TREASURE

The Maps

Your body jerks up by the slam of the door. The light candle nearly blown out by the movement. The feeling of relief spreads through your body. Your lungs dares to start breathing slower, knowing that the air won't be taken away by surprise again.

You sit up against the wall. Your shoulder is screaming, your stomach is burning and you're knees are weak. Still he didn't use anything to beat you up with exception from his fist, as he did just the day before.
Just by looking down your blue-purple mottled arm you saw your chain who held you connected to him. A shining golden ring like that is what most women dream about, but you abhor it. Even want to throw it over board. But then you won't get away this gently.

Slowly you force your knees to bear the weight of your body, try to support them by getting a grip on the dresser beside you. When you finally swallow, the taste of metal fills your mouth. By reflex you brush your other hand against your slightly open lips, and a thin red line has placed itself on your palm. Great.

"Did I tell you it was time to eat? That you even was allowed to?" His words echoes back and forth inside your head. Did I do something so wrong? After nearly two days without food you felt like fainting, of course you start looking for something to eat.

Suddenly sheers fills the deck outside of the captains cabin, and the thought that you're finally are gonna be alone for an hour or two are appreciated. You make the way to the door that leads to the deck, and slowly try to open it. Locked. What did you even believe? The sound of glass bottles toast fills the captains cabin. The crew start singing to an old sailor mans song and everything seems quite normal.

When you moved from the door footsteps approached. No. Your heart skipped a beat, please tell me he isn't coming back in, please. I can't get through more now, the pain is unbearable.
Then two men started talking just outside the captains cabin. One is the captain, clearly his dark and uncaring tone, and the other one raspy and a tiny bit familiar, probably an officer.
"Has he said anything?"
"Nothing."
"Nonsense, it's been a two weeks since we captured him outside the town in st Louis, he must have said something."
"I'm sorry captain, he hasn't uttered a single word."

They are speaking about the hostage on board. The biggest news the Royal Navy has gotten in a long time. St Mary is the first ship that ever has captured a crew member from the Treasure. You've heard that he's young. But even if he came to the ship two weeks ago you haven't gotten the chance to see him.

"Have you cut down his food rations until he talks like I've told you?"
"Yes captain, he just gets a pice of bread a day and then the water, he will starve on that but he still won't talk."
"So if he refuses to talk, how long does he have?"
"With this food rations, less than two weeks."
"What a waste of food. You know what? Cut of his food rations completely and just give him water, that way he has to talk."
"But he cant survive very long then if..."
"Just do as you're ordered."

It was silent for a few seconds.

"Yes captain."

You heard them leave.

The hostage was a pirate, you are very aware of that, still you feel bad for him. Being tortured that way was wrong, you out of anybody should know how starving was like.
Still you are locked in here and can't do anything.

You turn to the desk behind you. The pain has gotten more bearable then before, at least so you get to the desk without to much effort. The maps every body talks so much about lies open here. The yellowed corners makes them look really old, but you doubt that they are over a 200 years old. You walk around it and makes sure the door still is untouched. Finally.

In here no one can see the maps, not even the navigator, they are to important therefore a first class secret. The captain is the only one who can study the destinations that's nearly to many for a man to memorize together with all courses. But you know different. As a woman, no one would expect you to understand navigating and memorize the maps. After spending a bit more than a year on this ship, you've quickly learnt all the navigational and nautical terms and you've overheard the conversations between the navigator and the captain, to the point you understand everything. Also by carefully let your eyes rest on there's work, navigation is nothing you can't master.
The thought about one day escape is perhaps one reason to why you easily remember every painted line, every letter and all detailed symbols. Everything from ships to mermaids carefully hand drawn. If captain knew, you can't even imagine what would happen. Don't want to either. It would at least be much worse than your worst nightmare, you can be sure of that.
The maps consist eleven big parchment, all nearly the size of the table, so they are all one top of one and another, taking all the attention from the dark cabin.