http://thepiratevortex.wordpress.com/
 

Liz was ready to go ballistic. It was nighttime. The dying sun had been replaced by starlight. Daniel dragged her down the deck, while Rackham staggered to his cabin.

"I told you," Daniel whispered, motioning to the device she had hooked around her neck. "You should have kept that thing hidden."

"If I’d left it with you, I wouldn’t have it with me now," she whispered back. "You were going to chuck it into the ocean. How dare you!"

Daniel ignored her. He pointed to the brig. It was a hole in the floor planks with a wooden hatch overtop, which he now lifted against its hinge. He told her to lower herself below. She refused. The sounds of footsteps came lumbering toward them. Daniel pushed her and she fell into the hole onto her butt. She was inside a tiny room where she couldn’t even stand.

She glared up, expecting to see Daniel, but saw the scarred, one-eyed face of that gorilla, Black Patch, the first mate. He was holding a lighted lamp under his stubbled chin and his head looked like a hideous skull.

Black Patch licked his lips. "A pretty morsel," he said. "But she be the devil aboard this ship. If’n we miss our prize tomorrow it will be the fault of the she-witch."

Beside the hard talking pirate mate, Daniel appeared.

Daniel placed a finger to his lips. A quick comeback could be the death of her. Black Patch wasn’t exactly Cal Sorensen. The WOMBAT, she could handle. The gorilla was something else.

Black Patch scratched his head and scowled at her. "I be hopin’ the captain’ll lemme have me way wi’ her first. Tis a shame to let a juicy piece like her go without a-tasting her first."

Liz sucked in a breath. Holy crap. Was he a cannibal? What had Daniel brought her to? Then it hammered her on the head like a pile of fish heads—and stank just as bad. The murderous gorilla was talking about rape.

Black Patch rose while Daniel stared at her.

"She be a ripe juicy bitch, me lad," the first mate said. "But don’t be gettin’ any thoughts o’ taking her yerself."

"Aye," Daniel said and watched Black Patch swagger away. He looked at Liz. "Shut up, and not another word if you want to live. If you’d listened to me—"

She cut him off. "I’m tired of listening to you. If that pirate isn’t going to eat me, he’s going to rape me. And believe me, I think I’d rather be eaten. Let me out of here."

Daniel firmly set his jaw. "Not yet. Wait until they’re asleep."

Elizabeth started to her feet. He wasn’t that much bigger than her. She could take him. As she shot forward to escape, he slammed a hand to her forehead, knocking her back onto her butt.

"You jerk!" she said, landing at the bottom of the hole.

"Quiet. If Calico Jack hears you, he’ll do worse to you than this."

"I should have told the blackguard that he’s gonna swing from a gibbet at Gallows Point in a year from now," Liz said.

"Elizabeth. Do not, whatever you do, tell him that." Daniel gave her his two-fingered salute and dropped the hatch, smothering her in darkness.

Liz rose to her haunches and slammed a hand against the hatch. She heard a bolt slide across and a sliver of starlight appeared in the gap between the hatch and the ship’s deck.

There wasn’t much room to move around in here. This wasn’t really a brig. This was part of the hold that had been sectioned off. Around her she could feel a couple of crates. Were they filled with rum? She peered down to where the sliver of light arrowed onto a label on one of the crates. She sneered. Calico Jack trusted her with his rum? One of the crates was opened and only one bottle of rum was left in it.

Elizabeth scouted around. She tapped lightly on the walls and floor of her prison. No trapdoors anywhere. Below this was the bilge. She could hear the water sloshing. And a chattery squeak. Rats? She took a deep breath. How was she going to get out of here? She was not waiting for Daniel. Look at where trusting him had got her. She was in a box surrounded by rum. And it stank of it and other unmentionables. She swallowed, nervous now. She was thirsty and scared. This really was the eighteenth century and those men up there really were pirates. She remembered reading about their methods of torture. Hanging by the testicles. Thank God, she didn’t have any. Slicing off parts of the body. She had plenty of those. This wasn’t funny, but there was nothing to do but laugh.

CJ, she thought. Can you hear me?

Arrgh.

Stop it, Elizabeth said. You have to help me.

Mayday, mayday, mayday, CJ said.

Elizabeth shook her head. Maybe he wasn’t so smart. Maybe she would have to think of another way. If those ruffians treated CJ well, the skank would probably sign their pirate articles and join up with them.

The hold had no portholes. The air inside here was putrid and suffocating. If she breathed too hard, could she use up all of the air and die?

Liz was sure she had been holed up here for hours. There had to be a way out of here.

The only way out was up. The same way she’d got in. Through the hatch.

Liz shoved at the hatch, but it wouldn’t give. She was starting to sweat, starting to get claustrophobic. She had never been claustrophobic, but then she had never been trapped in the hold of a ship either. Her heart was racing. She could hardly breathe. Dammit Tess, she thought, how could you do this to me?

It was no longer Daniel she was pissed off at. If her mother wasn’t so juvenile, off chasing treasure and adventure, Liz wouldn’t be here locked up in this box. If you don’t give a rat’s ass about me, than what about Lulu? She still believes in you.

There was no point in talking to a mother that wasn’t there. But Liz did, might, have a connection to Lulu. Liz pulled the iPocket PC toward her face, stretching its cord from her neck. She knew the pocket computer worked because she’d been able to show Jack Rackham those downloads of the wrecked Curlew. How it could possibly work, she didn’t know and didn’t care. Could it cross time planes and hook her up with her sister in the 21^st century?

The keyboard glowed in the dark. Liz typed.

Rebel Goddess from Pirate Hunter

She waited. She got nothing.

Oh, what was she thinking? This couldn’t work. How could a signal cross time planes?

She didn’t even know why she wanted to connect with Lulu. What could her sister do? She’d only insist on coming to rescue her, and then they’d both be at risk from the pirates and their inhuman tortures. She had to admit, though, right now, she’d give her right arm to see Rebel Goddess and Kungfu kid swing through that door. Wang would know what to do.

Liz glanced down. The handheld was flashing a message!

Where r u?

Thank you, Rebel Goddess! Liz typed:

Stuck in Capt J’s hold.

Lulu replied:

?

Liz answered:

SOS Need map of Caribe

Lu replied:

OK. Might tk time

Liz typed:

T+

She had to think positive.

TMB (text me back)

Lu answered:

ASAP

Liz let the device fall to her chest. She had figured out how to get out of here. There was a gap about an inch wide between the hatch door and the ceiling to let in air. The hatch was locked by a bolt from the outside. She remembered hearing Daniel slide it across. All she needed to do was find something she could use to shimmy the bolt free.

Once she got out of here, she would find her way across the sloop to a life raft. Did they even have life rafts? No, of course not. But they had tenders which most likely would be a canoe.

She had to make her way to Port Royal and confront Tess. Why was Tess willing to risk her very existence, her kids’s existence to stay in this time?

She put a finger through the gap and started to work away at the bolt. It wasn’t moving. It had to move. It was the only way.

T+ Think positive, she reminded herself. Maybe when she got out of this hold, she should commandeer Jack Rackham’s ship and throw him into the brig. It was hard to believe that this drunken oaf was her ancestor.

No, she thought. That wouldn’t work. She could maroon the idiot captain. Then—

She sighed. What was the use. She felt like a dehydrated piece of seaweed. Time to rest her brain. She’d figure something out in a minute. She slumped down onto the hard floor planks and shut her eyes. She hadn’t meant to, but she crashed, slept like an old mutt, for hours, before a crick in her neck woke her up.

A strange sound was coming from above. Liz held her breath. Was it Daniel? She silently sidled to the rum crate and fumbled for the last bottle. She smashed it against the crate, sending the booze fumes into the air, and held the broken end like a sword.

Ok, whoever you are, I’m ready for you. A shadow hovered over the gap in the hatch where Liz could see light from the rising sun.

A flutter of wings landed on top of the hatch and started scratching.

Holy crap, a voice resonated in her head.

Liz laughed. It was CJ.

Where are you? You have to bust me out.

Bust you out, CJ said.

The scratching began again and Liz could see, through the narrow gap, that CJ was drawing the bolt, slowly, away from the hatch.

Arrgh. Bust you out.

Liz kept a grip on the bottle. No telling who she’d meet up top. And she needed a weapon to convince the crew of this ship to take her to Port Royal.

The idea of sailing made her queasy. But she would deal with that when she came to it.

Pirate at twelve o’clock, CJ warned.

Liz braced herself. The bolt slid completely back. Daniel poked his head down.

She raised the jagged bottle to his throat.

"No need for that," Daniel said. "Come. I’ll give you a hand up."

Liz let him haul her out, but she didn’t let go of the broken bottle. She stood on both feet trying to get the kinks out of her muscles. The heat of the morning sun helped to loosen them. She had spent the entire night in the hold.

Daniel sniffed at her. The fumes of the rum had soaked her clothes. CJ fluttered to Daniel’s shoulder and said, "Arrgh."

Liz glared. "Give me back my parrot," she ordered. "Or I’ll slit your throat."

Daniel laughed. She had sounded like a true pirate, and at the time, she had meant it. He handed the parrot over and Liz placed CJ onto her shoulder.

"Where is everyone?" Liz asked. "Where’s Rackham?"

"Drunk and sleeping like a dog in his quarters. Black Patch is unconscious in his, no help from me. The rest of the crew are ashore, orgying. Don’t think they’ll trickle back before noon."

Liz scowled. "Why didn’t you come to get me sooner. It’s already light."

"Rackham was pacing his quarters all night," Daniel said. "You really gave him a scare." He grabbed her arm as she turned to go. "Where the devil do you think you’re going?"

He was holding the hand with the broken bottle, crippling her grip so that she couldn’t use the weapon against him. She kicked him in the knee to make him let go of her. "I am going to Port Royal."

"No." He bent over to rub his knee but didn’t retaliate. If he tried anything, she was ready. He stood up, grinned. "Feisty," he said.

Liz scowled. "Shut up. Or I’ll feisty you."

Daniel exhaled. "I think the best plan would be to pay a visit to your great, great, great, great grandmother. Anne Bonney. We have to convince her to escape the governor’s clutches and return to Calico Jack."

Liz shook her head. She’d had enough of pirates, male or female. She couldn’t imagine the women pirates being any more civil than the men. "I need a boat," she said. She raised the bottle. "I mean it, Daniel."

Daniel leaned against the bulkhead and sighed. "This vessel can’t be manned by two people."

"Then get me a smaller one. Or get me a crew. But not that Black Patch creep. I don’t want to have to watch my back every second."

"What do you propose to do with the captain?" Daniel asked with obvious amusement.

Liz sneered back. "Leave him on the beach. He’s so drunk he won’t know what hit him. I can’t believe he’s a pirate at all. How does he get anything done when he’s always drunk?"

Daniel smiled. "Okay. Say we get rid of the captain and the first mate. Then what?"

"We hit the open sea. We go to Port Royal." Liz paused to grab a breath. "Just what part of going to Port Royal don’t you understand? I have to find Tess."

Daniel shook his head. "It’s no good, Liz. She won’t go home. She won’t listen to reason. She’s willing to risk all on a hunch."

"She’ll listen to me," Liz said.

"Why? When she’s never listened to you before?" Daniel waited for that bite of reality to sink in before he continued. "After your father died, she quit her job at the University of Victoria. You didn’t want her to do that."

Liz clenched her jaw. "How do you know that?"

"She started up a salvage company."

Liz nodded. "And spent all of our money."

"Until she started to find the treasures."

Liz frowned. Daniel had her on the verge of tears.

"Then she got involved with that smarmy Viking," he said.

Cal Sorensen. You mean that smarmy WOMBAT, Liz corrected him in her thoughts.

"How do you know all of this?" Liz demanded. "For the hundredth time, who are you?"

Daniel smiled, shook his head again. "Not yet. One day, you will know me, Elizabeth. But not yet." He turned toward the captain’s cabin. He obviously wasn’t worried about waking the men on board. "All right then. If you must go to Port Royal, then to Port Royal we will go. Let’s go hunt us a treasure hunter."

 ###