Calipso's Envy Chapter 2

The last thing he remembered was sittingat the dark table pouring Ale into his mug. Peter didn't know what he did to end up in a locked cell. His head hurt and his stomach was still a bit queasy. He vaugly remembered yelling and Clara screaming. He looked to his right to see Jonathan laying on the ground hat over his eyes arms behind his head.

“Cl- Charlie!” Peter sat bolt upright. “Is he ok?! Where is he?”

“Oh, you mean Clara?” Jon said tilting his hat up and giving him the eye brow.

“You know?”

“I'm not that daft boy.”

“What happened?” He asked him.

“Your little friend Miss Evans got us locked up.” Captain night said not moving. “Tomorrow at dawn we do the jig.”

“What?!” Peter shot straight to his feet “She would never do that!”

“Not intentionally lad, but it happened. And tomorrow we die.”

“No, we don't.” Peter said “She'd never let them hang me.”

“She has no choice in it. We're charged with her kidnapping amongst other things as well.” Nightt said. “The rape of a woman, the destruction of Navy Property,impersonating an officer, crimes of the high seas, pirating... The list goes on...My crew doesn't even know... Get some sleep boy. We've at least got that still left to us before we go.”

Peter looked outside it was already night. He had slept the whole day. His head throbbed and he felt queasy. No, This was not happening. It couldn't be. He leaned over and puked up bile.

Jonathan sat up and threw his hat at him. “Don't you get that on me!” he shouted. “Now give me my hat back.”

Peter threw the hat back and leaned up against the stone wall, defeated.

“First time, locked in, ey?” Jon said. Peter just nodded his head.

“You got out last night?!” Peter said looking at him as if a light bulb went off in his head. “How did you do it? We could do it again!”

“No, Lad we can't.” He said sadly.

“Yes we can! How did you do it?!”

“You don't want to know. It won't work. And I can't do it again.” He said as something flickered in his eyes and he turned his face away.

Peter got up and shook him. “How did you do it?” He yelled “For a famous pirate yu sure are acting defeated and cowardly. I'm not going to die!”

“If I did what I did last time you'll die either way. I like you kid, I'm not doing that to you.”

Peter let him go and sunk to the floor. “You killed your cell mate...”

“Yes... When the guards came over to drag me off him I killed them as well, releasing the rest of the prisoners... Setting myself free and gaining a few men... It's not something I'm proud of.”

Together they sat in silence both thinking their own thoughts. They heard a rustle from up the stairs. They looked at eachother and both ran to the door. There was a man yelling, then a loud bang. Then some one sobbing, and another bang. Then silence.

They heard the keys rustling in the metal door and the rusty hinges squeal as they swung inward.Some one was coming down the stairs. Both Peter and Jon's hearts lept to their throats as they waited for the man with the gun to get them as well. This town was not fond of pirates...

“

“Hurry!” Came the voice of Clara running down the stairs. “Some body must have heard that!”

She was crying and her eyes were swollen around one was a dark bruise and a cut just above her brow. She ran to the gate and tried one key to unlock it. It was the wrong one, luckily the next one worked. “Quickly, your things are in the next room the armory is down the hall grab what you need men will be coming.”

Peter was never happier to see her! He gave her a tight hug and a huge kiss on the cheek. “I knew you wouldn't let me die”

“Never.” She said with a slight smile through her tears. “Now get moving.”

“Thanks Lass.” Jonathan said heading toward the armory.

All three ran to the small stone room covered in swords and guns. Peter and  Jon both took a sword and two guns. “How did you get they keys... fight the guards out there?” Peter mused. “They were heavily armed... and you still in a dress...”

She stopped and looked at him with empty pleading eyes. Jon had seen those eyes before... “She killed them.” He said.

Clara shook slightly, “They were the men from the Parrot with the women, I... I've never killed anyone before...” Peter stared at her awe struck. “Hurry!” She said “I hear footsteps coming this way.”

“We'll have to fight our way out,” Jon was saying.

“No,” Clara said grabbing his arm and pulling him the opposite direction. “There is another way out. No more death tonight, please.”

She led them down the hall down a flight of stairs through a maze of corridors finally to a dead end. She struggled with a stone on the floor and Peter helped her move it. There was a ladder leading downwards, they couldn't see the end it was swallowed in darkness. “I found this when I was a little girl., even Father doesn't know of it. It leads to the caves by the cliff below us. Follow it down and take the third left then stay to the right. Keep heading down. Never up. Follow the breeze when you feel it. It will be hard, but I trust you to find it. There is a sea cave I have a row boat down there. You'll have to wait until low tide to get out the entrance is sumped.  Its a long ways and by the time you reach th dingy the tide should be low enough.” She handed them each a torch. The footsteps were getting closer.

“Clara come with us.” Peter said starting to get hysterical.

“No. Some one needs to stay and close the entrance.” She said decidedly tears falling from her cheeks.

Jonathan was already climbing down the ladder. “She's right lad. We need to go.”

“I can't just leave her!” He shouted.

“You must go please...” Clara begged. “They won't do anything to me, I'm the admirals daughter. Now you must go.” She grabbed his hands and kissed them. “Peter, I love you. I'm not going to see you die. I'm sorry I never realized it sooner. Now please...” She began to sob.

“I hear them!” Came a deep voice from above.

Peter reached up and kissed her full and deep on the mouth. “I'll come back for you, I promise.” He said.

“Alright lovers, you get everything settled? Let's GO!” Jonathan said yanking Peter down the hole.

Quickly Clara wedged the heavy stone back in place, not a moment too late as the guards ran in. Vincent at the head.

He quickly grabbed Clara and held her close. She was sobbing. “Find Them!” He shouted “They've hurt her!” He pulled back her hair to inspect the cut on her brow.

“They'll die for this.” He said. All she could do was cry.



Jon and Peter headed deeper and deeper into the darkness. They couldn't see around the dim torch light. It felt like they were decending into the depths of hell. Peter felt like he was in hell. How could he be so cowardly to just leave her there? He was so elated that she felt the same way  about him that he had felt for her for years, to be honest she was all he thought about. And then he remembered he'd never see her again. And his heart sank. “I'll come back for you.” He promised her. And he was going to to keep that promise.

It was hard to navigate in the pitch black. He couldn't see where the walls were. Jon had the torch in one hand and the other out in the darkness trying to find a wall.  Finally it loomed up before them. The cavern was huge. They walked in silence. Following the curve of the limestone.

Jonathan counted the entrances as they past. Peter felt like he was already dead. He watched his feet as he walked not bothering if he made it out or not. Life without Clara was no life at all. And now he was a wanted man. He would never see her again. “I'll come back for you.” He didn't know how he'd keep that promise. But he had to.

“This one!”  Jon said turning down a left corridor. The air was stale and moist and cold. They turned and as they walked deeper into the darkness the walls began to transform. The walls looked shiny and smooth, every once in a while a speleothem blocked their path and they had to go around it. In the silence all they heard was the slow dripping of water and their heavy breathing.

“Stay to the right.” Jon said turning down another hallway. It suddenly stopped at the end of the small hall was a hole in the ground. “Well, she said head down.” Jon jumped peter right behind. It led to a small crawl. First they were on their hands and knees struggling to see through the smke of the torch. Then is grew steadily smaller and smaller, until they were on their bellies worming through the sticky mud. It felt like it would never end and partway through they both had doubts they wouldn't make it it squeezed so tight constricting their breath. Finally it opened up some.

This new room was gorgeous. Clara spoke of a room f crystals once and he thought it was just a girlish fantasy, but it was real.  Whit stalactites and helectites covered the walls and ceilings of the room, some three times the size of a man.  At the end f the heavenly hall, it forked. They stayed to the right. It went n a lng ways and started sloping downwards. Eventually it turned upwards and Peter had to stop Jon. “She said never go up.” He said pointing towards his path. “Thats the wrong way.”

Below Them was the breakdown, rocks piled on rocks. The only way down was a tiny key hole. “You mean to go through that?” Jon said. “We'll never fit.”

“Its the only way out.” Peter said “We have to trust her.”

Peter went first handing Jon his torch he wriggled through, grunting, then he got stuck.  “Everything okay mate?” Jon asked.

“I'm stuck.” Peter said. “My sword is jammed on a rock. Reach down and remove it.”

Eventually they both made it through to find themselves in a maze of boulders and rocks not knowing which way to go. Then they felt the breeze. “Follow the breeze.” She said.

Through the turning maze they slowly made it through. The wind got stronger and stronger until in front of them there was a chimney leading downwards. Peter went first slowly shimmying his way trying not to slip. Below him he heard the crashing of waves. Then there was light. Dim at first but it was there below him, he looked down and saw the drop into the relitively calm waters below. It was a long fall. He let go praying he wouldn't hit the rocks.

Splash! For a second he panicked didn't know which way to go. Until a second splash right next to him, he saw Jon swim to the surface. Just as Clara had promised there was a small boat waiting for them.

“Never doing that again.”  Jon said heading toward the boat.

Peter looked up from the hole they just fell through as if expecting Clara to jump down as well.

“She's not coming, boy.” Jon said leading him towards the boat. “Lets get out of here and back to the Envy.”

“Your ship?”

“Yes, we sail with the tide.”



It was dawn when they emerged. The eastern sky just the faint glow of pink then orange and finally red as the sun touched the top of the water blinding them. There was a sand bar, and past it in the distance Calipso's Envy waited. Jon smiled and pulled the boat up to the sandy shore.

“There they are!” They heard a voice.

“Get Them!” came another.

Peter and Jon looked up to see navy leuitenants running down the beach toward them. They both took off running towards the Envy. Luckily one of them men saw them running and hoisted the anchor and set the sails. It was risky for the waters were shallow, but the Envy came either way.

Jon and Peter ran as fast as they could.

“Don't let them get away!” Came the shout. “Open fire!” Then gun shots rang out across the beach. A loud thoomf and then an explosion just beyond the navy men.

“They're under range!” Jon Yelled as another cannon from his ship let anther fly missing the men by a long shot.

They were so close to the water. All they had to do was swim out a ways before they reached the now lowered bat off the side of the ship. Out f the corner of his eye he saw Peter fall to the ground. HE kept running. Stopped turned around and went back for him. He was shot in the back and blod was everywhere. He grabbed him up and jumped in the water.

Peter was losing consiousness. He couldn't make it.

“PETER!” came Clara's cry. She grabbed one of the leuitenants swords and cut through 4 guards before they tackled her to the ground. “No!” She screammed as they dragged her away. Peter tried to open his eyes and look at her for a second he saw her and smiled, suddenly nothing mattered anymore except for those eyes. She was the last thing he saw before he closed his eyes.