08

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Leah woke up on the floor of a small room with only a bed and a jar of water. The floor was hardwood. The door was steel and had a little glass window out of which she could see an empty hallway. There was another larger window on the other side of the room, but all she could see through that one was mileseters and mileseters of the ocean. She was surprised to see her two-ended glaive sitting against the bedpost of her room.

She contemplated what had happened to her. The last thing she could remember was fighting Katu before waking up in this strange room. After a while, she began to have a sharp pain in the back of her head. She felt behind her head and to her surprise, there was a bump. That triggered a revelation. She had been attacked from behind. She then looked around the room again. I’m on Katu’s ship, she thought to herself. 

She walked to the door and tried to open it. It was locked. She rose up on her tiptoes and looked out the window to the hallway to see what she could see . . . Nothing. The window was so small that it only allowed the wall in front of the room to be visible. She then turned around and looked at what was in her room. Realizing that she was inevitably trapped in there, she went to the bed to lie down. As she lay there, she looked at the gray ceiling and tried to remember what happened before she was knocked out. 

After a while, she heard voices coming closer and closer to her door. She grabbed her glaive and held it tight. The door opened and two men carrying swords came in. 

“Well, well, well,” one of them said. “I heard that we had a female captive, but I didn’t know she was this good-looking.”  

“No wonder Cap’n Katu wanted to keep her so bad.” The other one grinned. They started chuckling. 

Leah just glared at them, holding her glaive, waiting for an attack. 

“Hey,” the first one said. “Cap’n said you could come and eat supper with us. You hungry?”  

Leah didn’t say anything. 

“Well, you don’t have a choice so let’s go.” They grabbed her and pulled her out of the room. She thought about taking them both out, but it would be useless. Even though she could easily take them down, she would eventually get caught. Fighting two was nothing compared to the dozens of others.

On the deck of the ship, the crewmembers sat at a long table. The table was covered with a white cloth and on it were delicacies like fruits and vegetables. In the center of the table were giant platters of different cooked meats. It was quite a lavish-looking setup, except for the fact that it was on a pirate ship. However, the lavishness disappeared when Leah noticed how the crewmembers were barbarously chowing down on all of it.

Katu sat at the far end of the table. He was just about to finish his last piece of meat when he noticed Leah being escorted by the two brutes. “Ah, there goes my lovely wife,” he said with the meat still in his hand. 

Leah forced herself not to make eye contact with Katu or any of the other crewmembers. They didn’t deserve anything that she had to offer. She continued to look at the extravagant table placed in the center of a not-so-extravagant pirate ship. “I don’t recall our wedding,” she said to Katu while taking the seat in front of her. It was opposite of Katu’s seat on the other end of the table. 

Katu studied her for a while as she sat with proper posture and her hands in her lap. All the while, she kept her eyes on the items on the table. She never once looked up at him or his crew.

“Well, now,” Katu said with a laugh. “I’ve seen plenty of extraordinary things in my time, but never have I seen an Oakan with table etiquette.” Katu let out a hardy laugh and the rest of the crew did as well. “Where’d you learn that from?”

Leah turned her head away from the table and looked out at the sea. “My father,” she told him. “He’s not Oakan born.”

 “Really?” Katu said, surprised. “But your skin is brown. There aren’t too many brown-skinned civilizations around these parts besides Oaka. He had to have traveled far.”

“He did,” Leah said as she kept her eyes averted from him. “He’s from the Roran Isles.” 

“Aha.” Katu laughed again. “He’s from my parts, a good strong community of cultured ruffians. You may have some pirate blood in you yet.”

Leah said nothing to that comment.

“So,” Katu began again as he went for another meat. “Was he from the western islands or the eastern?”

“The southernmost island.”

“Alahyu?” Katu said, naming the island to confirm it.

“Yeah,” Leah said. 

“That’s my island!” he yelled with shock. “Who is your father?”

Leah kept silent, keeping her head turned away.

“Wait,” Katu said with an epiphany. “Your name is . . . is . . . Leah, isn’t it?”

Leah still did not say anything.

Katu slammed his hand on the table, and it caused the crew to jump and look at him. The suddenness of it even caused Leah to finally break her aversion and look at Katu. Katu pointed at her with widened eyes. “You’re Leoran’s daughter!”

Leah jumped out of her seat out of pure shock. “You know my father?”

“No,” Katu said. “But I know of him.”

Leah glared at him. “What can a pirate know about my father?”

“Oh,” Katu said. “I know more about your father than you realize.”

Leah looked up at him and glared again. “What do you know?” she asked.

“Well, for one,” Katu began to say as he bit into his meat, “he was a pirate.”

Leah and Katu stared at each other for the longest moment after he said that. Leah could not believe what she had just heard, and Katu was looking to see her reaction.

“You’re lying,” Leah said to him. “My father wasn’t some pirate.”

“No, he wasn’t ‘some’ pirate,” Katu told her. “He was ‘the’ pirate. Sailing the seas of Auroa with a group of a dozen men. They took down everything in their path. Stuff of legend. There was talk that they sailed into a water dragon swarm. Hundreds of water dragons attacked them, and they fought them off with nothing but their own steel weapons. Their entire ship was destroyed; however, all twelve escaped on nothing but three rowboats. They bought a new ship by selling fifty water dragon teeth and placed the head of one of the dragons on the ship’s front. The greatest crew to ever live, that’s who they were. Your father was what pirates dream to be . . . well, at least until he decided to leave everything and settle down with some woman that he met up north.”  

Leah was mesmerized by what she was hearing. “How do you know all of this?” she asked.

“Stories told by the older generation. There are plenty more about Leoran.”

“Tell me more.”

“No, I think that’s enough storytelling for one day.”

“Tell me!” she demanded.

“Whoa, now,” Katu said with a lifted eyebrow. “I think you believe our roles switched at some point. Remember, I’m the captain and you’re the captive. You don’t demand anything.”

Leah sat back down and then averted her eyes again. She kept her head turned toward the ocean.

“Gireek,” Katu said to one of his crewmates. “Go get this gorgeous woman a plate. She’s royalty out here on the seas.”  

“What?” Gireek exclaimed. “Why do I have to?”  

“Because I’m the captain,” Katu said. “Now get your arse up and get her another plate, or would you rather have your head separated from the rest of your body?” 

Gireek sighed as he stood up. “I like my head where it is,” he said. Then he slouchily made his way to the kitchen area. 

After Gireek returned, Leah tasted the beans on her plate. “Ugh,” she cried. She ran to the edge of the boat and started spitting it out overboard. “It’s cold and doesn’t taste good,” she said. She then took her cup and started to drink, but she spit that out too. “Seawater?” she cried looking at Katu. All he did was smile and shrug.

***

Leah sat on her dusty bed as she thought about what Katu had said about her father. Either he was wrong or just a complete liar. There was no way her peace-loving father could have been pirate in his early days. Her mother wouldn’t entertain that sort of person. Leah thought about this while she twirled her glaive back and forth in her hand. However, she quickly jumped up, frightened, when Katu burst into the room. 

“Put this on and come up to the deck of the boat,” he told Leah, throwing green silky clothes to her. 

“Why?” she asked. 

“Because I said so,” Katu said. 

She held the clothes up and looked at them. “This is going to be a little too revealing, isn’t it?” she said. 

“Yeah,” Katu said. Then he shut the door.

Out on the deck, the crewmen were sitting around a small fire that gave the ship an orange tint in the night. Most of the crewmen were still eating their dinner. 

“My leg’s getting numb sitting here like this,” Roden growled. “Where is that girl.”  

“She’ll be here in a little while,” Katu said as he came up behind him. He then sat down next to him. “I just gave her the clothes to wear.”  

Roden grinned. “Now this is going to be amusing. It’s about time there was a girl on this ship. It’s been ages since any females were aboard.” He turned a sinister eye to Katu. “I was starting to think you fancied a bit of fruit in your diet, cap.”

Katu adjusted himself in a crossed legged position until he was comfortable. “Just berries and whatnot. Though, I’m sure you enjoy plenty of meat in yours, Roden.” The few crewmen who heard Katu’s retort let out hardy laughs and pointed at Roden who was certainly the duff of the joke.

After several minutes of waiting, finally, Leah came out. She had on the clothes Katu gave her, and yes, they were very revealing. All she had on was a silky green top and skirt that was cut to show part of her thighs. The crew whooped and yelled. They were all clapping and whistling at her. 

Leah looked down at her revealing outfit and then looked at the crewmembers who continued to holler and shout misogynies at her. They yelled out words and called her names that she knew would bring her mother to tears. And her father, the man who was apparently one of these ruffians at one point, would never allow such slanders against his precious daughter. There’s no way, Leah thought as she looked out at the pompous crewmen. There’s no way my father was a pirate.

She folded her arms which was the only thing she could do to try and not feel naked in front of them. “Now what am I supposed to do?” she asked. 

“DANCE!” the crew cried. 

“Dance?” Leah repeated. “You want me to dance?”  

One of the guys started beating on a barrel in a tribal rhythm.

Leah didn’t know what to do. Dancing was a common pass time on Oaka and was considered somewhat sacred. It was never done for something like this and it was certainly not forced. She looked at Katu. He was just staring at her intently. He was obviously not going to provide any help. Knowing that, she took in a deep breath and then started to move her hips, but she stopped after a few seconds. The pressure and the fact that she was a captive for these men caused her to not feel any kind of rhythm. “I can’t!” she said. 

“Dance, girl,” one of the crewmembers firmly said. 

She tried again, but she stopped. “I can’t! I’m telling you!” she cried. 

“Dance, Leah! Now!” Katu yelled. 

“I CAN’T!!!” she screamed. 

The beat stopped and the once happy crew stared at her with displeasing looks. Roden turned to Katu, saying, “Are you going to do it?”

Katu shook his head. “No, let her try again.” He then looked back up at Leah. “Leah,” he said. “I really recommend you dance.” He started making a beat on the floorboard.

“I’m sorry,” Leah said to him. “I just can’t dance under this type of pressure.”

“Pressure?” One of the crewmen exclaimed. He turned to his fellow crewmen and laughed. “She’s a damn captive. Does she honestly think she has the luxury of talking about pressure?” The crewmen chuckled as he turned back to her. “Work under it!” 

Roden looked at Katu again. Katu shook his head again and then looked at Leah. He continued on with the beat. Leah tried to dance one more time. She moved her hips from side to side. She tried to spin but then stopped again. “I can’t do it.”

Roden looked at Katu once more. “Cap’n,” he said. “She needs to be taught.” 

Katu folded his arms. He looked at Leah, who was just standing there, trying to cover herself with her arms. He frowned and stood up. “So be it,” he said to Roden. “Do as you wish. I will have no part in it.” He then walked toward his quarters. As he got near Leah, he stopped, they exchanged looks, and then he continued through the door of the sleeping quarters.

Leah was confused by the look that Katu gave her. It wasn’t angry. It was more of a solemn look. It was as if he was apologizing to her. As she thought about it, two men got up and grabbed her. 

“What are you doing?” she asked alarmed. “What’s going on?”  

The two men tied her to a pole, back facing out. Then a third man came holding a large whip. Leah stared at the whip and then thought about Katu’s solemn look. She understood now. She was about to be flogged. “So, this is what you’re going to do to me?” she said with resentment. 

“It’s a good teacher,” the man with the whip said. “It even teaches you how to dance.” Then, he swung the whip against her bare back. Leah whimpered in pain, but she didn’t scream. She couldn’t show any sign of weakness. The man whipped her again. He did this over and over, and each time, it left a large cut. 

Leah took each strike without letting out a squeal. However, the last strike was directly against her spine, and it caused her to scream, but no sound came out of her mouth. The strike sent a shock through her spine and up to her lungs, which muted her.

After the spectators watched her flogging, they untied her, and she fell to the floor. “Wash yourself off,” one of the men told her as he dropped a bucket of water next to her body. “We don’t need you picking up any bacteria on your wounds.” 

“Is that it?” Another crewman said. “We just came out for this?”

“I know hundreds of girls who’d do more than just dance for us, but we got stuck with this broad.”

The crewmen all grumbled as they went into their cabins. 

Leah sat against the pole that she had been tied to and rested her head against it. Her back felt like gel. Keeping an aggressive expression through the beating had tired her out. She stuck her hand into the bucket of water and grabbed a rag out of it. She rubbed it against her neck and collarbone and then she squeezed it to let the water drip down her back. It stung when the water came in contact with the cuts. She then picked up the bucket and dumped some of the water over her head.

As she washed, she heard someone step up behind her. She tensed up, because she didn’t know what to expect after being flogged. She turned her head a little, enough to see the action of the person out of the corner of her eye, but not enough to see exactly who it was. The person stood so close to her that she could feel his presence. Suddenly, she felt her long hair being gently grabbed and moved from her back.

“My, my, my,” Katu said as he stared at her back full of cuts. “If only you had danced.”

After hearing Katu’s voice, a wave of liberation went through her. For some reason, she was certain that she wasn’t in harm’s way with Katu near her, so she continued to wash her body without saying anything to him.

“I didn’t want this to happen,” Katu stated. “I don’t believe in striking a woman.”

“I thought you were the captain,” Leah said as she took the rag and rubbed it against her ribs. “If that’s something you don’t believe in, why would you let it occur?”

There was a moment of silence before Leah gasped and quickly arched her back, startled by Katu’s gel covered hand. His hand rubbed from her lower back up to her neck. He made sure the gel touched every cut. Leah could tell. It stung each time the it went across one of them.

“I am the captain,” Katu finally answered her. “Which means I can’t show weakness.”

“And going by your belief is weakness?” She slightly grimaced as the gel seeped into her cuts.

“Refusing your discipline is,” Katu said as he removed his hand from her back and let go of her long, wet brown hair. He walked around to the front of her. She kept her head turned away from him as he stood there looking at her. He then took his finger and tilted her head to face his. He took his other hand and pushed away her wet bangs to uncover her cerulean-blue eyes that so intrigued him. Inevitably, she looked directly into his, which made him grin with satisfaction.

“You’re quite beautiful,” he told her. “I’m sorry this happened to you.”

An apology that means little, Leah thought to herself. She said nothing as she stared at him without emotion.

Katu looked into her eyes a bit longer, and then he stepped back to look at her entire body. “I still wonder how such a beauty ended up on The Basilisk’s ship,” he told her, mesmerized by her flawlessness. “And who was that other guy? A mercenary of his caliber would cost a fortune, something that I know Miro surely does not have.”

Leah knew that the “mercenary” that he was referring to was Raal. He was the only person that gave Katu a tangible struggle. “I’ll tell you what you want if you tell me more about my father.”

“All that I know about Leoran has already been told to you,” Katu said to her.

“Then you won’t get anything out of me.”

Katu smirked and then tossed a pouch to her. “That’s the ointment I put on your back,” he said. “Place and any other wounds.”  Then he turned around and went back into his quarters.

Leah watched him leave. For a captain of such a malicious crew, he ironically seemed to be the least malicious of all of them, but that still did not make him any better in Leah’s eyes. He gave the order for her flogging, which meant that he was still the ultimate malefactor, malicious or not. That was something that could not be overlooked.

After placing the ointment on her wounds, she looked up at the dark sky. She thought about many things: Raal, Miro, his crew, her mother, her village, the Atlohs, and her father with a past that she never knew existed until now. She continued to look at the sky and, as she did, she let her many thoughts disappear into the back of her mind. She had more important things to think about. Her main objective now was to figure out a way to escape a pirate ship in the middle of the ocean.