The Ascension (Book One): Toss the Dice

Chapter One

I tapped the wooden boards under my feet and looked up at the stars. They twinkled at me from the black blanket of the sky. The waves below, breaking against the hull, rocking the boat, made a hushing lullaby that threatened to but me to sleep. I shivered as a cool wind breezed over the crows nest. I wrapped the wool blanket tighter and hummed a song to myself as I set a watchful eye on the horizon. There was a tapping on the wooden underside of the crows nest directly under my bottom. I looked over the edge of the crows nest to see Slatt, grinning at me as he hung from the rigging. He was holding a plate of food with a cup precariously balanced on it. I nodded to him and gestured with a 'come on up'. He pulled himself over the side of the rigging and sat next to me in the crow's nest, on top of my nest of blankets. He handed the plate of food too me and I began gobbling it up greedily.

"Din't spill any this time?" I asked between mouthfuls of food. Slatt shook his head and I continued eating trying to come up with something else to say. "You got night watch or Brawn gonna come up 'ere himself and do it?" Slatt shook his head and pointed a finger at his chest. "Okay. Well y'know you should really speak your mind to that braggart." Slatt shook his head and pointed to his mouth. I put down the empty cup on top of the empty plate and shoved it to the side. "I know you ain't been able to speak since they bought ya. I ain't saying you got t' use words. Fists'll do well enough."

Slatt made the strange strangling noise that he made when he was laughing and sat back against the side of the crows nest. I sat next to him a little longer and we watched the stars. I spotted all the constellations that I knew, pinpointing the warrior, the huntress, the lion, the swordsman and even The Great God Maker. Slatt began humming, one of the only things he could do with his tongue cut out as it was. He hummed a lullaby that worked in harmony with the lullaby being sung by the waves. I leaned up against Slatt's arm, pulling my blanket even tighter around my shoulders. My eyes began to drift shut as we sat there. My thoughts began to drift out of my reach as sleep slowly creeped up on my senses. Then Slatt adjusted his position and my head fell into his lap. I jerked upright and he looked surprised at my sudden movements.I pointed an accusatory finger at him and shook it in his face.

"You was tryin' to get me ta sleep weren't ya?" He shrugged, looking away from my face. "Look 'ere Slatt!" I said, getting right up in his face. "I already told ya. I ain't your lil' sister. I'm a tough grown woman 'oo can take care of 'erself. So don't you goin' and treatin' me like a lil' kid."

Slatt nodded but rolled his eyes to show that he still only thought of me as his little sister that needed taking care of. I shook my head at him in disgust. I wasn't a little kid and I didn't need babying. I was already at least 15. I wasn't sure of my real age, I mean I couldn't remember any of my past from the moment that I woke up in the hold but the closest guess that Cook and I came up with was 15 and so that's the age we chose.

"Alright." I said, nodding to myself. "I'll be heading off to my hammock now." I said to Slatt as he adjusted his spot on the crows nest. "Good luck watching the sea. And I pray that Mother Ocean watches over you tonight."

Slatt nodded and waved me off as if to say, "off with you, you bugger". I took my blanket off and wrapped it around Slatt, giving him a pat on the head as I headed for the edge. I swung over the side and scurried down the rigging past the third, second, and first sail on the main mast. I landed on the railing of the main deck and jumped down to the ground. I felt the grainy wood of the deck grind into my worn feet and I turned to grin at Scar who nodded at me from the helm.

"How was the watch Scurry?" He asked me.

"The same as it was last day at sea." I replied.

"Good thing too." He said. "I'd rather not meet any other pirates on a voyage of this importance."