-Kissamos…southeast. We’d left the Adriatic, and were in the Med, I am certain. So..-

  She silently stepped outside and… promptly walked into a sailor doing his business. Paralee gred at the man for a second, then pushed him as hard as she could over the rail. Shaking her head as the guy screamed all the way to the water, she heard calls from above.

  “Man overboard! Man overboard!”

  Paralee stood there and looked up at the same time about fifteen pirates looked down. “Oh..shit.” She darted back into the ship and knew she needed to get off the ship before they caught up to her. “Out where we came in my good friend.” She patted her dagger which had become hot to the touch. She looked down. “You mean for me to fight my way out of this? There’s more than twenty men on this heap.” Paralee heard the sailors call out the word ‘Stowaway’ and heard the footsteps coming down the small flight of stairs, cutting off any chance to make it to the main deck. “I didn’t need the upper level anyway.” She resumed heading for the hole she’d initially climbed through when her dagger began burning the side of her right thigh. “Shit.” She patted the hilt once as she reached her escape portal and saw nothing but water below. Drawing her trusted bde from its sheath, Paralee sighed and resigned herself to fighting. “I don’t know why I am doing this. I have only ever taken down three before. Never this many.” Darting into a somewhat dark corner, Paralee waited until the footsteps were nearly on top of her…

  And..

  Pain. Headache. Darkness.

  Vaguely aware that she was falling to the ground, Paralee knew she’d been sapped from behind before she could make a move. “Mine..” she clutched her dagger so hard it turned her knuckles white.

  An undetermined amount of time and a spsh of water with the smell of dank fish permeated Paralee’s senses waking her up. Once the water stopped careening down her face, Paralee tried to open her eyes. Paralee figured out that she was in a big and lush cabin, tied with silk rope to an equally expensive chair.

  She spotted her dagger ying on a long table with a grizzled man at the other end, simply ughing.

  “That be the fair enough boys, leave me and the girl, aye.” Captain Jaques adjusted his bck eyepatch and stood up, straightening out his royal blue long coat. “Well here now, what have we got, yes?” He pointed to the coat. “Off’n a dead Frenchman as it were.” He pointed one long finger at Paralee. “Ye be strik’n Jaques as a stink’n Frenchwoman.” He walked hard enough to almost stomp his heavy leather boots. “Me free to say, but I’m thinking that you’be the one that pilfered the bread from the cook.” Captain Jaques chuckled. “He was heartily mad, y to that ssy.” He stood tall over Paralee, “If’n I cut ya loose, swear on ye blood that ya not try and run, Aye?”

  Confused and barely awake, Paralee blinked a few times and took a quick inventory of herself.

  -Still in my armor, my dagger….over there, when it should be on my leg…covered in some fishy water and looking at a man that is … no lie …. nine feet tall.-

  “Speak girl. I can see ya ponder’n there.” Jaques pced his hand on a pistol and waited.

  Frustrated and still gathering her senses, Paralee sarcastically used her native nguage to respond, “Je suis à moitié réveillé, paon chargé de plumes, donne-moi une minute.”

  Laughing and taking a step back, Captain Jaques nodded and replied in French as well. “Regardez-vous, jeune femme. Un tel esprit et attaché à une chaise. Prêtez serment.” He paused, “My French t’aint what it was, aye? Stress’n me ta speak it is. English from herein, aye?” Jaques stopped speaking when out of nowhere he spotted Paralee’s dreamy and penetrating hazel eyes. He walked over to his chair and grabbed a small silver box and returned to Paralee’s chair. “S-swear the oath and we move on.”

  Raising one of her sultry bck eyebrows, Paralee smiled and realized it was her eyes that seemingly saved her once again. “My apologies, Captain. I was not fully awake and I tend to be a little aggressive. I Paralee Vallee, do honestly swear by my dagger on the table there, not to run…oh right, by blood I promise…swear…yeah.” She pyfully giggled.

  “We have an accord!” Captain Jaques procimed and opened the box for Paralee. “Needle and thread along with a bm to close that wound on yer cheek.” He quickly kept his promise and cut Paralee from her bonds and sat back in his chair.

  Grabbing the needle and “thread” that was really fishing line, Paralee stood up and grabbed a handheld mirror and her dagger, then sat back in the chair. Without so much as a whimper, Paralee drove the needle into her cheek and pulled on the cut until the scab popped off and the line closed her injury. “Thank you for your..hospitality.” She finished with the needle and grabbed the jar, flipped the lid and knew the scent from her time with Armelle. “I’m wondering why you are being so kind.” She flipped her dagger back into its sheath and ran her hand over the familiar rubies. “I know you killed Captain Boulet and double-crossed him.” Paralee felt the cool salty breeze come through the open portholes and blow her bck hair into her eyes. Finishing up with the mirror, she grabbed a silver brush and took care of her silky mane. “I also know about the trade for the…how did you put it, dyfolk.”

  Captain Jaques put his hand back on his pistol and pointed to the empty seat at the end of his table. “Come, you haven’t eaten well in a few days. Let’s..parley as it were.” He pointed to the dagger. Ye grabbed my plunder girl, Put it back.”

  Fire seemed to jump through her body and she felt the familiar thrumming coming from her right thigh, “That’s not going to happen. We’ve been through too much just to hand it over.” She raised her eyebrow again and watched for Jaques to try and draw his pistol.

  -Shit. There’s no way out, Paralee. What the hell are you doing..challenging a real-life pirate captain..you’re crazy.-

  Nodding briefly, Captain Jaques rubbed his bare chin for a few seconds, “Aye, If’n faith ye be the Duke killer..little wonder ya be want’n the bde.” He smashed his fist on the table and pointed to Paralee. “Hellfire and brimstone ta what ye want girl. Either put the bde back on the table or..” stood up and drew his pistol..

  Instantly Paralee dove and rolled to the back of the big chair at the end of her side of the table, then drew her dagger. “..Or what you pompous..” She heard a shot ring out and splinter the back of the chair she was hiding behind. “It’s all a facade anyway, Captain. You wanted us dyfolk for sves anyway. I might as well go down fighting.”

  Upon hearing the gunfire, two guards rushed the double doors that led into the captain’s quarters. “Everything on the up an up, sir?” They stood with their cutsses drawn and looked down at Paralee.

  Captain Jaques reloaded his pistol and waved the guards off. “Aye, Captain Jaques can handle one little girl. Get ye out unless I call for ya. Yer dismissed.” He waited for the two guards to back out of his room and close the doors behind them. “Paralee, I can see you numbskull. I missed on purpose.” He chuckled and stuffed the gun back in his belt. “Now why would I be sell’n ya? Why let other men have at ya when I have a ship full of excited sailors, that could make you earn yer keep, Aye?”

  “Shit. I didn’t think about that.” Paralee had a few fshes of being used for sex over and over, then shivered. “I would prefer that not become reality, if you please.” Figuring that the captain was telling her the truth, Paralee stood up and gazed at her opponent once more then heard her stomach grumble. “Well what did you want Taz and I for, Captain?”

  Falling for Paralee’s charming eyes once more, Captain Jaques found that he didn’t have the heart to lie about his intention. “Reputation is everything, girl.” He chuckled. “Your’s is quite…lemme say, earned by the devil. Here on the Ghost Spade, that comes in handy, it does.” He waved his hand. “Your friend Taz was just a bonus. You were the one Jaques sought.” He walked to Paralee’s side of the table, hand on his sword. “Competent rigger as much as cutthroat. Ye make a damn fine pirate, ss.” He drew his bde and stepped back, into a fighting stance. “Only one wee test there be. Are ya just a stabber, or can ye actually cross swords?”

  Slowly tilting her head up until she had all of the giant captain in her view, Paralee stood up with her dagger held in front of her protectively. “You want to duel me?” She gulped and tried to give Jaques a pleading look that failed as immediately as she tried it. “You have a distinct advantage given you are the size of a mountain.”

  Captain Jaques didn’t bother to answer and simply swung his sword towards Paralee’s head, which she ducked down and deflected the return swing with her dagger, sending sparks into the room. Pressing his advantage he took another few steps, swinging and ughing as he did so. “What’s in yer head, girl. Fair? Look here now, who ya be cross with?” He pushed hard and made Paralee trip over her own feet and nd on her back. Following up, Captain Jaques anticipated that Paralee would be stunned for a few seconds, and tried to stomp on her chest.

  Sensing that the burly man wasn’t quite finished, Paralee flipped to her side avoiding the man’s big boot. Using her typical idea of going for the knee of her opponent, Paralee aimed and jabbed at Jaques. When he easily deflected her dagger from his leg, Paralee changed tactics. Putting her dagger in her mouth, the lithe young woman flipped her arms down and pushed hard to get her feet underneath her so she was standing upright again. Guessing that the captain would try and cut her legs from her, she waited until she saw Jaques swipe low. Paralee leapt up and had just pnted her feet on the table when she felt an elbow hit her injured cheek, and sent the light woman sliding across the slick wood, knocking all of the items onto the floor. Bouncing off of the captain’s chair, she nded on the floor, where she had the wind knocked out of her. Gasping for breath, she realized that along the way her dagger had fallen out of her mouth and skittered to the ground between her and Jaques.

  Sheathing his rapier, Captain Jaques took a few steps while Paralee held her stomach and retrieved the jeweled dagger. Sticking her beloved bde in his belt, Jaques walked up to Paralee and pulled her up by her neck and held her firm. “You fight like a barbarian. Zero tact and no poise. I don’t want barbaric sailors.” Drawing the dagger from his belt, Jaques waved it in front of Paralee’s two hazel eyes. “Animals fight like that. I want precision and deft strikes.” He smiled, “You’ll learn in time, until then…there’s a price to be paid for steal’n from me, girl.” Using her own precious gemmed and gleaming bde, the big man plucked out one of Paralee’s sparkling hazel eyes and released her.

  Defeated and screaming in pain, Paralee dropped to her knees and held her hand over her empty eye socket. “M-mm-y…” she spittled all over her chin as tears came out of her good eye.

  “Correction.” Jaques leaned down and picked up the hazel orb from the ground, “It’s mine now.” Captain Jaques picked up a goblet from the floor and dropped the eye into it. “You’ll be fine in the long run.” He bent down and lifted the injured Paralee, then took her to one of his long red pillowed couches. “Take your time…” he pointed to the reopened wound on her cheek. “You’re gonna want to stitch that up again.” Taking the time to resheath the dagger on Paralee’s hip, Captain Jaques grabbed her hand and shook it hard. “You’ve earned that back, Welcome to ‘The Ghost Spade’…” Walking back to his chair, he looked over his shoulder, “...Ruby One-Eye.”