The Captain

four

I gaped at the approaching ship in shock. 

I knew about pirates in the passes around Port Royal and Tortuga, we'd all heard the stories as children. One of my biggest fears as a young girl had been the Kraken and Davy Jones, leading to a solid few years where I avoided the water like the plague. 

But those were bedtime stories, lessons to teach. This... This was real and it was happening before my eyes. And now there wasn't a father to protect me, no covers to hide under until morning. Amelie wasn't going to crawl into bed with me until we both felt better. 

This was actually happening. 

"Christ. We'll do what we can to outrun them, but..." Carson trailed off. 

"But what?"

He hung his head. 

"I'm afraid we don't stand much of a chance, Miss."

"Well there has to be something we can do, right? Fight them off?"

Carson shook his head sadly. 

"This is a merchant ship, Miss Harlow. We'll do what we can to avoid casualties. If we're lucky, they'll just take the cargo and leave."

"And if we're unlucky?"

Nobody answered me. 

"Best for you and your sister to stay in your quarters, Miss. Be safer for both of you if none of the pirates knows you're here."

I didn't have to ask why. We'd all heard stories of what pirates did to women.

"I... Alright."

I grabbed Amelie's hand and pulled her away from the rail, where she was frozen, transfixed. 

"Lia, let's go."

She didn't respond, eyes never leaving the imposing ship as it got closer and closer to us.

A little dismayed at the fact that we'd been unable to do anything but just hide in our room when anything was amiss but more focused on getting my sister and I out of this horrid ordeal alive, we sat on the bed and I locked the door behind us. 

"I know I said I was interested in pirates, but..." she trailed off anxiously, perching on the edge of the bed. 

"I know. It's okay. Everything will be fine."

She met my eyes, reflecting the fear that I felt. We sat in silence for about ten more minutes, both listening intently to whatever was going on above. Suddenly, I heard what sounded like Tristan yell "prepare to be boarded!"

Somebody landed with a resounding thunk on the deck, followed by maybe five or six more. 

"Who's the captain?" A low voice asked. 

"That'd be me," Carson replied coldly. 

I felt a jolt of terror settle in my gut as the sets of footsteps scuffled around, probably apprehending the rest of the crew. 

"This is a merchant ship, correct?"

"Obviously," Carson snapped. 

There was a smacking sound and a grunt of pain. Amelie gasped and I slapped my hand over her mouth. 

"Don't get smart with me, sailor. What are you transporting?"

"Alcohol, medicine, materials," Carson's voice was flat. I knew giving up had to be killing him, but it was his safest bet of getting the crew out of this safely. 

"Excellent. This is your whole crew? Nobody else hiding around here?" The voice leered. 

"This is everyone."