Thieves of the sea

Before you start reading this, keep in mind I just write for pleasure. I have no real intention to bring it out, but I still would like your feedback on this. Any reaction is welcome. If you review me, I would be glad to review your work. I hope you enjoy the story so far.

Chapter 2

As soon as Thomas opened his eyes, he had to blink because of the sudden light. He shielded his eyes with his right hand and looked up. The high midday sun burned on his face, while a light breeze played with his half long black hair.
With a tired sigh, he ran his hands over his face and through his hair.
He stared in front of him.
In his mind, he could still see the painful images.
What had happened to him eight years ago, still hurt him. Gradually, the pain of the event had faded away, but sometimes it came back. Remembering that fateful day didn’t only hurt him, he also felt guilty. After all it had been his fault they had fallen into their trap and they’d had no chance of getting out.
He had caused the death of all those men on board. Fathers, brothers, sons,… All their lives had been lost because of his mistake.
Thomas closed his eyes.
“If I had just told Captain Furgeson earlier what I had seen, then-” He couldn’t end the sentence in his mind.
A lump formed in his throat. He swallowed difficultly.
“Amigo!”
Thomas was pulled away from his thoughts when he heard his friend calling him. He moved to the side of the platform and looked down.
“Did you not hear the bell?”
Thomas shook his head.
“Look,” Mario said all exited pointing at something in front of them. Thomas followed his gaze.
He sighed disappointed.
“Another ship. I should have guessed,” he thought.
Thomas climbed backwards down the ropes, landed on the railing and jumped onto deck.
He looked again at the other ship when his friend surprised him.
Mario threw an arm around Thomas’ right shoulder and leaned in.
“After two weeks of nothing, I’m glad we finally see one. I can still hear Valdez saying: “One last catch and we will be finding us on our way back home.” He grinned. “If I had known it would take that long…”
He gave Thomas a push with his elbow. “Aren’t you happy?”
Thomas blinked. “What…?”
Mario crossed his arms in front of his chest.
“Qué pasa, Thomas? What’s wrong?”
Thomas looked briefly at him and then turned away again.
“Nothing,” he said sheepishly.
“I know you well enough to know that’s not true. Dime.” Tell me.
For some time, Thomas watched silently out at sea. He closed his eyes and turned to his friend.
Thomas’ shoulders dropped when he sighed. “They’re back,” he said quietly.
Mario frowned. “Back? What is back?”
“My dreams.” He shook his head in frustration. “I thought over time I would forget but it seems I will never be able to get rid of them.”
Mario put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“Thomas, your past lies behind you. You can not keep wandering in what has-“
“You two,” first mate Powell cut him off. “This is no tea party! We’ve got work to do!”
He pointed to the bow. “Díaz, man the bow canon!” He looked at Thomas and pointed upward. “Bailey, get up in the rigging and make sail!”
Not in the mood to react at the man, he climbed on the rail and grabbed the ropes again.
They were tied in a way they could be used as a ladder to get to the very top of the mast, the crows’ nest.
Thomas had spent a lot of time up there so he didn’t bother about the height or fear the danger of falling down. He had gotten used to it and actually liked it because it was the only place on board where he could be alone. Valdez sent him there regularly. Not to punish him but to make good use of him. Thomas had a very good eye sight. In fact, he had the best eyes out of them all. Thomas’ duty was to look for ‘prey’ as Valdez liked to refer to. At his vantage point, he had a great view and could alarm the others as soon as he saw something of interest.
Fortunately for Thomas, he was off duty today and didn’t have to pay attention to the sea.
Thomas reached the topmast and from there he got on the yard. People would call him reckless the way he leaped off the topmast’s plateau, but to him it was a mere practice of his balance and accuracy. From the yard he climbed down to the rolled-up sails. He untied all the knots and loosened the fabric until it gave away and the sail began to unfold. Below, the other crew members pulled the ropes attached to the sail until it was completely unfolded.
However he enjoyed being up there, it had not always been like that.
Six years before, they had attacked a small merchant vessel. During the battle, Thomas fought a man that he didn’t consider as an enemy, but as an innocent person at the wrong place at the wrong time. Just like he had been. Therefore he had refused to kill him and as a punishment he had to spend a whole week up in the crow’s nest. He could come down for something to eat, only once in a while.
Unfortunately, stormy weather had ravaged the ship for days and he had been tormented hour after hour. From that point on, he had decided that disobeying orders was a foolish idea. He had no choice but to do what he was told. There was no way around it, if he didn’t want to go through that ever again.
He had been only fourteen when it happened, but the event had made him a whole different person.
Overall, the years had changed him. Not only physically, but also mentally. He still had his good character, but something inside had been broken.
Nevertheless, he had kept his promise. It was terrible for him to see innocent people die by his hand. So whenever he had the chance, he would find a way to help the people they attacked. So far, Valdez hadn’t noticed anything, but each rescue attempt could cost him his life should he find out.
He did it to save them, but also to save himself.
To ease his consciousness. To make himself remember he had not turned into a monster already, killing for pleasure. He was afraid to death to become that.
Thomas climbed back down. Arriving on deck, he looked again at the ship they approached.
“Why can’t we just let them be,” he thought.
This year had been very successful. The ship’s hull already bulked with gold and silver, but it was never enough for Valdez. There was always room for more, he reckoned. They would not return to the cove before he was satisfied. Even if it meant one more month without a single attack.
He was a patient man. He could wait.
He always got what he wanted, but that wasn’t always what the crew wanted. So his trick was to push them that far they almost hated him and right before the point they would turn against him, he would find them a target and his crew forgot all about it.
At least, he assumed they forgot.
Captain Valdez arrived on deck and stood next to Thomas. He looked through his spyglass. Then he gave the spyglass to Thomas.
“Take a look. Tell me what you see.”
Thomas took the instrument and pointed it at the ship.
“Merchant vessel. British. Low in the water. Six canons on each side.” He lowered the spyglass. “Shouldn’t be hard to take,” he concluded.
“What else?” the captain asked firm.
Thomas turned briefly towards him and tried to think of what he could have missed. He turned back to the other ship and looked through the spyglass again, now paying attention to every detail.
He searched from rear to bow. He looked at the hull, trying to find any leaks. He didn’t see much water splashing up at the bowsprit, but that didn’t have to mean anything. He knew ships where the bow was designed in a way it had the least resistance from the sea. Only he couldn’t tell if this ship was one of those. The fact that the ship lay low in the water, could be another reason. It was just moving too slow because of its weight.
He looked at the people and could tell by their behaviour they had noticed them by now. He scanned the rigging and sails. He could see they had caught considerable damage, probably due to a storm. The damage was too big to deal with it at sea. It was obvious that the ship had to make port soon.  Thomas figured they might have been on their way already.
Knowing about the damage, he looked at the bow again and now he understood why there was no water splashing up. That had to be the reason why the ship was going too slow and thus not only because of the weight it carried, like he had thought at first.
Thomas lowered his spyglass and turned to the captain.
“They’re hardly moving.”
Valdez looked to him. “A sitting duck, as it were,” the captain said with a grin as he walked away from him.
Thomas followed him with his eyes. 
He had to come up with a plan. It was soon clear to him that the British ship was never fast enough to outrun them. However it was smaller, it was obviously still too heavy loaded to move swiftly, even without their damage.
As soon as the merchant vessel came within reach of their cannons, they fired a warning shot. The people on the British ship understood they had no chance at all against their attackers and lowered their flag in submission.
Not much later, the Águila reached the vessel and the whole crew went over to enter the other ship and take control. While the pirates started to load several chests to their ship, the crew was taken hostage and brought together at the mast of the captured ship.
Captain Valdez came on board and signalled two of his men to bring the chest they were carrying. The men put it down and opened the lid for him. He lifted a handful of gold and let the coins slip through his fingers.
“You do have a lot of gold. Must be a heavy burden,” he said in a fake, compassionate way.
Meanwhile, Thomas had also arrived on board the other vessel and saw the captured people, men and women alike. To his shock there was even a child amongst them. A young boy. Not older than ten. He looked afraid and nervous.
For a moment, Thomas recognised the same fear in the boy’s eyes like he had had when he had been caught. He remembered the terrors of his dream again. His past. He would never be able to get the sight of all those dead men out of his head.
He was glad that it had not come to a fight this time. He didn’t want that the boy had to endure the same fate as him or worse. Now he had at least a chance to save him and the rest.
Thomas woke from his thoughts when Valdez slammed the lid of the chest down. “I shall grant you a favour by releasing you from this…burden,” he said with a grin.
One of the captured men took a step forward and asked daring “Are you going to kill us?”
Thomas could hear in the man’s voice, his braveness was already losing from his fear.
Valdez turned slowly to the man who had spoken. “I’m not sure yet,” he said threatening.
Upon looking at the man, he saw something shining. The man’s muscles tensed and he swallowed when Valdez kept staring at him. The captain moved over to him and noticed the shining object was a golden chain. In one fluent motion he pulled at the chain and lifted a watch out of the man’s left pocket.
Valdez took it in his hand and smiled grim. He turned around. As the captain walked away, he threw the pocket watch at the first man he saw. Thomas caught it and looked at the child again. It was being held in close protection by someone Thomas assumed to be the mother. He could read the fear in her eyes as well.
Fear for her son’s life.
Fear for her own life.
Thomas knew he was the only one who had the possibility to help them. If he just knew how.
He looked down at the pocket watch in his hand.
“Search them, gents,” Valdez said. “There’s bound to be more gold on them.”
Upon his words, Thomas knew what he had to do.
He and three others went over to the captured men and women and started to deprive them from their jewellery and other items of value.
He went to one of the crewmembers, who was standing at the back of the group.
He pretended to search the man while he whispered to him.
“Do not say anything, just nod. That man at the front, the bold one, he’s your captain?”
The man nodded carefully. Thomas found a purse at the man’s belt and took it. He turned him around and pretended to continue his search on the man’s back.
“Besides him, to who else do you answer? Don’t point, just look at him.”
The man frowned at Thomas’ request, but did what he was asked. He looked around and Thomas followed his gaze. It rested on a man in the middle of the group.
“What’s his name?”
“Vaughn.”
Thomas took the knife hidden behind the man’s belt and left him.
He moved over from one crewmember to the next without really searching them. He did take their gold and weapons, but he was paying more attention to the man in the middle.
When he had finally reached him, Thomas pulled him close while searching him too.
“Vaughn, do not resist and listen to me,” he whispered calmly. “I’ve got a plan to save all of you, but I need your help to make it work.”
The man looked suspicious at him.
“I promise, it’s not a trick.” He turned the man around. “You just got to trust me on this,” Thomas whispered while he kept on searching him. “Just play along when I ask you to.”
He turned the man around again, rougher than first.
“Can I count on you?”
Vaughn sighed. “I don’t have much of a choice, do I,” he replied.
Thomas didn’t say anything and left the man.
By then he noticed the other three had finished searching their captives as well. They went all to the Captain and threw their loot on the ground in front of him.
Thomas dropped his prize too and took a step aside.
Valdez looked down. “Is that all?” he asked.
The captain of the British ship raised his voice at him.
“You’ve already taken everything! We don’t have anything else!”
Slowly, Valdez lifted his head and showed a crimson look.
“If that be the case, than I believe there’s no reason for me keeping you hostage.”
Upon hearing that, the captured men and women  shared a look in relief.
Thomas blinked as he could not believe what he had just heard.
“You will let us go,” the man who had spoken before asked carefully.
Valdez didn’t answer. He only nodded.
Thomas could see how the mother of the young boy hugged her son even more. There were even some men who dared to smile at the good news.
As Captain Valdez watched them, his face showed no emotion. He waited until he had their full attention.
“Does he really mean it,” Thomas could only think. He knew how Valdez liked to mentally torture his prey’s. He wished it could be different for once, but the captain would never change.
“Or has he,” Thomas wondered.
When everyone was paying attention to the captain again, he raised his pistol at the man who had last spoken to him and pulled the trigger.
A shock went through the group. The man dropped to his knees and fell lifeless on his face. A pool of blood formed around his head.
“Kill them all,” Valdez said in a dark voice.
Some stared at the captain, while others begged for mercy. And others just started to cry, like the little boy who pressed himself against his mother’s skirts.
Thomas had expected as much and felt sorry for the boy he had to see this happen.
He looked around and saw the other pirates prepare to strike the captives down.
“Captain, wait,” he shouted as he turned around.
Valdez looked at him. Thomas moved closer to him.
“I might have another idea. Listen, we’re not far from Sainte Christophe. There are a lot of slave traders. We could get a good price for them. Just look at that man,” he said pointing at Vaughn. “He has muscles like an ox. And those women, they don’t look all that bad to me. Even that boy over there can be useful.”
Valdez lifted his eye brow. “Let us say I agree, who’s going to take them to Sainte Christophe? You?” he asked sarcastically.
Thomas dropped his shoulders and lowered his eyes.
“Just what I thought,” Valdez said
He turned around and started to walk away.
“I can show you I can handle them. Let me prove it.” Valdez stopped in his tracks and turned back to him.
“If I wouldn’t know better I’d say you’re trying to help them.”
Thomas, shortly taken aback, hesitated briefly before continuing.
“No. They mean nothing to me. They’re just cargo,” he said, looking at them. “Cargo that needs to be sold. Let me take care of that.”
The captain looked at the ones he had captured.
“They’re worth more than a couple of doubloons, trust me.”
Valdez turned back to Thomas. “You know what we do with survivors. The answer is no,“ he said cold.
He gave his men a signal to start their slaughter on the people.
Thomas knew his time was running out.
As the captain turned around again and was about to leave, Thomas thought of the last reason he could use. The ultimate reason to convince Valdez to not kill all these people.
“And you could gain an new ship as well.”.
Valdez turned back at him. “What do you mean?”
Thomas pointed at the captured ship. “That one. You can’t deny it’s one of the best equipped vessels of its kind we’ve boarded in years. Why let it go to waste by burning it down like we always do?”
“It’s a wreck instead of a ship, I have no use for it.”
Thomas looked at the captured crew and their captain, who looked back at him wondering what he was doing. Thomas turned his face back to Valdez and continued.
“Once it’s repaired in Basseterre you’ll change your mind.”
Valdez looked at him with suspicion while Thomas went on.
“It’s a great opportunity. Think of the advantages you’ll have. You could raid twice as much vessels at the same time.” Thomas leaned in. “You would be more powerful than you’ve ever been. That’s what you always wanted.”
Valdez stared at him, letting the thought go through his mind.
Thomas hoped he would finally take the bait as he had no other option left to convince him.
Valdez started to pace in front of Thomas.
“Captain, let me do this. I can bring you your gold and your new ship. Just tell me where to meet and I’ll be there,” Thomas insisted. “I can do it.”
After a while, the captain stopped pacing and looked at him again.
“Although I consider to have one more ship, this will not be it. My answer is still the same. No.”
With that, he walked away.
Thomas didn’t know what else he could do. He had tried to save them and had failed at last. He had failed the little boy and his mother.
Like he had failed Furgeson and his men eight years ago. Like he had failed many and many others after that.
Thomas lifted his eyes up at the people. They looked terrified as they knew their end was near. Thomas cursed inside he couldn’t do more for them. If the captain had set his mind on something, he would do anything to get it. That was his nature and no one was going to change that.
That gave Thomas an idea.
“Of course, Captain. You’re right. We can do away with them and destroy the ship. We will find another one as good as this.” He shrugged. “After a couple of years. If you’re lucky, maybe in less than two.”
Intrigued by his words, the captain turned around to look at him again. Thomas, on his turn, looked the other way and addressed the rest of the crew.
“Well, come on then. You’ve heard the captain. Kill them all and burn that ship!”
Valdez grabbed Thomas by his shirt.
“Who’s giving orders here?!”
He released Thomas and looked at his men.
“That ship is mine and we’ll take it to the cove!”
Thomas interrupted him. “That won’t do any good. In the state it’s in, you will lose it even before you reach the cove.”
The other captain joined their discussion.
“The lad is right. I had troubles myself to keep it afloat.”
Valdez glared at him. “Who has told you you could speak?!”
“I speak when I want! The Sea robin is still my ship! I’m her captain and I will defend her until my last breath.”
Valdez grinned. “That can be arranged.”
“Captain, wait,” Thomas interfered.
“What now?!”
“Both of you want this ship, but none of you is willing to let it go without a fight. The best way to settle this,” he looked at the other captain, “is by trial of combat.”
“And why would I agree to that?” Valdez asked annoyed.
The other captain interrupted him. “As much as I regret saying, but he’s got a point.”
Vaughn stepped up to his captain and whispered something in his ear. The captain smiled and turned to Valdez. “I also have the man who will fight for me.”
Vaughn took a step forward.
Before anyone else could react, Thomas stepped forward as well.
“And I will fight him,” he said determined.
All of Valdez’ men started to laugh at him, shouting he had no strength to fight that man. He could never win. They were eager to take his place.
Valdez lifted his hand and the laughter stopped instantly.
“Very well, so be it then,” Valdez said amused. “If the lad here wins,” he grinned, “I get the ship.”
“And if my man wins, you let us all go with my ship,” the other captain said in return.
Valdez dismissed the man with a wave of his hand as he turned around. Everyone moved aside to make room for the fight.
Both Thomas and Vaughn went forward and entered the circle of men. Thomas drew his sword and looked at Vaughn, standing at the other side. He stood next to his captain whom gave him his own sword. As soon as Vaughn was ready, he took a step forward as well.
They began their fight with circling around each other. keeping the same distance between them. Thomas waited until Vaughn would make his first attack. He had to make sure that Vaughn would do what he had asked him to do. If not, Thomas knew Vaughn would fight to the death. He assumed, him being the strongest, that Vaughn thought he could easily overpower Valdez and his men after he had beaten him.
But stronger or not, Thomas knew better. He stood no chance. The man would be dead before he’d even know it.
When none of them had made a move up to now, Thomas decided to take the initiative. He moved forward and swung his sword at him. Vaughn parried the attack and pushed Thomas away. He didn’t wait for Thomas to come back and on his turn attacked him. Thomas had been able to stay on his feet and saw him coming. He stepped aside and let Vaughn pass without doing any harm. Thomas tried to hit him on the back but Vaughn was faster and avoided his blow.
Vaughn turned to Thomas and swung his sword forward. Thomas stepped back and parried his blow. He moved backwards to give each other space for a moment. Vaughn looked at him and started to circle around again with Thomas. He made an attack to the right. Thomas parried again, but Vaughn’s force was so powerful, his sword just flew out of his hand. Vaughn noticed his advantage and made full use of it. He started to swing his sword back and forth in front of Thomas’ face. Thomas had no other choice but to move backward, out of the way of Vaughn’s weapon. He had to get back his sword to make the odds even again. He saw it lying next to one of the canons on the far right of him.
Vaughn moved over to him and let his sword come down on him. Thomas bent down and made a tumble to his right. He got up and lunged for his sword just in time to fight of Vaugh, who had come after him. Vaughn swung his sword down but Thomas dove aside and it landed on the hard steel of the canon behind him. He got to his feet again when Vaughn started to slash in on him. The blows were so powerful, Thomas couldn’t hold him anymore and fell backwards. Quickly he picked himself up once more and continued circling with Vaughn.
The man attacked again. He lunged his full weight on him, but now Thomas saw his chance to avoid him by stepping aside and used Vaughn’s momentum to finally deal a blow on his back.
The man turned on his heels and glared at him. He raised his sword over his head and ran to Thomas. He saw it was a reckless move. By doing that he exposed his abdomen to be struck by him. Thomas certainly didn’t want to kill him and in raising his own sword, he was able to block the furious attack in mid-air and leaned in to his opponent.
“Vaughn, let me win,” he said while catching his breath. ”I can save you all.”
Vaughn pushed him away and immediately charged in again. Thomas was forced to parry as best as he could as a rain of blows fell down on him again. Thomas felt how his arms were losing their strength. He had trouble to stand his ground. Vaughn noticed that and saw his opening to strike.
It had happened so fast that it surprised Thomas when he reached for the cut on his upper left arm and saw the blood on his fingers. He looked at Vaughn and saw the anger in his eyes. Thomas knew he had to stop him or Vaugh was going to beat him for certain.
He grabbed his sword even harder and moved over to Vaughn. He didn’t wait for him to make his next move and made a charge to his left. Vaughn parried the attack on his left but didn’t see Thomas’ fist on his right. The blow on his cheek made him turn around. Thomas used this short moment of disorientation to kick Vaughn’s sword from his hand and make him trip over one of his legs. With a loud bang he fell on deck. Thomas didn’t hesitate and lunged onto him, keeping him down. Vaughn quickly tried to reach for his sword lying next to him.
“Don’t,” Thomas threatened as he raised the tip of his sword at the man’s throat.
Vaughn dropped his hand in surrender.
Exhausted, Thomas looked up at Valdez.
“Captain, they are my prisoners now,” he said determined. “With your leave, I will take them to Basseterre myself.”
Valdez didn’t seem to be impressed by his words.
“You did not kill him,” he said denouncing.
Thomas looked down at Vaughn. “That would be a very foolish thing to do,” he said calm. “You need him alive.” Slowly he stood up and kept his eyes on Vaughn. “Besides, no one said anything about killing. I had to win, that was the deal.” He signalled with the tip of his sword to Vaughn to get up. Reluctantly, Vaughn obeyed. Thomas grabbed him firmly by his shirt and pushed him to the rest of the group of the Sea robin.
Captain Valdez didn’t seem to agree with that.
“What else do you want me to do to prove you I can do this,” Thomas said annoyed. “I’ve already beaten their strongest man.” He turned his face to the captured people. “There’s no one who’s going to challenge me after that. Are you?” Some of the men and women shook their heads. He turned back to Valdez. “They’re afraid, but not stupid.”
Valdez took a step forward. “The question is if I am.”
Thomas frowned at his words. “If you are…?”
The captain stared at him for one moment longer and then walked past him.
Thomas put his sword back in its sheeth. He knew Valdez was very unpredictable. You could never know what really went on in his mind.
Thomas looked at him and smiled in a cunning way. “Come on, captain, what do you have to loose?”
Valdez looked from the captured men and women back to Thomas and took a deep breath.
“Very well. As you did prove yourself, Bailey, I agree you take them to Basseterre.”
Thomas’ shoulders dropped in relief.
Valdez walked back to him and leaned in. “But mark my words: should you return empty handed,” he threatened, “and therefore be called a liar, I shall treat you like one.”
Thomas looked back at him without a blink.
“You will get your prize. You have my word on that,” he said in a confident way.
“I hope for you that’s worth something,” Valdez replied as he walked away from Thomas.
“Get to Tortuga when you’re done,” he said behind him.
“Yes, Captain.”
Thomas looked around and searched for his friend. When he had found him, he gave a signal to Mario to come over.
“Díaz is familiar with the town were heading,” he said to Valdez, “I could use him to-”
“Take him with you and be gone,” the captain cut him off.
Thomas and Mario shared a look and without any further delay, they led the captured group in the hold just below deck.
As soon as Valdez and his men were back on the their ship, the Águila was cut loose.
Not much later, both ships were a great distance from each other. The more they were separated, the more Thomas started to feel at ease.
Soon after, when they were finally on their own, the Sea robin set course for Saint Christophe.

Next chapter: "Thieves of the Sea"