“No,” Gideon said. The pirate captain had not expected to hear that word. It was evidently rare someone dared say it to him-the sort of word that got a man keelhauled.
Anger washed over the captain’s face, while surprise covered the faces of his men. The captain grabbed the dagger he had been petting beneath the left flap of his waistcoat, loosing the weapon. He tried to bring it down in his right hand to put a quick end to the miserable whelp standing before him.
Gideon moved as fluidly as water through a pipe, following a pre-plotted course without need of thought. He caught the captain’s hand inside his wrist, rotating it outward while forcing the whole arm down. From underneath his cloak, Gideon’s left knee bent up to meet the captain’s elbow.
The limb cracked at the joint. With his right hand, Gideon pulled one of the captain’s pistols from the brace across his chest. Gideon cocked the hammer as his arm extended in the direction of the pirate to his right, bringing the barrel right up under the man’s chin before the pirate even realized what was happening.
“Tell them to stand down,” Gideon said. He still had a hold on the captain’s wrist, twisting the broken arm to emphasize his point.
The captain howled in pain, just barely able to voice the order as tears streaked through the dirt on his face. “STAND DOWN! STAND DOWN!”
In a potentially deadly situation, no one had died. The two men not encumbered by the priest had not even had time to blink before the situation completely turned from their advantage to their captain’s heavy-breathed begging. They both stood stunned.
“Relieve these men of their weapons, Ethan,” Gideon said.
Ethan happily complied, removing every weapon from the men he could find, including the captain’s dagger, which had fallen on the floor. When Ethan had finished, a fair pile of weapons sat on the bar next to their food.
None of the other patrons moved. No one appeared eager to come to these pirates’ rescue. Gideon gave another slight twist as he leaned into the pirate captain’s ear. “If I were you, sir, I would have a physician take a look at this arm. It will need to be set quickly for good healing.”
The captain gritted his teeth, sweating profusely, which only exacerbated the odor in the Weary Traveler Inn. Gideon let him go as the pirates all backed away under the stare of Gideon’s pistol. Two of his men attempted to help their captain, but he refused. “Leave off, you gutter rats! Don’t touch it,” he said, holding the arm protectively against his body. He staggered toward the door with his men following. “This isn’t over, boy,” he spat. The heavy door closed after them with a loud bang.
Gideon procured the brace of pistols for himself and handed Ethan the captain’s cutlass and scabbard. The rest he pushed across the bar toward the keeper who had only just reemerged from kitchen. “Could you take care of these for me?” Gideon said, gesturing toward the pile.
“Oh yes, sir,” the barkeep said, remembering the silver piece he had been promised. The barkeep began pulling the weapons off the mahogany bar top, placing them below.
“We’ll take the rest of our meal in our room,” Gideon said.
“Of course, sir. It’s all ready for you. Room number seven, fourth on your right, up the stairs. I’ll arrange your passage to Emmanuel and let you know when your ship leaves.”
“Thank you.” Gideon grabbed the vessel of water and Ethan took the platter of food. The young men crossed the room and ascended the stairs, two flights to the second floor. They found their room as the barkeep had said. Gideon opened the door cautiously, surveying what lay within.
There was a large bed with a basic wooden frame. The sheet did not look very clean and there was a heavier brown blanket on top of it. Against the wall, opposite the bed, stood a simple chest with two drawers. A ceramic basin and pitcher for washing sat on top. A small table with two chairs sat in the corner.
Ethan took the water pitcher from Gideon and placed it and the platter of food on the table. Ethan did not speak until Gideon had closed the door behind them. “That was amazing, Gideon!” he said.
Gideon only smiled.
“I can’t wait for you to teach me how to fight like that,” Ethan said.
“There’s much more to being a warrior-priest than fighting, Ethan.”
“Well, yes, of course.”
“Do you know what the first thing was that I did down there, the first thing I do anytime I’m faced with a violent conflict?”
Ethan hunched his shoulders.
“I prayed to the Lord for his guidance and strength. There is one important lesson you should learn at the beginning. No matter how accomplished a warrior one may be there will always be someone better, a situation that you won’t be able to handle. But nothing confounds Shaddai, Ethan. All things dwell under his divine control and are subject to his will. If you will always seek the will of Shaddai, then you will always find it. Now, let’s have a bit of that food, shall we?” Gideon removed his cloak for comfort’s sake. They divided the remainder of the meal between them with Ethan allowing the larger portion to Gideon.
“Do you think those men will come back for revenge?” Ethan asked as he chewed on some bread.
“Probably. Men like that never learn.”
NOCTURNAL VISITORS
It had been close to dusk by the time the barkeep had knocked on their door with news about passage across the Azure Sea. A merchant vessel on its way to Emmanuel was scheduled to leave in two days. Gideon thanked the man and told him he would receive his promised money when they were ready to depart for the ship.
“I’ll take you down tomorrow and introduce you to the captain, myself,” the barkeeper said.
Ethan and Gideon had another day and a half to wait before they could leave the Weary Traveler and the town of Tilley. They decided their time would best be spent if they did not venture far from the inn. The pirates they had encountered might be waiting for an opportunity to exact revenge.
Ethan watched the last rays of the sun sink below the deep blue horizon of the Azure. He had never been to the ocean before, but he had heard of the Azure Sea. Its waters had often been compared to sapphires. Seeing it now for the first time in his life, Ethan understood the analogy. It was simply beautiful. Even in the moonlight, it sparkled.
Gideon lay on the bed, getting some sleep while he could. Trying to get any quality rest aboard a merchant vessel would be nearly impossible. Ethan took the first watch.
Sailing ships were busy entering and leaving the harbor up until just after nightfall. The docks functioned like a well-oiled machine. Ethan wondered where the ship was that he and Gideon would be taking to Emmanuel. He paused, thinking about what the priest had told him. Then he prayed silently for Elspeth and the journey they were about to make in hopes of rescuing her.
A noise woke Ethan. He couldn’t place the sound-perhaps a distant musket shot. He had little doubt that things got very dangerous in a city like Tilley after dark. It had been seedy enough during the day.
He quickly scanned the room. The light of the full moon shone through their open window. Ethan sat in the shadows just out of the oblong moonshine’s reach. He held one of the pirate captain’s black powder pistols in his lap, just in case.
Gideon was still asleep. Sound sleepers those priests, Ethan thought. He was actually glad he woke before Gideon did. He felt like kicking himself for falling asleep in the first place.
Ethan heard more noise in the street now. There were at least two people brawling outside. He peered out the window and saw one man stagger as he threw a punch and missed. The other fellow returned the compliment and did not miss.
More noise came from outside their room, downstairs. Ethan crept over to the door to investigate. He heard people pass in the hall-a man and woman. He waited until their voices trailed down the corridor. Ethan heard a door open and close, assuming it must be clear now.
He opened the door to their room. No one else was in the hall. An oil lamp flickered from a mount at the far
