Subtle Waves • James Kidd/Mary Read

chapter eight

Slowly attempting to open my eyes, I begin to squint from the sunlight coming in from the porthole. I slowly lift my head only to realize that there is a piece of paper sticking to my face. I peel it away quickly and harshly wipe the drool, that is the culprit, away. My arms reach up to stretch, while my head rolls back and forth to ease the tension in my neck. I continue to sit in my chair for a couple minutes before walking over to my vanity. I notice that my hair oddly doesn't look that messy, so I pass on brushing it and walk out onto the main deck. Looking around, I see that most men are passed out drunk at very random places on the ship. Deciding to let them sleep a while longer, I jump into a row-boat and make my way over to shore. 

Once I get to land, I begin to make my way over to a street vendor. I toss them a coin, before grabbing an apple from one of their baskets. Leaning on the side of one of the buildings, I take a large bite of the fruit. Scanning the area, I notice many plain old town folk, but I also notice a couple familiar faces. First I notice the blonde-haired scruffy man from the Havana tavern. Then I notice the dark-haired man, wearing a very familiar red bandana.

James seems to be looking around suspiciously, while the other man seems to be in a heated conversation with another tall dark man. Listening in, I overhear them talking about someone named Torres meeting with a fellow named Prins, carrying a ransom. The blond man quickly tells his partner what he has to do, but he is not having it. He tells him that he has to run this scheme by himself or he risks losing the faith of his crew. The man refers to the blonde as Kenway. It must be his surname. I could see why this man wouldn't want anything to do with this plan. After all, they would be bartering with a famous Dutch slaver. People like Prins make me sick. To willingly hurt and treat others like absolute shite just because of the colour of their skin is just plain stupid. If they don't end up killing him as part of their plan, I'm doing it myself.

Eventually, they realize that Kidd is there too. Kenway begins to walk over to James causing him to say, "Edward. What the hell are ye doing here?" So I guess his name is Edward Kenway. I've heard it before. He's a fairly new pirate climbing to the top and, from the looks of it, he seems to be making himself quite a fortune. 

I see both of them walking in my direction, so stealthily jump and climb up the building onto the roof. I peek down and see that they're following two older men. They must be Torres and Prins. Listening into James and Edward's conversation, I hear them talking about finding a Sage. I've heard of them before, but only in children's stories. They're people with memories outside their own time. I didn't think they were actually real though. 

With my interest now peaked, I decide to tail them as well. It seems like James is here to kill Prins, which I wholeheartedly agree with, while Edward is here to barter with him. They both jump over a wall and run over to hide in some brushes. I take the higher route and jump up onto a hut and then onto a tall tree. They then dive into a haystack, while I make my way over onto a house. They continue to sneak by through shrubs and corners and I continue to follow by jumping from rooftop to rooftop. To make my way by without being noticed, I have to knock-out a few men guarding from above. 

We eventually approach a restricted area that is heavily guarded. With no more buildings that I am able to jump to, I'm forced to go into a haystack. Taking a deep breath, I step back and run forwards to dive into the hay. I stay hidden in this spot, until I know that Torres, Prins, Kenway, and Kidd have all moved forward. Once I know they have, I make a mad-dash over to the nearest bush and then over to the next.

"It pains me to traffic someone of my own race, Torres." Prins says, which causes me to lightly scoff. I glance over at Edward and James, only to see them both intently listening to what he's saying. Edward begins to shuffle in the grass and I begin to mentally send him messages to stop moving, before he gets caught. By the time he stops, I hear Prins loudly say, "Next time, see to it we are not followed. Deal with this!" I knew this would happen. If only that dimwit would listen to me! Well, we definitely know that I'm not telepathic now.