Chapter 30

Home

Despite the fact that it was in the middle of the night, Aunt Jada had the entire household awake moments after they arrived in Triger. Aunt Jada and Emalia had moved into the townhouse to be close to the docks in case any news came. There was celebration in the air as the weary travelors tromped inside to be greeted by overjoyed family and servants alike. Aradon had a wealth of excited servants taking supplies from them and moving Aunt Jada’s welcome reception from the entrance way into the parlor. Aunt Jada didn’t seem to mind as long as she was allowed to continue hugging everyone within reach. The only low moment was the fact that Dabria stood more on the sidelines and barely acknowledged the hugs and kisses she was given. Justin’s heart hurt for her as he watched Salena give her best friend a hug only to receive nothing in return.

Salena smiled sadly and whispered to her friend, “It will be okay. Now that you are home you’ll get better quickly.”

Tadi had obviously kept his promise to Justin to help Salena get through this. Though he gave Dabria a welcome home hug, his eyes never strayed from the other girl. Justin kept an eye on the three of them as he glanced around the room. With the exception of Namid and Maath, who had elected to stay on the ship until morning, everyone who meant something to him was here. Tommy and Kiliki sat next to each other, holding hands, as they talked to Sahen about their time. Evyn carried his daughter, Rosalyse, in one arm and kept his other around his wife, their heads bent close together. Aunt Jada bounced happily from group to group, keeping an eye on everyone, as if afraid they might disappear into smoke. Adem was tugging on Tadi’s arm and had soon drawn the young man over to roughhouse with him, though Justin noticed their game never took them to far away from Adem’s parents. Walton was gone and the family was safe, but the marks he had caused remained and they would see things differently from now on.

The family talked for what seemed like hours, while Aradon kept the servants busy with a continuous supply of food and drinks being moved around the room. The servants seemed just as happy to be able to serve tonight as the family was to be able to sit together and talk. It wasn’t long however before Dabria’s head slowly dropped and settled onto Salena’s shoulder. Justin smiled, weary enough to want to fall asleep himself. Aunt Jada looked up and noticing the sleeping girl, immediately clapped her hands causing stillness in the room, as both family and servants turned to the matriarch.

“All right, everyone, while it is wonderful you are all home and I want to talk to you for hours more, I shall have to contain my wishes until tomorrow. It is time for bed. Dabria needs her rest and so do the rest of you, I wager. Tomorrow, we shall have a wonderful day with a picnic out by the lake. Dabria needs to have things go back to normal for her, so that she can see she is no longer surrounded by the horrid man and his crew. A picnic and a horse ride is just the thing. We shall sleep in tomorrow and then we shall leave as soon as everyone is ready to go. Aradon, see that it is all ready.” Aunt Jada looked to Aradon, who nodded calmly. “Now, hustle to bed, hustle to bed!”

Everyone laughed at her obviously joyful commands and trouped up to their own rooms. It had been a long day and the rest would feel wonderful.

>~>~>~><~<~<~<

Salena ushered Dabria into the parlor and directed her to a seat, before collapsing next to her. The women in the room looked up quickly at the obviously tired girl.

“Oh no,” Kiliki moaned. “Another rough night, Salena?”

Salena straightened slightly and answered, “Yes. She woke three or four times and cried out for him. She was mumbling about being alone again. I thought things would get better as time passed, but it only seems to get worse as she figures out he’s not coming for her.”

Kiliki frowned and Emalia covered her sister-in-law’s hands with her own. “She’s readjusting. That’s all. Give her more time. It’s barely been a week. She’s going through quite a large number of changes quickly.”

“I wish we could do more. It seems like we’ve tried everything,” Kiliki murmured, misery in her voice.

Aunt Jada snorted. “That is because we have!”

“Aunt Jada!” Emalia protested.

“Well, it’s true,” Aunt Jada exclaimed indignantly. “We never leave her alone. For heaven’s sake, Salena even moved into her room! She does daily tasks with minimal help, we have her play with Rosalyse as much as we can,” Aunt Jada paused in her list to motion to the sleeping child in her cradle. “She follows Kiliki around as Kiliki follows Adem, we force her to eat, why, I even take her for walks in the garden and we discover all the mistakes that fool gardener keeps coming up with. Why that man can’t get a simple garden right, I will never know!”

“Your garden is anything but simple, Aunt Jada, and we all know he is a wonderful gardener, you are just particular.” Emalia responded with a fond smile.

Aunt Jada let out a humph and continue her harangued, “The point, my dear, is that we have done everything humanly possible to help Dabria. There is nothing more that we can do!”

“So, should we just give up? Is it hopeless then?” Kiliki asked, startled.

Aunt Jada’s face quickly changed from incensed to gentle. “Of course not, darling. Only at this point, humanly we can only continue what we are already doing. God must reverse what the child has done to herself. Our answer is no longer in this world, but in the supernatural one of the God in heaven. It is in His hands when the child will awaken from this.”

“But when will that be, Aunt Jada?” Salena questioned quietly from her spot next to her best friend. “She doesn’t even recognize us! Not even Kiliki! You have to ask simple questions to get even the smallest of responses from her...except of course when you mention him.” Salena’s spoke the word ‘him’ as if were the vilest on earth.

The family had stopped using Walton’s name whenever Dabria was around. It was the only name she seemed to understand and the one name she would respond to emotionally. Her eyes would light up if she thought he was near or sadness and confusion crossed them when she was told he was not around and could no longer harm her. It brought the family pain no matter how they responded, so eventually it was decided it was best to not mention his name at all and hopefully the hold it had over her would release as well. So far, however, such had not been the case.

“Yes, well him can just go to…”

“Aunt Jada!” Kiliki and Emalia both cried out at the same time.

“What?” Aunt Jada looked at them with wide innocent eyes. “I didn’t say anything yet!”

Kiliki sighed and shook her head. “Sometimes, Aunt Jada…”

“Yes?” Aunt Jada questioned with a smile.

Kiliki laughed and finally responded, “Never mind.”

Aunt Jada nodded her head as if justified. “We pray, my dear children. It is in God’s timing, so we pray. She will recognize us again. We will continue to tell her who we are before we speak. We will show her that despite what that heathen obviously forced her to believe, we did not abandon her and he is not the only one who’s ever cared about her. We continue to shower her with all the love and affection we can muster, both in our voices and in our touch. We give her every reason to know that we are here and we love her as we always will. And finally, we pray. We pray with everything we have that the Almighty Jehovah, the Great Healer, will reach down and touch her mind to uncloud it and bring her fully back to us. That is what we do today and tomorrow and for as long as it takes.”

“Faith is never so hard as when you cannot see the results you wish for,” Kiliki whispered.

“Faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen,” Emalia quoted from the Good Book.

“Hence, why it is called faith,” Aunt Jada added.

“Father God, you alone know all that our Dabria was been through. You alone can bring her out of the state she is in and back to the family that loves her. Please, heal our sister. Heal her mind and her heart, allow her to see the truth before her. And help us all to have faith and trust in Your love and plan,” Kiliki spoke out loud her impromptu prayer.

“Amen.” The other three room responded together.

Dabria blinked her eyes slowly, but said nothing.

>~>~>~><~<~<~<

“I don’t care what you say! I heard her!” Aunt Jada proclaimed loudly.

“We believe you, Aunt Jada! But you want us to go right now?” Tommy tried to calm his aunt and clarify at the same time.

“Right now! The girl asked to go on a trip. We are going on a trip!” Aunt Jada responded, before turning and rushing out of the room, calling Aradon’s name.

Those left behind laughed at her antics, but quickly sobered as Salena entered the room with Dabria at her side. Justin looked at the girl he had fallen in love with and wished desperately he could recognize the light in her eyes. They seemed so dull when she looked around the room as if her spirit had left her and only the shell remained. And yet there were times, when Kiliki would touch her and the spirit would spark in them again. Occasionally, when he spoke to her, he could see that same spirit ready to jump out and yet it seemed like something blocked the pathway. While he didn’t know what it was, that didn’t stop him from desperately wishing he could help her to get rid of it.

Kiliki turned to Dabria. “It’s Kiliki, Dabria. Sweetie, would you like to go for a ride? Would you enjoy a ride?”

Dabria turned towards the sound and seemed to frown in concentration.

“Dabria, would you like to ride a horse?” Kiliki tried again.

“Okay,” Dabria responded, as if still thinking about the words.

Kiliki shrugged. “Well, maybe she did ask for a ride. I don’t know, but Aunt Jada is certainly convinced. We are going for a ride.”

Adem clapped his hands in delight. “Yeah! I want to ride Black Thunder!”

“Oh really? You think you’re old enough for that horse? He is quite a bit to handle.” Kiliki smiled at her son.

“I am absolutely old enough!” Adem responded indignantly, fists tightened at his side in protest.

Tommy grinned and patted his boy on the head. “Yes, you are at that. You’ve been growing up in leaps and bounds. All right, you may ride him, but you need to stick close to either Tadi or myself. Understood?”

“Yes, Father,” Adem replied quickly.

“Come on, Dabria,” Justin said walking over to her and Salena. “Let’s go get your horse ready.”

Dabria turned again to his voice and he took her hand to lead her out of the room.

“Salena are you coming?” Justin asked.

“As always,” Salena responded, stepping back to Dabria’s side.

The three moved through the house and down the path towards the stables. It almost felt like old times with just the three of them together again. And yet, there was one drastic difference.

“Have you noticed any change at all?” Justin questioned.

“Some. She seems to respond to touch best. She used to shrink from it, but not anymore. Now, she seems to crave it.” Salena looked down to where Justin was still holding on to Dabria’s hand. “She wouldn’t have tolerated that earlier.”

Justin nodded. “I know. I feel like I have to keep a hold on her or she is going to fly even farther away.”

“I don’t think that’s the case,” Salena thought at loud. “I’m hoping when she does decide to fly it will be towards us and not away. We were talking only a couple of days ago how we are doing everything we can and at this point we have to pray to God that He will heal her mind and bring her back to us.”

“We will have to see,” Justin answered.

Salena nodded and took Dabria’s other hand. “Dabria, what horse would you like to ride? Lady’s Rose is ready to go. She missed you while you were gone. We could have Laton saddle her. Would you like that?” Salena asked, mentioning the stable hand.

Dabria seemed to think about it for a moment, but no response followed.

Salena let out a little sigh, but continued as if Dabria had answered. “Okay, then we’ll saddle her. The weather is beautiful today. You picked a perfect day to ride and I know Aradon will have Cook pack up something delicious for lunch. Do you remember when we were kids and we use to sneak down to the kitchen to eat the leftover desserts? That was the first time we met Tadi. He was doing the same thing. We had so much fun back then. Do you remember? We got into so much trouble too.”

Justin laughed. “Yes, you did. It’s amazing you’ve survived this far with all your limbs in tack.”

“Ha, ha,” Salena responded, but with a smile.

“Salena!” Tadi’s voice called from the direction of the stables. The young man waved and walked over to them with a grin that was obviously for Salena alone. “Have you guys come to ride?”

“Aunt Jada believes Dabria told her she wanted to go for a ride. So, she’s informed the rest of the family we are all going,” Salina said, smiling back.

“That sounds like Aunt Jada! I’d better help Laton then. That’s a lot of horses to saddle.”

“We’d like to have Dabria saddle her own, if that’s okay,” Salena requested.

“No problem. Do you think it will help?”

“Who knows what will help, but working together with us has to do something right?” Salena asked, more than stated.

“I’m sure it does,” Tadi reassured. “Your love for her is what matters most. She’s a strong girl and she can feel that. Even if we can’t tell right now.” Tadi turned towards his friend. “You’re strong, aren’t you, Dabria?” Tadi asked with the confidence of one who already knew the answer.

Dabria seemed to smile, but that was the only real response.

Justin squeezed her hand. “She’s the strongest girl I know. Come on, let’s get your horse saddled.”

The four friends continued towards the stable, laughing and talking together.

>~>~>~><~<~<~<

Things were still wrong. It had been so long since things were right, but she couldn’t really remember what was right anymore, only that it was better. She hadn’t heard his voice in so long either, the one who was suppose to protect her and the only one who cared about her. Who was that?

Walton. That was his name. Where was he? Why wasn’t he with her? The people around her use to mention him, but they hadn’t in a long time. And whenever they talked about him they sounded mean and angry. What had he done that had angered them? He was suppose to make her happy. But she wasn’t happy. Was she? She seemed to be upset. Yes, she was upset because things should be right and they weren’t. But she couldn’t figure out why.

The haze surrounding her mind floated in and out and it kept the answers she wanted desperately far away or not there at all. She couldn’t be sure of what happened around her. The words people spoke and the things they did never really made sense. She only knew that she didn’t feel so lost here. Something made her feel safer than before. Was it the voices? There was so many of them. She couldn’t remember the last time she had heard so many voices.

Walton’s was the voice she knew. His was the one that told her it would be okay and that he would take care of her. She belonged to him that was what he had said and she knew it was true. But somehow that didn’t seem right. Something had always seemed wrong about that. Like something inside her whispered that it was a lie and she had to keep believing. But she wasn’t sure what to believe in anymore.

There were so many of these new voices and they all told her different things. They told her Walton was bad and he couldn’t hurt her anymore. Had he hurt her? She couldn’t remember that. They said he wouldn’t come for her, but they didn’t say why. Where was he? Why didn’t he want to be with her anymore? What had she done wrong?

The voices said that they loved her, she was strong, they wanted her to get better, and they would take care of her. She thought she understood that, but the haze made what should have been simple, so hard to grasp.

She heard one of the voices again as it spoke to her. Something touched her hand, a gentle, but firm touch. It helped her hand to move along something soft and silky. Whatever her hands were on shifted slightly. She could feel it going in and out and in and out. Slowly, her own breathing timed to this new rhythm. She moved her hands up and down the softness. She had felt this before. It was familiar touch, but she couldn’t place it. She wasn’t sure how or why she knew it, but it brought her comfort. She smiled at the feeling that this was good and spread her fingers wide to feel it better. She felt another hand touch hers again and she moved. It wasn’t a coarse hand and it didn’t hurt her.

She remembered something, something about Walton. Had the voices been right and he had hurt her? She thought he wasn’t always as gentle as this hand was. This hand took hers and allowed hers to move up and down the silky softness smoothly.

The voice that she heard wasn’t Walton’s. Whoever he was, he spoke gently and calmly. He told her the horse liked her. She liked horses too. She wasn’t sure how she knew this, but she was sure it was true. She smiled. He allowed her to pet the horse for a moment longer, before speaking to her again and guiding her backwards. She felt hands on her hips and then she was lifted off the ground and placed on top of something. It took her a moment to realize it was the horse. The hands that had touched her so gently before handed her a rope and fashioned her hands over top of it, making her hold it a certain way.

By now, more voices had joined them and the touch left. Why did it leave? She’d enjoyed that touch. It was so gentle and calming. She had missed feeling a touch like that. Walton wasn’t here, and yet she was being touched. She wanted things to be good and safe and for the bad part to go away. Was she finally safe again? Nothing made sense to her! If only the haze would go away and she could think and see clearly again!

She felt the horse beneath her move and she enjoyed the wind in her air and brushing against her face. She could hear the voices around her talking and laughing. She wasn’t sure how much time passed.

These people did seem to care and love her. Their touch was gentle and their voices were calm. They didn’t scare her. She used to be scared. Walton scared her. These people gave her peace, whoever they were. They must have a reason to care about her. She knew the answer was somewhere inside of her. It was as if some part of her was locked behind the haze. Until she could find the key and cross the haze, it would remain locked. She could only hope she found it soon. That would make her happy once again.

>~>~>~><~<~<~<

Justin sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He knew this point had been coming and there was nothing he could really do about it. He needed to think clearly and he couldn’t do that here. Kiliki had said that he needed time to process and take time alone with The Guardian Star, something that was not possible in this house. It was worse than a large port. People were constantly stopping by to wish the family well and insert themselves into the scandal of a kidnapping. Plus, there was Dabria. When he was around her, he could think of nothing but her. Of course, that applied to when he wasn’t around her as well. He hated to go away from her, but at the same time he knew it was what he needed. It didn’t have to be for a long time, but in order to think he needed the solitude and comfort of the sea. His ship was waiting.

He walked into the parlor to find Salena patiently trying to help Dabria draw. The girl moved her hand with Dabria’s over the paper and made comments on the beauty of their progress.

Salena looked up at his entrance. “Hello, Justin.”

“Hi. I need to talk to Dabria. I was thinking we could go for a walk in the garden.”

“I’m sure she’d love that. This wasn’t going very well anyway.” Salena took the pencil from Dabria’s hand and pulled the paper off her lap.

Justin walked over and helped her to stand. “Dabria, it’s Justin. Will you take a walk with me?”

Dabria tilted her head to the side and then nodded.

He led her outside and into the garden where they could talk. Justin took a quiet moment to study the young woman. Her hair had been pulled back from her face and tied at the nape of her neck. A few rebellious strands had escaped to grace the side of her face. Her blue eyes that normally sparked with life and mischief, seemed dull, and yet he could tell the Dabria he loved was still there. Her face still had the look of a pure, sweet pixie and yet had matured into that of a grown woman. She had always been small in stature and even now her head barely came up to the top of his chest. Despite her hazy mind, she still managed to walk with a grace that was all her own.

The thought of having to leave her even for a few days made his chest tighten. He wanted to be around as she began the process of waking from the haze that surrounded her. But over the last couple of days he had grown more restless as if something inside him was warning him he could no longer put off his own decisions.

Slowly, he stopped their progress and led her to one of Aunt Jada’s many garden benches, helping her to sit and then taking the spot next to her. He took a deep breath and secured her soft, warm hands back in his.

“Pixie, can you look at me?” He was please when her face turned towards his voice. “You’ve been so strong. I’m proud of how you have been trying so hard to get better. You improve more each day. That’s how I know it is okay to leave you for a little while. I have some things that I need to take care of. I can’t figure them out here. I’m focused too much on what’s happening here…on you.”

He lifted a hand to her face. Her face turned towards his touch and pressed against it. A small smile appeared on her. He wondered what she was thinking in that moment. If only her eyes would respond as well and show the spirit of the Pixie he loved.

“I’ve learned a lot over the past few years, but no more so than the past few months. I have some decisions I need to make. I have all the information I need and no one can help me anymore. The problem is I need to talk to God myself now. I can’t become the man you need without figureing out who I am in Him first. There are too many distractions here to do that. There is simply too much going on and I think better on the sea anyway. I won’t be gone long, perhaps only a few days.”

Dabria seemed to be paying attention, because she frowned as he spoke of leaving. Whether that was because of the words or his tone of voice Justin wasn’t sure. He had no way of knowing if she really understood, but he knew she was at least listening. His chest tightened as he wondered whether she understood or if she cared.

“I love you, Dabria.” The words were out of his mouth before he realized what he was saying. He looked at her in shock, but her face remained unchanged. He curled his fingers against her check and stroked it gently. “I love you, Dabria,” he repeated. “I’m coming back for you soon. We will figure this whole mess out as soon as you are well enough. That I promise you.”

Justin paused and looked more closely at her. A single tear had escaped from her eye and was running slowly down her check.

“Dabria! Are you crying? Why? What did I do?”

He stood and pulled on her gently, tugging until she came into his arms. He gathered her close. “Don’t cry, Dabria. Whatever is wrong, don’t cry. I’ll be back. We will fix everything then. It will be all right. You’ll be happy again. I’ll be back. I love you.”

He held the girl in his arms for a long moment and almost without realizing it sent up a prayer to God for her comfort and healing.

>~>~>~><~<~<~<

Dabria felt the moisture slip down her cheek. She thought that meant she was crying. The man’s voice was so serious and the words he spoke seemed very important. She couldn’t understand everything he said to her or what all the words meant, but she could understand the emotions. He seemed so sad and that made her sad as well.

She felt him pull her close and she nestled against him. She wanted them both to be happy again. That was what she should be asking for, that these people who cared so much about her be happy and safe together. That was what was good. But something inside her cautioned that all wasn’t that way yet, that something important was missing. It was what she was waiting for, only when the missing part was in place would she be able to be well again. She wasn’t sure what it was, but somehow she knew that Whoever was looking out for her knew and she would be made well when it was time.

>~>~>~><~<~<~<

Chapter 29

The True Captain

“Thank you all,” Tommy said gratefully. “Walton never intended for us to leave that island alive. You saved my family at risk of yourselves and your crews.”

The four men standing around him nodded. Justin, Evyn, Conlan, Tristen, and Tommy all stood on the deck of The Guardian Star. It had been almost a full day since the raid on the island and it was time for the ships to go back to their individual adventures.

“You’re a loyal friend, Panther. You would have been there in a moment if it was me,” Tristen responded, shaking hands with Tommy. “Evyn, keep them safe now. I’ve had enough adventures with you for a while!”

Evyn laughed. “That is the plan. I think we could all use less excitement for a while.”

Conlan smiled, but it was a distracted one. “We can hope anyway.”

Justin shook his friend’s hand. “I will be waiting for your call. When you need me, I’ll be there.”

Conlan nodded. “Thank you, my friend. I do not know how much longer Breanna will be safe where she is. But I know the day will come when you will be needed.”

“You have my word,” Justin responded.

“And you, Tristen? You have a ship full of servants and slaves still,” Tommy pointed out.

“I do,” Tristen laughed. “Thankfully, since hunting down pirates to take back for hanging became a full time thing my ship is easily able to accommodate the extra passengers. It’s when I put them ashore I’m not sure what to do with them all.”

“You know, I may have a contact that could help you with that,” Conlan mused.

“Really? We must talk!” Tristen grinned.

Evyn laughed. “So much for slowing down! Life continues!”

“Doesn’t it always?” Justin asked, with a weary smile of his own.

“Yes, as God directs,” Tommy responded reflectively. “Stay safe, my friends. May God watch over you wherever He has you travel.”

“And you,” replied Conlan and Tristen.

The five friends shook hands all around and Conlan and Tristen headed to their own ships. Soon, The Dragon and The Hero’s Choice were moving out of the cove. Evyn turned to his friends.

“I’m going to check on Kiliki and Dabria. It’s foolish, I know, but I hate letting them out of my sight,” Evyn admitted.

“We can’t say it is foolish, when we both feel the exact same way,” Tommy smiled. “Go. I will join you soon myself.”

Evyn nodded and headed for the Great Cabin where the entire Brent Family, including Dabria, where staying. Justin had moved in with Evyn to Dabria and Salena’s room.

Tommy turned to Justin. “Let’s talk.”

Justin looked at him suspiciously, but nodded and led the way to his room. He had wanted to talk to Tommy as well and finally understand what had really happened with Walton, but the way Tommy had said it, made him nervous. He suddenly felt as if he was sixteen again and he had just joined the famous Black Panther’s crew. He opened the door and strode into the room, refusing to look at the artwork that Dabria had drawn and hung around the room. It was a reminder each time he saw it of how he had failed her.

Tommy sank onto Salena’s bed. “It had been a very long time. I forgot how much work you had put into changing this room.”

Justin shrugged. “They deserved it. They rode on this ship so often.”

Tommy grinned. “Yes. Perhaps they will again.”

Justin shook his head. “Not likely.” He took a deep breath, forcing thoughts of Dabria and her inevitable marriage away and focused on Tommy. “What happened back there, Black Panther? What was it that Walton really wanted?”

“What most men who have lost it all want. Revenge,” Tommy sighed and settled back more comfortably to tell his story. “Apparently, in my younger days, I hit a ship belonging to Walton’s father. He was involved in slave trading and I may have been over zealous in my retribution. Walton’s father ended up dying. Walton was at home with his very drunk and self-absorbed mother. Up to that point, he had everything he could want at his finger snap. When his father went down as a slave trader, so did the family money and position. His mother was quick to spend whatever Walton managed to salvage. His family went from wealthy elite to disgraced. All he had left was the island house, which no one but his immediate family knew about and his desire for revenge.”

“What did he do to you?” Justin asked, quietly.

“He wanted to destroy me. He’s been following you, believing you to be me. Once he found out you weren’t, he switched his focus to discovering who and where I was. When he found out I had the family and name that had been denied to him, his plan fell into place. He’s spent his time telling me of the heinous things he has been doing to Kiliki, Adem, and Dabria. He even told me Kiliki had lost the baby and she had died from the shock. He was going to take Adem and raise him as his own. And he was keeping Dabria as his mistress.” Tommy paused and Justin could almost see the scene taking place in Tommy’s mind yet again. “He was very convincing. He took his time with it. The detailed descriptions were the worst. He rarely used physical means on me. It was always a mind game.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t reach you sooner,” Justin apologized. It hurt to say it out loud.

Tommy shook his head. “You did your best. God protected us.”

“How can you say that?” Justin asked, his shock momentarily making him forget his guilt.

Tommy looked Justin in the eye for a moment then said calmly, “How can I not? Justin, after everything Walton told me happened; I find out that my family is all alive and going to be okay. Kiliki and our unborn child could be dead. He might have destroyed Adem and Dabria. We can recover from this. It could have been much worse.”

“It didn’t have to happen at all,” Justin complained.

Tommy smiled grimly. “Apparently, it did. I will be the first to admit I wish I knew why we were forced to endure all this. Yet, I know that God had a plan and for some reason He needed us to go through this. I have to trust that God sees the bigger picture that I can’t. I’ve learned the hard way it is easy to trust God when everything is going well, it is when it all seems to be falling apart, that you must lean on God’s promises to make it through.”

“Promises?” Justin questioned.

Tommy nodded. “Such as that He will never leave us or forsake us, that He will guide our paths, that He has plans for us to prosper, that He loves us, that His Will will be done.”

“But his will caused you all so much pain,” Justin refuted.

“Our sin causes pain, Justin. We were given the choice to follow God or take matters into our own hands and we chose to take control. It may have started in the Garden of Eden, but we still make that choice every day. Walton chose to take control into his own hands and not only did he suffer for it, but my family did as well. We chose to give God control of the situation and God sent you and the other captains to save us.”

“He may have sent the others, but not me,” Justin admitted, his voice low.

Tommy frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I couldn’t do it. I was going to, but I didn’t.” Justin shook his head as if talking to himself.

“Do what?” Tommy’s voice urged.

“Give up control.” Justin raised his head to look at Tommy. “I was going too. Namid, Maath, Evyn, they all said I needed too. And I thought they were wrong, but the way Evyn spoke. Something about how I could either choose to be part of God’s will, which was going to happen no matter what, or I could be pushed out of the way. I didn’t want that to happen. I wanted to be the one to rescue you. But when I opened that door, when I had to give up control, the thought never crossed my mind. I went in furious and I was almost killed. If Tristen hadn’t shown up, we would not be having this conversation right now.” The truth spilled out of Justin. If felt right to finally admit that he had been such a failure, and yet to confess it to Tommy was the worst humiliation.

“I see,” Tommy spoke slowly.

Justin stayed silent, afraid of what his hero would now think of him. Would he even take back his ship?

“Justin, who is the captain of this ship?” Tommy finally asked.

Justin frowned, but answered, “I am.”

“Ah,” Tommy nodded. “When I led this ship, I was not really its captain.”

Justin blinked. “Yes, you were.”

“What is the name of the ship?” Tommy asked next.

Justin tried to follow the odd line of questioning when the answers were so obvious. “The Guardian Star.”

“Do you know why that is?” Tommy looked amused now, but not condescending.

Justin had to shake his head no.

“The Guardian Star is the True Captain.”

Justin felt like he was saying the phrase, ‘I don’t understand’ an awful lot, so he stayed silent and waited for an explanation.

“You know that the stars are used to navigate and they help us to stay in safe waters and not get lost. When I inherited the ship from Sahen, I changed its name to Guardian Star to remind me of how Jesus is the real Guardian Star. It was on Him I needed to depend for everything, every decision I made I gave control of it to the True Captain of the ship. If I didn’t follow His guidance, then the ship and I were lost.” Tommy paused a moment as Justin took in this new information, before continuing. “Ever since you took over for me, you have neglected to realize the importance of the true Guardian Star. He is the One whom you need to give control too. Perhaps if you had, the situation with Walton would have been different, but that is not what is important now. The question is: do you understand that and what will you do about it?”

“I’m not sure,” Justin replied honestly. “I’m not positive I know what that looks like.”

“It looks like a life with purpose. Right now, you make your own decision, but without any reason to them beyond yourself. God wants you to admit that you are lost without Him, that you need His grace to give you eternal life and a purpose in this life. See, just like me, you are a sinner. You commit actions that you know are wrong, but for your own reasons, you do them anyway. For that, you deserve eternal punishment. God wants you to admit that and admit that only His son, who gave His life for you, can save you from those sins. Jesus died on the cross and took all of your sins onto Him so that He could pay the price for your sins. All He asks of you is that you accept His gift and live your life from now on His way, instead of your own way,” Tommy explained.

“But what is His way?” Justin asked.

“That will take you a lifetime to find out. That’s why He gave us The Good Book. That is our map from The Guardian Star. It will tell you what is holy to do and what you should not. From the moment you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, or if you prefer, as your True Captain, you agree to live your life by the words of the Good Book and the life of Jesus.”

“That’s not an easy deal to make,” Justin surmised.

“No, you’re right. It is the most important deal you will make in your life. Think on it carefully, but do not take too long. As you have already seen, this decision will enable you to make a life time of correct choices in moments when it will matter the most.” Tommy stood and stretched, then walked over to Dabria’s table and pulling a book off of it he handed it to Justin. “This will help. I would start with the section marked John.”

Justin glanced down and saw the title “The Good Book.”

Tommy smiled. “Evyn was right. It is your choice and only you can make it. Choose wisely, my friend.” With that, Tommy crossed to the door and let himself out.

Justin frowned at the book in his hand. Were the answers truly here? Was this the map he had been missing? Could it be that simple? He fingered the pages and the book flipped silently, opening to a page with the word ‘JOHN’ at the top. Coincidence?

Justin took a deep breath. No time like the present to begin to figure out what was apparently the biggest choice of his life.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God…” He read out loud.

>~>~>~><~<~<~<

Justin had no idea what time it was when he finally put down the book. At some point, someone had brought him a tray of food. He had picked at it as he continued to read. Now, though the words were swimming on the page and he laid the book down carefully, before stretching his arms above his head. There was so much contained in one section of The Good Book. He decided it was no wonder people had devoted their entire lives to studying its depths. He didn’t want to do that, but he did want to figure it out more. First though, he needed a break. Stretching again, he headed out onto the deck, where the stars were beginning to peak from behind the cloud covering. He thought briefly that Dabria would love the beautiful sight. He startled when he realized it was the first time he had thought of her since he had picked up the book. Quickly, he made his way to the Great Cabin and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Kiliki’s voice answered.

Justin swung open the door and stepped inside the room. A musty smell hung in the air. The desk in the middle of the room had been cleared of its papers to make room for the medical supplies. Adem had claimed his own corner of the room under the right porthole and was snoring soundly on his makeshift sleeping mat. Kiliki sat in the green chair, which had been pulled up to sit next to the bed. She looked up to smile at him.

“Come in. She’s sleeping,” Kiliki spoke quietly.

Justin finally settled his gaze on the bed. Dabria looked pale and still, though her chest rose and feel slightly if one watched closely for a few moments. Her eyes were closed and her hair was spread around her face as if it were an angel’s halo. The scene looked to close to death for Justin’s comfort.

“How is she?” Justin asked, swallowing the lump in his throat.

“Unresponsive,” Kiliki replied. “I’m not sure what hurts worse, that she won’t respond to my voice or that her only whispered word is Walton’s name.”

Justin clenched his fist tight against his side, his nails digging into his hand. “He can’t hurt her anymore.”

“No,” Kiliki agreed, “but the damage has already been done.” She took her hand and wiped away a strand of hair from the sleeping girl’s face. “It’s strange. It’s not her normal sickness at all. No fever, no hard or inconsistent breathing, no panic attacks. Whatever he did to her, I think it was a mind game. I…” Kiliki paused, but then continued, “I almost wonder if she did this to herself, to protect herself from whatever he may have done otherwise.”

“But if that were the case,” Justin mused, “Wouldn’t she be able to snap back out of it?”

Kiliki shrugged slightly. “Maybe not. I don’t know how long she’s been like this. It could take months for her to come back around. If she did bring on her own attack, I don’t think she meant it to go this far.”

“She was brave to put herself into that if she really did it on her own,” Justin thought out loud.

Kiliki nodded. “Yes, but then Dabria has never had a problem being courageous.”

“No,” Justin smiled. “No, being courageous and stubborn are two things she’s always been good at.”

“She still is. Her courage and bravery are two things she’s going to need to get over this attack,” Kiliki mused.

“If anyone can beat this, Dabria can. She is never one to let something stand her in way,” Justin reassured, putting a hand on Kiliki’s shoulder to comfort her.

“That is very true. We always had to be carefully how we worded things, or she would find some way around it. She is one smart girl.”

“Dangerous too with the situations she manages to get into. Climbing rigging, jumping overboard, getting a low class workers job…you never know what adventure she is heading towards next.” Justin smiled at the memories.

Kiliki laughed softly. “Yes. She is spirited. But she is caring, loving, and she can even be responsible when she wants too. I am never afraid to let her take care of Adem. No matter what adventure she wants to go on, she will always put his safety first. She will make a fine mother some day.” Kiliki smiled at her little sister. “And a wife,” she added.

“Yeah, for Leon,” Justin muttered angrily, dropping his hand to his side.

“Perhaps,” Kiliki answered slowly, glancing up at him, then focusing back on Dabria, “although, I don’t remember mentioning his name.”

“But they are engaged aren’t they?” Justin questioned.

“Officially, yes. Her parents were notified, but with Leon on the trip with his father and with Dabria’s condition, I guess for now, things have been postponed.”

“Kiliki,” Justin paused, unsure of how to word his question, but wanting an answer. “Are you happy with the engagement?”

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t be?” Kiliki looked up at him again.

“He doesn’t fit with her,” Justin mumbled.

“Fit with her?” Kiliki asked.

“He’s so…stuffy!” The description popped out before Justin could stop it.

Kiliki laughed. “Oh, I don’t know.” She paused a moment. “Well, perhaps he is when you compare his lifestyle to that of yours. But, he has his good traits as well. And he can understand her devotion and love of God, because he is also a Christian.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Justin questioned, knowing full well it had been this point that had really divided the two men as worthy of Dabria’s hand, though he had never been sure of why.

“A lot,” Kiliki responded. “When you both follow the same God, you know what His love truly is, and that enables you to love and understand each other better. Of course, that doesn’t mean that just because two people are Christians they are meant to be together. Some people aren’t suited for each other regardless, that could be because of their personalities, their expectations for the future don’t match, or their beliefs or values in other areas are different. However, if they are both Christians it does give them a more common and solid foundation. Remember, there is no escaping a marriage once it has been sealed in God’s eyes. That is why it is so important to have your marriage based on a good foundation. Trust, love, respect, faith,” Kiliki counted things off on her fingers, before putting her hands back in her lap and looking at her sister. “There are more of course, but if you don’t have those, everything else in the marriage is false. God holds marriage in the highest of esteems. That’s why He speaks so often about its requirements and guidelines.”

“Requirements and guidelines?” Justin questioned stunned. “For marriage?

“Yes, think of it this way, you will be spending the rest of your life with your spouse. God values the choice of marriage so highly; He gives us guidelines to follow when looking for that special person. Some of the things are simple, such as the duties of the household, what the husband and wife should both do concerning each other and how their relationships should work. For example, the husband should be the spiritual head of the household, which means you have to trust that person to guide you in the way that God wants you to live. The husband is to love the wife as he loves his own body, and the wife is to respect and support her husband. All of these are very important things that should be thought about and considered. If either person cannot fulfill those duties, than they shouldn’t get married.”

Kiliki paused to straighten the covers over Dabria as she shifted slightly. The girl never opened her eyes, but sighed and stilled again. Kiliki waited until she was sure Dabria was comfortable again, the resumed her lecture. “One of the requirements that the Bible talks about most strongly is that God says you should not marry someone who does not have the same faith as you. If you do, then you can never truly understand each other. You will also long for more in your marriage and a connection that the other person cannot give you. Your spouse will usually end up taking you away from the Lord, rather than drawing you closer as should be done.”

Kiliki turned slightly to face Justin better and held up her hands so that the fingers formed a triangle. “Think of marriage as this triangle. At the top of the triangle is God and the two points are you and your spouse. Now, as you grow closer to God the triangle because smaller, meaning as you grow closer to God you also grow closer to your spouse. But what if you take away the section of the triangle connecting you to God?” Kiliki dropped one of her fingers from the triangle to illustrate her point. “Now as your spouse grows closer to God, but you don’t the two of you will grow further apart, because you don’t have that same link to the top of the triangle that your spouse does. It’s hard to understand someone fully when you don’t understand the God they love and serve with all their heart and mind.”

“But Leon can do this?” Justin questioned, coming back to his original point and filing the rest of the conversation away to mull over later.

“Well, Leon certainly understands this and he has demonstrated the spiritual leadership needed to lead Dabria in a Godly marriage,” Kiliki admitted.

“And that really make him understand her better?” Justin refused to admit defeat.

“Well, on that level, yes.”

“What about on every other level? He’s going to expect her to sit there and look pretty! Dabria doesn’t sit there and look pretty for anybody! She’s an adventurer! She wants to have fun and live life, not sit in some house all day long and play hostess to people she doesn’t even like!” Justin spouted.

Kiliki covered her mouth, but the laughter escaped anyway. When she had recovered, she asked, “And this is something you don’t think Leon knows?”

“How could he know it?” Justin snorted. “Dabria doesn’t act like herself when he’s around! She’s all prim and proper. And the light she usually has in her eyes dies every time.”

“Are you sure you’re not just seeing things? Maybe when he is around, she can see herself as being a different person from whom she’s always been,” Kiliki suggested.

“Not Dabria,” Justin stated firmly. “She doesn’t need to be different! She’s perfect the way she is. She shouldn’t have to change for anybody.”

“I’m not so sure about being perfect,” Kiliki smiled fondly at her sister, before looking back to Justin. “But it may surprise you that I agree with you, Justin. She shouldn’t have to change so drastically for anybody. She should be able to be who she is and grow into the woman that God intended her to be. But right now, I think she is still trying to figure that out. After all, the two men in her life pose very different options for her. Leon is a strong Christian and he does love her. And yet, her lifestyle would be very different. She would have to be a dutiful wife and run the King’s Ambassadors’ house. Or prim and proper as you put it. And there is you, who has every adventure and all the excitement she could possible want and yet, you do not share the love for the God she serves.” Kiliki paused to make sure she had his full attention. “Justin, until you understand and love the God she loves, you will never truly be able to love her as she deserves.”

“I don’t get how God could make me love her any more or less,” Justin whispered looking down at Dabria.

“That is something you will not understand, until you come to God yourself.” Kiliki watched him for a moment then asked softly, “Do you love her, Justin?”

Justin swallowed, but nodded his head firmly. “I guess I’ve loved her for a long time and just didn’t know it. Everything about her is something to love, the way she moves and talks, her feisty spirit and independence, her love for her family, friends, life…. her ability to see right through me. She makes me want to be better than who I really am.” Justin spoke out loud the words that had been brewing inside him and he wished he could tell them to Dabria instead of her sister. “I want to take care of her, Kiliki, and protect her. I want to give her the ability to be whoever it is she wants to be, to reach for the stars.” He paused, “but that’s not enough is it?”

“No you’re missing one single vital ingredient. You want to help her to be who she wants, but she needs to also grow into who God wants her to be and until you believe in Him as she does, you can’t help her become that woman.” Kiliki remained firm on the point.

Justin took a deep breath. She was everything he wanted and more and yet she came with the price to follow God as she did. It was a choice he found himself wanting more and more to make and yet, his thoughts were still jumbled and as of yet had left him unable to make the final choice. He knew it had to be his choice alone. Tommy and Evyn had made that clear. If he was going to give control over to God, it had to be because he wanted too, not because it would enable him to marry the girl he loved so much. “If I did believe in God as you all do, if I made the decision honestly, would you… would you let me marry her, Kiliki?” He spoke slowly, her answer meaning everything, but then rushed on to add, “I know I’m not of the same high class as Leon, but I would provide for her and protect her. I do love her.”

Kiliki stood and smiled at him. “Justin, that has never, ever been a factor to us and you know it. Her parents will feel differently. But to our family, you have always been worthy. If you made that decision with your whole heart and with pure motives to truly follow God in your own life as well, putting Him first above even her, but leading her to follow God was well, I would have no objections, Justin. I’d be thrilled.”

“You mean, you’d really give me permission?” Justin asked, surprised.

Kiliki laughed. “Of course, provided you met those conditions. I can’t think of anyone better suited for Dabria than you, Justin. But you still have some things you need to work out.”

Justin sighed. “I know. I feel like I have all the facts, but to give all control of my life to someone who I can’t see or touch, but wants to rule my every move is no easy decision. Maybe I’m just too stubborn to give in.”

“You’ve been through as much as the rest of us have these past few months. Maybe it’s not that you’re too stubborn, but that you need time to process without the pressure of everyone else feeding you more information,” Kiliki surmised. “Perhaps what you really need is time alone with The Guardian Star.”

Justin smiled. “Tommy told you.”

“A long time ago. We’ve both been praying for you that you would choose to follow the real Guardian Star and the plans He has for you.”

“Maybe that is what I need, but I won’t get that time until we get you all safely home.”

“Don’t push it off for too long, Justin,” Kiliki warned.

“I won’t. I know it’s an important choice and I will make the right one. I’ll do the same for Dabria. She no longer belongs to Leon.”

“That’s her choice to make. Not yours,” Kiliki cautioned.

“But I can fight for her. I walked away once and gave her up. I won’t make that mistake again.”

Kiliki smiled. “I believe you.”

>~>~>~><~<~<~<

Chapter 28

Rescue Attempt

 “Okay, here is the plan,” Justin started, to all gathered in the Great Cabin, including the three captains, their first mates, Evyn, and Namid. “Myself, Evyn, Tristen, and Conlan will each lead a team ashore. We will attack the island as quietly as possible from four different sides.”

“I’ll take north,” Evyn stated.

“Fine, I have east,” Tristen put in.

“That leaves me with south and you with west, Justin,” Conlan nodded.

“Right,” Justin replied, before continuing. “Evyn and I will lead our teams into the main house, which the scouts say is located here.” Justin pointed to a spot on a roughly drawn map that lay in the middle of his desk. “Conlan and Tristen, you will keep your teams on the outside to cover any problems or reinforcements.”

“As long as I get to fight,” Tristen nodded.

“You will.”

“We need to get the family to safety as soon as possible. So, we will bring them out to Conlan and hand them off. They will go to The Hero’s Choice, since it is the last ship recognizable.”

“They will be well cared for until we can safely transport them to The Guardian Star,” Conlan promised. “We will keep the ship out of range of everything else. So, it will be docked here,” he pointed to a spot on the map, “as far from the action as we can get her. We will set sail as soon as we have them on board.”

“Good. If we can’t get out everyone at once, take the majority. If that happens, and not everyone emerges from the house at the same time, the second two teams will join together to get whoever is left out. We will put family who are still behind on Tristen’s ship and everyone else can get to any ship.”

“The other two ships,” Evyn took over, “will hit The Dandy hard. We can’t risk them using it for escape or help.”

“We need to sink it then,” Yami, Tristen’s first mate, muttered.

“Yes,” Justin answered. “You and Maath will be in charge of the two ships and getting that job done. Once it is sunk, retreat to where we can use you to get everyone off the island.”

“Aye, aye, Captain,” Maath replied and Yami nodded his agreement.

“Any questions?” Justin asked, looking around the table.

Only a determined silence answered him. Justin nodded.

“Then let’s do this. We head out as soon as it is dusk.”

>~>~>~><~<~<~<

The night sky had firmly hung itself in place by the time Justin and his crew broke the brush line surrounding the west side of the plantation sized house. The full moon provided the only light for their mission, but it was enough. The outline of the house gave it three levels. Lights were on in most of the downstairs windows and in three of the upstairs windows. The topmost floor had only one light on and it looked to be rather dim. Justin crouched by the bushes and took a moment to ponder the best approach. None of the brightly lit rooms seemed to hold too many people, most looked to be servants going through and doing the end of the night tasks. It would be simpler to wait until all had bedded down for the night. Just then an unnoticed door on the side of the house facing him, opened. A girl slipped out with a basket in her hands. People could be seen inside the doorway moving around and calling out orders. From the activity and sudden smells, it seemed the kitchen was in full swing. The girl closed the door and her outline vanished.

Justin motioned to two of the men with him and then to the girl, indicating to capture her and bring her over. The girl moved swiftly, as if she knew the way quite well, and made her way in the moonlight to one of the dozen trees a slight walk away from the house. She didn’t even get the chance to scream as Justin’s men snuck up behind her and captured her. It didn’t stop her from struggling though. One man earned a kick that sent him straight to the floor. Justin winched, knowing it would be some time before he felt well enough to move again. Meanwhile, the other had received a basket over the head. Somehow, he hung on, as two more leapt to the rescue. The girl was quickly brought before him.

“Let her down gently,” he ordered softly. The men looked at him reluctantly, but obeyed his order. “We are not going to hurt you.”

The girl snorted and glared at him with eyes of someone who knew not to trust.

Justin sighed. “Look, my family is being held captive in there. I just want to get them out of here.”

Her glare turned to surprise, then suspicion. “You are going to rescue them from here?” She spoke a little haltingly and her voice held an accent he didn’t recognize.

“Yes. Do you live here?”

She nodded, but added, “Not by choice.”

“Who are you?” Justin questioned, curious now.

“I was free. Now I am called a slave,” the girl’s voice held all the bitterness she must have felt inside.

“If you help us, we will free you from this place,” Justin promised. The girl started slightly, but said nothing. She obviously didn’t trust him and he didn’t have time for this, but she was his best link into the house. “Look, I’m the captain of a ship. If you help me save my family, I will gladly take you anyplace you wish to go. I know you don’t have a reason to trust me, but you have my word.”

“Are you a pirate?” She questioned.

“Some say so, other’s call me the pirates worst fear. I am the Falconer,” Justin said, not without pride.

“There are others too.” She spoke showing no reaction to his name.

Justin sighed. This was a rescue mission, but not of every slave in the place. If he promised her that, there was a chance he could be dooming his family. Slowly, he spoke, “I cannot promise you everyone. You are here, I can promise you only for yourself. But, I will do what I can do rescue the others. My family must come first.”

She stared at him for a moment, her face bathed in what little light the moon allowed. He knew his was shadowed the same way. “I can get you in. You look for the family Lord Walton brought here, yes?”

“Walton,” Justin breathed. He finally had a name! “Yes! Are they here? Are they alive?”

“Yes. We do not speak to them. But we feed them. They are kept apart, two in different rooms in the basement, one in the attic, and one in the master’s bedchamber.” She spoke steadily naming the locations.

She was in his bedroom. Cold fury and icy fear stole over Justin. It was an instinct that told him the one who was in Walton’s bedchamber was Dabria. What horrors and atrocities had Walton committed to her?

“Are they all healthy?” Justin asked, how he formed the question he wasn’t sure.

“As could be expected. The young girl has not been well since before she was brought here.”

Dabria was sick. Had he treated her so badly even on the ship, her sickness had taken over her body? What condition was she in then? He had to get her out!

“How do we get inside?” He finally asked.

“I can unlock the front door. That section has been cleaned. Most work is in the kitchen,” she replied confidently.

“Please do so. Then come out the door and one of my men will take you to a captain friend of mine. He will get you to the ship safely.”

“You will not?” She asked, suspicious again.

“My family first. I will not be far behind.”

“Do not forget the others. Many of the servants are not here by choice. I will tell those aI can not to fight. You will leave them alone?” She persisted.

“I and my men will. I have others who are here too. I will try to spread the word.”

“Fine.”

“What is your name?” Justin asked impulsively.

“Asha,” she replied, as she turned and accepted her basket back, moved first to pick a few of the fruit she had been sent for, and then opened the kitchen door. Slipping inside, the door closed and the light it had spilled went dark.

As soon as the light was gone, Justin sent two crew members to where Evyn was to approach from with word to move into the basement. The rest of the crew he led towards the door. They stayed low to the ground and followed the side of the house. He hoped he hadn’t made a mistake as the seconds ticked by and they crouched by the locked door. Justin shifted feet twice before he heard the lock turn and the door opened slightly. Asha stepped out, her hand holding onto a very frightened second younger girl. The two said nothing, but moved quickly down the steps and to the side, leaving the door opened slightly. Justin stepped into the moonlight, so he could be seen more clearly and nodded at Asha, who nodded back. He motioned for Inu, who had been at his shoulder. The boy stepped forward and the three moved quickly into the dark night. Justin turned around and motioned again, this time leading the way into the house.

His men stole around him, quickly gliding into rooms and silencing anyone in their way as they moved towards the steps. They met no one on the steps and at the top was a long hallway. Doors lined the both sides of the hall, with the staircase coming into the middle. At one end of the hallway was a window, but at the other end was a door. Only three rooms had light coming from under the doorways. Two of them were at the opposite side of the door at the end of the hall.

Justin motioned to Sheron, who stepped to his side. “Adem,” Justin whispered, pointing to the end door.

Sheron nodded and two of the crew split off to go with him. Silently, they bypassed rooms, only stopping to open the door that had on the light. A scuffle could be heard, and then a shaking woman was led from the room with an escort. Justin nodded as they passed by on their way to Tristen. Knowing now that Dabria wasn’t in the room, Justin turned and made his way down the other hallway with the only other remaining crew member. They paused outside the first door with a light, but could hear nothing. Cautiously, Justin opened the door and the crew member slipped inside first. He returned and shook his head. The room was empty. The only other lit room was at the end of the hall. From the placement of the doors, it looked like it was the master bedroom.

Justin halted outside the door and listened. Inside, he could hear a low male voice talking.

“Darling, give me a smile. Show me you are there.”

This was it. Justin took a deep breath and pushed open the door. The light flooded around him as he stared at the man who had caused so much damage and hurt. Walton was standing over a figure lying on the canopy bed, his hand holding hers. He swung around and glared at Justin for a moment, neither of them speaking. Slowly, he dropped her hand and moved towards the bed post where his sword hung in its scabbard. Justin kept on eye one him, even as he examined the girl in the bed. He could finally identify her as Dabria. She was obviously very sick. Justin’s stomach tightened and he wondered briefly if he might throw up at the sight.

“You’re wasting my time, boy. Guards!” Walton yelled.

Boy? Walton couldn’t have been much older than him. “And you’re wasting your breath. We’ve already dealt with your servants. Your crew is being handled now. It’s just you and me,” Justin replied, confidently.

“So, the little sparrow has come to try and rescue the girl,” Walton mocked.

“I’m the Falconer, not some sparrow. And I will take her from you,” Justin replied, fury coursing through his tightly collided body.

Walton let out a booming laugh. “You? I took out the Black Panther! He’s been my prisoner for months! I’ve humiliated and destroyed him! What can you possibly to do me?” Walton waved his sword in the air between them. “Come, sparrow. You have only been an annoyance, which I shall put out of my misery now.”

The fury inside Justin broke and he charged, sword drawn. The war that had been brewing for years had begun its final battle. The two combatants crossed swords in the middle of the room. Justin’s swings were hard and furious, matching his temper. Walton had to back up quickly in the face of the attack, but it was easy for him to defend as well. His motions were definite and quick, his sword moving with precision. The swords clanged together and met at the hilts, Walton used the moment to grasp Justin’s hand and push. Justin was thrown backward several steps. Quickly, Walton was on him and the dance began again. Back and forwards the two moved with two parries up and then one down. Up and down and back and forth, their footwork as important as their arms, it was quickly obvious they both knew what they were doing.

The dance moved to the area between the bed and dresser. The smaller space required the combatants to tighten their moves slightly. Justin forced himself to concentrate on the fight and not the girl in the bed, who lay so still, but seemed to be watching the movement around her. Walton cut his sword down and it shoved Justin towards the dresser, where the water splashed out of the bowl sitting on top. Trapped against it, Justin used his free hand to splash water into Walton’s face. While he stuttered, Justin moved backwards to the free side of the bed, opposite of the door, where his crew member still stood.

“Get Dabria out of here!” He shouted the command.

The crew member moved forward, but before he could reach Dabria, Walton produced a dagger and threw it at the unsuspecting crew member. He had no time to react and the dagger buried deep, dropping the man to the floor dead.

“There will be no help, flea. My superiority is unchallenged. I have bested the best and laid him low. You are not worthy of my time. However, you did provide me with my beautiful damsel here.” Walton laughed. “We have had a good time.”

Justin’s grip tightened on the hilt of his sword. “She doesn’t look like she’s had anything but trouble.”

Walton grimaced slightly, but then smiled cockily. “She has not been feeling well. But when she does, she yells my name in passion!”

“Never!” Justin roared, lunging low.

Walton blocked, just before Justin’s sword would have met his gut, and parried expertly. Flicking his wrist around, his sword made circles around Justin’s effectively moving it out of the way for a moment. Walton lunged and a huge red slash appeared on Justin’s right arm.

“Ah!” Justin grabbed his arm with his free hand.

“Come now! It is the first of many!” Walton slashed first right, then left, and then high.

Justin barely had time to block, his reactions slower than they should be with his sword arm damaged. He grimaced. It had taken too long to get to this point. He wasn’t going to lose control now. “Bring it on,” Justin muttered fiercely.

Walton grinned. “As you wish.”

The dance began again, but this time, Walton had a clear advantage. Justin had to focus on defensive moves, spinning and dodging to avoid the cuts that came far to close. He was weakening with each move, if Justin was going to win, he would have to finish this fast. Walton parried high and Justin swung low, but Walton jumped back and then pressed forward. He caught Justin’s sword with his own hilt and held it there. With their bodies pushed up close against each other, Justin never saw the punch that landed his gut. He doubled over and dropped his sword.

Walton’s booming laugh filled the room. “You fool! You were never good enough to defeat me! I outsmarted you all. I will enjoy killing you.”

His sword come up high and fell quickly. Justin barely rolled out of the way, but his back hit the bed. He was trapped now. Walton growled, but simply raised his sword again.

“Stop!” The voice shouted from the opposite side of the bed.

Justin couldn’t see from the floor who it was, but he knew the voice all the same. Walton frowned at the interruption.

“Let’s see how you deal with me,” Tristen’s voice challenged. “Face it, you’re though. We’ve cleared out your crew and your servants have deserted you.”

“Liar!” Walton spat.

Justin heard Tristen take a step forward. “Maybe. The battle could very well be raging on. Too bad it’s too dark outside for you tell. Regardless, your problem is right here.”

While Walton focused on Tristen, Justin rolled under the bed and scooted to the other side.

“Right after I kill this one,” Walton replied, only to yell seconds later, “Argh! You fool! You will pay for interfering.”

“Let’s have it then,” Tristen replied, crossing the room, weapon raised.

Justin moved from under the bed in time to see Walton lung. Tristen parried down twice, and then countered riding his sword down to Walton’s hilt. He pushed back and the two turned around before breaking apart. Walton attacked again, four short parries and a long, the duel continued, fast and furious. Tristen countered and started his own attack, back and forth. The pace slowed only for a moment, but never stopped, and both caught their breath. Immediately, Tristen pressed again. His attack was fast, hitting high three times, then down low and high again. Walton back up slightly under the barrage, but parried each time. Tristen hit high again twice then suddenly dropped to the ground in a low crouch and thrust upward. His sword caught Walton in the middle of his chest. Walton gasped and fell forwards, eyes glazed, forcing Tristen to roll sideways.

Tristen stood and used his foot to roll the dead captain on his side. “He’s gone. Grab the girl and let’s go.”

Justin nodded, tearing his gaze away from the man on the floor. Dabria watched him with shadowed eyes. She didn’t move or even appear to recognize him.

“Dabria? I’m going to pick you up.”

“Walton?” She whispered.

Despite the man being dead, anger welled up in him. “Walton’s gone.”

“Oh,” Dabria whispered, looking sad and confused.

“What did he do to you?” Justin questioned, angrily.

Dabria shrunk further into the cushions around her at the harsh tone.

“Justin, calm down. You’re scaring her. We need to get moving,” Tristen spoke quietly.

“I thought the battle was over,” Justin replied.

“It is… mostly. Let’s go.”

He nodded and turned back to Dabria. “I’m going to pick you up now.” She barely moved as he picked her up into his arms, shifting her so most of her weight was on his good shoulder. Still, she was so light, he wondered if it even mattered.

He turned to the door and started in surprise. “Asha.”

“She led me right to you,” Tristen spoke as Asha nodded to Justin. “When the rest returned without you, I decided to come in. Asha agreed to lead me.” He moved past Justin to her side. “Let’s get you out of here as promised.”

The girl nodded again and turned to head down the hallway. Tristen and Justin, carrying a quiet Dabria, followed. Once they were out of the house, Tristen moved Asha to behind him and the four crossed to where the ship waited. The battle was still going, however, it did not range over the whole area, but smaller spots where Walton’s crew members refused to put down arms. The four were able to move safely around them. Tristen quickly led them onto his ship. Once on board, Justin immediately took Dabria to a smaller room, with a solid bed. Asha followed and agreed to take care of the sick girl.

Justin closed the door behind him and felt the adrenaline of the moment leave him and a weariness seep into every part of his being. He sighed heavily, not yet able to focus on working through all that had just happened. His feet carried him to the Great Cabin and Tristen opened the door to his knock.

“You look beat,” Tristen said, admitting him.

Justin grunted and dropped into a chair. “The others?”

Tristen leaned on the edge of his desk. “Tommy and his family were all found and escorted to Conlan’s ship. They are haggard and look like they haven’t eaten or slept right since they were taken.”

“Walton said he destroyed him,” Justin responded.

Tristen grimaced. “He’s been telling Tommy lies since they were separated, torturing him about what he was doing to their family. I haven’t gotten to talk to all of them. But I’m pretty sure he didn’t do that much to either Kiliki or Adem. He seemed fine and while Kiliki is going to need real food soon, I think she and the baby are doing okay. She looks ready to give birth at any time.”

“A birth on board?” Justin asked, with a slight smile.

Tristen laughed. “Let’s hope not. Are you going to tell me what is going on?”

“What do you mean?” Justin asked, uncomfortably at the personal and surprise question.

“We got the family back. Walton is gone. Shouldn’t you be happy about this? You look like you lost it all, rather than gaining it,” Tristen observed, crossing his arms.

Justin shrugged. “Just tired. It has been a long time coming.”

“Not the way you expected though, I’d imagine,” Tristen commented.

“If you mean you coming in to finish the job, then no,” Justin’s voice was hard.

“You looked like you needed a hand,” Tristen admitted. “Didn’t mean to steal your thunder, but better to have you alive to enjoy the victory.”

“True, though I’m not happy about it.”

Tristen smiled wryly. “You don’t have to be. You’ll thank me one day.”

“Probably,” Justin agreed. The two shared a laugh and shook hands, before Justin headed below. The ships were due to meet up with each other back at the cove. Meanwhile, Justin needed to get his arm wrapped and get some sleep of his own. The physician that had begged to be part of his crew would get to earn his keep once Justin got back to his own ship.