Sorry for the wait, computer troubles. Those also reading Twisted Reality- I lost all the data so I have to rewrite the whole thing. -_-
Chapter Nine: The Coffin's Nail
"So, what do you know?" muttered Sturgeon as they secretly met on the ship's deck.
Maris gritted her teeth in exapseration. Forced to obey the slightest whim of the creature who had murdered her son and crew. The only reason she put up with this was because if she didn't Gammage was a dead beast.
"They suspect no one, save Holm."
"Anything else?" the fox asked suspiciously, "did he say anything about me?"
"He mentioned to Fored that he had considered you for first mate but went with Brogot instead."
The shocked fox opened his mouth to respond, but a shout from Redeye caused Maris to scurry off, cursing the day she had laid eye on the fox.
Sturgeon watched the ottermaid go, mouth open. If what she had said was true, there was only one thing to do.
Redeye stood at the helm of the ship, feeling the wind through his face. Second to killing and plundering treasure, the thing he loved most was feeling the wind through his fur and the spray of the sea. "Cap'n, I need to talk to you."
Redeye groaned and turned to the speaker, a fox named Sturgeon. "What do you want?" he snapped.
"That otter slave, Marie? She's really a spy for a group of rebel corsairs. Brogot and Holm are the ringleaders. She's spying because they told her they'd kill you-"
The Captain cut him off with a swift motion of his paw. "That's all I need to know. Gather the crew and that otter slave." He watched the other fox leave and snickered. Just how stupid did he think he was? Redeye walked to a 9-flogged whip hanging from a peg and made a few experimental swishes. The old, splintery wood entwined in the knots of the whips shone ominously as he slipped it under his cloak.
Less than five minutes later, all were gathered on deck by the main mast. As Redeye spoke, he paced back and forth among the line of vermin. "Recently I have discovered a conspiracy against me, your captain." He spun and faced Holm, eyes hard. "You are the ringleader, Holm. I can't trust you and if I punish you, you will just become more rebellious. You have to go!" With that, the curved blades sliced through the air, killing the hapless weasel on the spot. "Also, one of the ringleaders told me that my first mate Brogot was a traitor. However, I know he was lying because of the greed in his eyes, because he planned to be made first mate. Well, he forgot one thing."
Stugeon threw himself on the ground, begging for mercy, but the corsair fox killed him in cold blood. "I don't trust foxes."
He turned on his heel, adressing the entire crew. "If any of you ever try to cross me, I will do to you what I do to the last traitor. Slave, come here!"
Maris stepped forward, a swift flicker of fear flashing thhrough her eyes.
''Be strong. Be strong for Kay and Gammage.''
"If you beg for your life, I may just spare it."
She said nothing. The corsair sighed with mock regret. "What happens next is your own fault." He motioned to two corsairs and they grabbed her and forcibly circled her arms around the mast, securly tying them. Redeye drew out the nine-flogged whip and without hesitation began to flog her. The tarred, knotted rope and the old, splintery wood tore into the barely healed flesh on her back. She held in her screams as long as she could, but when the whip tore into her muscles, she could not control it.
She screamed. And each time the brutal whip tore into her back, she screamed anew.
As she faded into darkness, she would have sworn she heard Gammage calling her name. But no- she was alone.
Redeye finally stopped, satisfied with his work. He drew his dagger and sliced through the rope holding her to the mast. She slid to the ground just as all dark broke loose.
***
The first whiplashes startled the slaves down in the hold. Gammage stirred uneasily. When the screams began, it was all he needed. He leapt to his feet, straining to get to her. The steel chains, however, were cold and unyielding, holding him to the oar. "Maris!" He tugged futily, unabble to do nothing but listen in horror. Abruptly, the screams stopped.
But the flogging continued.
With a roar, Gammage hurled himself at the door. The chains gave a whine of protest and snapped near the oar. Amid the startled gasps of the slaves, Gammage stumbled forward, oblivious to everything but the whiplashes. He banged the door open in time to see her fall, limp as a broken doll. He darted to her side and pulled her into his trembling grip. She lay unmoving, face pale, blood congealing on her back. Was she even breathing? "Maris!" he cried, shaking her as much as he dared. When no response came, he lowered his head, bowed with grief.
One of the younger, thus stupider, corsairs snickered, finding the situation quite amusing. It was the last nail in his coffin. Gammage slowly lowered her to the ground, gentle as possible. He stood, eyes lowered. Then with a wild battle yell he charged into the ranks of corsairs, eyes red as flame.
They had taken his son, his freedom, his crew, his ship, and now his wife.
There would be dark to pay.
***
Tittering quietly, three small pairs of paws slipped into the kitchen, turning hungry eyes on the oatcakes and scones baked for the next morning's early meal. The ringleader, Gonflet, produced a pillowcase and began to stuff scones into it. "Chugga, you stan' guard. Ivy, hel' me." Chugger promptly posted himself by the door, peering out into the darkness.
"Wha we doin' again?"
"Runnin' h'away fwom da h'abbey, dumbeww," Gonflet said in exasperation, "We wooking for barried tweasure!"
"Oh. I fot we was jus' gonna go campin' wike Skippa."
Having finished stripping the kitchen of scones and cheese, the terrible trio shouldered the bulging pillowcases and slipped out the unfinished wall, all alone in the night.
***
"All quiet?"
Barkjon nodded. "I wonder what they're up to. That pine marten didn't seem like the type to give up."
"What are you doing?"
The pair jumped guiltily as Urran Voh walked onto the walkway behind them holding a lantern.
Before they could answer, a sudden sheet of flame devoured the wall less than a foot away from where they stood. They rushed to the side of the wall and saw a ferret in the process of throwing more oil onto the wall with a torch in his paw.
Rowanoak's javelin took him to the place where the fires never go out and the worm is always hungry.
Urran Voh had enough sense to realize when he was wrong. "Get the others. I shall stand guard here. Who knows what they're up to!"
Rowanoak looked past him and hurriedly pressed her javelin and thrower into his paws. He began to protest, but she pointed. An army of vermin headed to Noonvale like a dark wave, sweeping all aside in its path.
***
The chains spun through the air, a roiling blur as Gammage released all the pent-up rage and fury that had accumulated through the years. Four corsairs lay dead, several more badly wounded. Redeye scrambled backwards, eyes wide. He finally could no longer take the pressure and dashed into his cabin. He tried to shut the door on the enraged otter, but Gammage knocked the door off its hinges, throwing the fox against the opposing wall. Gammage wrapped the chains around the fox's neck and began to squeeze.
Redeye felt as if her were floating in a blue haze. He wanted to scream, plead, beg for mercy- anything to live.
Then with a sharp whack he gasped in air, realizing he could breathe. He looked up and saw Brogot, standing over him with a worried expression and a club in his hand. Gammage lay on the floor, blood leaking from an abrasion on the back of his head, out cold.
"Cap'n are you all right?"
"I am fine. I'm glad I made you first mate- soon as we capture another ship I'm making you captain."
Brogot shrugged. "You've allus been fair to me, cap'n. I couldn't run a ship like you could, cap'n."
"That's why I didn't retire, stupid." He gestured dismissively at Gammage. "Chain him back up- use double chains this time- and throw the corpses overboard."
Brogot gawked. "Let 'im live, cap'n? After all this-"
Redeye placed an arm around the young corsair's shoulders condescendingly. "Think, Brogot. The only thing these woodlanders love more than freedom are their families. If we kill him, we reunite him with his wife and son and grant him freedom. To keep him here, knowing he has lost both his wife and his son . . . That is nothing short of genius pure."
Brogot shrugged and began to drag the otter away. "Whatever you say. By the way, cap'n, we need more crew."
"How many did he kill?"
"Ten dead, four mortally wounded, an' seven badly hurt."
Redeye tried to hide his surprise at the otter's berserk strength. Frankly, he didn't see what was so special about that one female.
But then, he was a woodlander. And woodlanders did crazy things now and then.
***
Keyla looked through the mass of whirling, twisting bodies. He wasn't too keen on dancing- last time he'd tripped, knocking Urran Voh over. Not exactly the kind of thing that gives you confidence in your dancing prowess.
Brome joined him, face flushed with excitment. "Aren't you going to dance?"
"No. And don't say a word, Brome of Noonvale. Last time you got that look, Noonvale erupted in a prank war."
"Hey, it wasn't my fault!"
"True, but you liked the idea."
Instead of continuing to defend his doubtful innocence in the prank war, Brome took another tack in attempting to convince his friend to dance.
"Everybody's dancing. Look- Celandine, Lawd, even Grumm!
"You're not," the otter was swift to point out.
Brome ignored him. "Even Tullgrew's out there- you know how shy she can be."
As planned, that got the otter's attention. "Where?"
The current dance ended with a flourish. Brome pointed her out as the dancers began to seek new partners. "If you hurry you can catch her."
He started forward then narrowed his eyes at the smirking mouse. "You planned this."
"Yes, now hurry up. That big 'un over there looks like he's about to offer you some competition."
"I'm gonna get you for this," Keyla muttered as he scurried off.
"You're welcome!" Brome called after him.
***
"Report, now!"
"They seemed to have been taken by surprise, my lady. Also, the flames are burning through the walls."
"Good. I want you to take out any leaders at the slightest chance. Cut off the head and the body will die."
Urran Voh held the javelin and thrower half-heartedly. He did not want to kill anything- even if it meant he lost his own life. The Noonvaler's forces were stretched too thin- some attempting to put out the fire, others trying to keep the vermin off, without much success.
Rain, Var'ryn, we need rain . . .
An arrow whizzed by his head and he ducked. Warriors like the ex-slaves were very brave to put up with this. He, however, was no warrior. He was so afraid that if it wasn't for the creatures under his care he might have turned and run. A glass slid into his hand and he looked up.
Aryah.
"Aryah, get away from here! You may get hurt!"
"No! They need water!" she argued. Urran Voh sighed.
And she wondered where Rose and Brome got their stubborness.
His gaze wandered the battlefield and rested on his enemy as she loaded an arrow into her bow and took aim at . . .
Aryah.
With a sudden shout that surprised him, Urran Voh leapt to his feet. With speed and ease he was unused to, he fitted a javelin to the thrower and released it. The javelin sped through the air, piercing the pine marten's armour and embedding in her shoulder just as she released her arrow, drastically altering her aim.
Urran Voh froze as the arrow sped towards him. If he moved it may hit someone else. So this is how it ends . . .
At that moment, the fire finished burning through the platform ropes. It gave way and he fell with a cry as wooden beams piled around and on him.
The last thing he was aware of were raindrops on his cheeks.
***
Brome smiled as he finally located his friend on the dance floor. Keyla was smiling- no, laughing, as he danced with Tullgrew. He had never seen his otter friend so joyful. Brome could have joined them, but he stayed, branding in his mind the night they were all so happy with no cares.
He knew in his heart that there would not be a happy hour like this again for many a long day.