Author's Note:
And so, we continue on with action, drama, and the stuff that we all love… (Hurray!)
"Captain, This mist is too thick to maintain our current speed." Jim stated from the Aurora's control panel. "We'll have to slow down to avoid any possible collisions."
"Right yeh are…" John squinted through the dense space matter. "Henry, take the helm, Jimbo… keep yer eyes on the scanner."
"Aye Captain." The two males answered.
"Giles." John turned to his old friend, "We need teh talk, in private."
Giles spotted the seriousness in John's eyes and nodded. "Of course." He said curtly, following John.
John made his way to the lower deck. "Everyone, keep a sharp eye out for anythin' that could damage the ship." He ordered.
"Aye Captain." A handful of voices answered.
John and Giles entered the lower decks and made their way to John's stateroom in total silence. John was curious about what it was that Giles was hiding, but more important, he was worried about Rebecca. 'If Bones lays one hand on her…' John didn't want to think about it. He pushed open the door to his stateroom and allowed Giles inside.
When John locked the door to his quarters behind him, he began the conversation.
"What do these pirates want with Rebecca?" He demanded seriously.
"To the point, as always John." Giles sighed, rubbing his temples. "With Rebecca, absolutely nothing." Giles stated. "I hate to say this, but, she's only the bait in their search for what they really want."
"An' that would be?" John enquired.
Giles sighed, reaching into his trouser pocket and pulling out a small silver shard. "This is what they're after." He stated guiltily.
"A small trinket?" John asked flatly, but couldn't tear his eyes from the shard. There was something about the silver shard that pried at his curiosity.
"No. Better." Giles pocketed the shard. "It's a key."
"A key?" John raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. That's what Bones called it." Giles stated.
"To treasure?" John asked.
"I wouldn't doubt it." Giles sighed. "But I have a bad feeling about it." He gripped the bulge in his pocket. "Bones was in liege with Flint and Flint was evil. There's no way that he'd make getting at his treasure that easy, right?"
John looked away. "Right." He shook his head and sighed. "We're getting off topic, Giles. We shouldn't be talking 'bout treasure. We should be planning a means of getting Rebecca back."
"Of course." Giles nodded. "That's just part of what I need to tell you, though." He folded his arms over his chest and leaned against a wall of the stateroom. "Bones thinks that this key is at Townsend-Clarke Estate, because he thinks that that's where I kept it."
"How in blue blazes did yeh get it in the first place?" John demanded.
"Well," Giles looked at the floor, "It was on one of our missions on Alpha Diego. The day you and I got separated from that rockslide."
"Oh…" John rubbed the back of his head, "That day…"
Giles nodded. "I found a cavern on the side of the cliff –like I told you- but what I didn't tell you, is that someone was living in that cave."
"Bones?"
Giles nodded. "I found a small chest in the cave… I was about to grab it when Bones came out. I grabbed the nearest thing on the chest, which was one of these keys –there were three of them on the front of the chest- and got out of the cave -using a system of tunnels- when Bones gave chase." Giles paused to let out a sigh. "Bones swore he'd get his hands on me for stealing his key, but I didn't expect it to be like this." Giles looked away. "It's my fault they took Rebecca… he- he should've taken me."
"He would've killed yeh the moment he got his grabby paws on that key." John stated.
"Then maybe that's what I deserve." Giles looked at the floor. "Rebecca sure doesn't deserve to be punished for something I did…" Giles stuffed a hand into his pocket, contemplating tossing it out into the Etherium. He then remembered that if he did that, then he'd never get his little sister back. "I know she's strong, but they're pirates."
John placed a hand on Giles's shoulder. "We'll get her back, Giles." John stated clearly. Giles looked up at John's resolve. John looked away and sighed. "I'm sure Rebecca's all right." He spoke both his and Giles's wishes.
Rebecca paced the filthy cell in the Black Arrow's brig. Her eyes searched the hold but her mind was elsewhere, formulating a plan while she was trying to keep her nerve. Her hair, still dripping from being in the rain, was fully let down from its up-do and her dress was torn in places from being manhandled and dragged about.
As to the escape plan, the young captive had nothing of worthy cause. She needed something that would involve minimal contact with the dangerous pirates -as she was unarmed- and involved minimal divine intervention. She firstly needed a means of unlocking her cell door (hence the need for divine intervention). Then she'd need a way to get to the lowest chamber of the ship where there would hopefully be a longboat that she could commandeer (she'd need at least sheer dumb luck). Then she'd need to escape the pirates, find out where she had been taken, and find a way home (again, there was still the need for divine intervention).
'Oh it's hopeless.' Rebecca sank onto the bench attached to the wall in the brig, her head in her hands.
The door entering the brig creaked open and Rebecca looked up from the filth-covered floor. A hunched-over turtle-like man entered the brig with a dark cloak and a large tri-pointed hat shadowing his eyes. There was a noticeably round bulge in the pocket of his overcoat, which he would claw at every now and then.
"Where is the key?" He demanded, jumping straight to the point.
"Key?" Rebecca looked at the man strangely. "I don't know what in the Etherium you're talking about. But what I would like to know is why you've taken me and where exactly we are going." 'And how many guards do you keep patrolling your longboats.'
"Don't play dumb." The cloaked pirate snapped. "You know about the key to me chest."
"I beg your pardon, but I know nothing about any key." Rebecca stated plainly. "Now tell me why you've brought me here!" She exclaimed.
The pirate growled and turned away. "So you don't know…" He looked back at Rebecca with a malicious smirk. "Then I guess the lad's been keeping secrets from you."
"What?" Rebecca shook her head, hoping to clear her mind. 'This is getting ridiculous… it's like talking to a broken record.' "Look, with all due respect –sir- I still haven't the foggiest clue to what it is that you are talking about." Rebecca tried to maintain her composure. "Now, I'd like for you to either explain your self, or you can release me from this cell and take me home for all I care." 'Like that's likely…'
The pirate chuckled. "Oh, we'll take you home, Miss Clarke, you can be sure of that." He limped up the stairs, exiting the brig.
'Well that's reassuring.' Rebecca sat down on the bench attached to the brig wall. She glanced out a small porthole, seeing nothing but thick clouds of space dust. 'What in the Etherium did he mean? A key? And who's keeping secrets from me?' She held her head in her hands and thought back to the High Duchess's garden. She looked up at the ceiling, leaning against the wall, and sighed. 'I hope John's alright.'
"There's Port Hastings." Giles pointed out to John as they steered the HMS Aurora through around space matter. Everyone was assembled at the helm of the ship, for the planning meeting. "Bones will likely land in the port and then try to sneak through the shadows to get to the estate."
"Can yeh alert the town guard?" John asked.
"Yes, I'll send word to them to monitor ships coming into port." Giles stated. "But we also need to get up to the estate, to warn my father."
"Yeah," John rolled his eyes, "I'd imagine that his knowing that there's a band of pirates heading for his mansion would be a good idea."
"Sarcasm, John. Unnecessary." Giles stated flatly. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, you find the nearest means of transportation to the estate; I'll alert the town guard. Meet back at our dock as soon as you can."
"All right… let's stop those cutthroats." Jim stated.
The HMS Aurora pulled into port, throwing down its gangplank as a group of sailors ran down to the docks.
"You guys tie down the ship, we'll be back!" Jim called to the remaining sailors, running with his older brother while Giles ran to alert the town guard.
Minutes later the crew assembled in the port, climbing into a large buggy that Jim and John had acquired. Giles soon joined them and then they were off to the Townsend-Clarke Estate.
"What's that?" Scroop asked, pointing at something above them, heading in the same direction.
"What in blue blazes?" John looked up as Jim egged the tri-tailed stallions to go faster.
"It's the Black Arrow!" Juanita exclaimed.
"It's heading right for the mansion." Martin stated.
"I guess I assumed wrong." Giles sighed. "I was thinking strategic, not pirate."
"C'mon, faster!" Jim called to the horses, looking ahead. 'We have to make it to the house before the pirates. We have to...'
Author's Note:
Thank you to Whisperwings, for betaing.
MG#6