The hot summer sun beat down on Theonis’ neck. He took a deep breath and dunked the mop back into the bucket. Swabbing the deck was his least favorite job, but it always had to be done and everyone else was doing much harder work. All around Theonis, burly men and women ran about, pulling ropes and carrying barrels.

Theonis was nervous. Yoris was gone. He hadn’t heard anybody talking about it. Maybe nobody had really noticed? Still, he couldn’t help but feel like any second now, someone was going to storm out on deck and publicly accuse Theonis of throwing Yoris overboard.

He was being silly, of course. The only person who had any suspicion was Koralina, and she trusted Theonis. He was in the clear. And it felt so good to not have Yoris’ gaze boring into him from behind every moment of the day. Theonis felt good. Nervous, but good.

Finally done, Theonis set the mop and bucket aside and leaned up against the wall. He folded his arms. Theonis had earned some relaxation. There weren’t any lieutenants paying attention to him at the moment.

“Hello.”

The soft voice caught his attention. Theonis glanced over and his heart stopped. Captain Valenvara was walking up to him. Shit. She was going to yell at him for not working. He cringed and closed his eyes, ready for the verbal onslaught.

“Can I join you?” is what came instead.

Theonis blinked and glanced over. The captain had leaned up against the wall without waiting for an answer, staring out at the rest of the deck. She was deep in thought over something. Theonis blinked in confusion. He wasn’t used to this kind of behavior from a pirate captain.

“Your mother is very lucky,” Valenvara said quietly. “Not a lot of pirate captains have the luxury of having children of their own.”

“My mother didn’t get to spend a lot of time with me,” Theonis said. “I was raised mostly by a nanny, growing up. My mother was always off on some grand adventure or another. At the time, I was always jealous. Now… I’m not so sure.”

“Still, most pirate captains are too busy to ever settle down and have children. I always envied her for that. I never found someone I’d be willing to settle down with for long enough to have a child with. And I don’t quite have the money to take time to raise them, even with help.” She took a deep breath. “Your mother loves you a lot, Theonis. She used to talk about you all the time whenever we’d get together. Try to make her proud, okay?”

“I’ll try,” Theonis said, not looking at the captain.

“You should probably get back to work, though.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

There was a lieutenant standing nearby; Theonis didn’t know his name. He walked over and waved to get the lieutenant’s attention.

“Hey, do you need me for anything?” Theonis asked.

“Not right now. But I’m sure that someone needs help down below deck. You know how to cook, right? I think they’re about to start dinner. Check the galley.”

Theonis nodded and started walking for the door. Once he was below deck, he frowned. The captain’s comments had gotten under his skin. Theonis’ mother would find out about what he’d done, and she’d be crushed. A pang of guilt ran through his gut. The last thing Theonis wanted to do was hurt his mother, but he needed to take care of himself.

She’d never even get an explanation for what he was doing. The thought stung. As far as she knew, Theonis was just going to abandon her and her entire way of life.

The galley did need some help, but as people began entering the canteen for dinner he was told to go eat. Theonis picked up a metal plate of salted pork and cheese and started searching for a seat. Koralina and her friends were already there. He made his way over to them.

“Hello, Theonis,” Koralina said as he sat down.

“Hello.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Now that I’m used to the routine, I’m not as stressed out as I used to be.”

“That’s good,” she replied.

Theonis smiled weakly. Koralina was trying to befriend him, clearly, but he just didn’t have the same connection with her that he’d forged with his actual friends. His heart ached. He just wanted to see them again.

That night, Theonis laid awake in the darkness. He listened to the pirates around him drift off to sleep and begin to snore. Once he was confident that nobody was left awake, Theonis gently pulled himself out of the hammock and started putting his clothes on. It was difficult to do so without making noise, but fortunately nobody woke up to ask what was going on.

He grabbed a candle and a tinderbox, but didn’t light it until he was outside. All Theonis could hear was the sound of the ship creaking around him. His breathing was labored and his heart pounded in his ears. If he was going to do this, he was going to have to be very careful.

Theonis had been on this ship long enough to know where the cannons were. Navigating only by candlelight, he made his way down a few decks and toward the port side of the ship. Every now and then, Theonis would think that he heard another sound and stop dead still. Once he was sure he was alone, Theonis would start walking again.

When he reached the door to the gun deck, Theonis gulped and grabbed the handle. It opened without resistance. He released a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding. They didn’t lock these doors at night, thankfully.

“What am I going to do now?” he asked, holding the candle up to inspect the room.

A series of six pound cannons were lined up facing covered holes in the wall. Each was tied down with heavy ropes to keep them from moving about. He could break the ropes and let them roll around loosely. Or Theonis could try to damage the gun carriages. Was there a way to sabotage the cannons themselves so they wouldn’t fire?

Theonis was stumped. If he did anything too noticeable, someone would see and they’d have to return to the island. Wasn’t there anything he could do?

All the black powder was stored in a locked room on the gun deck. Fortunately, the key was hanging from a hook right by the door. With no other ideas, Theonis set the candle down and, in the near-darkness, unlocked the door. There were bags and bags of black powder. He heaved the closest one up and started walking toward the nearest porthole.

Theonis tore the bag and started to pour the powder out of the hole. It was difficult to position himself with the cannon sitting right next to him, but Theonis did it. When the bag was empty, he dropped it out of the hole.

As Theonis worked, he thought about the next phase in his plan. Once the attack began, he needed a way to get onto the Polaia. He had one idea, but it was super risky and could very well get him killed. Theonis was already shaking from nerves. Maybe he could just jump in the water and swim to the Polaia if Captain Valenvara didn’t go through with the attack. No… he’d never catch up with the ship in time. His actual plan would have to suffice.

When he was finally finished, Theonis was exhausted. He locked the now-empty black powder room and then dropped the key out of a window as well. It would be a while before they could get the door open, and hopefully they’d have no idea who to suspect.

The next few days were tense. Theonis waited for someone to announce that the gun deck had been sabotaged. But it never came. Nobody had needed to open the door yet, and it made him so nervous for when his treachery was eventually discovered.

He was swabbing the deck one morning when the murmurs started. Someone had spotted a ship on the horizon. The captain ordered them to get closer. Theonis felt a pit in his stomach. If this wasn’t the Polaia, their mission would be over as soon as someone figured out the cannons had been sabotaged and they’d have to return home. If it was the Polaia, he had to enact the next part of his plan.

“Everybody get ready for the attack!” Captain Valenvara cried, and people began to scurry about.

Theonis abandoned the mop and pail. He ran downstairs, following the flow of the crowd. There were people at the armory, handing out swords.

“No way, runt,” the lieutenant on duty said. “You’re not getting involved in this fight. Leave it to people with upper body strength.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Theonis scoffed. “I guess you’ll be on the front lines then, taking all the glory for yourself?”

“Fuck off, kid.”

“You’re right, actually. I think I’ll sit this one out. After all, the more of you that get killed in the fight, the more spoils for the rest of us.”

The lieutenant flared his nostrils and walked over to the wall, taking down a sword.

“Here,” he said, thrusting it into Theonis’ hands. “Why don’t you show us you deserve to be here, you little shit?”

Theonis had to suppress a grin as he walked away, sword in hand. He was shaking from nerves. Even his hands were sweaty. Things were falling into place. If all went well, he’d be back on the Polaia in less than an hour.

“Did you hear?” someone whispered nearby. Theonis ears perked up. “The black powder is all gone! Someone moved it all and nobody can find it.”

“Shit!” someone else replied. “What do we do without cannons?”

“The captain is telling us to go through with the attack anyway. Says she doesn’t want to let them slip through her fingers. We’re dedicated, now.”

Theonis gulped and walked swiftly back to the stairs that would take him above deck. He had to cover his eyes as he exited, taking a moment to let them adjust. The other ship was closer. It looked familiar, but Theonis wasn’t quite sure that it was the Polaia.

Captain Valenvara was on deck, shouting orders at everyone. Some people were adjusting the sails to get them closer. Others were setting up the boarding ramps. And there were pirates milling around and swinging their swords aimlessly. Theonis made himself small and hid out of the way.

He divided his attention between watching the captain and watching the people milling about on the other ship. They were clearly preparing for an attack. Theonis couldn’t make out any details just yet.

Once the two ships were right alongside each other, the boarding ramps were dropped. Immediately, a burst of flame erupted from someone on the other ship and Theonis’ heart started pounding in his chest. His mouth was dry. That was Myrova!

“Target the mage!” Captain Valenvara cried.

Myrova stopped her flames to create a shield that saved her from a hail of arrows. Pirates were already walking across the other boarding ramp to engage with the other crew. Theonis’ breathing was heavy, but he didn’t make a move yet. He only had one chance to make this work.

Theonis stayed back while pirates rushed for the boarding ramps. He walked behind the row of archers, peaking through them desperately and trying to discern what was happening on the other ship. He could see a light-skinned woman—Kateni—fighting three pirates at once. He couldn’t suppress a smirk. They had no chance against her.

Myrova was fighting furiously. Her hands glowed with a red aura and lightning shot from her fingertips, knocking pirates off the boarding ramp and into the water. Then the color shifted to green and a translucent barrier surrounded her just in time for three arrows to bounce off of it. She took a few steps back and her hands began to glow with a violet aura. That same aura surrounded the heads of several pirates, who began screaming and clawing at their bodies as if fighting invisible attackers.

“Don’t let up! We have them outnumbered!” Captain Valenvara barked, pacing back and forth across the deck. “Focus on the mage! I want her dead!”

Theonis was right behind her. His knees were shaking. The sword was heavy in his hand. With a deep breath, he took a step forward and raised the sword. His heartbeat was pounding in his ears. Valenvara was cursing under her breath and shaking her head. Theonis gulped and walked up behind her, pressing the tip of his sword into the back of her neck.

“Do not move a muscle.”

The captain tensed up.

“Theonis,” she hissed. “What do you think you’re doing, boy?”

Theonis brought his fingers to his lips and whisted.

“Everybody: stop!” he cried. “Archers! Hold your attack. Pirates, fall back!”

People started turning to look in Theonis’ direction. When they saw what was happening, several archers drew their bows and pointed them in his direction. Theonis curled up tighter behind Valenvara, glad that he was so small. Most of the pirates still on the ship had figured out what was happening and stopped to watch.

“I’m getting on that ship!” Theonis declared. Then to the captain, he continued, “You’re going to call off the attack. And you’re going to take a message back to Stemini for me: nobody attacks my friends.”

“Your mother would be so disappointed in you, boy,” Captain Valenvara muttered.

A pang of guilt ran through Theonis and he glanced down.

“I know,” he replied.

“Think about what you’re doing. It’s not too late to change your mind. If you go through with this, you will never be welcome on Stemini ever again. You will lose your home, your friends, and your mother.”

Theonis nodded.

“I’ve made my peace with that fact,” he said. “It’s time that I chose the life that I want most.”

The crew made some room for Theonis to walk to the boarding ramp. He was forced to position himself behind Valenvara as they passed by the archers, some of whom still had drawn bows. As he approached the boarding ramp, Theonis spotted Koralina. She was glaring right at him, venom in her eyes. Theonis sighed.

Turning around so he could block the archers with the captain’s body, Theonis started walking backward across the boarding ramp. Chancing a glance behind him, he saw Kateni and Myrova standing at the end, both facing the pirates who were still on the Polaia. Kateni had her sword drawn and Myrova’s hands were glowing with a red aura. Both glanced back at Theonis, both of them incredulous at what they were seeing.

Theonis stepped down off of the boarding ramp and onto the Polaia. He locked eyes with each of his friends. He could almost read the myriad of questions in their expressions. But that could wait for later.

“Can we get some rope for the prisoner?” he asked.

QuillRabbit

Wow, intense, right? Theonis pulled off quite an impressive, if tremendously risky, stunt. But it's good to see him back where he belongs, no?

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