The cellar was bursting with activity. In one corner, part of the crew hauled kegs of beer onto a wagon. In another, Noodler was flirting with the maids. He was unsuccessful at this, though, and the maids merely scowled as they tried to push their way through the crowds of men. No, Noodler was never spared a glance. It was Cecco who the women seemed to fawn over. He was a very handsome Italian man. However, looks are deceiving. None of the men here were entirely pure of heart.
"Oi, if it isn't Hook's daughter!" boomed the voice of the boatswain, Smee. He was in charge of rigging, anchors, and cables. His thin lips twisted into a smile and he beckoned me over to join him. At the moment he was boiling hot water. "For black tea- Starkey's request," Smee had said as I tilted my head curiously. Suppose I couldn't tell him of my plans? Suppose he betrayed me? I narrowed my eyes and scrutinized father's right hand man.
"You look as though something is bothering you," Smee commented as he darted back and forth to tend to the boiling water. He was rather plump, but that came as no surprise . After all, he was in his mid-fifties. I shifted uncomfortably. "Father's at it again with Pan. He had him tied to a mast, but Pan managed to break free and now they are-" I almost choked on my own spit. "Now they are fighting." Smee chuckled softly. "That doesn't surprise me, miss."
I frowned. How could he laugh at a time like this? "That boy out there- Pan. He's in danger! Father's intoxicated and may very well kill him. We have to do something!" I cried out urgently, my hazel eyes flickering over to the exit anxiously. "Well..," Smee began slowly. He had to stand on the tips of his toes to reach for a mug. "What do you expect? Have you already forgotten that Pan cut off the Captain's hand? Since that terrible time, the captain has craved revenge ever since."
"But it's not right.." I whimpered. "He's just a boy. And it's not fair. Father kills innocent people all the time and never has to repent for it. I'm sure Pan didn't mean to cut off his hand. I bet it was just an accident," I suggested and looked hopefully into the Smee's pebble eyes. He turned his back to me and placed a tea bag into the mug. "I imagine you're beginning to resent him? There were a few others who felt the same way as you," he murmured. "But they certainly didn't feel that way for long, not after they had some sense beaten into them." My lip quivered and my hands began to shake. He couldn't mean..?
"I'll have to report these feelings to your father, Janeal. He'll be very upset to hear them, but it is my duty to alert him of anyone who doubts their loyalty to our cause." With this he began to limp away. Before reaching the exit of the cellar he turned and faced my direction. "And don't forget- Disloyalty calls for the same punishment as desertion!"
The same punishment as desertion.. I mauled this over in my mind and suddenly it hit me. I would have to walk the plank! But.. but father wouldn't do that, not to his own daughter.. Right?
The clanking of swords coming from upstairs had ceased. Pan must have escaped. 'Good for him,' I thought glumly. I wish I could escape like that, too.
