Belle-M’ere’s words about how the best revenge upon Seth would be to live my life free. Selene put her hand on my arm and even her aunt gave me a sympathetic look.
Before I could go on, I heard a voice I’d never expected to hear again. “He lying,” I heard Seth say from the back of the crowd. “I never done killed Master Rios.”
I lurched to my feet, Selene’s hand tightening on my arm as I yelled, “Seth, I’ll kill you for what you did, I swear it!”
Seth pushed his way through the crowd until he stood in front of me. He was big and broad shouldered, with a broken front tooth and misshapen nose from the fights he’d been in, with unkempt black hair and a three day beard. “You a demon,” he snarled at me. “You killed my Elisha ‘cause she wouldn’t lay with you, like that African whore would, so I killed your mother.” He drew a dagger as long as my forearm. “Now I gonna kill you too!”
He started forward but stopped as Captain Voorhees pulled an Artifact pistol from beneath his coat and pointed it at Seth’s head. “One step and your brains are all over my deck, ya?” He cocked the hammer back, a piece of solid quickfire in the spot where it would fall if he pulled the trigger. “Mr. Bierson, get a rope and tie him up.”
Mr. Bierson did as the captain bade while Captain Voorhees kept his weapon trained on Seth, everyone around him scrambling to get out of the way. Seth’s eyes darted about like he was a caged rat, but several sailors grabbed large hammers or axes and came back to stand near the captain, and moments later Mr. Bierson came back with rope and tied Seth’s hands behind his back. But the captain still kept his weapon trained on Seth as he spoke to Master Gomez. “Master Rios was your friend, ya?”
“More than a friend,” Master Gomez grimly replied. “We served together under Commander Mendez when he attacked Fort Caroline and took it from the French, so many years ago. I wondered why Seth was so keen to come along on this trip, to convince Lord Tiberius to give me my smuggling route back.” His face was going back to choleric red as he strode up to Seth, who began to cringe. “Mistress Johanna was bad enough, but to drive an axe into the back of my oldest, dearest friend is beyond madness.” He shook his finger in Seth’s face. “I am going to hang you from Captain Voorhees’s yardarm right now.”
Seth’s eyes went wide as he screamed, “No! He lie ‘cause he hates me.”
“Smoke will back up everything I’ve said,” I yelled at him. “Dragon-
ghosts don’t lie and neither do Dragons; everyone knows that’s the truth.”
“They demons like you,” he yelled back, “and all demons lie. They all lie.”
“Everyone lies except you, ya?” Captain Voorhees glanced at Master Gomez as he came back over to stand beside the captain. “I have a better idea. You sell him to the Buccan on Tortuga.”
Master Gomez gave him a quizzical look. “The Buccan?”
“Ya. They are hunters and pirates, but not part of Captain Black’s brotherhood. They are renegade protestant Huguenots, independent, and not subject to his laws, which means they can have indentured servants.” His smile grew evil. “Someone as strong as this one is worth gold to them, enough gold to make the trip worthwhile, but tell them what this one did to a fellow Huguenot and they will double the gold they pay you.” The captain looked at me. “I know these Buccan, and when they are finished, this Seth will wish Master Gomez had hung him, or you had cut his throat. He will not live through the seven years of servitude.”
Master Gomez gave him a satisfied smile. “Captain, you make a very convincing argument. Are you not worried about losing your cargo to these pirates?”
“Nein, because this is not a treasure ship but only one carrying household goods, things not interesting to pirates but needful to the people living on the island.” He shrugged. “I will have to pay a fee to
Before I could go on, I heard a voice I’d never expected to hear again. “He lying,” I heard Seth say from the back of the crowd. “I never done killed Master Rios.”
I lurched to my feet, Selene’s hand tightening on my arm as I yelled, “Seth, I’ll kill you for what you did, I swear it!”
Seth pushed his way through the crowd until he stood in front of me. He was big and broad shouldered, with a broken front tooth and misshapen nose from the fights he’d been in, with unkempt black hair and a three day beard. “You a demon,” he snarled at me. “You killed my Elisha ‘cause she wouldn’t lay with you, like that African whore would, so I killed your mother.” He drew a dagger as long as my forearm. “Now I gonna kill you too!”
He started forward but stopped as Captain Voorhees pulled an Artifact pistol from beneath his coat and pointed it at Seth’s head. “One step and your brains are all over my deck, ya?” He cocked the hammer back, a piece of solid quickfire in the spot where it would fall if he pulled the trigger. “Mr. Bierson, get a rope and tie him up.”
Mr. Bierson did as the captain bade while Captain Voorhees kept his weapon trained on Seth, everyone around him scrambling to get out of the way. Seth’s eyes darted about like he was a caged rat, but several sailors grabbed large hammers or axes and came back to stand near the captain, and moments later Mr. Bierson came back with rope and tied Seth’s hands behind his back. But the captain still kept his weapon trained on Seth as he spoke to Master Gomez. “Master Rios was your friend, ya?”
“More than a friend,” Master Gomez grimly replied. “We served together under Commander Mendez when he attacked Fort Caroline and took it from the French, so many years ago. I wondered why Seth was so keen to come along on this trip, to convince Lord Tiberius to give me my smuggling route back.” His face was going back to choleric red as he strode up to Seth, who began to cringe. “Mistress Johanna was bad enough, but to drive an axe into the back of my oldest, dearest friend is beyond madness.” He shook his finger in Seth’s face. “I am going to hang you from Captain Voorhees’s yardarm right now.”
Seth’s eyes went wide as he screamed, “No! He lie ‘cause he hates me.”
“Smoke will back up everything I’ve said,” I yelled at him. “Dragon-
ghosts don’t lie and neither do Dragons; everyone knows that’s the truth.”
“They demons like you,” he yelled back, “and all demons lie. They all lie.”
“Everyone lies except you, ya?” Captain Voorhees glanced at Master Gomez as he came back over to stand beside the captain. “I have a better idea. You sell him to the Buccan on Tortuga.”
Master Gomez gave him a quizzical look. “The Buccan?”
“Ya. They are hunters and pirates, but not part of Captain Black’s brotherhood. They are renegade protestant Huguenots, independent, and not subject to his laws, which means they can have indentured servants.” His smile grew evil. “Someone as strong as this one is worth gold to them, enough gold to make the trip worthwhile, but tell them what this one did to a fellow Huguenot and they will double the gold they pay you.” The captain looked at me. “I know these Buccan, and when they are finished, this Seth will wish Master Gomez had hung him, or you had cut his throat. He will not live through the seven years of servitude.”
Master Gomez gave him a satisfied smile. “Captain, you make a very convincing argument. Are you not worried about losing your cargo to these pirates?”
“Nein, because this is not a treasure ship but only one carrying household goods, things not interesting to pirates but needful to the people living on the island.” He shrugged. “I will have to pay a fee to
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