Skulls, Bones and Flowers 8

Though she was bound and gagged, and facing a dire fate, the strains of the day, without anything but a few sips of water, had made Daisy doze off. However, she woke up when she heard some whispering and oppressed laughing, accompanied by a high-pitched mewing.

»Mhhmm?«

She rose, or rather tried to, as her bonds held her back. She then saw a dim light, and some figures moving right in front of her. It were three men, and they were busy ripping the pants off from Nyala who desperately tried to fight them off. Daisy moaned, but it only caused one of the men to draw a knife.

»You are next! But first, we wanna teach Little John a lesson about sharing the loot!«

They were drunk, but not too drunk to be capable of violence, and only the fact that they all wanted to be the first had prevented Nyala from suffering worse than getting stripped naked so far. Suddenly, there was a loud gasp, and then, there were the heavy steps of someone big approaching. It was Little John.

He threw himself upon two of the men, and since he was as strong as the two of them together, and since the shock of seeing his girl assaulted had sobered him up, it didn’t take him long to send both to the ground. Panting, he stood there, his fists clenched, only to see that the third pirate stood bent over Nyala, wielding his knife.

»No step further, or I’ll slit her-«

He never finished his sentence. To be able to remove Nyala’s pants, they had untied her ankles, thus allowing Daisy to bend her legs and to slam the stick tied to her feet against the man’s knees. He staggered, and before he could get up again, Little John was over him, knocking him unconscious.

»Uuhmmm! Mhhmm!«

With tears in her eyes, the naked Nyala moaned, and Little John bent over her, caressing her whilst untying her wrists. When she wanted to ungag herself, he stopped her, though.

»You mustn’t yell, Fleur!«

He did a pantomime by putting his index finger to his lips, and though the gesture looked a bit funny with his big prank, the girl nodded, and when he plucked the cloth from her mouth, she just sobbed, but responded to his kiss.

With a groan, one of the men came to his feet, and Little John jumped up and kicked his chin, so he landed on the planks again. Then, he just put the girl over his shoulder.

»We must hurry!«, he whispered, and though he wasn’t meant for sneaking, he managed to get away quickly. Daisy protested through her gag and pulled on her bonds, but obviously, Little John had decided that he had to leave some of the loot to his comrades.

»Mhrrrmmm! Hhhmmmph!«

Daisy was rather angry for his ungratefulness, but when she looked at the three unconscious men lying close to her, she knew that she had to get free before any of them recovered.

***

Though the raft had been loaded with barrels and boxes towed around its central mast, there was enough room for Nesrin and Lilly to sit down once they had climbed up, and the load even formed a barrier between them and the ship.

»For the moment, we are safe!«

However, they both knew that they could not rest for long. Daisy and Marguerite were still on the ship, and so was Sayana. Lilly looked at the ship of which she could only see the blurred silhouette.

»We also have to think of Sayana’s sister! After all, it will be Mission Impossible to save them anyway, if it’s three or four!«

Cuddled against each other, they held a short powwow about what to do – and where to start their mission in the first place.

»Daisy and Nyala might be stowed somewhere in the load, and I remember having read that on these old ships, fire was forbidden below deck, even among pirates! So, as long as they are drinking, they will be on deck!«

»Nerd!«, Lilly replied, though she admired Nesrin for being able to remember such facts. She guessed that once most of the pirates were wasted, it would be possible to get aboard and sneak below deck. However, none of them had an idea where Nesrin and Marguerite were stowed.

They looked despondently at the pirate ship that was so close that they, at least Nesrin, could even make out single people. Most seemed to be sitting, but a few still staggered around, singing and laughing. Then, Nesrin spotted something else.

»Look!«

She pulled Lilly back behind the box they had been leaning upon, and in a voice as low as possible, she whispered:

»A boat! Oh no, they are coming for us!«

It was the small dinghy Lilly, Daisy and Sayana had come with, and when once again the moon showed up, Nesrin could see that there was only one man at the oars. In the stern, she saw another figure cowering. To her surprise, the boat steered a course away from both the two ships and the raft they were on.

Before they could think of what that meant, there was a muffled sound coming from close to them, causing them to gasp and cuddle against each other. They looked around, and on a raft of just nine square yards, they could see immediately that nobody had suddenly approached from the water. And yet, the sound had been like one both had produced and heard before: the moaning of a gagged woman, though very faint.

Lilly got up, and she pointed at one of the barrels. Neither of them had noticed it before, but now, Lilly could see that whilst the other boxes and barrels were empty and open, this one had its lid closed and even nailed. Carefully, Lilly knocked on it, but there was no response from the inside. A strong odour told her that it had once contained rum, and it had a small opening plugged with a cork. When she pulled it out, Lilly could smell the rum even stronger. She peeked inside, but there was nothing but blackness – blackness and another, weaker scent.

»What the-«

The hole was too small to get more than two of her fingers inside, but when she did so, she felt something touch the tips of her fingers. A shiver ran down her spine.

»There’s someone inside the barrel!«

At that moment, they heard shouting, and then, the sound of the ship’s bell. Then, even Lilly could see the smoke and the flames coming from the ship’s load.

»Oh my God! Daisy!«

They stared at the ship where the men now tried their best to extinguish the fire. None of them noticed the figure jumping overboard and swimming over to the raft. So, both girls shrieked with fear as suddenly, a black shadow emerged from the water.

»You? Thanks God!«

It was Daisy, and they hugged once the girl had climbed out of the sea. Quickly, she told them what had happened: with her last powers, she had managed to rip off her gag and then to gnaw open her wrist bonds. With a knife of one of the pirates, she had then been able to remove her ankle bonds, too, but then, two of the pirates had recovered.

»I kicked one of them, and he landed on the lantern they brought with them! I then just ran, but well, you can see what happened!«

»Where’s Marguerite?«, Nesrin gasped, staring at the ship where now, the flames were lighting the darkness, and the men fighting the fire looked rather desperate. Nevertheless, she was about to jump overboard, in a helpless attempt to save her friend’s life, when Daisy held her back.

»If the fire reaches the gunpowder load, we will die!«

She seemed to look for something, and only now, Lilly could see the knife in her hand. Then, Daisy spotted the rope connecting the raft to the ship, and she frantically began sawing through it.

»Marguerite! No!«

Lilly slung her arms around Nesrin to stop her from jumping, and once she had cut the rope, Daisy helped her. Slowly, the little raft drifted away from the now burning ship, and when Nesrin’s cries became sobs, the two others still held her steady, but now more to offer her some solace than to keep her with them.

***

Bartholomew »Black Bart« Roberts was one of the most infamous pirates, but he was unusual in one condition: he hardly drank wine or rum, preferring tea, so he would not blur his senses. This had allowed him to quickly organize a hasty escape from the ship once they had seen that the ship could not be rescued.

Now, the two overcrowded yawls were approaching the »Royal Fortune«, and from the save distance, they watched the terrible bonfire of the ship in flames, accompanied by the cracking sound of exploding powder kegs.

»Fire below deck! Whoever was responsible to this, he should be flogged to death!«

Since the boat was loaded with men from both crews, there were also three pirates very close to Roberts who ducked on these words. Each of them showed some bruises, and they all hoped that nobody would ever figure out who had taken the lantern below deck.

On deck, both Roberts and his fellow Captain counted their men, and it turned out that no hand from the »Royal Fortune« was missing. He grinned at the report of his Quartermaster and stepped over to his colleague:

»No losses here! How about your crew?«

»One man missing! Oh, and also some slave girls I had in the load!«

He still didn’t want to tell Roberts about the other girl, the daughter of the rich plantation owner. Without his ship, all he and his men could do was to become members of Roberts’ crew, and he himself could only hope that once they took a prize, he could become Captain of his own ship again. Roberts, who had not lost anything, slammed his hand on his shoulder.

»Such things happen, comrade! Even the famous Captain Morgan lost three ships due to bad seamanship!«

Roberts had more or less accused him of being a bad seaman, but the Captain just accepted it without protest. He saw one of his men cradling George and Anne in his arms, the two ship’s cats that had somehow survived the flames and managed to get aboard the yawls, too. Cats really had nine lives, and he still had his, though he now had little more.

The three culprits thought that some demon had chosen to be on their side: the only ones missing were the girls and Little John, so, nobody could accuse them of their carelessness. Silently, they stood by their comrades and watched as the ship slowly burned down.

***

Some half a mile away, Nyala stared at the orange spot at the horizon, and she wept, though the man beside her had his arm put around her and tried to console her. Little John only knew a few words in French, and Nyala spoke no English. Nevertheless, he understood that she was suffering because of her sister having most likely died.

»She was a witch! Forget about her!«

Perhaps, it was good the girl didn’t understand him, but Little John felt a slight relief. He had betrayed his comrades, and he hoped that the fire he hadn’t started hadn’t killed any of those he had liked. However, there was something stronger than loyalty, and so, though Nyala, or Fleur, as he still called her, didn’t listen, he continued to talk about their future:

»Before I went to sea, I was a blacksmith! I will find work, and then, we can start a life together! You’ll see, soon, you’ll be able to laugh again!«

And so, he talked and talked, as the dinghy slowly sailed towards one of the islands, and suddenly, Nyala turned towards him. The girl was still naked, except for a blanket, and she suddenly felt covered in the man’s strong arms. She gulped, and then, her lips formed a weak smile.

»Little John!«

»That’s what they call me!«, he responded, and when they kissed, he felt that he had found a way over the double barrier of different languages and the girl’s grief.

***

The waves made the raft drift away from the burning ship that now was just a bright spot on the horizon. Nesrin had slung her arms around her body and wept silently, and Lilly suddenly looked at the barrel. The barrel with the nailed lid, and when she had fingered through the small opening, there had been something soft.

She told Daisy, who also was more than exhausted, about her discovery, and she also felt through the hole.

»Feels like skin!«

She pressed her ear to the opening, and then, she frowned.

»Someone’s breathing inside this thing!«

With the help of the knife, she managed to remove the nails one by one. Lilly tried to help, and after a while, Nesrin also joined their work. After some hour, they could finally remove the lid.

»Oh my God!«

They stared on a pair of knees, and when they pulled the girl out, they recognized it was a white woman.

»Marguerite! Oh my God, Marguerite!«

The girl still was hogtied, and the cloth was still tied over her nose and mouth and tied off to her big toes. She didn’t move, but Nesrin, with tears running over her cheeks, felt for her neck.

»She’s alive!«

With trembling fingers, Nesrin pulled on the cloth whilst Daisy started to cut the ropes. Lilly had to withdraw to let them work on Marguerite’s bonds, and she looked into the barrel that still reeked of the rum it had contained.

»Wait a minute!«

She reached inside, and her fingers touched something. Something soft and warm. With a gasp, Lilly withdrew.

»There’s another one in there!«

Only Daisy reacted, as Nesrin was busy getting a wad of cloth from Marguerite’s mouth. The blonde lay there, freed from her bonds and breathing, but still unconscious. Whilst Nesrin bent over her, kissing Marguerite and trying to wake her up, Daisy approached Lilly, and they both reached into the barrel.

»What the hell is this?«

They could somehow only feel hips and thighs, and when Daisy could grab a rope, she pulled, and slowly, a heavy bundle appeared. They managed to get the woman out of the barrel, and now, they could see two things: it was Sayana – and the rope Daisy had used to pull her out had been tied through the Black’s crotch.

»Eww!«

It wasn’t only a comment to having touched the other’s womanhood, but also to her bondage. It seemed that the pirates had wanted to make extra sure she wouldn’t be able to work any witchcraft again.

Sayana’s legs were bent and tied not only ankle to thigh, but wrapped with more ropes to force them into that position. Her knees were also tied to a stick behind her neck to which also a rope around her throat was knotted. Her head was covered with a burlap sack, and a rope, so tight it almost disappeared in her flesh, encircled her waist and then went between her legs, where it had been pulled deep between her labia.

»Is she-«, Daisy began, but Lilly had bent over her and could see that her chest heaved, albeit weakly. She could smell the rum, and she was sure that Sayana would have fainted inside the barrel even without the hood and gag.

When looking for her arms, they saw more cruelties: the Black’s arms had been twisted, so that her wrists could be tied to the stick at her nape. Her fingers pointed upwards, and Lilly saw that not only her thumbs, but also her other fingers had been tied with thin rope. Her elbows were tied together and pulled down by a rope bisecting her buttocks. With a shudder, Lilly realized that this was also Sayana’s crotch rope.

Daisy, who had recovered from the horror a bit, cut this rope, and a shudder went through the Black’s body, though she didn’t wake up.

»This time, we will have you freed a little sooner!«

She cut the ropes, trying to work as quick as being careful allowed her, and once she had removed the rope around her neck, Lilly opened the sack and pulled it from her head. As she had expected, Sayana was not only heavily gagged, but also blindfolded. A cloth had been tied over her eyes, another one over her mouth, and both had been secured with ropes. Daisy cut the latter, but to not hurt Sayana, Lilly then undid the two cloths with her hands. Two clumps of cloth fell from the Black’s eyes, and under her gag was another cloth with a knot in it. It cut into her cheeks, but couldn’t hide that her mouth had been stuffed to its fullest extent.

They could hear a sigh of relief, as obviously, Marguerite, her head embedded in Nesrin’s lap, had regained her consciousness. Lilly untied the cloth and pulled it from Sayana’s mouth, only to reveal a thin cleave gag underneath. When this had been removed, too, she and Daisy could start pulling several rags from the still unconscious woman’s mouth. Some saliva ran down Sayana’s lips, and the girls turned her onto her side if she had to throw up. With nothing else she could do, Lilly soaked one of the gag cloths in the water and dabbed the Black’s forehead. And indeed, after a few minutes, Sayana finally opened her eyes.

»The second time within 24 hours we rescued you!«, Daisy said, »Now, you owe us a save trip back to our own time!«

Sayana blinked and then, she breathed, almost inaudible:

»Ny-, Ny-«

The others exchanged a worried look, and Lilly gulped:

»There – there was a fire-«

Sayana once again blinked. She tried to raise her head, but this was too much of an effort for the moment. However, when she had swallowed and licked her lips, she managed to breathe:

»She’s – alive! I-I can feel it!«

***

With neither sails nor oars, the girls had little choice than to follow the drift of the waves. Shortly before dawn, there had been a short rain shower that had allowed them to quench their thirst and refresh a little, though they still were hungry, and the raft offered little to nothing to help them in their predicament.

»Whoever will find us, he will sure get something in exchange!«

Only Daisy still had been wearing her panties during her escape, and Nesrin had put hers back on, though they were still damp with Marguerite’s saliva. Lilly had washed out hers in the sea, now regretting it, as she could feel they had become salty. Lilly shuddered from the mere thought of having them in her mouth, and she tried to ignore the fact when she looked at Marguerite.

Both the blonde and Sayana had tied pieces of rope around their waists and pulled cloths through it, as a kind of makeshift loincloth, but though the pirates had used copious amounts of rags to gag their victims, especially Sayana, none of the other cloths had been sufficient to improvise a bra.

At least, they could use the empty boxes and barrels as sun shields, and shortly after the sun had risen, they could see that the drift was getting them directly towards an island. When they came closer, Marguerite recognized it as Martinique.

»So, we will at least not perish on the Open Sea!«

Sayana had recovered from her latest predicament, but she still stared at the horizon, convinced that Nyala was somewhere out there. Lilly made a decision: it would be cruel to stoke Sayana’s hope if there was none, but if the Black still had a reason to live, she would perhaps help them getting back to the 21st century.

She sat down beside Sayana and put her arm around her.

»When we were on the raft, shortly before the fire broke out – there was a small boat leaving!«

As if they had to be reminded of that incident they had forgotten about during the inferno, Nesrin and Daisy now could add more details: Nesrin told that there had been two persons in the dinghy, and one of them had been a tall man. Daisy could add that Little John had freed Nyala shortly before she had managed to escape herself.

Sayana gulped.

»So, she’s maybe with some man who will-«

»He kissed her!«, Daisy said, »And he definitely didn’t just want her body! If so, he could have just joined his – comrades!«

She spat out at the memory, and Sayana just nodded sadly.

»I can only feel she’s still alive! However, my powers are weakened!«

She scoffed.

»These bastards know nothing about witchcraft – and yet, they know how to keep me from using it!«

The Black rubbed her wrists, where she still had marks from her tight bondage. All of them had suffered, but Sayana had been tied up in positions that made their predicaments seem picnic in comparison – twice. However, this was not the time to pity themselves:

»The – spell you used to get us here – how hard has it been to do that? I mean, could we help you in any way?«

Sayana shook her head, as if she had to shake off the thought of her little sister who perhaps was with a man who took care of her, perhaps not. Then, she answered:

»It’s not only my powers – it also requires a potion! And on this raft, I only have one of the things I need to brew it!«

»Sea water?«, Lilly asked, and with the glimpse of a smile, Sayana replied:

»Three drops of a virgin’s blood!«

»Oh, you have to ask Nesrin for that!«, Lilly giggled a bit hysterically. Nesrin blushed, and Marguerite stared at Lilly.

»You- You are not-«

Lilly smiled insecurely, only now realizing that such a confession was a great thing for a girl of Marguerite’s time and social status. She shrugged.

»Some things are different in our time!«

»Some are much better«, Daisy added. She had noticed that since she had been able to talk again, Marguerite had not spoken to her or Sayana. In Marguerite’s eyes, they still were slaves. The worst part was that Daisy could not even blame her for that.

»Your time must be fascinating«, Marguerite said towards Nesrin who still sat beside her, holding her hand. The Persian gulped. More and more she realized that going back to the 21st century would mean leaving Marguerite behind.

»What shall we do when we have reached the shore?«, she asked, dodging Marguerite’s remark. Martinique was now less than a mile away, and they could see a small beach that would have been lovely had they come to just bathe and chill. She reflexively crossed her arms in front of her breasts.

»No matter which century, I would like to put on some clothes before we get on!«

Marguerite looked at the beach.

»We aren’t far from our plantation! So, how about Nesrin and me getting there, pretending we managed to escape from the pirates?«

She further developed her plan of sneaking into the mansion and get some clothes before they would show themselves to her father. Lilly frowned.

»What about us others?«

»Well, I think I can get a dress for you, too – but you would have to hide, at least until it is dark!«

Again, she only spoke to Lilly, and Daisy wanted to protest, but Sayana grabbed her arm.

»We will hide at my hut in the slave quarters! The others won’t dare to betray me!«

It was a glimpse of the old self-confident sorceress, and Daisy had to admit that it sounded like a reasonable plan. Once they had managed to sneak in and to put on some clothes, they could hide in plain sight.

»If you want me to help you with the potion – my Grandma always says I am a terrible cook! Also, I am no virgin either!«

Sayana raised an eyebrow, and they concentrated on the next task: the beach was protected by a small reef, and though the waves weren’t big, it was clear that the raft wouldn’t make it over the rocks, and that they would have to swim the last 150 or so yards. It wasn’t a big thing – except for Marguerite who couldn’t swim.

Daisy swallowed a remark about that and instead, she offered:

»I did a lifeguard training! After all, I am working for the coast guard!«

This two sentences contained a little too much unknown facts for the already nervous Marguerite, but Nesrin explained to her that Daisy would get her ashore safely. Marguerite seemed concerned.

»C-can’t you d-do it?«

Nesrin took her hands.

»I would like to – but Daisy sure is the better swimmer!«

She bent forward and kissed Marguerite’s lips.

»You are save in her hands!«

»And if she drowns, her father will have me whipped!«, Daisy thought, but again, she oppressed her remark and got into the water instead. Then, she told Marguerite to sit with her back to the edge. To Nesrin, she said:

»Now, take her hands and lower her down! I will take her in a transport grip, and we will soon see at the shore!«

Nesrin did as she was told, and Marguerite trembled. Then, she gasped as Daisy slung her arms around her upper body from behind, so Marguerite’s head was embedded on her chest and even if she would panic, Daisy still could move.

»P-please, d-d-don’t l-let me g-go!«, Marguerite stammered as Daisy slowly approached the shore. Daisy could feel how she trembled and fought down her fear, and she felt a little pity for the girl. However, she whispered:

»Good for you I am not one of your slaves!«

»Hm?«

»I mean, they could be a bit – vengeful!«, Daisy replied and let Marguerite go. With a scream, the girl waved her arms, and it took her a few seconds to realize that they already had reached shallow water and she could easily stand.

»That’s for never looking into my eyes when we spoke!«

Marguerite stared at her with her mouth open; then, she left the water and approached the others who had already gathered under a palm. Sayana looked at the rising sun and said:

»Now, most of the women are working in the house or at the gardens! If we are careful, we can make it to my hut unseen!«

Daisy hugged Lilly and Nesrin, and then, she and Sayana disappeared between the bushes. They had agreed that they would try to meet in the night, when all would be asleep, at the mill, though Sayana had not liked going back to the place of her ordeal.

»And if she manages to prepare the potion, you will – return to your time? I mean, forever?«, Marguerite addressed the elephant in the room. Again, she dodged the answer:

»First of all, we must try to get some clothes for us and Lilly – or your father will think that we fell among a bunch of pirates!«

Marguerite smiled wryly, and the three girls approached the bushes to follow a side path to the mansion when they could suddenly hear a snort, accompanied by some metallic clinking.

»A horse!«, Nesrin gasped, and suddenly, a rider appeared at the beach. Lilly desperately tried to hide behind a tree, but now, there were more people approaching, and they quickly gathered the girls at the beach.

There were five men altogether, one on the back of a horse, and four on foot. The walkers all had long muskets and cutlasses, whilst the rider held a pistol in his right. He looked down at the three almost naked girls that stood close, each with her arms crossed in front of her chest. A grin appeared on his face, and Nesrin shrieked when she recognized it was Alceste, the Comte’s right hand.

»Well, what have we got here?«

With as much dignity as she could show whilst only wearing a loincloth, marguerite raised her head and spoke to the man:

»Alceste, thanks to God, we managed to escape from the pirates, and we-«

She fell silent when she noticed that the man still held the pistol pointed at her, and that his grin had become even wider. The expression in his eyes, however, made her shiver.

***