Broken Sails

Pirate vessel

«Pirate vessel! » 

A distant voice coming from outside the ship made all three of us turn our heads around. «Pirate vessel!» the same insistent voice repeated, slightly louder this time. «What follows is a message from the Lord Governor of the Carolina Colony.» Silver and I exchanged looks but remained quiet. «"I trusted the good faith of your arrival and I accepted Captain Flint as my guest in the same spirit...» the voice continued. I sensed Silver's eyes on me, but didn't return his look. I was staring at the shadow my body was casting on the wooden floor. The voice continued «But I now regret to inform you that he has violated that trust in a most deceitful manner. Therefore I've placed him under arrest.» When we looked at each other again, I expected my face to look equally as ashen and shocked as his. «This trial and its resulting sentence will be swift, just, and final. And it will reestablish beyond any shadow of a doubt that the rule of law lives in Carolina, that the men and women of this place will not shrink from you, from any of you, from any like you, and that the death of piracy in the New World has never been nearer than today. At the conclusion of this trial, if your ship remains, I will seize or sink her.»

I felt as if I were holding my breath for hours with no effort. No rise, no fall, just my heart beating faster every second. I could feel it, in my fingertips, that little clipping throb of blood, it was the only thing I could sense moving in the room. They had captured my mother, along with Flint and were already planning their hanging. The realisation of it, hit me with full force making me almost lose my balance, but I held tight onto the wall with one hand. Images of my mother facing the gallows violently stormed in my head and the thought alone made me sick. I didn't even realise how, or when, Vane had managed to, somehow, release himself from Silver's grasp and take the upper hand again. I heard Silver's loud grunt as he fell on his knees. Vane noticed that I hadn't made a move to try to stop him, so he pointed his knife at me.
God I wanted to run. But there was nowhere to go. So, I had to do what my father had taught me.

Stay and fight.

I stood my ground. I was still trying to digest the thought of it all, and the truth was, that the more I was thinking about it the more my anger was now growing stronger. Stronger than the fear for my own well-being. I had to do something... I had to find a way to save my mother. I squeezed my eyes closed, trying to hold back the tears. «No!» I said with an autarkic tone and turned to face Vane. I took off all of my weapons and dropped them on the floor at once. «You stopped being my enemy about ten seconds ago.» I raised my chin along with my voice while stepping closer to him. Silver was now looking at me with wide eyes, but I could not care less. «If you cannot see who the real enemy here is, then you're more stupid than I took you for!» I had regretted saying that the moment the words came out of my mouth. I was just glad my voice didn't shake. He came closer while still pointing the knife at me, forcing me to take a few steps back.

«Let me tell you what happens next. » he said in a low and slightly hoarse voice. And to my -and Silver's- surprise, he lowered his weapon.

He took a deep breath, before he continued «I cannot allow them to kill Flint.» he announced eventually. I raised my eyebrows and turn to look at Silver who was wearing the same confused expression on his face as I was. Vane ignored us and continued «Because if someone is to kill that bastard, that will be me» Vane explained while taking a step closer to Silver «I only came here to take the ship, that is rightfully mine.» he said. «The ship that Flint took from me» 

So that was what this whole thing was really about?

Pirates stealing from pirates. If the conditions of the current situation we were finding ourselves in, had been any different, I would probably be laughing at the irony of it.
However, for now, I had to be smart about this.