Across The Sea (23 page)

“Events surrounding us will
become chaotic. We, on the other hand, shall not. Our advantage,
here today, is that we have knowledge of this cave. All other ships
will be forced to moor off the island. We shall leave the same way
we arrived: unseen and uninvolved.”

“Captain Bodin!” a voice
shouted, echoing off the tunnel walls. Francis turned to the cave
opening as a man ran out from it. It was the running man Francis
had seen earlier. “Captain Bodin,” the man huffed and puffed.

Bodin stared down at the man as
his crew disembarked. “What are you doing here?” he asked,
displeased.

“The British,” the man began,
trying to catch his breath. “The British. There is Royal Navy
already on the island.”

Bodin leaped off the ship’s
deck, landing onto the stone slab. “Onward!” he commanded.

Two men in red cloaks flanked
Francis, each placing a hand on either elbow and leading him off
the ship. On the stone slab, the Dream Finder, also flanked by two
guards, stood in front of him. Everyone moved, a few already
stepping into the cave opening. Francis was pushed forward, through
the opening and down a tunnel with flaming torches affixed on its
rocky walls. There were other openings which led into other
tunnels, and some of these appeared not to be lit.

Everyone turned into one on the
right, and then one on the left.

Francis wondered if this
complex maze was created by Bodin, decades ago when he was known as
Sir Robert of Dreighton, or perhaps it was the people of Atlantis
themselves, thousands of years ago.

How do these men know what
tunnels to go through?
Francis asked himself.

It seemed an impossible task to
navigate this labyrinth; there were so many directions one could
take. Sometimes the men were given more than four options.

They must all be following
Bodin
, Francis thought.

An idea was fast growing within
Francis:
is this the perfect time? Is this when I break away?
Now? But if I run into a different tunnel, I’ll need a torch. Not
all these tunnels are lit.

There was so much to consider.
Francis, however, no longer required Bodin. Bodin had done his part
by bringing him to the island where he was hiding Michael. And
Francis wanted to rescue his brother before Bodin used them both
and then disposed of them as Keeb had warned.

There was a split second when
one of Francis’ guards looked up to see where water was dripping
from, the other fell two steps behind as they turned a corner, and
a lone torch hung on the wall above Francis’ head. Francis did not
dwell; he snatched the opportunity. He reached up to the torch with
his right while reaching out ahead with his left toward the Dream
Finder’s own hand. He clenched both and pulled Alianna into a dark
tunnel on his left. He ran, keeping his mind empty of all thought.
Alianna ran alongside, saying nothing.

The tunnel they ran into had no
torches but Francis had his own now to light the way.

“Hey!” he heard someone bark
right behind him. “Come back!”

“This tunnel leads nowhere!”
someone else yelled. “You’ve no choice but to turn back!”

Alianna was slowing Francis
down. She could not keep up with his youthful speed.

Bodin’s voice thundered
throughout the system of tunnels as he ordered, “Stop them anyway
you can! Just make certain the woman can still speak!”

Francis did not know who it was
on their heels but if he had turned around, he would have seen
Ratwell and Elroy, each with a crossbow in hand, and three other
men right behind them, one of whom held a lit torch. The hunters
could all see their prey as the mismatched twosome turned another
corner. Elroy shot his crossbow.

The arrow bounced off a rock
wall.

They can see us because of
my torch
, Francis thought. He also sensed that Alianna could
not run much longer. He would have to stop soon. He dropped his
torch and pulled Alianna into another dark tunnel. Now, the only
light came from the torch of the men chasing them.

Francis switched tunnels twice
more. They were now in complete darkness. He could sense that
Alianna was ready to collapse – he no longer felt any strength in
her hand’s grip. He stopped, and Alianna crumpled onto the tunnel
floor. Francis aimed to put his hand over Alianna’s mouth. He found
his mark, making sure not to cover her nose. He did not want the
Dream Finder sighing out loud, giving away their position in the
dark. He was also careful not to pant too loudly himself.

Voices approached. Francis had
to get moving. He grabbed Alianna’s hand and tugged her up. He knew
he was being rough but both their lives depended on him acting
fast. He rushed off, not sure what direction he should be taking in
the dark; he prayed he was moving away from his predators rather
than toward them. He slowed down then, not wanting to smash
headfirst into rock. He heard footsteps running. Loud.
Disheartened, he realized his hunters had also cast away their
torches. This entire pursuit was now being held in the pitch black
dark.

He walked faster. His right
foot slammed against a rock wall. He pulled it back, feeling a
sharp pain but keeping silent. Alianna was panting beside him. He
squeezed her hand.

What if this tunnel leads
nowhere
, he thought.
No. No tunnel was ever dug to lead
nowhere. What would be the point?

“Stay where you are!” a shout
boomed. “We can see you!”

Really?
Francis thought.
They’re bluffing – trying to keep me in one position. Trying to
make me give up.

Francis picked up the pace of
his walking.

“I heard them!” This yell
nearly blew out Francis’ eardrums. It had sounded directly in
Francis’ face. “They’re standing right in front of us!”

Francis spun round, and ran –
with Alianna still in tow – even though he could still see
nothing.

Thock
! He collided with
solid rock.

“Ahhhh!” Alianna screamed. She
was hurt.
Tak
! Another arrow bounced off the rock by
Francis’ head.

A large hand wrapped itself
around Francis’ throat.

Francis twisted around and
punched his small hand forward. “Ohhhhh!” yelled the man holding
him.

He let Francis go.

Francis had stabbed him in the
chest with the loose arrow.

Still clasping Alianna’s hand,
Francis pulled and dashed. He heard gasping behind him. And then a
steady, light, almost silent footstep, sprinting.

He sensed that this was
Ratwell.

He saw something. Natural
light. Francis ran toward it. He squinted against the brightness.
Francis and Alianna were out.

Behind, Ratwell ran toward the
light as well. He saw grey clouds. The long grass. He neared the
end of the tunnel. He could feel the brat in his grip already.

A boulder plunged from above
outside, blocking out all light – and leaving Ratwell stuck, in
nothing but blackness.

Outside, Francis and Alianna
ran down from the hill above the now blocked tunnel entrance.
Francis had launched the boulder down himself. It had only taken a
small push. They ran on, the outside world opening up before them.
Air. And beyond, trees… hills… mountains… cloudy sky. Francis
smiled. He had lost his pursuers. A gust of hope bloomed in his
heart. He had not felt any joy in so, so long – but at this moment,
in the open space of the island, he felt so much joy. He had
escaped that terrible man.

He raced on with Alianna who
still held his hand. He was searching for something. A clue. And
when he saw it, he would know.

As the hundreds of ships from
the Royal Naval fleet arrived to the islands believed to have once
been the tallest mountain peaks of Atlantis, three rowboats from
the Glide made their approach. Captain Strick stood at the bow of
the lead rowboat, witnessing the massive Spanish Armada as it
closed in. Strick never imagined that it would end this way. He had
learned to despise war whenever his father returned from battle and
spoke of the glory of the admirals and generals but never gave any
mention of the soldiers who had died under their orders. And the
causes for their conflicts never seemed to add to anything very
much noble. However, this conflict, today, was different. As
Captain Strick sized up both approaching fleets, he realized that
after today, the world would be a much different place.

He turned to look at the larger
island. Robert of Dreighton had always believed this to be Corralo,
once the highest peak of Atlantis; the very same Corralo which
legend had the King of Atlantis hiding his treasure inside one of
its caves. After Robert of Dreighton’s family had died tragically,
Dreighton had returned here and searched and dug on his own, day
and night, for years. Some believe he lost his mind on Corralo. No
one knows when he finally left, but years later when a violent
mercenary for hire became a wanted man in England for conspiring
with pirates, Captain Strick’s father, Admiral Strick, was shocked
to learn that the true identity of this assassin known as Bodin was
actually Sir Robert of Dreighton.

* * *

Lily stood in the cockpit of
Modo’s ship which was still tied to the HMS Glide. She knew that
Strick and this entire Royal Naval fleet had orders from their
superiors to make certain Bodin never leave here with the Treasure.
Francis was not a primary concern.

Lily needed to help her friend.
Captain Strick had given her a stern warning not to attempt
anything and had marooned her on the ship so that she had no choice
but to follow his orders. She surveyed the deck of Captain Strick’s
vessel. Crew members had been left behind to hold off the Armada
using their newfound cannon which had been moved to the larger
ship. Lily turned toward the horizon as hundreds of ships advanced.
The sight made Lily ask herself, “Why would thousands of men be
sent here? From two different kingdoms? How much is this treasure
actually worth?

“Francis is in way, way over
his head.”

Lily pulled on a rope, raising
the main sail of Modo’s ship. She then rushed over to the starboard
side and began undoing all the knots binding the craft to the HMS
Glide.

“Hey!” Kenworth yelled, running
toward her. Lily was not finished loosening all the ropes – but her
father had taught her well. Her hands zipped along, undoing every
loop in sight. A strong hand gripped her arm. Lily glanced up.
Kenworth – bending down from the Glide’s deck. As fast as a ray of
light through a keyhole, Lily wrapped a rope around Kenworth’s two
ankles and had a knot in place. She stood, pulled on the rope and
kicked off the Glide.

Modo’s main sail pulled the
craft away, separating the two vessels, and Kenworth, swinging both
arms as he lost his balance, fell forward, toward the sea.

“Ahhhhh!” he yelled, as the
rope stopped him from falling further. Upside down, Kenworth held
his hands out in front of himself as he smacked up against the
Glide’s hull.

Crew members rushed toward the
edge of the Glide’s deck to help.

“What are you doing?” one of
them shouted at Lily.

Lily paid no attention as she
jumped back into the cockpit, grabbed hold of the wheel and sailed
off. She locked the wheel in place, hopped out of the cockpit and
moved toward a large winch set up on a tall, thick, vertical pole.
She rotated the pole which swung a rowboat out over the water. The
boat had been tied up, suspended over the deck, and was designed to
transport Mica to land and vice versa.

Lily pushed the winch’s safety
lock up and unwound it, lowering the boat over the side of the
gunwale until the boat was at level with the ship’s deck. Lily
locked the winch and marched to the stable.

“We’re off,” she told Mica,
pushing open the stable door.

She fastened his saddle and
harness and led him out.

When Mica saw his transport
boat, he snorted and pulled back on his harness. He did not want to
board the flimsy looking craft.

“I’ll need you on the island,
Mica,” Lily told him, placing her hand on his nose. “Please, come
with me. My friend needs help.” She caressed the side of Mica’s
face. “I’ll be the only one with a horse. You’ll be my
advantage.”

Mica pulled back and snorted.
He was not convinced. Lily moved up to his ear. “Come now,” she
whispered. “Come now. They all thought you were ill. You were just
unhappy. You can take care of me on land, just like I take care of
you at sea.”

* * *

Francis and Alianna were
running through the sparse woods when the Dream Finder collapsed
under a tree. She looked up at Francis. She had no more in her to
give.

“I’m sorry,” she told Francis,
trying to catch her breath. “I... I cannot go on.”

“I know,” Francis said. “We’re
safe now. It’s all right.”

The Dream Finder breathed
in.

“I’ll come back,” he told her.
“I’ll come back here with my brother.”

Her chest heaved. She did not
look well.

“Are you ill?” Francis
asked.

The Dream Finder shook her head
no.

“I’ll be right back.” Francis
moved to run off, but Alianna’s hand shot out and gripped his
wrist.

“Stay here,” she said. “You are
safe here. Out there, over those hills, there will only be death
today. Stay here where it is safe.”

“I can’t,” Francis said. “I
came here to find Michael. I came here to find my brother.”

The Dream
Finder stared into his eyes. She looked sad.
She believes we’re all doomed
,
Francis thought.
She feels sorry for me…
for my optimism.

“All these ships,” Francis
began. “All these men. It’s not just for a treasure, is it? It’s
for the Acadae. They’re all after the Acadae, aren’t they?”