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 The
words were barely out of her mouth when a gigantic wave ripped sideways
at the hull. A wall of water smashed their bodies against the railing.
When the boat righted, the entire fore cabin had vanished along with
the old seaman.
"We're
going to drown!" Elizabeth shrieked.
The mast snapped
ten feet above their heads. The upper piece narrowly missed William
before taking another chunk of siding into the water.
An
icy wind roared, threatening to sweep the refugees from their twisting
perch. They held each other, praying that the ropes that tied them to
the base of the main spar would hold and what remained of the vessel
would stay afloat.
With half
the deck torn away, the mid-section rose again on another crest, yielding
a view of endless swells and gorges extending into the mist.
William's
terrified voice came above the pounding.
"Oh,
my God!"
Their
craft dropped bow-first, from a height of twenty feet.
The boat exploded
on impact.
Elizabeth
plunged into an icy swirling maelstrom. The turbulence tumbled her over
and over within a soundless gray abyss. Current dragged her suspended
body further into darkness.
Desperately,
she clawed at the liquid, fighting the relentless flow downward. It
slowed, but there was no sense of up or down, only a cold pressure crushing
her skin suspended in an amorphous world of dimness.
All at once,
Elizabeth felt a tug on the rope around her waist. The surroundings
brightened. She rose higher within the murky fluid, passing upwards
into a cloud of foam.
Her
head burst through the surface into a explosion of cold air. Coughing,
she gulped for breath amid splashes of churning water. Overhead,
a stormy sky sent a fog of drops splattering down on her face. She flailed
at the surface as it began to carry her up the side of another menacing
swell.
A few yards
away, a dark form bobbed near the surface.
A
piece of the deck floated with the end of her rope still tied to the
hold section. She grasped the lifeline and pulled through the heaving
current, then scrambled atop the soggy beam, panting with exhaustion.
She could not feel her arms, only an icy numbness that permeated her
body.
After a moment,
she noticed a knot of rope at the other end, straining as it slid over
its mooring. William's line disappeared into the water!
She
jerked to her knees. Five feet from the edge of her platform, his bloated
coat drifted face down in the foam.
"William!"
she screamed, lunging for the rope.
In spite of
the pitching, Elizabeth heaved the waterlogged body up onto the raft.
She turned him over and lifted his head out of the water. With rising
panic, she pinched the pallid face. She began to shake uncontrollably,
crouched next to his side.
"William,
don't die! Please don't leave me!" She cried.
She pressed
his head against her chest. Blood streamed down his neck from a dark
patch of matted hair behind his ear. Tearfully, she pressed his face
close to hers while they rode over the top of a huge swell and plummeted
into a cavernous trough on the other side.
********************************************************************
After
a few moments, a low voice resonated behind them. "Have you got
the message?"
Startled,
they turned to face the dark outline of a man with a stocky frame, shorter
than Francois.
"What
are you talking about?" the boy, Francois answered.
"Minister
Fouche sent me to make sure that you reach your destination. Is it secure?"
the dark form spoke softly.
Francois
relaxed a bit. He reached unconsciously into his pocket and felt the
metal object. "I assure you it's safe."
"May
I see it?" the man persisted.
The
lad hesitated. The man sounded legitimate and seemed to know about the
mission. He wanted to do his duty and show them he could be trusted.
Since the real message was safe, he decided to show him the pendant.
In the darkness, Francois did not see a thin smile forming on the man's
lips as he withdrew the object.
"Here
it is!" he announced with satisfaction.
In
an instant, the man grabbed Francois’ wrist. With his other hand,
he swung a fist into the young man’s stomach. Nina screamed, paralyzed
with fear. The seaman wrestled the pendant loose and threw his arm around
the lad's neck. The surprised youth could barely struggle as he was
dragged toward the rail. In one swift motion, Jean Noire lifted the
young emissary over his head and heaved him into the darkness.
Nina
cried out once more. He turned from the rail, but sounds of voices warned
that others were climbing onto the deck. The man paused for an instant,
then ran off toward the stern.
Nina
lunged to the side, but she could see only blackness beyond their vessel.
She called his name without a reply. She began to sob uncontrollably
as other passengers arrived. A man put his hand on her shoulder. "What
is it girl?"
Between
gasps, she managed to say two words. "Francois! Overboard!"
The
ship was brought about, but no trace was found of the young man who
wanted to be a hero.
******************************************************************** Suddenly,
a loud voice bellowed from upstairs. “Bastard!”
Charles
raced up to the third floor and found Arthur Hurst sitting at a desk,
rummaging through its drawers. He clutched a piece of paper in
one hand, shaking it with rage as he looked up at Charles.
“Businessman,
hah! This man, Black, is a British agent! Here's the proof of his duplicity.
Where is he? It's time to put an end to the vermin.”
Charles
gasped in shock. The entire charade was unraveling! He tentatively leaned
toward the desk and reached for the note. “What do you mean? What
evidence?”
Hurst
glanced down at one of the drawers. He reached inside and picked up
a ledger. "Wait a moment. Here's something else."
Charles'
eyes darted toward the window, knowing that Black lay outside, unconscious
and defenseless. Quelling an urge to run, he pretended to be curious
at the discovery. He slowly edged around behind the man, as if to look
over his shoulder. What could he do? Desperately his gaze searched the
area for an answer until he spied a letter opener. In one motion, he
grabbed the dagger and plunged it into Arthur's back. The rotund body
jerked upwards, dropping the notebook. He tried to turn around, but
instead, slumped forward on top of the desk.
For
a moment, Charles stood shaking in disbelief at what he had just done
to his sister's husband.
********************************************************************
The
room was not completely dark. High above the floor, five window slits
provided flickering bursts of light whenever the distant lightning struck.
Beneath dark wooden beams overhead, the flashes created menacing shadows
that quickly disappeared until the next glimmer occurred.
Huddled
in a corner with her sister, the wait became excruciating for Elizabeth.Where was the stalker now?
A
large stone fireplace under the antlered head of a stag stood majestically
at the far side of the room. She decided to edge over to the hearth
and look for a tool or piece of wood that could be used against the
blackguard.
On
hands and knees, she slowly advanced along the room’s perimeter trying
not to make any noise. Fifteen feet, ten feet, five.., then she felt
the bricks. She reached out to touch a poker, but had to settle for
a two-foot log, three inches in diameter. Clutching her prize, she turned
to start back. A new creak suddenly punctured the air from the middle
of the room.
She
froze.
Several
English chairs and Queen Anne upholstered seats rested between the game
tables, turned at various angles to her sight. The sound had come from
there. She stared at their outlines.
The
lightning flashed again. To her terror, a dark figure rose from a seat
turned away from the chimney. The light disappeared before she could
see anything more.
Elizabeth's
mind raced, wondering if she had been heard.
Another
flash. The figure was moving toward Emily’s corner.
“Emily!
Emily!” she screamed. “Wake up. Someone’s coming toward you!”
She
could hear Emily stirring, muttering sounds words that made it clear
she did not understanding their plight. She had to run and
help her sister! Her legs were weak and the rush of panic welled
up inside her. She could not move.
A
glint came again. The figure had stopped.
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