Henry grabbedmy jacket and pulled me toward him, our bodies smashing together ashis arms held me a little too tightly. “My God, that was puretorture.” His mouth found mine and locked on. I could feel thedesperation and relief seeping from his pores, in his rapidbreathing, and I understood. I felt the same. “I don’t know what Iwould have done.”
My handscovered his as they held my face firmly. “It’s okay,” I assuredhim. “I’m fine.” My head turned and looked down at the three chestsat our feet. “Henry, we did it.”
His answeringsmile was enough for me. “That we did.”
“What do we doabout these three?” Gus asked. His foot nudged the first man Lottieknocked unconscious, Jack, and looked at her with a sort ofadmiration.
I hopped overto the hole in the wall and peered down into the darkness.
“Amos?” Iheard him moan, probably waking up from a brief blackout. I knew how far down it was. He’d befine. I turned around to face my small crew and the one man ofAmos’s left conscious. “Listen carefully,” I spoke to him. He was atall, broad man. Balding at the top but sported a bushy beard thathung from his face. He glared up at me but never replied. “We’re leaving here with thetreasure. You could have cooperated. You could have played nice.But you ruined your chances at any of it now.”
“You’d leaveus here to die?” he spat.
“I should,” Ithreatened. “It’s what you guys would do, isn’t it?” He didn’t sayotherwise. “But, no, I won’t leave you here to die. I’m notheartless.”
I grabbed therope that had hauled myself and the chests out of the tiny cavityand wrapped it into as many knots as I could. “I’ll leave this atthe mouth of the cave. Wait until you’re sure we’re long gone.” Inarrowed my eyes at the man and then grinned. “Follow us and I’llset Lottie after you.” I squat down so our faces were eye-level,for my next words I really wanted to resonate with the pirate. “Andbe sure to tell your friends, when you do escape this cave with thelife I so graciously spared, that The Pirate Queen is a mercifulcaptain. But I am never to be crossed. Do youunderstand?”
He refused toreply.
I glanced upat Lottie, who still held the sword to his throat, and nodded. Theman winced as the sharp edge pressed tighter to his skin.“Do you understand?” I repeated.
“Y-yes,” hefinally offered.
I stood tall,hovering over him. “Good.” I turned and walked back to Henry,Lottie following close behind.
“We’ll findyou,” he dared to tell me. I spun around and stared incredulously.“We’ll climb out of this cave and hunt you to the ends of theEarth. Amos won’t let this go. He’ll demand blood.”
Before I couldrespond, Henry took a few steps toward the kneeling man and glareddown at him with those black, soulless eyes. The ones I thoughtwere long gone. A slight chill crept up my spine at the sight ofthe emptiness he so easily displayed. As if he slipped on an oldmask.
“Come find us,then. I welcome it.” He raised his boot and slowly pushed the man’sface down to the ground, holding it there. “But the blood that’sshed shall not be ours.”
We all stoodaround in silence, shocked by Henry’s sudden dark demeanor thatrevealed itself. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was what Gusmeant, about the way Henry was before my arrival. My ears began toring as my blood heated with fear and worry that something waswrong with my beloved. What had really happened to him back thereon Kelly’s Island? I took acareful step forward and touched my hand to his arm.
“Henry.”
He didn’trespond, as if he stood in another world, unaware of the one aroundhim.
Finally, as ifa light had been turned on inside of him, he retrieved his foot andcame to me. “Let’s go.”
Hesitantly, wegathered the chests and a barely conscious Finn before heading backthe way we came. I felt a rush of power wash over me and fill myveins. Every nerve was on fire with both excitement and fear. I didit. I led my crew to an enchanted location and found Peter Easton’streasure. The people of my time would spend decades searching, butthey’d never find it. A small part of me snickered at thethought.
But some otherpart, deep in the back of my mind, worried about the man I loved. He walked beside me, and I daredsteal side glances at him, fearful. I searched for any sign of thedarkness but only found that he brightened the further we walked.He caught me staring and only smiled, softening my fears until Ifelt silly for having them at all. Henry was just being protectiveback there. Angry for what Amos and his men did to us.
The siren waslong gone, nowhere to be found when we emerged from the dark abyss.The water remained parted and our exit still accessible. It took awhile, but we finally climbed out of the second cave as the settingsun cast a magical orange and purple glow over the cliffs ofShellbed Isle. I inhaled deeply the sweet scent of buttercups andfresh ocean mist. To me, it would always smell like victory.
We laid theheavy chests down and then collapsed on the wet grass. I knew wecould only steal a moment to rest. Amos and his men would surely beclose on our heels and that was a fight for another day. But Iwanted to revel in the sweet high of triumph for as long as Icould. My heart still racing, my veins still hot with adrenaline, Ilet out a fierce cry of laughter to skies above. Soon, my friendsfollowed suit and we cackled to the heavens like a bunch of drunkenjackals.
I wasblissfully happy. I had everything I could ever hope for. Friends,family, a child growing inside of me and a man to share my lifewith. My victories. My heart. We had a long and dangerous journeyahead of us. One that would
