“Did you find them?” Lilith asked as James paused slightly, drinking his ale.
“I’m afraid not. I was caught days after my escape, beaten and sold to another slaver who arranged for my transport to America aboard this very ship. It was Chibs’ mutiny that saved me from that fate, I owe him everything. He taught me seamanship and sailing. He taught me how to handle a sword and gunnery, navigating by day or night but the most precious thing Chibs ever taught me is that there are good men in this world. No matter how hard it is to come by them at times, there are good people.” James replied. He looked skyward with Lilith and drained the last of his mug. The night had cooled to a pleasant, comfortable temperature and the skies were clear and brilliant. Songs from both ships echoed in the cove and James could see Lilith’s eyes had cleared as she still gazed up at the heavens. After a long moment of silence, he began pointing out stars for navigating, constellations large and small. He told Lilith the stories and myths behind the major constellations as the glow of the moon rose over the cliffs on the eastern edge of the cove. It was a waxing moon past quarter full and her pale light shone down illuminating everything in sight. In between the tales inspired by the constellations James looked to see if Lilith was still engaged, pausing momentarily once, he was caught off guard by her beauty. The moonlight reflected off her features and shined in her almond eyes, giving her an angelic glow. Catching his thoughts, James resumed the story he had been telling only to find it more and more difficult to focus.
After a couple of hours, the songs from the crew had died away, sailors made their way to their hammocks, retiring for the night. Eventually, all that remained on deck was the sailors on watch, Lilith and James. James was fighting a yawn and telling the eternal hunt of Orion for Taurus when he looked down to Lilith and saw she was fast asleep, her mug of ale tipped over and a small dribble spilled onto the deck. James fetched a blanket from below deck and draped it over her as she slept, he gave one last look at her face and figure in the glow of the moon and disappeared below to his cabin.
The first glow of dawn brought a flurry of activity to the Drowned Maiden and her prize ship. Crew set about refitting the slave ship from her old profession. The iron bars creating cells below deck were stripped out, shackle mounts were removed and gathered into a barrel so the iron could be re-purposed elsewhere. Cleaning below deck was arduous and gut-wrenching work. Piles of feces had to be shoveled out and deck boards all washed, bulkheads and hatches all needed to be washed and the galley was all but gutted. Above deck, line lockers were in disarray, several blocks in the rigging needed to be replaced and even the rudder line that ran through the ship’s wheel was in questionable condition. Long into the hot Haitian afternoon crews went about cleaning and repair, shuttling back and forth to the Maiden for supplies and tools on longboats, bringing fresh hands for work with every trip.
On the quarterdeck of the Maiden, Captain James and Chibs discussed the information they had learned from the slaver crew. Neither man seemed to notice Trina and Lilith at the foot of the stairs that lead down to the main deck, the pair were splicing line while Trina educated Lilith on sailing maneuvers. James had brought a chart out from his cabin and he looked over it with Chibs while they discussed plans to present to the crew.
“We just took one of their ships. The Caribbean fleet is going to be out in force looking for her. The prudent thing would be to wait it out for a while.” Chibs said.
“I disagree Chib. I think if we strike now, we need to hit the slaver fleet before they realize we have taken one of their ships. Right now we have good information on their anchorage and the camp they are using. We could burn their whole fleet at anchor, we could raid their camp and set scores of captives free. But we lose our surprise advantage the longer we wait.” James countered. Chibs could only shake his head. James was a stubborn man and a bold tactician of Chibs’ own making. James’ plan had its merits and when presented to the crew would likely carry the vote. Other matters were discussed, candidates for Captaincy on the prize ship and the name of the vessel were foremost.
With the refitting of the prize ship underway well into the evening, Captain James halted their work to call the entire crew of the Maiden and the freed slaves together onto the deck of the Drowned Maiden. Lilith stood amongst the crowd of sailors, freedmen and women taking in the chatter around her. The warm evening air was thick with tension and excitement. Captain James climbed up onto the rail of the quarterdeck, wearing the same cutlass Lilith had used to torment the captured slaver. He unsheathed the sword and held it out over the crowd.
“Quiet down you lot of brigands!” James yelled out over the ship. His shouts were met with raucous laughter, cheers and shouts in reply. James laughed and turned to Chibs, who was taking a deep drink from a rum bottle pilfered
