“Please, you needn’t say anything more,” she cut in with a blush. “I understand that we won’t really be safe until we’ve seen the last of these cutthroats. I will remain as inconspicuous as possible.”
They were separated then when one of the pirates pushed Avery to hurry him along.
The first sign that the island was inhabited was a watchtower they passed along the beaten path. It was built of logs, and was tall enough to have a clear view of the sea in at least three directions. They were climbing into the hills behind it. The tower was occupied, but the fellow in the tiny hut on top of it was asleep as they walked by. Not a very diligent guard, Gabrielle thought as one of the pirates kicked the tower to wake him, while another swore at him in fluid French.
Margery added her own opinion as she came up beside Gabrielle. “Lazy no-goods, the lot of them. Let’s hope when help arrives, the guard sleeps through that as well.”
Gabrielle would have liked to share that optimism, but the chance of their being rescued before they were ransomed was slim. “Once they find my father—”
“Ifthey find him,” Margery cut in. “Since we weren’t even sure thatwecould, what are the chances of that, eh? We never should have undertaken this journey. Didn’t I warn you it would be dangerous?”
“You could have stayed home,” Gabrielle reminded her. “But it wasn’t supposed to be dangerous. Would you have believed that pirates still exist in this day and age if someone had told you? No, you would have scoffed or laughed at them.”
“That’s beside the point,” Margery replied. “But listen to me, before we get separated again. Look for a weapon, any sort, even a fork if you can get your hands on one, and keep it on your person at all times. If one of these bastards starts anything with you, you stick it right in his belly, hear? Don’t hesitate.”
“I’ll remember that.”
“You better, girl. If anything happens to you, I don’t know what I’d do.”
It looked like Margery was about to cry. She was more upset than she was letting on. And her distress was contagious. Gabrielle would have liked nothing better than to cry on her friend’s shoulder just then, but she managed to restrain herself and dredged up some courage for both of them.
“You worry too much. We’re going to be fine. Captain Brillaird has assured me of that.”
That wasn’t exactly true, but it was what Margery needed to hear and it got a weak smile out of her.
About a half hour later, they reached a large settlement of sorts high in the hills, surrounded by trees. There was one big building at its center, built of actual lumber that she was to learn had been obtained from one of the ships the pirates had plundered at sea. The rest of the buildings spread out around it were mostly just small thatch-roofed huts. Gabrielle could see through the open doorways that many of the huts were filled with chests and crates, serving as storage sheds for the pirates’ ill-gotten gains.
Avery and the other male captives were shoved into one hut and Margery was led away to another, but not before she shouted back at Gabrielle, “Remember! In the belly!”
“Where are you taking her?” Gabrielle protested.
The pirate who was pushing her toward the big building sneered. “Servants don’t bring ransoms, but she’ll be released with you once the captain’s demands are met. You’re valuable, so you’ll go in here, where it’ll be easier to guard you. Don’t want any of the mates touching you and interfering with the high ransom you’re sure to fetch.” He winked at her lewdly, and Gabrielle couldn’t help but cringe.
Once inside, the pirate led Gabrielle to a long table in the large room, pushed her down into a chair, then walked away. A bowl of food was set in front of her by a female cook, who remarked in a friendly tone, “Hope you got someone to pay for you, dearie. I delayed as long as I could before I finally had to admit that I didn’t have any family left, and that’s why I’m still here.”
The middle-aged woman who introduced herself as Dora sat down and chatted with Gabrielle for a few minutes. She’d been allowed to stay on the island to work off her ransom. She cooked for the pirates, and apparently serviced them in other ways if she felt like it, all of which she mentioned in an offhanded manner.
She’d been there for two years now and even considered herself one of them, volunteering, “They’re not out to make a name for themselves, not like the pirates you might have heard of from the last century. In fact, they change their names frequently, change their ships or the names of them, use disguises. They’re in the business of making money, not getting hung. They operate in secrecy now and even change their base every few years.”
“Is that what this is, their base?” Gabrielle asked curiously.
Dora nodded. “This one is on an island so remote it’s never been named. It’s a nice island, too nice actually. A time or two they’ve had to scare away settlers who also thought so.”
“Who leads them?”
“No one. The captains have equal say, and jurisdiction only over their own crews. If something needs to be decided that affects them all, they vote on it.”
“How many captains share this base?” Gabrielle asked.
“Five now. There was a sixth, but he died of natural causes last year and his crew joined up among the others.”
Gabrielle expressed surprise that the number was so few for what seemed such a large settlement.
“They don’t want too many crews here. Figure the more people there are, the greater the chance someone will go rotten and give away the location of the base.”
The woman moved away as soon as Captain Brillaird entered the building. Gabrielle had never been given his real name, nor was she to ever learn it. He changed his name so frequently that his men just called him Captain, so she had, too, when she found it necessary to address him. But he merely took note of where she sat, then ignored her for the rest of the day—and the days that followed.
Five days later the captain still hadn’t asked her whom to contact for her ransom. She was left to worry over how to explain that while she knew her father would meet their price, she simply didn’t know where he could be found. She really didn’t think the captain would believe her, and she couldn’t imagine what would happen if he didn’t. Dora explained that she hadn’t been questioned yet because the captain didn’t need the information until he was ready to set sail again, and when that would be was anyone’s guess. The captain’s wife lived on the island and he hadn’t seen her in two months.
