(continued from Ch 4, Winds of Fate)

The Chronicles of Rapina
Chapter 5, Pirates 


Drake was the first to notice the longship bearing down on them. It flew a black flag with a large red X. "It's...it's...it's," Drake stammered with his jaw hanging open. "Red Jack!" Drake and Kent gasped in unison. Quick! Signal them so that they know we are friendly!" Drake ordered. 

"How?" Kent raised his hands in surrender. 

"You mean that all this time you didn't know of anyway to signal them?!?!?!" Drake asked. "They'll probably assume we're trying to stop them and kill us all! This is just great!" 

"Sure! Blame me! How am I supposed to know the correct signal?" Kent shot back defensively. 

"Well TRY and be useful! Go wake up Edgar!" Drake yelled not noticing that Edgar was already awake. 

Edgar stumbled forward. As he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes he noticed the ship. "Who is that?" He was jolted awake by the answer. "Red Jack?!?!?! THE Red Jack?!?!?!" 

Rapina was as stunned as the boys, but she was steering while the boys were gawking and arguing, and that gave her some feeling of control. She'd been through way too much not to want to make a good first impression. After all, the reverend's family would soon come hunting, and without the protection of outlaws, she would be doomed. Rather than trying to stop, she headed the boat on a course that would bring her along side the longship and tried to keep her nerve and her tiller steady. 

The three boys looked helplessly at each other as the ship closed. Before they could come up with a plan the pirate ship pulled up alongside theirs. 

"Lay down yer weapons and prepare t'be boarded!" A gruff voice barked.

As their tiny boat neared the longship, Rapina's nose prickled. She could sense lust and she had the sneaking suspicion that a bit of the lust was not directed at her. 

"Ahoy! we're unarmed and looking to join Captain Red Jack and his crew! Is that you?" Rapina tried to sound enthusiastic, but her voice quavered a bit by the time she said, "Is that you?" 

"Oh well," Rapina thought. At least she had managed to say something before the pirates swarmed aboard. 

And swarm they did. They pulled the fishing boat against their ship with hooks on poles. Before she knew it, a burly pirate told her to keep her hands where he could see them, grabbed her roughly and handed her up to a couple of crewmen on the long ship. For the moment, she was not sure what had happened to the boys. "Ouuu!" Rapina squealed as one of the crewmen who had taken her searched her for weapons and squeezed her in a few places that she could not possibly have had a knife. 

"Aye this one's a woman all right," The crewman said as he held his dirk dangerously close to her throat. Rapina stood quite still. By pulling her neck back from the edge of the dirk, she unwittingly arched her back, making her breasts jut out. She waited, hoping things would settle down and someone in charge would decide what to do. 

The crowd of dangerous-looking pirates parted as a tall-brightly dressed figure stepped forward. On his head, he wore a proper pirate captain's hat. It was crimson with gold trim. Under his hat, his head was covered with a scarlet bandana emblazoned with thousands of tiny black crosses. His eyes were hazel and had a way of boring right through a person. His face, though not unattractive, was scarred and weather-beaten. A medium sized handlebar moustache graced his upper lip and a tiny pointed beard resided on his chin. When he smiled his sinister smile Rapina and the boys noticed he had gold teeth in place of those apparently knocked out in some past battle. He wore a long red jacket trimmed with gold tassels and bars of rank. His white chemise seemed the only departure from the red theme of his wardrobe. His breeches, which were crimson with black stripes, disappeared into calf-high black leather boots. 

If Red Jack was anything it certainly wasn't subtle. He looked Rapina up and down with a lusty eye and spoke, "Are ye sherr she's a woman? 'Ave ye checked?" He turned and shot a challenging look at his crew and then completed his turn face to face with Rapina. His hand shot out and clasped onto Rapina's loins. His fingers danced around a moment exploring every place they could reach. He withdrew his hand and smiled. 

Rapina was rather terrified, but too stubborn to admit it. "Eee!" She squealed and blushed as the captain grabbed her. An entire crew of pirates was focusing on her, and the lust was nearly overwhelming. Rapina's nose so tickled it felt like it buzzed. Her whole body flushed, her nipples stood up, her loins took heat, she panted for breath, and for a moment, she forgot to be afraid. 

"Most definitely a woman," he said approvingly. "And from what I understand She and her three boys want to be pirates!" This last comment elicited a round of raucous laughter from the crew. 

Still ablush from all the lust, Rapina smiled, nodded and licked her lips. 

"We're not HER boys! Drake said. "She's our prisoner AND she's our gift to you!" Drake shouted. A threatening glare from Red Jack stopped him cold, however. 

"Number one! She's not YOUR prisoner. She's mine. And so are you three. And if ye'd like to remain that way I'd suggest ye shut yer mouth boy. Believe me, ye wouldn't like the alternative." He smiled wickedly and turned to his crew. 

"What say ye men? Do we take these vagabonds into our midst or do we feed em ta the fish?" The crew erupted in cheers and it was quite some time before they quieted down enough for Red Jack to continue. 

"Since I'm captain and I get first pick of the booty I pick...the wench!" this statement elicited grumbles from the crew, but they quickly subsided under Red Jack's withering stare. "As for the boys...well I'm sher we can put em ta good use..." Red Jack purposely let his voice trail off as he turned to wink at the boys. 

The trio gulped in unison and looked at each other with frightened eyes. 

"Roger! Take these guppies aboard and put em ta work! If they don't pull their weight let Froggy take em fer a little 'chat' Heh." A tall muscled crewman detached himself from the others and led the three boys away with the help of two other crewmen. 

"I'll take care of giving the wench a proper pirate's welcome...right after we get underway. You two! Take her to my quarters! And make sure she's tied up good and tight with my best silk rope. Oh and if she is harmed or touched by you in any way other than that I've stated I'll cut yer balls off!" 

The men were clearly scared to death of Red Jack. They made all haste to do as he asked and then get as far away from her as possible. 

Red Jack began barking orders to get the pirate ship underway... 

Before Rapina could recover her wits, she was dragged off to a structure a bit back from the middle of the ship. The captain's cabin was the only structure on the long ship, and it was none too big, for the longship was designed for speed, not comfort. Like the ship, the room was long and narrow. The ceiling was probably not over a foot higher than the top of the captain's head and the walls were lined with shelves with tall slats above their lower edges to keep objects from falling out. 

The crewmen pushed Rapina onto the captain's bed and tied her there with red silk rope. Red Jack could evidently read and write, for he had books and charts, and there was a small desk next to the foot of the bed. Rapina had passed it on the way into the room. It seemed like an eternity before the pirate captain came in, but that was only because the pirates had taken the "tie her good and tight," order a bit too literally. 

The pirate captain chuckled as he entered the room. "Make sure the men put their backs into it," he said to someone outside, then shut the door. "Comfortable?" The captain grinned as he glanced at Rapina. He carried a sack that he dumped out on the desk. 

"Well, most of me. They tied my wrists awful tight" Rapina said. 

"Good," The captain smiled. "You're something of a puzzle," he said as he pulled Rapina's borrowed shirt up over her head onto the ropes that secured her hands and leered at what he saw beneath it. "And what are ye, a 'farm girl' doin' in silk lingerie, and where did ye and yer boys come by this?" The captain pulled the reverend's mage light out of a pouch by its gold chain illuminating the chamber. 

"Um, it's a long story. I'd be glad to tell it to you if my hands weren't about to fall off." 

The captain checked her bonds. "Ye'll be all right for a while yet. What about these items?" The captain held up Rapina's dream stone pendant and pointed to the reverend's signet ring." 

The captain's stare was penetrating. Rapina could tell he was no dummy. She would have to come much closer to the truth than she had with the boys. "Well, I'm not a farm girl exactly; My father is a grocer." 

"A grocer?" Jack said dubiously. 

Rapina sighed. "Yes, but most of the things there belonged to reverend Evangeline. He was a holy priest and nobleman to most, and a despicable lecher who preyed on the young women of my town under the guise of holiness to those who knew his dark side. I've known about him for years, my Aunt used to sell curses against him to the women he'd wronged until he had her executed for it. Anyhow, Dad caught me with one of my boyfriends and it was not the first time." 

"One of your boyfriends?" 

Rapina blushed, "I was quite careful not to get caught, really. If my father knew how much time I really spent playing with boys he'd have died from the stresses." 

Jack chuckled and caressed Rapina's thigh. The pirate patted her abdomen. "You're not pregnant." 

"Well, my Auntie was an herbalist. She taught me the plants that control a woman's menses and fertility and the healing plants too. After daddy caught me that time, mother decided I was beyond their ability to correct, so they sent me to reverend Evangeline." 

The pirate nodded as if considering this new information. 

"Anyways, the reverend kept me locked up under his temple and tried to convince me that the more he raped me, the purer I'd become." 

The captain laughed, "Now thar's an angle." 

"I just wanted to tire him out and escape." 

"and?" Red Jack asked.

"Um, well, I guess I overdid it," Rapina said sheepishly.

The captain raised an eyebrow. 

"He must have broken a blood vessel or something." 

"He died?" The captain asked.

Rapina nodded. His family will probably blame me too. 

"For bewitching him?" 

Rapina nodded. "That's probably what they will call it. I wish I knew magic, but they killed Auntie when I was still a girl. Maybe I have a natural talent that way. I've always enjoyed boys, but It never *killed* anyone, not before or since." 

"Anyway, after the reverend died on me, I took the things he had in his dungeon and escaped to the river. The constable almost caught me, but I found a log floating in the river, freed it and rode it. The river kept getting bigger and joining other rivers for about a week, then I nearly died going over a big water fall. After That was when the guys found me. I had passed out on a log. They fished me out of the river. I didn't realize the boys had my things. I thought the river had claimed them. I had them tied to my garter straps in pouches. I guess the guys took them when they first found me. They could not stomach a life of farming. They were on their way to find you when they found me. I hope the reverend's family will just forget me, but I am sure they have probably made me an outlaw, so I decided to stay with Drake and his friends and look for you." 

"I hope that answers your questions because I can't even feel my hands anymore." 

"Let me see those wraps," Jack said. He turned Rapina sideways so he could get a better view of the bonds. "Gads! M'boys did a fine job of tying ye up, Yessir! I'll remove the bonds fer a bit seein' as you've been so honest with me." 

Jack eyed Rapina with a look that said, "Cross me in ANY way and you'll regret it." Jack tossed the bonds to the floor and stood up. His hot breath washed over Rapina's back and neck as he did so. 

Rapina kept her hands where Jack could see them. "Don't worry, I've no plans to cross you. Actually, I think I'll be a fine crewman, once I learn how. Um, there is one problem though," Rapina lowered her voice to a whisper, "I really can't help fooling around. Daddy used to beat me when he caught me, but I still couldn't stop." 

Jack arched an eyebrow. "Can't control yerself ye say? Hmmmm. Ye must have been quite the popular lass back home! That is reason enough to keep ye around...for a while. Don't see too many women like you in our line of work. Most of the women we see are running around screaming bloody murder. "Oh please Mr. Pirate sir. Please don't rape me. Oh that would be awful. I'd just die." Jack mimicked in a deep woman's voice. He paused. "Funny thing is when we've finally had our way with them they practically shake our hands! Gads! Are pirates the only people on Ilfreann that know how to please a woman?" 

The pirate captain removed a bottle and two glasses from a chest bolted to the floor. "It's time ye received a proper pirate's welcome. We'll begin with a toast to the most beautiful woman to ever grace this ship with her presence. To...eh just what is yer name lass?" 

Rapina looked at the way the captain held his goblet and did the same. "My name is Rapina." She raised her glass to the captain's. 

"To Rapina then" The captain drank.

Rapina drank some of the wine. "Mmmm, this is good. Daddy never used to let me drink." 

"...It ought to be, the barge it came from was on it's way to a baron's castle. I'm a pirate, I'll teach you plenty 'o bad habits, Red chuckled. Rapina's not yer real name is it?" Red Jack gave her a piercing look. 

"It's something Auntie used to call me in private." Rapina shrugged. "She said she dreamed it. I haven't gone by my given name since I left my hometown; this way it's harder for the reverend's family to find me. 

Aye, it's a good idea to have a pirate name, like Red Jack for instance, and Rapina's a good one. Don't ever tell a soul yer real name, just try to forget it, and don't tell the crew anything more than ye've already told yer boyfriends, understand? 

Rapina nodded. "Yes, you're right. I probably told them more than I should have. They don't know the man I escaped was a reverend or that he died, but they know I'm likely to be hunted by the gentry. I probably shouldn't have even said that, but I was not thinking straight when they found me." 

"Finish yer drink, I'll be back in a minute. The captain left and returned a few minutes later. He scrutinized the room to see if Rapina had touched anything, gave her a satisfied look and refilled the glasses."

"I was tempted to look at your books, but I thought better of it," Rapina said. 

Red Jack chuckled. "Well now, what would ye have done with a book, can ye read?" 

Rapina nodded. "Auntie said that her magic would have been much stronger if she could have read the secrets of the ancients in books and scrolls. She told me I should try very hard to pick up the skill so I could help her one day. They killed her so my reading never helped her, but I thought I still might learn some magic somewhere one day. I picked some knowledge of letters up from a gentlewoman who helped with the Sunday school and later from a boyfriend whose father was teaching him. I am not the best, but books were very hard to come by in a grocer's family. Daddy taught my brothers about mathematics and coins so they could help him at the grocery. I was stuck home with mom, but I helped them practice and learned what they knew just the same. Rapina had another drink of wine." 

"Ye sound resourceful, thar's a good quality in any vocation, includin' piracy. On any ship, knowin' yer letters and numbers is important because ye can't read charts or navigate accurately without 'em, especially in open water. If ye can't navigate you'll never be a captain, pilot or mate, and if ye can't keep accurate records you'll never be a quartermaster neither. 

Rapina nodded. "Mmmm," she said rubbing her belly. This wine makes your belly warm." 

"That's the whole idea," Jack grinned as his hand glided up under Rapina's bustier to rub her wine-warmed belly. 

Rapina blushed. Jack's desire was considerable, and she could feel her body responding to it. 

Red Jack grinned as Rapina's nipples dented the fabric of her bustier. "What 'ave we 'ere," he said sliding the straps off her shoulders and pulling the bustier down to expose her breasts. 

"They have a mind of their own," Rapina blushed. 

Well then, mayhap they'd like a drink. The pirate grinned as he raised his goblet to one of Rapina's nipples and tipped up the glass. After her nipple had been bathed in wine the pirate began kissing it. 

Rapina moaned and hugged the captain's head to her breast. 

Red Jack knew how to please a woman. He had spent years in the court of the Li'Yeiraun family wooing every available female he could and even some that were not available. He had run into trouble when he had been caught bedding Henrich Li'Yeiraun's wife Cynid. He never could resist half-elven women. He smiled and thought how Cynid paled in comparison with Rapina. He kissed her breasts and moved down towards her navel. Jack traced circles around Rapina's stomach with his tongue. He could tell by Rapina's reactions what she liked and what she didn't. Jack put that knowledge to good use as he drifted lower... 

It was a few hours before Rapina emerged from the captain's quarters wearing a contented smile. Along with the smile, she wore a pair of loose scarlet silk drawstring pants and a scarlet cape that the captain had found to complement her bustier and panties. The sounds they had heard through the walls of the captain's quarters left the crew with no doubt that Rapina had received a proper pirate's welcome. Not to mention the fact that Red Jack could drive a woman wild if he had a mind to. 

The pirate captain emerged just after Rapina. He looked as though he'd had a bracing workout, but the salty grin he could not seem to wipe off his face told all.
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This ends Pillage, Chapter 5 of The Chronicles of Rapina.
The story continues in, Chapter 6, Pirates in Training.

Copyright 2001 by Rapina