Lions of the Sea

66

After some detours to avoid more patrols, the woman led Morris to the pleasure house and left him waiting by the stairs. A moment later Dolores came out of a room in the upper floor, closing the door noiselessly behind her.

"Is she here?" he asked.

Dolores flashed a quick smile and stopped him when he tried to go up, leading him instead to the empty main parlor. The place belonged to a cousin of her maid's, and when the woman knew what Dolores needed and what she was willing to pay for it, she had no problem to close the house for the night.

The women of the house enrolled to help gladly. Pirates were far better customers than the local men. And they were happy to outwit the soldiers, proud and rude, to protect that girl who had the courage to face up to the men. Just like they did in their own fashion.

That was why they'd spread out all over the harbor area in search for the fugitives, and at that very moment helped them play cat and mouse with the patrols that canvassed the neighborhood door to door in vain.

Dolores made Morris sit down on a sofa and sent for the maintenance man, to help him get rid of the shackles.

"Is the pearl here, ma'am?" he insisted. "Did Castillano get to her? How is she?"

"Yes, he brought her not an hour ago. But the pearl isn't well. The priests hurt her. We're waiting for a physician."

Morris jumped to his feet. "Where is she! I want to see her!"

"In a moment, sir."

"I am no sir. My name's Morris Van Dort. Take me to her, I beg you!"

"First remove those chains, Mister Van Dort, and then I'll take you to her."

Castillano's voice thundered from the upper floor. "More clean water! Where's that bloody doctor? And I asked for bed sheets and a clean shirt!"

Behind them, a woman ran up the stairs with sheets and a shirt for Marina.

Dolores shook her head with an exasperated sigh. "He's such a brute," she said. "If he wasn't so fond of your friend, I'd gladly slap him into manners."

The noise of footsteps and loud voices outside the house froze everyone inside. Another woman showed at the parlor and Dolores urged Morris to go with her.

"Follow her, Mister Van Dort. She'll bring you back when it's safe and you'll see your friend."

The woman grabbed his hand and led him to the backdoor, from where they tiptoed away from the house, to hide until the soldiers were gone.

"Open in the name of the King!" a soldier shouted, pounding on the front door.

Dolores hurried upstairs and into Marina's room. The women already knew what to do. One of them opened the door to let a patrol in, led by Alonso as planned.

"What's going on here? Why isn't the house open?" Alonso asked. He didn't need pretending to be mad, after two hours looking in vain for the pirates he himself had set free in order to help his moronic friend.

"The ma'am doesn't feel well and gave us the night off," the woman replied, smiling.

Alonso made a sign to the bunch of soldiers that came with him. "Search the place." He turned to the woman. "Take me to the owner."

She turned around with an inviting sway of her hips and guided him up the stairs. She took Alonso to Marina's room and knocked. Alonso didn't wait for an answer and stalked in. He expected to find Dolores there, but not Castillano.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Hernan! What the hell are you doing still here? You'll never make it to the Highroad in time!" He looked around and frowned. "Where's the Pearl? Didn't you get her out of the cathedral?"

Castillano nodded to the folding screen hiding the bed. Right then a thread of groans came from there.

He sighed. "Is she decent?"

"I can't finish dressing her, Captain!" a woman replied from behind the screen.

"Cover her."

He signaled his friend to follow him. Alonso stepped back, shaking his head, but Castillano grabbed his arm and forced him past the screen. Alonso froze where he stood.

Marina lay on the clean sheets on her side, eyes closed, arms folded against her chest, under the shirt the woman had pulled down to her knees, her legs still slightly curled up.

Castillano went to crouch down by her head and caressed her trimmed locks. "Come, child, let her dress you," he said. Marina opened her eyes a little and he forced a smile. "I'm not here for a show."

The girl moved her hands under the shirt, feeling for the holes to slide her arms into the sleeves. Castillano helped her as if he'd spent his whole life dressing children.

Behind him, Alonso's face reflected his growing shock as his eyes registered the cuts that covered Marina's legs, which had bled again in the warm water. Many of them still showed splinters stuck into the flesh. When Castillano made Marina wear the shirt as she should, Alonso noticed the palm of her hands showed the same kind of wounds, and the cut across her cheek, and the bruise around her neck from the leash and the pillory. She still shivered in her fever.

"I must leave," he said abruptly, heading to the door. "Wait fifteen minutes and then leave too, Hernan. This is the last house and I must go back to the Governor's palace. And then I'll have to go north."

Castillano stood up to face him, his hand still stroking the girl's head. Alonso would've wanted to miss the way she closed her eyes with a shaky sigh under his friend's distracted caress.

"I'll take a boat up to Cañada Nueva and head to the Highroad from there," Castillano said. "I don't know if I'll reach it in time, so look for me to the east. I'll mud my clothes and say they pushed me from the seat to take the cart."

Alonso nodded and left the room, just in time to stop one of his men from walking in to search it.

Castillano looked down at Marina and took a deep breath, sinking his hands in his pockets. He touched something that made him frown. "Is there paper and ink in this house?" he asked Dolores. "I need to write a note."

As soon as the soldiers left, Dolores sent a woman for what he had asked and left him alone with Marina. He bent a knee by the bed. His hand still on her head, he folded his other arm close to her and rested his chin on it, his face only inches away from the girl's, his fingers toying with the cropped locks.

He looked at her for a long moment, to carve in his memory that beautiful face that had stormed into his life to set his whole world upside down. Then the long eyelashes trembled and uncovered those black eyes that would shine so bright, now reddened and dull.

"I have to go, child," he said, in an unusual warm tone. "Behave and let the women help you."

Marina moved a hand to his arm. Her fingers climbed like a clumsy spider up the cuff of his shirt and touched his lips, making him smile. She managed to smile back, and her tired eyes met his.

Castillano kissed her forehead and stood up, turning her back to her.