Hang it all! What was he thinking? He could not keep her. He’d committed many sins, but never kidnapping and ravishing women. Besides, the last thing he needed was an encounter with the infamous Captain Alexander Hyde.
Evenwiththe Ring…
Aye, he finally had the Ring! He held it up to the moonlight, wondering if it would glow as it did in the lady’s hands earlier. Nay. But its beauty was still evident in the lantern light—the twinkling of gold, the lustrous red jewel in the center, and the ancient inscriptions along the edge. The legends were true! It had command over the weather. Which meant it must also possess the power and wisdom of one of the greatest kings on Earth.
He smiled. And it would give the same to Blake. Then the world would know his true value, and those who had insulted, abused, and rejected him would pay a heavy price.
Wind whistled against the stern windows as the brig creaked and groaned over a wave.
Lifting the bottle to his lips, he took a deep draught. Bandit jumped beside him and swiped at the Ring.
“Ah, ah. little one.” Blake closed his hand over it. “You won’t be stealing this again.” He shook his fist at the beast.
Bandit cocked his head and scolded Blake, pointing his hairy finger at him.
“Off with you!” He shoved the pesky animal away. Why he kept the filthy monkey defied all reason. He took another sip of rum, his thoughts drifting to the mysterious cloud that had saved him from a difficult battle.
“It controls the weather,” the old Jewish sailor had told him. “Wind, wave, and storm.”
And indeed, it had. Grinning, Blake slipped the Ring onto his finger. A perfect fit, as if it was made for him.
“It also has other powers,” the man had added as they sat chained in the hold of a Royal Navy ship.
“As in…?” Blake had asked, barely able to speak for lack of water. He’d expected to die within days anyway from thirst, starvation, or at the end of a rope in Jamaica, where they were heading. Listening to the mad ravings of the Jewish pirate took his mind off the throbbing pain from his recent flogging.
“Wisdom and the ability to command demons they say.” The Jewish man chuckled and scratched his thick flea-infested beard. “Some say the wearer can speak with animals.”
Blake had laughed at that last one.
“But the most important power it holds…” He had leaned closer, the chains around his feet rattling, his voice a raspy whisper… “is the power to rule the world.”
Rule the world. It sounded as good a goal as any. Which is why he’d asked the madcap sailor the whereabouts of this mystical Ring.
As it turned out, he’d managed to escape the clutches of the British navy a week later after they’d dragged him ashore. That was a year ago, and he’d searched for the Ring ever since.
“I finally have you.” He fingered it as he gazed out over the dark sea. “And the world is now mine for the taking.”
b
Though Emeline was glad to leave one of the most vulgar displays of barbarity she’d witnessed in quite some time, despair quickly returned when she was escorted to a tiny cabin overrun with rats, all of whom scattered as soon as Charlie entered with lantern in hand.
“Sorry ’bout the vermin.” The woman kicked one out of the way. “Ole Barnacle Ben, God rest his soul”—she made the sign of the cross—“weren’t the tidiest, as you can see.”
A stench as if somethingor someonedied stung Emeline’s nose, and she covered it with her hand as Charlie hooked the lantern on the deckhead. Plates of moldy half-eaten food lay across a table, on the bed, and along the floor, accompanied by grime-encrusted attire tossed hither and thither in abandon. In the corner, a bottle of rum lay on its side, shifting with each sway of the ship. A leather baldric hung on a hook, and a single stained and shredded coverlet lay crumpled on a swinging cot that hung by ropes from the deckhead. Beside it, a sliver of starlight forged through the darkness from a tiny round window on the hull.
“Ain’t nothing left of any value,” the woman said, lifting a hand to her nose as well. “The crew came and took what they wanted.” She finally looked at Emeline, a spark of pity in her eyes. “I’ll have Pedro fetch this rotten food, Miss, an’ bring you some grog to drink an’ water for washing.”
’Twas the first kindness Emeline experienced aboard this bucket of brigands. “Thank you.”
“Jist doing the cap’n’s bidding, Miss.” The woman studied Emeline. “You’re a proper lady, ain’t you? I can tell by your speech and mannerism.” Her tone grew instantly hostile.
Emeline swallowed, wondering at the sudden animosity she felt pouring from the woman. “I have been educated, if that’s what you mean.”
“An’ raised in a proper home, wanting for nothing.” Planting fists on her hips, she snorted as if it were a crime.Save for the slight mound of her chest, the smooth skin of her face, and a tumble of brown hair, no one would guess a female lurked beneath the stained white shirt, leather waistcoat, tanned breeches, and myriad of weapons stuffed in her belt.
“I wouldn’t call us wealthy,” Emeline replied with caution. This was no woman to cross. “But aye, I’ve been blessed by God to have all I need.”
“God, bah!” Charlie turned to leave.
