The Pool of Souls

Chapter 8

The Years Before

Light grey clouds overhead covered the city of Drewry. The air was light and moist and there was a light drizzle making Alex's long dark hair damp and frizzy. As the ship sailed closer and closer to port Alex kept looking out over the side of the ship. She placed a hand on her hat to keep it steady as the wind picked up and tried to blow it off of her head.

"Oy miss?!" A man called over to here "Miss?!"

Alex turned to the captain's call as he approached her from behind.

"We're here. Fucking Dreary."

"Dreary? I thought this was Drewry?"

"Aye, it is. Dreary is just the name the locals prefer to call it because of how fucking depressing this place can be. City is full of disappointments, always raining, high crime."

Couldn't be much different from all the other towns and cities Alex had encountered on her journey. It had been a long road, over a year of searching, and along the way she had made some friends and a few foes. Though Alex wouldn't call the people she met friends exactly, more so fun and interesting acquaintances. Alex never really stayed in a single area long enough to have friends. She'd sometimes might visit a bar and share the night and a few drinks with rowdy strangers who just wanted to have a good time. Or there might be a woman that would spark her interest and sate her sexual appetite.

Alex had a natural gift for seducing women. It wasn't lost on her that she was quite the beauty to look at but it was her directness, eye contact, and confidence that most women found the most alluring about her, and the way her voice just seemed to weave a spell through their ears. Whenever she saw a beautiful woman that she liked Alex would never hesitate to approach. She was mostly attracted to the ones who were more intellectually sound and she usually preferred them that way and even though that was her preference often times that wasn't what she got. The most common types were the beautiful foolish women that could fuck really good but were also incredibly stupid when it came to having a normal conversation. Then there were the other types, the curious women who had never experienced being with a woman before and as they would put it "like to have a go and see what it's like." And then after being with them they were questioning their entire existence and would proceed to convince themselves that she was some kind of witch rather than admit they enjoyed themselves.

Alex remembered one woman in particular on her travels, her name was Ethel. She had met Ethel in a marketplace in one of the first couple of towns that she had started her search. After a couple of meet ups Alex had took a liking to her and Ethel had even offered to let Alex stay with her while she was in town. Ethel had been one of the smart ones and Alex did enjoy her company, not just for the sex but because Alex genuinely thought she was a great person and had a good sense of humor. And looking back on it Alex could've seen herself having deeper feelings for her had she stayed longer and things had not turned out the way they had that day when Ethel's husband came home. Alex didn't even know that she had a husband. Fortunately for him he had just so happen to come home shortly after they had finished their most recent sexual romp. So to him they just looked like two good friends enjoying a drink together at the table. When Ethel introduced Alex she introduced her as her cousin who was just passing through town. Alex left the next day without so much as a goodbye.

Starvation was always a constant threat but it was a threat Alex learned to ignore. She had years of practice as a child having grown up destitute and living in the slums of the city in which she was raised. She had learned how to go without and how to ration food to make it through the week, she and her mother practiced it often. While she learned to ignore her hunger, she could not ignore it for long. The threat of starvation always led to eventual stealing when she couldn't afford food. She didn't mind pickpocketing a soldier for all their gold, from the common folk she only took what she needed, but Alex never stole from those who had lesser means. She also had to be constantly aware of the thieves that would try to rob her of her rightfully stolen money. Alex was a fighter and could throw a punch if she needed to but if there was a way to avoid confrontation Alex would sooner take that route first.

"You sure this is the place that you want? Pretty girl like you ought to think twice about being somewhere like this."

"I'm sure. I can take care of myself." Alex reached into her coat and pulled out a rolled and tattered parchment, an old wanted poster her mother had given her when she was younger. On the front of it in large print it read:

WANTED

for

PIRACY and LOOTING

LEE BURLEY

A bounty of one-hundred pounds will be paid to the person who can surrender

DEAD or ALIVE

the aforesaid pirate

Alex had held onto this paper all these years because it was the only thing tangible she had that linked her to her father, that and the tricorne she wore. The tricorne her mother had said once belonged to him. She remembered when Diane first gave her the hat when she was a little girl. When she had placed it on her head it had been much too big to fit at the time and was so loose that it almost covered her eyes. But that didn't stop her from running around her home pretending to be a pirate just like her father and waving a stick around like it was a real sword. Lee's picture on the front of the poster showed an inking of a man who was a little gaunt in the face, circles under his eyes, with a thick mustache, and the shadow of an incoming beard, his hat atop is head and a sash coming out from under it. Several small chains were around his neck and he had piercings on his ears. Sometimes Alex would look at his picture long enough to see if she could spot any similarities between them but that was a little hard to do from a drawing. The only way she would only ever know is if she looked him in the face.

After a year of asking sailors and local townspeople Alex had been starting to get discouraged. Only a small fraction of the people Alex had made contact with seem to be able to recall who Lee Burley was and even when they could it was like a fleeting memory that didn't carry any actual weight. It was like knowing the name but being unable to match the face.

The name Death Maiden seemed to jog people's memory a bit more. It was the name of Lee's ship. But Alex had come to find out that the Death Maiden had been destroyed a few years before in a naval battle with another pirate ship. No one knew what became of Lee or his crew. His name as well as Lee himself seemed to just disappear after that. It was no wonder no one really knew who he was.

At first Alex thought that maybe she was too late and Lee was dead, that is until recently when hope restored itself. She booked passage from the town of Granville almost a week ago after speaking with the captain of the ship in which she currently sailed on. He had recognized the face of the man on the old wanted poster she carried. He knew him and said he last saw him here in Drewry. Luckily for Alex this ship made frequent visits to Drewry for purposes of trade. For a moment it felt like fate was extending it's hand out to her, he was still alive and this man was offering a clear path to him. She was that much closer to meeting her father, the renowned captain of The Death Maiden…or not so renowned rather.

The ship bumped against the docks as it came to a stop. "Alright miss prepare to step off whenever you wish. If Lee's the one you're looking for I suggest you start by checking every tavern and brothel in the city and Drewry has a lot of 'em."

Alex was feeling so excited and nervous, she couldn't make herself move. She had been so determined to find him and now that she was so close she was suddenly terrified. Her father was possibly somewhere out there in this city and a million questions were going through her head. Would he like her? Would he recognize her? Would he be happy to see her? Would he think her foolish for wearing this hat? Confidence was fading and Alex started to feel very much like the little girl she once was in her childhood home. She started going back to those nights in her small bed dreaming of him taking her on trips on his ship, traveling the world, all three of them together, he, her, and her mother, a wonderful and adventurous trio.

There were other questions that needed answering too. Why did he never come back to see them? Why didn't he ever help them? They were poor and struggling but Lee was never around, why? Alex hoped to get those answers.

"Miss if I might ask, why are you looking for Lee? Are you a bounty hunter or something?"

"No. It's just important to me that I find him. I need to find him."

"Ahh. Lover? Long lost friend?"

"No." She said almost annoyed and disgusted.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't pry. Anyway The Sea Witch leaves in three days. And she leaves with or without you. Good luck, hope you find what you're looking for."

Alex paid the ship's captain and lifted her sack over her shoulder as she walked down the planks of the dock. The sound of her boots hitting the hard planks of the harbor slowly transitioned to the wet and squishy sound of the muddy outskirts of the city and then eventually onto the multitude of steep and narrow cobblestone streets that were wet and slick with rainfall. It really was a gloomy and unwelcoming looking place that gave off the feeling of hopelessness and depression. It's buildings were like tall run down shacks with the signs of the establishments falling off the wood. Alex walked the maze of Drewry, under overpasses and through alleyways, catching the eyes of random onlookers who watched her with suspicion and curiosity. She was careful to avoid eye contact so as to not draw attention to herself.

Much too tired to continue her search for the moment, she instead looked for a place to rest for a few hours. She turned down another street and saw the warm lights from the windows of an inn a little further down the road. Alex opened the creaky door to the establishment which triggered a little bell at the entrance. Inside it looked almost empty with the exception of a few people spread out at a couple of the round tables around the inn, there were mounted deer heads and antlers on the walls. a warm fireplace, lit candles all around the room, Some of the people looked up to look at her briefly to assess the stranger that walked in before going back to their business. Ahead of her was the bar table and standing there behind the counter was the owner, a thin man with a mutton chop beard wiping diligently away at the counter top. He stopped when he saw Alex coming towards him and she seated herself at one of the stools.

"What can I get for you miss?"

"A glass of beer. And a room if you can spare one."

"How long are you lookin' to stay?"

"Two nights at the most."

"You got any money?"

Alex patted at her waist and reached for her pouch. It was light with only a few coins left inside. The owner seemed to notice this as he eyed her bag. He looked ready to turn her away. She emptied her pouch on the counter top showing two gold pieces, three coppers and one silver. With one finger the owner took the two gold pieces "For one room and two nights." Then he took the silver "For the beer."

Alex made a face and slid the three little coppers back into her hand and into her pouch. The owner returned with a tall glass of beer. "There should be a room available upstairs two doors down on the left."

"Thank you."

When she finished Alex drew up her sack and went upstairs to the spare room. The room was nothing fancy, but Alex wasn't used to fancy anyway. She had slept in worse places before, like animal sheds sharing the space with cows and pigs and leaky roofs. Alex was thankful to just have a roof to shield her self from the rain. This room had wooden walls and wooden floor boards that creaked with every step, a straw stuffed mattress only big enough for one, and an oil lamp seated on the wooden table right next to it. This would be her new home for the next two days.

Alex lit the lamp and undressed before crawling into bed and under the sheets. She sat up at the headboard and took out the old wanted poster and just like she always did right before she went to bed. She would look at her father's picture and imagine what it would be like to meet him she even thought about what his voice would sound like. Before long Alex drifted off to sleep with the poster still clutched in her hand.


After a few hours of rest Alex felt revived and ready to wander the streets again. She got dressed and pocketed the wanted poster and went on her way. Alex wasn't surprised that there were no immediate results to the whereabouts of Lee. She took the captain's advice and started to check every tavern and brothel in the city starting west. With each one she searched there was no luck. In that night alone she may have looked in about 10 different brothels and searched for maybe over eight hours before she decided to call it a night.

The next day Alex got an early start and took to the east side of the city instead of west this time around. The city was much more lively with a lot more people in the streets but the clouds were still grey and there was still light drizzle. Her stomach was growling and with only three coppers to her name Alex couldn't afford food so with quick and nimble fingers she snatched up a couple of persimmons from one of the market stalls while the owner wasn't looking.

She bit into one of them and allowed the delectable sweet juices fill her mouth. It tasted like heaven. Her legs were growing tired and she was growing more tired of asking the same old question: Have you seen this man? Hours went by. She was running out of time and she was beginning to think that he might've slipped through her fingers and moved on somewhere else, until later that evening when Alex decided to go to one last brothel before returning to the inn.


"Are you going to order something miss?"

"I would but I can't afford it."

"Then perhaps you should move over for the ones that can pay then huh?"

Alex ignored the man and kept playing with the poster on the counter top with both hands. "You some sort of bounty hunter? Is that why you keep looking at that thing."

"I'm not a bounty hunter, I'm just trying to find him…he's my father."

The bartender nodded off "That man over there is your father?"

Alex's head jumped up "What?" She quickly turned around in the stool.

"Aye that man over there, looks like the one in that picture anyway."

"That man is Lee Burley? Captain Lee Burley?"

"I don't know miss." he said in annoyance "I just said he looks like the one in your picture."

There was a man at the far end of the brothel seated at a round table with two other men and two women, drinking, laughing, and smoking. Among the three men Alex saw him seated between the two women. It did look like him, his beard was shaven with only his salt and pepper mustache, he had the piercings in his ears, and he was balding at the top of his head. It had to be him, it had to be.

"Are you going to step away from my countertop?"

Alex snatched the paper from the counter and stood up. She started slowly walking towards Lee's table. Suddenly her tongue felt thick and swollen, her palms were sweating, and her chest was tight. This was it she was about to meet her father and all the things that she planned on saying had suddenly left her mind. All fear and and excitement had rolled into one and it grew stronger with every step she took. And then Lee looked up when he saw her coming, so did the others. He looked confused.

Alex stopped and looked at all five of them, her eyes finally rested on Lee. She was so overwhelmed with joy that she couldn't even find the words to speak. There he was, the moment she had been waiting for her entire life, Lee sitting right in front of her and Alex couldn't think of a single word to say.

"Are you lost girl?" One of the men asked.

"No—I…um"

One of the women spoke up "Maybe she's one of the barmaids."

"Well good we could use more rum." Lee said.

"Are you Lee Burley?"

Lee sat up and looked at her skeptically. He had a gravelly voice that slurred a little from drunkenness ."Who the bloody hell wants to know?"

"You're Captain Lee Burley? Captain of the Death Maiden?" Alex asked meekly

"Ah, The Death Maiden, that was a great ship, a great fucking ship, we've been through a lot, it's a shame what happened to it."

"It was a great fucking ship."

"Oh shut up, Elsa."

"I'm—I'm Alexandria—Alex."

Lee leaned back in his chair and wrapped his arms around both women "Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

"Why don't you bugger off girl find someone else to bother with your stupid questions." said one of the men."

"I'm your daughter." Alex said with as much confidence as she could muster.

Everyone at the table froze and became silent. Lee squinted his eyes at her and tilted his head to one side as if he were trying to see her better. "Oh shit. C'mon have a seat, have a beer."

Alex hesitated a moment and sat herself down on the other side of the table in front of her father in between the two older looking men smoking their pipes. The woman called Elsa was leaning against Lee and hugging his arm while he continued to smoke his pipe and drink more of his beer.

"Elsa, Victoria, this is uh—uh—what you say your name was again love?"

"Alex."

"Alex. Apparently she's my kid."

"We heard the girl the first time, Lee." Victoria groaned.

"You fucker," one of the men guffawed "Didn't know you had one of those."

"Me neither mate." Lee chuckled. "This is a surprise. Why didn't you just fucking say so?"

"So who's the poor unfortunate bitch you squirted in?"

Alex's head jerked in the man's direction ready to lay in on the man for disrespecting her mother but Lee started before Alex could say anything. "Hey now watch your mouth James that's my kid's mother you're talking about mate."

James flicked his hand at Lee "Eh fuck you, they're all the same." Both Victoria and Elsa snorted and giggled.

Lee looked at Alex "What's your mother's name by the way? Was it Patricia? Holly? Erika? It's Erika isn't? I remember her. Beautiful woman, her twat was so wet and tight a man could stay in it for days, it had to be her. It's Erika right?"

"Diane. Her name is Diane" Alex said sadly but yet still trying to hold on to hope.

"Diane. Not sure if I remember a Diane. But I have a kid, I can't believe this mates I have a kid, you're my fucking kid. I'm so happy to see you."

Alex tried her best to keep her smile but she was near tears and her resolve was weakening "Me too. I've waited for this moment my entire life. I've been looking for you for a long time."

Lee continued talking like he hadn't even heard Alex speak. "I never would've recognized you in a million years."

"She looks like you." Elsa purred "She's got your eyes."

"I know." Lee said " And you've got a nice pair of tits too, seriously I could've accidentally fucked her right."

Alex flinched and shrunk back into her seat. She self consciously moved her arms to hide her chest.

Victoria gave a playful slap to Lee's arm and laughed "Lee, you can't say that!"

"What?"

Both ladies continued laughing "You said you could've accidentally fucked her."

"Did I say that?" Lee snorted in laughter but Alex did not find it the slightest bit funny or amusing.

"You really did mate." James laughed over is pipe.

"Oh fuck" Lee laughed "I'm sorry love, that's—that's bad. I didn't say that—I shouldn't have said that."

All Alex wanted to do was escape. Her eyes were starting to well up with tears. She wanted to get out of here and now without suffering further humiliation.

"I have to—I have to go. I need to go to the privy—or something."

"Need to go? You just got here. We were having some good old family bonding." said Lee.

James smiled showing his gold front teeth "Aye stay a little longer girl, your daddy here can't very well fuck you but uh…I reckon if you stay a while…" He ran his hairy hand down Alex's arm and Alex violently snatched it away before drawing it back and punching him square in his nose. She felt the bones break.

He cried out and held his nose as blood squirted from it "Bitch!" Lee, Elsa, and Victoria roared with laughter. "Definitely my daughter alright!"

Alex stormed away before they could say anything else. She ran as far away from the tavern as possible trying very unsuccessfully to keep from crying. She ran until she could no longer run anymore and started to wander the streets hugging herself from the rain and cold. It was nothing like Alex had dreamed and she had dreamt of this moment a thousand times. It was nothing like the reunion she had wanted. She had thought a reunion between a father and his daughter would've been more heartwarming. She expected tearful hugs, questions about her mother and how she was doing. But as it turned out Lee was not the man that she had envisioned. And now she honestly felt truly disgusted to share any blood with that man.

She didn't return to the inn where she stayed, instead she walked all the way back to the docks. The rain had finally stopped and the clouds opened up showing the orange and yellow sunset. Alex sat on some overturned barrels no longer crying, just angry now and disappointed, though her face still felt tight and swollen from her tears. She sat there for a long time, unsure of her next move. The only other alternative seemed to be to just return home with her tail tuck between her legs, she did miss her mother and she wished she was here.

Alex heard the sound of boots walking along the planks coming right towards her and she looked up into the dark brown eyes of a man with a thick mustache looking down at her.

"You alright there?"

"I'm fine. I just got a rock or something stuck in my eye."

"I see." The man took out his pipe and took a couple of puffs.

Alex began to open up feeling the need to release some of her anger "I just came to this town, I've been here for two days trying to find my father. Well actually I've been searching for over a year."

"So what's the matter, you didn't find him?"

"No, worse, I did."

"And he's nothing like you thought."

The man took it upon himself to sit right beside her without even asking if it was alright. He sat on another barrel that stood up right and was higher up from Alex. She removed the hat from her head and looked at it for a time all the while feeling the fabric as she reminisced "You know this was his. My mother gave it to me when I was little." Alex huffed out a breath and violently threw the hat sending it spiraling out into the sea.

"Hmm…sorry to hear that but you know what they say some people are just better in the abstract."

"Who says that?"

"I did."

"I'm sorry but who are you? If I'm going to be telling you all of this I should at least know your name."

"The name's Fahri I'm a pirate and quartermaster of the Jackal led by Captain Kubra Balik. And you might be?"

"Alexandria Vause, but I go by Alex."

Fahri handed his pipe over to Alex. "You want to take a couple of puffs of this, might help you relax."

"Not really fond of tobacco."

"It's not tobacco."

"What is it then?"

"Opium."

Alex made a face and declined the offer again. "I've always wanted a better life for myself and my mother and for the longest time I've always wondered where was Lee, the famous pirate Lee? Why was he never around to give us that better life? Well today it became obvious. Lee didn't give a damn about either of us he, didn't even know my mother's name."

"Well your father may not be who you thought but what if I told you that you can still give yourself the life you wanted. The life for you and your mother. Stop waiting for others to make your life better and do it for yourself."

"How?"

"You say your father is a pirate, which means the blood of a pirate flows in your veins. Maybe you ought to consider taking up the profession, who knows you might be good at it. It's an exciting life. And the rewards…" Fahri plucked a pouch from along side his belt and plopped it in her hand. "…can be great."

Alex poured the contents of the pouch in her hand and the gold spilled between her fingers. The weight was so heavy and she was mesmerized by the wealth.

"There's more where that came from, lots more, and the effort it takes to get it, isn't much."

Alex was still looking at the gold "Listen here little lady, the way I see it you have two options right now. You can stay here feeling sorry for yourself, go back home to your mother, or you can come with me and we can see about getting more of those gold pouches for you and you can go home to your mother a whole lot richer."

Alex's eyebrows bunched together "Go with you? Just like that? I don't even know you. Why the sudden desire to help a complete stranger?"

"I'm just a good guy trying to help someone and I see you as a woman who's down on her luck, someone who's looking for a chance to change the life that she's been given. A chance to make things better. Everyone deserves the opportunity to better their lives. And we just so happen to be in the market for some new recruits, we've lost a few good men. I'm out here scouting the area."

"And you think I'd be a good recruit?"

"I have a knack for spotting the hidden potential in people and I see something in you. You have passion, desire, motivation. The fact that you spent a year searching for this man tells me that you are determined and you will stop at nothing until you reach your goal. That might be very useful."

Alex looked at Fahri thoughtfully "Look kid it's up to you, but I got to keep moving. Good talk. Sorry about your father."

Fahri started to walk off and Alex bolted up yelling behind him "How do I know this is worth it? How do I know this is worth it and I'm not wasting my time?"

He turned around to face her and shrugged noncommittally"Fact is kid, you don't. But you might as well take a chance. Take the free fall. From where I'm standing by the looks of it what do you have to lose?"

Fahri stood there for a moment as if he were waiting for her to decide and soon enough Alex was following behind him. Fahri gave the tiniest smile when Alex stopped in front of him. "Alright then first order of business…" Fahri grabbed a handful of Alex's hair "We've got to do something about this."

"My hair? You mean cut it? Why?"

"You're a woman, women aren't allowed on the ship unless they're performing a special service if you know what I mean. Trust me it's for your own safety. Perhaps as time goes on and everyone gets used to you being around you can switch back to your old identity but for now it's best if you keep a low profile."

Alex grabbed her hair and looked at Fahri as she still pondered thoughtfully if this was in fact the way to go. She thought about Lee, her mother back home, and how it felt to have that gold in her hand. How rich she could be, how she could give her mother the life she desired for her, the life Lee failed to provide. It all seemed a very easy decision but little did Alex know that it would be a decision that would change her life forever.

"Let's do it then."

Fahri chuckled and extended his hand out for her to shake "Congratulations Ms. Vause as quartermaster of Captain Kubra Balik I hereby induct you into the crew of the Jackal. Welcome aboard."