Dying at the hands of his crew was not at all what Brody, Captain of the Sea Mirage, had planned for the day.
The swirling depths of the sea threatened to consume him. He stared down into the black water as he balanced precariously on a plank extending from the side of his ship. His mutinous crew, the cutthroat bunch of traitors, watched with bated breath as he teetered on the edge with his hands and feet tied by coarse rope.
Blast it all! This wasn’t turning out to be a good day. He’d just recently inherited the title of Captain of the Sea Mirage when Rowen, one of the triplet bastards of King Edward III, abandoned his crew for the sake of a wench. Now, just as quickly as Brody had inherited his good fortune, it was about to be taken away.
“Go on – jump,” demanded the rough voice of the oldest pirate on the ship, Old Man Muck. Having always held a grudge that he wasn’t captain, Muck never stopped trying to make the Sea Mirage his. He was an angry man with a quick temper, no morals at all, and he never thought about anyone but himself. Aye, men like Muck were what gave pirates a bad reputation.
Muck poked Brody in the back with the tip of his sword, edging him forward. If Brody’s hands and feet hadn’t been tied, he’d take on Muck even without a weapon to save his ship. The Sea Mirage was the only home he had known for most his life. Unfortunately, these fickle pirates were also the only family he had now. Things couldn’t possibly get any worse.
It was early morning as far as Brody could tell. The fog was thick, and he could barely see through the mist as they sailed into the white abyss.
“God’s eyes, what’s the matter with you, Muck?” spat Brody, turning his head to talk to the old man. “How did you and Lucky get aboard my ship in the first place? For that matter, how did you escape the dungeons of Hermitage Castle in Scotland after Rowen put you there to stay?”
Brody needed to stall for time and, hopefully, come up with a plan quickly. He’d been woken from a sound sleep by Muck and Lucky who must have come aboard at the last port before the ship set sail for the night.
He’d been dragged out of bed and removed from his cabin before he even knew what happened. Although he’d fought back, Muck and Lucky managed to tie him up and haul him to the side of the ship. His crew had done nothing at all to help him. Instead, they just stood and watched. Cowards! None of this made any sense.
“I told you, Rowen set us free,” growled Muck, spittle dribbling down into his scraggly brown beard as he spoke. Muck’s teeth were broken and rotten. His clothes were dirty and ripped. Brody could smell the stench emanating from the man’s body all the way from the end of the plank.
“That’s a lie,” growled Brody. “Rowen is the one who put you two behind bars for attempting mutiny when the ship was under his command. He would never set you free.”
“It was his brother, Reed, who let us out,” admitted Lucky.
Muck shot him a menacing look, squinting his eyes as he spoke to his sidekick. “Shut your mouth, Lucky. I’m the one doing the talking, not you. Say another word, and I’ll add to that scar on your neck.”
“Sorry, Muck.” Lucky rubbed the long scar across his neck that Rowen had given him years ago. His vocal chords had been cut, and Lucky was very lucky to be alive – hence it earned him the nickname. His voice suffered from the injury and sounded raspy and frightening when he spoke.
“I was right,” said Brody. “Rowen didn’t set you free. Crew, do you hear that?” He peered through the fog, his eyes traveling from Big Garth - his cook, over to Spider – the barrel-chested pirate with the hairy arms. Then his gaze settled on the tall pirate named Ash who walked with a limp. “Bid the devil, do something to help me instead of standing there watching!”
“I don’t know,” said the pirate named Odo. His eye nervously twitched as he studied Brody. “Old Man Muck does deserve to be cap’n.”
“He’s got a point there,” said Spider. “Rowen deserted us, and now you won’t even let us raid. Muck would never leave his ship for a woman. Neither would he keep us from raiding.” The crew grew edgy as they discussed it.
“No matter if he deserted us, Rowen is no longer the captain of the Sea Mirage,” Brody reminded them. “The ship is mine now.”
“Not for long,” said Muck.
The crew was anxious to raid once again, so they sided with Muck. The only crewmember that stayed loyal to Brody was the boy named Link. Link had been an orphan when Rowen took him onto the ship years ago as part of their dysfunctional family of less-than-honorable men.
“Leave Brody alone,” shouted Link. “He’s never done a thing to any of you.” The boy was only four and ten years of age but had the courage of any of the seasoned men aboard the ship.
“Step back, boy, or you’ll be walking the plank with him,” warned Muck, swatting a bug at the back of his neck.
“Nay, I won’t!” Link daringly pushed Muck. It was a foolish move on his part, but all the distraction Brody needed. With his feet still tied together, Brody hopped down to the deck, throwing his body at Muck. As he did, Muck turned around with his sword raised.
Using the blade to his advantage, Brody jabbed his arms upward, running the ropes that bound his wrists together, across the edge of the sword. He managed to cut his bindings and push away from the blade at the same time. Quickly, his nimble fingers removed the ropes from around his wrists. He dove for Muck, taking the old man down on the deck of the ship. The crew parted, watching the fight. They cheered and shouted. To them, this was naught more than a morning of entertainment.
Brody struggled with Muck, throwing a few punches. Two arms grabbed him from behind, and he turned to see Lucky helping the old man. With all the kicking and squirming, the ropes at Brody’s ankles loosened. He reached down to free himself.
Seeing a dagger on the deck, he snatched it up. But when he stood, Muck was holding his blade to Link’s throat.
“Reed might have told us not to kill you, but he never said a word about not killing the boy.” Muck smirked, finding the leverage he needed. Link’s brown eyes showed courage and also devotion to Brody. As much as Brody was itching to fight Muck, he wouldn’t risk the boy’s life.
“Nay! Let him go,” said Brody.
“I agree, let the boy go,” shouted Big Garth, coming to Link’s rescue. The crew moved in closer.
“If a single one of you makes a move, the boy is dead,” warned Muck.
Lucky held up his sword, protecting Muck’s back. “You heard him. Back off.”
“What do you want?” asked Brody, hating the way the seedy pirate was using the life of the innocent boy for leverage.
“Jump overboard of your own accord, or the boy dies.” Muck brought the blade closer to Link’s throat and drew blood. “This ship is mine now.”
“Nay!” Brody secretly slipped the dagger into the back of his breeches when they weren’t watching. Then he held his hands up in the air. “Don’t hurt him. Please.” Link was like a younger brother to Brody. He didn’t deserve to die. Brody did not doubt that Muck would kill Link if he didn’t do as instructed.
“Don’t make Brody jump,” begged Link.
“There’s an island nearby,” said Muck. “If you can swim faster than the sharks, you might have a chance to make it there alive. Do it, and mayhap both of you will live.”
“What do you say, Brody?” Lucky talked without looking back, still holding his sword up toward the crew.
Brody didn’t have a chance in hell of beating Muck if his crew wasn’t behind him. The crew had always been loyal to Rowen, but Muck had somehow convinced them to follow him instead. Then again, the pirates had known Muck longer. They had once been under the command of Muck’s brother, One-Eyed Ron. Respect was something that had to be earned amongst pirates and thieves. Brody had lived with them for over ten years, but hadn’t been captain long enough to earn their trust.
“All right. I’ll do it,” he agreed, seeing no other way out of the situation. “Just promise me you won’t hurt the boy.”
“I’ll not make you any promises,” grunted Muck. “But since I need a lackey aboard the ship, the boy won’t be killed unless you give me trouble.”
“I’m going.” Brody nodded, looking out at the water. If only he could think of another plan. The end of the red cloth covering his hair blew in the breeze as he slowly made his way back down the plank, wanting to kill Muck for this. But Brody was one man against a crew that had turned mutinous. There was no hope for him or Link unless he followed Muck’s command.
“Jump,” ordered Muck from behind him.
Brody lined up his booted feet at the edge of the plank, feeling like he was going to his death. Could he swim to the island to save himself? He had an idea where they were, but in this fog, he couldn’t be sure. How would he even know if he was swimming in the right direction? He looked down to the sea beneath him, not able to believe this was the way he would die. Water had always meant freedom to him, but now it was nothing more than a death sentence.
“Wait! Take this.” Lucky used his foot and slid a goatskin across the plank to Brody.
“What are you giving him, you fool?” asked Muck.
“It’s just some ale to help him survive if he happens to make it to the island,” Lucky explained. Brody reached down and picked up the goatskin, slipping the strap over his shoulder.
“Do it!” shouted Muck. Link whimpered. When Brody glanced back, he saw more blood running from the boy’s neck. His eyes scanned his crew members one by one, looking for someone who would have a change of heart. Not a one of them dared to make eye contact with him. Instead, they looked at the deck or off into the fog. Nay, none of them had a heart. He should have known better. His situation was hopeless.
“You won’t get away with this Muck!” Brody promised. “I’ll not only survive, but I swear I’ll return and kill you for this. You’d better sleep with one eye open because the next shadow in the mist will be me, coming to slit your throat.”
Then Brody turned around and dove into the water, only hoping there was an island nearby. If not, he’d never get the chance to kill Muck after all.