The pirate village

Freit woke up being tumbled around in a wooded crate. The lid opened and the sharp rays of light cut straight through her eyes. One of the pirates pulled Freit out by the hair. He pulled her head to the back and poured a gray, fish-smelling water down her throat, then pushed her down and tied up her hands. He pushed her forward and she started to walk, crying. Ahead of her, marked by a huge black flag with a shark’s skull in red, was a loud and scary-looking village: the wooden houses were stacked all over the beach and between the palm trees. Dirty looking men were walking between them drunkenly. One of them, a bearded man, half an ear missing, took a look at Freit and then pushed her with his leg:

‘Ye nasty little demon!’ he said, looking closely at Freit’s white-shinning skin. ‘Ye ought to die here, ye hear?’

‘Leave it be, Hawk. The captain needs it for the map. Once we have that, the balloon can take off and we’ll be rich. Bloody rich with all those crystals.’

‘Ye think it knows it? Oh blimey, they’ll get a nice little touch of our dynamite. But it ought to happen soon. Captain Trinko lost five of his crews last year. We ought to run out of hands.’

‘The general knows about your troubles. He’s sure he’s found the right route this time. And now we have the last piece of the puzzle. Until then, keep your men in line.’

‘What in the bloody sea are you scratching at? Me men are in line!’

‘There’s been talk of a mutiny, Hawk. There’s word that you have a hand in this!’

‘I ain’t never a traitor, L’Ireau! And neither are me men! This ayn insult to me good character.’

‘No offense meant Hawk. Just stating the rumours. Make sure the balloon is ready soon. The captain announced a great feast before take off. Let the hands know.’

‘Aye! Aye!’

Freit was trying to remember who it was that needed saving as her mind became a blur. She looked around, worried and desperate, for a sign of her cat. Pushed into a small cage at the back of one of the houses, she cradled herself in the corner, still trying to figure out why it felt like she lived a lifetime that she could not remember. The night, turned off one by one, all the racket in the village, and finally silence made its way in. She felt as one feels after dreaming vividly and then waking up, the emotions from the dream all familiar, but only remembering unrecognizable glimpses. But a restless feeling kept her awake, her teeth grinding in silence at the ropes tying her hands. Every minute broke a single strain. Five down, nine hundred left to go. She kept at it and by midnight her hands were free. She grabbed at the trinkets around her neck, the furry tail tip tied up together with a small glass vial. She looked at it curiously and poured a drop onto her tongue. Just a few moments after, all was remembered. Her skinny body slid between the prison bars and off she went into the darkness.