Falling For The First Mate

Chapter 15

“What?” Captain Silvestre held tightly onto the railing, as if he would completely lose his mind if he lost his grip. “Skyler, tell me it ain’t true.”

Kade strode up onto the quarter deck, taking the steps two at a time. He came to stand before the Captain, a look in his eyes that Silvestre couldn’t quite distinguish.

“It’s true.”

The Captain’s face turned beetroot red in rage. He knew without a doubt that his First Mate was lying, yet he could not determine why he would be so foolish as to offer up his life to save another. A mutineer, at that! This wasn’t the type of attitude a First Mate should show; it might give the crew hope, and what chance did his power of fear stand then?

Screw all his damned courage and heroism, he thought.

He glared threateningly at Kade, giving him another chance.

“You know the code, Skyler. There must be blood fer this.” he warned in a stern voice, expecting his First Mate to act like the pirate he was and turn away.

But Kade simply stepped up to him, removed the pistol from his pocket, and offered it out. When Silvestre took it, Kade stood directly in front of him, the barrel of the gun resting against his chest, right above his heart.

Captain Silvestre cocked the trigger, his anger flaring. Here he was, out for the blood of the traitor who convinced the crew to attack him in his sleep, and now even his First Mate was prepared to die for the weasel? One thing was for sure: whoever it was, there was a special place in hell for them.

Kade's heartbeat pulsed through the cold metal of the gun and into the Captain's fingertips. Silvestre, in keeping with the code, knew it was in his best interest to fire the shot and be done with it. The thought of Kade's broken body bleeding through his floorboards was the only thing stopping him. Tugging at his heart was a faint trace of fondness for the boy, one that would remain hidden in the moment when the fate of this beating heart lay in his hands.

And what was more, it was rotten bad luck to shoot an innocent ally.

“I can’t kill you, boy.” he hissed at Kade, voice low enough so that only he would hear. “We both be sure ye’ didn’t do this.”

Kade nodded slightly in respect and stepped away. Silvestre used the pistol to shoot straight past him and into the sea, making Kade jolt in shock, and there was a collective gasp from the crew, installing just enough fear for the Captain’s sudden mercy to go unnoticed.

“An example must be made.” he boomed, locking eyes with as many crew members as possible as he said it. Finally he looked darkly to Kade and raised one eyebrow as if to say 'don’t say I didn’t warn you.'

“Drago! Fetch the whip and be teachin’ this wretched boy a lesson fer standin’ up fer traitors. And the rest of ye’ poxy scallywags can bind him to the mast.” he ordered.

The crew hurriedly set about the task. Eric and Grimme took Kade by the shoulders and led him away.

“And whoever the real traitor be, just know that I’ll be watchin’. I’ll find ye’. And one day it’ll be me absolute pleasure to drown ye’ meself.” Captain Silvestre declared.

With that, he stormed back into his cabin and slammed the door with a resounding crash. Though he had managed to feign a pretty impressive display and secure once again his role as Captain, he could not bear to watch the closest thing to a son that he had suffer from his own punishment.

Maybe it’ll be teachin’ him the errors of his blasted courage, he thought. One way or another, it’ll knock some sense into him. It had to be done.