Her hand automatically reached for the metal stars. Felicity squeaked and stood up. The stars had become tiny frogs made of the finest crystal. Even in the muted daylight, they reflected light delightfully.
“Oh, my!” the child exclaimed and gathered them into her hands. The ball bounced off the table and into my trunk.
I ushered Felicity to the door. The pouch of crystal frogs was clutched in both of her hands. As I reached for the door handle, she asked, “May I come visit you again?”
“Certainly. But only if the guard is asleep. This is our secret.” I placed a finger to my lips. By the time we reached Seville, I might even have a young apprentice to teach some less sinister magic tricks to.
Felicity put a finger to her lips and then slipped out the door with a giggle.
The ship’s bell had sounded the next hour when boots thundered on the wooden deck. Voices raised the alarm. Above the commotion, Captain Hume’s oaths could be heard outside my door: “Damnation! Wiggins is dead! Get that doctor out here.”
“What for?” It sounded like a sailor located in the rigging above me. He apparently had an excellent view of my newly departed guard. “His throat has been cut open like a pig’s.”
Sounds of more of the curious arriving, then the extreme annoyance of Dr. Perideaux when he saw the body.
“Captain!” Dr. Perideaux bellowed.
“Yes, Doctor.”
“This man is not sick. He has been murdered.” The doctor’s voice shook, and his words were measured. “You are responsible for every act upon this ship!”
“I am aware of that,” Captain Hume replied with just as much control.
“Did your prisoner do it?” Dr. Perideaux inquired.
I noted a significant hesitation before the captain answered, “That would be impossible.”
Someone tried the handle on my door. It remained locked.
“How do you know your prisoner is in there?” Dr. Perideaux demanded.
“Because I am sure he is,” Captain Hume said. “Here… is the key to the door. As you can see, it was still in the guard’s pocket. However, I will humor you.”
I yawned and waited.
As the door opened, the dying sun streamed into my cabin, bringing warmth against the approaching evening. The captain filled the doorway. From over his shoulder, the doctor peered inside.
I put down my book and stood. “Come in. I’m afraid I cannot offer you any refreshment but my company.”
Dr. Perideaux’s curiosity won out. He pushed by Captain Hume and into the room. I had been correct. We were of the same height, well over six foot. Our builds were similar too; I could have traded waistcoats with him. Mine, however, would have been finer than the rather dated one the doctor wore.
I bowed. “May I introduce myself? Jonas Celwyn, lately of Singapore and Madagascar.”
Captain Hume kicked the door shut and advanced to stand between us. He removed his hat, revealing a glistening sheen on his balding dome. A bead of perspiration trickled onto his ear.
“Doctor, this is not wise. As you can see, the prisoner is still here. He is in a locked room from which he could not have murdered the guard. Come along, please.”
“What were you charged with, sir?” Dr. Perideaux ignored the tug on his sleeve as he addressed me.
I shrugged. “If I were to list all of the nefarious crimes I’d been charged with, we would still be here long after the dinner bell.” A few minutes ago I’d caught the scent of roasting beef. Hopefully there would be a nice salad to go with the meal, and possibly a fine bottle of wine.
“I repeat, what were you convicted of?” Dr. Perideaux’s tone sounded much colder than a Bavarian street in winter.
Captain Hume gave up tugging on his sleeve and yanked open the cabin door. He gestured to one of his officers. “Johnson. Come in here. Escort Dr. Perideaux back to his cabin. Now.”
The doctor didn’t budge. He stood so close I could see the flecks of gold in his irises. The stubborn line of his lips indicated the crew would have to carry him out before he’d accede to the captain’s order.
“Get him out of here,” Captain Hume growled.
Officer Johnson reached for Perideaux. The officer started to speak, but his words turned to a strangled gasp as his hand passed through the doctor’s forearm, not once, but twice.
As Dr. Perideaux watched his sleeve in fascinated horror, I replied, “Something so ridiculous. Witchcraft.”
A supremely talented and creative magician would have been a more accurate portrayal.
MY assessment of the good doctor had been correct. He was a persistent cuss. It couldn’t have been another hour before I became aware of the doctor in whispered conversation with my newest guard. I didn’t even have to lean against the door to hear them.
“… have items you’d like to buy when we reach port,” Dr. Perideaux said.
The guard grunted. “Course I do.”
“Perhaps this would prove useful to you?”
“Aye, it would. It sure would. For this much you can sniff around this bastard’s door for more than a moment.” The guard laughed. “I have to go to the head, and I’m sure I’ll be gone awhile.”
In a moment I heard a slight scratching sound outside the door. From the porthole I could make out the lower half of the doctor as he crouched beside my door. It appeared he was examining the door hinges.
BY the next morning, the day brought stronger wind and vigorous waves. The LeHanna climbed them easily, bottoming out, and climbing again. On the western horizon purplish, opalescent clouds seemed to be gathering in a thickening haze. Interesting; I hoped we were not sailing into a storm.
We passed Tila dunmati a little after noon, and within the hour the fate of the ship changed. It began with a warning call from the crow’s nest. Another ship approached, sailing directly toward us.
The general excitement aboard the LeHanna increased with the terse orders shouted from the bridge, bringing the ship to. The lad in the crow’s nest called down, “Dutch flag, sir. Fully armed.”
Most provocative information; I wondered what they wanted with the LeHanna?
Nearly a half hour later, our ship slowed until she floated in the waves in an exaggerated rocking motion. If this kept up, I surely would be seasick.
The other ship adjusted their course. They no longer rode the wind but drifted off our leeward side about five hundred feet away, edging closer with each swell of the waves.
Our crew grew silent. It seemed like our ship held its breath, waiting. At last, Captain Hume barked an order. But it was only to the crew to man their positions and await his orders. From my porthole, I could see him standing midships, near the railing. He said something to First Officer Greer at his side. Officer Greer saluted and in seconds had marched to my cabin and accosted my guard.
“Open the door,” Greer ordered him.
The guard held the door open with one hand and trained his pistol on me with the other. After the murderous incident with my last warder, the procedure for guarding me had changed. Now, they brandished a pistol, not a musket.
Greer entered my cabin and glanced around before saying, “Gather your things, Celwyn. You’re leaving.”
“Where am I going?” I asked.
“No questions. Either pack your things, or you’ll leave without them.”
WHEN I emerged on deck, two more guards gripped my arms, and another lugged my trunk. As I walked, I reveled in the sun and drank the fresh air like a newborn calf.
During the time it took to pack my belongings, a boat had been launched from the other ship. It contained six crewmen and a man who was obviously their captain. He sat at the rear of the boat, examining the LeHanna with an air of ownership. Between the bulkheads and in the rigging of the other ship, dozens of muskets were trained on the deck of our ship. Why hadn’t the crew of our ship reacted? The crew numbered less than thirty, and they were lined up at attention, not at battle stations.