A Pirate’s Wife (27 page)

Moonlight streamed in through the shutter slats so that they

could make out anything inside. Something had woken

them and when Roberto looked out, he could see a shadow

passing under the door. He pointed to the door and

whispered in her ear to get up quickly and quietly. They

stood up and dressed.

Again, she put on her brother's clothing and when

Roberto looked at her with dismay, she shrugged her

shoulders without saying a word. She figured this would be

the best way to move on the island and the safest. When

she had packed a bag these were the only clothing she

taken, along with her knife and pistol. She slipped them

into the belt under the jacket and grabbed a sword to belt

under the jacket.

The dress on the floor was torn; the fabric stretched

and damaged. She had no need for that dress.

In the back corner of the wooden structure was a

trap door that he lifted. They went through it quickly and he

closed the door behind him. He motioned for her to go out

and stay in the bushes close by. He wanted to see what was

going on at the front door. After a few minutes, he returned,

speaking into her ear.

'There is no sign of Pierre or Enrico. We will have

to get away from here. Follow me.' He took her hand. They

ducked through dense bushes, past another few wooden

structures until they reached a clearing, they could hear a

soft sobbing sound. Rosa-Lee pointed it out to Roberto who

nodded his head. She moved forward toward the sounds.

A young girl stood crying behind a tree. Shadows

played over the face. The moonlight was not bright enough

through the canopy, but she could see that the young girl

was in distress.

'Don't be afraid,' Rosa-Lee said softly. 'We are here

to help you.' The girl stopped crying, sniffing.

'What is your name?' Rosa-Lee whispered in her

ear, putting a hand on her arm.

'Nora.'

'Why are you here?'

'I was captured from the coast of Mozambique.

They brought me on a ship this afternoon. The moment I

got a chance, I slipped away from the pirate who kept me in

his hut.'

Rosa-Lee looked at Roberto. 'We cannot leave her

here. She has to come with us.'

'As long as she does not hold us up,' he whispered.

'I will not. Please, take me with you,' came the

desperate plea.

They heard movement behind them, as people came

closer. Quickly, they introduced themselves to the young

girl.

'Nora, I am Rosa-Lee and this is Roberto. Follow

us.' She took the girl's hand in her own, clutching it tightly.

They continued until they reached the shoreline,

close to a longboat lying on the beach.

'Get in,' said Roberto and started to push. Nora was

already at the edge when they were stopped.

'Not so fast, Roberto,' a stern voice said from behind

them. They turned around and behind them stood the

Falcon, rigid and fierce and three of his men equally

menacing, a torch in each one's hand lit the beach around

them.

Rosa-Lee and Roberto drew their swords, ready.

The Falcon walked closer, straight to Rosa-Lee, looked at

her, and said, 'Who have we here?' Reaching toward her, he

lifted the torch to her face and smirked.

'Ah, Señorita, lovelier than ever, I almost did not

recognize you in men's clothing.' He cupped her cheeks

again.

Her heart was racing as she slapped his hand away,

lifting her sword.

'Leave her alone!' Roberto said sternly.

'You really care about this bitch, son. You deceived

me. It took me awhile to see through your plan but now I

am back to claim her. She will be mine.'

'No!' screamed Rosa-Lee and launched forward.

The point of the sword tore a hole in the Falcon's black

shirt.

'Ouch! You bitch, you scratched me,' he said in

surprise.

Roberto moved forward, in between them, his

sword drawn, anger in his voice and eyes.

'You will not touch her again, Falcon. I will kill

you.'

The Falcon laughed, drawing out his sword.

'Let's see if you can.' Both men knew each other's

strength. Both knew they had the same cunning and skill to

win. Both had a roguish grin on their faces.

They circled each other. Rosa- Lee moved the

young girl behind her, her eyes on the other three standing

close by, swords drawn, menacing faces snarling at them.

Soon you could hear the clash of steel upon steel

resounding at a high pitch through the night. Swiftly both

the men moved on the ground, feet trained and steady on

the loose sand, cutting into the air, stabbing towards each

other with short body blows. Roberto cut the Falcon's

shoulder and then his abdomen with one sweep, hardly

wounded, a defiant smirk on his face.

'You son of a bitch,' the Falcon screamed, throwing

himself at Roberto.

Roberto stepped gracefully to the side and landed

another blow to Falcon's face. Blood streamed from the

Falcon's wounds, down his leg, into the sand. The younger

man clearly had the upper hand.

Then one of the other men stepped closer, launching

at Roberto with an angry growl, Roberto reacted and

diverted the blow, cutting into the man's arm. His sword

sank deep into the flesh. The man cried out, grabbing his

arm in disbelief, storming with fury towards Roberto.

Roberto sidestepped again, punching the man in the face.

He fell to the ground as the Falcon moved forward

again. Cutting into the air, weariness on his face, he

launched forward onto Roberto's sword.

Grabbing the sword, his face was stunned. 'You

wounded me, you son of a bitch!' he fell down on his

knees. Another man screamed, running into Roberto. The

last one made a lunge at Rosa-Lee, but she cut him, blood

dripping from the sword point. She waited for him as he

moved forward again. She protected her face with her

sword, pushing him away from her with both hands, and

then she attacked without uttering a word. Her sword

disappeared into the man's chest.

Nora screamed and covered her mouth with a hand,

trembling in fear.

Glassy eyes looked at Rosa-Lee as the man fell

backward on the sand. Waves covered him, pulling him

farther out to sea. However, Rosa-Lee did not notice and

turned back to the fighting behind her.

Roberto fought against the two men and he fell as a

blow struck his head. A stream of blood ran down his face

and the Falcon came for him. Roberto managed to strike

the sword away from him. He was on his feet again and

again steel clanked against steel.

Rosa-Lee stepped forward, covering his back with

hers, and with fierce blows to both the pirates, they struck

them, falling on their knees from the impact.

More men rushed forward and the Falcon yelled,

'Get them!'

One man grabbed Nora, holding his sword under

her chin. Fear filled her eyes but no sound came out. Rosa-

Lee and Roberto stopped in mid-lunge as the sound of a

catching breath resonated in the air. Looking at Nora, they

lowered their swords.

'Seize them!' the Falcon yelled again. 'Take them to

the tavern.'

Their swords were taken and the Falcon came

closer, punching Roberto on the cheek. His ring cut through

the skin and a trickle of blood dripped from his face.

'Your bitch has killed one of my men!' Looking at

Rosa-Lee with a hateful glare he vowed, 'She will pay; he

was one of my best!'

'Clearly not,' Rosa-Lee said with a menacing smile.

He walked over to her and slapped her so hard that

her head bounced back, slamming into the man who held

her.

When her gaze returned to the Falcon she said in a

very cold voice, 'I will kill you.' She pronounced each word

in clipped tones, her promise unmistakable.

He grabbed her shirt and pulled her up to face him

directly. The other man let go his hold and he tied her

hands in front of her. His eyes spat angry blue flames,

shoving her toward the lights in the distance. She remained

on her feet and the group walked away, Nora still in the

clutches of the other man.

When they reached the tavern, they were tied up

together. A huge crowd formed around them. Soft sobs

came from Nora. Rosa-Lee could see her for the first time.

She was small and blond, not as young as she thought, but

with beautiful blue eyes.

Weariness and the day's hardships were visible on

her. Her dress was torn and filthy. It looked like she had

been dragged at one point. She was full of scratch marks on

her lower arms. Her feet were bare and bloody.

'Roberto, my son,' the Falcon said with a snarl in his

voice, mocking him with the endearing word.

'Did you really think that you would get rid of me

this easily? I have watched you for a while now. You were

up to something. I could see that. You took the woman that

was meant for me and made her your wife, planting your

seed in her to make you a daddy. How touching. You

thought I would not know?' He slapped him hard. Roberto's

head snapped back, his ears ringing. He returned his gaze,

hate smouldering in the depths.

'A pirate with a wife, what a laugh!' Roars of

boisterous laughter filled the place and goblets slammed

together. Mocking could be heard all over, the men

parroting their leader. 'Playing daddy!' They doubled over.

'And then you steal another slave from one of my

men. Are you going to marry her too?' Again a roar of

laughter.

'You are the one that made sure that Pedro escaped.

I don't know when or how, but you will pay for that as

well.' The Falcon stood before Roberto looking him

directly in the eye, spit hanging from his beard.

'You have cost me a lot and I will collect from you

and this bitch.' He turned to Rosa-Lee.

'My men saw your brother at Santa Apollonia. I am

waiting for their return as we speak. Then both brother and

sister will squeal like pigs after we had our way with them.

Both are so pretty, don't you think?'

'What are you waiting for, Falcon, here I am!'

Pedro's strong young voice reached their ears and Rosa-

Lee's face broke out in shocked surprise and grinned. To

see her younger brother was truly a big relief. He stood

there, equally rigid, his young body straight, his face stern

and determined. At that moment she knew how her father

looked at that age. Pride filled her heart.

The Falcon whirled around in surprise and the snarl

disappeared from his menacing face, before it returned in

mocking confidence.

Her heart beat increased, trying to make sense of the

new development. With Pedro was a big, dark man who

matched Pedro in size and height, but looked older.

'Pedro!' Rosa-Lee screamed out when she saw him

and laughed.

'Shut up!' The Falcon slapped her again and she fell

down under the onslaught.

'You better stop that,' she seethed, struggling to

reach for him. 'I am tired of you slapping me. Unfasten me

and fight me, you coward!' So infuriated was she with the

man in front of her, she did not notice the buzz and then the

silence.

'Rosa-Lee, calm down and look,' Roberto said to her

softly. Men in uniform filled the tavern as the big man

walked closer, his eyes fixed on the Falcon.

'I am Captain le Roux and I am here to arrest you,

Falcon, you and your men.' He tossed a rolled paper to him.

'Consider yourself served, you and your brood of

vipers, as you deserve, by hanging.' His voice echoed in the

silence. There was no room for argument and for a brief

second, a pin could be heard before a huge fight broke

loose between the uniforms and the pirates.

Roberto managed to free his hands and when he

looked up, Pierre was standing close to him, in battle with

two men. He untied Rosa-Lee and Nora, who sank to the

ground in exhaustion. He did not notice the pure hatred in

Rosa-Lee's eyes as they set on the Falcon, the man who had

caused all of this. The moment Roberto released her she

sprang into action.

Rosa-Lee grabbed a dagger from the ground and

launched at the Falcon, who grinned at her. With one fierce

blow to his heart, she killed him. It was so swift that it did

not even register with him as he fell to the ground, the same

grin on his face.

Before Roberto could react, she had sprung away

from him, and an instant later stood over the lifeless body

of the Falcon, staring at the pirate's lifeless eyes.

He stepped closer to her and spoke, not to alarm

her.

'My Rosa it is over, give me the dagger,' he said into

her ear, stroking her arm to calm her. For the first time

since the ordeal began she turned, pressed herself into him,

and cried.

Her body shook with sobs and he stroked her back,

whispering soft words in her ear while the fighting

continued around them.

Pedro came over to them, climbing over the lifeless