Chapter 10

 

Frederick leaned on the railing and gazed over the vast gray waters of the Caribbean. A strip of gold with hints of saffron appeared on the horizon as if the Creator had dipped a brush in paint and dribbled it over the edge of the sea. Ribbons of that paint now spilled onto the waves, bringing the water to life in a myriad of blues, greens, and violets. He smiled and drew in a deep breath, instantly regretting it when pain radiated across his chest—reminding him of his bruised rib, battered, swollen face, gunshot wound, burned wrist, and sliced feet. All injuries acquired since Lady Reena Hyde had sailed back into his life. Still his smile remained. Which made him question his own sanity. All these years, he’d thought her mad, when it appeared he was the one who’d lost his wits. For what rational man would enjoy the company of a woman who not only tore his heart into shreds but his body as well?

“Oh, Lord.” The brig rose over a wave, and he tightened his grip and bowed his head. “What am I doing on a pirate ship? With this woman? Forgive me for my weaknesses, for…” Thunderation, he had stolen treasure! Fought off the men who were trying to get it back. What kind of preacher did that? “…for stealing. Father. I don’t know what’s happening to me. I want to do Your will, be holy, preach the Gospel like my parents, but I keep slipping away.”

’Tis your father’s pirate blood in you.

He’d heard that voice before…incriminating…condemning. Yet always fired with arrows of truth that embedded deep into his soul. His father, the infamous Captain Kent Frederick Carlton, had been one of the fiercest pirates ever to sail the Caribbean. He had enacted a host of atrocities—murder, thievery, and rape. The latter sent a putrid taste into Frederick’s mouth. He was the product of such an encounter—a ravishing, a violation of all that was sacred. He was illegitimate, a misbegotten child, an accident that had ostracized his mother from her family, sent her living the life of a pauper in the service of a poor minister of God.

Of course his father had changed after his encounter with that God. He’d attempted to make up for his past. His mother had married him, an act Frederick still could not fathom. But that didn’t change the fact that he’d been born out of violence.

The brig pitched over a wave, foamy claws reaching up the hull as more sailors appeared on deck. Abraham also emerged from a hatch, spouting a string of orders before making his way to Frederick.

“G’day, Cap’n Carlton, Yuh’s up early.”

“Couldn’t sleep.”

“Cap’n Hyde has dat effect on people.” He smiled and glanced over the sea. “But de good Lord be workin’ on her. I knows it.”

“The good Lord?” Frederick didn’t hide the surprise in his voice.

“Aye, yuh here, ain’t yuh?” He chuckled. “I never dreamt I’d see de day she’d allow a preacha on board.”

Freddy crossed arms over his chest. “I’m no preacher.”

“Not wha’ she says. Though I’s sure she’ll try t’ keep yuh from yer callin’.”

That was an understatement. A gust of wind swirled about them, and Freddy gripped the railing and studied the quartermaster. He wouldn’t have assumed he was a believer, but now that he looked at him, there was a peace about Abraham and something in his eyes that bespoke of inner joy.

“If you’re such a godly man, why are you sailing with a pirate?” Frederick asked.

Abraham scratched his graying patch of black hair and chuckled. “Dat’s a question I ask the Lord ever’ day. I s’pose ’cause she needs me. An’ now she needs yuh.”

Frederick shook his head, squinting at the sun peeking over the horizon. “Then you don’t know Reena Hyde very well. She doesn’t need anyone.”

Abraham only humphed in reply, and Frederick drew a deep breath of the sea air, instantly regretting it for the pain etching across his chest.

“Tell me, Abraham, how did you come to be on the Reckless?” Though Reena had told him she’d rescued Abraham from a slave ship, he wanted to hear the man’s story.

“I were a slave on a sugar plantation. My master were…” He hesitated then rubbed the brand on his right bicep Frederick had noticed a few days ago—a large S with an R in one of the circles. “Cruel. I lived five years under ’is whip. And den he sol’ me t’ another plantation owner on Jamaica. Cap’n Hyde attacked de ship I were sailin’ on.” He smiled and the sunlight lit his teeth like the white sands of a Caribbean shore, save for a single silver one on the bottom row. “Pertiest sight I ev’r seen, her comin’ down in de hold, sloshin’ through the stink an’ slop an’ unlockin’ our chains. She let every las’ slave go. I vowed dat day dat I would always protect her.” Shouts from above drew his attention for a moment before he continued. “I never forget dat moment ’cause she look straight in my eyes, smiled, and asked me t’ join her crew. Taught me everythin’ I know ’bout sailin’.”

Frederick shook his head. The woman was a dichotomy—a pirate with the heart of a saint. In truth, she intrigued him, fascinated him… which is why after he’d returned to God, he had to run as far away from her as possible.

Yet now, he felt himself being sucked deeper into her seductive mire with each passing day. He stared out over the turquoise seas, their foamy waves kissed with gold by the rising sun. “You’ve led a difficult life, Abraham. Even now, ’tis not easy sailing with Reena.”

Abraham laughed.

Frederick faced him. “Yet, for all your heartache, you still worship God?”

The big man shrugged. “Not God’s fault. ’Sides, He’s done give me eternal freedom by sendin’ His son t’ die fer me so’s after dis short life, I can be wit’ Him forever.”

Frederick grimaced. This ex-slave’s faith was putting him to shame.

“Yuh’s here fer a reason, Cap’n Carlton. Mebbe ask God wha’ it be.”

“I’m here because Reena captured me,” Frederick growled.

“Ahh,” he leaned toward Frederick, a twinkle in his eyes. “Dere’s always a deeper purpose wit’ God.” Then, slapping the railing, he marched away, shouting orders as he went.

A deeper purpose? What could that possibly be? Frederick thought of his vision of Antoine, how the shadows slithered about the man. Demons. Frederick had seen them before, but only in dreams when he’d been asleep. Never awake. Was God trying to tell him something? Could He still use Frederick, despite the circumstances of his birth? But how could He when Frederick had already succumbed to his father’s love of pirating?

Reena had been right. Aside from his injuries, he’d enjoyed himself last night, the adventure, the excitement, fighting side by side with her. His father’s blood pumped strongly through his veins. Far too strongly.

He hung his head again. “Forgive me, Father. Help me. Strengthen me. Tell me what I’m doing here.”

He waited several minutes, but no response came… save the sounds of wind and wave.

 

♥♥♥

 

“Fountain of Youth, Fountain of Youth,” the parrot was squealing as Frederick ducked his head beneath the beams and entered the captain’s cabin.

Reena stood behind her desk, studying a piece of parchment laying on top. Abraham, Jo, Brodie, and Sedley circled the desk, equally enthralled.

“Bilge water! ’Tis just a section—a piece of a larger map.” Reena shoved from the desk and turned to look out the stern windows where the sun was slowly sinking behind foam-capped waves. “I had hoped the legend wasn’t true.”

Frederick had spent most of the day above, directing the crew, navigating their way to Jamaica, and then resting in his cabin when his rib pained him overmuch.

“Ach now, did ye search the chest? Mibbe there’s another bottle?” Brodie gestured toward the open trunk where gold and jewels sparkled in the lantern light.

“Aye,” Reena spat out. “I was told the entire map would be here.” She spun around, saw Frederick, briefly smiled, and then continued. “Instead, it appears ’tis naught but a puzzle we must solve to find the rest.”

Frederick approached the desk. “The rest?”

Sedley’s eyes skittered in delight. “A map t’ the Fountain o’ Youth, Cap’n. Imagine that.” He stared down at the parchment. “Livin’ ferever young.”

Frederick huffed. “All of us are already going to live forever.”

Abraham nodded. “Amen.”

Grabbing a bottle from the desk, Brodie took another sip.

“Ye been drinkin’, Cap’n Carlton?” Sedley chuckled. “Livin’ ferever?”

“He’s talkin’ aboot heaven or hell, goosebrain,” Brodie shot out with a sneer.

The deck tilted, forcing them all to grip the edge of the desk.

“Oh yeah,” Sedley shifted his feet and glanced sheepishly at Frederick. “Forgot ye were a preacher.”

“He’s not a preacher.” Reena circled the desk and approached him. “He’s a pirate, and he’s going to help me find the Fountain.” She smiled up at him, then frowned when her gaze landed on his swollen eye. She reached up to caress it, but Frederick caught her wrist.

“I’m not a pirate, and I’m not helping you with anything. You’re taking me to Kingston, remember?”

Her pert little nose scrunched, even as she shifted her eyes away. “Of course, but I meant along the way, since you are here.”

“We are to go to Kingston straight away.” Frederick returned in a severe tone. “You gave me your word.”

“Ye took the word of a pirate?” Brodie laughed and took another drink.

“Double-dealin’ swab!” Fred interjected.

Ignoring both Brodie and the infernal parrot, Frederick approached the desk and studied the piece of yellowed, stained parchment. Shaped like a square, it had a quarter of a circle drawn in one corner. Several odd shapes had been sketched in what appeared to be random locations, along with the words:

 

“Whistle, whistle on the clock

Treasure is behind a rock

Two steps back and five steps east

Eight toward the south, beware the beasts”

 

He laughed. “What foolery is this?”

“’Tis a riddle we must solve,” Reena replied in a curt tone. “And these”—she pointed to the various shapes—“are land masses in the Caribbean.”

“How can you possibly know that?” Frederick shook his head, ignoring the hurt look in her eyes.

She raised her chin. “I have it on good authority.”

“Burn and sink me!” Fred chirped.

“Indeed.” Frederick shook his head. “A pirate’s authority may not be the most prudent thing to rely upon.”

“She’s right.” Jo leaned both hands on the desk and stared at the map. “This one looks like Saint Vincent an’ ’ere”—she pointed to another shape—“is shaped like Dominica.”

Brodie smiled at her. “A wise and becomin’ lass, a rare find.”

Jo looked at him oddly, then pressed back a wayward lock of her hair.

Wind whistled through cracks in the stern window panes, singing a mournful tune.

Reena halted, her brow furrowing. Moving the map aside, she glanced over the chart spread beneath it. Her gaze shot back and forth for several minutes before she pointed to the Fountain map. “Which makes this one where the X is—Saint Lucia. And it sits atop the city of Castries.” Her voice grew with excitement. “Excellent work, Jo. That has to be where the remainder of our map is located. Or at least the next piece.”

The master gunner returned Reena’s smile.

Abraham humphed.

Reena tapped her chin. “And my guess is the rhyme refers to a building, an old one. Perhaps a tavern.”

Frederick withheld a groan of frustration. “How do you know these maps are genuine or that they even lead to anything?”

“You’ve not heard the legend of the Fount?” Her surprised gaze shot to him, then traveled over her crew.

When no one responded, she leaned forward, hands gripping the edge of her desk, her tone somber. “’Tis a love story. I’ve heard but pieces of it.” She stared at the map. “Some years ago, a pirate fell in love with a French nobleman’s daughter who was visiting their holdings on Martinique. I believe the lady’s name was Marie Bauffremonts, if I remember correctly. The lady returned his affections, but her father had promised her to another—a cruel man of title and wealth. Before her father could whisk her back to France for the wedding, she ran away with the pirate, and they spent a year sailing the Caribbean loving each other.”

Reena’s eyes met Frederick, a deep sorrow within them.

“The nobleman pursued them relentlessly,” Reena continued. “And the pirate knew he’d eventually catch them, for the man had the ear of the King and unending resources. But the pirate had a secret…”

She leaned forward, candlelight shimmering in her gaze as she took them all in. “He knew how to find the Fountain of Youth.”

Sedley scratched his head. “’Ow did ’e know that?”

Frederick shared a disbelieving glance with Abraham, while Jo and Brodie seemed mesmerized with the story.

Reena continued, “An old pirate who claimed to be a descendant of Ponce de León divulged the secret one night when they were both well into their cups.”

Brodie took a sip from his flask. “Why didna he find it then?”

Reena shrugged. “Apparently he tried, but couldn’t find it and ended up believing it was indeed a myth. Regardless, the pirate and his lady knew that if they could find the Fount and drink from it, then her father would not be able to separate them forever.”

“Good plan,” Jo said. “Even if she got caught an’ forced to marry, she’d outlive ’em all.”

“Aye, and then she could find her love, and they could be together forever.”

Frederick bristled. Precisely what Reena hoped would happen to them.

“Wha’ happened?” Brodie asked.

“On the way to find the Fount, her father attacked the pirate’s ship. The pirate knew he was defeated, so before their ship was boarded, he told her he’d find the Fount and then leave her a map in a secret location only she would know. The pirate barely escaped with his life.” Grabbing a lock of hair, Reena twirled it around her finger, a cloud of despair hovering over her as if ’twas her own story she told. “Alas, brokenhearted, he found the Fountain, drank of its waters, and then spent years trying to rescue his lady love. But her husband locked her away out of his reach.”

“What a sad tale,” Jo offered, glancing at Brodie.

“Aye, and as the years passed, the pirate found he’d rather die than live forever without her, but ’twas too late, you see. No matter his attempts, death escaped him. Hence, he returned to the Fount to bargain with the angel who stirs the waters there.”

Angel? Frederick jerked slightly… enough to draw Reena’s questioning gaze. Angel… waters. Sounded much like the pool of Siloam in the Bible.

Brodie scratched his chin. “Ach now, an angel?”

Reena nodded and gripped the edge of her desk again. “But the waters were nearly dried up.”

Jo flung a hand to her mouth.

“He had to keep the fountain flowing just in case his love escaped and found her way there. But the angel said the only way to do that was for him to dive in, sink to the bottom, and remain there until his love came to drink.”

Abraham huffed. “Yuh’s tellin’ me him’s sittin’ at de bottom o’ de Fount now?”

Reena flattened her lips. “Aye, legend says ’tis his tears that fill the fount, waiting for his love to return.”

Frederick blew out a sigh. “And if she doesn’t come and dies? Why can’t he leave?”

Reena gave him a cross look. “At the bottom of the Fount, there’s no sense of time, and once he leaves, the Fount dries up.”

Jo dabbed at her eyes. “Tha’ is the saddest story I e’er heard.”

“So why more than one map?” Frederick asked.

Reena pushed from the desk. “The pirate feared that either the lady’s father or husband would force the information about the Fount from her, and he didn’t want such cruel men to drink from its waters. Hence, he created a map and divided it into sections, then left riddles on them leading to places he and his love had visited.”

“Humph.” Abraham said.

“But where were the first one found?” Jo asked.

“I don’t know. But it ended up in a treasure chest that Antoine plundered off a Spanish Galleon.”

Frederick wanted to say the story was hogwash… but he remembered the pool of Siloam and its healing waters stirred by an angel. Things like this were possible in God’s kingdom. Abraham seemed of the same mind as he swallowed hard and glanced out the stern windows.

“Sounds like poppycock tae me,” Brodie said.

Reena shrugged. “’Tis but a legend, of course, but I believe it bears some truth.”

Jo nodded. “I agree wit’ ye, Cap’n.”

Sedley tugged on his stained neckerchief. “I dunno, Cap’n. Seems farfetched t’ me.” His gaze latched onto the treasure chest. “Fortune be better t’ ’ave then livin’ ferever. What ye goin’ t’ do wit’ all them jewels an’ gold?”

Reena barely afforded the treasure a glance. “I’ll take my share and Freddy will have his, then you may divide it up amongst the crew as usual.”

Sedley rubbed his hands together.

The brig pitched. Frederick spread his feet apart for balance and crossed arms over his chest. “I want no share of your ill-gotten booty, Reena, though I can now see ’twas never about the treasure, was it?”

She gazed up at him curiously. “Treasure I can always get, but eternal youth and beauty? That’s priceless.”

“I still can’t believe you risked all our lives for a legend, a part of a broken map that leads nowhere.”

She pursed her lips, her golden eyes sparking. “It doesn’t lead nowhere. It leads to the greatest treasure of all.” She glanced over the group. “Let’s take a vote, shall we? Who is in favor of seeking the Fountain of Youth?”

Brodie arched a brow, took a sip of rum, and said. “Soonds grand tae me!”

Jo shrugged. “Never dyin’ sounds worth lookin’ into, Cap’n.”

“Aye,” Sedley said, still staring at the treasure.

Abraham released a heavy sigh. “I agree wit’ Cap’n Carlton. Seems a far-fetched quest fer only a legend.”

Reena shifted her gaze to Frederick.

“I say you’re mad,” he said.

“That’s four to two.” She gave a smile of victory. “’Tis settled. Abraham, chart a course to Saint Lucia at once.”

It took every ounce of Frederick’s strength to keep his anger from reaching his tongue and firing arrows of fury at Reena. Instead, he spent the next minute trying to contain himself, lest he say or do something he would later regret.

Fred bobbed his head up and down from his perch. “Heigho, to the map we go!”

“See, Freddy?” Reena gave him a coy look. “How can you argue with your namesake?”

 

♥♥♥

 

“That’s wha’ I said. She be givin’ an extra cap’n’s share t’ Carlton.” Sedley leaned closer to his fellow sailors. “I don’t know ’bout ye, but I didn’t sign up to serve two cap’ns an’ lose part of wha’s comin’ to us.”

“Me neither!” Baines said as curses filled the air. “He only bin on the ship a few days, and he gets a cap’n’s share. Not if I gitsa say in it.”

“Speak to her, Sedley,” Abbot said, his expression one of sorrow. “Talk sense into her.”

Sedley took a sip of his ale. He could and she might listen if he told her the crew was unhappy. Cap’n Carlton didn’t want the treasure anyway. But they didn’t need to know that. Especially Baines, who held a great deal of influence with the men.

Sedley sighed and shook his head. “She won’t listen. She be blind when it comes t’ Carlton. Methinks they were lovers in the past.”

“Well, I fer one ain’t gonna sail wit’ two captains.”

“Aren’t ye forgettin’ she saved yer sorry carcass from the noose, Baines?”

“An’ I were grateful.” Baines adjusted his stained waistcoat. “But this be business. She’s violatin’ the articles we signed.” He leaned forward, gazed over all of them, his foul breath saturating the air.

Sedley resisted the urge to cover his nose.

“I says we take over the brig,” Baines offered in a malicious whisper.

Eyes grew wide. Wilson guffawed. “Mutiny? Yer mad, Baines. She got too many loyal who she saved.”

He sat back. “Mabbe. Mabbe not when we tells them what she done. I can git enough on our side. The rest will ’ave t’ join us or die.”

“Aye, sounds fair t’ me,” Clark added.

Baine’s eyes twinkled in malevolent delight. “We can ’ave the ship an’ all that booty fer ourselves.”

“Wit’ ye as captain, I assume?” Sedley smiled.

“Aye! I be the only one qualified. But as captain, I will divide any booty we get equally betwixt every man.”

“Hear, hear! I’m wit’ ye then, Cap’n Baines.”

Sedley leaned back in his chair and took a swig of ale that was tasting sweeter and sweeter with every sip.