Chapter 14

Skyler boarded The Skyrunner in a heap of anger. Who was Bragg to tell her who she should and shouldn’t trust?  She remembered what Sacripant had done and she also remembered why he’d done it.  He was the only one with the maps to The Edge and The Skyrunner was the only ship that could sail there.  She saw no other arrangement.

Skyler slammed the door to her cabin shut and kicked the leg of one of the chairs that surrounded a table in the middle of the room.  It flew off to the side and hit the wall.  She groaned and sat down in another chair and put her head down on the table.  There was a gentle knock at the door.

            “Cap’n?” Colton’s voice came softly through the wood.

            “What?” The word came out of her mouth harsher than she intended but nevertheless the door creaked open.

            “Cap’n, you alright? I heard a noise.”

            “Colton, if I asked you to kill Bragg for me would you do it?”

Colton walked into the cabin, shut the door behind him and sat down in a chair opposite of Skyler. “Well, I once worked for an assassin when I was seven.  ‘E paid me a shilling to distract some guards so’s ‘e could slip in a kill the governor of Port Royal.”

            “Wasn’t your father the governor?”

Colton shrugged, “ ’E didn’t have to know.  Anyway, I couldn’t care less if that old bag of rot died.”

            “So, is that a yes?”

            “For the right price.  Yes.”

Skyler sighed, “You wouldn’t even do it for free?”

Colton smiled, “Well, you know what they say.  If you’re good at somethin’ never do it for free.”

Skyler gave a disheartened laugh, “That’s Sacripant’s policy.”

There was a moment of silence.

            “Cap’n, if I ask you somethin’ will you swear to answer honestly?”

Skyler lifted her head, “Sure. Why not?”

Colton dropped back into his Irish accent , the way he did when we was serious, “Why do you really want that map?  Please, don’t tell me it’s just because Capitan Jason stool it and you want it back because it’s your property.”

Skyler was silent for a moment .  She looked up at the world map that hung on the wall of the cabin, then stood and walked over to it.

            “Do you remember when we met, Colton?” She said without turning around, “You ran away from your home because you hated living in a confined space.  Do you remember what you told me when you asked to be my first mate?”

Colton nodded, “I said I couldn’t bare to live so close to the sea, so close to freedom and never touch it.”

            “Freedom . . . “ Skyler muttered.  She turned around, “That’s why we because pirates, mate, there’s a certain freedom to piracy that the Navy can’t give.  But have you noticed that there hasn’t been much competition lately?  It’s something that we’re all trying not to notice.  Pirate Captains are realizing that the Navy is taking away everything we live for,” Skyler turned around and looked at the map, “and everything I plan to die for.”

Colton straightened up in his chair. “They’re running away . . .  they’re turning their bloody hides around and running.”

Skyler nodded, “That map is the last surviving map of twelve others that shows the location of many hidden places among them the location of Mercator Portas.”

            “Trader’s Gates,” Colton said.

            “The place where all pirates go to avoid unwanted dangers.

            “How do they know the location and we don’t? Why don’t they need the map?”

Skyler sat down beside him, “Look at us, mate, the oldest person on this bloody ship is nineteen.  I’m the youngest Captain ever to sail the seven seas; we haven’t been out here very long.  The older Captains, they have their ways of knowing but we don’t.”

            “But how-“

There was a loud thump outside the cabin door followed by the sound of marching footsteps.

            “Who is the Captain of this vessel?” A loud proper Englishmen voice hollered.

Skyler rolled her eyes, “Bloody heck, what is it now?”

Colton got up and opened the door, “After you, Cap’n.” He said making a sweeping motion with his hand.

           

The crew had been forced into a line up.  Soldiers with red jackets held their bayonets at the ready and a man with a fancy blue coat walked up and down the deck.

            “No one wishes to answer?  Alright, perhaps French then? Où est le capitaine?”

There was silence on the deck.  Colton was about to intervene but Skyer held him back within the shadows of the cabin.

            “Just wait a moment.” She said.

            “No French then?” The man said, “Chinese, perhaps? Nǎlǐ shì nǐ �"“

            “Relax, mate,” Trench, who looked non to happy to be pulled out into the sunshine, said. “We’re English.”

The man straightened up, “Well, with that sloppy tone you’re boarding on treason.  Now, I shall ask once more, where �"“

Skyler stepped out, “What do you want?”

The man’s face lit up, “Ah! Madam, I wish to speak with your father as I assume he is the Captain of this vessel.”

Skyler looked the man up and down.  He was tall, handsome faced, clean cut uniform; he was in his mid twenties and already a high ranking commander.

Skyler smirked, “I’m the bloody Captain.”

The man shook his head, “No, that can’t be right I have it here that this ship, the um . . . “ he looked down at a manuscript in his hands, “The Skyrunner is under the command of Captain Steven.”

            “Skyler.”

            “I beg your pardon?”

            “Captain Skyler, not Steven.  This is my ship,” Skyler drew he sword and pointed it at the man’s throat, “so sod off.”

The man eyed the sword, “Yes, well, I’m afraid I can’t do that Madam.”

            “Captain.”

            “Captain, yes.  I have suspicions that this is a pirate vessel, so I’m going to have to arrest you.”

A stifle of laughter came from The Skyrunner crew.

Skyler smiled and lowered her sword, “Who exactly are you?”

            “I am Commodore Ethan Dunmore.”

            “And how can you prove that this is a pirate vessel?”

            “Your papers.”

            “What?”

            “You papers, your letters of manque signed by the King.”

Skyler nodded, “Of course, they are in my cabin.”

There was a long silence.

            “May I see them?” Commodore Dunmore asked.

Skyler looked at her crew and then back to the Commodore, “When I count to three.”

A look of confusion crossed the Commodores face. “Pardon?”

            “One.”

            “I’m sorry?”

            “Two.”  Skyler backed up towards her cabin.

            “What is going on here?”

            “Three!”

The crew of The Skyrunner lunged at the Navel officer nearest to them and fought to take control of the bayonets with their bare hands.

Colton drew his sword and joined the fight as Skyler raised her own sword towards the Commodore once again. “Before my crew beats the blood out of your men I’ll give you a choice.  Get off my ship or loose your man and get your head chopped off.  Which will it be?”

The Commodore looked at his men then back at Skyler, “Alright, Captain.  Release my men and I shall go.”

Skyler called to her crew and the fighting stopped.  The Commodore ordered his men into the dinghy that floated in the waters bellow.

            “I know what you are, Captain Skyler.” Commodore Dunmore said before following his men, “Rest assured that I will follow you, I will find you and I will bring you to justice.”

            “Do you really think stopping me will stop the rest of us?” Skyler asked.

The Commodore smiled, “Well, you are the first of the Breaker that I’ve visited.  Four more to go.”

Author's Note

ignore grammar