New Horizons (A Pirate Story)

Chapter 17: "We'll figure something out."

"W-who's there?" Astryd stuttered, still shaken up with fear and guilt. "What do you want?"

"Astryd," a calm voice said from the shadows, "it's me."

"No..." I'm being delusional, she thought. This can't be real.

Astryd pulled her head between her knees, trying to force the voices from her mind. "You're not real!" She could feel hot tears start to fall down her cheeks.

"I'm real, Astryd. It's okay. It's me."

Slowly, a figure emerged from the shadows with his arms stretched out in front of him. The faint light from her small window casted harsh shadows on the boy's face until Astryd saw his sandy blond hair and striking blue eyes.

"T-Tom?"

"Yes, I'm here! I'm here to rescue you!"

"Tom!" Astryd shouted and lunged herself at the iron bars across the cell before she could think. She collapsed at the base of the cell bars with a loud cry and curled up in a ball to grip her broken ankle.

"What's wrong?" Tom quickly grabbed the bars in his fists and leaned in to see what Astryd was focused on.

"Ankle," was all Astryd managed to get out. The throbbing pain pulsating from her leg was all she could focus on. Her ankle had grown to nearly twice its size and was turning blue and purple.

"Oh, no..." Tom reached through the bars and tenderly touched the bruised area. "What happened?"

"Cannonballs," Astryd muttered, "collapsed on me."

"You mean when your leg was stuck? Oh, Astryd. I wish I'd come sooner, but I hadn't had a chance 'till now." Astryd could see the guilt hiding behind his kind eyes.

"Too bad I weren't the one that done it," the boatswain snapped. His arms were crossed over his chest as he lay slumped in a corner of his cell.

"Oh, shut your cake hole," Tom hissed.

The former boatswain brought his arms closer to his chest with a grunt as he rolled his eyes.

Tom turned his attention back to Astryd. "James hadn't even splint ya? Oh, he's an evil man to leave you in a state like this." Tom's gentle expression turned to something darker as he mentioned the privateer. "Don't worry. I'll fix ya right up. Be back soon." He gave Astryd an encouraging pat on the hand and then disappeared back into the shadows before she could protest. Once again, she was left alone in the dark.

Tom soon returned with two very small planks of wood and scrap pieces of cloth that looked like they were once part of a cotton shirt. When he stopped in front of the cell, he produced a skeleton key from his pocket and fit it into the lock until the cell opened. He walked inside and closed the door behind him.

"How did you get a key?" Astryd asked as soon as Tom kneeled down next to her.

"I'm in charge of the prisoners 'ere," he replied simply. When he noticed Astryd's confused expression, he clarified, "After I fell off the Crescent, I heard shoutin', so I waited in the water to see what happn'd. When I saw James take you o'er to his ship, I climbed aboard. I convinced 'im that Kincade treated me bad, and I wanted to join him. Felt right awful, I did, saying such nasty things about the cap'n." Tom lowered his head in shame. "But James bought my act and put me to work. I volunteered to take care o' the prisoners. No one else wanted to."

Tom got to work putting a splint on Astryd's ankle. He took the two small pieces of wood and gently placed one on each side of her ankle. He then took the pieces of cloth and slowly wrapped them around Astryd's leg. Astryd flinched and bit her lip to hold back her screams. She didn't want to distract Tom while he worked.