Israel posted two of the pirates in the village. To ensure it burnt, and to ensure any survivors were cut down. Taylor saw no sign of Laure, but for all her fears for the woman’s health, she knew she couldn’t do a thing to help them. Not right now.

The pirate who had grabbed Taylor continued to drag her by her hair, even as she tried to keep up along the cobblestones that led down and into the tunnel.

She shivered as she saw Benny lying dead near the entrance. These men discarded everything the first chance they got. They didn’t see taking a life as a big deal. It was exactly what awaited her the moment she no longer was of use.

Taylor did have to hide a laugh when they reached the trapped area. The idiots who managed to trigger most of them. They didn’t have a crocodile trying to eat them, and still couldn’t just walk through the area. More than one trap showed blood and skin.

The bastard dragging her finally let go, when they reached the point where she’d felt like she was going to drown. Israel went first. Taylor braced herself, taking a deep breath, before diving into the water.

She struggled against the tidal forces for a moment, before Israel grabbed her shoulder and hauled her upwards. Then Taylor swum like hell for the surface, her chest burning, before she burst out and into the rising sun.

Taylor treaded water, sucking in lungfuls of air and looking about as if confused. She wasn’t. She was looking for Laure, and hoping that the world might offer her some gift, some way out of this deadly scenario.

For his part, Israel swam straight to the sure, walking out as if he hadn’t known any effort. He was a sailor. Strong and mighty. Not a single hesitation about ending her, or anyone else.

Taylor reluctantly swam over to the shore, and crawled out on hands and knees before collapsing.

The pirates emerging behind her laughed, and one or two nudged her with their boots. She counted out twelve of them. Thirteen, including Israel.

She staggered to her feet slowly, and Israel signalled for her to begin leading. Taylor began the slow walk back towards the castle, desperately running over everything in her mind.

Vernon had been in the castle, with the English captain and his sailors. She didn’t know what he’d said before leaving. They might have had an argument. He might have said he was off to check on her. She had no way of prepping for it.

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The two ships in the bay were both probably on minimal crew. She couldn’t really escape to either - especially with Laure missing. Taylor didn’t want to leave her behind.

With every step closer to the castle, Taylor grew more anxious. She knew she had to make a move soon, but she needed to assess the situation and gather any information she could. She couldn’t afford to rush into a plan that would endanger either herself and Laure further.

> As I was out walkin’ down Paradise street,

> To me way, hey, blow the man down!

> A pretty young damsel I chanced for to meet!

Israel leered at her as he sung the last line, bursting out laughing as the others picked up the song. Lyrics sneering at her gender, and suggesting that she had only one purpose to her existence.

> Give me some time to blow the man down!

> She was round in the counter and bluff in the bow,

> So I took in all sail and cried ‘way enough now’!

Defining a woman by her sexual appeal. These men could not be more boring in the way they were insulting her. In her time in the Nightingale, she had heard all manner of insults. Mostly by men who had thought she was one of them, and all of them were more creative than what was betwixt her legs.

However, she didn’t mind if they sung and revealed which of them was going to make a play for her, as they journeyed towards the place where she had pretended the treasure was hidden away.

> I hailed her in English, she answered me clear,

> ‘I’m from the Black Arrow bound to the Shakespeare!’

Taylor snickered, “What, you didn’t need two anchors to hold me down? Have to sing the new version?”

Israel glowered at her, insulted that a woman might interrupt their song, even if it was about her. He didn’t say anything, though. He wasn’t as quit as whit as the man he had killed.

She had successfully stopped the song, though.

The crew all laid glares of one kind or another on her, as they headed up the hill towards the main path to the tiny thing she kept calling a castle. As they hit the main road, a rifle cracked the air.

Taylor waved idly, “Yo ho! Who wakes the dead?”

“Where’s the damnable cook!?” The voice from the keep cracked outwards.

She shrugged and gave a nervous sort of laugh, “Idiot wouldn’t leave the gold. Not like anyone can steal that much, without a few extra hands. Speaking of…?”

“You actually found it. Sonuvabitch.” Inspector Dance cursed, and then whistled. The gates were pushed open by two men in red coats, and Taylor immediately felt the pirates hanging back, afraid to walk inside.

She didn’t hesitate. Not walking as if she were afraid, but stalking forward with every ounce of the anger that she felt. She was passing one of the men were Israel caught up to her, clapping a hand on her shoulder.

She thanked her lucky stars that she could be the one.