Chapter Eleven
The Leucosia
More rocking, more swaying. Wherever she was, it wasn’t on solid ground. She was on a boat again, being lulled by the movement of the waves. But her head was killing her and her stomach was lurching, and Genevieve had a series of dry heaves before she could open her eyes.
Then, what she saw was not what she expected. It was a beautiful, opulent chamber and as she tried to move her head slightly so she could see more of it, she could see just how gorgeous the chamber actually was. Only, it was a cabin aboard a ship, richly appointed. The walls sloped, and the ceiling was low. Just as she stirred to gain a better look at where she was, a man appeared in her line of sight.
He was short, but well-built and handsome. He was looking at her with a good deal of curiosity. But in that moment, the battle and memories of the Spanish ship came tumbling down on Genevieve, and she quickly assumed that the Spanish must have picked her up in their battered vessel. She was terrified, realizing she had fallen right into the belly of the enemy. As she struggled to sit up and put distance between herself and the man, he abruptly put his hands out as if to soothe her.
“Easy, lass,” he said. “No one will hurt ye, I promise.”
He has a Scottish accent! Genevieve stopped in mid-struggle, her eyes widening at the realization. But she was still terrified, and she still labored to move away from the man.
“Who are you?” she demanded. “You are not Spanish.”
“Nay, lass.”
“Then where am I?”
The man didn’t move near her; he kept his distance. “My name is Kelly O’Murphy,” he said evenly, “and ye’re aboard the Leucosia. We found ye floating out tae sea. How did ye get there?”
That didn’t clear up any of Genevieve’s fright. She still had no idea who the man was, and the name of the ship meant nothing to her. But her mind began to clear a bit, and the events of the day came back to her in pieces.
She remembered the battle between two ships – the Spanish vessel and the mysterious behemoth off to the south. Violence and terror filled her mind. Gripping the side of the bed as she labored to keep calm, she eyed O’Murphy.
“There was a battle,” she said. “A Spanish ship and another ship.”
O’Murphy nodded. “I know,” he said. “Those damnable Spanish were where they shouldna be. Were… were ye on their ship, lass?”
Oddly, Genevieve didn’t feel as frightened as she had initially. The man didn’t seem as if he were ready to ravage her and his manner was strangely gentle.
“Nay,” she said, a hand moving to her aching head. “I was not on their ship, but a man… he was taking me there. He sold me to them.”
O’Murphy’s eyebrows drew together. “Sold ye?” he repeated. “Are ye a slave?”
Genevieve shook her head, but it wasn’t exactly the truth. She was a captive and she thought perhaps to tell the man. Perhaps, he could help her.
“I am not a slave,” she said, her eyes welling. “My father’s merchant ship was captured last month by the pirates known as Poseidon’s Legion. I… I belong to them. To a man named Lucifer. Will you please return me to him? I am sure he will pay you well.”
That seemed to draw a reaction from O’Murphy. “Ye’re Lucifer’s captive?” he asked, surprised. “Was it Lucifer selling ye tae the Spanish?”
Genevieve tried to shake her head, but it only brought pain. “Nay,” she said. “Another pirate named Curtiz. He lured me to a skiff and took me out to sea, and somehow, we were caught in a battle. Was it your ship that fired on the Spanish? There was another ship, but I could not see it because of the fog.”
O’Murphy nodded. “It was me,” he said. “Do ye know who the Devils of the Deep are, lass?”
Genevieve shook her head hesitantly. “Nay.”
“We’re pirates, like Poseidon’s Legion.”
Her eyes widened. “More pirates?”
O’Murphy grinned. “’Tis not as bad as all that,” he said. “We are allies with the Sassenach pirates. Ye say ye belong tae Lucifer?”
Genevieve nodded so eagerly that a hand flew to her head because she’d caused herself much pain. “Aye,” she said. “Will you take me to him?”
O’Murphy scratched his head, a reluctant gesture. “I would,” he said, “but for the fact that they willna be happy tae see me. They dunna know I’m in their waters.”
Genevieve went from hope to confusion. “I do not understand.”
O’Murphy grinned as he turned away from her, heading to the rear of the cabin where several small windows were built into the hull of the ship. Bolted against the elements, he opened one of them, letting the cool sea breeze enter the stuffy chamber.
“I dunna expect ye would,” he said. “Suffice it tae say they dunna want tae see this ship. I am supposed tae give it back tae them and they dunna want it back.”
Genevieve was even more confused than before. “Then… then why are you here?” she asked. “I still do not understand.”
“Ye dunna need tae. All ye need know is that the Sassenach willna be glad tae see me.”
Genevieve thought that sounded much as if he didn’t plan on returning her to Perran Castle and she was gripped by panic. “Please, sir – will you at least put me in a skiff and let me row to shore?” she begged. “I can find my way back from there. I will not tell them that I saw you; this I vow.”
He turned to look at her, seeing the desperation on her face. She belonged to Lucifer, did she? It was quite clear she wanted to return to him, but Kelly really didn’t want Lucifer or Constantine to know he’d been laying in their waters, waiting for the opportunity to dump the Leucosia back on them.
It was true that he’d sailed north from the Isles of Scilly to warn Poseidon’s Legion about the Spanish lurking off their coast, and it was true that when he saw the Spanish vessel, he’d fired on them to chase them away. And the raw truth was that the Legion probably already knew he was there given the fact that he’d given the Spanish vessel a full broadside of cannon fire. Eleven shots, eleven cannons on one side of a twenty-two gun warship.
Aye… who was he kidding? They already knew he was here. Heavily, he sighed.
“I believe ye,” he said. “But that willna be necessary, lass. I’ll take ye right tae Perran Castle. There’s nothing else I can do with ye, truly.”
It was an unexpected answer and Genevieve’s eyes filled with happy, relieved tears. “Thank you,” she whispered, wiping the tears as they fell from her eyes. “You will take me right to his door?”
“Right tae his door.”
“Bless you, sir. You have my undying gratitude.”
O’Murphy nodded silently, acknowledging her thanks. She was a very pretty woman, in truth. A little bedraggled from her harrowing adventure at sea, but pretty nonetheless. If Lucifer was as anxious to see her as she was to see him, then perhaps the Legion wouldn’t mind the fact that the Leucosia was back in their waters.
It was a chance he was willing to take.