Chapter 7 #2
She knew she must have drawn blood with the copper taste that flooded her mouth.
“Give up. I’ve already got you, and my men will overtake yours in the next few minutes.” He twisted her body so her front was against the floor, capturing both her wrists with one of his large hands. “You’ve lost.”
Even though it was useless, Rosetta kicked her legs and wiggled her body in a bid to escape. No! No! No!
She hadn’t completed her goal yet! How did he even find me? It had barely been a month since she abandoned him on Dunecaster Island.
When he lowered himself against her back to keep her from moving, she snapped her head back. Her skull collided with some part of his face, and he gave a yelp of pain.
“Bloody hell!” He picked her up by her arms and shoved her back against the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of her. “You just don’t give up, do you?”
I was so close! She had been waiting years to be this close. She almost, almost, felt real tears welling in her eyes. They tingled in her nose, and she fought to suppress them, refusing to allow this man to see her emotions.
“So, what now?” she asked through clenched teeth, turning her head back to look at him over her shoulder. “I can only imagine what you’ve got planned for me.”
Alister straddled her bottom, sitting on it to keep her down. He raised the hand not holding her arms behind her back and rubbed his stubble-covered chin, looking up at the ceiling in thought.
“Not quite sure.” He turned his eye down to her, a toothy grin forming across his features. His canines were large and sharp, making his expression almost wolfish. “But I know I’m going to enjoy the hell out of it.”
Alister rose and yanked her to her feet, shoving her forward while still holding her arms behind her. He opened the door and brought them out into the open, setting the sharp edge of his cutlass at her throat.
“Got her, lads!” he yelled, his voice carrying across the deck. Those closest to them paused their fighting, making those further down halt when they realised what was going on. “Drop your weapons or I’ll slice her pretty throat.”
The clanking of swords against the wooden deck filled the air. No one resisted when they understood they’d lost; their surrender was immediate.
Her gaze found Naeem’s, his face a mask of disappointment. He looked disheartened on her behalf, and he even mouthed, I’m so sorry.
Rosetta shook her body from side to side in a last attempt to free herself, but he only pressed his blade more firmly against her skin. She turned her head up to avoid it, having to stretch her neck back to the point where it was almost painful.
“Tie them to the mainmast and the railings,” he commanded, forcing Rosetta to watch her men be bound. He pushed her forward. “And her with them.”
Multiple hands grabbed her, dragging her backwards. They shoved her down to her backside to not only tie her to the mast, but also bind her hands in front of her.
Daylight began to break over the horizon as they were finally all tethered to various parts of the ship and unable to escape. A lavender sky still twinkling with the last of the stars showed them it was going to be a beautiful, cloudless day. Such a pretty sight for such an ugly situation.
She would much have preferred the misery of rain.
They were so close to land she could hear the sounds of seagulls squawking, as if mocking their predicament, and it soured her mood further.
She’d been tied to the mainmast next to Naeem and Mr Smith, along with several others, and they encircled the pole completely. The rest of her men were secured to the deck railing supports.
She regarded Alister as he stood in front of the cabin door on this level, hands on his hips, a triumphant look on his face.
“Good job, lads.” His gaze swept over the men standing –his crew. “It feels good to see all your ugly faces together again.”
A wave of chuckles rolled over the crowd, and even Rosetta could feel their cheerful energy.
She’d thought Alister looked good bound in shackles and forced into submission, but he looked irresistible with the confidence that now seeped from him. His strong chest was puffed with pride, contentment making his rugged face appear even more handsome.
Dick, she sneered in her mind.
Rosetta needed to think of a way out of this, but currently, that didn’t seem possible.
He paced the deck as he looked over her crew with thoughtfulness. His grin had grown smaller, but it was obvious he was in a rather good mood.
“Here’s what’s going to happen. You are all going to swear your loyalty to me and join my crew.
” He disappeared from her sight, but she could hear the heavy tread of his boots as he strode away.
“You will stay on my ship, under my command, and earn your wages. You will work, whether you want to or not.”
He started up the other side of the long deck, walking in front of every single one of her crewmen before coming to stand in front of her again.
“Say aye if you agree.”
Rosetta narrowed her eyes when he looked at her, and she saw the twinkle of humour in his features. He’s expecting them to instantly join him.
When silence fell over them, his humour slowly faded as realisation set in.
None of her men were willing to switch sides.
“You say aye,” he warned, his smile shifting into a mean sneer. “Or you die.”
“We’d rather hang than abandon Captain Rosetta!” Naeem shouted, squirming in the ropes tied around them all.
One of Alister’s dark brows raised in astonishment. “Will none of you follow me?”
“Nay,” one of her men said, before another, then another, until every single one rejected his offer.
She knew the way her pursed lips turned into a smirk looked menacing, that the way her eyes squinted with glee helped derail his happiness.
He removed his cutlass from his weapon belt and pointed the tip of it under her chin to lift it.
“What if I take her life? Will you still wish to swear your loyalty to a dead woman?”
“Do it and find out,” a voice shouted from the other side of the mast.
“Most of us have sworn to follow her to the grave,” Mr Smith finally chimed in. “If that means joining in her death now, then so be it.”
“Most, but not all. I say aye,” a man tied to the railing said. Her gaze fell to him, and she gave him a soft smile when he whispered, “I’m sorry, Rosetta, but I value my life more than yours.”
“It is fine. I harbour no ill feelings,” she told him. “But you will never be allowed to join my crew again.”
He seemed to wince.
A second ‘aye’ followed, and then a third.
Silence filled the area once more.
Three men. Three men had surrendered to Alister’s will and would be spared death. The rest of her thirty-odd men remained on her side.
Staring down his cutlass at her, Alister patiently waited for more. When none came, he glanced around, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Truly? You all wish for death, including hers, rather than to join my crew?” He pulled his cutlass away from her chin. “What witchcraft have you cast over these men that they would so hopelessly follow you?”
“Freedom,” Naeem cut in, making Alister’s gaze move his way. “We were not forced to stay as her crew; we have all chosen this path. You cannot offer us what she has.”
“I am offering you more than freedom!” He slashed his sword to the side, and it made a whooshing noise as it sailed through the air. “I am offering you treasure and the ability to leave my crew once we make port!”
“We have chosen to follow her for a reason.”
“And what reason is that?” His upper lip curled back in agitation, and the glare he wore made his face seem dark and ruthless.
Even Rosetta thought he looked frightening, but she felt little fear. She couldn’t, not when her goal had fizzled from her grasp and now lay as a heart-wrenching ache in her chest.
“Freedom,” Mr Smith reaffirmed.
“Freedom,” another said, before they all began to chant the word in unison.
Freedom. Rosetta closed her eyes as she listened. Freedom. She let her head rest back against the wooden pole behind her, turning her face up to the sky. Sweet, sweet freedom. She breathed in deeply through her nose, then let out a relaxed sigh. My freedom.
She opened her eyes once more to face Alister.
A frown crossed his features. He truly thought her men would have caved – it was obvious he couldn’t comprehend why they would choose to follow a woman over him.
“What’s it going to be now?” she finally asked when her men had quietened. “Will you cut our throats and feed us to the fish? Will you hang us? Will you imprison us, sell us to the highest bidder? What is the punishment for stealing your precious ship, Captain Alister?”
I must say, I’m rather disappointed I won’t finish what I set out to do.
She wouldn’t have minded if death found her afterwards, but the prospect left her feeling rather hollow now that she was facing eternity before completing her task.