Edward cocked his brow. "What do you mean?"
"You think you're the first? You are just another player in one of Benjamin's games."
Edward's mouth was a line, and his eyes cold. "You're wrong."
Dominique cackled with genuine mirth. "And what makes you think you're not, eh?"
Edward kept a calm face while Dominique continued to laugh. When Dominique stopped due to the stares sent his way, Edward replied, "Because, we're fighting against Benjamin, and…" Edward grabbed Dominique by the neck and held him up in the air. "I'm the King." Edward dropped Dominique and he fell in a heap.
Sam was brought up to the main deck by one of the crew. His hair was dishevelled and his eyes baggy. He ambled over to Edward, in front of Dominique.
"Sam, my son. Let me out of these bonds. Help me. Am I not your father?"
"I saw…" Sam stated softly.
"Saw what?" Dominique asked.
Sam stared into his father's eyes. "I saw the day I wus lost at sea in an illusion on that island. I didn't want ta believe it, but I remember now. Someone pushed me into the Devil's Sea, and only you and I wus on deck tha' night, Dom."
Edward handed Sam a pistol. Sam pointed the pistol with shaking hands at the captain he'd considered a father.
Dominique chuckled. "You think I pushed you? You were a child, you experienced a traumatic event. You aren't remembering correctly."
"I remember perfectly!" Sam yelled. "I jus' want to know why."
Dominique smirked. "A privateer ship is not fit for a kid, but look at you now, you're a strapping young lad. Together, we could rule these seas. What do you sa—"
"Enough!" Sam yelled, and then he pulled the trigger.
The sound of the gun travelled across the ship and out to the ocean, piercing the ears of the three crews present. The wind blew the smoke away as the pistol fell to Sam's side, and the body of Dominique You fell to the deck of the Freedom.
Sam walked sullenly back to the crew cabin to rest. The crew watched him as he stepped sluggishly down the stairs and disappeared below deck.
Edward picked up Dominique's body, walked to the edge of Freedom, and threw him overboard. It fell with a splash and floated off into the waters of the Triangle.
"Bind the rest of Dominique's crew, and move them to the Patriot," Edward commanded, then went to test the new key.
The two doors on the gun deck didn't open, so the key had to open the door in the crew's quarters. The berth deck, the lowest deck before the hold, was lined stem to stern with beds and hammocks for the crew. On the stern, past the crew quarters, was the mess hall and kitchen. On the bow was a locked door, which opened with the key from Dominique.
Fifteen members of the crew gathered to see the mystery room being opened, excited to see the outcome of what the riddle and fighting had brought them. The crew was rather disappointed with the results, however.
The room was a simple brig, a prison aboard the ship for holding prisoners of war or punishing crewmates. The front part of the brig was an open area with some chairs bolted to the floorboards and the remaining two-thirds separated by large iron bars extending the height of the room. The brig itself held a long iron slab for laying or sitting on, but nothing else. All in all a bit disheartening, given the previous treasures left by Benjamin in other rooms.
The crew behind Edward groaned audibly, making Edward laugh. "Come now, we only have two more keys to acquire and we've unlocked the whole ship. Besides, a brig could be useful in the future." Edward's words cheered some of them up.
"Captain, look!" one of the crewmates said, pointing to something on the wall in the brig.
Edward turned and noticed a piece of paper stuck to the wall. That must be the next clue. Edward entered the brig and retrieved the square paper. As he grabbed the paper, the door was closed and locked behind him.
The crew laughed and pointed. "In jail again, Captain. Whatever will you do?" one of them jested.
"Har har, very funny. Now please open the door," Edward requested.
The crew stopped laughing and searched for a key, but couldn't find one. "There ain't no key, Captain."
After Edward panicked for a moment, he pulled out the key that opened the door to the brig, then tested it on the ship's prison door. The door opened with a click and Edward was able to leave. The crew let out a sigh of relief and apologised for the jest. "No harm done, mates." Edward tossed the key to one of the crew members. "Take the key to John, he'll want to put it with the others."
"Aye Captain." The crew quickly dispersed as Edward ambled to the main deck while reading the next clue.
In the Gulf the North East Triangles Point the Way.
Four points, four points, three points, three points.
Undo and See.
I didn't think it was possible for these to make less sense. Edward turned the paper over, and found a map on the back. It had no names of countries or landmarks, but even Edward, with his limited knowledge of maps, could see the image of the Gulf of Mexico. Well, at least we know which Gulf the clue mentions.
When Edward reached the top once more, Theodosia Burr Alston was waiting for him.
"I am told I cannot return to my time, or perhaps it is you who are not able to return to your time. Is this true?" Alston asked, a distressed expression on her face.
"I do not know. We will try to recreate the events of our meeting tomorrow night. For now I think we should sleep."
Alston nodded. "Yes, you are correct, sir. I hope it works; the soldiers need those supplies, or you may need to return home." Alston studied the crew of the Freedom, battle-weary and tending to their injuries. "But, perhaps, the greater need is here," she muttered to herself.
Before Edward could question what Alston was thinking, she rushed across a gangplank to the Patriot to talk with the crew. Before long she returned with several women and some of the medicine and bandages from her ship.
"Miss Alston, this is too much. You need these supplies more than we do."
"Nonsense. These men were injured recovering these supplies. A portion belongs to you by rights."
Edward frowned. "I fought Dominique for my own reasons, and we wronged you. If anything, we owe you…"
Alston raised her hand, silencing Edward. "Before entering the fog, Dominique was upon us. The fog, and your ship as distraction, allowed us to escape. Inadvertently, you aided us, so let us say we are even."
Edward paused for a moment, a smile on his face. "Deal."
The following morning, the crews of the Freedom and Patriot rested, and in the afternoon shared dinner together on the Freedom. Edward made a rule that none were to ask anything about the future, and the crew of the Patriot would not tell anything of the past. The only one who needed to hold back was Alston, being the most learned of the group, and unfortunately she was not able to keep her promise.
During the night, a few hours before the appointed time in the morning, Alston secretly approached Anne on the waist.
"Miss Bonney, may I bother you for a moment?"
"Yes, of course. What do you need?"
"I must tell you something of dire import. I cannot tell the details, but if you wish your lover to stay alive, you must keep him from Ocracoke Island and Charleston after this."
Anne was shocked, and couldn't help but ask more. "What happens there?"
"As I said, I cannot tell you."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I owe you and your crew my life. And if you tell a man not to do something for fear of his life being in danger, they tend to rush headlong into peril to spite," Alston said with a smirk.
Anne grinned as well, but when Alston started to leave, Anne stopped her. "I must ask you another question, which will seem odd, but I need to know the answer."
"I will do my best to answer," Alston replied.
"What happens to Queen Anne?"
Alston eyed Anne suspiciously. "Why do you wish to know about Queen Anne?" Alston shook her head. "No matter, if you ha
ve any connection to her, telling you anything would be dangerous."
"Please, I must know," Anne begged.
Alston frowned. "I will tell you only this. The Queen began acting strangely after her daughter's death by pirates. The Queen later died under suspicious circumstances after an attack on England. George I succeeded her."
Anne was troubled by more than one thing Alston mentioned. "When does all this happen?"
"I am sorry, I will not provide dates. I've told you too much already."
Anne nodded and let Alston leave. Questions swarmed Anne's head, too many to make sense of. Alston could never guess Anne Bonney was actually Anne Sofia Stewart, daughter to the Queen, and the knowledge that her mother would be killed weighed heavily on her heart and mind.
As one o'clock approached, Edward had the crews separate and say their goodbyes in case they were able to recreate the event of a few days prior. Herbert guided the crew once again in lining up the cannons perfectly, and the crew shot precisely when the moon hit the time of one o'clock.
The cannonballs disappeared as they did before, and fog appeared suddenly, filling the night air. In mere moments to fog was so thick they could barely see the Patriot a hundred feet from them.
"Alston!" Edward yelled. All Edward received back was a muffled reply. "Alston, can you hear me?" Edward screamed.
Edward heard a thunk beside him on the deck, and noticed a crewmate had fallen unconscious. Edward took a step, but his knees became weak and buckled underneath him. He was kneeling on the deck, and becoming increasingly sleepy. Edward peered across the ship and noticed everyone aboard falling unconscious from the fog. Before long, Edward could not keep his eyes open, and he too fell to the deck with a thud, the world going black.
…
Edward awoke with a pounding headache. With great effort he sat up. Edward regained his senses slowly and remembered what happened.
Edward pulled himself to his feet and searched the horizon, but couldn't see another ship anywhere. The Patriot was no longer.
Edward walked to Herbert at the helm, and had to grip the railing to keep himself upright. "Herbert, did you manage to stay awake?"
"No, Captain. I don't think anyone did."
Henry, John, and Anne walked up to the quarterdeck. The crew were waking up one by one and talking amongst themselves, speculating on what had happened.
Edward, Henry, John, and Anne also discussed what might have happened, with no solid theories presenting themselves. Eventually, when the crew became restless and concerned over the event, the four agreed on a course of action, even if it was not the best way to deal with the situation.
Edward addressed the crew. "Men, I know what has just happened must have you questioning a lot of things, but we will not find answers to the questions we seek. Whatever happened, whatever the cause, it is over now. The senior crewmates feel that the best we can do is leave the Triangle as quickly as possible and move on."
Cries from the crew swarmed Edward. "What about what happened on the island?" "Was those crew from the future?" "What caused all the fog?"
Edward soon had enough. "Silence, men!" he bellowed. The crew went quiet, and Edward sighed. "I am sorry, I cannot answer your questions, no one can, and that is why I think it best that we forget about it for now. Whatever caused the fog and made the island appear is still out there, and we are in danger every second we remain in the Devil's Triangle.
"Each of us had an experience like none other on that island. I am not saying we cannot discuss what happened, but for now we have to leave here."
Edward's words calmed the crew, and they seemed to understand what he was saying, but curiosity still stopped them in their tracks.
"It was an illusion," one of the crewmates said. Edward looked to the source and saw Sam there. Sam glanced at the crewmates gathered about. "What 'appened here wasn't real. The time travel, the island, the fog, it wus all in our heads. I wus tricked as a young pup into believin' this fantasy 'bout another time." Sam stared at Edward, and Edward smiled.
One crewmate scratched his head. "But whut 'bout the key?" he asked Sam.
"Shut it!" Sam hollered. "Now back to work."
The crew shrugged their shoulders and went back to their stations, unfurled the sails, and worked to bring the ship out of the Bermuda Triangle.
Sam winked to Edward, and Edward laughed.
"Do you think the crew will accept that?" Anne asked.
"Since it came from Sam, I think it will do for now. At least we are on our way out of here," Edward replied.
"Agreed."
The crew did not speak of the events in the Bermuda Triangle that day, but it became a hotly debated topic in the mess hall. None could really say whether what happened was real or not, and they would never find out. However, all could agree that entering the Bermuda Triangle was not something done lightly, if at all.
13. The Cure
"So Captain, where are we headed?" Herbert inquired.
A few days had passed since the events in the Bermuda Triangle, and the Freedom had just left the area. Focus had been on the shortest distance rather than a solid direction, and so there had not been a discussion on where to go next until now.
"We're short on crew, are we not?" Edward asked, and fortunately John was coming up the stairs to the quarterdeck to be able to answer.
"Y-yes Captain, we are rather short. We have about one hundred and fifty to one hundred and sixty."
"How many should we have?"
"Two hundred and ten should do, Captain," John declared with uncommon confidence. He knew his numbers, and Edward trusted his judgement.
"Any ideas on where we can acquire some crew members, Herbert?"
"The closest would be Bodden Town. Not only would we be able to stock up and receive funds from our benefactors there, but Alexandre is supposed to be there as well."
"Let's head to Bodden Town, then. Can you take a look at this, Herbert?" Edward handed the paper containing the clue to the next key for Freedom.
Herbert examined the riddle in detail, along with the map on the back. "I am sure you uncovered that the map shows the Gulf of Mexico?"
"Yes, that part was easy," Edward replied.
"Well, the next location is probably in the north east of the Gulf itself from the paper's meaning, and these triangles must point to a more exact location."
"Good, good. Anything else?"
"That's all I have for now, but I will ponder the riddle. You might want Christina to inspect the paper. She was swift in uncovering the previous riddle."
"Yes, I planned to," Edward said.
After Edward and Herbert's discussion concluded, Sam descended a ratline to the quarterdeck. A week had passed since the fight with Sam's less-than-adequate guardian, and he appeared in better spirits.
"Hello Sam, how are you holding up?"
Sam brushed Edward off immediately. "I be fine, and I don't need yer pity."
Edward glanced at Herbert. "Well, sorry for asking."
Sam was exasperated. "A week ago I killed a man who might have been from over a hundred years in the future who I considered me father. How do ye think any would feel?"
Edward scratched his head. "Well, when you put it that way…"
"Ah, I'll be fine. The bastard had it coming," Sam said, with a spit to the floorboards.
"This event has made me question the nature of your true father."
"Never knew 'im. I think 'e wus from this time."
"How do you know?" Edward asked.
"Jus' a hunch," Sam replied, with no further explanation. His gaze turned to the bow deck. Anne and Christina were sparring. "Lookit them go," he said admiringly.
Edward watched as well. The two women were graceful and deadly in their dance. Christina was a quick learner, but Anne possessed years of experience and training.
Edward remembered Anne's concern over the anger Christina displayed during their training, and Anne was teaching Christina to meditate and keep a calm a
nd level head. Christina had had difficulty at first, and often lost focus when sparring.
Edward, looking at Christina now, thought she was doing much better. The true test will be when we face marines again. She will have a harder time holding back then.
But now Edward noticed something off. Anne was slowing down and breathing heavily. She abruptly cut the match short and made her way to the berth deck to rest.
Edward approached Anne to see what was wrong. "Anne, are you well?"
She waved her hand in dismissal, a habit picked up from Henry. "Don't be silly, Edward. I'm fine, I am merely tired from all the recent fighting and the hot sun and I need rest. Now leave me be."
"Alright." Edward stepped aside. Anne continued to walk slowly to the stairs nearby on the starboard side.
Christina wandered to Edward's side. "Is she well?"
"I don't know. What have you observed?" Edward asked, watching Anne.
"She's been progressively slowing and cutting off our sparring more frequently as of late. I didn't pay Anne's condition any heed until recently. She's been sweating more, which isn't normal for the level of exertion she's used to, and today her hands and legs were shaking. See?" Christina pointed to Anne as she was descending the stairs.
Edward noticed Anne's legs were wobbly as she stepped down the stairs to the next deck. Before he could comment, Anne disappeared with a series of thuds.
"Anne!" Edward yelled, drawing the crew's attention
Edward ran down the stairs to the unresponsive Anne. Edward checked her breathing and the pulse on her neck and forearm as Alexandre once showed him. Christina was beside Edward, and the crew were concernedly watching on.
"Is she well?" Christina asked, panic fringing her voice.
"She is breathing and her pulse is normal, albeit elevated." Edward examined Anne. "She has some bruises and scrapes from the fall, but as far as I can tell nothing serious." Edward picked Anne up, took her down to the crew's quarters and lay her on a bed.
With Christina's help, Edward removed Anne's vest and rolled up her shirt sleeves to let cool air reach her body. Christina let out a cry of shock. "What?" Edward asked. Christina pointed to Anne's upper left arm, her bicep, which was red with purple bumps oozing pus.
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