The pirate Captain was standing there gaping. His entire crew just became some very thirsty vampires' meal.
"Enjoy my Boys. Take your fill." Councilman Klaus turned to Councilwoman Cleo. "You first my dear." She attacked the pirate Captain. She took a few sips then past him to Councilman Klaus and the rest of the Council.
The freshly fed Guards put the drained bodies back on the pirate ship. They took whatever food they had and brought it back on board.
Councilman Klaus and Antonio watched the Guard do all this.
"Captain?" Councilman Antonio called.
"Yes Sir." The Captain walked over to him.
"How many men do you think you would need to sail that boat?"
The Captain scanned the pirate ship. "At least thirty men, Sir?"
"Thank you Captain. Shaun!"
Shaun went to the Councilmen.
"Take a party of ten and check the ship for anyone left alive."
"Yes Sir."
"Paddy, Cassie, Quinn, Vincent, Samuel, Kylie, Barry, Walter and Scott." We went to Shaun. "The four of us will shift. You two transform. The rest of you track." We nodded.
They shifted into black panthers.
"We will go to the bottom level." Shaun nodded.
Paddy was right beside me. The stench of the boat was over powering. Dozens of unwashed bodies. Eww!
We followed the ladders down to the hull. We did not need a light to see. The mortals were not expecting us.
I walked quietly along the narrow walkway counting the men hiding in the smugglers' holds. I found five.
Paddy was at one end. I was at the other. I bent down and pried up the deck boards.
"St. Lucifer! It is a bloody angel that found me." I laughed. He stood up and walked backwards nervously. I had not drawn my sword yet.
"Are you one of those that came out of those coffins?" I noticed Walter standing behind Paddy. "No but he is." I pointed to Walter.
"Saints preserve us!" He turned to look.
"There is no one there." He laughed nervously. I looked around him. I could see Paddy and Walter. "You are right no one is there."
Suddenly the four other pirates that were hiding in the walls and under the deck came out and ran away from me and right into Paddy and Walter.
"I thought you said no one was there?" The first pirate said.
"No I did not. You did. I just agreed with you." I said smiling.
"You are blind as a bat Mal." One of the other pirates said.
I drew my sword. "All right Gentlemen. Let us go on deck."
"What for?" The one closest to me complained. I just poked him with my sword. He turned to see what I had poked him with. "You heard the Lady. Up on deck."
It was just after moonrise when we had the last of the pirates on deck.
"Good job all of you." Councilman Klaus said.
"Thank you Sir." I said.
"Bring them on board Kylie."
"Yes Sir."
I grabbed one of the pirates by the waist and swung across the gap in between the two boats. I dropped him onto the 'Gabriel' deck then swung back. The others guarded them until I had them all across then we came on board.
Everyone returned to their human form.
The eleven pirates we brought across were standing on the deck gaping at us.
"What kind of boat is this?" One of the pirates asked.
No one answered him.
"Captain will these men be enough to help you sail the 'Gabriel'?" Councilman Klaus asked.
"Yes Sir. They are well seasoned seamen." The Captain smiled.
"How can you tell?"
"For one Sir. They have all tarred their tails," pointing to their hair, "and they have tough hands and feet."
"And the fact that they sway naturally with boat is another."
"Yes that is right."
"Carry on Captain."
"Thank you Sir. All right you men I want to know, what your positions were on your boat." The mortals talked amongst themselves.
The Councilmen walked over to us.
"Set the boat adrift." Councilman Antonio told us.
"Yes Sir."
We untied the mooring lines and watched the pirate ship drift away.
