"Captaincy Constituted"
“Captaincy Constituted”
The fire crackled and sizzled as Miguel attempted to cook some rather unappetizing snake remains in a rather dirty pan. He had to turn his head to keep from becoming ill from the stench of the meat cooking. He sighed deeply and thought to himself:
“How much longer can we keep doing this. Yesterday it was rat. Today it is snake.”
A few minutes later, the cuts of snake meat were charred very well. As Miguel took them out of the pan and set them on a small stone, he held his nose and waved his hand over the meat in an attempt to dissipate the foul odor. After several minutes of waiting for the meat to cool, he picked up a small piece and began to eat it. As he was chewing on his food, a rather ragged looking peasant barged into Miguel’s slum.
“Where is he!?” Inquired the woman.
“Jade, it is nice to see you are recovering well!” Replied Miguel. Jade shook her head and continued:
“Where is Rubina? I need to speak with him immediately!” Exclaimed Jade. Miguel continued chewing the meat he had just cooked and struggled to swallow. After a few moments and a deep breath, Miguel replied:
“Rubina is off, somewhere on the mainland gathering support for us. He should have been back this morning, but I haven’t seen him yet.”
Jade nodded softly as she looked down at the unappetizing meal Miguel had prepared for himself. She then sat down and joined him beside his small fire.
“Perhaps you can explain these then?” Inquired Jade as she removed two knives and a short sword from her satchel and set them down in the sand. Miguel smirked a bit as he took a sip of water from a mug that was next to the fire.
“Where did you find those Jade?”
“They were buried in the sand right beside the road. Where did these come from?” Replied Jade.
“Perhaps you are right. That is a question that Rubina should answer for you when he returns.” Said Miguel as he looked down at the remaining pieces of snake meat that he had cooked. He motioned to Jade to join him, but she shook her head in refusal. Miguel then continued:
“Rubina has the best interests for us on his mind. Look, you have seen first-hand what those foul mercenaries and guards do to us! Lately, they have been leaving us alone. After those few skirmishes the other night, they are finally realizing that we have had enough!”
Jade nodded softly as she thought about how she was assaulted, her food destroyed, and her supplies taken. She then inquired:
“Did you see that they have all but abandoned the city proper? They have fled into the palace and barricaded themselves inside.”
Miguel nodded as he motioned to the doorway with his eyes. Jade looked over and was met with a smile from Rubina.
“Good evening you two!” Exclaimed Rubina. Jade abruptly stood up from where she was seated, walked over to Rubina, and forcefully slapped him across the face.
“What is the meaning of this!? Where did these come from?” Yelled Jade as she pointed to the blades that she had set down next to Miguel. Rubina looked over to the weapons and then over to Miguel who offered a shrug.
“I know what you are thinking, and you are right. I should have spoken to you sooner about those, and the many others. I was simply waiting for the right time.” Jade began to clench her fists as she pondered that there may be more blades hidden in the sands throughout the slums. Rubina then continued:
“I suppose the time is right, then. Please Jade, have a seat.”
Jade nodded softly as she walked back over to where she was seated. Rubina smiled a bit and proceeded to sit down in between Jade and Miguel.
“We have them running in fear. On my way back, I was able to walk the streets of the city without incident. Even the shopkeepers seemed a bit confused I was not being chased down the streets. They have all but sealed themselves up inside the palace.” Said Rubina as he motioned towards the city.
“Where did they come from, Rubina?” Inquired Jade as she looked over and met eyes with Rubina.
“We made a deal. A deal with a man named Moreno, and his group. They supplied us the weapons, armor, and supplies.” Said Rubina. Jade’s eyes widened as she yelled:
“You did what!? You are getting weapons from those brigands? What did you promise them, sand?”
Rubina chuckled a bit and looked over to Miguel who was smirking. Miguel then offered some of the meat he had cooked to Rubina who gladly picked up a piece and started chewing.
“As I was saying Jade, we have them on the run. Now is our best chance to get rid of them once and for all! If we do nothing, they will eventually return.” Said Miguel, as Rubina nodded in agreement as he was chewing.
“The tunnels underneath. I had not considered them before, just as old passageways used during the construction of the palace. This Moreno thinks there may be something down there. All he requested from me is the opportunity to use the caverns for his men.” Said Rubina as he looked over to Jade. After a few moments of pondering and shaking her head, she looked back at Rubina and said:
“They won’t stop there. You are in debt to those thugs now. If the mercenaries don’t kill you, the Family will!”
Rubina gazed ahead for a few moments and thought about what Jade had said. He then smiled softly as he removed a piece of parchment from his satchel, unrolled it and placed it on the sand for all three to observe.
“There is an entrance to the old tunnels over here, here and here.” Said Rubina as he pointed to different spots on the makeshift map. He then continued:
“They are holed up over here in the palace gardens and have several archers and sentries patrolling the wall. A direct assault on the palace wouldn’t end well, we would be slaughtered. But over here.” Said Rubina as he tapped the map and continued:
“Over here, is the entrance to the tunnels Moreno spoke of. And over here, right in the palace gardens is another entrance. That is our way inside, and that is how we’ll put an end to them!”
Miguel smiled and nodded his head in acceptance. Both Rubina and Miguel then looked over to Jade to see what her reaction would be. With an emotionless face, she spoke:
“Who exactly is going to get rid of them? You, Rubina? The two of you? Just who exactly is going to help you?”
Rubina smiled and slowly stood up. He then looked outside the slum the three of them had been sitting in and then back over to Jade. As he motioned for Jade to join him, he said:
“These people over here. They will help us.”
A confused Jade abruptly stood up and walked over to where Rubina was. As she looked outside from the doorway, the gaze of hundreds of peasants, slaves, workers and Britannians alike met hers. After a few moments of observing the size of the crowd, Jade noticed they all had weapons of some form, some donning armor, shields, and staves.
“Tonight, Jade; tonight, we will be free.” Said Rubina…
