Freedom's Horizon: Spirit of Belize (WLW)

Part One: Chapter Six

May 1746, Sailing in the Atlantic Ocean Near the Mid-Ridge

Sensing as though her mornings were becoming a part of a rather lovely, familiar routine, Ines got up from her hammock and eyed the crew's empty barracks, feeling more rested than she had in years. After lightly smacking her face and getting to her feet, she scaled the stairs, forcing Felipe to dodge her as he carried some sacks toward the kitchen. He sent her a gleeful nod with the click of his tongue and a wink, which seemed to be a theme amongst this oddball crew.

No, that wasn't correct. This wasn't an oddball crew. Or rather, the crew was without a doubt very peculiar, but that wasn't quite how they described themselves.

A Ghost Crew... Ines repeated the term in her mind a handful of times and after what she'd seen, it truly was fitting. Dawn had literally been shot in the head and appeared to walk it off once she had water drenching her wounds, just as Gen had only moments after being shot. They were most definitely ghosts or spirits of some kind or another, though they didn't appear to be the haunting type. In fact, everything about this crew told her otherwise, yet other things substantiated that name.

On the one hand, she'd realized over her time with these strange people that they weren't the barbarians her husband claimed, having a more gentle hand than that of when they first approached her. Felipe was the most gentle man Ines had ever encountered and spent most of his day cheerfully telling the crew about the children he had with Colel who was nothing like how she came across in their first meeting either, aside from her feistiness of course. She just absolutely hated the admiral and who could blame her.

On the other hand, Ines had witnessed nothing short of the miraculous during the skirmish the previous month upon the very deck she walked. As she strode across the floor, feeling the crash of the waves hitting and reverberating throughout the wooden panels underfoot, she watched the how the crew conducted themselves. They moved every which way, listening to Margaret's commands with fervent, enthusiastic ears and answering with their jobs well done and jolly cheers. Just days prior, the same woman had a giant dagger embedded in her chest and today she was billowing louder than the crew's jovial tones and the raging waters. Just how was this possible?

Gustavo jogged past her and leapt atop the shrouds leading up to the crow's nest, followed by the youngest of the crew, Trevor. The former did so with two legs when Ines would have sworn to whatever god held their fate he'd lost one in the same fight that should have stolen Margaret and Dawn's life. Perhaps even Gen's. It just made no sense, yet for fear of what else they could do, Ines hadn't inquired into any of it. That being said, the more she saw of the Ghost Crew's tender, rather compassionate nature as they scurried around and carried out their duties, the more she thought they may not react poorly to her asking.

Now that Ines had been with this crew, these sailors this entire time, she'd learned more about the admiral's evil doings as well and knew she wouldn't return to him except by force. Not that she desired that from day one, only fearing the possibility instead. Nevertheless, Gen had promised she would be left to her own devices once all of this was over so that she might go and explore, stay in Roatan, or perhaps even join her family in Spain some day. With endless possibilities before her for the first time in her entire life, she'd also been given the chance to watch how kinder people conducted themselves.

That said, these people weren't exactly normal, a fact of which she was so acutely aware and never left her mind. Ines thought back to the time when Gen had been shot not once, but twice and simply, somehow healed herself with nothing more than a handful of water. Water which she had assumed was for drinking when in fact it was seawater the crew apparently always kept wherever they ventured. As soon as Gen's face flickered in her mind, she spotted her with Margaret and Esme on the quarter deck.