Chapter 20
Cassandra, Eugene, and Lance arrive at the docks after the sun sets.
The black night sky leaves a chill breeze in the air along with the cold water of the harbour in the distance.
Leaning tudor buildings make up the small village along the oceanside. Their windows are brightly illuminated with bustling voices and laughter coming from inside as sailors end their night in various brothels and taverns.
The cobblestone path of the village trails through the buildings and toward the shore. Beyond it, the ocean reflects the blackness of the sky, its gentle waves sparkling in the moonlight. Palm trees sway in the breeze between rocky boulders among the pale sand.
Only a few ships remain docked along the shore, their raised sails towering high toward the moon. Barrels, sacks of grain, wooden buckets, and fishermen's nets are scattered among the ground. The maze of docks and short wooden staircases are lined with protruding log posts tied with rope.
The entire area is illuminated with glowing streetlamps and flaming torches lining the paths and buildings. Waves can be heard crashing against the ships and the stone wall separating the land and sea.
Cassandra, Eugene, and Lance warily peer out from behind one of the buildings, observing the ships in the distance.
The harbour seems to be almost entirely bare of people, with most of them no doubt inside buildings or below deck of their boats. Only a few of them wander past in the distance, unaware of the three pairs of lingering eyes.
It doesn't take long for them to locate The Scarlett Storm. Somehow, it stands out among the rest.
The enormous privateer vessel with deep crimson sails is docked along the shore. A maze of rigging and shrouds connect the masts to the raised canvases, all the way up to the crow's nest. The blood red flag with the kingdom of Ashford's flaming crest is posted to the centre mast, flapping in the wind. Rows of windows and cannons line the hull, with the name of the ship written in black lettering across the stern.
The upper deck seems to be full of sailors striding back and forth, shouting orders to each other. Some of them toss sacks of supplies to one another, while two others begin hauling the ramp connecting the vessel to the dock.
"Well. There it is," says Cassandra, dreading this already.
Thunder rumbles lowly overhead. Dark clouds roll into the night sky. Another gust of wind breezes in.
"That ladder," Eugene points out from next to her, eyeing the column of wood planks protruding from the hull, leading upward. "That's our ticket onboard."
It ascends all the way to the upper deck, but they should be able to sneak through one of the windows along the side of the ship, hopefully unseen.
Lance turns to them both, keeping his voice low. "All right. If anything goes wrong, I got your back. The Strongbow will be waiting just off shore. My guys and I will interfere if we feel like you two need help."
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Eugene remarks.
They all focus their attention on The Scarlett Storm once more, each experiencing the same sense of underlying anxiety for whatever is about to happen.
It's two of them against Donovan's entire crew. In a way, the less people there is, the less likely they are to be seen. Yet still, there's no telling what this crew will do if anyone finds two stowaways on board, which is why they need to get in and get out, as fast as possible. The fact that they have backup is at least reassuring. Cass and Eugene just hope they'll be able to make it out of there alive, along with Rapunzel.
"Looks like they're getting ready to set sail," Lance observes, "You better get a move on."
"Let's just get this over with," mutters Cass, stepping out into the open.
Eugene follows her as she makes for the harbour.
"Good luck. You're gonna need it." Lance tells them. "And, you know…" he shrugs, "Try not to get caught."
Eugene momentarily looks back at Lance at he walks away, smirking with confidence. "I usually don't."
With the crew bustling on board, and the night sky shadowing them almost completely, Cassandra and Eugene manage to ascend the ladder without alerting anyone. Voices and laughter can be heard above them as they climb, with Cassandra in the lead.
Part way up the side of the ship, Cass reaches out next to her, gripping the ledge of one of the small square windows. Once she's steady enough, she kicks her feet off the ladder, hauling herself up. She climbs through the opening with Eugene following closely behind her.
Once inside, they rise to their feet, warily scanning their surroundings.
There doesn't seem to be anyone else below deck. It's deathly silent down here, the sounds outside suddenly drowned out. The ship creaks and groans as it rocks gently along the water.
It's dark, with most of the deck encased in shadows. The blue moonlight shines through the windows, providing just enough light for them to decipher their surroundings.
There are two staircases on either end of the ship, both leading upwards. Various wooden pillars are scattered across the deck, lengthening between the floor and the ceiling.
Rows of cannons line the walls, buried between barrels and crates piled along the floor. This must be where they store the majority of their cargo.
Only a few firelit lanterns are dangling from the ceiling, swaying along with the vessel.
Eugene and Cass warily peer ahead of themselves, peeking over a wall of crates and practically standing shoulder to shoulder.
"Where do you wanna bet he's keeping her?" Eugene asks in a hushed voice.
Cass raises an eyebrow. "My guess? Away from everyone else."
"We should split up. We'll cover more ground that way," Eugene suggests.
Cassandra looks around in thought. Her gaze focuses on one of the staircases nearby. "You search the lower decks. I'll see if I can find a way into the captain's quarters."
Just as she says that, a pair of distant footsteps startle them both. They only catch a glimpse of the sailor rounding the corner, before Cass and Eugene hurriedly duck down to the floor.
They hold their breaths as they sit with their backs against the crates, listening to his boots heavily running up the steps just a few feet behind them.
A voice calls out from somewhere above, "All hands! Weigh anchor! Prepare to set sail!"
A bell can be heard ringing outside, followed by purposeful shuffling. Various other crewmembers continue to shout orders at one another. The sails whoosh as they are presumably lowered from the masts.
Cass and Eugene look to each other, their eyes sharing the same sense of panic.
When they're certain the sailor is gone, Eugene groans, letting his head fall back against the surface behind him. "Ugh, great."
"Just stick to the plan," Cass whispers to him. "Find Rapunzel and get out."
The ship may be leaving, but that doesn't change anything. They can't lose their heads now. Not when they still have a job to do. Besides, Lance is on their side. He's their ride out of here.
With that, Cassandra sneaks out into the open. She disappears behind a corner, leaving Eugene alone in silence.
He waits for a few hesitant moments after she's gone. With one last scan of the room to make sure there is no one else down here, Eugene warily steps out.
He keeps an eye over his shoulder as he makes his way down the length of the ship, weaving around pillars and through piles of cargo. The floorboards creak beneath his boots and water can be heard splashing against the hull.
More voices call out to each other from above as the ship begins departing from the docks.
Eugene sneaks all the way to the opposite end, not finding any doors or signs of people on this particular floor. Careful not to make a sound, he ascends the staircase leading up to the next deck.
When he reaches the top, Cassandra is no where to be found.
Bright firelight is beaming down through the cracks in the ceiling. He can see shadows and hear heavy footsteps just on the other side of it. The main deck is directly above Eugene now, along with the captain's quarters.
He hasn't heard any commotion yet, not that he'd expected Cass to get caught, but this place is a maze in itself. There's no telling where she is now.
The crew deck Eugene is on looks similar to the cargo deck – dark, cold, and empty of people, though there's less supplies and much more open space. More cannons are positioned along the walls. At the opposite end, the walls narrow into a hallway with rows of doors on either side. Those must be the cabins.
Thunder rumbles loudly. Wind whistles eerily through the cracks of the vessel. Waves crash heavier against the base of the ship. A storm is brewing.
They're in open water now. Eugene can feel it.
With one last glance around himself, Eugene steps out from behind a wooden pillar, making his way toward the doors.
However, just as he steps into the open, another figure also emerges from the shadows on the opposite end of the deck, facing him.
Eugene halts in his tracks, his heart sinking with dread.
The figure is merely a silhouette in the darkness, and he can't make out their face from here. Whoever it is, they're looking directly at him. They know he's there.
"Flynn Rider…" says a man's voice – a gravely, calm, almost taunting voice that causes Eugene to shudder just from the sound of it.
It's deathly silent aside from the silhouette's boots brushing against the floor while he slowly saunters out.
As he steps into the light, his features suddenly become clear. Eugene notices his red hair swept to one side, stubbled chin, freckled face, and sharp jawline. He's wearing a black jacket, with a white cravat tied around his neck. He's raising an eyebrow and his lips are tugged into a crooked smirk.
"Well, I'll be damned," says the man, "It's about time you showed up."