By: Bryant R. Haake, Honors College, Presidential Honors Student, English Major
Hacksmith almost dropped his hammer, but caught it in time for only the handle to bang onto the deck of the ship, resulting in another yelp.
The voice was female, dry like she hadn’t slept in days, or like she’d been only drinking salt water. Heilyn got over his surprise and nodded to Hacksmith. The other man—possibly the eldest in the crew—nodded back and raised his hammer once more. It only took two more hits on the crowbar to remove multiple slats of wood in one go.
The woman at the bottom looked terrible. Her split dark hair was splattered with lighter stains from who knows what. Her skin was likely usually olive, but was pale and pasty. She stared up at them with eyes just as dark as the bags sagging below them. Her eyes were filled with fear, stained red from the tear streaks running down her dust-covered face. Heilyn wasn’t sure if her skin was pale from that dust or lack of sunlight.
“See Cap’n,” Hacksmith said, ignoring the woman, “it’s just like I done said. These bars were put in place poorly so that they’re raising up the floor here a bit. Shoddy craftsmanship.”
Heilyn ignored the man, still staring at the woman. She hadn’t said a word, likely due to the fear encapsulating her gaze. He wasn’t very good at comfort, especially not like Captain Vexx, but he tried on a smile anyway.
The woman’s eyes opened wide and she curled away, balling into a heap on the floor. Metal bars were keeping her inside, surrounded by wooden beams running along two of the sides. It was cramped down there and smelled terrible, like vomit and feces.
“Ay, we ain’t here to hurt ya or nothing little lady,” Heilyn said. “I’m sure you done heard the gunshots and all that, but we’re not bad people.” He frowned as he looked at his hands. “This ain’t my blood neither. It’s that of yer captor.”
The woman peeked out from behind her arms. In a raspy voice, she asked, “You killed him? You killed Bolton?”
“Nah, I didn’t kill the poor sod.” Heilyn shrugged. “He’s kinda worth more alive than dead at the moment. Though, I can’t say I remember reading about you in the dossier. What’s yer name if I might ask?”
The woman’s eyes went wide again. “Dossier? Wait wait wait, are you all with the Privateer’s Company.”
“Aye, that we are.”
The woman groaned. “If that’s so, just kill me now and feed my body to the sharks. I’m not giving you all any more insights. I refuse to.”
Deighly had sauntered up to the small group by that point. He said, “Heh. She kinda sounds like yer stubborn arse, aye Heilyn?”
Heilyn didn’t laugh, mostly because Deighly was right. That sounded exactly like something Heilyn would say. Rivers, it probably was something like what he said to Captain Vexx back when he was first asked to join the crew.
“Insights?” Heilyn asked. “I just said I ain’t read about you in that dossier. I don’t know what insights you’re talking about.”
“Future sights?” The woman rolled her eyes at Heilyn’s blank expression. “Foretellings? Prophecies? Is any of that ringing a bell?”
Heilyn’s brow furrowed.
“Aye, I get it now.” Heilyn stretched and began unwinding his bolo rope, letting one end down. “Luckily for you, I don’t believe in that nonsense. Have you the strength to climb, lady?”
The woman uncurled herself but did not grab the rope. Instead she eyed it with contempt.
“My name is Cassandra, and how do I know you won’t turn me back over to the Company?”
“Rivers sweetheart, I don’t know,” Heilyn groaned. “Why don’t you look into the future and see it? Now, want the rope, or do ya wanna be left here to dry up?”
Cassandra stared at Heilyn. Heilyn stared right back, not willing to back down. Her dark eyes seemed to spark with lightning, like she was making a direct connection into Heilyn’s soul. Heilyn could swear his life flashed before his eyes, but not exactly. It was like he could see every decision he had ever wanted to make, and every decision which would’ve derived from each of those, all flashing by his eyes at once. It was infuriating and mesmerizing; dizzying, too.
For the first time since he met Captain Vexx, Heilyn dropped his stare first.
Heilyn watched the horizon as all three pirate ships owned by the captain known as Riot sank into the waves, specific holes punched into each in order to let them sink at a steady rate, keeping their general shape intact as they sank. Heilyn wasn’t a particularly religious man, but Vexx’s and Jacob’s gifts had at least taught him to respect the powers of the gods and monsters.
Once upon a time some ten years ago, Jacob would’ve said a prayer to the Kraken, lord of shipwrecks, which he’d heard from some commoner in town. He wasn’t old enough to know what it really meant, but he’d been told it was about sinking ships and so had kept it as a close secret, muttering it whenever the Forsaken‘s crew were required to sink a ship in this fashion. Heilyn had never asked to hear it.
Now, he wished he had.
The Stormsailer pulled up alongside the Forsaken as leisurely as a cart being parked next to a stable. Heilyn could see Jasper grinning down at him from where he leaned against the ship’s side. Heilyn gave a nod to the man and called for a ladder.
When he reached the deck, Jasper tried engaging in pleasantries with the other crew but was shot down by Heilyn. Instead, he was briskly whisked off to the Captain’s quarters. As Jasper had before, Heilyn let the younger man take the better seat. It wasn’t Heilyn’s anyway.
“We’re in my office now, Jasper,” Heilyn started, cringing from how he said my, “so let’s skip the pleasantries. What’s with the girl?”
Jasper’s smile faded.
“I… they didn’t give me much information.” Jasper leaned forward. “I really don’t know much, but I was told when going into this job that it needed to be done alone. I told them we couldn’t and so they said that any help I got couldn’t know about the… second task.”
“Second task,” Heilyn echoed.
“Aye. What I was told was that there was a second escapee, more dangerous than Riot. I was told that she was to be the priority, and that I couldn’t let her fall into the hands of anyone else. They told me she was insane, but that she was useful.”
Heilyn stared past Jasper, a thousand yards into the wall. Cassandra didn’t seem insane to him, even if she did claim to be a prophet. Most towns had someone who claimed it, and most of them still lived fine lives. Who was to say she was any different?
“I’ve spoken to her, Jasper.” Heilyn crossed his legs and set them on the desk. He’d removed the papers awhile back and sorted them into files like Vexx had always meant to do one day. “She’s been hurt, and not just by Riot.”
Jasper’s brow furrowed.
“What are you implying?”
“I’m not implying anything, Jasper. I’m telling you that the Company’s hurt her in some way. I don’t know how or why, but she’d currently rather die than go back.”
The two men had a staring contest, but Heilyn was still the clear victor between the two. His loss was the main reason he was defending her at the moment, but that didn’t mean there weren’t other, more logical reasons, too.
Jasper sighed. “Look Heilyn, I’m not going to pretend like there aren’t bad people in the Company. Rivers, Crimson was a good example, wasn’t she?” Heilyn didn’t respond. “What I mean is that I can believe her story. Really, I can. But…” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “This is a tough spot. Are you going to trust her word over the Company’s?”
“You said yerself that they couldn’t have her in the wrong hands, Jasper,” Heilyn argued. “That’s not the kinda language you use when yer on the right side of history.”
Jasper unpinched his nose and threw his hands up. “You’re right. Rivers, I knew you were right from the start. I’ve been second guessing this whole thing too, but I couldn’t refuse this mission. I mean, they came to me directly. That doesn’t happen often. Half the time we privateers all just act more like bounty hunters than actual lawmen.”
The men sat in silence, both deep in thought.
“Want a drink?” Heilyn asked.
“I thought you quit,” Jasper replied.
Heilyn shrugged. “Strange times call for desperate measures.”
“What’re you planning on doing?”
Heilyn shrugged. “I’ve never been tight with the Company. It was always Captain Vexx who wanted to join. He used to say something like, If we join, it’ll set a good example for other pirates, or something like that. I’ve honestly been looking for a way out for awhile; even tried to convince Captain to let us leave once.”
“You think I’m gonna believe that?” Jasper asked.
I mean, it’s true, Heilyn thought, but that’s not what was going on here. Jasper needed a real reason as to why they should save this one lady and risk losing their jobs.
“I don’t have a good reason for you, Jasper,” Heilyn sighed, “but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a plan.”
Jasper raised his brows showfully. “Oh?”
“Don’t look so surprised, trust-fund-baby. I may only have just become captain, but I’ve been first mate for as long as I care to remember. I know you don’t wanna leave the company, so I’ll cut you this deal.”
He took his feet off the desk and wiped off the bits of dirt, making sure there were no smudges left. Then he leaned forward to look Jasper in the eyes.
“I miss our freedom, Jasper. I really do. I’ll take the lady from you, keep her safe from the Company and any other pirates who try hurting her. All you gotta do is go back to the Company and say the Forsaken pirates raided your ship, and that they’ve fallen after the loss of their old Captain. Sound good?”
Jasper’s mouth was wide open, gaped so wide a whole colony of flies could’ve fit inside.
“Heilyn, think about this-”
“I have.”
“But, your crew-”
“Will be fine.”
“The Company, they’ll-”
“Come after me? I know that, Jasper.” Heilyn sighed. “Jasper, I’m not Captain Vexx. I’ll never be Captain Vexx. I can’t be Captain Vexx. I can be Captain Payday, and Captain Payday says we’ve got this. All you gotta do is tell a little lie, and the rest of us will be fine. Everyone wins.”
Jasper frowned. “I don’t think of this as a win for anyone here, except maybe the woman. Why don’t we just drop her off at some secluded island and call it a day? I’ll tell the Company they already killed her, and we can each go our merry ways.”
“There’s no way they would believe that and you know it, Jasper,” Heilyn retorted back. “First of all, the Company has their hands in every town. Wherever we drop her, there’ll be someone to see her. Second, if she’s as good as you say she is—or if they at least believe it—then they won’t believe an evil pirate wanted to kill her.”
“There’s no convincing you, is there?” Jasper sighed exasperatedly. “You’ve gotta be right. Stubborn as an ass, is that it?”
“You’re becoming more and more like a true privateer by the day with that mouth of yours,” Heilyn smirked.
“This isn’t funny, friend.” Jasper got up and started pacing. “You’re asking me to ruin the name of you and your crew for good just to save some woman you just met. Why? Why would you do something like that? I need a real answer, or else I’m not going to-”
“It’s what Vexx woulda done, aight?” Heilyn snapped, bursting from his chair like a jack-in-the-box.
The cabin went silent. Heilyn panted as if he was out of breath. He should’ve been just from combat earlier, but the conversation was weighing on him far more than the beatdown he’d given Riot. He fully stood up and took a few deep breaths, calming his nerves a little.
“Heilyn…” Jasper started. “You’re not Vexx. You don’t have to do what he did.”
Heilyn held back his emotions, trying to keep himself composed in front of his old friend.
“I need to do this, Jasper,” he said. “It honors his memory to do so.”
Jasper clenched something around his neck, a pendant shaped like a lightning bolt.
“Okay Heilyn, you win. I’ll go along with it, but only if your whole crew agrees.”
Heilyn nodded and led the way outside. As he opened the door, he beheld his entire crew waiting by the door, Deighly in front of them all. Heilyn could see Cassandra standing near the back, hiding her face.
“The walls are thin, Cap’n,” Soos said from his position behind Deighly. “We heard the whole convo.”
“And,” Deighly added, “we know what we must do.”
All at once they knelt before the two captains, Cassandra staggering behind. In that brief moment, Heilyn saw tears running down her face. She was smiling.
“We, the crew of the good and fair ship the Forsaken, do hereby pledge our lives to our new captain: Captain Payday. May his every wish be our command, and may his wisdom be our will. The seas dry up before we would betray his trust, and the salt in the sky blow us to bits before we would raise an arm against his word. All in favor of this agreement, say Aye.”
“AYE!” the crew echoed.
Deighly raised his head. His good eye was moist with emotion, but he kept his voice steady.
“If it is your will, Captain Payday, I shall accept the role as your first mate, in charge of all you say I am, and keeper of the crew’s wishes and best interests.”
Heilyn stuttered a moment, took a deep breath, and tried again.
“I am proud to stand by such wonderful men. I accept your proposal, First Mate Odin, and I accept this inauguration to the rank of Captain of the Forsaken.”
He turned to Jasper and stuck out his hand. The younger man hesitated before grasping it firmly.
“Well,” Jasper sighed, “I guess I quite literally asked for this, didn’t I?” He chuckled to himself, then spoke loudly so the whole crew could hear him. “I am honored to have served beside you all for this last time. The next time we meet, we may be enemies. However, I do not wish for that to diminish how much I respect you all, especially your new Captain.”
He held up a fist and banged it on his chest. Heilyn could see the lightning bolt pendant grasped in his palm.
“Until we meet again, farewell.” He walked around the crowd, stopping beside Cassandra for a moment. “To you young lady, I wish the best farewell, and I am sorry as to what may come of this. However, there is no finer crew you could stay with on these open seas. You are safe.”
With those final words, Jasper climbed the ladder back into his own ship, disappearing over the edge. Heilyn could hear him call out to his own crew, and as the ladder was pulled back down, the Stormsailer drifted away.
Heilyn called for his own crew to disperse back to their own jobs and chores. It was late at this point, and so Soos stumbled into the kitchen to whip up something for them to eat. As Cassandra stood up, Heilyn waved her over. Her body was still covered in dust and smelled bad, but she had been able to get a bucket of water splashed over her face, clearing her earlier tears and most of the caked on dirt and blood. They’d also given her new clothes, though they weren’t anywhere near her size due to all the men on board being at least a couple inches taller and broader.
“It seems you’ve caused us quite the commotion, Miss Cassandra,” Heilyn started. “I do not regret anything which has transpired, but in return I will need some more information. Step into my quarters, please.”
Without waiting for an answer, Heilyn about faced and marched back into the Captain’s quarters.