The Red King Read Free Page B

“Where were
they taking me?”
    The captain studied him, so long and
knowingly that Andrew lowered his eyes to his hands once more.
“Esbjerg. You were going to be presented to a man named Maarten
Jans de Worrt. He calls himself a count, uses his vast wealth and
intelligence to influence the Danish king. He’s permitted to
plunder for the flag of the Danes and take the choicest of
treasures for himself. He contracted those men, gained them
permission to raid the Spanish coast. I’ll wager when they saw you,
the brigands thought you would offer him…,” he paused, reaching out
to lift Andrew’s face to his, “great pleasure.”
    Andrew shuddered.
    “You could have found yourself in Algiers to
be made a eunuch for the Sultan’s harem, or worse, added to the
harem itself. You could have been sent to finish your life in piss
and shit, chained to the oars. You could have been used by the men
until they tired of you and they threw you over the side. You were
put in that room for your own protection, so you would
remain…priestly, until Maarten could have you. You, boy, were
lucky.”
    “Lucky?” Andrew snapped. His eyes opened and
he stared at the man in disbelief.
    “Aye, lucky to be alive.”
    Andrew’s tears fell freely now. “They killed
my mentor! My family! They killed all of them…there were none
left!” He clutched at his hair, shuddering, unable to catch his
breath. “I only wanted to serve as Christ commanded! To be…God’s
Own…”
    “Then it is good we found you, for God does
not want us.”
    This sentiment echoed what was in Andrew’s
heart. The simplicity of it broke him.
    “Do you still thank us for your rescue?”
    In his distress, his uncontrolled sobbing,
Andrew did not notice the man leave.
     
***
     
    Later, exhausted and empty, Andrew lay
unmoving when he heard the captain return. The man did not sit but
bent over the bed, one hand supporting his weight as he brought his
face low, so close Andrew could feel his breath. “I can help
you.”
    Andrew stared at him, watery-eyed and
wretched. “How?” he whispered.
    “Face your pain, Andrew, and it will give you
strength. Help me destroy this man, the one who set these events in
motion, and you will be set free.”
    “Free from you?”
    “Free from the hell you carry in your
heart.”
    Andrew was empty. He was lost. His life was
over and he had nothing. “I’m no warrior.”
    The captain drew his eyes away from Andrew’s
lips. “I detect a keen mind behind your winsome face. You’ll have
time to learn what you need to know.”
    “I am not winsome,” Andrew replied,
frowning.
    The captain tilted his head, lifted his other
hand to run fingers lightly down Andrew’s cheek. He smiled when
Andrew shivered. “Your innocence is appalling. I find it
almost…painful.”
    “Then you should leave me alone,” Andrew
said. He licked his lips with a dry tongue.
    “You’re in my bed.”
    “You put me in it.”
    The man’s smile returned. “Are you sharing it
with me?”
    Andrew saw himself lying beside this man,
their bodies pressed close within the bed’s narrow confines. For a
moment, he couldn’t breathe.
    “Please, leave me alone.”
    “You forget you travel in the care of a
pirate. Arrangements for your safe passage will need to be made. We
must agree to a price.”
    “A price?” Andrew asked, weakly.
    “How much do you think you’re worth, hmm?”
The man’s thumb traced his bottom lip.
    Andrew opened his mouth but no sound
came.
    “Think on it, Andrew.”
    And then he left.
    Andrew lay awake in the darkness for a long
time after, thinking of his value, and his painful, appalling
innocence.
     

Chapter Three
    The captain let Andrew be the next day,
allowing him rest and more healing. It was Malik that brought him
more water, broth, and on the third day, a set of clothes. The
borrowed shirt and trousers were too large, but they were clean,
soft and well worn. There were no shoes to fit him, but the deck
was warm and