Free The Village King by Eddie McGarrity

Mercury”.
    “We were lucky,” said Malcolm. He
gestured to his friend whom he hadn’t introduced by name. “We found her berthed
at Largs.”
    “You’ve been all round the
north?” Alana said, incredulous at The Mercury’s journey from Largs on the west
coast to here on the east.
    Malcolm smiled and nodded. “We
were lucky.” He stepped aboard. Phil ran to untie The Mercury from its mooring.
Malcolm’s companion used a boat hook to push away while Malcolm raised a sail.
“We’ll be back for that whisky.”
    “We’ll be here,” Stephen called
out. As the yacht slipped out, he turned his back and said to Alana, “What do
you make of that?”
    She leaned in. “He never
introduced his friend.”
    Stephen shrugged his eyebrows. “I
never introduced you or the boys.”
    “And he’s not telling you how he
found the boat. One boat left moored up? When all the others were already away
or burnt out? You’ve seen Berwick, I’m sure.”
    Stephen agreed with her,
remembering the sight she was describing. He gathered Phil and Gary together.
“Keep your wits about you when they get back.”
    Gary and Phil grinned at each
other, eager for adventure.

24
     
    I n the
end , The Mercury
brought back crabs, a lobster, and a heap of fish. Having liberated the warehouse
keys from Rory the night before, Stephen gave the sailors a small barrel of
whisky which Malcolm and his mate seemed happy with. Despite the failing light,
The Mercury sailed off to the South, rounding the point, and disappeared from
view. There were gaps in the warehouse but there were still countless barrels
of whisky. Stephen hoped they could use it to trade with other passers-by.
Perhaps things were returning to normal, he thought.
    In the church, Stephen shared out
the fish amongst eager villagers. The dank atmosphere of the church was
replaced first by the fresh salty smell of fish and then by cooking. Charlie
and Vincent had lit a fire in a pit in the middle of the church which in
earlier times would have been used to heat the congregation.
    It was a relaxed atmosphere, with
everyone enjoying themselves. Happy chatter about The Mercury and its news; the
fires to the north-east; other villages; some ships on the horizon. Whilst some
were still eating, Stephen stood up. “Most of you know me. I am Stephen.” He
introduced Alana, Karen, Gary and Phil. Then he was stuck for words. He looked
to Alana who gave him a brief warm smile. “We need to run things better round
here. There are to be no more robberies. We trade things. And the whisky and
the water belong to us all.”
    There were a few murmurs of
approval. Charlie spoke up, “We need to control the warehouses carefully. If we
can get fish for whisky...” He let the thought hang in the air.
    Frank said, “We need our own
boat.”
    There were agreements to that and
conversations sprang up. Stephen quietened them down and said, “And the women
here are to go unmolested.” He instantly regretted the use of the word though
he had used it deliberately. He followed it by saying quietly, “Or you answer
to me.”
    Everyone went silent. He had
basically threatened them and asserted his authority over them. After a moment,
Alana prompted him, “How will we organise ourselves?” This perked everyone’s
interest.
    “We’ll have a council. Four
members to make decisions instead of one. Voted in to office by us all.”
Stephen was referring to Suzanne, who had stayed at home, and had run things in
the past with barely any consultation, let alone consensus.
    Charlie said, “What about two
judges? Separate from the council, where we can take disputes to.”
    Stephen looked to Alana. With her
eyes, she agreed with the idea. She played with Karen’s hair. Stephen said,
“Great idea. Any other ideas?”
    “Yes,” said Gareth, emphatically.
“What about Morgan?”
    Stephen beckoned Phil and Gary to
his side. He put an arm on each of their shoulders. “I’ll take care of that.”

25
     
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