Lost at Sea Bk. 02 Ch. 28

Captain Vex raised a blond eyebrow at him, then smiled and offered him her hand. He shook it nervously at first, then with gusto, before pulling it back quickly and hoping it wasn't too much.

"Miss Hunter had nothing but good things t' say about ye, Barney," Captain Vex said.

Barney coughed. "I guess she left out the part where I got too friendly and she almost shot me?"

Captain Vex's laughter echoed loud through the camp drawing smiles from her crew all around. "Aye no, she dinnae mention that."

"It was worth it," Barney said with a shy smile.

The Captain's blond brows rose again and Jack gave Barney a shocked look that started to darken.

"The almost getting shot part, I mean! Not the... other bit..." Barney stammered. "On account of getting to meet you, ma'am."

Captain Vex looked at Jack's expression and started laughing again. Jack looked pained. "Did ye get paid, Barney?" the Captain asked.

"Yes, ma'am. Well, half, ma'am. As agreed," Barney said awkwardly.

"Mister North," the Captain called over her shoulder. "Reimburse Miss Hunter, and double this man's fee."

"Aye Cap'n," a grizzled bear of a man said as he stood up from his log.

"Barney, I have wounded that cannae be moved yet. We'll need an oarsman who knows the reef tae help us ferry our crew as they get well. Can we hire ye again?" Captain Vex asked invitingly.

"Yes ma'am," Barney said happily. "I have a repair to do on my boat tomorrow morning. After that, as long as you pay more than the salvagers, I'm yours."

"Go with Mister North, he'll get ye sorted and work out a price for later," Captain Vex said. "Ye've done us a big help."

"Thank you, Captain. My pleasure," Barney said with a nod.

"We leave at first light!' Captain Vex called to her crew. The cheer echoed far through the jungle.

Bella pulled Jack away and gave her another hug. "I was worried."

"Even after your card reading?" Jack asked, thrilled to be holding Bella in her arms again.

"Of course!" Bella said. "Sure, I knew nothing catastrophic was going to happen, but there's still a lot that can go wrong."

Jack sighed. "You're right about that."

Bella eyed her with a mix of worry and suspicion. "What happened?"

"Come to my tent. We can pack and I'll tell you everything,' Jack said.

______________________________

"They're gone!" Tonya called down from the stairwell.

"Go. I can finish this," Sister Mercy said, pausing for a moment as they anointed the holy sigils they'd painted onto the stones and beams.

The two witch hunters gave each other a quick embrace and Sister Victoria ran up the stairs out of the hidden basement. Janie was already unlatching the shutters. Victoria ducked through the opening and gave Janie a quick squeeze on her shoulder.

"I am glad we met you, Miss Castilian. As bizarre as it has been, this is the most fun I've had in weeks." Then the black-clad inquisitor was away like a flitting shadow.

"Fun?" Janie muttered. "Why is everyone I meet mad?" She shook her head in exasperation and latched the shutters again.

Tonya, still dressed as Tom, came down the stairs carrying two rucksacks. "I found some of Will's neat adventure bags. They have so many pockets! There's another one upstairs that's like a big tube, but after I got it packed I couldn't carry it."

"A tube?" Janie shook her head in confusion. "Put them on the table. I'll help with the... tube."

"You shoulda seen Caine," Tonya said excitedly as they went back up the stairs. "They had torches and knives and swords, and he just- Bam! Bam! Bam! I saw an angry bull go through a crowd once. It was like that!" Tonya gestured violently for emphasis. "I'm pretty sure I saw him hit a guy with another guy."

"Dreadful," Janie said with a frown.

"For a while he had a torch! He lit three people's hair on fire before it broke. It was hilarious!" Tonya continued.

"All I want to know is whether he's alright," Janie said firmly. "I heard another gunshot."

"Oh, yeah. I didn't see that too well. I want to say it missed but with Caine I don't know? If it hit him, it didn't slow him down any. I don' think the shooter got a chance to reload. That was sort of the end of the brawl though. Last I saw they were chasing him towards town," Tonya grinned. She hefted one side of a large duffel bag. "Here. The tube."

"What is that man doing?" Janie asked herself as she picked up the other side of the duffel. "Oof. What did you put in this?"

"Clothes mostly," Tonya said with a shrug as they started lugging it down the stairs. "A lot of them were still wet."

"We do not need this many clothes!" Janie said, a little irritated.

"Lies!" Tonya scoffed.

Janie rolled her eyes, too frazzled to argue. Just as they dropped the sack next to the desk, a shuddering boom echoed through the tower. Janie's blood turned to ice.

Hector came rushing up the stairs as the second crash came. Something heavy was pounding on the door.

"What is that?" Janie said fearfully.

"Sounds like a ram," the knight muttered darkly. His eyes watched the door as the third crash came. "The door is sturdy. It will hold a while. Get those shutter braces back up. You there. Boy. Show me the window."

Janie was about to correct the knight out of sheer reflex, but Tonya was already leading the Centurion away. Janie swallowed back the lump in her throat and headed for the shutters as the next crash came.

Hector ran up the stairs after the youth and followed into the washroom. The lad pointed. "It's not much of a window."

"That's because it's an arrow slit," Hector said.

"What's that?" the boy asked.

"Watch," Hector rumbled. "And cover your ears." He drew his elaborately decorated rifle over his shoulder in one smooth motion and leaned against the wall for stability. His eyes focused below while his hands performed a practiced ritual, unloading the weapon and reloading it with something else. Down below, a handful of men had a makeshift ram made from a log and some ropes. Hector let the barrel of his gun rest against the bottom of the narrow window, slowed his breath, and waited until the next crash finished shaking the old tower. On their backswing, he fired.

The thundercrack echoed through the night and shook the small washroom. Scattershot rounds exploded from the gun and left golden streaks in the air that rained down like fire from heaven. Like the golden light that had sheathed his sword earlier, the blessing he'd invoked changed the nature of the weapon. The shot didn't pierce flesh. Instead, each tiny pellet hit like a heavy mallet. Bones crunched and men screamed. The cobbles cracked where the streaks of light bounced off the stone. The hapless attackers flung their ram backwards as their formation collapsed. One poor sod who'd wrapped the rope around his hands got yanked away with it. Those that could run scattered. Those that couldn't groaned and crawled.

"I'll stay here," Hector said.

"You couldn't' have done that earlier?!" the kid demanded, still wincing from the noise.

"I wanted to," Hector said. "Your friend told me to stay out of it."

"Yeah, that makes sense," the boy muttered. "When he tells you not to do something, just do it anyway. That's what I do."

"That didn't work out so well for me," Hector said as he reloaded.

"I guess you're not cute enough," the boy smirked.

Hector coughed and eyed the boy as he left the room. His loathing of Caine doubled as another layer of depravity revealed itself.

______________________________________

Sister Victoria slipped around the edge of the lighthouse, crouched in the shadow cast by the streetlights. In the distance she could see torches trailing away down the street and shouting men.

She stood and walked briskly to the street, just a traveler at night huddled against the cold and damp. She nearly tripped as the scene in front of the lighthouse was revealed.

The street was strewn with bodies. A dozen men at least, groaning. Writhing in pain. Cradling the hilts of weapons that pierced their flesh. Burned and smoking. Every one of them was cradling a crippling wound, but not a single one was dead.

"Warden's tears," the witch hunter muttered under her breath. Who were they dealing with? What had they gotten themselves into? As she walked, more men began showing up. They rushed to the sides of the wounded and stared at the horrifying scene. A couple just shook their heads and left. Caine wasn't there, but he'd certainly left the stragglers a message, and given them a task that would take time to resolve.

She forced herself to keep going, and only glance over her shoulder every once in a while. The wounded cried out in agony as they were hauled across the street. By the time she neared the fort the mob had formed a second wave. She couldn't count them, but their outlines were clear in the streetlights. As a group they yelled and charged, carrying something large to the lighthouse door. The crunch of their ram hitting the door echoed all the way to Fort Deliverance.

Another crash came. Then another. Feelings of helplessness turned to anger and Victoria began to run. She was far enough away that stealth wasn't a concern. A single, distinct gunshot rang out, and for a moment the night lit up like golden fireworks. Screams followed.

She didn't bother looking behind her. She ran faster, and smiled.

_____________________________________

"Hold on," Jack said as Bella ducked into her tent.

A few moments later Quinn crunched through the underbrush and into the soft lantern light. Bella had seen that particular trick when they'd bathed, but she was still curious.

"Where'd she have you stashed?" she asked the green warrior.

"I am never far," Quinn said elusively.

Jack gave him a hug that seemed to drain the last of the tension out of her. Quinn smiled, then looked concerned.

"Sorry all that took so long," Jack said, then noticed Quinn's expression. "What?"

Quinn's black eyes bored into hers and he gently laid a hand on her cheek. "Mistress, I need you to trust me."

"Of course. About what?" Jack asked. Then she yawned. "Sorry, it's been a long day."

"Yes," Quinn said. "A rest would do you much good. Let's lie down." He put his other hand on the side of her face, his expression grim. Jack suddenly felt sluggish. Tired. Her body didn't want to hold itself upright."

"What are you doing?" she asked. She tried to pull back from him, but discovered she no longer had the strength. She started to panic as her knees buckled and the edges of her vision began to darken.

"Please trust me, mistress," Quinn repeated. "I am not going to harm you."

"What's wrong?" Bella said, coming back out of the tent and moving closer.

Quinn picked up Jack's limp body like she weighed nothing. "My mistress has been enchanted."

____________________________________

"In a hurry?" the ruffian growled.

Six men blocked the road. They were armed with sailor's weapons. Belaying pins. Daggers. Hatchets. A saber.

Victoria stopped, forcing her breaths to be deep and slow. "Get out of my path," she said in her most commanding tone.

Two more men stepped out of the stones and bushes behind her. She cursed herself internally. She'd have seen them easily if she wasn't running.

"Only one person would be running to the fort like that tonight," one of them said. Another gestured with his saber. "Hands up, Miss Castilian. Our boss wants to meet you."

Victoria hauled back her hooded mantle and threw open her cloak to reveal her Inquisitor's robes. Out of the flowing fabric her other arm raised and leveled an ornate pistol at the speaker. "I am Sister Victoria Garde of the Order of the Hammer, and you are in my way."

"Fuck," the man muttered, raising his hands. "A fuckin' witch hunter? Fuck. Hey, we didn't know, alright?"

"Move," Victoria demanded.

They clearly knew the reputation of an Inquisitor in black. Nervously, they stepped aside and lowered their weapons. "Sorry."

"Go home," she snapped at them, then started running again. She didn't stop until she reached the gates of the Fort. They were closed earlier than usual.

"Open the door!" she bellowed.

Spotlights turned on her and she held her holy symbol aloft. A moment later the small door built into the large gates swung open. "Sister," the soldier on the other side said in greeting. "Sorry, there's been reports of violence tonight so we're locked down."

"There are highwaymen on the road to the fort assailing those who seek the sanctuary of the church," she said angrily as she entered.

"Not for long," the Magistrate soldier said as he clashed his gauntlet to his armored chest in salute. The soldier turned and started barking to his fellows. Victoria was already jogging towards the barracks. It hadn't been dark for long. The common area was full of acolytes, off duty soldiers, sailors from Magistrate ships, and other visitors and laborers. The room went instantly quiet as the black-clad Inquisitor burst through the door.

"Rouse my crew," she ordered, knowing at least a few in the crowd served on her ship. "Have the Captain meet me in the Prelate's chambers. Anyone not aboard in ninety minutes gets left behind."

The pause was momentary, then the room began to scramble.

_________________________________

"What kind of spell?" Bella demanded. She ran to the tent she shared with Will and grabbed her large bag.

"A compulsion. Beyond that, I do not know," Quinn said as he carried Jack into her tent.

"Why can't I move!" Jack demanded. Her limbs flopped weakly and she struggled to lift her head. "Quinn! What did you do!?"

"I slowed your blood, mistress," Quinn explained. "It is for your protection, until the enchantment can be destroyed." he laid her down on her sleeping roll and took her hand gently.

"What enchantment?" Jack demanded.

"That is what we have to find out," Quinn said gently.

"And I can't move for that?" Jack snarled.

"He's right, Jack," Bella said. "Just relax, please."

"Why!?" Jack snapped.

"Because it's in your head!" Bella explained quickly. "If you didn't put it there on purpose, it means someone is fucking with your mind."

"I don't feel anything," Jack protested. "I still don't see why I need to be paralyzed."

"You're not paralyzed. I can see you moving," Bella said flatly.

"Barely!" Jack countered. "My body feels like it's made of lead, and my brain is... I feel slow."

"That is for your protection," Quinn tried to explain.

"Jack, compulsions are nasty," Bella said, sounding frustrated. "Sometimes, they can trigger when they're discovered, or when someone tries to dispel them. They can make you hurt people. Or yourself."

"Alright," Jack swallowed, trying to process what she was being told. It was surprisingly easy. Whatever Quinn had done kept her heart calm. She was too drained to feel upset or scared. "What did you do to me, Quinn?"

"I slowed your blood," he explained.

Bella looked up at him, surprised. "How?"

"Blood is mostly water," he said simply.

Jack's eyes widened in understanding. Bella looked between them, still confused.

"He can control water," Jack explained, then yawned again. She felt like her brain was full of fog and her limbs were made of lead. "I thought you could do things like heat up baths and make little whirlpools. I didn't know you could slow down someone's blood."

"I would not do such a thing unless it was absolutely necessary," Quinn said apologetically.

"I'm going to go get Friday," Bella said. She burst out of the tent in a flourish of skirts.

"I am sorry, mistress," Quinn said, clearly distraught.

"It's alright," Jack said. "I wish you'd explained a little more first, but it sounds like that might have been enough to set off... whatever this is."

"Yes," Quinn said.

Something in his stoic voice caught Jack's attention. "This has happened before?"

"Twice," Quinn said grimly. "The first, I did not recognize the enchantment for what it was. My master ordered me to do something that I later understood to be against his own will. The second, I did not take proper precautions. When I attempted to remove the enchantment, my mistress killed herself."

Jack's eyes widened in horror. "I can still talk though. Couldn't I still order you to do something?"

"I know you are enchanted. I would refuse," Quinn said.

"I thought you couldn't do that," Jack asked.

"I would never refuse your wishes," Quinn said. "Currently though, you are not yourself."

"I still feel like me," Jack said with another yawn.

"That is exactly the danger," Quinn said, squeezing her hand again.

________________________________________

"Mary," Caine grunted.

The woman dumped wine all over her nightgown as she jumped in surprise. Her face twisted into rage, and she hurled her silver glass at the intruder. He leaned his head to the side and let it bounce off the wall.

"Good to see you too," Caine said.

"Fuck you, Greyson," the woman said, shaking the wine off her bare arms and pulling her soaked nightgown away from her skin. "What do you want?"

She pulled her nightgown over her head and threw it in a hamper, then walked towards the lavish washroom attached to her bedroom. She looked to be somewhere between thirty and fifty, but Caine knew she had used the best tinctures and enchantments to keep her body youthful. Only the streaks of silver at the edges of her black curls gave away that she was older than she looked. Nobody would have guessed she was nearing ninety now.

Caine watched her move, appreciating her grace. With others, he took great care to be polite and only look when he was bidden. He and Mary were long past that. He knew she never showed anything that she didn't want to be seen. The tangle of history and emotions was so snarled that the angel on his shoulder had just given up trying to influence him where she was concerned. He watched her like art. She was stirring and incredible in so many ways, but she was apart from him and always would be. She was a relic of a past that he'd done his best to leave behind. Tonight he intended to deal with one of the last loose ends.

Mary came back into the room, blotting herself with a lush towel. She stopped abruptly as the quiet sank in. By now, Caine should have said at least three things that irritated her. Silence wasn't like him. "It's time?" she asked sadly.

"Yeah," Caine said with a small nod. "Just wanted to see you first. Didn't want to surprise you."

"That is... oddly kind," Mary said flatly. "Did you kill anyone on your way in?"

"No," Caine said. "Came in through the window."

"You always were a romantic," she smirked.

"The spikes on all the ledges are a bit much," Caine said wryly.

"Not everything is about you," Mary said, rolling her eyes. She went to a wardrobe and began picking through dozens of nightgowns, each one worth more than most would see in their lifetime. "There was an assassination attempt a few years ago."

"You didn't tell me," Caine said.

"It was another family, not my own. One of the Freebooters," Mary said, waving her hand dismissively. "I hope my efforts at least slowed you down."

Caine held up his blood-streaked hands. "It hurt like hell."

"Oh good," Mary smiled. She finally picked a gown and draped it around her body, then settled herself into an overstuffed lounger. She didn't bother tying it closed. "He's not going to make it easy you know. You gave him a long time to prepare."

"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this," Caine said. "He might have changed his mind. Or died in his sleep."

Mary laughed. "If only."

"I kept my promise," Caine said.

"You did," Mary sighed. "I appreciate that."

"As of now, I consider us paid in full," Caine said as he stood up.

"Thank you," Mary said. "Honestly, I expected this a generation ago."

"You helped keep things stable," Caine said. "I hope that continues."