The Stowaway

XIII

Tom steadied himself by holding onto the barrel. "I will deal with you later," sneered Tom. He let go over the rope, which quickly unwound from the top pulley and fell to the ground below. "Eliza," he shouted down to her.

Eliza looked up at him. His next words were caught in his throat as he looked into her petrified green eyes. He had not seen her genuinely fearful before, and his instinct was to bring her comfort.

"You hold on nice and tight, do you understand me? I am going to jump down to you, and the rope will shake. Do not let go!" Tom managed to instruct.

Eliza wordlessly nodded. He watched as she wrapped her arms around the rope, securing herself as best she could.

Tom looked out onto the sea just before her jumped. The pirate ship, Mary's Damnation, was travelling twice as fast as they were, and was quickly making up ground, or sea. Tom let go of the crow's nest and jumped down onto the net. Just as he had told her, his weight quite violently shook it, and Eliza whimpered as she held on for dear life.

Climbing was second nature to Tom, as he had spent many of his early years at sea as the lookout. He quickly descended to where Eliza was. "Climb on my back," he instructed. "Quickly. We have no time to waste."

Eliza looked hesitant and was in no way ready to let go of the rope.

Tom had already used up the last of his tender patience and understanding. He immediately grabbed her arm, pulling it off of the rope and then bringing it over to his shoulder, helping her to wrap her arm around his neck. Thankfully, Eliza moved her other arm by herself.

He was suddenly carrying her full weight, which, thankfully as she was the size of a twelve-year-old, did not hamper him. However, she was holding onto his neck just as tightly as she had been clinging to the neck, and therefore was crushing his airway.

Tom needed to move quickly. Just as soon as Eliza was off of the net, Tom began to descend at great speed, barely holding onto a rung before he was dropping past it. As soon as they were only a few feet from the deck, Tom pried Eliza's arms off of his neck and helped her drop down.

Eliza stumbled off of her feet and fell on her backside. Tom jumped down beside her and seized her hand before she had a chance to catch her breath. He pulled her to her feet and dragged her with him towards his cabin.

Was this the best place to hide her? Could he keep them away from the cabin? If they went inside, could she be well hidden?

Tom pulled open the door and brought Eliza to the bed. "Get underneath it," he instructed, motioning for her to get under the bed.

Realisation seemed to have occurred for Eliza, and that only increased the fear in her eyes. "Are they going to hurt me?" she whispered, her voice so vulnerable it made the hairs on the back of Tom's neck stick up.

Looking into her eyes, her wide, frightened, beautiful eyes, Tom swore, "I will never let anyone hurt you." It was a promise he could have never foreseen himself making, but he felt its truth in his bones. "Do not make a sound, do you understand me? Not a word, not a peep. Do not move and do not breathe. You do not come out from under this bed unless it is me asking you to."

The bed was only six or seven inches off the floor, and only someone Eliza's size or small could fit under there.

Eliza obeyed him for the first time since he had met her, and she crawled underneath the bed. Tom quickly made the bed, pulling the blankets down so they covered her well.

Tom purposefully left his cabin unlocked. If it was locked, it would seem as though he had something to hide.

His crew had assembled on deck, with the goods to be surrendered piled neatly by the ladder. They were awaiting his instructions.