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Chapter 8~ A Position of Power
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“How long are you goin’ to take?” I called back towards the door. I heard a stumble and a loud thud hit the floor. Quickly, I pushed through the door and saw Constantine knelt down on the floor with one leg through a pair of trousers and the other floppily laid on the floor.
“I’m still getting used to it again,” she grumbled under her breath before returning to dressing.
“I still don’t see why I had to wait outside. You have nothin’ to hide from me.”
She rolled her eyes and began working a black scarf around her waist. “Don’t be a child. I wanted to present myself as…well, as a man.”
“I’m still not sure about this plan, love. You’re not exactly comparable to the other men on that ship.”
She gave me a look.
“Then, make me comparable.” She smirked, just slightly. This was a challenge. And, I began to feel my blood pumping against my worry and adrenaline.
I suddenly grabbed a fistful of her beautiful hair, watching her suck in a stinging breath, and let it fall in messy piles all around her shoulders. I tucked her loose shirt into the hem of her trousers, letting my fingers dig in a bit too deep, and smiled to myself. She tied a bandana around her head and looked down at herself.
“I’m not big enough to pull it off.”
“Don’t have to be. There're all kinds of people aboard. And as long as Kidd doesn’t notice you too much, you should be safe.”
Bustle and noise grew increasingly noticeable out on the streets. I knew we had very little time to reach the ship. Now was the time. I took Constantine’s hand to lead her along but noticed something solid clutched in it. The lion. The little wooden lion I’d made for her all those years ago. She looked at it too.
“I just couldn’t leave it behind.”
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Cochin was just beginning to come alive when we reached the streets. Hungover men stumbled out of the building next door. Luckily, none of them was Kidd or his men. All the while, Constantine shielded herself whenever others passed a bit too close for comfort. It was obvious to me that she was known throughout town. I could only wonder why. Constantine never seemed to want the attention of others.
“Everythin' alright?” I asked.
“Remember when I said Madam Uttam used to send men to hunt me down sometimes? Ever since then, I can never know whether or not I’m safe. It’s awful. So whenever I would leave the bookshop, I’d make sure I could defend myself.” She laid a hand on a dagger tucked away behind her back. “And I haven’t walked this…openly in weeks.”
I rested a hand on the small of her back. “There’s no need to be afraid. Because now, we’re headin’ towards a ship full of greedy, dangerous, blood-thirsty pirates armed and eager for a fight.”
She chuckled to herself. “That I can quite handle.”
We finally reached the ship, oddly quiet as it was. I turned Constantine around. But, she wasn’t scared at all. Instead, she had the face of a warrior. How long had it been since I’d seen her like this?
“Should be quite simple. When you come aboard, go down below where the rest of the prisoners are. If anyone asks, say Kidd sent you down to join the others. And when you’re down there, find a boy. His name is Reyes. He’ll know what to do from there.”
Wait,” she said, stopping halfway up the deck plank, “you’re not coming with me?”
“I need to find Kidd and make certain he stays as far away from you and Reyes as possible. But, don’t worry. He’s a surprisingly smart lad.”
She squeezed my hand and started back up the planks until she finally disappeared from my sight. I couldn’t say I wasn’t completely terrified. But, something inside of me felt calm—like we had control of the situation. There was to be no panic or fear. All we had to do was trust that everything would work out like it was supposed to—
“Hemingway!!” roared a fierce voice. I whipped back at the sound. Kidd and his men were storming down the hill near the docks, still a bit tipsy and pink in the face. Kidd clutched his hat in one hand and wiped the cold sweat from his face with the other. As he approached, I felt a quake of fear ripple across my skin.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” I replied.
“Where the hell were you last night, lad?”
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“Bullshit! You were nowhere to be found. We sent Killian here to find you, though the bastard probably fell drunk the second out of the door! We thought we were like to kill you!”
“Yes, well, I wandered off down the hall with a girl—you remember, the girl I talked to at the pub. We…slept together.”
Kidd’s raunchy blubbering quieted as a knowing grin found his face instead. “Oh, did you, lad? I guess that answers my question, then. Well, as captivating as that sounds, we’ve got bigger problems.”
“Problems?”
Kidd swayed over to the planks leading up the side of the ship and pushed the rest of the drunken men across in a hurry.
“Yes, bloody problems. The dammed Dutch East India Company is trailing me and planning to take us over. Would you believe it—people seem to think I am a pirate! We need to sail to St. Mary’s Island on Madagascar as soon as possible. Now, no more questions out of you. Come along!”
Kidd made his way back up to his ship. With a last look at the town, I cursed under my breath and did all I could do. Follow.
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Something was drastically different the moment I stepped right back on that ship—something unspoken yet so numbingly obvious. I was no longer a prisoner like the rest. Some sort of universal shift had occurred overnight where I was now in a position of, dare I say, power. I was leered at by the members of Kidd’s crew. Some watched in scorn, others in curiosity, and the rest in grudging admiration. Nevertheless, they watched. But, suddenly, I was stuck. Was I to go back below deck to the only men I knew, where I was needed most? Or was I expected to adhere to the new semblance Kidd had created for me? All I was certain of was that whatever direction I was headed in would shape whatever future I had on that ship—for better or for worse.
I waited until the ship began to sail out of port, away from Cochin. Why did I feel so guilty all of a sudden?
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In my short time in Cochin, I had nearly forgotten the foul stench from down under the ship. Once I’d opened the hatch door, however, it hit me so hard that I had to step back and cough it away. A mixture of sweat, vomit, and noxious gas. But, this was far from the most surprising part. Nearly half of the men that’d been stuffed aboard the rathole were gone—vanished completely. It was much more comfortable. The rest of the prisoners sat lined against the walls, whispering low to each other, sleeping, and keeping themselves entertained somehow. Near the left wall, I found Constantine and Reyes whispering to each other. After the door shut and everyone stopped looking, I approached.
“Thank God,” I lowered my voice, “You’re safe.”
“That’s debatable. But, yes, I’m alright.” She reached her hand a bit towards me then pulled back after realizing we weren’t alone. “I was lucky your friend was here to help.”
I turned to Reyes who wore a face twisted in all sorts of mixed emotions.
“Reyes, where is everyone? Has he—”
“Start killing us? Sell us like slaves? Not yet. The piratas take the men to other ships—spread us out so we cannot fight him.”
I looked around at the leftover men. It seemed more depressing now than when we dealt with the overcrowded monstrosity from before.
Reyes quickly pulled back my attention, saying, “You are a fool to bring the fee-un-cée here. Don’t you remember what he said? He knows who she is!”
“What?!” Constantine exclaimed, jerking her head around.
“Shhh! He was only bluffin’.” I shot Reyes a nasty look. “Reyes, there’s no logical way Kidd could truly know about her.”
“I have to get off this ship, Edmund. Right now.”
“It’s too late for that now, love. I promise, there’s nothin’ to worry about—” I began.
“If Kidd really knows who I am, he’ll recognize me right away. Then, who knows what he’ll do! My father has pissed off quite a few people and I wouldn’t be surprised if Kidd is just another bloke on his list.”
This was the last place for an argument to start. Looking at Constantine, I fought the violent urge to touch her. I shook away the feeling and collected my thoughts in a hurry.
“He won’t recognize you. You both won’t even cross gazes if I have anythin’ to do about it. But, you’ve got to trust me when I say everythin’ will be fine. Do you trust me, love?”
“Of course I do. But—”
“Then, it’s settled. In the meantime…”
“You go back to your precious life by Kidd’s side,” Reyes snapped.
“There’s no precious life. But, I should go. Who knows where he’s takin’ us or how long it’ll even take. Once I find out, I’ll come back. I swear. As for Every—I’ll find that out, too. You never know, Kidd could be your father’s most devoted fan.”
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The door had opened in the blink of an eye. I barely had time to register all of the risks involved in my every move. I was walking on glass, trying not to shatter it even more with each step. Kidd was at his desk, looking over a large map sprawled across his desk. Little stacks of gold coins were laid out around the surface like sparkling beacons of promise—but mostly greed.
“Ah, Hemingway. I was wondered where you’d wandered off to. Taking in the air after being cooped up on land? I can tell, you’re one with a soul for this type of thing—sailing, I mean.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Fuck ‘sir’. What is it you need, lad?”
“I had a few more questions leftover from yesterday. Important things, perhaps concernin’ Gretchen?”
Kidd nodded, a small, curled smile kept to himself. He took a swig of something from a nearby tankard and motioned me closer. As I approached, he leaned further back in his chair and sighed low.
“As much as I’d like to answer your burning questions, lad, we have bigger, more dire issues at hand.”
“Sir…”
“I said ‘fuck sir’. Don’t make me repeat myself, boy. We made it away from those Dutch East India bullshitters, but we need a plan. We can’t keep roaming until I’m found and hung by my neck, now can we?”
I forcibly held back my smirk.
He pointed a finger towards a lower bit of the map, a little island off the coast of Africa. I drew closer to his side.
“Madagascar? That’d take a month at best!”
He suddenly roared with laughter. “Why, lad, you talk as if you’ve got places to go!”
A month. Could Constantine take that? We’d be away from the places we knew. We’d be in uncharted territories once again.
“Why Madagascar?” I asked.
“I need a place to breathe for a bit. Some peace and quiet. Someplace where I don’t need to worry about getting my head shot at. And from there…well, I’ll think of something from there.”
He was quiet for a moment. I just watched him, half curious and half anxious beyond words. Something was different all of a sudden. The drunk, ignorant son-of-a-bitch he proudly made himself out to be faded into the background. He was—or at least, resembled—a man, of sorts. There was just a twinge of worry sweeping across his hardened face. It made his head duck and his lips shut tight. And I realized this was the first time I’d witnessed a pirate express real, understandable human emotion. But, just as quickly as this thought came, I brushed it back away into the air.
Then, I said something I was quite sure hadn’t come from me at all, “What can I do?”
Kidd lifted his head and gave me a queer look. “You’d like to help me? What in God’s name for?”
“If it means findin' out what happened to my sister…” I hesitated for a second but let myself say it, “I’d do just about anythin’.”
He grinned wide and leaned forward over his desk, devilish ideas twinkling in his eyes. “You’re different, aren’t you, lad?…Different than those blokes out there, manning this ship. Not only that. You’re a hell of a lot smarter. And, I think I could use you.”
He finally stood and walked around his desk, towards me. I let all rigidness fall from my body. Kidd faced me. His eyes bore into mine until I was sure he could see my every thought. But, then, he rested a hand on my shoulder and lifted the intensity away.
“I like you, lad,” he said under heaving laughs, “In fact, you remind me of myself years and years ago. Ambitious, sensible, brave. I think you’ll enjoy it here. Who knows? In time you may find yourself wanting to stay.”
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