Sail With Me (A Discovery Series Book)

by Christy Major

  I watched Tizoc’s profile as he spoke and was not entirely sure I wanted to hear any more of this tale. Foolish. I had no right to be jealous that someone had been interested in him long before I had set foot on Sunal soil. Besides, I had made my choice and was more than happy with it too.

  But still…

  “Her father and mine began making arrangements as is our custom and neither Ixchell nor myself had minded. She was a suitable match for me, and there were feelings between us.” When Tizoc turned to look at me, the sadness in his eyes seemed bottomless.

  “What happened?”

  “I got taken to England. By the time I returned, her father had made arrangements with a prince from the next calpulli, and Ixchell was living there already. With her new mate.”

  “Did she know you had returned?”

  “Yes, but she was with child so…” He refocused his eyes on the water. “The time had passed for us.”

  I rested my hand on his forearm. “I hope the new life you are going to start in Florida brings you everything you want.”

  “You know what I want.” His voice was low and settled in my head, maybe in my heart. “But once again, the time is not right.”

  “I’m sor—”

  His fingers came up to cover my lips, his warmth seeping into me. “Do not apologize, Cihuapilli. You have done nothing wrong. You love Daniel and you must follow your heart. Always.”

  He slid his hand over to cup my cheek, and I pressed into it.

  “You’ll find happiness too,” I said.

  “We’ll see.” He let his hand slip away and gazed at the moon again. “We’ll see.”

  ****

  As we sailed along the next day, more and more boats crossed our path. Carracks, caravels, sloops, and galleons among other kinds of vessels bobbed around their anchors. On the land itself, small camps had been set up on the white sands hugging the crystal blue water.

  “Is this Florida?” I asked Daniel.

  We were at the helm while all our other passengers, including Tizoc, scanned the shoreline.

  “Let’s stop and see.” Daniel tugged on my arm until I was in front of him and gripping the wheel that he had let go. Stepping back, he clamped his hand on Tizoc’s shoulder in a companionable way. “She looks good behind the wheel.”

  “Charlotte steering the Charlotte,” Tizoc said. She always looks good.

  I flicked my gaze to Tizoc’s at his thoughts, and he offered me a slow smile.

  Daniel turned to the port side and pointed over the railing. “See that spot right there, Charlie? Between the two caravels?”

  I looked between Daniel and Tizoc. “I see it.”

  “Aim us there, and I’ll get some volunteers to take the sails down. We’ll lower the anchor and see where we are.” Turning to Tizoc, he said, “Can you inform Matlal and Yaretzi of our plans?”

  “Already have.” Tizoc tapped his temple.

  Daniel enlisted Acalon and Itzli to assist with the sails.

  Tizoc stood for a moment longer, just looking at me.

  “What?” He made me sweat when his tiger eyes were on me like that.

  The closer we get to our destination, the closer you get to being Daniel’s wife.

  Daniel was busy instructing Acalon and Itzli who had both climbed up the mast to fuss with furling the sails.

  And the closer you get to leading your people to a new home. To fulfilling your destiny, I reminded him. You will be too busy to think of me. I looked to the bow, gauging our course.

  I doubt it, Cihuapilli. I will always think of you.

  With that thought, he walked toward Daniel and proceeded to help him ready the anchor. How could a plain girl from Southampton—disguised as a boy most of the time, no less—have earned the love of two incredible men?

  It didn’t add up.

  Shaking my head, I focused on the task at hand and guided the Charlotte into the free space of water between two caravels. The Swell readied her anchor as well. Our sails were nearly furled in all the way with the exception of a small slice Daniel was using to carry us forward. Acalon and Itzli had climbed down the mast and stood ready with the anchor hanging over the starboard bow. Tizoc had some line coiled around his arm, waiting to release it with the anchor.

  I guided the boat toward its destination when something on the transom of the caravel to the right of us caught my attention. A lump formed in my throat. I blinked several times, but I was not imagining things. In bold, fancy lettering stood the name of the vessel beside us.

  Emily. My mother’s name. My father’s ship.

  ****

  More time must have passed than I had realized after seeing my father’s boat bobbing beside the Charlotte. It had felt like seconds, but when I was able to tear my gaze away from my mother’s name on the back of the caravel, our anchor had already been tossed into the water and our sails completely stowed away. The other ship in our tiny fleet was also settled behind us, spiraling around its anchor line.

  “Do you want to move the boat to another spot?” Daniel placed his hand on my arm, causing me to meet his gaze.

  “Move the boat?”

  “Yes,” he said. “So we’re not next to your father’s.”

  “Her father’s?” Tizoc said.

  Daniel pointed to the Emily. “That’s Captain James Denham’s ship. Charlie’s father.”

  “They’re here,” I said softly. “They’re all here.”

  Daniel’s face morphed into a scowl. “I’m eager to meet your brothers, Charlie, but…” He ran his hand through his hair and paced away from me.

  I released my grip on the wheel. Something stirred up in my stomach and had taken over my body.

  “We have as much a right as he does to be here. Maybe more so.”

  I thrust up my chin as Ghost hopped up onto the starboard rail. He cackled at a bird that was perched on the main mast of the Emily and whipped his tail back and forth.

  I walked over to Ghost and stroked his back. “Exactly what I was thinking.”

  ****

  Along with the Sunal on the Swell, Acalon and Xochitl volunteered to stay behind on the Charlotte. Getting in and out of a dory was not something Xochitl was of a mind to do presently. Their little one was due to make an appearance any day now. Though Xochitl looked uncomfortable, a beautiful glow surrounded her that only beamed brighter when she saw Acalon. They were going to be wonderful parents.

  Parents.

  I heaved in a deep breath as I climbed into the dory after Tizoc. Settling in my seat and gripping an oar, I glared at the Emily beside us. She had undergone some maintenance. My father had no doubt made some successful merchant runs, which had allowed him to spend some of his earnings on improvements to his ship. I clenched a fist around the oar.

  How could he devote so much attention to a boat and nothing to me?

  Childish. After everything I had experienced on my own without my father’s consent, I had no use for wallowing. Despite his efforts to stop me, I had made it to the Americas, made wonderful friends, fought like a warrior, and was ready to marry a magnificent man.

  It’s not childish. It’s human. Tizoc’s voice filled my head.

  I shook my head as Daniel got in the dory, and it was lowered to the water.

  Besides, Tizoc continued, you are part of my family now. That will never change.

  I half-smiled at him as he dipped his oar in the water in front of me and rowed toward the shore. Lowering my own oar, I focused on the smooth, even strokes and the steady swish of the water. I zoomed in on the muscles in Tizoc’s back as he rowed. A tug at the end of my braid from behind had me glancing over my shoulder at Daniel. His blue eyes were filled with the same doubts I had swirling in my head. My father’s dismissal of him in Southampton had not been forgotten.

  We rowed on in silence until the tip of the dory slid onto the shore. Itzli and Daniel leaped out first, followed by the rest of us. While Citlali and Yaoti walked up the beach, we hauled the dory through the sand
so three-fourths of it rested out of the water. Grabbing what little gear we carried with us on this exploratory visit, we abandoned the dory and headed toward the first cluster of tents.

  Daniel took the lead, like a good captain, as I followed behind him. If we were truly in Florida, Riley had been accurate in his description of it. The fauna, beach, and water didn’t look that different from what I had seen when we first made landfall near Tizoc’s homeland. Dark greens colored the land in dense pockets while the crystal blue water licked the fine, white sands. Bright flowering plants dotted the green, and the warm air was calm, soothing. I was almost relaxed.

  Almost.

  “I’m going to ask them about the area.” Daniel indicated a group of men in front of a large tent nearby. Some of the men in that group were regarding us.

  “I’m going with you.” I stepped past Daniel before he could stop me but not before he could catch up with me.

  “Hold it!” He grabbed my arm and pulled me back toward him. “Of course you can come with me. Partners, remember? But you don’t barge up to a bunch of sailors you don’t know.” He ran his fingers through his hair and let out a breath.

  “Why not?” I said.

  Daniel opened and closed his mouth several times without anything coming out. A smile settled on his lips, and I couldn’t help grinning back.

  “Life isn’t going to be boring with you, is it?” he asked, taking my hand in his.

  “No, Captain. It isn’t.”

  Laughing, Daniel tugged me forward while he called over his shoulder. “Tizoc, are you coming?”

  Tizoc scanned the group of men and shook his head. “I will stay with my kin.”

  Daniel nodded. “We’ll find out what we can and be right back.”

  As we approached the men, they stopped talking amongst themselves. One of them, a short fellow, probably thirty years of age, emerged from the group.

  “Can I help you?” he said in an accent not unlike our own.

  “Are you from England, sir?” Daniel asked.

  “Aye, as are you?”

  “Yes.” Daniel extended his left hand. “I’m Daniel Connor.”

  The man paused for a moment, studying us, before accepting Daniel’s hand and looking past us. “William Anderson. Who else have you got with you?”

  “Charlotte,” I said before Daniel could introduce me. I wasn’t quite ready for the Denham name to be tossed out there. Not yet.

  “Miss,” William said, bowing to me. “And those folks that got off with you? Where are they from?”

  “They’re Sunal,” Daniel replied. “From Ezenoch, a magnificent city that used to be southwest of here.”

  “Used to be?”

  “It was attacked—”

  “By Salazar!” William shouted, causing both Daniel and me to jump back a bit.

  “Yes,” I said. “How did you know?”

  “They passed through here, but Florida is a Spanish claim already, so he continued on his way in search of gold.”

  “Well, they found it. They were burning the city down when we left. We’ve brought a few Sunal with us to start over again,” I explained.

  William’s eyes softened a bit. “How many have you got?”

  “About thirty or so,” Daniel replied. “Look, they don’t mean anyone harm. They have treated us like family. We want to settle in somewhere and have some peace.”

  “If it’s peace you’re looking for, you’ve come to the right place. So far anyway. Welcome.” William motioned to the other men behind him, calling them over. He introduced us to his crew, pointed out his boat four vessels down from ours, and handed us a roughly drawn map of the area. Thanking him for his kindness, Daniel and I returned to Tizoc and his family.

  “This is Florida,” I told Tizoc. “We should round up the others and make camp somewhere.”

  Tizoc closed his eyes. After a moment of silence, he opened them again. “They will be here shortly.”

  Daniel clamped his hand onto Tizoc’s shoulder. “We’ll wait for them then wander up the coast a bit. Find a free spot.”

  As he walked toward Citlali, I could tell that some of the uneasiness of running into my father had seeped out of Daniel. He was pleased he had led us to our intended destination. I was proud of him as well.

  “I’ll be right back,” I said to Tizoc. I jogged back toward William. “Excuse me?”

  William turned around. “Yes, Miss Charlotte?”

  “Do you know if Captain Denham and his sons are hereabouts?”

  “Aye, his sons be three camps over and Captain Denham is staying on his vessel.”

  My throat tightened. “Thank you.”

  William rejoined his group as I walked back toward Tizoc.

  “My brothers are here,” I said, kicking at some sand. “My father’s on the Emily.” I gazed out across the water to my father’s ship.

  “Are you going to find them?” Tizoc lifted my chin so I would look at him.

  “I don’t know. I want to see Eric and Riley, but my father…”

  “Don’t you think he might be relieved to know you are all right, Cihuapilli?”

  “I think I’m still angry about my father not coming to look for me.”

  Tizoc took my hand. “Come, sit with this family that loves you then before facing the one that would ignore you.” He pulled me toward Citlali who was laughing over something Daniel was saying. The sound was light and airy. It did wonders to drain away the uneasiness.

  I allowed Tizoc to guide me over to his mother. She was seated on a tree stump, Yaoti standing next to her. The rest of Tizoc’s family and Daniel were gathered around as we waited for Acalon, Xochitl, and the Sunal from the Swell to join us.

  “Ah, Cihuapilli.” Citlali stood and opened her arms to me. I gratefully accepted her embrace, needing it so much. When she drew back, her eyes were moist.

  “You are a wonderful young woman,” she began. “Because of you and Daniel, my family is alive and together. I thank the gods for sending you both to us.”

  “We needed you and your family as much as you needed us.” Daniel came to stand behind me and rested his hand on my shoulder. As he kneaded the muscles in my neck, some of the anxiety roiling around in my stomach seeped out.

  Once we got settled in, I’d find Eric and Riley. I couldn’t be mad at them. I was operating under the assumption they didn’t come looking for me themselves because my father had not let them. They’d want to know about my adventures.

  My father, on the other hand… I wasn’t sure what to do about him. I was sure, however, that I couldn’t hide from him.

  Chapter Thirty-five

  We found a lovely spot close to the tree line a little way down the beach from where we had anchored the Charlotte. Trudging along, each of us shouldered a load and in a couple of hours we had a sufficient camp set up. The rest of the Sunal that had fled Ezenoch with us were busy setting up a camp beside ours.

  “New beginnings can be good,” Citlali said.

  Tizoc gave his mother an impromptu hug, and the image warmed me more than the Florida sunshine that was now sliding toward the horizon. In a few hours, it would be dark in this new place. Drawing in a breath, I walked over to where Daniel and Yaoti stoked a sizable fire, while Yaretzi and Teiuc prepared to cook some fish that had been caught. Acalon and his brothers solidified the shelters while Xochitl paced down by the water’s edge. She was too uncomfortable to sit still and wait for the baby to come.

  “Daniel.” I folded and unfolded my hands in front of me.

  He turned to face me as he tossed one more branch onto the roaring blaze. Brushing his hand on his breeches, he straightened out his rumpled tunic and raked his fingers through his hair.

  “You’re ready to find them,” he said.

  I nodded. “It will be dark soon.”

  “We could always look for them tomorrow.” Daniel sent me a sheepish grin that made me laugh.

  “We could, but what would that gain us but a bad night’s sleep?�
� I smoothed out my own tunic and breeches. “Should I change these clothes?”

  “Only if you want to. Don’t change for him.” Daniel’s gaze grew sharp for a moment, but then his facial expression softened. “Sorry. Come here.”

  I stepped closer, lowering myself to sit on a boulder beside him. Daniel pulled me into an embrace as he stood in front of me. I rested my cheek on the bare skin of his chest peeking through the open V of his tunic. He freed my hair of its braid. I closed my eyes as his fingers coiled around loose waves. How I wished we were the only two people on that beach.

  “No matter what happens when we see your father,” he began, stepping back to look me in the eye, “remember I love you more than anyone will ever love you.”

  Daniel found my lips, his kiss reassuring me I had no reason to be afraid to see my father. Cripes, I was living my own life, as he was living his. We’d catch up. He’d be on his way and me on mine. No reason for there to be any theatrics.

  No reason at all.

  ****

  By the time we reached what I thought to be the camp containing my brothers, long shadows crept along the white sand, and the water deepened to a darker blue-black. Several men sat around a fire in the center of the camp, still finishing their supper. The orange glow of the flames flickered on their features. Eric and Riley were not among them nor was my father. When I shifted my gaze back out to the water, however, I caught a glimpse of two forms splashing about in the ocean.

  “This way.” I tugged on Daniel’s hand and guided him down the beach toward the two figures. Before I had a chance to call to them, they chased one another out of the water, and my eyes filled watching them.

  Eric was out first, his black hair soaked and stuck to his forehead. He was fitter than when I had seen him last. Riley was right behind him looking exactly like Eric except for the sopping wet bandana he pulled from his head and wrung out as he walked onto the beach. Both of them sported scruffy black beards, making them look more like rogue pirates than the fine Englishmen I knew them to be.

  “Is that them?” Daniel whispered in my ear as he stood behind me.

  “Unmistakably.” I edged closer as they plopped down onto the sand next to each other. I laughed when they both pushed their palms into the sand behind them and tilted their heads to the right in the exact same way. They must have heard me, because they turned their heads, again at the same time, and regarded me with sharp green eyes.