Will wiped the sweat from his brow and delivered a few more blows to the formless iron lying on the anvil. In a little while it would become fishhooks, a common order for the blacksmith of a harbor town. It was almost afternoon teatime and Elizabeth came downstairs with a drink of water and some food for Will. He paused from his work to eat with her and they spent a few minutes just enjoying each other's company.
"Where's Willy?" Elizabeth finally asked. Will looked around, as if to find the boy hiding somewhere in the smithy.
"Playing with some friends, I think," Will answered. He hadn't seen Willy since early that morning, just after Jack had left with his sword.
Will wasn't terrible worried about Willy until it started to get dark and he still hadn't returned. Will lit a torch and buckled on his sword to go search for Willy. Elizabeth insisted on coming along. They started at the governor's mansion, thinking Willy might have gone to see his grandfather and lost track of time, but the governor hadn't seen him. They next checked the fort, knowing how Willy loved to talk to the soldiers and sailors, but none of them had seen him either. Moving toward the harbor, they began to dread what they might find. Willy loved the water and he was a fairly good swimmer, but the water in the harbor was deep and the currents strong.
Walking along the shore and up and down the docks, Will and Elizabeth shined the torch in the water and asked everyone if they had seen Willy. A few people had seen a young boy who looked like Willy, but didn't remember where he had gone. When they reached the other end of the beach, Elizabeth broke down and cried on Will's shoulder. He tried to comfort her but he too was struggling with his emotions. So absorbed were they in their own thoughts that they didn't hear a man approach them until he cleared his throat. There stood in the moonlight an old man, dressed in rags and sporting a scraggly beard on his dirty face.
"You be the ones lookin' for the boy?" the man asked gruffly.
"Yes," Will answered cautiously. "Have you seen him?"
"I seen a boy. Don't know if he be yourn. Titchy little fing, no more 'n ten years on 'im. Brown 'air, skin like a Spaniard. Fink 'is eyes was the color o' the sea. 'E your kid?"
"Yes," Elizabeth gasped, wiping her eyes. "When did you see him? Where is he? Is he alright?"
"Slow down, m'lady. Far as I know, 'e's fine. 'E came walkin' down 'ere round-a-bout mornin' tea. Looked like 'e was followin' someone, like 'e didn' wanna be seen. Made me suspicious, like. Though' 'e might be tryin' to lift somethin'."
"Willy would never –" Elizabeth started defensively.
"I didn' know 'im, m'lady. I was jus' finkin' from experience. Anyway, 'e seemed to be followin' this real outlandish-like bloke. 'Ad black all around 'is eyes and 'is beard was plaited! Of all fings, eh? 'Ad real strange clothes, too. Like 'e'd 'ad 'em twenty years. Walked real funny, like 'e was drunk."
"Jack," Will said quietly.
"Ye know 'im? That's good, then. 'Cause your kid's on 'is ship."
"What?" Will exclaimed. Elizabeth looked alarmed. "Was he kidnapped?"
"I dunno. All's I know is what I sees. I sees the kid follow the bloke 'alf-way up the gangplank. The bloke turns around, finally realizes the kid's there. Talks to 'im a bit, the kid walks back down to the dock, the bloke gets on the ship. Kid waits a bit, then walks back up the plank, real quiet-like. Dunno what the chap said to 'im, but it looked more like a stowaway than a shang'ai." The man had finished his story and shuffled away into the night. Will and Elizabeth stood, shocked, for a few moments before doing anything. Suddenly, Will started back towards the fort.
"Where are you going?" Elizabeth asked.
"To the fort. I'm going to ask Commodore Norrington to borrow a ship. We need to go after them." It pained Will greatly to have to ask for help, but he didn't want to steal a ship. He would be willing, for his son, if it came to that, but he wanted to ask first. Besides, Norrington had a weakness where Willy was concerned. Will suspected it had something to do with him wishing Willy were his son, but right now it didn't matter. All that mattered was that they get Willy back before he got hurt.