Action coming up!
***
A Hard Man To Predict
Phoenix is jerked awake from a half-sleep by Anamaria storming her way into the make-shift prison.
'Get out!' she shouts at the guard, who makes a hurried exit.
'Why couldn't you have put me in the brig, at least then there would have been rats to talk to,' Phoenix complains fuzzily, 'not that giant who just stares the whole time. Oh no, you're not going to hit me again are you?'
'Look at me,' Anamaria orders, in a voice that brooks no argument.
Phoenix looks, and gasps in shock. Her nose is bleeding, her lip is split, and she's starting to show signs of bruising down the left side of her face.
'I am not going to hit you again, I promise you that.'
She takes up one of Phoenix's daggers from the table, and Phoenix's eyes grow wide.
'Are you going to kill me?'
Anamaria doesn't respond, and steps around behind Phoenix's chair. Phoenix closes her eyes tight, and waits for the slice across her throat. It doesn't come, and she feels the ropes around her hands slipping to the floor.
'What are you doing?' she asks, rubbing her wrists as Anamaria steps back into view and begins work on cutting the ropes that bind her feet.
'I'm letting you out, isn't it rather obvious?' she replies and Phoenix kicks the ropes off her ankles.
She hands both daggers back to Phoenix, who tucks them into her boots warily.
'Is this some kind of trick?'
'No, it isn't. Listen, we don't have much time. Santos, the captain, he did this to me. It isn't the first time either, but now I have a way out and I need your help.'
Phoenix is confused, but is determined not to show it. She takes refuse in suspicion.
'Why should I trust you an inch?'
'You have absolutely no reason to trust me or do anything for me at all. But if you only believe one thing then believe this. I need you to get my son off this ship. If we escape, and I leave him behind, Santos will kill him.' Phoenix shrugs. 'Why can't he look after himself?'
'He's three years old.'
'Oh.' Phoenix looks down at her feet, feeling foolish. 'I still don't see why I should help you.'
'I'm not asking you to help me, I'm asking you to help him.'
'Well, I know he's only a child, but really I don't' –
Anamaria cuts her short. 'He's your brother.'
Phoenix's jaw hits the floor. 'My what?!'
'You can ask questions later. Will you help him?'
Phoenix's brain tells her her chances of escape will be less if she has a child with her, but every other instinct calls out to her to do the right thing.
'Yes, I'll help him. Tell me what to do.'
'You take care of your captor, and we can go and get my son. You take him, and go to the starboard side where there should be a rowboat. I'll deal with anyone that gets in our way. Then all we have to do is get to the Pearl.'
'You make it sound so simple.'
Anamaria smiles, her split lip zinging with pain as she does so.
'It is.'
Phoenix takes a deep, slow breath.
'Shall we go, then?'
Anamaria nods. Phoenix pulls her daggers out of her boots, and spins them in her fingers. Suddenly, she feels much more herself again.
Anamaria opens the door, and steps out. Phoenix hears her walk down the passage, and being to climb up to the deck. Now or never, she tells herself.
She darts out of the door, and finds her leviathan jailer blocking the pathway. He reaches for her as if to crush her, but she finds her right arm arching upwards, and she feels a warm river of blood running down her dagger and over her hand. She pulls her dagger out as the jailer falls forward. Phoenix jumps over him and runs down the passage.
The second man she's killed, she thinks. Funny how it gets easier...she feels the urge to be sick somewhere as the stench of that man's blood fills her nostrils, but fights down the impulse and keeps running.
She is on deck now, following Anamaria, then down again and into the tiniest of rooms. So far, they have seen no one. In the room, there is a small red-headed man cleaning a pistol with an old rag.
'Take him,' Anamaria says to Phoenix, indicating the sleeping form on the pile of covers.
The red-headed man jumps up and makes to draw his sword, but Anamaria's well-placed fist knocks him unconscious. Phoenix follows Anamaria to the starboard side of the boat, trying simultaneously not to wake the boy and not to cover him with clotting blood.
Anamaria vaults gracefully over the side and down into the rowboat. Phoenix leans down as far as she can and passes the precious bundle to Anamaria. James snuffles slightly, and turns in his sleep. Phoenix leaps into the boat, which wobbles dangerously.
'Have you ever rowed one of these before?' Anamaria asks.
'No, never.'
Anamaria gives an exasperated sigh, and hands the snuffler to Phoenix. She takes one oar in each hand, and facing backwards, begins to row towards the Pearl. The cold night air cleans away the stench of the blood, and Phoenix trails one hand in the water, trying desperately to wash off the death.
The journey seems to take hours, although it is mere minutes. Every second Phoenix expects to hear cannons firing, but no cannon fire can be heard. As their tiny craft bumps alongside the Pearl, Anamaria takes possession of her son again.
'Call someone,' she tells Phoenix. 'Go on, call someone.'
'Hello!' Phoenix shouts. 'Hello? Anyone, it's Phoenix, I'm back!'
There is the sound of footsteps, and Matthew's head appears over the side.
'Phoenix! Who's that with you?'
'I'll explain later, get my father out here, and throw us some ropes!'
Matthew disappears for a moment, and a rope appears over the side of the ship, accompanied by yells of 'Captain! Captain!'. Anamaria motions for Phoenix to go first, so she does, scrambling up it like a monkey.
When she gets her feet on the familiar decking, she reaches down as far as she can as Anamaria reaches up and hands Phoenix's half-brother over. As his mother hauls herself up, Phoenix studies the boy as much as she can by the starlight. He looks very much like herself, she thinks, and she feels a sudden rush of love for this tiny stranger in her arms. In spite of the night's events, she smiles.
'Phoenix!'
It's Jack, striding out of his cabin with Matthew on his heels.
'I knew you'd...' he stops dead, and it is all Matthew can do not to crash into him.
'Ana.'
'I got her back to you, Jack.'
James begins to snuffle again, and wriggles slightly against Phoenix's embrace.
'Jack,' Anamaria says, gently taking James from Phoenix, 'I brought someone else back too.'
***
Cliffs ahoy!
***
A Hard Man To Predict
Phoenix is jerked awake from a half-sleep by Anamaria storming her way into the make-shift prison.
'Get out!' she shouts at the guard, who makes a hurried exit.
'Why couldn't you have put me in the brig, at least then there would have been rats to talk to,' Phoenix complains fuzzily, 'not that giant who just stares the whole time. Oh no, you're not going to hit me again are you?'
'Look at me,' Anamaria orders, in a voice that brooks no argument.
Phoenix looks, and gasps in shock. Her nose is bleeding, her lip is split, and she's starting to show signs of bruising down the left side of her face.
'I am not going to hit you again, I promise you that.'
She takes up one of Phoenix's daggers from the table, and Phoenix's eyes grow wide.
'Are you going to kill me?'
Anamaria doesn't respond, and steps around behind Phoenix's chair. Phoenix closes her eyes tight, and waits for the slice across her throat. It doesn't come, and she feels the ropes around her hands slipping to the floor.
'What are you doing?' she asks, rubbing her wrists as Anamaria steps back into view and begins work on cutting the ropes that bind her feet.
'I'm letting you out, isn't it rather obvious?' she replies and Phoenix kicks the ropes off her ankles.
She hands both daggers back to Phoenix, who tucks them into her boots warily.
'Is this some kind of trick?'
'No, it isn't. Listen, we don't have much time. Santos, the captain, he did this to me. It isn't the first time either, but now I have a way out and I need your help.'
Phoenix is confused, but is determined not to show it. She takes refuse in suspicion.
'Why should I trust you an inch?'
'You have absolutely no reason to trust me or do anything for me at all. But if you only believe one thing then believe this. I need you to get my son off this ship. If we escape, and I leave him behind, Santos will kill him.' Phoenix shrugs. 'Why can't he look after himself?'
'He's three years old.'
'Oh.' Phoenix looks down at her feet, feeling foolish. 'I still don't see why I should help you.'
'I'm not asking you to help me, I'm asking you to help him.'
'Well, I know he's only a child, but really I don't' –
Anamaria cuts her short. 'He's your brother.'
Phoenix's jaw hits the floor. 'My what?!'
'You can ask questions later. Will you help him?'
Phoenix's brain tells her her chances of escape will be less if she has a child with her, but every other instinct calls out to her to do the right thing.
'Yes, I'll help him. Tell me what to do.'
'You take care of your captor, and we can go and get my son. You take him, and go to the starboard side where there should be a rowboat. I'll deal with anyone that gets in our way. Then all we have to do is get to the Pearl.'
'You make it sound so simple.'
Anamaria smiles, her split lip zinging with pain as she does so.
'It is.'
Phoenix takes a deep, slow breath.
'Shall we go, then?'
Anamaria nods. Phoenix pulls her daggers out of her boots, and spins them in her fingers. Suddenly, she feels much more herself again.
Anamaria opens the door, and steps out. Phoenix hears her walk down the passage, and being to climb up to the deck. Now or never, she tells herself.
She darts out of the door, and finds her leviathan jailer blocking the pathway. He reaches for her as if to crush her, but she finds her right arm arching upwards, and she feels a warm river of blood running down her dagger and over her hand. She pulls her dagger out as the jailer falls forward. Phoenix jumps over him and runs down the passage.
The second man she's killed, she thinks. Funny how it gets easier...she feels the urge to be sick somewhere as the stench of that man's blood fills her nostrils, but fights down the impulse and keeps running.
She is on deck now, following Anamaria, then down again and into the tiniest of rooms. So far, they have seen no one. In the room, there is a small red-headed man cleaning a pistol with an old rag.
'Take him,' Anamaria says to Phoenix, indicating the sleeping form on the pile of covers.
The red-headed man jumps up and makes to draw his sword, but Anamaria's well-placed fist knocks him unconscious. Phoenix follows Anamaria to the starboard side of the boat, trying simultaneously not to wake the boy and not to cover him with clotting blood.
Anamaria vaults gracefully over the side and down into the rowboat. Phoenix leans down as far as she can and passes the precious bundle to Anamaria. James snuffles slightly, and turns in his sleep. Phoenix leaps into the boat, which wobbles dangerously.
'Have you ever rowed one of these before?' Anamaria asks.
'No, never.'
Anamaria gives an exasperated sigh, and hands the snuffler to Phoenix. She takes one oar in each hand, and facing backwards, begins to row towards the Pearl. The cold night air cleans away the stench of the blood, and Phoenix trails one hand in the water, trying desperately to wash off the death.
The journey seems to take hours, although it is mere minutes. Every second Phoenix expects to hear cannons firing, but no cannon fire can be heard. As their tiny craft bumps alongside the Pearl, Anamaria takes possession of her son again.
'Call someone,' she tells Phoenix. 'Go on, call someone.'
'Hello!' Phoenix shouts. 'Hello? Anyone, it's Phoenix, I'm back!'
There is the sound of footsteps, and Matthew's head appears over the side.
'Phoenix! Who's that with you?'
'I'll explain later, get my father out here, and throw us some ropes!'
Matthew disappears for a moment, and a rope appears over the side of the ship, accompanied by yells of 'Captain! Captain!'. Anamaria motions for Phoenix to go first, so she does, scrambling up it like a monkey.
When she gets her feet on the familiar decking, she reaches down as far as she can as Anamaria reaches up and hands Phoenix's half-brother over. As his mother hauls herself up, Phoenix studies the boy as much as she can by the starlight. He looks very much like herself, she thinks, and she feels a sudden rush of love for this tiny stranger in her arms. In spite of the night's events, she smiles.
'Phoenix!'
It's Jack, striding out of his cabin with Matthew on his heels.
'I knew you'd...' he stops dead, and it is all Matthew can do not to crash into him.
'Ana.'
'I got her back to you, Jack.'
James begins to snuffle again, and wriggles slightly against Phoenix's embrace.
'Jack,' Anamaria says, gently taking James from Phoenix, 'I brought someone else back too.'
***
Cliffs ahoy!
