the sailors shouted, and they all began to laugh.
“Gentlemen, gentlemen, we have the merchant ship to relieve of her contents. She is yet seaworthy, and should you feel the Demon unsuitable, perhaps you will find your way elsewhere with her.” The large and imposing figure of the man who’d now introduced himself to me as Alphonse Green had stepped forward to speak. I realized then that perhaps I should allow him my ear if I wanted to keep us alive. Rape and death at the hands of these beasts was not an option, and any alliances I might be so fortunate to forge were welcome. It had at last occurred to me that, in their world, there was but one place for a woman—regardless of how many dead men she knew. Unfortunately for them, their opinion of women had no bearing on me. My back was to the sea, and I did not intend to die at the hands of any man today.
“No woman can run a ship! The only woman I’m takin’ orders from is one who’s tellin’ me where to poke her,” One of the original Demon crew who went by the name of Felix gave this rancid opinion, and once more they all laughed. Thankfully, Mister Green stepped forward in my defense.
“Listen, mates. For now, let us relieve the merchantman of her cargo and enjoy our victory. When all things are settled, we shall have our vote. Either way, we all win and fill our pockets. Aye?” I believed that he was attempting to draw their attention away from me.
“Aye!” the men roared in agreement. Mister Green turned to Willy and pulled him aside. For now, the rest appeared to concern themselves only with their quarry and turned away. But I wasn’t finished yet.
“Please gentlemen, hear me out.” The words had barely left my mouth when I was caught unawares, swiftly disarmed, pulled violently from my perch, and thrown across the shoulder of Mister Green. “Get your hands off me,” I screamed through the crew’s roars of laughter. I was promptly relieved of my weapons, as were my cousins, who were corralled and led behind me. I was roughly shoved into what appeared to be the Captain’s quarters and tied to a chair.
As I sat there, alone in that dank, filthy cabin, awaiting my fate, I realized that although I am long on fight and will, I have come up quite short on the knowledge that, even in this other worldly place, a woman is worth about as much as a dog. My only salvation came in knowing we were alive, and regardless of what happened next, there was one less devil in the world. I could at least be proud of the fact that I was responsible for sending his black soul back to hell.
Chapter Two
~Hell Hath No Fury~
Willy McCormack and Mister Green entered the cabin some time later. I had a while to build up a full head of steam, and I could tell by the looks on their faces when they laid eyes on me that they were not amused.
“It’s about fucking time,” I shouted.
“Shut that foul mouth a yer’s, or I’ll shut it fer ye,” Willy shouted at me.
“Madame, please,” Mister Greene said and released me from my binds.
“You’ve got balls the size of coconuts, lass, but yer lackin’ quite a bit in diplomacy.”
“Diplomacy? What have I to be diplomatic about? Barclay was going to kill me. And where are my cousins?” I asked, massaging my aching wrists.
“Settle down. They are locked up in their quarters, and I ‘ave the key. They’re safe,” Willy said, easily pushing me back onto the chair by my shoulders. “Do ye wish ta’ live, lass?”
“What a ridiculous question! Of course we…”
“Then shut yer hole and pay attention.” Willy leaned back and propped his right hip down on what was Barclay’s desk and folded his arms at his chest. “We’re on yer side, lassie. Had ye not relieved him of his arm, sooner or later one of us woulda’ done it. Problem is, ye bein’ a woman and all, in order fer us ta’ keep this crew’s head on straight, we need ta’ work together.”
A sigh of relief blew out of me, and I took my
“Gentlemen, gentlemen, we have the merchant ship to relieve of her contents. She is yet seaworthy, and should you feel the Demon unsuitable, perhaps you will find your way elsewhere with her.” The large and imposing figure of the man who’d now introduced himself to me as Alphonse Green had stepped forward to speak. I realized then that perhaps I should allow him my ear if I wanted to keep us alive. Rape and death at the hands of these beasts was not an option, and any alliances I might be so fortunate to forge were welcome. It had at last occurred to me that, in their world, there was but one place for a woman—regardless of how many dead men she knew. Unfortunately for them, their opinion of women had no bearing on me. My back was to the sea, and I did not intend to die at the hands of any man today.
“No woman can run a ship! The only woman I’m takin’ orders from is one who’s tellin’ me where to poke her,” One of the original Demon crew who went by the name of Felix gave this rancid opinion, and once more they all laughed. Thankfully, Mister Green stepped forward in my defense.
“Listen, mates. For now, let us relieve the merchantman of her cargo and enjoy our victory. When all things are settled, we shall have our vote. Either way, we all win and fill our pockets. Aye?” I believed that he was attempting to draw their attention away from me.
“Aye!” the men roared in agreement. Mister Green turned to Willy and pulled him aside. For now, the rest appeared to concern themselves only with their quarry and turned away. But I wasn’t finished yet.
“Please gentlemen, hear me out.” The words had barely left my mouth when I was caught unawares, swiftly disarmed, pulled violently from my perch, and thrown across the shoulder of Mister Green. “Get your hands off me,” I screamed through the crew’s roars of laughter. I was promptly relieved of my weapons, as were my cousins, who were corralled and led behind me. I was roughly shoved into what appeared to be the Captain’s quarters and tied to a chair.
As I sat there, alone in that dank, filthy cabin, awaiting my fate, I realized that although I am long on fight and will, I have come up quite short on the knowledge that, even in this other worldly place, a woman is worth about as much as a dog. My only salvation came in knowing we were alive, and regardless of what happened next, there was one less devil in the world. I could at least be proud of the fact that I was responsible for sending his black soul back to hell.
Chapter Two
~Hell Hath No Fury~
Willy McCormack and Mister Green entered the cabin some time later. I had a while to build up a full head of steam, and I could tell by the looks on their faces when they laid eyes on me that they were not amused.
“It’s about fucking time,” I shouted.
“Shut that foul mouth a yer’s, or I’ll shut it fer ye,” Willy shouted at me.
“Madame, please,” Mister Greene said and released me from my binds.
“You’ve got balls the size of coconuts, lass, but yer lackin’ quite a bit in diplomacy.”
“Diplomacy? What have I to be diplomatic about? Barclay was going to kill me. And where are my cousins?” I asked, massaging my aching wrists.
“Settle down. They are locked up in their quarters, and I ‘ave the key. They’re safe,” Willy said, easily pushing me back onto the chair by my shoulders. “Do ye wish ta’ live, lass?”
“What a ridiculous question! Of course we…”
“Then shut yer hole and pay attention.” Willy leaned back and propped his right hip down on what was Barclay’s desk and folded his arms at his chest. “We’re on yer side, lassie. Had ye not relieved him of his arm, sooner or later one of us woulda’ done it. Problem is, ye bein’ a woman and all, in order fer us ta’ keep this crew’s head on straight, we need ta’ work together.”
A sigh of relief blew out of me, and I took my
Similar Books
Mark of the Devil
William Kerr
The Twilight of the Bums
Raymond Federman, George Chambers
Easterleigh Hall at War
Margaret Graham
Broken
Alina Man
The China Dogs
Sam Masters
Face to the Sun
Geoffrey Household
It's You
Jane Porter
Breathless
Lurlene McDaniel
Middle Ground
Denise Grover Swank
The Protector
Marliss Melton