Hey! Wow, chapter seven...! I feel terrible for taking so long to post this one. Thanks to all of my readers, and a big shoutout to everyone who leaves reviews. Edits/comments are always welcome. (No really, nobody's said anything about the smut and I'm worried you all think it's terrible...). Knowing people are reading this keeps me going! ^_^" Enjoy!
CHAPTER SEVEN
"I think they're gaining on us." Miguel frowned deeply, pressing the telescope to his eye once again. They'd been sailing for a few hours now, at top speed for El Dorado. Spain was far, far behind them. A faint glow of light was creeping over the horizon, signaling the approaching sunrise. Both of them were aching for sleep, but neither of them dared to rest longer than a few minutes. Despite their good speed, however, the pursuing ship remained fixed behind them in their path.
And they were getting closer.
Though they couldn't see anyone on board through their flimsy telescope, Miguel was positive that the dreadful Cortez himself was sailing it. And Chel - oh, that little traitor! Sure, Miguel hadn't been particularly fond of the girl before. But never would he have expected she would be seeking them out to collect the bounty all for herself. And to think - he'd felt bad that they were leaving her behind! Now, he couldn't wait to put as much distance as possible between her, Cortez, and anyone else on that ship following them.
Tulio was pacing back and forth in front of the helm, gripping the map tightly in one hand, the compass in the other. Occasionally, he would step up to the bulky wooden wheel and make an adjustment to keep them on course. For the hundredth time, Miguel was grateful that Tulio knew how to navigate. Without him, Miguel would be lost at sea forever, drifting farther off course with each passing minute. But he trusted Tulio, through all hi current panic, and it reassured him that they'd sailed this distance before.
"We can't let them catch us..." Tulio grumbled, his thudding steps on the deck accenting each word.
"They won't," Miguel stated flatly, swallowing the lump in his throat with uncertainty. Maybe they wouldn't catch up to them over open waters, but what about when they reached El Dorado? After all, Cortez knew exactly where the land was. They would follow them as lazily as they pleased and find the two of them and Altivo with ease. And what then? How could the two of them fight of Cortez and his soldiers, all alone, with nowhere left to run?
Miguel slumped down, folding up the telescope and tucking it inside his shirt. His eyes were weary, and it was growing increasingly difficult for him to see straight. If he closed them for more than a few moments, it was quite possible he would fall asleep on the spot. He swung his head around to see Altivo sleeping on the far end of the deck. His head bobbed forward, fighting sleep, and he slapped his own face gently to stay alert.
Tulio, of course, observed this. He paused momentarily in his pacing and crossed his arms. "Miguel, you should eat something and get some rest."
"What about you?"
"Don't worry about me. I'll stay up for now, and you can take over for a while later. If we both force ourselves to stay awake forever, we won't know which way is up by the time we reach the island, let alone which direction to follow. Here - " He walked over to where the barrels of food were, and withdrew a small slice of dried meat. "Eat this first." He crossed back over to where Miguel was slumped against the railing and handed it to him, their fingers brushing lightly in the brief transaction.
Miguel mumbled a thank you - at least, he thought he did, he wasn't sure if the words were able to form sound, with how exhausted he was. He consumed the food in just a few minutes, and leaned his head back against the railing. His heavy-feeling eyes fluttered closed.
"You know, you could go below deck and sleep in a cot," Tulio offered, but no sooner had the words been spoken than Miguel was already asleep.
By the time he awoke, the dark sky was tinged a range of pinks and oranges, and the night had slipped away. Immediately, he pulled himself to his feet, gripping the railing. Even without the telescope, he could plainly see that they were still being followed. He swore under his breath and rubbed at his sore neck, turning back to face Tulio. The dark-haired man was slumped over on the wheel, barely awake himself at that point.
"Tulio, you look absolutely unable to function anymore. I think it's your turn for rest," Miguel insisted. "I'll keep us on course for a while, okay? I think I can handle it for a bit." He slipped Tulio's arm over his shoulders for support and lifted him away from the helm, guiding him over to where Altivo was still sleeping peacefully. With a faint, wordless, murmur, Tulio curled up against the horse's warm side and closed his eyes.
Forgetting the severity of their situation for a minute, Miguel's face melted into a smile of adoration as he gazed down upon his love. All he wished for them was peace. Somewhere they didn't have to worry about soldiers, or vengeful ex-girlfriends, for that matter. They just wanted to be happy together. Was that really too much to ask?
Leaving Tulio to his well-earned sleep, Miguel made his way back to the helm, taking hold of the wheel. Fortunately, the waters were calm for now. The sky was mostly clear overhead, with only a few drifting gray clouds interrupting to vibrant morning colors.
They sailed along like that for several more hours. Miguel stared determinedly ahead, trying not to let himself look back very often - although he failed. He sure hoped they were going the right way. How long had it been? Could he wake Tulio soon?
That question answered itself, in a sense. He heard a loud whinny from Altivo, followed by a frustrated grumble from Tulio. Miguel peered at him anxiously as both man and horse wandered over to him.
"Did you get enough rest?" he asked.
Tulio nodded slowly. "I'm... hungry though. Come on, Altivo." He led the horse over towards the food barrels and burlap sacks. He offered several apples and some carrots to Altivo, who greedily gobbled them up. He then extracted some dried meat and bread for himself, shuffling back towards Miguel with a bite of bread in his mouth.
"Do you want me to take over?"
"Um, well, perhaps. Yes. Honestly I have no idea if we're still on course or not."
"Let me see," Tulio took the map and compass from him. Miguel wasn't sure what he was doing with them or how he was checking them, but after a few minutes, Tulio gave a curt nod. "We're right on course still. Good job, Miguel. I'm proud of you."
Miguel beamed like a praised puppy momentarily. But it was brief - Tulio turned around and let out a dismayed groan. As expected, their pursuers were still close behind. Tulio swore under his breath and pounded the wheel with his fist.
"Tulio... what are we going to do?" Miguel asked hesitantly. He stood paused behind Tulio and to his left, ready to walk away but waiting for his reply.
Tulio released a great sigh and rolled his shoulders. "I don't know," he admitted, sounding defeated. "I don't know what we could possibly do right now. All we can do is keep going and hope for some sort of miracle. We've made it this far, we can't surrender now."
"...Alright." Not knowing any words of comfort he could possibly offer, Miguel strode across the deck over to where Altivo was, staring out at the waves and still chewing some of the food Tulio had given him.
Their miracle came that evening.
The fleeting gray clouds that had been drifting through the sky all day gathered together overhead. They watched the sky darken with unease, and shared terrified glances as the light ocean breeze turned into a salty gust.
"Tulio..?" Miguel whimpered, looking up with unease.
"Storm clouds." Tulio's grip tightened on the steering column. "Get all of the food below deck. I don't want any of it going overboard if this gets rough."
Without argument, Miguel nodded and made his way over to the barrels and sacks of food. He took several trips below deck to relocate all of the supplies, but soon everything was safely stored beneath them. Altivo was trotting around the deck nervously, and they could see the waves around the ship beginning to stir with a more vicious motion. The tender blue sky was now replaced entirely with varying shades of dark gray blended with ominous black shadows.
Miguel stood by Tulio's side, placing a trembling hand upon his shoulder. "Tulio, can we handle this?"
Tulio nodded curtly. "We have no choice. Failure in this situation means death. We have to tough this out. It's gonna get bad, and soon. The wind is picking up fast. We can only hope that Cortez will get lost in the storm."
"What if they catch us? While we're vulnerable?"
"You can't think like that, Miguel."
"Sorry..." Miguel let out a sigh riddled with fear and anxiety.
"Hey, don't look that way..." Tulio turned to see the pained expression on his face, although he met it with one of his own. "We can get through this. We've come this far. We made it out of El Dorado, sailed this very ship all the way back to Spain, dodged Cortez... now we're just doing the same thing in reverse. Easy."
"I hope you're right."
"I am right. Trust me." Tulio slid an arm around hi waist and pulled him close, planting a firm kiss on his lips. "Better?"
Miguel grinned sheepishly. "A little, yeah."
"Alright, good." Tulio cracked a smile to see the predictable blush creep across Miguel's cheeks.
Just as he spoke, a fat raindrop landed on Miguel's nose. He gasped and twitched in surprise, wiping off the drop with his fingertip. His blush quickly disappeared and he went paler than before. Nervously, he clung to Tulio. "I trust you to get us through this safely," he told murmured.
On deck in front of them, Altivo let forth a loud snort as the cold raindrops began hitting his flank. He stomped over to them, seeking some sort of refuge. Miguel wished they could take the horse below deck, but he couldn't go down the ladder. If it got too bad, they could keep him in the captain's cabin above deck. In fact, it was probably a better idea to do it now.
Miguel grabbed hold of Altivo's reins and guided the horse across the deck towards the cabin. "What are you doing?" Tulio called after him.
"Poor horse deserves to stay dry, doesn't he? I'm putting him in here." He gestured to the cabin as he approached it with the horse in tow. He opened the door with his free hand and urged Altivo inside.
"Now, stay here, alright boy? You'll be nice and warm and dry in here." he patted his furry neck affectionately and left to rejoin Tulio at the helm.
The rain was intensifying quickly. He clung to Tulio, careful not to get in his way of steering the ship. The dark-haired man stood rigid, intent on guiding them through the growing treachery of waves. Behind them, it wasn't evident whether or not the other ship was struggling yet.
The first loud clap of thunder made the two of them nearly jump out of their skin. Miguel covered his ears and gazed up at the swirling dark sky, watching for lightning. electricity lit up the clouds in a show that might have been impressive had it not posed such a danger. The ship rocked on the waves, and it was difficult for them to stand upright where they were.
"The sails, Miguel! Get the sails!" Tulio commanded over the din. "The wind is going to blow us off course!"
The two of them darted about the ship, frantically closing up the sails as quickly as they could. Once they were all folded, they could feel the difference. Cortez's ship still had it's sails billowing about in the wind, and they could only hope that their enemies would be led astray by the mad gusts.
The two of them stumbled sideways as the ship tossed one way, then the other. There was a blinding flash of lightning, followed closely by a peal of thunder so terrible that it shook the ship.
"Look!" Tulio cried suddenly, pointing a finger in the direction of the other ship. Miguel swung his head around, his rain-drenched hair slapping his face with the movement. Through the sheets of rain, he could just make out the figure of Cortez's ship. It rocked madly on the rolling waves, like a child's toy boat struggling to stay afloat. Briefly, he wondered if their ship was fairing just as poorly.
Lightning snaked across the sky again, and they both squeezed their eyes shut against the flash. They watched, awestruck, as a white tendril of electricity snaked down from the dark mass of thunderclouds and collided with the wooden mast of Cortez's ship. They could hear the loud crack! even from this distance. They held each other tightly, unable to tear their eyes away from the sight. The mast erupted in flames, which spread quickly to the sails. Miguel swore he could hear screaming, but surely not, from this distance? The fire ate its way down the tall mast and consumed the sails, leaving them in rags. It leapt down to the deck, and Miguel turned away, horrified. He buried his face in Tulio's chest, breathing heavily.
"Oh, it's terrible, it's terrible..." he muttered, horrified.
Tulio patted his back in a way that was meant to be reassuring. "They can't catch us now, Miguel. Don't sympathize for them. They would have killed us if they'd caught up to our ship."
"I know, but..."
"It's alright, Miguel."
They rode out the rest of the deafening storm without another word. Miguel knew that Tulio was right, that he shouldn't feel sorry for any of them. It still struck terror in him to see the other ship go down in flames. He'd seen some lifeboats go down, so perhaps there were some survivors. No matter, though. They could sail to El Dorado without constantly looking over their shoulder now.
Eventually, the storm cleared. Tulio checked the map and compass about a dozen times, and finally confirmed that they'd only gone slightly off course. He corrected for it right away, and they sailed on through the next few days in peace.
