by Bobbi Smith
Jerking her thoughts away from Malik, she tugged gently on Alex's hand to start them off again. When he resisted, she glanced down at him to find him gazing up at her with wide, terrified eyes.
"It's all right, Alex. Malik's gone now. Just be silent."
"But I like Malik," he whispered. "Why do we have to hide from him?"
"Do you want to see your grandfather again?"
He nodded.
"Then we have to leave here."
Catherine waited until she could see the acceptance in his eyes, then gave him a quick, reassuring hug and led him away. They slipped into the darkened stables and, though an occasional horse stirred at their unexpected presence, no great ruckus was raised. With utmost care, they traversed that last treacherous area and made it to the far stable entrance that exited to the streets of Algiers.
Catherine paused only long enough to cover all of her face but her eyes with the haik, then she unlocked and pushed open the door. She thought about taking a horse, but quickly decided against it. Having come here with just the clothes on her back, she was going to leave the same way. She wanted nothing from Malik but her freedom. She also knew that a woman and a child on horseback would be far more noticeable than just a woman and a child on foot, and the one thing she didn't want was to be noticed by anyone. They had to disappear into the city; it was their only hope of escape.
Catherine and Alex slipped from the stable, closing the door behind them. Keeping their heads down, they moved off into the labyrinth that was Algiers.
Chapter Eleven
The narrow streets were dark and scary at this time of night, and Catherine hurried Alex along until they were out of sight of the palace. Only then, when she was certain that they were safely away, did she stop to catch her breath. She was still so nervous that her hands were trembling and she was gasping for air.
"We did it, Alex!" she exclaimed in a hushed voice, giving him a quick hug. "We did it!"
"I was really good at being quiet."
"You were wonderful. If this had been a game, you would have won!"
He beamed at her praise. "I was worried in the garden when Malik came out. I thought he saw us."
"I did, too, but it appears he didn't."
"What are we going to do now, Aunt Catherine?" Alex asked simply.
"We're going to try to find a church. There should be someone there who can help us get home."
"What if we can't find one?" he worried, glancing around in the dark.
The thought had occurred to her, too, but she'd tried not to dwell on it. "We will," she answered with a confidence she wished was real. "It just may be tomorrow morning before we do. Right now, we need to get as far away from the palace as we can. Then, once it's light, we'll start looking for the church."
"All right," Alex agreed, trusting Catherine completely. She had been his source of strength through all their trials, and he knew she would never let anything bad happen. As an afterthought, he added, "I love you, Aunt Catherine."
His words brought instant tears to her eyes, and she suddenly got down on her knees before him to hold him close. "I love you, too, Alex." A deep, heartfelt sigh wracked her. When she let him go, they both felt much better. "Come on now, we'd better keep moving. We want to go home to Huntington House We don't want Malik to catch up with us and take us back to the palace."
Her attitude puzzled Alex because he liked the dey very much. As they walked on, he asked in a subdued voice, "I thought Malik was the one who was going to help us go home."
"I did, too, sweetheart, but I just found out tonight that he wants us to stay here forever."
"Oh." Alex turned thoughtful, considering the possibility. "It would be fun to stay here, but we'd better go back. Grandfather's waiting for us, and we've been gone too long already. I'll miss Hasim, though. He's nice. We have fun together now that we're friends."
"Well, maybe you can see him again someday."
"I hope so, but right now, I just want to be with Grandfather . . . and get my boat back. I sure hope he's kept the Scimitar safe for me."
"I'm sure he has."
They fell silent as they rushed on through the ancient, walled part of the city. They hurried under archways and past closed shops. After about an hour of walking, Alex seemed to grow weary.
"Are you all right?" Catherine asked as she felt him slowing down.
"I'm tired," he said slowly. "Can we rest for a while?"
In her desire to put as much distance between her and Malik as she could, she'd forgotten that her companion was only seven years old. She paused in their headlong flight to look around. Through one ornate archway, she spied a very private garden complete with a splashing fountain in the center. A wrought-iron gate barred the entrance, but when she tried it, she found it unlocked. After a quick glance around to make sure there was no one about, she led Alex in.
"We'll rest here until daylight."
He nodded, too tired to talk anymore.
They moved to a corner of the garden that was shrouded by an overgrowth of trees and then sat down together on the ground, leaning against the stone wall that hid the little oasis from street view. Alex climbed up on her lap, and they rested there wrapped in each other's arms. Alex was soon asleep. Catherine had been determined to stay awake and keep watch just in case someone should come upon them, but after about a half an hour, she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. Fight as she might, her lack of sleep had taken its toll, and she fell into a deep slumber that left her blissfully unaware of her surroundings.
The cry went up in the palace early when the servants for the boys went to rouse them. They were shocked to find young Serad missing, and they set out to search the palace grounds, thinking he was just up early and out playing. By the time their fruitless search turned up nothing, Almira had ventured into the Catherine's chambers to find her gone. Frantic, she rushed from the women's quarters to notify Malik.
Malik had not slept well that night. His dreams of Catherine had left him feeling as if he'd gotten no rest at all. When he heard his servant talking with someone in his outer chamber, he rose quickly and dressed.
"What is it?" Malik asked when he entered the room.
"It's . . ." his servant began, but Almira cut in to inform the dey.
"It's Catherine, Malik Dey. She's gone!"
"Gone? What are you talking about?"
"When I went to see to her morning needs, her chamber was empty. I checked the grounds, but found nothing. It's as if she's vanished without a trace."
Malik muttered a curse, then demanded, "What about the boy? What about Serad?"
Just as he spoke, Hasim appeared in the hallway. "Father, Serad is gone. He must have left sometime during the night."
The dey stood rigidly before them, his thoughts racing as he made a quick decision on what to do. He turned to his servant. "Call out my guard. I want every inch of the palace searched again. If they're not found in the next half an hour, we will search the city." The servant raced off with Hasim to do as he'd ordered.
"You don't think she took the boy and went into the city alone, do you?" Almira asked fearfully a moment later. It was not her place to speak up, but she cared about Catherine and didn't want to think that she might be in danger.
"I'm not sure what Catherine might do right now," Malik answered tersely. "Did she say anything last night or act strangely?"
"No, Malik Dey," the servant answered respectfully. "I was waiting for her when she returned. I commented on how unusual it was for her to come back to her chambers so early, but that was all that was said between us. She seemed tired, but fine. When I left her last night, she was resting."
He scowled, annoyed with himself for not having anticipated this. He'd been judging her actions by all the other women he'd known, and he realized even more forcefully now that this was Catherine. She was different. She was proud, obstinate, and possessed an intelligence and will as strong as any man's. He had finally met a woman who was his equal in every way.
By escaping, she had done exactly what he would have done under the same circumstances. As of that moment, Malik vowed to himself to never underestimate her again.
"Go back to the harem and search there once again. Come to me immediately if you find anything."
"Yes, Malik Dey."
Malik left his chambers and headed for the stable. There he found one of his guards talking to a stablehand.
"Malik Dey, it seems someone left the door to the stable unbarred last night. Iqbal, here, swears that he locked it himself when he retired." He motioned to the stable hand.
He nodded, then ordered the hand to saddle his horse.
"We will be searching the city?" his guard asked.
"As soon as the others report back to me, we will ride. This woman is headstrong and foolish, and there is no telling what kind of danger she could have gotten into."
Malik knew that if their places had been exchanged and he was the one running away with a small child, he would head for sanctuary, and a sanctuary for Catherine would be a Christian church.
When his men reported to him that there was no trace of the woman and child in the palace, they prepared to ride out. At his direction, they split into groups to check each church in the area.
"Hasim, you will ride with me," Malik ordered.
"Yes, Father," the boy replied, glad to be considered old enough to be included.
"There will be a substantial reward for the one who brings her safely back," he told his men. "See that she is not harmed in any way. I will kill any man who mistreats her. If you search but have no luck, meet back here. Then, if none of us are successful, we will try something else."
"Yes, Malik Dey," they all replied.
Certain that he'd been understood, he mounted his favorite stallion, a big, majestic black named Mansour, meaning magnificent, which he truly was, and rode from the stable. Hasim and the guards followed, their expressions as fierce and determined as Malik's.
The sound of voices on a balcony above her finally roused Catherine. As she came awake, she blinked in confusion trying to remember where she was and what she was doing there. Reality dawned on her quickly, and she hurriedly nudged Alex from his sleep.
"Alex, wake up. We've slept far too long already, and there are people about," she urged.
The boy awoke instantly, his look of bewilderment changing quickly to understanding.
They hurried from the garden before they were discovered. Judging from the height of the sun, she estimated that the day was already several hours old. The fear that their absence had already been discovered at the palace haunted her, but she couldn't let that paralyze her. They had to find safety, and fast.
The streets that had been so abandoned in the night were now teeming with people. Merchants had already appeared to set up shop and begin hawking their wares. Since Catherine hadn't eaten dinner, hunger began to gnaw at her, but she ignored it. No matter how good the fresh vegetables and fruits looked on the vendors' displays, she had no money to pay for any and wouldn't ever consider stealing.
After traveling down what seemed like an endless number of streets, they finally reached a place that afforded them a good view of the city as it spread out below them to the port and the sea. In a distance, Catherine could see a cross on the top of a building.
"Alex, look!" She pointed toward it. "We're almost there!"
She altered their course to head in that direction. Her spirits were high for the first time in months. Her heart was singing. She honestly believed that they would soon be on their way home, and she would see her father and Gerald again. They raced on, eager to reach that safe haven.
It was only at the last minute as they came around a corner near the church that she noticed several of Malik's men talking with the priest. Catherine quickly backed up, pushing Alex behind her. Her heart was pounding in her breast both from the exertion of their run for freedom and the sudden terror that possessed her.
Think, Catherine! Think! she demanded silently of herself as she moved off slowly with Alex in the opposite direction. There had to be a way to get out of Algiers. There had to be!
"What's the matter?" Alex asked. "Why aren't we going to the church?"
She explained quickly, and Alex said no more as he stayed right with her.
Catherine knew their situation was treacherous. She couldn't go to a mosque. The religious there would be supportive of Malik. She couldn't go to the Christian churches, for they were obviously being watched. The waterfront remained the only place left where she could seek help. She set her fragile and fading hopes on the distant chance that there might be a ship in port from England or another European country doing regular trade, and that the captain might help them. She headed down toward the waterfront, keeping Alex's hand tight in hers.
Malik and his men met near the palace entrance several hours later.
"Did you find anything? Any trace of them?" he demanded.
"Nothing, Malik Dey, but the priests all promised to keep watch and let us know if they have any contact with her," they informed him.
He scowled. He knew Catherine was out there in the city somewhere, and, whether she knew it or not, she was in grave danger. "Next we will search the waterfront."
After telling the men where to rendezvous with him after the search was done, they again rode forth.
"Do you think we'll find them, Father?" Hasim asked.
"I hope so. A woman cannot survive here long without protection. During daylight hours they should be all right, but when the night falls, it could become deadly for them."
"Then we'll have to hurry. I don't want anything to happen to Serad."
"You have become good friends, then?"
Hasim nodded. "You were right, Father. Now that I know him, I do like him. He's brave and smart for one so young."
Malik almost chuckled at his son's reference to youth, for Hasim was not exactly aged. "Let us hope they are both smart enough to stay out of trouble until we can find them."
"You don't sound very angry with them," the boy observed.
"I'm angry, but I am also worried."
"Then you have come to like them, too?"
"I do," he admitted to his son. "I intend for them to stay here with us."
"I'm glad."
They said no more as they guided their horses through the streets on the trek toward the waterfront.
Catherine drew Alex closer to her side as they entered the rough area near the docks. Algerian women of virtue would never frequent such a place, and she could feel the eyes of the men upon her as they moved along. Offering prayers that they would be saved, she glanced at each man they passed hoping to find a face that looked sympathetic, but all stared at her in suspicion.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a heavy, rough hand grabbed Catherine by the upper arm from behind, and she was spun forcefully around to face the biggest, ugliest man she'd ever seen. The man was completely bald. His face was round and pie-shaped. His eyes were cold, hard, and black, and what few teeth he had were rotted and discolored.
"Let me go!" she demanded. "How dare you touch me!"
Alex had lost his grip on her hand, but was still clinging to her skirts.
"Ah, so you speak English, do you? I thought you might not be a native woman. No good woman would be brazen enough to come down here."
"I'm here looking for someone."
"Well, you just found him. My name's Grimes." He leered at her.
Desperate, Catherine decided to appeal to his sense of honor. "Mr. Grimes, we have come here because we need help. Will you help us?" She deliberately glanced down at Alex so the horrible-looking man would pay attention to the fact that she had a child with her. "We must get away from Algiers. We need to get back to London."
"Supposing I have a way to get you back, what's in it for me?" he asked cagily, almost drooling as he stared at her. Though he could only see her eyes, he could tell even beneath the voluminous folds of the North African dress that she was a shapely wench.
"And just who's going to pay this money?"
"My father. He's the Duke of Huntington."
"And my father is the Prince," he guffawed. Keeping a tight hold on her, he started to drag her along with him. "Come on. Let's go have us a drink and talk about this some more."
"What are you doing? Get your hands off of me! Where are you taking me? I don't want to have a drink," Catherine resisted, digging in her heels while keeping a hand on Alex.
"Sure you do. It'll help you relax. Then we can talk some more and figure out exactly what we need to do to get you out of here," he urged, licking his lips hungrily as he stared at her wide, frightened eyes above the concealing haik.
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Catherine told him. "Release me, now!"
Her attitude infuriated the man. He gripped her by the shoulder, intending to force her to go along, but he accidentally grabbed her by her headcovering and stripped it from her. The glory of her golden hair was revealed to him. His gaze went over her with avid interest before he started to drag her along again in earnest. "You're coming with me. Let's go . . ." The ache in his loins was growing by the second. She was beautiful . . . and blonde.
"I said no!" Catherine started to fight him in earnest. "We're not going anywhere with you!"
"Oh, yes you are!" He slapped her so hard that her head rocked back.
Alex charged at the man, but he easily brushed the boy off as if he were nothing more than a pesky insect.
"No!" Catherine cried, thinking her nephew hurt and suddenly fearing for her life. She tried to pull free to go to Alex, but the man would not release her. Instead, he kept pulling her along against her will, forcing her away from the boy.
"Shut up!" he snarled, drawing back to hit her again, this time with his fist, but the sound of thundering horses hooves interrupted him. He looked up to see Mansour running down on him at full speed. On the horse's back he caught sight of a fierce-looking warrior brandishing a scimitar. Indescribable terror jolted through Grimes, and with a scream, he shoved Catherine away from him and made a break to run. It was too late, though. With lethal effectiveness, the scimitar's curved blade sliced through the air, putting an end to his miserable life.