Naasir groaned as the ropes cut into the flesh of his wrists. He tried not to move. The slightest motion caused the fibers to dig deeper into his skin. Sweat poured from his scalp, collecting in the dark folds of the cloth that had been tied around his eyes. He could see nothing.
“Now, then, Priest.” A man’s voice growled with the throatiness of the sea. “Will ya do as we say?”
Rough, thick fingers brushed against Naasir’s check as someone removed the gag from his mouth.
“I will do only what the spirits direct me to do.” Naasir answered softly.
“Like spirits, do ya?” The same man laughed.
Naasir suddenly felt warm liquid being poured over his head. He pressed his lips shut, but the wetness still entered his mouth and stung. He could feel his shirt dampen and his nose filled with the overpowering bitterness of whiskey. He sputtered.
“Do what you will.” Naasir croaked. “Do what you will, but my destiny is set out before me. I know my place. I have seen it for it has been written, and, I am not afraid.”
A sharp blow across Naasir’s face toppled him over. He lay on his side on the ground.
“You’d best be afraid.” Another man shouted.
Naasir smelled fire. As he felt the warmth grow hotter and closer, he screamed. “I am not afraid!”
At the yellow house on La Colline Cramoisie, Mr. Punch stalked the floors of the back parlor mumbling to himself. He paused in front of a small bronze sculpture of a woman.
“Don’t know how good ya have it, metal woman.” Punch muttered. “Don’t got a heart nor any mind. Just standing there forever, holdin’ your wheat and lookin’ pretty. Don’t know what it’s like ta feel pain, to feel like you don’t got power over things what are tryin’ to hurt you. Don’t know what it means to care ‘bout nothin’.”
Adrienne interrupted him. “Mr. Punch, do come and sit by me here. I would be comforted to have you by my side.”
“What kind of comfort can I offer?” Punch asked, sitting beside Adrienne. “Don’t have any power, I don’t.”
“But, you do, Mr. Punch.” Adrienne smiled. “Do you see? I already feel better having you near.”
“’S that so?” Punch wondered.
“Yes.” Adrienne nodded. “You know, my own brothers are far from here. I miss them terribly. Just as Cecil always missed Robert. But, now, you are here. You are my new brother and I feel that I am safe, just as when I was a little girl and my Matthieu would cradle me in his arms when the storms frightened me.”
Punch nodded Julian’s head. “I got the ‘pression you mean that.”
“I do.” Adrienne winked. “You are my new brother.”
“Hm.” Punch grunted. “I don’t know what to say to that, I don’t. Only I feel like I’m not good to nobody. The two men went out without me.”
“They’ve given you the task of keeping me safe and to protect Fuller.” Adrienne responded.
“That’s true.” Punch said. “How’m I doin’?”
“Very well, Mr. Punch.” Adrienne laughed.
Punch sunk Julian’s body deeper into the couch. “Crikey, but when are they comin’ back?”
“They’ve gone to see where Naasir might have been taken. It could be awhile.”
“I’ll never forgive meself if anythin’ happens to Naasir. Kept me secret he did. Least I could do is see that nobody hurt him.”
“You can’t be everywhere at once, Mr. Punch.” Adrienne said soothingly.
“Can’t be nowhere.” Punch grumbled. “Never—not without me master. What’s he gonna say when he comes out and finds Naasir’s been taken?”
“He doesn’t know?” Adrienne asked. “Lord Fallbridge is…how do you say it? He is in there with you, yes?”
“Yes, only he don’t know a lot a the things what happen when I’m the one movin’ the body around. See, I keep things from him—not to be cruel, you see, but to help ‘im out. Sometimes he don’t understand things so well and they make him afraid. So, I keep those things for him like they’re kept in a box what he can’t open. Only I can see ‘em, and that helps to protect ‘im.”
“How long have you been protecting Lord Fallbridge?” Adrienne asked.
“Oh. Long.” Mr. Punch answered. “Ever since he were a little fella. Only I didn’t have to make the body work on me own until he were a grown man. See, he used ta think that he’d heard me—when I was in the cabinet and such.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand.” Adrienne wrinkled her brow.
“Nothin’ a be sorry ‘bout, Lady Chum. Hard thing to understand, it is. See, when Julian were a boy, he’d talk to me—puppet me, I mean—when I had no legs. I sat on a shelf in a cabinet and he’d take me out and play with me and tell me things what happened to him and so on. Sometimes the things he’d tell me were hard things to say, and, so, I took ‘em from him so’d he’d not have to say ‘em again. Always so nice to me, he was—to take the time to talk and ask about me. So, I figured, I’d help him out. Only it was hard to help him out when he weren’t with me, so I found a way to be with him all the time. You see, I made that happen. Don’t know how I did it, but by talking with Julian, I became a part of him. I got to be in two places—me body in the cabinet and me thoughts in Julian. Only then other things happened what weren’t so good and Julian needed me more and more. Then, me head got split open and I was lost in the sugar cane. So, I could only be in Julian and nowhere else. Understand?”
“Surprisingly enough, yes, I do.” Adrienne nodded.
“That’s why you’re me Lady Chum.”
“That’s why I’m your new sister.”
“Well, then.” Punch sighed. Suddenly, he bolted upright. “Someone’s here! There’s footsteps!”
Punch commanded Julian’s body to dart to the door of the back parlor. “”S safe, it is. It’s me chum and Brother Chum!”
“Ah, dear Punch.” Robert coughed, patting Julian’s shoulder. “Did you keep our precious Adrienne safe?”
“Her and our nephew,” Punch said proudly. “Did you find Naasir?”
“Sadly, no,” Cecil answered. “The plants at the west end of the property have been trampled. There’s a path—as though a body has been dragged—which leads into the Fontanals’ Plantation and, perhaps all the way to the Cage’s. We dared not go any further. While Manuel Fontanals wouldn’t mind our trespassing on his land, Mr. Cage certainly would. I know he keeps guards on the property, and we didn’t want to risk being shot.”
“Here, this Cage man, he’s the fellow what’s your employer?” Punch asked.
“Yes.” Cecil nodded. “He owns the waxworks in addition to his sugar cane plantation.”
“Didn’t Naasir say that his brother was workin’ on a plantation?” Punch said quickly.
“Yes, his brother, Cephas,” Robert nodded. “I don’t recall which plantation—perhaps he didn’t say.”
Adrienne rose and tugged on the bell-pull. A dark-skinned woman—quite young and beautiful—entered.
“Gamilla,” Adrienne began, “do you know anyone named Cephas?”
“Yes’m.” Gamilla nodded. “He works over ta Mr. Fontanals’ place. Just took a bride,” She smiled. My cousin, Hannah. Such a pretty young thing, ma’am.”
“Do you think you could send one of the men with a message to Cephas?” Cecil asked.
“Reckon, I could, Mr. Halifax.” Gamilla nodded. “Mr. Fontanals don’t mind if we go on his land.”
“Fine, then, if you would, please, tell Ty Chidi to run over and find this Cephas and tell him that his brother, Naasir, is in danger and that we are trying to help him.” Cecil said.
“I’ll do that, Sir.” Gamilla nodded.
“And, how is Gros Chidi. Is he resting?”
“Yes, Mr. Halifax.” Gamilla answered. “He’s right fine. Dr. Halifax was powerful nice to him.”
Robert nodded his gratitude.
“Good. Hurry, then.” Cecil said. Gamilla rushed off on her mission.
“Here!” Punch said. “We still don’t know where Naasir is!”
“Punch, dear fellow, it’s pitch black out. We won’t be able to find him tonight.” Cecil said softly.
“Only you promised!” Punch cried.
“I promised that we’d help him, and we shall. But, until sunrise, it’s quite impossible.”
Punch frowned in disappointment, “Brother Chum, nothin’s impossible.” With that, Mr. Punch ran from the room.
“Robert, stop him!” Cecil shouted.
“No, Darling.” Adrienne shook her head. “Let him go.”
“I’ll go with him. Keep Adrienne and Fuller safe.” Robert said, hurrying from the room.
Robert caught up with Punch just outside the house.
“What’s West?” Punch panted.
Robert pointed the direction.
“You comin’ with me, Chum?” Punch asked.
“Where else would I be?” Robert smiled.
Did you miss Chapters 1-51? If so, you can read them here.
