“It’ll be fine. We’ll all be fine.” He said it like he believed it. I endeavored to believe it, too.
We ran, going deeper and deeper into the jungle, and mostly uphill. Finally, we reached a cave with a hidden opening that seemed to be our aim. Whisper led everyone inside. It was enormous, but it wasn’t all natural. It seemed someone had made it larger artificially. The mission had prepared for everything, it seemed.
There were supplies in crates along the cave walls, and I wondered how long someone might survive here. The women and children began settling down quickly, as if they knew exactly how to hide from danger. To think how many times they must have run in fear filled me with anguish. Then the thought of another person who may be in danger hit me squarely in the chest.
“Let’s go,” I told Mr. Ashby.
He raised his eyebrows. “Back to the mission?”
Shaking my head, I took his hand. “No, to the big house. Patrice. We have to be sure she is safe.”
“And leave everyone here?”
I looked around at the people we’d been able to protect. “What else can we do?”
“Go,” I heard Whisper say as he snuck up behind us in his silent way. “We can last here, and we have backup coming. Dan and Robert came, so many others will follow. If you have someone you need to keep safe, you should go to them.” His eyes were sincere and valiant. This man understood the meaning of righteousness. “Mrs. Weiss and I can take care of everyone here.”
“Then we’ll leave them to you,” Mr. Ashby said, squeezing my hand. “Come, it’s a long way back.”
“There’s a trail that leads east. It parallels the mission, so you won’t run into the mob.” Whisper gave us directions.
We took the trail at a run. It was amazing what the body could do in urgent situations. My heart pushed my feet toward the estate without needing a break at all, even though I had very little experience with running. We stopped at the edge of a cliff, overlooking the house, farm, and the shore beyond. As I thought, there wasL’Audacieux, in the same bay as theMaelstrom—which was on fire. My heart stuttered. Not only was the ship up in flames, but the outskirts of the farm burned as well. If it spread, all the crops would be destroyed and the people’s livelihood would be gone.
Mr. Ashby and I looked at each other, nodded once, then found a way down together. We began running again as soon as we reached level ground. The pirates had come ashore and there was fighting all around us. Mr. Ashby and I had no weapons, no way to defend ourselves, so we tried to stay hidden, crouching behind outbuildings and bushes as we made our way to the house.
My breathing was ragged, my heart was racing, and my fear was mounting. What if they had already gotten to Patrice? We were about to stand and make our last effort to reach the house, when right in front of us a pirate faced a worker. The latter had a machete. But the pirate had a gun. As the worker dropped, I gasped.
Mr. Ashby covered my mouth, but too late. The pirate had seen us. Mr. Ashby picked up the downed man’s machete and charged the pirate, wasting no time to get the upper hand. The pirate had no time to reload, so it became a hand-to-hand fight. I recalled Mr. Ashby aboard theKatarina, climbing the shrouds and working the lines. He was strong, even if he seemed bookish. He won in the end with a loud thud to the pirate’s skull. I cringed slightly at the sound.
“Is he…dead?” I asked, even though I knew the answer.
Mr. Ashby didn’t reply as he took my hand and pulled me toward the house. We made it, but Patrice was nowhere to be found. Thehouse had been torn apart. Furniture, lamps, and dishes were broken and strewn around each room. We spread out to look and, after meeting up again, shook our heads. “What if she was taken?” I voiced my fears.
He put hands on my shoulders. “Patrice is resourceful. It’s likely that she and the staff hid before the pirates entered the house.”
I nodded, breathing deeply to calm myself. “You’re right. She is more capable than I am. She could have easily escaped. What do we do now?”
“I’ll follow your lead.” His expression was resolute as he waited for my answer.
I looked around at the broken house, and out the window to see people rushing by. “Let’s keep looking. But first, we need weapons.”
He nodded once and let me go as we both scoured the house for anything we could use. I went into the kitchen and found knives, but I questioned whether I would be able to wield one. I wanted to put more distance between me and my opponent. I only found a broom. Good enough. I snapped off the brush using my leg and then went to meet Mr. Ashby in the dining room. He had found a rifle.
“That’s much better than a broom handle,” I commented.
Despite everything happening around us, Mr. Ashby cracked a smile. “Only for a shot or two. Let’s go.”
I followed him outside and we cautiously rounded the corner, sticking close together. Our path was clear of fighting men for some time, but as we neared the sugar mill, we came upon a large pirate who must have seen us as easy targets. He rushed at us, but Mr. Ashby picked up his rifle and fired it before the man even got close. He fell to the dirt and didn’t move. We didn’t check whether he was dead, but ran past him to get to the sugar mill. I suggested that if she had gone somewhere, it would be where more people were gathered.
We opened the doors and were thrown back by people escaping the building. Flames were licking the roof, and it seemed all the coppers and metal trays were overturned, the sticky sugar spilling everywhere.
Amidst the chaos, I thought I saw a glimpse of red hair. “Patrice!” I called out before following the people running from the mill. “Patrice!” As the crowd dispersed, I saw her with Lottie, carrying an injured worker between them, blood trickling from his leg. I followed where they went, looking back once to make sure Mr. Ashby was still behind me.
People were running every which way, making it pure chaos. Pirates chased the young and old, fighting with them or simply cutting them down. I was horrified, but I couldn’t stop. Couldn’t help.
Finally, Patrice and Lottie set the man down next to other injured men and women. It was a makeshift hospital strategically built next to a fence, so the wounded were protected somewhat from the surrounding violence. How had they done it so quickly? Mr. Ward came to check on the newly arrived man. I surmised he must have had sufficient warning from Whisper.
“Patrice!” I yelled once more, this time capturing her attention. I reached her at last.
