Skyler glared at the young boy Bragg had discovered. It seemed odd to her that he just happened to float passed where they were anchored and that he bore Sacripant’s sign.
“LAND HO!”
“Where is the map you were given?” Bragg yelled in the young boys face.
The boy was once again silent and Skyler could tell that he was scared. How could this boy be the one who lead Jason to the Edge? She had a feeling Jason was lying.
“Bragg.” Anna spoke suddenly, “Perhaps yelling at the boy is not the way to get information.”
Bragg straitened up, “Well Captain Anna, if ye have an alternative then by all means.” He motioned his hands to the boy.
Captain Anna nodded and bent down in front of the young boy’s face, “Listen to me boy.” She said softly, “No one here is going to hurt you, jus tell us where the map is.”
The boy’s brown eyes stared at Anna, “Je n’ai pas de carte, Madame.”
The deck was silent and not a soul moved.
“Kill ‘em!” One of the deck hands shouted, “He’s a Frenchy!”
“Stand down mates!” Bragg called, “He has information!”
“He says he doesn’t have a map, Bragg.” Anna said.
Skyler raised an eyebrow, “You speak French, Captain?”
Anna turned and smiled, “Of course, Skyler. After all it is said that French is the language of love.”
“Ask him about Sacripant.” Bragg demanded.
Anna turned back to the boy, “Savez-vous d’un homme appelé Sacripant?”
“Oui m’dame. J’ai un message du Capitaine Sacripant.”
“He says he has a message from him, Bragg.” Anna said without turning around. “Qu’est-ce que c’est?” She asked.
“Capitaine Sacripant dit, Ceux qui cherchent son aide doit venir à lui.” The boy smiled, “Tous les Chiens anglais besoin de l’aide de chats français..”
Skyler stepped forward, “What did he say, Anna?”
Anna grimaced, “He says the Captain Sacripant says that those who seek his help should come to him.” She sighed, “And that all English dogs need the help of French cats.”
The men on the deck grumbled at the insult.
Skyler turned to Jason, “So this boy did not lead you?”
Jason looked offended, “I did not lie Captain. This boy did lead me to the Edge but only because Captain Sacripant was on board and told him where to go. I doubt he knows the way by heart.”
“Anna,” Bragg said, “Ask him where Sacripant is.”
“Où est Sacripant?” Anna asked.
The boy smiled, “Jamaïque Kingston, madame.”
“He’s in Kingston, Jamaica.” Anna said.
Bragg sighed, “Very well, we’ll have to go to the French cat, himself.”
The Skyrunner, The Blood-Traitor and The Black Heart hauled anchor and lurched forward towards Jamaica.
Skyler walked up the steps to the helm, “Full canvas!” she ordered.
“FULL CANVAS YOU DOGS!” The Boatswain Marie echoed the order.
Skyler turned to her Sailing Master, “Master Styles, where away be Kingston, Jamaica?”
Styles consulted his map, “Well Cap’n, if this map be right, which it probably isn’t, then I’d say due North. But it’s a little off so I’d say North West.”
Skyler nodded, “Thank you Styles. As this seems to be a tricky venture I’ll ask ye to take the helm.”
Styles nodded, “Aye, Cap’n. Which way shall I sail?”
“Set a course North by North West.” Skyler said.
“Aye Cap’n, North by North West.”
The Skyrunner turned North West as did the other two ships and the venture was under way.
“LAND HO!”
Skyler raced out of her cabin onto the deck, “Colton!” she shouted
“Aye Cap’n?” he answered.
Skyler pointed to the flag, “Take the colors down! They’ll take cannon to us if they see we be pirates! And sail a little around the port! We’ll take the long boats ashore to be sure we don’t attract to much attention.”
A long boat with eight people approached the port of Kingston and the ship where it came from was nowhere in sight. Skyler’s heart pounded, she remembered the last time she had a meeting with Captain Destan Sacripant they’d been friends. In fact Destan was one of the ones who helped build her ship, The Skyrunner four years ago. A lot had changed in four years, including the start of a war with France. Generally pirates didn’t get mixed into navel affairs, nor did they usually care about their country. But when English pirates, some of whom were Skyler’s friends, were killed by French navy ships Skyler did begin to hate the French. Plus, Destan Sacripant had tried to take The Skyrunner from Skyler the day after it was built, thus ending their friendship.
Skyler looked around the long boat, she had Colton, Bragg, Anna, Bragg’s First Mate, Bradley and Anna’s First Mate, Sylvia. She knew all would be worthy fighters in case the need arose, but would they be enough? Skyler finally looked at Jason. She’s insisted he come along as he was the only one who had ever made a deal with Sacripant but as she looked at Jason she could tell something was bothering him.
The long boat finally reached shore and the company got out quickly and Bragg pushed the young French boy up in the front of the line.
“Anna,” Bragg said, “Tell him to take us to Sacripant.”
Anna relayed the message to the boy and soon the group of pirates set off down into the town of Kingston.
The boy took them down the darkest alleys and quietest streets, avoiding any marine contact. Finally the group stopped at a tavern called The Noose, which was painted on a sign in large red letters of the door. Inside, the tavern was not a lively place at all, there were only about a dozen people inside but the boy walked pass all of them without so much as a glance, he stopped in front of a large curtain that was guarded by a shady looking pirate. They boy mumbled some French to him and the curtain was tossed back. Skyler put her hand in her sword and motioned to company to follow inside.
On the other side of the curtain was a round table with mysterious red splotches on in. There where three men around the table, all holding cards.
“Rincer.” The French pirate on the left said.
“Maison Pleine.” The French pirate on the right said with a smile. The pirate on the left scowled and slapped his hands on the table. The right pirate laughed and started to reach for the money pile that was in the middle when the pirate in the center began to laugh. The center pirates slapped down his cards reveling an ace of hearts, a king of hearts, a queen of hearts, a jack of hearts, and a ten of hearts.
“Quinte Flush Royale.” The center pirate said smiling taking the loot in the center of the table.
Skyler studied the center pirate, he wore ripped French navy clothes but those of a revolutionary. The French colors were tied about his waist and the sword at his side was that of a captains.
“Captain Destan Sacripant.” Skyler said adding a little bit of hate in her words.
Sacripant looked up from counting his money, he had dark brown eyes and black hair that came down over his forehead and a tricorne hat on his head. He smiled revealing a set of white teeth except for the top third one to the left, which was gold.
“Ah! Capitan Skyler!” He said, his French accent very pronounced, “I always wondered when I would see you again!”
“Don’t play dumb with us, Sacripant.” Bragg said in a low tone, “You obviously knew we were coming.”
Destan carefully put down his money and leaned over the table, “Yes, I knew you where coming, that’s why I sent the boy. It was only a mater of time after Captain Jason came to me that the rest of The Pirates of the Breaker would follow.” He glared at Bragg, “And that’s Captain Sacripant to you.” Destan motioned to the chairs around the table, “Please have a seat.”
The two French pirates that had been sitting in the chairs reluctantly gave way as Skyler, Bragg and Anna took seats around the round table. Colton, Bradley, and Sylvia stood behind their Captains and Jason stood behind Colton with his hands in irons.
Destan waved his hands around the room, “Laissez-nous.” He said and the other pirates in the room left.
When they where finally alone Destan spoke, “So, you want to go to the Edge, hm?”
“How did you know?” Anna asked.
Destan smiled, “As I said before, Madame, it was only a matter of time. Of course, when I heard that The Curse had been taken by The Pirates of the Breaker that only confirmed my suspicions. You want your treasure back, the treasure that I helped hide.” Destan looked around the table, “But I wonder something, my dear Captains, what is in this treasure that’s so important?”
The room was silent.
“Ah,” Destan laughed, “Perhaps I am asking the wrong question! Not what is in this treasure that’s so important but what is the treasure and why is it so important?”
“A map.” Skyler spoke up. “It’s a map woven from golden threads. We stole it from a navy ship we plundered about two years ago that they got off another pirate ship. It shows the world but there are strange words on it marked in different areas of the sea. There are numbers, letters, arrows and other strange markings on it that could lead to hundreds of different unknown realms. The one location that we want to know the most is where they are.”
Destan raised an eyebrow, “They?”
Skyler nodded, “When this war started with France the pirates of the sea did what they do best besides pillaging and fighting, they turned their ships around and sailed off, almost as if they had left this world entirely.”
“Where did they go?” Captain Sacripant asked.
“Exactly.” Skyler said.
Destan nodded, “And you think this map will have some hidden hideout location where all these pirates are?”
“Yes, we plan to find these pirates,” Bragg interjected, “And convince them to come out of their hiding places and lead a full scale attack on all navy ships. We want to take back what is rightfully ours.”
Destan smiled, “You want to take back the sea?”
Skyler kicked Bragg under the table, “That’s not really the full plan yet. We just have to find them first.”
Destan sat back in his chair and put his booted feet on the table, “Well, I shall be honored to help you find your precious golden map but you know the price for my help. One of you must take the mark.”
Anna nodded, “That’s why we brought him.” She gestured over to Jason.
Jason looked around, “Now hold yourselves a minute there! I don’t care about your map, it is not I who’s asking the favor!”
Destan laughed, “Well, they say you are.” He got up and walked over to where a small fire was roaring in the fireplace. He reached in a brought out his branding iron, which was burning red and faced Jason. “Lift up your shirt, Monsieur.”
Jason backed away but Colton pushed him forward, “This is what you get for betraying your friends.” Colton hissed.
Destan pushed the hot branding iron onto left side Jason’s stomach. There was a hiss and Jason cried out in pain and fell to the ground.
Captain Sacripant twirled the branding iron around like a sword, “Now to the next order of business. Who is the Captain on The Skyrunner?”
“I am.” Skyler said with a puzzled look.
Sacripant smiled, “Good. We’ll all need to load up on The Skyrunner and make sail at dawn.”
Bragg stood up, “Hold on! Why The Skyrunner and you are not coming with us!”
Destan turned to Bragg, “First, Monsieur, yes I am coming with you as I’m the only one who knows the way. Second, I helped build The Skyrunner for this reason. She is made to travel to the Edge and back. The last ship we took to the Edge didn’t make it back and the entire crew was floating on driftwood all the way to France, or didn’t Captain Jason tell you? So five Captains on one ship, that’s how we will get there and hopefully your golden map will be waiting for you.”
