The Scathed

[Crestshot]

Ahoy Mates! I'm not sure if this qualifies as late night posting yet, but my apologies on getting it out a little late in the day. I've had writer's block for pretty much the entire week. It's been terrible, but it finally ended (...kinda). But before I get too anxious about this chapter and rewrite it (again), here you go.

We



Lawrence walked cautiously through the caves with his sword drawn. He couldn’t be too careful. Skeletons haunted every corner. For some reason, though, the caves were oddly empty. Nobody had ambushed him yet, and he was already a ways into the tunnels.

He turned a corner to see Kat falling to her knees, cutlass and pistol falling from her hands, and let out a hair-raising scream.

Lawrence ran immediately to her side. “Kat,” he murmured, taking her into his arms. She didn’t respond, but still breathed heavily. “Kat!” he yelled desperately. She turned to him with bloodshot eyes.

“He’s just a boy,” she whispered. “Just a boy. He doesn’t deserve it.” Her head fell against his shoulder and she began crying softly. Lawrence held her tight to him, kneeling on the ground in the shaded caverns.

After a few minutes, there could be a shuffling heard echoing through the tunnels. Both Lawrence and Kat stiffened. They separated, and Kat grabbed her weapons while Lawrence took a dagger from his belt. It seemed the skeletons had awoken again.

“Come,” whispered Kat. “I don’t fancy the idea of meeting any more skeletons today.” Her eyes were still bloodshot and her nose still red, but she was done crying. It was time to build the walls back up. There was no more time for weakness.

“Agreed,” Lawrence said softly, and the two began quietly jogging out of the caves. They ran next to each other, Lawrence on Kat’s right, as their sharp eyes checked for any unsavory movement in the shadows. They made it out unscathed and back to Tortuga’s graveyard. For a moment, they stood to rest. Kat finally said, “Come on. I want to see how Hector is doing.” They walked at a brisk pace out of the graveyard and to Fabiola’s.

Kat let herself past the divider in Fabiola’s cart. Lawrence stayed right outside, not wanting to crowd the space any more. Kat looked down at the boy she had taken care of for the past three months. It wasn’t fair that he was sliced and diced in this way. He’s just a boy, he doesn’t deserve this. The luck of the skeletons seemed to be following him from Port Royal. She had ensured his safety while on the seas, but as soon as the journey ended, the lucky streak ended as well. Once their boots touched down on that Tortuga soil, she couldn’t protect him quite as well anymore. She couldn’t protect him here. Looking down at this small man, all she felt was failure.

She continued looking down at Hector for an indefinite time until Fabiola walked in. The gypsy stood next to Kat in silent companionship for a moment before saying, “You shouldn’t feel that way.”

Kat looked at her friend. “Like how?” she asked, but she already knew the answer Fabiola would give.

“You shouldn’t feel the guilt,” Fabiola told her. “It is coming off of you in waves.” Her violet eyes turned to Kat’s hazel. “Go someplace else to think. Right here is not helping you at all, being next to the one you feel you have failed.”

“Where can I go, Fabiola?” Kat asked desperately. “I feel that wherever I go I will have no peace from this feeling.”

Fabiola smiled that knowing smile. “You know exactly where to go, Kat; where you always go. Now leave and find that moment of clarity waiting for you.” She squeezed her arm gently in a gesture of friendship.

Kat followed Fabiola’s advice and left the cart. She passed by Lawrence, who decided to leave her be for a little while. Instead, he went into the cart to see Hector.

Kat climbed into her ship and up the rigging. Was it only a few hours ago her and Hector had docked? It was almost a lifetime in her eyes. No matter, though. All she felt now was the warm Caribbean breeze and the crisp night air. Her eyes shut as she threw herself into the feeling, rather than the thought.

Everything was clear now. There was no more buzzing, no more dazed feeling, no pressure. The height and the purity of the scene chased it all away. Now she could truly think, without all the stress of the day weighing down on her. She was able to think clearly, her thoughts not obscured by fog of guilt.

The Jolly Moon was unexpected by everyone, even Fabiola, who Kat had always seen as one who knew everything. It was impossible for Kat to know what was going to happen. In fact, in all reality, it was Hector’s fault more than her own because he had disobeyed her orders. She didn’t feel the need to punish him though. Being sliced and diced was punishment enough. One thing was for certain though; Hector couldn’t go back out with her when the time came. She had enjoyed having his help on the ship for the time, but she couldn’t allow him back on her ship. He was too inexperienced, and Kat didn’t want to risk his life again on another journey with her.

She sighed and looked up at the stars, the thoughts beginning to weigh again. Hector would not like it when she told him he would not be continuing on with her. Perhaps she could get him a job with O’Malley. He had kept the ship in top shape on the ocean. Still, she knew she would have a more difficult time on this next journey as well without him. His presence had been soothing, in his annoyingly questioning way. Her head fell forward tiredly as she thought over the implications of this single action. Roger was good at ruining everything it seemed.

“Kat!” she heard called from below. Her eyes opened again to see Lawrence standing on the deck of her ship. He waved. “Can I come up?” he yelled.

Kat thought for a moment, then decided, sure, what harm could it do? She waved him up and he began scrambling up the rigging. Kat moved out of the way and he fell into the basket next to her.

“Hey,” Lawrence said as he situated himself more comfortably in the basket. He sat down and leaned his back against the mast. “Everything ok?”

Kat sat down opposite of him. “I suppose it is,” she replied. Then she sighed. “Things are getting…complicated.”

Lawrence tilted his head at her. “Complicated how?”

Kat sighed. “Well, there’s Hector, and there’s Jolly, then there’s all the regular dangers of the Caribbean…” She trailed off.

Lawrence grinned. “Kat, it’s much simpler than you’re making it out to be. Look,” he leaned forward as if sharing a secret. “Hector will be fine. He’s fine Kat. He is going to live. You can stop worrying so much about that. There, that's one thing out of the way." Kat tried to interrupt here, but Lawrence just kept going. "Now, next thing. Jolly is here, and he just put this horror on us. We have to get to him and to his army and make sure he can never do this again. There’s thing two out of the way. Everything else? Well, you’re a pirate, and it seems to me that you know what you’re doing. You have to just keep going.”

“It’s not that simple Lawrence.” Kat tried to argue.

“Yes it is Kat,” he insisted. “Just keep going, keep doing what you’ve been doing. We can annoy the Navy and plunder the EITC and put a dent in Roger’s forces.”

Kat looked at Lawrence closely. “We?” she asked with a smile.

Lawrence grinned back. “Aye, Kat. We.”



(Quick note: This chapter didn't go to Jules since I only finished it about... 5 minutes ago. It may be subject to change because I'm not entirely confident about it. I'll bump if that happens.)

So mates, what did you think? It's a little awkward in my opinion, but it works for now. Please review on if it was good, bad, horrible, never-want-me-to-write-again-in-my-entire-existence (*eyes Del for a reveiw*). Haha, thanks for reading mates!

-Kat Crestshot