The creaking noises of the ships underbelly combined with the loud crying of a lad a few men away from me woke me up from my heavenly slumber. "Feck stop your wailing!" I yelled throwing all my strength in the threat. The violent movement of my body and a well-timed wave however made me unintentionally bang my poor head against the wooden support beam behind me. I groaned letting my head lean limply against my left bicep. The urge to once again cast up my accounts washed over me and I hung my head defeated as I fought the instinct. Despair slowly crawled up my spine, like the nails of a woman scratching my back during intercourse.
I had lost count of how long we had been rotting away in the ships belly, this was like being swallowed by a whale and being consumed alive by its intestines. Atleast I was still alive, not like mah neighbour. My arms were sore from their immobile position and it felt like all the blood had drained from them. My ribs stuck out like feckin fish bones. My mouth tasted sour from the daily filthy piss water they gave us to drink, it held a disgusting aftertaste which I had a vague suspicion of was blended out urine. They were literally taking the piss at us. Not to name the meals, it was not enough, not even nearly enough for all of us to survive. Ofcurse that was the purpose. Unwillingly I retched as the permanent stink of hundreds of dying men navigated its way into my bloody nose. There was no question that at least a dozen of us had gone to meet their maker. Another wave pushed the stinking lifeless body of the haggard man next to me onto my sore shoulder, he had cut the rope a few days ago. Or maybe hours. I wasn't sure.
I cast a tired glance at his yellowish taunt face that was leaning against my shoulder, with a sick interest I started studying the dead man's face in the darkness. There was nothing else to do here either way. He had bushy brown eyebrows I noticed that reminded me of thick rope, his cheeks were hollow and had a few hairs growing out here and there. Almost like whiskers. His nose was long and excruciatingly thin. His dead eyes were watery and stared vacantly at my crotch. Disgusting. Movement caught my eye and I grunted in distaste turning away as I noticed that the rats had started gnawing his toes. Filthy little bastards them rats.
The following wave pushed the man of me onto the man on his other side. I heard a small sob from the other man as the dead man touched him. Small teeth bit at my toes, gnawing carefully almost like they were testing the waters. Them little bastards. I wasn't dead yet. With annoyance and a lot of pain, mostly pain, I wiggled my toes making the little flesh diggers escape to their nooks and crannies. Filthy animals. None the less we didn't differ much from them, like a pest we destroy society loot ships and kill men who have families awaiting their return. Nah wonder we are hunted down like animals by tha silver fish. Their annual pirate hunts had been tha childhood stories of mah younger pipsqueak days I chuckled darkly how ironic that ma childhood heroes would lead me to Davy Jones Locker. Frowning I attempted to remember tha song we children learned about the silver fish heroic deeds.
Come all ye young fellows that follow the sea,
Hear her wails in agony, rid her waters of sunken ships,
Ye will return with victory, in honour you will be remembered for eternity,
So gun tha man down, gun tha man down feed tha scum to the fish
Tha sacrifice will leave our sea at peace
I groaned as I realized I barely remembered the first verse, their hunts had grown out to become a tradition and had cost many men their lives. I recall for every rotten fish a soldier got he would be awarded. Sickening, its all sickening. "Blimey me, ya Isherwood aren't ya?!" I clenched mah teeth as I opened me eyes staring at a murky bearded figure opposite me. "Hahaha ya've lots yer wits haven't ya? Singing that song." "Feck of". "Aye aye ya told me that a sunset ago aswell ya have really gone bockers ey?" I remained silent closing my eyes. "I saw thee at Crack Jenny's tea cup, she backstabbed ya didn't she? Afua." "Don't speak tha wenches name." I cursed. The man guwaffed. "Tha wench? Tha wench fed us to tha fish all because of ya! Couldn't ya have dropped ya pants like a good lil whore and presented ya butt to Sammy? He would've saved ya." I snickered. "Jealous? He wouldn't have saved ya even ya tried."
"Silence!" A torch came flickering our way, with one last look at the bearded man I stretched out mah legs just in time to make tha silver fish trip. The torch fell with a thud to the soiled wooden floor and went out with a hiss in a puddle of piss. A crunching sound was heard, mah eyes burned from the previous stinging light of the torch forcing me to close my eyes once again. A jingling noise was heard as whispers spread throughout the ships underbelly. "I got them. I got them!" An excited whisper spread. Slowly I peeked through mah eyelashes. I thin figure with curly hair stood tall leaning against a wooden beam.
"Release us." Tha Bearded man groaned. I groaned in agreement. "He practically a dead man and so are ye, ye both would drag mah down." "Ye bastard!" The bearded man yelled. "I wont deny, but aye a smart bastard I am. Tha silver fish will not care abut a small fish escaping. A big one like Isherwood however." "I'll give ya anything ya wish for, gold, rubies, diamonds." I hissed out. The curly boy shook his head. "I value mah life more." The jingling sound of keys disappeared out in the darkness. "Ya dog! Scoundrel! Ye mom was a dog lovin bitch!" Jonjon yelled out. "No use." I heaved out. "Thee will find tha bloodly body at our feet and we will all be hung." "Curse him". I rested my head against the wooden support beam. "Can't blame him, he a smart bastard. Unfortunately." "Just our feckin luck." Jonjon mumbled a few men surrounding us mumbled in agreement.
Jonjon was the boatswain of the Siren under the command of captain Najib a member of Maleecs fleet. The largest fleet to roam the seas. I had known him by face for the past two summers and it had just been our rotten luck to reside at the The Hooked Fish at that unlucky date. "Ye scoundrels wanna hear a funny story?" A croaking voice in the darkness asked. Jonjon merely grunted in response. "I hear tha fuckers are still searching for their lost prince. Apparently tha general of this ship has been given tha command not to return to land until he has found a clue abut tha lost heir." Another voice in the darkness snorted. "Ain't a chance tha kid still alive." "Na" The croaking voice responded. "I've heard rumors tho, them rumors might help us." Jonjon laughed. "In return for what?" "That gold ya promised Isherwood, how much ye got?" Silence surrounded us. "Feck off." I responded.
Laughter surrounded me in the darkness putting a satisfied smile on ma face. "Stop ya cackling you disgusting pieces of shits. Up!" A force pulled at ma chains and the rattling noise of chains being unhooked sounded through the ships underbelly. "What about tha dead men, sir?" "Let them drag them with them." The gruff voice responded. I squinted my eyes gazing at the flickering globes of light of the lanterns and taunting flames of the torches held up in the darkness, my row was slowly being pulled towards them. I grunted as I stumbled falling on the corpse that was dragged in front of me. "Pull him up!" A torch was suddenly shining in front of my eyes and quickly I closed them turning away. Afraid of my face being burned I attempted to escape tha burning torch. "Isherwood." The voice sounded in disgust. "The only one." I responded smartly earning me a shove. "Tie him up with tha other five that were sitting around Benny's body." "Yes sir." I was painstakingly pulled from my chained row and tied up in a shorter row with Jonjon and the other men that had surrounded us.
I hadn't bothered learning their names, we were all dead men either way. I made myself smaller as we reached the deck, the sun was setting but still the weak sun rays stung my poor eyes. How long had we been down there? I wondered again. Silver fish were gathered on the large deck, clothed in their marine apparel. White coats and grey woollen pants surrounded us. Silver epaulets adorned bony, stocky and broad shoulders. The sun reflected on their silvery buttons blinding me as I attempted to appraise my surroundings. I gritted my teeth as I looked at the soldier to my left who was holding my chains my eyes were slowly adjusting to the sunlight and I could make out the falcon symbol on his small silvery buttons. Damn them to the end of the world. I stocky man with golden buttons stepped forward from behind us. "Bring tha lad out." A tall lanky lad with curly hair was brought forward through the crowd. He appeared no different from us, filthy, hollow cheekbones, poking ribs and empty eyes.
"Confess which one of them killed our man?" I glared at the stocky commander, recognizing his voice calling the orders below deck. So he was the general. He certainly looked tha part with his hair groomed back in a brown pony tail with a black ribbon. His brown eyes watched us carefully, following our every move. Scrutinizing, waiting for one of us to admit. "Tha boy cant have killed our soldier alone." "Admit your guilt and we shall be lenient." Jonjon huffed earning him a punch in tha stomach. The row of prisoners standing behind us stepped back a step shakily afraid of the repercussions. "Ya have something tha tell me." The general asked stopping in front of Jonjon and pulling him up. "Go to hell ya..". Pang. His sentence was left unfinished as he dropped to his knees. Red blood pooled around bare feet.
The two men standing next to Jonjon awkwardly chided to opposite sides eager to get away from the warm blood flowing over the salt stained deck. The general brown eyes searched the prisoners' blue, green and brown eyes once more before turning striding up to the lad and grabbing his face making the lads lips pout out like a fish. By his face he dragged the lad to the man to the beginning of mah row. "Is it him?" The lad remained silent. With a sigh the general pulled out his dirk and cut the man's throat in front of the lads paling face. "No, no! Please spare meh, I've information!" A weak voice croaked out miserably. I shifted my head taking a good look at the man. He was middle aged and was missing a few teeth. Scars adorned his back most likely from kissing the cat o nine tails. "Ya gonna tell me who killed mah man?" "I don't know! But.." The general raised his hand so the man went silent. "Shoot him. Shoot them all, they are all worthless pieces of shit."
"No!" The man started wailing. Our short row was dragged towards the edge of the deck. Jonjons body and the other mans were freed from their chains and pushed into the calm azure blue sea. I stared dazed at ma fate. Feck. The croaking man and the man to my left met their ends quickly by the work of the soldiers holding us. Merely I remained standing staring at the curly haired boys face in anger. If he hadn't got caught. "Isherwood." The general called. I moved ma gaze to the brown eyes of the man. The last orange sunrays spread out over the deck as I suddenly felt the mood in the watching crowd shift from bloodlust to uncertainty. The creaking sound of leather boots was heard as someone made their ascent from below deck. Silence blew over the crowd and the waves softly sloshed against the ships bow. "Fionn, I hope you have good reason for executing these prisoners without proper procedures."
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"Cade Isherwood, quartermaster of the Patience and Arthur Wrights crewmember how pleasant to make your acquaintance as is you Silvian mate of the Swift." Silvian shifted uncomfortably in his confinements which were some tight bound ropes behind his back. Antsy he cast the real general some nervous glances. Apparently Fionn had been the quartermaster of this ship and a noble son from the Lowaters family in the Verdigan Kingdom. The tall man with broad shoulders in front of me was the actual general. His sun kissed golden hair reached just below his ears and his sharp green murky eyes studied our reactions closely. His nose was slightly crooked as if broken in the past and a small piece of his left ear was gone. I smirked as I closed my eyes and leaned back against the wooden chair I was sitting on.
"Sir, these prisoners killed Benny, one of our soldiers on watch. Certainly they deserve a punishment worthy of death?" The man who had introduced himself earlier as Dorian Chester Croan of the Croan family snorted as he jumped of the wooden casket he had been sitting on. "I have to agree with Duke Lowaters case. These dogs killed one of our men on this very ship. We should set an example. Despite the particular situation regarding Mister Isherwood here, we could always inform the authorities that he died of common reasons during the journey." "Such as?" The general mused. "Disease?" Dorian proposed. I hung my head as I heard the harbour bell ring loudly. "Unfortunately I'm an honourable man Duke Lowater, Isherwood is to stand by trial for his crimes committed and shall be hung during the festival." Fionn clenched his fists but nodded. "Very well captain Afworth." I opened my eyes in shock. Afworth.
"Do you have anything you want to add to your case Isherwood?" My pale brown eyes locked on the generals' daring murky green. "Yes I would." The general raised an eyebrow as he leaned forward. "Do speak." "That crown prince of ya stinking kingdom, wanna know where he is?" I asked with a smirk. "Don't play with us." Dorian said as he banged his fists of the wooden table. "Do ya take us for fools?" "Why don't ye search through tha rings ye took from meh, I'm sure yall find something interesting in there." I added with a chuckle before coughing up blood and collapsing on the wooden table. Feck. "Guess ya don't need to make up an excuse of him succumbing to disease" Fionn grumbled as he pulled Isherwood up from the table. "Tha man is burning up. He is as good as dead." Dorian sneered as he turned his back on the spectacle, his dark velvet blue coat swivelling around him.
"Bring me the rings." Dorian head snapped towards Afworth like a whip lash. "Surely you don't believe the man? He's obvious trying to buy himself more time." "It doesn't matter." Afworth responded. "Isherwood is known to be a man of many secrets, we will have to take our chances." "Bollocks!" Dorian responded aggravated as he kneaded his forehead as if trying to get rid of a headache. "Ya bloody fool. You are this close to." He stopped midsentence glancing at Silvian. "Lock him up! What you standing around for!" Fionn responded with a glare, dropping Isherwoods on the table again. "I only follow my captains command Croan." "Lock the lad up Lowater, that is a command." Fionn nodded and grabbed Silvian roughly pulling him out with him through the low doorframe.
Dorian moved in front of Afworth. "Quintus the only reason they send you out is to make sure you don't get caught up in the storm, surely you are aware of that. It's all a farce!" "I know." Afworth admitted as he glanced at Dorian tiredly. "However a command is still a command, though it might all be theatre the spectators expect me to follow my lines." Dorian gritted his teeth. "Fine I'll call for the rings to be brought to you. What are we going to do about him?" He asked as he pointed towards the limp body of Isherwood. "Let them take him to a proper room, whoever is occupying the room currently will have to move out. If it turns out that he does have information I rather have a living man then a dead man." Dorian nodded leaving the room and calling out commands in the hallway.
It didn't take long for two navy soldiers to enter the room and hoist Isherwood like a sack of potatoes onto one of their shoulders. Dorian seated himself on the simple adorned seashell chair that was the only touch of colour in the bleak room. He stroked the pink, yellow and green seashells lingeringly as he stared at Quintus. "What now?" He asked. "Now we wait." Quintus responded as he stood up and made way to a simple wooden bookcase pulling out a piece of parchment. "What's that?" Dorian asked. "Isherwoods record. Or at least what we know of." Dorian raised his eyebrow curiously. "Anything of interest?" Quintus shrugged throwing the parchment towards Dorian. "Why don't you read? Seems I'm more tired than I thought." Dorian decided to ignore the comment and eagerly opened the parchment. His eyes flew over the nicely inked words. "Cade Isherwood, citizen of the Verdigan Kingdom.. Wait he is one of our commoners?" Dorian asked as he glanced at Quintus. "Apparently, if I remember correctly our source informed us that he could speak our language more fluently than any other. Therefore we made the assumption that he indeed is one of ours." Dorian laughed. "Even more reason to hang the man. Just look at his past actions! He committed crimes against his own nation. The worst kind of treason!" Quintus didn't respond.
"The man started out working as one of North's boys. William North! Damn him to hell. Or this he was part of the raid on our May Fleet when he was part of the De Jagers crew, do you remember the damage we suffered that year? I can still feel it in my pocket till today." Dorian bristled. "Never mind hand me back the document." Quintus responded. Dorian quickly cast one last glance at the parchment before sourly handing it back. "I'll personally slip him poison if it turns out there is no ring. That man has cost me fortunes." A rapid knock sounded on the wooden door." "Aye." Afworth responded. "Captain this is the chest holding all the rings we confiscated from the prisoners." Dorian gaped as the chest was carried into the room by three navy soldiers. "Leave us." Afworth commanded and the men left the room closing the door with a respectful aye aye captain.
"If we find a ring, how will we know it's his? Have ya thought about that?" Dorian responded as he peered over Quintus shoulder into the large chest. "Stop your blabbering and help me find tha damn ring, Dorian." With a shrug Dorian kneeled next to Quintus searching through the chest. Red ruby rings, golden rings, sapphire rings, silver rings, bronze rings, rings with stones, rings with golden leaves, rings with faces, ivory rings the list was endless. "Them bastards must have stolen them all." Dorian muttered as he held up a golden ring inlaid with a large shiny crystal. "The fortune behind these." Quintus nodded his head in agreement. They continued their search. "Alright so maybe this one wasn't stolen." Dorian laughed as Quintus looked up. Between his thumb and ring finger Dorian held a dirty rusted ring made out of iron. Quintus weighted it in his palm, the surface despite its look was smooth to touch having been worn for years. He laughed in response to Dorian. "I think you right there." Whilst throwing the ring into the pile behind them.
Dorian suddenly froze as he lifted a silver children's ring out of the chest. It had silver falcons adorning the sides with diamond eyes. The inside was inscribed with the name Casimir. Quintus grabbed the small children's ring out of Dorians shaken hand. Both stared at each other shocked. "Is it?" Dorian asked barely daring to breathe. Quintus studied the ring whilst images from the past flashed before his eyes. A tiny hand adorned with a single silvery ring holding a wooden horse toy. "It is." Quintus rose up abruptly making for the door. "I'm going to kill that dog." Dorian spit out hot on Quintus heels.