Saving Grace: The Guardian Chronicles Book 2

Chapter 2. Las Tortugas

Chapter 2.

1690

The cool nighttime sand felt wonderful between his toes as he sat on the moonlit white beach. The full moon loomed huge as it set on the distant horizon, creating a silver trail across the waves. Clasping his hands around his knees, the tall, dark-haired man attempted to sort his thoughts as to where he would go when next the sun rose.

He had spent the last two centuries wandering the islands Columbus had brought him to. Lingering in the air was the pungent scent of burning wood, the result of the most recent skirmish among the natives and the settlement set just inside the cay. Xavier was reminded of other nights smoke marked his memories. Not only the fateful night he had been made into a vampire, but others over the years. The journeys spent with Columbus over little more than a decade's time had allowed him to see many wondrous places, but each voyage had been marred with conflict and discontent in the crewmen. By the fourth voyage, Xavier had become convinced Christopher Columbus was not the genius his father had thought him to be. He was a good salesman, able to convince royalty to fund his exploits, but despite all that, he had come to realize Columbus could be cruel and quite possibly insane. On the last voyage in 1503, Xavier had slipped into the night, leaving the ship to swim to the island Columbus had dubbed 'Las Tortugas'. The choice of names became more evident as curious sea turtles nudged against him as he swam for shore. In the warm water that night, Xavier had passed hours frolicking with the enormous creatures, awed by their graceful splendor. It was the night he had realized one of the small gifts accompanying his curse; he could swim underwater without need for air. This freedom opened the oceans to his exploration.

At the time, small settlements had been set up by stranded sailors on several islands of the Caribbean. He made his way between neighboring islands, swimming with the sea creatures, exploring the brilliant turquoise waters along the way. On one island, he encountered some of his crewmates, eleven to be precise. These men had chosen to chance being discovered by another ship instead of continuing on with the unstable Columbus. They were disappointed to hear he had not come with a vessel.

Xavier was glad he had managed to hide his true nature from his crewmates by volunteering to keep night watch every night in the crow's nest. He could climb easily and his vision was perfect, so the captain of the ship encouraged him to keep to this routine, and his crewmates did not complain. As far as his need for blood went, Xavier used the vile tempers of his crewmates to hide his meals. There was no shortage of disputes over card games or personal slights to stir a knife fight or a threat to be called against a fellow seaman. On the endless trans-Atlantic journeys, he had figured out a certain amount of human loss was expected to illness or stupidity. He helped add to that number of lost souls, picking out those weaklings or troublemakers who would cause trouble for the others onboard. So far, he had not given himself away, and felt a little vindicated because he was only really preying on the scourge of the earth anyway.

The crewmen he encountered on Dominica welcomed him to their midst, believing the story he told of being lost overboard and floating at sea until he happened upon their island. The superstitious bunch had always considered him a lucky fool, as he never suffered scurvy or seasickness, so they believed him without a thought. He had thought he might enjoy some human company again, but the enjoyment was very short lived.

The night he arrived, the sailors decided to host a bonfire in his honor and from some hidden shelter in the palm jungle, they pulled a young native woman into the fray. Xavier watched in horror as the drunken sailors attempted to dance with the terrified girl, groping and leering at her half naked form. There had been whores in several of the ports the men used, and Xavier left those women to make their own unfortunate choices of employ, but this girl did not seem inclined in the least to comply with what he knew the sailors wanted. When one of the wretches began to force his way on the girl, her screams rose above the debauchery and it was the last straw for Xavier. Without hesitation, he made short work of the scoundrel who was on the girl, breaking his neck and tossing him aside. The girl fainted to the ground, Xavier catching her and laying her gently away from the bonfire, just as the other revelers realized what had happened. The drunken throng threw themselves at him, not caring that he was one of their fellow sailors, only that he had interrupted their fun. Those nearest him had begun hitting him, and a couple pulled out daggers, but were no match for his supernatural strength. Those the farthest from him realized he was not quite what he had seemed to be when daggers bent and shattered when thrust at him. He continued to fight without seeming to notice. A loud shot rang out, and Xavier let out a low evil laugh when the slow moving ball hit him in the leg and fell to the ground. To a human it would have been devastating, causing the loss of one if not both limbs. The sailors who were still standing let out screams of terror as he advanced on them, and made short work of them. He drank his fill from the three whose necks he'd broken before the blood congealed. The rest he quickly tied together, as they were not dead, and figured he'd save them until later when he would need the sustenance. Last, he turned to the native girl, concerned for her welfare. He found her cowering against a palm tree. She began to scream when he advanced toward her.