Moonlight Waves

Pirates

Callum Roman

    The first mate unties me from the mast before retying my hands behind my back. The few minutes of freedom my arms had had, gone too quickly. But at least my shoulders aren't being pulled backwards now.
  The ever stoic first mate pushes me forward with his stub of a hand and I start walking towards the captain's cabin. The door squeaks as I use my shoulder to open it and I'm greeted by a room lit brightly by the afternoon sun coming through the window. Papers, clothing, and random junk is strewn everywhere, no order to anything. I've been in here at least three times, but I'm still shocked by the state of the cabin every time I see it. I've never known of a Captain who didn't keep his own cabin in as tip-top of shape as the rest of their ship.
   "Glad you could join me." Captain Nico says from his place behind his cluttered desk where he's standing over a map.
"I didn't realize I was given the option to decline your invitation." I respond, the first mate pushing me closer to the desk.
"You weren't." Captain Nico says, "It's time we find our next target—I think we've done all the damage we can do in the southeast."
I lean forward to look at the map spread out on the desk, multicolored pins stuck into different places across its surface.
"Where are you thinking of?" I ask, dreading revealing another merchant or passenger ship route that will mean the death for some sailors or innocent passengers.
"Why don't we head to Crescent Island?" Captain Nico says, eyeing me as he sits down in his chair and tips a bottle of rum to his lips.
"I still don't think you'd like Crescent Island," I tell him, trying to convince him for the fifth time not to go there yet. It's inevitable that we set course for my island, but I've been trying to lead them away from it for as long as I can. But they've insisted of continuing heading south—forever closer to my home. "there's no rich families or businesses there, it'd really be a dead end for you and your crew."
Captain Nico laughs at my efforts, "You try so hard to keep us from your island and yet you know that we have to go there. Even if I didn't want to go, I've got to."
I knew he'd say that, there's no way he'd leave one of his own behind. And yet I had hoped that he would be just as much as a jerk as I know him to be.
There is a slim chance of escape if we go to my own home turf, I'd like to believe that the people I grew up with would come to my rescue. But that would depend on what kind of damage The Widower inflicts on them.
"There's still trade routes we can hit on the way to Crescent Island." I reluctantly tell him, but I'm still trying to delay our arrival at Crescent Island.
"Now you're catching on." Captain Nico says, "Where would these ships be now."
I look over the map to find the routes leading to and past Crescent Island. I can see at least three routes that merchants would be on right now and one passenger route. I choose a random merchant one and turn so I can point at it with my bound hands.
  "This one." I say, "The spice company from Estaria  uses this route often, there should be one there in the next four days."
   Captain Nico leans forward in his seat to look at where I'm pointing. "You're sure?"
  "Just as sure as every other single time I've given you a location." I say, even though I'm tempted to give him a false location for once.
  "All right, then." Nico says, motioning at his first mate. "Becket, we have our next target, inform the crew and set The Widower on course."
  "Aye, Captain." 'Becket' says before exiting the cabin.
  "Take a seat—make yourself comfortable." Captain Nico says to me.
I'm not given much of a choice, so I sit down in the straight-backed, wooden chair in front of his desk. Squirming a little to make myself comfortable with my bound hands behind my back.
"Would you like a drink?" Captain Nico asks me, taking another swig from his bottle of rum.
Deciding that I need water more than rum, I shrug off his offer. "No, thanks."
Sitara always hated it when I'd drink alcohol anyway, watered down rum was the best I'd get on Christmas Day or on a special occasion—and only two glasses.
"Suit yourself." Captain Nico says, setting his bottle on the desk. "Tell me, what's your little island like?"
"Like any other island, I suppose." I lie.
"No, no, no." Nico waves a finger at me, almost like a reprimand. "I think we both know it's not, otherwise you wouldn't be so keen as to keep me far from it."
"Maybe it has nothing to do with the island and more with the people who live on it." I say a little too quickly and I immediately chastise myself for saying anything so close to the truth.
"Ah, now I understand." Nico whispers, as if he's been told the secret of life. "Is it true you have a lovely maiden waiting for your return?"
"Not anymore," I say, "she thinks I'm dead."
"And she'd give up on you so quickly?" He clicks his tongue in thought, "She must not have cared for you the way you clearly care for her."
I force myself to relax as the muscles in my jaw tense up. "You don't know anything."
"You're right, I don't. This is clearly speculation." Nico says, running his hand over his short beard.
Captain Nico isn't that old, maybe ten years my senior, or even late thirties—younger than Captain Dax for sure. But his skin is dark and tough from years of work in the sun. His yellow hair is always a matted mess sticking out from beneath his hat, his beard the only thing he seems to keep in clean condition.
"I'll have to seek out this maiden of yours after we take Crescent Island." Nico continues, "Decide for myself what she's like. What was her name? I'm sure I was told her name."
I clench my fist behind my back and have to take steadying breathes as he stares me down, seeming to search me over for the name he wants.
"I know you haven't forgotten her name already." Nico says, "What was it? N—Niyra? No, but it does begin with a n."
He looks up at the ceiling in thought then snaps his fingers in remembrance. "Nereida! Yes, Nereida. That's it."
My jaw begins to ache as I clench my teeth, my blood boiling that his vile lips uttered Nereida's beautiful name.
"I'm sorry, I'm making you mad aren't I?" Nico says without any remorse. "You want to kill me, don't you?"
I stare him down, making sure not to break eye contact with him. "You don't deserve something so merciful as death. Not after what I've seen you do to innocent people"
Nico stands up from his chair and walks around the front of his desk to sit on the edge.
"And yet you continue to help me by giving away locations for said innocent people." Nico says.
"You haven't given me much choice." I tell him.
"You could've refused to say anything at all."
"And then you'd kill me?" I say, more of a fact than a question.
"No, I would've shown you that I could get what I want with or without your help. And I would make you watch as I laid siege to your island and plundered it's riches and women. Then I would leave you on your island as I sailed away with everything that was valuable to your village and leave you to deal with their anger as they realized that you lead me there—they would not know that you refused to help me, they would only know the anger and pain I inflicted on them. So no, I wouldn't have and no I won't kill you."
I stare at him for a second before answering, "Sounds more like what you plan to do instead of what you would've done."
"So it does." Is all he says, before standing up and walking to the door of the cabin. He calls for one of his men and comes to stand beside me as his man hoists me to my feet.
"Escort Mr. Matheson back to the mast." Nico says to his man. "I have a raid to plan."
"Aye, Captain Nico." His man responds and tugs on my arm.
"Thanks for the chat." I say as I'm lead from the cabin and set back down into my position of being tied to the mast.
"When do I get some water?" I ask the man as he tightens the rope around my rope burned wrist.
"When Captain says you do." The man answers, spitting at my feet before walking away.
I slink back against the mast and pray to God for forgiveness for dooming another merchant and his crew. Maybe this time I'll be wrong and there won't be any ship to plunder—but that's unlikely.
It would've been better for Captain Nico to have killed me the moment I was brought aboard The Widower, then I wouldn't have this guilt clawing at me.
But when Sitara had promised to wait for me, I in turn had promised to stay alive, for her.
I can't bring myself to break that promise.
But if it'll save more lives than what mine is worth, then maybe she could forgive me for breaking that promise.
I want to warn Crescent Island though, save it somehow from the impending doom named The Widower. But I haven't found a way to do that as I'm still tied to the mast and hundreds of miles from home.
Crescent Island has defenses, yes, but they're not prepared for The Widower and Captain Nico. As much as I hate to admit it, Captain Nico is a good strategist and knows how to play on people's weaknesses. If Captain Dax is still at port than the island might stand a chance if he leads them, but if he and The Moonlighter are gone...The people of Crescent Island are too naive to know how to respond to a raid smartly. There are some good swordsman among the people, but they won't be able to match the skill of the crew of The Widower.
Maybe I'm not giving them enough credit, but I don't see them winning the upcoming fight.
If I can sabotage The Widower somehow, then they'd stand a chance. Maybe in the chaos of the fight I can blow it up—I'm still working on the details, but that's my vague plan.
I've got to stay alive to help the people of Crescent Island. Captain Nico was right when he said he'd find my island with or without me, so the best I can do is try and find a way to help Crescent Island while still among its enemies.
I pull on my ropes again, my rope burns screaming in protest. But I keep wiggling, pulling, and tugging. The worst part is when I'm just getting the ropes loosened, one of the crew will untie me so I can use the restroom or eat and then tie me back even tighter than what it was before, and I loose any progress I had.
I give one last final jerk and give up on this attempt. I've got to find another way to get out of my binds.
There's got to be another way.