Recruits (Keeper of the Water Book 2) (11 page)

“Mary and I were to be executed next so we came up with a plan to escape. The first step was convincing our guards that we were both pregnant. That put our one-way trip to the gallows on hold while we chipped away at a hole hidden in our cell. It was a long process trying to dig our way out but we were determined to escape, to steal another ship. We even spoke about returning to the waters of my Irish homeland where we could pillage more whisky than we could possibly drink.

“That’s when Mary became ill with the fever. I suppose we were working too long digging our escape tunnel in cool, damp conditions. I tried to nurse her back to health but it wasn’t meant to be.”

In the little amount of time I’ve known Anne, I never saw her upset. I doubted the word ‘sad’ was even in her vocabulary. But now as she thinks of her long lost friend, tears escape her eyes. She does not wipe them away, does not express shame or embarrassment at becoming so emotional. This woman is no heartless pirate, at least not anymore.

“You were desperate to save me from fever at Fort Lisa,” I say.

“I failed to defeat the fever once; I wasn’t going to fail a second time,” Anne says, her voice filled with saddened satisfaction. “Soon after Mary’s passing, the guards started to become suspicious when my belly did not grow. I’m ashamed to say that I gave up on life at that point, gave up on the escape tunnel, gave up on the idea of ever pirating again. I finally admitted to my captors that I was not pregnant and was once again sentenced for execution.

“I still remember the long walk to the gallows. A breeze blowing fronds of the beautiful palm trees, sunlight sparkling off the ocean’s surface, the white sands seeming to stretch into eternity. In what I thought would be the final moments of my life, I realized I never even noticed the beauty surrounding me.”

“That’s when the Amazons stepped in and saved you?” I assume.

Anne shakes her head. “No, it was a
man
who saved my life, one of my father’s representatives. My father saved me, despite the countless times I disappointed him and the never-ending shame I brought to our family name. He paid to have me released and sent back to him and my husband in America. I was placed on a ship that same night heading away from the Bahamas, away from the only place I ever truly felt alive, away from the most beautiful place I ever laid my eyes upon…”

“Like me with the plains,” I say, suddenly realizing why Anne was so understanding the first time I spurned the idea of joining the Amazons. I’m not the only one who dreamed of living in a beautiful place in my waning moments of life…

“As we sailed away, I grew increasingly despondent knowing that my life would never be the same again. I knew my pirating days were behind me but that didn’t mean I was ready to go back to the boring life that had pushed me away the first time. I didn’t know what to do. I escaped my father’s manservant just long enough to sneak to the front of the boat, where I stood on the rail, ready to throw myself overboard to a certain death.

“
For all I care, you can jump to your death, that would make my life much easier,
a voice suddenly told me.
But I’ve been sent to follow you and make you an offer so I’d appreciate if you’d at least listen to me first
. Not exactly the words
I
would use to stop someone from killing herself but I’m not really sure Catherine the Great
wanted
to stop me. The way she spoke to me – the way she turned her nose up at the very sight of me – made me irate. It awoke a fire in my gut and for a moment, the pirate-side came out in me. I attacked, determined to teach her some respect.

“Imagine Catherine without the swords, with her hair down instead of pulled back; she’s not what you would call imposing. In fact, you might even say she looks prissy – at least that’s what I thought. Imagine my surprise when I threw a punch and she moved so quickly it was like she disappeared. In the blink of an eye, she took me down, pulled out her swords and held them to my throat. For the second time in a day, I thought I was about to die.

“
You’re lucky the Keeper is intrigued by the tales about you,
Catherine hissed at me.
Because if it was up to me, I’d remove that head of yours right now.
I tried to ask what she was talking about but she pushed the swords so tightly against my throat that I was afraid to breathe. She proceeded to give me a brief overview of the Amazons –she told me much less than what I told you. Catherine pointed out the toughest parts about Amazon life: living outdoors, fighting to protect the Keeper, facing constant danger. She did not paint a sunny picture and probably expected me to turn down her offer.

“Little did she know this was exactly the kind of adventurous life I longed for. She was surprised when I accepted her offer. Without saying another word, Catherine leaped over the side of the ship, probably assuming I would not follow. But I surprised her again and we were soon swimming back to the nearest island as the ship – and with it my last chance for a normal life – sailed off into the night.

“Catherine could swim faster than anyone I ever saw, at least up to that point in my life. It shouldn’t have been shocking considering how fast she moved in our fight. I was still a young woman at that time and considered myself in good shape. Years of fighting and pillaging kept me well conditioned. But I was lucky to barely see which direction Catherine swam before she disappeared into the distance. I swam after her but grew tired after many hours swimming in the dark. Several times I nearly gave in to fatigue; several times I felt something bump into me in the shark-infested waters. But I finally made it to land by the time the sun rose. Catherine was sitting on the beach. She looked at me with anger, like she was mad that I survived. She wanted to start our long journey to America right away but I was too exhausted to move a muscle. I could barely talk between deep breaths.

“
Oh, I suppose I could have given you this
before
we jumped from the ship,
Catherine told me and dropped a small vial in the sand near my feet. It was the first time I ever saw the water of life. I gave you twice as much as I received so you’d keep up with me without collapsing. Catherine did not make it an easy trip for me, giving me no breaks as we ran and swam and sailed to the Amazon camp. She thought she’d make me quit but she underestimated my strength and determination.” Anne pauses and the same satisfied grin returns to her face. “I’m sure just the fact that I’m
here
is more reason for the Queen Clan to hate me.

“Cassie and Catherine spoke out against my inclusion into the Amazons and for
years
they forced me to prove myself. As frustrating as it was to deal with the Queen Clan – and many other women who were afraid of the queens’ influence – the Keeper remained kind and supportive so I stayed part of the tribe. The only time I contemplated leaving was when Jane was recruited
after
me but was made a full-fledged Amazon
before
me. She still feels bad about it but I don’t blame her. Jane is a good person and never fit in with the aristocracy around here. She’s been my closest ally; I guess you could say we have an odd friendship considering our diverse backgrounds.

“The Keeper finally rewarded me with the same water ceremony you just experienced. She allowed me to serve as your recruiter and eventually your mentor. I’m sure I’ll accompany you one day on recruiting trips when it comes time for
you
to become a mentor.”

“Will that be soon?” I ask.

Anne shakes her head. “With your inclusion, the tribe is at capacity for the first time in years. But Amazons sometimes leave after years of service or worse, they’re killed in battle while protecting the water. Cassie has ascended so high in the ranks around here – and has made no secret that she wants to be Keeper one day – I’m afraid she’ll make drastic changes to our tribe. But until then, we can’t worry about anything but protecting the water.”

“The
special
water,” I say.

I proceed to ask Anne about the actual water but I’ve already experienced everything she tells me about it: the way it heals the injured, the way it returns Amazons to youth and keeps us strong. She tells me about the importance of the Keeper’s role in keeping the water safe though the origin story is still a mystery to her, as it is the rest of the women protectors.

“Would
you
ever become Keeper?” I ask.

Anne laughs, though this time she looks away from me and I sense a bit of sadness. She shakes her head.

“The Keeper is in charge of choosing her replacement. Even though she might like me as a protector, she would
never
select me to take her place when her reign is up in 130 years,” Anne says resolutely.

It still amazes me to hear Anne talk about 130 years like it’s nothing. I have to completely change my thinking on the concept of time.

“If Cassie
does
do a bad job as Keeper, can’t we have her replaced if enough Amazons want her gone?” I ask.

Anne looks gravely serious for once and glances around nervously.

“I was just as naïve when I was new to the tribe,” Anne whispers. “But saying that kind of thing can have you –
and
your mentor – expelled… or worse.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” I say, my face burning from embarrassment. “I was just wondering what would happen if a Keeper left.”

“Obviously killing the Keeper would be a monumental disaster not just for us, but for the water and the rest of the world. That would go against every principle we stand for,” Anne says. “But if a Keeper willingly separates herself from the water source – which I’ve never heard of
any
Keeper doing – then I suppose the job is abandoned. Technically, the first Amazon to drink from the abandoned water would become the new Keeper. But in the unlikely event that such a situation happened, I’m sure the whole tribe would confer and elect a new leader.”

“What would happen if a Keeper was removed? Not killed, but
forced
to separate from the water?” I wonder.

Anne continues to glance around, though there’s not much for us to see high up in the tree. The other Amazons are still in their hiding spots and too far to hear our whispers. But that doesn’t stop Anne from appearing unusually nervous.

“I’m the rebel of the tribe but even
I
know those kinds of thoughts should not be had,” Anne says.

“Sorry, I was just curious about the water, I didn’t mean to imply anything negative,” I say.

I honestly don’t mean to sound rebellious and I hope Anne doesn’t tell anyone that I broached this subject, which is apparently forbidden to discuss. I’m still so new to the tribe that it was foolish of me to mention these thoughts to
anyone
, including my mentor.

“If Cassie
does
become Keeper and she
does
try to kick some of us out of the tribe, the thought of taking her away from the water is interesting,” Anne whispers. Her voice is so quiet that I can hardly make out the words over the sound of leaves
rustling
in the breeze. “Unfortunately, it would be difficult because Cassie is one of the oldest and strongest women in the tribe. And from what I know about the Keeper job, I’m not sure she would lose her Keeper strengths if she was physically removed from the water area as opposed to if she willingly left.”

“Oh,” I respond, not really sure what else to say. My inquiry was a very general one but I can see Anne thinking more and more about the possibility. Something about her eyes changes; the worry is gone, replaced with a spark of fire. I wonder if maybe this
isn’t
a topic I should’ve started her considering.

“But if the Keeper is taken away from the water
and
not given any water to drink, she wouldn’t be able to become younger again. If she’s old and dies of natural causes – rather than being killed – then the link between Keeper and water would probably disappear instead of being destroyed. In that case, Earth’s life force
should
remain safely intact,” Anne says hopefully, though a frown soon appears on her face. “Though having no Keeper near the water for so long would mean the water couldn’t be moved during that time. That would be quite a risk.”

“It might not be such a long time to wait if Cassie lets herself become as old as our current Keeper,” I say.

“That would
never
happen,” Anne says. “Cassie is far too vain for that. Besides, she would never take the risk of growing old even though our Keeper is strong as an ox.”

“I’ve been wondering about that. Why
doesn’t
the Keeper drink enough water to turn as young as us? As young as the rest of the Amazons?” I wonder. “Why risk becoming old and dying?”

“Youth and strength are two traits a Keeper doesn’t need as much as an Amazon does, especially at the detriment of wisdom and memory,” Anne says. “The only drawback to drinking the water is a slight loss of memory.”

“Really?” I ask, surprised. “I haven’t noticed that.”

I think back to my years on the plains, to Anne saving me from the fever, to the births of my children, to my time spent on the cross-country expedition with Mr. Clark and Mr. … what
was
his name? Anne can see the confusion etched across my face.