Chapter Thirteen: A Pirate's Tale

He sat against the cave wall, his hand resting on the hilt of the sword, ready to grab it if needed. He had no idea how to use a sword, but still, he liked it better in his hands than Tobiah’s.

He didn’t remember falling asleep and when he jerked awake he couldn’t tell how long he had been asleep. The torch-lit cave was as dim as ever, but he must have been out for a few hours at least, as his clothes were nearly dry. The princess still slept with Nib curled up against her head.

Tobiah and Agnes were gone.

Throp grabbed the sword and stood. His leg felt a little better, having rested. It was still day and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust. Outside of the cave burned a small fire surrounded by a ring of rocks. Throp assumed the kindling came from the supplies in the cave. A few palm trees and tufts of long grasses peppered the beach, but other than that there didn’t appear to be anything dry enough to burn.

He spotted Tobiah, standing in the surf, shirtless, his pants rolled up to his knees. Agnes sat on the beach behind him, her knees pulled up to her chest, watching him. Next to her was a small bucket.

They turned as he heard Throp approach.

“Grab the other end!” Tobiah said. Throp was confused until he realized Tobiah was holding one end of a net he had cast out onto the water. Throp hesitated before wading in, keeping the sword in his hand. He grabbed for an end of the net and followed Tobiah’s lead, dragging it along sand and then pulling it up out of the water. Three tiny fish flopped inside of it.

“I’ll eat more than that on my own,” Tobiah scoffed. He plucked the wriggling fish from the net and held it out. Agnes trotted up with the bucket and he deposited the fish in it, then bade Throp to help him cast it again. Soon the bucket was full and although most of the fish were small and thin, there were plenty of them and Tobiah seemed satisfied.

Throp watched him work the fire, spreading out the wood until the flames died down. He shoved sticks into the mouths of the fishes, leaned them against the rocks so they rested just above the hot coals. When the fish had turned black and crispy he pulled one off, squeezing it and making it split down the middle.

“Mmmmmm,” he said, taking in the smell and then digging in. He nodded to fish. “Help yourself.”

“Should we…?” Throp asked, looking back at the cave. Tobiah waved a hand and swallowed.

“Let her rest. There’s plenty more where this came from,” Tobiah said. Agnes wasted no time choosing a fish of her own and getting started. It wasn’t long, though, before the princess appeared, her hair mussed from sleep.

“Ah, we were just about to wake you,” Tobiah said. He patted the sand next to him. “Come have some breakfast?” The princess squinted at the sun.

“Isn’t it closer to supper?”

“It’s all the same at Tobiah’s Cove,” Tobiah said. He gave her a wink and picked up one of the skewered fish. “Dig in.”

“How long have you been up, Agnes?” the princess asked.

“I thought she was Nicolette,” Tobiah said nonchalantly.

Agnes froze, mid-chew.

“Uh… well, Agnes is her middle name, of course, but not many people call her by it,” she stammered uncharacteristically. Tobiah was waving her to stop.

“She’s no more a princess than I am a fishmonger,” he said.

Agnes swallowed and straightened, looking affronted, while the princess looked chagrined.

“But don’t worry,” Tobiah said before either of the girls could speak again. “Your secret is safe with me.” He gave them another wink and Throp was starting to wonder if he had some kind of facial tic. But both girls were smiling at him.

When the fish were gone and their bellies were full, Tobiah stoked the fire and stretched out on the sand, resting his head on a rock.

“Isn’t this place beautiful?” he said. “It was winter last time I was here, too cold to really enjoy the beach, but right now I could stay here forever, couldn’t you?”

Agnes started to reply but Throp cut her off.

“What are you doing?” he asked. Tobiah turned to him, his brow furrowed.

“What do you-”

“Why are you talking to us like this? Like we're friends. We’re not your friends. This isn’t a vacation for us. Your crew mate is dead, we almost died, we have no idea where we are and you’re treating it like a vacation.” He wondered if he could have spoken so sternly if the sword was in Tobiah’s hands instead of his. But he was getting angry, tired of never knowing what was going on.

“That’s rather ungrateful,” Agnes said. “If it wasn’t for Tobiah -”

“We wouldn’t be here in the first place,” Throp said, cutting her off again. “He owes us an explanation.”

“Throp is right,” the princess said, surprising him with her support. “I’d like to understand more myself.” Tobiah puffed out a breath, sat up and told his story.

He and Starnes had been planning a mutiny. Captain Dregg was a good sailor and had put together a good crew, and for nearly five years ran a good ship. In the beginning they mostly laid low. Set on ships only occasionally and lived off the spoils for as long as they could before heading back out for more.

At one point more than a dozen pirate crews sailed the Eastern waters, terrorizing every ship in its path. Some ships, like The Trident, chose to sail further and further from the coast. Others began to arm themselves, manning the ship with swordsman, taking on the pirates when they attacked. Half the time they were winning. The waters were getting crowded, making it harder and harder for crews like The Herring’s to make a decent living without risking their necks.

Captain Dregg decided it was time to thin the herd. He started setting on other pirate ships, executing all aboard and setting the ship on fire, always waiting to watch it disappear beneath the water. He did the same with any merchant or civilian ship that dared try to fight him.

“He wanted to be King of the Sea,” Tobiah said. “And it wasn’t just his desire to be the only pirate captain on the whole of the Eastern coast. That was greedy enough but beyond that, he became obsessed with wealth, the kind in the form of jewels, bullion, trinkets. You saw the way he turned his nose up at the cargo of The Trident. That could have kept us going for a month, but unless it’s shiny, he’s not interested. He’s like a damn magpie!” Tobiah’s voice raised in frustration at his last sentence. He took a breath and went on.

“We were the richest crew to sail these waters,” he said. “And yet we were starving. Working constantly without break. The others bought into Dregg’s lunacy, expecting some kind of big pay off in the end, but I could see it for what it was. He was never going to spend any of it, let alone share it. Because then he wouldn’t have the most. And that was his priority. Dying atop a mountain of treasure.”

“A mountain of treasure,” Agnes repeated softly, obviously enthralled by the idea. But Throp could see Tobiah’s point. What good were riches if you hoarded them?

“And how did I fit in,” the princess asked. “Your captain was going to take me to your ship until you spoke to him. Was I part of your plan the whole time?”

Tobiah chuckled.

“Hardly,” he said. “You were the last straw in a never-ending series of bad decisions.”

The princess frowned, looking slightly insulted.

“What I mean is, taking you hostage was a foolhardy idea. I didn’t believe for a second that the King of Berabeth was going to hand over a ransom without a fight. Even if we did somehow pull it off, I had this feeling that it would be the end of us. We wouldn’t last another season before someone took us down. It wasn’t the right time, but I didn’t feel I had any choice. I convinced Dregg that it made more sense, was safer, for me to take you on The Trident while he sailed to the mainland to negotiate. Once terms were reached, I would leave you somewhere for your King to retrieve you.” Tobiah shook his head and laughed. “It really didn’t make that much sense. But Dregg’s ego was so inflated, it never occurred to him that I would lead him astray, that anyone would do anything to jeopardize his reign as King of the Sea.”

“But why didn’t you enlist the crew of The Trident?” the princess asked. “They could have easily overtaken the other pirates and then-”

“And then what?” Tobiah asked. “Starnes and I get clemency for turning on our captain? Do you really think that would have happened? That storm provided us the perfect cover. Ideally, it will have looked as if we washed overboard in the storm. Either way, there will be confusion. Ender and the rest won’t know what to do without someone giving them orders. They may try to catch up with The Herring or go to the rendezvous point and wait.” He chuckled. “I wish I could see the look on Captain Dregg’s face when he sees you’re not aboard,”

“But what about us?” Throp asked. “What’s our plan?”

“The only way out of Tobiah’s cove is on a ship -” He gestured toward the water. “-which we don’t have. Or through that cave. Those cliffs turn into the Impassable Mountains and a cave system winds through them. When you come out the other side you’re just a hop, skip and a jump from the heart of Berabeth. And since that’s the direction I’m heading anyway, it works out for everyone.” He heard a relieved sigh from the princess, but Throp couldn’t help but be disappointed. Going straight to Berabeth meant another journey back to Port Baston before he could get on a ship to take him home. One again he would be heading in the opposite direction. The princess seemed to read his thoughts.

“Maybe it’s better,” she whispered. “If you go to the castle with us, deliver the ‘princess’ yourself? If Captain Dregg has his way they’ll think she’s been abducted by pirates. When you arrive with her in tow they’ll probably send you to Port Baston on a golden chariot.”

That didn’t make him feel much better, but he appreciated her effort.

“And what’s in that direction for you?” Throp asked.

Tobiah could only grin.