Tristen's Time

By Charissa Taylor Lees

Tristen was a pirate until it became more lucrative to hunt down those he once claimed as his own. Now, he captures pirate ships and their crews and makes quite the living off it. Until, a call comes from an old friend, The Falconer. Tristen rushes to his aid, only to come out of it with more than he bargained for - a ship full of freed slaves. Now, he must find homes for them all. But the bigger issue may be the slave girl, Asha. Now free, she is determined to make sure all slaves gain the same freedom across the land. Tristen doesn't have time for this or her, but he might need to make time or he could lose it all.
Tristen is a short story that is great alone, but to fully enjoy it, it is recommended to be read as the final book in The Guardian Star Series, because the majority of the story happens during the time frame of The Guardian’s Star’s True Captain.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Charissa Taylor Lees
• Release date: Jul 13, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310361104

Charissa Taylor Lees

I have been writing fiction since my homeschooling days. I love coming up with new places to visit and stories to tell. Reading has always been a favorite pastime, along with acting and that love of imagination has become a way of life for me. I usually write in the fantasy, action/adventure, and romance genres.I grew up in a Christian home and graduated from Philadelphia Biblical University. I have also served in the US Army National Guard and recently got married. I found many adventures in life, yet still love to escape to the world of writing. I hope you will enjoy going on that adventure with me!

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Tristin's Time

By Charissa Taylor Lees

Copyright © 2014 Charissa Taylor Lees

Smashwords Edition

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Tristin's

Time

Charissa Taylor Lees

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 ~Restless

Chapter 2 ~ Asha

Chapter 3 ~ The Plan Comes Together

Chapter 4 ~ A Proposition

Chapter 5 ~ It Is Good

Chapter 6 ~ A Choice

Chapter 7 ~ Real Freedom

About the Author

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Excerpt from Taldek's Heroic Tales

Chapter 1

Restless

Tristen set his empty mug on the table and tossing down two silver coins, stood to leave. The meal had been lousy, but in such a place as the lower tavern, it was to be expected. It was enough to eat something hot that hadn't been made on his ship. The tavern wench gave him a wink as she passed by him to head to the next table with frothing mugs. She wasn't bad to look at, but she wasn't his type either. He shook his head at the spectacle and moved towards the door.

You're crazy. No one in his right mind would go after the pirates. I don't care how much the reward. A man from the table on his left spat out.

The Black Panther does, the man lounging next to him responded.

Point made. He's as crazy as they come. The first guy laughed.

For that much per head, I'm liable to be that crazy too! The second man pointed out, taking a large swig of the drink in his hand.

Mind if I join you? Tristen made a quick decision and stepped over to their table.

What ya having? The first man asked.

Just finished mine. Was on my way out when I heard a mention of reward for pirates? Tristen flipped a seat out with his foot and straddled it.

The men looked at each other and the first one shrugged.

You heard right. The King's gotten tired of the pirates. He's offering a reward for each one brought in.

That's no slight job, Tristen mused. How much?

Fifty silver for any crew member, seventy five for the highers, and one hundred silver coins for the captains, the second man responded.

Tristen let out a low whistle. That could make a man go crazy. What about the loot?

The men looked at each other and the second one leaned in closer. What you don't turn in, they don't know about. Plus you can sell the ship.

Tristen nodded his head. It was an interesting concept. The thought of the loot was an even nicer one. He rocked back on his chair and looked at the men across from him steadily. You seem to disagree on the worth of it.

Depends on how good you think you are and how much you think the pirates will let you get away with. You go after one, you got a mark on you from them all! The first man warned.

True. But the Black Panther and Falconer are still alive, which means it's possible. Tristen stood and gave them a nod. Thanks for the information.

You gonna try? The second man questioned.

Who knows? Might, Tristen replied non-committedly as he headed out of the tavern and onto the street.

He walked down to the docks, where The Dragon was waiting. His ship wasn't the fastest on the sea, but it got the job done. He had been a pirate in his own right until the Black Panther had led him to see that the God of the Good Book was real and watching his every move. It had taken time for Tristen to come to see God as a God whom he could respect and follow. Since that time, Tristen still pirated a few ships, mostly from merchants he knew to be wholly dishonest and unworthy of anything they owned, but he had been looking for something more fulfilling in his life. He had inquired of God, but the Great Plan Maker seemed silent on the issue. Now, he had to wonder if an answer had been laid at his feet.

He called up to the deck and received permission to come aboard. Once his feet hit the deck of his ship, he looked around with a grin. Except for a crewman swapping the deck as punishment and the guard, the main deck was empty of life. Most of his men had gone into town to satisfy their appetites for what couldn't be found at sea, women and drink. He left orders for the guard to send Yami, his first mate, to his cabin and then headed in that direction, but on a whim, turned to head below deck instead.

He made his way to the hold and looked around the empty space. Most everything had been taken ashore and sold. There were cages at the back of the hold, which ran almost the full length of the ship, but with the exception of the floor riders, chain pumps, and masts, the room was clear. It wouldn't be hard to extend the cages and put out more shackles. Musing, he made his way back to the Great Cabin.

A wave of stale air hit him as he opened the door. He threw his hat on the bed and going to the desk pulled out a large sheet of paper and began to sketch the hold. He looked up when a shadow fell across his drawing.

The door never opened, Yami. How long have you been standing in that dark corner? Tristen asked, with mild amusement.

Yami shrugged and an amused grin played across his face.

I swear I'm tying bells to your ankles, Tristen gave his usual idle threat.

You needed me? Yami finally asked, after Tristen ignored him for a few minutes to concentrate on his drawing.

I have a proposal for you. Tristen didn't bother looking up.

I'm not the marrying kind, Yami replied calmly.

Ha, ha, Tristen remarked. I'm thinking about changing the way we do things around here. It would mean some drastic changes to the ship and maybe a new crew.

Yami didn't reply, so Tristen looked up at him. His dark face relayed almost nothing about his thoughts, but for Yami that was normal. He had a wicked sense of humor, but since he rarely spoke, it was heard by few. He managed to get his thoughts across quite clearly without talk and the crew even responded to silent commands. Of course, a new crew would take a while to train to that.

Yami raised an eyebrow. Taking that as his cue, Tristen explained his thoughts.

I've been wrestling with the way we do things. We hit a limited number of ships and I'm not sure the ones we hit are worth it. The king is offering silver, and lots of it, for capturing the pirates. I think it's worth a shot to try. We can sell their ship, keep the loot, and every pirate we manage to take alive yields us more profit. We would need to retrofit the hull, he paused to push his drawing to Yami, who studied as he finished talking, and some of the rest of the ship. We won't get many females, but there will be some. Those will have to be kept separate. And the crew needs to agree to follow the new plan. Some won't, so we cut them and I think we'll need some hired special help. You in?

You're no Black Panther, Yami commented, still looking over the hold plans.

That seems to be a frequent reminder around here, Tristen muttered. First of all, not trying to be. He hits ships for the loot. We need to take as many pirates as we can alive. Not to mention, we won't be the only ones turning to this, maybe just the first. I'm thinking the rewards outweigh the risk.

His face full of thoughtful concentration, Yami pointed up at last.

Tristen grimaced. I didn't actually pray about it yet. But this seems like the perfect opportunity!

Yami said nothing, but continued to silently watch his captain's face.

Tristen shifted his footing and then nodded resolutely. Fine. I'll pray about it. But if I get a yes, you in?

Yami nodded slowly. I'll start looking for a crew.

Tristen nodded. Fine. He grinned at his friend. This is going to be fun.

Yami simply shook his head and walked out, closing the door behind him. Tristen grinned. Yami's amused look gave him away. He liked the idea. But he was right that Tristen needed to make sure this was the path he should take. Heading over to the bookshelf, he pulled out his Bible and bowing his head, laid his plans before his Lord.

>~>~>~><~<~<~<

The banging was going to drive him insane. It had been weeks now and they were almost finished, but if they didn't end soon, he was going to be sorely tempted to call the whole thing off. He had a headache the same size as the ocean his ship sailed on.

A knock on the door caused him to groan out loud, which must have been taken as an answer, because the door opened.

Captain, Yami says the last cell is finished and he has crew lined up you need to check out, Milap, the cabin boy, reported.

He said all that? Tristen growled out, still focusing on his headache.

Well, no. But that's what he meant, Milap admitted.

If Tristen had been able, he would have laughed at Milap's face. Instead, he just grimaced and replied, When am I supposed to look at these crew members?

Milap, backing up so he was half out the door, answered, Now, at the tavern. The door closed as soon as he said it.

If his head wasn't killing him, he would have thrown something at the door, but he didn't care right now. At least dealing with crewmembers would get him away from the banging, but the crewmembers would be a whole new headache.

He rolled off the bed, grabbed his sword and hat as he went, and headed shakily out the door. It was a good thing the tavern wasn't that far. Glancing around in the low light, he saw Yami was holding court in one corner. A surly group of around fifteen surrounded him. Tristen let out a sigh. He made his way around the group and stopped at his first mate's side.

What can you possibly need? He