Page 9 of A Descent Into Darkness

“What about her? You have the balls to question me after the shit you pulled tonight? You’re lucky that I came baring a set of keys rather than a pistol.”

I’d pacedmy room all night long, flipping the tiny vial of faerie dust in my hand. The one thing I kept over Teach’s head. My most valued possession. I’d been brought back toQueen Anne’s Revengewith explicit instructions to remain in my quarters. I was on the verge of madness. My thoughts wouldn’t give me a moment’s peace. Katherine infected melike a plague, eating away at my soul until all I could see in my mind’s eye was her.

I had no idea if her words had swayed Teach, and I made a desperate plea to the Divine to spare her life. I hadn’t slept all night, time slowly leaching away as it marched toward her death sentence. I’d decided that I would remain in my room until dawn, but if Teach didn’t call for me, I was going after her. With or without his help. When the latch creaked just before dawn, my pacing ceased as Teach entered the small space.

“If we’re going to do this, then I’ll need you at my side. The men won’t like it, but that cannot be helped. She’s a rare gem, and I must possess the power she yields.”

I nodded my approval, but remained silent. I wouldn’t rile the man with the heated words that lingered on my tongue. I shouldered past him as I headed for the main deck, but he grabbed ahold of my shoulder in his firm grip.

“I cannot condone your actions tonight, and youwillpay for them, but I would be remiss if I didn’t commend you on finding such a diamond in the rough. I knew I chose correctly when I selected you as bo’sun.”

Teach never explained his plan to me, but I followed him without a word. He had connections in South Carolina, ones that turned a blind eye to our piracy and benefited handsomely from their connection to Teach. That continued to bring him back to the colony, and I was counting on those connections to pull this off.

He led me to an upscale section of town. Large brickhomes painted in bright colors lined the cobbled street. The dark skies had shifted, indicating the dawn was imminent, but our presence was still cloaked in darkness. We came to a large white home at the end of the street. Teach took the small alleyway to the back of the house, letting himself into the courtyard and wrapping his knuckles on the back door.

“Edward!” A voice hissed when the door creaked open. “What in the Devil?—”

“Fuck your Devil, Raskin. I believe you’ll find me to be a trifle worse. Now let me in.” Teach shouldered past the bewildered old man, and I followed behind.

“You better have a good reason to show yourself at my house. Someone could have seen you,” the man grumbled as he led us down a darkened hallway. His small oil lamp casting us in deep shadows against the walls. We entered a neatly appointed study. The walls lined with bookshelves; a mahogany desk set at the far end of the room. As the old man went around lighting several candelabras, Teach motioned me to have a seat in one of the leather upholstered chairs. The room dripped with wealth and my mind began to question just who this man might be.

When he finally settled himself behind the desk, recognition hit me. He was dressed in a linen nightshirt, but this was the judge who’d proceeded over Katherine’s case. I remembered his wrinkled scowl; the same one he wore now. His powdered wig was replaced by a rumpled nightcap, but I knew I wasn’t mistaken.

“You have my attention, Edward. What’s so importantthat it couldn’t wait till morning?”

“I need someone released from the watch house,” he stated bluntly as he pulled a rolled cigarette from his belt. He struck a match on the fine desk and lit it, the end flaring red.

“Have you gone daft? You barge into my home, risking my reputation, all for what? Because you can’t keep a handle on your crew!” I flinched when Teach’s fist slammed on the desk, its entire contents rattling with the force of the blow.

“Don’t you ever lecture me on how I run my crew!” Teach’s voice bellowed in the small room and the decrepit old man only stared in shock, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. “Now, there is a girl being held at the watch house. I need you to release her to me.”

“A girl?”

“Yes, a girl. A witch, as you’d like to call her.”

“Surely you can’t mean?—”

“Katherine is her name, and yes, that is exactly who he means,” I snarled, unable to keep my mouth shut. The old man peered at me briefly before dismissing me altogether, returning his gaze to Teach.

“Surely there are other whores in town that will fulfill your needs. This case is of particular interest to the governor. I can’t—” Teach was a flash of movement at my side. In the blink of an eye, he’d reached across the desk, lifting the man from his chair by his neck.

“I grow tired of your insolence! Have you forgotten that I own you?” Teach reached for the man’s sleeve, tearing it open to reveal a scar of a skull and crossbones on hisforearm. Teach placed his finger on the scar. The man began to writhe and squeal in Teach’s tight grip. Smoke curled up from his arm and the scent of burning flesh filled the air. “You will release the girl into my custody. I don’t care what story you have to tell, what poor soul you’ll have to pin it on, just make sure it’s done. If you fuck with me, I will shut down the entire harbor and lay siege to your city until it crumbles under my boot.” Teach dropped the man just as quickly as he had grabbed him, and he collapsed in his chair, cradling the offended arm to his chest.

“The governor… he, he won’t be pleased. He’ll know it was me! He’ll have my head for it,” the man sobbed.

“Tell Nathaniel that I’m calling in my favor. Trust me, he’ll know exactly what you mean, and won’t give you any more trouble.”

“Yes, Captain. I will have her delivered to you atQueen Anne’s Revenge. I shall go to the watch house and oversee it personally.”

“Oh, and Raskin, do keep your hands to yourself. I don’t want your filth contaminating my property.”

The early morning sun shimmered off Katherine’s blonde waves as we made our way aboardQueen Anne’s Revenge. Even in its mussed state, her hair seemed to glisten like spun gold. She was a divine gift wrapped in tattered rags, shining through the dirt and grime of society's misgivings.

“James, I’m assigning Miss Hawkins’ care to you, and you alone. No one is to touch her without my permission. Lest they lose their goddamn hands!” Teach barked the orders loudly for the entire crew to hear. We had leftport for Nassau the moment we’d returned. Collecting Katherine had been more of a challenge than we bargained for, and the delay had thrown us completely off schedule. Teach wasn’t overly thrilled about it either; and his mood reflected the inconvenience.

“But, Captain,” someone grumbled from the back of the ship. “She’ll bring ill luck to theQueen Anne. We can’t have a woman aboard.” The crew started to whisper doubt amongst themselves as a nervous energy spread like wildfire across the main deck.

Katherine’s eyes went wide at the remark, and she clutched at a necklace she wore, obviously drawing some comfort from the simple piece of jewelry. She hadn’t uttered a single word since boarding the ship. The realities of being trapped at sea with a bunch of lawless pirates was quickly becoming clear. I hadn’t given much thought to whether or not the crew would accept her presence on board. I’d been more concerned with what she could offer me in my search for faerie dust.

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