Sail With Me (A Discovery Series Book) (25 page)

We may need to do something drastic here,
Tizoc said.

Drastic? What do you—

“What are you two doing?” Salazar barked in my face. He was close enough
that his hot breath shot through the openings in my helmet. He stayed a moment
longer, his lips a hard line below his dark mustache. Studying me, he glanced
suspiciously at Tizoc then shifted his eyes back to me. In a movement I wasn’t
expecting, Salazar shoved me to the ground.

I fell back in what seemed like slow motion. When I hit the ground, an
immense pain shot up my back and the stone floor dug into my palms. My helmet
flew off my head and bounced to the paved floor beneath my body. Murmurs of
surprise and interest sifted among the Spaniards as my hair tumbled out around
me. Shafts of sunshine that spilled into the palace illuminated my face.

“Female warriors?” Salazar guffawed, amused at the notion. He reached
down and jerked me to my feet.

“Don’t touch me.” I struggled in Salazar’s grip.

Caressing my cheek with his dirt-stained fingers, Salazar sneered at me.
“And English females at that?”

Tizoc rushed forward and three of Salazar’s men restrained him by
grabbing his arms.

“Steady there, brute,” Salazar hissed. “We make the moves. You follow our
wishes.” After Malina translated unnecessarily, he gestured to his men holding
Tizoc, and they pushed him to his knees. “That’s better. I am a god after all.
Your emperor has recognized me as such.” Laughter, boastful and malicious,
erupted from the Spaniards.

“Now you… ” he continued, looking closely at me. “You I may have a use
for.”

More laughter. He pushed me into the arms of one of his men that gripped
my biceps tightly. I glanced to my bow and arrows still on the ground where I
had fallen. I was without weapons, without Daniel.

After all the planning and preparations, Salazar was winning.      

With an explosive sound that ripped through the palace, one of the
Spanish cannons thundered outside. My thoughts went to Daniel. If only I could link
my mind with his as I could to Tizoc’s. Sounds of pandemonium erupted in the
courtyard before Dimazuno’s palace, and those of us inside could only imagine
the scene. Pounding footsteps, screams of shock—or pain—echoed from outside.

“That scared them off.” Salazar grinned again with the lips of a snake.
Turning to Dimazuno still under guard, he said, “Thank you for your generous welcome,
but where I come from, a true king would never find himself in this
predicament. Your services will no longer be needed.”

Salazar nodded to his men and they dragged the Sunal emperor down the
shadowy corridor leading to the catacombs below the palace proper. Before they
disappeared out of sight, a shot vibrated through the hall and Dimazuno fell to
the ground.

He did not get back up. 

The Sunal warriors around me all dropped to a knee in reverence to their
fallen leader. Tears stained the cheeks of many of them. I tried to shrug free
of the Spaniard restraining me, but his grip was like iron shackles. My
movements caught the attention of Salazar.

“Let her free,” he said. “You’ve got some spirit in you, don’t you?”

I was tossed forward, this time falling on my hands and knees before
Salazar’s booted feet. Tizoc struggled at his restrainers only to get a swift
kick in the spine. He didn’t cry out or flinch, but his golden eyes were on me,
as they had been when we first met.

He killed the emperor, and he’s hurt you. Salazar must die.
His
thoughts cut into my head, hot and fast.

He hasn’t hurt me.

He will. I will not allow it, Cihuapilli. He will not touch you.

No, he won’t but as you said, let’s not make trouble until it is time
to. It’s not only our lives on the line here. It is all of Ezenoch that we
fight for, Tizoc. We must remember that.

I raised my head, and when my eyes met Tizoc’s, I was mesmerized by the
color of them. Their unusual amber hue had been replaced by an almost glowing
yellow, reminiscent of the sun itself. I shook my head, unsure if the sunlight
in the palace was playing tricks or…

“His eyes, sir!” one of Salazar’s men sputtered, pointing a gun in
Tizoc’s direction.

“He’s cursed,” another one added, stepping back.

“Bewitched,” a third said.

“Nonsense!” Salazar rested his own fingers on his pistol as he spoke.
“We’ve got to focus men. This city is ripe with gold, and we’re destined to
have it in the name of Spain!”

This declaration took the focus off Tizoc for a moment as a cheer rose up
from the men. When I looked back to Tizoc, his eyes had returned to their
regular color, but he was different somehow. Wilder. Fiercer.

“Post a complement of armed guards around the perimeter of the palace,”
Salazar ordered. “Clear these
warriors
—if that’s what we can call them—out
of here. Take their weapons first.” Stopping in front of Tizoc, he motioned
with his hands, and the Spaniards around Tizoc hoisted him to his feet.

“Get this one out of my sight.” Flipping his pistol so he held the barrel
in his hand, Salazar slammed it into Tizoc’s temple. The crack that sounded
made me sick as did the limp loll of Tizoc’s head.  

He was hauled off in the direction of where Dimazuno had been taken, and
I thought they were going to kill him too. I scrambled after Tizoc, but Salazar
stepped in my path.

“No, no,” he hummed. “You’re coming with me.”

My throat tightened as Tizoc faded into the darkness of the palace
corridor. The other warriors had been led out, sandwiched between two groups of
Spaniards. I was alone with Salazar and a handful of his men.

Tizoc was still present in my mind, but he was weak. I focused on him but
was interrupted by Salazar again trailing a hand down my cheek. My skin crawled
under his touch.

“How does a female of such high breeding end up living amongst animals?”
Salazar asked.

“The same way an animal ends up invading a culture of such high breeding,”
I said, unable to contain my fury and disgust any longer.

“You think
me
an animal when you’ve chosen to fight with savages?”
Salazar laughed in my face. “They’ve put a spell on you, my dear. It shall be
my honor to save you.”

“You’re the one who will need saving,” I said with more confidence than I
felt.

“We shall see.” Laughing, he spun away from me on his heel, gesturing to
one of his men. I was pulled by an iron grip and maneuvered forward behind
Salazar. I tried to catch a glimpse outside the palace as I passed. Tried to
see where Daniel was, but the courtyard was virtually empty aside from the
Spaniards posted out there.

My heart sank.

I hoped Citlali and Yaoti had hidden in the chamber. I hoped Tizoc’s
sisters and their mates were safe. I hoped Tizoc would not be harmed further
wherever they had taken him. I hoped Daniel was not hurt. I hoped.

Hope was all I had.

****

The Spaniards proceeded to inspect every corner of the emperor’s palace.
They left nothing unturned, searching high and low for anything of value, then
carting it away.

“We’ll bleed this city dry.” Salazar fingered a golden bowl full of water
in one of the rooms. He dumped the contents to the floor and tossed the bowl to
one of his men. The rest of the Spaniards mumbled in greed as they filled sacks
with Sunal baubles.  

I was led behind Salazar as he walked into the largest chamber in the
palace, Dimazuno’s private quarters. Squirm as I may, the Spaniard who held me
did not relent in his powerful command of my arms.

“A room fit for a king. Former king, that is.” Salazar ran his palm over
the lush fabric covering an ornately designed bed in the center of the room. He
shot me a sideways glance, causing a wave of nausea to roll over me. Sitting on
the end of the bed, he studied me. With a nod from Salazar, the grip around my
biceps fell away. A simple wave of his hand had his men clearing out of the
room.

It felt as if all the air in the chamber had been sucked out somehow. I
fought to keep my eyes on Salazar for I did not want to give him the
satisfaction of thinking he intimidated me. His eyes were rodent-like, a
perfect match to his serpent’s smile.

As he slid off the bed, I stood my ground. Every instinct in my body told
me to run. He smelled of sweat and horse, not at all like the citrusy smell of
the Sunal men or the sea-air fragrance of the crew aboard the
Rose
. I
swallowed, my throat straining as he studied me further.

“You are a beautiful one, aren’t you?” Salazar coiled a finger around
some of my hair. “What are you doing here, my lovely girl?”

“Enjoying paradise until the unwelcome arrival of you and your men.”

“Unwelcome?” Salazar said, his voice rising up. “Their emperor extended
his welcome to me. Invited me here. Has given me lush gifts.” He fingered the
gold chains and flowers still slung around his neck. “I hardly feel unwelcome.
They consider me a god, but you… you know better, don’t you. You know I am but
a man. A man who has needs.”

He stepped closer upon saying that and ran his thumb over my lips. My
stomach did a sickly flip-flop at the contact, and Tizoc’s voice roared in my
head.

Charlie! Don’t let him touch you. Don’t let him…

He will get nothing from me,
I said.

He lusts not only for gold. He will take anything he wants.

Not from me he won’t,
I thought back calmly.
Are you all right?

I was impressed with my ability to simultaneously keep a wary eye on
Salazar as he traced a finger along my jaw and maintain the mental link with
Tizoc. The link showed me the dank cell Tizoc had been thrown into below the
palace.

My head is foggy,
he thought weakly.

Is your family all right?

Yes. I have linked with them all, and they are safe. Have you heard
from Daniel?

No.

Be careful.

And Tizoc was gone. I refocused on Salazar who was still inspecting my
face, a sneer oozing beneath his moustache as he licked his dry lips.

“I have been without the company of a European woman for too long. Much too
long,” he whispered. “It is not only gold that I seek. I will be a rich man
when I leave this city in shambles. You could have whatever you desire if—”

“I have what I desire. More actually.” I feigned interest in one of the
feathers on my vest.

“I think you are settling, my dear. A life among savages is no place for
a woman like you.”

“The only thing out of place here is you.”

“Such a sharp tongue on one so fair,” Salazar chided. “You have been here
too long. Forgotten your English courtesy. Fortunately for you, I plan to rid
the area of these barbarians and claim the land for Spain. It is in need of a
competent, powerful monarch. It will be full of civilized colonies.”

I was about to exchange another barb—cripes, they were coming so readily—when
another Spaniard charged in. Salazar scowled at the man’s intrusion but stepped
toward him. They spoke in hushed tones so I could not hear, and my mind raced
for what my next move should be. I had to get to Tizoc. Get us out before
anyone else got killed. Find Daniel.  

“Well, bring him in then,” Salazar said. He turned to me. “Seems a small
party of warriors did not listen when they were called off. We’ll have to make
an example of them. Can’t have the brutes raging against us. It would simply
ruin my plans.”

He came closer to me again and resumed his examination. “Your eyes, my
dear. They are like the sweet Mediterranean. I so miss home.” He laughed to
himself. It was a grating sound, not at all jovial or warm.

I stood before him, aloof, with my hands folded across my chest. My calm
was beginning to annoy him, which was the only plan I had cemented in my mind.
A jump out any window would leave Tizoc in Spanish custody. A scream would only
bring more Spaniards into the room. An assault on Salazar would hurt him, but
there would still be his men to contend with. I couldn’t take them all on at
once.

As my mind calculated and recalculated every escape angle, the shuffle of
booted steps approached then stopped in the doorway of the room. When my gaze
shifted to that doorway, my heart missed several beats.

Dragging between two of Salazar’s men, blood trailing down the side of
his face and along his left leg, was Daniel.

My Daniel.

“Oh, God!” I choked, rushing to his side. “Daniel. Can you hear me?”

His head flopped about his shoulders as the Spaniards held him limply
between them. 

“Let go of him!” I screamed at them. When they didn’t make a move to heed
my demand, I glared back to Salazar. “I’ll do whatever you want. Tell them to
release him now.”

He motioned with his chin, and they let Daniel drop to the stone floor
with a thud. I slid my arms underneath his head, cradling it in my lap. Pushing
his hair back away from his face, I inspected the gouge glistening blood at his
temple. I ripped my feathered vest off and tore a piece of fabric from my shirt
underneath. Bunching it up, I pressed it gently to Daniel’s head, and he
moaned.

“Daniel,” I said again, touching my other hand to his cheek.

His eyes fluttered open before settling on mine. “Charlie…” he rasped as
he pulled his hand up to his temple. Touching my hand holding the fabric to his
wound, he winced and closed his eyes again. Bone showed through the wound in
his leg, and I was certain it was broken. As I moved to inspect his leg,
Daniel’s body stiffened. He heaved in a huge breath then went stone still in my
arms.

I waited for his chest to rise and fall again. Waited for him to take his
next breath. Waited for his eyes to open. Waited.

“No!” I yelled, shaking his lifeless body. “Don’t leave me, Daniel. No.”

Pain flooded through my body. Too much to bear. The room swirled. I
hugged Daniel’s head to my chest, great sobs sending tears pouring down my
cheeks. I shook with grief sharper than any sword blade.

I peered up at Salazar through a torrent of tears, my words almost buried
by the bawling. “You took him. You took him from me.” When would the world stop
taking people from me? First my mother. Now my Daniel. It was too much.

I lowered my head and pressed my lips to Daniel’s. “I love you, Daniel.”
I couldn’t imagine taking another breath without him.      

Cihuapilli.
I barely heard Tizoc’s call through the sorrow.

Charlie.
Louder this time.

He’s gone. They’ve killed him.
My head pounded. Blood pulsed
loudly in my ears.

No. He’s not gone yet. Calm down and you’ll feel it yourself. Energy
still rests in him.

He’s not moving. I don’t hear him breathing. Don’t feel his heartbeat.

We can bring him back, but you must focus. You must calm down and
focus.

I took in a deep breath, trying to believe what Tizoc said was true.

How?
I wiped my eyes with my sleeve and looked down at Daniel’s
still face. To have come this far with him, to have loved him this much, and to
lose him now… it hurt. Oh, God, it hurt.

Remove his vest and shirt. Put your hands on his chest, near his
heart.

I shifted Daniel’s head a bit on my lap and did as Tizoc instructed.

Now what?
My mind was fuzzy, and I struggled to clear it. To focus.

Think of all the things you love about Daniel. Everything. Every
detail. Leave nothing out and no matter what, don’t take your hands off him.
Understand?

Yes
.

A shudder worked its way through my body as I held my hands in place on
Daniel’s smooth, cool skin. I concentrated on the first time I had seen him
down on the beach in Southampton. His uncle had called him the
tall
boy.
I had developed a connection to him so easily, so quickly even though he hadn’t
wanted me around initially. The thought that I had lost him overwhelmed me.