The white hot sun over the vast and endless swathes of the Atlantic baked down mercilessly on me as I drifted in and out of consciousness. My world was spinning and my throat was on fire as the course ropes bit into my exposed skin. After last night’s incident in the brig, the soldiers manhandled me up to the deck and tied me around the main mast. They had left me there all night, constantly guarded by two soldiers. I could hear them whispering in trepidation to each other as they often glanced over to me. Even for battle hardened soldiers, the old superstitions still held sway and I heard the name witch often mentioned in the night. Their muted conversation was only interrupted by the shouting I heard coming from the captain’s quarters. It wasn’t difficult in figuring out what the captain and his officers were discussing and none it foretold any good news for me.
I knew I was to be executed in the morning.
They had thrown Adelmar into a make shift cage near my feet. The cowards wanted to throw him over the side but were too scared of the wrath of the so called witch on board. The wolf cub was pacing back and forth in his cage, growling often at the nearby soldiers. He was putting on a brave show but I feared it was for nothing in the end. The deep blue ocean would claim our bodies at the first rays of the morning sun. Our time had run out and there was nothing left for us to do.
The inevitable came true only a few hours later as the night’s gloom finally lifted and the morning sun broke through the clouds over the blue Atlantic. But the bastards didn’t kill me immediately. No, they left me and Adelmar in the godforsaken heat till we were on the verge of blacking out. Finally, when the sun was at its midday peak, I heard the captain and his officers approaching. They were closely followed by the rest of the crew but they still kept a fearful distance from me. He looked me over closely, then pulled out a small flask of water and it put it to my chapped lips. It stung and burnt as it flowed down my parched throat. When I was finished drinking, the captain stepped back and took a deep breath; picking his words carefully.
“We had a long and heated discussion about you last night child. The men wanted to hang your corpse from the yard arm but I do not condone the murder of a child, no matter the heinous crime she committed. I tried to convince them to let you live and stand trail when we dock at the next port; but they would have none of it. If I spare you today, we would surely have a mutiny on our hands and I cannot afford to take that risk. So I took the only option left to me, no matter how hard a decision it was. We will let the ocean decide your fate. You are to be cast off at sea and may God have mercy on your soul. I wish there was another way to do this but the well being of my ship and its crew is paramount and will always come first.”
“You had better make sure I’m dead. If anything of me is left, I swear I will kill you myself.” My words were hard and cold as they rolled over my cracked and bloody lips. The Captain shook his head, then turned away from me.
“So be it. Throw her and the beast overboard. None of us will ever speak of this act is that clear? None of us!” He angrily addressed the crew as they untied me from the mast and shoved me towards the edge of the ship. Captain Reynolds stood back and looked on without any emotion on his face as I slowly walked down the outstretched plank. The waves crashed menacingly against the wooden hull, waiting with outstretched arms to receive my body in the briny deep. With one last look and without waiting to be pushed, I stepped over the edge and plunged downwards. The ice cold water of the Atlantic hit me like a hammer blow, instantly taking my breath away from me as I fought my way upwards again. By all rights, I should have drowned that day but something that I could never explain kept me alive. The dark silhouette of a piece of drift wood appeared above me in the skies. In between the frothing bubbles, I realized the cruel final joke that the ship’s crew played on me. They could have easily let me succumb to the demon depths but instead they gave me hope. A vain, pathetic hope of a plank in the middle of the vast blue desert. My hands lunged out and grasped the flotsam as I pulled myself upwards, gasping for air. The crew’s laughter rang in my ears as I saw Adelmar being tossed like a ragdoll overboard. He landed with a splash but the brave cub quickly surfaced and swam over to me.
“Hold on tight.” I told him and placed him safely inside my clothing. The poor thing was shivering from the cold, peeking out from under my shirt. We looked on with fading hope as the warship slowly turned and sailed away into the midmorning sun. What would swear words and ancient curses to the gods help? There was nothing left to say but the all engulfing silence that settled down over us.
“I’m sorry,” I eventually said, breaking the monotony of the passing waves. “I’m sorry I dragged you into this. I should have left you in the forest and maybe you would have had a chance.” Adelmar whined softly and rubbed his furry head under my chin, causing me to break out in laughter. I think if any stranger heard me at that moment, they would have been terrified out of their minds. A girl, on the verge of death in the middle of the ocean and she was laughing her head off. I looked down at Adelmar and sighed.
“The only option we have is to follow the ship and maybe we can find an island or something.” Inside I knew they were brave but ultimately hopeless words. The chances of the two of us surviving this ordeal were virtually zero. It was only a matter of time. Slowly I kicked out my feet and started paddling, hoping the waves would carry us forward.
Far in the distance, in the underworld sat Death on her throne of souls. She was watching my struggles carefully as she flicked a fireball between her bony fingers.
“So little one, you’ve survived my first test and you have already taken a life. You are well on your way but let’s really see what you are made of.” She flashed a brilliant smile and closed her fist tightly. The world around me grew dark and the wind picked up rapidly. The sun quickly faded from view and ominous black clouds gathered. Lightning flashed on the horizon, the ocean’s waves grew bigger and more violent. There was no running and no escape for us now. The first heavy raindrops splashed on my face and I could feel the wooden plank underneath me vibrating perilously, threatening to splinter and crack at any moment.
“Hold on!” I shouted as we rode the first wave, the water spraying around us. I felt like the gods had turned against me as the waves kept striking us mercilessly. We plunged down into a massive trench, a solid wall of water rising up from the depths around us. The little plank resolutely held its own as it bravely drove the sheer cliff face of frothing white water.
But it couldn’t last.
A monstrous mass of water loomed up before us, bigger than any mountain I had ever seen. I held Adelmar tightly to my chest and waiting for the inevitable to happen. The wave thundered down like Thor himself was behind it. Instantly, I was pushed the water again. Screaming and kicking, I fought to stay afloat but with every second I was losing the battle. Adelmar slipped from my grasp and started to drift away. It was only by sheer luck that I managed to drag him back up to the surface again. Our luck finally rang out as the next gigantic wave rolled over us, knocking me and the cub unconscious.
“That’s enough.” War had appeared before Death’s throne and he was not pleased.
“Whatever is the matter little brother?” Purred Death as she took great delight in his anger.
“Your interference with the mortal was not part of our deal and you will put a stop to this right now.” The flames roared in his eyes and Death knew not to push her sibling any further, no matter how much delight she took in it.
“Oh you are such a spoil sport and I was just having a little fun. The last time a little bit of water hurt anyone was when I sunk that ship back in 1912 so relax the tits brother of mine.”
“I’m keeping my eye on you, you’ll leave the child alone. When she dies, it will be by her own hand and not by ours. Is that understood?” He stomped off in a huff as Death rolled her eyes and sighed melodramatically, throwing her legs over the side of the throne.
“Oh, if you only knew what I had planned for dearest Helena, your fuzzy pink little head would explode.” She murmured and snapped her fingers. The storm quieted down and the waves returned to normal. Everything was calm again, all but for two very still bodies drifting on the water. Alone and one the verge of dying, the currents carried them along far into the unknownfor days on end. Eventually their bodies drifted out with the tide on a sandy beach. There they lay for what must have been hours, never moving an inch. Slowly, I came to again; feeling the salt water in my mouth. Gasping for air, I tried to pick myself up off the sand but there was no energy left inside me. Death would be a welcome release now, I just had to let go.
“You don’t have any suntan lotion with you by any chance? My tail tends to flake if I leave it out in the sun too long.” Through dazed eyes, I looked up and saw Larousse lounging on a deckchair with a long glass in his one claw. He lowered his sunglasses and peeked out from under an umbrella.
“Oh honey, you do have a liberal sense of time don’t you? I was scared they were going to water down the Mai tai’s before you got here.”
“What do you want?” I could barely get the words out as I felt Adelmar stir next to me in the sand.
“So I had a little pow wow with that horrific bitch I call a boss and we’ve come to an understanding. If I cannot force you to go where you were supposed to, I might as well stick around and come along with you. Though I must say you picked an excellent time to come to the islands, it is totally fabuloso out here and the women? Ooh la la, uncle Larousse will be fishing for punani later on.
“Where am I?” I tried sitting upwards but my head felt like a split piece of firewood.
“This is Port Royale in the Caribbean. Now you and that fur ball you drag around with you might want to get your wits about you and soon. The current owners of this resort have spotted you and will want a word in all likely hood. Now you will have to excuse me, the limbo contest starts in a few minutes and I am a lock to win it. Toodles darling.” The demon disappeared in a puff of smoke as I looked over my shoulder. A huge ship was lying at anchor, just off the coast. I saw the long boats steering towards me and then I saw the black flag flutter high on top of the mast.
A flag that would strike fear into even the most hardy of men and bring them shaking to their knees. I would later learn why sailors called it the sign of the devil and how it brought bloodshed and anarchy to anyone that dared crossed its path. Fear had a name and I was looking straight at it.
The Jolly Roger had been raised.