Beginning of a Legend: Part Four

     “Well, well, well,” came a voice. “Lookie who we have here.” Garin looked up slowly, expecting to see Bloodhook, but instead saw Daring Dixon, the Pirate Gelert from his first day there, and Big Ben, the Skeith.

     “I’m not in the mood to start any trouble, Dixon,” Garin grumbled.

     “Neither am I, you little rat!” Dixon wrenched out a knife from his belt. Garin jumped, but Ben grabbed his arms and held him in place. “So here’s an idea, let’s put a hole in your gut!” He stabbed at Garin, who, rather suddenly, did a back flip, causing Dixon to miss and get Ben instead. Garin stared; Ben now lay dead before him. He snapped himself back into reality as Dixon pinned him to the ground.

     “So much for him,” he growled. “But I can see you’ve never shed another person’s blood.” He threw Garin against the bar. He groaned. “It’s there in your face, lad. The look of disgust at the sight of it. The ones that come afterwards are a lot easier, but my guess is that you won’t be getting that chance.” Dixon placed the knife to Garin’s throat. “You never got it, kid; in this kinda life, you’ve got to kill, or wind up dead.” Dixon raised the knife, a waitress screamed, and Garin’s eyes burned with sudden rage. He grabbed his cutlass and shoved it at Dixon. The Gelert choked in shock, then fell to the floor.

     “Thanks for the tip.” Garin stood up, unaware that everyone in the room was staring at him. He whipped sweat from his brow and cleaned off his sword with a rag that lay on the counter and then sheathed it. He dropped a few dubloons on the counter as he walked away.

     “Sorry about the mess,” he said over his shoulder and then walked out the door. He rounded the corner of an alley, then stopped and leaned against the wall. He thought for a moment about what Dixon had said, then about Bloodhook’s threat to kill Jacques. It was then that Garin realized there are two different kinds of killing; cold blood killing and killing out of defense. Garin also made an important decision. He would never kill someone without a reason, and only in defense. Suddenly, he heard a scream. He looked further down the alley, and saw three children, two of about six, and the other of about twelve, trapped by about four pirates. Garin’s eyes narrowed. He remembered a lesson his father had taught him.

     “Always, Garin. Always protect the helpless.”

     “Why?”

     “Because even though you may not know it, good deeds can bring you allies of many kinds.”

     Garin shook himself away from his memories, bared his teeth, and drew his cutlass.

     *****

     “Stay away!” the twelve-year-old yellow girl Cybunny cried. The two six-year-old boys, a green Acara, and a blue Blumaroo, clung to her dress and whimpered. The pirates just laughed.

     “What should we do with them me hearties?” asked the first. “Run ‘em through?”

     “How about you leave them alone!” The first pirate was tackled from behind, and Garin did a flip over him. He planted himself in front of the three children. “And pick on somebody your own size!” The pirates laughed.

     “Like you, matey?” mocked the second.

     “Exactly.” Garin pointed his cutlass at the pirates, who seemed shocked at his response. The first swung his fist at Garin’s face; he ducked and then kicked the pirate in the face as hard as he could. He swung his cutlass at the other three, slicing one in the cheek, another in the arm, and barely missing the last.

     “Let’s get out of here!” yelped the third. They took off. Garin sheathed his cutlass and looked at the three children.

     “Are you alright?” he asked kindly.

     “Y-Yes,” stammered the girl. “Thank you.”

     “You’re welcome. Now you kids had better get home.” Garin held out his hand as a motion for them to pass him. “Do you live near here?”

     “Around the bend,” said the girl. “I’m Marcia.”

     “Name’s Garin.” Garin smiled. “Captain Garin of the Black Pawkeet.”

     “Wow,” one of the boys muttered.

     “You guys had better hurry home. Those thugs might come back. Go on.” Garin watched the children run around the bend. He smiled.

     “Uh oh,” he said suddenly. “It’s late. Jacques and the crew must be wondering where I’ve been. I’d better get back to the Black Pawkeet.”

      *****

     Jacques paced recklessly on the deck. Worried about Garin, and what might have happened.

     “What if he was killed? What if... What if-”

     “What if you shut up already?!” Garin pulled himself up onto the Black Pawkeet. “I’m fine.”

     “Garin! Where in the world have you been?!” Jacques ran over to his friend.

     “I got a little sidetracked.” Garin shrugged.

     “Sidetracked? Garin, it’s almost sun up!” Jacques exclaimed. Garin looked at the horizon.

     “Huh. So it is. Sorry about that, buddy.”

     “Just don’t scare me like that again, understand?”

     “I hear ya, Jacques. I hear ya.”

     “Sail ahoy!” Bill yelled from above.

     “Which way, Bill?” Talak yelled up.

     “Off the port bow!” Garin swallowed hard. He and Jacques ran over to the side of the Black Pawkeet and saw a ship headed right for them. Garin shut his eyes. It was Bloodhook, he knew it.

     “Please, oh please tell me that isn’t Bloodhook,” he muttered. Talak jumped.

     “Captain Bloodhook?!?” he exclaimed. “I-I thought he was dead!”

     “You know him?” asked Garin.

     “Know of.” Talak gulped. “He’s one of the most deadly pirates on the five seas. What does he want with us?”

      Garin glanced nervously at Jacques. “He doesn’t want any of you. He wants me.” Garin looked down.

      Everyone looked at him.

     “What?” Jacques asked.

     “He caught me in town today. That’s why I was so late. The Pawkeet.... She used to belong to him.” Garin sighed. “And he said...” He looked at Jacques. “He said that if I didn’t give up the ship he’d... he’d take it by force.” Talak and everyone in the crew exchanged glances of horror.

     “You know what they say,” said Gordy. “What Bloodhook wants, he gets.”

     “By any means necessary,” Jim gulped. “Well, that’s it; time to get out of here!”

     “Hold it!!” Jacques shouted. “The captain hasn’t given his orders yet.” Jacques looked at Garin. “If you think we stand a chance of winning, then I think so too. I’m behind you all the way through this, Garin; you’ve gotten both of us this far, and I think you can get us even farther. If we die today, so be it. But I’m gonna be right there next to you!” Garin looked at Jacques. He knew his best friend meant what he was saying. “So what’s it going to be, captain?” Garin looked down a minute and then looked up fiercely.

     “Battle stations, mates!” he shouted.

     “Aye!!” The crew bolted below deck and snatched cutlasses and pistols from the hold.

     “Cap’n!” Bill ran over to Garin. “Should we load the cannons and wait for your signal?”

     “No. Bloodhook won’t risk damaging his ship. He’ll try to take her without cannon fire,” Garin replied. “And he thinks we won’t put up much of a fight.” Garin turned to the rest of the crew. “I’m not sure if any of you have slain someone before?” The crew shook their heads. “Well then that’s where Bloodhook knows we are weak, but listen to me. Something I learned today was that you have to kill, or wind up dead. In other words, kill only to defend yourselves. This is not going to be easy. They are gonna hit hard and brutally. Show them no mercy because you will receive none. Now let’s show them what we’ve got!”

     “Aye!!” The crew shouted in full agreement. They ran to the side of the Black Pawkeet. Garin looked at Jacques.

     “Are you with me?” he asked.

     “You know it, Garin.” Jacques smiled. The two friends looked at the ship coming nearer to them, and its sails either carried triumph in battle or their doom. Garin glared at the ship. His grip around his sword hilt tightened...

To be continued...