Here we are with the next installment of Kreen Aktin! We left off with Kreen Aktin recognizing a little man named Brandon Erontson, who had walked the plank. The little man turned into a skeleton and captured Kreen Aktin. We hope you enjoy :)

Chapter 6

 

 

Kreen Aktin was led for about three miles through the island. He went through a dense forest, with palm trees and coconut trees, many of them old, and a few fallen over. Sometimes the forest got so dense that Kreen Aktin had to bend over so his head wouldn’t get hit. Suddenly, they were on a dirt path. Two horses were tied to a tree nearby. The skeleton jumped on one, and mouthed to Kreen Aktin to get on the other. They rode down the path for a while, and then started going over a roughly constructed bridge. Planks were just barely hanging on in some places, and in others, they were completely missing. Twice he almost fell off the sides, for there were no rails. But the skeleton went with perfect ease.

Finally, the trees were gone, and they went into a dilapidated building. There was a cage hanging from the roof here and there, and sometimes there was a human skeleton in it. They went through a door, and then down a dark passageway, with twists and turns and places leading off in different directions.

Suddenly, he fund that they were going down steps, and then they stopped in a brightly lighted room. Eight skeletons were in the room, swords in hand, except for one big one in the middle of the room on a huge ivory chair. On his head was a crown made of bone.

“So, you have come,” said the king, “And your sea monster did it’s work.”

Kreen Aktin noticed that they could talk now without anything disastrous happening.

The little skeleton beside him said,

“Yes, and I think I ought to have him. After all... he did make me walk the plank, oh King Sarki.”

King Sarki was silent for a while. Kreen Aktin thought about making a dash for it, but the king stared hard at him as if reading his thoughts. All other eyes were on the king. He finally spoke.

“Yes, you may have him, Erontson. But for now, take him away and lock him in the dungeon.”

He was led away into a dark tunnel, and then down steep steps, until they came to a room with a door of iron. It was swung open to reveal a dimly lit room. He was thrown roughly inside, and the door was shut. He looked around. It was, of course, his fault that he was in there, since he was a pirate.

On the floor wer skulls and numerous other bones. Then he saw a mug, which to his surprise was filled with clear water. He greedily drank it all down, then ate two bread crusts that were lying beside him. He was tired, but there was nothing to sleep on other than the dried out earth. He decided to stay awake in spite of his sleepiness, but his head was soon nodding.

 

 

Chapter 7

 

 

When Kreen Aktin awoke, he got up and walked around in the small cell. There had to be a way out. Suddenly, he realized that the floor was made of earth. He picked up the best digging tool he could find. The mug. He went to one of the corners and tried to dig his way out. But it was no use. The dried-out dirt crust would not so much as break. He threw the cup against the wall. It shattered. He tried opening the huge door, but as he had already thought, it wouldn’t budge. He went and sat down.

About an hour later, the door swung open, and the little skeleton came in, scimitar in hand.

“Come on, me buckoe. Time to go see what the king wants to do with you. And I’ll get the pleasure of carrying out the punishment.”

He took Kreen Aktin back up the passage they had come down the night before. Into the throne room they went, and the king was grinning as usual.

“So, Kreen Aktin, we have decided what to do with you.”

Kreen Aktin swallowed, wondering what horrible things skeletons did to people, especially skeletons that had been mistreated by people.

Sarki resumed what he was saying.

“You will be thrown into the crater of the volcano, and there you will die. There is much hot lava down there that will quickly kill you. That is where you will go tomorrow at noon. Guards, take him back to the dungeon.”

 

The next day at noon, he was taken away from the dungeon, and led all the way back to where he had first been. He was taken to the hole in the ground that the volcano just days before had sat on.

“Throw him in, Erontson!” said the king, who had come along, having nothing else to do.

Erontson easily picked him up and threw him into the wide hole.

 

 

Chapter 8

 

 

Kreen Aktin dropped quickly down the deep hole, with nothing but dried lava plastered all over the sides. There was nothing to grab onto.  Suddenly, air from underneath pushed hard upwards, causing Kreen Aktin’s fall to slow down a lot. After about eighty minutes of falling, he hit the bottom with a thud. If it had not been for that air pushing upwards, he would have been dead.

Kreen Aktin was surprised to see that he was not in a pool of steaming lava, and was even more surprised that there was a cutlass on the rock beside him. he picked it up. There was a long tunnel to his right, and he started slowly down it. He walked on and on down it, till he came to a wide cave. There was a huge pool of sizzling lava, and a long, thick column of it was speeding upwards.

“A volcano erupting!” though Kreen Aktin.

He worked his way carefully beside the lava to the other side. Another passage was there, and he started down it. This one was well lit with light from the lava pool he had just been past. Suddenly, Kreen Aktin gulped. Millions, no, literally trillions of every single kind of jewel were built into the walls. Kreen Aktin had heard of this place before, but never believed it to be true. These were the Jewel Isles. Huge hunks of gold and silver shone brilliantly like the sun. The light made from those Jewels glistened, and shot beams of light in all directions. There were rubies, diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, and all the other jewels known to man. But then there were many that man has never heard of. There were pink ones, blue ones, and all kind of other different colors. 

Kreen Aktin was so amazed at the brilliance of the place that he felt like he was in a different world. He touched one of the Jewels. It was so hot that it burned his skin like a red hot iron. He quickly withdrew his hand. He walked on very slowly for several minutes, and completely forgot the burning on his fingers. He walked on and on and on, it could have been days, and the brilliance of the place did not decrease. If anything, it increased.

But finally, it all stopped suddenly. There were trillions upon trillions of every single kind of jewel behind him, and plain stone walls ahead of him. But the light from the gleaming Jewels shot beams down the tunnel that he was walking down, lighting the place more than was necessary. Suddenly, he realized he was hungry. Very hungry.

 

 

Chapter 9

 

 

Kreen Aktin only walked a little farther when he came into broad daylight. The sun was shining, and he was on dry land. He had walked right out of the cave. He noticed that it was very windy. He walked a few steps, and then almost fainted. He was at the edge of a steep cliff. he started to descend. There was a large city below. He got about halfway down, when a dog came at him. It was grey in color, was snarling and snapping viciously, and a long line of drool hung from it’s mouth. It was not a dog. It was a wolf! It charged at Kreen Aktin. Kreen Aktin drew his sword, and swung swiftly as it came at him. The sword missed it by inches, and the beast jumped on him.

Suddenly, the beast went stiff, and fell over. Kreen Aktin got up, and looked at it. A little dart was stuck in it’s head. About eight feet away stood an African, with a blow-dart gun in his hand. The African’s eyes lit up with joy.

“Kali-heber-Akt!” he yelled. “I haven’t seen you in years!”

The African strode over to Kreen Aktin, who was called Kali-heber-Akt by the Africans.

“Roetoe Caulifinger!” exclaimed Kreen Aktin. “I thought I’d never see you again. I knew I could escape, but I never knew you were a lock-picker.”

A long time ago Kreen Aktin and Roetoe Caulifinger had been pirating together on land and sea like, then had been captured and imprisoned. Kreen Aktin had just barely escaped with his life.

“You must come to my house,” said Roetoe Caulifinger. “There is plenty of food there. Then, we can take up pirating again. I have a few volunteers, (I was going to start in about a month) some of them from different countries.”

“I see. Where is your house?”

“Down that way.” He pointed to a certain mud-hut in betwixt several other ones.

“My slave will cook up a fine dinner for you, Kali.”

“Slave?” asked Kreen Aktin, shocked. “I thought that Africans were against owning slaves!”

“Pah, Kali! ‘Have slaves if you want them, but make sure you’re stronger.’ That’s what I always say!”

 

They walked on until they reached the mud-hut. The room was not bare, as Kreen Aktin had expected, but on the wall were jewels, and gold, and other loot. On the floor were many weapons, and here and there a suit of armor. Kreen Aktin thought of the Jewel Isles that he had recently walked through, and how few the hundreds of treasures here looked in comparison with the Jewel Isles treasure.

After a while, the feast was ready. There were nuts and berries, chicken meats of all kinds, beef, pheasant meat slices, and many other things such as sillabub to drink.

On the center of the table was a golden chandelier with wax candles, lighting up the room.

This is the food a king would eat, thought Kreen Aktin.

And then they all fell to. After teh feast, Kreen Aktin and Roetoe Caulifinger walked by the beack, and Roetoe showed Kreen Aktin his large ship.

“That is a beautiful ship, Roetoe,” said Kreen Aktin.

“Roetoe CAULIFINGER is what you call me, or ol’ Roetoe will kill ye,” Roetoe said. They both laughed.

“When do we begin, so I can be captain again?” asked Kreen Aktin.

“Don’t worry, we’ll start next week, but who said YOU were going to be Captain? It is my vessel, after all.”

Kreen Aktin was disappointed, and it was not Roetoe Caulifinger’s  fault, for he had never said anything about Kreen Aktin being Captain.

“So who is to be captain?” asked Kreen Aktin.

“A man named John Koren.”

“As long as he’s not a Muslim, (which his name makes me fear) then that’s fine with me.”

“Don’t be prejudiced, Kreen Aktin, unless you’re bigger than the guy you’re prejudiced against, dat’s what I always say.”

“A wise saying, Roetoe Caulifinger, but you don’t have to be bigger necessarily, you have to be better with this.”

He patted his sword.

“Well, in Africa, ‘don’t use a sword when you can use your smashers.’ Dat’s what I always say.”

 

 

Chapter 10

 

 

When they were all set to sail next week, they boarded the ship, which was called the ‘Jolly African’. Roetoe Caulifinger sent Kreen Aktin to the hold to bring a barrel of beer up. Kreen Aktin walked up the steps with the barrel, set it on a step, and pushed on the wooden door. It was locked.

“Hey Roetoe Caulifinger! This door is locked! Get me out of here!”

Roetoe looked through the peep hole and grinned.

“Never trust a friend, if he’s a pirate. That’s what I always say!” yelled Roetoe, and he doubled over in laughter.

Kreen Aktin drew his sword and hacked his way out. Then, Roetoe Caulifinger drew his sword, and a great swordfight began. They went up to the deck, and then back to the bowsprit, parrying, stabbing, and swinging. Suddenly, Kreen Aktin pointed to a ship in the sea. It was big, well armed, and more ships were coming behind it. The ship’s cannon boomed, and the strange ship’s bowsprit blasted off. The enemy fired, and a cannonball smashed into the Captain’s cabin. Kreen Aktin went quickly and brought ten grappling irons, handed one to the captain, and gave eight of the remaining ones to crew members. The last he took for himself.

When the ship was near enough, they threw grappling irons to the enemy ship. The enemy had had the same idea, and by the time they were on the enemy ship, the enemies were on their ship. Both ship crews climbed back across. Finally, Kreen Aktin called out,

“Alright, ya’ll stay there, and we’ll come over.”

So that is what happened. And then hand to hand combat began. A pirate fell, but more were coming across the ropes. But still, they were outnumbered by the enemy, which were English soldiers.

 

“So, you sent out the ships to find Kreen Aktin, I presume?”

“Yes, your Majesty. Eight heavily armed ships with plenty of soldiers on each. He will be captured.”

“Good, Dravock. That Pirate has been plundering my ships (and sometimes my towns) for decades. I do wish he had been caught a long time ago. how long do you think it will take?”

“I assume nothing, your Majesty. I cannot say. But I can say this: I hope it will not take long. I do not take pleasure in his robberies either.”

Dravock and the King were in the great hall, sitting at a table and drinking wine. On the walls hung beautiful tapestries, and the marble hall was littered with tapestries serving as rugs. Dravock was dressed in blue seaman’s clothes with brass buttons on the coat. He had black boots on, and a hat with a plume. THe king wore a red robe, lined with white fur, and down the middle were rubies. On his head was a crown of gold with an emerald, then a ruby, then an emerald, then a ruby, and so on. He sat on a marble throne.

“Dravock, send for John Hustin. Immediately.”

“Yes, your Majesty,” said Dravock.

He bowed and left the room, and minutes later, John Hustin came in.

“John, I heard your men talking of some cave in Africa that they had not had a chance to explore yet. Have you heard anything about this?”

“No, your Majesty. I didn’t know they were talking of such a thing.”

“Well, tell your men to lead you to it. I want it thoroughly explored. It may be a hideout for pirates. They said it was well hidden.”

“Yes, your Majesty,” said Hustin, and he left the room.