Raised By Wolves Volume four- Wolves (61 page)

stiffly stood to relieve myself on the rocks. He blinked sleepily, seemed confused for a moment as to my identity, and then cursed and rolled onto his back to slip a hand in his breeches and relieve himself in another manner. I ignored him and clambered back up onto the ridge we had beenclimbing.

Even though we had not achieved the summit, the view was excellent, and I quickly decided we need climb no higher. The stormhad blown the haze away, and I could see for leagues in every direction. It was dizzying, and I found myself squatting: as if I feared falling off the mountain, even though there was no precipitous cliff in any direction. If I had fallen over, the most I would have dropped was five feet or so offthe rock I sat atop.

The ridge we had climbed was indeed the northernmost edge of a short, mountainous peninsula that ran southwest to northeast. To the south and east, the land dipped in to form a vee before jutting back out to the east in another high and rocky sweep of forested mountain. I could not know what lie beyond that easternmost point. It could be the tip of another peninsula, or simplya place where the land turned south. It could evenbe a trick of the eye concealing the way the land dipped away to the south—perhaps just long enough to hide its further eastern sprawlfrommysight.

I was not here to gauge what could not be known from this vantage, though: I was here to see what could actually be seen. I looked to the west ofthe peninsula I stood uponand saw I could just perceive where the land turned west. It had taken us most of a day to sail from there to where our boat was now— somewhere below me. Using that distance, I could judge the

When Pete joined me, I pointed to what I had found. “We should be able to sail a large box around themand this bay here to the east. If we use the northern star and sail due west at night for half a night, then turn north and sail until dawn, and then turn east and sail into the sun sets, and then turn south and sail throughout the night, we should be somewhere near that point to the southeast.”

He sniffed and nodded. “IfTheWindHoldsTheSame. IfThereBeNo Storms. ItBeNearin’ThatSeasonNow.”
“Aye,” I sighed. “We will have to trust in Cudro to adjust our course if we encounter fickle winds or weather. We can at least get around the Spaniards and into this bay within a night and a dayifit comes to that.”
“YaThinkCudro’sAnyGood?” Pete asked without sarcasm.
I shrugged. I had been worrying along those lines, but I would not surrender to it. “He is not the Bard to be sure, but he has performed as an adequate captain… When he has had charts, and instruments, and a pilot, and…”I sighed.
“ThatBeTrue,” Pete sighed. “The BardWouldBe Cursin’EveryMoment ’Cause’EWouldn’t KnowWhereWeBeEither.”
“Or maybe he is very familiar with this side of Hispaniola and he would find our consternation at the changing shoreline amusingor pitiable.”
Pete grunted, and slid his musket across his shoulders withhis hands grippingbothends, so that he appeared rather like Christ on the Cross as he surveyed the sea and mountains Christ on the Cross as he surveyed the sea and mountains around us.
“DoYaThinkChris CouldBeGentledDown?”he asked.
“What?” I had been considering our best course down the mountain and I was as confounded by the change of topic as I was bythe actualquestion.
He sighed as if he had expected my response and yet was still disappointed by it. “IBeenThinkin’YaAllWereRight. Chris’llNeedAMatelot WhenWeReachCowIsland. ItBeBetterIffn’ItWereOneO’Us.”
“Aye. So are you planning on aiding the matter by pretendingto be his matelot?”
“IBeThinkin’OnMore ThanPretendin’. I’mTiredO’Goin’Without. ItKeepsUp, YurMatelot’llBeAt MyThroat’CauseI’llHaveDoneSomethin’ Stupid.”
“Withme? To Me? Toward me?”MyHorse was glaring at him with concern and annoyance. How dare he assume I would…
anything
? And how could I stop him if he went mad and attempted it anyway?
He gave a great resigned sigh and looked away as if he could hear mythoughts and theybrought himguilt.
That worried me even more. “Pete, I love you like a brother, but
I
willkillyou it that occurs. Gaston is in no condition to fight you. As much as I respect and admire you, I will not submit to any attempts at philandering. I have had enough of that inmylife.”
“WellIWouldna’ForceYa,”he said witha pout.
“Oh for the Gods’… Pete, if not for Gaston, you would only need look at me and I would have my ankles about my only need look at me and I would have my ankles about my

“Truly, you great arse.” I slung my musket across my back and beganto climb down.
I did not think he would become so deranged as to attack me; but sadly, the fear was there. I was amazed myHorse did not tremble inanticipationofsuchanevent. I supposed much had changed since Thorp and my healing from that. Still, I did not know what I would do or how I would feel if Pete actually came at me with a hard cock and harder hunger in his blue eyes. That image tweaked some string in my soul: it was still not one connected to mycock, though; but rather to myfeet and myurge to flee.
Yet, what I had told him was true: if not for Gaston, I would have welcomed him.
We truly needed to get Pete laid. Apparently strenuous exercise and untenable circumstances were not enough to assuage his Horse. Could Chris be convinced to accept him?
“IBeSerious’BoutChris,” Pete said when we stopped to rest a few hundred feet downthe slope.
“Good,” I said with no sarcasm. “I feel you are correct, you need to be laid,
often
. I, however, do not know how
she
will respond to the actuality of being a matelot—yours or anyone’s. Her one experience with a man was less than pleasant

“As I understand it, she attempted to seduce himand he responded by striking her enough to stun her and forcibly taking responded by striking her enough to stun her and forcibly taking what he would.”

Pete sighed. “SoItBeSlowThen.”
I sighed. “Aye. And kind, Pete, verykind.”
“ICanBeGentle,” he said with annoyance.

I supposed he had been. Still… “It took Gaston a long time to gentle me down, and I wanted him. You will have to court her suchthat she wants you, and thengentle her downsuch that she wants your cock.”

He sighed, appeared annoyed, and finally shrugged. “ItBeSomethin’TaDo.”
He started walking again and I followed him into the brush. I was not sure if I should warn Chris. By the time we were halfway down the mountain, I had resolved I would not meddle. By the time we reached the promontory above the bay the Spaniards waited in, I was too damn tired to care what he did withher or how she felt about it.
We found our friends and myloved one as the sunbegan to sink in the west. I caught a brief second wind at the sight and feel of Gaston. Pete did not, and he collapsed on the beach to sleep as soon as he found a shady hollow. With an act of will, I remained coherent enough to sketch what we had seen in the sand and explain about the large box to circumnavigate the Spaniards and the bay on the other side of the peninsula. Cudro asked me a number of questions, and I answered themas best I could. He seemed worried about the concerns Pete had voiced this morning, mainlystorms. I could not help himwiththat.
Finally, I left themto prepare to depart after the sun set, and I crawled into the temporary shelter Gaston had fashioned and slept for a short while. All too soon, my matelot roused me in the gathering darkness and prodded me into the boat. Thankfully, no one asked me to help push it to sea or expected Pete or me to do muchofanything.
Thus I slept as we rounded the Spaniards’ position and only woke with the rising of the sun, to find myself entangled in Gaston’s sleeping arms with a welcome member prodding my backside. I recalled all I must tell my man, but it would have to wait. Ash was at the tiller, and now that it was light he was rousingeveryone so that we could check our positionsuchas we were able. I made a prayer to the Gods, stood, and looked about. We were sailing into the sun, and to the southeast I saw a smudge ofland across the horizon. I sighed withgreat relief.
“That should be the point of land with the Spaniards,” I said and pointed.
“Aye,” Cudro boomed happily. “The wind has held steady and your navigation has proved true.” He sobered and sighed. “We’llsee what the afternoonbrings.”
“Well, if we can get east of that point by noon, we can always turnsouthifwe see clouds,”I said.
All agreed, Gaston relieved Ash at the tiller, and we all shared a little fruit. Pete and I had no wish to exercise this morn, and Ash refused to do anything but sleep, complaining he had spent the night keeping Cudro company and then took the last watch. He crawled toward the bow and curled up. His matelot joined him and they cuddled companionably. To my surprise, Chris dutifully began exercising without further prompting. Pete, ofcourse, beganto harangue himcongenially.
I was thankfully left relatively alone with Gaston in the stern. I told him of my conversation with Pete. I saw my man’s Horse come and go inwaves offrowns and glaring.
The GoldenOne was not blind.
“What?” he demanded quietly as he came to join us in the stern. His demeanor was one of worry mixed with an unhealthydollop ofdefensiveness.
“Do not ever look at Willagain,”Gastongrowled so that onlythe three ofus could hear him.
I cringed as Pete’s face hardened at myman’s tone; then the Golden One capitulated and appeared quite the chastened youth. “IBeSorry, Gaston,” he said as quietly as my matelot had spoken. “IJustBeLonely. IWouldNe’erDoThatToYa.”
My Horse heard a thing He did not like and my anger flared. I barely managed to keep my voice low. “Wait. Wait. As if you could. I am not some wanton tart in a tavern.” Both men flinched at my tone: I pressed on. “I do not need my man laying edicts on me, and as for you,” I told Pete, “if you ever seek to lay a hand on me, I will kill you—or die trying. If your mighty cock so rules you, then it had best listen well and know it will onlyhave mydead body.”
Pete crumpled to sit with his back against the gunwale and his face fullofpain.
“Will?”Gastonqueried.
I turned to find his Horse had fled before my sudden anger. I could see Himstanding well back and watching me with wide eyes. I shook myhead helplesslyand fought tears.
Gaston kissed my cheek and then clapped Pete’s shoulder and said, “Will carries a great wound: he does not like anyone to poke fingers init.”
Pete sighed and nodded. “IKnow. IWereBein’AFool.” He met my gaze earnestly. “I be sorry,”he said distinctly. “Truly, Will. ItJustBe… IActLikeAnArse. ItBeAThingILearnt WhenIWereYoung. ItKeptMeFrom Gettin’Wounded AsYou’veBeen… An’InOtherWays.” He shrugged. “Now IMissMyMan.”
His words truly finished placating my irrational anger. I smiled weakly. “I forgive you. I cannot imagine how I would behave if I thought I might lose Gaston to… some
ambition
of his.”
That was a lie: I did know: I had gone slowly mad when I thought I might lose him to Chris and marriage and his title. Pete was going slowly mad. In that light, I felt great empathy for him.
Pete grimaced and nodded sadly. “ItNa’Be
Might
. ’EBeGone.”
“Oh Pete, I am sorry,” I said. I could hold the tears at bayno longer.
He was as close to tears as I had ever seen him. “Nay, nay,” he said with a sigh. “INeedTaLetItGo. ’E’llMakeSomeTalkO’ UsBein’Tagether WhenWeReturn, But… It’llNe’erBeLikeItWere: AforeSarah: Afore’IsArm: AforeMorgan. ThingsChange. WeJustDon’LikeItNone.”
I glanced forward and found Chris watching Pete with sympathy. I grimaced: I was not sure when we had begun to speak loudlyenoughfor himto hear.
“INe’erThoughtThere’d ComeADayWhenAGirl WouldBeMyOnlyOption,”Pete whispered and sighed.
“As for that,” Gaston whispered. “
He
is my…
cousin
.” He shrugged.
Pete frowned and studied him. “DoesThatMeanNay, OrDoesItMeanGoSlow?”
Gaston sighed. “Go very slow, please.
He
is wounded bymyhand:I willnot let another harmhim.”
The Golden One scratched his head and appeared thoughtful. “Aye,” he said at last. “IWillBeKind. IFeelHellBent OnBein’AnArse, ButThatBe ’OwItStartedWithStriker, An’Look’Ow ThatTurnedOut.”
“As many poets have noted,” I said, “love is the greatest prize ofall, but it is a thing we must expose our underbellies to in order to experience its beauty. It oftenhurts.”
I expected him to ask what love had to do with it, but instead he asked, “DoYaThinkPoets BeFoolsOrWiseMen?” I grinned. “It is hard to say, I feel most like to string pretty words together in order to gain another’s bed; or because they have been too long in the bottom of a bottle; but on occasion, one of them stumbles upon and records a great truth that speaks to allmen.”
He chuckled in a sad way. I fancied it was the sound a man makes when he realizes he has come to the end of the rope he was using to climb down from a great height, and he realizes he must drop the finaldistance.
He crawled forward toward Chris.

She
snorted and crossed her arms while considering him speculatively. Then she leaned forward and asked him some quiet question I could not hear above the wind. And then I saw him quite clearly decide not to be an arse. He leaned forward and answered her with apparent sincerity and a thoughtful mien. She listened, and moved to sit beside him so that they could converse withtheir heads together and the rest ofus deafto their words.

I looked to my matelot and found him smiling at me. “Change is not always bad,”he said quietly.
“As longas it does not involve losingyou,”I replied.
“That would not be change: that would be the end of life.”
“Deathis change,”I said sadly.
He smiled and urged me to join him on the stern bench. Once I was there, he wrapped his armaround me. I found great comfort inhis solidityinthe wind.
The sun was directly overhead, and we were nearly due north of the point the Spaniards occupied when we saw the grey smudge of a stormemerge fromthe haze of the eastern horizon. It was coming in fast, carried on winds that had begun to push the sea into swells—which we now climbed up and down. We had already turned to the southeast to angle our way a little closer to the shore. Now Cudro turned us to take the wind across our beam and we clung to the windward gunwale, trying to keep our weight on the rising side ofthe boat as our little craft heeled over and scooped water over her leeward rail. My balls