with it.” Jenkins glared up at her with his small, dark eyes as he grabbed for the loaf.
“Where is your companion, Jenkins?” Kat asked, glancing around the small, dirty cell. She slowly reached for her sword, listening intently for the slightest sound. Men pounded on the top deck, regular creaks and groans emanated like usual from the
Mercenary, but there… right there was a small shuffle, a creak out of place. Jenkins’ eyes glanced somewhere to her right, and Kat knew.
A metallic crash echoed through the small space as Kat’s sword me the old rusted one rushing at her. From the corner of her eye, she saw the frustrated look on Jenkins’ face. She turned her attentions back to the officer. “I already have a deep slice on my left. You think I want a matching one on my right?” she growled at him.
The battle didn’t last long at all. Kat slashed at a bag lying on the ground and coffee beans came spilling out. They fell to the floor in a shower and got tangled under the officer’s feet. He fell to the floor with a crash, and Kat pointed her sword down at him menacingly.
“Damn it McKinnon!” Jenkins screamed, but Kat ignored him.
“Don’t make me kill you, lad,” she whispered, the flickering light of the lantern making her seem even more threatening.
“Please… I have a wife…” he whimpered in terror. Kat automatically felt pity for the man, but she kept her mask on. She remembered waiting at home for a husband in danger on the battlefield.
“Killing me will do you no good, Jenkins,” she said harshly. “The revolution is already set. Your prison is gone, and your ridiculous headquarters will be as well. Unless, of course, you agree to my proposition.”
“I shall not!” Jenkins yelled in fury. “The Crown is the all-powerful! A small port such as this is but a dot on the uncharted maps!”
“Then why is there such fear in your eyes, Captain?” Kat spoke lowly.
The two met in a silent battle of wills, only to be shattered by the man still lying on the ground. “For the love of God, Captain, take the deal!” McKinnon cried, his breathing shallow as he looked at the sharp tip of Kat’s blade. She looked at Jenkins directly, her sword still staying strong. Jenkins just shook his head in a violent ‘No’.
Kat’s eyes darkened, then she nodded. “Very well.” She kicked the cell door tightly closed, hearing it screech as metal crushed against metal. As she leaned down to take McKinnon by the arm and drag him out of the brig, she shouted to Jenkins, “I hope you don’t mind the death of one more of your men, Captain!”
McKinnon began kicking and screaming to try and get away, but Kat pressed her thumb to that spot in the crook of his elbow, and he immediately fell to his knees. “Don’t make me
really kill you, lad,” she muttered in his ear. He was quiet the rest of the way up.
“Lawrence, I need you!” she yelled as they entered the sunlight. Her red-headed first mate popped up to attention from where he had been apparently been asleep against a barrel. His tricorne had fallen clumsily over his eyes and he hastily straightened it as he spoke.
“What do you-” he stopped suddenly when he caught the site of Kat grasping McKinnon firmly by the arm. “Kat…” he said slowly. “Why is the Navy man up here?”
Kat just nodded towards her quarters and felt Lawrence’s presence as he followed her up. He opened the door for her and Kat shoved McKinnon inside. The man stood there fearfully, looking cautiously at the dagger Lawrence had just drawn. Kat, on the other hand, sheathed her sword. She looked up at the soldier with some disdain. “Well don’t just stand there like a petrified piece of wood. Sit,” she said, pointing to one of her small wooden chairs. He sat down slowly, carefully, and Kat followed his line of vision. “Lawrence, put it away,” she said. “He’s less a prisoner and more of a… guest, now.” Lawrence reluctantly hooked the dagger back onto his belt.
“Now, Mr. McKinnon, the only reason you’re not dead yet is because you seem to have something your captain sorely lacks.” She put her hands on the back of the chair and leaned over him. “A conscience. You actually care for the potential lives to be lost. Of course, I’m certain there’s a significant amount of care for your own life in there as well, but we’ll let that slide.”
“Now, my friend, if you want your fellow soldiers, and yourself, to live, you will have to follow my instructions to the letter. I am willing to let you go back to your headquarters, where I am sure everyone is running around frantic, trying to figure out what to do with all the rampant pirates. Here is where you inform them that Captain Jenkins died aboard the pirate ship, yet you managed to escape. However you want to tell them you escaped is of your choosing. This is where you inform them that as he died of mortal injuries in the brig, he ordered you to escape and tell everyone to abandon Tortuga. You
must get this point across to them, Mr. McKinnon, otherwise they will all die. For tomorrow night, there will be an organized raid on any Navy base here on the island, whether it be the building in Tortuga town or your ‘secretive’ little caves. And believe me, McKinnon, it won’t just be my crew ensuring your destruction. If you want everyone to live, or at least most of them, for I can’t assure anyone’s lives, you will get them out of port by tomorrow evening. To be frank, getting them out tonight would be all the better for you, as I can’t control the riots that will happen after this evening. Savvy?”
McKinnon gulped, but he nodded. “Yes. Yes, I understand, Captain Crestshot,” he said with fear in his voice.
Kat nodded in return. “Good lad. And don’t even think about trying any funny business, McKinnon. We’ve got the entirety of Tortuga behind our backs, and we’ll be watching you.”
She took his arm firmly again and hauled him out of his chair. “Now, Lawrence, will you grab that bag right there?” Kat asked him, pointing to a small sack she usually put rum in. He tossed it over to her and she shoved it over McKinnon’s head, despite his yelp of protest. “Sorry mate, gotta make it convincing. And remember, you
did try to kill me more than once.” She motioned to Lawrence to take his other side, and the two led McKinnon out of the cabin.
“You only get what’s coming to you!” Kat shouted to the world as they entered open air. “Draw your dagger,” she hissed to Lawrence. They began marching McKinnon down the plank to Kat’s cry of “Your blood isn’t good enough to be spilled on my ship!” The crew just watched in awe.
Kat led the two men far away from the town and into a dark corner of the swamp. She stopped, slowly looked around, the whipped the bag off of McKinnon’s head and kicked him to the ground. Her and Lawrence took off at a spring away from the man. “I never said I’d make it easy, lad!” she yelled back to him, laughing. In only a moment, her and Lawrence were gone. McKinnon grumbled as he picked himself off the ground and began trying to find his way back to the town.
Oooh, you can just feel the suspense rising now can't you? (Joke from my play... ha.)
Anyway, my apologies on the lateness of this, mates. I'm afraid real life is really kicking me up and down lately. Inspiration to write has been on and off, at best. Nevertheless, we are coming upon a part of the story that I have been waiting on since the beginning (and yes, by the beginning I mean
Her Beginning) in the next couple of weeks. So keep an eye on that horizon, aye? Thanks for reviewing, and Thanks for Reading!
-Kat Crestshot