The cutlass made a high sweep into the air—and then descended.
Matthews—the witchfinder—stood still for an instant. An instant in which he stared incredulously at Sloan, and at the stream of blood that stained the white of his shirt beneath his black coat. Again his eyes fell upon Sloan.
And then he fell to the deck.
Brianna let out a shriek. Forgetting Robin, she stumbled to the deck. He was dead. She felt waves of heat engulf her, then a rampaging cold that tore like ragged ice against her spine. By God’s grace, was it decent to feel such a joy at a man’s death? No longer could he hunt her; no more could he aim a finger at the innocent and bring down agony and death. He was dead—and with or without God’s forgiveness, Brianna was so grateful and glad that she felt she could die herself with the shuddering power of her relief.
And Sloan…Sloan was still alive!
There truly was a God. Justice had come at last.
But the battle was not yet over. Even as Brianna stood at the top of the stairs, she heard a whoosh of sound, and instinctively ducked. A sword, caked with blood, had swerved unnervingly near her throat. With glazed eyes she looked around her. Sloan was engaged in a deadly duel again, and right next to her George was fencing with a very young, frightened soldier. Both of them, so young, the fear of death in their eyes.
She thought that she would scream again. Scream and scream and scream because she was the cause of it. So much bloodshed!
“Surrender, Darton!” Sloan shouted, and the king’s man paused. She thought she had seen him before, but she was too dazed to remember when.
All action aboard the ship ceased. There were no more sounds of the clash of steel. Only the ocean could be heard, the waves lapping peacefully, lullingly, against the hull. All the men stood still, breathlessly waiting as Sloan and Darton stared at each other.
At last, at very long last, Darton lowered his sword. He held it out before him; then, lowering himself with an unassuming grace, he laid it at Sloan’s feet. Still there was silence, and as the two men stared at one another, it was obvious that they had met before—as friends. Sloan’s voice was low when he spoke again.
“Lord Darton, in surrendering to me, you surrender to William of Orange, and cast yourself into the midst of what—with God’s grace—will be a peaceful revolution.”
Darton sighed. “I’ve heard it said you were an Orangeman, Treveryan. So shall it be. I ask that any of my men not willing to serve in such an army be sent back to shore.”
“Agreed,” Sloan said, and with his words it seemed that the others were given leave to breathe once again. The clatter of fallen swords could be heard all about the planking, and a subdued murmur arose.
“So be it,” said Darton.
Brianna vaguely understood that these king’s men were about to swear allegiance to another lord, but it mattered very little to her. All that she could comprehend was the state of the ship: the decks had been washed with blood. Men had fallen everywhere.
She brought the back of her hand to her mouth and bit down, totally unaware as she did so that she had begun to take small, jerky steps toward the mast. How many dead? Her mind raged in silent, agonized reproach. Bodies were tangled everywhere. She paused, ready to scream in mindless grief as she looked down at the body of theSea Hawk’scook, fallen arm-in-arm over the rail with a uniformed gray-beard. So many…
Men were beginning to move, to tend to the dead and the moaning wounded. Brianna’s eyes swam with blinding tears. Through a thick haze she saw Sloan. His eyes were on her. She stood in blood, was covered with it, and she felt a horror that far surpassed any threat or pain inflicted on her by Matthews.
Shehad brought it all about. Dear God, not by malice or intent. But simply by her existence. She had crossed Sloan Treveryan’s life, and because of it his brave, fine men lay dead and dying all around her.
A sob welled in her throat, choking her. The breeze swept by her and the sun was shining fiercely upon her with all its warmth, all its brilliant life.
But her scream was not one that could be released; it was within her, and would stay with her forever. It was too much; she could assimilate no more of the pain. The breeze, the gentle balmy breeze, swept all around her, embracing her. She could see nothing but mist, and the mist darkened and darkened.
She saw Sloan’s eyes again for just a moment, then that striking jade, too, blended with the gray. Merciful, merciful succor came to her. She slid to the deck, unaware that she had fallen, unaware of the day or the sun—or the death about her. She fell like death itself; consciousness deserting her at last, bringing her to a peace she might never find again.
She awoke alone—and mercy was gone, for she immediately recalled her image of the deck with its bloody carnage. A low wail escaped her; she struggled to sit, but as soon as she raised her head, pain seared through it and her stomach twisted in a miserable heave. Her fingers clutched the sheets to fight off the pain, and she looked down at her hands, and at the bed. Sloan’s bed. She was back in his cabin.
Brianna closed her eyes again; but then she heard a sound and struggled fiercely to raise herself to the window. There was nothing but the sea, but she did hear men’s voices and slowly realized that they were chanting in prayer. Then there was a flash of white going past her, and a startling splash upon the water. For a moment she frowned, puzzled, then what color had returned to her face fled once again. She had awakened only to witness the burial detail. Voices rose again; another white-shrouded body fell, to be accepted by the sea.
Brianna fell back onto her pillow, praying that God would strip her of consciousness again. Mercifully, he did. But dreams tormented her, dreams in which the dead came to her, their wounds bleeding, and accused her of taking their lives to preserve her own.
It was Paddy’s dear and grizzled face she saw when next she opened her eyes.
“Paddy?”
“Aye, lass, ’tis me.”
“Thank God that you are well.”
Gruff Paddy discovered that he had to swallow fiercely; he felt her pain and the overwhelming vastness of her depression.
