(A N)
~Enjoy!
The Caribbean was uneasy that day. High up in the crow's nest of a formidable looking ship, a young man's sharp eyes searched the waves for land, as well as heavily laden merchant's vessels ripe for the plundering.
The salt-filled wind ruffled his dark hair, momentarily obscuring his view of the sea.
A small dot- a tiny blip on the radar- appeared along the swell of waves. The teen squinted, straining to make out the obstruction. Was it land?
Yes, it was coming closer now; he could just make out the small hump-like mass that was Port Royal.
The boy allowed a small smile to creep onto his tanned face. A port meant a rest from the tiring life on board ship, fresh supplies and men, and huge ships just waiting to be plundered. Port Royal was a virtual paradise for the pirate crew of The Jade Serpent.
A large, familiar hand clamped down on his shoulder. "Beautiful, ain't it?"
The boy winced at 'ain't', -contrary to most pirates, he had been taught proper speech and listening to it butchered was painful- but didn't bother to turn around. "I suppose." He said curtly, his precise British accent prominent.
A huge boy with a body that resembled that of an ox stepped into view and grinned, exhibiting a row of square yellow teeth. "Can't wait to shore and get my hands on a good keg of beer," the mammoth said, leaning heavily over the meager railing of the crow's nest. "Might as well spend my gold where it counts."
The boy beside him sniffed, and his comment was laced with contempt."Beer? Only a fool would spend gold on beer."
The giant's smile vanished at the single word. "Are you suggesting I'm a fool?" Hamilton's palms curled into powerful fists.
The boy laughed harshly. "Go ahead and punch me. I know you want to, I can see it in your eyes." He took a step forward and stood with arms outspread, mocking his opponent, daring him to deliver a deadly blow.
Hamilton growled, and turned away before he could succumb to the tempting offer. The Captain's son was baiting him as he always did; any attempt on Ham's part to harm the boy would result in certain death. Instead of taking the provided rigging, the muscular sailor simply jumped down to the deck below, a move that would shatter the shin bones of any normal man, and stalked moodily away.
As the aforementioned crossed the rocking deck to the hold below, the boy's taut muscles relaxed. Hamilton's gray eyes had been full of unadulterated malice. The sailor was an annoyance at the best of times, but he was still a killer. He could easily go berserk and twist the Kabra's neck. Taunting the giant was a dangerous game for the young man to be playing.
He climbed down the rigging, and landed lightly on the salty deck. All around him, the powerful, sweat drenched bodies of the crew strained in perfect rhythm with the ship itself.
Captain Kabra stood positioned at the helm of the ship, the head of it all. One cunning amber eye peered through a telescope, while the other was trained on the boy himself. Their eyes locked before the younger Kabra had time to turn away again. Vikram motioned his son forward, and with reluctance, the young man crossed to his father's side.
"Father."
There was no love in the sentiment. That single word expressed by the boy was spoken with the curt politeness of a stranger.
Vikram's mouth was a grim slash- his faithful expression for eighteen years now, ever since the moment of his son's birth. "We will be arriving at the port soon," he said.
His son nodded, "The men are quite anxious to set foot on land. Apparently they deem kegs of cheap beer, covet-worthy." He didn't voice his own land-bound plans to sleep in a real bed rather than a hammock, and enjoy a luxurious dinner in the fine company of ladies.
A harsh snort-like laugh escaped Vikram. "Be glad you will not have to endure their plight; your place is not on land, but here, and here you will stay."
A long silence hung in the air.
"Pardon?" The young man coughed out at last, trying to hide the shocked anger that brought sudden heat to his cheeks. Was his father suggesting that after two long months at sea, he was to stay on board the ship while the rest of the men were out enjoying themselves?
"You will remain on-board this vessel," Vikram said, ignoring his son's building wrath. "For the entirety of the stop,"
"But-"
"Do not question me, Boy!" Vikram's voice rose, "I am your father; you must obey my wishes." He turned quickly from his son, an air of finality in his movements, and ducked into the Captain's cabin.
The young man spat forcefully on the wooden deck in the direction of his father's retreating form. It was a disgusting gesture, but he was past caring. Fury festered inside at the meaningless injustice. Vikram could have no earthly reason for preventing him from enjoying the pleasures of land along with the rest of the men, it was just another way his father was choosing to remind his son that he was nothing- less than nothing. A child without an identity, without a name. A failure from birth.
The younger Kabra glanced down at the spot where his puddle of spittle had collected, and paused in surprise. Next to the phlegmmy wad, lay a silver chain, curled around a heart shaped locket the size of a small egg. He frowned, and stooped to the ground. Where had it come from?
The precious spoils collected by the pirate crew were all hidden away, either below deck, or in small chests or bags in the mens' quarters...why was this piece lying forgotten?
His eyes did a quick scan of his surroundings- no one seemed to have yet noticed the unusual object. He scooped up the locket, and pried it open with a fingernail. Inside was a tiny painting of a beautiful woman.
He frowned. Her green eyes were haunting and surprisingly detailed for a mere painting; they seemed to stare at him, not in a condemning way, but as one who knew his faults and chose to see past them.
He picked absentmindedly at the edge of the artwork with his thumb, prying the corner up from the framework.
Something caught on his nail, something that proved to be far thicker than the mere backing of a portrait. The young man's furrowed brow deepened as he stood to his feet. What on earth?
With a careful hesitancy, he pulled the yellowed paper -which had been stuffed behind the frame- from its prison. The paper was ancient and folded and creased almost beyond recognition, but several years of living at sea had trained him to expertly read maps. His eyes took on a greedy light as he examined the treasure map- for a treasure map it was.
"X marks the spot." He murmured.
Behind him, loud boots pounded across the sea drenched planks. Heartbeat rapid, the young man started and quickly stuffed the odd locket and paper into his pocket before anyone could take notice of it.
The footsteps paused, and for a long minute the boy didn't dare turn around. Warmth seemed to radiate from his thigh; surely the sailor would notice the unusual bump in the fabric! But no. The owner of the boots turned, and shuffled back in the opposite direction. The young man let out a deep breath of relief, as his fingers absentmindedly traced an 'x' on the heart in his pocket.
Perhaps an honest man would try to find the owner of the locket- or at least alert a person of authority of the finding, but to the boy, honesty was for those too stupid to know how to lie.
As he walked the ship, his mind was filled with thoughts of treasure. He had not gotten a good look at the map, but even so, he could see that it was incomplete. There was more to it, another half of information that the locket had not contained.
His eyes fixed on the rapidly growing stretch of land that was their destination. Somewhere, the information he needed was out there, just waiting to be found...His jaw tightened in determination.
Find it, he would...
(A N)
Hey again! I'm in a hyper happy mood, so I thought I'd add a few questions to my author's note because I'd love to get to know my readers. Feel free to answer them. In fact, DO answer them and I'll give you a cookie (::) and a unicorn. (Okay, scratch the unicorn, but I will update faster. LOL.)
1) What do you think will happen next in this story?
2) What was your favorite chapter?
3) How many mirrors do you have in your house? (xD)
4) What is your favorite season?
5) Where do you live? O_O Jk, don't answer that last question. xD
*Waves* See you all soon!
~GG