Falling For The First Mate

Chapter 13

Even amongst pirates, it still came as a shock to Evanora just how easily a crew would betray their own Captain. All it took was a short speech, a whispered battle plan and a tiny little white lie about a lifetime supply of rum and they were hooked.

“So, we strike at midnight?” she whispered to Eric, awaiting his approval.

“Aye, miss.” he replied, wiping a bead of sweat from his bald head with a murky old rag. It left trails of grime in its wake, muddying the last clean part of him.

Evanora sighed but nodded. It wasn’t exactly a terrifying mob of warriors she had here, but it would have to do.

“This cannot end well.” Drago brooded in a low voice from where he was securing the main sail. A terrible sense of foreboding had settled over him and he wasn’t even sure if rum was worth the trouble this betrayal would cause.

Evanora opened her mouth to argue, but was interrupted by Grimme who suddenly materialised behind them.

“However it ends, there will be a bloody good story to tell about it, that I’m sure. And the moral of that story depends on Little Miss Traitor over here.”

Eye patch flapping in the breeze, Grimme jabbed a finger into Evanora’s back, making her squirm.

She glanced over her shoulder, looking for an excuse to escape. Her eyes scanned the deck and noticed that Kade had commandeered the ship’s wheel. For a brief second, he met her eyes and she paused, but then his expression changed and he refocused his attention on the horizon.

She felt another poke in her side. Eric this time.

“Y’know, miss, we can’t be dealin’ with both Cap’n Silvestre and the First Mate at the same time. It’d be like signing our own life away.”

“Aye,” boomed Drago, backing his crewmate. “Skyler be a better fighter than any man here.”

For once, this was something that Evanora could provide an answer to.

“Well then, someone had better make sure he stays in his cabin.” she said, a cunning smile crossing her lips.

“What’re you sayin’?” Eric wondered.

“When he’s asleep, I can lock and bar all the doors from the outside. And unless he somehow loses all of his muscle overnight, there’s no chance of him getting out of the windows.”

There was a moment of silence.

“She be a wise one, this one.” said Eric, when her plan sank in. “Should’ve had a woman on board years ago. Especially one bringin’ rum.”

Hoping that nobody saw the look of guilt on her face at her lie, Evanora shot Eric a half-hearted smile and then took off to the other side of the ship, rolling her eyes.

As soon as she was out of sight, she hurried discreetly to the starboard side to check on the untold part of her plan. Sure enough, there was still a lifeboat and three sacks of supplies hanging inconspicuously over the side, safely concealed under the various crabbing nets and armoury that she’d hidden them beneath earlier.

“Nobody will even notice I’m gone.” she chuckled to herself, smiling.

Night fell over the sea, bringing with it the chill of the evening winds. Despite this, the waves stayed calm, as if awaiting the battle as intently as everyone else. No crew member had fallen asleep, with the exceptions of the cabin boy and Evanora herself. However, she needn’t have worried about missing the action, for an angry shaking bought her back to the present with a jolt and muffled shriek of protest.