An innocent couple
When the guards changed on noon, Logan was the first to return into the city. Ratonhnhaké:ton and I would meet him there later and he would lead us to the rebellion's hideout. As long as everything went well. We waited a moment longer before leaving, too. Ratonhnhaké:ton had given his tomahawk, hunting knife and the smoke bombs to Kanen'tó:kon and was only carrying the pistol under his coat. His bow had to wait in the barn for him. I could sense that he didn't like to enter the city nearly unarmed but it was necessary if the soldiers were supposed to let us inside. If they didn't and recognized him right away, Kanen'tó:kon would be there and basically the gate was the most critical point in our plan. Once we were inside, nothing should go wrong anymore. Hypothetically.
When we approached the gate and its guards, my heart began to rush with nervousness but this time it was much worse than earlier this day. My hands began to sweat as well and I had to pull myself together not to cling to Ratonhnhaké:ton's arm I had linked mine to. Ratonhnhaké:ton appeared relaxed but I knew him well enough to notice the hardly visible twitch of the corners of his mouth as a sign of his actual tension.
"Good day, gentlemen", Ratonhnhaké:ton greeted friendly and tapped his hat as we reached the soldiers. "I wish you a peaceful watch."
Logan had told us to act as casual and calm as possible to look like inhabitants and not travellers. The people of Boston had already accepted the permanent presence of soldiers and appreciated and respected the men as their protectors. So Ratonhnhaké:ton showed them his pistol without being asked to, as if he was already used to this control. The soldiers nodded shortly but looked him over, which gave me the feeling of not being able to breathe for a moment. I already expected them to recognize him as the wanted Native, but until now, they didn't look like it.
"Did you have a walk?", the one with Ratonhnhaké:ton's pistol asked and returned the weapon to him.
"Yes. My wife loves strolling through the fields in autumn."
I managed to nod and smile. "It's so beautiful during such weather."
The soldier nodded. "It is. But you shouldn't be outside the walls too often. After all, you don't want to use this pistol to defend your wife, Sir."
"I will remember your warning." Ratonhnhaké:ton tapped his hat again and we were dismissed with a nod. I could hardly believe it. They hadn't hesitated for a second. While we walked away with calm steps, I expected them to call us back but they didn't. I heard Ratonhnhaké:ton exhaling beside me.
"It was too easy", he murmured. "Should they not have been more sceptical?"
"I don't know." I turned my head to the side and pressed a kiss onto his shoulder, only to glance back to the gate. "They don't even look after us. You must have convinced them."
"Although I have talked too much", Ratonhnhaké:ton mumbled and I couldn't stop myself from chuckling.
"Whenever you think you have talked too much, it was totally fine. You held a conversation and a very sovereign one, too. I am proud of you. Obviously you have learned something from me." I grinned widely and gained a quiet snort and a hardly visible shake of his head. Therefore his faint smirk was much clearer to see.
We followed the narrow street away from the gate until it led to a broad main road. Because the agrarian district of the city was located at this part of the wall, it way mainly used by loaded carts which were urging the people to walk along the roadside. We stayed in the shadows of the houses as well but still had to evade one or another horse and wheel. I was glad as we turned into a side alley and reached a road that was lined by shops and was much quieter. Curiously I regarded shop windows we passed by and got a glance at Ratonhnhaké:ton's reflection from time to time, who was busy with watching the people around us. Only once I met his gaze in the window and at the same moment I felt him tensing up.
"Walk on. Stay calm", he murmured to me and this lurking undertone in his voice brought back my uneasiness.
"What is it?" I just wanted to look over my shoulder, but Ratonhnhaké:ton stopped me and kept looking forward.
"A soldier is following us. I knew that it was too easy." He swore quietly in his mother tongue and my heartbeat quickened up again.
"Are you sure he's following us?"
"Yes, but it seems like he is waiting for something. Just go on. Do not turn around."
That was easier said than done. This time I couldn't stop myself from clinging to Ratonhnhaké:ton's sleeve. When he noticed it, he covered my hand with his. "Stay calm", he repeated quietly. We kept our slow pace, although my legs wanted to run. Ratonhnhaké:ton kept whispering to me when he wanted to turn somewhere so that I followed him instead of letting him drag me. It should look like we knew where we wanted to go. We turned into several side streets and I knew that Ratonhnhaké:ton wanted to catch a glimpse of our pursuer in the shops' windows. I saw him in their reflections as well. He kept a safe distance but he was following us. It couldn't be a coincidence that he was always there.
"We need to get rid of him", Ratonhnhaké:ton murmured eventually. We had already reached the district where we wanted to meet Logan in front of a tavern. Several alleys which were leading into backyards were leading off the street we were following. At first I hoped Ratonhnhaké:ton was going to choose one of them but instead he seemed to use the bustle on the street to our advantage. Small groups of people were gathering everywhere, regarding the goods at the market stands or watching the street artists.
"Following us should become boring to him." Ratonhnhaké:ton led me to a stand which was offering diverse wooden goods. Simple spoons, figures and even images that were carved into plates. "We are going to spend some time here", Ratonhnhaké:ton whispered to me and took a pipe to have a closer look at it.
"Don't you think we should try to shake him off?"
"We cannot do it without drawing unnecessary attention. The crowd offers you the best cover."
Something an assassin like him knew better than anyone else and although I had the feeling that we were on display if we stayed here, I trusted him and his experience. If the soldier had any suspicion against us, we should be able to eliminate them by doing what we had already done at the gate: Playing the innocent couple. We were basically innocent, although the definition of this word in this situation was lying in the eye of the beholder. Even though I could hardly control my trembling hand, I followed Ratonhnhaké:ton's example and regarded the goods on the stand. We slowly moved along the street, stopped occasionally at some stands and watched the street artists for quite a while. I tried to forget the reason for this relaxed stroll. It wasn't easy but that I didn't need to act like I gladly sought Ratonhnhaké:ton's closeness was giving me at least a small feeling of safety. I tried to copy his calm attitude. Having my arm linked with his, I let him lead me through the street and past its little attractions. Not only once we turned around to the soldier until we eventually sat down on a bench and Ratonhnhaké:ton put his arm around my shoulder to pull me closer.
"Do you see him?", he murmured into my hair and I let my gaze roam inconspicuously over the people around us until I actually found the soldier. He was leaning against a wall and looked straight at us. I gulped and buried my face in the crook of Ratonhnhaké:ton's neck.
"He's still there. Either he has some weird penchant and always follows couples or he is waiting for a chance to arrest you." Although the thought of it was creepy, I was hoping for the first. Why hadn't he acted yet if he had a suspicion against Ratonhnhaké:ton? We had come past many of his comrades who he could have asked for help.
"No matter what it is", Ratonhnhaké:ton murmured. "I am starting to have enough." He pulled away from me and just wanted to stand up as I grabbed his wrist and stopped him.
"What are you doing? I thought you wanted to keep your head down."
"Risking that he finally comes to the conclusion that I am the one they are looking for? If this happens, you are also in danger."
My gaze flitted to the soldier who hadn't moved from the spot and I bit my bottom lip. Why was this guy so damn persistent? He had neither been confused by our constant turns nor our relaxed stroll but it still didn't convince me of Ratonhnhaké:ton's plan.
Searching for something that could get me another idea, my gaze stopped upon two elder ladies who occasionally looked at us, wrinkling their noses and obviously talking about us. While we had spoken, Ratonhnhaké:ton had put his arm around me again so that it looked like we were talking intimately to each other and I had moved a bit closer to him, too. Obviously the ladies found this closeness inappropriate. According to their looks you could think that I was sitting on Ratonhnhaké:ton's lap, exchanging caresses publicly. If we would actually do it, I could understand their anger but...I paused in my thoughts. This could be the solution.
"What is it?"
I turned my eyes back to Ratonhnhaké:ton who was frowning about my sudden change of mood. I leaned a bit forward and buried my face in the crook of his neck again to hide it from the people around us. I wasn't sure if my idea was really good. But I didn't come up with anything else that could stop Ratonhnhaké:ton from drawing attention to himself.
"Kiss me", I whispered and snuggled up to him. "And then we will go into this alley over there. There is nobody else." I lightly nodded into the direction I was talking about and raised my head to look at Ratonhnhaké:ton. His frown had deepened.
"Lillian, much as I would like to but we have no time for...this."
I would have liked to roll my eyes. Obviously he hadn't understood my words the way I had hoped he would. What did he think of me? That I had spontaneously gone up in blazing passion like a powder barrel that had come to close to the flames?
"That's not what I mean", I whispered. "Well...not entirely."
Ratonhnhaké:ton wanted to say something, but I sealed his lips with a quick kiss. "He is following us the whole time and we can't shake him off. But maybe we can...scare him away. Apart from the fact that both sides are behaving very inappropriately: What becomes of a highly respected soldiers if he's watching the secret rendezvous of a couple? He couldn't even interrupt us without embarrassing himself."
Ratonhnhaké:ton pressed his lips together and lowered his eyes to my hands which were still holding his. "I know what you are aiming at", he began quietly. "But I will not bring shame on you in public."
"You don't have to and you won't." I smirked and kiss him tenderly. I really appreciated that he always wanted to protect me from any harm. To exchange more than short touches or even kisses in public was something we both rarely liked to do. I didn't know his exact reasons, but mine were based on my strict upbringing. My plan meant that I had to break out of this comfort zone but it was worth it.
"We only have to pretend that we're...you know. He has to believe that he is bringing himself right into an embarrassing situation. He will have to go and even if he is a pervert and keeps watching us, you will have at least an acceptable reason to...knock him out."
Ratonhnhaké:ton still didn't seem to be convinced of my plan but without saying another word, he pulled me closer for a moment and kissed me, as if he had to make sure that I was really serious and finally pulled me to my feet with him. Arm in arm we walked to the small alley I had mentioned before. It was about six feet wide, without any lanterns and probably this was the reason why it was deserted. It was one of those alleys where you would normally find the shady characters who seemed to be banished from the city. Thinking of these people, I shortly feared that our plan could make us become one of them and that the soldier was going to have a real reason to arrest us instead of leaving. So I hesitated as Ratonhnhaké:ton had pressed me against one of the walls and asked quietly against my lips: "Are you sure? He is not here yet."
I nodded. Did we have another choice? Furthermore I didn't need to force myself to wrap my arms around Ratonhnhaké:ton's neck and let him kiss me. He caressed my lips very softly and deepened the kiss only slowly. He was still hesitating, so I drew him closer and snuggled up to him.
"It should look real", I whispered.
"I just do not like this", he murmured. "I would like to be alone and undisturbed with you."
"I know. Me too." Gently I ran my hand over the back of his neck, pushed the annoying hat off his head and buried my hand in his hair, also to cover the traitorous braid. At the same time, Ratonhnhaké:ton had finally abandoned his hesitation and let the kiss become more passionate. One hand pressed against the wall beside my head, the other one lying on my hip until I grabbed it and led it to the buttons of my jacket. I felt him hesitating again but he finally began to open it and let his hand disappear underneath the fabric, only to keep it resting on my waist. His lips brushed softly down my neck and back to my cheek until they lightly tugged at my earlobe.
"He is here", he whispered to me and I shivered with the thought of the soldier until Ratonhnhaké:ton kissed me again. I only tried to concentrate on it and the gentle touch of his hand on my waist. The warmth that radiated from Ratonhnhaké:ton's body and how it felt to be pulled in closer and closer. Although I hadn't aimed on it, I felt the familiar prickling spreading through my body, although we had only wanted to pretend something. My grip in his black hair tightened and I lightly nibbled at Ratonhnhaké:ton's bottom lip and elicited a quiet growl from him. He put his lips on my neck again, firmer than before and I didn't need to force out the sigh that escaped my lips. I leaned my head against the wall behind me and glanced to the end of the alley through half lidded eyes. The soldier was really standing there but it seemed like my guess was confirmed. He appeared to be unsure, stepping from one foot onto another and throwing glances from side to side. It seemed like he didn't know what to think about what was happening in front of his own eyes.
My own gasp made me stop watching as Ratonhnhaké:ton's hand gently grasped my breast. Not visible for the soldier, but much more noticeable for me. My eyes closed and I bit my bottom lip to suppress a quiet moan when Ratonhnhaké:ton's fingers followed the shape of my breast. In this moment, I totally forgot where we were and what we actually intended with all of this. It seemed like he had forgotten it, too. Ratonhnhaké:ton had brushed the bonnet off my head, had buried his hand in my hair and gently tilted my head backwards so that he could reach the bare skin of my neck. He placed little kisses, eventually nibbled at the softer spots and was deeply concentrated on these caresses. It cost me all my concentration to open my eyes again and look for the soldier. He wasn't there anymore.
"It worked", I whispered and lightly tugged at Ratonhnhaké:ton's braid. He parted his lips from my neck and looked into the direction we had come from, then to the other while I couldn't take my eyes off of him. His hair was tousled by my grip, his lips were shimmering and red from our kisses and his eyes were dark when he looked at me again. A faint smile flitted across my face as I realized that we both must look totally dishevelled. We hadn't needed to play anything and deep inside I even wished I could pull Ratonhnhaké:ton back to me and forget once more that this wasn't the best place for such intimacy and I didn't mean the alley alone. Ratonhnhaké:ton's hand returned to my waist , the other one was still buried in my hair and he tenderly ran his fingertips through my dark strands.
"I am sorry if I have gone too far. I just...could not stop myself." He gave a forced smile and actually looked embarrassed. But I shook my head.
"You did not go too far." I leaned forward and kissed him softly. "But we should use the chance and get away from here."
Ratonhnhaké:ton nodded and grabbed my hand after we had tidied ourselves up. When we left the alley, we couldn't see a soldier anywhere and continued our way to the tavern "The White Mill" where Logan was already waiting for us.
"Are you alright?", he asked and for a moment I feared he could find out about our "diversionary tactic" by only looking at us. Against my will, the blood rushed into my cheeks as Ratonhnhaké:ton shook his head and said calmly: "A soldier followed us but eventually gave up."
Logan nodded. "Good. I was worried because it took you so long. I thought they stopped you."
My cheeks got even redder but luckily Logan didn't pay attention to it. He nodded again and indicated to us that we should follow him into the tavern. Inside were only four guests and the innkeeper. The chubby man with the greyish hair had turned to the shelf and was polishing the glass bottles in it. When he heard the door, he turned around and once again I thought I couldn't trust my own eyes. There behind the counter was no one else but Oliver, who was smiling at first but then became serious. Maybe it was good that I wasn't able to greet him because he only looked at Logan and nodded. He didn't even recognize Ratonhnhaké:ton and me but I shouldn't be surprised by now. But still it was hard to turn my eyes away from him as we walked past him to a door on the other side of the room. He was a good friend, like everyone else of the homestead and I wished I could talk to him and Corrine since I had asked myself what had become of our friends when I had seen the abandoned Davenport. I wanted to ask them how their lives had been although I was a stranger to them.
"Does...the innkeeper belong to the rebellion?", I asked Logan. He nodded.
"Olli and his wife are responsible for getting us from one place to another safely." And with these words, he pushed a heavy looking chest aside. A hidden door was underneath it.
"An entrance to the underground tunnels?"
Logan gave Ratonhnhaké:ton a surprised look. "You know about them?"
"More or less."
"Well, I hope that it's less, regarding to everything else. Washington's men have no idea or they just forgot about them. Some years ago they put much time and effort into sealing the entrances and destroyed parts of the system. But they weren't very thorough and created a hideout for us. There are two more beside this entrance and they are well hidden."
"So you're walking through a visited tavern to disappear in a backroom and never come out again?", I asked sceptically. Seemed very conspicuous to me, but Logan grinned.
"We always have men here who...take care that no one causes problems. Olli makes good business with us, if you know what I mean." He led his hand to his lips as if it was a beer mug. Yes, I was quite sure that I had understood.
"Conspicuously inconspicuous", I smirked and Logan shrugged his shoulders, still grinning.
"Sometimes it's the easiest and best way. May I ask you..." He grabbed the iron ring that was locking the door, pulled at it and opened it. A narrow ladder was leading into the darkness of Boston's underground. Logan was the first to climb through the hole in the ground and when I followed him, he had already ignited an oil lamp which was illuminating a narrow, bricked corridor. After Ratonhnhaké:ton had climbed down and had closed the door, the lamp was the only light source and I felt more than captured down here. I couldn't say that I had good memories about being underground in some corridors and hideouts. So my steps were rather hesitant when I followed Logan. The air down here was musty, moist and not only the coldness made me shiver. In the flickering light of the lamp, our shadows were looking like some creatures and once in a while, I believed to see something in front or beside us and it always turned out to be gaps in the walls or old stuff. From time to time we had to avoid or climb over the latter.
Stop being such a coward, I thought. It's better to be down here than over ground with the real monsters.
I had hardly finished this thought when several, tiny shadows crossed our path. Squeaking, scurrying, definitely alive and no imagination. I couldn't stop a high pitched scream from leaving my lips, leaped backwards and almost fell because behind me, Ratonhnhaké:ton hadn't expected this sudden stop and I tripped against him. Only his fast reaction and his arms that caught me, prevented in time that I made acquaintance with the ground that was covered in tiny pellets. The causers of this dirt had already fled into the next dark corner and were only noticeable by their squeaking.
"They were only rats, Lillian", Ratonhnhaké:ton explained what I had already realized.
"Yes...rats. I know. They just surprised me." I cleared my throat and loosened my clawing grip from Ratonhnhaké:ton's supporting arm as I straightened up. "Are...they gone now?" I tried to glance into the darkness.
"Well, there are many of them down here. They like this place."
I screwed up my face. Oh, great. That wasn't what I had wanted to hear. I hated rats. These disgusting tails, the dirty fur, the pitter-patter of their tiny feet, these scurrying movements and the squeaking...
"You do not have to be afraid of them", Ratonhnhaké:ton explained calmly but I could clearly hear the smirk in his voice. Bastard.
I had blushed already and was glad that Logan was standing some feet away with the lamp. I was embarrassed by my short moment of panic. There were certainly other reasons to be afraid than the rats.
"I just find them disgusting", I grumbled.
"But if you get lost down here, you should follow them. They always know the way out", Logan said, also audibly amused. That was exactly what I needed. Two men making fun of me. Angrily I pressed my lips together and Ratonhnhaké:ton, who knew exactly how much I hated being teased in a situation that was already unpleasant for me, became serious again.
"I am sure we will be out of here soon." I could hear that he really wanted to reassure me with these words and I was incredibly grateful.
"It's fine." I took a step aside, pushed Ratonhnhaké:ton in front of me and stayed close behind him as I nudged him forward. "Just go ahead." Again I was grateful that he didn't say anything about it. We walked on and Logan was lucky that he also didn't say a word about our stop.
We stayed in this semi-darkness for several more minutes in which I heard rats more often than I liked it. Eventually I didn't care about creepy shadows on the walls anymore. I was incredibly relieved when a greater blaze of light appeared in front of us which turned out to be some kind of archway with a well illuminated room behind it. I could already hear the muffled sound of several voices from the distance and as we entered the room, I could see the men they belonged to. I didn't know if I should still wonder about anything. Down here were about twenty men, coming from different parts of the society and professions. I recognized the faces of some of our companions from our journey here, but more striking were the soldiers in red uniforms. At first I thought I was mistaken because it seemed so surreal that they were really Redcoats. My fellow countrymen. British who had actually fought some of the men here some years ago. But maybe their presence was explained by the enemy they shared now. I didn't know what the rebellion was planning as soon as they had defeated Washington, but it was logical reason for the British soldiers to fight the wrong king. Probably they hoped to bring the crown back to their own. Whatever reason they had, although I was wondering about their presence at first, I soon had only eyes for the man who had leaned over a map before turning to us. It was Samuel Adams. Obviously he had chosen the side of rebellion again and again he seemed to be one of the leading forces behind it. When he approached us, his smile was as open as always but concerned.
"You found you're way to us. But where is Kanen'tó:kon?"
"I'm sure he is still busy with smuggling himself past the guards. He should be here soon."
Adams nodded about Logan's answer and then looked at me and Ratonhnhaké:ton. "You were already announced to me but especially about you, I have heard a lot." He stretched out his hand to Ratonhnhaké:ton and as he took it, Adams gave me a greeting nod which I returned. "My name is Samuel Adams. I have already learned your names." He smiled and made a wide gesture towards the room. "This is more or less our hideout in the city. You are welcome to feel as safe as possible here." You could tell by his voice that he didn't believe in this safety himself, but still I thanked him politely. The rebellion had already done so much for us. If Kanen'tó:kon and the others hadn't been there...well we certainly wouldn't stand here now. Adams accepted my gratitude with a smile and pointed at Ratonhnhaké:ton.
"We should thank you. Thanks to you, the people remembered that we're here. It's not always good but since your actions in the village and the fort are getting around, some men found their way to us. We're still in a weak position and our rebellion is close to failure but your existence is bringing new strength to us."
Ratonhnhaké:ton folded his hands and started kneading them. As always when he was feeling uncomfortable and needed to give vent to this feeling. His expression had hardened for a moment but his voice sounded calm but determined when he said: "I did not do anything. Nothing men like you wouldn't have done, too. I do not want to appear better than I am. I could have died in the fort if the others had not come."
Adams nodded slowly. "I understand you completely. But your attitude doesn't change anything about the reputation you own and I want to be honest: This reputation is useful to us. Furthermore I have heard that you are a good fighter."
"I am doing my best", Ratonhnhaké:ton replied and Adams nodded again.
"And this is what we need. Men who are doing their best." His gaze flitted to me. "And women, of course."
A force smile appeared on my lips as I raised my hand in a defensive manner. I really wanted to stay out of everything. "I can only stand aside decoratively and pray that everything goes well."
Adams smirked. "The latter is worth a lot. A man should be grateful for having a supportive woman by his side."
Unfortunately it didn't make a difference if the enemies were coming from the front. But I didn't say anything. I had wrecked my brains about this often enough. It would never satisfy me that I was passive but that was how things were. As much as I hated it sometimes, I was glad that Ratonhnhaké:ton didn't mind. Also this time, he had thrown a short glance at me with Adams' words, expressing his silent agreement.
Adams returned to the map he had studied before. As Ratonhnhaké:ton and Logan joined him, I did the same and threw a curious glance at the piece of paper. It was a simple map of Boston. An exact record of every street, block and the harbour. But it was provided with diverse marks and notes and I couldn't read all of them. I read something about powder warehouses, soldier quarters, hidden entrances and known routes of patrols. Some of these notes were underlined and highlighted.
"I don't know how much the others have told you about our Situation here in Boston", Adams started. "The city is administered by Benjamin Franklin. He is practically the voice and hand of Washington here and he is way too serious with this task. We often tried to limit his power but we are about thirty men against a multiple number of blue coats. Targeted attacks are impossible and until now, more subtle methods weren't successful either. We are going to give up the city and go to New York to meet the rest of the rebellion and gather our forces for the hopefully final strike against Washington."
"Hopefully?"
Adams smiled faintly about Ratonhnhaké:ton's sceptical question. "Well, as you probably know, we are no huge army. As I mentioned before, we are close to our downfall but we don't want to accept it without fighting. We have only this one try in New York left. Then everything will be over. No matter what." Now he looked almost apologetically. "I am sorry if you had more faith in us."
Did we have any faith at all? That the rebellion was going to defeat Washington of course, but only because we needed to get the Apple of Eden. Actually this was the only thing we really cared about. As soon as we had the Apple, we were going to leave this reality anyway and then it didn't matter if Washington was king or not. But certainly the one reason went in hand with the other. After all, we couldn't invite Washington to tea and pastries and ask politely for his symbol of power.
"But you are certainly planning something, don't you?", I guessed carefully. "Otherwise you would have left Boston already." My gaze had moved to the map and the many notes. They had to have a purpose at least and I wasn't wrong, because Adams nodded.
"Some of our comrades were arrested by Franklin. We want to free them and eliminate Franklin if it's possible. Like the loss of Benedict Arnold, Franklin's death will mean that another hand of Washington is chopped off."
"And where do we find Franklin?" I could hear that Ratonhnhaké:ton had already decided to be an active part in this plan. After all, he was the one who had taken Washington's first hand from him. Certainly he thought it was his duty to take care of the second, too.
"This is the problem", Arnold just said. "You can't get directly to Franklin. He's too well guarded. But we found a way to distract the soldiers from our intention to free our comrades." He pointed at a spot on the map whose note had several underlines. "Here is one of the most important warehouses in the city. Powder and ammunition is stored in there. If we destroy it and..." His index finger moved to three other marks on the map. "...these warehouses, we will startle the soldiers and give them a lot to do. We will use the chaos to get to our comrades."
"And Franklin?"
Adams shrugged his shoulders. "We will see it then."