What will happen to our protagonist and her new recruit? Continue reading and find out?


Cassandra tensed and turned around. "Who are you and why are you on my ship?"

"My name is-"

"Listen," Cassandra interrupted, "that was more rhetorical than actual curiosity. Now get off of my ship."

The sister's young face reddened with anger. "How dare you! I'll have you know…"

Cassandra tuned out the nun's rant completely. If the religious woman wanted to incapacitate Cassandra or Lyn, she would have done that already. Cassandra pointed at Lyn to attract the novice's attention, then at the furled sails of the foremast. Lyn took the hint and scampered up the rigging. After making sure the sister wasn't moving, Cassandra began turning the anchor winch. The winds were strong enough that the Howling Knave should be able to sail away from the island. Upon hearing the first set of sails snap open and Lyn land on the forecastle deck, Cassandra gestured for both of them to climb the main mast and unfurl those sails as well.

"Shouldn't we do something about her?" Lyn asked.

"She has already gone to alert the others that we're here. Just finish with this then dump her on the beach. If we're lucky, we'll be long gone before she returns with reinforcements."

"And if we're unlucky?"

Cassandra shrugged. "We'll scare them off. Worst case scenario, we defend ourselves until we're far enough away that they can't do anything about us." She didn't miss Lyn's gaze going to her pistols. "I won't kill any of them, I promise."

"Okay!" Lyn said brightly as she finished undoing the ropes restraining the sails. The novice let out a whoop of delight as she leapt off the yard and slid down the falling fabric. Cassandra elected to safely glide down a rope to the main deck. Lyn was already carrying the nun towards the bow, running cheerfully along the railings. The sister continued to rant and rave, but made no physical effort to stop the woman carrying her. Lyn slipped on the thin rail in a way that could have been construed as accidental, but Cassandra wasn't worried. Sure enough, the novice grabbed onto the rail with one hand and lowered the sister as far as she could go with the other. With a joyful farewell, she dropped the sister into the shallow waters below and flipped back onto the main deck. "Sister Sofia overboard, Captain!"

"I can see that. Get to the bow and tell me if there are people coming."

"Okay!" Lyn paused for a moment, swiveling on the ball of her foot as she looked towards both ends of the ship. "Which way is the bow?"

Cassandra pressed her lips firmly together. It seemed almost impossible for Lyn to be a deceiver trying to lure her into a trap. She wouldn't be certain until they left Alamentia, but she was beginning to accept that Lyn really was a childlike novice who wanted to be free. To be sure, she'd make sure that Lyn didn't communicate with anyone outside of her supervision for a while, but if the artist was to be a crewmember of hers, Cassandra would have to start treating her like one besides simply giving her orders. "That would be the front."

"No problemo!" The novice ran to the bow and leaned over the railing. "There are people coming!"

The pirate captain wasn't surprised. "Can you be more specific?"

"Some sisters and lots of handymen!" Cassandra lashed the wheel in place and jogged over to the forecastle deck. Lyn was already standing on figurehead, a screaming wooden man chained to the keel, and brandishing her rapier in the air. "Avast, landlubbers! Turn 'round and scurry back to those mis'rable 'oles you call homes afore I gut ye like fish and-"

"Lyn, that isn't how pirates talk."

The novice froze, turning only her head to look at her captain. "Are you sure?"

"That isn't how most pirates talk," Cassandra amended. She pulled Lyn off the railing and surveyed the group sent to intercept her. None of them looked particularly dangerous, but appearances could be deceiving. She drew her pistols and pointed them at the approaching figures. "Listen well! I have no quarrel with you or your people. I have committed no crimes on this island; I simply wish to depart in peace."

"You were not released from your chambers!" a sister shouted back. "Furthermore, return Novice Mojigata at once!"

"'Return' would imply that I took her. I have done nothing of the sort. She came of her own free will."

"Lies!" The sisters stopped just short of the surf, letting the handymen continue to march into the water. "You corrupted her mind with your poisonous lies. You have no place on this island, and she has no place with you!"

Cassandra drew her pistols in the blink of an eye and fired off two warning shots, giving the workmen pause. "You know her better than I do. She has been trying to be her own woman instead of adhering to your rigid ideals. I simply offer her a way to experience life as she desires; these are not lies. I did not inveigle her or threaten her. If she wishes to be free with me, that is her choice and you should respect it."

The sister spluttered angrily, stepping backwards to avoid the tide. A much more ancient sister than the first came forward. "You offer freedom, but intend to rule and command her. This is not freedom. We know what is good for the both of you far better than you do. I am sorry, but for your sakes, you must both remain here."

"I think not. I do not intend to-" Cassandra instinctively fired her pistols as her hands were suddenly yanked above her head. The invisible force vanished just as suddenly as it had arrived. A nun near the side of the group fell, blood leaking from beneath her hair. For a moment, there was silence. Everybody stared at the fallen sister. Cassandra's keen eyes narrowed, focusing as hard as she could at the woman and her injury.

"She's-" Lyn began, staring in shock.

"Not dead." Cassandra was more concerned with the rapidly growing anger of the workmen. "I have been using pistols since I could hold them. I can pick any leg off a fly you want. I promise you that I did not kill her. The bullet only clipped the side of her head. She should be preparing to restrain me at any moment."

Lyn still looked unsure. "You promise?"

"Put your palm below your chin and don't move." Cassandra threw her hand out and pulled the trigger. Lyn couldn't help but recoil and squeeze her eyes shut. When she opened them again, she gaped in amazement at the three hairs resting on her palm. "Now, we aren't far enough away to-"

Cassandra gripped the handles of her guns as one of the sister's spirits tried to knock them from her hands. As confident as she was in her marksmanship, it would be exceedingly difficult to aim for nonlethal wounds if these invisible women continued to interfere. She holstered her weapons and threw her boot out, catching her unseen opponent by surprise. She turned on her heel and took a running jump over the railing separating the forecastle deck from the main deck. She rolled as she impacted the wooden boards and ran for the galley. Before she could reach the door, one of the sisters caught her foot and sent her crashing to the floor. "Lyn, I could use some help!"

"Kinda busy!" Cassandra twisted about to see that the handymen that the nuns were attempting to climb over the forecastle rails. Lyn was dancing about with her rapier in one hand and a long loop of beads in the other. "Put one foot on this ship and you'll regret it!"

The pirate captain braced herself against the floor and launched herself towards the galley. If she could just use the flour to detect the spirit attacking her, she would have a decent chance at winning. She threw open the door and tried to make for the pantry, but was promptly tripped again. She slammed into the mizzenmast and rebounded painfully against the table. Gathering her wits about her, she dodged where she thought the spirit would be and managed to make it to the pantry doors. She knew she only had a few seconds to find any sort of powder before the spirit returned.

Despite her foreknowledge that she would be attacked, she wasn't entirely prepared for when her feet were yanked out from beneath her. She catapulting forward and slammed her head into the shelves as she fell, spices and sauces raining down upon her. She shook her head in an attempt to rid it of the dazed fog slowing her thoughts. She felt herself being dragged backwards, her face scraping against the floor. She winced as intense pain shot through her nose. She put a hand to her face, then licked her fingers to confirm her suspicion.

"Blood," she muttered. The fuzziness in her head had fully dissipated by the time she was dragged onto the main deck. She kicked out, feeling satisfaction as her foot connected with something solid. She glanced towards the railings to see if any of the men had managed to board. The last thing she needed was to deal with the entire group single-handedly.

To her surprise, Lyn was handling herself quite well. Although she was yelling like a maniac, she was successfully repelling the workers. She looped her beads over a man's head and slammed it against the railing, causing the man to the man to tumble to the waves below. She jumped over a hammer that had been swung at her knees and smashed the butt of her rapier into the man's head. A forceful kick sent him flying from the ship. Gasping for breath, she spun around to find another assailant. Her bright blue eyes widened as she saw her captain. "Shit! You okay, Captain?"

Cassandra realized how she must appear. Much of her body was covered in red, though only a small fraction of it was actually blood. "It's only sauce. Keep up the good work"

She put a finger to her nose and blew out a stream of blood as she quickly ran through her remaining options. The Howling Knave was drifting farther and farther out to sea. All she needed to do was forcefully repel the sisters and the two pirates would be safe. From what Lyn had told her in their cell, the spirits could not easily be harmed. Knives and bullets were no more effective than punches and kicks. She needed some force far larger than she could muster. She allowed a small smile to creep across her lips as she realized an extremely probable solution.

She was dragged to the deck again, but this time she stayed here. She flung her hand to the side, feeling around for the iron circle on the floor. Grabbing it, she pulled hard, opening up the hatch leading belowdecks. She rolled to the side and grabbed the edge, propelling herself into the darkness below. She bounced down the spiral stairwell and landed in a crouching position, her eyes skimming through the darkness. Having not had time to accustom herself to this part of the ship, she didn't exactly know where everything was. She fumbled around for the lamp and, finding it, twisted the knob to flood the room with light.

The room was spotless and white, as it was supposed to be. She had landed in the ship's medical ward, though she hadn't found much use for it yet. Four white-sheeted beds clustered the room, a pair resting against both the starboard and port walls. Counters ran along the outer walls, with cabinets both above and below them. A door sat at each end of the ward, leading out into a hallway that surrounded the room and kept any seawater from contaminating the ward.

She ran to the stern end of the room, jumping on a few of the beds to avoid the main mast directly in the center. She slammed open the door and caught the edge of the doorway to slingshot herself to the side of the ship. Ignoring the hallway with cannons to one side, she kicked open the door that lead to the rear cargo hold. Crates, barrels, and other containers filled the room, but she knew exactly what she was looking for. Shaking off the invisible nun trying to restrain her, she sprang over to one of the barrels of gunpowder near the wall. She pried off the top and grabbed handfuls, shoving it into her pockets. After filling them, she grabbed one last handful in each hand and knocked the top back on, sealing it with a swift axe kick.

She made her way back to the main deck, still eluding her ethereal attackers. Lyn was still managing to keep the men away, though her weariness was evident. Her hands dropped to her sides after each strike, and her breathing was labored. Cassandra was struck from all sides at once, sending her crashing into the mast. She threw out her hands, the gunpowder flying through the air. The gunpowder was stopped in three different places, showing where the spirits were. Cassandra emptied her pockets, revealing one last nun who had avoided her initial attack. With her targets in her sight, she brought out the lighter she had grabbed from one of the medical cabinets and struck a spark.

A series of explosions echoed from the ship as the gunpowder ignited. Cassandra was hurled onto her back, a fiery feeling covering her face and body.

"You okay, Captain?" Lyn shouted, sounding like she was shouting while underwater.

Cassandra could only muster the energy to put her hands to her face. She felt the burns begin to sting and quickly concentrated on the pain, willing it to go away. After a moment, she felt around for the railing. Grabbing onto it, she pulled herself into a sitting position and looked around. Lyn was sitting against the opposite railing, breathing heavily. The men were gone, and the island was a good distance away. Brushing cracked skin off of her face, Cassandra frowned at her new crewmember. "You look tired."

"It's four in the morning. Of course I'm tired." Lyn gave a frown of her own. "You look just fine."

The pirate captain looked down at herself. Her clothes were charred and were falling apart in most places, but still hung on her body. Her white cowboy hat, which was attached to a string and looped around her neck, was unharmed. Her body had sheltered it from the explosions. Her skin was covered in soot, spices, and sauce, but she wasn't wounded anywhere. She only shrugged. "I've been fighting forever. I know how to take a hit."

"That's awesome!" Lyn giggled gaily as she leaned her head back. "Now that I'm officially a fugitive and a pirate, what position do I hold aboard your ship?"

"Well, I did lie to you about one thing." The novice cocked her head to the side in confusion. "I don't exactly have a crew. You're the first one, actually."

Lyn simply stared at her, processing the implications of her words. Cassandra prepared to reach for her pistols, hoping she hadn't made a mistake in revealing she was alone. She was astonished when Lyn gave the brightest smile she had ever seen and scrambled across the deck. The artist grabbed her in a tight embrace and shook her from side to side. "That's awesome! You're so cool! I'm so glad I'm the first! We're gonna have so much fun together! We'll get a kickass crew and see the entire world! Hell yeah!"

Cassandra couldn't help but chuckle. Lyn truly was a piece of work. "Indeed we will. As for your previous question, I suppose it's first come, first served. Welcome to the Black Glove Pirates, first mate."


Can you believe it? They're alive and free without having to kill anybody. Until next time!