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Ferdinand hurried out of his home for the long walk to the Fortress. They’d dare to break his door down! Who did these fools think they were? No one could do to El Diablo what they have claimed to have done. Soon El Diablo would have Carlos Estaban dancing on the end of his rope, the fool deserved it.
Ferdinand noticed there was a lot of foot traffic back and forth between the village and the fortress. Far more than there was normally. Also all of the men were armed with rifles. El Diablo would never let such a thing happen. He disapproved of the villagers having weapons of any kind.
He was sweating heavily by the time he neared the edge of the forest. He was getting to be an old man. The heat and humidity bothered him more than it had in his younger years. This traipsing thru the forest was for the young.
He could see the start of the clearing just in front of him. Suddenly he had armed men around him pointing their weapons at his head.
“What is this? I came to talk to El Diablo. How dare you block my way!” Ferdinand sneered, trying to hide his fear.
“Look what we have here amigos. its El Diablo’s little lap dog,” I have waited for this moment for a long time,” the sentry said shoving his rifle under Ferdinand’s chin.
“It saddens me to say we must let the vermin live for now. He is taking a message to the fortress for the Americans,” another of the guards said.
“Be on your way, we will wait until you return to finish with you,” the sentry threatened.
This cannot be, Ferdinand thought incredulously. The Fortress is under siege? As he walked across the clearing he watched the tree line and could see many armed men, maybe hundreds of them.
As he neared the fortress he called out to those inside. “Hello the fortress, this is Ferdinand Torres, I have been sent with a message for the Comandante.” The gate opened wide enough for him to slide thru.
Santiago was on the spot instantly. “You have a message for the Comandante?” he asked contemptuously.
“Yes, from the ones who did this,” Ferdinand said making a circle to encompass the fortress. “They came to my home and broke my door down and told me to give the Comandante a message.”
“Come with me,” Santiago looked down his nose at the man. “Follow me I will take you to him.”
Santiago walked to a large oak door and told Ferdinand to wait until he was called before walking in. “Comandante, your informant Ferdinand Torres from the village of Bayarno is here with a message from those who have us trapped.”
Castro stood up behind his desk. “Bring him here I want to hear what they have to say.”
Santiago let the man into the Comandante’s office. “He will hear what you have to say now.”
“Comandante, these men came to my house and broke down my door. They told me I must bring you a message from them.”
The Comandante walked out from behind his desk. “What is the message they asked you to bring?”
“They say they came here for Philippe Quentes. They want you to send him out of the fortress to them.”
“I see, that is want they came here for?” The Comandante paced back and forth. “Did they say who they are?”
“Yes Comandante, They call themselves the Sea Demons. They claim to be the men who ended piracy in the Caribbean. They say they got bored so they picked you next.”
“These men, are they Americans?” The Comandante asked, spinning around and grabbing Ferdinand by his shirt front.
“Yes Comandante, I believe so,” the suddenly frightened man said with a shaking voice.
“Go back to your home. I will give them their answer soon,” the Comandante told the informant.
Ferdinand was escorted to the gate of the fortress and allowed to leave. He walked across the clearing towards the forest.
“Sentry, give me your rifle,” The Comandante ordered his guard. Taking the rifle he aimed it at Ferdinand’s back and squeezed the trigger and watched as the man crumpled to the ground.
“There is your answer,” he shouted across the clearing. His relief troops should be coming any day now. He must hope they got here before it was too late.