Port of Errors (6 page)

Motioning with his eyes, the stranger insisted, “The blade, sir, if you please.”

“Of course,” said Richard, lowering his weapon. “Go on then.”

When the conversation came to a close the stranger handed Richard a small bag of gold doubloons, reminding him, “Come out alive and the rest you’ll receive in the morning, three times the amount in that there purse. Is it a deal then?”

“Of course, we have an accord. I’d be a fool not to take the gold for such a simple and pleasurable task.”

“But, take my word, don’t underestimate the boy.”

Later that evening, knowing Lorien’s parents would not be home and thinking she would be without company for the next few hours, Richard invited himself to her lowly residence. He made arrangements with his companions to go with him, boasting frankly of his perverse objective. His companions kept watch outside the estate, while Richard approached the home. He greeted Lorien at the door and conversed his way into her parent’s living quarters in an attempt to seduce her. Somewhat naïve and unaware of Richard’s intentions, Lorien bashfully smiled and giggled as he entered. He left the door wide open to allow his friends to catch a glimpse of his daring perversions.

With her arms blocking his advancement, Lorien pushed against Richard’s broad chest forcing him back. “A proper lady is never to be alone with a gentleman, especially an officer.” Her smile turned from a beaming innocence into a flirtatious tease.

This only provoked an advance of greater physical indulgence. “Well, I am a man and can be very gentle. But you make it sound so sinful when it could never be more sweet and decadent.” He embraced her, forcefully placing his lips to hers. Not quite knowing what to do, Lorien allowed Richard to kiss her for a moment longer.

Soon, Davy arrived at the estate. As he neared the front steps, he noticed the door was left wide open. He courteously took off his hat, stepped up to the door and peeked inside. Richard’s friends were so focused on Richard and Lorien with their telescopes that they didn’t notice Davy until he arrived at the door. They ran toward Richard as fast as they could. Davy peaked inside and his eye was immediately drawn to an elbow that came into view just around the corner. As he moved closer Richard’s back and leg gradually came into sight. All the while, Richard’s friends approached calling out his name as loud as they could. Davy was so focused so deeply on what his eyes could see that he couldn’t hear Richard’s friends approaching.

In an unbelieving tangle of emotion, Davy became violently enraged. “Take your filthy hands off her!” yelled Davy. Young and careless, he pried Richard and Lorien apart. Lorien lost her balance and fell to the ground.

Quickly standing up, Lorien scowled coarsely at Davy, acting as though she had done nothing wrong. “David,” she yelled, “what do you think you are doing?”

While Davy was preoccupied with Lorien, Richard struck him with a blow to the side of his head with a walking stick. Lorien screamed as Davy stumbled to the floor, holding his head. He could feel the blood running down the side of his head through his fingers. He looked up, clenched his fist in anger and slugged Richard in a self-defending response. Fueled with adrenaline and still bleeding himself, Davy kept beating on Richard without reservation.

“Stop it!” shouted Lorien. “Stop it!”

Richard’s loyal companions finally entered the home and saw him drenched in blood and sweat, unable to stand. Davy’s countenance soon turned pail from the loss of blood, as a result of Richard’s earlier assault. Exhausted, he promptly fell to the floor and everything went black.

Davy woke up the following morning, locked up in a dingy old cell. Still dazed, a voice leisurely sounded softly in his ear. Coming to, he was able to distinguish the words. “Your father came by. It’s too bad though, he attacked an officer. He looked more like a coward when I cocked a gun at his head. I thought he was going to cry. And I was right. In fact he died crying. Just as you will when I have you hanged for assaulting the King’s officers. An assault on the King’s men is merely an assault on the King!”

Davy was extremely ill tempered. A vengeful burning ensued within his soul and anger flooded his eyes. Stepped too close to the prison bars, Richard taunted and teased Davy with thoughts of what he was going to do with Lorien. Without warning Davy seized him by the jacket.

“You’re a dead man,” stated Davy. “You just don’t know it yet.”

“Let go of me,” demanded Richard.

Davy was able to snatch Richards’s double barrel pistol and quickly pulled the trigger at point blank range. Cocking the second doghead, Davy fired once again at the falling officer, completely eradicating him. As Richard fell back, Davy managed to hook the key ring with a finger. Davy’s countenance read nothing more than pleasure as he watched Richard drop to the ground, dead.

Davy unlocked the cell door, took a few steps toward Richard and began to repeatedly kick his lifeless body. The guards, whom Richard had illicitly ordered to wait outside, heard the shots and realized what was going on inside and rushed to intervene. Davy’s attention quickly shifted toward the sound of the befuddled guards as they hastened down the stairwell, with their pistols drawn and ready. Davy forcefully swung an old wooden chair into the chest of the first guard, who flew backward into the second.

Both guards simultaneously fired their weapons to the ceiling. Knowing they would be unable to reload fast enough, they rose to their feet with their swords drawn. Noticing Richard sprawled on the floor, they extended their swords, challenging Davy in his attempt to escape.

“Don’t move!” stated the first.

“No, by all means, do,” stated the second. “Now, on your guard!”

“I have no weapon. Do as you will!” He stood patiently by the cell door over Richard’s battered corpse. Taunting the guards, Davy kicked Richard’s body, audibly snapping a few ribs.

Shocked, the angered guards took a step back. “Stop that at once or I’ll run you through!”

Davy kicked Richard’s body once again, daring the guards to attack. In a whirl of fury they charged Davy with their swords overhead, yelling hysterically. Davy calmly took hold of the cell door and flung it open, thrusting it with all his weight, directly into the first guard, knocking him unconscious. In the process of falling back, the first guard turned, launching his sword through the lungs of the second. They both immediately collapsed. Panting for breath, the second guard died.

Davy quickly fled to a nearby glen where he might take the time he desperately needed to mull-over what had just occurred. He had to figure out what he was going to do next. Thoroughly worn and barely able to breath, Davy found a secluded and inviting piece of ground and immediately dropped into the tall cushiony grass and leaned back against a soft decomposing log. So tired and unable to stay awake, he simply drifted off to sleep.

In the early morning hours, a wicked downpour awakened Davy. He recalled to his mind the events that transpired over the course of the past few days. He groaned silently within as he realized that his father was dead and he knew that he had to return home to his mother to explain the awful reality.

As Davy came closer, he noticed a faint blackness rising up ahead. A sinking feeling wrenched within his gut, knowing deep inside that something horrific was about to come to light. It was still raining when Davy arrived. He was shocked to find his home smoldering in ashes and burnt to the ground. Only the down pour was able to calm the flames that had already consumed the estate.

Frantically, Davy entered the parlor from the main doorway, immediately coming across four bodies lying side by side, buried within the ash and rubble. By the placement and position of their hands and feet he knew they had been bound. Two of them, he thought, were most likely a couple of servants. But, his heart truly sank when the jewelry hanging from the neck of one of the bodies, proved to be from his loving mother and he shuttered at the thought. Already devastated, he then noticed the ring that Lorien had always worn, sitting at the side of the fourth body. This he could not stomach.

Drained both physically and emotionally, Davy fell to his knees and knelt by Lorien’s side. A tear gently ran down his flustered cheeks, as he stared hypnotically.

It was then that he noticed something protruding from Lorien’s lips. Barely able to stomach the deed, Davy reached out to pull the foreign object from her mouth. It was an old silver coin with numbers etched by knife on both sides. It was a mystery to be sure and a reason unknown. He placed the coin into his pocket and continued walking around the smoldering ruin for a significant period of time.

Finding a pistol pressed into the soft ground, as if by the soul of a boot, Davy thought it curious that it was in the perfect position to be seen. With a closer look, he saw what appeared to be a Royal Navy insignia engraved upon the handle. All emotion seemed to wash away and he became unfeeling with the exception of his hatred and rage.

Later that afternoon Daniel, Roselynn and her husband, Charles, were foot bound for Davy’s home. It would take them a good portion of the day to arrive on time for supper and the afternoon sun was now beating down on them. However, they were shocked upon their arrival to find the estate entirely burnt to the ground. Only frail stone pillars and a few walls stood, without a roof to shelter the blackened floor.

Daniel took it upon himself to explore the home and found the four bodies. Assuming this was Davy and his family, Daniel’s heart sank low in his chest. “All these years and this is what I find, my best friend dead.” His parents comforted him as best they could, but Daniel refused to be comforted. Standing close to the bodies, the stench made his eyes water, as he looked on with an empty stare. Because of the morning rain, the flesh was still clinging to the half-burnt muscle and bone, now blistering in the heat.

Daniel soon returned home with his parents. And words cannot express the feelings that swelled deep within his soul.

Running aimlessly, Davy arrived at a small tavern. Close to port, the tavern was dim and muggy. Because of the late hour, the dimness of the sparse candlelight created eerie silhouettes of those moving about. The smell of rum intermixed with a distinct seafaring odor told Davy he was in a vile place. The wooden floorboards creaked aloud as Davy walked across the way.

Arriving a few minutes behind him was a tall thin man, mysteriously hooded. His black cloak hung low to the ground. Finding a seat across from Davy, this mysterious man set two pints of rum on the table, one directly in front of him. The only part of his exposed face was made known through the dim light of a weak flame flickering in the center of the table.

“You look lost boy,” began the stranger. “Where do you come from?”

“I couldn’t be lost,” replied Davy. “I’ve nowhere to be and where I come from is no business of yours.”

There was a long awkward silence, as they stared at one another. “I know who done the deed,” whispered the unknown man.

“
What are you talking about? What deed?”

“These
catastrophes
don’t happen by mere accident. The Royal Navy can be truly wicked. They’re just pirates under the guise of government and what they call law. Your home wasn’t put to ruin for nothing and certainly not by accident.”

Davy pulled out a small pistol, revealing the Royal insignia. “I have an idea who done it, but how is it your business and how do you know so much about my situation?”

“I make it my business to know what I know.”

“Who are you?”

“Never, you, mind who I am. Who I am is of no concern to you. Trust me; I am not the sort you want to be acquainted with.” He took a small sip of rum. “Have you any family?”

“Not really. But should that be any of your concern? You know they’re all dead. Apparently you make it your business to know what you know.”

“Ah, yes, ‘tis true. However, your words were
not really
? What is that supposed to mean –
not really
? Either you do or don’t.”

“I was adopted by those whose bodies lay in that home. I have a real father and I aim to find him.”

“You seem resolute enough. Just remember, patience always pays off,” he chuckled slightly. “Aye, patience
always
pays off.”

“So what are you getting at? What’s in it for you to know any of this?” The man just grinned. Davy continued, “Have you a name?”

“Aye, but like I said, I’m not the sort you want to be acquainted with. One day you’ll find you might want me dead. Or I may have reason to put a bullet through your head. Either way let’s not get too familiar.”