Chapter 6: On the Way to Dave Senoj's Cabinet
Once Nora arrived at the right door of the inn, she eagerly knocked. The door opened to reveal her brother Fritz. "Oh, Nora! I was praying that you would come back to see me again." He ushered her into the room and offered her a chair. "How is everything going with that letter?"
"We've found out lots of information from… Mum and Dad and others."
"You went to see them? Were you able to settle your differences before leaving?"
"No, not really. They still think I'm crazy for bein' a pirate. They can't accept who I've become."
"Can you really blame them, Nora? You live such a dangerous lifestyle. We all worry about you."
"Of course you still don't understand either," she scoffed and shook her head.
"Don't be that way. I want to understand. Just like I want to be able to stay in touch with my little sister. Is there anything I can do to restore that bond we had before?"
The wall around Nora's heart still refused to budge even after her brother's plea. It was, however, weakened; and her heart was now just a little stronger than the wall. "Perhaps," she considered aloud, "if you were ta come aboard our pirate ship–na don't give me that look! I ain't sayin' you'd join tha crew. I'm only sayin' maybe you could stay aboard a little while and get a first-'and experience of what it's like livin' my life. But, an army man like you prob'ly couldn't handle the sea life."
Slightly insulted by her last comment, Fritz tried to defend his honor: "I certainly could handle it. I've been aboard ships before; there's nothing to it."
"Said like a true land-lubber!" she teased.
"I will come on your ship, and I will prove you wrong," he promised.
"Alright then. I'll talk it ovah with Cap'n Cardinal. I'll be back in less than an hour to tell you what the cap'n says."
"Goodbye, Nora."
"He may come along if he pulls his weight around the ship. Go ahead and tell him to be ready to leave in the morning," Captain Cardinal instructed Nora after she had requested that Fritz be allowed aboard. "Now, Becky, I wanted to talk to you about something."
"What is it, Jake?" Becky whispered as she gingerly laid a sleeping Christopher on the bed.
"You and Christopher are not coming with us to Dave Senoj's Cabinet. I have decided that we are going to drop you and him off at Aunt Winnie's chateau. As soon as we're done at the Cabinet we'll come back and get you."
"But, Jake, I—"
"There's no changing my mind now. As your captain, these are my orders for you; as your husband, these are my pleas to you."
"Alright, Jake. We'll go to France. I'm not happy about it, but I know you only want us to be safe."
The next morning, Captain Cardinal and his coterie returned to the Scarlett Ruby. Fritz arrived soon after, and they were on their way back to France.
"You might want ta stay below deck at first, Fritz," suggested Nora. "Yer stomach might need to get used to bein' on the sea."
"I don't feel ill right now. I've had to travel on ships before, so it's not like this is my first time. Thank you for…caring." The waves were beginning to undulate higher, in turn causing the ship to rock more violently. "On second thought, perhaps I should go below deck."
"Heh heh, poor, numpty o' mine."
The first day of their trip went well, but around noon…
"Captain Cardinal! Unfamiliar ship on the starboard stern!" the look-out in the crow's nest cried out. "She's got black sails!"
As he stormed to the starboard stern, Jake yelled, "Get me my spyglass!"
Mimosa gave it to Jake and then looked out using his own spyglass. "It looks as if the side of the ship says—"
"The Dark Revenge," Jake finished. "It's coming right for us. Get ready for battle! Becky, take Christopher down into the hull! Mimosa, make sure that she's barricaded below deck with Christopher."
"Aye, Captain!" Mimosa jogged over to Allison and had her follow Becky into the hull. He then pushed multiple barrels and crates in front of the entrance to the hull.
"There you go, Christopher, all—wait a minute…Oh, he did not just—" Becky ran up to the door and tried to open it. "OOH! He tricked me! I'll get him when this is through!"
"S-sorry, Becky. It's probably safest down here," Allison tried to calm her down.
Fritz emerged from the back of the hull. "What's all the fuss about?"
"Murdock's ship is coming up on us, and we're trapped below deck!" Becky fumed. "But why are you down here?"
"I was, um, feeling ill again, so I came down here to avoid looking at the waves."
Back on deck, everybody was getting into defensive fighting position as the Dark Revenge sailed next to the Scarlett Ruby. Like a rain storm, men from the Revenge started swinging and pouring onto the ship. Captain Murdock, however, was in a rowboat rowing to the bow of the ship. Jake's crew thinned out Murdock's men from off the ship. Captain Murdock crept onto the deck of the Ruby and attempted to stab Captain Cardinal in the side of his back. Seeing him sneak up behind his captain, Mimosa yelled for Jake to move. Thankfully it was just enough time for him to spin around and block Murdock's cutlass.
"So, you are the man who's blasting my ship and trying to kill my men!" Jake exclaimed.
"Yes," Ethan growled, "and you are the one who will tell me where the golden Incan llama is!"
Becky was pacing the floor, muttering angrily that there was nothing she could do to help.
"Maybe a root beer would help settle your stomach," Allison suggested to Fritz. "I think a root beer would do us all well. I'll go get it."
"You know what, instead of me just pacing the floor, why don't we play some cards?" Becky went into a crate and pulled out a deck of cards.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea! Here are your root beers."
"I feel terrible that we're down here enjoying cards and root beer while they are on deck grappling for their lives," Fritz admitted.
Back on deck, Jake was revealing nothing to Murdock. "I don't know what you're talking about! I'm looking for no such thing as a llama!"
"Then perhaps you are looking for someone," Murdock cackled. "Are you hoping that somewhere on the water are your dear, little parents? Well, don't bother looking, because my father killed them! Mwahaha!"
Jake furiously fought harder against Murdock and cornered him against the side of the ship. Murdock saw that he was losing, so he quickly jumped off of the Ruby and swam to his rowboat.
"Captain!" Wally Nipperkin hollered, slipping around on the deck, "We're starting to take on water! We have to get away before they keep blasting us!"
"Pitzel! Hard to starboard! Sail us off course! Get the rest of those men off my ship!"
Murdock reached his own ship and sailed off. Jake helped his men defeat the rest of Murdock's crew while Wally began patching up the ship. Mimosa removed the barricade from the hull's entrance and began to open the door. Becky shot out like a lightning bolt and ran to Jake's side.
"Is everything okay now?"
"It's not safe to take you back to France. I don't want Murdock following and seeing that I'm leaving you behind. He might go after you and Christopher. By the way, how is he?"
"That baby is an angel. Even though the ship was being blasted, he was still giggling and cooing to himself. He even slept a little!"
"Wow, that's amazing. It shows he'll be a great pirate captain one day. After all, he'll inherit this ship once I retire."
"And that won't be," Becky kissed his cheek, "for a long while yet! So if we aren't headed to France, then where are we going?"
"Frenchman's Rock: the location of Dave Senoj's Cabinet."
"But I thought you said that it would be too dangerous for me and Christopher," Becky reminded.
"Well, now Murdock is more of the threat to me. You can stay aboard the Ruby when I go to shore on the island. We'll plan it out better after we clean up my ship."
"Alright. But wait, the Cabinet is by itself on a rock?"
"No, the island it's on is called Frenchman's Rock; it's universally known that Dave Senoj keeps his worst of enemies and adversaries in this dark, horrid place on his hideout. Not many people come out alive to tell what truly goes on in there."
"Oh…" Becky quietly uttered. "Well, a good pirate captain like you hasn't tried rescuing anyone from there before. I'm sure we'll be able to get her out easily."
"Thanks for trying to make me feel better," Jake slipped his arm around her and smiled.