image [https://i.imgur.com/31O0CNp.png]

THE PIRATES

"I'm trying to change things here. You inspired me. Those days when I was in the Capitol to see Karth. Before I was sent away to live in this ugly place." Pavani almost spat the last words.

"Ugly place?" Monte spoke. He was looking at Pavani again.

"It's beautiful on the outside, no one can deny it. But look any deeper and you see it. A place is ugly when everyone knows who you will become the moment you're born.” Pavani was speaking quicker and using her hands. Monte recognized the behavior well.

“A place is ugly when an entire group of people are always hungry and sick, and nobody does a thing about it. A place is ugly when the culture is ugly, rotten, deep down." Pavani finished her speech. Her voice had risen, her cheeks flushed, Monte could tell even in the near darkness. This time he looked out towards the waves.

"Sounds like something I would say. I guess you really do remember." Monte looked back at Pavani. She was beautiful already, but now Monte was even more attracted to her. She wanted something, she was seeking, just like he was.

But she is my friend's sister.

"What are these changes you're trying to make?" Monte asked. He kept his eyes locked on hers.

"For starters, a leader who everyone supports. Since I’ve started talking about it, so many have joined the cause. We're currently trying to raise funds." Pavani said. This time she looked down as she said it, and her voice dropped off.

"You're asking the rich people if you can use their money to overthrow them? Doesn't seem like a great plan." Monte replied.

"We're not exactly… asking." Pavani replied. She looked back up at Monte's face. Monte did his best to hide the surprise he felt.

"You're just stealing from the gem dealers then?" As Monte said it, his eyes went wide.

“You’re one of the pirates.” Monte said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Of course. It all makes sense now.” Monte narrowed his eyes and pointed at Pavani.

And you’re not just one of them, you’re the pirate leader.” He couldn’t contain his smile as he spoke.

"Look, these Company ships come to port with so many goods on them already. They might already be stolen, they might be from slave mines, we don't know. We just take what we need and let them go. Nobody gets hurt." Pavani furiously tried to explain.

Company ships?

"While I do see your angle, I can't take part in organized robbery, you know that." Monte said. He narrowed his eyes and used as stern a tone as he could muster.

“Save it, I’ve heard it all before. You Guard think you're so above it all. I happen to know some of you aren't so rigid you know?" Pavani said, speaking as though she'd had the same conversation many times. Monte couldn't guess who she was talking about, Karth would never get involved in a ring of pirates, no matter how well-intentioned they were.

"We don't need you to steal anyway, we just need you to shake the Abbas up. Tell him you won't investigate. Let him know his power is limited." Pavani said, now almost pleading. Monte stared back at her. Finally, he looked up.

"That is what I was planning on doing anyway. I don't want to spend my vacation hunting down some petty criminals." Monte said, crossing his arms.

"Then you will help us?" Pavani looked Monte straight in the eyes, her head slightly cocked to one side, and the slightest hint of a pout on her lower lip.

"I'm supposed to just be here for Karth." Monte said. Pavani stared back at him, her eyes wide. Then her gaze fell.

"But I would like to see you commanding a ship of pirates." Monte said. Pavani looked back up. Monte looked her up and down, letting a grin spread across his face. Seeing his, she grinned too. For a moment she looked like she was about to throw herself into Monte's arms.

Monte never had a chance to decide what he would do if she had, at that moment a man approached them. He had been hiding in the dark. Monte reached for his sword, before realizing he wasn't wearing it.

"Stand down lad, I'm a friend." The voice said. Monte recognized it immediately but couldn't place who it belonged to.

"Is something wrong?" Pavani turned toward the man, still cloaked in darkness.

"One of our… friends… seems to have found where you ran off to Pav." The voice spoke again, and then stepped out from under the eave, revealing his face.

It can’t be.

"Mavlo?" Monte said, putting the face and the voice together. Even to Monte it sounded wrong, the face he saw was much thinner than the Mavlo he remembered. It was darker too, and his clothing was nothing like the Guard uniform Monte remembered him wearing. His pants were the same material as Pavani's shirt.

"What in the world are you doing here? And why are you dressed like a sailor?" Monte asked, letting out a small chuckle as he did. Mavlo smiled back at him, briefly.

"It's really nice to see you Monte, and I want to explain everything, but right now we need to get that cad of a friend of yours and get somewhere out of sight." Mavlo replied, his face turning grave.

“The Abbas’ men have been tailing us since we left the palace.” Pavani said, turning to Monte again. She was no longer smiling, though her cheeks remained flushed.

“Tailing us? How do you know?” Monte asked.

“I have… eyes.” Pavani replied, stealing a glance towards Mavlo.

Are they listening to us right now?

“What about Karth? Is he in danger?” Monte asked, remembering his friend was still inside.

"I'll take care of Karth. I'll meet up with you two later. You know where, Mav." Pavani said.

"Yes ma'am." Mavlo replied.

Mav? Ma'am?

Pavani nodded and then ducked back inside and disappeared.

"I need some answers." Monte said. He widened his eyes and gave Mavlo a look. He would have used his most confident Guard voice, but even in Civilian clothes, using it on Mavlo felt wrong.

"You'll get 'em. I promise. Right now, we have to move. We can't follow Pav. We need to go the back way. Stay close now." Mavlo looked around as he spoke, then he gave Monte one last look and took off towards the other end of the balcony they were on.

Before Mavlo went through the archway that appeared to lead into a different section of tunnels, he stopped and turned back towards Monte.

"Almost forgot, I brought you one of these." Mavlo said, as he unstrapped one of the sheaths he wore on his back. He handed it to over, and Monte ran his hand across it. Monte stared at it for a long time, managing to keep his mouth from gaping open. Then he looked back up at Mavlo.

"Don't worry, this one's quiet." Mavlo said, winking. Then he turned around and walked into the dark passageway.

Monte put his hand on the familiar hilt and gently pulled the blade out half an inch. He winced as he did it, but nothing happened. The only sounds Monte heard were the footsteps of Mavlo and the distant crashing of waves on the beach. Then, finally, it occurred to him.

The replicas.

Monte was holding what must have been the final version of the Company's attempts to make a fake version of his father's blade. It was too dark to pick out the difference in quality from the original. But since that sword was tucked away under the floorboards of his closet in the Capitol, this copy would have to do. Thinking of his apartment reminded him the cat was still down in the passageways.

"Are we going back to the cabaret?" Monte asked.

"No time lad, we will meet up with Karth and Pav soon, but we need to draw these buffoons off the trail first." Mavlo called from further down in the passageway. Monte slung the sword over his back and took off after Mavlo.

The cat will find me, she always does.

"Where do I even start?" Monte said, catching up with Mavlo.

"I guess… who are these buffoons?" Monte asked. There were a number of questions he wanted answered but he started with the most immediate.

"The Abbas hires these yes-men to do his dirty work. They don't do anything but check boxes, to tell you the truth. But every once in a while, they get a little too close to Pav for comfort." Mavlo said, huffing a few steps ahead of Monte. Monte was about to ask another question when Mavlo continued.

"Speaking of Pav, I was watching you two. She's not who you think she is, she's a little viper that one. Plus, she's Karth's little sister. You best be careful, unless you want to end up face down in the lagoon, or worse." Mavlo said, through wheezing breaths.

"Worse?" Monte asked, trying to imagine what he meant. Mavlo stopped and turned to him.

"Yeah, losing an old friend is worse than anything. Trust me." Mavlo said, watching Monte's eyes for a moment. Then he dabbed gently at his eye as he turned and kept walking.

"Just be careful, is all." Mavlo said, already huffing again. Monte decided to let the conversation go. He didn't have any intentions with Pavani. Even though she was cute, and smart, and hated the Company at least as much as he did.

"Okay, I hear you. Next question. What in the world are you doing here?" Monte asked. Mavlo continued to wind through the passageways, making turns here and there. Monte simply followed behind, he couldn't have been more lost.

"As you can imagine, after everything that happened, the village was different. Karth took over my position as Guard, I trained him up for a few months, and then it was time for me to truly hang up the uniform.” Mavlo paused, taking a moment to catch his breath.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“I lasted about two weeks before I just couldn't take it anymore. Folks coming to me asking me to help them find their lost horse, saying they would pay me to watch their store. I didn’t like doing that stuff when I was in the Guard, and I wasn’t about to do it after I retired.” Mavlo took a longer pause this time. He had been walking and talking through ragged breaths, not slowing down at all. Now, he stopped and turned to Monte again.

“The worst though, was the looks of pity. I couldn't take it." Mavlo said. Monte could see now that despite the new tan and losing a few pounds, the lines on his brow were deeper, his eyes drooped a little. His ears and the skin on his chin and neck seemed to droop a little more. Mavlo was an old man.

"So, I packed up and came here. Karth had told me about where he was born, and I decided I wanted to see it for myself. I haven’t looked back once." Mavlo said, with a sense of satisfaction in his voice.

“You’re telling me you moved to the Jeweled City, a retired Guard in a lawless place. You met up with your protégé's younger sister and… joined her crew of pirates?" Monte asked. Mavlo let out a short laugh.

"That's not too far from the truth. Uniform's a lot more comfortable at least." Mavlo said, laughing a little more and looking down and tugging at his loose linen shirt. Then he quickly looked back up, eyes wide and laughter gone from his face.

"Wait!" Mavlo hissed and shushed Monte, placing a finger over his lips.

They had come to an opening in the passageway out onto one of the ground level streets. Mavlo backed up against the wall and seemed to disappear entirely. Monte copied his motion.

No sooner had Monte pressed himself against a wall than he saw two men walk by the opening. They were dressed in dark colors and peered toward the doorway for a moment without slowing down their patrol. Mavlo and Monte waiting, motionless, until the two men's footsteps receded into silence, then they waited another moment to be sure.

Mavlo stepped out and gestured for Monte to follow. Mavlo peeked his head out onto the street and checked both directions before beckoning again. Then he walked out at a quick pace in the direction to the two patrolling men had come from.

"That was close." Monte hissed at a whisper.

"Close for them. We'd have cut those two to pieces. I'm just worried about them finding out where we hide." Mavlo spoke in a full voice. Then he turned to Monte and winked.

"Okay, next question." Monte said.

"This is your last one. You always ask too many questions." Mavlo replied, smiling.

"Where are we going?" Monte had decided this was what he really wanted to know, even if knowing wouldn't help him. He had no idea where he was, or where anything in this city was.

"That one I'm afraid I can't answer Lad." Mavlo said gravely. His face was equally serious, without a hint he was ready to crack into another smile. Monte followed his gaze and saw two more dark-clothed men walking towards them on the road.

Monte looked behind them and saw two more men coming from the other direction. They had sprung a trap.

"We can't be captured together, the Abbas would know too much." Mavlo said. He too saw the men closing in behind them.

"Okay, sorry for asking another question Mavlo but… what do we do now?" Monte asked, knowing Mavlo would have some way out of this. But he got an answer he wasn't expecting.

"Run."

Mavlo took off at a speed Monte wasn't expecting, and quickly disappeared into the darkness across the street. His words echoed in Monte's ears.

We can't be captured together.

The Abbas' men didn't seem to take Mavlo's bait and continued in Monte's direction. He turned around and ran back towards the archway into the passage he had just come through. Once through, he heard footsteps coming from deeper in the passage. Monte walked to a small window to the outside and looked over the edge. He had no idea how the Jeweled city was built, but he found himself somehow thirty feet above a row of vendor stalls.

Shouting picked up behind him, joining the commotion in front. He could just make out the faces of the men coming towards him from deeper in the passage.

"That's him! Grab him quick!" One of the voices yelled. Monte already had one leg out the window.

Plans change.

He pushed himself the rest of the way out. Falling was nothing like he imagined. There was no silent moment of contemplation in weightlessness. He simply left the window in one instant and crashed through an awning in the next.

The sound his body made as it crushed in the top of the vendor's stalls drew the attention a group of children. They came running towards the disturbance. Monte stood up but was tangled up in the deep orange fabric from the awning. The children stared at him, bewildered.

"I'm okay!" Monte said. The children all took a step back as one like he'd said something intimidating.

Monte looked around him and saw crushed pieces of fruit. He stood up and pulled the piece of fabric with him. Underneath it was a bounty of fresh melons and other exotic citrus. The vendors must simply leave their wares locked up overnight. The group of children was still watching him with some interest. Monte could see their eyes and cheeks were hollow.

They’re looking at the fruit, not at me.

"Come on. Take what you like." Monte said, as he gathered up the bolt of cloth and pulled it away. The children were timid at first but then became ravenous. They pulled at pieces of fruit and began to stuff themselves. Some made their shirts into baskets to carry loads away towards darkened doorways and corners.

"Hey! Stop that right now! Are you little street rats stealing food again?" A voice boomed. Monte threw the cloth up over his head at the sound of the voice. The children scattered like roaches before a torch.

How did they get down here so fast?

"Get back here you urchins!" Another voice yelled. Monte stood, wrapped in the cloth, as several men ran past him.

"Sorry for your troubles ma'am." The last man said. Monte nodded towards the voice without looking.

He didn’t hear the last man start walking again. Monte snuck a glance toward the man, and realized he was still standing there, his eyes now fixed on the ground near Monte's feet. Monte looked down and realized his boots were sticking out from below the wrap.

Monte went to reach for his sword, but the awning was wrapped so tightly around him he couldn’t reach it. Not waiting another heartbeat, Monte gathered up the fabric and ran.

"He's here boys! Over here!" The man yelled.

Monte was breathing heavy, running from the men, when he arrived at the foot of a staircase. He looked around to see if any other path existed and found nothing. From behind him, he could hear the commotion of the Abbas' men following after him. The narrow stairs wound upwards such that Monte couldn't see the top.

Lucky me.

He started up the stairs, taking the shallow steps two at a time. Shouting from the men behind him bounced off the stone walls on either side. He couldn't tell if the shouting was coming from behind or ahead of him. Then he saw a group of henchmen come around a corner on the stairs above him.

"Don't move! You're caught now pirate!" A voice shouted to him.

Monte looked behind and saw the men who had been chasing him up the stairs were finally catching up. With only a few seconds before they reached him, he looked around. At about shoulder height, just a few steps up from where he stood, was a closed window. Monte lunged to it and pounded on it. Almost immediately the window opened and he hoisted himself up into it, taking care to keep the cloth wrapped around him.

Once inside the room, he smelled something familiar and overpowering. He took a quick look around as he caught his breath. Six women, some sitting at small tables, all in various states of undress, glared at him.

"It's a man!" One of them shrieked. The rest joined in immediately.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Monte shouted, as he pulled cloth up around his head and hurried toward the door on the other side of the room.

Just as he approached it, the door swung open, and a very large man called in.

"Did someone say there's a man in here?" The door watcher's deep voice boomed. Monte didn't look up at the man. To his surprise, he was allowed to pass and leave through the door.

"Beg your pardon miss." The man said, stepping to the side. The shrieking behind intensified. Monte assumed the Abbas' men had made it to the window, but he decided not to turn back to make sure.

Monte found himself in a short hallway with another door at the other end, lit with a single torch ensconced in the wall. He went through the door and immediately realized where he was. In the center of the circular room where he now found himself was a stage. Opposite him was a doorway, obscured by a deep velvet curtain. Next to the doorway, right where he knew it would be, was an alcove with a small bar. At the bar sat one very drunk looking man.

"Karth! Man am I glad to see you." Monte said, making his way to his friend. Karth looked up slowly, his eyes only partially open. A wide smile spread across his face.

"Hey there… beautiful!" Karth said through a hiccup. Monte couldn't help but laugh. He pulled the cloth wrap down to reveal his head.

"Monte? Are you trying to…. Tell me something?" Karth chuckled to himself.

"No more for this one." Monte said to the bartender, as he took a seat next to his friend.

"He's been drinking water for the past hour. I've never seen anything like him." She said, laughing to herself. Her ribbing disguised as a compliment made Karth give her a longing smile. He turned back to Monte after a moment.

"I'm having a great time. Thanks, buddy." Karth said, still smiling. Monte knew Karth wasn't in the business of lying. He probably didn’t know his parents brought him here to be set up by the Abbas. Karth was in fact having a good time.

The band had been playing but just then they suddenly stopped. Monte looked towards the stage door he'd come through, knowing what he would find. The very large door watcher and three of the Abbas' men were scanning the room.

One of the men, to Monte's pleasure, appeared to be holding a hand over his eye while another was grabbing his arm. Clearly they hadn't been able to talk their way out of their presence in the room before taking a few licks. One of the men had spotted Monte and was pointing at him.

"Come on party boy, things are about to get a little too hot in here." Monte said as he pulled the awning fabric up over his head again, grabbed Karth by the arm, and nodded to the bartender.

"I'll come back for the tab." Monte said.

"Friends of Pav's drink free!" She replied, looking completely nonplussed by the growing commotion on the other side of the stage.

Monte pulled Karth off his stool. After a few unsure steps, Karth realized he wasn't in fact blind drunk, and walked on his own. Monte pushed through the velvet curtain into the atrium. The woman who had showed them to the bar before was gone. Monte heard the tinkling of the bell before he saw the cat. She was in essentially the same place he'd left her. The monkey was still scratching her between the ears as she purred. Her eyes opened only the smallest amount to acknowledge Monte's presence.

I guess I'm the only one having a tough night.

"Come on, we have to go! We're about to get caught by the Abbas." Monte said to the cat. She stood up and made for Monte's shoulders.

"The Abbas? Caught? What's going on Monte? And where is my sister?" Karth said. He was speaking more normally now and rubbing his eyes.

"There is no time to explain, we have to get somewhere safe." Monte said. The monkey, apparently unhappy with the prospect of being separated from his new friend, hopped onto Karth's shoulders.

"How do you know how to get somewhere safe?" Karth asked. He was looking at Monte with his eyes slightly squinting now, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"I don't. I was hoping you did." Monte replied.

Just then the monkey let out a little hoot and bounced up and down. It pointed towards the door back out into the Underworld.

"Well at least somebody does." Karth said. Both of them ducked out into the crowded Underworld corridor.

Immediately they were in the chaos of the crowd. Unlike the outside world, at night all the action was indoors in the underworld. Monte was just feeling comfortable that they would be able to blend into the crowd when he heard the Abbas men shouting again.

"That's the guy! With the Orange dress!" A voice cut through the din of the crowd. People began to turn their heads and look for the source of the voice. Eventually their curious gaze landed on Monte. He and Karth started to push through the crowd more aggressively.

The sight of a man wearing a piece of cloth like a dress must not have been something foreign to most people in the Underworld. Nor was a cat, nor a monkey. Not a person made an effort to clear a path. The two struggled through the throngs, with the noise behind them constantly rising and getting closer. Monte realized they had only made it back to the Underworld stall where they'd first done the drinks of fiery liquid. They hadn't made it nearly far enough.

The Abbas' men were closing in and there was nowhere left to go.

"Sorry for ruining your bachelor party." Monte said to his friend.

"Are you kidding? This has been a blast." Karth replied. Monte turned around to look at his face. He was being completely serious.

"We're about to be captured by the Abbas' men. Aren't you worried?" Monte asked him. Karth wasn't someone who normally enjoyed getting into trouble. He laughed.

"Yeah yeah. I don't know how you and Pavani set this up, but it must have taken some incredible planning. I'm having a great time." Karth waved his arms around, trying to suggest Monte and Pavani were just putting on some kind of show for him.

"Did you say Pavani?" The man inside the stall near them said. Monte was about to explain to Karth everything happening was very real, but he stopped.

"Yeah, she's my sister." Karth said, looking a little shocked.

"So that makes you Karth, and this lovely lady must be Monte?" The stall owner said. Monte nodded.

“Why are you wearing a dress?” The stall owner asked.

“I fell into an awning and it got… look we don’t have time to explain right now!” Monte said, looking down at the cloth he was tangled in and then back up at the stall owner.

"Ah! No time. I see. Are you in trouble? Are you being followed?" He asked them.

"Yes!" Monte and Karth answered together. Monte wasn't sure which of them was more convincing.

Just then the commotion town the passageway grew to a fever pitch. Monte looked back and saw that people in the hallway were falling over each other. The Abbas’ men were caught up in it and were shouting and cursing as they went to the ground.

Along the wall Monte spotted the cat, the monkey, and an overturned urn still rocking back and forth. A bewildered vendor looked in horror at the scene in front of his stall. Monte was certain he heard the tinkling of the cat’s bell over the chaos.

"Well then it's time you followed me." The stall owner pushed on the wall behind him. Instead of the solid stone wall of the rest of the Underworld corridor, the back of his stall gave way to another, shorter, narrower passage. He beckoned them through. Quickly, the two friends ducked under the counter into the stall, then followed the man into the passage.