Rayne Ch 07

Gabriella's body trembled with exhaustion as she lay in her bunk. The long days at the helm of the The Scarlet Flame hunting the seas for her nemesis had taken its toll on her. A few hours sleep a day was all she was affording herself and her crew was worried for her health. For she seemed like a woman possessed, driven by something deep within and her slim frame was to the point of being gaunt, there were dark circles beneath her beautiful green eyes and there was a desperateness to her demeanor that bespoke volumes about her quest. Sleep quickly claimed Gabriella and dreams haunted her as each night since the voyage began. There were screams of pain, the sounds of boots scraping against the decking and the clang of swords. Groggily she surfaced and realized that it was no dream, it was in fact the sounds of a battle raging just above her head. She sprang from her bunk and grabbed her sword, sprinting for the stairs. As she emerged she saw the mayhem around her, her crew bleeding and at a severe disadvantage to the three to one odds that swarmed the decks, and she was immediately in the thick of it, slashing and paring, the sounds of bones crunching and flesh slicing as they fought on. The acrid smell of blood, the decks slick with it causing her to slip many a time as she fought on all but making her retch, for she knew the majority of the blood was from her own crew.

She knew the smart approach was to surrender and save their lives, but there was no guarantee of that happening even if she surrendered, and the looks in her pirates eyes told her they would rather die than surrender to this blackguard, so the fighting continued until finally there were only herself and a handful of pirates left and they were surrounded. She and her loyal crew stood in a tight circle backs to one another guarding each other with their lives. But instead of advancing and finishing them off, the other men seemed content to hold them as they were, waiting, but for what? All was quiet with the exception of the men who lay mortally injured and dying, calling for their mothers and angels of mercy to take them from their suffering. Slowly the men began to part, and Gabriella, who stood with her clothes tattered, from the many slices of sabers her own body covered with many, many superficial wounds, her own blood mixing with her mens on the decks felt a shiver run down her spine, for there stood Torquemada, an evil smile on his lips effecting a grimace that was the closest thing to a smile he had ever exhibited.

"Ah senorita, we meet again at long last. I am most displeased that you have managed to cheat me out of my delights I had planned for you when you were just a child. But, nonetheless, I am sure I can come up with some way to amuse myself at your expense that while it may not be as gratifying as what I had originally hoped for, it will still be as equally excruciating for you, I can assure you. More so as you have thwarted my plans for so long, I promise you." He barked orders to his henchmen "find that old crone and bring her to me, I want her drawn and quartered and fed to the sharks before she can cause even more trouble for me"

Gabriella threw back her head and laughed "look all you want, you will never find Maria, for she is not aboard my ship. So you see Torquemada, I have still thwarted at least part of your plans." Gabriella was afraid so very afraid, but she was not about to show that to him, at all costs. She knew that she would die a slow and painful death at his hands, but at least she had kept Maria and Raynes safe. Her hands were bound and a filthy rag shoved in her mouth and tied to keep her quiet, then she was pushed and shoved aboard Torquemada's ship and thrown into a small rat infested room in the bottom of the hold and the hatch slammed shut and the bolt shot home. For all her bravado, she wanted to scream in fear, for she hated rats almost as much as the evil son of a bitch that was the Capitan on this ship! Her many wounds oozed blood and she was weak from the loss of it, yet fear for her crew kept her conscious, straining her ears to hear anything she could hear, but she heard no shuffle of feet to signal that they too were being brought aboard. She felt the lurching movements of the ship as it got underway and she wondered in vain what would become of her men. She feared the worst, that Torquemada had slit their throats and left them to rot on the ship. The blood loss finally got the better of Gabriella and she slipped into unconsciousness, blissful nothingness.

Late the next afternoon the door was opened and the bright sun all but blinded her, her eyeballs feeling as though they were being seared from their sockets. Her arms and legs, numb and asleep from the long hours of being tied and unable to move made it impossible for her to walk, so she was dragged up the steps and onto the deck, her knees bloodied and bruised by their efforts. Buckets of salt water was thrown on her washing away the dried blood and causing her to wince in pain as the salt stung mightily on the cuts that covered her body. The hatred for this monster welled up in her throat making her all but retch as he stood leering at her in her filth and degradation.

"Scrub her down and bring her to my quarters" he ordered the two men that had previously dragged her up the stairs. So, Gabriella was subjected to a scrubbing that was none to gentle and brought to Torquemada's quarters wrapped in a coarse blanket that chaffed her soft skin. He was there, reading some letters and studying maps. "Ah, my little Spanish bird, you look much better, if it was a little less genteel than you were accustomed to. I have provided you a choice of gowns to wear, there on the bunk. In the trunk at the foot of the bunk you will find everything a lady needs to be appropriately attired. I will give you an hour to get dressed while I attend to business topside, and then when I return we will sup as I am sure you're famished."

Gabriella looked at him in disbelief, famished? She felt as if not a morsel of food would pass down her throat as long as he sat across from her. But, she thought perhaps if she hurried, she would be dressed and have a little time to peruse the cabin for some sort of weapon. For there was no doubt in her mind she would require one at some point. The likelihood of him leaving anything behind was slim, but perhaps fate would smile on her. Torquemada took his leave and Gabriella snatched up the first dress her hand touched. She wrenched open the lid of the trunk he had indicated and quickly pulled on all the undergarments a lady was required to wear. There was a beautiful pair of slippers that she slipped her feet into, barely noticing the beauty of them. She set about setting her hair in some sort of array, as she quickly scanned the desk and side cupboards for anything she could use as weapon, careful not to leave anything out of place to warn the monster of her intent. Time was running out, and she had all but given up hope, when she reached far back into the cabinet, and her finger was pricked by something sharp. With no heed to injury to herself, her fingers closed over a very small, very sharp bejeweled dagger that she quickly withdrew. It was covered in dust, in spite of the fact that it was hidden in a cabinet. She deftly hiked up her voluptuous skirts and slipped it into the garter of her left leg, for safe keeping.

She had barely arranged the skirt of the gown around it when the devil walked through the door. Following him was a cook with a tray laden with food and drink. The devil began ticking off the food being presented for consumption...roasted chicken, new potatoes roasted to perfection, carrots glazed, crusty french bread, wine with a plum pudding for dessert. She wondered how he could have such fare on a ship, but she knew he spared no measure of comfort for himself and that he had killed, robbed and intimidated whoever he wanted to afford himself such luxuries. As she looked at him, she saw visions of the day he had murdered her parents and rage filled her heart and revenge gurgled up into her throat until she thought she would choke. How she longed to charge him and thrust the dagger deep into his black heart. But knew she stood no chance right now, surprise was her best asset so she must bid her time until an opportunity presented itself. But make no mistake, kill him she would, she only hoped she could make him feel a small measure of the suffering he had inflicted on so many others.

So, Gabriella sat and mechanically ate the food that was placed before her. She knew she would need to preserve her strength if she was going to outwit and eventually end this demon's life. The food could have been cardboard for all she tasted. He sat eating with his fingers, and slurping wine and she thought for all the refined things he had surrounded himself with, he was still coarse and uncouth. As he droned on and on about all his accomplishments her thoughts wandered to Rayne and Maria, for the first time she allowed herself the luxury of those thoughts. She wondered what they were doing, she prayed they were safe and understood her decision. Little did she know at this very moment they were pursuing her, Rayne pushing his men unmercifully and they gave no complaint, as they knew their Capitan was desperate to find Gabriella.