Book One: Worlds Apart (Loki)

Chapter Sixteen

Shipwreck Cove; 1750: Inside a sort of courtroom, the nearest thing Katri has to a friend, in the pirate world, is Captain Barbossa stands at the head of the table, his monkey Jack on his shoulder. Barbossa glances around the room before he starts banging a cannonball on the table.

"As he who issued summons, I convene this, the fourth Brethren Court. To confirm your lordship and right to be heard, present now your pieces of eight, my fellow cap'ns" Barbossa announces. Ragetti walks around with a bowl and each person puts a piece of junk in it.

"Those aren't pieces of eight, they're just pieces of junk" Pintel comments, Gibbs nods.

"Aye, the original plan was to use nine pieces of eight to bind Calypso, but when the first court met, the brethren were to a one, skint broke" he explains.

"So change the name"

"To what? 'Nine Pieces of Whatever We Happened to Have in Our Pockets at the Time'? Oh yes, that sounds very piratey" Gibbs argues.

"Mr. Ragetti, if you will" Barbossa asks of the fellow pirate.

"I kept it safe for you, just like you said when you gave it to me"

"Aye, ya have, but now I need it back" Barbossa whacks Ragetti on the back of the head and his wooden eye pops out and he puts it in the bowl.

"Sparrow!" Villanueva points out looking to Jack Sparrow at the other end of the table. Sparrow touches coin dangling from his bandanna.

"Might I point out that we are still short one pirate lord, and I'm content as a cucumber to wait until Captain Mikaelson joins us" Sparrow points out. Katri chooses this perfect moment to enter the room.

"Then you're in luck, Jack" she comments looking to him, he smirks a little back at her. "Listen. Our location has been betrayed. Jones is under the command of Lord Beckett, they're on their way here" she announces looking around at the others.

"Who is this betrayer?" Jocard asks looking to her.

"Not likely anyone among us" Barbossa answers. "And it matters not how they found us. The question is, what will we do now that they have?"

"We fight!" Katri answers.

"Shipwreck Cove is a fortress, a well supplied fortress" Mistress Cheng points out. "There is no need to fight if they cannot get to us"

"There is a third course" Barbossa corrects. "In another age, at this very spot, the first court captured the sea goddess, and bound her in her bones. That was a mistake. Oh, we tamed the seas for ourselves, aye, but opened the door to Beckett and his ilk. Better were the days when mastery of seas came not from bargains struck with eldritch creatures, but from the sweat of a man's brow and the strength of his back alone. Y'all know this to be true. Gentlemen, ladies. We must free Calypso"

"Shoot him!" Ammand shouts.

"Cut out his tongue!" Jocard corrects.

"Shoot him and cut out his tongue, then shoot his tongue. And trim that scraggly beard" Sparrow offers.

"Calypso was our enemy then, she will be our enemy now" Jocard informs them.

"And it's not likely her mood's improved" Chevalle adds.

"We release Calypso!" Villanueva shouts.

"You threaten me?" Chevalle asks.

"I silence you!" Villanueva counters and then all hell breaks loose, Katri pulls a face looking around.

"This is bloody madness" she states.

"This is politics" Sparrow offers.

"Meanwhile our enemies are bearing down upon us" Katri adds.