"So just what do you want Mister Governor, sir?" the young woman whispered with a petulant pout. The scantily clad beauty slouched in her chair. She was dirty and tired, in spite of which she radiated an aura of youthful vitality through the grime that thinly coated her skin. She was dressed simply in an outfit of black leather boots, a snug fitting pair of high cut lavender velvet shorts and a matching high-collared velvet halter tightly laced in front to keep her ample bosom in check. Her long thick wildly matted black hair cascaded over the back of the plush chair as she faced the gentlemen who had summoned her.
"That’s a rather insolent tone for a young woman scheduled to be hung at daybreak, just a few short hours away," admonished Governor Shortwood, seated behind his massive cherry wood desk. With his stern, deeply lined face, gray wool waistcoat, red vest, and white wig, he had quite the imperious look.
"This is entirely unjust. Never have I raised my flag against a British ship in my entire career. I prey only upon Spanish vessels, thus doing a the Crown a mighty favor."
"That may be as you say, but piracy is a crime no matter whose flag you attack. You have no official sanction to attack any vessel."
"I travel in and out of Williamsburg at least two or three times a year, and I have never been so much as questioned previously." Solondra had come ashore with her crew a few days before not only to relax in civilized surroundings but to purchase food, medicine, and other important supplies. However, where before they had been allowed to wander freely, this time she and her crew were arrested as soon as they had stepped ashore, and taken to the Williamsburg jail.
"Unfortunately for you, the King is in the midst of negotiating a treaty with Spain whose purpose it is to apportion New World territories in such a way that will enable all the New World settlements to live in peace. It’s thought that sacrificing Solondra, the Black Rose, one of the most notorious pirates of the Spanish Main, would be highly effective as a symbolic gesture to facilitate these negotiations."
This explained why she was suddenly considered an outlaw. However it did not explain why she had been whisked out of the Williamsburg jail in the early morning hours and brought here to the governor’s office in a closed up carriage under cover of darkness.
The governor rose and walked over to the ornate fireplace where a small fire was burning. "I have a proposition for you."
"Do you really?" Solondra replied, half mocking, half serious, arching her back seductively, so that her impressive cleavage showed clearly through her laced up blouse.
"Don’t degrade yourself so, wench. I have no personal interest in you whatsoever. But what I have to say will surely interest you. Unlike yourself, there is a crew of pirates who have made it all but impossible to run any sort of shipping trade out of Virginia or the Carolinas, a pestilent scourge that is choking the life out of these English settlements."
"Calico Red!"
"The very same. Recently, days at a time have passed with no ship daring to sail out of Williamsburg harbour for fear of that outlaw. The colonies will eventually fail if such an atmosphere of paralyzing fear persists. So what I am proposing is this - that my administration will pay you 1,000 pounds for the capture of Calico Red herself, and 200 pounds for each of her cohorts."
"Do they have to be alive?" Solondra asked with an evil smile.
"No. Dead or alive, it makes no difference."
"And my sentence, and the sentences of my crew?"
"Complete amnesty. A pardon for you and each of your crew. However, it is expected that you will cease from all subsequent pirate activity. I trust that the booty you have stored up for yourself combined with the reward from this current initiative will provide you with a comfortable retirement."
"That sounds very fair. If that is what I must do to prove my loyalty to England then so be it."
"When you leave this place it is of utmost importance that you not speak of this within earshot of anyone within Williamsburg. Calico Red has spies in surprising places. You and your crew will be transported to the harbour where you will immediately set sail under cover of darkness. Tomorrow, the newspapers will report that you and your crew staged a daring escape from the Williamsburg jail."
"There are still several hours before daybreak," Solondra purred. "Are you sure you don’t want to retire to your private chambers and… relax for a while?"
The fire gave a sharp crack, spitting a glowing ember out onto the wood floor. The governor scowled. "Be off with you!"
A few weeks later, two hundred miles south of Williamsburg, in the town of Bath, an amiable group of Calico Red’s crew were enjoying themselves at one of their favorite watering holes, the Rusty Scupper, where Dina, the tavern’s hostess, was happily entertaining the lusty young women with her adept belly dancing skills. Her large jiggling breasts were held in check by a beautiful snug fitting golden silk choli, a middle eastern bra-like garment with long flowing sleeves, custom fit to show off her bare lean torso and her deep cleavage. Her wildly rolling hips were encircled by a large bright yellow scarf from under which flowed a puffy diaphanous pair of red harem pants.
Dina was accompanied by a violinist and guitarist playing traditional gypsy dance music. All three had been bred as gypsies, and it was apparent from the deep rapport displayed in their performance that they had been performing together for many years. The combination of wild guitar rhythms, exotic melodies, and the erotic gyrations of Dina’s firm taut torso kept the spectators duly enthralled.
Red’s girls visited here long and often. This particular night was known to the locals as being "Red’s" night, and they knew enough to stay away. Dina and her entourage slowly migrated from one table of appreciative pirate girls to the next, ensuring that each received a lengthy up close performance. A small emerald twinkled teasingly from the center of Dina’s luscious undulating belly. Occasionally a gold coin was deposited into the front of Dina’s choli, to be held firmly in place by her impressive cleavage.
No one was surprised when Dina bent down behind Marlena, a beautiful Spanish mulatto with smooth dark skin, and whispered in her ear. Dina was known to share her favors with members of Red’s crew on a regular basis, picking out a different lucky girl each night they visited. The excitement on Marlena’s face was evident as she realized that she was to be the lucky girl. Dina disappeared into the back as her musicians brought the music to a close.
This was Dina’s signal to the audience that the tavern was about to close. The place soon emptied, the lamps in the main room were extinguished and Marlena made her way into the back, easily finding Dina’s bedroom with its door ajar.
The room was softly lit by an oil lamp. Dina was seated on her bed wearing a thin silk lavender robe. It was tightly cinched at the waist, causing her nipples to poke against the front, making it evident she had nothing on underneath.
"Hello, sweetheart," Dina greeted the mesmerized Marlena. "I have a message for you. I found it slipped under the door this morning." Dina handed Marlena a small yellow envelope. It had Marlena’s name printed on the front and on the back it was sealed with a glob of black wax stamped with the image of a rose.
Marlena opened the envelope and read the letter quickly, while Dina peered at her with curious eyes. Obviously distressed by the gravity of what she had read, Marlena looked towards the door.
"You can’t leave already. It couldn’t be that bad," Dina purred. "You’re such a beautiful thing. I can’t wait to caress that lovely body of yours."
Marlena hesitated for a moment. There was no reason she had to leave right away. Why not stay and enjoy the beautiful woman’s company? Marlena looked at Dina and loosened the cotton halter that wrapped tightly about her bosom. Dina gave a small gasp at the young woman’s perfectly sculpted form, her long slender torso, her large firm breasts, her skin the color and texture of creamy milk chocolate.
Soon the two beautiful bodies were entangled on Dina’s bed, riding one another’s waves of furious passion. As they crested in wave after wave of wrenching orgasms, they eventually became sated and tired. Finally Dina turned her backside to Marlena and went to sleep. Marlena continued to caress the dancer’s luscious rump as she pondered whether or not to kill her.
The letter had been well sealed. It was doubtful that Dina had been able to read it. However, it did bear the stamp of the Black Rose, and if Dina even suspected who it was from, Marlena could be in great danger. Then on the other hand, Dina was well known and well liked among both the townspeople and Red’s crew. Her death would raise quite a ruckus. Finally deciding that extreme action would be wasteful and unnecessary, Marlena leaned back and went to sleep.
Marlena suddenly awoke, not really knowing why. Standing with her luscious backside towards Marlena, Dina was standing very close to the oil lamp, her head lowered. She’s reading the message, Marlena excitedly realized. Marlena grasped her dagger that lay by the bed and silently crept up behind Dina.
"Mmmphhhhh!!" Gripping the woman firmly around the mouth, Marlena pulled her head back as she drove the long sharp blade through the small of her back. Dina pawed pathetically at the empty air as the hilt of the blade gradually became flush with the dancer’s soft skin, its tip now buried deep inside. After a moment, she gave a long soft moan gradually trailing off into silence as her arms fell heavy and limp at her sides.
"That was not very smart," Marlena admonished the dead woman as she lowered her flaccid frame to the floor. Marlena gazed at the body in admiration. The dancer looked so beautiful even in death that Marlena couldn’t help but give one of her large perfect breasts a brief caress. Struggling to make as little a commotion as possible, Marlena placed the dancer’s nude limp form back onto her bed, posing her to look as natural as possible. Marlena then plucked the glittering emerald from the center of the luscious belly. "You won’t be needing this anymore."
The next morning, after Marlena had rejoined the other pirate girls aboard Red’s sloop, the notorious Siren Spell, the pirate vessel set sail for Red’s island hideaway about three miles up the coast from Bath. After about a week of full of dancing, drinking, and passionate lovemaking on their island paradise, Red decided it was time to set sail northward in search of cargo vessels to plunder. So Red announced to her girls that they would be leaving the next morning.
Then in the wee hours of the morning, as Red’s girls lay in their tents in sweet drunken slumber after one final night of carousing and wild lovemaking, Marlena arose and quietly crept to the shore, locating a small dinghy.
Aided by the light from a crescent moon, she rowed out to where Red’s sloop was anchored about a half mile offshore. A long eerie whistle from the crow’s nest alerted the sentry on the main deck to Marlena’s approach. The sentry dropped a rope ladder down. As the sentry reached down to help, Marlena looked up to see the smiling face of Koko, a tall, slim waisted Japanese girl. Being on duty, Koko was dressed in Red’s standard pirate’s uniform, as was Marlena, consisting of black leather boots, low slung short black skirt, and a snug white cotton halter top.
"So what brings you out here?" queried Koko as she helped Marlena up.
"Thomasina has taken ill with fever, and I need to fetch some medical supplies," answered Marlena as she hopped on board.
"It would be very nice if you could stay awhile. It’s been very lonely out here," Koko answered, languorously arching her back in open invitation.
"That’s certainly very tempting," answered Marlena, admiring the woman’s lean well defined torso. Then Marlena gazed upwards.
Koko, falling for the age old trick, looked up as well, while Marlena delivered a hard blow to the Asian’s windpipe with the hard edge of her hand. Koko, eyes wild with panic, unable to breathe, helplessly felt at her crushed larynx. In the girl’s agitated state, it was an easy matter for Marlena to shove her teetering over the edge of the bow. Marlena flinched at the soft splash, hoping it would not be heard.
Marlena looked up towards the crow’s nest. Apparently, the lookout was too busy studying the horizon to notice the commotion that had taken place below.
Marlena made her way towards the stern of the vessel, where the anchor’s winch was installed. Once there she set about loosening the heavy lynch pin that locked the winch wheel to its axle. Shortly, she had successfully removed it, and with a sharp toss, sent the heavy cylinder flying end over end over the bow of the vessel. Then given a firm push, the winch wheel spun uselessly, no longer encountering any resistance.
Satisfied that the winch was now ruined, Marlena made her way back to shore.
The next morning, after Red’s crew successfully reboarded the sloop, there was some concern about the missing Koko, but it was pretty much assumed that she had fallen asleep somewhere aboard the ship.
"Ship ahoy! Off the starboard bow!" suddenly came a shout from the crow’s nest. Red squinted in the direction the lookout was pointing but could see nothing. As the ship’s captain, it was her responsibility to determine if a potential prey was worth pursuing. However, she couldn’t do that if she couldn’t see it. For that she needed her captain’s spyglass. She went to her captain’s cabin in order to retrieve it.
As Red entered the cabin, Thomasina was busily tidying up. Red pulled open the drawer where she usually kept her spyglass, and found it missing.
"Toni, do you know where my spyglass is?" she asked Thomasina.
"I think I saw it in our tent back on the island."
"Well, why didn’t you pick it up?"
"It’s not my job to keep track of your spyglass."
"Damn! Now I’m going to have to row all the way back to the island. We can’t set sail without my spyglass."
"Watch your language!"
"Sorry."
So Red set out by herself in a small rowboat back to the island, grumbling and cursing to herself.
In the meantime, the lookout continued to track the ship that had appeared on the horizon. After a few moments, it became clear that the ship was flying the Jolly Roger, that it was a fully rigged war ship, and that it was headed straight towards them.
A panicked lookout shouted "Raise anchor! Jolly Roger off the starboard bow!"
Although Red’s band were pirates themselves, there was only one reason a ship flying the Jolly Roger would be approaching another vessel on the open sea. And it was definitely not a social visit.
A handful of pirate girls ran to the winch, and practically fell over when they shoved it with all their might and the wheel gave way with no resistance. After examining the winch and finding it useless, they tried pulling on the chain directly, but it wouldn’t budge. The sails of the sloop were unfurled within a few moments but to no avail. With the weight of the anchor dragging on the sea floor, the ship would barely budge.
As the pirate’s warship loomed larger and larger, Red’s girls prepared themselves, loading their flintlock pistols and readying their crossbows. However, it soon became apparent that they were outgunned. The sloop’s cannons were few and puny compared to the larger cannons carried by the warship. Long ago, Red had made a decision to sacrifice firepower in exchange for speed, but with the anchor stuck, they had neither.
Soon the larger warship had pulled alongside and with a few well placed shots blasted apart the few dinghies that might have been used as lifeboats. A few flaming crossbow bolts set fire to the canvass masts.
It was clear now that the attacking vessel was the Hippolyta’s Revenge, captained by Solondra, the Black Rose, apparent not only from the lettering on the side of the ship but from the skimpy lavender velvet two piece uniforms worn by the crew, who consisted entirely of fit neatly groomed young women. One of Red’s girls squeezed off a well aimed pistol shot aimed at one of Solondra’s girl’s high on a mast working to steer the ship. The unlucky girl clutched at her punctured belly, doubled over and came crashing to the deck. Then a cannonball from Red’s ship found a pile of cannonballs stacked neatly next to one of Solondra’s cannons. In the ensuing explosion the bodies of the two girls manning the cannon went flying. Then shortly, several of Solondra’s girls soon collapsed to the deck, their bodies impaled by crossbow bolts and pistol slugs that had effectively found their marks.
In spite of the Siren Spell’s spirited defense, Solondra’s huge craft circled around the stern of Red’s sloop, blasting several large holes in its hull. The warship then pulled away and positioned itself between the sloop and the shore, leisurely waiting for the sloop to sink. The Hippolyta lowered a rope ladder into the water, and set a couple of dinghies out in order to herd as many survivors as possible onto the ladder.
As fire spread and parts of the deck began to disappear below water, Red’s girls began to jump ship. As one pirate girl attempted to circumvent the Hippolyta, and swim towards shore, a dinghy immediately pursued. When it momentarily caught up, the girl’s horizontal form, as she furiously attempted to swim to freedom, made an easy target for a sharp harpoon thrust through her bare torso.
Having no other choice, the majority of Red’s girls swam over to the enemy vessel and surrendered themselves. The girls were eventually manacled together in groups of three or four and placed in the ship’s cargo hold. Solondra was wandering about the deck, supervising the securing of the prisoners. One of the prisoners cried out to her.
"Solondra! It is I, Marlena!"
"Marlena, my sweet. It’s so wonderful to see you. Come with me. We have much to talk about."
Solondra escorted Marlena to the captain’s cabin, where Solondra poured them both a glass of red wine. "Congratulations, Marlena, for a mission magnificently executed."
"Solondra, you bitch!" Marlena unexpectedly snarled, eyes flaming with anger. "You abandoned me. Two years ago you disappeared, and then not a word until two nights ago."
"Marlena, Marlena," Solondra purred, trying not to sound too condescending towards her former lover, "I strongly believed that one day it would prove extremely valuable to have a secret ally among Calico Red’s crew. And I was right. You have done splendidly, and I love you for it. If you had known of my plans to depart from Calico Red and her crew, you would have insisted on coming with me. And it has become quite evident - you have been much more valuable to me by remaining with Calico Red."
Thank God this lustful tart is so gullible, Solondra thought to herself. In spite of the fact that Marlena was a beautiful, devoted, and skillful lover, she was just too jealous and controlling, not a fit companion for someone who had ambitions to become a pirate captain in her own right. That was the true reason Solondra had so purposefully abandoned Marlena.
"Here, let’s get you changed out of those wet rags before you are mistaken for an escaped prisoner." Solondra grabbed an outfit from a nearby chest of drawers and tossed it on the bed. Marlena quickly stripped out of her wet uniform, but paused before donning the new outfit. Arching her back seductively and fingering the nipple of one of her generous sized breasts, she asked "Are you quite sure you want me to dress just yet?" Marlena’s eyes had softened from their former hardness, now gazing at her former lover with affection – and with lust.
Solondra felt her own body responding to the unmitigated adoration of the sultry vixen. "I have much to attend to today, Marlena – but I promise you tonight I will be all yours. Then we can begin making up for lost time," Solondra cooed affectionately. "Now, I need to ask you – I didn’t see Calico Red among the prisoners. Do you know where she is? Did she die in the attack?"
"She left to go back to the island shortly before the attack. I think she had forgotten something," Marlena answered, fastening the soft velvet halter snugly about her full bosom.
"Damn! We shall have to go search the island. Calico Red is the key to our freedom. Without her, this mission is a failure!" Solondra pondered what to do. "We shall anchor here for the night. In the morning, I shall lead a party ashore to search for the devious fox."
Meanwhile, Red, having retrieved her spyglass, had been able to observe most of what had transpired, hiding among the high grass behind the sand dunes near the beach. Watching carefully, she had been able to see that most of her girls had been taken alive. She had also seen how Marlena had been plucked out of the line of hapless prisoners and taken to the captain’s cabin.
Red was not certain just what had taken place but suspected some sort of sabotage and also suspected that Marlena was somehow involved. She knew that Solondra and Marlena had been lovers when they were both members in good standing of Red’s crew. She also knew how Marlena had pined after her departed lover when Solondra snuck off with a handful of defecting crew members to form her own pirate band.
Because Solondra had been shrewd enough to target a different sort of prey than Red, Red bore the raven haired vixen no real feelings of ill will but actually wished her well. But that was before this traitorous turn of events.
Hyperventilating wildly, Red watched as the last of her burning vessel, the Siren Spell, sank beneath the water. After calming herself for a moment, Red mentally formed a plan of action. She retired to the empty encampment to rest, to prepare herself for the arduous adventure that awaited her.
When Red awoke, the position of the moon and stars indicated that she was well into the wee hours of the morning. Making her way toward the beach, she quickly stripped off her pirate’s uniform. Then, clad only with a grappling line draped around her neck, and the handle of a long thin dagger clenched between her teeth, she dove into the cold salt water and began to swim towards the Hippolyta’s Revenge.
Arms aching, she completed the half mile to where the ship was anchored and mustering her strength, threw the grappling line up over the side of the ship. She felt the hook catch on the bow, but waited a good two minutes, not only to see if anyone had seen or heard, but to give herself a moment to catch her breath.
Then, arms still aching, and ears pricked for any sound from aboard, she clambered up the knotted line and painfully pulled herself over the bow. Creeping towards the cargo hold, Red was startled by the voice of a pirate girl.
"Oh my, look at you!" Red gave a startled look at the girl, lying prone on a makeshift bed consisting of a rolled up canvas sail scattered over the deck. The girl was propped up on an elbow, her large mane of blond hair blown wild from the sea wind, holding the neck of a wine bottle in her hand, staring at Red with a look more of curiosity than alarm. Red surmised from the large key chain dangling from the girl’s low slung belt that this was supposed to be their sentry.
"So what are you going to do with that knife, sweetheart? Force me to have sex with you?" The girl apparently didn’t seem to recognize that Red was an intruder, but thought her just one of the crew wandering naked on deck late at night, not exactly an unusual occurrence on board a ship full of lusty pirate wenches.
"Yes! Take off your clothes, wench." Red ordered in a husky voice.
"Anything for you, love," was the girls accommodating response. "I’ve never seen you before. You must be new. And you’re all wet. I like that!"
The girl stood and peeled off her velvet uniform, revealing a perfect hourglass figure, her luscious white skin shining in the light of the crescent moon. Arching her back, the blond beauty slinked towards Red. Without hesitating, Red slipped the long blade underneath the girl’s sternum deep into the girl’s heart. "Noooooooo!!" the girl gasped. In a few seconds, the girl’s uncomprehending eyes went cold, as her lifeless body crumpled to the deck.
Red gazed longingly at the beautiful lifeless form. Under different circumstances, she would have been delighted to take the beautiful sex hungry tart to bed, but for now business had to be attended to. Red considered donning the uniform that the unfortunate wench no longer needed, but then thought better of it. It would be very awkward for Red to be dressed as one of Solondra’s crew in the battle she knew was about to ensue. Red decided that it would cause less confusion for her to simply remain nude. Red quickly covered the girl with canvass and grabbed the girl’s keys, dagger, scabbard and crossbow.
Making her way towards the cargo hold, Red spied another sentry leaning against the bow above the captain’s cabin gazing dreamily out to sea. Red silently circled to the girl’s rear to get a clear shot with her crossbow. It was an easy shot. "Thunk!" went the bolt in the dead center of the girl’s back. "Unghhhhh!" the girl cried out. She flinched for a few seconds and then began to pitch forward over the bow. Red caught her just long enough to strip her of her dagger, scabbard, and pistol. She then proceeded to push the now lifeless corpse the rest of the way over the bow.
Red took a quick inventory of the weapons she had managed to confiscate – two daggers, two scabbards with rapiers tucked inside, a crossbow and a small supply of bolts, and a loaded pistol. It wasn’t much but it would have to do. Red decided to keep the pistol for herself. Now it was time to set loose her girls.
First Red paced the length of the deck to make certain there were no more sentries lingering about. Then making her way to the cargo hold, she tried out the keys one by one, quietly reciting instructions to her girls through the door. After a few tries, the lock turned, and the door was opened. Within a few moments Red was able to free all her girls from their shackles.
The sight of Red’s entire crew streaming out from the cargo hold drew the attention of the lookout in the crow’s nest. "Alert! Wake up! The prisoners are escaping!"
Red and her girls rushed to the forecastle where Solondra’s girls were asleep in their bunks. Red pounded on the forecastle entrance crying out "Hurry! They’re getting away!"
The first girl rushed out, naked and brandishing a rapier, neatly impaling herself on an outstretched sword. A second girl rushed out after and met a similar fate. As each girl fell, Red’s girls confiscated the weapons in order to arm themselves. Soon a small pile of beautiful bodies, naked and dead, began to accumulate around the forecastle. However, the girls inside the forecastle soon realized what was happening. When one of Red’s girls facing the door caught a pistol slug in her belly, and another was impaled by a crossbow bolt through her breast, Red’s girls were forced to back away, and several of Solondra’s girls managed to escape from the forecastle, armed and alive, whereupon full fledged combat began to ensue.
Breaking away from the mayhem, Red ran to the captain’s cabin and pounded on the door, again crying "The prisoners are escaping!"
Marlena was the first to exit, naked and brandishing her rapier. Red leveled her loaded pistol at the girl and commanded "Drop your sword now or receive a belly full of pistol lead."
"Oh my God! Red!" the astonished girl exclaimed as her rapier clattered to the deck. Red instantly grabbed the girl’s arm and soon had a stranglehold about her neck. Solondra soon followed, naked, and brandishing not only a rapier, but a loaded pistol.
"Drop your weapons and surrender yourself – and order your girls to do the same," Red warned, "or your gorgeous sweetheart will receive a load of hot lead through her ribs."
"Marlena, you stupid idiot!" exclaimed Solondra. She instantly raised her flintlock pistol and fired a shot straight between her lover’s luscious outthrust breasts. Red allowed the body of the dying girl to fall to the deck. Solondra dropped the spent flintlock, and raised her rapier. "Now raise your sword, Red, and we shall see who is the worthier pirate captain!"
"Solondra! You know me better than that! You know I don’t fight fair!"
With that, Red leveled her pistol at her rival and spat the deadly load deep into the woman’s firm well muscled torso. "You cowardly bitch!" exclaimed Solondra, clutching at her wound and slowly crumpling to the deck.
A few days later, the nude corpse of a once beautiful young woman was found along the shore of the James River near Williamsburg. The tattoo of a black rose imprinted on the body’s inner thigh made its identification unmistakable. Officially, the demise of the notorious fugitive caused little stir, but behind closed doors in the Virginia Capitol, there was great consternation.
Red ended up renaming the Hippolyta’s Revenge to the Siren Spell, using her rival’s heavily armed ship to replace her own. Governor Shortwood was extremely upset upon learning that not only was the mission a failure, but that Red was now in possession of a larger, much more powerful vessel than before.
A few weeks later, Red and Thomasina found themselves alone in the captain’s cabin. Having just completed an excruciatingly pleasurable lovemaking session, they were clothed only in their colorful silk robes, relaxing and sipping wine. Lifting her guitar to her lap, Thomasina began to sing,
Black, black, black
Is the color of my true love's hair
Her lips are like a rose so fair...
And the prettiest face and the neatest hands.
I love the grass whereon she stands
She with the wondrous hair!
Black, black, black
Is the color of my true love's hair
Alone, my life would be so bare.
I would sigh, I would weep,
I would never fall asleep
My love is 'way beyond compare
She with the wondrous hair!
Black, black, black
Is the color of my true love's hair.
"Black hair? Why not red hair?" queried Red, quite impertinently.
"That’s not what the words are. But I suppose it won’t mess up the rhyme. Would you like me to sing it again?"
"No, I actually think it’s rather a lame song. Why don’t you sing that song that Lavonda made up the other day?"
"But that’s such a vulgar song!", "Of course it is!" Red answered, smiling. Rolling her eyes, Thomasina began to sing,
O, many a fighting wench lies slain
Toes up on the Spanish Main
Arms spread, stripped of weapons and pearls
Sweet body ravished by jolly pirate girls!
They kiss her slack and parted lips and strip away her shirt
They wash and oil that body sweet, now slumped dead in the dirt
Her bosom fair, now white and bare, will serve a pillow's part
For the pirate girl who closed her eyes, whose dagger stilled her heart
"Thanks, Toni," Red murmured with a soft giggle. "That was great!"
"That’s a rather insolent tone for a young woman scheduled to be hung at daybreak, just a few short hours away," admonished Governor Shortwood, seated behind his massive cherry wood desk. With his stern, deeply lined face, gray wool waistcoat, red vest, and white wig, he had quite the imperious look.
"This is entirely unjust. Never have I raised my flag against a British ship in my entire career. I prey only upon Spanish vessels, thus doing a the Crown a mighty favor."
"That may be as you say, but piracy is a crime no matter whose flag you attack. You have no official sanction to attack any vessel."
"I travel in and out of Williamsburg at least two or three times a year, and I have never been so much as questioned previously." Solondra had come ashore with her crew a few days before not only to relax in civilized surroundings but to purchase food, medicine, and other important supplies. However, where before they had been allowed to wander freely, this time she and her crew were arrested as soon as they had stepped ashore, and taken to the Williamsburg jail.
"Unfortunately for you, the King is in the midst of negotiating a treaty with Spain whose purpose it is to apportion New World territories in such a way that will enable all the New World settlements to live in peace. It’s thought that sacrificing Solondra, the Black Rose, one of the most notorious pirates of the Spanish Main, would be highly effective as a symbolic gesture to facilitate these negotiations."
This explained why she was suddenly considered an outlaw. However it did not explain why she had been whisked out of the Williamsburg jail in the early morning hours and brought here to the governor’s office in a closed up carriage under cover of darkness.
The governor rose and walked over to the ornate fireplace where a small fire was burning. "I have a proposition for you."
"Do you really?" Solondra replied, half mocking, half serious, arching her back seductively, so that her impressive cleavage showed clearly through her laced up blouse.
"Don’t degrade yourself so, wench. I have no personal interest in you whatsoever. But what I have to say will surely interest you. Unlike yourself, there is a crew of pirates who have made it all but impossible to run any sort of shipping trade out of Virginia or the Carolinas, a pestilent scourge that is choking the life out of these English settlements."
"Calico Red!"
"The very same. Recently, days at a time have passed with no ship daring to sail out of Williamsburg harbour for fear of that outlaw. The colonies will eventually fail if such an atmosphere of paralyzing fear persists. So what I am proposing is this - that my administration will pay you 1,000 pounds for the capture of Calico Red herself, and 200 pounds for each of her cohorts."
"Do they have to be alive?" Solondra asked with an evil smile.
"No. Dead or alive, it makes no difference."
"And my sentence, and the sentences of my crew?"
"Complete amnesty. A pardon for you and each of your crew. However, it is expected that you will cease from all subsequent pirate activity. I trust that the booty you have stored up for yourself combined with the reward from this current initiative will provide you with a comfortable retirement."
"That sounds very fair. If that is what I must do to prove my loyalty to England then so be it."
"When you leave this place it is of utmost importance that you not speak of this within earshot of anyone within Williamsburg. Calico Red has spies in surprising places. You and your crew will be transported to the harbour where you will immediately set sail under cover of darkness. Tomorrow, the newspapers will report that you and your crew staged a daring escape from the Williamsburg jail."
"There are still several hours before daybreak," Solondra purred. "Are you sure you don’t want to retire to your private chambers and… relax for a while?"
The fire gave a sharp crack, spitting a glowing ember out onto the wood floor. The governor scowled. "Be off with you!"
A few weeks later, two hundred miles south of Williamsburg, in the town of Bath, an amiable group of Calico Red’s crew were enjoying themselves at one of their favorite watering holes, the Rusty Scupper, where Dina, the tavern’s hostess, was happily entertaining the lusty young women with her adept belly dancing skills. Her large jiggling breasts were held in check by a beautiful snug fitting golden silk choli, a middle eastern bra-like garment with long flowing sleeves, custom fit to show off her bare lean torso and her deep cleavage. Her wildly rolling hips were encircled by a large bright yellow scarf from under which flowed a puffy diaphanous pair of red harem pants.
Dina was accompanied by a violinist and guitarist playing traditional gypsy dance music. All three had been bred as gypsies, and it was apparent from the deep rapport displayed in their performance that they had been performing together for many years. The combination of wild guitar rhythms, exotic melodies, and the erotic gyrations of Dina’s firm taut torso kept the spectators duly enthralled.
Red’s girls visited here long and often. This particular night was known to the locals as being "Red’s" night, and they knew enough to stay away. Dina and her entourage slowly migrated from one table of appreciative pirate girls to the next, ensuring that each received a lengthy up close performance. A small emerald twinkled teasingly from the center of Dina’s luscious undulating belly. Occasionally a gold coin was deposited into the front of Dina’s choli, to be held firmly in place by her impressive cleavage.
No one was surprised when Dina bent down behind Marlena, a beautiful Spanish mulatto with smooth dark skin, and whispered in her ear. Dina was known to share her favors with members of Red’s crew on a regular basis, picking out a different lucky girl each night they visited. The excitement on Marlena’s face was evident as she realized that she was to be the lucky girl. Dina disappeared into the back as her musicians brought the music to a close.
This was Dina’s signal to the audience that the tavern was about to close. The place soon emptied, the lamps in the main room were extinguished and Marlena made her way into the back, easily finding Dina’s bedroom with its door ajar.
The room was softly lit by an oil lamp. Dina was seated on her bed wearing a thin silk lavender robe. It was tightly cinched at the waist, causing her nipples to poke against the front, making it evident she had nothing on underneath.
"Hello, sweetheart," Dina greeted the mesmerized Marlena. "I have a message for you. I found it slipped under the door this morning." Dina handed Marlena a small yellow envelope. It had Marlena’s name printed on the front and on the back it was sealed with a glob of black wax stamped with the image of a rose.
Marlena opened the envelope and read the letter quickly, while Dina peered at her with curious eyes. Obviously distressed by the gravity of what she had read, Marlena looked towards the door.
"You can’t leave already. It couldn’t be that bad," Dina purred. "You’re such a beautiful thing. I can’t wait to caress that lovely body of yours."
Marlena hesitated for a moment. There was no reason she had to leave right away. Why not stay and enjoy the beautiful woman’s company? Marlena looked at Dina and loosened the cotton halter that wrapped tightly about her bosom. Dina gave a small gasp at the young woman’s perfectly sculpted form, her long slender torso, her large firm breasts, her skin the color and texture of creamy milk chocolate.
Soon the two beautiful bodies were entangled on Dina’s bed, riding one another’s waves of furious passion. As they crested in wave after wave of wrenching orgasms, they eventually became sated and tired. Finally Dina turned her backside to Marlena and went to sleep. Marlena continued to caress the dancer’s luscious rump as she pondered whether or not to kill her.
The letter had been well sealed. It was doubtful that Dina had been able to read it. However, it did bear the stamp of the Black Rose, and if Dina even suspected who it was from, Marlena could be in great danger. Then on the other hand, Dina was well known and well liked among both the townspeople and Red’s crew. Her death would raise quite a ruckus. Finally deciding that extreme action would be wasteful and unnecessary, Marlena leaned back and went to sleep.
Marlena suddenly awoke, not really knowing why. Standing with her luscious backside towards Marlena, Dina was standing very close to the oil lamp, her head lowered. She’s reading the message, Marlena excitedly realized. Marlena grasped her dagger that lay by the bed and silently crept up behind Dina.
"Mmmphhhhh!!" Gripping the woman firmly around the mouth, Marlena pulled her head back as she drove the long sharp blade through the small of her back. Dina pawed pathetically at the empty air as the hilt of the blade gradually became flush with the dancer’s soft skin, its tip now buried deep inside. After a moment, she gave a long soft moan gradually trailing off into silence as her arms fell heavy and limp at her sides.
"That was not very smart," Marlena admonished the dead woman as she lowered her flaccid frame to the floor. Marlena gazed at the body in admiration. The dancer looked so beautiful even in death that Marlena couldn’t help but give one of her large perfect breasts a brief caress. Struggling to make as little a commotion as possible, Marlena placed the dancer’s nude limp form back onto her bed, posing her to look as natural as possible. Marlena then plucked the glittering emerald from the center of the luscious belly. "You won’t be needing this anymore."
The next morning, after Marlena had rejoined the other pirate girls aboard Red’s sloop, the notorious Siren Spell, the pirate vessel set sail for Red’s island hideaway about three miles up the coast from Bath. After about a week of full of dancing, drinking, and passionate lovemaking on their island paradise, Red decided it was time to set sail northward in search of cargo vessels to plunder. So Red announced to her girls that they would be leaving the next morning.
Then in the wee hours of the morning, as Red’s girls lay in their tents in sweet drunken slumber after one final night of carousing and wild lovemaking, Marlena arose and quietly crept to the shore, locating a small dinghy.
Aided by the light from a crescent moon, she rowed out to where Red’s sloop was anchored about a half mile offshore. A long eerie whistle from the crow’s nest alerted the sentry on the main deck to Marlena’s approach. The sentry dropped a rope ladder down. As the sentry reached down to help, Marlena looked up to see the smiling face of Koko, a tall, slim waisted Japanese girl. Being on duty, Koko was dressed in Red’s standard pirate’s uniform, as was Marlena, consisting of black leather boots, low slung short black skirt, and a snug white cotton halter top.
"So what brings you out here?" queried Koko as she helped Marlena up.
"Thomasina has taken ill with fever, and I need to fetch some medical supplies," answered Marlena as she hopped on board.
"It would be very nice if you could stay awhile. It’s been very lonely out here," Koko answered, languorously arching her back in open invitation.
"That’s certainly very tempting," answered Marlena, admiring the woman’s lean well defined torso. Then Marlena gazed upwards.
Koko, falling for the age old trick, looked up as well, while Marlena delivered a hard blow to the Asian’s windpipe with the hard edge of her hand. Koko, eyes wild with panic, unable to breathe, helplessly felt at her crushed larynx. In the girl’s agitated state, it was an easy matter for Marlena to shove her teetering over the edge of the bow. Marlena flinched at the soft splash, hoping it would not be heard.
Marlena looked up towards the crow’s nest. Apparently, the lookout was too busy studying the horizon to notice the commotion that had taken place below.
Marlena made her way towards the stern of the vessel, where the anchor’s winch was installed. Once there she set about loosening the heavy lynch pin that locked the winch wheel to its axle. Shortly, she had successfully removed it, and with a sharp toss, sent the heavy cylinder flying end over end over the bow of the vessel. Then given a firm push, the winch wheel spun uselessly, no longer encountering any resistance.
Satisfied that the winch was now ruined, Marlena made her way back to shore.
The next morning, after Red’s crew successfully reboarded the sloop, there was some concern about the missing Koko, but it was pretty much assumed that she had fallen asleep somewhere aboard the ship.
"Ship ahoy! Off the starboard bow!" suddenly came a shout from the crow’s nest. Red squinted in the direction the lookout was pointing but could see nothing. As the ship’s captain, it was her responsibility to determine if a potential prey was worth pursuing. However, she couldn’t do that if she couldn’t see it. For that she needed her captain’s spyglass. She went to her captain’s cabin in order to retrieve it.
As Red entered the cabin, Thomasina was busily tidying up. Red pulled open the drawer where she usually kept her spyglass, and found it missing.
"Toni, do you know where my spyglass is?" she asked Thomasina.
"I think I saw it in our tent back on the island."
"Well, why didn’t you pick it up?"
"It’s not my job to keep track of your spyglass."
"Damn! Now I’m going to have to row all the way back to the island. We can’t set sail without my spyglass."
"Watch your language!"
"Sorry."
So Red set out by herself in a small rowboat back to the island, grumbling and cursing to herself.
In the meantime, the lookout continued to track the ship that had appeared on the horizon. After a few moments, it became clear that the ship was flying the Jolly Roger, that it was a fully rigged war ship, and that it was headed straight towards them.
A panicked lookout shouted "Raise anchor! Jolly Roger off the starboard bow!"
Although Red’s band were pirates themselves, there was only one reason a ship flying the Jolly Roger would be approaching another vessel on the open sea. And it was definitely not a social visit.
A handful of pirate girls ran to the winch, and practically fell over when they shoved it with all their might and the wheel gave way with no resistance. After examining the winch and finding it useless, they tried pulling on the chain directly, but it wouldn’t budge. The sails of the sloop were unfurled within a few moments but to no avail. With the weight of the anchor dragging on the sea floor, the ship would barely budge.
As the pirate’s warship loomed larger and larger, Red’s girls prepared themselves, loading their flintlock pistols and readying their crossbows. However, it soon became apparent that they were outgunned. The sloop’s cannons were few and puny compared to the larger cannons carried by the warship. Long ago, Red had made a decision to sacrifice firepower in exchange for speed, but with the anchor stuck, they had neither.
Soon the larger warship had pulled alongside and with a few well placed shots blasted apart the few dinghies that might have been used as lifeboats. A few flaming crossbow bolts set fire to the canvass masts.
It was clear now that the attacking vessel was the Hippolyta’s Revenge, captained by Solondra, the Black Rose, apparent not only from the lettering on the side of the ship but from the skimpy lavender velvet two piece uniforms worn by the crew, who consisted entirely of fit neatly groomed young women. One of Red’s girls squeezed off a well aimed pistol shot aimed at one of Solondra’s girl’s high on a mast working to steer the ship. The unlucky girl clutched at her punctured belly, doubled over and came crashing to the deck. Then a cannonball from Red’s ship found a pile of cannonballs stacked neatly next to one of Solondra’s cannons. In the ensuing explosion the bodies of the two girls manning the cannon went flying. Then shortly, several of Solondra’s girls soon collapsed to the deck, their bodies impaled by crossbow bolts and pistol slugs that had effectively found their marks.
In spite of the Siren Spell’s spirited defense, Solondra’s huge craft circled around the stern of Red’s sloop, blasting several large holes in its hull. The warship then pulled away and positioned itself between the sloop and the shore, leisurely waiting for the sloop to sink. The Hippolyta lowered a rope ladder into the water, and set a couple of dinghies out in order to herd as many survivors as possible onto the ladder.
As fire spread and parts of the deck began to disappear below water, Red’s girls began to jump ship. As one pirate girl attempted to circumvent the Hippolyta, and swim towards shore, a dinghy immediately pursued. When it momentarily caught up, the girl’s horizontal form, as she furiously attempted to swim to freedom, made an easy target for a sharp harpoon thrust through her bare torso.
Having no other choice, the majority of Red’s girls swam over to the enemy vessel and surrendered themselves. The girls were eventually manacled together in groups of three or four and placed in the ship’s cargo hold. Solondra was wandering about the deck, supervising the securing of the prisoners. One of the prisoners cried out to her.
"Solondra! It is I, Marlena!"
"Marlena, my sweet. It’s so wonderful to see you. Come with me. We have much to talk about."
Solondra escorted Marlena to the captain’s cabin, where Solondra poured them both a glass of red wine. "Congratulations, Marlena, for a mission magnificently executed."
"Solondra, you bitch!" Marlena unexpectedly snarled, eyes flaming with anger. "You abandoned me. Two years ago you disappeared, and then not a word until two nights ago."
"Marlena, Marlena," Solondra purred, trying not to sound too condescending towards her former lover, "I strongly believed that one day it would prove extremely valuable to have a secret ally among Calico Red’s crew. And I was right. You have done splendidly, and I love you for it. If you had known of my plans to depart from Calico Red and her crew, you would have insisted on coming with me. And it has become quite evident - you have been much more valuable to me by remaining with Calico Red."
Thank God this lustful tart is so gullible, Solondra thought to herself. In spite of the fact that Marlena was a beautiful, devoted, and skillful lover, she was just too jealous and controlling, not a fit companion for someone who had ambitions to become a pirate captain in her own right. That was the true reason Solondra had so purposefully abandoned Marlena.
"Here, let’s get you changed out of those wet rags before you are mistaken for an escaped prisoner." Solondra grabbed an outfit from a nearby chest of drawers and tossed it on the bed. Marlena quickly stripped out of her wet uniform, but paused before donning the new outfit. Arching her back seductively and fingering the nipple of one of her generous sized breasts, she asked "Are you quite sure you want me to dress just yet?" Marlena’s eyes had softened from their former hardness, now gazing at her former lover with affection – and with lust.
Solondra felt her own body responding to the unmitigated adoration of the sultry vixen. "I have much to attend to today, Marlena – but I promise you tonight I will be all yours. Then we can begin making up for lost time," Solondra cooed affectionately. "Now, I need to ask you – I didn’t see Calico Red among the prisoners. Do you know where she is? Did she die in the attack?"
"She left to go back to the island shortly before the attack. I think she had forgotten something," Marlena answered, fastening the soft velvet halter snugly about her full bosom.
"Damn! We shall have to go search the island. Calico Red is the key to our freedom. Without her, this mission is a failure!" Solondra pondered what to do. "We shall anchor here for the night. In the morning, I shall lead a party ashore to search for the devious fox."
Meanwhile, Red, having retrieved her spyglass, had been able to observe most of what had transpired, hiding among the high grass behind the sand dunes near the beach. Watching carefully, she had been able to see that most of her girls had been taken alive. She had also seen how Marlena had been plucked out of the line of hapless prisoners and taken to the captain’s cabin.
Red was not certain just what had taken place but suspected some sort of sabotage and also suspected that Marlena was somehow involved. She knew that Solondra and Marlena had been lovers when they were both members in good standing of Red’s crew. She also knew how Marlena had pined after her departed lover when Solondra snuck off with a handful of defecting crew members to form her own pirate band.
Because Solondra had been shrewd enough to target a different sort of prey than Red, Red bore the raven haired vixen no real feelings of ill will but actually wished her well. But that was before this traitorous turn of events.
Hyperventilating wildly, Red watched as the last of her burning vessel, the Siren Spell, sank beneath the water. After calming herself for a moment, Red mentally formed a plan of action. She retired to the empty encampment to rest, to prepare herself for the arduous adventure that awaited her.
When Red awoke, the position of the moon and stars indicated that she was well into the wee hours of the morning. Making her way toward the beach, she quickly stripped off her pirate’s uniform. Then, clad only with a grappling line draped around her neck, and the handle of a long thin dagger clenched between her teeth, she dove into the cold salt water and began to swim towards the Hippolyta’s Revenge.
Arms aching, she completed the half mile to where the ship was anchored and mustering her strength, threw the grappling line up over the side of the ship. She felt the hook catch on the bow, but waited a good two minutes, not only to see if anyone had seen or heard, but to give herself a moment to catch her breath.
Then, arms still aching, and ears pricked for any sound from aboard, she clambered up the knotted line and painfully pulled herself over the bow. Creeping towards the cargo hold, Red was startled by the voice of a pirate girl.
"Oh my, look at you!" Red gave a startled look at the girl, lying prone on a makeshift bed consisting of a rolled up canvas sail scattered over the deck. The girl was propped up on an elbow, her large mane of blond hair blown wild from the sea wind, holding the neck of a wine bottle in her hand, staring at Red with a look more of curiosity than alarm. Red surmised from the large key chain dangling from the girl’s low slung belt that this was supposed to be their sentry.
"So what are you going to do with that knife, sweetheart? Force me to have sex with you?" The girl apparently didn’t seem to recognize that Red was an intruder, but thought her just one of the crew wandering naked on deck late at night, not exactly an unusual occurrence on board a ship full of lusty pirate wenches.
"Yes! Take off your clothes, wench." Red ordered in a husky voice.
"Anything for you, love," was the girls accommodating response. "I’ve never seen you before. You must be new. And you’re all wet. I like that!"
The girl stood and peeled off her velvet uniform, revealing a perfect hourglass figure, her luscious white skin shining in the light of the crescent moon. Arching her back, the blond beauty slinked towards Red. Without hesitating, Red slipped the long blade underneath the girl’s sternum deep into the girl’s heart. "Noooooooo!!" the girl gasped. In a few seconds, the girl’s uncomprehending eyes went cold, as her lifeless body crumpled to the deck.
Red gazed longingly at the beautiful lifeless form. Under different circumstances, she would have been delighted to take the beautiful sex hungry tart to bed, but for now business had to be attended to. Red considered donning the uniform that the unfortunate wench no longer needed, but then thought better of it. It would be very awkward for Red to be dressed as one of Solondra’s crew in the battle she knew was about to ensue. Red decided that it would cause less confusion for her to simply remain nude. Red quickly covered the girl with canvass and grabbed the girl’s keys, dagger, scabbard and crossbow.
Making her way towards the cargo hold, Red spied another sentry leaning against the bow above the captain’s cabin gazing dreamily out to sea. Red silently circled to the girl’s rear to get a clear shot with her crossbow. It was an easy shot. "Thunk!" went the bolt in the dead center of the girl’s back. "Unghhhhh!" the girl cried out. She flinched for a few seconds and then began to pitch forward over the bow. Red caught her just long enough to strip her of her dagger, scabbard, and pistol. She then proceeded to push the now lifeless corpse the rest of the way over the bow.
Red took a quick inventory of the weapons she had managed to confiscate – two daggers, two scabbards with rapiers tucked inside, a crossbow and a small supply of bolts, and a loaded pistol. It wasn’t much but it would have to do. Red decided to keep the pistol for herself. Now it was time to set loose her girls.
First Red paced the length of the deck to make certain there were no more sentries lingering about. Then making her way to the cargo hold, she tried out the keys one by one, quietly reciting instructions to her girls through the door. After a few tries, the lock turned, and the door was opened. Within a few moments Red was able to free all her girls from their shackles.
The sight of Red’s entire crew streaming out from the cargo hold drew the attention of the lookout in the crow’s nest. "Alert! Wake up! The prisoners are escaping!"
Red and her girls rushed to the forecastle where Solondra’s girls were asleep in their bunks. Red pounded on the forecastle entrance crying out "Hurry! They’re getting away!"
The first girl rushed out, naked and brandishing a rapier, neatly impaling herself on an outstretched sword. A second girl rushed out after and met a similar fate. As each girl fell, Red’s girls confiscated the weapons in order to arm themselves. Soon a small pile of beautiful bodies, naked and dead, began to accumulate around the forecastle. However, the girls inside the forecastle soon realized what was happening. When one of Red’s girls facing the door caught a pistol slug in her belly, and another was impaled by a crossbow bolt through her breast, Red’s girls were forced to back away, and several of Solondra’s girls managed to escape from the forecastle, armed and alive, whereupon full fledged combat began to ensue.
Breaking away from the mayhem, Red ran to the captain’s cabin and pounded on the door, again crying "The prisoners are escaping!"
Marlena was the first to exit, naked and brandishing her rapier. Red leveled her loaded pistol at the girl and commanded "Drop your sword now or receive a belly full of pistol lead."
"Oh my God! Red!" the astonished girl exclaimed as her rapier clattered to the deck. Red instantly grabbed the girl’s arm and soon had a stranglehold about her neck. Solondra soon followed, naked, and brandishing not only a rapier, but a loaded pistol.
"Drop your weapons and surrender yourself – and order your girls to do the same," Red warned, "or your gorgeous sweetheart will receive a load of hot lead through her ribs."
"Marlena, you stupid idiot!" exclaimed Solondra. She instantly raised her flintlock pistol and fired a shot straight between her lover’s luscious outthrust breasts. Red allowed the body of the dying girl to fall to the deck. Solondra dropped the spent flintlock, and raised her rapier. "Now raise your sword, Red, and we shall see who is the worthier pirate captain!"
"Solondra! You know me better than that! You know I don’t fight fair!"
With that, Red leveled her pistol at her rival and spat the deadly load deep into the woman’s firm well muscled torso. "You cowardly bitch!" exclaimed Solondra, clutching at her wound and slowly crumpling to the deck.
A few days later, the nude corpse of a once beautiful young woman was found along the shore of the James River near Williamsburg. The tattoo of a black rose imprinted on the body’s inner thigh made its identification unmistakable. Officially, the demise of the notorious fugitive caused little stir, but behind closed doors in the Virginia Capitol, there was great consternation.
Red ended up renaming the Hippolyta’s Revenge to the Siren Spell, using her rival’s heavily armed ship to replace her own. Governor Shortwood was extremely upset upon learning that not only was the mission a failure, but that Red was now in possession of a larger, much more powerful vessel than before.
A few weeks later, Red and Thomasina found themselves alone in the captain’s cabin. Having just completed an excruciatingly pleasurable lovemaking session, they were clothed only in their colorful silk robes, relaxing and sipping wine. Lifting her guitar to her lap, Thomasina began to sing,
Black, black, black
Is the color of my true love's hair
Her lips are like a rose so fair...
And the prettiest face and the neatest hands.
I love the grass whereon she stands
She with the wondrous hair!
Black, black, black
Is the color of my true love's hair
Alone, my life would be so bare.
I would sigh, I would weep,
I would never fall asleep
My love is 'way beyond compare
She with the wondrous hair!
Black, black, black
Is the color of my true love's hair.
"Black hair? Why not red hair?" queried Red, quite impertinently.
"That’s not what the words are. But I suppose it won’t mess up the rhyme. Would you like me to sing it again?"
"No, I actually think it’s rather a lame song. Why don’t you sing that song that Lavonda made up the other day?"
"But that’s such a vulgar song!", "Of course it is!" Red answered, smiling. Rolling her eyes, Thomasina began to sing,
O, many a fighting wench lies slain
Toes up on the Spanish Main
Arms spread, stripped of weapons and pearls
Sweet body ravished by jolly pirate girls!
They kiss her slack and parted lips and strip away her shirt
They wash and oil that body sweet, now slumped dead in the dirt
Her bosom fair, now white and bare, will serve a pillow's part
For the pirate girl who closed her eyes, whose dagger stilled her heart
"Thanks, Toni," Red murmured with a soft giggle. "That was great!"
