The Jolly Roger

The Gods' Gear, The Bookeepers, And a Loan Shark

“Very well, a fortnight.” Carrigan stood and her men stood with her. “Goodnight, Captain.”

Edward tipped his hat to her, a gesture that still seemed mocking. “Goodnight, Captain.”

Josette woke before the sun. It was something she usually did, her mother had always told her that rising early was something that kept people young, of course her mother also smeared pigeon poop on her face to keep wrinkles at bay; so perhaps it wasn’t sound advice.

Still, she knew her mother ‘s advice for giving up everything on the mere possibility that she might get to run away with pirates would be sound; she also knew she’d tell her not the go.

Not that that mattered now. Joey’s mother had been dead for years and Joey had worked as a barmaid ever since, trying to collect enough money for ship fare so she could sail the seas and find the father that had abandoned her as a child.

Of course, she had to feed herself and pay the rent for her shabby room at the inn, after that not much was left for her to save, but she had managed to stash away a hundred pounds over the years, and of it she used five to pay her week’s rent. She placed it neatly on her made bed, along with a letter, thanking her landlords for letting her stay and apologizing for leaving without word. With any luck she could be back and have it thrown away before anyone saw it; given this deal with Captain Castaway panned out.

She so hoped it panned out. She wiped nervous sweat from her brow as she stuffed clothing into a patched carpetbag; when she finished she checked her reflection in the mirror. She’d left her coffee colored hair down and it fell in loose waves around her shoulders. She was dressed in what she hoped most pirating women wore; a loose white shirt and flowing brown skirt, she worried at her neckline, trying to decide what Carrigan would think the right amount of cleavage was.

Eventually she decided to let the shirt hang naturally and secured her pendant around her neck, letting it fall against her chest. It had belonged to her mother before and, according to her mother, Joey’s father before that. It was her greatest treasure, and the only thing that told tales of her father’s pirating history. The story was told by the compass within the necklace and the inscription on the back which pictured a Jolly Roger flag and the words: I will live and die under it.

Normally, Joey kept the thing well hidden, she was should it would fetch a pretty penny if stolen and a tight noose for piracy if seen by a guardsmen; not that there were ever many of them on this end of town.

When Josette was happy with her appearance she picked up her carpetbag and shuffled out the door. She wasn’t a long walk from the docks, only a couple of blocks, but she left early just in case, the last thing she wanted was to make a bad impression by being late.

She wasn’t late. She reached the docks just as the shops began opening their doors. The ships in port were very quiet at the moment, which was normal, Most the cooks and galley men were only up this early, making breakfasts and scrubbing dishes from the night before. Joey wondered if Carrigan herself would even be up, or would she send someone else to deal with her?

Would she even remember the discussion she had with the dirty barmaid the night before? What if she didn’t? Joey tried in vain to squash the panic that threatened vomit in her stomach. She moved along the docks quickly, eyes searching for the black ship with the angel figurehead.

When she saw the Jolly Roger at the end of the dock she picked her skirts up and ran for it. When she reached the pier leading alongside the ship she just stood there, looking up at the railing. She waited. Five, ten, fifteen minutes; losing hope as each minute passed.

Finally, as the half hour mark of seven approached, a gangway was lowered and Joey could just make out two figures standing at the top. One was finely cut and female shaped, Carrigan of course, the other was a bit taller than Carrigan, with stooped shoulders, obviously male, he favored one side over the other; which led Joey to think him some sort of cripple.