Bloody Mary

Chapter Eighteen ~ Retrieval

"Is that... A ship?" Andrew beat her to the shocking announcement, and all of a sudden the camp was in a roar of excitement. They began to cheer and shout, praising whatever God existed and slapping each other's backs. They had spent an excruciating amount of time on their little island. No other sight was so pleasing as the one that was making its way on the broad horizon.

As the crew cheered, Edward caught sight of Marianna. Like the others there was a grin plastered on his face, and hope in his heart. For the first time in the months they had been stranded he felt an abundant amount of hope, but as soon as his eyes landed on Marianna's back, and the stiffness of her shape, his elation faltered. He broke away from the celebrating crew and made his way toward Marianna.

She was the first to speak, already knowing that Edward had noticed the lack of celebratory expression. "It could just be a random ship. It doesn't take the shape of the Caravel, Edward. Could be anybody. Don't hold your breath for Carlisle."

"Don't say that to the lads," he said with a solemn look at the horizon. "Besides, could be another crew..."

"Then what? You think they'll follow the same bloody oath you do? Could be pirates, could be the British. If that's the case, we're both done for."

His eyes flicked to her, trying to read the emotion on her face, but her eyes were empty. "You don't want it to be Carlisle?"

"Of course I want it to be Carlisle!" Her head angled up at him with a sharp jerk, and something sparked in her eyes. Then Edward understood.

"You want it to be Carlisle, but you don't at the same time?"

"Perhaps you should shut your yap and go back to the crew."

"You can't give me orders, Perce."

"My orders have kept you alive. You don't have to listen, but you're fucked if you don't, mate." She spat the last word, sending him a glare before tromping across the sand to another spot. There she planted herself and crossed her legs. She waited in silence.

A sigh escaped Edward, and then he turned to the crew. They had become a bit quieter but were still in their bubble of excitement. "Well?" Edward called out to them. "Get that fire as high as ye can, lads! There's a ship that has our names on it just on the horizon."

Rowdy haulers ensued, and suddenly they were scrounging together whatever fuel they had previously gathered for a fire and tossing it into the flames. As more fuel was added, the higher the fire became until the flames nearly reached the tops of the trees, and the smoke was well into the sky. If the ship hadn't already been sailing toward them, there was no doubt it would be now.

Now all that was left was to wait.

"Oy, that's the wreck from before. Think it might be your crew? And look there, just above the island." From the wheel of the ship, Benjamin pointed to the horizon. There they could now see the landmass forming in the distance, lavish in green with a pillar of smoke spawning from the beach.

"Aye. A smoke signal." Carlisle returned, and then became anxious. His gut flipped in anticipation. Was his crew safe? Had anybody fallen in the wreck or of unforeseen illness? He prayed that that was not the case, and everybody was accounted for, living, and breathing.

But even though he hoped, he knew it was too good to be true. As Benjamin's ship neared the shore, his eyes caught the wreck in its glory. Whatever wreckage hadn't been swept away by the tide remained near the shore. The bow of the ship itself protruded from the water, cracked and barely formidable.

"Lower the sails, drop the anchor, ready the boats!" Benjamin called to the crew, and as he ordered, it was swiftly completed. He watched his crew in approval as they followed his orders without hesitation. As they prepared for their short endeavour to the beach, he sauntered over and stopped beside Carlisle. "We'll take the boats to shore. Then you can see the smiles of your crew as you save the day. Trust me, man, they'll be toasting to you as soon as we hit the docks of Tortuga."