FireSweet

Marked for Deception

                Captain Mají-jalio, the best of the best, famous for his short temper and the overall exclusiveness of his crew.  I didn’t know much more about him than what I had gotten out of a few guys that had laughingly pointed me toward his camp. 

            I approached the camp on my own; scoping it out to see what identified these guys as being so good.  I knew now that all of the girls were mainly in one crew, Carnie’s crew.  This crew was a disrespected poor excuse for a pirate crew.  They were constantly being raided and sometimes worked for Mají-jalio as maids and servants to buy immunity for their crew from his wrath.  Outside of the girl’s crew, only one or two other girls worked with guy pirates.  I intended to change that. 

          Mají-jalio’s camp was actually a giant ship.  One of those old-fashioned, typical pirate ships, only it was partially set into the ground. If the place was operated like a proper ship, then Mají-jalio obviously occupied the captain’s cabin near the wheel.  My plan was to sneak aboard, slip into the cabin and talk to the captain before anyone could detect me and throw me out. 

I failed miserably at discretion; before I could even get within a hundred feet of the base, a huge blonde guy tackled me and pinned me down.  This guy had biceps the size of my head, it was ridiculous.  My struggling with his grip got me a grand total of nowhere.  More interesting than his solid build, was the appearance of his hands.  They had strips of cloth wrapped around them, three around each palm.  A strip of black, a strip of crimson, and a strip of blue were wrapped around each hand.  I considered saying something about them, but that would have been stupid in my position.  I was going to attempt to negotiate my unharmed release with him but before I ever got the chance to open my mouth, another pirate leaned over the railing and yelled down to my captor. 

“Hey! Fame!  I thought the captain told you to bring the girl directly to him once she showed herself? I know he did not instruct you to tackle her and frighten the girl.  Quit flexing your muscles and bring her aboard.

            My captor loosened his grip slightly and yelled back, “I wasn’t goin’ to hurt her Jumé!  Only a halfwit would harm someone under the captain’s protection! I enjoy my life.”

            I didn't fully understand what was going on, but decided to roll with it.    Captain’s protection?  As in Captain Mají-jalio giving orders to keep me safe?  He didn’t even know me, but this could be a very good thing.  In this manner I would be able to respectfully approach him. 

             The man my captor had called Jumé threw a rope ladder over the side of the ship, and my captor, Fame, climbed up it.  He was surprisingly nimble for his considerable bulk.  I didn’t hesitate, but climbed up the drop-down ladder after him.  Once I reached the top Fame nodded to me and walked away, leaving Jumé to grab my arm and steer me into the captain's cabin.  He didn't bother to knock, but instead barged into the room as if he owned the place.  I gasped involuntarily my first glimpse of the ruthless man.  The legendary Captain Mají-jalio was sitting in front of us, with his back turned.  I forgot to breathe. 

He spoke calmly, voice devoid of all emotion, “Jumé-falio, leave us now.”

            Jumé-falio looked like he wanted to protest, but he just nodded and walked out of the room, leaving me with a god.

            Mají-jalio spun his chair around when Jumé-falio left.  His looks completed his godlike reputation.  He had an islander’s tan, his skin glowing gold from the sun.  His hair was tousled and windblown, a deep shade of ebony that the blackest midnight would envy.  That color matched his eyes.  They were unlike anything I had ever encountered, not blue or green or brown, but fathomless jet black.  My eyes tore away from his face, becoming overly aware of the deep V in his loose shirt.  It showed off the rippled muscles of his chest, their golden color and tone made it difficult not to stare blatantly.  He shifted slightly and I saw a glint from his side.  It was a beautifully crafted sword, exquisite and probably perfectly balanced.  The hilt was coated in gold and set with black pummel stones on the ends.  It was gorgeous….. for a weapon of death of course.  I shook my head slightly, disturbed at my quick assessment of the blade.  I moved my eyes elsewhere, and noticed that his hands too were bound in the cloth strips, only his colors were in the black, crimson, and white.