will come along on horseback. Let’s not keep ‘em waitin’.” Watts nodded as he pulled our trunk up and onto his big broad shoulder and led us down the gangplank.
The stench of garbage and a rich, musky aroma I believed to be indigenous to the island blew over us as we finally set foot on the dock. I was still a bit sore, as were the girls. I found myself wanting to turn around and go back. I stopped for a moment and took in the ship in its entirety with a deep breath, before Cassandra locked arms with me and pulled me along.
“Forget about it, Ivory.”
“What?”
“Forget it all. That’s the only way we can keep going. Isn’t that what you always tell us?” Cassandra always made sense. She knew what I needed to hear exactly when I needed to hear it. Hear her I did. Listening to her was something I needed to work on.
“This way, ladies,” Watts said. He led us away from the dock and towards an awaiting wagon. The port was alive. There were many men loading and unloading ships, as well as people milling about chatting, laughing, and simply going about their daily lives. We endured some curious glances and a few unsavory remarks, but that wasn’t anything we weren’t already accustomed to. Watts kept us moving. There was no pause in our stride, although I believed Miranda may have a pain in her neck later from the way her head swung around every time she spied a thick, tan, muscular back and a set of bulging arms. There were more than enough of those to satisfy her lusty spirit.
“Aye, lassies. Ye shoulda’ seen ‘er in ‘er younger days,” Captain McCormack said when he approached us. The words fell soft on his tongue and appeared to come from a deep loss and longing for the young and wild woman Port Royal once was.
“What was she like then, Captain McCormack?” Miranda inquired.
“Lass, she was a wild and loose woman a’ no scruples and overflowin’ with every brand a’ thief and bandit that’s ever set foot in the sand, she was. Buccaneers, privateers, and pirates, all richer than the King a’ England. If a sailor couldn’t find a fortune on a ship outta Port Royal, he musta been the dumbest creature on God’s green Earth.”
“What happened? It still appears a very busy and populous place,” Keara asked as we reached the wagon and Watts loaded our trunk.
“Before I took up with Barclay’s crew, I was across the bay there in Kingston. ‘Bout fifteen years ago now, ‘twas. Mid-mornin’ in June a’ sixteen ninety-two. ‘Twas like any other day, I s’pose, but I’d been on an all-nighter with Millie…uh, never mind ‘bout that. Anyway, the ground started ta’ shakin’, and we run down the stairs and out inta’ the street, we did. I thought ’twas the end a’ the world.”
“An earthquake!” Miranda shouted.
“Indeed ’twas, lass, and a mighty one at that. By the time ‘twas over, and then fer some hours after, the water came a’ rollin’ in. By the afternoon, over half a’ this town was at the bottom a’ the bay, and that’s where it sits still.” Willy leaned his elbow on the wagon and removed his hat. He lowered it over his heart and bowed his head for a moment before carrying on. “Thousands a’ people, good people an’ some I called me friends, perished that day. A few years later, they patched her up as best they could. Then, one mornin’ before dawn as we made our way back ta’ port, we spotted plumes of smoke blowin’ an’ we could smell her burnin’. As we approached in the early hours and the sun rose over her, she was burned half ta’ the ground.”
“I’m not so sure coming here was such a brilliant idea, Ivory,” Miranda said to me with a scowl.
“Earthquakes, floods, giant waves, and fire…and she’s still here. I’d say she and I are perfect for each other,” I said as I waved off Miranda’s comment and climbed into the back of the wagon. Listening to the Captain go on about the old
The stench of garbage and a rich, musky aroma I believed to be indigenous to the island blew over us as we finally set foot on the dock. I was still a bit sore, as were the girls. I found myself wanting to turn around and go back. I stopped for a moment and took in the ship in its entirety with a deep breath, before Cassandra locked arms with me and pulled me along.
“Forget about it, Ivory.”
“What?”
“Forget it all. That’s the only way we can keep going. Isn’t that what you always tell us?” Cassandra always made sense. She knew what I needed to hear exactly when I needed to hear it. Hear her I did. Listening to her was something I needed to work on.
“This way, ladies,” Watts said. He led us away from the dock and towards an awaiting wagon. The port was alive. There were many men loading and unloading ships, as well as people milling about chatting, laughing, and simply going about their daily lives. We endured some curious glances and a few unsavory remarks, but that wasn’t anything we weren’t already accustomed to. Watts kept us moving. There was no pause in our stride, although I believed Miranda may have a pain in her neck later from the way her head swung around every time she spied a thick, tan, muscular back and a set of bulging arms. There were more than enough of those to satisfy her lusty spirit.
“Aye, lassies. Ye shoulda’ seen ‘er in ‘er younger days,” Captain McCormack said when he approached us. The words fell soft on his tongue and appeared to come from a deep loss and longing for the young and wild woman Port Royal once was.
“What was she like then, Captain McCormack?” Miranda inquired.
“Lass, she was a wild and loose woman a’ no scruples and overflowin’ with every brand a’ thief and bandit that’s ever set foot in the sand, she was. Buccaneers, privateers, and pirates, all richer than the King a’ England. If a sailor couldn’t find a fortune on a ship outta Port Royal, he musta been the dumbest creature on God’s green Earth.”
“What happened? It still appears a very busy and populous place,” Keara asked as we reached the wagon and Watts loaded our trunk.
“Before I took up with Barclay’s crew, I was across the bay there in Kingston. ‘Bout fifteen years ago now, ‘twas. Mid-mornin’ in June a’ sixteen ninety-two. ‘Twas like any other day, I s’pose, but I’d been on an all-nighter with Millie…uh, never mind ‘bout that. Anyway, the ground started ta’ shakin’, and we run down the stairs and out inta’ the street, we did. I thought ’twas the end a’ the world.”
“An earthquake!” Miranda shouted.
“Indeed ’twas, lass, and a mighty one at that. By the time ‘twas over, and then fer some hours after, the water came a’ rollin’ in. By the afternoon, over half a’ this town was at the bottom a’ the bay, and that’s where it sits still.” Willy leaned his elbow on the wagon and removed his hat. He lowered it over his heart and bowed his head for a moment before carrying on. “Thousands a’ people, good people an’ some I called me friends, perished that day. A few years later, they patched her up as best they could. Then, one mornin’ before dawn as we made our way back ta’ port, we spotted plumes of smoke blowin’ an’ we could smell her burnin’. As we approached in the early hours and the sun rose over her, she was burned half ta’ the ground.”
“I’m not so sure coming here was such a brilliant idea, Ivory,” Miranda said to me with a scowl.
“Earthquakes, floods, giant waves, and fire…and she’s still here. I’d say she and I are perfect for each other,” I said as I waved off Miranda’s comment and climbed into the back of the wagon. Listening to the Captain go on about the old
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