9. Port Royal in Goldemouthes grasp

Fiona’s narration continues: “On our way to Port Royal we paused at Jamesport a few days to take on supplies and to let the Captain spend a few days with his fiancée. Jean-Luc and I took some time off to looke at the sights. The rumours in the town were amongst others that a codorian warship “El Mirador” was in the offing, and that seemed to mean a lot to Jean-Luc, Hawk and the Captain. It seemed that it had been foretold that someone on board the Fortuna and someone on board El Mirador were connected to oneanother somehow. I didn’t think much of it at the time, I must admit. Another rumour was that the revolt on St. Thomas had spread and tales of cruelty were told with guarded voices in carefull distance of longeared children. Off course I cannot condone the torture and killing of babes, and I just can’t stand unnessecary cruelty, but I do deep down understand the rage and hatred the slaves carry with them. The white slaveowners that were killed and mutilated on St. Thomas had in turn killed and mutilated slaves for centuries. There is no peacefull way to deal with that. Not for those who had suffered any way. Carmine fled into the jungle with two little kids for a reason. And though our childhoodes in Port Royal were tough ones, at least Matebe and I were free and we were allowed to fight back when someone tried to beat us. Though we were only seven years old when we freed ourselves both Matebe and I can present scars earned in our few years in slavery for whatever petty offenses we had commited. Oh, I understood the violence well!

We sailed to the back of the island to cross through the jungle to Port Royal. No need to sail straight into Goldmouthe’s trap. The Captain stayed behind on the ship to keep ready and to be there in case one of Goldmouthes vessels should pass by. Jean Luc, Hawk and I proceeded to Port Royal through the jungle. We met a farmer on the jungle pathway, and he told us that Goldmouthe was nearly tearing the town apart to find someone (that would be me), and had especially caused a lot of trouble on Daybreak Square. That put speed in my boots! I half ran most of the way to Port Royal. The town had a sour smell of fear about itself, but no one affronted us on the way to Mamasitas Inn.

We entered through the kitchen and Angelina told us that Goldmouthe had been there four times looking for me and news of the Fortuna. He had threatened Mamasita, who fortunately had protection of her own. Even Goldmouthe would have trouble hurting Mamasita on her own ground. Apparently descriptions of Jean-Luc and Hawk were being passed around too.

We would have to find alternate ways of getting to Cecilie, but I was beginning to think that maybe she was going to be more trouble than we had anticipated. It could very well be her who had told Goldmouthe about us. She had a part in the treasure after all – maybe she thought that by working with Goldmouthe she could get more than her share… If she thought that, she didn’t know Goldmouthe half as well as I did! These suspicions were only just beginning to spin in my mind when we reached Mamasitas.

Mamasita was thrilled to see us, but less thrilled about the trouble we had brought to her doorstep. Threats and brutal guys throwing with furniture are severely bad for business, and the oppressed feeling the entire town reeked with these days certainly didn’t call for much celebration. I promised to remedy that, and she looked at me as only she can; a mixed ‘do that, but don’t get hurt doing it!’ looke. We were told that the rumor was that Goldmouthe had barricaded himself with 30 men in ‘Steven’s Mermaids’, a cheap brothel/inn down in the Whore Pits. Going there would be suicide, so we had to begin elsewhere.

We disguised ourselves before we entered back into the town to finde Cecilie: I as a mulatto orangesaleswoman and Hawk and Jean-Luc as pirates (duh!) – Hawk dressed like an almohadhish captain; very colorful and extravagant and Jean Luc colored his hair black and smeared his face. They were some sight to behold! They passed the huge maurish doorkeeper and entered into the Almohadish Nights while I kept watch (and sold quite a few oranges) on the square. I saw the brothelkeeper come out and give the doorkeeper an order, and he begun to looke much more alert. That put me on the alert too, and I went around to the kitchendoor only to find it closed and locked! I called out for them to open, but after a lot of hushed voices sounding from within a voice that was less than calm called back, that I should come back later; they were not buying at the moment. I knew then that something definitely was wrong and I ran back to the front just in time to see Jean Luc fight his way out with Hawk who was completely out cold over his shoulder. I gave the doorkeeper a knock over the head with my wicker of oranges and while he was scrambling back to his feet, we got away. Apparently Hawk had been drugged at the brothel, and there was now absolutely no doubt that the Almohadish Nights had sided with Goldmouthe. Off course NOT siding with him would problably have meant death and ruin to them, so I didn’t hold it against them much. I was a bit sour about Cecilie though, as she was family.

We dumped Hawk at Mamasitas where he would be taken well care of, and went on to see Black Harry. I had figured that ‘BL. HY’s inhertance’ must be something in Black Harry’s possession – it also indicated that Black Harry had a legal part in the treasure… His shoppe was uncomfortably close to the Whore Pits, but there was no helping it. We kept our eyes open, and sure enough; on the square in front of Black Harry’s place were half a dozen men just hanging about looking inconspicuous – except to our clever eyes of course. But since there was no other way into Black Harry’s we put all our bets on one horse and walked up to his door. I nodded and winked to the men we had pinpointed as guards – they might as well know that we were not stupid and had seen through them. Black Harry let us enter, but not exactly with a welcome. He yelled a lot about me causing trouble in his town. When he finally calmed down a bit and we were able to put a word in edgewise about his inheritance, he looked at me for at long time in silence. I must admit that his silence was much more unnerving than his yelling! But finally he pulled out a wodden globe the size of a 4 pounder canonball. The globe had four holes in it and a wooden figure carved next to each hole; a mermaid, a dragon, a goblin and a sprite; water, fire, earth and air…Black Harry demanded an officer’s part in the treasure, and I must admit that as we could go no further without this globe, well, he was entitled. Even more so when he offered the help of him and his men to rid the town of Goldmouthe for goode. My idea, I’m afraid, to drive Goldmouthe out. I realized that I would bring war to Port Royal, but we needed a war to cleanse the town of the vermin Goldmouthe. He had terrorized us long enough! I told Black Harry that I would get the Shanty Town gangs to join with us. I knew that the Red gang that protected Mamasita would join for sure, and others would follow. And Black Harry said that could I do that, he would join me also!