Chapter 10: In Plymouth (3)

“Henry!”

The relief was so overwhelming that tears welled up instantly. With trembling hands, Claire held the waterskin to Henry’s lips. Henry drank greedily, like a man possessed, before letting out a long, pained groan.

“Uuuugh… my whole body is aching, but I finally feel like I might live.”

“Thank God. Are you alright? How do you feel?”

“I feel like death, but I don’t think anything is broken.”

“Can you stand?”

“If you give me a little time.”

Henry looked exhausted, yet he managed a weak smile. It seemed that even after days of starvation and being bound in the dark, his spirit hadn’t broken. A flicker of genuine relief finally crossed Claire’s tense face.

“Since we weren’t together, I hoped you might have escaped. But I see you were caught as well.”

“Yeah.”

“Where have you been all this time? How did you come to find me? Are you okay?”

Claire hesitated, glancing nervously at the other prisoners nearby, and murmured vaguely, “Let’s talk more once we’re out of here.”

He continued massaging Henry’s limbs for another ten minutes, but progress was slow. It was inevitable, considering Henry hadn’t stood for days and his circulation had been severely restricted. Eventually, Claire gave up and knelt down, turning his back to his friend.

“Here, get on my back.”

“This is hardly dignified, isn’t it?”

Henry was taller and naturally broader, but he had lost significant weight from the hunger. He was manageable. However, the combined weight of the two men caused the floorboards to creak loudly with every step. Claire moved with extreme caution, watching his footing in the pitch black as he slowly exited the hold.

He was so tense he broke into a cold sweat, but fortunately, the area remained silent and deserted. Claire stuck to the shadows behind piles of coiled rope, moving inch by inch.

Once they reached the corridor, he lowered Henry and let the man lean on him for support. When they finally slipped into his cabin, Claire felt a massive weight lift off his chest. He never thought he would be so happy to see this wretched room.

“Have you been staying here the whole time?”

Claire nodded silently and lit the old lamp. He spread the blanket on the floor for Henry to lie down and gave him some ship biscuits he had pre-softened in water. While Henry ate ravenously, Claire began to explain.

“They saw my medical bag at the tavern and realized I was a doctor. I think they kidnapped me because they needed a surgeon.”

“So that’s what happened.”

“You were taken because of me. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t say that. It’s my fault for going into that tavern in the first place. If anything, I’m the one who should be sorry.”

Perhaps because he had been emotionally drained for so long, Henry’s warm words touched his heart deeply. The two friends held hands, looking at each other with eyes full of shared hardship, before beginning to confer in low whispers.

“You came to find me because you’re planning to escape, right?”

“Yes. Exactly.”

“Do you have a plan? Tell me everything you know about this place and our current situation.”

Claire explained everything that had happened, omitting only the humiliating encounters with Elpian. After hearing the long account and grasping their predicament, Henry fell into deep thought.

“It’s going to be a difficult escape. I caught a glimpse of the crew’s positions by the lamplight as we came in—the deck is heavily guarded.”

To Claire, it had just looked dark, but Henry had somehow managed to scout. He continued his explanation.

“There were men in the crow’s nest, and I saw several glowing embers from pipes near the gangway. If they’re standing watch like that even at this hour, a direct breakthrough of the gangway is impossible for the two of us.”

Claire agreed. He shared the plan he had been forming throughout the day.

“I think so too. We’ll have to jump from the deck into the sea.”

“Right, that’s the only way. How far is it to land?”

“It’s about three miles to reach the cape.”

“Three miles of ocean swimming…” Henry’s face darkened. “Swimming in the sea is far harder than in a river. Claire, have you ever swum like that?”

Claire shook his head but added quickly, “But I’ve hidden some leather skins.”

“Leather skins?”

“Yes. The ones used for water. If we fill them with air, they’ll float.”

Henry’s expression brightened slightly. “That’s a brilliant idea. It would be a huge help.”

“It would. But there are still many problems. First, your body…” Claire lifted Henry’s limp arm and asked him to fold his fingers one by one. “How is it? Is the feeling coming back?”

“Slowly. But I don’t think I’ll be fully recovered today.”

Claire’s medical opinion was the same. “It’s better to hide and recover for a day or two before we go. We’ll only get one chance.”

“I agree, but I’m worried about when they’ll notice I’m missing.”

“Do they check the prisoner count often?”

“They haven’t. But you said they’re exchanging prisoners for ransom in Plymouth? If so, people will be coming and going frequently, and the checks will become regular.”

It was a logical deduction. Claire nodded and offered his next thought.

“If we wait until they start searching for you, it’ll be too late to hide. We have to be hidden already.”

“Right. Staying in your room is dangerous. But I can’t think of anywhere else that’s safe. There isn’t much extra space on a ship, and the pirates will know every nook and cranny.”

“Yes, likely so.”

“They’ll probably give up after a cursory search, I imagine. Still, we need to find a place where they won’t look.”

Claire had already thought of something. He spoke in a meaningful tone.

“There is exactly one place where they will never look.”

A glint of curiosity appeared in Henry’s eyes. Lowering his voice even further, Claire whispered his strategy.

It was the following afternoon when Henry’s disappearance was discovered.

It happened much sooner than Claire and Henry had anticipated. Furthermore, the pirates’ reaction was far beyond what they had expected.

They had assumed the loss of a single prisoner would be overlooked, but instead, the entire ship was thrown into a frenzy. Pirates returned to the vessel in droves, scouring every inch like a swarm of insects.

Claire was summoned, searched, and interrogated. Yet, by nightfall, they hadn’t found a single hair of Henry’s.

He thought they would eventually give up, given he was just one prisoner. But the next day, something happened that overturned Claire’s expectations once again.

Elpian returned to the fleet.

Late in the afternoon, while Claire was sitting in his dilapidated chair reading a medical text, his door was kicked open with tremendous force. Claire froze at the sight of Elpian stepping into the messy room.

“So, you ignored my warning after all.”

His voice was as cold as ice, but Claire didn’t back down.

“It has nothing to do with me. The deck is heavily guarded; how could I have possibly smuggled him out?”

Elpian strode forward and stood over Claire. Claire was startled to see a smile playing on the man’s lips.

“Were you feeling triumphant, thinking you had successfully hidden him?”

“I told you, I have nothing to do with—”

Before he could finish, Elpian grabbed him roughly, hauled him up, and slammed him against the wall. Claire glared back, stubborn.

“I really don’t know where he is.”

“I don’t care where that little rat is. You have quite the nerve to dare disregard my words.”

The corners of Elpian’s mouth were still tilted up, but his eyes were smoldering with rage. The coldness in his gaze was enough to freeze the blood in Claire’s veins. It was a level of intimidation that made movement—let alone resistance—impossible. He stroked Claire’s stiff cheek as he continued.

“Do you know something? This ship is the fastest in the world. Neither the finest man-of-war nor a galley rowed by a thousand slaves can catch her.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“I won’t even watch you. Go ahead, try to escape in Plymouth. But if you disappear, I will ensure you pay the price. No matter how fast you run, by the time you reach London, the only thing you will find is the corpses of your family.”

The green eyes, speaking so leisurely, held a light of boundless cruelty. This was a man who would truly do it. Watching Claire’s legs begin to tremble, Elpian laughed.

“There is nowhere you can run to escape the vengeance of a Capfrancis.”

After whispering that into Claire’s ear, Elpian stepped back. His strength failing him, Claire slid down the wall until he sat on the floor. Elpian gave him a command.

“Go to my room and wait.”

“…What?”

“If you had behaved, I would have taken a woman on land. But since you brought me back to the ship by hiding that fellow, I’ll have to use my substitute.”

Claire’s face turned to stone.

“I’ll follow shortly. You would do well not to defy me this time.”

Leaving those words behind, Elpian walked out, leaving Claire alone in the room.