Updated 1/18/2020
The woman known to Leo as Selina let herself be dragged above deck, the rough, calloused hands pinching her arms as they held her tight. Her eyes met those of the pirate Gabriel, an unspoken question within them.
"Oh, don' look at me that way," he said once they were standing on deck. "I know ya wanted to spend more time wit cha lovey dovey prince, but we've got a situation. Need our good cap'n Fiora to put the fear o' the goddess in 'em."
A slow smile formed on her face. "Well, if you need me, guess I can't refuse. What's wrong?"
"We've been spotted, cap'n. A navy brig's hot on our tail, an' we're gettin' close to base. We could try an' outrun 'em, but I won't be sleepin' easy if some navy bastard knows where I lay down my head at night."
"I agree. Battle might be our only option." She paused, looking seaward and walking toward the starboard rail. "Where is she?"
"Two points off the starboard quarter," Gabriel said, pointing. "She's gainin' fast."
The Pirate Queen nodded, putting her spyglass away. "Well, you know what to do. Get the men ready for a fight."
A grin appeared on her first mate's face. "Aye, ma'am." Turning to the men, he hollered, "There be a ship upon us! Let's show them navy bastards what the crew o' the Arcfyre can do, ey?" Her crew voiced their approval and went to work as their first mate yelled out commands.
Meanwhile, Fiora weaved between the pirates, making her way to her cabin. Opening the door above which danced golden hieroglyphs, she stepped into the room, closing her eyes. The silence filled her with a sense of peace, the kind of peace she needed right before a battle.
With a sigh, she stripped down to her undergarments and slipped out of her dress, which had become rancid from her time in the cell. Taking some clothes out of a nearby trunk, she changed into tan trousers and a white cotton v-neck. With one hand, she strapped a pistol and cutlass to her hip, before collecting her thoughts and stepping out of the room.
Gabriel walked up to her immediately. "The brig's just outta range. It won't be five minutes 'fore they start firing."
"Are the gunners ready?"
"All cannons're manned and prepped."
"Good," Fiora said. "And the stern chasers?"
"Prepped an' ready to be fired on yer command."
Fiora nodded. "When they're in range, have the sterners fire the chain shot. I want their masts destroyed, but make sure the men know the captain's mine. You know why." Gabriel was about to respond when the sound of cannons firing filled the air, followed by splashes. Their enemies had missed, but by what she could tell, they hadn't missed by much. Whipping around to her first mate, she said, almost shouting, "How many guns have they got?"
"Near forty maybe? No more'n fifty. We can take 'em."
"Broadside?"
"Maybe."
Raising her voice, she shouted, "Make ready and prepare to jibe! I want her broadside these royal Adrenian bastards before the next volley!"
A resounding cry of "Yes, ma'am," filled her ears as she turned to address her first mate.
"Tell the sterners to fire as soon as they've got a clear shot." Gabriel nodded and began yelling out commands to the men. The deck was a flurry of action as every pirate set about their own tasks.
The Arcfyre swayed underfoot as the helmsman steered the ship hard to port as per his captain's orders. Two simultaneous cannon blasts could be heard as the stern chasers fired, followed by the sweet sound of wood being broken. Fiora looked past the stern. The shot had torn through their enemies' rigging, crashing into the foremast and taking a few navy sailors to their watery graves. Not as many as she would have liked, but better than nothing, she supposed.
A slow smile spread across Fiora's lips. "Fire," she shouted as the ship came about, nearing the broadside of her enemy. The Pirate Queen let loose a snarl as she grabbed a nearby rifle, loaded it, and fired upon the nearest enemy: a young man who stood at the bow of the navy brig, desperately attempting to load his gun. She hit him in the leg, sending him to the planks.
Cannons blasted all around her. The screams of the dying sang their sweet lullabies as the fury of battle thundered its torrent through her veins.
"Prepare to board," Fiora shouted, grasping the rigging with her left hand and gripping her cutlass tightly in her right.
Her crew joined her at the rigging. She raised her cutlass above her head and pointed it toward the naval brigantine. Releasing a guttural war cry, she clenched the cutlass between her teeth, gripped the rigging with both hands and swung aboard the navy ship.
Landing beside a navy sailor, she sliced her cutlass across his neck before he could release his sword from its scabbard. She left him on the planks, choking on his own blood, and looked about for her next victim. Somewhere to her left, one of her men cried out. A young fellow, Wilson had only recently joined the crew. His first battle. The Pirate Queen sprinted to his side, but not before the officer attacking him drove his sword through the pirate's gut.
Before the officer could withdraw his sword, Fiora's cutlass was against his throat. She loomed behind him. "Do you know what I do to people who kill my crew?"
"No," he murmured, weary of shaking his head for fear of slicing his own throat.
With her other hand, she pulled the small knife from its scabbard on her belt. Slowly and deliberately, she sliced it along the back of his knees, severing the tendons. He lay there, grimacing in pain, too proud to say a word. Fiora was about to deliver the final blow when she heard a noise behind her.
She turned just in time to block a thrust that would have speared her in two. Instead, it made a thin cut along her left side, peppering her white cotton shirt with a line of bright red blood. She stepped to her right, away from the officer, to put some space between herself and her opponent.
He, too, was an officer. She could tell as much from his uniform, and, judging by the amount of greying hairs he sported, it seemed he was a seasoned one. "Pirate Queen," he spat through a set of deep yellow teeth. "I've been searching for you for years."
"You've been searching for your death," she said, slashing at his upper chest with her cutlass while stabbing near his gut with her knife. He blocked the cutlass but didn't see the knife until it was nearly too late. He twisted out of the way, but not before it drove a deep cut across his side. Holding the wound with his free hand, he glared at her, slashing wildly with his sword.
Fiora blocked the strikes with one hand, taking a step towards him with each block. Her other hand clutched her side, at where the blood peppered her white cotton shirt. The wound was deeper than she'd thought. Lunging, she maneuvered in between him and his sword, smirking as she drove her knife in between his ribs and into his heart. She felt his last breath upon the top of her head as she released her grip on the knife. He crumpled to the deck at her feet.
Seeing the destruction she wrought, a few tried to run. Some even made it to the rail before realizing that escape was no option this far out to sea. One such man, a short, stocky fellow with a small black beard, made it to the rail. Looking over, his breath quickened and his wide hazel eyes met hers. They were filled with a terror that shook the pistol in his grip. He slid into a sitting position against the rail.
With a flick of her wrist, she batted the pistol out of his trembling hands with her cutlass. She leaned in close, pushing the point of the blade under his chin. "Do you want to live?"
He nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving hers.
"Then give your captain a message. I will give him one chance to surrender. Otherwise, he'll learn the truth behind my name." She paused. "Do you understand?" He nodded again. "Then go," she said, and he unsteadily rose to his feet, never taking his eyes off her, before dashing away towards the galley.
Picking her way across the battlefield of a deck, Fiora followed the navy man. He threw quick, hurried glances over his shoulder as he walked, stopping every few feet. He ducked into the galley, shutting and barring the door behind him. Voices rose from within, growing louder in volume, with a tinge of desperation thrown in for good measure.
Fiora smiled before she whistled a high, sharp pitch. Her men gathered at her call, dragging those left alive on deck with them. The Pirate Queen gazed at her crew, at their blood-soaked bodies and sets of sharpened, blackened teeth. A few sported cuts and scrapes, but at first glance none had severe injuries. Not many were missing but there were a few casualties.
One of her gunners, a well-built man with a dark tan, wore a necklace of shark and human teeth. He bared his sharpened teeth at one of the navy sailors, a young man barely out of boyhood. The poor boy shrank back in fear, nearly wetting himself.
"What'll it be, Captain? Your pride or the lives of your crew?" The words rolled like the laugh off of Fiora's tongue.
The voices inside the galley grew louder. One rose above all the others. It was thin, high-pitched, scared. "That's the Pirate Queen out there. We can't try an' fight her."
After another minute, nothing appeared to be happening, so Fiora called, "I see you've made your choice, then." She turned to one of her crew and ordered, loud enough for those inside to hear, "Blow the galley. Slaughter them all."
Voices rose within the galley again as some of her men went to get the blasting barrels which were aboard the Arcfyre. Then, slowly, the door opened to reveal a man easily in his mid-forties. Black hair speckled with streaks of grey was tied in a loose knot in the back of his head and he sported a greying beard to match. The man held his rapier in both hands, one on the handle and one on the blade. His unusual blue eyes met hers before quickly darting toward his men on deck and back again. His brow was furrowed with concern.
"Captain of this ship, I presume?" Fiora called.
"Captain Griffin Hewlett of His Majesty, King Edward's royal navy," the man said in a thick Adrenian accent. His gaze boldly met her own, a mix of fierce determination and stubborn pride swirling within. He dipped his head in respect as she drew near, likely to hide his rage.
After handing the rapier off to one of her officers, she took the captain by the arm, holding it as a gentleman would a lady's at court. "You're coming to my ship. My crew'll deal with your men," she said, motioning toward the galley.
"What're you going to —" Griffin started, his attention focused on the galley.
Fiora turned his face toward hers with her hand. "So long as your men don't give me trouble an' you don't disobey me, they've got nothing more to fear from us. That being said, you know my reputation. I will use force if I need."
The navy captain nodded. Fiora observed him for a few seconds before leading him to her ship. The Arcfyre's darkened mahogany contrasted beautifully against the light pine of the naval brigantine. A wooden plank lay between the two ships, connecting them. Navy sailors, bound in rope, and members of her crew, carrying items from the ship — mainly guns, ammunition, and the like — moved in a steady stream from ship to ship.
They parted before her like the waves beneath her ship, her crew nodding their respect. The navy sailors bowed their heads, instead preferring to stare at the deck so as to avoid looking into the depths of her demon eyes. What a rumor that was? Like looking into the green eyes of the Pirate Queen Fiora Cavanna had given her any power that she hadn't already taken for herself.
After stepping aboard her ship once more, Fiora took Griffin into her cabin. She pulled the key from around her neck and unlocked the small barred cell in the corner. She'd had it built a few years prior after the Arcfyre had taken a small fleet of merchant ships bound for the port of Enbarr, the westernmost port along the Nacazan coast. She soon discovered young noblewoman from the House of Elda in Freathia hidden amongst the crew of the flagship, along with her retainers. The woman was making her first voyage to secure a trade route for her father in Enbarr. Before she was ransomed, the noblewoman quartered with Fiora so as to avoid the hold and the potential dangers it would bring. The cell usually stood empty, gathering dust. Fiora only used it for her more important prisoners, those who needed either extra protection or security.
He stepped through the cell door without prompting and moved toward the small porthole to the left. Looking out at the sea shimmering in the late afternoon sun, he said something in a low voice that she couldn't quite hear.
"Hm? What was that?" Fiora asked as she pulled a map from the shelf to study.
She felt his glare settle upon her skin like a foreign invader. "What is it you want, o' Pirate Queen? I'm here, caged like some animal. If you're going to kill me, then do it and stop your incessant dawdling."
"If I'da brought you here to kill you, I'd have done it by now." Fiora dipped a feather pen into a nearby inkwell and traced the route they'd traveled onto the map before placing it back onto the shelf. When she was done, she walked over to the cell and leaned against the nearby bookshelf. "Now, as for what I want. You'll answer my questions. Quick, simple, an' you're back to your men. Agreed?" Griffin curled his lip as if in a snarl, but said nothing. Fiora took that as an agreement. "Good."
The Adrenian let out a soft "humph" and he settled into the wooden bench at the back of the cell. He crossed his arms. "Ask your questions, Pirate."
"What do you know of the Tragedy of Tolba?"
Griffin's brows furrowed. "Much as anyone, I suppose. Some 16 years ago, some small town on the Althenian island of Tolba was attacked. Massacred. Sparked an international incident. Adrenians say we did it. But we can't've. Navy wasn't near Tolba then. We was fighting 'gainst Nacaza out near Anchorage. Took back most of the Isle of Venia 'round the same time. Captured the Fort o' Venton. War started not too long later with Althenia. Been fighting ever since." He paused, squinting against the harsh rays of the late afternoon sun streaming in through the porthole. "What do you care? Tolba ain't got nothin' to do with me."
Fiora let out a long sigh. "You sure no navy ships were near Tolba that day? 'Specially ones that flew a banner of a black hawk with a red background."
Before he could say anything, the door to the cabin slammed open, revealing Gabriel's blood-stained, worried expression. "Fi, yer gonna haveta come see this."