The Deep Blue

Chapter 6

Ensley awoke as her head hit the floor. She must have fallen asleep sitting upright. She pushed herself off the floor, rubbing her temples. 

Looking over at the other cell, Ensley could see the rest of her crew was still asleep. Charlie, the one who had been whipped, was lying on his stomach, seeming to be in pain even while asleep.

Bored, Ensley pulled her fingers through her hair, working out the knots that had formed over the past could of days. Slowly, her fingers worked her hair into a braid, not necessarily one as neat as the one she wore when she had left port days before, but an effective one that kept the hair out of her face. She used a string used to tie the sleeve of her jacket to tie the end of the braid, seeing no current use for the jacket. 

She looked over to see the guard staring at her. He whistled and licked his lips. Ensley huffed, disgusted, and looked away. She expected the men on this ship to be gross. After all, she was on a ship full of pirates. 

Footsteps echoed coming down to the brig, and Edward appeared, already holding the key. He opened the door and gestured for her to walk out, allowing her to lead the way to the little room. The guard watched her hungrily as she walked by, his eyes seeming to soak her image in. She quickly looked away, keeping her eyes away from him as she left the brig.  

When they got to the little room, Ensley went ahead and sat down, grabbing the knife and a potato. There was about half a sack left to peel, and she could easily finish that day. Then, of course, other work would be found for her, she was sure, but her hands were tired from repeating the same motions the past two days, and her shoulders hurt from having stayed in the same positions for so long. 

After a few hours, Ensley finished peeling her last potato. She worked the entire time in silence, as Edward did not seem to be in the mood for speaking. When he saw she was finished, he took the knife from her and told her to wait, disappearing with the barrel full of peeled potatoes. She picked a peel up from the floor, tearing it into small pieces. 

A loud BANG startled her, causing her to drop the peel she was holding as she jumped. It was too loud to be a gunshot, and it sounded like it came from somewhere on the ship. Maybe it was a cannon. 

Edward slammed the door open and pulled her up with a bruising grip, leading her out of the room. 

"What is going on?" she asked, practically running to keep up with his stride. 

"We are raiding another ship." They were already at the brig, and he pushed her towards her cell. She walked in herself, not wanting to be pushed again. "If you know what's best for you, you'll stay quiet. And encourage your crew to do the same." 

He looked at the entrance of the brig, where the sailors were being shoved towards their cell. They were locked in, and Edward and the other pirates left. No guard stayed behind. 

They sat in silence, listening to the shouts above. Ensley could make out the sound of running, and soon the CLANG of steel on steel could be made out. Although Ensley couldn't see anything, she could tell chaos had ensued. 

Somebody ran down the stairs, but a pirate was close behind, running him through and letting him fall all the way down the stairs. The pirate turned, running back up the stairs without bothering to get the fallen body. 

From her cell, Ensley could just make out the royal blue of the man's shirt. He was wearing a uniform, evidently having belonged to the royal navy. Ensley sat down, praying, hoping, that whatever crew was aboard this ship would win. This could be her escape. 

Soon, the sounds of fighting began to die off. Ensley looked towards the entrance, waiting to see who walked down the stairs first. There were several pairs of footsteps, and two men were being marched down by the pirates, both bloody. They were shoved into the cell beside hers, and the pirates left without saying anything. 

"Ensley?" One of the men peered through the bars at her. His graying hair and kind face looked familiar. "Is that you." 

"Mr. Richard?" Ensley recognized the man. He had served with her father in the royal navy, and now he captained trading vessels, not wanting to leave his life at sea. 

"Dear child." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I had heard that you had a ship, but I did not know you had been captured. Tell me, how long have you been aboard this vessel?" 

"Only a few days." Ensley tried to appear collected, but she could feel any confidence she had managed to keep over the past few days slipping away. "They hope to get a large ransom for my return." 

"Have they sent out any demands? Does your father or your betrothed know yet?" 

"Brooks? I am sure neither he nor my father knows." She crossed her arms. "We have yet to take port or come in contact with any ship other than yours. I am sure no other survivors were left on your ship." 

"That would be correct." Edward stood at the entrance of the brig. "Captain Lowe would like to see you now." 

Edward opened her cell and shackled her wrists, leading her up the stairs and to the captain's quarters. Pirates were tossing bodies over the side of the ship, and the deck was stained with blood. None of the pirates seemed to be hurt other than a few scratches. 

Edward opened the door to the captain's quarters, pushing lightly to prompt her to go inside. He whispered something in Lowe's ear, who was sitting at the desk. Edward quickly left, closing the door behind him and leaving Ensley alone with Lowe. 

"Please, sit." He gestured towards a chair pulled out in front of the desk. Ensley obeyed, sitting so that she could quickly stand back up if needed. "Why don't you tell me about your betrothed." It was a command, not a question. 

Ensley took in a breath. Edward must have been listening in on her conversation with Mr. Richard. 

"There isn't much to know. He owns a small trading company." She decided it wouldn't hurt to lie about the size of his company. The less important the thought she was, the better. "That's about it."

"I'm sure there is more to him than just that." Lowe folded his hands on his desk. "Should I have one of your crew members brought in here? I've been itching to test how effective a blunt blade can be, and this seems like an excellent opportunity." 

A lump formed in Ensley's throat, making her voice sound afraid. "He is a very distant cousin of the King. Not close enough to have any title or great importance, just close enough to still have some wealth and tie my family to the royal family."

"Such a small piece of information." He stood up. "Yet so important." He went behind her, opening the door. "We will make port tomorrow. We are in need of supplies. And to send a message." 

Edward, who must have been waiting outside, pulled her out of the  chair and brought her back down to the brig. 

"Eavesdropping is incredibly impolite." Ensley watched as he locked her cell. "Even pirates could stand to have some manners." 

"What Captain Lowe was just able to learn from you," Edward said, locking eyes with her, "may have just guaranteed your safety. Be glad that I did eavesdrop. You." He pointed at the guard. "Get this man and bring him to Captain Lowe's quarters. He wishes to speak with him." 

The guard pulled Mr. Richard out of the cell, pushing him up the stairs with Edward following behind. 

They did not return.