Dancing with Fire (unedited)

Chapter 18 Abduction

Nathaniel awoke with a terrible headache not knowing where he was. He was on a ship, not his he realized. Then it all came back, he had been hit on the head, he never saw who it was, was not even looking. He touched his head finding a very large tender lump. His hair was covered with thick matted and dried blood. He had difficulty sitting up and his vision was fuzzy. He lay down again losing consciousness.

Waking again Nathaniel was still suffering from a severe headache, it felt like his head was about to explode and he vomited. Still to dizzy to stand he sat on the floor desperately trying to remember how he had come to be in this dark hole, he thought he had remembered earlier but now it escaped him. Then as the hatch cover above him was abruptly removed the light reaching him was blinding and painful and he shuttered his eyes.

"Natty old buddy it's so good to see you."

"Captain Gomez, I recognize that bellow of yours, can't see you though," Nathaniel replied.

"Thought you'd cheat me out of that little wench, well YOU WILL PAY."

"Don't recall cheating you, I paid in gold or have you forgotten."

"The little bitch is worth ten times what you paid, and you knew it."

"She is priceless Gomez, so how much more do you want?"

"She has a price, I plan to sell her to the dam Roamy, she's a murderess but you know that, and to the Imperials. I'm selling you too!"

"Well that may be a little premature Gomez seeing you only got me."

"Oh she'll come, she'll come flying in to save you (laughing) and then we'll have her and that wild child of hers. I'll let you watch as we take turns with them," Gomez was laughing so hard he started coughing.

"Then you'll let me drown 'em right Gommey?"

"Yes Lovey them you can have them."

The hatch cover was then closed and Nathaniel was left in the darkness, He hoped with all his soul that she would not come for him, but in his heart he knew she would. And then they would die. Rebecca was in her own words a warrior, in his a firebrand.

Later he was brought a plate of ships biscuit, some very hard dried putrid smelling salted pork and water. The water tasted and smelled of green algae and a small amount of distilled spirits added to render it drinkable. Nathaniel broke the biscuit up and pounded it against the floor to remove the maggots then soaking the broken pieces in the water ate his meal.

Days later Gomez made a return visit. "Been thinking Nat, you should have the opportunity to bid on the women too. I'm thinking I will get a better price if I turn them in alive any way. So how much are you willing to pay for me not to give them to Lovey?"

"What do you want Gomez? Name a price."

"Three hundred thousand gold Nat, that's all."

"I can do that, it will take time, but I can do that."

"We will talk again Nat, you will hang either way. Did I tell you Lovey's plan?" Gomez asked. "She hates pretty faces, likes to scar them. She is obsessed, actually cutting off the face of a woman she hated. Then she sat on the woman until she drowned. That's what she has planned for your chits. I'm a business man Nat, like you. I can get a lot more gold for them with their faces still on, even more still alive. I hope we can do business." Gomez continued to think, Nathaniel could come up with that much gold, just how much did he have, and how could he get his hands on it.

 After several days Nathaniel was allowed on deck and some movement about the boat. The food and conditions on the boat were deplorable. Gomez had hired Adam as ships cook. Nathaniel wondered how long it would take Gomez to have enough of Adam's cooking, or realize the man was a thief. But then the whole bunch of the crew were violent thieves.

Nathaniel could not escape so he spent much of his time keeping busy. There was a lot of work in keeping a ship so he organized repair groups with Gomez's permission. Slowly over the weeks of travel the ship looked better kept. Nathaniel spent hours high up in the rigging. The lines were poorly managed so he enjoyed the tedious monotony of tarring and servicing the rigging. High above the deck, in the fresh air he enjoyed reliving his memories of his time with Becka. She had warned him that their time together would be short but this is not how he had in-visioned it. Then weeks later and desperate to save her he prayed.