International Talk Like A Pirate Day 2013
Happy International Talk Like a Pirate Day!
It's my tradition to post a pirate themed poem or story every year for this day. This year's story follows. Also, I'll put an e-book this week with the complete collection of my pirate work. Details on that to follow. For now, I give you ...
It's my tradition to post a pirate themed poem or story every year for this day. This year's story follows. Also, I'll put an e-book this week with the complete collection of my pirate work. Details on that to follow. For now, I give you ...
Pretty
Peg
of
the Stalwart Heart
by Maryanne M. Wells
Copyright 2013
All rights reserved
“Pretty
Peg stood by the mizzen mast
Her
heart was light, and in her grasp
was
Golisight, pearl of might,
bane
and savior of the Damned”
-
Pirate Legends, Chapter 20, lines 13-16
One
Pretty
Peg stood alone on the deck of her ship, hoping to catch the zephyr
breeze. In the Caribbean, northern breezes like the zephyr were rare
and docile, when they came at all. They kept low, twining themselves
around the base of ships masts. Standing where she did, near the
mizzen mast, Peg felt certain she would feel the north breeze. She
stood by the mizzen mast and let Whattumba have the wheel.
Whattumba,
seven feet tall, steered the ship with muscled arms thick as the
masts. He stared straight ahead. But his thoughts, like those of all
his shipmates, were directed at the lustrous pearl hanging from a
gold chain around Pretty Peg's neck. Mighty Whattumba steered the
ship, and worried about the jewel called Golisight.
Peg
worried that she felt no northern breeze. She missed it dearly. Peg
might have lost Billy forever, but she had at least the breeze from
her lover's homeland to remind her of what had been. At least, until
today.
Frowning,
Peg joined Whattumba at the wheel.
“You
do not feel his touch in the air,” Whattumba guessed.
Peg
sighed. “Never should I have told ye 'bout it. Shouldn't have told
anyone.”
“You
forget, you told me when you were sick with fever. There was never
intent to share. And, Whattumba tells no one.”
“Still,
better t' forget,” muttered Peg.
“And
yet, you wait each sea's day for the zephyr to stroke your skin.”
Peg
stared up at the sails, full of tropical winds. The great white
streets billowed and whispered with palm leaf serenity.
“Nothing
from the north today,” Peg said quietly. “Everything we have be
from here.”
“You
are sad. Here,” Whattumba said, and offered Peg the wheel.
Peg
shook her head. “You know the course as well as I.”
“No,”
Whattumba replied, glumly.
“What's
that? What do you mean? Take us into port, so I can pay a visit t'
Salty John.”
“You
speak of a destination, Captain. But, I do not know your course.”
Peg's
eyes narrowed. Whattumba's ability to wrap listeners with blankets of
words, obscuring meaning, annoyed Peg.
“Speak
directly,” she snapped.
And,
Whattumba knew better than to argue.
“You
should not have taken Golisight from its resting place,” he
answered bluntly. “It is not a jewel we can sell. How would Salty
John put a price on such a thing? He does not know. You do not know.”
“It's
extremely valuable. Priceless.”
“Yes.
Meaning, a price cannot be placed on it. Worse still, it be cursed.”
Peg
scoffed, “There's no curse. Just a legend.”
“Golisight
be the bane and savior of the damned,” Whattumba intoned. “The
damned created it from the pool of cursed tears. The damned crave the
release it will bring, though it destroys them all. None use
Golisight; all it meets are used. Beware the great pearl Golisight.”
“Am
I damned, then?” asked Peg.
She
picked up Golisight by the chain and held it before Whattumba's eyes.
“I
hold it,” Peg continued. “When we approached the idol, a great
earthquake struck the island, and Golisight practically lept into me
hands. Ye saw it.”
Whattumba
glumly agreed, “Yes. I bear witness.”
“And,
nothing's happened t' you, me, or any one else on board the Stalwart
Heart. The curse isn't real,” Peg said triumphantly. “Just a
legend, a story to drive up its value. Anyway, who knows which of us
be damned?”
Whattumba
stepped back. “Golisight uses all it meets. If you are not the
damned who can unleash its power, you are still the jewel's tool.
And, it knows who be damned.”
“Avast,
and return to yer post, me hearty. Take the wheel.”
Whattumba
shook his head and stalked away.
“Fine.
I'll bring us to port. And, I'll keep the lion's share o' the booty
pay, seeing's how I'm the only one who believes doubloons be
waiting,” Peg muttered.
So,
Pretty Peg was not beside the mizzen mast when the zephyr came. This
was a great pity, for the zephyr wanted to tell Peg important things.
It wanted to warn her. When it didn't find her, it slipped away. A
great fog rolled in behind it.
Two
The
first cannon ball punched a whole in the main sail. The second hit
the mizzen mast directly, splintering the wood and sending the mast
and sail crashing to the deck.
Whattumba
ran onto the deck, spear in hand. “Who be it? Who?”
“I
know not,” Peg shouted back. “Can't see a thing in this fog. The
lookout barely saw the ship's outline and gave warning, when -”
Another
cannon ball crashed into the ship. Peg abandoned the wheel, pulled
her sword free of scabbard, and pointed the blade at the attacking
vessel.
“Kill
them. Wash the deck with their blood,” shouted Peg.
The
crew roared with fervor and rage. They grabbed every hanging line and
prepared to swing across, to the other ship. Before they could move,
pots of flame appeared. Peg spotted them. Her stomach dropped, and
the blood drained from her face.
“Run,”
she began. “Abandon -”
The
catapults unleashed their payloads of burning tar onto the Stalwart
Heart's deck and crew. Men screamed as it hit and melted the flesh
from their bones.
Peg
stepped forward to aid the nearest victim. Whattumba saw her, and the
fiery payload headed her way. He threw himself against Peg, knocking
her to the deck. The hot tar slapped against his back. Peg looked up,
realized what had passed, and whispered her friend's name.
“Too
late for Whattumba,” the warrior gasped. “You live. Live strong.
Throw Golisight away and live free.”
“No,”
Peg insisted.
Whattumba
twisted his head. He spotted men on the other ship preparing to board
the smoldering Stalwart Heart.
“Only
– one – King – do – this -” Whattumba whispered.
The
fog parted, and Peg saw the flag of her enemy.
“It's
him,” she confirmed. “King Thomas.”
Whattumba
didn't answer.
Peg
looked up and saw the glaze of death clouding Whattumba's eyes.
“I'm
sorry, Whattumba,” Peg said.
Only
one thing would possess King Thomas with such mad desire that he
would send a ship half way around the world and risk pots of burning
tar. Golisight. King Thomas wanted the jewel of the damned.
“By
me life, he shall have it, curse first,” Peg vowed.
Three
The
men stared at Peg, wondering and afraid. They'd pulled her out from
under Whattumba's body. Some blood had dribbled from the warrior's
mouth onto Peg's cheek. The pirate's clothes were singed, and her
arms streaked with ash. Her hair stood about her head in a wild
cloud. But for all that, Pretty Peg lived up to her name. She was
beautiful and wild.
And,
completely in control.
“I
know why yer here and what ye want,” Peg said.
She
held up the jewel. The men stared at it, but not one stepped forward
to claim it.
“I
see ye know the legend,” Peg remarked. “Then, ye know what will
happen if ye try and take it from me. If ye be one o' the damned, ye
will unleash its power, a power that may consume ye. If ye be not
damned, ye will still become Golisight's tool.
“So,
who's brave enough – foolish enough – t' take it from me? That's
right. Yer all thinking about the little facets o' livin that put
fire in yer bellies – good food, rum, arrack, 'haps a willing woman
between yer legs. Ye want those things more than ye could ever want
this jewel. But, ye have t' take the jewel t' yer King. Duty bound.”
Peg
put her hands on her hips and tossed her head. Her hair glowed like
fire, backlit by the flames of her dying ship.
“Here's
what ye do,” she informed them. “Take me and Golisight t' yer
King. Ye tell him I demand a parlay, where I will give him the jewel.
From me hand t' his; it will never even brush yer fingers. Why should
an honest warrior suffer the curse o' thing he never wanted t' know,
a thing he was sent t' fetch in the name o' duty? Let this thing
remain between yer King and me.”
And,
the men agreed.
Four
Pretty
Peg lifted her head and placed her eye to a knothole in the wood. She
saw a dock and people hurrying past. The heavy scents of city slipped
in between the boards. Seeing the sights and inhaling the scents,
Peg's mind whirled. She didn't know what to think. Part of her wanted
to embrace these hallmarks of the place she once called home. But,
the rest of her remembered, vividly, the reasons she'd left.
“Billy,”
Peg whispered. “Ye could have stopped him.”
Her
mind flew past the docks to a building many streets away, and to a
memory of a girl and boy whispering sweet nothings between the sheets
of their soft bed.
“Always,”
Billy promised.
“Ye
don't mean it. Ye can't,” teased Peg. “Your family will chose a
wife for ye. They'll even choose your mistresses.”
Billy
brushed a lock of Peg's hair away from her cheek. “I chose you.”
And,
Peg believed him.
When
men came in the night to her little rented room near Bakers' street,
Peg knew it couldn't be Billy's choice. She screamed and struggled as
the men dragged her into the street. When they threw her into the
carriage, she tried to kick them.
Once
the carriage stopped at the dock and they dragged her towards a ship,
Peg changed tactics. She went limp. Startled, the men lost their grip
on her.
Peg
jumped to her feet and slashed at the nearest man with her
fingernails. Then, she turned to run. Strong arms wrapped around her,
holding her in place.
“You're
getting on that ship,” a voice hissed in her ear.
With
great effort, Peg pushed away and looked at her captor. She saw a
long, pale face with eyes like dark pebbles.
“I
know ye,” Peg said. “George Fitzsimmons.”
“That's
right,” George said, with a solemn nod. “And, if you know who I
am, you know who I work for.”
Peg
nodded.
“You're
getting on that ship and you're not coming back.”
“Where's
it going?”
“Oh,
some place warm. I think you'll like it. Many people do.”
Peg
frowned. “Ye don't care if I like it or not. I don't think ye even
care if I live through the journey.”
“On
the contrary, I intend to see you well started. It's only fair. You
kept the boy entertained, for a time.”
George
dropped his hold on Peg. He pulled a small leather pouch from an
inside pocket of his coat and handed it to the girl. Peg opened the
pouch and stared at the jewels inside.
“After
you disembark, seek out a man they call Salty John. He will give you
what he thinks the jewels are worth,” pronounced George.
Peg
shook her head. “He'll cheat me, whomever he is, assuming I even
live to the end of the journey. Giving me a bag of jewels and putting
me on an ship is like signing a death warrant.”
“Whether
or not you survive is entirely your affair. I have done my part,”
George replied, nonplussed.
He
stepped back, waving Peg onto the ship with a flick of his fingers.
As
Peg walked slowly up the gangplank, one of her kidnappers awkwardly
shifted his weight. Peg glanced at him. Their eyes locked, and Peg
saw a faint glimmer of sympathy. She dropped one arm to her side, and
as she passed the man, felt him slip something into her hand.
On
board the ship, Peg inspected her new prize. It was serviceable
dagger with the name H. Tunkin carved crudely into the handle. Peg
thanked Mr. Tunkin silently, from the greatest depths of her heart.
She
had occasion to repeat that thanks frequently in the days to come, as
the knife drew first blood then killed again and again. It was with
Peg in Tortuga, and played no small part in convincing Salty John to
give her the price that she, and not he, thought was best.
Years
later, Peg lost the knife freeing Whattumba from his captors. She'd
lost the knife, but never forgot the man. H. Tunkin.
In
the Caribbean, Peg survived. She dominated and thrived. And, she
vowed to never go home again, for Billy's sake as well as her own.
Surely, her reappearance would put him in danger with the same
vicious and powerful men who'd first spirited her away.
So,
it was Billy she thought of, as she stared at the city she'd once
called home. Her thoughts might have stayed with him for some time,
except that Golisight began to glow.
Peg
looked at the jewel with wonder and dread. She touched it tentatively
with one finger, and the glow subsided. At the same time, Peg heard
the voice of Whattumba whisper in her ear:
“The
city, it be damned.”
Peg
nodded. She knew what she must do. But, she had one request.
“Do
ye know what I desire,” she whispered.
Golisight
pulsed. Whattumba's whispered, “It will be done.”
Five
“See
that? That could be you,” a guard said to Peg. He directed her
attention outside the carriage to a man being dragged from prison, to
a waiting wagon.
“You
could do time in prison. You could be traveling in a wagon now,
exposed to the crowd,” mocked the guard. “And, you should be.”
Peg
looked at him coolly. “Ridiculous. Ye actually think ye can provoke
me.”
She
stared the man down. It didn't take long for him to fidget under the
weight of Peg's gaze. Soon, he looked away, and didn't raise his head
again.
“Ye
sit in presence of a pirate queen,” Peg hissed. “Don't forget it,
and be glad for the privilege, ye scurvy dog.”
Then,
she stared out the window. Peg studied the features of the man in the
wagon. Her eyes lit up, and she smiled lightly.
“What
be his crime?” she asked.
The
guard didn't answer. Peg leaned over and punched his arm, then
repeated her question.
“He
refused to turn his sister over to a nobleman,” the guard answered
at last.
“Why
did the nobleman want the sister?”
The
guard shrugged. Then, he made a rude gesture with his hands.
“I
see,” Peg said dryly. “And, by what right did this man think the
– request – could be refused?”
“He
used to be a warrior. Before his arrest, you know. Had some family
and connections. Thought that would be enough. But, when one who
outranks you speaks, you obey.”
“I've
heard aplenty,” Peg announced coolly.
She
kicked up the carriage door and stepped out. The guards all shouted.
But, before they reacted fully, Peg slipped through the crowd and
made her way to the wagon.
“Hello,
ducks,” she said brightly to the startled guards in the wagon.
Then, she knocked one unconscious and kicked the other off his seat.
The
prisoner watched Peg, confused and dazed.
“Hold
on,” Peg told him brightly. “This will be bumpy.”
She
rolled the second guard out of the wagon then grabbed the horses'
reins and the whip. One sharp crack of the latter sent the horses
rearing. Peg urged them on, and the animals plunged into the crowd.
People screamed and scrambled to move out of the wagon's path.
Peg
felt relieved once she saw the streets were the same as she
remembered. She directed the galloping horses with ease through the
dock area and into the bakers' section of the city.
Halting
the horses in a quiet side street, Peg said to the prisoner, “I
hope ye can find yer way from here.”
The
man nodded. “I think so. Thank you.”
Peg
climbed into the wagon bed with the prisoner. She pulled a dagger
from the sheath hidden in her right boot, and used it to cut the
prisoner's bonds.
“Here,”
Peg said, handing the man the dagger.
He
looked at it with astonishment. “I don't know what to say.”
“I
don't much care. Only thing matters t' me, be what ye do next. I'm
going t' tell ye what that must be. Within a day, mayhaps within the
hour, this city will be destroyed. I need ye t' go 'round the homes
of every honest man and woman ye know and tell them t' flee.”
The
man stared at Peg with wide and frightened eyes. “Why? What do you
mean?”
Peg
lifted Golisight's chain.
“Oh,”
the man said, swallowing hard. “Is that … ?”
Peg
nodded.
“I
understand. But, why ask me to be your messenger?” asked the man.
“Matey,
ye seem t' be a good and honorable person. Moreover, some years ago,
ye saved me. Least I can be doing is to give Mr. H. Tunkin the same
chance he gave me.”
Recognition
dawned, and Mr. Tunkin smiled at Peg. “Please, call me Harold.”
“Peg.
Good t' meet ye, officially.”
Shouts
and running feet sounded in the distance. Peg looked in that
direction and frowned.
“Better
go,” she warned.
When
the guards arrived, they found Peg alone, sitting on the buckboard
and swinging her legs.
“Damn
you,” exclaimed one of the guards.
He
rushed Peg with drawn sword. She met him calmly, holding Golisight
before her. Golisight turned black and began to pulse.
“See
that? Golisight doesn't like ye,” Peg said sweetly. “Or mayhaps,
it likes ye a little too much. Care t' find out which it be? Come and
take it.”
Gaze
focused on the pearl, the guard stumbled back. Peg hopped down from
the wagon and took a step forward. All the guards moved away.
“That's
right,” Peg said. “Better t' be safe than sorry. Now, fetch me
carriage. We're expected at the palace.”
Six
The
King's palace sat atop the highest hill, as such a palace should. It
gleamed pearly white in the afternoon sun, and the banners fluttering
from the windows and balcony railings gave the setting the perfect
amount of color. This too, was as it should be.
The
sight gave Peg no joy or pleasure.
The
drive through the city had left Peg appalled. The wear on the
buildings, the refuse on the street, and the wane faces of sickly
children she saw as the carriage passed, had cut Peg to the heart.
“It
never used t' be this way,” she whispered.
Raucous
music spilling from dingy pubs grabbed Peg's ears. The tone was
wrong. It should have sounded like Tortuga, the pirate's den, an
unending party caught between the hangovers of ordinary life. But,
the city pub music sounded different, joyless and depraved. Through
the door of one pub they passed, Peg heard frightened screams.
The
sight of the palace did nothing to wash away such memories.
Peg
glared at the guard sitting near her. For the moment, he was the
physical embodiment of the royal evil Peg despised.
“Did
ye see the city,” demanded Peg. “Do ye ever look at it?”
“Trying
to provoke me,” the guard mocked.
“No.
Trying, in the last hour, t' open yer eyes. Can't ye see what King
Thomas has done? His lust and greed bleed our country then crush our
dry bones t' dust.”
The
carriage rolled across the polished cobblestones of the courtyard.
Through an open window came the sound of bawdy laughter and a woman's
squeals. The guard looked up at the window, a shadow of a frown
hovering beneath his lips.
“You
may not be all wrong,” the guard said slowly. “But, there is one
point where you ere. Thomas the Truthful is no longer King.”
Peg
sat bolt upright. “What do ye mean?”
“King
Thomas died some months ago. His last order was to send out a raiding
party to seek Golisight. By the time word reached the palace that you
had the prize, he was already dead.”
“Who
gave the order t' pursue me, and t' use any means or measure t'
destroy me ship and crew,” Peg demanded.
The
guard stared at her with baleful amusement. “The new King. The heir
is on the throne.”
“No,”
Peg said, her hands balling into fists. “They used flaming tar,
when they took the Stalwart Heart. That's a classic King Thomas
attack.”
“Would
his son do any less?”
“They
be not the same person.”
The
guard laughed. “Yes, King Thomas was fatter. But, they're both
Kings. Maybe the new King was a better man, once. Certainly when he
was a young prince, things seemed different. That was when most of
the men in this guard detail enlisted. We thought we'd be part of a
change to make things better. Then, he changed, more heir than
princely leader. We lost hope. Now, he's King, and we've lost
interest.
“You
think we can change anything happening in the city? We can't. Follow
orders, hide your women, beat the prisoners, go to bed, repeat
tomorrow. You know, I'm so sick of it all, I don't even care if you
report me. Let them do to me as they like.”
Peg
whispered, “Why don't ye leave? Walk away. Go into the countryside
or the woods, and start over.”
“If
I could believe there was a chance, even a slim one, that I could
leave and my family wouldn't pay the price, I'd go.”
“Leave
the city within the hour, and take yer family with ye. No one will
pursue.”
The
guard stared.
“I
swear it,” Peg said.
“You're
just a prisoner. Promise anything you want, but you've got no power.”
Peg
raised Golisight. The guard looked at the jewel and swallowed hard.
“You
plan to use it,” he guessed.
“No.
It be using me. But, it be surprisingly kind about it, letting me
warn some people.”
“That
doesn't mean you'll make it out alive.”
Peg
shrugged. “I never expected to. Never asked it.”
Seven
Peg
didn't know where to look, when the guards led her into the royal
audience chamber. She thought at first she would look at her feet.
Then, she realized that might be interpreted as weakness, and forced
herself to raise her head.
The
room was empty. A door clicked close behind her, and Peg realized
even the guards had left. Which meant, the King thought they should
begin their meeting alone. No doubt, a formal audience before the
court would occur later, after the private words were said and done.
“Hello,
Peggy,” said a male voice.
Peg
smiled. “Ye always greeted me before entering the room. I'd
forgotten that, 'til now.”
The
King walked in slowly, with measured stride. He seated himself in the
ornate gold and red chair in the center of the room. Peg looked him
over critically. He was older and a little fatter, but his eyes were
the same.
“Ahoy,
Billy,” Peg whispered.
“Don't,”
King William said severely. “This is precisely why I decided to
meet with you in private. I'm King, now. You are one of my loyal
subjects.”
Peg
laughed harshly.
“Peggy,
I mean it. If you're disrespectful to me, you will be killed.”
“Yer
going t' kill me anyway, for being a pirate and for a hundred other
crimes, some o' which I may have actually committed. From the moment
I saw yer royal flag on the attacking ship, I knew I'd dance the
hempen jig,” Peg said flippantly. “But, if ye want me t' act
respectful in public for what will no doubt be me last appearance, I
can do it.
“Greetings,
yer majesty,” Peg concluded, with a courtesy.
“Your
majesty, King William,” he corrected.
“Ah.
William the … Willful?”
“The
Warrior.”
“Hmm.
Good t' know hyperbole be alive and well in the royal line.”
King
William surged up from his throne. “How dare you-”
“Easily,”
Peg interrupted. “Do ye know what happened the moment ye entered
the room? Golisight trembled and went dark.”
Peg
held up the jewel, and they both stared at it.
“Golisight,”
King William gushed. “It's more beautiful than I imagined.”
“Yer
a fool t' desire it,” Peg warned.
“Not
at all. I have in my employ three of the best alchemists in the
world. Between them, they have devised a way to harness its power. I
will control the Golisight and set its might against mine enemies.”
Peg
sneered, “Alchemists be useless. For centuries, they tried t' turn
silver t' gold. Not one o' them has done the thing. These are the
people ye would trust with yer kingdom and yer life?”
King
William didn't hear her. His eyes were fixed on the pearl.
“Pointless,”
Peg decided. She let Golisight drop to its natural hanging point and
glared at the King.
“Well.
Let us join the others. You will give Golisight to me before the
court and make a formal surrender,” King William pronounced.
“Know
ye how many men died on the Stalwart Heart?” asked Peg. “I know
ye care not, but do ye know?”
“If
I don't care, there's no point in me knowing.”
“There
be point enough. For every man who died on the Stalwart Heart, a
hundred thousand will die today. This be what Golisight whispered t'
me, the promise it gave in answer t' me lust for revenge.”
King
William didn't believe her, and he wasn't a bit afraid. Instead, he
mocked her, asking, “Whatever happened to my sweet, lovely Peg?”
The
pirate laughed, louder than before. “Oh, it's quite a tale. Several
tales, actually. I'd share some o' them, but ye be busy, what with
the wanting t' kill me and unquenchable lust for power and all. By
the way, the answer be twenty-three. Every one o' them was a better
man than ye.”
“You
didn't always think me so terrible. Didn't we have some fun?”
“Fun?
I loved ye,” Peg said.
King
William shrugged. “No doubt you convinced yourself of that. But,
that's your doing and no fault of mine.”
“Were
it yer father what ordered me away, or were it ye?” Peg asked.
But,
when the King began to answer, Peg shook her head and held up her
hand.
“Don't,”
she pleaded. “Don't answer. I don't really want t' know.”
Peg
walked to the nearest door. “Let's get it over.”
Eight
They
stared at Peg like she was an animal, an exotic creature that
belonged in a zoo. The women whispered about her dirty face. The men
smiled and lusted over the bits of bare skin showing through the
tears in her clothes. And, Peg ignored them all.
She
gave fleeting attention to the people at the front of the room. Peg
noticed three gaunt men in matching black robes and assumed them to
be the alchemists. She recognized George Fitzsimmons and nodded a
greeting to him. He returned her greeting, cool amusement in his
eyes.
King
William the Warrior entered the room to great fanfare and lavish
cheers. He stood proudly before the throne while the court bowed to
him. Even Peg managed a curtsey, low but mocking. She made sure her
angle gave King William a good view of both the curve of her ample
breasts and Golisight nestled between them.
After
the King seated himself, the ritual began. George Fitzsimmons, chief
advisor to the King, stepped forward to explain the purpose of the
audience. The alchemists arranged themselves in a perfect line facing
Peg, ready to accept the stone. King William stiffened his back and
stared straight ahead.
And,
Peg decided she'd rather die than suffer one more minute of the
hellish courtly charade.
The
pirate grabbed the necklace and yanked, snapping the chain.
“Ahoy,
Billy,” she yelled to the King; “Catch.”
Peg
threw Golisight at King William. Startled, he leaped forward. King
William caught Golisight in mid-air.
The
ground shook violently. Courtiers fell to the ground. The great walls
of the throne room cracked.
“Save
the King,” shouted Fitzsimmons.
He
moved forward to protect the King himself, but was stopped by a giant
piece of masonry crashing to the ground before him. The second
falling piece crushed Fitzsimmons flat.
People
saw the blood and screamed. Their terror excited Golisight. It
increased the earthquakes, and one wall after another caved in.
King
William cried out in terror as his fawners died around him. He tried
to drop Golisight, but it wouldn't let him go.
Something
knocked Peg to the floor. She didn't fight it. Peg closed her eyes
and lay still. She heard the ceiling and walls crashing all around
her, but did nothing.
When
the room fell quiet and still, Peg opened her eyes. She saw, for a
fleeting moment, the face of Whattumba hover before her.
“Thank
ye, Whattumba,” Peg said.
Then,
she saw the open sky. Thick clouds rushed in.
Peg
sat up and looked all around. Everyone was dead but herself and the
trembling King. The latter still held Golisight. Past the King, Peg
saw the city, broken and in flames. She scrambled to her feet and ran
to the edge of the hilltop.
“Ye
finished the job, Billy,” Peg reported. “For years, ye and King
Thomas killed them slowly. Now, ye done the job proper. Earthquake
and fire, and now the river's rushing in. This storm we're seeing
must have already hit the ocean, hit it hard enough the river's run
backwards. Ye killed yer capital city with every disaster under the
sun.”
“Make
it stop,” King William pleaded, trying to shake Golisight out of
his hand.
Peg
turned back around and stared at him. “It will leave ye when it's
done, not a second before. Want t' know where I found it? On an idol
placed before the tomb o' the last man Golisight used. It clung t'
that damned 'til death. Then, his family placed it on an idol. No one
wanted t' claim ownership o' the thing. I think ye and I can both see
why. It's yern now, Billy, ye damned fool.”
Peg
picked her way through the rubble of the throne room. She heard the
King call her name, but didn't look back.
Allies
waited in the woods past the palace hill, honorable men Peg could
trust, who trusted her. Men and their families. They could be the
start of a new city or,
“A
new crew,” Peg murmured. “A fresh ship be all I need.”
She
did look back, then, and spotted a group of dead courtiers under
chunks of rubble near what had been the front hall. Peg picked over
the dead until her hands were full of gold and precious jewels. She
ripped off part of a woman's skirt, made a quick bag, and dropped the
jewels inside.
“Now
t' the new crew, the Old Caribbean, and Salty John,” Peg announced
to the world.
She
hummed cheerfully as she walked towards the woods, and passed the
time thinking of names for her new ship. Perhaps, Golisight's Gleam
or Billy's Bane? No, alliteration was over used.
When
Peg saw the first of the refugee's campfires, the answer came to her.
She would christen her new ship the Cheerful Damned.