Within A Captain's Soul

by Lisa A. Olech

  If he could just see her again. Scribble on a hunk of slate and ask her to tell him the whole story. If it were true that she’d coldly used him, he wanted to know. Better that than holding on to some misguided illusions. Bloody hell. Look around you, you sorry bastard. This sure as hell screamed of some cold-as-ice manipulations. They didn’t call Jian Jun the Ice Empress for nothing.

  He leaned his aching head against the bars and closed his eyes. Maybe losing his head wouldn’t be the worst thing.

  Something solid hit his shoulder. Will’s eyes snapped open and he peered out into the dim space. A rough ball of straw-wrapped dung rolled away from the bars. Had some scurvy-arsed bilge rat thrown shit at him?

  A man a few cells from his peered at him through the bars. In his hand, he held another straw ball. Son of a bitch! Wide eyes stared out at Will from a grimy bearded face. Will gave him the universal sign of the one-fingered salute as he stood to move away from the bars.

  When the man waved his arms wildly at Will, he stopped and peered closer. Then the man dropped the ball he held and used his hand to tap at his shoulder, ‘Captain?’

  The air punched out of Will’s lungs. He gripped tight to the bars and squinted to see better through the murk. The man called out to the cells on either side of him. The other occupants scrambled to their doors. The first man pointed at Will and signed ‘Captain’ once more.

  Was he seeing things? How…? It couldn’t be. Griffin? And the man next to him was a ragged, beaten Simon Hills, his helmsman. It took him a moment longer to recognize the third man as part of his face was obscured by a darkened bandage. It was Higgins, the quartermaster from the Scarlet Night.

  They’d survived the wreck? His heart tried to race out of his chest. Will scrubbed his hand over his eyes before trusting what he was seeing. Survivors. He tugged in vain on the bars of his cell. Who else had made it? Were there more here? He held tight to the reins of his hope. Could Tupper be among them? Will quickly signed to Griffin. ‘How many of you?’

  Griffin pointed to them and held up three fingers. That was it. No more. The wound of his heart burned with a renewed sting. It was a long shot. Still, the rush of joy at seeing these few members of his crew filled Will’s soul. He hadn’t been the only one. Will held his forehead. He’d given up all hope. Thank God, he’d been wrong. Who knows? There could be more of them out there.

  Will shook his finger at Griffin. ‘Where are we? How did you get here?’

  ‘Pulled from the sea after the wreck. Locked us up straight away. Think we’re spies.’ Griffin spelled the last word.

  ‘Who?’ Will asked, even though he knew the answer.

  ‘Dragon’s Fire. Sailed straight into the dragon’s den. Told us Jian Jun wouldn’t let us live.’ Griffin struggled to spell the words he didn’t have gestures for. ‘Scuttled what was left of the Night.’

  ‘Didn’t the ship break up on the reef? What was left?’

  ‘Did hit the reef. Hard. Shattered the bow. Opened us clean to the forward mast. Listed hard to starboard. Taking on water by the barrel load, but the aft got hung up on the coral.’

  Will hesitated, but he had to ask again. ‘Tupper?’

  Griffin gave a slight shake to his head. ‘Saw her go down. Rode the bowsprit straight into the waves.’

  Will swallowed hard. How much confirmation did he need? Did he have to see her waterlogged corpse to believe she was truly gone? ‘The others?’

  Griffin shook his head again and gestured. ‘Waves tore us apart. You know what the seas were like. We were the lucky ones.’ He slammed a palm against the bars. ‘Lucky, my arse. Locked up like an animal. Waiting for dragon lady to swing her bloody sword. Would have rather gone down with the blasted ship.’

  Will agreed. Another thing Griffin had signed nagged at him. ‘Said they scuttled the rest?’

  ‘After they dragged our sorry hides out of the drink, their men took what they could salvage, dozen chests, barrels, whatever they could carry. Waves were still high when they came about and leveled the guns. Blew the rest of the Scarlet to bits.’

  Will frowned. If Jun’s men stripped the ship of all its plunder, why the hell had they gathered a small pile of rubble on the beach for him to sift through? He looked back at Griffin.

  He was still signing. ‘Dragged us aboard this barge. Been here since.’

  ‘You’re sure it was Jian Jun’s men?’

  Griffin nodded. ‘That’s what they said.’

  ‘Did you see her?’

  ‘No. Told we would see her just before she killed us.’ Griffin made sharp, hard signs. ‘Heard she’s an ugly bitch.’

  The rush to defend Jun surged through him. Jun’s image lingered in his mind’s eye. Will didn’t take the time to explain to Griffin that “ugly bitch” couldn’t have been more wrong. Her beauty would steal his breath away. However, the question of her role in the capture of his surviving crew and the rest still gnawed at Will. He scrubbed at his jaw. None of this was adding up.

  Will signed to Griffin again. ‘Officers?’

  ‘One or two. Took their orders from a…’ Griffin stopped to spell. ‘p-u-r-p-l-e man.’

  Peng. It had to be him. Will ran a hand over his forehead. The more he heard the less things made sense. If Jun had known about Griffin and the others, why wouldn’t she tell him? And why would she go through all the trouble of arranging an insignificant pile of wreckage for him to inspect? If they’d helped themselves to the ship’s bounties before they scuttled it, why leave him anything? Certainly they would have recognized the log box as valuable. Why bother giving it back to him at all?

  His head throbbed with the effort to figure it all out.

  Another ball of shit hit Will in the thigh. He glared at Griffin. ‘Will you stop throwing shit at me.’

  ‘Trying to get your attention.’

  Will shook his upturned hand at Griffin. ‘What?’

  ‘Where have you been all this time?’

  Good question. Will jerked back, as if he’d been slapped. Where had he been and with whom? Had everything been an elaborate lie? And for what reason? God, his head hurt. Will rubbed a hand over his eyes before answering the man.

  Slowly, he signed, ‘I’m not sure.’

  Chapter 22

  Will paced his cage and kicked at the regiment of rats that scurried along the filthy walls. The longer he pondered, however, the less sense he made of everything he’d learned.

  Griffin, Hills, and Higgins had been here almost two weeks. If the plan was to kill them, what were they waiting for? From all he’d observed, justice was swift among Jun’s numbers. Why the hesitation? And why hadn’t Will joined what remained of his crew when he’d washed ashore? They captured him quickly enough. He still had sand caked on his face when they dragged him in to the great hall that first day. Why then the pretense of giving him his own quarters along with the freedom to come and go? True, they had set that cabbage-reeking tail on him. Did they think he would reveal some plot against them?

  And why…why would Jun allow him so deeply into her life? Into her bed if they believed him to be a threat to her? Still hoping he’d reveal something? Did they suspect he could talk after all? In his sleep?

  As angry and confused as he was, Will couldn’t rid his mind of the last time he and Jun had been together. In the filth of his cell, the light fading on the day, Will couldn’t help but remember their nights. Feeding each other and making love in the garden surrounded by the beauty of the plants and the heady scent of the flowers. Jun’s gentle hand leading him to her bed. Slowly taking his clothes off.

  She’d enchanted him last night. Settling him between her thighs. Taking him into the slick heat of her body while he braced himself over her to keep from crushing her. Her beautiful legs wrapped tight around his waist. The rhythm of his hips pushing him deeper and deeper into her with each thrust. Looking down into
her flushed face as she rocked beneath him, signing ‘More…more…more’ until his body couldn’t contain his passion another moment and poured into her.

  If all of that had been faked, he bloody well deserved to lose his head.

  A shaft of lantern light caught Will’s attention as someone moved between the cells. They’d already received their meal of maggot-ridden bread and piss water. Was it time for dessert?

  The man was dressed in the cotton changshan of a native, but the short curly hair on his head debated that assumption.

  Lifting the lantern high, the man made his way past the occupied cells, peering in at their sleeping occupants, almost as if he were searching for someone.

  When he came to Will’s cell, he startled to find Will awake, and standing so close to the bars. He pulled back in shock, but held the lantern closer to Will, squinting at him.

  Will blinked against the light’s assault. Who the hell was this?

  As the question formed in Will’s mind the man’s jaw went slack. His mouth moved as he said something, then he held up one hand, crossed his thumb over his palm and tapped the outer corner of his eyebrow with his fingertips.

  Bloody hell, the bastard just called me Bump!

  Behind him, Will saw Griffin get up and peer out between the bars of his cell, then say something. The man before Will turned and exchanged some words with Griffin. Soon, Hills and Higgins were on their feet as well.

  Will slammed his palm against the bars to get the man’s attention. When he turned back, Will studied his face. He looked familiar somehow, but he couldn’t recall how he might know the stranger. He was definitely a westerner. And he obviously knew Will…or at least he knew him as Bump.

  The man in front of him, signed, ‘It’s me.’

  Bloody hell, that wasn’t helping him. Will stared at him again.

  He signed, ‘A slow arm.’

  Will shook his head in frustration. What the hell?

  The man gestures were hesitant and clumsy. ‘Don’t remember how to chicken.’

  Will pointed to Griffin and gestured. ‘Do you know what he’s trying to say?’

  Griffin spoke to the man and translated. ‘He says it’s been a long time. He can’t remember how to talk to you.’

  ‘Who the fuck is he?’

  The man pointed to Will’s fingers and laughed. ‘I know fuck. I remember fuck,’ he signed.

  Griffin asked the man a question. The man turned back to Will and spelled. ‘d-o,’ he frowned and raised three fingers, ‘w-d.’ He gave Will a quick, satisfied nod.

  ‘Who?’ Will looked back to Griffin in question.

  Griffin spelled it quicker. ‘D-o-w-d.’

  It was Will’s turn to pull back in shock and let his jaw go slack. It had to have been close to fifteen years. He peered at the man. Recognition finally registered with his brain. He’d been with the Scarlet crew since before the great earthquake of ninety-two.

  Son of a bitch. They’d been gangly teenagers then. Dowd was the bloke that hurled his guts every time Ric Robbins ordered him to climb into the crow’s nest. He’d been one of the handful of crew to have stayed on the ship and survived the earthquake. And somehow because of his harrowing brush with death, he grew into a reckless, horny bastard that chased everything in a corset. He left the Night to rut under the skirts of some Italian merchant’s daughter if Will’s memory was right. How the hell had he gotten here?

  Will pointed, ‘I remember you.’

  ‘You better, you sorry excuse for a big bosom.’

  Will begged Griffin, ‘Please get him to stop signing. He just called me a giant tit. Ask him how he got here? Last I saw him we were sailing off the coast of Portugal.’

  It took Griffin a minute to get all the information, but only a few gestures to translate. ‘Man’s a horndog.’

  Will nodded. ‘Tell me something I don’t already know.’

  ‘Chased one woman after another. Daughters of spice merchants. Wives of silk traders. Worked the silk road. Met a beautiful Chinese girl. Got her pregnant. Now he sails with the Dragon’s Fire.’ Griffin listened some more. ‘Questions came down through the fleet. Asking about Scarlet Night. Heard there were prisoners. Close to home port, he transferred to another ship to reach Pandang. See his wife, daughter. See if he knew any of the prisoners. Find out what happened to the ship.’

  With Griffin’s help, Will asked Dowd for news from Pandang. Had he heard anything more about them around the fleet?

  ‘No. Things are strange in the village.’

  A wave of unease washed over Will. Impatience at the translation back and forth rose until he wanted to reach through the bars and shake the man. ‘Strange how?’

  ‘Tension is high. Too many ships packed into the harbor. Lots of soldiers roaming streets. Can’t find his wife. No one has seen her. She works directly for Jian Jun. Refused entry. None have seen her either. Not since dawn. Nothing is disturbed at his wife’s home. Like they just disappeared.’

  Will’s eyebrows raised. ‘You’re Qi’s father.’

  Dowd didn’t need Griffin to translate. ‘You know Qi?’

  Will nodded. ‘And Ting.’

  ‘Where are they?’

  His earlier wave of unease turned into a tidal wave. Will pressed a hand to his stomach as his gut twisted. ‘I don’t know. Griffin, translate.’ Will was quick to explain seeing Ting and Qi last night, and being seized this morning. They were safe and well the last time he saw them all, but he was concerned. If Ting and Qi and Jun were all missing, it was more than likely Peng had something to do with it.

  ‘Do you mean Chou Peng? General Chou?’

  Will nodded.

  ‘Ting dislikes him. Doesn’t trust him. He’s been cruel to Qi when he thinks no one sees.’ Dowd confessed.

  The tidal wave crashed over his head. Anger had Will reaching through the bars and grabbing for Dowd’s chest. ‘Get us out of here. We’ll help you find them.’

  Dowd shook his head. ‘You’re crazy. Even if I could get you off this ship, the village is full of Peng’s muscle.’

  Will shoved at Dowd. ‘I think he has done something with Ting and Qi. If I can talk to Jian Jun she’ll know where they are. I know a secret passageway into her private quarters.’

  Dowd held up his hands as if to surrender. ‘If they catch me, I’m dead.’

  ‘Better you than Qi.’

  The man’s jaw hardened. A dark glare crossed over his face. ‘If he’s touched her…’

  Will’s hope rekindled. Dowd may have been a confirmed womanizer in the past, but it was clear he loved his daughter and would defend her with his life.

  ‘Find the keys and bring them to me, then get yourself away. I’ll take care of the rest. We’ll meet you on the north side of the palace, by the walled gardens.’ Will patted the man’s shoulder. ‘I promise you, we’ll find her.’

  Dowd’s throat worked before he nodded and signed. ‘You’re not far from shore, but you’ll have to swim.’

  ‘I’ve done that before.’ He held the man’s concerned stare a moment longer. ‘Come on, time’s wasting. We need the cover of night if we’re going to get out of here.’

  ‘You don’t know how swift the punishment for disobedience is. I could be dead before you hit the water and then who would find my family?’

  ‘They’ll never know it was you.’ Will reached out and lowered the flame on the lantern. ‘Douse that light, get me the keys, and get the hell away from here. You have my word, I’ll never tell a soul.’

  Dowd reached through the bars and shook Will’s hand. They exchanged no words after that. No signs or gestures. They didn’t need to. Dowd would help them. Time and distance would never diminish the fact that they had once been loyal shipmates. Fought battles together. They would still stand back to back and fight for one another now. It was part of the code.
/>   Darkness blanketed the deck. Will swallowed his instinctual anxiety. Cold beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Closing his eyes, he could picture the layout in his mind. He would stand here until he had the key in his hand, then he would praise the darkness.

  Will leaned against the bars. Hurry Dowd. As his mind had done since the day he washed up on the shores of Pandang, he instantly thought of Jun. Her image floated through his mind of its own accord.

  He ground his teeth together. As soon as Dowd had told him Ting, Qi, and Jun hadn’t been seen since early that morning, a sick twist had begun in his stomach. All the doubts, all the speculation surrounding his thoughts of any manipulation on Jun’s part soured and threatened to eat a hole through his belly.

  How could he have questioned what happened between them? This was Peng’s doing. It all started to make sense. With what Griffin told him, Peng’s men had captured the survivors of the Scarlet Night and Peng had taken what he could before scuttling the ship. He was stealing from Jun and had rigged the “discovery” of the ship’s wreckage to throw her off the track of his deceit.

  Will had fallen into the trap as well. He should have trusted his instincts when he saw those men meeting with Peng that morning. He’d known they were up to something, but had no proof to bring his accusations to Jun. He must have gotten too close for comfort. Otherwise he wouldn’t be sharing a room with the rats.

  And the logbook. Will hadn’t figured out when Peng stole the pages, but it would make sense if he was plotting something against Jun. The information contained on those pages would come in mighty handy, but he couldn’t mysteriously produce pages without first establishing the presence of the logs. He must have realized what he had from the bounty of the Night and concocted the entire scenario. Will had played right into his bony hands, and now he had Jun.

  Come on Dowd. Where the hell are you?

  Chapter 23

  A hand touched Will’s shoulder in the dark before Dowd fumbled a ring of heavy iron keys into his hands. There had to be twenty. Will reached out to thank Dowd, but his reach hit air. He wasted no time in starting the methodical task of testing each one, careful not to let them rattle. He might not be able to hear them, but surer than shit, the guards would.