Over The Crescent Moon

by Karen Badger

  The men removed Spencer’s sword from the sheath and the gun from the holster and handed them to Makenna. Then, they lifted her from the floor by her feet and underarms and carried her from the room.

  Makenna turned to Roberts. “A woman. You kidnapped a woman.”

  “I know what it looks like, but she is the one who has been watching the ship. We saw her do it. We hid near the dock all day and watched. We would have taken her this morning before dawn, but one of the dockworkers approached just as we were about to jump her.”

  Makenna paced again. “Why would a woman be watching us?”

  “I guess we’ll have to ask her when she comes to.”

  Makenna picked up Spencer’s sword from the table. “I wonder if she knows how to use this,” she mumbled to herself. She turned back to Roberts. “See that she has food and water when she wakes up. And have the doc look at the wound on her head. Oh, and if any more harm comes to her, I will hold you personally responsible. Is that clear?”

  ***

  Spencer rolled onto her back and moaned. Her body ached everywhere—especially her head. She reached up and ran a hand through her hair and encountered a crusty substance that she soon realized was blood. “What the hell happened to me?”

  She forced herself into a seated position and looked around. She was in a small, dark room with a low ceiling, a door and one window with bars on it. Judging by the light coming in through the window, she guessed that it was mid-morning. Spencer did a quick inventory and realized her sword and gun were missing. Great! No way to defend myself. Where the hell am I?

  Spencer crawled to the window and saw that she was on a ship. A crew member was nearby on the deck coiling rope. “Hey! Yes, you. Let me out of here,” she called out. The crew member looked up and sneered, then walked away. She sat again and held her head between her hands.

  Moments later, the door to her cell swung open and admitted a young man carrying a plate of food and drink. Another armed guard stood outside by the door as her food was being delivered.

  “What the hell is happening here?” Spencer demanded.

  The young man left and the guard closed and relocked the door.

  “I said, what the hell is happening here?” Spencer repeated.

  The guard looked in on her through the window. “Do yourself a favor and eat your food. The doc will be here soon to look at your head.”

  Spencer picked up the plate of food and threw it at the door. “I don’t want your goddamned food. I want to get out of here,” she yelled.

  “Suit yourself,” the guard said and then walked away.

  Spencer screamed and then held her head in her hands once more in an attempt to stem the pounding in her temples.

  Moments later, the door opened again, and Spencer looked up. Recognition was immediate.

  “Doc? Doc, is that you?” Spencer scrambled to her feet.

  Frankie walked into the room and motioned for the guard to close and lock the door behind her. “Yes, it’s me,” Frankie said.

  Spencer wrapped herself around Frankie and wept. “I have never been so happy to see anyone in my life,” she said. She stepped back and took Frankie’s hands. “Did they kidnap you too?” she asked.

  “Red, sit down and let me look at the wound on your head,” Frankie said.

  Spencer was clearly confused. “Sit down? You want me to sit down? Doc, we’re being held hostage. Don’t you realize that?”

  Frankie pulled her hands from Spencer’s grasp and led her to a chair. “I’m sorry, Red, but there are some things you don’t know.”

  Spencer pulled away from Frankie and walked to the opposite side of the room. “Things I don’t know? What are you talking about, Doc?”

  Frankie once again approached her and tried to lead her back to the chair. “I need to look at your head wound, Red.”

  Spencer shook her off. “My name is not Red! It’s Spencer!” she screamed. The shock on Spencer’s face mirrored that on Frankie’s as she realized what she had just said.

  Frankie smiled and crossed her arms in front of her. “A memory has returned.” She extended her hand to Spencer. “It’s nice to meet you, Spencer.”

  Chapter 17

  Makenna poured wine into two goblets and pushed one across the table. “How’s our prisoner?” she asked.

  Frankie picked up her wine and took a sip. “Confused.”

  “I guess if I woke up after being knocked out and kidnapped, I’d be confused as well,” Makenna observed.

  “It’s a little more complicated than that,” Frankie said.

  “How so?”

  “Lei and I have a bit of a history with her. You see, she was found washed up on shore at Princeville and she was brought to me for medical care. She suffered from a head injury and awoke with no memories of who she is. She was actually staying with us for the past few weeks.”

  “So why is she confused now...other than for obvious reasons?”

  “It appears the little knock on the head your men administered when they kidnapped her, restored her memories...or at least some of them. We have been calling her Red for the past month. It turns out her name is Spencer.”

  Makenna stood up and carried her wine to one of the port holes. She gazed out across the ocean. “Do you have any idea why she was spying on us?” she asked.

  Frankie did not respond for several long moments...long enough for Makenna to prompt her a second time.

  “Frankie?”

  Frankie sighed. “This is going to sound odd, but she thinks she’s from the future.”

  Makenna’s eyebrows raised high on her forehead. “The future?”

  “Yes. Two thousand nineteen to be exact.”

  “So, she’s not all there mentally?”

  “There’s more.”

  Makenna returned to the table and sat down. “I can’t wait to hear this. What more can there be?”

  “She has seen visions of you.”

  Makenna frowned. “Go on.”

  “She described your crescent moon tattoo to Lei and me in minute detail.”

  “I’ve never seen that woman in my life...and believe me, I’d remember her.”

  “Not in this life, anyway.”

  “Do you think she could be from the future, Frankie?”

  “I don’t know. You’re the native. Your culture believes in the power and importance of ancestors and descendants. You tell me whether or not it’s possible.”

  “So she was spying on us because she thinks she knows me?” Makenna asked.

  “I believe she was hoping you could help her to restore her memories.”

  “So she wasn’t spying on us for the government then.”

  “No, but then she’s not ignorant about the unrest happening on the islands either.”

  “You’d have to be in a stupor not to realize what’s happening on the islands,” Makenna pointed out.

  “Regrettably, Lei and I have been misleading her about your role in all of this.”

  “How so?”

  “She knows you’re a pirate...which technically, you are. And we’ve led her to believe you’re part of the insurgency...which again, technically, you are. But what we haven’t told her is that Lei and I are part of the insurgency as well. We felt we had to keep that from her so that the monarchy didn’t discover they had...”

  “Traitors in their ranks?” Makenna finished for her.

  Frankie looked down at her hands, folded in her lap. “I don’t feel like a traitor, Makenna. And neither does Lei. It is killing her to deceive her father, but we firmly believe the monarchy is wrong on this one. Hawai’i needs to be part of a bigger entity before some other hostile country forces themselves upon us. Of all the foreign governments out there, the United States is the best option. It is the one with democratic values that most closely match those of the kingdom. If we can get the monarchy to agree to the trade treaty, it will most likely lead to a more voluntary annexation of the islands.”

  Makenna finished her w
ine and put the mug down gently on the table. “Quite the mess we have created for ourselves here,” she said. “So have you explained any of this deception to Spencer?”

  “Not yet. I was hoping to have Lei by my side when I do that. In the meantime, she’s still pretty confused.”

  “Is she dangerous? Dangerous enough to keep locked up?”

  “Red wasn’t dangerous, although she is an amazing swordswoman, but as far as Spencer is concerned...I don’t know. I’ve just met her. Considering how gentle and kind Red was, I would suspect not.”

  Makenna reached for the sword and handgun Spencer had on her when she was kidnapped. “She was wearing these.”

  “The sword belongs to her, but the gun is mine. I lent it to her for protection when we reached O’ahu.”

  “Well then, you should have it back.”

  Frankie picked up the gun and walked to the door. She stopped and turned back around. “What are you going to do about Spencer?”

  Makenna sighed heavily. “That’s a good question. I guess for starters, I’d like to meet her and then judge for myself if she poses any danger to us or our mission. I certainly don’t want to release her until she understands the full scope of what’s going on here. That includes you and Lei clearing up the deception. But to ease your mind, Frankie, she is in no danger of harm unless she harms one of us first.”

  ***

  “Open the door.”

  The guard frowned at Frankie.

  “I said, open the door. She’s being moved to her own quarters.”

  “I haven’t received any orders from the captain about that,” the guard said.

  Frankie crossed her arms. “I am here on Makenna’s behalf. If you want to question that, I’ll wait right here until you get back.”

  The guard hesitated.

  “For Pele’s sake! We are out to sea. Where do you think we’re going to run to? Now open the damned door!”

  The guard finally relented and removed the padlock from the door. Frankie threw it open and stepped inside. Spencer was curled up on the floor in the corner, holding her head.

  “Red...I mean, Spencer, come with me. You’re being moved to your own quarters.”

  Spencer looked at her. “Will I be locked up there as well?”

  “No. You’ll have free run of the ship. Now come with me.”

  Frankie helped her to her feet and steadied her when she almost fell from dizziness. Slowly, they walked out of the cell and into the sunshine. Spencer closed her eyes against the pain the bright sun caused inside her injured head.

  “We don’t have far to go.” Frankie put an arm around Spencer and helped her up one set of steps to the upper level. Spencer held onto the railing while Frankie led her about ten yards to her quarters. The cabin was small, but clean. It had a full bed, a table and a chair. On the table were a washbasin and clean linens. On the front side of the cabin was a large window, and a door that also contained a window. Both allowed ample sunlight into the room.

  Frankie led Spencer into the room and sat her on the edge of the bed. She helped Spencer to remove her jacket and vest, which she threw over the back of the chair. She then filled the basin with water and proceeded to clean the new wound on Spencer’s head.

  “Those goddamned gorillas,” Frankie muttered. “I don’t know why they felt they had to knock you unconscious.”

  “Because I would have kicked their asses,” Spencer said.

  Frankie grinned at her patient. “I think you could have, at that!”

  Spencer reached up and grabbed Frankie’s wrist to stop her progress. “Doc, what is happening here?”

  Frankie shook her wrist free and resumed cleaning the wound on Spencer’s head. “We’ll save that discussion for later...when Lei is here with us.”

  Spencer brushed Frankie’s hand away. “No, we’ll discuss it now. Where is Leilani? Why are you here? Why are we out to sea and not moored in the harbor? What the hell is going on here?”

  Frankie knelt on the floor in front of Spencer. “Spencer, I promise we’ll explain everything to you, as soon as we get back to shore and Lei can join us. Please be patient. There is so much at stake here.”

  A tear fell from Spencer’s eye and onto the hands she had folded in her lap. Frankie wiped it away and left a kiss in its wake.

  “I’m sorry, Spencer. I am truly sorry. Please be patient. It will all become clear soon.”

  Spencer nodded.

  Frankie rose to her feet once more and closely examined the gash on Spencer’s head. “It looks worse than it is. I think the bleeding is under control. I can try to bandage it, but it might be better to leave it uncovered.”

  Spencer grabbed Frankie’s wrist. “Doc, I need to see Makenna.”

  “And she wants to see you as well. In fact, I’m under orders to bring you to her as soon as you’re ready.”

  “I’m ready now.” Spencer stood quickly, and immediately had to sit down again from light-headedness.

  “Ah...no, you’re not. Were you given anything to eat or drink since you’ve been on board?”

  Spencer gave Frankie a crooked grin. “Yeah, but I threw it against the wall.”

  Frankie shook her head. “Well then, I need to get you something to eat. Wait here.”

  The moment Frankie left the cabin, Spencer was on her feet. She fought dizziness and nausea as she found handholds on the backs of the chair. Once she reached the door, she stepped outside and held onto the railing as she navigated the length of the ship. The cool breeze from the ocean made her feel significantly better as she pushed forward. Spencer had no idea where she was going, so she moved in the direction of voices she heard coming from the far end of the ship. Finally, she reached the door to the room the voices came from. She took a deep breath and pushed the door open. The occupants of the room froze.

  The man inside the room immediately drew his sword. “How dare you enter the captain’s quarters uninvited?”

  “Roberts. Leave us,” the woman said without breaking eye contact with Spencer.

  Roberts hesitated.

  “Now! And close the door on your way out,” Makenna shouted.

  Upon setting foot inside the room and through the entire encounter with Roberts, Spencer moved toward Makenna. She didn’t stop until she was within a hair’s breadth of her, all the while maintaining eye contact with her. Spencer lifted both hands and cupped Makenna’s face between her palms. “Mak,” she whispered before lowering her mouth to hers.

  Makenna’s world exploded around her. She could feel every cell in Spencer’s being through that one small connection of their lips. Spencer completely took her breath away and replaced it with the essence of her own being. She welcomed the invasion of Spencer’s tongue into her mouth and devoured all that Spencer was offering her through the intimate contact. She was no novice to sexual relationships with men and with women, but this was so much more. This was a connection of souls and a blending of hearts. This was not knowing where she ended and where Spencer began. This was trusting herself to become completely absorbed by another human soul.

  The kiss ended and Makenna felt like her soul had been ripped from her body. She could barely move as her gaze locked with Spencer’s.

  “I’ve missed you, Mak,” Spencer said before fainting away in Makenna’s arms.

  The door to the captain’s quarters burst open. “Spencer!” Frankie shouted. “Damn you, woman.”

  “Frankie, help me get her to the bed.”

  “What happened?”

  “She kissed me, and then fainted. I swear I didn’t hurt her.”

  “She kissed you?” Frankie asked.

  “Yes. Help me get her to the bed.”

  Together, Frankie and Makenna carried Spencer to Makenna’s bed and laid her on her back.

  “She hasn’t had anything to eat or drink since she came on board yesterday,” Frankie explained. “Help me to lift her head.”

  The two women worked together to revive Spencer just long enough for her to
drink a little water before she passed out again.

  “Will she be okay?” Makenna asked.

  “She’ll be fine as long as we can get water into her. I told her to stay in her cabin until I got back with food and water, but did she listen? No—of course not.”

  Frankie noticed Makenna’s hand shaking when she reached up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Are you all right?”

  Makenna was visibly shaken. “I don’t know. Something happened when she kissed me. Something I have never experienced before. It was like, we were one person.”

  “Aloha i kaʻike mua,” Frankie said.

  “Love at first sight? Do you think so?” Makenna asked. “Our elders teach us the concept of oversoul. Our oversoul contains all of the experiences we have gathered from previous lives. It comes to us in dreams, visions and even through intuition.”

  “Maybe your souls have touched in a different dimension. I mean, she does believe she’s from the future,” Frankie said.

  Their attention was drawn to Spencer who rolled her head from side to side and then opened her eyes.

  “Hey, there,” Frankie said. “Here, let us lift your head. You need to drink some water.”

  Spencer stared at Makenna while they propped an additional pillow behind her head and held a cup to her lips for her to drink. “Thank you,” she said.

  “You scared us,” Makenna said.

  “The next time I tell you to stay put, I expect you to listen,” Frankie scolded.

  Spencer grinned. “I couldn’t wait. I needed to see her.” She looked at Makenna and then lifted her hand to touch Makenna’s cheek.

  Makenna shuddered. “Damn,” she whispered softly.

  Frankie felt like a voyeur. “So, Spencer, do you feel well enough to go back to your cabin?”

  “No...no, she can stay here until she feels better,” Makenna said quickly.

  Frankie tried hard not to smile. “Are you sure? You’ll need to keep feeding the water to her.”

  “I can do that. Really, it’s no problem. I’ll get her back to her cabin when she feels up to it,” Makenna insisted.