In the Darkness, page 16
Rebecca watched the sailors closely, groaning when she saw several take hold of a rope and begin hauling it in. "I think it is time we found somewhere to hide." she murmured.
Daniel nodded, taking her hand to drag her toward the below deck companionway.
"Not our cabin." William told them. "They will search there first."
"In with the horses." Katherine added. "We might be able to barricade ourselves in there."
"We still need our gear." Daniel added quietly. "We can't leave it all in our cabin."
William frowned but nodded quick agreement. "Fine. You and Katherine go to our cabin and collect our things. Rebecca and I will secure the horse stalls."
Without waiting to see if anyone disagreed, William strode off. Letting go of Daniel's hand, Rebecca glanced once at him and Katherine then hurried after her father. A glance at the stern showed the sailors labouring to pull the rope in while two leaned far over the rail, their arms outstretched. As she watched, they reached down further and a shout rang across the deck. Her last glimpse of the stern before she ducked down into the poorly lit companionway was of the two sailors pulling a very wet and swearing Karpov up to the rail.
"We've run out of time." she groaned.
Ahead of her, William's footsteps echoed loudly in the confined space. "We will have a few more minutes." he answered, not looking back. "Perhaps long enough to get to safety."
Rebecca laughed in disbelief. "You think anywhere on this ship will be safe for us now?"
William's footsteps faltered briefly and his reply sounded as uncertain as she felt.
"We will do what we can."
They met no one as they hurried along, reaching the heavy oak door to the livestock pens without being seen. Looking back over his shoulder to make sure they were alone, William removed the heavy beam holding the door closed and laid his hands over the iron staples it had rested in. After a few seconds, he took his hands away and pulled the door open. Where the staples had been was now smooth unmarred wood. Rebecca turned to look at the inside of the door frame as she passed, seeing the thick staple had migrated from the outside to the inside.
"It will make it easier for us to secure the door." William muttered. "Keep a watch for the others while I check the other side of the pens for another access way."
Rebecca nodded and drew the door almost closed, leaving enough of a gap for her to peek through without being seen. The smell of the horses in the confined space was warm and heavy with the
smell of sweat and manure. She frowned slightly at the thought of being trapped in there for days, dismissing her worry with an effort. Better to be cooped up in a stinking stable than thrown overboard into the sea.
Rebecca breathed a sigh of relief when she saw first Katherine and then Daniel round the corner of the companionway, neither of them looking hurried. She opened the door and stood out of the way as they entered the stalls, Daniel giving her a faint smile as he passed. Looking down the corridor once more, Rebecca closed the heavy wooden door and dropped the oak bar into the iron staples. Concentrating on the iron, she forced it to contract against the bar to secure it in place. William's hand landed on her shoulder as she stepped back, the sudden touch making her jump.
"It is a heavy door." he observed. "And there is little room for them to bring a battering ram down."
"They have axes." Rebecca countered. "It may take them time but they can hack through."
William frowned at her pessimistic view but behind him, Daniel spoke first.
"We have our weapons back so we should be able to defend ourselves if it comes to it."
William and Rebecca turned to him in surprise.
"How did you manage that?" William asked.
Daniel shrugged, pulling aside the blanket in his arms to reveal their holstered revolvers, William's rifle and Katherine's shotgun.
"I saw the captain speaking with Karpov on the quarter deck so I went into his cabin and picked the lock on the weapons chest."
Taking the rifle from him, William looked it over slowly and sighed in relief when he could find no damage to it. Not that he had expected any.
"That was a risk." he murmured. "But one I am eternally grateful for."
Not wanting to be near the door, Rebecca slowly made her way down the row of tethered horses to where her own was boxed in. The animals snorted restlessly as the ship wallowed over the swells and Rebecca ran her hand down the long nose of her horse soothingly. It nudged into the touch, sniffing and then lipping at her fingers until she continued scratching between its eyes.
"We have perhaps another week until we reach port." she heard William growl. "I know it won't be comfortable down here but we should be safe enough."
Katherine looked at him sourly.
"We still have to get off this ship." she pointed out. "I am certain the crew will try to hold us here until the Church can send a delegation of priests along with a sizable force of soldiers to arrest us. What do you think they will do once they find out who we are?"
William scowled and looked away.
"I don't know why they're so angry." he muttered in disgust. "Karpov survived and I did nothing against the One God's ridiculous code of honour."
Katherine frowned at him until he sighed and nodded.
"Except I refused to go and pray." he added ruefully.
Grimacing at the position his decision had put them in, he raised his eyes to Katherine questioningly. Reading his look, she shook her head.
"I wouldn't have done it either." she admitted. "Their faith is not mine and I don't see why anyone should renounce their faith to please another."
Looking down at William, she frowned.
"But I also wouldn't have thrown him overboard." she admonished, pushing on over William's protest before he could begin. "Even if it was in response to a threat against us. We all know that you could have beaten him bloody, and perhaps the crew would have accepted it as you defending us."
William looked doubtful but didn't argue the point.
They weren't given time for further questions as the door rattled in its frame and voices rose in surprised dismay. Karpov's furious shout cut through above the multitude.
"Open this door foreigner! I know you are hiding in there! Open it now!"
William's doubtful look melted into one of anger. Before he could answer, Katherine laid her hand on his arm, drawing his attention.
"We are going to be safe enough in here." she reminded him, putting aside her own doubt. "We only need to reach port."
William subsided and glanced at Rebecca and Daniel, receiving nods of agreement from them both.
"Fine." he growled, his gaze levelled at the shuddering door. "But the first man through that door dies."
For over an hour the door shook and rattled as the sailors threw themselves at it. William had surprised them all when he had laid down against the wall of an empty stall and gone to sleep, his only concession to the racket being the drawn revolver resting in his lap. Rebecca couldn't understand how he could be so calm in the face of so much hate.
"The door is holding." Katherine had pointed out. "Until they actually break it down, there is no need to worry."
Rebecca watched her father as he slept, listening as Karpov's voice thundered on, exhorting the sailors to break down the door while hurling threats through the door at them at the same time. Her eyes were drawn to the door as a particularly heavy crash came from the other side but William continued to sleep. From further along the stalls she heard Daniel murmuring softly to the horses, many of which were nervous and agitated by the noise. Rebecca didn't blame them, wishing the sailors would give up and leave them in peace.
"They're persistent." Katherine said, joining her in the horse stall. Between Rebecca and her horse, there wasn't much space for Katherine to squeeze into but she managed. "But as far as I can tell, they're only beating at the door. An axe would have a much different sound."
Rebecca peered over the stall wall at the door, frowning as it shuddered in its frame. The iron staples were so deeply embedded in the frame that the oak bar hadn't budged in the slightest.
"Do they really think they can get in?" she asked.
Katherine shrugged.
"I think it is mostly Karpov that wants to get in." she suggested. "The others may just be humouring him until their captain calls them off."
Rebecca scowled at the thought. "It's been long enough, surely he would have called them back to their duty by now."
Katherine shrugged again. "If they want to use their free time off duty to bang at a door that won't open, that's their choice."
Rebecca turned her scowl on Katherine, the older woman giving her an amused smile in return as she said. "Sooner or later they will get tired of it and even Karpov's threats won't incite them further. Give them a few more hours and they will give up."
Turning her back on the door resolutely, Rebecca went back to stroking her horse's nose, the feel of coarse hair reassuring under her palm. "If you say so." she murmured.
Katherine laid a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "Things may seem grim right now but you'll see. The captain will restore order soon enough and we will be left in peace."
An especially vile curse drifted from the other side of the door and Katherine turned a sour look at it. "Mostly in peace." she amended. "Karpov may keep beating his fists against that door until he either wears a hole in it or he grinds his fists down to bloody nubs."
The sailors gave up their assault on the door as night fell, the sharp sound of the Captain's voice snapping through the racket. Karpov had been the loudest voice of dissent and Rebecca had listened to him ranting until the crack of a gunshot had ended his protests with an agonised howl of pain. The ship had fallen almost silent after that, the occasional muted shout from the deck above them the only thing that penetrated the thick timbers. She lost track of time as the ship sailed on, falling asleep several times after what felt like hours of boredom. Only William seemed to know how much time had passed as he continually checked his watch, calling them from their separate stalls from time to time to pass out meagre meals from what little food they had.
They weren't left entirely in peace though, the door being tested at random times. Sometimes it was only a brief tap as someone tested it, other times someone would pound at it for several minutes, causing it to jump and rattle noisily. Rebecca and Daniel knew that each time this happened, Karpov was on the other side. The faintest of breezes told them of fresh bandages wrapped around the sailors leg, blood seeping from the wound caused by the Captain's anger. To their relief these loud interruptions to their enforced captivity became less frequent as time passed until a breath of air announced to Daniel that Karpov was locked in their own cabin. The attacks on the door came to an abrupt stop after that.
Rebecca guessed they were still days away from reaching port when a flurry of shouts and running footsteps on the deck over their heads drew William's attention from his watch on the door.
"There's something going on." Katherine murmured beside him. "The ship is rolling far more than it has been for the last few days."
William raised a finger to his lips hurriedly, frowning as the footsteps died away. "Do you hear that?" he muttered.
Katherine closed her eyes, frowning as she strained to hear anything through the creaking of the ship. "Hear what?" she finally asked.
William leaned toward the door, his head cocked to listen. A sudden hammering at the door made the horses jump, their iron shod hooves stamping on the thick timber deck in a loud staccato beat. Rebecca ran her hand down her horse's nose, murmuring wordless nonsense to it until it calmed down. Katherine flung a hand at the door in exasperation as it rattled in its frame.
"That's what you were trying to listen for?" she snapped. "They've been trying to get in for days and they haven't managed to make the door do more than shake. All you had to say was, 'They're coming'."
A deep voice bellowed from the other side of the door, cutting Katherine off.
"Heathen! This is as far as we take you!"
William looked back at the others, his eyebrows drawn together. Katherine scowled at the door, her hand rising to the shotgun slung over her shoulder. Rebecca glanced at Daniel, seeing he was looking at her. She was surprised to see he was smiling faintly.
"Are you throwing us over the side?" William shouted in return.
A humourless chuckle came in response before the deep voice answered.
"We are as close to shore as we will allow on this tide. The cargo door will open and you will get out into chest deep water."
Daniel's smile dipped into a scowl at the thought, his eyes swiftly running up and down Rebecca. She sighed at the look, understanding exactly why he had looked at her. As the shortest of them, she had to wonder if the sailor meant chest deep on her or her father. If it was the latter, the difference would leave her barely above water and Katherine would not fare much better.
"I can swim." she muttered in resignation when her father's eyes turned to her as well.
"I will be fine as well." Katherine answered unperturbed.
William glanced from her to Rebecca and back, finally nodding shortly.
"We have your guarantee of safe passage to shore and out of your sight?" he called loudly through the door.
The voice sounded reluctant when it answered.
"You have the Captain's word." it returned. "His word is law so you will be safe from this crew."
Though Rebecca didn't trust the sailor, William nodded in relief.
"We thank you for the passage." he shouted back. "We will accept your Captain's word and leave."
They weren't given much time to prepare, the rattle of chains and a splash letting them know that the sailors had dropped anchor. Moments later a square of thick planking shuddered with the creak of heavy ropes, leaning outward from the hull and letting fresh salt laden air into the compartment. The horses jerked and fidgeted at the new development and Rebecca blinked as the light grew brighter. William quickly began saddling up his horse, throwing the saddle across his horse's back, deft fingers feeding straps through buckles and tightening the saddle girth before tossing his saddlebags over the horse's rump. He was almost done before anyone else moved, Katherine the first to get over her surprise. William glared at Rebecca and Daniel when they stared in amazement.
"Get moving while we've got this chance." he growled at them. "They might shoot at us as we leave but we've got to take the risk."
Though she didn't like the idea, Rebecca quickly moved to saddle her own horse, glad to at least have the opportunity to leave.
Rebecca stood at the top of the ramp, looking down at the crystal clear water below. The ship had bottomed out on the sand and rocked with the swell that pushed past it to the not too distant beach. Despite its shallow draught, the water was still quite deep and she shivered at the prospect of having to swim. Ahead of her William was already coaxing his horse down the ramp to where the water lapped over the last few inches. With a jerky leap, the horse plunged into the water and began ploughing through the surf toward shore. Pulled off balance, William toppled into the water, surfacing to the jeers and laughter of the sailors lining the rail above him. Casting them a deep scowl, he turned and swam after his horse. Katherine chuckled softly and led her horse down the ramp, both of them leaping into the water without a moment of hesitation.
"We'd better follow them." Daniel murmured beside her. "I don't feel like being left behind with this lot."
Rebecca glanced at him and nodded. Giving her horse's nose a reassuring stroke, she led it down the ramp.
"Don't fall in like your father, girl!" shouted a sailor above her, his companions roaring with laughter.
"Water's deep. She'll probably drown." called another.
She ignored them, drawing her horse's head down to whisper in its ear. "It's just a little swim."
It huffed at the sight and smell of the surging water, jerking its head briefly until Rebecca turned to walk backward the last few feet, resting her hand on its nose. Feeling the edge of the ramp, she let the reins go and patted its nose.
"Follow me in."
Turning, she looked down at the water for a moment then dived in.
She wasn't expecting the water to be so cold, its icy embrace stealing the breath from her lungs. Gasping for air as she surfaced, she looked back over her shoulder to see if her horse had followed. Instead of seeing the ship, she was caught in the splash from her horse entering the water right behind her. The salt water rushed down her throat, searing her lungs before she could stop it.
I don't want to drown! she thought desperately, thrashing for the surface as she sank. A moment later the water reversed its course, rushing back up as the sea pushed her gently up until her head was out of the water.
We are sorry, Avatar.
The water almost immediately felt warmer and the waves carried her away from the ship quickly, pushing her until she could feel the coarse sand under her feet. From behind her Rebecca could still hear the sailors laughing uproariously at her misfortune, and she growled softly at her mistake as she got her feet under her and started wading toward shore. William was already on the beach ahead of her, Katherine still knee deep as she gathered up the reins of her dripping horse.
"It's not your fault." she muttered to the water surrounding her. "I should have pushed the damned horse in first."
The animal in question lumbered past her onto the dry sand, shaking its head and spraying her with water. Turning her back on it, Rebecca watched as Daniel came ashore, his horse calmly following him out of the low surf.
"It's good to finally be out in the fresh air again." he told her, grinning as he lifted his head to breathe in deeply. "Good, clean sea air." he murmured appreciatively. Looking back at her, he lifted his chin toward where her horse was beginning to wander off. "Better catch that."
Rebecca scowled at him but hurried after her horse.
Chapter 8.
