The Winds of Fate (23 page)

Devon’s blood fired for Claire. To think she’d unleashed this fiendish cruelty. He moved to Ames who bucked against a new and more dreadful torment of insects eating at his raw flesh. Devon reached down and gave him a cup of water which Ames drank then placed a palmetto leaf upon his back to give him relief from the insects. He could not rid the bitter taste in his mouth for that cold-hearted bitch.

“I didn’t tell him,” cried Ames. “I didn’t tell him.”

“There,” calmed Devon, taking a sponge from a bucket, he bathed his face.

“It’s no use, Devon. You won’t be able to take me now. I’m of no use.”

“Faith, what’s this? No navigator? How can we leave without you, lad? Small wonder that whore-son Jarvis who stands expert in loosening tongues can devise such means of torture.”

“Why do you think Claire betrayed us? How did she know?”

“Easy now. One thing at a time.” His lips compressed with Claire’s treachery. How he’d like to get his hands on her. When he spoke again, his voice cast calm and steady. “It’s to get you out of these chains.”

“You’re dreaming,” he said to Devon. “It’s Claire’s word against ours. When they find that Dooley purchased the boat, there will be
questions asked. It will lead to us and all our heads will find the swing of the rope.”

Devon turned away, an agony of the soul like he never knew ratcheted through him. Claire’s betrayal. He looked out in the dark of night, imagining the sea beyond and the soft waves he’d be capturing his freedom, slipping between his fingers. To think he’d agonized about leaving her behind.

An angry voice stirred him from his thoughts.

“What the hell are you doing here? Did I not command, nothing to be given to this dog?” Jarvis crossed toward him. Devon turned, his mask descended. “Why, I am officiating the duties of my office.”

“You dare to go against my orders?” Jarvis looked at him in amazement, seeing the ladle next to the prisoner and a leaf upon his back.

“Yes, and I will do it again. Have you no sense of humanity?” Devon said.

“Get your hide away from here, unless ye want to be served the same.”

Devon regarded the object of his hatred. But at this moment when all was lost he did not know who he hated more Jarvis or Claire. Claire. Could she really deceive him?

“What about the governor’s feet, his rheumatism is in need of constant care?” he laughed out of despair, the demon of recklessness bursting from him.

“Do you dare to rely on that? Enough of your presumptions. Guards, chain this insolent dog. If you’re alive when my guards are done with you, perhaps you’ll learn a lesson.” Jarvis swung to his guards to prompt them forward, the huge oafs grabbed hold of Devon.

“Or maybe I’ll perform the deed myself. I have great appetite for novelty.”

“The man that once did sell the lion’s skin while the beast lived was killed with hunting him. Remember that.” With his back to the post, the shadow of a whip over him, Devon flung these words at the slave-master who sought to destroy him.

“You spout well for one who is soon to meet his maker,” Jarvis snarled.

A loud boom hit the shoreline from down in the harbor. Jarvis jumped and so did his guards. Like a horrific thunderclap another blast rent the air, followed by a series of volleys. All of them stared seaward. Bells pealed in Port Royale echoing through the hillsides. Burning in the night, parts of the harbor caught fire. In the brightness of flame a great ship emerged, her topmasts appearing ghostlike through a haze of smoke. In a flash, the British Jack descended from the mainmast and up went the gold and crimson colors of Spain.

“Pirates!” shouted Jarvis. His face paled with fear and disbelief, the maniacal gleam gone from his eyes, his countenance drawn to the color of clay. “Hurry now,” he instructed his guards, arm yourself. As commander of the militia, I must make haste to guard the town from these vermin.”

Spanish pirates released their larboard guns on the unsuspecting fort, pummeling it to the ground. Drums beat frantically, a trumpet bleated to warn the citizens. Off went Jarvis with his band of guards armed with muskets for the ruthlessness of Spanish pirates exceeded all in legendary proportions.

From their vantage point, Devon waited with his companions and in bursts of light watched as the militia was torn into bloody shreds, totally ineffective against the superior strength of the Spanish. Several long boats lit with torches rowed ashore. Devon imagined the worst kind of mayhem, looting, feasting, drinking and ravaging, the horrific nature of their kind.

Claire touched the flanks of the carriage horse with her whip. If only they could solicit Governor Stark to stop Jarvis from harming Robert Ames in time. Lily pressed beside her, wringing her hands. At eleven o’clock the town laid eerily quiet. The citizens of Port Royale had long sought their beds. In the gloom, she negotiated the labyrinth of narrow streets.

Cannons boomed. The horse reared. Glass shattered. The carriage flipped. Lily screamed. Cobblestones scored Claire’s hands. The horse ran down the road dragging the overturned carriage. Claire sat up and checked her limbs. Bruised, she scrambled to her feet and touched Lily’s shoulder.

“I’m fine,” Lily said.

Claire pulled her up. More cannons fired. A ball whizzed pass and exploded into the apothecary. Houses splintered. Flames spurted from the rooftops. “Pirates.” Residents flooded the street, clutching satchels and terrified children.

“What do we do?” Lily whimpered.

“We get to Governor’s House. Win or lose the pirates will have to negotiate with the Governor. We will be safe there.” Claire bit her lip. Governor House sat on the hill above the harbor. Should she risk traversing the town? Claire set her feet in motion. The militia would restore order. She had to save Ames. If only the light from the fires did not illuminate the street and make them visible. Her legs felt like wood. Best to keep concealed in the dark. She crawled behind fallen casks and urged Lilly to follow. At the end of the boardwalk she hitched her skirts and ran across the street. She tripped into a mud puddle. The liquid soaked her skirts. Lily helped her rise.

Claire rested against the side of the pewter’s shop and assessed the shortest route to the governor’s house. The whole town burst into flame. Sparks scattered. Smoke billowed and obscured her path. Claire coughed. Pistol shots and screams of women rose from the next street. Chills rattled down her spine.

A cry emitted from the front. Claire peeked around the corner. The pewter merchant’s widow and children cowered in a doorway. Flames shot out from the shutters. Claire stumbled, her wet skirts clinging to her. “You must leave. Get your children to the safety of the mountains.”

Paralyzed, the woman’s eyes roved wildly. Claire slapped her. The widow recoiled.

“Go.” Claire shoved her off the steps. “The pirates will kill you and your children.”

The widow grabbed her children and sprang over the rise.

Women shrieked. Pistol shots drew near. Lily snaked her hand in Claire’s. “Which way?”

Claire ducked into an alleyway. So far she had not seen a single pirate. She placed her free hand on the walls to guide her through the shadows. Compared to the blood curdling sounds in the next street,
the alley came hushed and oppressive. She set her feet on the cobblestones and moved slowly, listening, staring into the darkness. A muffled shuffle of feet broke the eerie quiet, making the skin on the back of her neck crawl. Lily’s hand grew clammy and she shook uncontrollably. Claire plucked her courage and hastened her steps. At the end of the alley, she peered out into a deserted street. Claire exhaled. No one. She had only taken two steps when a hairy hand reached, caught her and swung her around. She was ripped from Lily’s grasp.

“Run.” Claire screamed to her cousin.

Firelight fell into shadow. A pockmarked face hosted a scar that pulled down one eye in a ghoulish pinch of skin. A leering grin displayed uneven, blackened teeth. In that moment of nightmarish terror, it seemed the devil had taken human form.

At great risk with the Spanish, Devon ventured down into the town to gain information for a different purpose−escape. Rape and slaughter abounded. Hardened from the wars he’d fought, even this rivaled in lust and cruelty. He plucked a sword from a dead Spaniard, moved forward in haste to check his wherry. But before he reached the harbor, a terrified girl ran into him.

“Lily!”

She looked at him in disbelief then rose to her senses. “You must save Claire. We had come to see the governor—and all of a sudden, pirates were everywhere.”

Devon gritted his teeth. He should leave Claire to the mercy of the pirates for what she did to Ames, but he could not leave her to such fate. Devon pulled Lily across the street. He pushed her in a dark alcove. “Stay here,” he ordered. With stealth he moved through the darkness. He sidled up to a house Lily pointed to and listened. He counted two male voices. He peered through the window to confirm his suspicions. A single lantern from above lit the terror on Claire’s face. Her eyes blazed with indignation. She swung a long brass candlestick, holding them at bay, her long hair streaming down her back. Devon’s eyes took in her dress torn at the bodice. Rage heaved in his stomach.
How dare they touch her
. The two pirates toyed with her. They
would be dead in seconds. Devon crashed through the door. With a flash of his sword he dispatched the one closest to him with skillful ease. The man sank in a hideous heap. Devon stepped over him. Only a tick in his cheek revealed his true emotion. A drunken pirate, a huge mottled brute snarled at Devon’s weapon.

“You English dog. You dare to intrude with that puny thing?”

Devon smiled easily. “Let’s see if the iron can be wrought into silver, my friend,” he challenged. The drunken pirate sped toward him, cutlass in hand. Devon knocked his heavy blade aside then plunged his sword tip into his heart.

Claire stood white-faced. Her hand flew to her mouth. “I am glad you killed him.”

“I wish him a thousand deaths and more,” Devon spat then wiped the blood from his sword on the man’s vest. “Why are you here?” He didn’t wait for her answer. A ribald group of pirates approached. He grabbed her wrist and sped down an alleyway, retrieving Lily.

Claire stopped. “I’m going nowhere with you.”

Devon swung around to her. “Are you mad? Have you not seen the horrors done this night? Do you think they will have mercy on you?” And then he calmed and said icily, “Surely now, you think those other two oafs planned a tea party for you this evening?”

“Claire, he saved your life,” Lily pleaded.

Steps clattered from around the corner. “Come.” He grabbed her wrist in an unrelenting grip. He had no time for female obstinacy. He had to escape while the town was in chaos. They sped down one alley to another. With great fortune, they came upon no other, reaching the outskirts of town. In the darkness they traveled to the Great House.

“Pack your things. I’ll get the horses ready.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Claire defied him again.

“The devil I’d go anywhere the sight of you exists. But I’ve had the taste of Spanish hospitality in a Castilian prison. Yet the worst depravity is owned by Spanish pirates who go out of their way to torture, rape and murder helpless victims. You are going to Speightstown or further north. There you’ll be safe until the pirates have their ransom which
I’m sure the governor will be forced to give once he’s shook out of his drunken sleep.”

“How dare you call Governor Stark a drunkard.”

“I gave him a draught myself this eventide to abate the pain from his arthritis. It’ll be a hard time for the pirates to wake him. During that time, the dirty Spanish will be capable of anything. Now hurry, and do as I command.”

Out of a dark corridor, Cookie clung to a mallet and clucked after him like a disgruntled fowl, disheveled and in a state of panic. Devon quieted her with a word of reassurance to collect her belongings and hurry her mistresses along.

“Do as he says, Claire.” Lily caught her cousin’s arm and climbed the stairs.

Devon rounded the front of the house with four fresh mounts. So as not to draw the pirates from town, he muted the light of a lantern to give them the illumination needed. He assisted Lily first, tying her bag behind her.

“Oh Devon,” Lily shuddered. “I do thank you for saving our lives this wretched night. But what of Robert? Tell me, Jarvis did not hurt him.”

It struck him the love and concern she had for the navigator. What he’d do to hear the same adoration from Claire’s lips. Instead, he was met with her cruel betrayal. His eyes narrowed on Claire, and she shifted. “I am sorry to say he is in bad shape at the moment. Your uncle exercised his displeasure.”

“Please tell him, I-I love him,” Lily whispered.

Devon stood amazed from this confession. The staid and prim Lily did not seem like the type to demonstrate any visible sentiments. “You have a good heart, unlike another in your company.” He dropped the hint with a vicious sneer. “I will be sure to tell him, Lily, to give him hope. This I promise.”

He helped Cookie mount, and she fussed over him. “Have a care, Dr. Blackmon. I think ye’re a fine man. Please send my regards to Ben. I mean Mr. Bloodsmythe.”

This too surprised Devon. “Aye. I’ll give your regards to Ben.”

Devon bridled when he turned to Claire. She had the audacity to glare at him with burning, reproachful eyes. He hauled her, kicking and fighting back into the house. He backed her into a wall, imprisoning her with his body, his lips curled in disgust. She had to answer for what she did to Ames. And why the fool escapade into Port Royale to see the governor when it was under attack? What if the Spanish had caught them? It skewered him like a hot poker.

So close to her, he could feel her body heat. A subtle tantalizing hint of lavender mixed with
her
scent assailed him. The warmth and soft curves beckoned him. The memory of the day before flooded back, the sweet, salt taste, the feel of her mouth on his, her tender moans and soft breasts. Surely it had meant more. Despite her miserable treachery, he wanted to remember the whole of her. The simple evidence, so very clear at this moment, burst the fires of hell in his mind and body. He wanted to damn his desire, damn the vows and end the fascination that had carried him to such flaming heights of wanting. He fought the wild longing to seize her then and there, fought the furious fates that had brought him to her this night.