An hour later, a dozen men came below deck. They tied us up like cattle. Our ankles and wrists bound with heavy shackles and chains. We were chained to each other and it took them some time to get us all in line; it was difficult to move. After that, they took us outside to the bridge where a group of men in blue and red uniforms were waiting for us.

The Royal Navy.

I saw Dilthey's face go white.

"Which of these two women is the one who calls herself Arenis?" asked an officer, scrutinizing Arenis and me with disgust.

"It's her," Thorpe replied, pointing his index finger at Arenis.

The officer looked at her, his eyebrows raised and his eyes as if he were looking at a freak.

"At last we meet."

Arenis said nothing. She just stared into his eyes.

"Where is the money?" said Thorpe then. "I want the money you promised."

The officer turned to two of his subordinates. "Abbott, O'Connell, bring the crate up here."

This was large and apparently very heavy. They placed it in front of Thorpe who, when he opened it, found himself faced with a mountain of gold, jewellery and money. His men gave victorious shouts, others whistled with enthusiasm. The loot was a fortune.

"Hey, wait a minute. I've captured other pirates along with Arenis. I want a reward for them too," Thorpe asserted, with a mocking grin.

The officer gave him a stern look. "This small fortune is not enough for you?"

"It was not at all easy to catch them. They are experienced men."

"Be content with what we have offered you, Mr. Thorpe. You won't get any more money from us."

Thorpe huffed, irritated. "Then I guess I'll just have to take them back."

Suddenly, the English drew pistols and swords, pointing them at Thorpe's crew. The guns were drawn, and all stood to attention, ready to fight. The air was suddenly tense, pirates and Englishmen scrutinized each other with rancour.

The officer sighed. "There are twenty-three British naval ships in this port, Mr. Thorpe. A whole fleet. You don't want to risk a confrontation, I hope?" said the officer.

Thorpe, then, looked towards the port and then shook his head, sketching an amused smile. "Come now, mine was only a simple suggestion. It was certainly not my intention to alarm you in this way. You can take this bunch of pirates if you care so much."

"Are we agreed, then?"

"Of course."

The English took us in charge and lowered us into small wooden boats, where space was scarce and we were forced to stay squashed almost on top of each other. Arenis had not opened her mouth the whole time.

"Quick, start rowing," ordered the officer. "Let's get out of here at once. "

The sea was rough, and the boat was leaping over the waves with such force that we were jolting in our seats. Four men began to row, and we drifted farther and farther away from the Llorona, which lowered her sails and prepared to raise anchor. Suddenly, when we were at a fair distance from the Llorona, the English officer raised an arm upwards, in the direction of the harbour. At first nothing happened, but then, from the fort which towered above the town, a cannon shot flew over our heads, and struck the Llorona in full force. There were terrible screams that filled our ears. There was another loud bang, and then another. The ship was hit again and again. Great gashes were torn in the hull, and the ship pitched over on her side. We saw men throw themselves into the sea, but the Royal Navy sailors loaded their guns and began to shoot at the heads that popped up on the surface of the water. I was paralyzed by that sight, by that premeditated slaughter. The Llorona sank in less than twenty minutes. She was swallowed up by the water and disappeared forever.

"Nice work," the officer complimented, with a satisfied smile.

"But all that money," protested a subordinate, "wasted in this way."

"Don't worry, Ensign Addams. Everything you saw in that crate was bogus."

"Bogus?" The boy's eyes went wide.

Arenis stared at the spot where the Llorona had sunk. She sat before me, her gaze shifty and so cold it made me shiver. When we reached the harbour, other soldiers rushed in, lifted us up, and locked us into large iron-cell wagons. The journey took about half an hour, after which we reached the fort, where a building served as a prison. It was built of stone, and consisted of two similar buildings, one facing the High Street at the southwest corner of Third Street, and the other close by; the latter housed criminals, the other was used for debtors and untried prisoners. As the city was growing and its crime continued to increase, the jail was constantly overcrowded.

With our hands tied and chains on our feet, they began to inspect us and remove our clothes. Arenis and I were taken in charge by an old woman, who locked us in a room and told us to change. The idea of having to undress in front of Arenis embarrassed me and she, noticing my red expression, turned her back to me and avoided turning around until I was fully dressed. The clothes they gave us were rough, full of stains that wouldn't go away and so ruined that my skin itched.

"Come on, move along."

The guard remained one step behind us the whole time. We passed long grey corridors full of cells and inmates. Some of them watched us from beyond the bars, curious, others just lay there on their bunks, not paying the slightest attention to us. "Hey, beautiful," one guy exclaimed, tossing me a whistle as I walked past him. We passed more gates, more corridors, until we reached the women's prison. The women inside were all very different. Some were very young, even younger than me, while others were middle-aged or even older. Arenis and I ended up in a cell with two other women, who I discovered were pickpockets. They looked tired, as if they had resigned themselves to a life of confinement.

Arenis walked around the cell. It had no windows. Only a bunk bed, another bed at the side and a toilet bowl. Arenis then sat down on the bed and almost collapsed. The two women laughed out loud as they saw the whole scene.

"That bed is broken," the youngest informed us, tears in her eyes from amusement. "I guess you two have no choice but to sleep on the floor."

"Is that so?" taunted Arenis, rising again. "What about the bunk bed, then?"

"Those are our beds."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Captain," I admonished her. The last thing we needed was for her to start a dispute with the other inmates, just now that we had just arrived.

"They're ours, do you understand?" the other intervened, taking a few steps towards Arenis, facing her boldly.

"I don't see why they should be yours."

"We were here first."

"So what? Where is it written that whoever gets here first gets the beds?"

"You want trouble, bitch?"

"I just want the two beds, for me and my friend."

"Fuck you."

And that's when Arenis lost her patience. She grabbed the woman forcefully and threw her to the ground, striking her. The younger one, ready to attack, threw herself at Arenis and kicked her in the back. Neither of them had combat training, so it was clear from the start who would win.

Arenis got to her feet, wiped her hands on her robes and gave a satisfied grimace. The younger woman had a nose dripping with blood, while the other had a purple eye.

"You bastard! You broke my nose!"

"I didn't broke your nose," Arenis replied. "So, I do believe we have reached an agreement."

" Go screw yourself."

Arenis leaned over her again, gripped her hair tightly and pulled. "Excuse me?"

The screams were so loud that my ears almost burst.

"All right! All right! Take the damn bunk bed, what the fuck do I care!"

"Thank you for your cooperation."

When Arenis turned away from them, she gave me an amiable smile, as if she expected praise from me.

"You shouldn't have done that," I growled.

"It's not for you to decide what I can or can't do, Adler."

"Captain, you must restrain yourselves. You'll only make it worse this way."

"I don't think I can make it any worse than that."

Having said this, she climbed into the bed upstairs and lay down, without uttering another word. It was late at night that she started talking again. I couldn't sleep. I was tossing and turning in bed, with anxiety gripping my insides and not allowing me to close my eyes. I could hear our cellmate, the younger one, snoring a few steps away from me. The two of them had thrown the bunk mattress to the floor and were sleeping on it, glued to each other.

"Adler, are you awake?"

A faint whisper.

"Yes."

"Listen to me," Arenis said. "We will most likely be questioned tomorrow. You must explain to them who you really are. You must tell them how I kidnapped you and most importantly that you were forced to become a pirate. Tell them the truth. Be as convincing as you can. Perhaps you will be able to save yourself."

Frightened, I was speechless for a few seconds.

"Adler? Are you listening to me?"

"Yes," I replied. "What about you? What's going to happen to all of you?"

She giggled. It was a bitter laugh, yet it seemed as if she was trying to reassure me. "What usually happens to pirates. Don't worry about us. You must think of your own life, am I clear?"

"Yes, yes..."

"Very well," she said.