Chapter Fourteen: Damn It All
She looked at the stranger whose name was...well, she couldn't remember what his name was at the moment. She finished off her mug for the eighth--or was it the ninth? tenth?--time. The man was getting decidedly more blurry with each swig of rum, which he kindly bought all of as she filled the emptiness she felt at killing someone with rum.
"So...ye saw...th' 'ole thing?" she asked. Part of her realized she had asked for about the thousandth time.
He smiled at her, and she was so sodden with rum that she didn't realize that it was more of a tolerant smile than one that held any actual pleasure in it. "Yes, I saw the whole thing. You were quite dashing, my darling Raven."
She smiled drunkenly at him, then a look of mock seriousness fell over her face. "Now 'old it righ' there, mister..." she started, shaking her finger at him. Whatever she had been about to say next was forestalled by her head thunking down on the table as she fell unconscious.
Devon shook his head, amused by this Reanna Sparrow. Yes, he knew who she was. It had been rather simple to figure it out after he had found out that the Pearl was in the harbor. He had heard about Jack's death some time ago--word travelled fast in Tortuga, and when a strange new female pirate had suddenly appeared at the same time as the Pearl...well, it hadn't been difficult to guess at the identity of this woman who shook up bartenders and invited the wrath of their usually powerful patrons.
Not that she couldn't handle it, he mused as he thought back on the amazing show of prowess she had shown earlier. Well...she probably couldn't handle it right at this moment, he thought as he saw three rather large men enter the bar. "Damn," he muttered under his breath. He had to get her out of here before they saw her or noticed him.
He pulled his hood up and picked his little Raven up from her rather awkward position half on and half off of the table. Covering her hair with a fold of his cloak, he unobtrusively left the bar when the hulking giants reached the counter.
**
"She's not there," stated one of the men rather dumbly. Of course she wasn't there--anyone could see that no one was at the table that the strange man and his beautiful companion had been at.
The smartest of the three men--and he was barely that--grabbed the bartender and pulled the man to within an inch of his snarling visage. "Where'd she go?"
"I don't know!" the frightened--and much smaller--man cried. "They were there right before you came in, the man had just bought another rum for his lady friend!" To the large man's credit, it only took him about thirty seconds to realize that the pair couldn't have gotten far. He dropped the bartender, who looked immensely relieved that the trio was going to leave him alone.
Sadly, the trio of giants were not smart enough to realize that in the time it had taken them to figure out that the two they searched for couldn't have gotten far, their quarry had already reached the docks.
**
Devon looked down at Reanna's face, conflicting feelings battling within him. He had known that she was the daughter of Jack Sparrow, but the fact that she was the Golden Eagle's daughter as well...somehow the gossip had missed the fact that Jack had married Arianne. He sighed. He had two choices. He could claim that he had never found her, or he could take her where he had been told to.
He cursed as he stared at her flawless face, relaxed in sleep. She wasn't supposed to be beautiful, damn it! Most of the people he was paid to bring to whatever employer hired him were men, and the women were nothing but worthless whores. He had never had any qualms about leaving the prisoners with his various employers as long as he got paid.
But now...the girl was only sixteen--seventeen in two days, he reminded himself--and why did his employer want her so badly anyway? After all the rum she had drank, she had spilled her life story like seive would spill water. She had never stepped off the ship when her father brought her to Tortuga, and the only isle she had ever really visited often was the island that held Port Royal. Even there, the only people she had much association with were the Turners and her grandmother, who had been remarried to the governor about fifteen years before. As far as he knew, the girl's real grandfather was still imprisoned due to insanity.
When he finally looked up from his lovely Raven's face to his surroundings, he discovered that he had reached the docks. Instead of heading to his own ship, he reluctantly turned towards the Black Pearl, his decision made. He knew this would mean that he would be severely punished, for several people had seen him buying the girl drinks, and a couple had undoubtedly seen him pick her up and leave the bar with her in his arms. His pay would be severely docked as well if he chose to honor the contract and bring her in later.
He cursed himself. He had always been a sucker for a pretty face, and this one was a beauty. He had a reputation for occasionally soliciting the prostitutes and he was a known charmer. Well, for once he himself had been charmed, and he wasn't entirely sure he liked it. It was as though he had been struck blind, and instead of his other senses being sharpened, they had gone dead as well. It was as if all he could smell was the salty scent of her hair, which was surprisingly soft for a seafarer.
Damn it all, he thought to himself. I'm going to regret this in the morning.
When he finally reached the Black Pearl, he took one last look at her face and kissed her lips lightly. "Farewell for now, my Emerald Raven. I pray we shall meet again."
He then called up to whomever was on duty and laid her down, backing away into the shadows where he could watch and make sure nothing untoward happened to her.
When a woman came down and saw who it was laying on the dock, she called up to the boat asking for help. It wasn't until she had been carried up the gangplank that the shadows Devon had occupied were simply shadows once more.
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I send many many MANY thanks to Sarah Sparrow (who likely hasn't read this yet, but oh well!) who told me how to get the italics and such to stay when I load it onto ff.net! I'll be editing the other...thirteen...chapters...later...oh god...-.-' S'pose I better get to work on that, eh?
Thanks again to Elkengrove for reviewing the last chapter...it's a damn good thing I accept anonymous reviews now, eh?