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Chapter 4~ The Death of San Jorge
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I remember that day as if it was just yesterday—the day I’d suddenly lost everything to Thomas fucking Tew. The day I’d lost my parents, my childhood, and my freedom.
It’d been quite a nice day out. My father had come home from healing a case of croup and insisted our family go to the beach to watch the birds. And so we went—my mother dressed in her most flowing lavender dress with her orange curls pinned up and my father’s arm hooked in hers. She’d sit in the sand and watch the clouds pass over the sky and occasionally watch my father and me preparing to fish. I remember how he looked that day. Dark, shiny, and neat hair falling a bit in his face when bending over the dock. A clean white blouse and a navy coat, proudly presenting his badges. And his handsome blue eyes full of excitement and love. Eyes I’d never see again until eight years later when I'd meet an injured girl who would need my help. From that moment on, I knew she was special. She was home.
Only minutes later did it happen. I had cast out my fishing line and looked over towards my mother watching me with the gentlest smile. I opened my mouth to call out for her when a burst of parting waves came from behind me. We all turned and saw the ship—the Amity, young and not yet poisoned. A man stood at its bow—a man with long shags of black hair and a toughened face. The ship aimed its course toward us, and I suddenly felt my father’s hand on my arm. He turned to me and placed both hands on my shoulders.
“Take your mother and run, Edmund. Run!”
I could hardly hear his words over the booming of the waves, but a look towards my mother told me I wasn’t safe. She raced across the sandy hills towards me and pulled me back across the pier. I struggled, unwilling to leave my father’s side. But, the Amity had already reached the shore. The tall man aboard the pirate ship yelled out in an animalistic shout, “Your head is mine, Hemingway!!”.
And from his gun came three shots, each penetrating my father’s chest and pushing him farther and farther into the ground. He hovered a bit and placed a weakened hand to his chest, now growing with a scarlet color. I could see the blood soak through the back of his jacket. And I could remember how my mother stopped pulling me and let out a shaky cry of pain. Then, my father collapsed. I screamed, broke away from my stiffened mother, and ran to his side. The Amity wasted not a second and released a crowd of men onto the shore. But, my father was nearly lifeless by the time I reached him. I grasped his large hands in mine and tried to blink through the tears. His eyes were already fading and losing their color as if those bullets drained the vibrance from his very being. My father looked at me and rested a bloodied hand upon my cheek. The wet warmth of his blood on my face only furthered my sobs.
“Never stop fighting”—he choked through the blood—“Never stop fighting for happiness, Edmund. You will find it.”
With another pained cough, he grew still and stared at the gulls flying above us.
“I love you, my son.” Then, he was quiet.
I sobbed viciously until the crew finally reached us. They grabbed my mother first, waking her from her motionless state and back into reality. She fought and struggled in their grasp as they dragged her along the beach toward the ship. I watched and kept a firm grasp on my father, not wanting to leave neither him nor her defenseless.
Finally, I left my father and raced across the beach to her aid. I beat on the men’s back, kicked and fought as best I could until I was pushed back into the sand. My stomach burned with a fire that lit up every inch of me. I kept hurling myself at them, trying with all my might to stop them from taking her. A man suddenly grasped me from behind, fisting up the shirt on my back and yanking me out of arm’s reach. It was the man with the gun—the man who killed my father. Upon recognizing him, I used all my force against him, which didn’t amount to very much. I was growing weak and hadn’t much more fight in me when two more crewmen came to restrain me back. But the man only watched me with amusement which fueled my anger even more.
“Well, you’re quite the warrior, aren’t you, lad?”
“You killed him! My father! You killed him!”
“Your father wronged me years ago and deserved to die. But, that does not mean his offspring should suffer too. What’s your name, child?”
“Edmund.”260Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQaYUQ8ckJh
“Edmund, you seem like a smart boy. And I certainly don’t want to kill you. So, allow me to propose a bargain. I can keep you safe from harm and you will join my crew and work as…say, a cabin boy. You can live a life of excitement, see much of the world, and create your own destiny. Or you can remain here with your father and die.”
I barely even considered it and snapped back, “I'll never be a dirty pirate like you!”
A pang of anger flashed across this man’s face and he said in a darker tone, “I am giving you the opportunity many would kill for—to work aboard the Amity with Thomas Tew. If you’re smart you will take this chance. Or you’ll meet your poor father’s fate.”
“I’d rather die a heroic death as my father’s than work for a bloodthirsty son-of-a-bitch like you!” I hurled myself a bit further and spat clean in the man’s face.
He roared in fury, wiped it away with the back of his large hand, and suddenly swung a blade towards me. The knife sliced into my face, drawing a thin cut over my nose and halfway across my cheeks. The blood flowed down like a veil over my skin. I cried over and bowed my head to the ground. The stinging burned me like a pain I’d never known before.
“I don’t have time for this nonsense. Bring the boy aboard,” The man said, sheathing his blade again and walking away. My tears began to blend with the blood trickling down my jaw. And I was dragged away, helpless just as my father was.
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I remember it so well. But, the boy back then knew nothing of the real world. He was all emotion. No sense. And that boy had disappeared long, long ago. But as the crew of the Quedagh Merchant was rounded up like slaves and led down into our own ship, I felt him beside me. I felt the same hopelessness. And as much as I desperately tried to force the thought away, it kept coming back to stab me in the chest. I might never see Constantine again—at least not for several years, if that. It was a depressing conclusion that tried to sway me and shut me down entirely. But, I’d shut my mind from that. In fact, I shut my mind from all emotion.
I walked along beside Reyes who was just as quiet and deadly serious. We’d both seen what kind of a man William Kidd was. And something told me this wasn’t the first time the kid had encountered a man such as him. After several moments of dull quiet, Reyes gazed forward and said, “Who was that man?”
“His name is William Kidd. He’s a British captain hired to capture pirate ships and all enemies of the French.”
Reyes paused then whispered a curse under his breath. “Mierda.”
“You know him?”
“Yes. Kidd attack my village—Marie-Galante. He kill my Mama and Papi and brother Alonso. That man is a devil. He kills and steals and say he is right. He say he is not a pirata.” Reyes noticed his growing voice and suddenly hushed back to a whisper. “We cannot go with Kidd.”
“Well, I don’t see much of a second choice at the moment.”
After everyone was pushed inside the cabin, the door suddenly slammed shut and was locked from the outside. Now alone, the crew began murmuring amongst one another.
I scoffed and said to myself, “I feel just like Constantine now.”
Reyes suddenly perked up. “Ah! That’s the fee-un-cée. You feel like the fee-un-cée?”
“She’s just had a lot of experience…in captivity. She probably would know how to get out of this bloody mess. Hell, if I’d listened to her, I wouldn’t be here.” I pounded a fist against the wall in frustration, feeling dark thoughts creep up on me again.
“What happened to her?”
I rolled my eyes and shot him an annoyed look. “Why do you even care? Isn’t there some other bloke you can go bother?”
Reyes glanced around innocently then turned back and mimicked, “I don’t see a second choice at the moment.”
The tension started to relax. We both found a place to sit until more important things started happening. Meanwhile, I told the child what I could safely tell—Thomas Tew, Cape Town, even the battle on the Amity. And out of all of the stories ever told on our voyage, mine was certainly the most exciting. After it was over, Reyes filled my ears with questions I could not answer. But, I learned more about him along the way.
“Papi worked in a sugar mill. Mama cared for me and Alonso. She patch clothes for niños. We lived in little…ah, choza—shack—and Mama would always bake. She made the best polvorosas…” He’d grow quiet sometimes and look down at his dirty, ripened hands. But he was still a child, so he was never down for too long. “When Kidd kill them, I take all the money and buy passage to Spain to mi tía. She could not keep me, so I travel all over until I find work in India. Then, I come here.”
“So, you’re an orphan? So am I. Thomas Tew killed both of my parents.”
“You know,” Reyes began, “Toe-mass Tew was hunted by Kidd. Died too quick for Kidd to find him. So, that means you are a pirata, sí?”
“Used to be. But I gave all that up long ago.”
Reyes had an odd kind-of grin on his face that was probably the first time I’d ever seen him excited. It made him look so young and washed away the grime covering up the rest of his face.
“But you still think like a pirata, can you not? You can find a way to get us out of here.”
“No.”
“You have to, Edmūnd. Kidd will not let me live. He finds where I am from, I am dead. And you will last not long, too. Please—por favor—please!”
I shoved him away a bit and tried to calm Reyes down. His wide, passion-filled eyes were locked hard onto me. I’d never seen a kid so determined in my life.
“Even if I knew what to do, Kidd has an army on his side. And we are weaponless. Half the fun of bein' dangerous is if you can protect yourself.”
As I spoke, Reyes searched frantically in his trouser leg, groping for something. Finally, his hand landed on a metal object. “Aquí está!” From Reyes’s right pant leg came a slender yet sharp blade.
“How did you…?”
“I keep right leg padded over dagger. I am eleven. Not stupid.” He handed over the blade and watched me with a strong hopefulness. I turned it over in my hand and seethed out a sigh.
“Can’t believe I’m doin' this.” And with that, I stood, hid the dagger in my waistband, and snatched up Reyes with my other hand.
“Oye!” he squealed, “What are you doing?!”
I easily maneuvered through the now-interested crowd around us while Reyes beat on my arms and chest. But, I jerked him with my hand and whispered, “Play along…”
After a second of confusion, Reyes finally calmed and followed along till we reached the locked door. I then beat as hard as I could while yelling, “Open the door! He’s dyin'! This child is dyin'!” After several moments of beating and screaming, the door finally opened to reveal a particularly angry pirate, one of Kidd’s best men, in fact.
“What the hell is it!?” he spat back.
I grabbed hold of Reyes and hauled him up towards the entrance.
“This child! He suddenly collapsed and started coughin' and flailin' around like some kind of demon!”
I looked at Reyes who stared blankly back at me.
“Sí!” He let his small body shrink and fall across the steps as he began coughing and wheezing like a dying animal. The pirate growled.
“What do I care?” He began to shut the door.
“Wait! This isn’t just some kid, you idiot! You know who this is? This is…”
A quiet pained moan escaped Reyes’s mouth. “San…Jorge…”
“San Jorge! This is San Jorge! His father is the great Marco del Reno, owner of the largest ship supplier in all of India. We’ve been allowin’ him passage back home, and if he dies, it won’t just be the end of him. You have to give the child fresh air and a doctor immediately!”
The pirate scrambled for words and had eaten the story as if it was his last meal.
“Bloody hell! Marco del Reno’s son!” he blubbered while throwing open the door and hurrying down to the collapsed Reyes. As soon as his back was turned, I jumped upon him. I twisted back the pirate’s arm and pressed the dagger so close onto his throat that I could feel his heart pounding against the shiny blade. Reyes leaped to his feet, a look of sheer pride and drive splashed across his face. I hushed my words close to the pirate’s ear.
“Bring me to William Kidd.”
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