The Pirate's Legacy: New Beginnings

Chapter 21: Under the Veil

Oh no, thought Em. I'll need to remove my veil after all. I'm trying out wine, for gods' sakes!

When Pasicrates turned around, Em threw the veil off her face. The nobleman's eyes widened at the sight of her, with dark brown eyes as soft as her voice. He lamented that she was married before he realized two anomalies of her body.

As if she read his mind, Em blushed and lowered her eyes demurely. "Excuse my appearance, my lord. My husband and I were overrun by pirates on our way to Silvertide Island. My skin was burned, and they gave me this scar when they held me captive before my husband could come to my rescue."

"Oh, your poor creature! To think of the suffering you went through!" Pasicrates said.

"Why do you not have doors, my lord?" Em asked as she accepted the cup he offered to her. "Are you not fearful of pirates becoming unexpected guests to your home, living so close to the sea as you are?" All the while she was delicately tracing the rim with her jeweled finger and watching as Pasicrates followed the motion as if in a trance.

The rotund nobleman snapped out of his daze by the question. He cleared his throat loudly and pointed at the guards who stood on either side of all the doorways in the room. "I have hired men to take care of that. They are highly trained to detect all trespassers. No need for doors like the commoners," Pasicrates said.

Em exchanged glances with her own two guards. Though she could only see their eyes, she could imagine them smirking from behind their visors.

MMMMMM

Roger gazed up at the villa of the fat wine merchant. He hid behind a row of large sycamore trees that grew on a pathway horizontal to the grand home. Dread Robin stared in particular at the second floor where he knew the map was hidden somewhere inside one of the multitude of rooms. He turned his head to the side. "Ready?" he asked unnecessarily Daryl.

"Yeah, as I'll ever be, Cap'n," the young boy replied with a grin. In his hand was an iron grappling hook and a coil of rope.

Roger nodded as he turned back to the complex.

In front of the sycamores was a vast outdoor garden surrounded on all four sides by tall pillars. Every now and then, guards walked through the elaborate structure on vigilant patrol. As another pair passed the pirates' hiding spot and disappeared around a corner, Roger and Daryl counted to three silently before they leaped out and sprinted forward with backs and heads bent low. They threw themselves behind a marble pillar as a single guard walked across the terrace that led into the villa. When he had disappeared, Roger took the line and hook from Daryl as the latter watched out for more guards. The hook sailed over their heads up to the balcony above them. They heard a faint, dull clunk and Roger pulled until the metal hook grabbed onto the bottom of a stone baluster.

"Remember to keep a sharp eye out and make sure you're not seen," Roger hissed at Daryl. He unsheathed his cutlass and placed its blade in his mouth before he began to climb up. As he reached the bottom of the balustrade, he heard footsteps approaching his way. Roger ducked his head down as a pair of guards passed. Once they were gone, he lifted himself over the rail and swung onto the balcony. He took the hook off of the baluster and placed it and the rope inside his grey overcoat. Roger removed his cutlass from his mouth as he silently crept down the first of many hallways he would encounter on the second floor.

Roger stole through various bedrooms and dayrooms. Many times he had to find a place to hide from guards on patrol, and for those that stood on either side of doorways, he created small diversions in order to entice them to leave their posts. Once or twice, Roger had to resort to using his cutlass after being spotted. These unfortunate recipients to the end of his blade were then dragged into the nearest room and hidden either in a closet or underneath an ornate bed. As he navigated deeper into the second floor, he noticed an increase of guards passing through the hallways. With his hope rising, Roger turned into a corridor that led to a maze of rooms. As his eyes peeked briefly into the contents of the rooms he passed, he saw that with each room, the amount of precious and valuable objects inside rose.