"Do you remember the plan?"
"You mean the one that involved you figuring out a distraction while I sneak aboard and below decks?" I looked over at Jack, my brow raised and my voice hushed.
He nodded, a cheeky grin on his lips. "Aye, that one!" He scooted a bit closer to me so he could point towards the bow of the ship. "I'm going t' be creating the distraction up there," he told me, his voice just as quiet as mine. "What I have in mind should afford you enough time t' sneak aboard and get below deck. You best be quick, though, because I can't guarantee that it'll be enough time for you t' get back here."
I gave him a curious look. "And what is it, exactly, that you have planned for your distraction?"
"Don't you worry, mate," he replied, a mischievous smirk replacing his grin. "I've got this all under control and ready t' go—you just need t' trust me, savvy?"
Having little other choice, I nodded. "Savvy."
"Good. Now, wait here until I give the signal." He crawled out from behind the stack of crates and, staying crouched down, he made his way down the dock.
As I crouched there, waiting for whatever his signal was going to be, the shock of the day was finally starting to sink in. 'What am I doing?' I thought, frowning. 'I should be out, trying to find myself a proper crew to join. Instead, I'm sitting here, waiting for a lad younger than me to give me a signal to sneak aboard a ship so I can steal my own belongings back…' Rubbing my wrists, I shook my head and closed my eyes.
'To be fair, though, he did help me get out of those shackles,' I continued to think, trying to point out the positives of my situation. 'And he seems friendly enough. He hasn't tried pickpocketing me yet and he has been willing to help me learn more about being a pirate. And who knows? Maybe this venture he needs help with will actually be profitable and fun?'
That brought a small grin to my lips—not the profitable bit, but the fun portion. Until I had started going to sea, my life had been quite boring. It had been typical for someone of my status, with lessons on how to be the perfect, docile woman and future nobleman's wife filling mine and my sisters' days.
But for the most part, they hadn't been fun lessons, especially since our governess was quite strict with me. She had every right to be, as I would frequently don trousers and sneak into town to play with the lower-class boys. Despite all this, I still managed to do well enough that I didn't get in too much trouble—from her, at least.
Hearing the sound of breaking glass, my eyes opened only to find flames rolling down the deck of the ship. The sailor on watch swore loudly and rushed towards them so he could try to put them out. Knowing that was the signal, I bolted from my hiding spot. With just the one sailor, it was easy enough for me to hurry up the gangplank, unseen. I slipped down one of the opened hatches, my eyes taking a moment to adjust to the darkness.
To my luck, there were a few beams of moonlight filtering down through spaces in the deck above, as well as the open hatch and a few open gunports. It wasn't much, but it was enough to let me see that the ship had basically been gutted and now had planks of wood, tools, and coils of rope haphazardly strewn about. I had to take care not to trip over anything while making my way back to the stern.
Reaching the door that kept the tiller safe from the rest of the ship, I opened it to find nothing but darkness—pitch black darkness. I kept my hands in front of me, using them to grope around in the dark so I wouldn't bash my head on the tiller while I carefully moved my foot in front of me to feel for any unevenness in the floor.
'Please let it be here,' I thought, my brows furrowing. My foot continued to feel around for the bag, though I couldn't feel anything. Just when I was getting ready to give up, though, my foot pressed against something that had some give to it, but wasn't soft. Grinning, I crouched down and felt around in the darkness for the bag.
"What the…?" I whispered, my hand having brushed against more than one bag. Continuing to feel around, I searched for any more and, to my surprise, I found a sea chest as well. While the bags were quite full, the chest felt like it had barely anything in it. 'Richardson's chest,' I told myself. Richardson had been the ship's cabin boy. 'He and someone else followed my lead and hid their belongings…'
I moved my hand over to one of the bags; almost instantly, I knew this one wasn't mine. From what I could feel, there was only clothes inside of it, though after pushing along the whole bag, I found something that felt like a coin purse towards the bottom.
'He'll never know,' I thought, opening the bag. Shoving my arm into it, I felt around until my fingers brushed against a small, leather bag. I also felt cold metal—a flask. 'Ooh, someone was breaking the rules…' The only alcohol our former captain had allowed onboard was the weak beer we drank in place of water. Taking hold of both the purse and the flask, I pulled them from the bag. They felt quite weighty, letting me know they were full.
'Now, time to see if this chest has a lock on it…' Setting the flask and purse on the floor beside me, I felt along the chest, searching for the lock that denoted its front. I murmured a small curse in realization—I didn't have the key for it, making it useless to try and search it. 'Depending on the craftsmanship, I might be able to pop the lock…'
I pulled my seabag over and, opening it, slipped my arm inside. To my great relief, I felt the wooden box that held my astrolabe as well as the much smaller, square box that was my compass. There was also a thick, leather-bound book—my journal (the first of many, as a matter of fact)—and the wooden box containing my ink and quills for writing. 'Glad you're all still in there…' Further down, my fingers brushed against the hilt of a dagger. 'There we go.' I took hold of it and pulled it out of the bag.
Unsheathing the knife, I started to wedge the tip of the blade beneath the metal mechanism holding the lock in place. It took a bit of strength and patience, but I was eventually able to pry the metal away from the wood. Lifting the lid, I cautiously felt around inside. Unlike the bag, however, there really wasn't anything special in it—just some clothes, a spare set of shoes, and what felt like a pipe.
I shook my head and closed the chest back up before sheathing my knife. Instead of putting it back in my bag, I belted it around my calf and covered it with my trousers and boot. The coin purse and flask, however, I did put in my seabag before cinching it up as tight as I could.
Standing, I left the small room and, after making sure the door was shut, carefully made my way towards the stairs. Hearing no commotion on the deck, I figured the watchman had managed to put out the small fire. This was confirmed when I slowly climbed a few steps and peered over the edge of the hatch.
He was slowly pacing the deck and I could hear him grumbling to himself. As he got closer, I ducked down so he wouldn't see me.
"Stupid lantern…I told 'Enry t' make sure the lanterns were tied tightly, but did 'e? No. An' wot nearly 'appened because o' his carelessness? Nearly burnt down the cap'n's new ship, that's wot!" His voice was extremely close now and I felt my heart starting to race; I glanced up and swallowed hard.
He was right in front of me, his back facing the hatch.
If I made one small noise or if he turned around and happened to look down, I'd be caught. As such, I held my breath, waiting to see if he would move. But he didn't—he just stood there, continuing to grumble to himself about the incompetence of his ship mates.
With my easiest escape route blocked, I ever so slowly crept back down the stairs. 'Looks like it's going to be the gunport, then,' I told myself. I went over to one of the open gunports on the portside of the ship, peering out to see just how far it was to the dock. 'Hm. Too far for me to jump. I could go into the water, but I'm not sure if the cloth of my bag can resist letting in water for the duration of me swimming to the shore. Not to mention, it's low tide…'
It was then Jack appeared. He stayed low to the ground, his eyes constantly darting between me and the watchman. Staying silent, he motioned for me to toss him my bag. Against all my better judgements, I nodded and, lifting the bag, got into position to chuck it. He held up a finger, signaling for me to wait; the watchman must have begun walking again. Nearly two minutes passed before Jack motioned for me to throw.
While my bag wasn't particularly heavy, it did have some weight to it, so when I chucked it forward, a grunt unconsciously left my throat. I watched it sail through the air before just barely landing in Jack's arms. A cheeky grin came to his lips and he gave me a thumb's up.
I pointed at myself, then the water. He nodded and motioned towards the city; leaning further out of the gunport, I could see that there was a floating dock about a hundred yards away—a good thing to see, given the gap between the water and the dock Jack was standing on. After giving him a nod of confirmation, I began to climb out of the square hole. Once I was entirely outside of the ship, I let go.
The water that surrounded me was cool, but not cold, though it still sent a shiver down my spine. An immediate sense of calmness filled my mind and, with a small exhale, I smiled. Remaining just below the surface, I began swimming towards the dock. Halfway there, it occurred to me that I should probably breathe in some air and I let my head break through the surface. I sucked in a deep breath before submerging myself entirely again once more.
By the time Jack reached the floating dock, I was already out of the water and starting to stand up. His was brow was raised and a slightly confused expression on his face—at least, from what I could see in the moonlight, it looked confused. With no lit lanterns in this area, it was hard to tell.
"How did you make it to the dock before me?" he questioned.
Shrugging off my vest, I started to wring it out. "I'm a fast swimmer, I suppose. Thank you, by the way. For helping me get that back." I nodded my head at the bag.
"I'm surprised by the weight o' it, t' be honest." He gave the bag a little toss into the air before catching it again. "You've definitely got more than just the usual clothes and shoes in here."
"Aye, I do. I've my astrolabe, a compass, a journal, a writing kit…and, after searching the other seabag and sea chest that I found stored with mine, a rather full coin purse and a full flask." A cheeky grin came to my lips when I heard an impressed chuckle leave Jack's mouth.
"Oh, so you weren't the only one t' hide your bag? Well, your crewmates' good ideas seemed t' have been in your favor."
With my vest now mostly water free, I pulled it back on. My shirt and trousers were already almost dry as well, though I had to take off my boots to empty them of seawater. "Aye, it does. Now, the question is how much money is in that purse and what kind of drink is in that flask." Taking my bag from him, I slung it over my shoulder and followed alongside him as he made his way towards the city once more.
"I don't recommend counting it out in the open—especially at night. During the day can be dangerous enough, but when the sun goes down, the lower parts o' Shipwreck City become quite treacherous." His brow then rose and he looked at me. "You said earlier you managed t' barter a room at the Ten Tickles, but where have you stayed since?"
"I managed to find a secluded spot in an alley for one night, but the other two were spent sleeping out under a palm tree on the beach."
He nodded slowly. "Well…since I have t' be getting back to my own home before dear old Grandmama realizes I'm still gone, I'll tell you a place where you'll be able t' stay in comfort an' cleanliness," he said. "Go t' the southern stack an' go up almost t' the top. Look for a place called the 'Nightingale's Nest'. There'll be a plump woman with dark hair an' bright eyes—she's my Aunt Hazel. She's the only one in my family who isn't half mad an' is the only one who actually likes me. As such, tell her Jackie sent you and she should give you a good room at a discount, savvy?"
While I did greatly appreciate this information, I couldn't help but feel a bit wary at the same time. Jack, it seems, could sense my mixture of hesitation and skepticism, because he reached over and clapped my bicep in a friendly gesture.
"Don't worry," he told me. "I'm not leading you astray—quite the opposite. After all, you're the one who's going t' be helping me get out o' this place and away from my wretched family." He shook his head, some braids whipping back and forth as he did so. "But seriously—I have t' get back home. Remember: The Nightingale's Nest at the top o' the southern stack."
Before I could ask him if we should meet up again tomorrow and where it should happen, he ran off. There had been a bit of urgency to his voice, so I didn't bother calling after him. From what he had told me about his grandmother, she was not a woman you wanted to cross.
Sighing softly, I made my way through the city, steadily working my way upwards. I did my best to make myself look as nondescript as possible so as to avoid trouble. Despite this, I kept my left hand free just in case I needed to grab my sword.
Once again, I found luck to be on my side, as I eventually reached the Nightingale's Nest without incident. This far up the stack, things were rather quiet—I daresay they were downright peaceful. I peeked in through one of the gunport-turn-windows and found myself looking at a scene that I expected to find back home: Nicely dressed people, quietly eating dinner in the common room of the inn. Most of them, I saw, were older folks. Some even wore powdered wigs.
"Retirees,' I thought, moving to open the door. As I stepped into the place, I was greeted by the scent of sandalwood and…something floral. Jasmine, perhaps? Whatever it was, I knew it had to have been expensive, but not as expensive as the sandalwood. 'Jack's aunt must be doing quite well for herself if that's the sort of incense she's using…'
"Can I help ye, lad?" A plump woman with dark hair and bright eyes, came out from behind a counter, a pleasant smile on her lips.
"I was told by your nephew, Jackie, that I might be able to find a clean and comfortable room here," I told her, wearing a small, tired smile.
My words made the woman perk up. "Oh, Jackie sent ye? Ye must be one o' his friends, then! I don't get many o' ye up here. Usually, he's recommending me t' folks with a wee bit o' grey in their hair." She motioned for me to follow her over to the counter, where a large, leather-bound ledger sat. "How long will ye be stayin', love?"
"Two nights." I watched her run her finger down one of the pages before coming to a stop at the first empty name slot. Keeping her finger in place, she then turned and looked at the pegboard behind her; it had numbered keys dangling from its various pegs, telling her which rooms were still available.
"And it's just ye, correct? Yer not planning on bringin' any company t' bed with ye?" she questioned, looking back at me for a few seconds.
"It'll be just me, my lady."
She giggled as I called her 'my lady'. "Ooh, yer a proper lad," she commented as she plucked up one of the keys. "An' how did a proper lad come become friends with my mischievousness nephew, hmm?"
"We sort of stumbled across one another," I replied. It wasn't a lie, but I didn't think she needed to know the exact details. Reaching into my vest, I pulled out my coin purse while she wrote down a bit of information.
"An' I'll need t' know yer name, lad," she said, dipping her quill into the inkpot again.
"Emil Drystan."
"An' how do ye spell yer surname?" While I spelled it out for her, she quickly transcribed the letters into the register. "It'll be a pound for two nights," she then said, standing upright, "but that includes meals, all the rum ye could want, an' guaranteed safety for yer belongings."
Fishing one of the doubloons and a few shillings from the purse, I passed them over to her; I wondered if that was how much the room cost normally or if she had, as Jack claimed she would, given me a bit of a discount. She tucked them away in her own purse before grabbing a lantern and starting to lead me off towards a staircase that went both upwards and downwards. I was surprised when she started to lead me downstairs.
"Have ye eaten yet, lad?" she asked, one hand holding up her skirts so she wouldn't trip while the other held onto a railing.
"Not since this morning, no."
Though I couldn't see it, I could hear the frown she was now wearing as she spoke again. "Well, that just won't do! Would ye rather eat in the common room or in yer room?"
"In my room, please. But only if it's not too much trouble." We reached the landing and she led me off to the left, down a short hallway.
"Yer a payin' customer, lad. Nothing's too much trouble." A chuckle left her mouth as she came to a stop at a door that had a wooden '9' hammered to it. Unlocking the door, she opened it and stepped inside, the lantern held aloft to fill the room with light.
While she went about lighting an oil lamp and a few candles, I walked in and set my seabag down on the bed. Sitting down on the edge, I found it to be fairly comfortable and let myself flop backwards, my eyes closing for a moment. It had been months since I had last slept in a comfortable bed.
Aunt Hazel must've found the sight of me sprawled out amusing, because she let out another laugh. "Ye must've just come from a ship, judgin' by how happy ye are t' be layin' on that bed."
"Sort of. I've been here about five days, but I only had a proper place to sleep on the first night," I replied, opening an eye to look at her. There was an almost motherly expression on her face as she looked down at me. "As such, I am exceedingly grateful for your hospitality, my lady. I am also quite grateful for how comfortable this bed is." Finally, I pushed myself into an upright sitting position again and covered my mouth as I yawned.
"I'll go fetch ye some dinner," Aunt Hazel then said, holding the room's key out to me. "It's roast chicken an' vegetables tonight, so would ye rather have rum or wine with yer meal?"
"Wine, please and thank you."
Still amused by my politeness, she nodded and headed for the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes, so try not t' fall asleep in that time."
"I won't, my lady." As she closed the door behind her, I could hear Aunt Hazel commenting on how she hoped her nephew would learn some manners from me.
