The Word Cloud

The Pirates of Calabria - The Ark of the Covenant


by Jaana [aka Cyane]

CHAPTER 2

'A FEMALE POPE'

    The sun's waves were covered by hundreds of arrows which pierced Calenvor, once with all the people who were fighting on the ship. After the raid, the stillness took control over the place.

 

Killion's sobs tore the silence. Desperate to get some help he realized that his body was penetrated by arrows which stroke his feet and belly.

 

He never thought that he will end like this, knowing that he was alone all his life and never felt the love of a parent. Killion was abandoned in the Saint Andreano Church gardens when he was just a baby. All his life worked there, being dragged by the other priests to pray with them to God for every soul from this Earth asking for the divine forgiveness.

Killion never wanted to be pulled into this kind of world, which he never believed that can save him from falling into the devil's hands, or to gain his place in heaven.

 

He found this freedom when he met Amallia Cortès, a pirate lass which followed her father's path and created her own freedom by ruling over a ship, Caen, and being respected by her crew.

 

“'mallia...help...” he murmured trying to remember what happened.

 

He saw Lady Glaria, wounded, leaned on the helm, and breathing low. She flow some rum onto her wound howling and trying to resist the pain. She broke her shirt to dress the wound and took a little swing before she throw the bottle of rum over the board. Somebody touched his forehead and gave him a slow flow through dreaming. He closed his eyes and sensed that the presence faded away, like an old memory.

 

Amillia was able to hear Killion's voice, crying and begging for help, but now all she heard was the sea-gull squeals while they were flying around Calenvor. She saw a woman carrying Killion into her arms, very beautiful and so well dressed. Her darkened long hair was covered by a huge gold papal tiara encircled with three crowns.

 

“Pope? No it is a woman” Amillia though feeling so confused.

 

The woman looked for a second to Amillia and offered her hand as help raising the girl into her feet. She looked into the woman's eyes and found that they were blue like the ocean's aurora.

 

“Who...who are you?” Amillia asked with fear into her voice.

The woman touched her eyes and she closed them wide like she was afraid to lose the memory of this rare beautiful countenance. When she opened them she realized that the woman was standing on a different ship ready to hide into the dense clouds which were destined to bring a new storm soon.

Amillia looked over the board and sighed relieved that her men were safe, she searched for Sheba and Lil Nino and realized that they were into the Lady Glaria's Cabin. She rushed inside and saw Lil Nino cleaning Sheba's wounds with water.

 

“What happened?” Amillia murmured watching Sheba curving her body every time Lil Nino was sewing her wounds.

 

“She was hit by two arrows, I need to do this now, she will loose too much blood if we will wait until we'll be back in Port Villianna.” he persuaded.

 

“I am sorry Captain” tried Sheba to talk over her sobs filling her eyes with tears.

 

“You don't need to apologise Sheba, ye look here, we will find the lass which done this to you, ye hear me? I've seen her face and her ship, I will kill her with my own two hands.” promised Amillia pulling her cutlass from the sheath. “Until then we need  to repair this ship.”

 

“What about Lady Glaria? She's still on the quarter deck, wounded.” questioned Lil Nino helping Sheba to put her clothes on.

 

“We will take her with us, she knows something about this. I want her to take me to Zertuga.”

 

 

The storm came shortly after the arrows raid, spreading its fury over the sea and bringing the hellish thunders which stroke the sky with their lightning. The sea seemed to awake from its long sleep and became controlled by the storm, smashing its waves over the cliffs and carrying them towards the docks.

 

Amillia was so concentrated over all the books, which were from Lady Glaria's personal library, that she didn't felt the storm. She found information about Nova Artana, the twin island of Zertuga. Not long until she found the main source, a map with all the hidden paths that can help her to find the islands without problems.

 

The legend says that between those two islands, an ark has been buried into the sea. Its propose was to hold the tablets on which God had inscribed the Ten Commandments. Fashioned from wood and covered inside and out with pure gold, the ark was surmounted by a heavy lid of gold bearing two cherubim and two golden rings were attached to the sides, the Ark of the Covenant.

She knew that all those had a strong connection between the Ark and the Royal Eye, she could say that she feel it under her skin. She remembered the day when her father gave her a ring with a huge and strong beautiful green stone, which he told her that was the treasure of the great pirate king, Bartholomew Roberts. Amillia guessed why it was Bartholomew's great treasure, the stone was carrying the right eye of Hernán Cortés, a little stone which is changing its colour every time is touched and can open the Pandora box.

 

Several hours passed after the storm calmed down and Amillia left Port Villianna, with both Calenvor and Caen, aiming towards the two islands. Lil Nino took command and sailed her ship behind Calenvor.

Amillia locked Lady Glaria into one of the cells of Calenvor's basement with the ones who survived from her crew.

 

Lady Glaria became pirate when she was twelve years old. She used to steal from other sailors and fight with pirates for her freedom, but one night she had the opportunity to meet Commodore Cromwell, a fine man who believed that every soul can be saved  and every man can change, but not in Glaria's case.

 

When Commodore Cromwell met her in San Leo Square, she was waiting in a corner hoping that someone will give her some money or food. He took her into his custody and taught her to master the blade combat. She ran away when she was fifteen, seeking for Henry Morgan, a pirate who at that time was general in the English Army. She knew his secret about his dream to command over the sea and also his connection with pirates.

Morgan earned fame and respect among his friends and enemies alike thanks to his successful attacks over the Capital of the Mexican province Tobasco, Vilahermosa, and Gran Granada, the silver mining, centre of Nicaragua.

 

After she found Morgan, she fell in love for the first time and no long passed until she became his right hand. After five years of fighting, arm to arm with him, she decided to become herself Captain over a ship. She employed her proper crew, an army of mercenaries, and killed all the crew of Calenvor, Commodore's Cromwell ship. Before the Commodore died, she realized that he was waiting for her, his eyes were happy, for seeing her after those years of loneliness, which he told her that were to long and painful and he stopped believing that she was still alive.

 

“Glaria, I wanted to tell you that...that I am happy to see how beautiful and fine woman you became. I hope you'll find what you sought all alone and I wish you well.” Cromwell murmured looking into her eyes.

 

 

He ran into her blade, piercing his heart and dying into her arms. Her soul was crying, something inside her broke and released a huge anger into her heart. She swore that she will never be weak again and never will feel love.

 

 

 

A cannon fire awakened Lady Glaria from her sleep. She was able to hear a crowd of voices outside, the shouts and growls of the pirates while they were fighting,  crossing blades and releasing their loudly bullets all around the ship.

 

Amillia cut the enemy with her cutlass from her way and managed to go to the quarter deck and took control over the helm. She turned Calenvor in the same position as the enemy's ship and shot their main mast but she was stroke by a bullet which harmed her right arm. Amillia seized the helm with the left hand and avoided to fall to the ground. Sensing the edge of the bullet burning her flesh, she howled feeling the pain deeper, like the bullet was digging into her arm more and more.

 

A shadow covered her face, a man was standing between her and the light of the sun. Amillia tried to pick up her gun but the man hit her with his foot into the chest  letting her to fall over the shrouds, her body pounding the main deck. She felt confused and a huge pain lightened her back. When she arose up on her feet the man jumped on the deck and aimed a blade towards her. He was waiting for Amillia to draw her own blade.

 

“Morgan, wha're ya doing here?” she asked resting against of the fore mast.

 

“I remembered that we had a meetin' and...i just thought that a little self-invitation will not harm, don' ya think?” he jeered directing the edge of his blade to her chest.

 

“Well ya see, i've been a littl' busy. Personal business.”

 

“Are you now? I was asking myself why ya are on Lady Glaria's ship. Or maybe ya want to hide somethin' form your old uncle, hmmm?” he narrowed his eyes  doubting that she will tell the truth.

 

“Naaaah...just a little play. Ya know I always wanted to sail this ship.” she muttered with a naughty smile on her face.

Morgan jabbed his hand into her neck and rose her higher that her feet couldn't touch the ground. She was trying to breath but Morgan's fingers were graved into her muscles and she wasn't able to fill her lungs with air. Amillia made an effort to hit him with her feet but he was to fast, he stroke her body with his sword and kissed her lips as a last farewell.

Captain Morgan threw Amillia's body into the water and ordered his crew to return to Port Villianna.

Caen was way to far from Calenvor. No one could save her, she was surrounded by ocean's cold arms, dragging her deeper and deeper to the bottom. The sun's shapes were so unclear from there. Amillia closed her eyes waiting for her last moments to come.