Secrets from the Deep

Chapter 2

Meg, Annie, and Caden continued to clean the house until the sun was no longer in the sky.

Meg sat in one of the seats in the parlor, Mr. Carter's last words continuing to ring in her ears.

"Oh, Annie. What am I to do about Mr. Carter?" Meg asked, breathing heavily, her eyes watery from all of the events of that difficult day.

"You could maybe hide somewhere during that time?" Annie suggested, unsure about what to offer her cousin.

However, soon after this, the two heard numerous screams from the streets!

"What on earth is going on out there?" Meg asked as she, Annie, and Caden ran to the window leading to where the chaos was happening.

"Oh no! A gang of pirates led by Captain Moncilia is robbing every house on this street!" Caden exclaimed.

"And it seems as though they are kidnapping our friend Robert as well!" Meg added after looking out at the chaos in the streets.

"I must go after them!"

"I will come with you; you could use the help," Meg offered while watching Captain Moncilia's ship, the Air Mando, sail off.

"No, Meg. Captain Moncilia has been one of the most feared pirates in the last twenty years, and I do not want you to get hurt."

"Excuse me? I am a fast learner, have studied the art of fencing, and am perfectly capable of defending myself."

"Wait, you have learned how to use a sword? Now I need to see what you can do with one," Caden said as he took two of the swords they had found while cleaning and handed her one.

"But please do not hurt each other!" Annie requested as her cousin and fiance walked out to the back of the house to duel. Despite wearing a gown and high-heeled boots, Meg was able to disarm her opponent in a short amount of time.

"Fine, you win. But I am not much of a swordsman myself, making it easy for you to disarm me. Why do you even want to go?" Caden said, embarrassed after their duel concluded.

"You just confessed that you are not great with a sword, so you will need some help on your journey," Meg argued. "Besides, I might fulfill something that has been on my mind."

"I know where you are coming from with this, but I still believe it would be best if you and Annie stayed in Plymouth."

"If I am staying here, who will you bring on your journey when you try to rescue Robert?" Meg challenged.

"My brother Charles and his friends who are brave and strong enough to face Captain Moncilia. I shall see you after Robert is safe back on land," Caden explained as he left.

"If he will not bring me along, I will just have to follow him and learn the ways of the sea on my own," Meg decided.

"But what are you going to do about this?" Annie questioned her adventure-filled cousin.

"Tomorrow, I will sail out on Uncle Alan's boat, the Night Wind, with a crew of my own, escape my problems on land, and find some pirates," Meg explained confidently.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, besides, the soul of Uncle Alan would appreciate it if I used the boat that he left me in his will."

...

"A toast to another successful adventure!" Captain Moncilia told his crewmates in the Air Mando's dining room as he raised his glass of rum.

"Agreed," his second mate Terrance "The Terrible" Espen said before everyone clinked their glasses together.

"What are we going to do with the captive?" the First Mate Aslan Gibbs asked.

"We will see if he has the skills or desire to be a pirate. If he is any good, we will ask him to join the crew," Captain Moncilia began.

"If he refuses or is terrible on the sea, we'll force him to walk the plank," Terrance added.

"Let us not get ahead of ourselves, Terrance. Tonight, we celebrate and relax. Tomorrow, our captive's training begins."

Without another word, Aslan rose from his seat and left the room while everyone else cheered. Captain Moncilia immediately noticed his first mate's exit. He excused himself from the group, and went to join Aslan out on the deck.

...

Aslan looked out at the stars and moon, which covered the entire Air Mando in its light before Captain Moncilia joined him at the railing.

"I have always appreciated nights like this," Captain Moncilia told Aslan.

"You do?" Aslan questioned, as he turned to look at his Captain.

"Sometimes, after a long day full of fighting and adventures, it is good to have a moment of peace. I like to breathe in the fresh air, look at the stars, and think back to when she was here," Captain Moncilia replied, his voice trailing off while mentioning the last item.

"Who's she?" Aslan asked.

"You might not know this, but I was once in love. She was a woman who challenged Aphrodite in beauty, and about thirty years ago, I confessed my love to her on a night like this."

"What happened to her?"

"It seemed as though the world did not want us to be together and preferred if I were a pirate. But enough about me; what troubles you tonight, Aslan?"

"Is it bad that sometimes I don't feel worthy of being first mate?"

"What makes you believe that?"

"Well, look at everything Terrance has done as a member of this crew. He is bold, ruthless, and the one that seems to order the crew when you're not present. Also, he's the son of the former captain and has a much cooler nickname; wouldn't he be a more worthy successor to you than me?"

"Terrance shows that he truly is his father's son, but that is not necessarily the type of person I would like to be captain once I step down. Aslan, you are a man who respects everyone on this ship and the ideal person to lead our Robin Hood-style pirate lifestyle where we steal from the rich and give to the poor."

"Who's Robin Hood?"

"Perhaps you should read a book or two when we are not too busy."

"Have you ever killed anyone?"

"I have, but only in certain circumstances. Do not worry, though, Aslan, I chose you as my first mate, and I know when you take over this ship, you will be the second greatest Captain the Air Mando has ever had."

"But who's the best?" Aslan questioned.

"You are looking at him," Captain Moncilia joked.

The two laughed before Captain Moncilia said, "Get some sleep; you need and deserve it." He began to head off to his cabin to turn in for the night.

"I have one more question, Captain," Aslan began.

Captain Moncilia stopped in his tracks and looked at Aslan once again.

"How often do you think of her?"

"Every day since I first saw her."