Jack of Spades

The night was foggy and not a sound could be heard through the waters, but the sloshing of waves against a ship. The soft clicking of heels on wood are heard, you come across a being covered mostly from head to toe in worn attire but the features of there face lye hidden well enough from the close eye. Soft words are mustered from the lips;

“sing a song of six pence, a pocket full of rye, for and twenty blackbirds, baked in a pie…..,” the figure walked over to the steering wheel and begins steering the ship in a direction towards the nearest land, “The King was in his counting house counting out his money, the queen was in the parlor, eating bread and honey.” A smile flicked over the persons lips and they began to look through a telescope before making any sudden destination moves. “When the pie was opened the birds began to sing, was that not a tasty dish to set before the king.”

Several of the crew members laughed at the Captains poem, it was the recruiting poem, and though the captain had no need to take up a new crew it was still their favorite rhyme. Porter looked at his compass and before responding checked the available map. Right now they were sitting close to the Canary Islands where they would soon make port. The course that they had wanted to follow would ultimately place them close to Panama. But the voyage would take patience and time before they could reach there destination containing the ancient Mayan Treasure. He stood next to the captain at the wheel and rather calmly said.

“The voyage is long captain; shall we stop soon in the Canary Islands and pick up supplies?” Porter looked towards the being.

“Yes, we should. We’ll reach there by morning. You and several others set out to buy supplies and the others left will guard the ship.”

Porter gave a shifting glance towards the Captain.

“And what will the captain be doing in the allotted time?”

Confidence was written all over the captains face as she said what came next.

“Searching for clues as to where the Mayan treasure is located of course.”

Porter furrowed his eye brows at the comment.

“Is everything still in equal share captain?”

“Yes, you will all reap from the benefits of fortune. But for now we have to find the location of it.”

Porter left the captain and began to work with the sails. The captain smiled a bit and hummed as they sailed towards port. The ghost of mutiny almost reared its ugly head.

***

Shots are heard in the distance, but no one makes a sound. You take a close examination of the ground and you see a dead man bleeding from the mouth. Next to his head though sits a pair of worn brown leather boots and while glancing upward you see the man that had killed him with the pistol, still in his hand. He replaces the pistol on his person and picks up the dead man.  He walks over to the edge of the water on the island and disposes of the body, cloaked by the security of the night.

He takes off his coat which by examination looked to be old and of no value what so ever. But the part of it was, he had no intention of keeping it. He used the coat to keep the mans blood from getting onto him and he also tossed the coat into the ocean.

He made his way back to Las Palmas located in Gran Canaria. No one seemed to know of what he did and all he could do was smile at that.  He would be rewarded for his efforts soon enough.

He walked into one of the taverns and pulled up a chair next to a man sitting at a table drinking alone.

The man played out cards on the table between the two of them.

“Did you get the job done?”

The man leaned across the table.

“He will never open his eyes again.”

“Oh, very good then. So I suppose you want your payment right now?”

He raised an eyebrow as if he thought this man was a joke.

“Okay, okay here, take it Jack.”

Jack smiled satisfied with the large satchel of gold.

“May I ask a question?”

“Only one, Pierre.”

“Why do you do this for a living? Killing people you don’t even know, I mean.”

Jack stretched a bit before laying down his hand.

“I do it because that’s the path I chose, I don’t know why I do it. Now sir, I must bid you farewell.”

Jack pushed his chair under the table and walked out of the tavern. He had to meet up with a client in a few minutes down by the docks; from the way the note sounded it was rather important businesses. Miscellaneous people talked in hush whispers as if because the night held no sound of its own, their own private conversations were at risk. It amazed Jack how suspicious people were of there personal lives. He was sure, whoever was out here probably cared about it as much as he did, which was not at all.

As he made his way to the dock he had plenty of time to think about current events that had surfaced. He also wondered if the military had heard of him. Not that it mattered, if they hadn’t it just meant they weren’t looking for him…yet.
“Ahh, Jack of Spades……” the man answered from one of the docked ships. He spoke to him in a ‘lets be friends’ sort of tone.

“Cut the conversation, mate. Who is it that you’re after?”

“I want you to find the treasure of the Mayans.”

Jack looked at him hard. He wasn’t a treasure hunter. He was a mercenary, and even if he did go on this little expedition he sure as hell wasn’t going to return here to deliver it to him.

“Lets be frank sir, digging for buried treasure is mostly a myth. Pirates usually spend there steeling on pleasure and grog as soon as they make port, add into effect that searching for gold is a lot more expensive then what you’ll usually find, and you always have to have a pretty good idea where it is in the first place.”

The man just shook his head.

“There’s more to it then that. The treasure happens to be guarded by strange spirits….of what I’m not sure as I have never seen such a thing but only told the tales of its infinite horror.”

Jack rolled his eyes.

“I’m not interested, savvy? I only hunt for people…”

“Ah yes the beauty of the hu-“

“Cut the small talk, mate.”

The man rolled his eyes.

“The area is under the authority of Jonathan Docks. In order to even search for it you will have to get through him first.”

“This conversation is over.”


Jack walked away from him but on his way back towards the city he heard the man call out to him.

“You’re not always in control of your destiny.”
He immediately dismissed this claim. He would make every move his own from now till the day he died but just as morning came, though. He saw a Snow ship dock in the harbor.

***

The captain stretched when they finally docked at Las Palmas in the morning. Nightengale was used to sleep deprivation so ultimately the lack of sleep hadn’t really affected her. Nightengale quickly was first to hit the hotspots. The tavern, market, and the inn. No hurry was needed as Nightengale had all day before it was time to leave, so she walked into the tavern first, swiftly was greeted by a flying bottle of Rum aiming for the wall and went up to some of the more worn and tired sailors sitting down at the tables.

“Who be ye?” Benjamin asked

“Captain Nightengale of Faire Lady…...” Nightengale taped her fingers on the table. “I need….to know, if you have any idea at all…where the Mayan Treasure might be located.”

Benjamin looked up from his drink; he had a jagged scar going down the side of his face and several other smaller scars.

“The Mayan Treasure was placed by the divine. It was guarded from all sorts of conquistadors, and locked away so that no foreign man could ever find it and take it away.”

Nightengale nodded.

“Where do you personally think it’d reside?”

He carefully nursed the grog.

“Look towards the temples that penetrate the sky, and can be seen through all of South America.”

Nightengale frowned. This wasn’t a good answer, so far he offered no information to help other then it was supposedly up in some temple locked up tight.

“Thank you for your time.”

Nightengale pushed the chair in and weaved in and out of the crowd.  Someone in the distance crashed into a table and the thing collapsed beneath him. Several men became rowdy and started itching for a fight in the tavern, and two were brave enough to walk up to Nightengale making odd statements.

“Who gave you the right to show up here an star’ makin a ruckus?!”

The second man nodded in agreement and both pulled out a cutlass. In a minute Nightengale was in front of there faces with a pistol in both hands and pressing them against the middle of there eyes.

“I believe the only ones making a ruckus would be you to gentlemen. Now, if you please.”

Nightengale pushed them back into another gentleman and the three of them began to argue and fuss, giving Nightengale just enough time to make a slip from them in the commotion.
Nightengale turned a corner and tried to look as inconspicuous as she possibly could. Thinking long and hard, she tried to find a logical way to get through this confused frenzy brought together by fact and fiction combined.
So far as of now, she had only checked the Tavern for clues and was no more close to solving the problem then she was earlier. Then there was the root problem of this whole search.

The Mayan Treasure was causing an epidemic.

Everyone was after it someway or another. It included all people, from all walks of life, seeking the immediate gratification of riches beyond their wildest dreams. It was a frenzy of mixed races searching for greed.

She had to find it first before other people did, including the Royal Navy. The head of the operation was commodore Marsh. Already the Royal Navy was gathering groups to set sail and figure out the quickest way to find the treasure. Nightengale was no exception to this.
Nightengale also knew that if they didn’t get the treasure there would be a mutiny and she would be exiled to an island with not but a pistol. But that was in the future, and there was no reason to panic till the actual event was taking place.

The day went on as followed with one strange insight after another on the Mayan Treasure; she was getting tired of everything. The stories, the people, the answer being so close to her face but to far to reach. She had to come back with something, but what?

***

Jack leaned against one of the buildings by the docks resting his head against the wood. It had been a long, uneventful day so to speak. He was tired and frankly bored out of his mind. That was before Captain Nathan showed up in his ship, Beatrice’s Pride. He walked off the ship flouncing this way and that, with a crew of his own following behind him. Several men watched them as they put up signs;
Signs for criminals and;
Signs for payment for whoever knew the whereabouts of the Mayan Treasure. Jack guessed they had no idea where it was either. Although the method they were using was pretty stupid seeing that if anyone knew where it was, the fortune they would gain from such an item, would be triple or more what anyone else gave them for it.
Jack put his hand on his pistol wondering if he could shoot the damn man accurately. Why? Because he hated the military, they were always interfering with his businesses.

He made his way into town with not a second glance on the people who had been staring at him.
“Captain!”
Jack turned to the side to see a man walk up to another man dressed from head to toe.
“I think I may have a clue as to where it’s located Porter….I know where it should be. I know how much time it’ll take to get there.”
The man, named porter, raised an eyebrow and nodded not quite sure if he wanted to believe the captain. But it was for reasons’ Jack would not know.
They both started walking towards Faire Lady, and Jack decided with the entire ruckus about this stupid treasure, he might as well get a free ride with some people who actually knew where they were going and he decided to stow away on the ship.

It wasn’t till a few days later that the Captain found him and made a mess of his plans. Now he was no longer a stowaway but a captive under captain Nightengale’s Crew.
Nightengale gave him a quick jab to the gut which sent him toppling over; he then had his hands bound together with hemp rope.  He struggled to get free and as Nightengale’s back was turned he began to maneuver the dagger from his belt and wedged it into the rope. He finally got the rope frayed enough for him to snap the rope and suddenly he was free, but just as he freed his wrests from there bounded state, Nightengale grabbed one of them and held  a gun in the other.

His face was covered mostly by a large scarf and a wide hat. Even this being the case he looked rather intimidating to Jack. He brought him up to the deck and he knew what was going to happen, he was going to die. Stowing away was not looked upon with forgiving eyes.
“What’s your name?”
Jack looked over at him. Pssh, right. Like he was going to answer that. Nightengale seeing that he was not going to cooperate began twisting his arm at a dangerous angle.
“……………………….Gyahhh! Stop! STOP!”
“Who are you then?!”
“Jack of Spades! GODDAMN IT! STOPPPP!
“Well Jack of Spades, you have a few options. You can join the crew or join the rest of the damned in hell.”

Jack recovering from the pain inflicted on his arm, now had a blank annoyed expression.
“And what kind of choice is that?”
“An unfair one to be frank.”
He was sure Nightengale was smiling under all those clothes
“Figures, a man like you would say such things.”
“Oh really, so what kind of man am I?”
Jack looked over him.
“The kind that loves to kill.”
He heard Nightengale utter a small chuckle under his breath. Did he find that funny?
“Really? From your reputation I’d say that was you…so in theory I’m the kind of man you yourself are?”
Jack tried to weasel his way out of the current situation.
“Well….maybe but how am I to know, if the fairy man holds the trigger why does he offer such a high price?”
Nightengale smiled.
‘Yep, I’m screwed.’ Thought Jack.
“You make no sense of metaphors. You have a hefty bounty on your head and I think it’s about time, that my crew at least got a taste of adventure once in a while….consider you an object of entertainment.”
He sighed searching back in his memory and registered the comment along the lines of what you’d say to a wench.
He wasn’t no mans wench that was definite.
“Don’t you have enough to worry about what with the other seaworthy beings after the Mayan Treasure as well? Do you really have time to drop me off to the authorities?”
He jerked a little when Captain Nightengale moved the pistol closer to his body; he did it with such grace he could only assume he’d done it hundreds of times.
“I’ll kill you.”  Jack said flatly with deep hatred. Mercenaries weren’t keen on being the one who was put in the life or death position.
Nightengale laughed out loud at his response.
“Oh of course, because killing is the answer to everything isn’t it?”

Jack looked around. Several of the crew members were eyeing him and making comments on him. Wondering just how long Nightengale could put up with this buffoon and if he really had a chance at living, in his current state.
“I suppose I have no choice…..Ill join your crew…. But make no mistake that I’m afraid of you. I merely don’t want to die in such a disgraceful manner.”
Nightengale tilted his head.
“Disgraceful? How exactly do you wish to die then?”
“I want to die in an epic battle, over something exciting.”
Jack thought that was a lame answer, and apparently, so did Nightengale.
“Get to work, pig.” he grabbed a mop from one of the crew members and thrusted it at Jack. He wanted him to mop the deck.
Bloody hell, this just wasn’t his day.

***

Nightengale held the wheel with both her hands keeping a firm grip, while she sailed through the rough waters. She spent her entire career looking death in the face and deciding that whether you think you’ll live forever or don’t care when you die, somehow you’ll gather enough courage to get over anything. The waters rose high and tossed the ship like a little toy boat. Her coat was drenched and she was soaked to the core with fresh salt water. None of this bothered her though, she enjoyed the feeling of the storm, and it was enchanting.
Romantic even;
That was until Coleman’s breath came up on the Faire Lady, Not that she couldn’t fight them but she figured it was clear sailing from the canary islands to the Caribbean , and ultimately this was just another blockade between her and that Treasure.
“Bring out the guns!” she ordered and the crew immediately began to work them opening the holes up and loading the cannons with ammo. Several of the members of the other crew jumped on board quickly and began to fire as well. Screams were heard from both parties and blood sloshed around on deck. As all this was going on Nightengale made her way up to the poopdeck and screaming in a rather terrifying manner to get everyone’s attention took off her clothes and stood there topless with a sword. She watched as the men from Coleman’s breath stared in aw at her voluptuous body, and gave the crew enough time to finish them off.

***

‘Holy mother of god! Nightengale’s a woman?!’ Jack thought to himself rather disturbed.
He had been put in line by a woman!!  He also thought with this sudden burst of confidence that he’d actually get the opportunity to kill Nightengale now. But he didn’t move all he could do was stare at her, naked.
“Try not to hide your enthusiasm pig.” She shouted down to him on the deck by the middle mast.
“Start cleaning up this mess!” She then proceeded to get dressed.
As she was doing this one of the crew members walked up behind him and said with a satisfied smile;
“Female Pirates boy, one word of advice, you try to be rough with em’, you ether wind up a eunuch or dead, remember that.”
Jack reluctantly did what he was told and began to clean up the mess.

The entire crew knew? Didn’t they know it was punishable by death to have a woman on board? What frightful bad luck it’d bring to have one on deck?
…and then he just didn’t know what ill will could possibly surface from one being captain but he was sure it was disastrous beyond words.

So many questions to ask, and for once he was confused. Usually he had such a great grip on things that none of this would have bothered him. Oh brother, he thought he’d seen it all.  As he started his way up to the poopdeck he made a quick note that there weren’t too many female pirates in the world and he figured, in his mind, only about 2 or 3 would ever make history anyway. He knew out of those 2 or 3 she wasn’t one of them, but he also knew that he himself wouldn’t be the most fearsome pirate in history either. He still knew for a fact though that Captain Nightengale was one of a kind.
He then wondered, if other members of the crew were female.

***

It had taken a while but he finally mustered the courage to confront Nightengale. This discussion would go exactly as planned according to his mind. Or so he thought.
“Nightengale?”
She threw him a disgusted look.
“Captain Nightengale, pig.”
He then assumed that this was her nickname for him. He tried to ease his way into his position.
“So…how much longer till we get near the islands of the Caribbean?”
“Were stopping in Puerto Rico, and It’ll be a few hours till we dock why?”
He stretched a bit, looking leisurely.
“Isn’t the Caribbean supposed to be rather….oh I don’t know lovely? He smiled sexily.
“I’ve heard many a female go there and never come back the same.”
She scowled at him.
“If you bring it up like that again I’ll neutralize your gender, spade.”
“Maybe your just lonely, Nightengale.”
She slapped him.
This wasn’t going to plan. All reason had totally swapped places.
“There’s only one reason I’m keeping you alive.”
He smiled, hoping that she meant she actually found him one of the more attractive members on the ship.
“oh? And why would that be?” he leans on the rail.
She smiled coyly.
“All in due time Mr. Spade.”

***

Nightengale had handcuffed him and began to drag him towards the authorities, apparently the military DID know of him, and they also had a hefty bounty on his head for whoever brought him back alive. She figured he’d find a way out of his position quite easily.  But she had no need to think of that. She would trade him in for the money and then wait in the port till he escaped with just enough time for the crew to pick up supplies and leave.
She walked up to the man taking the prisoners.
“Mr. Jack of Spades.”
“You Wench! What the hell is wrong with you?!”
She pressed the nerve in his neck and made him pass out.
“This is him, the mercenary. Now may I please have the reward for him?”
The man handed over the promised prized and she tipped her hat at him and left as she watched Jack get dragged off to his cell.
Now all that was left was to sit and wait.

***

Jack awoke to the putrescent smell of the cell he was locked in. Nightengale had turned him in. why would she do that? Oh yea, didn’t she mention there was a bounty on his head? But this was before she was a woman so how was he supposed to know that she wasn’t lying? He groaned a bit and looked around.  There had to be a way out of this mess…He collapsed on the floor again looking forward to a night in a cell that was less then hospitable.

***

Timothy walked around outside along the shore. He wasn’t in a very pleasant mood, his fiancé had just run off with another man and he was left alone and quite heartbroken. He needed a change in his life, and he often wondered which route he should take in order to do so.
He then went to the jail and began his job. Timothy patrolled the cells in the prison avoiding the calls that the prisoners would make to him, he ran the late shift all alone. But the pirates that were locked up in these cells were nothing. Mostly he figured the ones who got caught were the ones who deserved to be here. He looked towards the new man in the cell.
He held the irons with his hands.
“What’s your name?”
“Hmm? Well I’m surprised, aren’t you guys supposed to have a record of us or something?”
Timothy looked down.
“It’s Jack.” He smiled sadistically. “Need someone dead? I’m your man.”
“…why are you here?”
“Bloody Captain Nightengale turned me in what’s it to you?”
“Oh so….so you’re a pirate?”
Jack tossed around with the thought in his head for a bit and biting his tongue in thought answered.
“Mmmm, no. not really I prefer the term mercenary. I kill people for a living.”
Timothy looked to be thinking, and he watched Jack carefully as he thought.
“Right then, well I shall leave you to it then.”
“If you get me out of this cell though, I’ll take you to Nightengale.”
Jack fiddled with his dagger in his hands; it was very clear what this man wanted from him.
“Now tell me, son. What makes you think you should join a rouge pirate’s crew?”

“I have wasted my life doing the right thing…I’m ready for a change of pace.”

Jack studied his face. Years of disappointment and betrayal lets there markings on him and he looked to have just about reached the limit of putting up with it.
‘Yep.’ He thought to himself ‘perfect for the long ride of a pirate.’
He stood up and got next to Timothy and stared at him through the cells bars.
“Alright then, get me out of here and I’ll take you to the Captain.”
The man began to leave.
“What’s your name, boy?”

“Timothy Antoine.”

Jack cocked his head.

“Well timothy, I’ll just be calling you Tim or something else when I think of it, the grogs got me brain locked up tight.”
Timothy tilted his head and began to walk away again.

He came back a few minutes later with the keys to the cell. Jack walked out with him and made it a point to tell him that this was a path he couldn’t change.
“Now you do know that once you do this, you’ll be running from the law for the rest of your day’s right?”
“Doesn’t bother me one bit, Jack.”
Jack seemed satisfied with the answer and began to take him to Faire Lady, if it was still there, and basically shove the fact that he wasn’t dead in Nightengale’s face.
They dodged soldiers patrolling the area long enough to sneak back into the harbor and get back on the ship. The Jolly Rodger was not hung but instead a regular flag of the area was in place.
He was surprised when he tossed himself over the side of the ship with Timothy and found Nightengale staring down at him.
“Welcome back, Jack.” She had her hands on her hips and a rather eerie grin flickered on her lips.
“You knew this would happen didn’t you?”
“You got me, Spade. Every part of it. And who’s your friend?”
“Timothy Antoine.”
She looked like she was thinking.
“I want to join your crew Captain Nightengale.”
“Mmmm, right….well I’ll let you be on my crew IF you can offer some valuable information on the Mayan Treasure.”
Timothy pursed his lips and scratched the back of his head.
“Well…It’s in the temple of the god of death, Ah Puch.”
She smiled. That was just the right enough information for her.
“Welcome aboard Timothy Antoine.”

***

Nightengale stared out at the ocean quietly, something bad tugged at the back of her mind. Something was not right on this ship and she didn’t know why.

Maybe the crew was catching onto the idea that she had little to no idea where the damn treasure was and was leading them on a goose chase with the word of a rouge soldier on where it’s at. Just how did he know where it was in the first place anyway? They were definitely out of the Caribbean now and stood crawling around the costal shores of South America and currently were located at somewhere near Brazil.
“Captain Nightengale?”
She turned around, it was Jack.
“What is it?”
She decided not to insult him; she had better things to do then make fun of him right now.
“It’s none of my businesses but, why did you become a Pirate?”
She leaned back on the rail.
“Your right, it is none of your business but I’ll tell you anyway.”
She stopped for a second and sighed.
“I belonged to a new money household in London. I guess I just got sick of everything being provided for me, life was rather boring I suppose. So I just got up and left one day and I’ve been a Pirate ever since.”
He got close to her ear. Was he coming onto her?
“Till the day you die?”
She smiled coyly.
“Not even death, for eternity. When I die I’ll sail the seas of the netherworld in a cursed ship crewed by the damned.”
Porter shouted out loud.
“Captain, there’s a ship tailing us!”
She quickly made her way over to Porter to get a closer look. She used the telescope to get a look at the color of the flag.
It was run white. So she told the crew to come up along side of it and the members were allowed to come on bored.

***

Jack groaned. It was that bloody Captain Nathan again, he worked under the commodore Leon Marsh and lord only knew what he wanted now.
“Captain Nightengale of Faire Lady?”
“Aye?”
He looked around as if judging this conversation by the condition of her crew.
“I’m here on business, roomer has it that you have a great general idea where the treasure is. If you help us find it we’ll give you full pardon and you can work as a Privateer.”
She spat at the ground.
Jack hated the authorities, he believed serving as a privateer instead of being hanged, was only postponing the inevitable and figured at either end you faced the hangman’s noose and swung freely in the gallows at the end of the rope.
Nathan tilted his head in confusion at her action.
“Death first.”
Nathan took out his cutlass and several of the soldiers aimed there bayonet’s at her. But she didn’t faultier for a second.

“Well then, I’ll give you one last chance to cooperate.”

She sneered.
“You can’t kill me.”
“Oh I assure you I can.”
“If you kill me then you’ll never know the exact location of the treasure.”
“You’re bluffing.”
“Am I? How can you possibly know till you get there?”
Jack noticed she got closer and closer to Nathan, and some how….he didn’t like it.
“You’ll take us to the treasure then?”
She got close enough to breathe on his neck.
“Death First.”
And she stabbed him in the chest.
The soldiers of Coleman’s breath began to open fire on the crew and within minutes blood was being shed. Nightengale got shot 2 times in the arm but luckily didn’t shatter her bone but rather got lodged in the tissue and was easily removed, assuming the cook was a good doctor or not. The fighting commenced and only one or two of the soldiers escaped with there lives, and Jack knew that they were going back to the commodore to tell him all about it. Not that it did any good. Captain Nightengale, out of all the people he had ever met, was the most skilled piratess he had ever seen in his life.
He walked over to where she was, leaning against the door to the captain’s quarters. Her face held a tinge of pain behind the calm expression she kept.
“You were bluffing.”
“Good boy, so then…you know I have no idea where it’s really at?”
“Oh yes, captain… and as soon as the crew finds out, your done for.”
She looked at her arm.
“Do you have any idea?”
Jack thought for a second.
He stretched a bit.
“Honestly? No…but that Timothy…he knew where it was at….he told you of his own free will….so maybe he knows where it’s located inside?”
He looked as she furrowed her eyebrows in thought. He held his breath softly, he didn’t know why he did it but when she got up to leave he felt himself exhale. Porter stared over at him and simply shook his head, then turned to take over the wheel for the period.
Why did she make him feel this way? He turned towards the captain’s quarters with a sigh.

***

“Hold still now.” Alexander sat with a pair of tweezers and held pressure against her arm with the other hand.
“Please, we’ve been through these kinds of procedures before Alex, you should be used to it by now.”
She winced as he slid it out with a popping sucking sound.
“Captain’s never short on luck,” He looked up. “After all these years and your still not dead, or hung.”
He stitched the hole together and wrapped some gauze around the wound. He tied the ends together and stood up to leave.
“Oh, I’ve heard rumor that Commodore Leon Marsh is already in Panama.”
Nightengale nodded.
“I bet he is, he’s just waiting for everyone to show up so he can suck the information out of them.”
Alex nodded.
“Well it’ll still be a few months till we get there, you know. He’ll be waiting there an awfully long time. Or he may have found it by now.”
“Not if he doesn’t know where it’s located, and if he has, we’ll only know when we show up there.”
She held the spot where she was shot subconsciously.
“We’ll just have to wait and see captain.”
Alex left the room.
She walked over to the table and started tracing there direction on it, the directions were very clear. They would head south first then go north east then continue going north till they arrived on the other side of South America. Some might’ve wondered why they couldn’t just go from the Caribbean and walk to the other side of South America and the reason was this. Nightengale simply didn’t want to leave her ship so far away that someone could come along and steal it from her.
She ran her fingers over the paper, and stared absent mindedly out of one of the windows.

***

Let’s face it the life of a pirate was B-O-R-I-N-G with a capital B. Other then the occasional fights from other pirates and outrunning the navy. There wasn’t much to do, and unfortunately for Captain Nightengale, a huge fight was bound to break out sooner or later. He saw timothy sitting on the side of the ship by himself not doing much but sitting there.
“Hay, Tim. You look very pessimistic…something go wrong? Did one of the crew members make a pass at you?”
Timothy didn’t find the comment humorous and just ignored it.
“I was just thinking.”
“About?”
“Angelina.”
“Ohhh a woman….” His interest seemed slightly better now.
Timothy sighed.
“My ex-fiancé.”
“Oh that’s right she ran away with some other fellow didn’t she?”
Timothy glared at him. He figured this man had never experienced true love, and found his mockery quite irritating.
Jack stretched and pulled out his gun and started running his fingers over it.
“I’m terribly sorry for your loss mate, but it seems to me that a woman, who would run away, wasn’t interested in you in the first place. Or rather….there was no true love between the two of you.”
Timothy knew he was right. But it still hurt to hear such claims coming from him. Timothy stopped leaning and stood straight.
“Tell me….Is there such a thing as an honest pirate?
He was genuinely serious about the question.
Jack raised his eyebrows.
“Honestly, if you want the honest truth, then there is no honest pirate, honestly.”
This in and of it’s self meant he was lying of course, but Timothy didn’t seem to pick up on it.
“I think I may be the first...”
Jack bit his lip.
“Just what did she leave you for mate?”
He crossed his arms.
“I guess…..I guess she got bored of me…”
Jack gave a silly grin.
“Get sick of you? But you’re young and spontaneous Timothy.”
“Yea, I told you I was sick of doing the right things. Before this I had a monotonous job working as the guard for the night shift. I’m not exactly an exciting guy, Jack….When she accepted my proposal I think she did it half out of pity for my feelings……But I guess she just decided that a life with me just wasn’t what she was longing for.”

Jack took out his cutlass and shifted into a fighting stance.
“Well mate, I see very clear skies for the outlook of your next relationship. Now, how about doing us both a little favor and taking out your cutlass?”
Timothy smiled a little at the corners of his mouth and took out his sword.
“I won’t go easy on you Jack.”
“Don’t worry I’ll make sure to go very lightly on you.”
They both began to fight with a great level of expertise between the two of them, and they both found the activity very relaxing in spite of the movement that was involved in the sword fighting. Timothy could honestly say he felt a new energy build up inside of him. And he was sure that Jack felt just about the same way, he also know that he WAS going easy on him. Bloody hell, the man had told him he was a mercenary but….did that make him a bad person? He supposed it wouldn’t matter keeping your job and your personal life in separate categories has always been the key in any profession. He still wondered though, how he slept at night knowing he took away a supposedly innocent mans life.
“Check Mate.” Jack announced as he taped his shoulder lightly.
Timothy rubbed the back of his head and knew the only problem with him not doing his best was the fact he was to busy thinking about his opponent to actually do anything.
“Good game Jack.”
“Heh,”
He didn’t expand on that any farther.

***

Nightengale crossed her arms and looked over the side of the ship; the night air swept her hair behind her in a flurry. She was now dressed in more revealing attire figuring now, after everything. It didn’t matter weather her enemy knew she was a woman or a man. Her thoughts buzzed around in her head like a swarm of deadly bees. It was only a matter of days till they reached Panama. When they would get there would be when everything went down. She also hoped Commodore Leon Marsh wouldn’t put up much of a fight in the process.
She heard someone walk up behind her and automatically assumed it was Jack.
“Hay.”
“Captain Nightengale?”
It was actually Timothy Antoine.
She coughed clearing her throat.
“Oh, Timothy glad to see you. I was just about to ask you something.”
Timothy stood beside her. He seemed more confident now in days then he had in the beginning, she was glad to see he was improving.
“About the treasure?”
“If you don’t mind….”
He nodded and grabbed onto the railing with his hands.
“….why is there a Mayan treasure?”
Timothy smiled a bit.
“It was the gift from the god of death, Ah Puch to the goddess of Suicide, Ix Tab. It was a very beautiful item and it was very treasured. Then the invaders from the other continents began to come into the area looking for gold and the lot. So the god and goddess hid it up in Ah Puch’s temple where they would never find it.”

She looked at him.
“How do you know this?”
He looked into the waters.

“call it silly….but I had a dream about it once…and what with the whole search for it blowing out of proportion…it didn’t seem very far fetched anymore….you know?”
She was following his dream as a guide.
“Are you absolutely sure that this is the right path to take?”

“I’d bet my life on it, Captain.”
She nodded.
“Well let’s hope it doesn’t wind up in the noose, hmm? Good evening Timothy.”
She walked away to the captain’s cabin.

***

“Bloody hell this place is thick.”
Jack cut through some of the greenery with his cutlass. He wasn’t fond of the setting. He was sure in a few hours they’d find what they were looking for. Well that was just fine…wasn’t it? He then pondered over that once they got the treasure if Nightengale would let him go…but now…he didn’t want to really be let go of. It was a fact he wouldn’t readily admit to anyone but…she’d stolen his heart, and he didn’t want her to give it back to him. Maybe she would let him stay on the crew, even give him the position of first mate….maybe.
“Jack what direction are we headed?”

“Northeast, Captain.”
He watched as she nodded, he tried to avoid eye contact with her as much as possible.
He saw her stop in front of a large bush.
“What is it Captain?”
“Look!” she pointed to a large stone temple that sat high about the forest trees.
Timothy explained silently to everyone.
“That’s what the temple looked like in my dream.”
He watched as Nightengale gave a knowing nod to Timothy, they apparently knew something he didn’t.
“Right…we’ll go in check the area out…if the Navy is sitting there just start firing as soon as you have them in eye shot. If they get to close use your cutlass. Jack, Timothy and I are to go inside and check it out. Everyone understand?”

The crew nodded.
Nightengale proceeded up the steps to the top of the temple.
Nightengale looked around the place. It was huge and so spacious, all dedicated to the god of death, so she wondered what lever to push or notch to turn in order to open up the secret room with the treasure inside.
Timothy felt around and found a place that seemed to be just slightly different from the rest of the surroundings. A door opened and a staircase opened, spiraling downward into sudden darkness that looked very bleak.

“It’s in here.” He announced
She nodded and began to climb down the stairs with Jack and Timothy. From the poor lighting she had she could make out pictures of stories dedicated to AH Puch and other miscellaneous gods.
“What if it’s not there?”
Timothy kept walking.
“Well. Simply finding the notch wouldn’t be enough…it’s probably hidden in a secret room within a secret room of sorts.”
Jack sighed happily for the time this obstacle allowed.
“You know once we get the t-“
“Ssssh…..” she put a hand in front of his face. “Hear that?”
Sure enough voice could be heard echoing through the stairway.
There steps became softer, so quite they were barely detectable by normal ears. They then stood at the doorway knowing fully aware that once they opened that door, whoever was on the other side was most likely ready to ambush them.
Nightengale’s hand hesitated on the handle.
Jack leaned in close to her and whispered.
“You’re Captain Nightengale...What’s to be afraid of, love?”
She nodded silently and began to turn the handle. All voices on the other side hushed, and there stood Commodore Leon Marsh and his fellow men.

***

“Welcome Captain Nightengale, well I guess there’s no need for introduction, since your going to be dead in a few minutes anyway. Gentlemen….Kill them.”
“That’s it?”
“Hold your fire!”
He walked towards her
“Well, never mind.”
She turned her head to the side.
“What is it?”
“Well I just thought the Commodore would be enough of a man to kill one silly captain by himself that’s all. I mean how hard could it be?”
She watched the commodore look back on his soldiers.
He then took out his sword.
“Then we shall fight each other?”
“Of course.”
“And our men?”
“Amongst them selves.” She cut the first blow
She knew Jack and timothy could handle there own with the rest of the soldiers. She’s seen them practice on the ship numerous times. And they were both quite skilled.
Nightengale and Leon kept running into the same stances numerous times and the whole event took place in the room.
“You’ll never win.” He pronounced proudly.
There was a lot more fighting and several other incidents, she saw that Jack handled himself quite well when it came to fighting many people.
Then at the last minute she aimed the pistol at his head and shot, just as she got stabbed by his cutlass.
“I’ll always win.”
Marsh fell on the floor, dead.
Nightengale breathed hard and placed her hand over the wound, not quite sure if she was going to make it.
Jack immediately was by her side, and took a close look at the wound. It was just a small cutlass wound but still it looked deep and pretty bad. To his knowledge he had no background in medicine at all, and deep down he was terribly concerned about it.
Timothy ripped off some cloth from his shirt and told Jack to stuff it in the wound to keep it from bleeding the way it was and to clot the wound. He did as he was told and picked her up.
“Why do you think they waited here?” he wondered
“Isn’t it obvious….this is as far as they got. After that they had no idea what to do, they were hoping some poor soul would know and spill the secret of course…”
Jack thought for a second.
“Is there even really a treasure?”
Nightengale let out a low moan of pain.
Jack looked at her.
“We need to get the captain back to the crew….she needs some form of medical attention.” His request was honest and sincere.
Timothy just nodded and headed up the stairs out of the room.

***

This had all gone wrong. When they reached the outside there stood Nightengale’s crew and with it the treasure of the Mayans.
“But how?!” Jack exclaimed.
One of the members pointed to the temple and they had somehow found an easier way to get inside.
“I believe this is the end of the line Captain Nightengale.”
“Are you insane?! She’s hurt!!!”
Timothy looked around frantically.
“Well, we had to find some way of getting here.” He looked around to the other crew members.
“Then again…if it failed…there was always mutiny.” Porter replied.
“Weren’t you first mate?!”
“Time and Tides.” He replied.
Porter took out his sword.
Jack handed Nightengale over to Timothy and drew his cutlass.
Porter smiled just a little bit; he was going to enjoy this fight.
“You may not have known this but I’ve killed many a man my self in my earlier days.”

“You won’t run off with the treasure.” He sneered at Porter

“Well we’ll just have to see won’t we?”

Jack bit his lip. He knew even as they spoke the Captain was running out of time.
It was to be a great fight between the two of them and Jack started out attacking first. He made a jab at Porter’s side which was followed by a very close encounter with porters own sword. Jack tired to run away from the general area so that there was more of a range for them to fight but porter disabled this opportunity and quickly left a small cut on his arm. Jack scowled and tried to swing around him, it worked but only a little. He left a small marking on his left cheek and tried to make a decent injury to the arm porter was using to carry his sword. Porter pushed him off when there swords locked.
“So Jack how much time do you think she has left? A few more minutes?”
Jack locked swords again and nailed him in the crotch which just seemed to heighten the rage in Porter. The fighting still commenced.   Nether of which resulting in a victory.

Now is just the time to wonder, in this kind of event, who exactly is the good guy? Who should we let win? There both pirates so I guess we choose the lesser of two evils hmm?

Jack started bleeding heavily from his shoulders but he didn’t collapse. Porter through his sword into the dirt and laughed.

Nightengale fell behind him.

“Even if you beat me it will only be in vain.”
“Maybe, maybe not. All I know is your not getting out of here alive.”
Jack gave one last final lunge and stabbed porter right in the chest.
Porter backed up wide eyed and fell over on the ground dead.
Immediately afterwards Jack ran over to Captain Nightengale and took a look at her. She wasn’t breathing. He stared at the body for a few moments and frowned. See this is why he ever used his emotions before they always got him into trouble.
“Captain…..”
Nothing was said.
Timothy in one last final attempt. Undressed her and wrapped gauzed tightly several numerous times around her waist.
They both stared at her not quite sure how to respond to this kind of incident.
Timothy finally spoke up.
“…We should head back to the faire lady.”
Jack just nodded softly. Out of all the times to be miraculous and brilliant, he missed the opportunity.
Alex walked up to them.
“Goodness what happened?!”
Timothy looked up at him.
“You’re not with porter?”
“Goodness no….I thought the whole idea was wrong to begin with…”
He leaned over captain Nightengale’s body.
“Well….the wound looks like it’s wrapped rather well so…. I guess all we can do is wait...”
Jack avoided saying that he couldn’t hear her breathe, he didn’t want to accept it. Instead he picked up her body and took her back to the ship.
Timothy carried the treasure.
As far as they were concerned, the treasure was their’s and that was the end of it.
They walked off onto the beach.

***

The Fair lady stood docked in a port in Jamaica. They went there looking for an entirely new crew to start over with. Jack, Timothy, and Alexander.
Most of the interviewing was done by Timothy; Jack just sat in the corner.
“Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye. Four and twenty black birds, baked in a pie.”
He placed his hands behind his head and kicked his feet upon the table.
“When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing. Was that not a tasty dish, to set before a king?”
“And you want to engage in many acts of piracy because?”
Timothy sat and interviewed a young man no older then 25.
“I want to see the world, take chances and learn from them.”
Alex shook his head and chatted with a local wench in the corner. She smiled but casually stole a flirtatious glance at Timothy.
Alex thought this was rather cute and that Timothy was quite the ladies man, compared to when he first met him.
Timothy blushed a little and looked towards the young man.
“Welcome aboard Jacob.”
“The maid was in the garden, Hanging out the clothes when-“
The doors to the tavern opened. And somebody stepped in.
Immediately Jacks face began to light up as the figure came closer and closer into view.
Nightengale pulled up a chair in front of him and casually said with a smile.
“When down came a black bird, and snapped off a rose.”
Jack smiled at her and they kissed.
The End?