Hell Hath No Fury - Book One

Initiation

It wasn't Theo's first pirate initiation but she was as nervous as the first time she ever did it. She liked to give all the girls a proper experience. Initiation was one of the most important parts of being a pirate, a ritual that united them all and Theo preferred it to go perfectly. A flub of her words ruined the whole process. Theo was dressed in her usual initiation outfit. Long, black, velvet coat with a blood-red shirt underneath; the colors of the Scorned Woman. She was standing at the front of the initiation room, a large flag laying flat on the ground in front of her.

The crew lined the edges of the room and the initiates all knelt by the edges of the flag. The flag was black, with the image of a dagger piercing a heart in the center of it. The image was red, although the color on it was fading. It was the flag that usually flew proudly on the top of the Scorned Woman but tonight it was being used to bring the new recruits into the fold. Everyone was now settled, the witnesses Ava had chosen, Ava and Xyra had all managed to file in at different times and they were ready to commence.

"Welcome, recruits of the Scorned Woman. Tonight, you leave behind your old life as citizens of Baethos and become citizens of Corinspe. This is a place where you get a say in who is our leader, regardless of your status. This freedom of choice comes with a price. There are rules. These rules are to never be broken and never to be told to anyone that is not a pirate.

Theo looked around to see several wide eyes looking up at her, "I cannot tell you these rules ahead of time but I can assure you all, they will not cause you harm. If you are hesitant, you are free to leave."

Theo waited for a little bit, no one moved an inch.

"As citizens of Baethos, you were forced to bear inequality, forced to sit by in fear of repercussions, forced to live with nonsensical and suffocating rules. But as citizens of Corinspe, you are free to do as you please except for five simple, logical rules. You are to never speak of details regarding life here on Corinspe. It is a closely guarded secret and even the most unsuspecting person could be a spy trying to get information. You are to never aid or inform a Baethan army unit, a noble, or any bureaucrat. You are to never speak as to where the location of the island is, any estimates as to its directions, or any strategic information about it. You are to never harm or hurt another pirate unless it is in self-defense, you have been issued a challenge, or there is a legitimate grievance. Finally, if the time ever came that Corinspian sovereignty was under attack, you are compelled but not forced to fight for her."

Theo saw the typical flash of relief on everyone's faces. Usually, when told there would be rules they had to agree with without knowing what they were, people got panicky. It never failed. But after the rules were stated, small smiles or neutral expressions replaced worried ones. No rules could be as bad as Baethan rules, hundreds of ever-shifting laws created a fear of doing anything out of the ordinary that cursed the Baethan population; with good reason, the Center inflicted terror on those who didn't comply.

"There are also rules you must follow as a part of the Scorned Woman, rules that are put in place for the safety of the crew. No assault of any kind on a crew member. While fights are bound to break out, each person who is in a brawl has the right to a trial to hold the other person accountable. Robbing another crewmate or any unwanted sexual advances will not be permitted on the ship either, that is a no questions asked removal from the crew and Corinspe," Theo recited this particular set of rules firmly to not leave questions in anyone's mind about her willingness to make due on the consequences of the rules.

"You are not to speak to any other pirate crew about the affairs of our ship or the affairs of other pirates on the ship without explicit permission from that person or from me. There are spies and rats at every turn and a small slip up can cost someone on this crew their life. You are entitled to a share of whatever fortune we come across as members of the Scorned Woman, regardless of the role you played to acquire it. As members of the Scorned Woman you also have the right to call a trial to settle any grievances you have with any member of the crew," Theo spoke slowly, so the rules seeped into everyone's heads and they wouldn't forget.