Be Prepared

When he arrived for our meeting, it was obvious he'd never been in a cloak and dagger situation before. Relying on the stereotypes to guide his way, he wore dark clothes and a hood covering his head. Surrounded by the bright clothing of the Seamen around him, he stood out like a sore thumb. No one cast him a second glance, the majority because they were my crew and knew of his identity already. My captain sat beside me with a bright, goofy smile reminding me of a dog welcoming his owner home.

"Gildas, dear friend, over here!" He yelled out across the tavern. Waving the disgruntled man over to our table.

"Would you please be quiet captain Evrard?!" Gildas whispered angrily as he took his seat across from us.

"You have no idea who could hear and give away the entire plot!" My captain burst into loud bellowing laughter at the man's worry.

"I know exactly who each and every one of the people in this tavern tonight. For instance, the two men at the bar are Bill and Ted. The three playing darts are Freddy, Dominic, Marcus. I may have just proved my point, but if you would like a complete roll call, I can continue?" Each man turned towards us with each name called and gave a small wave of acknowledgment. My captain hid his bright smile behind his jug as he took a deep drink of ale. Gildas grunted and took his hood down, then took out some papers.

"Let's just get this over with, then. I need you to kidnap someone. A girl." My captain's smile immediately dropped at the news.

"No, absolutely not. I don't do things involving women and children, you know this. Everyone in the Indian Ocean knows this!" Felix Evrard may be a Pirate Captain, but he had standards, limits.

"Of course, I know this. That's exactly why I need it to be you. You'll treat her with kindness. You won't harm her." The man blurted.

"What are you playing at!" Felix's temper was raising at the audacity of the man before him.

"I have a plan, one that, if you know less of the better. This girl is a noble, lesser noble but still of high breed. I need a man of quality to keep her secured until her part is to be played. I do not want a single hair on her head to be harmed at any point in the process. Thus, I come to the only man I know for a fact will not harm her. If I can't have you do this for me, I will find someone else, someone of whom I can't promise won't harm her. I don't believe either of us wants that future." Gildas studied Felix's face as he spoke and leaned back in his chair as if he'd won.

"Blackmail, you're blackmailing us," I spoke for the first time. My voice was calm and collected, a stark contrast to the brewing anger inside of me.

"If that's the way you want to view it then yes, I guess I am. Either way, it doesn't change the fact that the task must be done. It's up to you by whom, ma'am." He said to me as I turned towards Felix. Our eyes connected, a fire burning in both of us.

"Cicia?" Felix asked quietly. I weighed the options. On one hand, we'd have to break our code. On the other hand, if we didn't, the number of respectful pirates was few and far in between. Let alone one with a respectful crew. If he could have afforded the Chinese queen, I'm sure he would have gone to her first. Finally, I decided the pros outweighed the cons. I nodded my head, yes and both men let out heavy breaths.

"Five thousand silvers. Half now, half when the job is complete. You answer to Cicia now. Anything she says pretend came out of my mouth." Felix said, his voice quivering in anger at what we were being forced to do. He pulled himself up away from the table and headed to the bar. Most likely seeking something harder than his ale.

"Who is this girl and where are we keeping her," I say with a clipped tone my hand reached out to receive the coin bag he was fishing from his jacket pocket. While I counted out the silver, he unraveled the papers he'd pulled out earlier. One was a drawing of a dark-haired girl of no more than 18. The other was a map of the Madagascar coast.