The ship, named Gloria, was a merchant vessel bound for Florida, where we were expected to part ways, it appeared.
“Ye said nothing about a woman,” the captain had said, glowering at me.
“She is a member of the crew, Captain,” Tristan had explained. “Voted in by the men.”
“I’ll have no whore on board my ship causing problems,” he growled. “She can’t come!”
“Well, then,” John said, turning to the rest of us. “Back in the boat, it seems.”
“It looks like ye won’t be getting the sum I promised for when we reached our destination,” Tristan mourned. “We can’t leave a crew member behind, see. Against the code.”
Unsure, we began to shuffle across the deck, not knowing if we were actually leaving or not.
“Fine,” the captain spat. “She can stay. But yer responsible for her, O’Rourke! If I find she’s been meddling in things or sleeping with me crew, I’ll throw her overboard.”
“Mind yer threats, sir,” Tristan said dangerously, his eyes flashing. “She is a lady, after all.”
Snorting, the captain turned away from us, ordering his men about as they prepared to leave.
“Gentlemen—Miss Greene—, follow me to our quarters, if ye please.” Holding his head high, Tristan moved below deck, following a hall back to a large room. It appeared to normally house the ships animals, all of which were tied in one corner and munching on old hay, but there had been hammocks hung out for us, making the space feel crowded.
“Stinks,” one of the crewmen stated, grinning. “I’m at home already.” The comment pulled a laugh from everyone and the air seemed to lighten as we moved in, shutting the door behind us.
“Are we going to steal this ship, like we did the Adelina?” another man asked.
“No,” Tristan chuckled.
“What secret society were ye talking about?” the man called Bell inquired.
Settling into one of the hammocks, Tristan began telling them the history of the Knights Templar, drawing them in with his expert story telling skills. Even I was listening with rapt attention, my worries forgotten for the moment.
“So what say ye?” he asked them at the end of it, having explained our entire predicament, while leaving out the fact that I was from the future. “Could ye join such a group? For, right now, there is a ship full of Templars on its way to us, ready to go to Oak Isle and battle to protect what our ancestors have hidden for hundreds of years.”
The men, in awe of him even more now, whispered among themselves. “I have a son, Captain,” one said gently. “If I join, would he be required to?”
“Yer family is yer own, Smith. Mine was not, sworn already to the service, and therefore I had to join. Do what ye will with yer son” Tristan smiled encouragingly, but I could read the apprehensiveness in him, a strange kind of energy I didn’t always sense with him.
“I’ll join, ye,” Bell said, holding his hand out to shake. “It can’t be any worse than what I’m doing now. Yer doing it too, after all.”
One by one, the men agreed, until only Father Torres was left, standing awkwardly by the door. “I am already sworn to a service, Capitán,” he answered shakily. “I do not think our Heavenly Father would smile upon me if I were to join another, accused of such gross misconduct by the church.”
“I understand, Padre. I hold no grudge against ye.” Nodding, he turned to the rest of them, clapping his hands together.
“I still wish to fight with you,” Alfonso spoke up again. “If you will let me. Thomas Randall needs to be caught and I would like to feel my time among pirates was spent doing something good.”
“Very well,” Tristan agreed. “We would be honored to have ye with us, Padre.”
Swept Away (The Swept Away Saga, Book One) Page 58
