Sail With Me (A Discovery Series Book)

by Christy Major

  “Not all are men,” he said.

  Daniel edged me back a bit when the native took another step around to regard me.

  “We’re all men.” Daniel set his jaw and narrowed his eyes at the native.

  “As you wish.” A slow grin creased the native’s face.

  He backed up a few steps and laid his spear down in the sand. The two lines of warriors did the same with their weapons.

  “We have not come to hurt you,” Captain Finley said.

  “I know. You only have daggers. You were wise to bring nothing else.”

  “We are merely interested in visiting this area, bringing supplies to a settlement north of here, and then going on to find my son. We don’t wish to cause you any trouble,” the captain said.

  “Then you shall be granted safe passage and come to our great city,” the native said. “There is no city like it.”

  His voice was as hypnotic as his amber eyes. Deep, yet musical somehow. The tension in my shoulders relaxed as his words sifted over me.

  “My people will escort you,” he said.

  “Thank you,” Captain Finley replied. “How is it that you know our language?”

  “I have lived among your people.” His brows lowered and a look of displeasure wiped across his face. “Not by my own choosing.”

  “You were enslaved?”

  The native nodded. “Your kind has come before, taking whatever they pleased, including people. I was bought and sold in your country—England.” He said the word as if it were poison on his tongue.

  The captain stretched out his hand. “I am Captain Samuel Finley of the Rose and wish you to understand that not all Englishmen are selfish brutes.”

  “We’ll see,” the native said, but that grin was back on his lips. He shook the captain’s hand and bowed his head. “I am Tizoc Metztli. Welcome to the soil of the Sunal Empire. Remain peaceful and you shall see wonderful things with my people. Turn on us and you will die.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  We followed Tizoc and his tribesmen up a small slope away from the shoreline. Retreating back to the dory would have appeared weak, and we did not wish the natives to view us in that manner. Nonetheless, our party had tightened back into a group. Daniel and I were once again in the center. The men had begun to whisper among themselves, Tizoc’s threat still hanging in the air around us. As I twisted my head this way and that to keep an eye on Tizoc at the lead, Daniel’s hand closed around my forearm.

  “That was close,” he whispered.

  “Very. How do you think he knew?”

  “I don’t know, but natives have been known to have excellent perception. He sensed you weren’t what you seemed.” Daniel turned his gaze to Tizoc. “I’m not sure we can trust him. He could be leading us into a trap. How do we know he’s going to take us to his great city?”

  “I don’t think he’s lying.” For some reason, I believed that. As if when Tizoc had figured out I was female, I had seen into him as well.

  “He harbors a grudge toward the English, Charlie,” Daniel pointed out. “He may want to settle the score.”

  “No.” I shook my head. “He could have killed us already if he meant to do that. He has more men than us. Weapons too. Why not kill us on the beach and be done with it?”

  “Natives are ceremonial,” he said. “They probably have a ritual or something for killing outsiders.”

  “Don’t be silly.” A sliver of irritation snaked into my voice. “He’s given us no reason not to trust him.”

  “He’s given us no reason to trust him,” Daniel said.

  “I think not killing us gives us a reason to trust him, don’t you?

  “He said he would kill us if he had to.”

  “Yes, but he hasn’t. That counts for something.”

  I didn’t want to fight with Daniel. In all the months we’d worked side by side, we hadn’t quarreled. Not once. This was no time to start. We didn’t know Tizoc, that was true, but he didn’t seem hostile. Even his one threat was delivered with a slight grin. He got the hint he should stop insisting a girl was among our crew. If he wanted to, he could have exposed me on the spot in front of everyone.

  “Let’s just be careful, all right?” Daniel said as we neared the top of the slope.

  “Of course.”

  As we crested the hill, I tossed a glance over my shoulder. The Rose was nothing but a child’s plaything in the water now, swiveling on her anchor line. Once we were on the other side of this hill, she would not be visible. Our tie to the known would be severed. Only the unknown would stretch ahead. Despite this fact, the stirrings of fear upon first setting foot on land had been replaced by a more potent emotion.

  Curiosity.

  I wanted to see Tizoc’s great city. I wanted to know about his people. I wanted to know about him.

  ****

  We traveled on foot until the sun was low, casting long shadows across our path. The sands of the shore had been left behind, and we trudged over swaths of grassy land now. This far inland, the trees had changed from the wide-leaf ones to ones more like those in England. They offered shade from what remained of the sun, but my legs were tired. The effects of my rowing earlier in the day were now evident.

  Daniel still walked beside me, but because of the coming nightfall I could not see anyone else clearly. I had fallen into an automatic pattern of following the footsteps of the sailor in front of me. I had no sense of where we were headed. Follow was all I could do.

  The crewman in front of me stopped, as did all the others, and I nearly banged into him. Daniel pulled on my arm to keep me from stumbling.

  “You all right?” he asked.

  “Uh-huh. Getting tired is all.”

  “And that is why we have stopped,” a voice said to my left.

  Tizoc stood beside me. His golden eyes were fiery in the fading light. I searched for something to say to him, but was caught off guard by his proximity. I could only utter a weak, “Oh.”

  Bright white teeth showed from behind Tizoc’s full lips. He looked at me again as he had when we first met. As if he looked through me. As if he knew what was hiding beneath my brother’s clothes.

  “Our city is still half a day’s walk from this point. We will make a small camp and spend the night here. Does that suit you…” he paused, waiting for my name.

  “Charlie,” I said.

  His lips twitched to a smirk. “Does that suit you, Charlie?”

  “Yes, that’s fine.”

  Tizoc said something to his people in a tongue I could not decipher. Whatever he said sent his tribesmen in several different directions.

  “They will hunt, but a fire will need to be built.” Casting a quick look to Daniel, he said, “Can you two help gather wood?”

  “Of course we can,” Daniel said, a note of insult in his voice.

  “Good. Do so. I shall instruct the other members of your group.”

  He left us to talk to Captain Finley, and as soon as he was gone, Daniel was beside me. “He doesn’t think I’m fit to gather wood.”

  “He didn’t say that.”

  “He looked right at me and asked if we could gather wood, Charlie. As if gathering wood might be too much for someone like me.”

  “What’s the matter with you, Daniel? You don’t usually care what other people think.”

  “Well, I don’t care what he thinks if that’s what you mean.” He huffed out a breath.

  He tugged on my arm, and I followed him to some trees nearby. Along with some other crewmen, we picked up branches and sticks that had fallen to the ground and hauled them back to the camp that was still getting organized. Some of Tizoc’s men had returned with fresh kills ready for roasting. I was impressed with their ability to hunt so efficiently with spears and arrows.

  As Daniel broke up some of the sticks with his foot and left hand, I scanned the darkened area. At first I wasn’t sure what I was looking for exactly, but that didn’t matter. Within a few moments, I was again held prisoner b
y Tizoc’s tiger eyes. He was seated on the ground across the camp. His well-defined left arm rested on his bent knee as he watched me. He motioned to me with his hand, wanting me to come over to him.

  I looked back to Daniel who worked with two of our crewmen to get the fire started. I had a few moments to spare, perhaps. Walking slowly, I crossed the camp to stand near Tizoc.

  “Sit with me.” He peered up at me from behind long, black lashes.

  I lowered myself to sit about two arm lengths away from him, but he shuffled closer.

  “How long have you been hiding?” he asked in a whisper.

  “I don’t—”

  “It’s all right.” Tizoc held up his palm. “If you don’t want them to know, I won’t say anything. I’m sorry about before. I thought they knew.”

  “Why would they know? How did you know?”

  “Everything about you is female,” he said with a soft laugh. “Your eyes, your skin, the way you move, the way you smell.” He inhaled deeply.

  “I smell as if I’ve been on a ship for four months. That’s how I smell. Just like the rest of them.” Did I, in fact, reek like a true sailor? That question made me shift away from Tizoc.

  “No,” Tizoc said. “You don’t smell like them. Besides, your aura is feminine.”

  “My what?”

  “Your aura. The natural light that shines around you. It’s purplish. Female, for

  sure.”

  He was so positive of himself that I couldn’t help smiling. He returned the smile and held out his hand, palm up.

  “Give me your hand.”

  Again, I glanced toward Daniel who was still busy with the fire making.

  “Don’t worry about him. Give me your hand.”

  I slid my hand into his, and he put his other hand on top of mine. The rough contours of his palms scuffed across my own ship-weathered hands. Tizoc closed his eyes. A sudden warmth encapsulated my hand, as if heat were exuding from both of his into mine. I pulled my hand away, but he tightened his hold.

  “I see.” He opened his eyes to gaze at me but didn’t release my hand.

  “What do you see?” I pursed my lips.

  “You’re a female all right,” he began, “and you’re in love.”

  “I… I…” I started in a hushed tone, again looking around us.

  “Don’t bother denying it.”

  Anger boiled up in my belly. I shot to my feet and walked a few steps away from Tizoc.

  “Wait!” He stood quickly.

  I stopped and looked at him over my shoulder.

  “I’m sorry. I’m just curious. I have never met a female with such boldness, such courage. To hide among men and sail across the vast ocean requires great strength and discipline.”

  He took a step closer to me and rested a hand on my shoulder. He turned me to face him. His eyes were a deeper shade of gold, the flames of the now roaring fire flickering in them.

  “I’ve known only the cruelty of English men, not the bravery of English women. I want to know more of you, Charlie.”

  A racing heat flooded through my body as he slid his hand down my arm and held onto my wrist. My head swam for a brief moment.

  I glanced toward the fire and saw Daniel scanning the area. He hadn’t found me yet. “I have to go.” I shook free of Tizoc’s grasp then ran off toward Daniel.

  By the time I got to the fireside, thoughts were swimming inside my head. I lowered myself to have a seat on the ground while the food was being cooked over the fire. It had turned a bit cooler now that the sun was gone, and the moon had risen to keep a watchful eye on us all.

  I angled my head back to look at the moon, noting that she glowed the same as she had back in England and all along our journey. She had seen all that had led me up to this moment. Did she know what was to come next?

  “Hey.” Daniel sat next to me. “That game ought to be cooked in no time. I’m starving.”

  “Me too.” My thoughts were still some place else.

  “Looks as if we’ll be sleeping under the stars tonight,” he said. “Hope the wild animals lurking about don’t want to snack on you.” He gave me a playful jab that no one would have noticed in the darkness.

  “Very funny,” I said, getting more into conversing with him. “I’ll bet you’d make a tastier snack than me.” I shot him a coy smile causing him to laugh.

  As the orange-red glow of the fire danced off Daniel’s chuckling features, I berated myself. Why was I letting curiosity over Tizoc, a complete stranger, cloud my mind? I knew Daniel. I enjoyed his company, his touch, his kiss.

  I stole a glance back to where Tizoc was sitting, still watching me. A few of his tribesmen were around him now, but he didn’t seem to be paying much attention to them. He was focused on me. Something fluttered in my stomach, and I turned to face the fire once more, trying my best to ignore the physical reaction I had to Tizoc.

  After Daniel and I secured ourselves some of the roasted meat, we took a seat on the ground amongst the crew and ate until our bellies were full. We had half a day’s journey ahead for tomorrow according to Tizoc, and we would need every bit of strength we could get.

  His great city waited.

  Chapter Nineteen

  I dreamed of my mother. She wore a blue dress with lace at the throat and along the sleeves. Her eyes were the exact color of the dress, the same as my own, and her blonde hair spilled along her shoulders in springy curls. She waved from a dock as I had seen her do on countless occasions each time my father set sail on one of his trips. I had usually been clinging to her skirts, waving along with her as the Emily drifted farther and farther from Southampton’s shore.

  This time, however, she waved to me.

  ****

  The sun had been beating down on us for hours as we trudged over the terrain toward Tizoc’s home. Accustomed more to standing still in the crow’s nest on the Rose than to so much walking, my feet blistered in my boots. Still, I kept up with the other crewmen, as did Daniel by my side. Every once in a while I glanced ahead to see the back of Tizoc as he led us onward. His ebony hair fell about his shoulders like a dark, shiny curtain. Though he resembled the rest of his tribe from the back, his height set him apart. I could find him every time I looked up.

  “How much farther do you think it is?” I asked Daniel.

  “Don’t know. Never been this way before. You getting impatient?” Daniel poked me in the bicep. He turned his head to face me, and I got lost for a moment in his blue eyes.

  I shifted my gaze down to his lips.

  “Stop that.” He leaned closer so only I could hear him. “I won’t be able to behave a moment longer if you look at me like that.” He stepped away, putting two crewmen between us.

  “We’re nearly there now.”

  I jumped and turned to my left to see that once again Tizoc was beside me.

  “Stop sneaking up on me.”

  “Warriors move quietly.” The smooth, dark skin at the base of his neck crinkled as he shrugged and it fascinated me.

  “Where is your city?” I said, focusing ahead of us.

  “Beyond that ridge.” He pointed a long, slender finger toward several small rolling hills. “I have sent one of my kin to announce that we bring guests.”

  “How come…” I started to ask, focusing on Tizoc’s golden eyes again.

  “Don’t be afraid to ask me something. We should be learning from each other. Isn’t that why you came?”

  I nodded.

  “Then ask your question.” He showed his bright white teeth in his smile.

  “Why are your eyes so different from the others?”

  Tizoc’s smile faded, and he cast his gaze to the ground. A long moment of unbearable silence hung between us. He raised his head, but did not look at me directly.

  “They have scared a few people away in the past.” His brows lowered as if he were in pain.

  “They don’t scare me.” I rested my hand on his upper arm.

  His eyes shot to mine now
as if my touch had jolted him out of his recollections. “Are you sure?”

  “Mmm-hmm.” Everyone was focused on the slow forward march, not paying much attention to us. “They’re… they’re beautiful.” I dropped my hand.

  Tizoc smiled his broad smile again, causing a single dimple to dot his otherwise smooth cheek. “Thank you. I would not want you to fear me.”

  We walked a bit in silence. Daniel chatted with a nearby crewman, too absorbed in his conversing to see what I was doing.

  And what was I doing? Nothing. Just talking with our guide. Our tall, perfectly sculpted, exotic-looking guide with marvelous, sunlit eyes.

  Harmless. Just passing the time.

  “The legend says,” Tizoc began, drawing me out of my rationalizations, “every fifty-one years, a Sunal warrior is born with the eyes of the mighty striped feline.”

  “A tiger?”

  “Yes. The Sun God, Adanitupachi, called down bits of the sun and captured them in the eyes of this Sunal warrior. The sun’s light is supposed to help this warrior see some great tragedy before it comes to the Sunal people.”

  “You’re that warrior?”

  “If you believe the tale.” Tizoc waved a hand in dismissal.

  “Don’t you believe it?” He certainly had tiger eyes, and he was a warrior.

  “I suppose part of me does. That’s why I have trained. If something is going to befall the Sunal, I want to be ready for it.” He sighed and tightened his grip on the spear in his hand, which he now used like a walking stick. “I guess I don’t like the idea that I am predestined to carry out a role though. I’d like to think I had some control over what happens. I’d like to think I’m like you.”

  “Like me? Cripes, why would you want to be like me?”

  “You are bold and know where you want to go. You aren’t letting anything stop you from seeing the world.”

  “That’s true, but,” I began, leaning in closer to him, closer than I should have, “if I were truly bold, I wouldn’t be hiding what I am, now would I?”