The Belladonna

Chapter 50 - Dining Room

Due to the study's rather unfortunate and untimely demise, the Manor's extravagant dining room had been turned into a flamboyant substitute. Some of the townswomen had scampered around clearing the long oak table of fine china and silverware, the window's dark drapes had been pulled back to reveal the late sun glow as it set out over the waters.

The large room was more quite now. The Kings men lined the walls bustling nervously amongst the pirates. Dustin's men had not made them feel any more at ease; despite their captains 'surrender', the men had still looked at the officers with menacing faces. It was only after a snappy command from Thomas that prevented them from speaking snark comments.

After the agreement of parley, Admiral Balthid had taken charge for what seemed the first time in a long while. The king's men had responded well, with the exception of Captain Larg who was dragged away, his grunchy face snaring, yelling for justice against traitors. Dustin, after a word to the Admiral, had sent Aster to inform Thomas to bring the ship into the port and lead the prisoner officers of the Schooner to the town's small holding cells down near the port. Sky imagined they would be quite cramped in there until the war was over.

The Admiral's men had followed his commands of peace without any protest. It was clear from their loyalty that they respected him a great amount. There were only small looks of confusion and some quite conversations of concern, they were not nearly as outraged as Captain Largs men. Many of them had reacted similarly to their captain, though not all Sky noticed as the young officer she knocked out was amongst the officers against the dining room wall. He had blushed in anger when she apologised to him, and had refused to look at her since.

Apparently, the King Patrick had feared his old Admiral would not have the zeal to follow his direct orders to remove the traitors of Harpers Ilse. As a result, the King had informed Captain Larg that should the Admiral be unable to fulfil his sworn duty to the crown, the Captain was to relieve him of it. Before Sky had interrupted the meeting Admiral Balthid had been commissioning for a full surrender of the townspeople where the women and children would be spared trial when their husbands were hung. Something that, as Sky gathered, was not what the king had wanted and consequently, Captain Larg, seduced by greed for title of Commodore had decided to carry out the kings secret instructions.

Upon hearing this from a few of his men, The Admiral had reacted rather subduedly. There was no anger in his withered face, but Sky noticed a small flicker of betrayal in the elderly man's eyes. He had not been expecting the King to order his death, but nor was he surprised to find it was so.

"I see." He had said to his second in command before turning to an unsurprised Dustin. "Hawk, it seems we have quite a lot to speak of. Shall we?"

That was how they had all ended up in the dining room standing around the long oval table. The townspeople, mostly the ones who had attacked the manor, Dustin's pirates, quite now under Thomas' watchful gaze, and the Admiral and his officers stood huddled in the beautiful dinning room. Sky was one of the few sitting feeling she may collapse from exhaustion, her hands braced against her ribs that still ached dully. She had changed out of the Kings red and blue uniform into some borrowed breeches and a light cotton shirt. It had been a long day. A lot of the Admiral's men were placed around the town to watch for any signs of attack and some at the holding cells. But the room was still crowded. Everyone it seemed wanted to be in on the discussion. In her state Sky was struggling to keep up with the conversation as people spoke from all sides of the room.

"But if he sent you here Sir," Dustin was frowning at the Admiral, his voice carried out and hushed the others. "Perhaps he has done the same for the other islands. We've sunk many of his ships," He looked to Thomas with a question in his gaze, "I'd say at least fifteen. With you here and others gone too, he can't possibly have that many left to send."