The Starboard Side

Chapter 2: Kidnapped

Nadia stood in an alleyway near the tavern, smiling at the thought of finally being free. It felt so good to be back on the streets, but she knew that she couldn't stay here long. It was dark, and the lanterns brightening this street were dim, making every shadow appear suspicious. This is exactly why Nadia had picked this spot. She had seen it from her window and decided that it was an ideal place to make her way to the docks unnoticed.

Here, she wore a plain brown tunic. This would conceal her true identity, and she was glad to be rid of all of those extremely absurd dresses. It felt comfortable and loose, whereas her other garments were extremely tight and itchy. She felt much more at home in this tunic. Since nearly every other woman in this town wore a garment similar to this, it would also help her go unnoticed.

After the majority of people had passed her current hiding place, she emerged and started walking inconspicuously towards the docks. Her plan was working, and no-one recognized her, nor attempted to talk to her. Whenever someone passed by, she would pretend to examine the cobblestones as water from the roof of a building dripped onto them with a satisfying plop! In a matter of minutes, she reached the docks.

A few hours ago, she had sent Wendy to purchase a ship passenger ticket for her. When she returned from the market, she gave the small slip of paper to her mistress.

"The man said it is coming into port tonight," Wendy told her. "They leave at dawn. He also said to look for the ship with an eagle figurehead."

Nadia handed Wendy a small brown sack and smiled. Wendy took it, hearing the sound of clinking coins from inside. "Take it," Nadia said. "You deserve it."

Wendy hesitated, looking at the sack. "Thank you so much, mistress!"

"Naida will do," she replied, placing a hand on the maid's shoulder. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some planning to do."

Now, she paced near the deserted docks, looking for the ship with the eagle figurehead. There was one of a man, one of a horse, and one of a swordfish. No eagle. She sat down on a cargo crate and stared out into the sea, as if expecting to see the ship coming into the harbor. Then, after realizing that nothing was occurring at the moment, she examined the ships that were already moored. 

The ship with the horse figurehead was a standard trading ship, loaded with cargo from all over the world and made of poorly crafted, rotting wood. The ship with the man was a British navy ship, beautifully furnished, painted in yellow, red, and blue colors and cannons ready at the gunport. The ship with the swordfish figurehead was strange compared to the others. It was made of dark, unfurnished wood, and the sails were a dark gray, unlike the bleached white sails of the other two. It also had a gunport loaded with cannons, and it had several cargo crates stacked on its deck. It definitely wasn't a navy or trading ship. So what was it? Nadia failed to notice the flag situated on the top of the main mast, depicting a skull and crossbones.

Suddenly, she heard a grunting noise from nearby, along with the sound of wood scraping on cobbles. She turned to the sound and saw a group of about five sailors pushing a cargo crate down the dimly lit street, attempting to lift it. This was odd. All cargo was provided for ships near the docks, not in town. As they grew nearer, she could make out voices. 

"Hurry up, men!" One of them said in an angry whisper. "The captain ain't gonna like it if we mess up another raid!" 

"Well, at least we could find what he wanted," another said. "Could've taken us the whole bloomin' night if it wasn't for old Errol. After we took care of the old man, he was the one who discovered that loose floorboard. Tripped over it, he did."

"Shut up, and get on with it!" The first one said angrily, avoiding all attempts to whisper.

Nadia realized what had happened. That strange ship with the swordfish figurehead was a pirate ship, and these sailors were its owners. They had just robbed a shop nearby, most likely a jewelers workshop, and were heading back to their ship with the goods.

She knew that pirates were dangerous, but she couldn't just sit there and pretend nothing happened. The tavern was just down the street, and if she could manage to get there and warn someone before the pirates sailed away, she could prevent their success. Quietly, she stood and tiptoed into the street, making the least amount of noise as possible.

She felt vulnerable out in the open, and she longed for some kind of dark passage where she would be unable to be seen. She stopped and looked back at the pirates, making sure each pair of eyes was focused on something other than herself. This was a mistake. She heard a cat scream nearby, presumably in an alleyway, and she let out a short gasp. The sound caused each pirate to turn their heads to look in the direction of the sound, which happened to be the place where Nadia stood staring.

One of the men, a relatively short and stubby one, let go of the crate and pointed at her. "Look! Someone's seen us!" He screamed. "Jacob! Mack! After her!"

Nadia stood for a moment, watching two pirates bounding after her. One was about her height, with short blond hair, slight stubble on his chin, and cold eyes. The other was nearly a head taller than the other, with shaggy, mud-colored hair and a large build. She immediately turned and started running down the street, her hard leather boots hitting the cobbles with a loud clock! sound. But her attempts to escape failed, and after a few seconds, she felt a large hand grab her shoulder and yank her backward, throwing her off balance. In seconds, her arms were in the grasp of the pirates, and they were leading her back to their ship, grip so tight that she could feel her fingers going numb. She struggled and tried to get away, but their grips were too tight, and she failed to loosen them.

They passed the group of pirates carrying the cargo crate. During the pursuit, they had paused their work to watch. Conflicts like this didn't occur often, especially when a pretty lady was involved.

"Hurry up, you lazy lumps!" the larger one of the two holding Nadia said. "The locals already know we're here! They'll be out here any minute!"

"But what about her?" the short, stubby man near the cargo crate asked, pointing to Nadia. "We can't just take her!"

"She's seen us raiding, and we don't have time to ransom her! This is the only other way!" the other man said.

Within minutes, both Nadia and the cargo crate full of expensive goods were transported onto the ship, and before the law could assemble, the pirate ship was already out of the harbor. The only thing that they saw as the ship disappeared over the horizon was a name imprinted on the back of the vessel:

The Jolly Roger

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