by J. Avarez
Tales of the Caravan
J. Avarez
Copyright
© 2018 J. Avarez. All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher: [email protected]
Acknowledgments
I have many I can dedicate this story to, but I want to personally dedicate Tales of the Caravan to my mother, Olga. For being as fierce as you are kind, and strong as you are vulnerable. For taking up the task of both father and mother. You’ve taught me that a woman is to be cherished and never tarnished. And to each woman continuing to fight for the rights you all so clearly deserve, I dedicate this story to you.
Prologue
Wealth…
Fame…
Respect…
Anne Bonny wanted to have it all. Though she lived in a world with a sexist emperor, she had always fought against being a proper woman. She wasn't proper or ladylike. Her infatuation with torn leather jeans were evident of that. No. Bonny had always wanted to become a pirate of legend.
The stories of pirates being executed were abundant, but Bonny knew of pirates that could easily escape justice. Not those idiotic captains that made a living stealing grandmothers pearls. Those were poor excuses for thugs. She wanted to be a powerful pirate like Captain Blackbeard. His ability to transform into a monstrous devil…that was what she thought fear should be.
But admiration was such a fragile thing, like a rose slicing a finger after being plucked. Blackbeard was everything she wanted to be…until he crushed her father's skull like a grape. Those crimes against her family left her with a bad taste for pirates. However, she was also great at thieving and breaking the law. Irony.
Her latest job involved a wine guzzling pirate named Drake. Though she didn't like them, she wasn't above using pirates to increase her business. It was necessary of course. The emperor had imposed numerous laws to keep women from the greater market. Bonny made it a habit to break those laws, and stand just as tall as her male counterparts.
After their deal was done, she joined with her roommate Sarah in front of their townhouse. Their home was one of thousands across the island of Port Ruby. Bonny walked through the streets with a triumphant smile, and had a large sack of diamonds over her shoulder. Diamonds were the currency of the world, and necessary for climbing up the social ladder.
Sarah looked uneasy. Lowly commoners with so many diamonds would certainly attract attention. It did not take much to worry Sarah, though. She was a goody two shoes, who wouldn't keep a diamond if she found it lying on the street.
Bonny sighed at Sarah's frightened face and pulled her into their building. They rushed upstairs into their one bedroom apartment, and hastily shut the door behind them. Bonny walked toward the table in their living room. She tipped the large sack over and watched the diamonds fall across the wooden surface. Sarah sat opposite of her, with green eyes that glittered from the precious stones.
“Wow,” said Sarah, in awe. “I’ve only seen a Royal with this many diamonds.”
“They’re just silver ones,” Bonny shrugged. “If they were gold, we’d be buying a house where the Royals live. Still, this is a pretty good haul.”
Bonny continued to spread the diamonds evenly over the table. She was unbothered by the residents that walked the halls outside, but Sarah looked a bit more concerned.
“I can't believe you came to count this here,” Sarah bit her lip and looked over her shoulder. “You sure it was safe to make a deal with a pirate?”
“Yes, Sarah,” replied Bonny, rolling her eyes. “I swear, you're the most timid person in the Red Sea. How do you expect to make anything of yourself? Pirates want you to be scared of them, but they're nothing, nothing but scum.”
Bonny’s eyes turned toward a portrait that hung on the wall, it was of her and a man dressed in a black suit. Sarah watched quietly as Bonny returned to her diamonds.
“Are you saying that because of what he did to him?” Asked Sarah, softly.
“No,” replied Bonny. “Blackbeard is his own kind of scum. It's got nothing to do with my father. Killing people to harvest hearts, what kind of psycho is that? Heh, it doesn't matter. I'll get revenge for my family. When I see him there won't be any words, just a bullet through his heart.”
Bonny placed her rose-colored pistol onto the table and continued her count.
“But you’re a thief,” said Sarah, rather loudly, producing a threatening look from Bonny that forced her to lower her voice. “You’re a thief. It’s not like you chose a righteous career or anything. How are you any different from a pirate?”
“I’m a beautiful thief,” said Bonny, smiling. “It’s a subtle art to deceive and take things from men, you know? Especially when you take back what ought to be yours. Besides, aren't you running off to learn from the Magi? Magic is just as illegal as piracy, not to mention they’re creepy and old as shit.”
“The Magi are special,” Sarah defended, she then rubbed the back of her neck. “And…well, yeah, maybe they are a bit old, but I can learn a lot from them…things the empire won't teach me.”
Bonny knew of what her friend spoke of. Knowledge, like so many other privileges enjoyed by the men of their world, could not be so easily attained for them.
“So, you'll break the rules for books, but you won't do it for diamonds?” Bonny flapped her lips and continued to count. “Anyways, help me sort this out, will you? I’ll give you a small share when we’re done, you could buy yourself a quill protector or something.”
The two of them separated the diamonds into two piles and counted them. After about a few minutes, Sarah finished her recount and slid the diamonds toward Bonny.
“That makes three hundred.” Said Sarah.
“Great, I can feed a few families with these,” replied Bonny. She took a small pile of diamonds near her right hand and pushed them forward. “Here’s yours, babe. I’m sure your boyfriend’s happy to know you’re making your own way.”
“Yeah, about that,” Sarah's eyes darted over the glittering silver diamonds. She picked one up toward her face and let out a sigh. “He wants me to join his caravan.”
Caravans were the closest thing a commoner could get to the prestige of a Royal. The Royals, whom mostly lived out in the lavish city of Darkonia, would often celebrate and tell stories about famous caravans. They were crews of the toughest and strongest heroes the Nine Seas had to offer. Monstrous dragons, pirate lords, magical treasures…there was nothing a caravan wouldn't attempt to conquer.
Yet, with all the strength the caravans and Royals possessed, none of them could rival the power of the emperor. As the conqueror of the world, and with the possession of a power said to rival that of a God, the emperor imposed his beliefs freely onto his subjects. His hate for women was by far the most bizarre and unexplained part of his philosophy, one that favored men as the true masters of the world. In such a cruel place, a caravan was about the only way a woman could achieve true excellence.
“You should join,” said Bonny, taking a swig of rum from her cup. “If I didn’t get rejected by that prick, Greymore, I’d have been the captain of my own caravan. You should be glad Jayden is different. The emperor targets caravans that let women onboard, not many men would take that risk. He must really like you.”
“It’s just not for me,” said Sarah, softly. “I care about Jayden a lot, but I can't be a dragon slayer or a pirate killer. I’m not brave like you.”
Bonny gave Sarah
a look, not of annoyance, but a bit of pity. She was reminded of how fragile her best friend was, how years of being in an orphanage had caused her to be vulnerable. It was Bonny's wish to toughen Sarah up, and sail the seas as a caravan together.
“I don't know,” said Bonny. “Maybe one day you could be.”
A knock on the door pulled their eyes toward the front of the room. Bonny tapped her finger against her lips, an attempt to silence Sarah, who had already begun to panic. The brave thief rose from her chair, and walked calmly to open the door. Standing outside was a rather short man dressed in raggedy garbs. He rose his face, which was bombarded with warts and pimples, and gave Bonny a nervous grin.
“Miss…uh…Anne Bonny?” The words struggled to leave his lips, and even came out awkwardly soft in tone.
“Who’s asking?” Replied Bonny, opening the door just enough so her diamonds remained out of view.
“Captain Drake,” said the short man. “He’s just outside, ma’am, said it's urgent.”
Drake was the captain for a rather low tier pirate crew, or so Bonny was told. She hadn't had much interaction with Drake, besides their deal to have her smuggle his diamonds into Port Ruby. She had assumed he was one of many criminals following the shadow of much greater pirates.
“Alright,” said Bonny. “Lead the way.”
Bonny called her friend to join her, and the two followed the short man down the hallway. Sarah waited for the gentleman to walk ahead a good distance, before she hovered her face over Bonny’s shoulder.
“You brought a pirate captain here,” said Sarah, sharply. “Port Ruby’s crawling with Imperials! What if you two get seen together?”
The Imperial Fleet served as the emperor’s military might, policing the constant battles between pirates and caravans. The potential involvement of the authorities did little to worry the brave thief. Bonny gave Sarah a bored look and began to make her way downstairs. Her nervous friend followed close behind her.
“You need to seriously relax, Sarah,” replied Bonny, hearing Sarah groan behind her. She then sucked her teeth, as the short man left the lobby without holding the door open. Guess chivalry really is dead, Bonny thought to herself. The brave thief then looked toward Sarah as she turned the doorknob. “I swear, one day I’m taking you to a doctor and getting you checked ou…”
The presence of about thirty men stopped Bonny in her tracks. She stepped onto the narrow cobblestone street, surrounded by commoners that gathered in a circle. The soldiers stood in perfect rows behind a man in all white. Heavy rain had started to fall, and the passing gust caused his white cape to blow behind him. He was not dressed in the dark tattered garbs that pirates normally wore…Drake was dressed as an Imperial.
“It’s nice to see you again, Bonny.” Drake’s dark eyes narrowed upon her face.
The brave thief clenched her jaw. It's a setup, she shouted to herself. Bonny spun around to escape, but several Imperials in white armor blocked her path. Two men had already seized Sarah by her frail shoulders, the others pushed Bonny onto the street.
“What the hell is this?” Bonny demanded, her scrapped hands strangely struggling to lift her up from the moist cobblestones.
“You know for weeks the emperor has been asking the same thing,” replied Drake, calmly. “There's been reports of a vigilante thieving diamonds from Royal men, passing them off to poor commoners on the island. What a noble deed. I almost didn’t want to deceive you, but I’m bound to my duty as an Imperial captain.”
“You’re not a pirate.” Said Bonny, exposing her thoughts out loud.
“You should be grateful of that,” said Drake. “Otherwise it would’ve been the guillotine for you.”
Sarah's green eyes went wide, her fingers rattled like chimes in the wind. The guillotine was a fate worse than death, she was terrified at the very thought of Bonny being forced there. Sarah pulled away from the Imperial soldiers and rushed toward Bonny. Drake's eyes suddenly flashed with light, and his hand was stretched outward. Two streams of water rose from the flooded street, like a pair of ropes, and wrapped tightly around Sarah's wrists.
Bonny watched angrily, as the solid ropes of water forced her friend to her knees. She cursed under her breath and felt her body tremble. Drake had used his Secreto, a rare gift that gave people abnormal powers in their world. Sarah lifted her frightened face, showing her pinkish, green eyes.
“Look,” Sarah sobbed. “My friend doesn’t want any trouble.”
“Her deal with me tells us otherwise,” replied Drake, his dark eyes then turned toward Bonny. “The emperor gladly provided me an advance to bring you out of hiding. Foolish girl…you just counted your own bounty.”
An Imperial exited the townhouse and dragged the sack filled with Bonny’s diamonds. The soldiers confiscated all of her stolen valuables, and had begun to load them onto a horse carriage nearby. It wasn’t long before they had all of her things. Drake then opened his white, long coat, and reached for a silver pistol strapped to his waist.
“What are you doing?” Sarah screamed, the ropes of water tightening as she failed to break free.
“The punishment for stealing from a Royal is death,” replied Drake. “Now shut your mouth, before you join her to an early grave.”
Sarah wanted to say more, but her fear forced her to shrivel in Drake’s shadow. He then readied his pistol. The very click of his gun caused a commotion, leaving the helpless commoners to gasp and sob.
“You’re going to do it in front of these people?” Asked Bonny. Two soldiers forced her down to her knees in front of Drake. She turned away and nodded toward a group of sobbing children by the edge of the street. “There's kids watching.”
“Why not?” Said Drake. His smile quickly vanished, he then looked angrily toward the commoners. “These young girls should see what happens when a woman decides to go against the law of the emperor!”
This isn't happening, Bonny thought to herself. This isn't happening.
“Anne!” Sarah screamed. Bonny turned toward her sobbing friend, wincing from her arm being twisted in the grasp of her captors.
“Look away, Sarah!” Bonny shouted.
She then faced Drake, and felt the cold moist barrel of his gun pressed against her forehead. A single shot echoed into the air, masked by the crack of thunder across the dark sky. The streams of water released Sarah and left red marks across her wrists. She trembled horribly as she crawled toward her dying friend.
“Anne…,” She sobbed. She knelt onto the street and threw Bonny over her lap. Sarah began to shake her, but it was no use. Bonny's mouth was open, her face whitened like snow, and her gaze persisted through the raindrops that battered her eyes. “Anne, please…don't go…”
A damp cloth fell and plopped over Bonny's face. Sarah looked up and rested her terrified eyes upon Drake.
“Clean this up,” he said sternly. “I don’t want to see her filthy commoner blood, not a speck of it over this street, understood?”
Drake waited a moment for Sarah to speak, but her eyes simply darted over the bloody cloth. He then brought his hand down, and slapped her hard across the face. “I said…do you understand me?”
Sarah helplessly nodded and hung her head. She then wiped her tears and held tightly onto her friend’s body.
“Yes, sir…I understand.”
It was beyond embarrassment to have so many eyes watching her. The cold rain drops continued to splatter over Sarah's face, washing the tears from her eyes. The commoners wept along with her, even a few Imperials seemed uneasy.
“A bit harsh, don't you think, sir?” Asked one of his cadets.
Drake looked down upon Sarah's tearful face and scoffed.
“Harsh for her? Please,” said Drake. “She's nothing but a broken girl.”
Chapter 1 A Diamond in the Rough
Two years later…
Sarah stepped into The Williker, with the howling wind of the storm blowing behind her. From the
bottom of her boots, she brought water from outside. Each watery step trailed her path toward the center of the pub. She looked around and analyzed the crowd. A bar keeper cleaning a filthy glass mug, several drunks laughing, and a pair of gunners eyeing her moist breasts. Admittedly, she should have worn more to cover herself, but she had just put her clothes to wash. All she had left was her black tank top.
She dug into the pocket of her black jeans, and pulled from it a leather pouch. Inside were a hundred gold diamonds. She had been saving them up for nearly two years. A gold diamond could buy ten beers, a hundred could buy someone a motorcar, or a year of education at an academy. Sarah wanted neither. She was a poor driver and an even poorer student. She saved the gold diamonds not to spend, but to gamble.
To the right she saw three men sitting at the gambling corner. The octagon table was made of dark oak, and the gamblers had beers that comfortably stood along the outer edge. The green vinyl surface had stacks of gold and silver diamonds, small piles of them were near the hands of their owners. Sarah wanted them all…she needed them all. Her ticket to a better life depended on it.
