Hidden Island Chapter 42, part 1 of 3

Hidden Island
Chapter 42, part 1 of 3

"That's a fucking Caravel!" Barney gaped.

"Yeah, so," Jack asked, snapping her eyes from the light doze she'd been in since they'd made it to the inlet. On the other side of the lagoon, the ship's lanterns and cookfires from shore lit up the Kestrel in a way that might have been majestic if not for the gaping hole in her hull.

"How the hell did you get a full-sized fucking Caravel through that inlet? In the dark! In a storm! With a breach!" Barney kept rowing but gestured with his head so emphatically that Jack thought he might hurt himself.

"You'll have to ask the Captain," Jack shrugged. "I'm not a sailor."

"Who the hell's your Captain?" Barney asked, still gaping at the Kestrel as they got closer.

"Her name's Vex," Jack said.

Barney snorted. "Funny."

"What?" Jack asked.

"I might be a rube, but I can read. Good enough for that, at any rate." Barney said derisively.

"Captain Vex ain't real."

"What?" Jack asked, even more confused.

"Belita Vex?" Barney asked pointedly.

"Yes," Jack said suspiciously.

"The Siren of Casterly? The Cathouse Captain?" Barney continued. Jack's expression got more and more confused. "Her ship's a floating brothel, and her crew's a bunch of-" the oarsman cut himself off, a bit embarrassed when he remembered he was speaking to a lady.

"Uh, anyway, a whole stack of her books is back at the Red Door. In the privy."

Jack leaned forward, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Oh no, please go on."

On shore, Bella sprang to her feet in a burst of colored skirts, causing Friday to cut herself off mid-sentence.

"What is it?' the doctor asked as Bella tried to listen to something in the distance.

There it was—another distinct peal of laughter. A relieved grin spread across Bella's face.

"Jack's back!"

Caine grumbled as he started unlocking the door. "Why the hell doesn't Will have a peephole?"

"What are you doing!?" Janie asked fearfully.

"I'm gonna get rid of them," he said. "Stay here."

Hector stood up angrily and looked at the sisters, but Caine shook his head before they could reply. "No. We just went over this. You three can't get involved."

"They're here for Miss Castilian. We just swore to protect her," Sister Victoria disagreed.

"If they get inside, cut loose. Until then, let me handle it," Caine said as he struggled with a particularly stubborn deadbolt.

Janie crossed the room, took a few quick steps, and put her shoulder into the door. "It sticks.

You have to push, or it won't move."

The deadbolt snapped open quickly. "Thanks," Caine grunted."

"You're going to take on a mob of pirates alone," Hector scoffed.

"I don't think it counts as a mob unless they have torches," Caine said. He gently pulled Janie behind him, then opened the door a crack to look outside. The crack of a pistol rang out, and the heavy door shook. Caine shut the door. "Nope, still just a group."

"Caine!" Janie snapped. He was down on one knee with her hands over her ears, still recovering from the shock of sudden gunfire. "They're shooting at us!"

"Well, one of them is," Caine agreed. "So I guess they're a posse?"

"You can't go out there!" Janie pleaded.

"I'm not yet," Caine said thoughtfully. His eyes flicked around in thought like he was seeing things no one else could. I don't think one gun in ten is enough for a real posse, so we still have some time."

"Time?!" Janie said aghast. "You're waiting for more of them to shoot at us?"

"They're just wasting bullets," Caine said dismissively. "He's showing off and trying to spook us."

"It's working!" Janie growled.

"At least take my pistol with you," Victoria suggested.

"Oh, right." Caine grabbed the Inquisitor's weapon off the shelf with none of the respect such a holy relic was due and casually tossed it to her. "Too distinctive. There's only one way to get a gun like that. Besides, I don't want them to run away too soon."

Sister Mercy looked at him with new depths of confusion and horror. "You plan to go out there unarmed?"

"I'll get a weapon from them," Caine shrugged. Another shot rang out, and the door rattled.

Everyone else in the room dropped low. Hector lit his shield of light again, dragging the broken table towards the door for cover. Caine scratched his stubble. "A gang!" he said with a snap of his fingers.

"What is wrong with you?" Sister Mercy demanded.

"Either of you trained for scouting?" Caine asked the Sisters.

"I am," Victoria said, giving up on trying to understand this infuriating man. "Why?"

Caine pointed towards the office. "You can go out the window. Head to the docks. Get your ship to cast off and wait below the Fort. Send a small boat to shore underneath the lighthouse."

Sister Victoria nodded momentarily, glad to have any plan to latch onto. "Most of our crew is at the Fort. I'll go there, rouse them and give them orders, then come back here. It sounds like you have an escape route?"

"Maybe," Caine said. "Do you know how to make siege Wards?"

"Yes?" Sister Mercy said, a bit confused. She looked up at the faint sigils carved around the perimeter of the ceiling. "I suppose we could use the framework of the Library Wards you have already set up. They're expended but-"

"Not here," Caine said, giving Janie a pointed look. "In the basement,"

Janie's confused eyes brightened in revelation. "Brilliant!"

Another bullet slammed into the door, jarring everyone except Caine.

"They're lighting torches!" Tonya called from upstairs.

"Alright, fine, they're a mob now," Caine said in exasperation. "Sister, wait until I drag the ruckus further away, then head out the window."

"Even if I ignore the part where you are going to get yourself killed, I'd like to know more about this plan before I leave my team and go skulking about," Sister Victoria said skeptically.

"Janie knows what to do," Caine said. "She'll explain."

"Don't be long," Janie said firmly. Eventually, she'd given up on talking him out of confronting the mob. She'd learned not to doubt him. Her heart was in her chest, but she had faith. If he said he would be back, she believed him.

"Make sure Tonya's ready," he said with a subtle smirk that made Janie blush instantly.

Caine sat motionless like a coiled spring with his hand on the door. The air felt thick with anticipation.

"What are you waiting for?" Victoria started. Another gunshot rang out. Before the door rattled,

Caine yanked it open and rushed outside.

Janie started throwing locks as quickly as she could.

"You lead a fascinating life, Miss Castillian," Sister Victoria said dryly.

"Unfortunately, yes," Janie said tersely. Locks clicked one by one. Shouting started outside.

"A drop bar seems faster and just as secure," Hector said flatly.

"They were here when Will bought the place," Janie said, holding back frustration and helplessness. "Until recently, we only used one."

"Who needs that many locks?" Sister Mercy asked.

"A smuggler," Janie said. "Come with me."

The Sisters glanced at each other in surprise and followed.

"Tonya, come down here!" Janie called up the stairs.

Janie was slightly surprised as the young witch came running down the steps. She wore a pair of Will's pants, now cut much shorter and held around her waist with a rope, and an old shirt with rolled-up sleeves. Her hair was tucked inside a cap. She hadn't reapplied her makeup after bathing. If Janie didn't know her, it would have been easy to mistake her for an adolescent boy. She looked nervous but eager to do whatever needed to be done.

"Tonya, this is Sister Victoria. She needs to know the moment the mob outside leaves," Janie said quickly.

"Tom," Tonya corrected.

"What?" Janie said, blinking in surprise.

"You know, like Chris at Mary's. We talked about that earlier. Remember when Kaduska said
Genies could be boys or girls, and Caine said that Angels don't have-"

"Yes, I remember," Janie said quickly.

"So when I'm dressed like a boy, I'm Tom," Tonya said with a grin.

"Alright," Janie said, not sure how to respond.

"You said we needed to be able to move around easily in case we needed to run, and all I could find were Will's old stuff, and I thought a disguise might be a good idea, so it got me thinking," Tonya said in a blur of words. "Just call me Tom when I'm being a boy. Hiya Sister,"

Tonya said with an awkward wave and a forced smile.

Victoria gave the boyish young woman a slight nod, doing her best to hide her bewilderment.

"Hello, Tom." The display of nervousness piqued the Witch Hunter's training. It was customary for people to be scared of Inquisitors, and this was a tense situation, but Victoria knew the difference between general nerves and fear borne from guilt. Usually, she'd want to investigate, but Tom was a low priority for the moment.

"We're headed to the basement," Janie said. "As soon as the people outside clear, tell Sister
Victoria and bring our stuff down. We're leaving as soon as Caine gets back."

"Wait, where'd he go?" Tonya asked, suddenly worried.

Muffled sounds of violence erupted from the streets. Thuds and crashes, roars and curses.

Bellows of pain.

"Outside," Janie said, biting back her worry.

Tonya grinned evilly. "Oh, those poor assholes. I wanna watch!" She scampered back up the stairs.

"She is... enthusiastic," Sister Victoria said.

Janie was already on the next task. "This is your exit," she said as she crossed to the office window. It was small and squat, arched at the top with heavy wooden covers held by vertical brass poles. "Help me with these." Together, the two wrestled with the heavy brass rods off their mountings and set them aside. The wind off the ocean immediately began rattling the shutters in the frame.

"Outside, the ground slopes, and the ledge is only a few paces away. There's a sluice trench that is easy to miss in the dark. Be careful," Janie cautioned Victoria.

"Thank you," the Inquisitor said. "Mercy, can you help me?"

Mercy started helping Victoria remove her cloak and equipment harness. Outside, a pistol retort rang out, punctuating the sounds of violence. Janie's heart clenched in her chest but relaxed when the shouts and crunches resumed momentarily.

"This lighthouse is built like a fortress," Hector said from the doorway. The big knight was unconcerned with the violence outside. "That's a cannoneer's window."

"Is it?" Janie asked as they set the second brass pole aside. "I always wondered about the odd design. That makes sense. The island used to be a staging ground for the Barcolan wars.

This lighthouse was originally a watchtower."

"Strange that there's only one gunport," Hector continued.

"Oh, there's two more," Janie said, gesturing to other areas along the rounded walls. "The poles don't come loose anymore, so Will covered them with shelves." She grabbed the corner of the rug and peeled it back to reveal the trapdoor on the floor.

"Powder storage," Hector grunted, unsurprised at the reveal.

"Later turned Smuggler's den," Janie added.

Sister Victoria dropped her mantle on the desk, reached for the hem of her robe, and unceremoniously hauled it over her head. Sir Hector turned around in the doorway. Janie was shocked to see the Inquisitor's wiry body suddenly. She was lean and pale and covered with corded muscle. Her waist was narrower than Janie's, but her thighs and buttocks were much thicker. Her white shirt was silk and barely fell past her hips. Her breasts would have easily fit in Janie's hands. They weren't much more significant than Tonya's. Half a dozen impressive scars marked her skin. Janie turned away with red cheeks as she realized she'd been staring.

Sister Mercy gathered her partner's robe and held it out. Victoria stuck her hands in and let the fabric drop over her form, inside out.

She shrugged back into her weapon harness, reversed her mantle, and pulled it around her shoulders. She'd arrived in gleaming white from head to toe and now was black as night.

Janie shuddered. Black Inquisitor's robes had a well-deserved reputation, but to Janie, it was more personal. The sight of them still made her skin crawl.

She shook off her bad memories and hauled on the trapdoor's pull ring. "There's a tunnel down there, but it's blocked." She led them down the steps. Sister Victoria stayed on the stairs to hear Tonya's call from above. Janie pointed to the rotten wooden brace beams and the cracks in the stone. "With Siege Wards to reinforce this chamber, we should be able to clear the collapse."

"With what? You have mining charges?" Hector asked.

"Witchcraft," Janie said.

The Inquisitors visibly tensed and looked at each other. Victoria's sharp instincts pulled her to only one conclusion. "The girl upstairs. Tonya. Tom," she said. It wasn't a question. That girl had been rambling to cover her nervousness, and now Victoria understood why.

"Yes," Janie said with a nod. "She is a witch's apprentice, sanctioned and registered."

"And can channel so much energy that you need siege wards to contain it?" Sister Mercy said, obviously uncomfortable with the implications.

"Hopefully, yes," Janie said. "If not, we're rather stuck."

Sister Mercy was concerned. "Even from a sanctioned witch, a powerful ritual can have spiritual risks. Too often, the power comes from forces the practitioners do not fully understand."

"That's often how sanctioned witches fall from grace," Sister Victoria said flatly. "We will need to observe the ritual."

Janie turned towards the pile of rubble to hide her blush. "I'm sure Tonya won't mind. Caine may need some convincing.

"Oomph," Jack grunted as her arms suddenly filled with soft flesh and black curls.

"Jack!" Bella squealed happily, lifting both feet off the ground as Jack instinctively braced herself. A moment later, she set her feet back on the ground again and looked around. Her jubilant expression darkened. "Where's Will?" she demanded.

Jack's heart clenched in her throat as the implication in Bella's words hit her. She shook her head. "It was his idea."

Bella narrowed her eyes.

"We found a port," Jack explained defensively. "He's negotiating with the person in charge.

Where's the Captain?"

Bella's mercurial mood shifted again. She smiled and took Jack's hand excitedly. "She's eating with the crew. Come on."

Barney watched the whole exchange, somewhat dumbfounded. The brunette looked like she was mostly made of tits and hair. She was barefoot in the sand, and small charms jingled as she moved. It seemed like she was dancing a little with every step. He'd only ever seen a handful of women as attractive, but she was N'madi for sure. He knew all about them. He tucked his coin purse more securely into his belt and watched as she wrapped her hands around Jack's arm and pulled her away with swinging hips. "Damn," he muttered. There was at least a little truth to the stories of Captain Vex's lusty crew.

Jack looked over her shoulder. "Try to keep up."

Barney followed close, scanning the scene nervously. Eyes tracked him, but they were weary, not suspicious like he was used to in Shady's Cove. His notions about Captain Vex's crew were quickly disabused. Sure, there were more women than usual, but they weren't half-clad sirens. They looked like refugees. About half the people he saw were wounded. They'd been through an ordeal to get here.

A soothing reed pipe played as they neared the makeshift mess area. The crew drank their soup from tankards and bowls and whispered amongst themselves. Their eyes turned to Jack as she approached, and their eyes brightened. The cook clapped her on the shoulder and said something happy around a mouthful of food. He unceremoniously shoved a cup in her hands.

She took it with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Mister Potts."

Another jaw-dropping beauty stood up from one of the fallen logs they used as benches. She was blond, with skin that looked like bronze in the firelight. A dozen gold rings pierced her ears, and braids hung from her temple. She looked worn at the edges but brightened as Jack approached.

"Miss Hunter!" the blond roared in an unmistakable Casterly brogue. "Good news, I hope?"

Jack stopped beside the bonfire with the busty N'madi, refusing to let go of her arm. "We found a port."

The crew cheered. Some leaped to their feet, and others clapped. Jack held up a hand, and they quieted. "It's Shady's Cove."

The crew looked at each other, some excited, others worried. The blond looked pained momentarily, then rubbed her temples and started laughing. "O' fuckin' course it is."

"That sounds bad," the N'madi wench commented.

The blond nodded slowly for emphasis. "Pirate's den. Biggest around."

"Have you been here before?" Jack asked.

"Always managed to avoid it," the blond woman said. "Too many stories. I try not to mix with pirates if I can help it. My reputation has enough problems already."

"The woman who runs the place is named Shae. She's... formidable," Jack continued.

"Aye, I heard that too," the blond nodded along.

"Will's negotiating for you now. She wants to meet with you after the Kestrel comes into port,"

Jack explained.

"Aye, good. What's the catch?" the blond asked.

"I don't know. Something's off with her," Jack said with a slight shrug. "I can't put my finger on it. I... like her, but she worries me. She's dangerous."


To be continued