Chapter 18
Umakoti sat in the far corner of the room, hoping to avoid attention. Many passing guests assumed she was a serving girl, not noticing her fine navy blue dress. The very few individuals that noticed she was dressed for the occasion, whispered to each other, kept their distance and shook their heads in disapproval.
Letting a serving girl dress up like that? It's just cruel really. She can't socialize like a normal girl.
The hurtful whispers didn't cease, and they weren't as discreet as they thought. Umakoti heard every word and clenched her fist with every disapproving look. They knew literally nothing about her. Nothing. Not her history, her hardship, or her life. She'd never say anything, but nothing made her disdain for high-class individuals worse than the blatant racism. They only saw a dark-skinned woman, nothing more. Her inky skin was a red flag for every passing guest. Maia and Olimpia had dark skin as well, but Olimpia had powdered her face to the point of passing, and Maia's tan skin was viewed as exotic and beautiful, being Indian rather than West African. How hypocritical, that one brown is beautiful but another is repulsive, Umakoti thought.
Umakoti noticed Constance searching through the crowd, not caring to push past bejeweled women, their ornaments jingling as they got pushed. Constance made eye contact with Umakoti and waved her over.
"It's time, Jonas told everyone to get ready, but we're meeting by the front first." The two of them weaved through the crowd and met at the front, near the makeshift stage. Lara, Charlie, and Stella stood in the middle, taking charge in the absence of the Pirate King and Cordelia. Even the guarding pirates that were looking after the girls stayed submissive to the three women taking charge. None of them looked particularly happy about it but knew that it wasn't the time or place to make a fuss.
Lara was indicating to Charlie and Stella what to do, but her cold demeanor meant that she didn't want to give direct orders. With each girl that arrived at the front, Charlie and Stella sent them away in pairs, giving them an order.
Stella saw Constance and Umakoti approaching and waved them over. Lara muttered "Front corner, Servant's entrance." Stella nodded, and then clarified for the girls.
"Ladies, I need you to man that servant's door," Stella said, pointing discreetly at the small doorway on the corner of the stage. "Once you get there, don't let any servant's into the ballroom. Keep your weapons on hand, and don't let any guests out that way. Use any force necessary. Play it by ear, Jonas should be making a move at any moment now."
She dismissed the girls, and they were trailed by two crew members. Umakoti was starting to realize that they weren't in charge at all, they were just muscle, back up for the girls in case of any danger to them specifically. Jonas must've instructed them to only be supportive, not to make any decisions on their own, or maybe that was the way the Jonas led. There wasn't any allowance for crew members to make autonomous decisions, that his word was law, and they are simply behaving the same way in regards to the women under Jonas's protection. Regardless, the two men simply followed wordlessly.
Constance buried her hand into the skirt of her dress, grasping the pistol but not withdrawing it. Umakoti did the same. Constance stood facing the ballroom, while Umakoti focused more on the servants inside. She gently shut the door as a dark-skinned man approached with a tray of champagne. She shook her head and waved him away. For any other guest he might've insisted, but she saw the recognition in his eyes, seeing a woman of color watching out for him. He turned on his heel just as the door closed and she held the handle shut.
After a few moments, they were joined by Olimpia and Zylphia and their two crew guards. There weren't many exits, and it was clear that they were trying to make sure everything was properly covered. Umakoti was concerned that the four of them weren't the strongest and most vicious out of the group, but rationalized that not many guests would try and escape via the servant's quarters anyway.
"Constance!" Olimpia exclaimed. Zylphia was on her heel, popping her knuckles and glancing around at the guests nervously. She hushed her friend, and Olimpia lowered her head in nervous understanding. She bit her lip, and Constance pulled them both close. The group of eight by the door attempted to blend in, facing the crowd and keeping their weapons concealed beneath their many layers of clothing. In the faintest voice, Olimpia whispered, "And now we wait."
Cordelia approached the ballroom, coming back from saying goodbye to Joyce. She found herself approaching one of the many servant's doorways. This damn mansion was like a maze. How ridiculous. Cordelia appreciated her own level of ridiculous pomp and circumstance, but at least she didn't pretend she was the damn Queen of France like this family seemed to think they rivaled.
The sound of an approaching group of men backed her into a shadowed corner. Despite being dressed for the occasion, her instincts kicked in and she went into sneak mode. She glanced over her shoulder to watch the group, only to see three half-naked men being held at gunpoint, babbling like children. Behind the heaviest man, Jonas held a gun to his back, ignoring the please with a sneer on his face. What most people couldn't see, was the faintest pull of a smile on the corner of his mouth. The familiar rippling where his dimples began to reveal themselves was unmistakable, despite his hardened outward appearance.
Cordelia stepped out of the shadows, her hand going into her dress to grasp the gun, ready to aid her captain. He saw her emerge and the smile finally blossomed, glad to see her. "What do we have here?" Cordelia asked.
"A hungry little pig with an appetite for sausage," Robin grinned maliciously at the governor, who was red with fury and shame. He continued to babble for mercy and pleaded with the group of pirates to let him go.
The adjacent young men also babbled profusely, insistent that they were innocent and to not hurt them. It wasn't clear if they understood that they were hostages of a crew of pirates.
"Cordelia," Jonas got her attention, ready to give an order. She stood straighter and lifted her pistol. "I want you to keep the situation in the ballroom under control. Keep an eye on the crowd and make the first move if necessary."
"Aye, Captain." Cordelia marched ahead, trotting ahead as best she could in the heels she was wearing.
Cordayne had been grouped up with Caroline, Nell, and Zephora. The four of them were in charge of the main side door leading to the main part of the house. Cordayne glanced over to the main exit leading to the garden where Stella, Lara, Charlie, and Brett guarded. They were the strongest amongst the women in fighting skills, so it made sense that they were going to guard the main exit. Victoria and Celandine stood by the front of the crowd, near the stage. They were stationed there to prevent anyone from charging onto the stage in a riot. It wasn't likely, which is why there were only two. They had the advantage of getting an additional two pirate guards, the ones that originally guarded Maia and Robin before they left with Jonas.
"Something should've happened by now," Caroline whispered to nobody in particular. Cordayne didn't say anything but silently agreed. The Captain should've returned by now and she couldn't help but feel a pang of worry for him. Nell beside Cordayne felt a similar bite of anxiety, but neither woman verbalized their concerns.
Nell stood straighter and tapped her finger against the pistol inside her petticoat trying to quell her nerves. She felt the push of a calming hand against her side. Zephora looked straight ahead, but her bejeweled hand rested against Nell's skirt where her hand had been tapping. Nell looked up at her, giving a silent thank you to her.
Over the drunken roar of conversation a single "Ladies and Gentlemen!" rang out over the crowd. The attention of hundreds of guests turned toward the elevated staircase stage. The murmur of the crowd quickly diminished, as a single woman stood in the middle of the stage. The large white powdered wig increased her height by nearly a whole head, and the eccentric light pink gown sparkled in the chandelier light. Her brightly painted lips contrasted with her paper white skin color. Cordelia was unmistakable. The gentle clapping of the guests trickled through the crowd politely, unsure of who was on stage.
"May I kindly present the Governor of St. Martin, Clarkson Shreave!" She broadly clapped, ever the show-woman. The clapping in the crowd grew louder, but then the polite clapping turned to gasps of horror and shrieks from the gentlewomen in the crowd. One woman in an elaborate silver gown near the front of the crowd even fainted in the arms of her escort.
Before the party, Jonas, Maia, and Robin held three nude men at gunpoint. They had coverings over their nethers but were ultimately bare and immodest. Caroline audibly gasped and her hands flew to her mouth, quivering.
The governor held his head low in a futile attempt to remain unrecognized. Clearly, he was unsuccessful as nervous gossip quickly ran through the room.
"Why are they all nude?"
"Are they servants of the king?"
"Serves him right to get arrested."
"The devil must have corrupted his mind."
Many speculations of who not only Jonas was but why he was holding the naked governor hostage only grew more outrageous as the gossip continued.
Everyone was cut off by the booming voice of Jonas, almost impossibly loud in a space this large. "I am Captain Jonas of the Jewel of Hades, Pirate King of the Seven Seas, and the Devil's right hand man!" Silence rang out, his words echoing off of every wall.
"Your governor has done every one of you a disservice, placing you all in danger of my crew's retaliation. Unless he pledges fealty to my rule of the Carribean waters, the entire lot of you can start begging for your souls." More shrieks and cries traversed through the crowd, this time unruly.
The first handful of guests began pushing to the exits. Cordayne withdrew her pistol and brandished it in front of an elderly woman with cakey makeup. The woman immediately stopped trying to leave, a mix of horror and indignancy on her face. The older man on her left showed confusion at the sight of a finely dressed woman holding a weapon, his eyes flickering as the other girls withdrew them as well. The four of them and the four adjoining pirates took aim into the crowd. Nobody fired a shot, but the threat was there.
The cries turned into screams, and people pushed each other down, scrambling to check every exit only to find they were all guarded. Several people were being forced to the ground and trampled by the animalistic fear consuming the noble guests.
A deafening gunshot ran out, increasing the screams, and then two more in succession. The only muzzle flash seen came from Cordelia at the top of the stage, smoke billowing from the barrel of the gun. It captured the panicked attention of the crowd, who had all dropped to the ground in a feeble attempt for cover. "That's better," she said in a calm, commanding voice.
"Governor," Jonas said, "I think your guests are waiting for you. The promise?"
Schreave grumbled and stood taller, his pride consuming him.
Jonas clicked his tongue like a chiding parent. "Now, now. We have to learn to play nice, or people can get hurt, can't they?" His eyes flickered towards the suitor held hostage by Maia. There was hesitation though, and a frown appeared on his face. Another beat passed without Maia making any move.
Quick as a flash, Cordelia flicked the barrel of the gun to aim at the foot of Maia's hostage. She shot the weapon, getting surprised screams from the crowd that vanished into silence once again. All that was left was the sound of ringing in everyone's ears and the outcry from the man. His guttural cry of pain as he dropped to his side and held his ankle tightly made Cordayne nauseous. Not even the slightest show of remorse from either Cordelia or Jonas, but in all sense, these two had killed people. They were pirates. What's a gunshot to the foot compared to the brutal maiming of victims in the past? Cordayne's memory flashed to their first night aboard when Cordelia had shot Jonas in the chest as a form of tantrum. On stage, they looked like a calculating pair, capable of doing great damage as the perfect team.
What Cordayne expected to feel was disgust at the two of them rampaging together in her imagination, but instead, she felt some pangs of jealousy. She was unfamiliar with the life of pirating, but the thought of becoming so close to somebody that they would always have you back, through life and death, made her wish for a love like that. She knew that this wasn't the only side to Jonas, remembering the sunrise on the bow of the ship and his strong grip keeping her from falling, and being able to completely trust him to keep her safe when one slip would've meant her watery demise.
Cordayne was pulled back to the present at the sound of the governor's terrified sobs. "Don't hurt me, don't hurt them! Please, I'll do what you want, just tell me what that is!"
Jonas's full grin emerged, "Excellent."
So this chapter I probably wrote over the course of 5 different lectures in class, just bit by bit. The motivation as this semester is nearing finals is dwindling, and I'm just trying to make sure I don't end up another three-month hiatus.
There's going to be another chapter on November 24th, for sure. Holidays are coming up, which means (hopefully) that I'll have a crap ton of time to write.
Also, I want to hear everyone's speculations. Who do you ship with Jonas? Cordelia, Cordayne, Nell, Victoria, Robin, Daemon Stygian, Clarkson Schreave, etc. etc. or will he be forever alone? I want to hear your guesses or your wishes!
PLEASE review because I feel like a speshul gurl when you do.