A/N Okay, I know I haven't updated for a while, so I thought, I'd get it finished. This is the last chapter of the story. Yes, I know it was a short story, it was supposed to be. Definitely not my best! But at least it's finished. Please review.
Chapter Four ~ Mutiny and Maps
Avery sneaked down the deck, heading towards the captain's quarters he had about half an hour to get the captain off the ship. They had docked in some foreign port that Avery knew little about. But he had to persuade the captain to leave, if the two wanted to live through the night.
"Captain? Captain." He said, knocking on the door.
"Yes?"
Avery stepped into the cabin, to see the captain pouring over a map on his desk.
"Can I have a word?"
"Not now Cotton, I'm busy. Surely the lads can sort your problem out." He said, not looking up.
"It's about the 'lads', sir."
This caused the captain to look up. "Now if there is a problem I refuse to be drawn into it. I'm not taking sides."
"They've gone against you, they're planning mutiny!" Avery cried.
"Mutiny is a filthy word." The captain snarled. "If you're lying I will cut out that forked tongue of yours. . ."
"Captain we have to leave now, get off this ship. The men will kill you." Avery persisted.
The Captain shook his head with an rich laugh. "I trusted you, Avery. Deary me, save my life and then come to steal from me?" he said.
Avery raised his eyebrows.
As they were talking there came a pounding on the door.
"Too late." Avery said, bitterly. He pulled out his sword, and stood facing the door.
A few seconds later the door shattered, and Gus and the others appeared in the doorway, with glowing torches, and a pistol in every other hand.
"What is going on?" Captain Henry Myers demanded, as he stepped towards the door.
Radigus stepped forward, he glared at Avery with a look of absolute hate. "Looks like we got ourselves a snitcher."
The others grinned, menacingly. The Captain stepped towards the bed to collect his cutlass. He never made it. Radigus's pistol was placed beside his ear. "Where is the map?" He snarled, showing off his yellowing, decaying teeth.
The captain didn't utter a word, instead he just stopped dead, staring out across the room. Gus shook him angrily. "Tell me where the map is, or I'll blow your head off!" He said, pushing the gun fiercely next to his cheek.
"You are going to kill me anyway." The captain retorted.
"Search the room!" Gus shouted to his minions. "And someone take ahold o' him!" He ordered, brandishing his pistol in the direction of Avery.
One of the men heading towards Avery, Avery stabbed through him with his sword. But he was soon overpowered, and couldn't fight against the vast numbers of Gus' crew. Radigus sniggered horribly, as the room was quickly torn apart.
"Nuffin, cap'n!" One of them cried.
He gave a screech of annoyance, and threw the captain down on the bed, aiming his pistol directly at his head. "Where is it?"
The captain managed a smirk. "You can't kill me, Radigus, 'cause then you'll never find it."
Avery groaned as the pirate holding him, kicked him in the shin, when he attempted to wriggle free.
The captain couldn't help his eyes that went to the old chest, then withdrew swiftly. Radigus smirked as he bent down and began to rummage through the old chest. Nothing!
"Argh!" He shouted angrily. He punched the captain, before progressing to tear up the room some more.
"Maybe he has it on him." One of the pirates suggested. And so the captain was searched, but presented nothing.
"WHERE IS IT?" He demanded for the last time, dragging the captain from the bed and throwing him against the wall.
"It's in here." The captain grinned, tapping his forehead. The anger bubbled up inside of Radigus. All that searching for nothing, no map. And now they couldn't leave the captain alive it was too dangerous. He lifted his pistol and pulled the trigger. A shot right through the heart. Radigus kicked the dead body to ensure the captain had truly left this world, before turning to face his crew.
"We'll just have to get there without the map."
There was a murmur of annoyance throughout the men, but none dared to voice their doubts. It was hard enough getting there without the map, but now they had no idea where there were going.
"Wha' bout him?"
Radigus stepped up to Avery, they were so close their grubby faces were almost touching. "You know what happens to snitches?" He asked softly.
Avery didn't reply, he struggled against the two men holding him.
"We cut their filthy rotten tongues out."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The pain seemed unreal, it gripped him in it's iron fastening, refusing poignantly to let go. Eventually, it got to much and he was knocked unconscious. When he awoke, he was still leaning against the old brick building, his mouth felt empty, and full of blood. He slowly wrought up the courage to touch. . .it. He stuck his fingers inside his mouth, but seconds later repelled them horrified. His mouth was empty. His rotting teeth stood alone, as though mourners at a funeral. The throbbing, aching pain shot up to his head, and he could barely see through his eyes. He didn't have the strength to get up, or so he thought.
And then out of nowhere the parrot appeared, the Captain's parrot. It was a beautiful creature really, majestic and colourful. It landed gently on his shoulder. He absentmindedly stroked it's back with his blood stained hand. He tried to speak, but the words didn't come, they air was as empty as his mouth.
The parrot squawked. "Wind in the sales. Wind in the sales."
Avery Cotton managed a small smile, faced with his shaky future, and the prospect of never being able to talk again, and yet the parrot's antics caused him to smile. It burrowed itself against his hand, chattering mindlessly all the phrases it knew.
From that day on the parrot refused to leave him, it would perch by day on his shoulder, just as it had stood on the captain's. Cotton developed an odd relationship with it, the parrot could sense what he was thinking, and was able to provide a voice for his tongue-less master.
No one knew quite what to call the parrot, and they could hardly ask Cotton. So he became known as Mr Cotton's Parrot.
They say good comes out of every evil, and so it did. Avery Cotton was never in want of work, he hardly ever left the sea. He proved a loyal friend, and good sailor, a worthy member of any crew. Of course, his big break came when Gibbs snatched him up, and he was made second mate on The Black Pearl, the most feared pirate ship in the Spanish Main. It couldn't have been captained by a fairer man.
So, Avery Cotton had started out young and arrogant, age had set him straight on a few matters. But the fact remained, by trying to be good, and doing the right thing he had lost his tongue, but because of the intense loyalty he had shown he was a welcome addition to any crew, and now he had a constant, feathered friend, always by his side.
The Abyss went on to sink in it's pursuit of the legendary island of Nargery, it seemed they did need a map after all.
Yes, good certainly does emerge from the ashes of evil.
A/N So what do you think? I haven't included any graphic images of him having his tongue cut out, after all it was bad enough watching Johnny Depp have his eyes gouged out in Once Upon a Time in Mexico! Anyway hope you have enjoyed this story, as I said before, it's not one of my best. Oh well, please reviews, thanks.
