I looked up at the man with a gun to the back of my head, biting back a sharp retort about my lack of a death wish. I didn’t want to give him a reason to pull that trigger. Searching what I could see of the dark cargo hold, my gaze found the woman who had spoken against him. Scanning upwards from her high leather boots, to her corset and white blouse, and past the large gold hoops that hung from her ears, I finally found her face. Sharp green eyes were focused on me, luminous against dark skin; the same as the man who’d attacked me. I met her gaze, not sure if I should thank her for convincing her crewmate to spare me- at least for the moment.
She shook her head, a silent warning; the motion flipped the tail of her long braid of deep brown hair over her shoulder.
I drew in a steadying breath, and I grudgingly went along with the demands. “No escape attempts, I swear,” I assured the man with the gun.
It seemed to satisfy him as he gave me a nudge to start walking forward, saying to the woman, “Cordy, get the door.” Once our way was clear, he gave me a harder shove, practically snarling as he whispered, “I’d say it was a pleasure knowing you, but it hasn’t been. Hopefully you’ll have learned yer lesson for the next life.”
A shiver of dread crawled down my spine as I wondered what the military would do to me now that I’d been found on their ship; I did my best not to show it, gritting my teeth and refusing him the satisfaction of a pleading response. It only served to aggravate him further as he pushed me into the body of the ship.
My worries grew as I was forced down a long hallway with plush red carpeting running along the wood floor, gold embroidery shimmering in the light. The walls were bare, and while nothing cluttered the space, I could tell the wood paneling on the walls was as high quality as the cut crystal chandeliers that lit the hall. I’d never been inside a ship like this; clearly intended for someone of high status, it made me nervous that I’d ‘escaped’ onto the vessel of an army general.
Cordy opened the door at the end of the hall, and I stumbled into a large room. My eyes searched over it, taking in the luxury. The furniture bolted to the floor was all high quality and sturdy. A table with gilded carvings along its legs was set against the far wall, a worn map with torn edges pinned across it and several more displayed on the wall. Shelves built into the walls displayed riches, statues and jewels, like trophies; gold coins spilled carelessly across the rich carpet from an open chest in the corner which shone with treasure.
The room was a display of stunning wealth, and yet it couldn’t compare to what attracted my attention at its center. In front of a crew of impressive looking figures, a man lounged on what I could only describe as a throne, with a high back lined with rich red velvet. Leather cavalier boots were kicked up onto the armrest as he leaned back comfortably. I took him in, knowing he was doing the same to me.
He wore no uniform, but his breeches looked expensive, not quite as worn as his crewmates, and he wore a waistcoat made of fine burgundy silk. His long frock coat had gold embroidery upon the lapel, pearls stitched into the fabric. His hands were folded on his lap, white frills covering most of his pale skin, but not enough to hide the multitude of rings he wore on each finger. Wearing a wide-brimmed cavalier hat, topped with a large black ostrich plume, I caught the glimpse of brilliant blue eyes, glinting against long, thick black hair that covered his face in the shadows.
Realization hit me like a train. This was no military vessel; the man in front of me was no officer or warlord...
He was a pirate.
I was pushed forward, Tarren’s voice rising as he said, “I found a rat sneakin’ around the hold, Captain.” My heart sank as Tarren shoved me down on my knees in front of the throne. “Had his hands in our goods.”
I couldn’t argue, stricken by the gravity of the situation. I’d stowed away on a pirate ship, and they were under the impression I had tried to steal from them– no doubt a bounty pillaged from a military ship. For pirates, there was no obligation to follow any law or sense of reason to my punishment; I would be lucky if they gave me a quick death.
As the Captain smirked down at me, taking in a deep, sarcastic sigh, I couldn't help but curl my hands into fists, wondering bitterly if I would have been better off in the alleys.
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