Pathfinder Tales--Pirate's Promise by Chris A. Jackson

Author:Chris A. Jackson [Jackson, Chris A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates
Published: 2015-07-14T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

A Pirate’s Promise

Well, at least there’s no blood on the deck, Torius noted as he entered the main hold. The sky above the open hatch had begun to lighten with dawn, and still the argument continued. Upon his return from Gold Wing, he’d explained the proposition to the crew, then answered their questions as honestly as he could without revealing Vreva’s secrets. By the time he went to bed, the discussion of the Andoren offer had become heated.

Now the crew seemed to be split into three camps. About a third of them were enthusiastic about the prospect of hunting slave ships. Most of the rest had no problems with it, as long as they made a good profit. A vocal minority, however, wanted no part of working with the Andorens. Unfortunately, Grogul was chief among these, and his arguments were vehement.

“I’ll never trust a bunch of spit-and-polish, nose-in-the-air jackanapes!” The look on the bosun’s face would have curdled milk. “They won’t ever give a damn for us, nor stand up and fight if it’s our necks in a noose! They’ll use us for their dirty work, and when we’re caught, they’ll let us dangle and choke!”

“And how is that different from what we’ve been doing?” Thillion’s tone remained calm. “The sentence for piracy is death in every nation of the Inner Sea except the Shackles.”

“And think of the money!” Snick put in with an avaricious grin. “Not to mention the gratitude all those poor harem slaves will show us when we free them!”

That got a few cheers and laughs, but Grogul wasn’t buying it. “That’s a load of crap, Snick! This ain’t a joke!”

“Grogul’s right.” Every eye in the hold turned to Torius. “This is not a joke.” He strode forward and met their eyes as he spoke. “I put our lives on the line every time we go after a fat prize, but you all know how I feel. You know I won’t slaughter sailors when there’s no need, and you know I won’t take them to sell as slaves. That’s the main reason I want to be a part of this. I’ve been waiting more than half my life for the day I could strike back at the bastards who put chains on me, whipped the skin off my back, and sold me to the most sadistic bastard ever to sail the Inner Sea. Today, my friends, could be that day.”

Murmurs swept through the crew. Most knew he’d once been a slave. A few of them had stood beside him the day he threw off his shackles and took Stargazer for his own.

“That’s my reason. Every one of you will have your own for wanting to do this or not, but let me make one thing clear; we will not be under the command of the Andoren Navy. We’ll carry their letter of marque, and keep in touch with Admiral Weathers for information and to receive our pay, but other than that, we’ll be on our own.

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