Return of the General's Daughter
Chapter 179: Pirates of the Surienste

Chapter 179: Pirates of the Surienste

The sun had dipped below the horizon and surrendered the last of its lingering hues of crimson and orange to the encroaching darkness. The moon rose over Northem’s sky, its silver light casting an ethereal reflection on the river. A small boat carrying a dozen people was cruising silently along the river.

"Captain, the river is undeniably serene tonight, and the moon is stunning!" A man with shoulder-length curly hair, a robust beard, and a commanding mustache stood firmly, captivated by the breathtaking view. The river’s surface mirrored the brilliant moonlight with a calmness that demanded attention, asserting its beauty in the quiet of the night.

The boat’s lone mast stood tall against the dimness, its white sails billowing softly in the gentle breeze, gracefully guiding it toward their galley anchored half a kilometer from the shoreline where the Praya River spilled into the vast expanse of the sea, its murky depths swirling as it melded into the frothy waves.

Two nights before, they used the small boat to traverse the Praya river and do business with Zura. They chose Zura because they had a business deal with the mayor near the bank. The town’s name was Naeriva because it was near the shore.

"Hmm!" Captain Blackhawk hummed, his voice a low rumble as he surveyed the mountain of chests and bulging sacks stacked at the far end of the boat. They had bartered the riches of the sea for provisions that would sustain them for a month or more, ensuring that their journey would continue uninterrupted across the vast, unpredictable seas of Zura, Esatalis, and Westalis.

"It is a worthwhile journey. We sold and purchased a lot," the captain mused, smiling, still reminiscing the good night he had at the brothel—a night of good wine and beautiful women in exchange for a few southern pearls.

His musings, however, were cut short when he saw something in the distance. His left eye narrowed as his right was covered with a black cloth patch.

"Speed up and go to the right side." The two pirates assigned to maneuver the boat did so, and in no time, they were beside something floating in the water.

"Captain, this is ..."

"Pull that thing up. Hurry!" The captain barked.

The crew hastily obeyed and fished out the ’thing’ floating in the water, separating it from the drift wood that it had attached itself to. As they pulled it closer, their eyes widened in disbelief—emerging from the depths was a man, battered and unconscious, his body marred by small wounds from a sharp weapon. What was glaring was the injury on his arm and his face.

They laid him down on the floor, and Captain Blackhawk placed his index finger near his nose. He felt the steady but shallow breathing of the man. Then his gaze landed on the incomplete right upper limb. His hand was missing just below the wrist.

Blackhawk looked down at his own disabled hand and at the man lying on the floor. His gaze landed on the wound on his right face, from the forehead passing through his eyes and ending at the right cheek.

The captain touched the black patch that covered his right eye. "What a coincidence." He murmured.

"Apply medicine on his wound, and change him out of his wet clothes."

The men gaped at Blackhawk, not comprehending what he wanted them to do. It wasn’t that they did not understand. It was just that they were too stunned to move. Was their captain bewitched? Was he being kind and extending help to a stranger? Impossible!

"Are you deaf?" the captain roared, and his icy glare landed on the two men who fished out the injured man.

They moved at lightning speed, putting medicine on the man’s wound, on his arm, and his forehead. Who would defy the captain’s order?

Fortunately, the blood stopped flowing some time ago.

When Hook jumped into the river while he was still conscious, he raised his wounded arm and applied enough pressure on it using his left hand. Fortunately, he was a strong swimmer, and he bumped into driftwood. With difficulty, using his uninjured hand, he hoisted himself on the log, still raising his injured arm to avoid it getting wet. He coiled his left hand around the log and desperately clung to it until he lost consciousness.

"This man is damn lucky!" the man with the long curly hair blurted after seeing how serious of an injury the he had.

"Stone, looks like he is luckier than you," a couple of the crew teased him in hush voices. "Who would have thought that the captain, even with only one eye, was able to spot him in the dimness of the night?"

"No! You are luckier." The second crew who had buff muscle, flat nose and thick lips butted in. "The captain found you hidden in the most conspicuous storage area of that ship we raided ten years ago. And you became the captain’s right hand man."

As the two men animatedly bickered about who had the greater luck, the small boat steadily approached the big ship, its hull gleaming with moonlight, making it appear eerie and more imposing.

"Send him up first and take him to Laknir." Blackhawk ordered before using the rope to hoist himself up the deck of the big ship.

A lot of the crew, ahem, pirates, were waiting to bring their cargo to the ship. They threw ropes to their colleagues so they could wrap them around the body of the small boat. Rather than wasting time bringing the chest individually, they always brought up the entire boat.

But much to their surprise, their ropes were tied around a makeshift stretcher, or a piece of flat wood that they used as a bed for the captain if they needed to travel longer than a day using the small boat.

When the ’cargo’ was placed on the deck, everyone was confused.

"Hey, didn’t you hear the captain say to bring him to Laknir? Stone shouted from the boat still on the water. "And stop messing around. Throw the ropes down and pull us up when it is time."

Blackhawk, hidden behind the shadows frowned. ’Stone is getting more arrogant. It is time to teach him some lessons."

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