Freedom's Horizon (WLW) (Full Trilogy - Ongoing/Editing)

Book One: Part Two: Chapter Twenty

February 1726, Marie-Galante Island Port, Guadeloupe, Onboard the Midnight Scarlet, Captain's Quarters

As the crew cheered and sang from the main deck of the Scarlet, Aimee sat at the captain's desk chair awaiting her return. They'd been very fruitful in their latest endeavor and found the man who butchered their newest crew member's family. He now lay at the bottom of the sea, taken by Goddess Rán into its depths. Goddess Rán, Aimee pondered as she glanced over the documents taken from the enemy ship with a furrowed brow. What a strange deity...Is she even mine? Aimee shook her head from the clouds and thought back to their most recent battle with a sigh. With that horrid man out of the way, that left only one target for them to find and he was rumored to have returned to his home on Marie-Galante Island, Guadeloupe.

Luckily, they had just docked at one of its ports and the crew was as excited as ever that not only had they been recently successful, but they were about to see dry land for the first time in six months. They were ready to blow off some steam and many had never been to Guadeloupe before. Others hadn't returned since the French retained control.

Aimee got up with a lofty sigh and walked out of Margaret's room onto the main deck as she stretched her arms overhead. She smiled as she watched Felipe dance with their new cabin girl, Lana, who'd lost her family to a thief on the last vessel they'd successfully eliminated. He lifted her onto his shoulders and spun around, giddily hopping in time with the fiddle Gustavo played. Aimee jumped up onto the upper deck's steps and perched herself on the fourth stoop, relaxing along her knees with a giggle. Lana held under Felipe's muscular chin with a few strands of his dreadlock hair wrapped around her fingers. Her legs dangled freely along his chest as he skipped around Gustavo who'd also taken a shine to the little girl as had the rest of the crew. They'd been too long without a child's jubilant chortle echoing throughout the ship as they sailed.

Days like this were what made it all worthwhile. Upon bringing Lana into their fold and taking on her pledge, she had become like a little sister to those on the crew. They were all she had now. Her laughter could snuff out all their emotional, deepened ailments and always brought a smile to even Gustavo's hardened face. It wasn't as though the man didn't feel. On the contrary, he felt too much and kept it wound tightly in his chest, though the smile he bore when happiest was always a sight for sore eyes.

After one last look, Aimee heard Margaret's voice carrying from the pier below. She got up, made her way to the port side of the ship and down to the barge beside them. Many men passed by loading and unloading goods from several ships along with their own. After their last attack, they'd taken the supplies on the other ship and their place in the harbor. With the proper documentation, all that was left was to doctor the official papers and they would soon be on their way into town in search of a pub and new recruits. Their goods would be transported elsewhere as the money made its way into each of their rather barren pockets. For the life of her, however, Aimee couldn't get into the spirit of finding another member. Nor the gumption to pursue the island and that pang was back in her chest.

"You alright there, chief mate?" Margaret put a hand on the small of Aimee's back and tilted her head down to look into her eyes. "Everything was in order, yes?"

"Yes'm. I fabricated the papers to fit our ship's manifest, checked that the herbs and ointments are locked away safely in..." Aimee furrowed her brow as the bandana clad woman with short hair flashed across her mind. She shook her head, trying to remain focused on her captain. Aimee glanced up at Margaret and found her waiting expectantly. "Shall we go? You and I should take care of the supplies and Felipe can--"

"What are you talking about, Aimee?" Margaret took hold of her arm and she glared at her. The expression was much like the woman from her mirage, but not quite the same. The ache in her chest grew stronger and more ardent in character by the second, filling her with a mystifying warmth. "You will oversee the cargo as you always have. No exceptions. Is something the matter?" A switch flipped in Margaret and she pulled Aimee away from the barge and across the street to an alley shrouded in darkness. She pushed her up against a wall and captured her face in her hands looking deeply into her eyes. Realization dawned across her face and she let her go, taking a step back. "How long?"