Fred tested the door, throwing all his weight against it, but there was no way he and Ben were getting out that way. The door was constructed from thick, heavy wooden planks, old and weathered but solid, and locked from the outside; all Fred got for his efforts was a bruised shoulder. The walls were stone, the floor hard-packed earth…

Flopping down onto the dirty straw beside Ben, Fred leaned against the cold stone. “No way out. Looks like we’re stuck here until Camden lets us out. If he ever does. Wonder how many other people he’s held prisoner here.”

“Not sure I want to know, but we’ll be alright,” Ben said. “Paul and the others will find us.”

“Yeah, but what can one man, one woman, and a kid do against twenty, thirty guys armed with swords and pistols? We gotta think, try to figure a way out. Maybe when someone comes with food or water for us, we can jump ‘em, make a break for it.”

“No guarantee they’ll feed us.”

“I know, but what other chance are we likely to we get?”

Ben shrugged. “None, you ask me. All we can do is wait.”

“And hope.” Fred clasped both hands around a raised knee. “Gotta get outta here somehow, find Jill, and split.”

“Could be waiting quite a while.”

“Yeah, figured that much out myself.”

Waiting was boring, but there wasn’t any alternative. They listened to the sounds from the compound, raucous laughter and shouting that gradually diminished as evening turned to night, then waited some more, until unexpectedly they heard a sound outside their prison; someone had entered the treasure room.

“Probably Camden come to gloat over his riches,” Fred muttered. “Or to interrogate us,” he added as he and Ben heard the bolts on the door being drawn back, and someone fumbling at the heavy padlock, perhaps testing it. Then there was silence for a long moment, followed by a peculiar humming sound, and a loud click as the lock opened.

Fred started to his feet as the door swung open to reveal not Camden or one of his men, but a stranger, tall, slim, with short, curly brown hair, dressed in a formal looking brown tunic and pants.

“Come, quickly.” The man glanced back over his shoulder towards the treasure room’s entrance as an explosion echoed from somewhere outside in the compound.

“Who’re you?” Fred demanded.

“A friend. Now hurry. Dr Jordan is creating a diversion; we should get out of here, preferably before he runs out of gunpowder.” The stranger stepped to one side, and it was only then that Fred saw what he had in his hand; the same strange device their Arawak acquaintance had used to heal Ben’s arm. Had that only been yesterday?

“Hold up a minute, where’d you get that thing?”

“It belongs to me. Now come on! I’ll explain later.”

Piercing blue eyes met Fred’s, and recognition sparked. “Damn! You’re that Arawak, aren’t you?”

“I was.”

“That’s gonna be some explanation. You got a name?”

“I’m called Varian. This way.”

Their rescuer led them swiftly across the treasure room to the half-open door, took a quick look outside, then slipped through, with Fred and Ben right on his heels. Explosions continued to rock the compound. Buildings were burning, Camden’s privateers running back and forth waving pistols, or carrying buckets of water, trying to douse the flames.

Fred grabbed at the tall man’s arm. “We’re not leavin’ without Jill. Gotta find her.”

“I know. She’s in the courtyard. Camden’s preparing to burn her at the stake.” Varian slid the device he was holding into the pouch at his hip and pointed. “That way.”

“How’d you know where to find us?” Fred hissed, following Varian and keeping close to the wall.

“You might say I’ve been a… guest here myself. Camden isn’t particularly hospitable.”

“Yeah, we got that.”

“Be thankful that’s all you got.” Varian headed towards an archway in the whitewashed wall, then pulled back as a couple of privateers appeared.

Fred went on the offensive, Ben at his side, punching and kicking, leaving the privateers on the ground, and then the three of them were through, running towards where Jill, dressed in a long, lace-trimmed gown, was tied up, flames already licking around the platform she was standing on. It only took a few seconds, to cut her free, then the four of them made for where Eve and Scott stood in the shadows with several horses.

“Thanks for the rescue,” Fred said as he grabbed for a bridle and mounted.

“You’re welcome,” Varian replied. “But I think it’s about time we were leaving.”

“Yeah, partner. Right behind you.” Fred shook his head; what a night, and it wasn’t over yet! He dug his heels into his mount’s flanks, and they were away, a group of people on horseback, galloping along the trail away from the privateers’ compound. Fred’s head was full of questions for the tall man riding ahead of him. There must be quite a story there; it was one he was looking forward to hearing.


The End