Winds of Fate [Books I-III]

Chapter 143: Mothers and Fathers

"The Admiral!" Thibaud hollers, aghast. "The Admiral is here!"

No! Eleanore wades into the sand and peers into the night. Their friends—she could see Jay's blond head and Dante's brown hat waving in the air— are by the rail and motion that they cannot come near the shore.

"We cannot let them turn around!" She gasps, her hands plunging ice cold as the Admiral's white warship's nose emerges from the farther bend of the island. "They'll be a target!"

"Then we must meet them halfway, now!" Anton orders, pointing vaguely to the shore where the waves lap the sand, much to Aggy and Vic's frightened faces. "What? Can you not swim? Did I not teach you, on the Belladonna?"

"I never swam after that Captain!" Vic breaks out into a sob, "I can't remember!"

Fweeeet!

A shrill whistle silences them all. Eleanore turns to the sound and finds Esté's outstretched arm, forefinger pointing at a vague shadow beside her hut. "Quickly!" She hollers, and they all bolt across the sand. "How many are you—huit! Ha!" The voodoo shaman laughs, in a rare moment of relief. "This is why Papa Legba insisted I receive this gift! You all will fit."

"Here, here." Eleanore pushes Aggy, who doesn't know how to swim, first. Levallois guides Eugenie next. Once the girls are inside, Brodie urges her but she pulls him into the boar and turns to Esté instead. "You—"

Esté sighs. "Stubbornness has its place, bohique." She cups her shoulder and stares straight in Eleanore's eyes. "I am needed here. The Baron and Maman will need my prayers. Eugenie—"

"Oui?" Eugenie gasps breathlessly, as Thibaud steps in and settles beside her.

Esté smiles at her. "You know where you should be," the shaman wisely says, "but do not forget where you come from, who you are. We need your devotion. I can try to contact the other mambos and houngans, but do not stop, bien?"

"Bien!" Eugenie nods, sniffling. "I will!"

With a last look at them, Esté nods and Eleanore gives a wave goodbye. BAM! BAM! An envoy sloop sailing before the Admiral's dares fire along the docks of Tortuga, intent on demolishing the port and town. Eleanore takes a deep breath and wastes no time.

She plants herself by the bow of the boat as Anton, Ben, and Levallois take care of the prow and sides respectively. Together, they push the vessel across what little sand left ashore. Once the cold, cold seawater smothers her worn boots, Eleanore allows herself to sigh in relief. Soon, she is treading over stones and past corals, the sea rises about to her waist. She looks up.

Sparta makes the sharp turn that will send the crew to safety—to the direction of Salt Key Island.

With the water now up to their chest, Anton orders Ben and Levallois to get in. This they do with much difficulty; Ben being too tall to roll over peacefully, and Levallois shivering altogether his thighs cramp and it took Thibaud and Victor and Ben to haul him up. Heart pounding fast and hard in her chest, Eleanore fretfully glances at her left. There it still is.

The Admiral's ship is nearer and nearer than her beloved Sparta.

"Lenore." Anton wades to her side of the boat and grabs her by the waist. "Uno, dos—" She takes a sharp breath and lets Aggy and Vic haul her as Anton pushes her from behind. Eleanore lands with a thump head first into the boat, ending up by the prow. She sits up, heaving. Himself having endured many escapes, Anton seamlessly slings his upper half inside and rolls down. Eleanore catches him by the shoulders, and he weakly thanks her. "Bueno."