Authors: Lynelle Clark
Moonlight streamed in through the shutter slats so that they
could make out anything inside. Something had woken
them and when Roberto looked out, he could see a shadow
passing under the door. He pointed to the door and
whispered in her ear to get up quickly and quietly. They
stood up and dressed.
Again, she put on her brother's clothing and when
Roberto looked at her with dismay, she shrugged her
shoulders without saying a word. She figured this would be
the best way to move on the island and the safest. When
she had packed a bag these were the only clothing she
taken, along with her knife and pistol. She slipped them
into the belt under the jacket and grabbed a sword to belt
under the jacket.
The dress on the floor was torn; the fabric stretched
and damaged. She had no need for that dress.
In the back corner of the wooden structure was a
trap door that he lifted. They went through it quickly and he
closed the door behind him. He motioned for her to go out
and stay in the bushes close by. He wanted to see what was
going on at the front door. After a few minutes, he returned,
speaking into her ear.
'There is no sign of Pierre or Enrico. We will have
to get away from here. Follow me.' He took her hand. They
ducked through dense bushes, past another few wooden
structures until they reached a clearing, they could hear a
soft sobbing sound. Rosa-Lee pointed it out to Roberto who
nodded his head. She moved forward toward the sounds.
A young girl stood crying behind a tree. Shadows
played over the face. The moonlight was not bright enough
through the canopy, but she could see that the young girl
was in distress.
'Don't be afraid,' Rosa-Lee said softly. 'We are here
to help you.' The girl stopped crying, sniffing.
'What is your name?' Rosa-Lee whispered in her
ear, putting a hand on her arm.
'Nora.'
'Why are you here?'
'I was captured from the coast of Mozambique.
They brought me on a ship this afternoon. The moment I
got a chance, I slipped away from the pirate who kept me in
his hut.'
Rosa-Lee looked at Roberto. 'We cannot leave her
here. She has to come with us.'
'As long as she does not hold us up,' he whispered.
'I will not. Please, take me with you,' came the
desperate plea.
They heard movement behind them, as people came
closer. Quickly, they introduced themselves to the young
girl.
'Nora, I am Rosa-Lee and this is Roberto. Follow
us.' She took the girl's hand in her own, clutching it tightly.
They continued until they reached the shoreline,
close to a longboat lying on the beach.
'Get in,' said Roberto and started to push. Nora was
already at the edge when they were stopped.
'Not so fast, Roberto,' a stern voice said from behind
them. They turned around and behind them stood the
Falcon, rigid and fierce and three of his men equally
menacing, a torch in each one's hand lit the beach around
them.
Rosa-Lee and Roberto drew their swords, ready.
The Falcon walked closer, straight to Rosa-Lee, looked at
her, and said, 'Who have we here?' Reaching toward her, he
lifted the torch to her face and smirked.
'Ah, Señorita, lovelier than ever, I almost did not
recognize you in men's clothing.' He cupped her cheeks
again.
Her heart was racing as she slapped his hand away,
lifting her sword.
'Leave her alone!' Roberto said sternly.
'You really care about this bitch, son. You deceived
me. It took me awhile to see through your plan but now I
am back to claim her. She will be mine.'
'No!' screamed Rosa-Lee and launched forward.
The point of the sword tore a hole in the Falcon's black
shirt.
'Ouch! You bitch, you scratched me,' he said in
surprise.
Roberto moved forward, in between them, his
sword drawn, anger in his voice and eyes.
'You will not touch her again, Falcon. I will kill
you.'
The Falcon laughed, drawing out his sword.
'Let's see if you can.' Both men knew each other's
strength. Both knew they had the same cunning and skill to
win. Both had a roguish grin on their faces.
They circled each other. Rosa- Lee moved the
young girl behind her, her eyes on the other three standing
close by, swords drawn, menacing faces snarling at them.
Soon you could hear the clash of steel upon steel
resounding at a high pitch through the night. Swiftly both
the men moved on the ground, feet trained and steady on
the loose sand, cutting into the air, stabbing towards each
other with short body blows. Roberto cut the Falcon's
shoulder and then his abdomen with one sweep, hardly
wounded, a defiant smirk on his face.
'You son of a bitch,' the Falcon screamed, throwing
himself at Roberto.
Roberto stepped gracefully to the side and landed
another blow to Falcon's face. Blood streamed from the
Falcon's wounds, down his leg, into the sand. The younger
man clearly had the upper hand.
Then one of the other men stepped closer, launching
at Roberto with an angry growl, Roberto reacted and
diverted the blow, cutting into the man's arm. His sword
sank deep into the flesh. The man cried out, grabbing his
arm in disbelief, storming with fury towards Roberto.
Roberto sidestepped again, punching the man in the face.
He fell to the ground as the Falcon moved forward
again. Cutting into the air, weariness on his face, he
launched forward onto Roberto's sword.
Grabbing the sword, his face was stunned. 'You
wounded me, you son of a bitch!' he fell down on his
knees. Another man screamed, running into Roberto. The
last one made a lunge at Rosa-Lee, but she cut him, blood
dripping from the sword point. She waited for him as he
moved forward again. She protected her face with her
sword, pushing him away from her with both hands, and
then she attacked without uttering a word. Her sword
disappeared into the man's chest.
Nora screamed and covered her mouth with a hand,
trembling in fear.
Glassy eyes looked at Rosa-Lee as the man fell
backward on the sand. Waves covered him, pulling him
farther out to sea. However, Rosa-Lee did not notice and
turned back to the fighting behind her.
Roberto fought against the two men and he fell as a
blow struck his head. A stream of blood ran down his face
and the Falcon came for him. Roberto managed to strike
the sword away from him. He was on his feet again and
again steel clanked against steel.
Rosa-Lee stepped forward, covering his back with
hers, and with fierce blows to both the pirates, they struck
them, falling on their knees from the impact.
More men rushed forward and the Falcon yelled,
'Get them!'
One man grabbed Nora, holding his sword under
her chin. Fear filled her eyes but no sound came out. Rosa-
Lee and Roberto stopped in mid-lunge as the sound of a
catching breath resonated in the air. Looking at Nora, they
lowered their swords.
'Seize them!' the Falcon yelled again. 'Take them to
the tavern.'
Their swords were taken and the Falcon came
closer, punching Roberto on the cheek. His ring cut through
the skin and a trickle of blood dripped from his face.
'Your bitch has killed one of my men!' Looking at
Rosa-Lee with a hateful glare he vowed, 'She will pay; he
was one of my best!'
'Clearly not,' Rosa-Lee said with a menacing smile.
He walked over to her and slapped her so hard that
her head bounced back, slamming into the man who held
her.
When her gaze returned to the Falcon she said in a
very cold voice, 'I will kill you.' She pronounced each word
in clipped tones, her promise unmistakable.
He grabbed her shirt and pulled her up to face him
directly. The other man let go his hold and he tied her
hands in front of her. His eyes spat angry blue flames,
shoving her toward the lights in the distance. She remained
on her feet and the group walked away, Nora still in the
clutches of the other man.
When they reached the tavern, they were tied up
together. A huge crowd formed around them. Soft sobs
came from Nora. Rosa-Lee could see her for the first time.
She was small and blond, not as young as she thought, but
with beautiful blue eyes.
Weariness and the day's hardships were visible on
her. Her dress was torn and filthy. It looked like she had
been dragged at one point. She was full of scratch marks on
her lower arms. Her feet were bare and bloody.
'Roberto, my son,' the Falcon said with a snarl in his
voice, mocking him with the endearing word.
'Did you really think that you would get rid of me
this easily? I have watched you for a while now. You were
up to something. I could see that. You took the woman that
was meant for me and made her your wife, planting your
seed in her to make you a daddy. How touching. You
thought I would not know?' He slapped him hard. Roberto's
head snapped back, his ears ringing. He returned his gaze,
hate smouldering in the depths.
'A pirate with a wife, what a laugh!' Roars of
boisterous laughter filled the place and goblets slammed
together. Mocking could be heard all over, the men
parroting their leader. 'Playing daddy!' They doubled over.
'And then you steal another slave from one of my
men. Are you going to marry her too?' Again a roar of
laughter.
'You are the one that made sure that Pedro escaped.
I don't know when or how, but you will pay for that as
well.' The Falcon stood before Roberto looking him
directly in the eye, spit hanging from his beard.
'You have cost me a lot and I will collect from you
and this bitch.' He turned to Rosa-Lee.
'My men saw your brother at Santa Apollonia. I am
waiting for their return as we speak. Then both brother and
sister will squeal like pigs after we had our way with them.
Both are so pretty, don't you think?'
'What are you waiting for, Falcon, here I am!'
Pedro's strong young voice reached their ears and Rosa-
Lee's face broke out in shocked surprise and grinned. To
see her younger brother was truly a big relief. He stood
there, equally rigid, his young body straight, his face stern
and determined. At that moment she knew how her father
looked at that age. Pride filled her heart.
The Falcon whirled around in surprise and the snarl
disappeared from his menacing face, before it returned in
mocking confidence.
Her heart beat increased, trying to make sense of the
new development. With Pedro was a big, dark man who
matched Pedro in size and height, but looked older.
'Pedro!' Rosa-Lee screamed out when she saw him
and laughed.
'Shut up!' The Falcon slapped her again and she fell
down under the onslaught.
'You better stop that,' she seethed, struggling to
reach for him. 'I am tired of you slapping me. Unfasten me
and fight me, you coward!' So infuriated was she with the
man in front of her, she did not notice the buzz and then the
silence.
'Rosa-Lee, calm down and look,' Roberto said to her
softly. Men in uniform filled the tavern as the big man
walked closer, his eyes fixed on the Falcon.
'I am Captain le Roux and I am here to arrest you,
Falcon, you and your men.' He tossed a rolled paper to him.
'Consider yourself served, you and your brood of
vipers, as you deserve, by hanging.' His voice echoed in the
silence. There was no room for argument and for a brief
second, a pin could be heard before a huge fight broke
loose between the uniforms and the pirates.
Roberto managed to free his hands and when he
looked up, Pierre was standing close to him, in battle with
two men. He untied Rosa-Lee and Nora, who sank to the
ground in exhaustion. He did not notice the pure hatred in
Rosa-Lee's eyes as they set on the Falcon, the man who had
caused all of this. The moment Roberto released her she
sprang into action.
Rosa-Lee grabbed a dagger from the ground and
launched at the Falcon, who grinned at her. With one fierce
blow to his heart, she killed him. It was so swift that it did
not even register with him as he fell to the ground, the same
grin on his face.
Before Roberto could react, she had sprung away
from him, and an instant later stood over the lifeless body
of the Falcon, staring at the pirate's lifeless eyes.
He stepped closer to her and spoke, not to alarm
her.
'My Rosa it is over, give me the dagger,' he said into
her ear, stroking her arm to calm her. For the first time
since the ordeal began she turned, pressed herself into him,
and cried.
Her body shook with sobs and he stroked her back,
whispering soft words in her ear while the fighting
continued around them.
Pedro came over to them, climbing over the lifeless