《The Pirates from the Forgotten Isle》


 Chapter 1

    Henry Black¡¯s life was normal before the girl appeared at his doorstep. Every morning he would get up, eat breakfast and then spend the entire day loathing his English life. Occasionally, his best friend, Tanner, would come by and loathe with him, but most of the time, he was alone. His mother had died when he was six and his father was constantly busy at fancy parties. He never had time for his only son and often acted as if Henry wasn¡¯t even alive. Henry was a decent student at his boarding school, a school where only rich people went, and he never got in trouble. So when he announced to his classmate, Max, that he was going to run away and become a pirate, he laughed at him. At first Henry hadn¡¯t been serious but as months passed and his 18<sup>th</sup> birthday approached, he began to think less and less about his school grades and pleasing his father and more and more about pirates, thieves and rebels. One day, he invited Tanner over to his house for the night. Unlike Henry, Tanner wasn¡¯t a rich man¡¯s son; in fact he didn¡¯t even have a father. His mother took care of his three younger siblings and he often had to help her. So visits from Tanner were rare. As they sat in Henry¡¯s room discussing the annoyance of his father, Tanner bounced a ball on the carpet. This failed every time though because of the softness of the carpet and the small size of the ball.


    ¡°What if we ran away?¡± Henry suddenly asked. Tanner¡¯s ball dropped from his hand and he blinked at Henry.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What if we ran away?¡± Henry repeated slowly, watching his friend¡¯s face. Tanner frowned, picked up the ball again and rolled it around the palm of his hand. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he said. ¡°You know I can¡¯t leave my mother.¡±


    ¡°But,¡± Henry protested, ¡°Lydia and Aja can help.¡±


    Lydia was Tanner¡¯s little sister, she was around sixteen years old and Aja was their single cook. She was a plump woman who loved children.


    ¡°Lydia can¡¯t do everything and Aja is only a cook.¡± Tanner replied crossly.


    Henry sighed, ¡°Then I¡¯ll run away myself.¡±


    ¡°Why do you want to run away all of the sudden?¡± Tanner demanded as they both stood, squared their shoulders, and glared at each other. As the tension slowly passed, Henry said, ¡°I need some freedom, ya know? Father¡¯s always at parties, finding a new wife or drunk and none of the servants like me.¡±


    Tanner was silent as he thought about this. He was torn between his loyalty to his mother and his loyalty to his friend.


    ¡°You think Lydia and Aja can take care of Mother? Will she be mad you think? Will we be alright?¡± He asked all these questions as Henry whipped two bags from his closet and began to stuff shirts and pants within.


    ¡°Yes. Definitely. And yes.¡±¡¯ Henry replied, ¡°So that¡¯s a yes, let¡¯s grab food.¡±


    Tanner started to protest but was silenced by Henry as the bedroom door opened slowly. A servant stepped inside and cleared his throat. Then he spoke: ¡°Your Father requests your presence in the Big Room Little Master, as well as Sir Tanner¡¯s.¡±


    Henry brushed past him and Tanner followed, nodding a quiet thanks towards the servant. They quietly moved down the hallway, the boys¡¯ wing, as Henry liked to call it. They trotted down the staircase and entered the Big Room. It was the entrance to Sir Black¡¯s vast home and estate. Henry¡¯s father quietly stood at the fireplace, on the other side of the room. In one of the leather chairs, a girl sat. The boys couldn¡¯t see her face; she had her back to them and Henry¡¯s father. Black hair tumbled down her back and she wore a simple dress. It wasn¡¯t a servant¡¯s dress, in fact it looked to be made of satin, but it was plain. A white streak ran through her black hair, giving an air of mystery to the shapely figure. Both Sir Black and the girl turned as they entered the room. Henry and Tanner warily approached them and stood in front of Henry¡¯s father. Sir Black cleared his throat and inspected them with his eyes.


    ¡°This is the Lady Elizabeth Grace. Her mother is to be yours soon enough Henry and you will treat her with respect.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Henry was used to this: His father marrying another woman and introducing Henry to her children. It was nothing new, but Henry felt that this girl was different from any of the other children who had come and gone. His father continued;


    ¡°The Lady Grace will be staying for tonight and tomorrow her mother will arrive. I want you to escort the lady around the property and show her what is here. Take this.¡± Then the man picked up a bag that had been at the Lady¡¯s feet and dropped it into Henry¡¯s hands. Then he made a shooing motion and the three turned and walked back up the staircase.


    Elizabeth didn¡¯t talk much as they led the way to her room. Henry opened the door and dropped the bag at the doorway then closed the door. He looked over his shoulder as they headed downstairs again, ¡°How old are you?¡±


    She flicked a speck of dirt from her shoulder coolly, ¡°Knock it off.¡± She said finally, ¡°You know why I¡¯m here.¡±


    Henry and Tanner exchanged glances then Henry stopped and turned to her. She bumped into him then stepped back, frowning.


    ¡°Yeah, I do. You¡¯re gonna take over my house and your mother is going to ruin my life. Eventually, you¡¯ll get tired of me so you¡¯ll complain to my father that I took the biscuits from your breakfast tray and he¡¯ll send me off to another boarding school for men. It¡¯s happened one too many times for me to fall for it again.¡± He towered over her and she scowled.


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t even have a mother. The woman that your father is going to marry isn¡¯t my mother and I¡¯m not her daughter. She doesn¡¯t even know that her ¡®daughter¡¯ is here. I came in and surprised your father. But whatever, you just think I¡¯m here to ruin your life. But it¡¯s already ruined so I can¡¯t inflict much damage anyway.¡±


    ¡°Ouch. She got you.¡± Tanner breathed.


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Henry snapped, ¡°Ok, so you¡¯re not really the lady¡¯s daughter? So you¡¯re not a Lady? Just a normal person?¡±


    Elizabeth straightened slightly, ¡°Nah, I¡¯m a pirate.¡±


    No one moved. Then Henry and Tanner both burst into laughter.


    ¡°You? A pirate?¡± Tanner demanded, ¡°Girls can¡¯t be pirates and even if they are they can¡¯t be so...ladylike.¡±


    Elizabeth looked amused. ¡°You wanted to run away, no? Well my Captain sent me to pick you up to help you.¡±


    ¡°How would you know if I want to run away?¡± Henry asked, his laughter fading.


    ¡°Your friend Max told us.¡± She replied, ¡°He¡¯s a friend of the crew and Captain¡¯s been looking for some sturdy hands to help on board. So Max suggested you two.¡±


    Henry shook his head in disbelief. ¡°Max did this? Max suggested that we become pirates?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Elizabeth said, ¡°So are you in?¡±


    Now Henry noticed her accent. It was definitely English, but it had a rough edge to it.


    Henry nodded excitedly, ¡°I¡¯m in!¡± Then he caught sight of Tanner¡¯s face. Tanner looked slightly excited but doubtful. He looked at Henry, ¡°I can¡¯t leave my family.¡±


    Henry sighed, ¡°Tanner! Live a little! They¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Tanner grumbled and a long time passed before he finally spoke, ¡°Ok, fine. But I want to visit my family at least once or twice, ok?¡±


    Elizabeth nodded, ¡°Alright then. Pack your bags, we¡¯ll leave tonight.¡±


    Henry and Tanner scrambled to Henry¡¯s room and finished packing their bags. Dinnertime passed in a blur. With Elizabeth acting like a proper lady while Henry¡¯s father accompanied them for dinner. When he left before dessert, Elizabeth changed again. She was a wicked child. She threw food at the servants who passed. Henry was relieved; the servants didn¡¯t really like him. She stuck ice from Tanner¡¯s drink into a maid¡¯s apron pocket as she leaned over Elizabeth to swat Henry¡¯s face after he had given her a snarky comment.


    After dinner, the three headed upstairs and into Henry¡¯s room. Elizabeth inspected everything in his room and his bag that he had packed.


    ¡°Do you know how to use a gun?¡± She asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Henry replied quietly.


    ¡°A cutlass?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°A normal sword?¡±


    ¡°Uh...no.¡±


    ¡°Can you tie knots?¡±


    ¡°Not sailor knots. But I know how to tie my shoe.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever climbed a tree? Stolen something? Snuck out somewhere? Anything like that?


    ¡°I¡¯ve climbed a few trees in my time...when no one¡¯s looking. I used to steal tarts from the pantry, but the cook gave me a beating so I didn¡¯t do it again.¡±


    Elizabeth sighed, ¡°Why did you stop?¡±


    ¡°Because the cook beat me!? Wouldn¡¯t you have stopped?¡±


    ¡°No I wouldn¡¯t. Pirates don¡¯t stop stealing unless threatened to be hung or burned.¡±


    ¡°Which always happens doesn¡¯t it?¡± Tanner asked.


    ¡°Only if we¡¯re caught.¡± Elizabeth¡¯s eyes sparkled humorously. ¡°We¡¯ll have the Captain whip you into shape soon enough.¡±


    As night fell, the house became quieter. Elizabeth vanished after it was dark to her room but came back a short while later. She wore the typical pirate outfit: A white blouse, torn in some places, floppy black pants, tightened at the ankles to avoid tripping, and a short white skirt, for style. She had a belt around her waist that had both a cutlass and a gun hooked into it. She had pulled her hair back slightly as she grinned at their expressions.


    ¡°Never seen a pirate before?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Nope.¡± They both replied.


    ¡°Well, then you¡¯re in for a real treat when you meet the captain. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    They quietly gathered their bags and lowered themselves from Henry¡¯s window with his sheets that were tied together.


    ¡°Classic.¡± Elizabeth breathed as Henry jerked the sheet ladder from his window and let it flop to the ground.

 Chapter 2

    They crept through the town in the darkness. Elizabeth led the way to the dock, where a small rowboat floated. It seemed out of place next to the large Navy Ships that were also docked there. Elizabeth quietly crept in, and then motioned for them to follow. Henry and Tanner immediately set to work, rowing as quickly but quietly as they could. Elizabeth pointed to where they were to row and it took a long time to get out of the cove in the darkness. It was dawn when Elizabeth finally spoke.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there. Just a little farther.¡±


    ¡°How do we know that you didn¡¯t just lead us out here to die? How do you know we aren¡¯t lost? I don¡¯t see land anywhere.¡± Tanner complained.


    ¡°I hate to say it, but I agree with Tanner.¡± Henry grumbled.


    Elizabeth shook her head, ¡°A pirate is always good at navigating and getting back to his or her ship. Look behind you.¡±


    Slowly they turned around, and Tanner gasped. Now, only a few hundred yards away, a large ship loomed. It wasn¡¯t as big as the Navy ships, but it was still one of the biggest Henry had ever seen. Sailors ran along the deck, scrambling to tie and untie ropes and release the sails. As they floated along the side of the large ship, Henry could see the name: ¡°The Fighter.¡±


    A rope ladder unraveled down to them and Elizabeth climbed up, ¡°C¡¯mon.¡±


    Tanner went next, then Henry. When Henry pulled himself on board, he stopped. Surrounding them were probably ten to twenty sailors. Most of them were either middle aged or young men. Elizabeth stood in front of Henry and Tanner, proud that she had been the one to bring more sailors to the ship. One sailor growled, ¡°Why they¡¯re nothin¡¯ but rich boys!¡±


    A few other sailors shouted in agreement and Elizabeth¡¯s smile faded. She scowled at them, ¡°Yeah, well think ¡®bout it. Rich boys know how to get money. Unlike you Darkin, you¡¯ve brought nothin¡¯ to this ship ¡®cept fleas.¡±


    Now a few sailors, ¡°Ooh¡¯ed¡± and snickered at her retort.


    ¡°Rich boys are worth nothin¡¯ to me, and Captain won¡¯t want nothin¡¯ to do wid dem.¡± The first sailor, Darkin, spat; flustered at Elizabeth¡¯s reply.


    ¡°I¡¯ll thank you not to tell Elizabeth what I want and what I don¡¯t, Darkin.¡± Came a voice.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    The sailors immediately parted slightly and a girl walked through the line. She wore the same outfit as Elizabeth but with royal blue pants and a non-ripped blouse instead. She wore the feathery captain¡¯s hat on her head. Long blonde hair tumbled down her shoulders and she spun a small handgun between her fingers. She looked to be around eighteen or seventeen. She flicked her gun barrel in Darkin¡¯s direction, smiling humorlessly, and he cowered behind another sailor, ¡°Sorry Captain.¡±


    She nodded and slipped the gun into her belt, then turned to examine the boys. Her eyes trailed their faces and arms, trying to test their weaknesses and strengths. Then she breathed,


    ¡°Captain Sam Blackstone,¡± She said, ¡°But you call me Cap.¡±


    It sounded more like an order than a request.


    ¡°Henry Black,¡± Henry introduced himself, ¡°And this is my friend Tanner Forrester.¡±


    ¡°Welcome to the crew. Hope you know what¡¯s to be expected.¡± She said coolly.


    Henry swallowed, ¡°Uh...¡±


    Behind the captain, Elizabeth nodded vigorously and made a ¡°Cut it out¡± motion, pulling her hand across her neck.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Henry said quickly, returning his gaze back to the captain.


    Elizabeth sighed with relief and the Captain grunted.


    ¡°Alright then. Bjorn will show you where you¡¯re living, dump your stuff there. But don¡¯t expect to have those stuff two weeks from now.¡±


    Henry frowned and looked at Elizabeth quizzically.


    * * *


    ¡°Darkin and his buddies here steal everyone¡¯s stuff. Don¡¯t go complaining to Sam--uh Cap about it. ¡®Cause she won¡¯t do anything. It¡¯s a dog eat dog world. Even here on the ship. You can¡¯t call us family. Dakin would cause a mutiny against Cap if he weren¡¯t so darn afraid of her.¡± Elizabeth explained as she followed them down to their quarters.


    She didn¡¯t go in; instead she waited outside as Bjorn, a young man in his twenties, showed them their cots. The beds were all hooked to the wall, off the floor. Twenty cots were lined up on the walls, held by wood and chains. Henry¡¯s mattress was paper-thin and he had no pillow. Tanner looked excited, he didn¡¯t usually have much to sleep on and here he had his own bed.


    As they walked up the stairs to the deck, Elizabeth studied Henry¡¯s face, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She demanded.


    ¡°You never said that the Captain was a girl.¡± Henry grumbled, ¡°I can¡¯t take girls seriously.¡±


    Elizabeth pulled a cutlass from her belt, shoved Henry against the wall and held the tip of her weapon to his neck.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to learn to take us girls seriously, because from now on, you¡¯re under your captain¡¯s order. I¡¯m the nice girl on this ship. Cap? Not so much. When you¡¯re around her, you¡¯re gonna have to hold your tongue because she will not hesitate to either kill you or maroon you.¡±


    She smiled sweetly as she slipped her cutlass into her belt and turned to the stairs.


    ¡°I never signed up for this,¡± Henry snapped at her turned back, ¡°I asked to run away, not become a pirate.¡±


    Elizabeth glanced back at him as she vanished up the staircase, ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll take you back to your fancy estate right now, pack your bags and lets go.¡±


    Tanner grunted, ¡°I don¡¯t want to go home, Henry can, but I¡¯m staying.¡±


    Grudgingly, Henry followed them back upstairs to the deck.

 Chapter 3

    When they appeared back on deck, the captain was barking orders at her sailors.


    ¡°We need to get out of here fast or else we¡¯ll be caught. Do you want that Beardy?¡± She snapped at an older carpenter. His long, knotty beard was matted with dry blood, bits of food and something mushy that Henry couldn¡¯t distinguish.


    ¡°N-no Captain. I just woke up and I ate before dinner...¡± He stuttered and his voice faded as he realized what a poor excuse he had made. The Captain instantly took a hold of his weakness.


    ¡°Oh...¡± She said, her voice had become dangerously quiet.


    The man cowered, terrified. ¡°So you¡¯ve been eating all our rations, more than usual, no? So while all the rest of us have been working, you¡¯ve been enjoying yourself in the hull, eating...all...our...food.¡± She pinned him with her turquoise blue eyes and he whimpered. The entire deck was silent now, awaiting Beardy¡¯s fate.


    Finally, the Captain moved. Beardy flinched, fully expecting her to impale him with her cutlass, or grab him by his long beard and shoot him with her gun. But she didn¡¯t do any of that. Instead she merely growled a warning, ¡°Do that again Beardy, and I will not hesitate to kill you.¡±


    He nodded and scampered away, grabbing at sails and straightening them out as he went. Everyone returned to their work, including the captain who grabbed a hanging rope and swung on it. She sailed into the air and gracefully landed on the quarterdeck.


    Elizabeth motioned for the boys to follow her and they scrambled to climb to the quarterdeck. The Captain surveyed the horizon thoughtfully as they approached. She locked eyes with Henry for a split second, then turned to Elizabeth.


    ¡°We only have about an hour before the Navy ships set out for the day. If we do not move fast enough, they will be upon us.¡±


    Elizabeth nodded then turned to the sailors on deck, she repeated what the Captain had said and barked out a few orders. Tanner leaned towards Henry and whispered, ¡°Elizabeth must be the quartermaster, they are, like, next in line behind the Cap and make sure the sailors follow orders.¡± He explained.


    ¡°How do you know this?¡± Henry muttered in return.


    Tanner shrugged, ¡°Books.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you can read.¡±


    ¡°I read all your school books when you bring them home.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Elizabeth suddenly turned to them, ¡°What are you whispering about?¡±


    Henry started to retort then became aware of the Captain watching him. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Elizabeth grunted, then returned to watching the sailors.


    The Captain was still watching Henry and they stared at each other-- the Captain thoughtfully and searching, and Henry angrily. He didn¡¯t understand why he had to fall under her order. She was a girl and she was his age...possibly even younger.  Tanner brought him back to the real world with his stomach growling.


    Elizabeth whipped around, staring at Tanner.


    He sheepishly grinned at her, ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten in eighteen hours.¡±


    Elizabeth shook her head. ¡°Well everyone eats dinner around this time, so c¡¯mon.¡±


    They scrambled after her as she headed to the stairs to go below deck. The Captain quietly followed them. As they moved down the hall that led to their quarters, Elizabeth turned right and opened another door. Inside was a table with 10 seats around it. On shelves around the table, food was held in jars and sacks. Small loaves of bread were piled on the table with jars of jam. Henry guessed they had gotten all this in England while picking them up. They had to eat it quickly before it went bad. All four sat at the table and as they grabbed the bread, they had to inspect it to make sure no bugs were hiding inside.


    ¡°So,¡± Elizabeth said, her mouth full of bread and jam, ¡°Cap. These two don¡¯t know how to use weapons.¡±


    The Captain was inspecting a jar, her eyes moved from the jar, to Elizabeth, to Henry and Tanner. She sighed, ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll help you. But we have to hurry because the Navy is getting more and more active. They have more ships and are more willing to destroy us than ever.¡±


    She looked at Henry and pointed her bread at him, ¡°Your father is rich and powerful. If he wants to be spiteful, or build up his reputation with the headline of ¡®Rich father saves son from pirates!¡¯ then he¡¯s going to send some ships. We¡¯ve got to be ready for them when they do come. This is a large ocean, but there are more ships than there have ever been, patrolling on it. It¡¯s going to be hard to slip through their notice.¡±


    After she said this, she slowly leaned back in her chair, lifting her feet and placing them on the table. Henry noticed the metal shards on the tip of her boots and made a mental note not to ever get in the way of her feet.


    She quietly watched their expressions as they mulled over what she had said. Finally Tanner looked at her,Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°Do I have to use a cutlass?¡± He asked. She blinked at him.


    ¡°Well, what else do you want to use?¡±


    He ducked under her gaze, ¡°Possible something like a bow and arrow?¡±


    She settled again, crossing her arms, ¡°Ok. I think we still have a few in the storage room.¡±


    It was quiet again.


    Elizabeth spoke up, looking at Henry, ¡°This is your last chance to return to your father and your safe home. If you travel with us, you will most likely die. We¡¯ve been thrown into dungeons more than once, lost our crews and our ships. Cap and I have only stuck around for the past 5 years because we know how to escape dungeons before we¡¯re hanged. But you need to know that it will happen eventually.¡±


    Henry nodded finally, ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back. I¡¯m already this deep into the pirate business. Can¡¯t get much worse, can it?¡±


    The Captain snorted, ¡°You haven¡¯t seen nothing Rich Boy. You just wait.¡±


    Suddenly, a loud crash resounded from above deck. Elizabeth glared upward, ¡°Drunkards.¡± She breathed.


    Henry leaned forward, locking eyes with the captain. She obviously didn¡¯t like this and took it as a challenge. She scowled back at him but didn¡¯t look away.


    ¡°How about a trade?¡± Henry asked, ¡°You teach me whatever pirate stuff I need to know, and I can teach you to talk correctly. Because ¡°You haven¡¯t seen nothing.¡± isn¡¯t the correct usage.¡±


    Elizabeth choked after this comment,


    ¡°I like you.¡± She said finally, looking at Henry, ¡°Cap was never really schooled so, this could be a learning experience.¡± She grinned smugly at the Captain.


    ¡°Shut up.¡± The Captain growled, ¡°You¡¯ve got a lot of guts Henry. That¡¯s good when fighting or killing. Not when addressing your Captain.¡±


    Henry stood up, ¡°Oh come on. You do not scare me. You¡¯re what? My age? And you¡¯re a girl.¡±


    Tanner sighed, ¡°We talked about this.¡± He muttered.


    Slowly the Captain stood, and the tension in the air rose until Henry could feel that her patience was paper-thin.


    ¡°Age and gender do not matter. What matters is who can kill and plunder. Who has the upper hand and who is more powerful. Right now, that¡¯s me. You don¡¯t want to find out how fast I can get you thrown off of this ship and devoured by creatures of the deep.¡±


    After a moment, Henry slowly sank back into his seat. Elizabeth was glaring daggers at him and Tanner had his face buried in his hands, convinced that the Captain was about to decapitate Henry with her cutlass. The Captain, satisfied that she had won the small challenging match, plucked a loaf of bread from Tanner¡¯s plate and strode from the room. As soon as her footsteps faded from hearing, Elizabeth exploded.


    ¡°I told you; don¡¯t mess with the Captain! She¡¯s got a lot on her mind, and new sailors are supposed to help. All you¡¯ve been doing is argue with her!¡± She stood so fast, her chair fell over and clattered to the ground.


    ¡°She took my bread.¡± Tanner whimpered.


    ¡°What is wrong with you? You never listen!¡± Elizabeth kept ranting.


    ¡°Do you feel that?¡± Tanner asked quietly.


    ¡°If she doesn¡¯t throw you off board, I will! You are a stupid, selfish rich kid who thinks that he owns everything and everyone!¡±


    ¡°Do you feel that?¡± Tanner repeated, glaring up at Elizabeth.


    ¡°And if you think for one second that she¡¯s going to forgive you, you¡¯re¡ª¡°


    ¡°ELIZABETH!¡± Tanner roared.


    Henry blinked at him. He¡¯d never heard such a loud sound from Tanner. Elizabeth went silent, staring at him in shock. Tanner slowly leaned forward towards the glass of water in front of him. The glass was made of gold, probably one of the riches that the pirates had plundered. But Tanner didn¡¯t care about the goblet itself, it was what was inside the goblet that made his heart stop. The water inside was in a permanent tilt. Tanner had thought for a while that the room felt weird.


    ¡°We¡¯re tilting.¡± He breathed, staring at the water.


    ¡°We¡¯re in the ocean. With waves. Of course, we¡¯re going to tilt.¡± Elizabeth said. But she doubted it herself. Normally ships tilted from side to side, constantly moving. But this water wasn¡¯t moving, just tilted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that loud crash was from drunk pirates.¡± Henry said quietly.


    A split second passed in silence. They looked at each other, then simultaneously scrambled to the door. As they scrambled to the deck, Elizabeth suddenly halted. Henry and Tanner both smacked into her and she put her finger to her lips.


    ¡°It¡¯s too quiet¡­I think we hit something.¡± She breathed.


    Slowly, Henry pushed past her and out onto the deck. He stared at the scene in front of him, confused.


    The Captain stood with her back to him, her gun in one hand and cutlass in the other. Across from her, glaring and wielding cutlass¡¯s, the other pirates stood. Elizabeth quickly scrambled after Henry and blinked at what she saw.


    The Captain was aware of their presence but kept her gaze on the angry pirates.


    ¡°What is this?¡± She asked coolly.


    Darkin stepped forward, glowering. ¡°You know what this is. We¡¯re tired of having you shove us around and bringing two rich boys in, as if to replace us, did not help on your rep, Cap.¡±


    She scowled, ¡°So, what? You want to leave?¡±


    Darkin shook his head, ¡°No Cap, we want you to leave. Either that, or you step down and I¡¯ll be captain. But choose one.¡±


    The Captain chuckled dangerously, there was no humor in her voice. ¡°Are you sure you want to go this way Darkin?¡± She asked, her eyes narrowing.


    He flipped his cutlass in his hand and lifted it slightly, ¡°Then you want to leave, huh?¡±


    Elizabeth pulled two guns from her belt and threw them at the boys. ¡°It¡¯s a mutiny.¡± She growled, ¡°Which side do you choose?¡±


    Tanner and Henry blinked at each other, ¡°Well, obviously the side that wants us.¡± Tanner said.


    Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, ¡°Good choice.¡±


    Henry blinked and raised the gun, ¡°How do I use this?¡± He pulled the small latch on the handle and a loud BANG erupted through the quiet air. The Captain instantly ducked as the bullet narrowly missed her head and hit a pirate across from them. The pirate gasped and fell backward with the hit.


    The Captain glanced at him, but returned to Darkin.


    Tanner, jealous of the attention that Henry was receiving from the pirates was not hesitant in repeating Henry¡¯s motion. He pulled the trigger and hit another pirate, once again almost hitting the captain.


    Elizabeth snickered, ¡°Nice shot. But we don¡¯t want our captain dead just so you know.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we made our point.¡± Cap said, grabbing the side of Henry¡¯s barrel as he prepared to fire again and lowered it.


    Darkin was slowly backing up but the Captain would not let him get away so easily. She lifted her gun slightly and fired. He gasped and struggled when it hit him, attempting to get away. He stumbled backwards and the other pirates parted slightly as he fell through them. He tripped over the rail of the ship and disappeared beneath the waves. Instantly, the other pirates scrambled over the edge, attempting to save him and themselves.


    The Captain turned to them, "Darkin steered the ship to hit some corral beneath the waves."


    "So...?" Henry asked quietly.


    She glared at him, "We''re sinking."