Chapter 3 Haunted
Chapter three
Haunted
Rose
There is much in the Mysterious Deep that shall never be known—creatures for which neither scripture nor science may suffice. Yet of the feline sort, with eyes like green fire and hearts older than the tide, their secrets are worth more than all the gold ever dredged from the sea.
-An Excerpt from The Mysterious Deep: A Comprehensive Review
Lying on the floor of Bash’s–now my cabin–I stretched my arms out until they ached.
I hated being in here without him. Too many ghosts and reminders.
His desk was still with all the papers just as he had left them, where he had made me into his own.
The hammock still swayed with the gentle give of the sea beneath us.
His bed, where we spent our nights talking and teasing.
Missing him wasn’t new to me. The missing him while not hating him and cursing his name was new, though.
Although some nights I imagined drawing his face just to use as target practice.
He was an asshole who handed himself over and then pushed until he lumped my brother in with him.
Now, instead of having to rescue one pirate, the count was at two.
Pressure thumped onto my chest, and I heaved out a loud grunt, only to find a fluffy lump with piercing green eyes staring down at me.
“I know we are mad at him, but it was a good line and also true. I would, in fact, prefer death to James’ touch, but there is such a thing as overkill,” I said.
Reaching up, I scratched behind his ears, which were decorated with gray and white wispies that made him look less like a demon cat and more like a harmless cat.
His entire body thundered with purring approval.
He settled down on me, stretching his paws so they landed on my chin like he intended to hold me in place.
“One day, you could tell me what you are if you want. Dilly says you are probably a mysterious creature locked in a cat’s body. Inu says you’re cursed. The rest of the crew are pretty sold on your being the reincarnation of Blackbeard himself.”
Apparently, Blackbeard would not be offering thoughts on his origin since he closed his eyes and continued with his rumbling, occasionally pawing at my chin with his claws in blissful delight.
“I know you didn’t like him, and neither did I half the time, but I really miss him.
Also, you should know, I have no idea what I’m doing.
This plan I’ve made up is even crazier than the one I came up with to get on this ship.
I’m not a captain or a general. I just want them back.
Oh, and I want to make James regret breathing. ”
Sharp claws dug into my chin, so I gently readjusted him, which earned a pause in his purring. Luckily, he resumed his work by readjusting until his nails curled into my chin once more.
If he weren’t so adorable, I would have been grumpy with him.
Three gentle but succinct knocks came from outside.
Blackbeard cracked one eye open.
“Should we pretend to be dead?” I asked.
Apparently, yes, given his rumbling and closed eyes.
“Come in,” I called.
His rumbling ceased altogether as he sat up and fixed me with a glare that had no business being on a cat.
The door opened, and he hopped off me, tail straight up in the air. Inu’s eyes searched the cabin for me, checking logical places like the bed, desk, hammock, before finally landing on me with a small shake of her head.
“Oni,” she said to Blackbeard as he exited the cabin.
He didn’t deign to respond.
“We make port in an hour,” she said, coming to lean against the bed. “Is there a reason you are on the floor?”
“Probably, I’m just not sure what it is right now,” I said.
Inu hummed.
“This is the last one, right?” she asked.
If someone had told me a few months ago that Inu would be standing above me, asking me for orders and clarity, I would have laughed in their faces. Time did funny things like that. Instead, I met her eyes and nodded.
“It’s the last one, but we have to make it count,” I said.
“What if they decide to make a point and execute them anyway?” she asked.
From the moment I met her, I found her quiet and placid persona to be draining and obnoxious.
I should have listened to Oscar when he told me there was more to her, but I couldn’t.
I wasn’t ready to see her as anything other than an inconvenience.
If I’d looked a little closer, I would have seen the way her forefinger twitches against her thigh when she’s worrying.
Anxiety and fear had a death grip on her at all times.
The evidence was in how she searched every room she walked into for an invisible threat.
Somehow, it was more tragic that it all lived under the surface of her. It reminded me of someone drowning, screaming for help, but only calm waters stood between them and their rescue.
I sat up, my hair falling over my shoulder from where it’d grown out the past few months. I couldn’t bring myself to cut it again. It felt like a treason of sorts while Bash wasn’t here to appreciate it.
I made sure to meet her dark eyes that I used to think were made of fire. Now I understood they were merely coals that harboured a deep sadness.
“We make them regret it. If they hang them, then we will make them regret every morning they wake breathing.”
The words were cold and born of the icy depths of the sea.
It was impossible to imagine the woman I’d been last year at this time saying them, but she was gone.
Drowned somewhere between England and The Glass Sea.
Every now and then, I would see a remnant of who she was, but the things I was forced to do to create the name Hellcat Smith quickly smothered her.
I knew she was dead because I couldn’t bring myself to regret any of it.
“We will be Onryo,” she whispered.
I nodded, though I didn’t know what she meant. Only that it sounded right.
We sat in silence with only the creek and hum of the ship to stave off thoughts that haunted and tortured all at once. The sound of the gallows never far from our minds. No one ever told me how loud silence could be. It was a lesson I was better off never having learned.
We were too close to Mallorca for any sense of comfort. Yes, it was over a hundred nautical miles, but if I never came within two hundred miles of her shores, I’d die a little happier. Not for the first time, I wondered if Ximena knew Bash’s fate. If she cared.
Either way, I wasn’t going to investigate.
The air was chilly beneath the sun’s rays as we docked. Madeira was a small island, but wealthy in its own right. A fact that emanated from her well-managed wooded dock that overlooked a bustling port. The slopes of her mountains on either side created a nest at the center that was more than alive.
“Let the crew rest. We can make repairs and all the rest later. Tonight they can do whatever it is that they want,” I said.
“How generous,” Val murmured next to me.
“Make sure you, Emille, Dilly, and Inu are ready to go at sunset,” I said.
“I thought I was getting the night off,” she pouted.
I turned my head to glare at her, but she raised her hands in self-defence and grinned widely.
“Every day you remind me a little bit more of him. Damn rats all look the same.” She chuckled at her own joke as she went to bark my orders.
The minute the ladder was lowered, I was the first down. Similar to when we landed in Brazil, and the ground and the sea were all I could think of. Now I didn’t even mind being trapped on the Wraith for long periods of time. Everything felt like it was happening around me until I got them back.
It was all just noise.
This port was well and filled with fellow pirates. The wine from this isle was famous for its singularity. If all went well, it would be home for a week or two. As long as the British Navy didn’t catch up before then.
I found a questionable crew of filth-covered pirates and drank in the sea air that was both salty and reminiscent of something earthy I couldn’t quite name.
“Who is the captain of this ship?” I asked.
Truth be told, it could barely be called a ship. It was at least four times smaller than the Wraith and could easily be crewed by ten to fifteen sailors. It was perfect.
“Aye, who be asking?” said a man with one tooth.
A pang of loss gripped my heart. I missed Billy. The world was a better place with him in it; now, it's just one short promise away from hellfire.
I reached into my pocket and withdrew three letters.
“I need you to deliver these. I’ll pay you now and upon delivery. Do we have a deal?”
I fished out gold coins from my coat and held them out, knowing the gleam in his eyes well enough.
“If you leave now, I’ll double this, both now and upon arrival,” I said.
He practically drooled as he took the letters and money, snatching them like I might change my mind.
“Must be pretty important–”
“Don’t ask questions that would require your death for the answer,” I snapped.
His throat bobbed as he nodded once and turned to issue orders to his crew.
The first layer laid.