He obeys and Aurélie decides to go downstairs

Aurélie continued to pace the deck for some time, taking pictures, giving advices, admonishing sailors when she deemed them lazy or clumsy. She liked to act like a real pirate queen, with a ship and a crew to lead. After some time however, all the tasks linked to departure had been completed and the deck became much calmer. There was still some work devoted to trim the sail and steer the galley but there was much less action.

Aurélie decided to inspect the oar deck to see how the rowing was being done. She had heard the muffled moaning of the slaves and the crack of the whip and she was curious to see what really happened. It all seemed so realistic. She noticed there were two ways to go downstairs. At the bows was a wooden grating blocking a narrow hatch. Towards the stern was a much bigger hatch with a staircase leading down. That hatch was open so she decided to go that way.

She went down the steps, which led to a sturdy door. Down there, the heat was stiffer and the stench thicker. The sounds coming from the rowing slaves could be heard much more clearly. They were appalling, as if people were really suffering on the other side of that wall. It was difficult to tell but most of the moans seemed to be feminine voices.