This is part 2. Read part 1 first!
Four days out of Melethienn, forty nine days into his seafaring career and Xeno was already regretting it.
They’d docked in a secluded cove of the great Forest of Melethienn. Xeno was hoping he’d be able to go ashore and see one of the fabled High Elves, but the Captain bade him stay put on deck with a hooded lantern. Xeno was no fool and he’d already worked out that the Captain and his crew were more than just innocent haulers. His suspicions were confirmed when the boats returned to the Lady of Snakes with four huge boxes. Amidst much cursing and banging, they were brought aboard.
The Captain called all the men together once the boxes had been lowered into the hold.
“No man jack of you is to go into that hold on pain of a bloody and messy death. That cargo be worth a kings ransom to us all if we deliver it to our buyer. Touch it, look at it and ye’ll be dead and there’ll be more for the rest of us.” He threatened.
They’d made hasty sail soon after, bearing out into the ocean once more, tacking into the Edge wind to bear Inwards towards Deep Fen. It hadn’t been long before one of the crew got too greedy for his own good.
The man had been fairly new to the crew, not as new as Xeno, but only an extra few months aboard. A thickset, scowling fellow by the name of Dragus, he’d been the sort to shave his own head with a curved blade, ignoring the many scars he’d picked up by doing the same. Tattoos covered both arms. Xeno had looked at them once. He wasn’t exactly shocked, after all, he’d seen his mother in similar positions, but seeing them drawn on a person’s body just seemed to cheapen the act, not to mention that not all the tattoos showed acts of love…
Dragus had gone below only one night out of Melethienn. Captain Unto was no fool and had expected just such insubordinance. He hadn’t even made it into the secure room when Fengi the First Mate dragged him into the Captains room.
“Breakin’ into t’ locked room Cap’n.” drawled Fengi as he held the struggling Dragus.
“On deck with him then.” Ordered the Captain. “Boy! Get the crew together…”
Xeno had leapt to be about the job. In short order he’d called all the crew onto deck. Many grumbled at being woken, a few tried to take a swipe at him, but all obeyed and made their way topside. By the time Xeno had rounded them all up and joined them, the deck was lit with lanterns and the Captain was addressing the men.
“Ye all know me as a fair man!” he bellowed “Do as I bid and ye get paid well. Aye?”
“Aye!” roared back the men.
Dragus knelt before them all in the circle of torchlight. His face was swollen but still sullen. He was tied at wrist and ankle and a sailor held each rope. He looked about, as though trying to find support, meeting only blank eyes.
“Well this dog decided to go against what I said.” Shouted the Captain. “He was caught breaking into the secure hold, which I told ye all not to do.”
Xeno realised that the Captain was actually starting to enjoy himself. He had an audience, a loyal audience and his voice was starting to take on an almost bardic note as he whipped them up into frenzy. Xeno ducked out of sight behind Fengi and crouched by a barrel. He didn’t want to get caught up in whatever came next.
“For stealing on board ship there be only one punishment I call.” Said the Captain. “For disobeying a direct order, I’ll double it.”
“You scurvy pig!” he spat at Dragus “Ye’ll cost us some speed for this, but no man steals from Captain Unto! We’ll see how pretty your pictures are after you’ve been round a few times… Lads! Keelhaul the bastard!”
Dragus blanched white as he was dragged to his feet. Xeno noticed that the ropes on one side passed over the side of the ship as eight burly crewmen pulled all four ropes taut. Dragus struggled, but there was nothing he could do as the bonds tightened. As the men started to pull, he was dragged screaming to the port side of the ship. Dragged over it, still screaming. Suddenly there was silence.
A minute or so later, Dragus was pulled up the other side of the ship. He’d never been an attractive man but now he was unrecognisable. His flesh was sliced open, all his clothes were torn to shreds and he bled from a hundred wounds. Huge areas of skin were missing. Xeno was sick, throwing up the salt pork and hard tack he’d forced down earlier.
Fengi turned to him with a grin. “Y’see lad, there be barnacles and all sorts on the Lady’s arse. Keelhaul a man and he gets to say a personal hello to each and every one and they loves to give a man a kiss or two. He might live through this, but he’ll never cross the Cap’n again!” he laughed.
“Turn him!” yelled the Captain.
The crew howled as they did, spinning the groaning Dragus round in his bonds and throwing him back over the starboard side of the ship. There was no screaming this time.
When Dragus reappeared a second time, he was unrecognisable as a man. A raw, bloody lump of flesh, rope burns on his wrists and ankles, nose beaten off against the hull, ears torn and ripped. His tattoos were all but gone, save for a single head on one arm, a woman beheaded by the punishment.
“Get him below and cleaned up. His share is forfeit.” Declared the Captain before turning on his heel and returning to his quarters.
“Ye heard the Cap’n!” roared Fengi. “Get this place swabbed and get us moving again! We’ve lost enough time for that pig! Hey yah!”
Xeno crept to bed where blessed sleep claimed him. Until the dream came.