17. JIM
Since there had been a castration last night, tonight there would be a fight. That was usually how Pelangi mixed things up to keep his men entertained. At the moment, the pirates were distracted with their nightly orgy, so Jim knew he had ten, fifteen minutes tops, where none of his gaolers would be watching him.
He took the opportunity to hurry along the moonlit beach towards the tangled wreck of the combatant vessels. Some part of Jim still knew that the gorgeous, virgin beach of perfect white sand was one of the wonders of the natural world. He was no longer capable of seeing that beauty, though. He had seen too much blood spilled over the sands and washed away by the mindless tides.
“Hallo,” he called, cupping his hands around his mouth, “Mr. Hannibal?”
A ghostly, dis
