A Pirate's Tale

Michael lay strapped to the wall, he had no idea of his fact but he feared what would come. The Dutchman had ordered the large man to tie him here and now he had been alone for five minutes or more, it was hard to tell. The door opened and Nathan was pushed into the room followed by Van Leer. "Dammit Van Leer, he's not much more than a lad, leave him be." The man laughed.
"No Nathan, it is much better to watch you fear for him." The Dutchman approached Michael and caressed his cheek. "Such a pretty boy, what shall I do with him?" Nathan roared with rage held back by two crewmen as he attempted to lunge. "Oh my, I have touched a nerve. Poor Nathan, watch my friend as I take my revenge upon you." The Dutchman kissed Michael and pulled the shirt away from the lads body.

It had taken some talking, but Kate managed to get the crew to agree to follow her plan. Only because Jinadu had threatened to rip any one of them to shreds that so much as spoke ill of her. They seemed to respect the African's ability to hold his own pretty well even if they all went at him at once. Kate gave the second mate a glare as the man held his injured arm, "Quit picking at the bandaging, or you'll loose your arm yet, sir. If you let it as I put it, you might save your appendage." She surveyed the charts they had spread on the table in the Captains cabin, which was where she had taken up residence on the acting captain's insistence, "I'll need wet cannon powder, if you don't mind... everything else you have your instructions on." She was given a slightly odd look by the acting captain,
"What d' yee need wet powder fur? It's n' good wet!"
"I don't want it for shooting a cannon if it is wet all it will do is smoke and smoulder, sir. I need to look like a 'powerful witch' to our enemies... what better way than seeming to conjure smoke from thin air and being painted up like an African tribes woman when I'm obviously not? It would have scared you, would it not?"

Michael shook as the man removed what little else he had dragged on before the battle had started in earnest. "Stop please!" Michael begged, Nathan slumped in the men’s arms unable to save the lad. Tears ran down Michaels face as he was moved so the Dutchman could take his pleasure with the unwilling victim. Nathan himself wept as the torture began.

They approached the other ship, flying their colours proudly and Kate grinned. This could be an interesting fight, but first she had to make sure they were moving a bit faster. She hated to use her magic like this, but the gods would forgive her wanting to avoid cannon fire. She looked on impassively as the waves all seemed to be turned in just the right angle to push the ship up alongside their target before the other could go broadside for firing. The crew were so busy working they didn't notice the upturn of speed.

Van Leer swore as he heard of the approach of the Dark Swan. "Well Nathan it seems your crew think something of you." Nathan glared at the Dutchman, they had been traded more than insults since their time together aboard a ship sailed by Jane's father. "I shall have to deal with this war party Nathan, then I may come and enjoy your pretty little ass again, it has been such long time since I last had you." He smiled evilly at Nathan and swept up to the deck.

Kate lit the wet powder and motioned for the hooks to go out to bring the two ships together, but not a pirate among the crew started across to the other deck. They knew their orders: tie the ships together and stand back. She stayed hidden as the powder smoked and smouldered, creating such a wonderfully black cloud over the deck and rolling out to the enemy crew. Then the herbs and chemicals she had mixed in lit and streaks of red appeared through the smoke along with the scent of blood. And with a bit of well placed wind, the smoke parted in the middle, as Kate strode forward to the railing.

Kate was almost naked her pale white skin shining in the sunlight, and contrasting brilliantly with the red African tribal drawings adoring her exposed skin. Her chest was wrapped only in a piece of leather and small "skirt" tied at her hips and hung down to her knees and hung open on both sides. No shoes and her hair hung loose around her while a wooden pole wrapped in painted cloth was grasped firmly in her hand. The silence of her entrance hung as thick as the smoke she had parted and she pitched her voice with a dark edge that all were sure to hear on both ships, "Van Leer, return what you have stolen. The mortal servants of the Blood-Sea Witch are of no use to you." Van Leer sneered as his crew panic. "You tricks do not fool me little girl, I know your face too well Kate."
"My face you may know, sir. But a witch I am none the less." Kate smiled and watched his crew scattering, "And your crew has not your brashness in dealing with witches." Kate motioned and Nathan's crew rushed out from the still lingering smoke and across to the other ship. "Aye but I do." His foot rested upon a cannon. "Fire, I believe works well." He lit the fuse and the shot that blew in the Dark Swan was composed mostly of rags in tar which lit quickly. It landed upon the deck burning all around it. Kate debated whether or not she should risk trying to put out the fire with magic. It would take a great deal of strength, and would also take her out of the fighting and conscious world. Some of the men scrambled to put out the flames, but it was not easy to get the lit rags off the deck nor to keep from touching the burning tar. Jinadu looked back at Kate just as she created a wave that came up and cleaned the deck of the burning pile. It was enough to take a few of the crew off their feet, but within moments they were back up and scrambling over the lines to get at the other pirates. Kate steadied herself on the railing and glared across at the captain, wishing she could blow that cannon up in his face. But at least his loading time was too long for him to get another shot before he'd have other things to take his attention. Kate stayed upright for a few moments, long enough for some of the crew to reach Van Leer, as his crew wasn't putting up much of a fight. Her vision started to waver and she prayed only that she could stay there a bit longer. The wind was starting to take the smoke away, and maybe if she was lucky it would cover her collapse. It did, barely. And the rest was up to the crew.

Nathan struggled to free himself from the burly men holding him, he didn't like what he could see of Michael, the boy looked barely conscious. Finally the noise that had been approaching for sometime appeared at the door, it was some of his crew including a guiltily looking Stewart, they quickly overwhelmed the men holding him. Jinadu was there a moment afterwards and went for the boy. With a nod at Nathan, the African unbound and picked up Michael, "I shall take him to where Kate is waiting." Nathan held the man up while caressing Michael hair. "Michael, Lad are you alright?" Was all he could say. He didn't mention that he feared she wouldn't be where she was supposed to meet them. He had been around magic long enough to know that with only the little training that Kate had, her last trick had taken a lot.

Van Leer cursed as he fought his way back to the rest of his crew, thankfully they had pushed most of the invading force back but with many losses some of which he could ill afford. Ordering what was left to make sail as a few small fights came to a rapid conclustion. Nathan would pay for this even if he had to kill everything in his path to do so.

Kate woke slowly, feeling like her whole body was on fire. She twitched and moaned, not registering at first that she wasn't on the deck she had collapsed on. There were others in the room. Her distracted mind half-noted the voices, but the words didn't come to her understanding. "Kate, daughter, are you awake?" Nathan asked softly. The voice was familiar somehow. Who? Kate opened her eyes very slowly, the light hurt them so much. None of the words had registered, but there was concern in that voice, and it was so close. "Kate, lass, wake up. Michael is so hurt." Tears were near coming but Nathan didn't care. She reached up with her eyes still half closed, and felt a wet cheek with her searching fingers, "Fa..." Here eyes drifted closed again and the words came to her now as if over a great distance, "Michael?..." Her response was even slower than her understanding of the words. "Lad... fine..."
"No Kate, he is hurt body and soul, come and help him please my girl." How could she make him understand? She could feel the lad's presence not too far away, and yes he was hurt, but he was going to be fine. "Nay... he..." With a jolt she sat upright as the cold water hit her and wakefulness was forced upon her mind, "Jin, you bastard, I shall flame your ass for that!" Jinadu smiled faintly, not at all sorry even to the Captain for having dowsed Kate, "You and I both know you would not have found your way back to your body, Kit." Kate blinked and glared down at her soaked clothing,
"Move, Nathan." She rose and pushed past the captain, kneeling at the boy's bedside, "I shall regret this."
"Kate, don't. Not yet." Jinadu looked highly worried.
"Jin, you black bastard, take that bucket you still have in your hand and get the hell out of this room." She was so angry at him that she felt the power pulse within herself. There was enough to do what she had to. Nathan put a hand to her shoulder. "Careful girl, I don't want to lose you too."
"Remove your hand, Captain. It will do your crew no good to lose you after they just risked their lives following a Witch to get you back." Nathan removed his hand and sighed. "Just for once Kate, I wish you would call me father." A regretful tone in his voice. Her hands went to hover above every wound on the lad's body and then to the boy's forehead. Over and over she did this and the bruises seemed to fade some, and the cuts to not look so deep, but the final time her hands went up to the boy's head she frowned, "Michael, come back to us now, lad. You cannot hide from me, and I shall not allow you to hide from yourself." Michael awoke crying and screaming, a deep trauma within him that even magic couldn't heal, only time and love could cure that wound. Kate's strength faded just as suddenly as the boy woke, and she watched helplessly as everything went black.

Kate awoke much later to find that the others had left the room. She looked out the port hole and sited a port. A small smile spread across her tired features. Her thoughts were very confused just then but she left the ship anyway. It was dark out so none would think that she would leave the ship. Through her mind's eye all the girl could see was Nathan's anger about her being on his ship and his crew's dislike of her presence. She took the first road she found in the town and headed down it, finding her feet were guiding her out and away from the people and up a winding road to the cliff that over looked the cove where the ships docked. It was a warm night, and she curled in the grass at the top of this perch, only a few feet from the edge. Here she felt fine. None would tell here how unwelcome she was here. Only the gods would sit in judgment of her. With those final thoughts, Kate drifted off to sleep right where she was.