Page 83 of The Sea Witch
Like Dorothea, several members of the ship’s crew circulated with blankets. They draped them over the newly freed women. Bony shoulders poked up from their ragged clothing, and cheekbones stood in stark relief on their faces. Josephine handed round mugs of steaming soup, which were consumed in eager gulps before being quickly replenished.
The liberated captives shot him cautious glances, their attention ricocheting between his threadbare naval coat and the manacles at his wrists. He offered them nods, which were not returned.
Some of the women looked weary. A trio of them gathered at the gunwale to stare at the waves and excitedly point toward the horizon. Red angry flesh encircled their ankles from where shackles had chafed, but those were now gone. Two of the escaped women laughed, while the other leaned against one of her comrades, a contemplative expression in her eyes.
They had been captives, goods to be sold.
That was what the navy worked with Kinnear to preserve. What Alys and her crew now fought against. What Ben had supported by not doing anything to stop it, as theSea Witchhad.
A quartet of the freed captives took their blankets and made pallets upon the deck. They rested their heads on each other’s bellies as they looked up at the sky. One by one, they fell asleep.
The sky lightened with the coming of dawn. The stars winked out.
The woman who appeared to be their leader moved from cluster to cluster of freed women, speaking lowly to them. Ben heard one of her comrades call her Olachi. Alys approached, with Stasia and the first mate beside her, before the trio broke away to stand near the capstan.
Ben slowly drifted nearer. When no one stopped him, he moved closer.
“We have been held for nearly a month,” Olachi was explaining. Circles of exhaustion surrounded her deep sable brown eyes, yet she seemed resolute to remain awake. Anwuli perched on her shoulder, nuzzling her with her beak. “Some were taken from their homes, others, like me, from ships bound for the Caribbean and the Americas.”
“Anything you want,” Alys said at once, “you and the others can have it. We’ve stockpiles of gold at the ready. We can take you to any port in the Caribbean, and from there, you can sail wherever you want.”
“There are some of us who will gladly accept your offer,” Olachi answered.
“What is ityoudesire?” Stasia asked.
“A ship for myself,” Olachi replied immediately. “Not so long ago, I was stolen from my home. I had been council to the Omu, advising her as she governed women’s concerns. I knew nothing of combat, or how to make my magic a weapon. Mediation and peacekeeping, that was what I knew. But that was taken from me. Everything was taken from me.”
Ben’s gut clenched. Yet he wouldn’t back away, making himself listen.
“With my own ship,” Olachi continued, “I will find other vessels laden with those bound for enslavement and free them. And destroy anyone who profits from the sale of human beings. If they think there is anywhere safe for them, they will find themselves quite mistaken.”
“We can get you a ship,” Alys answered firmly. “It’ll take some doing, and it might not be possible right away, but we can do it. I have to ask... why did you send Anwuli to us? We’re only pirates.”
“You are more than that,” Olachi said. “And it was a risk, but I thought, if anyone might listen to us, it would be a ship of women.”
Alys tipped her head. “We’re honored.I’mhonored to have such faith put in me.”
Olachi nodded, then struggled to suppress a yawn. Her kite also yawned.
“I have been planning our escape for weeks,” she explained. “Have hardly slept for... I cannot remember when I last let myself dream.”
“You’ve been shouldering a great weight for a long time,” Alys noted.
“The other women who were captive with me,” Olachi said, “they relied upon me. They rely upon me still.”
“Who doyourely upon?” Polly asked.
Olachi gave a faint smile. “Myself, but I must admit, it is rather nice to have someone at my back, fighting with me.”
“You don’t have to fight on your own,” Alys vowed. “Now it’s time to rest.”
At Alys’s look, Polly held out a hand. “Come, I’ll find you both somewhere to sleep. I can give you my berth.”
“I will sleep here, with the others.”
“We’ll discuss more later in the day,” Alys said.
Olachi placed her hand on Alys’s shoulder, her gaze abundant with solemn significance, then let Polly lead her towardan empty part of the top deck, where more blankets were piled. Together, Polly and Olachi made a pallet and then Olachi lay down. Her kite settled on her chest as Polly slipped a rolled-up blanket beneath Olachi’s head. She waited until it was clear that Olachi was asleep before drifting toward the quarterdeck to confer with the helmswoman.
