Pirate

We moved as a group toward the Indian camp. Rhames had the pistol and agreed to guard our rear after several minutes of heated discussion. He was accustomed to leading these forays, but had finally agreed to watch our backs. I had to admit, as I looked behind us to check on him, that I was impressed a little by my doctoring skills. I had cleaned and wrapped the wound with fresh linen before we moved out, and I could see no sign of blood or discharge on his shirt.

The mention of the girl had not gone over well with him or the other men, but in the end they were pirates and used to taking what they wanted without permission. If I wanted to rescue the girl, it would be my task alone.

We retraced our steps, barefoot along the sand. I suspected some of the tribe’s more experienced trackers could tell the difference between our footprints and theirs, but the more we could do to hide our presence, the better. As we approached the overhanging cypress tree, I held up my hand to halt the group.

“Swift knows where the boats are. Follow him, take three, and destroy the rest.”

“And you?” Red asked.

“I’m going for the girl. Get the canoes and head back to our camp. Leave me one canoe and tow the others with the longboats. Until the river forces us to abandon them, we can make better speed with the oars than the push poles they use for the canoes. Go, I’ll catch up.”

I moved inland before they could argue. Rhames had led them through more dangerous raids than this, and I had to believe they would succeed without me. Careful to hide my movements, I followed the game trail we had used earlier and reached the camp unnoticed. The men were nowhere in sight, and there were fewer women and children in the clearing than earlier. I suspected they had gone to forage or work some crops that were further inland.

Mosquitos swarmed, and I coated my exposed skin with mud and dirt hoping to fend them off, but they continued unabated. I tried to ignore the bugs and focus on my mission. Rory was a prisoner, brought here against her will. Whether abducted or sold, it didn’t matter at this point. She was able-bodied and would surely be forced to pull her weight and work with the stronger women.

I moved back down the game trail and stopped short, as it ended in a clearing. Through the rows of corn, I could see several figures working. From this distance, I couldn’t tell if Rory was one, but I needed to check. I moved fast now, staying in the rows, using the height and density of the plants to hide my approach. As I got closer, I heard talking and slowed to listen. I couldn’t make out the language, but used the noise to guide me to a section they had already harvested and peered around the corner.

There she was, pulling the ripe ears from the stalks and placing them in a basket at her feet. Two women were nearby, working and talking. Neither paid attention to the girl as they felt no threat. Their biggest concern was that she worked. On my knees now, I crept toward her, stopping every few feet to listen. A few minutes later I found myself in the adjacent row.

“Rory—don’t look,” I whispered.

I could see her tense and stoop, her head moving back and forth. I thought she was about to call the other women when she bent over. “Who are you that knows my name?”

“It’s Nick. From Gaspar’s crew,” I said.

“The devil!” she hissed.

I had not thought of the possibility that she hated us as much as her current captors. “No, I’m the cabin boy. They took me several years ago, too,” I pleaded with her.

“So you say. But at least these savages haven’t raped me.”

This was going badly, and I needed to convince her before the other women suspected anything. “I’m not like that. I want to help you. At least get you back to civilization, where you can make your own choices.”

She continued her work for a long minute. “And how do you suppose to rescue me?”

“You’re going to have to trust me. There’s not enough time now to tell you all that has happened.” I stopped, not knowing how much to tell her now. “I want to help you.”

“Right. Here’s the cabin boy wanting to help me. That’s nice—probably get us both killed in the process.”

“I’ve got men and boats,” I said and took a chance. She had to come willingly, or we would lose all notion of stealth. “Please. We have to go now.” I made like I was moving away to force her decision.

She spoke several words to the other women, and I thought for a second she had turned me in, but as I was about to run, she appeared at my side.

“Well? You have a plan?”

“But, the women. What did you tell them?” I asked.

“Told them I needed to pass some water.”

My heart jumped in my chest and I looked at her. Afraid I would lose my voice if I spoke, I started moving back toward the game trail.

She followed until we reached the trail, then stood with her hands on her hips. “Where are we going?”

“We have a camp upriver,” I said, and turned back to the trail.

“And when they find you?”

I looked back and faced her, shrugged and turned away.