Chapter Ten: Betrayal
Himeno
The Pretear had been stuck on a calm sea for too long. The lack of wind, the harsh sun beating down on the crew and the dwindling rations had left the crew irritated and restless. The repairs on the main mast were progressing slowly, but we needed to reach a port soon to obtain raw supplies—wood, rope, canvas, nails—otherwise we risked remaining vulnerable to the tumultuous ocean.
Hayate still remained in his quarters, his wounds still on the mend. He spent much of his time in bed, trying to suppress his moans in my presence. It was as if he were as broken as the Pretear herself. I replaced his bandages, but despite the wounds that had begun to scab over, his fever would not break. On the rare moments he felt well enough, he would appear on deck to give orders in Sasame's place, but that was all. With the captain mysteriously locked away in his cabin, Kei conducted the daily activities of the crew.
It was a perfect time to set my plans into motion.
A crescent moon, half adorned with wispy gray clouds, provided little light. I moved by feel, grateful for the darkness for concealing my presence. I gripped the rope tightly, breathing in a measured rhythm to avoid being too loud. I was close to the stained glass window that framed the captain's quarters. A beautiful piece of art lost on that conceited fiend. I continued to climb down the rope, searching for the point of weakness in the window. A cracked corner of the window caught my eye. Pulling a dagger from my waist sash, I used the tip to force the crack open. Slowly, softly.
I sighed in relief when the glass gave way. I squeezed my way through the crack I had made, once again glad that I had the physique of a young boy rather than a woman. When my feet hit the rich carpet flooring of the cabin, I almost smirked. I was in the enemy's territory. Dagger between my teeth, I tiptoed across, staying close to the walls, where the shadows draped over me. And then I heard it, the soft breathing of the captain. I tensed. Anger flooded through my system as I remembered the way he had shot my first mate in the head.
Suddenly, I was by his bed, dagger in hand. I was filled with the desire to kill him then and there. I wanted to hear him cry out as I stuck the blade in him, not once, but again and again. I stood there trembling for several minutes, before lowering my hand. No, a quick death would be too kind. I wanted him to suffer the humiliation of losing his crew, his ship, and his pride.
I turned away and began my search. I needed to find it. As I continued my search, I realized it had gotten too quiet. The breathing had paused. I froze, fear flooding my system. I tightened my grip on the dagger, ready to strike. But it resumed, the soft breath traveling in and out, in and out, providing life for that creature whose life was not worth the expenditure of air.
My feet ended up being more successful than my eyes. A trapdoor. With measured movements, I lifted the trapdoor and smiled when I saw the series of boxes that the crew had moved from the last capture. The opium. I lifted the box over to the window and then gently placed it by my feet in order to open the clasp on the window. The cold breeze swirled inward, and I turned in alarm to the sleeping figure. No change in the up and down, up and down of his chest and no change in the even in and out, in and out of his breath. I placed the box onto the contraption Go had built for this purpose—a pulley with a support basket. I watched as the first box moved up and over the railing before turning to grab the next one.
Dawn was not too far away by the time all the boxes had been moved onto the deck from the captain's cabin. Exhausted, I climbed into the pulley and pulled up to the deck. I felt Go's arm around me and realized that I had been trembling—whether from exertion, fear or cold I could not say.
"I should have gone," he murmured, holding me tight. I shook my head.
"Only you could have pulled the cargo up. Besides, I'm fine. We don't have much time before the rest of the crew comes onto the deck. Go nodded and released me. I managed a weak smile at him despite my mounting anxiety. What if the crew did not believe me? What if they did not follow me? All these months of earning the crew's respect and trust—would it be enough? Would it be enough to break Sasame's hold on them?
As the sun rose above the horizon, I stood in position. One foot over my loot, a crazy grin on my face. As the crew entered onto deck for morning chores, I unsheathed my sword and brandishing it wildly, cried out, "Ahoy, you fools!"
As expected, I was greeted with dirty looks that seemed like they could sear my skin. Good, step one achieved. I had their attention.
"You starving fools! All this time, loot under your noses, and where had it been? Horded away by your deceiving captain. And what loot is this, you may ask. Well, see for yourself!" I cried, prying open one of the boxes.
The crew moved forward. I felt satisfaction as I watched the truth dawn upon them. Very few of the crew had known about the opium, and were probably silenced by Kei through that special manipulation that was his specialty. Now that the secret was out, its effects were rippling through the crew. First surprise filled their expressions, followed by the darkening of their looks as they realized how they had been deceived. How they had been deprived of the loot they had fought for. That they deserved.
But there was still doubt.
"How d' we know you ain't lying?" a man drawled.
I remained silent. I knew the answer would reveal itself soon, otherwise…
"Those were the boxes we moved, ya idiot! We were told to be quiet about it—the opium," another snapped.
"I had a lick before the first mate took it away…"
"Kei told me ta stay quiet about it for later…"
The yelling increased until it turned into chaos. I was surrounded by crewmembers that were grabbing at the loot. I happily opened boxes for them until they ripped it open themselves. It was like giving candy to children. The same boisterous rush towards the prize. I stood on top of a stack of boxes, reveling in the pandemonium around me. Stage two—a state of anarchy—had been achieved.
Now for stage three:
"A captain who keeps such loot from us…shall he be left unpunished? I think not!" I declared.
The crew, in their fury had turned into the mob I had hoped they would. My presence, the undeniable truth in front of them, Sasame and Hayate's absence had caused them to forget the fear that had kept them in line until now. I had set them free.
A rowdy band of pirates out for their captain's blood is like a horde of children on a sugar rush with the promise for more sugar. It was a thrill to lead them, knowing that once their objective was reached, the bit of control I had would be nothing but an illusion. But I had come to destroy, not to control. To destroy—to tear apart. The bloodlust was in me as well; I was intoxicated with the crew's fury. It was exhilarating.
My exhilaration halted when I saw him. Sharp, cold eyes filled with fury, he stood as a barrier between the captain's cabin door and the mass that was the crew. His sword was unsheathed and his gun was cocked and ready to fire. For a moment, I found myself in awe of him. Single-handedly standing up to the entire crew for the sake of his captain. His loyalty was admirable. Until I remembered the whip lashes on his back. Until I remembered the relentless fevers and the scars he received from the captain. I wanted to free him as well from the bonds he had with the captain.
I rushed forward to strike him, and the crew followed. He parried my attack with ease, firing at the crew with the pistol in his other hand. With a wide swing, he forced me backwards and slashed through a mass of crewmembers that rushed at him behind me. He was like a solo army, holding the oncoming onslaught with lightening speed and accuracy. Bang! Bang! Bang! He was shooting down the crewmembers with such accuracy that they fell to the deck floor injured enough to be immobile, but still alive.
The sounds of cries of anger and pain intermingled with the sound of guns firing and the clang of swords. I stood rooted to the ground watching him strike down crewmember after crewmember. Time seemed to slow as I stood there watching him. I didn't want this; I had hoped beyond hope that he would allow the mutiny to happen without interfering. But beyond my regret was anger—a feeling of betrayal. Had the kindness he had showed me just been an act?
I didn't want to wait to find out. I rushed forward again, my cries mingling in with the sounds of the battle. This time, he not only parried my attack, but the force of his swing caused the sword to fly out of my hand. Before I could draw my hidden dagger, his sword tip was at my throat. While his entire gaze seemed focused upon me, his other hand was busy shooting away at the remaining mobile crewmembers. The mutiny was beginning to die down, stopped by the force of one man. A man who was currently glaring at me with the fury of one whose most precious one had been threatened.
A sudden red blur past me—and Hayate was forced to move his sword away from me to block the attack. I watched Go move with speed I did not know was possible, and a power that was easily ten-fold the power he had ever used in our training. But while Hayate was responding with fury to the anger that Go brought to their fight, the obvious difference in the way their emotions affected their fighting was clear. Hayate was still calm and collected in his movements, even as his eyes blazed with a fighting spirit I had not seen before; Go, on the other hand, was attacking with more and more ferocious yet uncontrolled movements. I watched him with a sinking heart. His desire for revenge was so strong that it made rational thought impossible. In his impending defeat, I foresaw my own defeat at Sasame's hands.
I rushed forward and intercepted Hayate's attack that would have ended Go's life. The friction between our blades caused sparks. We were locked in a stalemate—neither one giving way—when the captain's door swung open.
His presence immediately dispelled any thoughts I had of the mutiny succeeding. Dressed in an elegant feathered hat, violet velvet gloves and overcoat, a lavender vest with several tiny silver buttons down the middle, breeches with intricate lacing and tall black leather boots with silver laces that were tied in the most precise knotting pattern I had ever seen, he exuded an aura of leisure. That bastard, I thought with indignation, he knew that Hayate would take care of the situation, so he took his own sweet time getting dressed! His overconfidence sickened me even as a feeling of dread filled my system.
My life would soon be over.
"The opium was it?" Sasame asked almost conversationally, while observing Hayate's handiwork.
The men groaned, trying to shift to look up at the captain, intent on hearing him. How easily he had gained the crew's attention—as if the way he stood itself was enough to command their respect. It made my attempts to lead seem pathetic in comparison.
"The opium that I had kept to sell at ten times the profit. The opium that would lead to prosperity for all of us is now in ruins," Sasame stated in a cold, matter of fact voice. He paused, for effect.
"And who is to blame for this loss? Tell me, who is to blame?" he demanded.
The crew weakened and injured as they were, turned on me in an instant. Those who were to weak to talk simply pointed, others called out my name. The thunderous cry of 'Awayuki' resonated in my ears as I was placed in chains once again.