A Shocking Display

They were about an hour away from entering Corinspe's waters. The reason Corinspe was so integral to pirate life was its ability to act as a defensible headquarters for pirates. A safe haven for just those in the way of life of piracy. Niveal was for all outlaws but Corsinpe was just for pirates. It was able to stay that way and not fall under Baethan control because of the large reef that surrounded the island. For miles in every direction, one of Northern Baethos' largest reefs with only one space large enough to clear ships, helped protect the small island.

To those that knew the route in, the route was perilous. To those that didn't, the route was impossible. Even if the route through the reef was leaked to an opposing party, like traders or the government, Corinpse was easily defended. Ships could only enter in a single file line and there were fortresses and cannons lining the part of the island that faced the entrance. No enemy ship would make it past the opening into the bay, causing a buildup and a failed invasion.

In a little while, the entrance would be upon them and Theo would need to be on deck and on high alert, helping Navi through the waters. However, it was pushing into the early hours of the morning and Theo was having a hard time staying awake. Ava offered to stay up with the captain to keep her company while others slept in anticipation of the big day. Arrival day. That is where they found themselves, Theo on the floor and Ava on the bed; Ava's hands digging into Theo's hair and tugging at strands of it. In an attempt to keep them awake and distracted, Ava decided to see how Theo looked with braided hair.

"I look awful," Theo blurted out when Ava had done simple braids down her head like Morgana.

"I like it," Ava cooed and titled Theo's head around in the looking glass as if that would help convince her.

"Take it out," Theo demanded.

"Fine, but I get to try something else," Ava negotiated and Theo rolled her eyes but agreed.

Theo liked to complain if it was too silent, just to take the piss, and Ava knew that so she kept the conversation flowing.

"Did you ever have to go through the name dropping process?" Ava asked, finger nimbly braiding a section on the side of Theo's head.

"No, I had nothing to drop. My parents were given titles but rejected them before I was born so I was born into a family with no last name," Theo explained but knew if she left the conversation on that topic that questions of her parents would arise, "Why? Are you nervous about yours?"

"More nervous about, like, what the process is. I don't like to walk into things without knowing what's expected and Xyra did a good job explaining but I wanted to know more," Ava admitted.

"You've picked the wrong path for life if the unknown bothers you," Theo pointed out which Ava laughed at.

"Aye, it is something I overcome every day," Ava joked, well, half-joked.

"I can't tell you much about the actual ritual, the whole point of it is that it is a secret. All of what we do at Corinspe is. It is simple though. As long as you know how to write your name you should be good to go," Theo answered, purposely cryptic but decided to let her in on as much of the process as she could, "You'll go through the name dropping ceremony with only a few others present. After that, you're joined with the rest of the crew for initiation. The whole thing takes less than an hour and there are no human sacrifices or eating hearts. That is left to traders."

"I am about to become a pirate," Ava said.

Theo felt Ava's fingers stop braiding her hair and she looked back, there was a distant look in her eyes. Theo reached up and pulled Ava's hand off of her head and held it in her hand.

"Are you having second thoughts?" Theo asked, nervous to hear the answer. Right then would be a very inconvenient time to mention wanting to back out.

"No," Ava reassured Theo, squeezing their hands, "it's hard to explain. In less than a sun, I will be the antithesis of everything I was raised to be. I'm not scared of it but I feel the shame from my family bearing down on me. I know I will never see them again but I still have dreams about them, about what they taught me. I still think of them and wonder what they would think of me."

"Do you ever feel guilty?"

Ava pulled her hand away and went back to braiding Theo's hair, pushing Theo's head to face forward, "Yes. But not for betraying what they taught me. They were wrong and I hope they burn."

Theo was shocked at the tone Ava had taken on. She had seen girls run away from rich homes before and go through the process of discovering the ugly reality of their world. But for some reason, Theo expected Ava to not receive it well. Someone who once showed nothing but indifference towards her family now generated a venomous response when asked about them. Whatever she had read in her books about the Ableworths had clearly affected her.

"What do you feel guilty about?"

"Coming from a place of wealth and luxury and then being able to just find my footing in the first place I stumbled upon. The fact that I climbed to the top of the ranks and I am not even a pirate yet," Ava shrugged and moved to the other side of Theo's head.

"You've earned your place here," Theo said.

"I know that," Ava said, "but I can still recognize that it was easier for me than it has been for any of these other girls."

"That is true," Theo admitted, she wouldn't lie. Ava had made it to the Scorned Woman relatively scratch-free. Most girls found their way to Theo battered from the world or after a series of hardships. She wouldn't deny that to try and soothe Ava's guilt. Guilt like that could not be soothed either way.

"Your family, were they close to the Vaiths?" Theo asked. She knew the answer. Ava was an Ableworth and that was a great house that served under the Vaith family. Ava had also spent her summers there. She just wanted to open to a conversation to get more information.

"Aye, I knew them well," Ava said, a bit hesitant, "the Vaith children were interesting people. The whole family was."

"Did you know Mallory?" Theo asked, Cooker had mentioned the girl from time to time but Theo never had any real details about her and the Vaith's didn't exactly allow personal information to be released to the public. If there was any way to lightly prod about the subject before diving in was to ask about the people around Lord Vaith.

"A bit. She was a few lengths older than me though. Cooker would know though, she said she knew her," Ava divulged as if Theo had no idea.

"You know about Cooker's past?" Theo asked, unbeknownst to her, one of Cooker's best-guarded secrets was in Ava's hands too. Once again knowing far too much for the amount of time she had been there.

"Aye, we talked about it one night. I said she looked familiar, she reminded me of someone I knew. She looks just like all of her siblings so it wasn't hard to get to the bottom of who she was. All was revealed," Ava said dramatically and Theo chuckled.

"So you know she was obsessed with Mallory as a kid. Cooker never really talked about how she was as a person though, so I thought you could provide some insight."

"She was mean."

"Simple and to the point," Theo laughed and pulled her head away from Ava, "Are you done yet?"

"Aye," Ava nodded and let go of Theo's hair but not before giving the braid a tug "impatience is a bad quality."

"Fuck qualities, I'm the captain of the ship."

"Until I learn to sail," Ava reminded Theo which caused her to stand up and push Ava back on the bed.

Theo leaned over and climbed over Ava, leaning down to hover just above her lips, "Am I going to have to kill you and fake how you died?"

"If you want to keep your spot as captain," Ava said and pulled Theo in for a kiss.

Theo had no time to get to the kiss. There was a loud call from the deck and someone trying to open her door. Thankfully, Theo had enough time to pull apart from Ava and she was standing up by the time her door opened. It was Cooker, she was as pale as the sails and she looked unwell.

"Cap, you've got to come see this," Cooker said, a daze in her voice like she couldn't believe what was happening.

Theo began to walk outside and Cooker led the way, Ava not trailing too far behind. The sun was just beginning to peek out over the sky. This north, the sun tended to rise earlier. There wasn't a cloud in sight and it looked to be shaping up to be a nice day. Cooker led them to the forecastle of the ship and helped them up to where they could have a clear view of the problem at hand. The source of Cooker's stress wasn't hard to spot at all but she was handed a spyglass anyway. Her heart stopped in her chest and she had ten million thoughts running through her head.

In front of her, near the entrance to the reef, was a statement. A declaration of war between pirates and the forces that had been stalking and killing them. There were seven pirate vessels, all varying degrees of damage on each of the ships. Their white sails were splattered with red and Theo could only assume that it was the blood of the crew. A common pirate tradition was to soak the defeated ship's sails in blood when a ship was raided and the crew was killed. Between the red and the white throughout the sails was a message in black paint. Sprawled out between the sails of all seven ships the message read.

"By Baethan Decree, The Merciless Hunt Begins And Will Not End Until Every Pirate Has Been Held Accountable For Their Crimes. The Innocent Shall Suffer No Longer."

Theo was speechless. There was nothing she could say that could make the situation any better. What was in front of them was scary. And such a stunt being pulled off so close to their home was even scarier. Cooker raised Theo's hand that held the spyglass up, hinting for it to be used. Theo extended it and put it to her eye, scanning the ships. Theo almost wished she hadn't paid attention to Cooker and just observed from afar.

On each of the ships, a body hung from each of their bows. The bodies were dressed in full captain's garb, their hats neatly placed on their heads and everything. Theo instantly recognized most of the Captains hanging from the bow and the ships they belonged to. She had either had a stint with them, had worked with them on a job, or interacted with them frequently on the island. Theo was well established in many pirate niches and because of that, she knew a wide array of people. It was terrifying to see her comrades hanging from the very thing that gave them their livings but what she saw on the decks of the ships was even more blood-chilling.

The decks were littered with heads. Each of them neatly placed in rows. Some sick fuck really took their time planning and executing this and Theo's blood boiled at the thought. Some of the captains in front of her knew how to exhibit mercy when it was called for. The least that could have been done was given a decent death to those pirates on deck. Theo threw the spyglass to the ground and spun around, trying to look away from the horror in front of her. Ava was staring at the display in shock, unsure of what to say just like the rest of them.

They were not dealing with something they could ignore any longer. If they didn't come together and do it quickly, the alliance of pirates would soon dissolve as they were picked off one by one. Theo had not only been in harm's way but twice since the disappearances started, the Tuskeris and the mystery ship. She didn't know if they would be lucky enough to survive a third.

"Trust no one. Talk to no one. Tell no one about anything we have done or what has happened to us. Pirates don't start dropping like flies unless there is a rat among us," Theo said and looked at Cooker, "Spread the word. Not a soul is allowed to speak of our loot or our journey these past cycles. Loose lips get scrubbing duty at the very minimum."