***
For Liam, seeing his brother in the cramped and dark hold was bitter sweet. He was happy that his brother was still alive, but at the same time he had hoped that Dan had escaped. For the past weeks the two brothers had been inseparable.
Ever since Liam was taken captive and thrown into this dark and miserable prison, he’d been plotting a way to get off this ship. But the others were not with him, not even Dan. His brother had fallen into a deep depression during the past few weeks. Most days he sat next to Liam, not talking, with his head bent forward staring at his feet. Liam glanced up through the small holes in the hatch cover and grimaced. Soon enough they would be calling the men up to deck for feeding time, as the sailors called it. Degrading was what it was and Liam was tired of it. For weeks they’d been forced to live like animals. He was sick of watching those around him fall ill and die then tossed overboard like they were nothing, just a piece of rubbish to discard.
Liam asked the boys to gather round so they could discuss escaping. “Where do you think we’ll go,” Michael hissed. “We are in the middle of the ocean, Liam!”
“Then we take the ship. We outnumber the crew. I’m sure the women and my sister wouldn’t mind getting out of their hold, too.”
“You are a mad man to think we can succeed.” Michael rested his head back and closed his eyes. “If you do this you will die and I will not be the one to deliver that news to Catherine. It will break her heart.”
Liam frowned. “Why do you care if she is heartbroken? You don’t love her.”
“No, but I care enough about her not to see her be hurt because of her brother’s foolishness. Do not attack them, I beg of you.”
“I will not just sit here and do nothing.”
“Listen to your friend,” an older boy said, propped up on the other side of the hold. “There is no escaping this hell and there is no chance you can take the ship. Leave it be, lad, and accept your fate.”
Liam quieted down, but he was not going to give up so easily. The others might have lost their will to get out of this hellhole, but he had not. For the past two weeks, he’d plotted revenge against the men that had taken them from their homes. He knew what time of day they brought the women up and then the men. He knew how many sailors would be present on deck as they were fed and watered. The captain was never anywhere in sight, but that didn’t matter. All Liam had to do was get enough men to follow him, find a pistol and then he’d take care of the captain. Make him surrender the ship.
Only four sailors carried pistols up above. The rest held only daggers and short swords, hardly enough defense if all the men decided to rebel. He needed to convince the others that the time was right to strike. They’d already lost too many men and each day Liam felt himself growing weaker. If he was going to strike at their captives, it had to be soon.
He was about to tell Dan and Michael of his plan again when the hold was pried open.
“Move you rats,” a sailor yelled down as he lowered a ladder. “Hurry up. If you’re not up here fast enough I’ll throw your portion to the sharks.”
The men scrambled as fast as they could in their weakened state up the ladder to the deck. Liam blinked against the brightness of the sun, trying to focus on what he still needed to figure out. Dan in his daze struggled to get up the last few steps of the ladder and lunged forward, knocking over a sailor.
“Begging your pardon sir, he didn’t mean to, he’s sick,” Liam said as he tried to help Dan get up.
But the sailor cursed and slapped Dan across the back of his head. “My pardon is what you’re after is it? You’ll have to do more than just ask for it. Grovel, man,” he leered as he got in the Dan’s face. “Get down on your knees and beg for me to give you my pardon. “Liam tried to reason with the sailor but was shoved away and Michael moved to his side and put a warning arm on his shoulder.
Another slap from the sailor saw Dan fall to his knees, his head hung down and he gave no response.
The sailor scratched at his stubble then backhanded the Dan so hard he flew backwards. “Answer me scum!” the sailor bellowed. He moved forward and dragged an unresisting Dan upright by his hair. “Ask me,” he demanded.
Dan just hung there with glazed expression on his face, the sailor punched him in the face again and they all heard the Dan’s nose crack. Blood trickled down his face as he struggled to keep his eyes opened. The sailor dropped him as the others laughed. Liam’s fury raged. Despite Michael holding him firmly, Liam pushed him off and started to move forward.
“Don’t,” Michael whispered.
“Why not? They can’t treat us like this? He’s my brother! “You’ll do Dan no good, you’ll only make it worse and get yourself a beating too,” warned Michael.
The sailor had started kicking Dan until he cried out in pain, curling up in a pathetic ball on the deck. Liam couldn’t watch it anymore. These men were not humans, they were animals! Barbarians who needing to be taught a lesson. Slowly Liam crept away from Michael’s side ‘til he stood beside one of the sailors that had a pistol tucked at his hip. The gun would have one shot and he would need that to kill the captain.
Dan had fainted and the sailor ordered two others to pick him up. He wasn’t finished teaching him a lesson. He pulled a whip from his side and uncurled it as the other sailors splashed water on the Dan’s face to wake him.
“Now then, ten lashes should be enough to teach you about respect.”
“No,” Dan groaned, eyes wide as he focused on the whip. “Please, I beg of you.”
Liam reached out and snatched the pistol just as the sailor whipped around to smack him. Keeping the weapon gripped tightly in his hand, he ducked under the man’s fist then head-butted him, sending the sailor stumbling back. All the others jumped into action, pulling their swords and pistols as Liam waved his around.
“What you going to do lad?” the sailor with the whip asked. “Kill us all with one bullet?”
Liam glanced frantically around, wanting the others to step in and help him, but Michael only stood there shaking his head, and the others were already defeated. Too tired and wane to do much more than stand and watch. He gripped the pistol tighter as he moved away from the sailors towards the captain’s cabin.
“I’ll kill your captain,” he threatened, hating how his voice came out high-pitched and shaky.
“No you won’t. You will put that damn pistol down and get back over there.”
But Liam didn’t move. The sailor he’d taken the pistol from had regained his balance and headed straight towards him.
“Give me my pistol back, boy, before I knock your teeth in!”
“No, I won’t! You can’t treat us like we are animals!”
“Give it to me!” The sailor lunged forward and Liam did the only thing he could think of: pulled the trigger. The resounding echo was louder than he’d expected as the pistol recoiled in his hand. The man standing before him…looking confused for a moment as he stared from the smoke trailing out of the barrel then down at his chest. “Bloody hell,” he muttered. Then his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell to the planks, dead.
It was the first time Liam had killed a man. The pistol fell from his limp hand as all his anger suddenly evaporated in a rush. He’d killed a man. Point blank shot him. He barely felt it when two men grabbed his arms and dragged him towards the main mast where they tied him up.
“Hold him steady, boys.”
The whip hit the deck and Liam didn’t even have time to brace before he felt the sharp lash across his back. He cried out from the pain, burning across his flesh. Something warm and wet trailed down his back. Blood. So much blood from only one strike. Then Liam saw Dan stagger to his feet and stumble towards the ship’s rail. Unnoticed by anyone else as all had their eyes on Liam as the whip ripped into his back, Dan unsteadily climbed on to the rail teetering on the edge above the blue water rushing past. “No,” screamed Liam but both sailors and captives thought his scream was an attempt to stop
the whipping. The whip struck again and he clung to the mast, trying to absorb the pain, trying not to cry out, his eyes locked on his beloved brother swaying above the water. Then suddenly Dan dropped from sight over the edge, frantically Liam strained to turn his head to look out over the back of the ship. The last he saw of Dan was his head bobbing in the wake of the ship. Liam’s head slumped down as tears poured down his face, his brother was gone.
“How many for poor old Willie’s death?” the man with the whip snapped as he let it fly again and again and again. Liam screamed with each hit as the lash ripped into his raw flesh, opening new wounds and making the other ones wider. “Ten? Twenty? Think he’d live through a hundred?”
Liam’s eyes shot wide open. A hundred lashes! That would kill him, he wanted revenge and he had to survive. He struggled like a rabbit caught in a trap, trying to get loose from his bindings. The sailors in their haste hadn’t tied the knots tight enough and he managed to slip through them just as the whip made to strike again. It hit his shoulder and he fell to one knee.
“Get him tied back up!”
But Liam rolled away from their grasping hands. He kicked and punched with everything he had, pushing himself towards the railing as the other prisoners yelled his name, begging for them to spare the young boy. Liam glanced this way and that. There was nowhere to go…no one to save him.
“Just throw him overboard and be done with it!”
“Food for the sharks then!”
“Grab him, quickly!”
Just as the sailors moved in and Liam yelled, another gunshot echoed across the deck of the ship. All the men stilled as they turned to see the captain standing there, pistol raised into the air, smoke trailing up from the barrel.
“What in God’s name is happening on my ship?”
“Nothing, captain, we were just taking care of a little problem,” the sailor with the whip said.
The captain’s narrowed gaze glanced at Liam then at the dead body of Willie nearby. “How did this happen?”
“This boy got his pistol, shot him. We were going to punish him for it.”
“By throwing my precious cargo overboard?”
The sailors all shifted at the hardened tone of his words. “He shot Willie.”
“Then Willie should not have let a child get his pistol. You will not toss him overboard and you will not harm him further. A lad in that shape, that young, will fetch a pretty penny at auction.”
Despite the pain flooding his body, Liam perked up at that and turned to find Michael. His eyes were wide with panic as the captain continued to berate his men for trying to throw away something that could very well make a lot of coin.
“Captain, my brother jumped over the side we need to turn around and go back and get him,” begged Liam. The Captain, not unkindly, said, “Lad your brother is dead, the sharks that follow the ship would have had him by now, he’s had his burial at sea...best to say a prayer for him.” Liam buried his head in his shoulder as sob’s wracked his body.
“We have good stock this time. Do not touch them again or allow any to jump overboard or it will come out of your pay. Feed them, water them, and get them back in the hold. We’ll be docking in two weeks’ time if this wind keeps up.”
“Yes, Captain,” the sailor with the whip, said as he wrapped it back up and placed it at his hip. “You heard him. Get about your duties and someone take care of Willie’s body before he starts to stink!”
As Liam had food and water shoved at him, he tried to think of what this might mean. An auction. They were being taken to an auction?
“Liam,” Michael whispered as he managed to get beside him. “Are you alright, you must be strong, Dan would want you to go on?” Liam, replied in a hard cold voice, “I’ll survive and one day I’ll return to this ship and make them pay.” Michael nodded.
“Did you hear them Michael? An auction, we’re going to be auctioned off,” Liam whispered.
“Sssh...eat your food and drink your water. I’ll have to tend your back somehow when we get back in the hold.”
“Did you not hear me!” he snapped.
“I did, Liam, but there’s nothing we can do now.” Michael glanced around and for the first time since they were aboard the ship, there was a glint of determination in his eyes. “When we land however, that is another story entirely.”
Liam kept his head low as he ate and drank his share. The pain in his back was brutal and he could feel it starting to clot and scab, tugging every time he moved. But the pain didn’t matter, his brother was dead. Somehow he must keep his sister and Michael safe, with an effort he swallowed his grief and thought of the future. They knew where they might be headed now and Michael was on his side. They were going to make land and then they would escape.