It had already been hours since the nightfall and Ivy couldn’t sleep a wink. On the other side of the hut, Kamalu, Peh’s father, was snoring heavily. hE was a calm man, who, unlike her, didn’t seem like anything could make him nervous.

The news of the rescue had arrived that same day, as soon as she entered Pablo’s hut after a long session of training, and although Ivy was completely sure her sword-master knew about it much earlier, he kept the secret by himself.

The trick of switching with Peh had worked perfectly. When Ivy left Ria’s hut, who seemed to be happy that she was leaving, the two guards did not stop chatting and drinking wine to check on her and, in no time, she was hiding with Kamalu in the closest roof to the port road. Pablo had told her the guards took their job seriously during the first hours of the night shift, and was common to see the lights moving up and down the dirt roads time to time, but as the hours passed, half of the guards would lose their sense of responsibility and hid in remote corners to snooze or drink until morning.

After a light knock on the door, Kamalu jumped silently towards the window. He then took a bucket and fishing rod and motioned his head to order Ivy to open the door. Pablo was waiting for them outside, wrapped in a brown poncho. The night was cool, and Ivy greeted the breeze with chills. She searched for the blackboard, committed to ask Pablo at least one of the many questions she had in mind since the afternoon, but her mentor spoke to Kamalu before she could start. “Thanks for your help,” Pablo said.

“It’s no problem.” replied Peh’s father, in a voice as calm as his movements through the dock’s trek. “You free many. She free. We no sheep, Dom. We fight.”

Pablo sighed. “I hope there won’t be any fight tonight, my dear friend.”

Ivy‘s questions burned in her mouth. She had no clue of what was going on. Pablo held his secrets annoyingly tight. She was only told to be ready for anything, and despite that, the hearing of a fight caught her by surprise. A surprise that increased her nervousness.

Taking his time to get around each corner, Kamalu was walking in front, lighting the way with his oil lamp. At a suitable distance from them he was well visible from afar, purposely to put the eyes of any incoming patrol over him and not on the two slippery shadows walking behind. Kamalu used to go fish for squid often and shared many of his catches with the soldiers, so they let him wonder. As he arrived at the crossroad, Peh’s father studied the surroundings and motion a sign Ivy didn’t understand. Then, with no further words, put the overseer’s hand over his forehead and continued towards the docks.

Without the lantern, soon Ivy’s eyes adjusted to the darkness of a crescent moon night. The trail to the fortress was nothing more than a goat’s path surrounded by undergrowth that barely allowed a glimpse of the massive karst mountain covering half of the sky stars. Pablo was advancing nimbly; a remarkable feat for someone without the night vision she enjoyed. “Watch your step.” he whispered every time he stepped over a dry leaf or crashed a stick. She followed in complete silence, having given up any intention of asking anymore and, dedicating her thoughts to Perlisha and Cherie. The two little girls didn’t know anything about the escape and had said a goodbye until tomorrow. A saddening burden on Ivy’s heart she couldn’t get rid off.

Pablo ducked down and raised his hand, which returned Ivy to the tension of the dangerous moment she was deep in. Behind a bush, huddled as best they could, the two watched as the light from two torches made the path brighter and brighter. The two guards walked noisily and panting, without even lifting their eyes from the ground. Hurrying steps made it clear they were not where they wanted to be, and they wanted to reach as soon as possible to their hiding holes.

When the road darkened, Pablo tugged Ivy’s arm. “We’re lucky. That will be the only patrol around for hours.” He said with a volume she didn’t consider safe enough. “Your friends are waiting for us. Before the gate to the stairs.” Pablo nodded towards a barely visible string of torchlights of the rock-digged stairs that undulated up the mountain. The only access to a fortress that guarded the entire bay with batteries of dozens of cannons.

The noises of the rainforest creatures suddenly fell silent with a call from the undergrowth. Ivy couldn’t see whoever was calling them. “Pst… here.” repeated another voice, one that its familiarity made her heart jump. “It’s me,” Macha said, coming out to the small clearing with steady steps. He was covered in mud and had a tired but joyful expression. He stopped in front of her with a huge welcoming smile she returned with a student hug that caught him by surprise. He blew with relief. “I’m happy you are fine, “he whispered, squeezing her back. “You cut your hair, uh?”

Upon releasing him, she inspected her surroundings to find a couple of men she didn’t recognize and whom she immediately tagged as troublesome. “Where is Em?” she asked, frowning at the two newcomers. The sight of Oleg and another of Ced Rangers appearing from the brush did not reassure her. Macha, who was good at reading people, noticed her unease.

“We came with some dangerous fellas, but our safety is guaranteed. Do not worry.” Macha said, pointing at a man with bushy hair and a broad grin that didn’t cajole Ivy at all.

She moved her hands to repeat her question, but Macha was staring at Pablo with a silly look. “My name is Macha.” mumbled him. The overseer, glancing at the bodyguards with the same distrust that Ivy professed to them, paid little attention to the boy and introduced himself with a whisper and a quick handshake.

“Someone is coming,” interrupted the grinning man.

At about time they all returned to the thick vegetation, a panting Alphonsus reached the height of their hide out. Pablo was the first to get up, partly because of the great surprise of seeing a man who was ordered to remain with his daughters and also to stop Macha’s bodyguards, who seemed eager to jump to the jugular of the poor soul.

“Alphonsus! What the hell are you doing here?” Pablo blurted out, not caring one bit the gate guards could hear.

“AhRia! Jeremiah, take to the Grand Master house!”

“Wha… what?” Pablo babbled, almost falling when tripping over a branch.

“Jeremiah come to your hut with many men, many weapon. They take Peh too. I need to find Kamalu!”

Unable to hide his anguish, Pablo turned to Ivy. Only a slight movement with the hand and the tension of the lips were enough for a farewell. Frozen in confusion, Ivy watched her mentor and Alphonsus run toward the village. The thought of helping him came too late, almost when they were out of sight, and as soon as she stepped forward the gentle but firm grip from Macha stopped her. “What are you doing? We need to go. Dawn will be over us soon!”

Ivy jerked out of her grasp and stepped further only to stop at the sound of pistol shots in the distance. Oleg and his ranger looked around nervously, while the man with the perm approached them with palms up. “I think that’s coming from the beach.”

Ivy gave the bodyguard a defiant look, which he answered with an irritating wink. From the forest, many strangers suddenly appeared around her. They all gave her the same bad feeling as the first two.

“Who are these people?” she asked. With a new glance around her, Ivy didn’t need an answer. The lizard tattoo was visible on many of them. How Macha had managed not only not to be killed, but even more so how he had brought them to that damned island was now the big question she wanted to be answered, but there was no time. The shots repeated with more intensity and were followed by even louder whistles.

“That’s an alarm. We need to act quickly.” Said a man with huge earrings and a red bandana over his scalp.

Macha tousled his hair. “Damn it! What do we do, Oleg?”.

Nervously, Ivy pulled Macha’s shirt. “Why is Em not here? Where is he? Where is Ced?”

“We crossed a submerged passage. Em couldn’t come. He and Ced are on the ship. Do not wo-”

“We should go back to the beach, Abect. We help the rest overtake any guards they are fighting.” interrupted Oleg.

“Don’t be stupid, ranger. Before we all reach, the beach will be a nest of guards from the southern outpost! We need to bring the ships. Your men. And we need to take the fortress for that!” shouted the man with the red bandana, whom Oleg referred as Abect.

“But we don’t know how bad is-” Mumbled Oleg.

“Boss! Broccoli!” someone yelled from the brush. Abect and the curly-haired man turned to a pair of panting buckos who were stumbling towards them, completely drenched and out of breath.

“The beach is taken!” one of them said. “The Bull, Hadds and Piranha are dead!”

Oleg stepped to the side, close to Macha. “My people? Where are my men?”

“They have fallen, Sir. All of them!”

“Time is key, Maes,” said the man nicknamed Broccoli with a calmness that was out of place. “With the fortress standing, there are no ships. Without them, we have no escape.”

Oleg closed his eyes and nodded. Abect clapped and roared a maleficent laugh. “Avast ye, fellas! We’re going to take down a fortress!” More buccaneers appeared from the jungle with chests and bags. Broccoli, the only one that was not buzzing around like a fly, took his time studying Ivy, with his usual fake smile and lying eyes. As she snorted loudly, he awoke from whatever wicket thoughts he was in and spoke to the rangers with an annoying fatherly tone.

“You, your man and Maes Macha will stay here at safety,” he said. “Following my men up to the fortress is too dangerous. As soon as your blue fighters clear the docks, I’ll escort you back to the rest of your people.”

“If that’s the plan, then I’ll meet you in the docks when Em and Ced arrive,” she signed, stepping a little further.

“What… where are you… what are you planning?” asked Macha, completely misplaced. Oleg tried to grab her, but froze at her frown. The ranger knew her well: her stubbornness and her unusually powerful punch. Ivy looked at the road with a terrible feeling inside. Pablo was far gone uphill, and the only thing she was sure was she had to help him. She had to protect the girls, the people from the plantation.

“No, wait. Wait!” Macha’s complaint was futile. Ivy was already on the run to catch his mentor. She ran as fast as she could. Oleg followed her, but he was far away and, with the night still over them, his pursuit was blind and clumsy. Passing the small hill, she heard more shots and screams. She turned to the fortress, but they didn’t come from there. The fight was in the main village. Her heart squeezed, and she pushed her legs to the limit.

At the crossroad there were a couple of guards, lingering at one side, too scared or too cowardly to join their fellows in the village. They didn’t notice Ivy until it was too late. The first flew towards a tree with ivy’s push, dropping unconscious immediately. The second released his musket and raised his hands, but that didn’t save him from a well-done punch at the guts that left him gasping on the ground. Ivy took a saber from the former and rushed away, only looking back to check they were still down and unarmed. Oleg was nowhere to be seen, and that somehow relieved her.

The village was engulfed in a skirmish between servants with shovels and picks and soldiers with sabers and spears. On the other side, next to his home, Pablo was fighting three cutlasses with a knife. Luckily for the servants, the fire weapons of the Tampra were old, tedious and slow to reload, so none of the remaining guards seem to want to waste time with such. They had used their fire power well enough, though. Ivy could see many servants dead on the ground, and the sight enraged her.

She faced a charging man with a bayoneted musket and released all her anger with a blow that broke the parrying gun in two. Her saber sparkled and bent.

The man fell on his back and cried. He was at her mercy. She raised her blade, blinded by her anger, determined to strike when the shouts for help made her turn. Kamalu, lying on the ground, was locked in a life-or-death embrace with a soldier who was pushing a dagger to his neck with the full weight of his corpulent body. Ivy didn’t hesitate for a second to leave her prey and attacked the assailant, who saw her immediately and with an agile roll, got up with the dagger and a short sword he skillfully picked up from the ground.

Her new opponent was good, his feet nimble and in position. Ivy tried to remember attacks and counterattacks, but everything Pablo had taught her seemed to be gone. The soldier sliced from above and her feet acted quickly and without thinking. The short sword suddenly changed direction and struck from below and to the side, almost hitting her in the leg. Ivy parried the next two attacks without paying attention to a foot that, sinking into the sand, launched a cloud of dust directly at her face.

Blinded and coughing, she realized she was doomed. With a simple trick, she had lost her first duel and was going to die. Panic made her swing the sword around her as if it were a toy in the hands of a toddler. She felt shame as the well stopped her retreat. When she managed to open her itchy eyes, her soul crumbled. Kamalu, who had grabbed the soldier by the feet to stop his advance, was impaled on a sword that was meant to kill her instead.

With a muffled cry that tightened her abnormal mouth strings, Ivy let out the rest of her hatred toward those soldiers who would never again have any shred of mercy from her. The saber released Kamalu’s back to slash at her head, but Ivy ducked in time. She wasn’t a swords woman, but it wasn’t the first time she had faced someone. There was no true skill in her movements anymore, just her good old fighting. The saber didn’t strike again. Its handler took Ivy’s kick straight to the groin, and before he could let out a cry of pain, a fist dislodged his jaw. His head hit the ground hard, and Ivy’s fist hit it twice more, even harder. She didn’t mean to stop, but another cry stopped her from slaughter. Alphonsus and two more were charging a platoon of soldiers who were aiming their rifles at her. That group was not there before, and she had not seen them arrive. The cursing of Alphonsus and mates turned the barrels towards them and once more, deadly threats meant for her, hit others she swore to protect.

This time she shouted out an inhuman subtle sound, an animal squeal that she hadn’t heard in years. The soldiers scrambled to reload their muzzle loaded guns but hearing another group of brave slaves approaching, broke ranks and fled like cowardly rats.

The village fight was over and the only ones standing were servants. It was a victory, but at what price? Ivy stumbled towards Kamalu’s body and fell to her knees. Her eyes couldn’t contain the tears. “Ivy,” Alphonsus said dimly from behind her. He was clenching his bloody arm. The men who charged with him were not so lucky. “You need help Pablo. He go uphill.”

On the road, in front of the chicken’s barn, there was the little figure of Pablo. The first lights of the dawn were gloomy, and the sky was grey and threatening with rain. Hanan fireworks bursted from the mountain. “that sign fortress is taken. Ships attack port now. Soon more soldiers from other parts of island here. You need to hurry.”

Ivy ran up the hill, but not as fast as she wanted. Her will was broken. As much as she wanted to go help Pablo, a sense of dreariness slowed her pace. Even with the head start he had gained and her pace, Ivy caught up with Pablo just past the barn. The overseer was limping to his left because of a cut above the knee. “What the hell are you doing here?” he said, panting heavily and with his eyes fixed on the road. Ivy stood in front, halting his limping. After stabbing the ground with her sword, she signed. “I’m not yet skilled with the sword, but I can help. You are hurt. Please let me help you.”

Pablo glanced at the bended sword and blew. During the silence that followed, Ivy imagined the different reprimands that he’d give her. ‘You’re not ready.’, ‘I don’t need help.’, ‘What have you done to that sword?’, ‘Never drive steel into the ground.’ there were many, but none were accurate.

“I don’t speak handshake, little devil. I can still imagine what you’re saying and know well enough how stubborn you are. Come on, there’s no time to waste.”

Ivy reached for her saber and Pablo grouted. “Leave that there. You have punished that poor blade enough.” He tossed her a small flintlock and reprised his tired steps.

“You come only if you swear you’ll do what I tell you, no matter what. yes or yes?” Walking at his side, she didn’t do any effort to signal an answer. He was as stubborn as her and he never accepted a no for an answer.

The sight of the white mansion disappeared with a curtain of sudden rain. Upon reaching an old cart full of straw, Pablo crouched down and continued stealthily to a wooden fence as white as the mansion. With the cover of the logs and the waterspout, the two entered through the gate opening towards a gigantic oak at the right side of the yard. A few steps from the old tree, the rain ended as suddenly as it started and completely exposed, Pablo gave Ivy a sudden and firm push. Welcome shots immediately felt down from the upper-floor windows. Ivy crumbled at cover in time as two lead balls hit the other side of the log. Pablo reached a bit later, cursing at the shooters. “Cowards! Bastards! Come down a fight like men!”

Bursts of laughter came through the broken windows. “Nay, better no!” shouted the hoarse voice of J.J. “Why don’t you two come in? It’s raining outside.”

“Damn,” Whispered Pablo as he checked the wound on his lower side. The blood was leaking between the fingers and his brown leggings were turning black.

‘This is what you’re gonna do: You enter the house and let me kill you. Or else,” Shouted J.J.

“I cannot run away from this one, dear Ivy,” Pablo mumbled softly, taking a break to catch his breath. “My girls are there, and they need me. You will hide here and run to the docks like the seven Hells if any other but me comes back from that door.”

Ivy shook her head as the overseer caught his breath. “That was an order. No discussions. You gave me your word of honor.” Ivy didn’t. she nodded side to side once more, and he snapped his teeth. “I have one little chance of beating them. I swear I still can. But not if I have to check on you as well. Un… understand? Now, little devil, stay here and wait for me.”

“You should ask ‘or else what?’” said J.J. “Then I say. Or else I will shoot that wife of yours straight through her big, round belly.”

Pablo sucked in a deep breath and bolted for the house as if his leg hadn’t been cut or his stomach hadn’t been hit. During the time he took to reach the porch, two bullets thundered from above, both hitting the gravel as he passed.

Miraculously having avoided being shot for a second time, Pablo crossed the door with careful steps, ready sword in hand and proud chin up. Ivy was holding herself still. Her wishes were simple. Go help. But if Pablo said she would only hinder, it was because that was what she’d do. The silence, which surely lasted a few seconds, felt endless, and after an anguish that she could barely contain, it finally broke. Windows flashed with the powder explosions. Screams of rage and pain echoed through the door. The silence returned for an ephemeral moment that lasted too long. More clashes of iron. More shouts of war. Cracks of glass, snaps of wood. And at last, the silence; returning to stay.

Ivy badly wished Pablo to cross the doorframe, but no one did, only smoke. The rain returned as drizzle. At last, her nerves clouded her reason, and she took a step forward, aiming for the windows as if she really could hit someone.

A silhouette appeared at the front door. Ivy craved it was Pablo, but it was no other than J.J. The sight of that hideous man mixed rage, fear, and disgust at the same time. Ivy pointed her gun at him. He was holding a gun, although the weapon was barely held by two fingers. Two crumbling steps into the porch and he fell on his knees, pressing a bloody hand over his chest. He coughed, and his lungs emptied slowly. The gun dropped at his side loudly.

Ivy lingered with her aim at the man dead over his knees. Her eyes searched for survivors through the windows. Her heart screamed for Pablo’s return.

The electrifying shock hit her above the shoulder. She didn’t feel the pain until well long after her back collapsed in the mud. Her left arm was unresponsive. When she tried to move it, stabbing pain engulfed her. Her right hand touched below the neck. It was wet and hot. J.J.’s laugh was both terrifying and nauseating. Ivy pushed with her legs until the roots of the oak raised her head, scratching her skin deeply. J.J. still on his knees, was holding a smoking gun she didn’t see before. Little by little he got up, helping himself with what he had at hand. “I cannot believe you felt for that.” he said between chuckles.

Slowly, JJ left the porch and walked into the yard. The light drizzle wiped his face clean of blood, blood that was not his. A crude trick that Ivy had totally fallen into. “My boss wants you alive, no matter what. For that, many good men have died. Damn. I almost died. That overseer was a skillful devil. Give him’dat.”

Under a rain that reprised its former intensity, JJ stepped closer, taking from his rare sash another gun. Ivy pushed with her legs towards a tree that was too deep to be bothered by such a weak girl.

His monstrous face didn’t show remorse or guilt. Cold as ice, he hammered the gun and aimed. “You are such an annoyance. A little spoiled brat, I must say.” The flint clicked, but the barrel spit nothing. Ivy blinked and JJ cursed. He threw the pistol over the mud and unfolded a knife. Ivy felt her strength leaving. Her thoughts, blurring. If that was her last moment, she was ready.

He was standing on her feet when half his face exploded. Crumbling backwards as Ivy did moments before, he smashed his back over the wet, muddy ground. He pushed with his legs to get away, exactly as she did, but, unlike her, who did with a silent sort of elegance, he screamed like a pig in a slaughterhouse. When he sat over, his hand was pressing desperately over a cheek falling into pieces. “You pay me!” he whimpered. “Swear you do! I swear!”

Her clouded vision watched as J.J. staggered around the corner of the house. With a blurred mind, she swore as well. She’d pay him back with pain and suffering.

Pablo’s footsteps filled her heart with hope. The overseer stood next to her, holding a beautiful baby in his arms. Ria was hugging him from behind. Alphonsus was patting his shoulder amicably while the girls scampered around the yard. Kamalu, with his hands over Peh’s shoulders, was there as well. Everyone was there. All watching from above as she succumbed to shock. As she plunged into failure. Then, with the world fading and surrounded by faces of disappointment, a beloved voice shouted her name in the distance.