Unable to remain still she paced beneath the tree. She began muttering to herself.

"Come on, Harv." She knew that she couldn't wait much longer she had to deliver the captains messages. She knew that the captain was usually going to be the last one to reach shore but she wanted to reach the Hog Head before he did.

"Harv, you crusty old ..." She froze and closed her mouth as a twig snapped behind her. Letting out a sigh she turned expecting Harv.

"No. Please continue."

She swallowed the lump that had suddenly bloomed in her throat. She straightened her spine and forced herself to breath normally.

"Captain." she blurted stiffly.

Harv stood by the tree but to his left stood Captain Talbot. Her eyes darted between them. She couldn't help the accusing look as her eyes met Harvs.

"Harv." she said much sturdier.

"He insisted, lass." Harv told her. He could see in her eyes that she felt betrayed.

Captain Talbot stepped forward. "Have you delivered my messages yet?"

Her eyes swung back to the captain.

"No sir." She said thankful that her voice did not convey her nervousness.

His eyebrow lifted. "Go. You can visit with Harv when your work is done."

Although she wanted to protest she didn't dare. She knew that despite the vote he could turn her away from the ship if he so chose.

She turned and fled down the street. She didn't even look over her shoulder.

******

The two pirates stood under the tree and watched as she sprinted down the packed dirt road.

When she was no longer in sight they moved down the road to the Hog Head. Elle knew to delivery the message replies there.

"You never asked me, Cap'n, why I kept the lasses secret." Harv stated calmly as he navigated around horse dung.

"I known you long enough to know ye had yer reasons, Harv." The captian told him, but Harv noticed his voice was stiff.

"So ya ain't mad at me?"

"No, I'm not. Was at first. Wanted to split you open. But not now."

Harv nodded. He had already known that the captain had been angry. For weeks he had waited for the anchor to drop, only it never had. The captain had avoided him and Harv had stayed out of his way as much as possible. There was no sense in tempting fate.

"It's dangerous for her to still be delivering the messages." the captain said changing the subject to one that had obviously been on his mind.

"She's fine. The lass has more stealth than a lion. I tried to follow her once. She's like catching air in your hands." Harv assured him.

"Where did she go?" the captain questioned glancing over at Harv.

"Don't rightly know. I had a little problem following her as she was delivering messages, but then it was like trying to harness a shadow." Harv explained as he marveled at the memory. "It was almost like she blended from one shadow to the other." He gave a harsh laugh. "Lost her over on L'Orange."

The captain seemed to mull over his words and then nodded his head slowly.

Harv didn't dare say so out loud but he had noticed the looks that the captain had been giving the lass. The looks had started before her true gender had been discovered. The initial looks had been a mixture of interest and disgust. Now the interest was still there but there was a weariness as well.

That made their way into the pub and choose seats close to the back wall.

Harv hadn't told the lass but the captain had passed on voting yea or nay for her to continue sailing with the ship. He had left the decision entirely up to the crew.

Harv didn't know what the captain would have voted. He had his suspicions. Harv got the feeling the captain didn't want to be around the lass but he also didn't want her to be gone.

However, Harv wasn't stupid enough to bring this to the captain's attention. He thought it best just to let things play out as they would. Things would progress or they wouldn't, it was no business of Harvs and he intended to keep it that way.

Lily plopped down into his lap and proceeded to entice him with her feminine wails.

He placed a hand on her delectable bottom an gave it a squeeze. She giggled loudly wiggle her body closer.

She brought her mouth close to his ear, "Come upstairs with me." she pleaded suggestively. "Only cost you a silver." she added with a slow roll of her hips.

"Latter, Lilly." he promised her and pulled her closer with his left arm. With the other he pulled a copper from his pocket and dropped it down the front of her dress. It tumbled down between the creamy mounds.

Lily hopped up, smiled at him and scampered away. Within minutes she had found another lap to wiggle against.

He turned to the captain. They spent the next forty-five minutes discussing the needs of the ship and the crew.

In order to keep the authorities off their illegal activities they frequently shipped legitimate goods. They would be transporting a shipment of cotton and wool to India in two weeks. From India they would be carrying a shipment of dye and spices to France and England. From France they would carry a small shipment of glass and return to England.

After two hours he noticed that he and the captain were both glancing more frequently at the door.

He heard the captain grunt and looked over at him. The captains face was drawn and tense. He pulled the cup from his lips. It made a soft thunk as he placed it on the scarred plank table.

"Cap'n?" he questioned. "The Mead gone sour?"

"No. Meads fine." he said. "The lass shoulda been here by now." He said as he scowled at his cup.

"Takes longer some nights, Cap. Dims da nights, Ell, comes back with the most profitable information." he reminded the captian.

"Ell knows we sail to India in a fortnight. We can't make a special run." the captain pointed out.

Harv though about it for a moment. The captain was right. Ell wouldn't gather information for a new run when she knew that the next year was taken through the upcoming rounds.

He stood up and grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair. He hadn't made it a foot before the captain was beside him shoving his own arms in his jacket.

Harv hoped nothing had happen to the lass. He'd grown fond of her in the last three years.

"She'd save the messages that needed replies for last. Were there any, Cap'n?"

"Brandon Hillard's. His shop's on the outskirts of town." They made their way to the papermiller but they smelled it long before they saw it looming in the dark.

"Don't look like nobody's home." Harv said as the captain hammered on the door.

They heard a angry yell muffled by the thick wooden door. "'old your bloody horses. I'm coming."

They waited. The captain glaired at the dark treeline.

Suddenly the door was thrown open. "What do you want at this hour?" The skinny man demanded his white night cape bobbing. He gulped when he saw how he had addressed so rudely. He needed that ink. He didn't want to anger the captain that would be delivering it.

"Cap'n Talbot. " The captain said in way of introduction. "We're looking for a lad. He was supposed to deliver a message from my ship to you tonight."

The little man seemed to shrink as he replied. "A... A lad?" he looked from the captain to Harv the did so again. Ink or no ink he refused to say anything that would get the girl hurt. He chose to speak carefully. "Sh- The lad done some wrong?" he asked, his voice quivered.

Before they could respond a woman's voice called out, "Brandon, who is it? What's happened?" a moment latter a plump woman appeared holding a short thin candle in a small looped holder. It's flame flickered but it remained lit.

"Brandon?" She questioned as she eyed them with concern. "What's going about? Who are these men?" she whispered. Her low voice still easily heard. She clutched at the little mans arm.

"It's fine, Minerva. They are looking for a messenger lad." He told her.

The woman suddenly lost much of her fear. She looked almost fierce. She said sharply, " You have the wrong place. It's late ans we have a business to run." she said as she reached for the door and began closing it.

The captain reached out and grabbed the door. Harv growled.

"The lad may be in trouble. We're friends." he told the couple. The door jolted as they pushes.

"We know nothing." the man said.

"Leave us be." the woman demanded.

Harv stepped forward. "Will you bloody listen? We want to help her. She didn't meet us as she was 'possed too." Harv kept his voice down as much as he could. But they knew the couple heard because they stopped pushing on the door.

Harv and the captain shared a look as the couple argued in hushed tones behind the door.

Finally the door opened.

"She left just before you arrived." the man told them. The woman glared at all of them even her husband.

Harv laughed. "She's fine." he said and looked at the captain.

The captain pulled a pouch from his coat. He emptied some of the coins into his palm and held it out to the couple.

"My apologies for disturbing you at this hour. We'll be off."

The woman took the offering and watched as they turned away. They made it only a few steps before she called to them.

"Elle is a good lass. I hope you truly mean her no harm. She has enough hardship in her young life with out yous adding to it." she said stiffly. The captain paused as she spoke but didn't turn as Harv did.

"Elle is safe with us, madame." he said almost gallantly.

The rank smell of the paper mill was long gone before either of them spoke.

"We're bleeding fools, Harv. Jumping to conclusions and seeing monsters in shadows." the captain said with a sneer. "This be why women be bad luck on ships. They turn you're brain to meal and stop your heart in fear."

Except, Harv thought, we ain't on ship, Cap. "Understandable we was worried, Cap'n, our reasons be grounded enough. She got a powerful enemy."

Captain Talbot grunted. "I don't think that's the real reason, Harv. Do you? If she were any one else one the crew with Travis snapping at their heals, we'd leave them to handle it." He shook his head. "Hell. Even the lass hid in a corner and let it be." he said annoyed.

Harv cleared his throught. "Not exactly, Cap'n." Harv said and launched into an explanation of the night that Elle had interrupted Sir Travis's idea of punishment.

"You're all bloody idiots. Do you want to be dead by thirty-five?"

They spent the next five minutes in silence.

The sound of swords hissing against each other made them pause in midstride.

The last thing they needed was to be involved in any situation that involved the authorities. Harv glanced at the captain and turned the way he indicated.

Two steps and they froze.

Elles voice came from the ally, it was too low to understand her words. The male voice that replied was easily understood.

"You're a nobody. You could never provide for her. You're just like all the others but you wont do you're business and leave. You crawl in her bed and think you belong."

There was another clash of steal on steal. But now the two pirates were close enough to her her reply.

"Zara is my friend, Miles. That is all there is too it."

Miles yelled, "Liar!" as the sound of steal rang out in the air.

The captain and Harv froze as they rounded a corner and saw the two opponents.

They had ceased talking and were now slashing at each other with their swords. Elle blocked blow after blow. It was obvious that she didn't want to harm the man. But Miles was beyond reason. His intent was clear. He wanted her dead.

Elle swung her sword at the sword fast approaching her neck. The steal squealed as the blades rubbed against each other.

The captain cursed under his breath. Harv and Captain Talbot both drew their swords. Captain Talbot moved into ally.