Blacksouls

by Nicole Castroman

  “Then let me start with you. I wish to eat my meals in peace. Alone. In my cabin.”

  “Not four hours ago, you took in an entire pineapple. If you continue to eat like that, our rations won’t last long,” Kitts said, eyeing Teach’s plate.

  Teach gritted his teeth. How did the blasted man know that? In order to conceal Anne’s presence on board, Teach had decided to stockpile some food to help her regain her strength. That way, he wouldn’t have to traipse to and from the galley like he was now. “I’ve made sure there are enough rations to last us for several weeks. And since we aren’t leaving the islands behind, if we need more supplies, we can always stop.” He shouldered his way past the sergeant, drawing some satisfaction when Kitts bumped into the wall with a loud grunt, not caring that some of the water spilled down the front of the man’s shirt.

  Walking up the stairs, Teach was aware of Kitts following him, and Teach stopped mid-stride. “I’m sure you have more pressing duties than to follow me around the ship. I suggest you get to them.” Not waiting for a response, Teach turned and continued up the stairs and down the hall before arriving at the captain’s cabin, where he set the bucket down at his feet. Reaching for the handle he glanced one last time over his shoulder. Kitts watched him from the top of the stairs.

  Teach opened the door and quickly entered, before shutting it behind him. Exhaling, he waited until he heard Kitts’s footsteps continue up to the top deck. He wouldn’t put it past the man to come barging in. Kitts was proving to be even more of a problem than Teach had first anticipated. But Teach’s annoyance with Kitts faded when he was confronted with the sight of Anne’s back.

  Before she’d left the ship, Cara had dressed Anne in a pair of breeches and one of Teach’s large shirts. She’d also cut the material, so that Anne’s back was fully exposed. Angry red welts crisscrossed her skin, stretching from her neck down to her waist. Teach had stitched the largest gash shut, while Anne was still unconscious. It had been one of the hardest things he’d ever done. John had held a candle for him, while he’d pinched the skin together, trying to maintain his footing as the Triumph had sailed out to sea. As soon as she was well enough to move, he intended to switch out her clothing as well as the hammocks beneath her.

  As if sensing his presence, Anne stirred, her crystal blue eyes blinking up at him.

  “Hello,” he said softly.

  “Hello.”

  “Would you like something to drink?”

  She nodded and Teach put the bucket of water down as well as the plate of food. Refilling the skin of water, he held it to her mouth.

  “I have some food. Do you think you can eat it?” Teach asked, once she’d satisfied her thirst.

  “Please,” she said.

  Bending forward, Teach picked the plate off the floor. “I was hoping your appetite would return.” He lifted a piece of crispy bacon and held it up to her mouth.

  “I can feed myself,” Anne said, her voice tired.

  “If I remember correctly, I was a model patient when you nursed me back to health.”

  Anne snorted. She opened her mouth to argue, but Teach popped the bacon between her lips, preventing further comment. Scowling, she began to chew.

  “And now I’m asking you to do the same.” He held her gaze intently. “I need you to do this, Anne. You have to get better, so that when this is over, we can go away somewhere. And start new.”

  Teach was relieved when the corners of Anne’s mouth tilted up into the semblance of a smile. “All right,” she said.

  Despite the obvious pain in her voice, Teach could see a glimpse of the Anne that he knew. She needed time to work through what she’d endured, and as much as he wanted to help her, he didn’t want to force her to talk about it. Anne would dictate the pace of her own healing.

  Standing upright, he went and opened the small, circular window on the starboard wall, allowing the sea breeze to blow through the cabin, before returning to her side.

  “When will you tell your men?” she asked.

  About to hand her another piece of bacon, Teach paused. “About what?”

  “That I’m here.”

  “We can’t let the others know that you’re here.”

  Anne’s eyes widened. “But I thought you trusted them.”

  “I do, but Webb didn’t trust me. He kept part of my crew back in Nassau, and replaced them with his soldiers.”

  Anne was silent for a moment. “And you’re still supposed to go after Easton.”

  “Yes.”

  Closing her eyes, she drew in a shallow breath. It was clear when he’d said they were on the Triumph, she’d assumed they were escaping. “So I’m to remain in this cabin?”

  Teach didn’t respond, noting the hint of desperation in her voice. She detested being confined, and he detested telling her that that was exactly what she had to do.

  After a moment of silence, Anne opened her eyes once more, pinning him to the spot. “What about Alastair and the others? Will we still be able to meet them as planned?”

  “Benjamin is here. Apparently he did some work as a carpenter before, and we’re lucky to have him on board. As for the others, Alastair said they’d find passage aboard another ship.” Teach seriously hoped they’d been able to do just that.

  “Who will go after Webb?”

  “Right now, all I care about is that you get better and that we find Easton as quickly as possible. I have no plans beyond that.” He didn’t tell her that once his men were safe, he intended to have his revenge on the governor and his wife.

  A knock at the door prevented further comment. Teach held his finger up to his lips and stood. Anne glared at him, but remained quiet. Opening the door a crack, Teach glanced out to see one of the soldiers standing there, his expression grim. “What is it?”

  “Excuse me, captain, but there’s a problem on deck.”

  “Surely John or Kitts can deal with—”

  “They’re the problem, sir.”

  With a curse, Teach shook his head. “I’ll be right there,” he said, shutting the door. He returned to Anne’s side. She didn’t move, she simply looked at him. “Anne, I’m so sorry . . .”

  “Go,” she said at last. “You know where I’ll be.”

  With each step his irritation with Kitts rose. By the time he reached the upper deck, he was in a foul mood. There were things Teach wanted to discuss with Anne, especially now that she was regaining her strength. Teach could hear the powerful blows before he saw John and Kitts hammering each other with their fists. The scene tempted Teach to join in the fray to release some of his pent-up frustration.

  John was an exceptional fighter and he clearly had the upper hand against Kitts. Teach thought about letting it play out, but he didn’t wish to have Kitts’s blood on his hands, no matter how much he irritated Teach.

  The last time Teach had tried to stop John from fighting had been at his home in Bristol. John had discovered his betrothed, Mary, a maid in the Drummond household, in a compromising circumstance with the horse groom. For his efforts, Teach had received a fist to his stomach. Not wishing to relive that experience, Teach decided to haul Kitts to his feet instead of John. Kitts strained against his grasp like a charging bull, his face red as he kept swinging. Teach had to hand it to him, the man refused to give up.

  John wiped a hand across his bloody lip, panting as he glared at Kitts. A mocking smile played at the corners of his mouth. Teach had a sneaking suspicion John had picked the fight with the soldier.

  “Unless you wish to spend tomorrow scrubbing decks, I suggest you both stand down.”

  “He started it,” Kitts yelled, jerking out of Teach’s grasp.

  “I don’t care who started it. It ends now. And there will be no more fighting amongst the crew, is that understood?”

  Kitts stared at him sullenly. Even John appeared a bit surprised that Teach included him in his reprimand, but Teach didn’t care. He had enough concerns without worrying about his crew tearing one another ap
art one by one.

  “We need to save our energy for when we face Easton. And face him we will. Tomorrow we sail for the cove where Webb says he was last seen.” Teach eyed his men, striding up and down their ranks. “If he isn’t there, we’ll move on to the next one, and the next, until we find the bounder and take him back to Webb. Once we’re back in Nassau, you can do what you like. But as long as you’re on my ship, you’ll do as I say. Is that understood?”

  A few of the men grumbled their acquiescence. Teach realized that perhaps Kitts had been right. He should have addressed his men earlier, but he’d been so concerned with Anne that he hadn’t given his crew much thought. He would never regret the time he’d spent with her, but he recognized it had cost him in regard to his men. If he wanted them to work as one against Easton, he needed to devote some time to them.

  “What we’ve set out to do won’t be easy. We’ve all heard accounts of Easton’s cruelty and cunning. He likes to torture his victims. Once we find him, we’ll have to strike fast. We can’t let him get the upper hand. And when we emerge victorious, there will be a reward.”

  Teach ignored the twinge of guilt he felt, knowing that the governor had no intention of paying these men. Looking at their dirty and scarred faces, he knew they hadn’t come from a privileged background like he had. Many of these men had grown up on the streets of Bristol, fighting for their very survival. Teach knew a portion of them well and trusted them with his life, but it was time to get to know the others.

  “Whatever spoils we discover, we will give the governor one half of the net gains. The rest will be split equally. From the bosun to the cooper, all the way up to me. Each man will get his fair share. But we have to work together. And we have to find Easton.”

  Kitts’s outrage was instantaneous. “You can’t promise that! Whatever plunder Easton has goes directly to Webb.”

  “You can give your portion to the governor, then. I plan to pay these men for their time.”

  “The governor won’t allow it!”

  “Who’s going to tell him?” Teach asked, motioning to the outraged crew surrounding them. “It might be uncomfortable for you in Nassau if these men know you prevented them from collecting their coin.”

  With a surly look, Kitts’s shoulders slumped. “The governor will hear about this.”

  “If you manage to live that long,” Teach said.

  CHAPTER 25

  Anne

  The skin on Anne’s back throbbed with every heartbeat, but the pain wasn’t as intense as it had been. Teach had broken her out of the fort four days ago, but she was grateful she’d slept for most of that time. He’d checked to make sure her stitches were still intact. Some places on her back were so painful, she’d shuddered where he’d touched her.

  She looked out the windows of the Triumph as the ship rose and fell in rhythmic motion, glad that her position on the table afforded her a decent view. She lay on her stomach with her chin resting on her hands. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine she was flying.

  As much as she disliked being on a ship again, she had to admit it was rather beautiful. The sapphire sea was topped with white-tipped waves, colliding and breaking into wisps of spray. The sky was dotted with feathery clouds, the afternoon sun low on the horizon. It was times like these when she could understand why Teach had fallen in love with the sea.

  A soft knock at the door interrupted Anne’s reverie and she turned to see John poke his head in, a sheepish expression on his face. He sported a black eye and a swollen lip. She motioned for him to enter. Teach had made it very clear that she needed to remain quiet. If any of the crew discovered her presence on the ship, it would prove disastrous.

  That was probably why Teach had only come to check on her once during the night, when half of the men were asleep. The other half were on deck, keeping watch for any sign of Easton. They’d anchored in the cay where the pirate was last spotted, but of course there had been no sign of him or his ship.

  “It’s good to see you awake, Miss Anne,” John said as he took a seat on the chair at her side. His movements were guarded, as if he feared making too much noise.

  Anne smiled at John, noting how he kept his eyes strictly trained on her face. She knew how unconventional her attire was, but she had to admit, she was grateful she wasn’t trapped by layers of petticoats and skirts. Not to mention the comfort the breeches provided. During the day, the cabin was hot and stuffy, despite the open window. Anne pictured Reva racing out the back door of the Fox in her breeches and Cara’s reaction. If only Cara could see Anne now. “Did Teach ask you to keep me company?”

  John flushed. “Aye.”

  She waited for him to say something else, but he simply sat beside her, an awkward silence filling the space between them as he played with a hole in the knee of his breeches. Only the sound of the waves against the hull disturbed the quiet. Anne could imagine how uncomfortable it must be for him to see her like this. The first few times she’d seen the scars on Benjamin’s arms, she hadn’t known where to look either.

  “What happened to you?” she asked at length, motioning to his bruised face. She had enough silence when she was alone, with nothing but her thoughts for company.

  John grinned slightly, a glint in his eyes. “I had a bit of sport with Kitts.”

  “Who’s Kitts?” she asked, finding herself returning his smile. He reminded her of an unruly boy, caught doing something wrong, but unrepentant about it.

  “An arrogant arse.”

  Anne couldn’t stop her bark of laughter. Both she and John froze, looking over at the door to determine if anyone had heard her. After a moment, their eyes met and the two of them dissolved into muffled laughter, each of them shushing the other one. Anne tried to remain still, aware of the pain her movements caused. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she wasn’t sure if it was because of the soreness of her back or John’s expression.

  Eventually, they quieted down.

  “I’m sorry, Miss Anne. I shouldn’t have said that in front of you.”

  With her chin resting on her hands once again, she shook her head. “There’s no need to apologize. I appreciate your honesty. But now I’m curious to meet this Kitts for myself.”

  “Oh no. You don’t want to do that. He’s a pain in the—” John stopped himself just in time. “He’s not someone you can be around for long. I think Teach is ready to have him committed to the sea.”

  “Is he so terrible?”

  John nodded. “Aye. Webb sent him to keep an eye on Teach, and the bounder is doing a good job of it. That’s why Teach can’t spend as much time with you, now that he knows you’re on the mend. He can’t risk anyone finding out about you.”

  “Surely Kitts isn’t that severe.”

  “Kitts makes a clergy look like a sinner. I’ve never seen anyone so intent on following the letter of the law.”

  “And you say he’s giving Teach trouble?”

  “Aye. Every time Teach turns around, Kitts is there to remind him of his duty. He’s a bit like Richard Drummond in that regard. Just not as old.”

  “I thought he would be free of that once he left his father’s house.”

  John shook his head. “I’m afraid there will always be a small part of Teach who longs for his father’s approval. Kitts is obedient, something Teach will never be.”

  Anne raised an eyebrow at him. “It sounds like Kitts truly is an arse. If that’s the case, perhaps he and Teach have more in common than they realize.”

  It was John’s turn to raise a brow at her. “For shame, Miss Anne. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.” She rolled her eyes and he winked at her. “Teach won’t let me come back if he knows I’ve been a bad influence.”

  “I don’t care what Teach says. He might be in charge of this ship, but he’s not in charge of me. And I’ll be hurt if you don’t come back to visit. You’re saving me from boredom, a most terrible fate.”

  John’s smile faded. “Actually, it was Teach who did that. H
e came to us while we were still in the fort. Asked me to cause a distraction. That’s when he got you away from Webb. Broke you clean out of jail. So you see, he’ll never be submissive like Kitts.” He glanced around the cabin. “I know you don’t like being shut up in here, but this was Teach’s only option.”

  Anne cleared her throat. “I know. But maybe I don’t have to stay here the entire time. Perhaps I could come out at night. Dressed like this, nobody would suspect I’m a girl.” Even as she said the words, Anne realized how ridiculous they sounded. By now the entire crew must recognize everyone on board. She would certainly stand out, but she’d never been one to sit idly by and wait for things to happen. And she didn’t suppose Teach would agree to leave her on one of the islands either. Too much could go wrong.

  “If it was just the men from the Deliverance, Teach might agree to it. He blames himself that this whole thing happened. He didn’t want to lead the mutiny, but if he hadn’t intervened, the lot of us would find ourselves in Davy Jones’s Locker.”

  “I don’t blame Teach. He saved my life.”

  John looked relieved. “It’s Kitts’s fault you have to stay in here. With Webb’s men on board, we don’t know exactly who we can trust.”

  “I’m beginning to dislike Kitts as well,” Anne muttered.

  “I could deep-six him if you like.”

  She had no doubt that John would use any opportunity to throw Kitts overboard. “I don’t think Teach would allow you to do that.”

  “He’d probably like to do it himself. He’s worried sick that Kitts and the others will find out about you.”

  Anne couldn’t imagine the stress Teach was under. “You’re a good friend, John. Teach is lucky to have you.”

  John grinned again. “He tells me that all the time. But I’m the lucky one. He gave me a chance when nobody else would. It’s because of him that I’m able to send money home to my family.”

  “My mother always said your friend is your mirror.”

  Red suffused John’s cheeks. “That’s sounds rather nice. I like it more than what my ma used to say to me.”