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 it was obvious 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 he had unknowingly cured the wife of the Pirate King! 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.”