Immortal At Sea (The Immortal Chronicles Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

doubt fetches a good coin as well.”
    “This is unfortunately not the case, captain.  I have no family with holdings, only what I myself possess.  I have no real desire to be sold into slavery either, as I have been a slave in the past and do not relish the experience.”
    He looked confused.  “This is an odd negotiation, sir.  Name your terms.”
    “Terms?  We have nothing to negotiate with.  Drown them all if you like.  If you drown him…” I pointed to Juan Pedro, who probably thought I was saying something flattering.  “…you might even have a pleasant voyage back to Algiers, as he is completely insufferable.  No, I speak to you now because I would rather be a pirate, thank you.”
    About half of the pirate crew laughed aloud at this.  Notably, the captain didn’t.
    “Why would I trust such a man as you on my crew when you spare so little loyalty for your own?” he asked.
    “Apologies, captain, but trustworthiness does not strike me as a highly valued attribute for a pirate.  But very well.  There is treasure hid aboard this ship that is worth as much as the ship itself.  I know where to find it without first tearing it apart stem-to-stern.”
    “Again, you have given me no reason to trust you.”
    “You have naught to lose.  Let me cross peaceably and I’ll tell you where it is, and then we can discuss whether to value me as more than a head to sell to a slaver.”
    “Have your crew lash the boats, and you will be the first across.  Then we will see.”
    I turned to Captain Grillo.  “The boat is going to be taken, but I am still negotiating.  I may be able to spare you all, but you will have to do what I say.  Assist them in lashing the boats together.”
    “We can fight them off once they come close,” Grillo said.  He looked much more eager to die in a battle than as a slave, and I didn’t much blame him.
    “If it comes to that, yes.”  In truth, I had no plan and nothing with which to negotiate for his or the crew’s lives.  If they chose to perish fighting for their golden ship I was in no position to stop them.  But my own position was marginally better.
    “Juan Pedro, I need you to do something for me right now,” I said.
    “What is it, Giovanni?”
    “The wood bunk on which I sleep has a loose board.  I need for you to pry open that board and place your purse beneath it.  When you are done, repair the board as well and as fast as you can.  Do you understand?”
    “I’m afraid I do not.”
    “They need to be sure that there’s more value in your ransom than in your death.  If they find themselves sufficiently enriched by your purse and the gilding, you will not survive the afternoon, I promise.”  It was a pretty good lie.
    “Yes of course,” he said.  “You feel I am to be ransomed?”
    “It’s an honorable outcome for you, my lord.  If you die today who will tell the world of your bravery?  In ransom, you can tell them yourself.”
    He clapped me on the shoulder.  “You are a good advisor, Giovanni.”
    “I thank you.  Oh, and one more thing.  I will need your sword.”
    Even lashed together there was still a gap between the ships wide enough for a man to fall through, so a plank was laid for me.  Happily nobody from either side took the opportunity afforded them by proximity to begin fighting with one another.  I was counting on the pirates preferring diplomacy to bloodshed, with the risk of violence coming from the Spanish side.  If this seems illogical, keep in mind the pirates make money off each man they sell into slavery, while many men would rather die than end up a slave.  If I felt like negotiating a peaceful arrangement, the people in need of convincing were on the boat I was leaving, not the pirate ship.
    I wasn’t bluffing about becoming a pirate, by the way.  I had never really thought about becoming one prior to this, but it didn’t strike me as the most terrible profession imaginable, and I’d done plenty of things in