Show Me the Horizon
Chapter 11
Cotton and Pete exchanged horrified glances. Quickly Pete slashed the line holding them to the Banshee and they began to row with all their might. Gibbs, who had been watching the deck of the Banshee through his telescope, gasped when the swords came out. When he saw LeSerre disarm Annamaria he dropped the telescope. "Weigh anchor!" he shouted. "Ready the guns, be ready to raise the sails!"
Elizabeth hurried up. "What's happened!"?
"Something's gone wrong," he said thrusting the telescope at Elizabeth.
She grabbed it and looked through. It showed her Will, held by two sailors, being hustled from sight. "You can't mean to leave them!" she said incredulously.
"We're sitting ducks here, missy," said Gibbs. "He'll blast us into splinters unless we get moving." He shouted to the crew. "Raise the sails as soon as the boat returns!"
Pete and Cotton climbed aboard looking breathless. "What happened!" demanded Elizabeth.
Pete answered her. "Jack isn't there. They marooned him on the coast of Cuba a few days after they captured him."
"Cuba?" gasped Gibbs. "He could fall into the hands of the Spanish?"
"What about Will?" insisted Elizabeth.
"We'll follow them," said Gibbs. "We'll chase his ship until she docks somewhere, and then we'll board her and rescue Will and Annamaria. Don't worry about Will, Miss Elizabeth," he said. "They won't hurt him, he's worth a good ransom. Worry about Annamaria."
"What will happen to her?" asked Elizabeth.
"Aside from the obvious? He may sell her. She's a runaway slave. Her former owner's had a reward out for her for years."
"Oh my God." breathed Elizabeth.
--
Annamaria and Will were in two cells across from each other. LeSerre came down the stairs and faced them. "Well, your valiant friends on the Black Pearl have turned and run," he said. "I imagine they didn't value you as much as you might have thought." He grinned unpleasantly at Will. "Perhaps your lovely bride prefers real pirates to blacksmith impersonators."
"You're very free with your insults when I'm not able to answer you," said Will in a low voice. "Say that to me again when I have my sword if you're a man of courage."
LeSerre merely laughed. "Yes, a chivalric idiot." He turned to Annamaria. "And what shall I do with you?" He reached though the bars of the cell and grasped her shirt collar. She jerked away, and the shirt ripped, exposing a small brand on her shoulder. "Not a pirate brand, my dear, but the brand of a runaway slave. I imagine there's a reward out for you. And if not, I'm sure I can find a brothel somewhere who would pay top dollar for a lovely, notorious piece such as you." He laughed again. "Yes, a lovely piece." He trailed a finger down the side of her throat. She slapped his hand away and he slapped her face. Will let out an inarticulate growl as Annamaria's head snapped back from the blow. LeSerre turned to him. "Oh, am I poaching on your preserve, Mr. Turner? And here I thought you were happily married. And on your honeymoon too!"
"I object to you mistreating a decent woman," Will snarled. "Call it my idiot chivalric streak if you wish. It isn't something you know anything about."
LeSerre laughed and turned toward the stairs. "You are too amusing, Turner. I haven't had this much fun in a long time."
"LeSerre!" Will snapped. "Where is Jack Sparrow?"
LeSerre turned and looked at Will. "I marooned him, of course." Turning again, he went up the stairs.
Will paced around his cell fuming. "I am going to kill him. Between his foul comments about Elizabeth and his treatment of you." he trailed off, looking at Annamaria. She was leaning back against the wall with her face in her hands. "Are you all right?" She said nothing. "Annamaria, talk to me!"
Annamaria raised her head and looked at him. "Calm down, Will."
"Calm down!" he hissed and started pacing again. "Jack's not even here. The Pearl is gone. We're stuck in these cells, and that bastard comes down here to laugh in our faces and put his hands all over you, and you tell me to calm down?"
"It's nothing I'm not used to," said Annamaria bitterly. "A female slave unfortunate enough to have been born pretty gets used to being handled whether she wishes it or not."
Will stopped pacing and studied her. "You ran away?"
"Aye," she answered. "Twice. The first time I was only 13 and I didn't get very far. That's when they branded me. After that things got worse. I finally got away for got good when I was 17. I stowed away on a ship and ended up in Florida. Lots of the blacks there are free. No one questioned me. I signed onto a merchant ship as a cook's assistant. That was okay. I learned everything I could about sailing. I loved it. Little by little I did more and more before the mast rather than below decks. The merchant ship was taken by pirates one day, though, and I was taken captive."
"What happened then?" asked Will.
Annamaria shrugged. "The Captain liked me. He kept me with him. I stayed aboard for two years. He was a decent man, and he taught me a lot. When we finally parted ways, I was able to sign on another pirate ship. It's not a bad life. I'm free - freer than I was even on that merchant ship. I answer to my Captain and myself and that's it. And Jack, well, he's allowed me to be who I am."
"Are you and Jack.well, you know.?"
"Lovers?" she asked. "No. We're wrong for each other. We're better off as just good friends. I have very few good friends."
Will smiled at her. "You have more than you know. You're a remarkable woman, Annamaria."
Chapter 11
Cotton and Pete exchanged horrified glances. Quickly Pete slashed the line holding them to the Banshee and they began to row with all their might. Gibbs, who had been watching the deck of the Banshee through his telescope, gasped when the swords came out. When he saw LeSerre disarm Annamaria he dropped the telescope. "Weigh anchor!" he shouted. "Ready the guns, be ready to raise the sails!"
Elizabeth hurried up. "What's happened!"?
"Something's gone wrong," he said thrusting the telescope at Elizabeth.
She grabbed it and looked through. It showed her Will, held by two sailors, being hustled from sight. "You can't mean to leave them!" she said incredulously.
"We're sitting ducks here, missy," said Gibbs. "He'll blast us into splinters unless we get moving." He shouted to the crew. "Raise the sails as soon as the boat returns!"
Pete and Cotton climbed aboard looking breathless. "What happened!" demanded Elizabeth.
Pete answered her. "Jack isn't there. They marooned him on the coast of Cuba a few days after they captured him."
"Cuba?" gasped Gibbs. "He could fall into the hands of the Spanish?"
"What about Will?" insisted Elizabeth.
"We'll follow them," said Gibbs. "We'll chase his ship until she docks somewhere, and then we'll board her and rescue Will and Annamaria. Don't worry about Will, Miss Elizabeth," he said. "They won't hurt him, he's worth a good ransom. Worry about Annamaria."
"What will happen to her?" asked Elizabeth.
"Aside from the obvious? He may sell her. She's a runaway slave. Her former owner's had a reward out for her for years."
"Oh my God." breathed Elizabeth.
--
Annamaria and Will were in two cells across from each other. LeSerre came down the stairs and faced them. "Well, your valiant friends on the Black Pearl have turned and run," he said. "I imagine they didn't value you as much as you might have thought." He grinned unpleasantly at Will. "Perhaps your lovely bride prefers real pirates to blacksmith impersonators."
"You're very free with your insults when I'm not able to answer you," said Will in a low voice. "Say that to me again when I have my sword if you're a man of courage."
LeSerre merely laughed. "Yes, a chivalric idiot." He turned to Annamaria. "And what shall I do with you?" He reached though the bars of the cell and grasped her shirt collar. She jerked away, and the shirt ripped, exposing a small brand on her shoulder. "Not a pirate brand, my dear, but the brand of a runaway slave. I imagine there's a reward out for you. And if not, I'm sure I can find a brothel somewhere who would pay top dollar for a lovely, notorious piece such as you." He laughed again. "Yes, a lovely piece." He trailed a finger down the side of her throat. She slapped his hand away and he slapped her face. Will let out an inarticulate growl as Annamaria's head snapped back from the blow. LeSerre turned to him. "Oh, am I poaching on your preserve, Mr. Turner? And here I thought you were happily married. And on your honeymoon too!"
"I object to you mistreating a decent woman," Will snarled. "Call it my idiot chivalric streak if you wish. It isn't something you know anything about."
LeSerre laughed and turned toward the stairs. "You are too amusing, Turner. I haven't had this much fun in a long time."
"LeSerre!" Will snapped. "Where is Jack Sparrow?"
LeSerre turned and looked at Will. "I marooned him, of course." Turning again, he went up the stairs.
Will paced around his cell fuming. "I am going to kill him. Between his foul comments about Elizabeth and his treatment of you." he trailed off, looking at Annamaria. She was leaning back against the wall with her face in her hands. "Are you all right?" She said nothing. "Annamaria, talk to me!"
Annamaria raised her head and looked at him. "Calm down, Will."
"Calm down!" he hissed and started pacing again. "Jack's not even here. The Pearl is gone. We're stuck in these cells, and that bastard comes down here to laugh in our faces and put his hands all over you, and you tell me to calm down?"
"It's nothing I'm not used to," said Annamaria bitterly. "A female slave unfortunate enough to have been born pretty gets used to being handled whether she wishes it or not."
Will stopped pacing and studied her. "You ran away?"
"Aye," she answered. "Twice. The first time I was only 13 and I didn't get very far. That's when they branded me. After that things got worse. I finally got away for got good when I was 17. I stowed away on a ship and ended up in Florida. Lots of the blacks there are free. No one questioned me. I signed onto a merchant ship as a cook's assistant. That was okay. I learned everything I could about sailing. I loved it. Little by little I did more and more before the mast rather than below decks. The merchant ship was taken by pirates one day, though, and I was taken captive."
"What happened then?" asked Will.
Annamaria shrugged. "The Captain liked me. He kept me with him. I stayed aboard for two years. He was a decent man, and he taught me a lot. When we finally parted ways, I was able to sign on another pirate ship. It's not a bad life. I'm free - freer than I was even on that merchant ship. I answer to my Captain and myself and that's it. And Jack, well, he's allowed me to be who I am."
"Are you and Jack.well, you know.?"
"Lovers?" she asked. "No. We're wrong for each other. We're better off as just good friends. I have very few good friends."
Will smiled at her. "You have more than you know. You're a remarkable woman, Annamaria."