I trained for the rest of the week either by myself or with Obsidarian. There were whispers all over camp about the upcoming raid. Every pirate crew would loot and raid the others in a free-for-all fight and steal-a-thon. Unfortunately I would probably have to sit this one out. Mají-jalio’s crew had more structure than others, half of us would get to ransack while the others were forced to babysit the ship and take guard duty. As a rookie, I had no doubt where my place was. I knew I would be lucky to even draw my blade against an enemy pirate. People normally weren’t dumb enough to attack the head pirate’s main base.
The day of the raid I gathered with the rest of the crew beneath the bell when Mají-jalio stepped on deck. He looked twice as impressive from down here as he did from when I was up and viewing him from behind. He didn’t have to try to build up suspense this time; we had built it up by ourselves. We all hung onto his every movement as he paced near the wheel. Each one of us was hoping for our chance to shine and bring back a little fame for ourselves. I knew that a lot of the fancy hilted blades were fought over during raids like this one. And this one was going to be huge, the kick-off to the new year of pirating. Mají-jalio took a moment to pause his pacing and faced us.
“This year,” he began, “the decision on who to bring on the raid had been very close. I will be keeping seven of you here on the ship, and will be bringing the other eight with me on our raids. Those who are going will be immediately reporting to my cabin when I call your name.”
We all began murmuring down below him; evidently this wasn’t entirely their normal raid routine. I saw a few irritated glances in my direction; they were obviously going to blame me for this.
The captain held up his hand for silence. “Fame-jujio, Jumé-falio, Xament, Karius, Steel, Forcan, Marsco, come see me.”
The remaining eight of us roared up to the wheel, he had forgotten someone. Mají turned around and winked at us, “I didn’t forget so shut up, come on up Gittoran.”
An instant silence gripped the crew; identical expressions appeared upon my non-chosen crewmates, one that could have been carved out of granite. I almost felt guilty for being chosen. I didn’t want to look like I was a new favorite. But I wouldn’t turn an opportunity like this down; it would put me beneath the others forever. I slowly ascended the steps and followed the others into the Captain’s quarters.
The little room was packed with the nine of us. Mají-jalio had to climb on top of the table to be completely visible by everyone. I stood near the back, but could see Xament giving me a thumbs up and a smile of reassurance.
“Can you guys shut your filthy traps for a few minutes?” Mají-jalio asked. “By the Griffin, you pirates are always talking. Listen for a few moments in your miserable lives.”
We all smiled up at him, pirate humor, I loved it already.
He continued, “Ok, so here’s the plan, instead of our usual groups of four we now have another pirate with us. So we are splitting into three groups of three instead. We will be attacking at three completely different locations, most likely where there are already fights going on. So Xament, Marsco, and I will be going after Vinyé. I want Fame-jujio going with Steel and Forcan to hit the rogue and marauder camp while they’re out. And I do believe we will use Jumé-falio, Karius, and Gittoran to invade Tempest Storm. Within your assigned target camps you may do as you see fit. May the Griffin guide your blades”.
He stepped down off of the table and the chatter broke out again. Jumé-falio motioned me over to the door. “We’re all going to be meeting in my cabin. I’ll be out in a moment, wait for me.” I walked out the door and stood near the entrance. After a few moments, Jumé-falio also walked out with another pirate in tow. I assumed that this was Karius, my other partner in the operation.
We both followed Jumé silently to the other end of the top deck. Ducking into a door that I had not seen before we all entered what must have been a mate’s cabin. It was twice the size of my own closet but was still a single room. This was probably why the ship was trying to expand underground; we had way too little room for a crew of our status. He sat down on his bed and Karius and I pulled up chairs from the little desk in the corner.
“Have you two met before?” Jumé asked.
Karius glanced toward me as if he wanted nothing more than to run me through with his yellow hilted cutlass. “No,” he growled, “I don’t associate myself with people who have a lifespan of a few weeks”.
I shrugged, this guy couldn’t phase me. I had expected more than just him to have this sort of attitude. It was almost a relief to confront this. “I intend on living far longer than a few weeks Karius.” I said. “And I’m not going to be the one to blow this raid.”
Jumé-falio cut in before I could say anything farther. “Actually Gittoran, you’re our ticket in. You see, none of us have ever been inside the blue camp on a normal day. We have no idea how to get in. When we do go after them we always have to climb over the wall first, and doing that undetected is very near impossible. I would bet that’s why Mají gave you a shot this early. You’re the only one with the information we need.”
I laughed, “Of course I can get you in, but you’ll have to get a little wet. You can both swim right?”
Hours later we were on the edge of the ridge near the Storm camp. The raid was in full swing but we were still lying on the ridge. Karius was complaining again about my plan. “My cutlass will get all wet,” he said. “Can’t you just open the door for us?”
I rolled my eyes, I was sick of this guy’s crap. He had been whining for over an hour about his stupid cutlass. “Aww….. the pwetty cutlass gonna get all wet? Poor widdle cutlass, havin’ a stupid owner who doesn’ know how to work a towel. And I told you already, the door opens from the inside and is too heavy for any less than two built men. We can’t handle it unless all three of us work together, at which point it would be worthless to open the gate at all.”
The look on Karius’ face was murderous, his eyes narrowed toward me as he traced his thumb across the keen edge of the blade. He looked like he was fantasizing about a torturous version of my death.
Jumé snickered and whispered, “You give it to him girl, Karius’ ego can only be rivaled by Fame-jujio and Mají-jalio himself, and they have reason to be big-headed; I’m here to tie them to the ground still.”
I rolled my eyes and whispered back, “I’m not giving anything to anybody. And if you don’t keep your trap shut I’ll kick your ass for ruining my first raid and my revenge. I don’t have an ego, but the two of you talk way too much for a mission with only the three of us.”
Everyone finally fell quiet as we waited. After a few tense minutes we saw what we were looking for. Ten guys were approaching the camp on the far side. They were going to change shifts and switch out with their counterparts. As they approached the water all of the first shift guards ran down off of the wall and inside the camp, leaving no one to watch for the moment. Making the most of the opportunity, we dashed for the edge of the moat nearest to our hiding place. We were undetected. I took a moment to smile smugly at Karius’ scowl before the three of us dove into the moat.
The water was cold, but clear, I opened my eyes to see light lancing around the moat, reflecting off of the white pebbles that littered the sandy bed below. I almost laughed at the beauty of the small place, but remembered not to lose my breath at the last second. I focused instead at the task at hand, swimming after Karius and Jumé-falio into a gaping passage cut into the wall.
There were no deterrents in place within the water, no traps or flesh-eating fish that I could see. It seemed clear to me that Captain Storm’s people were confident that no one would figure out their secret. I felt a sweet sense of satisfaction wash over me as I hauled myself up on the bank beside the moat. I could lead dozens of ambushes through here, penetrating them at their most vulnerable point. It would be torturous for Captain Storm’s crew, their only mistake: letting a single girl walk away with nothing but wounded pride. I would be their undoing and their ultimate downfall.
Our surface point was behind one of the low building I had guessed to be barracks for the common pirates. We stood silently beside the moat, our only sound coming from the soft sounds of water dripping onto the smooth rock beneath our feet. Karius’ eyes were darting around, deciding where to head off to first. His gaze settled on a building set near the main gate, and he slunk off in that direction. Jume-falio and I looked at one another, realizing that our separation was eminent. For the moment though, I wished to avoid Karius, and willingly followed Jume-falio on his path to the right. At the corner of the building we spit, with Jume-falio ducking into the building we had walked behind and me dashing to the Captain’s quarters.
I found the building and got inside without any difficulty; the door wasn’t even locked. It seemed that the blue pirates were all either posted on the walls once more or near the main gate. The arrogant Captain Tempest must have believed that his moat was impervious. Once inside the low lying building I had no idea where to begin. I had already seen his bare office, but there had to be a secret stash of gold or jewels or whatever these pirates collected somewhere in the building. What I really wanted to find were decorated blades, but it’s not like he would just leave that sort of thing lying around for people like me to grab. He probably locked everything away for the raid.
I looked into the first room I came upon; to my surprise it was full of paintings and weird art. It was mainly all beach and weather scenes, and was completely useless to me. It seemed like Captain Storm may have had a secret fondness for art. Room number two looked like it had once been an armory, but was now completely empty. I could see the pegs where swords and cutlasses had once been displayed with pride. Yet it was empty now, with the stale air of having been long in disuse. I should have continued on, but I felt myself drawn into the desolate room. I had thought that the pathetic armory back within my own camp was complete crap, but this room was depressing in its emptiness. It reminded me of a dying world, one where traditions were barely clung to as culture was swept under in the rush of time.
I brushed my fingertips over the worn wood, expecting them to come away with dust. Yet they came away clean, most likely the product of some poor girl from Carnie’s crew trying not to displease the captain.
The thought disturbed me, and I wanted to leave, something felt wrong. I whirled to dash to the door, tripping in my anxiety to leave and crashing against the interior of the doorframe in an attempt to steady myself. I leaned against it, hearing the faintest click as it slid backward an inch. A rumbling started above my head and I dove out of the doorway, back into the room. I turned to face the doorframe, Obsidarian’s dagger in my hand as I tried to slow my breathing. A stone slab had dropped down from the top of the doorway I had been in just moments before, effectively sealing me in the room.
A similar grating sound came from behind me and I faced it instinctively, clutching the dagger’s hilt as I confronted the noise. A different door had appeared, coming into view when one of the empty sword racks slid back into the wall, exposing the dark arch.
Curiosity overcame my present fear and I leaned into the narrow hall beyond the arch, dagger thrust in front of me as a show of defense. Deciding that nothing more was going to kill me today I tentatively stepped into the passage, walking a few dozen feet down it until it turned and abruptly opened into another room.
My jaw dropped and I heard my knife clatter on the stone floor. I had stumbled into what must have been Captain Tempest Storm’s personal treasury; the place was filled with cast-off weapons embedded with gems and thousands of gold coins. I had never imagined so much gold could exist. I laughed aloud as I contemplated how I could get the mass of gold out of the raid with me. I only had the standard issue sling bag with me; any coins I took from here in that little thing wouldn’t even be missed. But my eyes were not drawn so much to the coins as they were to the ornate weapons decorating the piles of gold. I still felt guilty about taking Obsidarian’s smoked out black dagger. It was his, midnight and as dark as he was. The weapon didn’t suit me. I wanted something of my own colors, a scarlet or a hot pink. But the likelihood of finding a quality weapon with any pink upon it did not exist. Scarlet would have to become my call. With the notion in mind, I browsed about the coin piles, picking up one dagger after another in my quest for the perfect piece.
I finally found one that suited me. The blade shone in the torchlight, a single red pommel stone twinkling at me from its setting at the top of the hilt. Gold wrought designs were twisted about the stone, weaving about the hilt from its tip down to where the hilt met the blade. I flipped the deadly instrument between my hands, admiring its shine. There was a long strip of scarlet cloth on the coin pile I had taken the dagger from. I set my new weapon down for a minute and tied it around my waist, a colorful sash of a belt. I settled the blade comfortably at my hip and began to look about the room again.
A small pouch near the base of a different pile looked to be a decent carrying pouch for me. I swept a double handful of coins within the bag, surprised with the tiny thing did not bulge or expand. I swept in more and more of the gold, waiting for the leather bag to fill. But it did not. It was no bigger than my hand, yet it now held the contents of a heap of gold that had once reached my waist. I stared at the little thing, wondering for a moment whether it would hold the contents of the entire room.
I could be the greatest thief known to the world with this little thing. I didn’t know its secret, but I did know I had a raid to return to. It would look like poor form on my part if I left Jume-falio and Karius waiting for me outside. I retraced my steps down the corridor and into the empty room. To my relief the doors shifted behind me, leaving the exit path clear. I was able to leave the building undetected.
When I walked back into the main courtyard the place was in chaos. It looked like Jume-falio had been caught in the bunkhouse and rushed by Storm’s crew. I could also see Karius in the melee, fending off three of the blue crewmen easily with his yellow cutlass. The tip of the blade dripped scarlet, taking its toll on the determined men before my crewmate. Jumѐ-falio fought off men by the group, completely surrounded my growling pirates sporting the trademark blue bandanas. But I did not rush to his side. Instead I could not help but stare at him in awe as he easily kept them all at arm’s length. He hadn’t even broken a sweat; on the contrary, he looked like he was enjoying himself. His twin swords flew around him in a blur of steel, the blades looking like a natural extension of his body. As he spun around he looked up and saw me. He smiled at me knowingly and closed his eyes. He struck out faster and harder. Meeting opposing blows before the other pirates had started to swing. They all backed away from Maji-jalio’s first mate in fear as his swords sought them out; his eyes still closed. I probably would have continued watching the performance before me, but a voice behind me reminded me where I was.
“You!” he screamed.
I whirled around to face him with a disarming smile on my face. “And it’s a wonderful day to see you again too, Captain Tempest Storm.”
His sword point was at my throat before I could blink. He stepped toward me menacingly and I backed away under his advance, eager to my blood in my throat.
“I let you live Tag-a-long, once. Now you are making me regret that decision. You brought our main enemy into the heart of our camp past all of our defenses. Not that that will matter anymore in a few seconds. I told you last time that if I saw you in my camp again that you would die.”
I leapt away from the hasty lunge he shoved toward me and drew my own blades. With my new dagger in one hand and Obsidarian’s blade in the other I almost felt dangerous standing before the captain.
“I’m not going to die today Storm,” I said coolly. “Besides, I’m not too sure that Captain Mají-jalio would be happy with you if my blood dripped from your sword. He would probably bring the whole camp crashing down around you.”
He lunged at me again, spinning around to face me when I sidestepped his attack. His chest heaved; I could see the light of murder in his eyes. His dark expression changed to determination and the knowledge of an upper hand. He nodded in acknowledgement of my second weapon and drew his dagger in his left hand. Instead of directly attacking me he abruptly changed tactics and began to circle with me. We moved together in a tight circle, eyes locked, feet planted lightly, around and around we went. Remembering a lesson Obsidarian had mentioned about feinting I forced myself to tear my eyes away from the captain’s. The only thing I permitted myself to look at was his dagger.
I tried to bring everything that Obsidarian had said to mind. All of the sneak attacks and feints he had used against me when he first showed me how to face an opponent with a dagger. I saw the attack before he moved, parrying the strike to my side easily as I kept my eyes on the second blade. I leapt back away from him a moment later, leaning off to the right as I watched his sword pass right over my face.
I moved to the offensive and brought the black dagger up to knock his sword aside while swiped at his throat with my dazzling red dagger. He brushed it aside with his own knife and smiled at me.
“Not a bad attack for a wench.” he said, sizing me up critically. “You wouldn’t consider switching your alliance to your brother and I would you?”
I screamed at him in mindless fury and attacked him without reserve. I hacked and slashed at anything I could reach; my self-control gone. My knives flashed in a black and red blur as I attacked wildly.
“I have no brother!” I screeched through the assault, “That guy you refer to is nothing, means nothing to me! He doesn’t even know my name!”
I was vaguely aware of his steel biting into my arms, shredding the sleeves of my shirt. I paid no attention to the sensation, using adrenaline to tune the pain out in favor of brutal anger. I knew only to cause him pain beyond my own, to make him pay for making my brother betray me. I hated that I had told him the truth, my own brother had no idea what my name was. He didn’t know how I fought or if I was safe. I didn’t see him now, running to his little sister’s defense when my life was being threatened by his precious captain.
I slashed at Captain Storm again; directing the hatred at him. He was as beat up as I was now. My shots were finding their mark, but it was at my own expense. I could feel my body getting weaker as I lost more blood from my numerous cuts.
Through the rage of battle I heard Jumѐ-falio yell my name in warning. I spun around and whipped Obsidarian’s dagger toward the pirate advancing on me from a few feet away. It flew on target, burying the blade in his chest up to the hilt. He was dead before he hit the ground, vanished in a puff of powder blue dust.
I whirled my attention back to Storm, but my movement was too late. Everything seemed to slow down. I saw his dagger flash out and flick my blade out of my hand, completely disarming me. He slashed at my throat and I leaned back again to dodge the attack, the only option I was left with. Unfortunately he too knew that was the only avenue I was left with and he acted accordingly. With my weight shifted backward he swept his leg behind mine and knocked me on my back in the dirt.
He laughed coldly and leered over my defenseless body, “All talk and no action little tag-a-long. It really is such a pity that your looks and potential will be extinguished before I even got to see you at the Conclave. Not even the Griffin can save you now. Good-bye wench.”
I saw his sword glimmer in the sunlight as he drew back for the final strike. I heard Jumѐ-falio yelling from the other side of the courtyard in alarm. But his voice was faint; over all the noise I was acutely aware of the clash of steel surrounding me, of the sounds of battle. I didn’t want to die like this. His blade swung down and I felt a rush of heat. I closed my eyes and threw my hands up in terror.
“No!!!!!” I yelled.
Everything went silent.