The Stowaway

XXVII

"An adventurous life does not necessarily mean climbing mountains, swimming with sharks, or jumping off cliffs. It means risking yourself by leaving a little piece of you behind in all those you meet along the way." Shawna Grapentin

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XXVII.

The music stopped as an incredibly loud boom rang through the night. Eliza's head whipped around to see the fade of the fire from the cannon. There were lights aboard the fast approaching ship, and another cannon soon sounded.

Eliza's heart began to race as she saw Tom tear down the stairs towards her.

"All hands!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "Load the guns!"

The crew, as well, had begun to scramble, just as they did the last time the ship was boarded. Oh, dear God, pirates! She had only barely escaped undiscovered the last time.

"Do I go under the bed again?" Eliza asked Tom as he reached her.

Tom grabbed her arm and shook his head. She could see the panic and fear in his eyes as his mind raced. "No, you were nearly found there. I need to hide you in plain sight." He spotted something, and immediately dragged her towards a large pile of rope. He let go of her arm and immediately lifted a pile of the heavy rope. "Get in!" he ordered tersely, his voice thick with concern.

Eliza immediately obeyed and climbed in and amongst the heavy, thick ropes. Tom kissed her on the forehead, and then, without meeting her eyes, he buried her underneath the ropes, shifting and sorting them until Eliza was properly covered.

The rope was heavy and scratchy against her skin, but Eliza dared not move. She needed to practice being as still as possible so as not to be discovered.

She continued to hear the sound of cannon fire, and Tom's subsequent orders. He was shouting instructions so loudly, and so quickly that Eliza could not discern between them.

Eliza prayed. She prayed with all her might that she might be lucky twice, that they all would be lucky twice. What frightened her was that the pirates were firing. They had not fired any cannons the last time they had boarded Tom's ship, and yet they were now.

Would they even board? Would they sink the ship? Were they all going to die? Eliza's mind immediately went to the two tattoos that Tom had on his feet, the pig and the rooster, meant to save a sailor from drowning in a wreck. Eliza knew it was all probably silly superstition, but how she wished she had anything like that to help her.

She felt as though she had been curled amongst the rope for hours by the time the pirates drew parallel with the Atlantis. She breathed a sigh of relief when the cannons stopped. It meant they were boarding, and Eliza hoped that was a good thing. They could take sugar and leave.

She heard the crew grow incredibly quiet, and Eliza kept impossibly still.

She heard the crashes and bangs of boots against wood as the pirates most likely boarded the Atlantis. She heard several pairs, at least a dozen, jump down onto the deck, and begin to disperse, as they had the last time, most likely ransacking the ship for valuables.

"Good evening, Tom," greeted a deep, but refined voice.

It seemed familiar somehow.

"Captain Frost," replied Tom tersely.

"I apologise for the theatrics, Tom," continued the man, "but I thought it essential to demonstrate just how much firepower I possess. Turning your little boat to splinters would be like light work," he bragged.