THE SAILS OF THE HIGH SEAS

- Chapter 48 -

The moment Yanez's ship finally made its way to the secluded and heavily guarded pirate bay leading up to the hidden caves that acted as Sandokan's home base, Sandokan's nerves danced along the edge of his skin. He tried to hide it. To conceal it. And he succeeded in doing so, with the exception of Marianna. Though she may have met him not long ago, she understood him better than he would have thought.

Marianna also realized that her presence calmed him  down. His concern regarding what needed to be done had not disappeared, but she made the burden of what laid ahead more bearable. That was why she decided to stay by his side and made sure he knew that she was there for him.

Though a part of her was worried about the kind of life that awaited her and Ada once they reached their destination, she was convinced that it would be better than living under her uncle's harsh and ice-cold rules of British nobility. Lord Guillonk did take care of them, there was no question about it, but he did not... care about them the way Marianna always longed for. As ruthless as Sandokan and his pirates were portrayed by every British person she ever met, those ruthless men cared more about her, and about her dear cousin Ada, than she ever could have imagined. Even Tremal Naik, whom she had just met, made it seem like she mattered to him as a person, not just as an inconvenient nuisance...

"Worried about what You'll find once the ship docks?" Tremal Naik asked Marianna as he joined her and Sandokan. They stood on the ship's forecastle deck and looked toward the upcoming narrow passage in the bay's rocky shore.

"Should I be?" Marianna replied and turned toward Tremal Naik.

"No," Tremal Naik replied while Sandokan tilted his head to the side and watched him without saying a word. "Then again, what You might find will certainly look nothing like the lifestyle You and Your stubborn cousin are used to."

"Tremal Naik, I may be British by lineage, but I am definitely not spoiled. I spent years at sea with my parents before they passed away. I assure You, I am aware of what awaits me once I take my first steps on the pirate shores," Marianna smiled at him with confidence. "As for my cousin, Ada is not stubborn. She is simply sure of herself."

"More like full of herself," Tremal Naik chuckled. "Please, do not think ill of me. I did not mean to insult her. It's just that I never came across a woman so... unaware of her feminine side."

"I would be careful with Your words. Last time Yanez doubted her Ladylike manners Ada took it as a challenge, and turned into a true Lady with perfect manners," Marianna inclined her head at him. "If she hears that You doubt her femininity, she just might turn into a woman so feminine You would have no choice but to fall in love with."

"I would never fall for a Lady," Tremal Naik shook his head while Sandokan bellowed out a laugh. "I would sooner fall for a pirate."

"Careful what You wish for," Sandokan continued to chuckle, fully aware of Tremal Naik's already existing attraction toward Ada. "Ada made it clear to me that she would one day become a captain of one of my ships."

"I don't doubt that for a second," Tremal Naik smiled and shook his head.

"Which part? The one about Ada becoming a captain of one of my ships? Or the one about You falling in love with a Lady pirate?" Sandokan asked and bellowed out another laugh as Tremal Naik's smile disappeared from his face.

"I would rather not respond to that," Tremal Naik narrowed his eyes on Sandokan.

"Consider the matter closed," Sandokan replied and raised his hands in defense. "Marianna, did Yanez really doubt Ada's Ladylike... abilities?"

"Yes." Marianna smiled as she recalled Ada's prim and proper posture at Lord Guillonk's dining room table just a few evenings ago. "We had to come up with a credible way to make Yanez unrecognizable to Sir Brooke."

"Do not tell me that despicable businessman was there too?" Sandokan's face grew grim out of fear for his brother.

"I am afraid so. And since they met before, we needed to ensure that Sir Brooke did not suspect Yanez," Marianna nodded at Sandokan. "So, Yanez made sure to appeal to both my uncle and Sir Brooke's greedy side. Lord Welker charmed everyone with his stories of unsurpassed riches in the Americas, and he certainly charmed my uncle with his advances toward Ada."

"Advances toward Ada?" Tremal Naik asked with underlying anger in his voice, which Marianna and Sandokan had no problem noticing.

"Yes," Marianna chuckled. "My uncle was so impressed with Yanez's money he did not see that Yanez was pretending to be attracted to Ada, while she tried to pretend she was not insulted by Yanez's inquiry about the way she carried herself earlier that day."

"Why would anyone need to pretend to be attracted to Ada?" Tremal Naik blurted out before he could stop himself.

"I don't know," Sandokan replied with sarcasm. "Why would anyone need to pretend not to be attracted to her?"

"Tremal Naik," Marianna chimed in before the man could respond since she noticed the veins tightening on his neck. "Where did You learn to speak English?"

"On this ship," Tremal Naik replied without taking his cold gaze off Sandokan.

"What do You mean?" Marianna asked, intrigued.

"Well, without going too much into the details of it, let's just say that one of Lord Welker's rum-induced adventures a few years ago led him to an undisclosed location where I was being held captive by Sir William Fitzgerald, one of British Navy's incapable dogs."

"You know him as well?" Marianna replied, surprised.

"Unfortunately. Do You?" Tremal Naik raised his eyebrow.

"Unfortunately." Marianna responded and Tremal Naik noticed Sandokan's mischievous smirk. "So, You said that Lord Welker found You. Does Yanez like to pretend to be a British noble?"

"He hates it," both men replied in unison and laughed.

"Then why does he do it?" Marianna asked and looked at both men.

"Because he cannot stand it when justice and freedom are being undermined," Sandokan said in one breath.

"And was Your freedom being undermined when Lord Welker stumbled upon Your whereabouts?" Marianna asked Tremal Naik, but regretted it once the words left her lips.

"Yes. I tried to free a group of men from my tribe. Somehow their location was revealed to the British dogs. They ambushed me when I rushed to rescue my men," he ended the sentence by closing his eyes because the memory of being betrayed still burned his heart harder than the injuries did.

"And You believe whoever betrayed You back then may be the same person that betrayed Sandokan now," Marianna narrowed her eyes at him. "You do, don't You? Just like You mentioned before. Otherwise You would not have helped him with rescuing me."

"Dear Lady Marianna, Sandokan is like a brother to me. He and Yanez saved my life in more ways I could begin to describe," Tremal Naik spoke softly yet with conviction. "As for lending my hand to rescue You, I would have helped him regardless. But, since honesty does run deep in my veins, You are correct in Your suspicion."

"How can I help?" Marianna asked without hesitating.

"You cannot," Tremal Naik shook his head. "I would not allow to put Your life, or Ada's, in danger."

Though Marianna wanted to object to Tremal Naik's statement, she did not get a chance to do so. Not because he stopped her, but because the men standing by the entrance to the caves began shouting and exclaiming Sandokan's name, announcing to everyone who heard them that the greatest pirate of all had returned from the abyss of the seas...