A sequel!? GAH!! I'm trying very hard to just finish this thing! Thanks
so much for leaving comments! I'm so glad I haven't been forgotten! It
fills my heart with happiness, as does this tale which is extremely fun to
write. So on with the story!
The creaks of a speeding ship greeted her as consciousness returned, rocking her aching body back and forth, back and forth. A hazy calm embraced her as she opened her eyes, surprised at the absence of mahogany and burgundy. /I
Her entire body jerked forward as her vision adjusted to the dim light and foreign room. It was bare and colorless, with unstained furnature without lining or decoration. She had been lying on her back facing a low ceiling from an unrelenting stiff mattress, now gazing forward at a heavy set of doors. She teetered as she tried to balance without the benefit of hands, tethered securely behind her, and her head ached and blurred.
"Do you know what happens, Miss McGovern, when you let your hired help do all the work?" She tossed to the right to meet a cool, emotionless face punctuated by arctic eyes. Without sparkle nor malice, they still forced you to gaze and shiver as they bore straight through you. A soft gasp escaped from her throat as he stepped closer to the edge of the bed, his skin almost colorless and so thin you could see the networks of spidery blue veins sustaining what appeared to be a completely lifeless creation. Not a single lash, brow, or hair remained as he removed his plumed hat, tossing it carelessly to a stiff chair. "When I entrusted my men to bring me The Heiress from Daemon's Pointe, they hauled nothing but an ugly, screaming wench onto my ship. I knew she couldn't be the legend, but..." he paused, removing a soft leatherbound book from the inner-folds of his dark jacket as he smirked down at his prisoner, "missed it, Queen of Eden?"
Tabitha slyly smiled back, fighting the twisting fear that was gnawing at her insides. Lying at the mercy of this soulless, frightening monster. He leaned in ever-closer, hovering right over her as she struggled to distance herself. A sword and two pistols were attatched to his belt, which dangled now against the starch-white bed covering- shiny reminders of her percariousness. If only she could remember what had transpired! She remembered the thrilling kiss of rum, coming out to the deck... then, the world vanished into an abyss that could've been a moment or a lifetime. Yet she knew, no matter what hand she had been dealt, she couldn't let him see her sweat. If only she were able to make him believe she was slyer, somehow had the upper hand, her fate may not be so hopeless. "Not at all. You see, I have it memorized."
"Memorized all up in that little head of yours?" He milled, twisting it around his spindly fingers. "Then why wasn't the Black Pearl headed to Eden's Rock?"
"I..." Why hadn't she told Jack? He was untrustworthy? How astute, Tabitha. Let's just wait for a better pirate to come along. Oh wait... how could that have possibly gone wrong? "He never asked."
A darkness settled into his toothy smile, which was within a breath of her space. "Neither did I." His right hand rose sharply, revealing the metallic glint of a dagger in the dreary light. "Do you give everything up this easily?"
"Don't you dare touch me," she warned, trying to sink as far into the graceless bed as the knife tore down her bodice, revealing the thin flesh- colored undershirt. "I worked hard to steal that, you bastard."
"Well I worked very hard to burn down an island, catch up with the Black Pearl, and kill five crew members for this." His putrid lips forced against hers, clamped shut as she swung her head away.
"Get off of me, you filthy rat," she growled through her teeth.
"I don't know what sort of gracious hospitality you were treated to on the Black Pearl," he flipped her back over to face him, any trace of good humor quickly replaced by impatient rage. "But aboard the Lucifer, you'll earn your keep."
"If you, or any other lout so much as brushes up against me in a manner unbecoming to a gentleman," she said slowly, braving the face of wickedness against her very real terror, "I will not recite the poem for you. Kill me, torture me- I will not do it."
He sat up, the vicious smile returning as he stared her down. "Waiting for Jack Sparrow to sail valiantly into Eden's Rock, save you from the evil captain, and sail you off into the sunset? Fine, I'll give him the chance to show up so he can live just long enough to witness the treasure he lost in my hands." The heavy handle of the dagger rose in the air, and she felt its smarting pain against her skull before slipping once more into unconscious oblivion.
The creaks of a speeding ship greeted her as consciousness returned, rocking her aching body back and forth, back and forth. A hazy calm embraced her as she opened her eyes, surprised at the absence of mahogany and burgundy. /I
Her entire body jerked forward as her vision adjusted to the dim light and foreign room. It was bare and colorless, with unstained furnature without lining or decoration. She had been lying on her back facing a low ceiling from an unrelenting stiff mattress, now gazing forward at a heavy set of doors. She teetered as she tried to balance without the benefit of hands, tethered securely behind her, and her head ached and blurred.
"Do you know what happens, Miss McGovern, when you let your hired help do all the work?" She tossed to the right to meet a cool, emotionless face punctuated by arctic eyes. Without sparkle nor malice, they still forced you to gaze and shiver as they bore straight through you. A soft gasp escaped from her throat as he stepped closer to the edge of the bed, his skin almost colorless and so thin you could see the networks of spidery blue veins sustaining what appeared to be a completely lifeless creation. Not a single lash, brow, or hair remained as he removed his plumed hat, tossing it carelessly to a stiff chair. "When I entrusted my men to bring me The Heiress from Daemon's Pointe, they hauled nothing but an ugly, screaming wench onto my ship. I knew she couldn't be the legend, but..." he paused, removing a soft leatherbound book from the inner-folds of his dark jacket as he smirked down at his prisoner, "missed it, Queen of Eden?"
Tabitha slyly smiled back, fighting the twisting fear that was gnawing at her insides. Lying at the mercy of this soulless, frightening monster. He leaned in ever-closer, hovering right over her as she struggled to distance herself. A sword and two pistols were attatched to his belt, which dangled now against the starch-white bed covering- shiny reminders of her percariousness. If only she could remember what had transpired! She remembered the thrilling kiss of rum, coming out to the deck... then, the world vanished into an abyss that could've been a moment or a lifetime. Yet she knew, no matter what hand she had been dealt, she couldn't let him see her sweat. If only she were able to make him believe she was slyer, somehow had the upper hand, her fate may not be so hopeless. "Not at all. You see, I have it memorized."
"Memorized all up in that little head of yours?" He milled, twisting it around his spindly fingers. "Then why wasn't the Black Pearl headed to Eden's Rock?"
"I..." Why hadn't she told Jack? He was untrustworthy? How astute, Tabitha. Let's just wait for a better pirate to come along. Oh wait... how could that have possibly gone wrong? "He never asked."
A darkness settled into his toothy smile, which was within a breath of her space. "Neither did I." His right hand rose sharply, revealing the metallic glint of a dagger in the dreary light. "Do you give everything up this easily?"
"Don't you dare touch me," she warned, trying to sink as far into the graceless bed as the knife tore down her bodice, revealing the thin flesh- colored undershirt. "I worked hard to steal that, you bastard."
"Well I worked very hard to burn down an island, catch up with the Black Pearl, and kill five crew members for this." His putrid lips forced against hers, clamped shut as she swung her head away.
"Get off of me, you filthy rat," she growled through her teeth.
"I don't know what sort of gracious hospitality you were treated to on the Black Pearl," he flipped her back over to face him, any trace of good humor quickly replaced by impatient rage. "But aboard the Lucifer, you'll earn your keep."
"If you, or any other lout so much as brushes up against me in a manner unbecoming to a gentleman," she said slowly, braving the face of wickedness against her very real terror, "I will not recite the poem for you. Kill me, torture me- I will not do it."
He sat up, the vicious smile returning as he stared her down. "Waiting for Jack Sparrow to sail valiantly into Eden's Rock, save you from the evil captain, and sail you off into the sunset? Fine, I'll give him the chance to show up so he can live just long enough to witness the treasure he lost in my hands." The heavy handle of the dagger rose in the air, and she felt its smarting pain against her skull before slipping once more into unconscious oblivion.