***
Ellis couldn't believe his luck.
The captain examined the Windcatcher, ordered his men to strip it of all valuables, but decided against taking the sloop itself. It had been damaged by fire from a catapult, and water was pouring into the breach.
There was no point in taking a sinking ship, and landing ashore and trying to repair it ran the risk of meeting more pirates.
The captain didn't want that, but taking the loot was an entirely different affair. The loot, by the way, included three boats, large and comfortable, which were currently towed by the Mermaid.
All that Ellis had to do was load everything in one of them in one, maybe two runs, fetch Lilian Earton, cut the rope, and row to the shore that very night.
Everyone would be tired after the battle and drunk on the wine given out in celebration of their victory. Not much wine, of course, just a jug to each sailor, but they would still be fast asleep.
Well then.
It was time to begin.
Chapter 11
The knock on the door took Lilian Earton by surprise. No matter how much one waited for freedom, it always came unexpectedly. That's what made it so special.
"Your Grace, get ready. I'll come back in an hour."
"All right," Lily whispered.
The man left, and Lily rushed around the cabin.
She had to change. She pulled on all the clothes she had and topped it off with her riding suit, even if it barely fit her. There was never too much fabric.
She pulled out the knife, put it in her sleeve, gathered the basic supplies she had, and waited.
Minutes dragged on, slow and sticky like honey scooped with a spoon. Time itself felt frozen, like a fly in amber.
How soon will he come? How soon?!
Lily barely restrained herself from pacing around the cabin. Her nerves were taut as a string. Where was her liberator? What if he got caught? What if he was found out? What if...
She kept biting her lips, not even caring that her lower lip was bleeding.
Aldonai, help me! Even if I'm not of your flock, please help me. I beg you!
***
Ellis wrapped a rope into a noose. He could easily jump into a boat, but throwing a sack there was risky. It contained dry rations, a change of clothes, boots...he didn't want any of that getting wet. Lowering the stuff into the boat with a rope seemed much better, and it's not like it was hard, either. Hopefully, nobody would notice him.
But there was nobody on deck.
Everyone but the sentry and the helmsman were sleeping. Ellis himself was the sentry, and the helmsman simply couldn't see him from his post.
Usually, there were several sentries, but after the battle, some were wounded and some tired enough to pass out.
Without a hassle, Ellis sent the sack down into the boat he picked. Well, it was time to visit Countess Earton. Ellis hoped she was ready, but women...
You never know what to expect with them.
He really didn't want to carry her on his back. Ellis was absolutely sure that he didn't want to kill the countess right on the ship and set it aflame. That might rouse an alarm too early. The crew could easily use the other boats to catch up with him or get to him ashore. But if he left quietly...
Could he really leave quietly if he killed Countess Earton first?
Ellis wasn't sure that she'd go down silently.
Baron Fremont had mentioned that the countess wasn't a fragile lily, her namesake flower. She was rather a predatory sundew, capable of fighting back and screaming. It was easier to bring her along and deal with her far away from the ship. In the woods, screaming and kicking wouldn't help at all. If they left quietly, nobody would be able to catch them. Maybe the countess would even be of use.
No, he had to take her. Revenge would come later.
Ellis knocked on the door of her cabin.
"Are you ready, Your Grace?"
***
No matter Lily's anxiety, the knock on the door came as a surprise. That's the voice of freedom for you—no matter how you longed for it, you couldn't quite believe your ears when it finally came.
She immediately unlocked the door and jumped aside, just in case.
The door flew open. A man was standing in the doorway. He was alone; there was no gang of sailors who hadn't seen a woman since the last waterside brothel.
"Your Grace, come quickly."
There was no blow, no backstab.
Lily nodded, threw a cloak on herself, and stepped in line with the man.
“What’s your name?”
"Ellis Rois."
It didn't tell her anything.
"Let's go."
"If I stop, freeze and don't say a word."
Lilian nodded and followed him. Could it be she was about to break free?
***
Anthony Lofrayne couldn't sleep. Why?
Hell if he knew. Right after the battle, he had taken a sip of grog and passed out, making him wide awake in the middle of the night and not in the least bit sleepy. His body had rested, his mind was clear, and the baron was so full of energy he could start dancing. Maybe in an hour, that excitement would give way to fatigue, but he still had an hour to kill. How, though?
He wanted to run, jump, train with his sword...
Tony stood up from his bed, stretched, bumped into the ceiling of his cabin, cursed inwardly, and put on his boots.
He was going to take a walk around the deck.
True, it was the middle of the night, and so what? He'd breathe the fresh air and watch the stars, so bright and clear...just like Lilian Earton's eyes.
Why was he thinking of that?
Why was that woman so nasty?
Why did she want to attack him all the time?
Fine, let's say he really had abducted Her Grace. But they were nobles! Why couldn't they find common ground? Come to an understanding? Why behave like he was her number one enemy?
Tony sighed. He liked Lilian. She wasn't just good-looking; she was smart and carried herself with dignity. Finding out that all of that masked the personality of a rabid cat wasn't easy.
But she did have a good reason to be angry. Deep down, Tony realized that the countess was right.
She had been abducted, torn apart from her family. What was she to think of her captor?
She must hate him. She must want revenge.
That was the point. Lilian Earton didn't seem like a silly girl who used words lightly. She was intelligent and level-headed. Could it be the woman he was bringing to Avester was his own death sentence?
He had to think about that.
Anthony stood on the deck, lost in thoughts.
He didn't even gasp when a powerful blow came crashing down on his head.
***
Lily glanced at Lofrayne, delighted.
Ellis had knocked him out with his fist.
"He's not dead?"
"No."
"Too bad. Will we tie him up?"
"We don't have time."
"Maybe we should throw him overboard?" Lily suggested, but Ellis was already pulling her away.
"He'll start screaming and wake everyone up."
"What if he drowns?"
She should be so lucky.
But they were already at the broadside.
"I'll jump first," Ellis said grimly. "Follow me, Countess, if you want to escape."
Lily clenched her teeth. That was a problem she hadn't anticipated.
"I don't know how to do it!"
"Just jump, and I'll catch you," Ellis Rois said, forgetting the proper form of address.
Lily breathed out.
Jumping was scary. She had never done that, not even tried using a rope swing. The other students at her school loved tying a rope to a tree with a stick on the other end and jump into a river, but she didn't like water.
"What if we try a ramp or..."
Ellis gritted his teeth but didn't argue. There were more than enough ropes onboard.
&nbs
p; He spent a few minutes attaching a noose to one of the parts of the bulwark. The rest of the rope fell overboard.
"Follow me."
"All right."
"Don't worry; I'll catch you. You won't drown."
Lily nodded.
Ellis went first. He threw his leg across the bulwark and slipped down the rope. Lily heard a splash.
For a second, she stared at the water. She was scared, scared enough to wet herself. And if so...
She had to take the leap.
There, at least, nobody would notice that she was about to piss her pants.
Her hand moved to her belly almost on its own accord.
Sorry, baby. Mama has to do something.
And then she grabbed the rope.
As she climbed down, she thanked her gym teacher, the one who had always yelled at the kids, "What if a war breaks out, and you can't even climb a rope?" Aliya could. Lilian wasn't as well-trained, but skill was more important than muscles. There was a science to climbing a rope.
Hold your hands at chest level or slightly above. Put one leg next to the rope and the other around it, pushing it on the other side and grasping it. Then climb like a centipede.
Straighten the legs, move your hands lower to grab the rope until you bend the knees, then slide down until they straighten again. Never hang loose like a slab of meat on a hook.
Come on, girl, you can do it!
For your baby, if not for yourself!
***
It didn't take long for Anthony Lofrayne to wake up. Ellis hadn't hit him that hard.
In a haze, Tony saw Lilian Earton throw her leg around the bulwark and disappear behind the washboard.
Aldonai!
She couldn’t do that! She couldn't escape!
The blow to the head had taken its toll, and Tony still had trouble thinking. That's why he didn't scream or sound the alarm.
It simply didn't occur to him.
Instead, he made a step forward, then another, and jumped overboard, ignoring any ropes.
***
Only several feet remained until the water. Lily braced herself, let go of the rope, and fell into the water like a sack of potatoes: awkward, clumsy, and not in the slightest bit graceful. She just wasn't a good swimmer.
For a second, she sank underwater, thrashing her hands, seriously afraid of being pulled under the ship's bottom, flopping around...
Oh, crap.
It was cold, cold and terrifying.
A strong hand grabbed her waist. Another jerked her hair with such force that Lily immediately came around.
"Calm down!"
That seemed to be the hardest thing when surrounded by hostile nature. She felt a hysterical fit coming on, disgusting like the saltwater on her lips.
All right. Breathe in! Breathe out! Relax!
Lily might not have made it, but Ellis wasn't going to relent.
Another pull, and Lily was afloat.
The air! She could breathe!
"I'll knock you out if you keep squirming!"
She barely suppressed the desire to hug him. They were in a boat; it was risky. Instead, she curled her hands into fists and continued breathing in and out. If anyone told her that the entire thing had taken only twenty seconds, Lilian would have never believed them. She was certain that she had been fighting for her life in the abyss for at least an hour, no matter the evidence.
Ellis was happy to see the countess simmer down. He didn't really want to knock her out: he might accidentally dislocate her jaw or break her nose in the process. After all, one had to pull no punches when dealing with a panicking person, even His Majesty in the flesh. Dragging the rescuer underwater was a very real risk.
The best thing to do in that case was to knock out the drowning person before saving them. Thankfully, he wouldn't have to do that with the countess; she had already pulled herself together. Good thing that Ellis hadn't tried to kill her in her cabin. She would have definitely managed to sound the alarm.
“I’m fine."
Ellis chuckled but didn't say anything. She wasn't screaming, thrashing around, or trying to drown him. Good enough.
"Can you swim?"
"I'll try."
Lily clenched her teeth and tried to disengage from her companion. She wasn't quite successful, scared as she was.
It was one thing to swim in shallow water, knowing that you could easily find solid ground with your feet; being in the middle of the sea at night was something else.
At least the ship wasn't moving fast.
Ellis noticed her attempts.
"Hold on here for a few minutes."
"All right."
"I'm going to unfasten the boat."
Then he dove.
Of course, Ellis didn't untie the boat—he simply cut the rope just above the noose, and the boat he picked broke away from the ship. The next thing was to get inside and row toward Lilian Earton.
Aldonai, the boat didn't want to obey him at all! Disgusting!
It made sense, though—it was designed for four oarsmen rather than one. Whatever. He'd get it to the shore; it wasn't far. But where was the countess?
As if to answer Ellis' question, a splash came from the water next to the boat, as if something heavy had fallen there...or someone?
Aldonai!
Ellis doubled down on the oars.
***
The water burned him with icy cold, slashing him like a blade, and Anthony felt better.
Aldonai, he had been so stupid! He should have screamed.
But it was too late. Screaming wouldn't help; who'd ever hear him on a ship that was rapidly gaining distance? And how much time would they need to turn it back?
Tony spun his head. So where was the countess?
Fortunately for him, the night was clear, and the stars were shining bright. There! A dark stain on the water.
In no time, he swam up to the countess and asked her tenderly,
"Going far, Your Grace?"
***
Lily was fighting to stay afloat. Yes, she knew all about swimming on her back. Lie down, submerge yourself in the water until only your face remained above it... But that was theory. In actual practice, she had never done that. The brazen water kept filling her ears, nose, and mouth. Her feet dragged her downward. Her shoulders felt like stone. No, Lily couldn't do it. She could barely keep herself from panicking.
Ellis was close; he would return with a boat soon. She just had to hold out, to buy time...
When she heard Lofrayne's furious voice right next to her, Lily couldn't take it anymore. She screamed, started writhing in the water, and sank down like a log.
She had been barely holding on, with all of her wet clothes, and that shock...
If Anthony didn't grab her by whatever he was closest to, she would have drowned for sure.
"Bitch!"
She didn't get the chance to answer as water filled her mouth. Still, spitting was just another form of response, wasn't it?
"Lilian!"
"Pshaw! Ellis!”
***
A boat! That word was music to Lily's ears, at least that night, and seeing it was just as wonderful.
A boat! Big, wooden...she could climb inside. Well, she could if Lofrayne hadn’t pushed her inside with such force that she almost broke her nose.
"What the—"
Ellis reacted quite predictably. Lofrayne's reply was just as polite. Still, Lily was in no mood to listen to their swearing.
"Aiiii!"
Lily's squealing was loud, high-pitched, and generally annoying, mostly resembling a drill boring into your ear.
The men froze, and she hurried to take advantage of the situation.
"Ellis, Anthony, if we fight, we'll drown, all of us. Let's get to the shore and decide things there."
She wasn't sure what worked—the wisdom of her suggestion or her steely tone, but the men calmed down and realized that starting a fight in the middle of the sea wasn't the best idea. They exchan
ged looks.
Ellis spat overboard.
"Start rowing, Baron..."
She had made it sound just like "moron," Lily thought.
Tony let out an obscene tirade about a certain someone swinging his fists around and making Tony's head hurt but obeyed. But no matter how much he swore, rowing was a necessity.
"There are dry clothes in the sack," Ellis said, pulling his eyes away from the oars for a second.
Lily breathed out.
“Thank you."
She immediately started looking.
There were two sacks: one had clothes, and another, provisions of some kind. Lily crawled behind the men and started pulling off the wet rags. It might not be the best idea, but falling sick seemed even worse.
The shirt and the pants were horribly oversized, but it didn't matter. What was the most important thing?
The most important thing was hiding the knife. The money could remain in her old pants; they were concealed well enough.
"No peeking."
The men weren't going to, anyway. They were busy rowing, having wisely decided that fighting and arguing could wait until they reached dry land. It couldn't end well at sea. None of them wanted to die.
Lily breathed out. Freedom? Not really, but it was the first step. After all, Lofrayne alone was easier to deal with than a ship full of mercenaries.
She'd handle that bastard, and in the worst case, she would have thrown him overboard without a moment's hesitation and never regretted a thing. She wouldn't care about slitting his throat, either. After all, surgeons were used to rather...inhumane deeds, using their knives on people all day long. How could one continue respecting human life with a job like that?
Lily wasn't altogether serious as she thought that, but the sarcasm helped her distract herself while she changed, sorted out her clothes on the benches, and even conducted an audit of the provisions, which, incidentally, included several flasks.
"Is there any wine?"
"Yes."
A pregnant woman shouldn't drink, but Lily's teeth kept rattling so much either due to cold or worry that all the drummers of the world would have envied her.
A New World Page 32
