Prolog
Death, death is simple; death can be quick or slow but no matter what it always ends in the same way. Life however, life is complicated…
"I knew you were a fool Thomas, but this is even stupid for you." Nina said through clenched teeth. She held onto her bleeding shoulder, as the rest of her crew stood watching. Six years as their captain and this is how they repay me! Thomas, her once first mate smiled down at her, his pistol still was smoking from the shot that now was imbedded in her. "Its funny how you're calling me stupid. Considering you're the one insulting a man with a gun. Now how stupid is that?" He spat out as he pressed the hot tip of the pistol to her temple. Nina didn't turn away but only glared at him from under her eyelashes.
Nina began to sway on her knees, the blood loss and shock of her wound was finally getting to her. She barley heard Thomas's gruff voice as he barked out commands to the crew to tire her up. She felt a hand wrap around her waist trying to pull her to her feet. "Don't you touch me!" she yelled out as she struggled against the unwanted contact. The hands only held tighter as she struggled. She screamed out in agony as one man squeezed her injured shoulder pushing her painfully to the railing of the ship. She gripped tightly to the railing trying her hardest not to throw up. The world was beginning to spin and Nina wasn't sure she could win this one.
Corse ropes were thrashed on her wrists. She looked into the eyes of the man who dared to degrade her further. It was Jim, a sniveling coward with beady black eyes that always reminded her of a rat's. She half expected as much, his loyalty was at the highest bitter or who was more likely to win. Jim smiled as he sharply tightened the ropes till they cut into her tender flesh. He leaned in barley an inch from her face. "A shame, me new captain be lettin' such a fine piece of flesh go ta waist. If were up to me, I'd have ya in me chamber by now." He laughed as she turned red with anger, his putrid breath misting her face as he did so. The rest of the crew having heard what he said began to laugh as well.
"Enough!" Thomas bellowed silencing them. He grinned as he took her hat off her head, causing her short red locks to fall around her shoulders. Putting the hat on he said "Well gents, lets give our former captain a proper farewell, shall we?" There was around of 'Ayes' before the two men holding her hoisted her over the railing dropping her with a grunt into a small dingy. Her hands still bound, Nina struggled to sit up in the small craft, failing as they began to lower her none too carefully. "Take this as a parting gift." Thomas said as he threw a pistol down with her, barely missing her head as he did. "Something to remember me by!" She glared up at him only looking away when the dingy finally reached the water. The waters thrashed her roughly to the side causing her to land on her injured shoulder. Nina bit her lip to keep from crying out, but instead screamed her hatred at her mutinous first mate. "YOU BLOODY BASTARD! YOU'LL REGRET CROSSING, CAPTAIN NINA THE BLOODY!" Her threats were lost on them as she only heard laughter as they sailed away; she watched her once loyal crew make way with 'her' ship.
Once they were out of sight, Nina laid back against the hard wood of the dingy, sighing in frustration and pain.
Sixteen years at sea. Ten of them working my way up from a captain's whore to a captain myself, and this is how it ends? In a damn dingy, lying in a pool of my own blood? I don't know what's worse just having my crew of six years commit mutiny. Or that I'd rather die from blood loss then the thirst and hunger.
Three days past and Nina was at the verge of insanity. The sun had burned her pale skin, red whelps rising in the areas exposed to the sun. Her lips cracked parched from thirst and her stomach ached for food to fill it. However, she felt neither the sun that scorched her nor the hunger and thirst that plagued her. She slept in a fevered sleep. Her shoulder the skin a sickly yellow as it rotted from the bone had begun to poison her blood. She was beyond coherent thought as she muttered in her fevered dreams.
On the fourth day she opened her eyes to see a snow white stone smooth as a river rock. Nina having thought she had gone mad reached out to touch the stone only to be shocked as the rock opened to reveille a sleeping crab. "What the hell?" She drew her hand away not wishing to be pinched, but watch in curiosity. "I have gone mad." She said as she laid he head back down closing her eyes once again. In her fevered sleep she never noticed the quickening pace of the dingy as it led her in a single direction.