Hello people, here's a new chapter. I really hope you like it and that it makes sense. I'm explaining some important stuff, so I hope it has come across the right way. Anyway, enjoy!
Chapter 3
As Magnus had already predicted, he and Alec made a very decent pirate team. It had turned out that stealing the Avenger hadn't been so hard after all. Yeah, the guards had seen them, but by the time they had realized that the ship was sailing away from the docks, Magnus and Alec were already quite far from them, and there was no way to stop them not even with the long nines. Alec had devised a brilliant plan for that.
Even before taking the ship, when they had reached the docks, Magnus had pointed out that the other two ships that the Clave was preparing for their mission could represent a problem, especially if they tried to sink them into the ocean with the long guns instead of chasing them. But Alec had immediately told Magnus not to worry, sneaking into the first ship and coming out a few minutes later wearing a huge smile.
When Magnus had questioned him about it, the young man had just said, "I disabled the rudder chain. Let them try to move the ship an inch." Alec had said it as if it had been nothing, but in Magnus's opinion that move had been absolutely brilliant. He knew that repairing the chains would take the Clave at least a day, and by the time they were ready again, they would be long gone. The other two ships had been left useless thanks to Alec's brilliant mind.
There was no doubt that Alec was smarter than he gave himself credit for. Magnus had noticed how the boy modestly tried to diminish his brilliance and knowledge in all nautical terms just to avoid being the center of attention. But no matter how hard he tried, Alec had already caught Magnus's attention. The boy was a box full of surprises.
At first, Magnus had thought that he would have to spend at least their first day at sea explaining the young man every handy thing regarding the handling of a ship so that they had a better chance of surviving if someone attacked them. But he had been completely mistaken—the young man already knew a lot of things. In fact, there were things, more technical things about shipbuilding and such, that Magnus himself didn't even know.
"You were training to be a naval merchant, weren't you?" Magnus asked, because it was pretty obvious. They had only been sailing for two hours and yet Magnus had already seen Alec give a full-display of professionalism and expertise in all matters related to the management and even the captaincy of a ship.
"Yeah, I want to be one as my father was." Alec said, and Magnus couldn't stop the snort that escaped his mouth after hearing that tremendous nonsense. Robert Lightwood, a naval merchant? In what parallel universe?
"What's so funny?" Alec asked a bit offended.
"Oh, nothing, Alexander." Magnus added quickly. He hadn't meant to make fun of Alec's dreams. He had only found the situation a bit ironic. "You were saying you want to be a naval merchant like Robert Lightwood?"
Alec frowned. "You know my father."
"Everybody knows him, he's the Inquisitor of the Clave."
"No, not like that." Alec said, moving closer to where Magnus was. Up until now, the boy had been securing the sails and making sure that there were no loose ropes around the deck. "I mean that you know him personally, not as the Inquisitor."
"What makes you think that?" Magnus asked, busying himself with the helm. They didn't have to change direction, they were still trying to mislead the Clave, but even so, he was pretending to keep the ship steady and ongoing. For a pirate, Magnus wasn't very good at lying. His best friends said it was his greatest weakness, well, that and his penchant for rum.
"For starters," Alec said, "this is the second time you refer to him as Robert Lightwood and not as the Inquisitor as everyone else does, and second, before you agreed to help me, you were very surprised to learn that I was a Lightwood too. I'm not stupid, I know you know my father."
Magnus sighed, the boy was pretty smart. "Okay, I met him a long time ago, we didn't have the most cordial of the relationships since he and his captain had been trying to steal my boat. In the end they got it, though, but never mind...I always thought he was a good pirate."
"Pirate?" Alec asked confused. "My father was not a pirate. He was a respected naval merchant who had to give up his life at sea because pirates like you made it impossible for him to deliver his cargoes."
Magnus rolled his eyes. He had tried to spare Alec the shock and probably the pain of knowing this part of the story. It was clear that the boy didn't even know who his father was, but he had left him with no choice.
"Your father was a pirate and for years he sailed under the Morgenstern's flag. Happy now? The oh-so respected Inquisitor of the Clave was a filthy pirate."
"You're lying!" Alec exclaimed, unsheathing his sword. "Take back your words or fight me." He added, pointing his sword at Magnus.
"Do you really think it's smart to cross swords with a pirate, Alexander?" Magnus asked. The boy knew how to hold them, that much Magnus could give him, but that didn't mean he actually knew how to use them. "I don't think you're a match for-"
Alec put his sword against Magnus's throat. "Try me."
Magnus smiled. Every second that passed, he liked this boy a lot more. He had bravado, something that very, very few men had. "Fine, fine...I'll take a leap of faith and believe that you're a worthy swordsman. And although I should probably lie to prevent you from slicing my throat, I won't do it. I am an honorable pirate, so no, Alexander, I won't take back my words. Your father was, is and will always be a pirate."
"You're lying!" Alec exclaimed.
Magnus could feel the blade already leaving a mark on his neck. He knew he could easily move and disarm Alec, but he didn't want to. The boy had to learn the truth, he was old enough to know it.
"No, I'm not lying. You can ask whoever you want. Robert Lightwood was a pirate, in fact, he held a very important position among Valentine's crew."
"You're ly-"
"No, I'm not. How many times do I have to tell you the same thing? You can fool yourself all you want, but the truth is the truth. Now," Magnus said, trying to move an inch, but finding it impossible. Alec was quick in his movements. "Alexander...Alec...listen, why don't you calm down and we have this discussion in a more civilized manner? I can share with you everything—the whole story. Like I said, I met your father almost fifteen years ago when he-"
"Wait, what?" Alec asked deeply confused. "You met my father 15 years ago? How's that possible? How old were you when you met him, ten?"
Magnus tried not to laugh. He knew he didn't look older than twenty-five, but appearances could be deceiving, he was older than that; at least biologically, because physically he was the same he'd been for way too long. "The same age I have now...twenty-four." He answered truthfully.
"That's not possible…" Alec whispered more to himself.
"Alexander…haven't you heard the stories about me? I'm Captain Magnus Bane, discoverer of the Fountain of Youth."
"The-"
"Yes, the Fountain of Youth. I found it a very long time ago." Magnus confessed. He had always been very proud of that discovery.
"So that means you?"
"Never age? Yes, as long as I drink from it, I'm immortal." Magnus said.
"How long have you been hmmm...drinking from it?" Alec asked.
"That's quite intimate, don't you think? And it's not a question I'm willing to answer when you have your sword against my throat. I could probably agree to answer it if you had your hmmm, other sword instead, but given our current situation I think that's not possible...is it?"
Alec frowned and Magnus didn't know if it was because he hadn't understood the sexual innuendo that Magnus had so blatantly thrown in his direction or because he was considering the idea. Magnus was hoping it was the latter. After all, it had been a while since he had had any kind of intimate interaction with someone.
"If I lower my sword, do you promise to tell me everything?" Alec asked.
"Yes, Alexander." Magnus lied. He was going to tell Alec just a part of the story, he better than anyone knew that it was better if Alec never learned certain things—at least not until the right moment.
"Fine." Alec said, finally lowering his sword. "Now tell me everything, and don't you dare to lie. I can still slice your throat, immortal or not."
o-o-o-o-o
Alec couldn't believe that the man he had in front of him was real. Magnus Bane had not only turned out to be one of the most famous pirates of all Seven Seas, he also knew Alec's own pirate father and to top it off, he was immortal. Alec still couldn't wrap his head around that last concept, though. To say that it sounded ripped out from one of those fantasy books that his little brother loved so much was an understatement.
They were still standing at the quarterdeck, Magnus manipulating the helm, and Alec listening to every word this man was sharing. He was desperate to know the truth.
"Back when nobody controlled the seas, pirates and merchants alike could sail the waters in some sort of peace." Magnus began his story. "There was a pact of camaraderie between us. We stole from them, they tried to kill us, but it was nothing fancy, the sea was for everyone." He said. "Legends of extraordinary treasures were heard everywhere and almost all pirates were after them. Captain Morgenstern, Valentine's father, was one of the most respected pirates of that time."
"I thought you were going to share with me the truth about my father."
"I'll get to it, just be patient." Magnus said, quickly resuming his story. "Like any other respected pirate, Captain Morgenstern was well-known for finding the most valuable treasures and possessing the most courageous and fearless crew. The man was an icon—everyone wanted to sail under his flag. Getting into his crew, however, was not an easy task. You had to be tested, proven to be worthy of such honor."
"Why?"
Magnus shrugged. "Maybe he was picky, but people said it was because he was after a very dangerous and peculiar treasure. A treasure with such value that whoever possessed it would be able to control and change the world at will."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Did he ever find it?" Alec asked, now intrigued.
"No, he died before even knowing where it was."
"He died?"
Magnus nodded. "His own son took care of that." He said. "Treasures can drive you mad, Alexander, and that's what happened to Valentine. His obsession with the treasure his father was after grew out of proportion, to such an extent that he was able to betray his own blood."
"How?" Alec asked intrigued.
"He was Captain's Morgenstern First Mate—the Quartermaster. As you well know, that's the second best job on any pirate ship, or any merchant ship for that matter. The First Mate has many responsibilities; he's in charge of punishments and discipline, but most importantly, he represents the other pirates. He's the one to take their issues to the attention of the captain, so naturally the entire crew—your father included—respected him."
"My father was part of Captain's Morgenstern crew?"
"Aye, he was one of the swabbies—a nobody. His only job was to mop the decks every day, but that's exactly why Valentine recruited him. Valentine knew swabs were the lowest in rank on any pirate ship, and therefore, the most loyal servants." Magnus said. "Anyway, when Captain Morgenstern could not find the treasure, he gave up and decided to forget about it. Obviously, Valentine went crazy after that. He wanted that treasure more than he had wanted anything in this world, so the night his father decided to stop chasing it...there was a mutiny."
"Is this treasure really that important?"
"It is, but that's a story for another day." Magnus said evasively. "That night Captain Morgenstern was marooned on an island and left there to die."
"I thought Valentine had killed him."
"No, Valentine has always been a coward. He just left him there with a pistol."
Alec frowned. "A pistol?"
"Yes. When a pirate is marooned, Alexander, he's given a pistol with a single shot as an act of mercy. The shot is not good enough for hunting, or surviving, but after days and days of starvation and thirst, it's the only way you have to take your own life."
Alec gasped. That was barbaric, even for pirates.
"Anyway, after that Valentine became unstoppable. He took over his father's ship and began his wave of death and destruction. Sailing became the most dangerous job in the world and that was when the Clave decided to intervene. They made alliances with all the port cities in the world and vowed to protect the seas. But they underestimated Valentine, and eventually, after several attempts to stop him, they failed. For years Valentine did whatever he wanted. He came and went at will still looking for the treasure...until he found it."
"He found it?"
"Yes, he did. He's a smart man, so it was only a matter of time before it happened. He found the treasure almost twenty-one years ago, but with it, he also found his destruction."
"The legends are true, then." Alec pointed out. He had heard them, like almost every inhabitant in Alicante. Valentine had found the treasure of all treasures and after controlling the sea for years, the sea had taken him.
"They are. The treasure was protected, Alexander. Protected by things beyond our beliefs, so when Valentine and his crew took it, the Angel of Secrets himself descended from heaven and sent a curse upon them."
"The Angel of Secrets?"
"Don't ask me, okay? Like I said, the story about the treasure is for another day." Magnus said. "Valentine and his crew ignored the Angel's curse thinking it wasn't true, and using the power that the treasure had given them, they started to take control of the seas. However, their power was limited. The Angel had told them it would not work properly for them, but they didn't care. For years they thought they had control of everything...until they realized they didn't. Now imagine Valentine's surprise when he found out that what the Angel had told them was true. His mental state just reached another level of craziness, and that was when the war against him began. Nobody knows what the curse is about, but rumor has it that it involves losing everything you've ever loved."
"Wait a minute...my father was part of the crew, does that mean that he's cursed too?"
"Yes, but wait. There's more." Magnus said. "Valentine had just met his wife, Jocelyn, when that happened, so when he realized that the Angel hadn't lied, he feared losing her, so he did everything in his power to break the curse."
"Did he succeed?"
"No." Magnus said. "For years he sailed the Seven Seas leaving destruction in his wake, but he just couldn't find a way to break it. Then, one day, a certain Sea Witch informed him that there was someone who knew how to break it. The only problem was that for Valentine to get such information, he had to meet with this person in the underworld."
"So he did it." Alec assumed.
"He couldn't." Magnus said. "Traveling to the underworld is not easy, Alexander. It requires certain sacrifices and a ship—the fastest ship in the world."
"The Blue Danube."
Magnus nodded. "Valentine, with some help from the same Sea Witch, made a pact with...someone from the underworld, and that's how he finally got hold of the Danube."
"Then, if he had the ship, why didn't he make the trip to the underworld?" Alec asked.
"Because of the curse." Magnus explained. "I already told you, no one knows how it works, but losing everything you've ever loved includes losing yourself too, Alexander. Valentine has loved only three people in this world, his mother, who died when he was a kid, Jocelyn, and himself. The curse took him to the edge of madness, and to travel to the underworld you have to be sane or else you won't be able to cross."
"So, he couldn't?"
"He tried, but failed. It was then that his crew betrayed him. They couldn't just make a new mutiny because Valentine, despite his mental state, was still powerful, but they abandoned him. The Clave was breathing down their necks so many just surrendered. They were offering them protection for them and their families in exchange for information about Valentine's whereabouts. Some of them, those with more valuable information, got pretty good deals, they were offered important positions among the Clave's ranks and privileges."
"My father…" Alec whispered. He was finally putting two and two together.
"Yes, he was Valentine's First Mate, Alec. Therefore he got the biggest slice of the cake."
Alec took a deep breath. All this information was too much for him, but he had to keep asking. He still had thousands of questions in his mind. "The curse...why is my father immune to it? He hasn't lost what he loves or has gone mad for that matter."
"Hasn't he? How are you so sure? You two don't seem to have a very close relationship since you didn't even know who he was and all. Besides, if I recall correctly, in the past twenty four hours he has lost two of his sons." Magnus pointed out.
Alec went silent. He didn't want to think too much about it. Magnus was partly right, he and his father didn't have a great relationship, Robert had, indeed, lost two of his children, and not only that, but also his job at sea. If there was something that Alec knew his father had missed all these years was that, navigating the sea.
"Jace's kidnapping…" Alec continued, "does it have something to do with this curse?"
"Maybe…"
"Don't lie!" Alec warned him, grabbing the hilt of his sword.
"I'm not lying, I don't know for sure, Alexander."
"But you have a theory." Alec guessed. He was finding Magnus quite easy to read.
"I have."
"You have to tell me, Magnus." Alec said, using for the first time the pirate's name. All this time he had been trying to avoid it. Why? He didn't know.
"And why is that?"
"Because we're in this together. We're going after Valentine, don't you think that I, at least, deserve to know what I'm going to face? I know that coming after him was my idea and I'm not afraid of him, but I need to know. Please."
"Fine." Magnus said, rolling his eyes. "I don't know how, but my guess is that Valentine finally learned how to break the curse. He knew where your father was, in fact, he knows where every member of the crew who betrayed him is, but he never tried anything against them...until now, of course. He's smart, Alec. All these years he was only feeding the legends while waiting for the right moment to attack. He must know how to do it, if not, why else would he kidnap his First Mate's son? If he wanted revenge he would have just killed you all last night."
"So, you think he's going to use Jace for whatever thing he thinks will break the curse?"
Magnus nodded, and Alec swallowed slowly. "Then we have to find him!"
"We will, Alexander. Don't worry, we will."
"You promise?"
Magnus waited a couple of seconds to respond, but to Alec's relief, he said, "Yes, I promise."
o-o-o-o-o
Magnus was watching Alec. Since their conversation about Valentine had finished, the boy had been very quiet. Magnus knew he was trying to process all the information, but it still made him uneasy seeing him like that. There was sadness and disappointment in his eyes.
"Are you alright?" Magnus asked, approaching him. Alec was on the main deck just looking at the sea, clearly lost in his own thoughts.
"Yeah, it's just that...it's as if my whole life had been a lie, Magnus. I'm confused. I don't know what to say or think. I'm just trying to take it all in...it was too much." Alec said. "But thank you for telling me." He added with a gentle smile.
"You're welcome." Magnus said.
He didn't know what else to say. He liked Alec, and it had nothing to do with a romantic or physical attraction. Yeah, the boy was handsome and all, but this was something else. Alec was pure and honest; his emotions, though he tried to hide them, could be seen in his eyes. Alec was caring, kind, noble, brave...a good man. Yes, he was reserved, but Magnus thought of him as a map. A map that if you knew how to read, could take you to the most amazing places in the world.
"What made you become a pirate?" Alec asked out of nowhere.
Magnus was taken aback a bit by the question. No one had ever asked him that. It was a tough question, but only because he hadn't had to answer it to anyone before. "This." He said, pointing to the sea. "I fell in love with this. I know I chose the less honorable path to be with my one true love, but I don't regret it. I like my life, I like being a pirate."
"Why?"
"Because being a pirate gave me what I had been looking for my whole life: freedom." Magnus answered truthfully.
Alec sighed. "I guess we share the same love, then." He said with a smile. "Ever since I was a little boy I always dreamed of sailing far away and never look back. The sea has always had this certain appeal to me...it's as if when I'm here," Alec pointed to the nothingness; they were still in the middle of nowhere, "I am...complete."
Magnus smiled because he better than anyone understood that feeling. "I feel that too, Alexander."
Alec smiled a big smile and Magnus wanted to run or disappear as if by magic. This boy, whom he had been planning to use only to retrieve his ship back, was making him feel things he had never felt before. And what was worse, he was making him question his own less-than-honorable intentions.
"I'm-I'm going to change the course again." Magnus said. "I think we have misled the Clave enough."
"Where are we heading? Are we going to surprise Valentine? I know you know where he is. Is that your plan? You want us to take him by surprise?"
Magnus shook his head. "I know where he hides, yes, but I don't think he's there. If my guesses are correct, then he has to be on his way to the island where it all began."
"And, where's that?"
"I don't know." Magnus answered truthfully because he actually didn't know. "But we will find it. I have a plan, but for it to work, we first need a crew. We can't do this on our own, this is a big ship after all."
Alec nodded. "Okay, then, where can we get a crew?"
"The Spiral Labyrinth."
"What's the Spiral Labyrinth?"
"A pirate port. I'm sure you're going to like it, it's pretty...folkloric." Magnus said, already walking away. He needed some time alone to put his thoughts in order and get his priorities straight. He couldn't let emotions cloud his judgment. He had a plan to follow and he wasn't going to let some pair of pretty eyes to-
"Magnus, wait!" Alec exclaimed.
"Yes?" Magnus stopped dead in his tracks.
"You were the captain of the Danube, weren't you?"
Magnus remained silent for some seconds. He hadn't been hiding it, but neither had he told Alec that he was, in fact, the captain of the Blue Danube. "Why do you think that?"
"It's obvious, I mean, why else would you be so willing to help me if not? You are free now, you could have just killed me when we made it out of Alicante, but you didn't. You really want to go after Valentine and that's because he has something you want. He has your ship, isn't he?"
Magnus stared at him for some seconds. "Yes, Alexander, he has it. The Danube was my ship."
"I'm going to help you."
"Come again?" Magnus asked surprised.
"I'm going to help you get your ship back." Alec said sincerely. "We're going to beat Valentine, get my brother back, and your ship too." He said with such determination that Magnus didn't doubt him for a second.
"How are you so sure?"
"I don't know...you said so yourself. We make a pretty decent team. I think that together we can actually beat Valentine and recover both your ship and my brother."
Magnus just smiled and turned around because, what else could he do really? He was almost sure that this boy—this handsome, smart and sweet boy—could quickly become the downfall of the legendary Captain Magnus Bane.
Oh, Magnus. He thought. You're so screwed.
The next chapter will be up this Friday. If you want to say hi or ask me stuff don't hesitate to contact me on tumblr (links on my bio). My ask box is always open!
See you soon!
