A Pirate’s Wish

Prologue-1

Prologue

Centuries Before Present Day

Seven Kingdoms

Ashure Waves slipped the items he had just stolen into his pocket and tipped his hat to several pedestrians on the crowded cobblestone street as they passed by. A wide variety of prospective shoppers filled the marketplace on the Isle of the Giants, providing him with ample opportunities to keep his slight-of-hand skills sharp.

He fingered one of his prized possessions, a ring made of gold with a beautifully polished amber inlay. Sealed inside the amber was a speck of dust said to have been captured upon the creation of the Seven Kingdoms. He didn’t believe that, but it would be a good tale to tell when the time came to sell the ring.

He drunkenly hummed under his breath as he made his way back to the pirates’ Flagship, the Sea Wasp. His captain, the King of the Pirates, Simon Black, had sent a missive asking that he return early. Ashure hoped it didn’t mean that they were about to depart. He had made plans with a rather voluptuous Giant currently living above The Cyclops’ Tavern.

“Dull name for a tavern,” Ashure chuckled as he staggered down the dock. “She could have named it… ‘Aye, Eye Tavern’… or ‘The Single-Eyed Cyclops!” he loudly proclaimed as he stopped in front of the Sea Wasp. “Oh, but all Cyclops have just one eye, don’t they? That’s no good.”

He gripped the gangplank’s rope handrail, thankful for the added support, especially when his foot caught on one of the raised wooden strips that were meant to keep a person from slipping, and he leaned dangerously over the rope. He blinked several times at the dark water below him, then swore when he saw one of Nali’s nasty little Sea Monkeys grinning at him from the piling underneath. A shudder ran through him. Perhaps he shouldn’t have pilfered a bottle of Nali’s best brandy from her ship last week. He had been warned that the Empress of the Monsters had a wicked sense of humor, but, well, when opportunity presents itself….

“I’ll return it the next time I see her,” he promised. “I did leave her a lovely shell necklace in exchange for it.”

“Ashure! The Pirate King is waiting for you in his quarters,” Bleu LaBluff called to him from above.

Ashure frowned, wondering for the hundredth time why the Pirate King wanted to see him. He wasn’t an officer. Hell, he wasn’t even a very good pirate! He shook his head, hoping to clear it a bit. Even amongst the crew he was something of an oddball, and he had been an outcast from the non-thieving folk since he was old enough to reach a pocket.

Ashure looked at Bleu with a wide, sloppy grin. “Of course the Pirate King wants to see me. Everyone wants to see the famously fabulous—fabulously famous—Ashure Waves,” Ashure stated with an awkward bow at the waist and a fling of his arm.

Bleu walked down the plank and grabbed his arm when the movement almost sent him through an unprotected gap in the rope handrail. He awkwardly patted Bleu on the shoulder when the man muttered a curse as he turned Ashure in a tight circle and pushed him in the right direction. Ashure clumsily saluted and stumbled across the deck. Around him, he could hear snickers from the few men still on duty.

“The First Officer will have him scrubbing the decks in the morning if the Pirate King doesn’t take his soul tonight,” one of the men muttered.

Ashure scowled but didn’t turn to face them. He had heard rumors about the Pirate King since he was old enough to wipe his own nose. His father—at least the man he thought was most likely his sire—used to threaten to send him to the dreaded Pirate King, the man who would suck out his soul and keep it trapped forever. His mother had laughed and said the Pirate King wouldn’t waste his time with someone as weak and worthless as the thin-boned dock rat she seldom called ‘son’.

By the time Ashure was seven, he had lost both of his parents, and eventually, he started living aboard one of the pirate ships of his own free will. Still, whenever life became so terrible that he thought he would die, he escaped to one of the many isles. He had made part of his living from backbreaking work, but there had also been stealing and conning to make ends meet or simply to find pleasure in the world. That was why he never stayed in one place for very long. Whether on land or at sea, it had always been a pirate’s life for him.

Ashure pulled open a door and descended a staircase. He was almost to the bottom when he slipped and barely saved himself from a nasty fall. Pulling himself upright using the handrail, he straightened the shirt sleeves under his dark red coat. He also touched his head to make sure he had not lost his new hat, decorated with a brilliant blue, green, and purple plume from one of Empress Nali’s Thunderbirds. He hissed when a spark of electricity from the feather zapped the tips of his fingers. Yes, the hat was still there, feather and all.

Running his hands down his face, Ashure cleared his throat and blearily focused on the door at the end of the corridor. This would be his second face-to-face meeting with the Pirate King. He doubted the man would remember their first meeting. He had changed a bit since then. He shook himself and slapped his cheeks in an effort to sober up a little before he faced the leader of the Pirates.

“Please, Goddess, let him want only to thank me for scrubbing the decks so well,” Ashure muttered.

He stopped outside the door and raised his hand to knock. Before he could, the door opened by itself. Ashure stood outside, unsure of what to do next.

“Come in, Ashure,” Simon Black commanded in a deep, raspy voice.

Ashure stepped into the room. He glanced over his shoulder when the door shut behind him. As he scanned the Captain’s ornate quarters, he itched to explore the contents. He turned when he heard Simon’s low, harsh chuckle.

“You are a most unusual pirate, Ashure,” Simon commented by way of greeting as he rose from his seat behind the massive dark mahogany desk.

“It is better than being a usual one—sir—your Majesty,” Ashure retorted before he winced.

Simon laughed until he started coughing. Ashure watched as the old pirate took a shaky breath and leaned back against the desk. Then the Pirate King looked him up and down while Ashure stood stiffly. He braced himself for Simon’s harsh retort.

“You have a good heart, something that the pirates need,” Simon reflected.

“Sir?” Ashure said, confusion lacing his voice.

Simon gestured to the chair in front of a small fireplace. Ashure walked over and sat down, warily observing as Simon poured two glasses half-full of bourbon from a crystal decanter. He accepted the proffered glass but didn’t drink. His mind was clearing, and his gut was beginning to warn him that something terrible was about to happen.

With glass in hand, Simon sat down in the chair across from him. Ashure watched as the Pirate King downed half of the drink before moodily staring at the magical fire in the fireplace. Time passed as the Pirate King became lost in thought, and Ashure remained quiet, waiting.

“Do you remember the first time we met, Ashure?” Simon finally asked.

“I was rather hoping you might have forgotten, your Majesty,” Ashure grimaced. He lifted his drink and took a sip, thinking that this sounded like the beginning of a goodbye, and perhaps being drunk would make whatever was coming slightly more pleasant. “Oh! This is almost as good as the Empress’s,” he breathed. “As good—I meant to say ‘as good’,” he quickly amended.

Simon leaned back in his seat and laughed again. “And that is what makes you an unusual pirate, Ashure Waves. Not only have you kept your goodness alive, but you speak the truth.”

“Not always,” Ashure hastily replied. “There are times when lying is kinder—and wiser.”

Playing with the glass in his hand, Simon was silent for several more minutes. As the clock on the fireplace mantel ticked, Ashure felt sweat beading on his neck.

“You were a lad of about six or seven the first time we met,” Simon murmured.

“Nine—I was nine, your Majesty. I was rather small for my age, but as you can tell, I’ve since grown,” he added.

Simon stared into his eyes for a moment before he quickly looked away again and nodded. Ashure frowned at the Pirate King’s very brief glances. It was as if the man didn’t want to look at him directly as they talked.

“Nine, then. You were working on the docks carrying supplies twice your size. You were very innovative for someone so young. You didn’t jostle or drag the items, you recruited help from Nali’s monsters—and they did the work, which was amazing. I watched you for half the day. You worked the crowds, pick-pocketing items, but always slipping something that was of value to you into the pockets you picked. You sweet-talked the merchants into giving you jobs that you did with relish no matter how hard or small they were, and you shared your meager earnings with the monsters that helped you, giving them food when it was obvious you needed it more than they did,” Simon shared with a sigh.

“How did you know that I gave something to those I stole from?” Ashure curiously inquired.

Simon reached into his front pocket and pulled out a bracelet made from the golden hairs of a unicorn’s mane. He rolled the fine strands between his fingers. Ashure became mesmerized by the movement. Now he remembered—there had been a woman who looked ill, her face pale and her limbs shaky. Her basket had been full of vibrantly colored flowers, the blooms especially beautiful in contrast to that dreary day, and he had not been able to resist taking a few.

“You took some flowers my wife had picked for me and left this in return,” Simon said.

Ashure cleared his throat, caught between dismay that the great Simon Black knew he had been a terrible pirate from the very beginning and relief that he had not harmed the fortunes of the Pirate King’s beloved.

“It seemed a fair exchange. I hope you take into consideration that I was only nine at the time. If I had known she was your wife, I would have thought twice about taking the flowers,” he replied.

“You knew that she was sick, didn’t you?” Simon quietly asked.

“I suspected, yes,” Ashure admitted, wondering where this could be going. Why speak of this now, so many years later?

“Did you know that the unicorn’s hair would heal her?” Simon inquired.

Ashure hesitantly smiled. “I’d heard stories from a witch in the market about the restorative powers of unicorn hair. The witch swore that she had some locks, but I later found out that she was selling the dyed mane of a Giant’s steed as ‘hair from a unicorn’,” he divulged, still reeling from the discovery that it was the wife of the Pirate King he had cured!

He knew she had lived many more years at Simon’s side, only recently passing away. The flags on all the pirate ships had been flying at half-mast for the past three months.

“Where did you find it?” Simon asked.

“I don’t remember,” he lied. He had sworn that he would never tell anyone where he got the unicorn hair. In fact, he had vowed a blood oath.

“A lie—but a lie given to protect a promise. Do you know who I am, Ashure?” Simon asked.

Dread pooled in Ashure’s stomach, and snippets of all those rumors rose to the surface of his mind. He’ll suck out your soul… keep it forever.

“Of course. You are the Pirate King, ruler of all pirates in The Seven Kingdoms. You uphold the Pirates’ Code of Ethics and help keep the balance between the pirates and the other kingdoms,” he recited from the oath all pirates pledge.

Simon rose to his feet. Ashure—unsure of what to do—stood up as well, absently holding the half-full glass of bourbon between his hands when Simon commanded his attention with the power of his gaze.

“I am more than the King of the Pirates, Ashure. I am the Keeper of Lost Souls. My time has come to an end. The souls inside me are too much to handle without the calming touch of my sweet Amadeen. It is time to pass on the Goddess’s gift. This is how it has always been done, Ashure, from one Pirate King to the next,” Simon said.

Ashure shook his head. “I don’t understand. Surely you can’t mean me? I’m nobody! I’m the son of a disgraced pirate and a hateful Sprite who couldn’t stand the sight of her own child,” he protested, aghast that Simon would even—could even—contemplate him as the next Pirate King.

“You are more than that, Ashure. You are a pirate who values others. You have empathy, strength, and the ability to see things in a way that others do not,” Simon replied, his voice becoming deeper and smoother than it had been a moment ago.

Ashure swayed as the mesmerizing sound of Simon’s voice mingled with his blood. He shook his head, pushing away the hypnotic effect.

“No—I mean, really no. I appreciate that you think I would make a fine king, but I honestly have no desire to rule anyone but myself. Besides, think of the Isle of the Pirates! Do you really think they would listen to someone like me—a lowly Able Seaman? There are plenty of officers that I’m sure would jump at the chance to become the next king,” Ashure insisted.

Simon stepped closer to him and nodded. “Yes, they would—and that is why you are perfect for the position. You have no desire for power. Your thievery is more capricious than destructive. You would not amass great wealth at the expense of the pirates in your care because you help those who need it. You, Ashure Waves, were chosen long ago when you gave a simple but very valuable gift to an ailing woman,” Simon stated, his voice low and resonant.

Ashure tried to pull his gaze away from Simon’s, involuntarily shaking his head back and forth when he was unable to sever the mesmerizing hold. Simon’s eyes were swirling with colors. Ashure parted his lips in protest when he saw shadows reaching for him amidst the colorful swirls.

“No,” he hissed, but deep down he knew it was already too late.

“You will be a great King, Ashure. Never doubt that, for I don’t,” Simon softly stated.

Ashure wondered why Simon’s voice sounded like it was coming from the end of a vast tunnel. Suddenly, blinding color engulfed him. His head snapped back, and the magic entering him lifted him in the air.

His gaze was still locked with Simon’s. In his eyes, Ashure saw the moment long ago when the Goddess appeared and gave the Lost Souls into the first Pirate King’s keeping. He felt the power surging through him, and he tilted his head forward, his forehead almost touching Simon Black’s as he breathed deeply. He now had the ability to take a soul and the power to release one. He curled his fingers into fists and gasped for air.

Then he could hear the Goddess’s instruction as she gave it to the first Pirate King. “Know that you must find the one who can calm the souls inside you. Without this peace, they will grow louder until you can no longer contain them. If the souls escape, evil will spread through the Seven Kingdoms and beyond. There will be one who will look deep into your unguarded eyes, see who you really are, and love you all the more.”

The colors spun around him before turning black. Ashure’s head snapped back again as Simon transferred the souls that had been locked deep within him. A hoarse cry of horror rose in Ashure’s throat but never escaped.

As quickly as the process had begun, it ended. Ashure stood frozen in the middle of the empty cabin, still holding the glass of bourbon in both hands. He slowly turned in a circle. Everything was clearer, sharper, even in the shadows.

A sharp knock on the door drew his attention. He turned when it opened, and the First Officer stepped inside with a frown when he saw Ashure standing in the room alone.

“Waves, what are you doing in…?” the First Officer started to growl before he stared into Ashure’s eyes, paled, and bowed his head. “My King.”

At that moment, Ashure realized that his destiny was sealed. He was now the King of the Pirates—and the Keeper of Lost Souls, the souls that loudly beseeched him for mercy even as he sensed the thirst for revenge that they could not hide.