Piracy

35. Worried About Him

"Gone?" I asked in confusion. Tears were making my eyes swell, but I forced them back. Now was not the time to be a crying mess. "What do you mean gone?"

Louis turned to me and said, "He's gone for the castle."

I started trembling. "Is that...dangerous?" I knew the answer, but I hoped against hope that they would tell me that there was no danger involved whatsoever.

The only response from Louis was a slight nod.

Niall spoke urgently. "We have to go after him. He's not thinking straight. If he walks up to the castle unarmed, without any plan of action, he'll be-"

Zayn clapped his hand over Niall's mouth and dragged him out of the house, saying, "Let's talk about this outside, shall we?" 

"Don't leave me out of this!" I cried, trying to follow, but Elizabeth grabbed my arm and said, "Let them sort it out, dear. Everything will be all right."

I sat back down, choking on my fear, while Hadley and Abigail patted my back and stroked my arm. I'd never seen Harry do anything reckless before - even his attack on Madera had a purpose, although it turned him into someone I didn't recognize. This was his mother, and if she had indeed been a captive all these years instead of the heartless traitor he thought she was, he was likely to be driven by the fury of crazed animal. 

Jonah and Elizabeth's children came straggling in and quickly absorbed Abigail into their troop. It warmed my heart to see her playing with other children, for once. I couldn't imagine how she had stayed so sweet and tender surrounded by men with questionable morals and almost no hygiene habits. Hadley and I leaned against each other; I knew she was worried about Niall, too. They would all go in search of Harry, undoubtedly, and that meant danger for all of them.

It also meant danger for us.

"I can't bear to lose him after all this," I said, my voice a shaky whisper.

"I know," Hadley said. "We'll just have to keep each other occupied, now won't we?" 

I nodded reluctantly. I didn't want to have to distract myself from the problem at hand. I wanted to help in some way, but I knew that the men wouldn't take kindly to that idea.

I heard Jonah and the other men talking just outside the door, so I crept over to listen. 

"I know the lay of the land," I heard Louis insisting to Zayn. "You've never set foot on this island before."

"Yes," Zayn agreed. "But I know strategic warfare, and with just a few men, you could find yourselves overwhelmed with trouble in no time." I heard him address Jonah at that point. "Are there other men in the village who would be willing to offer assistance?" 

I hated that they were already talking as if it was a rescue mission. I hoped I knew Harry better than to be foolish enough to run straight into a trap, but I didn't know if he was thinking straight. The only thing I knew of his mother was that he'd spent seven years being bitter at her for allowing someone else to usurp his rightful reign as king. I wasn't even sure what might be driving him now, resentment, revenge, or shame.

I finally heard them sort through the details and determine that Zayn, Jonah, and Niall would lead the pack, accompanied by some willing villagers who were hoping that Harry might be the answer to their prayers. Louis would stay behind and "protect" the womenfolk, which I knew he wasn't happy about. 

As soon as the other men gathered equipment and set off, I raced to Louis as fast as I could. "I'm going with them!" I announced.

"Sorry, Wren, there's no way I'm going to allow that. If anything happened to you, Harry would have my head."