By: Bryant R. Haake, Honors College, Presidential Honors Student, English Major
“Wrong. Again, Jakey. Again.”
“I’m trying, Heilyn.”
“I can see that.”
The bolo rope wound around Jacob’s legs like a snake around its prey. He worked quickly to untangle it — at least he was good at that, even godlike — but the actual bolo rope itself was much trickier. Heilyn could curve it midair, wind it around things, and kill people with a single blow.
Jacob could maybe knock a cup off a barrel.
“Why do I even need to learn this? I’ll just use a tentacle-”
“Heave ho, kid. Try again, or walk the plank.”
“Aye aye.” Jacob rolled his eyes and threw the rope again. Once more, it landed limp a couple feet from the mast, nowhere close to wrapping around it.
“Again.”
He tried again.
“Again.”
He tried again.
“Again.”
He tried again.
“Agai-”
“Quit it!” Jacob yelled. “I’m no good at this. We both know it. Just let me learn something else.”
Heilyn held Jacob in his stern gaze. Jacob returned the look, locking his eyes on Heilyn’s. It was routine by now, seeing who would give first. Jacob had actually gotten close a couple times recently, but today was not one of those days. He never could place what it was exactly, but there was something behind Heilyn’s gaze that made him hard to look at. He wasn’t an ugly man — if he cleaned himself up he’d actually probably look rather respectable — but he also wasn’t approachable. Jacob thought his stare probably had a lot to do with that.
He finally broke from Heilyn’s gaze and picked the rope back up, throwing it once more at the mast. It finally struck, but still didn’t wrap around.
“Better. Again.”
“Aye, give the boy a break, Payday!” Deighly shouted from the crow’s nest, salt-and-pepper hair blowing in the sea breeze. “He’s been going fer’ a couple hours now! Honestly, I’m starting to get tired of it. I might shoot ye’ myself if I hear ye’ say ‘again’ one more time!”
“I have to agree, Heilyn,” Captain Vexx said over the sound of the lapping waves. He turned the helm to the left a slight bit, readjusting their course. “Besides, we’re almost to Brokenbeaux. We’ll need help docking.”
Heilyn nodded and threw his own bolo rope over his shoulder, giving a single nod to Jacob before heading below deck. Jacob almost called out to him, but he knew by now that nod was about as good as he’d get from Heilyn.
“Jacob, come over here!” Captain Vexx yelled.
Jacob obliged his Captain, walking up the short steps to the bridge, footsteps inaudible due to the shouting crew and lapping of waves. The sea was choppy today, not quite enough to make him stumble or sea sick — he grew up on this vessel, by Neptune — but it made even his Captain shout orders, something that sounded wrong coming from the usually calm man.
“Aye, Captain?”
“Are you ready to try guiding the boat again?”
No.
“Aye aye, Captain.”
Liar.
“Good.” The Captain stared straight ahead for a moment. “I won’t always be here to guide this crew, Jacob. I still know not who I will choose to succeed me, but I think we both know you’re in my list of candidates. Do you know why that is?”
“Because of my tentacles?”
Captain Vexx gave a hearty laugh.
“No, Jacob. It’s because of your heart. Your gift is only a tool, one that you’ve become quite skilled at using. The heart, however, is not easily changed, nor is it easily corrupted if you have a good one. We are pirates, yes. We all have a past, but there’s a reason we signed up with the Company.”
Jacob just nodded, not exactly sure what to say. Instead, he pulled up his sleeves and felt the moisture coalesce around him. Purple pin pricks began poking through his skin, growing larger and larger, flowing down his arms and over the sides of the ship. He felt the tentacles touch the water and let them feel around the hull of the ship. Once they had found their marks, he turned back to Captain Vexx and gave a nod.
Captain Vexx nodded back and began sailing into port. Brokenbeaux wasn’t a large town, only taking up one small portion of the boggy island it rested upon. It was clearly visible against the sunrise, the rest of the island practically a soup bowl of nasty critters and man-eating plants. No building was larger in height than another, likely to stave off the winds, but there were a few that held a greater area.
Two other Company ships were already docked, along with a number of small fishing vessels. The port they were pulling into was similar to a double-pronged fork, allowing them to enter in between the prongs. Jacob’s tentacles reached out as they sailed forward, grabbing along the dock to slow their approach, and keep them from bumping into the haphazardly sturdy woodwork.
Captain Vexx gave Jacob a smile and yelled for the anchor to be dropped. Jacob smiled and recalled his tentacles, thinking sourly of the bolo rope which still laid uncoiled beside the mast.
“Heilyn’s gonna kill me for that…” Jacob muttered.
As the final tentacles receded back into his skin, Jacob shook out his body and pulled his sleeves back down. He followed his Captain down from the bridge and quickly picked the bolo rope back up from the floor, coiling it neatly and hooking it at his side. Not that he could actually use it as a weapon…
Heilyn came up from below deck carrying a long plank of wood. Jacob hurried over to help but was shooed away. From the broadside of the ship came a joyful, “Hallo there!”
Jacob and Captain Vexx grew smiles as large as their faces, goofy grins at the sound of a familiar voice. They hurried and peered over the side of the ship. A portly, neatly dressed man in a tophat and black suit waved up at them with one hand, the other resting on a simple wooden cane. His black mustache, curled at the tips, complemented his red bowtie.
Jacob did not wave back at the man, but instead at the young lady beside him. She looked up with a slight, timid gaze, waving just a little. Only at him, as he liked to believe. Her “delicate” hands were hidden behind a pair of neat brown gloves, and she wore a very simple brown and grey dress, the kind that moved with you easily, and didn’t show stains from grass. Her amber eyes glinted back up at him with playfulness, denying her timid look and bringing out the dark brown color of her skin.
Heilyn peered over as well, looked back to Jacob, and gave him a noogie. Jacob tried jerking back but was taken in a stranglehold by Deighly. The three men around him laughed in delight before letting him go. Captain Vexx rustled his now even messier inky brown hair.
“Alright, I get it,” Jacob said with mock anger, grinning despite himself. He helped Heilyn with the boarding plank and walked as calmly as possible behind his Captain, flanking with Heilyn.
“Mayor Buckley, how goes the runs?” Captain Vexx said with an aire of playfulness.
“No better than your privateering.”
“That well, eh?”
Both men laughed and walked off together, speaking of their time spent apart. Jacob watched them for a moment before turning to the young lady.
“Long time, no see, aye, Georgiana?”
“Yes, Jake, it has been some time. You’ve grown… bigger.” She raised a hand to his arm, mere inches from touching his new muscles.
“Well, I’ve gotta get stronger than you somehow,” he said with a goofy grin. “How’s your garden, by the way?”
“How about I just show you?”
Jacob gave a smiling nod and began to follow her, but was pulled back by his bandana by Heilyn. “Where do you think you’re going, Jakey? We’ve got things to do.”
Jacob glared back at Heilyn but said nothing. He shot an apologetic glance at Georgiana. “I promise I’ll come see before we leave again.” She laughed and shooed him away, following far behind Captain Vexx and her father.
“You’ve got goo-goo eyes for a landlubber?” Heilyn questioned. “You’re a shame to us all…”
Jacob rolled his eyes but followed Heilyn down the docks and into town. It had been awhile since they last restocked, nearly three weeks, and Heilyn was in charge of the crew’s finances. That meant that Jacob, being Heilyn’s responsibility, also had to learn how to manage the check book.
Their first stop was consumables. Water was the big one, along with ale, rum, and whiskey. Soos Saltyboots, their chef who definitely cared too much about what he cooked, joined them for this part. The first thing he went for was plenty of salt, which both Jacob and Heilyn smirked at. Jacob hadn’t been but a year old when Soos joined the crew, but he liked to think he could remember the day ol’ Saltyboots forgot to put salt in his meal. The rest of the crew had never let him live it down, and so neither had Jacob.
Soos picked out a few more spices, along with meats, vegetables, potatoes, and more. Most ships couldn’t afford to keep delicacies like these on board, but the coffers of the Forsaken ran deeper than most. The next shop on the list was a favorite of Jacob’s, and he knew Heilyn liked it too despite not wielding a firearm. It was a small gunpowder shop kept running only by the amount of pirates who came through. None of the townsfolk had much of a reason to keep a flintlock on the quick draw. The shopkeep was a short, wiry man who always looked mere days from retirement, and yet he’d been running the shop in that state for as long as Jacob could remember.
The door hit the small bell on the way out as Jacob and Heilyn waved goodbye to the man. The sea spray mixed with the scent of the bog made a strange smell, tickling Jacob’s nose as they walked through the wide streets. Despite not being a wealthy town, it was one of Jacob’s favorite restock spots, and not just because of Georgiana, either. The townsfolk made the living here easy, and despite the lack of money, they all chipped in to do their part. The main road through town hadn’t been paved the first time Jacob had visited, but now the thought of the dirt road was a distant memory.
The town wasn’t super dense in function, a stern consequence of the poor mental state of the washed-up travellers who had founded it. Jacob and Heilyn walked for almost half a minute before coming across the next building, this one an inn and tavern. Despite their actual goal, Heilyn took a left and entered the saloon. The strong smell of alcohol instantly filled Jacob’s nostrils, making his eyes water and his head spin. He’d never wanted to try the actual drink; he figured that if the smell alone could make him woozy, the liquid itself would probably just kill him.
There were eight tables in the front bar section of the inn, and all but two were taken up by various crews and crewmates. Already a few of their own were sitting and enjoying themselves, free of the responsibilities of the sea for the first time in a while. The interior was lit by wall-mounted candles, and two waitresses moved about, filling mugs and delivering food to the hungry customers. Most were pirates. Some were regular sailors. Few were townsfolk. Behind everything and furthest from the door was the bar itself. Kegs of ale lined the back wall, and a few people sat at the bar. The bartender was busy pouring a drink, but nodded at them as they walked in.
Heilyn moved all the way back to the bar and plopped down in a stool. He took out a dagger and began picking at his fingernails. “Two ales and a beer, plus something for the youngen’.”
“That’ll be one ale and a beer,” Jacob said with an irritated glance at his drunkard teacher, “and I’ll just have whatever isn’t alcoholic.”
“Two ales, a beer and a glass of water coming up,” the bartender said with a glance between the two pirates. Heilyn smirked at Jacob, who just rolled his eyes again and leaned back on his stool, testing its limits.
“You’re gonna split your head open one day doing that, Jakey.”
“Naw, I’m fine. I’ll catch myself.”
“What, with those tentacles?”
Jacob turned to face Heilyn, annoyed. “Maybe. Why, do you have a problem with my tentacles?”
“Not at all.” The bartender handed them their drinks. Heilyn took a long sip of one of his; maybe the ale? “I just think you rely on them too much. They’re an amazing tool, but-”
“Rely on them too much?” Jacob wanted to get mad. “They’re my tentacles. They’re a part of me. That’s like saying you rely too much on your arms.”
“Look,” Heilyn sighed, “I didn’t mean you any offense, Jakey. But, in my experience, you can’t own something you weren’t born with. You just have it for a while, but it’s never actually yours fully.”
“I paid for my gift,” Jacob retorted, pulling his shirt up a bit, “with this.” The scar tissue had grown with him over time, leaving the same white line across his chest as he had as a baby. No larger, no smaller. The only difference is that now, after he had purposefully used the tentacles for the first time, purple veins had begun to splinter off of it. They had grown slowly at first, before beginning to grow much faster for some time. It had been a terrifying experience, not knowing what was going on. Was it some sort of infection the blade left behind? Or was it more than that?
“And I saved you from that,” Heilyn retorted, a warning look in his eyes, “so you might wanna reconsider your tone.”
Jacob opened his mouth, but a snort from behind interrupted him.
“Well, if it ain’t Vexx’s dogs, back in town for some more trouble…” Jacob knew that voice well, and hated that he did. “What’s a’ matter, pretty boys? Family issues?”
“Hey, Crimson,” Heilyn sighed. “Did you miss us that bad, or are you here to bring down the town’s GDP even more?”
The red headed woman scoffed. “First off, that’s Captain Crimson to you, first mate. And second, I’m much more successful than your crew ever will be. Isn’t that right, boys?”
Two large men flanked her and nodded in agreement, scowls not leaving their faces. “Well, that’s a happy set of twins you’ve got there, Crimson,” Jacob poked. “They your makeup artists, or does their ugliness just make yours look minimal?”
All three of the opposing pirates flared their nostrils. “Why, that’s quite the mouth you’ve got on you there, boy,” Crimson warned. “Watch it or you might lose a few of ‘em pretty teeth.” Two more men from the bar stood and walked over to Crimson, hearing the tone of her voice. Jacob saw Heilyn meet Deighly’s eye, and both gave a nod. Jacob caught Heilyn’s eye and nodded back.
“Sorry,” he said, turning back to Crimson with a glint of mischief in his own eyes, “I didn’t realize how sensitive you were about that. Though, I guess there is a lot to be sensitive about when you’re that… y’know.” He gripped his mug of water tighter, knowing exactly what was coming next.
The man on Crimson’s left glanced at his captain and charged forward, raising a fist. Lean and quick, Jacob dodged out of the way, banging his cup on the man’s head in the process. Heilyn whipped out his bolo rope and wrapped up the man’s other hand. A fist flew out of nowhere and banged into his jaw, but he spun with it and returned the blow to the new aggressor, this man’s twin flanker.
Jacob took a few steps and jumped onto the new man’s back, taking out his own bolo rope and wrapping it around the man’s throat. The man writhed in his grasp, pulling at the rope. Jacob had to keep both hands tied around it. He lurched his own body forward, forcing the man to stumble and almost fall. His friend, who had somehow gotten away from Heilyn, caught him before he could tumble over, and then wrapped a meaty hand around Jacob’s shirt collar. He wrenched Jacob from his twin as Jacob writhed, pounding on his arm to let go. The man dropped him and he scrambled up quickly.
He ducked a punch from one of them, catching the arm and pushing it down, forcing the man to stumble behind Jacob. Jacob kicked behind him, feeling his foot connect with the man’s back. A moment later, the sound of clattering mugs and a fallen table joined the sounds of the tavern brawl. Deighly grappled with one of the twins while Jacob weaved around the other, not really doing anything but keeping him busy in the meantime.
Two others from their crew traded blows with Crimson’s lackeys. Heilyn was defending himself against Crimson herself. She was clad entirely in red sailor vestments, but had taken off her gloves to reveal that her knuckles had grown shark teeth. Heilyn had cuts along his face and arms, but was generally keeping further away from Crimson than she could manage using his bolo rope. A few shark teeth clattered onto the floor every now and then, but a new one grew whenever one fell out.
Jacob dodged another blow, but the first had been a feint to hide his opponent’s other fist. He took the second blow straight to the nose, and immediately his eyes welled up with tears. Blood splattered the other pirate’s wrapped knuckles, staining the white cloth. Time seemed to slow down for a moment, and Jacob could feel his vision wanting to go dark.
He didn’t feel particularly terrible, aside from a possibly broken nose, but there was something pulling at his mind, telling him to rip this man’s head from his shoulders.
Or you could just gut him. Whatever works. Just don’t die.
That thought snapped him back to reality, and he narrowly dodged another punch. He spent the next minute playing catch-up, regaining his own battle rhythm. He took a few more hits, but they were all glancing, and he knew he’d likely get out with only a few bruises. He still wielded the water cup, and sometimes used other mugs or plates from other tables. Broken wood scattered the floor, and he could hear crying in the background, likely from the barkeep. They’d have to pay him back for the broken cutlery later.
The burly pirate man was on his toes now, just barely able to stay on his own feet. He’d still not taken much more than basic bruises from Jacob’s own wailing, but he was close to falling over. Once he was on his back, Jacob could tie him up and help Heilyn. Crimson deserved it for-
“What is going on here?” a calm voice questioned from the doorway. Captain Vexx stood on the threshold of the inn, blocking the mayor and Georgiana from entering the fray. The whole fight had stopped, and Jacob was able to survey the damage for the first time since he had started brawling. Tables lay on their sides, ale and food was splattered all over the floor and combatants, and blood stained a few of the wooden floor planks. The only two brawlers who were still exchanging blows were Crimson and Heilyn.
With a golden flash from Captain Vexx’s eyes, all of the liquid on the floor suddenly lifted and flew past him outside in a single continuous stream, splashing onto the floor outside. The Captain and his entourage entered, slamming the door behind them. Heilyn and Crimson finally stopped their brawl, both battered and stunned by the sudden noise. Heilyn instantly picked himself up and adjusted his clothes to appear more presentable. His lower lip was split, and he was bleeding from several cuts, but Crimson was no worse for wear. She wasn’t bleeding, but much of her exposed skin was purple with bruises, and she had a swollen lump on her forehead.
Captain Vexx scanned the crowd, finding Jacob laying over the second twin. His fist was still raised, but he quickly lowered it as he met his Captain’s eyes. His face betrayed no emotion at the situation, and his mouth was turned in a slight, upright smile, but Jacob knew his Captain. His glowing eyes were unmistakable, and a few lines on his face didn’t quite match his smile. Disappointment.
Jacob averted his gaze, instead looking at Georgiana, who was looking at him with worry. He gave her an apologetic smile, and she eased up a little, trying in vain to smile back. She glanced from him to Captain Vexx and back, worry in her eyes. He gave a slight head shake, then smiled again.
“Ah, Captain Vexx… long time no see, Eddy,” Crimson said, trying to look intimidating. “Is this your crew? Didn’t even realize-”
“That’s enough, Lydia,” Captain Vexx responded with a forced smile.
She swallowed the lump in her throat. Jacob thought she looked less like a captain in that moment and more like a child standing up to their parents for the first time. He’d seen the look dozens of times before. The first had been ten years ago, back when Captain Vexx had first gained the epithet “Sunspot”. The other man had been twice his size and looked rather intimidating, but had practically wet himself in the presence of the much calmer Captain Vexx.
You could take him.
Jacob shook his head to rid himself of the excess adrenaline. Fight or Flight wasn’t really his style, as both usually encompassed his fighting style. Yet, he’d never had a thought like that about any of his crew, especially Captain Vexx.
Heilyn walked over to his Captain and bowed his head. “The fault for the damages is mine and mine alone, Captain. I will take the cost from my own earnings.”
Jacob opened his mouth to say something, but no words came. He had equal blame with Heilyn ke knew, but nothing was worse than the Captain’s disappointment. Heilyn would get off easy anyways, right? He was the first mate, afterall…
“That is very noble of you, Heilyn,” the Captain nodded, “but we serve, live, love, and die as a crew. You’ll take them out of the budget.” He turned his gaze to Jacob once again. “Jakey-” Jacob cringed at the nickname, sounding strange on his Captain’s tongue, “-grab a broom and clean this up for Mr. Atkins, will you? And make it quick; I want a word with you.”
“Aye aye, Captain.”
Jacob asked the barkeep for a broom and got to sweeping. Crimson and her crew left as quickly as possible, as did many of the other patrons. Deighly, Captain Vexx and Heilyn all spoke with the barkeep about payment, and soon everything was in order. Georgiana tried to talk to Jacob but he told her “later” and kept sweeping.
When everyone else had left and the barkeep had gone to the back, Captain Vexx pulled a chair up to Jacob, who was still sweeping. He sat in silence for a couple minutes, just staring at the boy as he swept. “What were you thinking, Jacob?” he said finally.
“I… I don’t know, Captain.”
“That isn’t good enough-”
“Well, neither am I!” Jacob snapped, and instantly he regretted it. “Sorry, Captain, I only meant-”
“How long have you felt this way, Jacob?”
Jacob stared at his Captain. “I don’t know. A while. It’s just… Heilyn, Deighly, you. Everyone on the crew expects me to be this great new pirate, someone who will have some big place in the crew one day. I know that’s why you all train me at so many different things, why you and Heilyn specifically push me to be the best. I know you want me to take your place one day, but I don’t know if I can…”
Jacob turned away from his Captain, sweeping in silence. He finished quickly and began to head to the door. As he reached for the knob, Captain Vexx’s hand landed on his shoulder.
“Thank you for telling me this, Jacob. If it makes you feel better, I think you’ll make a wonderful captain one day. You’ll make your own mistakes, call out the wrong orders, and maybe you won’t win every fight.” He waved a hand at the room and at Jacob’s bruises. “But, the important thing is that you try. And, that you keep trying, so long as it’s something you want.”
Jacob nodded and turned to look his Captain in the eyes. “Aye, Captain, it is what I want. Some day… just not soon. I need… time.”
“Aye, son, you’ll have plenty.” He looked at Jacob with a strange expression, as if speaking to someone who barely spoke his own language. “I’ll.. tell Heilyn to calm down on his teachings.”
Jacob shook his head. “Thank you, Captain, but it’s fine. I need them.”
Captain Vexx nodded, a twinge of pride in his eyes. “Aye, I agree.” He looked off in the distance, past the doorway and beach to the open sea, wanderlust filling his gaze. “Go see Georgiana. I know you want to. Just don’t get too close, if you understand me.”
Jacob smiled and nodded. “Aye aye, Captain. That I can do.”
Jacob started off down the road. Captain Vexx called after him one last time.
“Just make sure to not lose her, son. She’s a good one… strong too. She’d make a great pirate if she wasn’t so homebound.”