by Renee Ryan
Gasping, she pressed her lips together to keep from arguing. The idea that she had borrowed trouble was absurd, especially if he thought that sort of trouble had landed her on his vessel. She moved away from his commanding presence and flung her arms out to her sides. “Where is it you would have me hide, Captain? There is very little here to shield me.”
The corner of his mouth twitched until he gave in and smiled. Strange how the turn of his lips broke the severity of the harsh contours of his jawline. Strange how such a thing caused a tickle of lamb’s wool to fill her chest. It made her want to laugh, to dance like the village women when word of their bridegroom’s approach met their ears. “I would see you belowdecks with the merchandise, but that is the first place anyone with nefarious intentions will look. You will remain here. Brison has brought you a dry tunic.”
He moved toward the bench and slid a panel from the end of it. He pulled out two leather scabbards and attached them to the wide leather belt around his waist, and then he pulled out a torn piece of leather with pictures and strange letters scribe onto it. He tucked it beneath his tunic. “Once you are changed, hide in here. When they have left I will come for you.”
He grabbed her shoulders and lifted her chin until she looked at him. “Ada, do you understand the importance of why you must remain hidden?”
She blinked. The crook of his finger against her chin was something she had never experienced. The warmth and gentleness made her want to follow him across a stormy sea. Even though she didn’t quite understand what it was he meant, she nodded.
“It is unlikely any man sound of mind will try to board my ship in such weather, but we must be prepared. I’ll not risk—”
A shout, followed by another halted his words, but she did not need to hear them to know he would not risk losing costly merchandise. After all, he’d risked his life to save her when the wave had swept her off the deck. Nicolaus glanced out the window. The color of his cheeks deepened in anger and his nostrils flared before turning his attention back to her. He held her firm as a wave smashed against the side. “Your vow, Ada.”
It was not a question. She’d heard that same tone in her father’s voice when he demanded obedience. She was fortunate Nicolaus did not sweep her off her feet and shove her inside the bench as her father would have done.
“Ay.” It was the only word she could form before he’d left her to tend to his duties. His commands to his crew cut through the howling wind, causing her to hurry in the task he’d given her. It took her very little time to change into the dry clothing, and then she tossed the discarded pillows back onto the cushioned bench. The hollow darkness of the hidden space glared at her. Oft times she sought out small spaces, places she could hide from the animosity of her sisters, but the danger pressing upon them caused her fear to overwhelm her thoughts. What if aught should happen to Nicolaus? What would happen to her then?
The ship seemed close enough that Ada could make out blurred shapes of people on the other deck. Inhaling a deep breath of salty air, she gathered her wet clothing and scooted feetfirst into the empty space beneath the bench before sliding the panel closed until there was not even a sliver of light. She would do as he asked, and then pray God would rescue her from any seafarer warriors, and more important from falling in love with a man who would surely sell her as soon as he reached his destination. After all, she was no more than a possession, one that he’d paid a handsome price for.
*
Nicolaus climbed the ladder to the command post, stood next to Xandros and noticed the winds had shifted against them. He drew his hand down his beard. Could the situation worsen? “How does it look?”
“They are fighting against the wind as much as we are now.”
“Aye, but something doesn’t look right. Why would they head toward Ashkelon when Joppa is closer? Their sail is unfurled in a storm. A seasoned seaman would know that to be a deadly mistake.”
“Unless they are bold in their attempt to overtake us.”
Nicolaus narrowed his eyes. “It gives me the mind they are thieves, yet their vessel seems to be nothing more than a simple fishing boat, not one made for warfare as thieves are wont to sail.” Nicolaus lifted his face toward the sky. “If only this storm would give way.”
He felt more bound than he had when he’d been taken captive all those months ago, and he blamed it on Ada. Her innocent beauty had called to him, luring him to rescue her from the ways of men. If he hadn’t rescued her, he would not care whether or not ten ships surrounded him, but something about her tempted him to live again, to breathe. He’d even smiled at her antics, a smile that warmed his innards, and that was something he hadn’t done in a long while.
“We’d still need the wind behind us, not pushing at our side. Mayhap we should head due north.”
Nicolaus shook his head. Although his ship was lighter than most vessels and could possibly outrun the one approaching once he unleashed his rowers he would not risk the consequences if he failed. Again. “I do not wish for them to think we are avoiding them. If they are about nefarious deeds they’ll only give chase.”
“Do you think they will attempt to board us in this storm?”
“I’ve seen men steal bread from a child while their bellies were full from a king’s feast.” Nicolaus twisted his lips. “Aye, if they are thieves a storm such as this will not halt them.”
“If they attempt to board us?”
Vivid memories ambushed him. A day hadn’t passed that he did not recall the events and wondered what he could have done to save his sister. He hoped this day would end differently, one where he didn’t lose an innocent maid to a band of thieves and where he did not end up in shackles. “We will not raise arms unless their actions warrant such. We will not resist their efforts to steal our merchandise if they so choose.” Nicolaus swallowed; the lump forming in his throat near choked his next words from him. He would not allow his emotions to sway him this day. “Xandros, if they require me for ransom you are to allow it. Take the maid to my father’s house, ensure her freedom at all cost and care for her.”
Xandros held his position without so much as a blink of his lashes, for which Nicolaus was grateful. His second-in-command would carry out his orders, not because Nicolaus was his captain, but because they were the best of friends and if anyone understood the battle weighing on his shoulders it was Xandros. It would not be easy for his friend to stand down and watch his captain once again be removed, just as it would not be easy for Nicolaus to allow another man to step foot on this boat after his last encounter with an approaching vessel.
The boat tossed upon the waves like a leaf in a creek after a heavy rain shower and as they moved closer Nicolaus could tell something was amiss. Whoever captained the ship had not been at it very long. “Do you notice something, Xandros?”
His second-in-command squinted. “Ay, I see women, lots of them now.”
Tension knotted Nicolaus’s shoulders as needles pricked his nape. He leaned his palms against the railing. He hadn’t been able to make out man or woman, only shapes of bodies, bodies that seemed to be clinging to the rails. “What do you make of it?”
“A ruse?”
Thieves of the sea often consisted of ruthless women as well as children. Merchant ships, unless carrying slaves, did not.
Nicolaus drew his hand down his beard. “Could be. Tell the Haemon and Argos to stay on guard. It wouldn’t do to be caught by trickery.”
Patience was one thing his father had oft praised him for, but now was not one of those times as he waited for the confrontation to come. Were they friend or foe? Even though he was alert to the possible danger, instinct told him these people meant no harm. Given the way the women clung to the sides he was beginning to suspect they were a village in need of rescue. If so, what sort of danger had they encountered for them to be desperate enough to face the great unknown of the sea?
“Bring us to the right a little and toss the small anchor overboard to slow us down.”
&nbs
p; “You cannot think… Nicolaus, we’ll head straight for them.”
“Aye, be ready to reel it back in.”
Xandros shouted his orders to one of the men. The helmsman shifted the steering oars and the ship turned just as Nicolaus had commanded. An order to anchor cried over the roaring of the storm and the vessel began to steady in place. As the single boat approached he could see the pale and sunken cheeks of her occupants. “They do not look well.”
Although the words were more for himself than Xandros, his second-in-command grunted. “Still a ruse?”
“I do not believe so, my friend. We’ll soon know the full of their adventure, and if not then we’ll know their mischief.” He rested his palms on the hilts of his daggers and hoped he would not have to use them. After the amount of torture he’d endured during his captivity, he didn’t relish causing anyone harm, but if these people posed a threat to his brother or to Ada he would. His only comfort was that she was safely hidden. As for Brison, he’d grown up beneath two brothers and knew how to hold his own in battle.
He glanced over his shoulder and looked at the window of the captain’s quarters just to ensure she’d done as he’d requested and breathed a sigh of relief when he found it empty. A small part of him was surprised, especially given her feisty nature when he’d brought her aboard.
“Toss another anchor to slow us even more.”
In a matter of moments, the other ship neared enough for them to yell over the crashing of the waves. The condition of the approaching ship was not all right. It was obvious Xandros knew this, as well.
“What is it you wish to do, Captain?”
Nicolaus drew in a slow breath. Instinct told him these people held no danger for him or his crew. Yet, fear tried to grip hold of him, tempting him to order the anchors pulled and his rowers to reverse course, leaving the broken vessel to the mercies of the sea. Given its battered condition, it would not take long for it to completely splinter. Could he allow his fear to leave these people to certain death?
“Prepare the planks.”
“You cannot think to bring them aboard.”
“What choice do we have, Xandros? There are not that many of them. We cannot leave them to the mercies of fate. They’ll die.”
“They are not your responsibility.”
“If not us, then whose? They are in need of rescue and we are able.”
“The ruse?”
“Even I can see these people are in desperate need of help.” Ada’s lyrical accent curled around something in his chest and lifted his lips into a smile. Xandros growled and stalked away to do as bid.
Nicolaus kept his gaze focused on an old man waving in a frantic manner. “I thought I asked you to stay hidden.”
She leaned against the rail, her hair blowing behind her like a sail in the wind. He could not recall seeing any woman as lovely as she, not even his sister and she had been a coveted prize among their neighbors as well as abroad. “I did hide, but…” She pressed her lips together, and he could only guess that she’d succumbed to another bout of sickness. “Besides, they look harmless.”
Ay, they did. But could he be for certain? Once the ships were close enough his crew began throwing ropes to the other boat and began laying planks between them. What he saw on the faces of the occupants of the other boat left bile rising in his throat.
Chapter Five
Ada twisted her fingers together as Nicolaus’s crew maneuvered the boats close. The space between them decreased, and just when she thought they’d bump into each other, several of Nicolaus’s sailors attached laddering planks to the rails.
She bit the inside of her lip to keep from crying out when one sailor jumped onto a ladder and ran across to the other boat. She glanced at Nicolaus, who observed his men in silence. His body relaxed as they moved with swiftness and efficiency. Obviously he held great confidence in his men for he was not bellowing out commands as her father often did when overseeing his workers. “Is it not dangerous to tie the boats together in this storm?”
“There are always dangers, Ada. However, I must discern these peoples’ intentions, and then ensure their safety. Do you wish their boat, if you can call it as such, to break apart and be washed away by the waves?”
“Of course not.” She inspected the people, looking for signs of mischief. She’d never seen a thief up close, but she’d imagine that they would not look as if they’d been without food for weeks. “So, you have decided they are friends?”
He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled, never once looking at her. “Nay. My trust is not easily placed, especially in strangers who do not heed my warnings.”
No doubt he spoke about her decision to defy his command and come out on deck. “Ay, I suppose the lack of trust can be true for strangers who steal others from their family.”
He flinched, and she instantly stepped back. She knew her words were like a dagger. Knew if he hadn’t intervened with the burly bidder she would have been in a much worse position. That didn’t mean she liked her current situation.
“Remember this, Ada, I did not steal you and I did not sell you to be auctioned off like sheep. Correct me if I am wrong, but the women who looked much like you, perhaps your own sisters, did that to you. What I wonder is, why?” His last words were no more than a whisper above the wind and light rain, but she heard them as if he shouted them in the silence of a clear desert night. He tilted his chin and pierced her with his turbulent black eyes. “Why is it, Ada? Why did your sisters feel the need to sell you? Did you steal the affections of their marriage prospects?”
Ada’s jaw dropped. How dare he, but why indeed? That was a question that had burned in her heart and roared in her thoughts since the moment Dina shoved her into the hands of the trader. One thing was for certain—no man had ever paid her heed. They’d always vied for her sisters’ attentions whenever her father allowed interactions between them and prospective marriage partners. Her sisters disliked her and she never truly knew why, but Nicolaus’s accusations were far from the truth. She could only assume their hate was born out of their dislike for who—what—Ada’s mother was: a slave. Still, she was her father’s daughter the same as her sisters. She was not at fault for her father’s choice of concubines. “Ay, they hated me, due to no fault of my own.”
She stomped across the deck as best she could, gripping the rail until her knuckles turned white so she would not slip and fall, or go for a swim as the captain believed. She was many things: stubborn ay, a fool nay. Her life may not be her own, and death one of the only choices left to her and her alone, but she did not choose it. The Lord of Heaven and earth reigned, and if her mother had been correct He would rescue her from a life of captivity. She believed it without doubt.
Reaching the ladder, she climbed the rungs, stepped into the small room and then threw herself onto the cushioned bench. For the first time since being brought to this boat, she was thankful for the crashing waves rocking the vessel and the noisy wind stealing her sobs. “God, You will rescue me, will You not? Or am I to endure the same fate as my mother? A slave with no will of my own?”
She wanted to go home, away from this man who both irritated and drew her like the soft lamb’s wool of her bedding after a long day tending chores. It didn’t matter that her sisters disliked her because her mother had been a Hebrew. At least she knew what to expect from them. Besides, they would all soon marry and have families of their own to tend, leaving her to her father’s house. It was not what she longed for, but it was better than this—being swept away to a foreign land with a stranger who was kind one moment and condescending the next. Much as her mother had been treated by her father. A slave, no more, no less.
Ada dried her eyes, stretched out on the bench and folded her hands in front of her. The seams where the wood butted seemed to be flawless. They were coated with a yellow substance and not a single drop of rain leaked. The pine shone with a gloss, and she could not help but think the craftsmanship was much like the captain. He was a
man of strength and purpose from all that she could tell, but he was also a man of rugged beauty. And if she were to look at the truth of it, his rudeness had gained her cooperation. Not once, but twice.
She twisted her lips. Perhaps obedience was not the word, not in the sense her father demanded with a rough hand. Her father never would have asked. He only demanded, and if anyone refused to comply they were punished. Sometimes left without food. Memories of her mother tied to a stake outside the village entrance burned in Ada’s blood. After night had fallen, she’d taken her mother what little food and water could be procured without the watchful eye of her father’s wife. Still, it had not been enough.
Nicolaus had not proven cruel since his purchase of her. His kindness, although soured by his insensitivity, elicited a longing within her chest. A longing that caused her to dream of things she’d never thought to before. A family of her own, a household to care for. Love did not matter. A caring husband, much like she imagined Nicolaus would be, did not matter.
A memory of him brushing back her hair with tenderness, of him holding her while her stomach heaved, the comforting circles he massaged on her back…she closed her eyes as a tear slid down her cheek. Her mother had offered her such tenderness when she could and suffered dire consequences when caught by her father’s wife. How was it that her father mourned her mother’s passing when his character toward her spoke of dislike? Of course, Ada would not have known the difference if not for Nicolaus. And for that, mayhap she should despise the captain.
She rose from the bench and drew close to the window. Sea spray bathed her face, and she was thankful the rain no longer poured from the skies to hinder her sight. Nicolaus grabbed the hand of a woman who teetered on a wide plank and helped her onto the deck. His lips moved as he spoke. The harsh lines etching his cheeks and furrowing his brow disappeared as the woman smiled and bowed her head. Brison gave her a cask and some bread before motioning to a small group of people huddled together near the command post.