Horsman, Jennifer

by Crimson Rapture

  She had no idea how long they sat in silence, perhaps an hour or more, but suddenly the door swung open and in walked Justin. Water fell unnoticed from his person and he looked taller, even more devastating in the small room. The strain of the battle showed on his face, making his sharp features harsher somehow. There was an unmistakable air of anger about him. This was owed to having just lost his sixth man to the storm, a responsibility he bore himself.

  The anger dissipated when his gaze fell on Christina and he smiled. He called out behind himself. The largest dog she had ever chanced to lay eyes upon pranced excitedly into the room. Christina caught a brief flash of mischief in the small brown eyes just as the huge creature shook its long white and brown fur and caused the first screams to sound. She might have laughed at the dog's mischief had not circumstances been so frightfully terrifying, survival so precarious.

  Justin pushed back his dark hair and wiped the moisture from his face. "Ladies, may I present my sorry excuse for a dog, Beau. I'm afraid he's going to keep you company for the duration of this... ah, ordeal. Over there, Beau," he pointed next to Christina. The dog obediently complied and assumed a sitting position at her side, and Justin quickly tied a rope through Beau's harness and secured it around her pole.

  He then knelt in front of her, brushing a stray lock of wet hair from her face. For a long moment he just stared, wondering how she could still look beautiful soaking wet and in black widow's rags. "Are you all right, sweetheart?"

  Christina looked to him with surprise, then uncertainty. He was no longer angry and it was the voice she loved, the voice she had heard seemingly so very long ago through that small hole on the deck of the Defiant. She smiled weakly, indeed could not help herself. "Yes, I'm fine," she replied but looked over to Katie. "I don't think Katie's well, though."

  Justin went to Katie's side and first untied the ropes binding her chest. Marianna gasped in shock as he tore open the buttons of her worn yellow day dress. "To hell with propriety, ladies, she's got to breathe." Removing a jeweled dagger from his belt, he quickly but carefully slid the knife through her chemise and corset and before a protest could be uttered, he pulled the offending garment off and tossed it to the side.

  Katie nearly swooned with the new freedom and, for a moment, it seemed to nearly overwhelm her as she felt the first breath flow through her lifeless body.

  "Better?" Justin asked, and received a smile and quick nod. "Put your head between your knees and breathe deeply. Someone should be coming soon with bread and water but I don't advise you to have either for a while."

  Returning to Christina, he knelt in front of her again, bracing on the pole against the motion of the ship. He removed a shiny gold chain from his neck and placed it over hers, lifting her long wet hair from beneath. She lifted the tiny gold whistle to her gaze and stared, dazed by its delicate beauty and workmanship. The gold was inlaid with sparkling rubies and tiny diamonds, which formed an exquisite pattern of little flowers and leaves.

  "It's... beautiful," she whispered.

  "It was a present from the queen of Ethiopia," he smiled, "but don't let its beauty fool you. That is the loudest whistle you will ever hear. If something happens in here, I want you to blow on it and keep blowing until I come."

  She nodded and set the small treasure against her bosom, but kept her hand around it. She looked up at him and was about to thank him but his dark eyes held her and she felt her heart stop.

  "I don't suppose you've ever been kissed," he half stated, half asked in a whisper. Alarm instantly lifted on her face. She could not believe the question much less venture a reply and he chuckled lightly, having no doubt of the answer. "God forbid I waste what might be my only chance to taste those lips."

  Too frightened to move or protest, she froze mutely, as his strong hands cupped her face and he leaned toward her. At first his lips did no more than brush lightly over hers, filling her with a heady taste of brandy mixed with a salty taste of the sea. A small shiver leaped through her. Confused, bewildered, she gasped and, without knowing it, her lips parted to accommodate him.

  Justin needed no other invitation. His lips covered her and his tongue swept skillfully into a honey sweetness that was her, and for one timeless moment the world ceased to exist. There were no other people in the room, no storm threatening them; there was only him and this, the gentle attack of his lips.

  It was not enough for him. He wanted more and the kiss, at first so tender, probing, compelling, flared with sudden passion. His lips devoured her with force, and sent a silent cry rising in her throat. Life and will quickly drained from her and she felt like she was drowning, just drowning, abandoning herself to what could not be resisted.

  Acutely aware of her surrender, Justin finally broke his kiss but kept the intimate distance between them as his gaze caressed her with a desire he felt grow by the instant. And this despite the circumstances. Unleashed tears sparkled like bright gems in her eyes, making them large and misty, as though painted with watercolors. He brushed a hand over her flushed cheek and whispered, "God, how I want you, Christina.

  She crossed her arms protectively over herself and trembled slightly. Not only had she never known a man and his desire, but she had never imagined such a thing, and while she had but a vague idea of what it meant, it was enough. Enough to scare her senseless and she barely managed to say it. "You're scaring me so..."

  "I know, sweetheart," he said and leaned over her to catch the first tear with a gentle kiss. "I wish I could tell you there was no reason to be afraid of me." He stood up reluctantly and almost smiled, leaving without a glance back.

  Numbly, certain that everyone stared at her in horror, she buried her face in her hands to hide her tears, suffering a montage of emotions. She felt frightened, confused, and helpless, terrified by a man she did not know and did not like, a man she had once held in the highest esteem and considered gentle, thoughtful, and compassionate, actually likening him to her very own father!

  How could she have been so terribly, terribly mistaken?

  Beau tried desperately to keep his balance as the cabin turned at hear eighty-degree angles and he howled back at the wind, then barked, warning that he would fight. Satisfied his message was received, he turned to Christina. He cocked his head to the side, confused by the emotions she felt, emotions his nature allowed him to know.

  Steadying himself, Beau placed a heavy paw on her lap, whined, and shifted, leaning his great weight against her. The dog's unexpected concern broke something deep inside her and she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in the long silky fur, crying softly for another time and place gone forever.

  The storm grew in intensity and the monsoon, now like the hands of a wicked child, played with the proud ocean-going vessel like it was but a small toy. Wind and sea and rain raged furiously; rain pounded like hard rocks against the deck, the wind howled with one loud and long scream, and the ship lifted over fifty-foot mountains of water. The cabin spun nearly upside down.

  "Please Christy, don't cry," Hanna finally cried out in desperation. "We're all in this together and 'tis bad enough 'avin' to listen ta those two... but you, Christy, you 'ave to be strong. You're always the strong one."

  Christina looked up in surprise. The room was pitch-black and it came as a mild shock to realize that the others had known she had been crying but assumed that, like Katie and Marianna, her distress owed to the imminence of certain death. And then, only then did she perceive the real danger of the storm.

  The ship jerked violently to its side, the cabin spun upside down, and Marianna screamed. Holding tight to Beau, Christina held her breath, waiting for the inevitable lurch back. When it came, Marianna burst into an incoherent fit of hysteria. "Lord have mercy, 'tis the end—the end! We shall die... die... I'm too young, I—"

  "Quiet! Hush now!" Elsie screamed back and even louder, causing Marianna to break into quiet sobs of desperation. "Christy!" Elsie then yelled to be heard over the storm, "kin you see Katie there
? Is she well? I keep 'earing her wretching."

  "Katie? Katie?" Christina called out. There was no answer but she heard pained rasps coming from her side. One would swear the motion of the ship was just too violent to cause sickness. "Dear Katie, please try to answer!"

  When no answer came, Christina panicked. "Should I blow the whistle?"

  "No one could 'ear it," Hanna replied and added strangely, "Even if there was a soul alive up there."

  The suggestion that they were the only ones left alive sank abruptly into her consciousness just as the cabin spun backward. Beau howled and Marianna screamed again and for awful long seconds, Christina's weight, as well as Beau's, was held from crashing into the hard wall only by ropes. She closed her eyes tight, dug her hands into Beau, and waited, waited for the room to spin back and Elsie to stop Marianna's screaming.

  They would meet their ends, she knew, and soon too. She confronted the fact with but mild surprise and, even more oddly, she wasn't afraid. They would die and that was that. The knowledge somehow filled her with a strange peace and from that she found strength.

  She said her last prayer, praying first for Madelyne back home, hoping the old matronly lady was cared for and appreciated in her new position. She then prayed for Marianna and Katie, who seemed to be suffering the worst. The last prayer was a hope that the end would be quick and painless for all of them.

  In the midst of the tumult, the furious noise, and the terror, she tried to comfort Katie. Though no sound now came from that dark corner. Elsie and Hanna both worked to quiet Marianna's hysteria, a hysteria that rose and fell with the wind and the waves.

  Hours passed. While she never thought she slept— for surely sleep was not possible—consciousness became ever fuzzier, like a dream. How long since they had proper food and water? A day? Two? A week? She couldn't remember. She began slipping into periods of blissful unconsciousness, always waking at a sudden jolt of the ship, Beau's howl, a boom of thunder, or Marianna's sudden fright.

  She woke once and Jacob was kneeling over her, trying to brace himself as he held a cask to her lips. "Come on, darlin', take a sip or two. 'Tis been far too long without it." She hadn't realized how thirsty she was until that moment and she tilted her head back and drank and drank.

  "Justin?" she asked, but somehow knew the answer.

  "Oh, he's still fightin'. Takes more than a monsoon to put him out." A sadness filled his voice and he added, "We've lost a lot of men though. Can't even say how many."

  "I'm sorry," she whispered. Jacob squeezed her arm and rose to cautiously make an exit. "Jacob," she stopped him, "please do check Katie there. She's not well."

  Jacob glanced at the pole, realizing it was too dark for Christina to see. "Don't worry about the lass, darlin'. She's farin' better than the lot of us."

  She heard Jacob's footsteps stumble to the door, barely making out the silver hair disappearing through the door. She looked around. It was so dark. Nothing but black shapes on black. Katie must be unconscious.

  "Elsie? Hanna? Are you awake?" she called out. There was no answer. Beau licked her face as though to assure her she was not alone. She smiled weakly and hugged him. "What a fine brave friend you are," she said softly.

  She lifted the gold whistle and clutched it tightly in her fist. She hugged her knees and buried her head and prayed yet again.

  * * * * *

  "Higher!" Justin ordered and the two men on the opposite side of the mast heaved, struggling to lift the heavy weight of the half-mast two precious inches higher. Justin seemed not to struggle with his side, the weight resting evenly on his braced arms, legs, and shoulders.

  Jacob, tied to the main mast twelve feet above, waited for the pole to rise those two precious inches. An odd-shaped hammer and ten-inch metal spikes hung from his belt, waiting to be pressed into use to secure the torn pole to the mast, in hopes of raising another sail.

  It was a frightening experience twelve feet above the decks. Rain stung like a bombardment of pellets, the ship rocked with a dizzying motion, and waves crashed over the side, making him gasp like a woman, expecting to see the men below washed over. The gale wind was even worse. He had seen one man pushed over the side by a freak gust and the strength in his arms, the ropes binding him to the mast, all seemed but a precarious security against the same fate.

  The pole lifted but dropped as the ship rocked back and Justin, managing his side, shouted at the men again. Jacob swore and loudly cursed Cajun who could not be found and who was the only man strong enough to hoist the pole. Before he had even finished his colorful damnation, Cajun appeared and as always seemingly by magic, just suddenly there.

  The huge man took hold of the pole opposite Justin and, exercising an ease of strength surpassing even Justin, he single-handedly hoisted it into place. Jacob wasted no time in positioning a spike and swinging the hammer with all the strength he was worth, still cursing Cajun. No doubt the savage was smiling, amused by his fellow human beings' inferiority.

  The pole was finally secured and, not for the first time, Justin wondered what benevolent god had sent Cajun into his life. All his men were good, though, the best to be had, and, thinking of this, he felt a sudden surge of hope. After eighteen hours of the fiercest battle of his life, the ship had passed through the eye of the storm and while she had lost two masts and nearly all sails, she had survived.

  They had survived!

  Justin raised his voice above the wind and ordered the sail secured before he turned to Cajun with gratitude. "We're going to make it!"

  "Always" came an expected reply.

  Justin almost laughed and felt his triumph ride his exhaustion. He was just about to turn the ship over to Jacob and head for the small cabin when suddenly he heard Jacob shout what could not be believed. "Land ho!"

  Justin braced himself as that sound filled the air, louder than the storm. The hellish sound of wood crashing on rock. The ship jolted on its side, throwing men hard to the deck and, before anyone could get to their feet, a huge wall of water carried them into the churning black water.

  Elsie screamed suddenly and Christina woke with a start. The sound came from the very bowels of hell; not the wind or waves or rain but all of these, with a deafening grating sound of two unyielding forces, smashed together. Then the furious crash of a wave, more grating, and the room turned sideways, not quickly as before, but slowly, frighteningly slow.

  Christina froze as Marianna screamed. The room was dimly lit by some unknown source, one she couldn't identify, for the violent black night had seemed to be forever. Hanna and Katie were both unconscious. Elsie's small face was frozen with shock or fright and, while Marianna's hands covered her face, she could not stop screaming.

  "What's happened?" Christina cried out.

  "A crash... the ship crashed on something, but... oh my God!"

  The door, now where the ceiling had been, burst open and a huge wave of water spilled into the room. Christina watched in horror as the water swiftly filled the room and within short minutes Beau and she, occupying the far end of the room, were waist-deep in a pool of water. The waterfall continued, the danger obvious, and while Christina stared in mute horror, Beau struggled against the ropes, growled and barked viciously at this.

  "The whistle, Christy!" Elsie cried. "The whistle!"

  Christina brought the whistle to her lips, covered her ears, and blew long and hard. Beau cried in sudden intense pain and fell desperately into the water to escape, head and all. The whistle dropped from her mouth and, not knowing what had happened, she reached forward to pull the dog up. She could only get his front legs and had hardly enough strength to budge him.

  Beau lifted his head from the water and shook. Seeing he was all right, Christina lifted the whistle again, but just as the whistle touched her lips, Beau growled and in a single quick movement, snatched it in his mouth and jerked it from the gold chain.

  "Nooo!"

  It was too late. With whistle in mouth, Beau shook his head furiously and then s
ent the offending noise-maker into the water. Christina cried and desperately felt in the water to retrieve it. Another wave crashed over the ship, the room tilted more, and water began spilling in with greater force. Marianna's scream halted abruptly, her head dropped forward, and she fainted, blissfully rendered unconscious.

  Adrenaline burst through Elsie's small figure, making her terrified brown eyes nearly white, sending her heart and pulse racing. Water reached Christina's neck and while she knew Christina's fate was eventually her own, she felt with an odd certainty it would be easier to drown herself than to watch sweet Christy.

  "Christy, your ropes! Get your ropes off!" she yelled unnecessarily, for Christina had started frantically struggling with her bindings. "I'm comin'! Don't panic now," Elsie warned herself out loud. "Just as soon as I get me own bloody ropes..."

  " 'Tis no use!" Christina cried. "I've loosened the ropes at my waist but I can't reach my chest—"

  Water lapped over Christina's chin and Beau barked, growled, barked again, now practically swimming on his short lead. He knew to rescue drowning people—rescue anyone—for this was bred into his blood. Rescue was his purpose in this life and he knew this one could not swim as he could.

  Beau ducked his head in the rushing water and grabbed her arm in his mouth, trying to lift her higher. No upward motion was possible with the ropes and, realizing it, he submerged, barked once for air, and ducked under water.

  Powerful jaws tore at the rope, and with a strength few men even owned, paused only to lift his head for necessary gulps of air. The rope that bound her loosened bit by bit but she was gasping, choking, desperately struggling to hold life to her.

  Unable to reach her chest bindings either, Elsie shut tight her eyes, covered her ears, and screamed at the top of her lungs for help.

  Hanna woke abruptly to the sound of Elsie's screaming and the feel of water swarming around her. She suffered but a moment of disorientation. She first gasped seeing Christina's mouth and nose beneath water, but then, unlike her friend, she never paused long enough to panic.