A Seafaring Saga

Chapter 8: In The Brig

       Rosa awoke to the sounds of crying. Not her own, of course, but of the princess’.
       “Tyco…” Rosa coughed out, and her hand immediately went for her knife. It was gone.
       “I -- I think he threw it ‘way!” sniffled the princess.
       “Who...?” gasped Rosa, propping herself against a wall.
       Where the megabloks am I?
       “That -- that evil man!” the princess sputtered, “The man who kidnapped me!”
       “Shifty-brick him!” muttered Rosa, still massaging her throat. She was lucky that brute hadn’t crushed her voice box. She could just imagine the black and blue marks now impressed upon her throat.
       “Where are we?” Rosa snapped.
       “Dun -- dunno…”
       Rosa looked at the sobbing princess contemptuously. She wasn’t going to help. Unsteadily, Rosa stood and looked about. Curving wooden walls and metal bars surrounded them.
       We’re in a jail surmised Rosa. The room suddenly lurched. The princess wailed and Rosa, still unsteady, fell to the floor.
       Not a jail, she realized, a brig. We’re on a ship!
       “Oh tyco that son of a shifty-brick!” Rosa swore.
       The princess gasped, shocked beyond belief. Rosa looked a her and snorted.
       “What’s yer name?”
       “Anna -- Anastasia…”
       “Rosa.”
       “Can you get me home...? I want to home!”
       Anastasia began to wail again.
       “Oh shut up and let me think!” growled Rosa.

       “What the intelibricks happened to you?” Burtrand Storm-Rider stood up from behind his desk as Targon was ushered into his cabin. The Dragon Master was a mess.
       “I got my bloody throat slit.” he snapped back, “What’s it look like?”
       “Sit down, I’ll grab some bandages. So what happened? The Crusaders catch wind of you?”
       “No. I got this from that insufferable woman. Ugh, I’ve never met such a sickeningly independent wench. Honestly, what are they feeding them these days?”
       Burtrand returned with the bandages and bent down to look at the cut.
       “Well blow me down!” he exclaimed.
       “Pretty nasty, eh?”
       “Nasty? You shouldn’t even be breathing!” The pirate stepped back, eyeing Targon suspiciously.
       “What? Well, don’t look at me like that!” said Targon, grabbing the cloth and wrapping it around his neck, “I’m not immortal or anything. Just a little more resilient then most, that’s all.”
       “Aye.” said Burtrand slowly, still eyeing the Dragon Master’s neck, “So how did ye get entangled with this fiery woman?”
       “Ah, she tried to stop me while I was kidnapping the princess.”
       “The Princess! You had the princess?”
       “Aye, she’s down in the brig right now in fact, along with that other intractable woman. I had to kidnap her early too. Some idiot decided to move up the coronation to the eighth of April. Don’t worry though. I made sure they wouldn’t finish it anytime soon.”
       Burtrand was silent for a moment, stunned.
       “Well my friend, I must say ye’ve certainly exceeded my loftiest expectations in this matter, aye and ye’ll be richly rewarded. Although, I must say, it doesn’t seem like ya needed to bring the other woman with you.”
       “And what else could I do? Leave her there and have her put the Crusaders onto my tail?”
       “You could’ve killed her.”
       “Humph. I’m afraid I don’t like to do that these days Mr. Captain. Sometimes they come back to haunt you.”
       The Dragon Master sighed as though thinking back to some passed event and then said, “Well hadn’t we best be heading south?”
       “Of course.” said Burtrand, smiling.
       And he left the cabin.
       “Smythe! SMYTHE!”
       Burtrand stepped onto the deck of his ship, looking for his first mate.
       “Right ‘ere Cap’in.” said the pirate, stepping up from behind.
       “Where are the prisoners?”
       “Down in the brig, sir. I’ve just sent ol’ Marble eye down to give ‘em some food.”
       “Excellent. I’ll want to inspect them myself before we embark, to make sure this Targon fellow hasn’t cheated us. But meanwhile I want you to send someone ashore and contact our men there with orders to deliver the ransom note. Then you can make ready to sail. Were heading south.”
       “You mean we’re actually taking him down there?”
       “Aye, even though I’d rather not. Sometimes I think he forgets who’s the captain of this ship. But still…there’s something strange about him. What did he call himself? Targon the indestructible? Hmmm…I’m beginning to believe it. I want you to keep an eye on our Mr. Targon, Sydney. Aye, I’ll warrant there’s more to him then meets the eye.”

|   Previous Chapter    |    Next Chapter   |