Kindred Spirits

Chapter 12

Of Suns, Moons and Swords

The Hazard sat anchored in a cave on the west of the harbour. Only a select few members of the crew, Devon included, went ashore along with Captain Drake. Exactly why they had to go ashore, or even why they had docked at this particular port was a mystery to them all. This was the reason so few of the crewmembers volunteered to go into Port Royal in the first place. Normally the port was dangerous for any pirate, but since Drake had never even given them detailed information about this mission, the crew grew sceptical about the nature of the venture and did not want to be the ones to go ashore.

Port Royal was a peaceful yet stuck-up area, which made it heaven to the decent fancy folk, but dangerous to those who do not follow laws or orders. It is hazardous for those who did not live by rules, but make rules themselves, hazardous for the ones that had the guts to live a life without boundaries. This particular port was treacherous for the ones who refused to settle for a dull life in which every day would be the same. Port Royal was therefore a place pirates mostly avoided, and it surely doesn’t help that the navy patrols constantly searched almost every part of town for intruders, for pirates as it were.

Acting as a warning to all those who ventured into Port Royal, the remains of unfortunate souls that had been caught near or inside the town were now seen swinging by nooses near the docks. Now if that sight did not make a clear enough impression, there was also a sign that hung beside them that read, “Pirates ye be warned.” To Devon this simply seemed like a sickening display of His Majesties so-called powers in the Caribbean. This display was there to scare other scallywags away, and used the remains as decayed human skeleton scarecrows or wind chimes.

However, Devon did not see danger here. What she saw was a bunch of narrow- minded wigs eager to clip the wings from free spirits like her. She felt sorry for those who, at one time, were hanged by those ropes, that now swayed with the wind as if they were doomed to dance for the rest of their days, never to rest. Their bodies may be damned, but at least their spirits were free. Devon looked at the grotesque, disrespectful image one more time and removed her hat to place over her heart, honouring them, giving them the respect they sincerely deserve but only seldom receive.

Devon hardly ever saw danger in any port, or situation for that matter. Perhaps it just that she was just too stubborn to admit to fear all together. She was always eager for another adventure to add to her list and to tell in good company over a bottle of rum. Now she was eager to find out whether the wigged ones really were as stupid as she thought they were, not to mention that she was determined to find out what business Drake had here in the first place.

Devon was a good judge of character and she had a talent for being able to read between the lines, and listen to unspoken words. Devon knew that Drake had something up his sleeve. This was a reason she volunteered to go ashore, if only to satisfy her curiosity. She stood first in and it was only after she had signed on some others followed, as if unwilling to let the woman be the only one brave enough to follow her Captain ashore.

To prepare for the trip, Devon had taken the braids out of her hair the night before and washed her hair to get her natural curls back, rather than the frizzy bunch of hair she would have had if had left her hair as it were. However, she did leave two of her leather wrapped braids in place, but only because the braids had become a part of her. Port Royal was a place where she would stand out, regardless of her appearance, but her beloved braids would only draw more unwanted attention to her.

She sat in the front of the longboat, next to her Captain, while Bullet sat quietly on her lap. As she gently stroked her dog, her loose curls waved around her head in the wind. She wore a white blouse underneath her leather vest and black cotton breeches. She had attempted to hide her most visible scars and tattoos with either a scarf or fingerless gloves.

Drake looked at his female pirate, and was amazed to see that she no longer looked dangerous, but enchanting. Her curls gave her a softness that many had never imagined she could possess.

‘Is there a problem, Drake?’ Devon asked when she saw her Captain studying her appearance.

‘No. No problem with me, Duville. It’s just that we don’t get ta see ye this way very often, that’s all.’

‘Well, don’t get used to it, because I don’t intend to get dressed down on a daily basis. I just don’t feel like meself without me braids and all the leather.’

The longboat neared the shore and Devon jumped out of the boat without any warning, straight into the water. Drake cursed her swift movement because the boat nearly tipped over. Bullet quickly followed Devon in the water, splashing water in Drake’s face.

‘Honestly Duville, sometimes ye act just like a child.’

Devon pouted at him and batted her eyelashes, ‘Couldn’t help meself, Sir.’ She grinned cheekily as she pulled the boat forward into some bushes with the help of Dacosta.

‘Maybe I should start punishing you for yer rash actions, like ye do to that dog of yers.’

‘Yeah kinky, spank me. Ye know how much I’d like that,’ she said with a smirk on her face, winking at her Captain.

‘You are truly the nails in a man’s coffin, Duville...’ he hissed at her.

‘If that be the case I’d better get out of the water, before I start to oxidize, aye? Wouldn’t want to get all rusty.’

He rolled his eyes and shook his head at the antics of the woman he had grown so fond of over the years.

‘Now Drake, why did we come here in daylight? Don’t you think that it’s just a wee-bit risky?’ she inquired.

‘Don’t you think it a tad risky coming ashore wearing men’s clothes Duville? You should have worn the dress I got you.’

‘Not when YOU should have waited until nightfall so no one would’ve noticed a woman in breeches,’ she snapped

‘You still should have worn the dress...’

‘That would be suicide, an you know it. How would I fight or run in a something like that? No way in hell I am ever gonna wear one of those evil things, and especially not in BROAD DAYLIGHT with lobsters on every corner! Those things were invented to slow women down, to prevent them from taking their own damned course!’

‘You forget your place, Duville.’

‘It seems to be you that seems to have forgotten that my place is right here wearing my breeches,’ she snapped looking away from her Captain and staring out to sea.

Devon, knowing that she won the argument, ran a hand through her black curls and put her hat back on her head, pulling it slightly forward to cover her eyes.

‘Duville, I need you to go to this address... a man called Edwards lives there. Word is that he recently got hold of a map that could be of importance to us. You wrap him around yer little finger and take the map. Simple.’

‘What are we talking about here, Drake? Yer gonna have ta give me a little more information than that! Who’s this Edwards anyway?’

‘He works for the Royal Navy. Apparently he is in charge of the maps and I need you to get it for me and find out whatever you can about it while you’re there.’

‘What map are ye talking about? If I even get to find that house and find the room its in, how would I know if I’ve found the right map?’

‘I don’t know for sure, but there’s an emblem that has to be on it,’ he said whilst showing her a large ring he took out of his pocket.

‘Ah, it be that horrendous ring once again... Oh My! Great heavens and fallen angels, does this mean ye are finally proposin’ dear Capt’n?’ Devon asked looking innocently in her Captain’s grey eyes, her eyes twinkling and voice dripping with sarcasm.

‘DAMMIT DUVILLE! Will you just let me finish fer once?! Honestly I don’t know how I put up with ye... should have tossed you overboard when I had the chance.’

‘That would be because ye love me and ye’d be lost without me, luv. That and you know that I would always find my way back to you, so long as I have me heart as me compass, dearest Captain of mine...’ she said, her voice filled with mirth.

He shot an angry glare at her, while his fingers trembled from the anger he was trying desperately to control. Devon bit her lip, I think I’ve just taken one step too far...

She acted quickly to diffuse the situation. ‘My guess is yer not proposing then, which is a good thing, because I would’ve declined anyways. Now, lemme see that monster of a ring again... Hmmmm... A sun... moon... and a skull under a gate?' she said while she carefully studied the heavy golden ring she had taken from her Captain’s hand.

‘Very detailed handiwork and craftsmanship I must say. It must have taken someone hours to get a design like that on something like this here hideous ring... Why in the name of the devil did ye take that monstrosity with ye in the first place, Drake? I’ve known you to have much better taste than this.’

‘I took it,’ he said with slight irritation creeping into his voice, ‘because it’s part of the lost Inca treasure of Viracoccia. It represents the gates of Isla del Sol and Isla del Luna.’

‘The floating islands?’ Devon asked raising one eyebrow in curiosity. ‘Ye mean they actually exist?’

‘I am pretty sure they do. Supposedly the legendary treasure of Viracoccia lies buried underneath one of those gates. Either the moon or the sun...’ he spoke slowly making sure she knew the importance of her task.

‘So there’ll be two maps then?’

‘No, just the one. But there must be two charts on it, one for each island.’

‘When did you find out about it?’ Devon asked impatiently, the word treasure had made her heart skip a beat and she was silently pleading her Captain to tell her more.

‘The Spanish vessel we raided last, remember?’

She nodded, tucking back a loose curl and a braid behind her ear ‘Aye, I know that’s where ye found that hideous ring, but I didn’t know how ye got the information about the treasure though. I can’t remember any of the Spanish sailors mentioning it or talking about it... did they?’ she said waving her hands in order to let Drake continue.

‘No time for any more explanation, Duville, you’re going to get us all the information we need anyway.’

‘What be the benefit for me then, eh? I mean, I am taking the risks here, putting my lovely butt on the line so ta speak.’

‘If we find the treasure, you’ll get your pick first, before we split it. Do we have an accord?’

Devon shook Drake’s hand firmly, but there was one thing that was still wasn’t clear to her.

‘Why me, Drake?’

‘You were the one that wanted to seduce a lobster, luv. An’ here I am giving ye the opportunity to do so,’ he said with a grin to match Devon’s.

‘And...?’ Devon asked suggestively tapping her foot on the ground impatiently awaiting an answer.

‘And, you are the only one capable enough...’

‘All I wanted ta hear, Capt’n.’ She said snatching the piece of paper out of her Captain’s hands eagerly.

‘Ye need us to go with her, Sir?’ Dacosta asked looking at Hoggins and Stevens.

Devon beat her Captain to the answer, surveying the four men that stood in front of her as she did so. ‘No, nothing I can’t handle by me onesies, after all I am Devon Duville, the most feared skilled, sexy, witty...’

‘WE KNOW!’ All the men shouted back at her before she could finish her tirade about her own greatness.

‘Alright then, so ye should know I am going alone.’

Before she could leave, Drake finished giving Devon her orders. ‘Now after ye get the map, ye get back here and row back to the Hazard, savvy? Or would you rather we wait for ye back here?’

‘Aye Sir. I’ll bring ye yer map and I’ll return here safe and sound,’ she answered nodding to her Captain. ‘But why must ye always ask questions ye know the answer to, Drake? You damn well know I am in no need for protection, never have been and never will be. Now if you’ll please excuse me, I’ve got a lobster to catch! Come Bullet!’ she winked at the men before turning on her heel and walking casually into the busy streets of Port Royal. She weaved into the crowd of people while she studied the small piece of paper Drake had given her. She continued to walk for several minutes, in an attempt to stay away from the preying eyes of the guards, to mingle in the crowd so that she could blend in and go unnoticed. She studied the faces of people she passed while she searched for the address written on the paper in her Captain’s messy handwriting.

Drake rubbed his neck wondering if it had been a wise decision to send Duville out by herself. Not that he doubted her skills for a moment, but this was Port Royal. His memory immediately drifted back to Nassau Port a few years back. That was not a good memory at all... He wondered if Devon had even thought about that incident – if you could call it that – before she went ashore. Probably not, he figured, Dee always just seemed to forget nasty situations. However, she had proven her skills back then, so why should he worry now...? Either way, he was beginning to worry, even if she didn’t. Damn! He should have gone with her. Just as he was about to call her or at least send Dacosta and Hoggins after her, she was already out of his sight.

Devon noticed a few men stare at her from the corner of her eye. This was not the lusty stare she was usually on the receiving end of, but a stare that made her increase speed a little. They were staring at her as if they had no clue what to make of her. She absentmindedly tugged at her sleeve to make sure the dragon tattoo wasn’t showing, even though she wore gloves over her arms and under the shirt sleeves. Can never be too sure with the wigged ones, she thought. As she continued on her way she saw an opportunity she simply couldn’t pass. Devon spied a wealthy looking man who was casually tossing a leather purse in his hand and deliberately bumped into him. She curtsied, excusing herself from her ‘rude behaviour’, while showing a bit more chest than was needed – in a most feminine way – to distract the man's attention and then casually walked towards the corner of the street. After reaching the corner, she turned into a narrow street. Serves ‘im right, waving his money pouch in front of my face. She weighed the pouch in her hand feeling how heavy it was. Devon’s lips twisted in a smirk. Old habits die hard... especially when you’re good at them.

When she entered a small alley on her left, she came upon a Blacksmith’s Shop. Given Devon’s inquisitive nature and her obsession with weaponry, she simply couldn’t resist. She just had to go inside and see what was behind that wooden door. She placed her semi-gloved hand on the door and pushed it open, the squeaky door moved away from the frame and a yellowish-brown light from inside fell upon her face. She narrowed her eyes a little and scanned the room. Her gaze soon fell upon a few of the most beautiful swords she had ever seen. Whoever made these is a gifted and talented man who apparently loves what he does for a living, she thought as she carefully removed one of the swords from a rack above her and balanced it in her hand. Absolutely perfect! These were crafted with great care and devotion... While she inspected the fine blade, she heard Bullet growl at something. Once she tore her eyes away from the beautiful blades, she found him growling at a donkey that stood in the back near the fire. ‘Honestly pup, that little donkey did nothing to offend ye, now hush,’ she whispered to her dog, pulling it back by its collar. She glanced towards the mule and went over to stroke its head gently as if to excuse Bullet’s behaviour.

‘Will? Is that you? You’re back early. Such a pleasant surprise...’ a female voice came from behind her.

‘No ma’m, I’m not Will...’ Devon said with her rich weathered voice, while turning on her heel so she was facing the owner of this voice. ‘But I would like to speak with the master blacksmith, is he in?’

‘You’re a pirate!’ the woman said enthusiastically, a small smile adorning her porcelain face. Enthusiastic when she meets a pirate? No fear, no screaming, no ‘spare me’? Damn these curls, they take away my fierce appearance!

As if on cue Bullet began to growl at the woman, and she looked down at Devon’s feet to locate the source of the noise. ‘Oh, and look at the darling dog you have! Oh, isn’t that just the cutest thing!’

‘Aye, I appear to be and last time I checked meself I was, in fact, a pirate. So I applaud you on that accurate assessment, lass. But don’t ye go spreading the news just yet, now would ye? Although I must say that I like your taste lass, no screaming in terror at seein a pirate, not to mention the you are the only person besides meself that ever called Bullet cute before.’ Devon smirked and studied the woman.

She was beautiful had fair skin, it looked almost porcelain with such angelic features, while she wore her hair in a neat bun with little ringlets falling down on her forehead and glowing cheeks while a few loose curls rained down the back of her neck. She was everything Devon wasn’t. One look in her eyes and Devon saw fascination in their hazel depths, not hatred. This one could be trusted, she simply had a feeling... Never doubt the gut feeling, Dee, even when in Port Royal.

‘But... you’re a woman...’ the voice of the younger woman pulled Devon out of her reverie. The woman sounded slightly bemused, as though she thought it strange to see a WOMAN pirate in her home, but was not surprised at the presence of a pirate. Devon contemplated this idea for a moment, before storing it in her memory for later inspection as the younger woman got down on her knees to pet the little French bulldog.

‘Aye, correct again, luv.’

‘There aren’t a lot of female pirates I know of...’

‘That makes two of us, lass. Only know one other personally, except for meself...’ Devon stated. ‘Now, luv, where be the master smith, I am very interested in talking with ‘im.’

‘My husband is off delivering the Commodore’s order to the fort, but he should be back soon.’

With that said Devon sat herself down on a barrel and started cleaning her fingernails with a dagger. The woman stood across from her, fascinated with her presence and seemed to be completely in love with her dog.

‘Tell me something, lass. How is it you are this comfortable around pirates? What makes ye think yer safe with me?’ Devon queried.

The woman seemed lost in thoughts for a moment, so Devon interjected a subtle, ‘Lass... ye there?’, before the woman snapped out of her trance and looked to Devon once more.

‘I must say that I’ve been fascinated with pirates since I was a little girl... And since you haven’t aimed your pistol at me, or threatened me or did anything of the sort, my guess is you are trustworthy. And if you were an unkind or evil person than this little one would never stay with you,’ she said cuddling Devon’s dog.

Devon couldn’t help but laugh. ‘Either you are very naïve or you are very brave lass. No pirate is trustworthy, not even a woman like meself... Especially not a woman like meself. And that little one as you call 'im, isn’t always sweet either. Not a minute before you came in he was trying ta offend yer donkey. But through everything he’s never left my side, so I suppose you could call us a team.’

The woman looked somewhat startled now after hearing Devon’s throaty laugh and the slightly threatening undertone in her spoken words, so she ceased petting Bullet for a moment.

‘No need to be scared though, luv. I don’t intend ta hurt ye. I just wanted to see if yer husband’s got anything nice fer me. A girl like me can ne’er have enough metal on her, and finely crafted metal is even better and extremely rare to come by.’

The woman seemed to loosen up again and resumed stroking Bullet. ‘Somehow I don’t believe you are talking about jewels, now are you, Miss...?’

‘Devon Duville, at yer service lass... and the little one is Bullet. And no, I wasn’t implying jewels, luv. I don’t care much for jewellery... Jewels are nice and all, but they won’t get you anywhere when your life is on the line...’ Devon stood up taking her hat off and bowed at the younger woman.

‘What be yer name then, lass?’

‘Elisabeth Turner,’ she bowed raising her skirts a little along the way, ‘Might I point out that Bullet is an unusual name for a pet?’

Devon chuckled and held her hand out, which Elisabeth took and shook firmly. The wheels in Devon’s head started turning as she heard her last name... not a common name in this aristocratic community... and she had heard it before, somewhere...

‘Enchanté Miss Turner,’ Devon said warmly. ‘You find Bullet to be an unusual name? Well, let me put it this way, he happens to be a Bulldog and given how I love Bullets and weaponry, and how much I love the damn dog... put those two together and you get Bullet the French bulldog. Savvy?’

Elisabeth couldn’t quite follow the reasoning of the odd pirate, and there was something that seemed oddly familiar about her, but she simply shrugged her shoulders, ‘Savvy.’

When they heard a rumbling noise, both women tilted their heads towards the door. Devon moved behind a rack to her left, attempting to get a better glimpse of whoever came through the door while staying out of sight herself.

‘Cupcake, I’m home,’ the man shouted lovingly before pushing the wooden door open.

Devon smirked as she stepped out of her hiding place. This was certainly Mr. Turner, that or the lovely lady had a man on the side... nah, probably not. Devon’s lips twisted in her trademark grin and she thought that having a bit of fun with Mr. Turner would be most entertaining...well at least to her it would...

‘Oh, heavens dear, I’ve missed you so terribly! I was beginning to wonder whether you had forgotten all about me and would never return...’ Devon giggled in an almost perfect English accent.

The other woman laughed along with Devon, while the man who had entered looked sheepishly at his wife.

Before Devon could even calm her laughter, it seemed the man had not found her welcome amusing, so when she opened her eyes it was to see a cutlass not even an inch from her nose.

‘Now that’s not very friendly...’ she said in a mocking tone, while pushing the blade gently away from her face.

The man studied her face and his gaze flicked between her and Elisabeth. ‘Who are you?’ he asked of Devon while looking to his wife for an answer as well.

Devon rolled her eyes in amusement, ‘I am assuming she is your wife, lad.’

She chuckled lightly as she turned her head towards Elisabeth, ‘Men seem to forget rather quickly, don’t they?’

The man got agitated and pointed his cutlass at her nose once more. ‘I meant who are YOU!’

‘Ah, silly me. The name’s Duville, Devon Duville and am I correct in assuming that these beauties are crafted by your capable hands?’ she asked letting her hands glide smoothly along the swords that were hanging behind her.

‘Aye, every single one of them,’ he replied, his blade never wavering inches from her nose.

‘Will, lower the sword, she’s not going to harm us.’

‘How can you tell?’ he said glaring at Devon with narrow eyes.

‘If she wanted to do so, do you really think she’d be very calmly standing there with your sword under her nose and not locked in a duel with you at the present moment?’

Devon jumped into their conversation, knowing that if she didn’t, this banter would continue for a while longer. ‘Girl’s gotta point there, mate! I mean all it takes is just a little effort from my side...’ before she even finished her sentence she had kicked his sword out of his hands.

‘Bloody hell,’ the man muttered

‘No sense in being bloody, mate. But Hell, I’m good, aren’t I?’ she quipped with a smirk. ‘And as I’ve just put clean clothes on, I would hate to make a mess and get them all dirty again...’

‘Well I’ll assume you mean no harm. What is it you want from us then?’ he asked lowering his eyes underneath the rim of her hat, trying to look into hers.

Devon removed her hat and carefully placed it on the barrel she had just vacated.

‘I am interested in a new sword lad, and as far as I’ve seen, I’ve come to ta right place and to the right man for that matter,’ she said as she held out her right hand, waiting for the man to shake it.

‘Will Turner,’ he said shaking her hand firmly. ‘What kind of sword are you looking for then?’

‘Yer name sounds awfully familiar, lad. I swear I’ve heard it somewhere before...’ She mumbled as her mind was racing again. Devon rubbed her temples in order to spark some sort of recognition in her brain. ‘Will Turner... Turner... William Turner, Will... Bill ......... Turner... BOOTSTRAP BILL!’

‘Aye, I am his son.’

‘Well smack my bum and call me princess! I’d be damned... I knew I heard that name before!’ Devon shouted with glee at finally remembering why that name sounded so familiar. She stopped rejoicing and her voice grew solemn when she added, ‘I’m sorry fer yer loss, lad.’

‘You knew my father?’ his eyes were piercing into hers.

‘Not personally but I’ve heard of ‘im. Heard ‘bout what Barbossa did ta him. Every pirate knows about his dreadful ending.’

Will seemed lost in thoughts now.

‘Lad?’ she nudged his shoulder, ‘You alright lad?’ When she saw that Will was still lost in his thoughts she tried another approach. ‘I wanted ta buy a blade of yers, remember...?’

Elisabeth pulled Devon aside, ‘Why don’t I make us something to eat and afterwards Will can show you his collection? What say you to that?’

‘I’d say I would love a bite ta eat with ye, but I have some business I need to attend to first,’ Devon replied politely. ‘But I could take care o’ that now and return afterwards. I need to go to this address,’ Devon took the piece of paper out of her vest and showed it to Elisabeth. ‘Perhaps ye could be so kind as ta give me directions? Then ye and yer husband can eat and I’ll be back after I’m done.’

‘Of course,’ Elisabeth answered, studying the wrinkled piece of paper. ‘As it turns out, this address is only a few streets away...’

After Devon had gotten the information she needed, she leashed Bullet, bowed to the couple, tipped her hat and left them behind. Lucky lady, got one hell of a looker there, she smirked to herself. However, as she thought of their marriage she began to think about how that meant they were stuck together for all time... Devon shrugged. She’s doomed... as is he. The passion will eventually wear off and then what’ll they do? No, not my cup of tea... No matter how good looking they are, men will always tie their women down. Or what’s worse, they could try to change their women.... I’ve walked that particular road before, and it wasn’t a very pleasant experience... hadn’t enjoyed that walk one bit.... Devon shook her head to banish those memories from her thoughts, and continued to walk in the direction Elisabeth had shown her.