Pirate

I had become more comfortable around her in the last few days, but her closeness brought the lump back to my throat. “It does. I expect there is some current that would favor us.” The broad, shaded area on the map between the big lake and the end of the peninsula showed no detail, just a vast blank area. I had no idea what to expect; whether there were areas of land or just an expanse of sawgrass standing above the water, hints of which we had seen through the gaps in the woods.

“I’m thinking we should stay here for a few days. We need to build up our food stores, and I have no guess as to what we might find there.” I pointed to the blank space on the map. “We can rest and re-provision here.”

“Rhames could benefit as well. He is a stubborn one, but he’s still weak. Lucy says the evil is out of him now.”

I was thankful for the information. The last few days I had stayed away, except for an occasional update, and let the diminutive woman work on him.

“So, what lies ahead?” she asked.

“Miles of that,” I pointed in the dark toward our destination.

“That’s not what I meant. What happens when we reach the Keys?”

I had spent hours during the monotonous time on the water thinking about the future while we moved along the lake, but had no answer. “Have to carve up the loot and see.”

“And me?”

“I made you a promise. As soon as we reach civilization, you are free to go your own way.”

“What if I don’t have a way?” she asked.

My heart pounded in my chest. I had not thought that she would want to remain with me.

Before I could respond, a loud roar came from the camp. Several men ran back to where we sat and grabbed rifles. When they fired, a cloud of smoke enveloped us. The beast roared again, and I ran toward them. Illuminated by the fire, a dark cat’s eyes glowed gold, and it growled. Its nose twitched, probably from the scent of the powder. It roared again, and I could see several cubs behind it. Rivulets of blood were visible on its torso, but it didn’t appear to notice. Another round of shots fired, and she charged.

I stood frozen in its path, Rory behind me. Weaponless, I faced the panther as it charged, noticing it was surprisingly agile for its size. Within seconds, it would be on us, and I knew I must act. More shots fired, and though the beast only paused, I gained enough time to look around. The fire was close by, and I reached for a long stick, pulled it from the flames, and went for the cat. It snarled again, and I jabbed it with the stick, unsure if it even noticed. Again I stuck the glowing tip in her direction, but she shook, tensed her muscles, and charged. The fire was behind me and, with no time to move around it, I turned and jumped over it. The flames nicked my legs as I cleared the pit, and I felt my leg tear. More shots were fired, and I chanced a look behind me. The panther was engulfed in flames, with blood spurting from several wounds. I stood in shock, my body just beginning to register the pain from the wounds on my leg from her claws, and watched as the cat retreated into the woods.

“After it,” I yelled at the men, as I collapsed on the ground.

23

When I finally woke, they said I had been out for three days. The first thing I saw were two eyes staring at me, and I thought it was the cat over me until I realized it was Lucy. She backed away as if she had seen a ghost, and quickly returned with fresh water. I was stiff and my leg burned, but as I inventoried my body, found those were my only complaints.

“Mr. Nick, he’s awake,” she called to the group. “I told you the poison would leave him.”

Rory ran to me and took the water from Lucy. The rest of the men stopped what they were doing and followed.

“You’ve been unconscious for three days, Nick,” Rory said. “We thought we lost you.”

“Evil beast has poison in its claws,” Lucy spoke from behind her.

It came back to me slowly, as I drank the offered water and watched the activity around the camp. I scoured my memory for what had happened and slowly pieced the attack together. The last thing I remembered was jumping through the fire. I looked down at my leg, bound in linen from the trader’s goods. My toes moved, but I could feel the tightness and burn from the claws.

They had stared long enough, and I summoned my voice: “What happened?”

“The panther. Don’t you remember?” Rhames emerged through the men.

I was so happy to see him on his feet that I forgot about my own plight. “You’re better.”

“Aye. The woman is a healer. Look at you. We thought you were gone after the cat took a swipe at your leg. She’s been up for three days tending to you.”

I looked over at the small woman and noticed her drawn face and the bluish rings under her eyes. “Thank you,” I said. My head started to spin and I lay back down. I felt the bristle of the pelt and smelled the musk of recently skinned fur. I had to smile to myself, knowing I was lying on the panther’s pelt.